I give my deepest apologies to my readers, my friends, for taking forever in posting this chapter. Laziness, busy schedules and writer's block all attacked me within these past few months. Finally, I am able to put up chapter fifteen. I hope I won't lose any readers, and please leave your feedback. You can tell me of how long I took in your review. It's okay since it's my fault, anyway.

Alright. Thank you for your consideration and understanding. Please enjoy the chapter.

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I am going to die on this keyboard, for goodness' sake!

Kankuro: I can see the headline now: Local teen commits suicide; grinded face into keyboard.

Me: -steps on his foot- I don't mean that! I mean this! –holds up key piece with 'G' on it-

Kankuro: -pause- How'd that get off the keyboard?!

Me: I was playing with my cat and my cat scratched it off. My Mom will kill me when she finds out. And I have to proofread my chapters and fics thrice at this rate. The 'G' needs to be pressed twice or at least twice as hard before a 'G' actually comes into the screen.

Kankuro: Pathetic.

Me: Yeah, like it's not your fault, too. You, after all, are Cat Man. –laughs- By the way, why're you eating Kitten food?

Kankuro: -stammers- It's none of your business. –turns around- Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the litterbox.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And, gawd, how do you fix a chipped off key piece of a keyboard?! Help!

Note: Got some Italian words and phrases here, in accordance to the plot. Please, please, please correct me if I ever made a mistake. Sometimes, I doubt Yahoo! Babel Fish when it comes to translations. I'm not Italian, so help me. Thank you.

Chapter Summary: It was like chess. If you want to make it out alive, if you want to win the round, go around the enemy… not through…

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"Parola d'accesso?"

"Ne?"

He nudged her. "I think he's asking for the password. I'll handle this." Running his fingers through his gelled locks, the boy gulped, trying to recall the password that should get them through the border guard. I know this one. I should. It's at the back of my mind, I guess.

His female companion scooted nearer to him and discreetly murmured, "Hurry up with the password. He's going to kill us if we don't give the password, from the looks of it." She nudged him, jabbing her knobby elbow softly into his ribs. And the weight on my back is killing me. I think these 85 kilograms will send me collapsing before anything else. Subtly, she adjusted the strap of the bag she carried. Her shoulder blades seemed to break by the minute.

"Edelweiss." The boy answered, confident yet wary all at once. This has got to be it. If it isn't, it's goodbye, damn. Warm sweat ran through his side as the guard eyed them both intently. The suspense had to end somewhere.

Finally, the armored guard spoke, blowing a gush of garlic into their faces, "Corretto. Potete entrare." With that, he took his sidearm aside and made way. He snatched his radio from his belt and buzzed the next guard, "Impiegato prostituta entrano."

The lass sulked, clenching her fist in disgust as she pulled her bag into the campgrounds. I don't think I want to know what prostituta means.

Indeed, she looked like one, though. The thickest foundation, lipstick and eye shadow her tiny face could muster struck her skin. The chill went to her bare legs, making her shiver occasionally. The thin tank top and the three-inch heels bothered her the most. This was definitely unlike her daily apparel.

"Remind me again why I have to dress up as a whore again." She hissed at her accomplice's ear, emphasizing as how he was the one who told her she should— of all things—disguise herself as one in order to get in without suspicions. I hate this. She bitterly thought, This can't end up in my name eventually. It shouldn't. Hopefully, it won't.

All her accomplice did was pat her back and mischievously reply, "You are not dressed up as a whore. And I told you: This is necessary to get in without getting tailed by any reinforcements of the grounds. Only employees— that's me— and their harlots are allowed inside the premises liberally. Besides," With a squeak out of her, he pulled on her bra playfully, "I think you look great."

"You're just a perv, asshole. But I should've expected that from you since all of your mentors were perverts, too." She snapped back, straining herself to manage the wide load on her back, "You try dressing up in a skirt and a transparent tank top. Let's see how you like it."

"I ain't a girl. What would I be? A gay harlot?"

"It's a shame for you." She muttered as sight of the next gate came, "I'd rather be in your pinstripe slacks than this shit."

