Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters that are associated with it.

AN: I apologize for the length of time it took me to get this chapter up. Please Review, it bolsters my writing.

"Daddy!" I yelled and launched myself into his arms. As always, he swung me around as though I wasn't a teenager but a little girl again. I laughed joyously, even though the slight strain on my still wounded shoulder screamed for the movement to stop. His deep throated chuckle resounded through his barrel chest and I nearly hummed with appreciation. It was really good to have him back. My father's chin came to rest on the top of my head briefly before he withdrew and looked me over with critical eyes.

I smiled at him sheepishly, in my own way apologizing for the worry that etched itself into his doe-brown eyes. With my left hand, I leaned forward and grasped his hand in mine. It was rough and calloused and engulfed it easily. I inspected the dirt encrusted underneath his short clipped fingernails and grinned impishly up at him. Just like how his hand was bigger and broader then mine, His height and breadth outweighed my own.

My mother was small and petite, and by the tender age of eight, it was easy to tell that I had defiantly not inherited her frame, but I did not inherit my father's build either. It was like I was a hybrid of the two. I was not short, but of an average height and build. As much as I wish genetics had been more kind to me, my mother's perfect face and heartbreaking smile was not picked as part of the genetic lottery. Instead, my face mirrored my father's own very average looks. Brown eyes, slightly wavy brown hair, and a much too square jaw were my defining characteristics.

My father tentaily withdrew his hand, and gestured at all of the shinobi entering and exiting the complex. Most of them were clad in the normal olive green vest that most chunins wear; as they passed most would pass my father without even a glance, where others gawked at his apparent tenderness with me. I guess that is not a side of himself that he was willing to share with the village at large. It would mar his reputation as one of the most callous shinobi in the village.

I nodded once at him to signal to him that I understood his request. That is one thing that I never want to lose. My father and I have a strange connection; we are so close together when it comes to thinking that most of the time we don't even have to open our mouths. All it takes for him to understand my feelings about a subject is a meeting of our eyes, and all it takes for me to understand him is a quick glance at his body language. Not to say that my father is an open book, He is a shinobi after all. It's just the things others miss, I pick up.

I commented on this phenomenon once. We were eating dinner; my mother paused in dishing my father's plate, and fixed him with a steely gaze. His broad shoulders tensed and he brought the dinner glass from his lips and carefully set it down on the table. Our eyes met, the same doe-brown with the same shape.

"We think on the same track, Kai. That's all." His mouth set in a firm line, and I knew that was going to be the last of that conversation. The only thing I didn't quite understand, that if he and I thought the same way then why did he refuse to allow me to follow him in his career? He was not nessisarily the best father in the world but he was an excellent ninja. If we thought the same then wouldn't I be an excellent ninja too?

It was nothing to ponder about seeing as though, I was not ever to be a ninja now that I was much too old to learn and prefect the arts. My imagination briefly flirted with the idea of attending the academy as a seventeen year old. I would have to literally cram myself into those tiny desks and learn the basics of throwing kunai, and learning jutsu with a bunch of seven year olds. Me, ten years their senior…

The thought placed an uncharacteristic smile on my face, it was just too rich. My father glanced at my smile with calm disinterest. He didn't ask, as he probably figured it to be just plain silly.

"So…How did your mission go? Did the feudal lord receive the message well?" I asked slowly, watching for the slightest perterbance in his facial expressions. There wasn't any.

"It went well, the feudal lord was glad of the coorispondance and the jonin that accompanied me was of the nice quiet type. It was a fairly peaceful mission." He admitted softly, his eyes refecting back on the silence with calm adoration.

"Who was the jonin?" I questioned, interested in anybody who could stay in a pleasant silence with my father without being distracted by his bulk or rather rough demeanor.

"It was the Aburame boy, about your age, Shino. I think." My dad replied. He made sure to pause and actually recall the ninja's given name on the off chance that I would recognize it.

"Sorry Papa, I can't say that I know him." I relented after a moment of racking my brain.

