Oh hi there everyone. I am sorry for posting so late. I have like five chapters that have to be edited and it's driving me crazy! I know I'm supposed to be wrapping up but damn the fights alone took...uh... Forget I said anything. Fights? What fights? Now if you asked about the inv...umm... *points away* Oh look a bird! Anyway, enjoy the chapter. God willing I will have the next part edited and up by Thursday.

THE FORCE OF CHANGE

I got home before Sakura and decided that I wasn't going to wait for her to let me in. Pulling off the outer robe and my sandals, I ignored the fine art of ninja wall walking and climbed the tree. I'd left the window open so it was a relatively easy jump across to my window. I took the time to change into my night clothes, (shorts and a Tshirt) before going downstairs to retrieve the remainder of the borrowed clothes. Laying them out on her bed, I went back to my room already thinking about the possibility of getting my own apartment. As I waited to fall asleep I couldn't help feeling a little glad about how things had turned out. Sam might be upset but I couldn't imagine him hating me because I had rejected him. He'd be upset for a while but once he'd had some time to put it in perspective, life should go back to normal, mostly anyway.

Much more troubling was his affection for Sakura. I wanted him to have someone but I didn't really want it to be her. She was a good person but her life was...complex; main character complex. Sam needed someone stable who didn't get into trouble as much as I did. I yawned and turned over. Rubbing my face catlike against my pillow and I tried to still my mind so that my tired body could rest. The kiss... all I could think about was that stupid stolen kiss.

"Bastard." I muttered to myself with a smile.

It was a very good kiss, skilful and confident; the way his hands felt holding my face. Growling at my stupidity, I felt suddenly warm all over. I tossed the blanket away before reluctantly dragging it back. I was being watched and by a guy; sleeping half naked was no longer an option. A lot of…private activities were not really an option. I thought, both annoyed and frustrated. I closed my eyes stubbornly but couldn't sleep.

Something was prickling the edge of my consciousness. I hadn't showered and the scent of Sakura's borrowed perfume was faint but noticeable against my skin. I snuggled deeper into the firm warmth of the bed wondering what kind of perfume she used. It was a little spicy for my tastes but...I had a moment of dizzying realisation followed by an 'oh my god how the fuck did I miss that' feeling. I remembered Crow's lesson on hand signs and the strangely sweet scent. It took me back to the trip I'd taken on Itachi's back. Was it the same smell? Was I imagining the similarity?

I snorted and turned again. That was ridiculous but then again... where was Itachi? I remembered asking the Hokage that very question not 12 hours before. She hadn't answered...or had she? Her eyes had flicked immediately (perhaps unconsciously) to Crow who may have covered for her by closing the window. She's never done that before during any of our debriefing sessions. I hadn't given it a second thought. But I'd come close to Crow this afternoon when he caught me. I hadn't smelt anything unusual then. But after I mentioned it to him, wouldn't it make sense for him to stop using whatever it was that made him so noticeable?

Itachi Uchiha was my food mooching Anbu guard? That didn't make any sense. Frustrated I sat up running a hand through my hair. They were nothing alike personality wise. Crow wasn't a chatterbox but he was a hell of a lot more responsive than Itachi and he's never once said Hn. It simply wasn't possible for Itachi to be Crow. He had been a prisoner when we got here and really weak after the surgery.

Plus, guarding me would surely be a monumental waste of his time. Even if they decided to use Itachi and not lock him up (as was more likely) I doubted that they'd make him my babysitter. I was as safe as I would be anywhere in the ninja world and Itachi's skills were legendary.

With that decided, I flopped back against my pillow determined to sleep no matter how many idiotic distractions presented themselves.

The Anbu known as Crow watched the girl fall asleep for what seemed like the thousandth time. She had a routine though he doubted she knew it. St first, she would lie on her back before rolling unto her left side and then her right and then curling up. When she was almost out, she would flip over unto her stomach and press her face into the pillow. She snored sometimes.

He sighed in mild annoyance with himself. He was pretty bored at night while she slept. He was a bit of an insomniac who didn't need more than three or four hours a night. Useful as that was to an Anbu, it left him with a lot of time on his hands before Kitten (as named by Erica) came to relieve him four hours before dawn. He sat on the windowsill and withdrew his borrowed copy of an infamous orange book and began to read.

Between his duties and his family, he'd never had much time to read novels so this one pulled him in like a whirlpool. It was testament to his ability that he was still very much aware of the world around him. He stopped at a particularly heated section, unwilling to let his focus wander any further than it had already.

However, without the book to distract him, his mind strayed to The Kiss. He couldn't believe he'd actually done it and that she didn't suspect a thing. It had been almost too easy requiring only a well time kage bunshin, a henge and Erica's easily distractible nature. He knew he should feel guilty for deceiving her but it had seemed like such a harmless thing. It had accomplished his goal of distracting her from her troubles and had provided a wealth of material for future teasing and blackmail.

Exhaling silently he leaned back and contemplated his own selfishness because as good as he was at deceiving others, he wasn't nearly so good at deceiving himself. He'd wanted to kiss her. He had a few theories about why that was but whatever the underlying reason, he found himself attracted to her. He sighed silently. It wasn't that surprising really. His life had been a mess for so long that in this unaccustomed period of relaxation his thoughts had turned to things of a more frivolous nature. In other words, his carefully organised and controlled mind was turning against him. He couldn't' say that he was bothered by that, although he felt he should be. It seemed like a natural enough reaction and he had no intention of it going any further. Erica was a beautiful girl and they had been spending a great deal of time together. She was an easy person to be around; kind and guileless. At the same time, he didn't really understand her and that was a very new, strangely attractive feeling. It was hard to believe. He'd broken down, analysed and manipulated countless people but Erica was a puzzle. Her behaviour was erratic, by turns optimistic and pessimistic, both painfully honest and a pretty convincing liar. She was both kind and violent by turns. It wasn't insanity either, as much as he thought that when she annoyed him. It was as though there were too many missing pieces to make a full picture of her. It was a strange challenge since he probably knew more about her than anyone but Sam.

With some effort he pulled away from his musings and made the mistake of looking at his charge. At some point during his reading she had kicked off the blanket and changed position. Lying on her back, her Tshirt had tugged and bunched up baring her legs, hips and stomach as far up as her sternum. Crow froze as his brow scrunched.

Her skin was a brown that was almost golden in the pale glow of the streetlight. Her hair, tussled from restless turning tangled about her body and spread out in every direction. Uncomfortable and uncommon feelings began to warm inside of him. He took a deep breath and reached down, slowly pulling the blanket up and over her body. Once he reached her waist he paused for a moment and then pulled the fabric up to the girl's neck. He felt himself smirk and knowing she was a deep sleeper, pulled the fabric straight over her head. She immediately began to fuss and without waking kicked it until it was at her waist again. Straightening his face, he took a customary seat by the window and opened his book again.

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