Yet again, the lad winked at her teasingly, his hormones swarming in his gut like bees, "Well, how about you get into my pinstripes after this, luv?"

At this, she could only gag. Mental images of what she questioned as heaven or hell struck her almost blind. I may be in love with you, dorkwad, she wished to say, But I am not willing to do that just yet. Gawd, boys. Throw a doll in their face and they lick it clean. "Sick. Plain sick." It was all she could say to hide the circumspectness of her blush.

The pair halted in front of the subsequent guard. Running his orange peeps through the couple, he questioned in an elegant Italian accent, "Appuntamento?"

In reply, the lad shook his head in restrained panic as he thought of the procedure, then explained to the guard uneasily, "Un residente." He pointed to himself proudly, stating his residence in the camp as an employee. The guard, knowingly, acknowledged him with a nod, but eventually pointed at the girl in alarm.

"Prostituta, destra?" The able-bodied guard somehow guessed, judging by the woman's attire.

She, on the other hand, felt her blood boil. "Harlot." She seemed to find the right to correct him. It's a fancier term, anyway. Gives me a little more dignity, then.

At her remark, there was no more response. A large man would care less, for as long as the lady wasn't his. "Potete entrare." He mumbled in what was a hushed bellow as he moved aside to make way for the passing couple. They could only be relieved that they didn't grow apprehensive over the oversized (and rather overweight) bag the 'harlot' brought with her.

The end of the bag dragged against the cracked tiles of the floor, making a noise synonymous to troll skin against a shark's. And a loop of the melody 'Edelweiss' haunted the crannies of the compound. Now, it was clear that the owner had a liking for the flower, seeing the password and background music.

"How many more miles till we get there?" The girl complained, near to giving up on her luggage, "I'm going to break my back with this. Why don't you bring it? You're the man among the two of us, isn't that right?"

The boy shrugged and whispered to her an answer, "Well, harlots are supposed to bring around the load when it comes to tailing their 'masters', so since it's your cover, you'll have to carry that. Don't worry, it's only for now."

"Only for now my ass, perv." She growled at him as they traveled through the dusty and murky corridors of Camp 645. Every tile on the ceilings, walls and floors reminded them of public bathrooms: mossy, odorous and rust-licked. Flickering lights gave the impression of a tight budget and campaign posters from 1989 made everyone wonder how old this building is.

At the end of the ground floor corridor is an office, like a principal's, and the two arriving to its deck feel like the most condemned troublemakers in the campus, but in control. "That's the office we've been looking for." The girl mentioned, pointing her chin at the door straight ahead, "Do I have to repeat the plan for you, scatterbrain?"

"No need, luv," the boy shook his head and gripped her hand as he did, "I've got it down in my head. Let's just make this quick. I need to take a leak badly." She could only roll her eyes, noting how pathetic this is.

Upon reaching the door, Blue Gun Shot proceeded to knock. The fading letters on the door's glass seemed to shift in coordination with the moving shadow behind it. As the figure darkened, getting closer to the door, both of them readied themselves. Their cold guns almost burned the skin of their thighs, hidden securely until soon.

A click, thud and another click came before the door swung open with a creak. "Yes?" was the response of the blond, pony tailed man clad in a laboratory gown. Blood lathered his gloved hands as he stared back almost dumbly at the visitors.

And there, the girl snatched her gun out and aimed at him, saying, "Blue Gun Shot here. We need to talk, Mr. Yamanaka."

With that, the stunned Mr. Yamanaka paused for a moment. Then, he threw himself back into his office and slammed the door shut in fright. Hanabi could hear his panicked yelps in his office at this. Blue Gun Shot's apprentice, Konohamaru, then took out his gun and mumbled, "Do you mind?"

But, even before he could position his gun in his hands, Hanabi took aim at the glass of the door, senselessly dropping her bag, and growled back, "Yes, I will." Without a second's hesitation, she fired three shots at the glass, shattering not only the door, but also whatever was standing idiotically behind it. Luckily for Inoichi, he was nowhere near the door.