"If we ever see him when we are out and about; I'll introduce you two. I have a feeling that you would get along well with him." My father promised.

There was a silence that fell upon us, neither of us entirely willing to broach the next subject. We stood facing each other awkwardly, my face turned upward to look at the clouds and the impossibly blue sky, and his staring at the people who entered and exited the hospital. That is one thing where we differed greatly, he prefers people watching to cloud watching.

I wasn't oblivious to everyone around me as I tried to find shapes in the puffy clouds; it was just the fact that I liked the feeling of I was the only one taking notice of the beauty around me while everyone else was busy carrying on in their hectic lives. It was like I was this immovable rock and the people around were the river happily going on their way, except that this rock had fallen in love with the sky… I halted my thoughts before they could fully formulate in some lame legend-like story.

My father touched my elbow in the lightest of touches that brought me back to reality and the position we were in. I glanced up at his face, and was mildly surprised to see it drawn up into a carefully blank mask. That signaled the arrival of some of my father's colleges that he either admired greatly or disliked immensely.

I glanced around, and caught the gaze of a tall extreamly scarred man with a frown etched permantly onto his mouth. His eyes were brown like mine, but they didn't hold any warmth, only infuriating calculation. I could not see any hair, as he wore a haiate as a bandana, which completely covered his head. The width and breadth of his frame nearly rivaled my fathers. I hate to admit it, but he is quite a bit more intimidating then Papa.

The tall frowning man approached us, his stride unhurried. A black trench coat swirled around his calves. I noticed faintly that he didn't have to weave through the crowd, all of those in his path simply moved out of it. It was plain as day to realize that this particular shinobi was not one to be trifled with. My father straightened his stature, until he was drawn up as highly and proudly as he could be. I recognized the change in my father's stature as one of respect. Whoever this ninja was, my father admired him and that was enough of vouch for his character for me.

As the intimidating man reached within three feet of us, he addressed my father in a cold clinical voice.

" Takahashi. I assume this is your daughter." His head bent slightly to acknowledge my presence. "Miss Takahashi"

I glanced over at my father just in time to see a peculiar look cross his face. It was an odd expression, something akin to shock and wariness. I settled back a step, and gave a slow respectful bow to the foreign shinobi. I bent down just enough so my hair that was pulled back in a ponytail shifted upward on my head with the force of gravity. Part of my reason for doing this was to pay my respect for the older male, another was to hide my confusion.

I was a citizen, unless I was in the way, or had something this tall scared man wanted; there was really no reason for him to acknowledge me. It was one of those weird cultural things in this village, the ninjas and the citizens mixed as well as oil and water. They left us to go about our business, and we left them to theirs.

As I bowed, my dad introduced the ninja to me. "Kai, this is Morino Ibiki. He is the head of the interrogation department."

I smiled and nodded politely as I resurfaced from my bow. It was better to appear pleasant then not when it came to people such as Mr. Ibiki. If they liked you, it definitely caused less hassle in the future.

"Takahashi, How is the wife?" the intimidating man asked of my father, a smile gracing his lips. (it was well known with his colleges that the Mrs. Takahashi was a handful "spirited gal" as she had once been called by the Third Hokage)

"As feisty as ever, it is well for me that none of our children exhibit that particular trait." My father responded jovially. "How are things at the office?"

"Things are good" Ibiki's answer was sharp and blunt, indicating that mayhap all was not well. "I'm attempting to train a new recruit, Inoichi's daughter. She is a handful, all blond and no brain." His answering smile did not reach his brown eyes. Leaving them as cold and calculating as before.

They caught mine, as I regarded the men's conversation, and an answering blush stained my cheeks. He didn't look away. Unconsciously, I stepped backward, squirming under his steady clinical stare. I am of no interest to hi…

With a flush of realization, I recalled a green psyche evaluation paper requesting that I be watched. Although, I was not entirely certain of the proper politics, it made sense that Itachi Uchiha, whoever the meddling man is, heard of my mother's vehement display of denial, and took it upon himself to inform the head of the Interrogation Department of the perceived threat. This is exactly the reason why my father was at a loss.

My mother expressed a very definite no on the subject. Naively she expected that denial to be honored, though apparently it wasn't. For her, the matter was closed. Being as she thought that, it fell in her character not to tell my father of the green psyche evaluation request.

As I thought, an uncomfortable pregnant pause waited nervously between us. Ibiki analyzed me, my father watched Ibiki, and I glanced back and forth between them. I wasn't sure if Ibiki was aware that I figured out the reason for his visit. Unconsciously, I decided to play the ignorant citizen.

"Well, it seems like Mr. Ibiki has some business with you, Dad. I'll meet you at the ceramic shop up the street?" I stated, breaking the silence.

As I was turning to leave, the deep commanding tone of the man in the trench coat demanded my attention.

"Actually, Miss Takahashi, I was hoping to get in a word with you."

I widened my eyes, opened my mouth slightly, and flinched backwards. I did my best to assure that I appeared completely flabbergasted at his statement. The Head of the Interrogation Department watched and raised one eyebrow, then the middle of his forehead crinkled together as if he was concentrating really hard on discerning my actions.

"What-ever for?" Both my father and I asked simultaneously. When I heard him, I grinned softly. We really were a lot alike.

"There was a psyche evaluation request put in for Miss Takahashi." Ibiki stated monotonely. "I haven't any immediate business right now, and I thought that I would attend to it."

My father's face paled from its normally unobtrusive tan, to a sickly pale, almost the color of a corpse. His fear was nearly tangible. Despite his obvious respect for this ninja, in no way did it mean that he did not fear his abilities. My father sank into a defensive stance in front of me. It was a sweet gesture.

"Normally don't Kotetsu and Izuma take care of the evaluation for citizens?" His deep voice was deceptively calm with how shaken up he seemed.

"Yes, but Takahashi, your daughter was brought to my attentions. I felt the need to do the evaluation myself. If she is innocent then she has nothing to hide." The last bit was a threat.

Fear gripped my throat and chest at his words. I could barely restrain the urge to bolt. Adrenaline rushed though me, and I valiantly fought it down with the rational part of mind screaming at me to accept the evaluation with minimal fuss. Anyway, Ibiki was right, I didn't have anything to hide.

"Ok." I aqehensed "How long do you think this will take?"

The staring match between the two men came to a blaring halt at my words. My father shifted closer to me. His big frame close to mine, and a large hand laid itself on my shoulder. I glanced up at him and smiled reassuring me.

"It depends on if you are truthful or not." Ibiki answered, still impassive.

The hand on my shoulder gave a minute squeeze. My father was worried. I was anxious too, but like I said before. I have nothing to hide! I turned and gave him a firm hug. He briefly placed his chin on my head, before withdrawing.

"Why don't you go up to the bar, I'm certain Nara will be there." I suggested, making sure that my voice remained light and cheerful. He nodded at me, his brown eyes knowing my real uncertainties, but also acknowledging the cheerful mask over them.

I turned to Mr. Ibiki with the cheerful smile still plastered on my face. "Well shall we head off then?" I was too intimidated to meet his eyes so I kept my eyes low, getting distracted by the patchwork cobble stones under my feet.

I could feel the distaste for my actions role off him in waves. He probably thought that I was an insincere completely normal citizen, which in my book proved to be quite a feat. It's a good thing to be normal. I like normal.

"Follow." The command broke me out of my self-induced revery. And I did, I followed the single worded command like I was a robot. As I walked behind the man who split the crowds so easily, I glanced around making sure to note our exact route. We passed the grocery store, the bookstore, and the police station.

As we passed the majestic Uchiha police building, I found myself carefully watching those who entered and excited. Unlike with the hospital entrance, there was not an abundance of yells of mirth and anger. All the men I saw who were carrying on conversations, were doing so quietly, almost whispering. Not one of the many ninjas standing by the building was smiling. They seemed busy, but it was muted somehow like someone had placed an emotional damper over the building. It was rather sad really. It seemed so depressing and stifling.