"Guards at six o'clock." Konohamaru warned Hanabi as she kicked the door open. He kept his eyes on the four charging guards, hoping he had enough bullets to last till theirs did. But he didn't make a move. He waited for Blue G's signal.

She only nodded and ordered to him, "Too expected. Cover me, luv. Shoot like a man, for both of our sakes."

With a swift turn, Konohamaru fully faced the arriving men and started to randomly shoot at them. But every shot was followed by a squeak out of Konohamaru, from slight shock and squeamishness. "I said, shoot like a man!" Hanabi screamed, proceeding into the office of Mr. Yamanaka. With her gun cocked, she stepped into the higgledy-piggledy room and almost retched at the sights.

Torn, crumpled and even soiled pieces of paper—documents or scratch paper, Hanabi never knew—ruled the desk while blotches of coffee, bald spots and goodness-knows-what infested the carpet. Blue Gun Shot dodged a swaying pile of unfinished reports, pushed back a rusting file cabinet and passed through a wall of musty family pictures.

Up ahead, she heard the clanging of metal. A small operation room, as she expected, glowed dimly as Inoichi tried to escape through the fire exit at the other side of the room. Oh no, you don't… Hanabi thought as she started to hasten her pace towards the escaping man. And before Inoichi could grab for the handle of the fire exit, Blue Gun Shot had grabbed the pathologist by the collar with a gun to his head.

"Oh, please, don't hurt me!" the man whimpered, "I have a wife and a daughter! I have mouths to feed, lives to look after, including mine! Haven't I done enough for your filthy mafia, already? The contract I signed said I was free of any bond with the mafia six days ago!"

She tightened her grasp on his collar, pressing his throat harshly to a choke, "I don't give a damn! We mafias had gotten enough of your loopholes, so get a taste of your own. Now, listen, you. I need your help again. I have nowhere else to turn to in this situation. I'll pay you, if I have to. Just. Help. Me." Still, the threats of the gun worked better than the offer.

Inoichi swallowed hard. "What is it this time?"

Hanabi smirked and lightened her hold on her gun. "I want you to revive my cousin from unconsciousness. And I want it done fast."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Reinforced glass. Great. Just great.

Spending half of her time in the guest room with her wrists tied and her ankles free yet numbed to death weren't exactly comfortable for anyone, especially Tenten. With a computer chair clumsily in her hands, she has been trying to smash the window open, only to find it stronger than bone or metal. At the realization brought after a number of attempts she couldn't keep track of, Tenten dropped the chair and collapsed, breathing the carpet dust in.

True, Kiba had left the room to her. He trusted the hostage, stupidly. Unless, it wasn't trust in Tenten that caused his coolness, but the trust he has in the security of the room. The reinforced glass is one thing. The steel-under-wood bulletproof door, foolproof lock and sensitive alarms brought his confidence out of the cabby. He's been all cocky since yesterday.

Hair in shambles, clothes too wrinkled to be appropriate, and limbs purple, Tenten could only wonder if Neji was in the same state… or in a worst one. Her gun, to her shock, sat on the coffee table by the couch. But to her horror, her bullets weren't there. And nothing, not even ball bearings from the bed limbs, could be found to substitute the bullets.

Kiba also connected a Wii into the television and a foot massager by a recliner he had brought in. Bath salts and aromatherapy scents awaited her in the bathroom. Every component of relaxation tempted her. He wanted Tenten to be at ease enough to become vulnerable. But to Tenten, it just pissed her off furthermore.

All that Tenten has in mind now is to bust out and look for Neji. She was more concerned of him rather than herself. She needed assurance that he was alive. Obviously, though, there is a big chance that Hinata had placed cameras in the room to make sure she stays in her 'cage' like a good bitch.

I have to be analytical… Tenten thought to herself, desperately gnawing on the ropes that kept her wrists painfully stuck together, If taking direct approaches won't help, I'll have to be a little more resourceful and make a move with what I have around here… subtly… It was like chess. If you want to make it out alive, if you want to win the round, go around the enemy… not through…

Pushing herself from the floor with her knees, Tenten rushed to the queen-sized bed nearby, climbed onto it, and hoped the cameras weren't getting what she was doing, if ever there were any. Trying to appear relaxed and tired simultaneously, Tenten lay on her back on the duvet and mattress. Her eyes lingered through the ceiling, looking for the smoke detector in a hurry. And when her caramel eyes caught sight of the cream device by the dresser and mirror, she grinned devilishly.