We continued with a meandering path north to a rather nondescript building made out of gray stone, two blocks from Hokage Tower. All the while, Ibiki and I kept a solid silence well maintained. His heavy boots clunked faintly with each of his steps on the street, it was regular and I could not help but think that he was uncommonly heavy on his feet for a shinobi. Also with each movement, his long black trench coat swirled and flurried with the wind rather majestically.

Ibiki reached the doors first, and like any gentleman, he held one open for me to pass through. It was not a really impressive door. It was made of a dark wood and a copper handle made into some intricate shape… For a few moments, I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to walk through that door. Fear for what lay on the other side momentarily caused my body to paralyze itself.

"Doors are meant for walking through, not staring at." Ibiki sneered rather irritably.

"Sorry. It is just such a shock that you held that open for me, I'm not used to it" I murmured quickly and timidly walked past him inside of the building. I was lying, but he didn't have to know I was afraid of him. There was no need to bring out a beacon to my insecurities.

He didn't respond and I was too embarrassed at being caught in my thoughts to attempt to read any indication what he was thinking. The man was like a solid block of ice. I could not fathom his slight variations of facial expressions, and his body language seemed switched to permanently pissed off, annoyed, and intimidating.

I was in a lobby of some sorts. It was the same lifeless gray as the walls outside, some flowers that seem to be in there last few hours, as they drooped in a vase that sat on the desk. Some shinobi lounged on the hard wood chairs that lined the far wall, most of them were men. They silenced their talk as they saw who accompanied me. Not that they were even talking that loudly, but regardless as Ibiki strode into the room, you could hear a pin drop. He raised an eyebrow and gestured me to follow him down a hallway. I gave one last lingering look at the odd behavior and followed the man.

It was two right turns, down a flight of stairs, a left, and 14 doors later that we reached the room. From what I could tell, it was an interrogation room, one with a bright lamp, glaring down at a teal plastic chair. A table with a fake wood top was also highlighted by the light. There were no windows; everything else was the same monochromatic gray. Honestly, it was beginning to drive me crazy.

With a suffering sigh, Ibiki reached around the lamp and switched it off. He groped the wall until his hand found a light switch, and my initial impression of the room did not improve much with the steady all around light. The corners and edges of the room were slightly darker; it made me think of mold. The florescent bulbs hummed softly, slowly building in power. The light they shed was harsh, but not nearly as bad as the lamp. The table top seemed dirty, and there were scratches that adorned its finish.

"Sit there, I have to grab the form from my office and then we will begin." Ibiki commanded, pointing to the teal chair. There was not much room between the table and the wall, and discovering that the corners of the room had things growing from it, I didn't want to take the chance and get mold on my shirt.

"kay" I said clearly.

As gracefully as I could, I sat on the table and swung my legs over. It by all means was not a very graceful move, but I got to my destination with minimal hindrance. A soft squeak from the thin table legs accompanied my small feat of athleticism. Only when my booted feet lightly touched the ground, I realized that I was still being watched by Ibiki. I turned to face him, a light blush staining my cheeks. His brown eyes stared at me impassively.

I met his eyes squarely for a few moments, and then dropped them to regard the table top. It would not do well for me to look insubordinate. I refused to challenge the man, knowing that eventually it would come back and haunght me later.

He left, shutting the door with a solid click. Even though he was gone, I still felt uneasy. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled slightly, as if someone was still watching me. There was nothing I could do however. After a moment's hesitation, I plopped myself down on the teal plastic chair, set my head on my arms that lay on the table, and closed my eyes.

Seconds passed to minutes and I just regulated my breathing and waited. Hunched over the desk was not a very uncomfortable position at all, and I found that even the slow thrum of the florescent lights was peaceful. I focused on my breathing, inhaling for four counts, and exhaling for five. Once the steady rhythm got established, my mind began to wonder to the possible outcomes.

There was great chance that nothing would happen. Ibiki would interview me, and then that would be it. Regardless of how likely the first option was, my mind immediately fantasized about option number two. The chance that something would be wrong with me is nonexistent, however my brain perverted it to some romantic delusion where I was a spy for some unknown shinobi, and when I figured out my identity; and I decided to turn a new leaf. My status as a double agent would be a secret that only a few of the best and brightest would know.

I think I fell asleep with those grandiose ideas running through my head. The next thing I knew was the sound footsteps close by and the low hum of two voices as the door opened. It wasn't just one pair of footfalls either; one was faint, but still there, just in the shadow of the first one. It was pointless to try to determine if the footsteps belonged to a male or a female, as most ninjas were extremely light on their feet.

I jerked my head off of my arms, frantically checked for drool, and rubbed my eyes to try to rid myself of all the vestiges of sleep. My sleeve was rumpled, and my face where it was resting on it was hot to the touch, probably I had crease marks and folds imprinted on my right cheek. My eyes were bleary as I blinked to get them to clear. My mouth was dry and felt like sandpaper.

It was all for not, the moment Ibiki strolled through the door, the corner of his broad mouth crept up in an amused grin. The scars on his face crinkled slightly unused to the rare emotion. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to, just his stare alone caused a fierce blush to color my face. I smiled sheepishly at him, so much like a child caught with their hand it the cookie jar.

"Miss Takahashi, this is Ino Yaminaka, she is my new trainee, and will be taking down your answers." Ibiki said, all business.

I rose in my seat and bowed to the blonde. I was rather surprised at the sight of her. Of course I knew that kunoichi dressed more freely then their citizen counterparts, but I had yet to see anything as quite as reveling as the uniform that Ino was clad in. It was a violent purple top with no sleeves that hugged the ending of her ribcage tightly. A purple skirt that barely came to midthigh was over a pair of black shorts. Fishnet sock things covered her elbows and knees, but other than that everything else was bare skin. Granted she did have very nice skin.

Cornflower blue eyes watched me carefully and calculating, meekly I smiled at her. She didn't return the gesture. I dropped the smile as quickly as I could and directed my attention away from the antisocial blonde. My eyes fell on Ibiki, who was observing the exchange impassively.

I felt my anger catch in my chest. Having my every action analyzed was getting rather irritating. Valiantly, I fought the emotion down. I just wanted to get this analysis over and done with. By how deeply I was sleeping, it must have been at least an hour since Ibiki left me to get the paper work.

"Mr. Ibiki, I have a question." I paused and waited for his accepting nod before I continued. "Once the evaluation is over, can I read all the notes and the results?" I added a pleading smile to the end. As if that one action would convince him.

His dark eyes darted to the girl's beside him, she was watching my face. I didn't meet her eyes; instead I kept looking at Ibiki. It was almost as if the two were consulting on the best plan of action… but Ibiki said that she was just a trainee. I thought that Ibiki was in charge of the situation, why was he consulting a girl who was barely older than me? Especially when he called her "all blonde and no brain" before?

My head spun with my ponderings. To hide my distress, I broke my stare at the man, and ran my hand on my forehead, nursing the headache that beginning to develop behind my tired eyes. Residual laziness from my impromptu nap made the action slightly disjointed, but to anyone analyzing me, the action would seem completely normal. All the while, I was still thinking furiously. My brain struggled to make sense of my observations and my next course of action.

There was a slight chance that I was making something out of nothing, but the other alternative was that, I was correct, and the girl who sat before me was not Ino Yamanaka. In that case the only other person I could think would want to sit in on my evaluation was the man who placed me in this predicament. Itachi Uchiha was the only person who would have an interest in attending this "routine" psych evaluation, and of course he would want to be in disguise. Who was I to spoil his fun? It would be easy to fill the citizen role this time, and not give any indication I knew of his deceit.

"Once the final report has been submitted, then you are allowed to peruse your file, until then only myself and Ino will have that privledge." Ibiki's voice was oddly soothing to me, and I nodded in acceptance. With a grace that only years of training could perfect, the man and his trainee sat down on two chairs on the other side of the table, their backs to the door.

"We will begin now: Please tell me your full name." he asked his soft tone mearging to professional."