With that, she crept out of bed and examined the smoke detector carefully from her gopher's view. Beneath the covering nailed onto the ceiling, she could see the bulges of the wires from the smoke detector, moving towards the aspects that would become activated when a fire was set.

Like a child following a star, Tenten trailed through the room, keeping her eyes locked onto the wire bulges. From her following, she saw that there were two more smoke detectors in the bathroom and by the pantry. And she saw, too, that a few of the room's facilities were automatically opened in case of fire as the sprinklers come on. And there, Tenten was sure of her plan.

Picking up the phone in the Hyuga guest room and dialing the mansion's main line, Tenten hoped Kiba would pick up…

"What is it?" the voice at the other end growled almost mutely, as if he were eating.

Tenten wasn't definite of who it was, but she said what she had to straightaway, "I want to talk to Kiba."

"Yeah. What is it, Ten? Need a glass of water or something?"

She cleared her throat. "No. Not really." And there, Tenten breathed into the receiver with a pout in her lips…

"I want you, Kiba. Mind accompanying a lonely girl?"

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The beeps lasted forever. It seemed to be.

"We shouldn't stay long here, Rose." He advised her, hoping that she'd actually listen this time. But it was something Sasuke knew that might not even happen. "He's not the only one hurt. We haven't much time, you know." He was getting impatient, honestly. Waiting in the other room, wasting coins with vending machine coffee and chocolates was a misuse of precious time.

Still, Rose Pierce Sakura stood by Lee's hospital bed, glaring back at the green static lines, rising and falling with every chirp. Sakura was just glad that it stayed that way. Hopefully, the lines would never drop completely and bleed red in the next second. And with every beep is a breath out of the unconscious agent, a squeeze out of Rose's hand that held his pale one.

Biting his lip, Sasuke grasped her shoulder and exclaimed, "Sakura, are you listening to me? We have to start moving. We can't stay here with Lee the whole day. Not now. It wouldn't help any of us at all. After all, I'm getting sick of hospital beverages and the stench of sterilized materials. So, if I were you, I'd—"

She cut him off. "The doctor said," she mumbled as she threw her eyes at her unresponsive friend, "that he may never even wake up." The glimmer in her pupils faded with her recuperating tears, "He could just… remain in such a comma for months or so. His condition isn't… easy to cure, he said." She tightened her grip on Lee's hand, "But, after that, he could eventually die."

At her statement, Sasuke opened his mouth, but shut it afterwards since his words were unneeded for the moment. But, Rose tucked her hand on top of his, which was on her shoulder. She turned her head to Sasuke and said through her dry throat, "I'm angry, Sasuke. I want to get rid of the asses who hurt Agent Young Man. Once and for all."

Sasuke curved a lip, neither smiled nor frowned. That's my girl. He thought, knowing it wasn't best to say it out loud.

And they left. Probably, they wish, that when they come back, Lee would be able to welcome them finally.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O

Inoichi pulled the almost dead body out of the blue corpse carrier. It was odd that his security actually let a 'prostitute' come in with such a thing. He needs to hire better Italians. Tuscan ones.

"If you placed him in such a bag, then he must be dead." The pathologist murmured, a little to himself rather than to Blue Gun Shot. He and Konohamaru carried the drenched body onto his surgical table, careful not to be too rough with it. Inoichi, himself, presumed that the lucky bastard still had a heartbeat.

Hanabi watched with her snake eyes as Inoichi raised a torch above the man's face, forced his eyelids open, then flashed the torch light against the man's pupils. To Hanabi's fortune, his pupils dilated. He was alive.

"My gawd, he's a survivor." Inoichi exclaimed in aghast horror and surprise as he clicked his torch off. "Where did you find this man? By the looks of his skin, he must've been drowned in vain." Inoichi pressed two of his fingers onto the body's wrist. There was a pulse, indeed. Kami had saved that man. He probably still has some unfinished business to do. The doctor thought.