"Kai Takahashi" I replied succinctly

" What happened yesterday? Start from the moment you realized something was wrong." Ino asked this question, her voice was cold, and she spoke carefully.

So I reiterated the tale to them, I explained of my reluctance to scream, my violent reaction that totally caught me unaware, and my admiration of the ANBU captain that placated my mother so smoothym. Ino scribbled notes on what I said. My story finished with "and then I woke up in the hospital".

"So while your captor held you, what is the dominate emotion you felt right before you resisted?" Ibiki inquired, leaning forward

"Umm." I thought back to the situation. "I rebelled, I think." I paused and my brow furrowed in thought. "I thought that I had two choices, put my trust in my captor not to slit my throat, or fight like a mad woman. Then the adrenaline kicked in." I looked up, to see if the two shinobi were pleased with my answer.

They weren't. Ino flicked back a long piece of bang where it hung in front of her face. Dainty hands played with her pen, and she let out a sigh of disappointment. Ibiki settled back in his chair. As he did so a grunt escaped his lips.

"Are you going to make us stay here all night?" he asked, his voice dull.

I frantically looked at the two people. What was wrong?

"As you recall Miss Takahashi, I asked for what you were feeling right before you attacked him, not what you were thinking." Ibiki clarified upon seeing my distraught deminer.

"Oh, then allow me clarify what I was feeling, I felt helpless and then that feeling was completely taken over by logic. I analyzed my situation and made a decision." I all but snapped.

Immediately after my words fell from my mouth, I squirmed in embarrassment. I forgot myself and snapped at two ninjas. God, I was turning into my mother. Quickly, I bent at the waist in a small bow while murmuring apologizes. Above my bent head, I heard a distinctive chuckle coming from the scarred man.

My eyes sought out Ibiki's. They were crinkled slightly, like the man was highly amused at my reaction. Seriously, why wouldn't he be? It's not like I could actually harm him. I was like a small dog, all bark and no bite.

Ino made a small noise to interrupt the commander and his amusment. To tell you the truth it was more like a grunt, a small hn. Regardless, it was a rather odd noise, and it jolted Ibiki back to stoicism in no time at all.

"Have you ever been trained in ways to defend yourself?" Ino asked.

"No."

"What made you choose the pattern of defense you did?" Ibiki wondered

"My father said that if I am ever in the position where I need to fight back, make sure to hit areas that would hurt. Those were the areas I could reach at that time." I replied after considering it for a moment.

"Give one word that describes your personality." Ino fired at me.

"Mild."

This whole one word answer thing was working out well, they didn't ask for clarification, and I didn't have to say much. Ino raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow at me though. Before I could analyze it, Ibiki asked another question.

"Do you ever find yourself places that you don't remember going to?"

"Nope"

"Do you have gaps in your memory, where you don't know where you have been for some time pervious?"

"No"

We continued like this for a long time, one of them would ask a question, and I would answer as consisely as possible. They asked questions about everything, my friends, chores, my mother, what my daily routine was, what I liked, what I disliked, my health, and so on. The inquiries dragged on and on until I couldn't recall exactly what they asked. I was just a robot that was wired to reply in as few words as I could.

This constant barrages of questions assaulting my brain, left little room for anything else. However, somewhere in the reassesses in my mind, I recognized that these questions were superfluous, these ninja's couldn't possibly care what cereal I ate in the morning, or what words I couldn't say properly. Unless they were planning on making a perfect clone of me…

Quick footsteps thudded down the hall, and Ibiki stiffened in awareness. It was amazing how fast that man could move, before I could even blink, he was out of his chair. Unfortunately for him, just as his fingertips grazed the doorknob, it shot open revealing another completely identical blond Ino.