Blue Gun Shot took out her gun and aimed at Inoichi, threatening, "He's my cousin, Eagle Eye Hyuga. I suggest you just shut up and get him standing in the next thirty minutes unless you want to die before him. This is a very important matter." Hanabi narrowed her eyes at the frightened pathologist. "Get. To. Work."

"I am not a miracle worker, Miss Hyuga," Inoichi stated, shaking his head and wiping the sweat off his temples, "I cannot revive this man within half an hour. It's like playing god!" He turned to Konohamaru, who had just come in after finishing a massacre outside in the halls of Yamanaka's office. "Please tell her not to shoot."

Konohamaru blew on his gun's nose, pocketed it and questioned Blue Gun Shot, "He can't do it, luv?"

She shook her head as she neared Inoichi with her gun, "He can. He just won't. I've done what I could. I've offered payment and already threatened him. I'd use his family as a hostage, but we haven't got much time. If Neji isn't conscious soon, Black Ivory might get the bacon in this lifetime." Hanabi cocked her gun.

"Don't shoot, please!" Inoichi screeched, shaking in his knees, "I'll give you my life savings, my possessions, everything! I'll give you anything! Just please don't shoot! Anything but that!"

"Why give me everything you have when I just want my cousin back on track?! You can't even handle that simple shit! I have no use for you, then!" Blue Gun Shot screamed, pressing the burning metal of her caliber gun's mouth against the stuttering doctor, "I am going to give you five seconds to agree with my terms. I want you to get my cousin back in thirty minutes tops. Now, do I hear you saying yes?"

Inoichi still argued. "But I just said that it's impossible! Who is he to be brought back in the brink of death? Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to do it in thirty minutes! You have to be reasonable!" His sweat drops beaded down the slope of his eyes, mixing with his scared tears.

"Five…"

"Mercy! Mercy!"

"Four…"

"Look, you don't need to shoot me! I said I could do it! And I will! I just can't make it in such a short time—"

"Three…"

"Oh, good gawd!"

"Two…"

"You can't do this! I'm the only one who can get your cousin back, remember? If you kill me, you'll—"

"One."

"Shit!"

With a pull on the trigger, a quick bang resonated through the room, ricocheting everywhere. Inoichi's scream was cloaked with the explosion from the mouth of the gun. And there, Inoichi waited for death to reap him. But, when he opened his eyes, there was no red shower, no blood. And Blue Gun Shot was still there, still drilling the gun's mouth down the skin of his forehead.

She growled. "Blank. No bullet." And with her words, Inoichi melted, flopping onto her heels.

Hanabi stepped away and said, "I have every drop of mercy out of my league, Mr. Yamanaka. And I have the initiative to do just that with a bullet next time if you don't start moving right now." She pulled her watch from her wrist and buckled it onto Yamanaka's. With that, she pulled him from the floor and whispered with venom, "Time is running out."

Immediately, the traumatized man scrambled to the surgical table, grabbing his equipment as Blue G cackled in satisfaction.

Konohamaru scratched his head with a thought, I hope she never threatens me in that method. He never thought he'd face a worst threat in another situation.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

At the sound of the locks clicking from outside the door, Tenten turned her head. She was confident that it'd be Kiba. This way, phase one would finally occur. And when he finally managed to open the door and step foot in the guest room in his all-black ensemble, Tenten strained an ambiguous smirk. "Kiba-kun…" she whispered with a sugary sprinkle.

He closed the door behind him, smiling back at her with his dancing eyes, fiery. "Lonely girl, huh?" he said, chuckling, "You had me laughing on the other end of the phone, Ten." He approached her, sitting beside her on the bed, "But I knew, sooner or later, that you'd give in." In her head, Tenten gagged.

Tenten tried to hypnotize him with her stare, making his inner wolf howl louder than before. "I can't help it," Tenten mumbled, scooting nearer to Kiba, "Who can resist," she continued, trapping him between her arms with her tied hands behind his nape, breathing into his face, "a mercenary like you… Kiba…?"