I glanced from one to the other, happy that my earlier suspicions were correct, and the ninja in the room with me was not Ino Yamanaka, but instead another ninja with a vested interest in me. A satisfied smirk crossed my mouth. I knew it. The moment Ibiki looked at the other shinobi in a consultation was the moment that I recognized the odd behavior and came to the conclusion that the Ino Yamanaka inside of the room with me was just a guise, a hoax. I was really proud of myself for that fact. Not that they were trying too hard to conceal the fact…

"Ibiki-sensei, ANBU brought in three shinobi. We have to start working on them immediately!" Her tone was rushed and frantic.

There were no physical differences between her and the girl who was reclining in the seat in front of me. No physical differences, but her bearing was entirely different. The kunoichi was at the door was nervous and frantic. Her eyes were fixed on Ibiki's, there were creases in the middle of her forehead, even though I couldn't see the entire thing because she had a hunk of bangs that fell over her right eye. I never cared much for the hair styles that flopped in front of your face.

The other ino was sitting relaxed and blank, as if all emotion had been erased. Her eyes were fixed on me, and I knew that she saw my earlier smirk of accomplishment. I turned to her and smiled softly.

"there really is no more need for that henge, Uchiha-san." I told the girl across from me.

Ibiki and the real Ino halted their conversation. A quick intake of breath came from the blonde assistant at the name Uchiha. So she didn't know that he was stealing her identity.

I didn't hold it against her, I may not know a lot about the shinobi realm, but I knew the name Uchiha. I'd only ever met the few that patrolled the waterfront at night, and that was limited to a nod in passing. Several stereotypes were common knowledge, the Uchiha were proud, arrogant, and dangerous. It was the best thing if you stayed on their good side, because to do otherwise was to invite certain discord into your life.

I decided to be as cordial as possible a last ditch effort to keep myself on the better side of the Uchihas. With a poof, the blond disappeared into a cloud of lavender smoke. The smoke slowly diffused into the surrounding air to reveal a stoic red-eyed very attractive man.

My eyes widened at the sight of him. He was thin, straight, wiry muscles were accentuated by a tight black sleeveless shirt, and the color matched his hair. His mane reached the middle of his back even though it was bound loosely in a low ponytail. Crimson eyes glared at me impassively. How is it possible to glare impassively? Two stress lines creased the area between the inner corners of his eye and continued into the slight hollows by his cheeks. They made his entire image look older, worn down. Mouth drawn into a thin line he addressed Ibiki.

"I will finish here Morino." Like his face, his voice was completely devoid of emotion and thus was a very compelling thing. Ibiki turned on his heel, took the Yamanka by the elbow, and marched out of the room, shutting the door soundly on the way out.

The bang as the door shut fell into the silent air like a stone. I flinched at it. I've always loathed the noise of doors banging shut. Itachi didn't move. He sat in the chair as still as a marble statue.

"when did you figure out I was not Ino?" Itachi asked slowly.

"when Ibiki-san turned to you for your opinion about me seeing the results." I answered truthfully.

The silence dropped between us again. I was beginning to think that this particular shinobi lived off of it. There was nothing wrong with silence, but it was rather exclusive and made things take a lot longer than neccissary.

"How did you know who I was?"

"I saw the psych evaluation request, you sighed it. Also you are the only shinobi with an interest in me, which, may I add, is completely miss founded. I am relatively normal." I had to add the last bit, a vouch for my character.

Abruptly he stood and decreed, "You will meet me here at the Interrigation Department every Tuesday evening at five o'clock, unless I specify otherwise." Itachi didn't give any reason for this command, and I didn't ask.

I nodded to him, signifying that I understood his request and had every intention of fulfilling my part. With the show of acknowledgement, Itachi stood and strolled out of the room, taking the clipboard of the notes with him.

The door was left agar, but instead of leaving immediately, I lingered. My brain swirled with incomplete thoughts, my fingers traced the rough edges of the scratches of the table, and eyes closed in weariness.

What a mess. I made the biggest…quagmire for myself. All I wanted was to not get noticed and live out my life with few complications. And now some cold, mad, and extremely attractive Uchiha made the insane decision that I was somewhat intriguing. Maybe I should have let that guy slit my throat. Now what do I do?

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I came to grips with the bizarre situation. I suppose it couldn't be helped.