Predictably, Kiba closed his eyes in ecstasy as he tucked a hand under Tenten's thigh, sliding his fingers deeper. "Mercenary…" he murmured as Tenten took the opportunity to shiver in disgust as she resisted pushing Kiba away to keep phase one intact, "I like how you say it, Ten…" And with that, he proceeded to bury his nose into her shoulder blades, making Tenten squeak shrilly.

She could feel Kiba's mouth opening, tasting her for the first time. It made her shake in revolt, but Kiba feasted on the thought that she was shivering because she was enjoying herself. But, if she let this go on, away from her plans' choreography, she may lose something more than just a chance to escape.

Unable to push him away with her hands, she brought her weight on him, forcing him down on the bed as she lay on top of him, in the effort to get him to stop. Instead, he moved his face from her shoulder blades, eventually moving his target lower as he bit on her shirt, hoping to pull it off little by little. Shit, shit, shit! Tenten thought in panic as Kiba nibbled on her, This isn't going as planned! I have to get him to the bathroom so I can get to the scented candles and fast!

As Kiba proceeded to reach for her pants, Tenten half-yelled at Kiba, hoping her alarm didn't show that much, "Hold on there, lover boy!" With the opportunity, she pulled Kiba by the back of the head, making him sit up with her on his lap. Listening, Kiba stared back into Tenten's eyes as she tried to speak. Only on that moment did she feel the knot in her chest that gave her guilt of how she is making out with Kiba—not Neji—even though it's for escape plans…

"Shouldn't we… set the mood first, hm?" Tenten mumbled, her devised plans replaying at a fast speed at the back of her head. She was hoping Kiba would make her day and agree. Then, phase one point five could finally begin before this turmoil of having to play sexy with Kiba kills her.

But then, the doggone lad shrugged. "… No." Luckily, before he could go on with his manly hobby, Tenten shrieked.

"No! We must! We must!" she tried to convince him to play along, pulling him up with her, "Come, come! There's incense in the bathroom. It… smells good. It'll make the atmosphere more romantic." Kiba stared at her blankly. Tenten shot back an emptier glare at him. And there, she recalled an antic guys hate: "Don't tell me you're scared of me, Kiba."

It worked, as Tenten hoped. But she ended up getting dragged by Kiba into the bathroom.

As soon as his foot met the icy granite floor of the bathroom, Kiba brought Tenten to him, slamming her onto the nearest wall. A hic escaped her as her back hit the wall, his hands on her waist as her arms remain rested on his shoulders with her hands still tied behind his head. "At last," he hissed, eyeing her all the way as she vulnerably squirmed in his hold.

Swiftly, Kiba landed his lips once again onto Tenten's neckline, chasing her wavering skin. "Shit…" she groaned as he bit her in places, "Ugh. Kiba! Shit… Stop that!" At this, Kiba only moved quicker, harder, getting her shirt finally over her head, hanging on her silk arms. Giggles and screams came out of her as he mouthed her all over, leaving her swathed in kisses and spit.

With her exclamations, Kiba raised his eyes from biting on her bra strap and snickered, "Stop? Now? Weren't you the one who called because you were lonely?" He ran his velvet lips down her chest before he asked her, "What are you going to do? Bite me?" He followed his sentences with a sinister trail of laughter.

He continued to violate her, sinking his nails and teeth into places he shouldn't have. The waist of Tenten's denim pants slithered down her thigh, uncovering her almost entirely. And with that, Kiba decided to take things to the next level. He snapped her clasp as he left licks of lust round her chest, on tenterhooks for the climax he'd offer her. "I'll prove to you, now, that I can give you more happiness than Hyuga ever will." He said. Everything was going too fast for both of them. Tenten continued to squirm, straining to reach for something behind him…

Then and there, in the middle of his enjoyment, Kiba was interrupted by the scent of burning ropes and skin…

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Clear!"

Another thump came from the life-giving devices Inoichi planted onto Neji's chest. Blue Gun Shot watched nearby, chewing on a toothpick she found on the floor earlier as Konohamaru sat beside her, loading his gun with beads and shooting them at the wall in front of him. It irritated Inoichi at first, until he decided to ignore it.

Neji's body rose with the bellows of the machine, trying to beat like a heart. For the third time in the last hour, Neji had lost his pulse. Red lines have invaded the screen frequently, and to their fortune, Inoichi had been skilled enough to bring him back every time. Optimistically, Yamanaka would be able to bring his pulse back this time around.

"Clear!" came another exclaim. This time, Hanabi had started to worry more than usual. Grasping her sapphire bullets in comfort, she was praying that he'd wake up sooner or later. Not only for Tenten's sake, but also for hers. She'd do anything to have him back so he'd take the place as main mob boss. Blue G had other plans rather than to take over the Hyuga mafia.

Successfully, Inoichi managed to bring the bright green neon lines back with a sigh of relief. Hanabi remained seated on the floor, leaning against one of the metal cabinets, staring at the table from below without a change of expression. Konohamaru was still firing bead bullets when Hanabi tapped his shoulder in question.

"What is it, luv?" he mumbled to her, putting his gun down. He could see that in and out of her ego, Hanabi was troubled. She wasn't even sure that coming to Inoichi's office would help Neji. But, if the mafia trusted Inoichi with casualties and injuries, she'd have no choice but to have faith. "What do you want to say, Hanabi?"

She sucked her lips in contempt before saying, "What will I do if Mr. Yamanaka doesn't get Neji back in time… or at all?"

Konohamaru read her lips before she even spoke. He wrapped an arm around her and corrected, "We, luv. I'm still here." He let her rest her head on his shoulder before he added, "And… I don't know, too. Any idea?"

"That's why I was asking you, luv." She replied airily, giving her eyes a rest by softly closing them, "This is the first time that I've never had a game plan. You know that I never make my moves without a game plan. I don't know why I acted without thinking this over first." Her hand met his, two doves over each other.

Konohamaru looked back as Inoichi performed goodness-knows-what on Eagle Eye in order to let him regain his consciousness immediately. "Luv, we can't always be prepared. There will always be times when we will never know what to do till the time comes. Okay?"

Hanabi shook her head. "No. Not okay."

"Stubborn little chick, are you now, luv?"

She smiled at his antic, a second-long relief in a 60-hour ongoing hell. At that point, everything reached her. The song of the air-conditioning unit, the whirr of Inoichi's machines, the faint breathing of her cousin, and the heartbeat of Konohamaru against her ear… They ate her up. In a good way.

"Say, luv," he whispered to her, brushing a strand from her face, "After we deal with this, and after your cousin's finally the Hyuga mafia godfather," He pinched his voice softer. "What are your plans? You mentioned leaving the mafia."

Hanabi shrugged at the thought. "I don't think it'll happen. I should really stay in the mafia and help Neji out. But life is… too exciting in the criminal zone. Sometimes, I'm tempted to just let it go… to start over." She threaded her fingers between his. "We could go to another city… or to a country side. Get married, have kids… sell mousse for a living… die old… together… Don't you find that nice?"

Konohamaru snorted with her silent speech. "I always heard you say that a life of guns, goons and glory was your type. You've always been that way for the longest time. I didn't think you'd want to end up like Heidi in the Alps with goats and sheep one day… especially with me." He brushed his bristles against her forehead, "You surprise me, Hanabi."

She giggled. "I don't want to end up like Heidi, luv. I just want to have a family without worrying about their lives all the time. Like Eagle Eye Neji over there." She pointed at Neji, on the surgical table, still half-dead, "He can never have Tenten. He knows better. It's like enticing fate and death. She'll die in his arms before they even get married, especially since he's becoming main mafia head."

And there, she fell quiet again. Yet, for the last time, Konohamaru raised a statement, "Since when did you start calling me 'luv'? I'm the one who's supposed to be calling you that." He turned to her, grinning eagerly.

All Hanabi did was roll her eyes and grumble, "I haven't been calling you 'luv', Konohamaru. Get over yourself." She pushed herself away from him, annoyed at how conceited boys could be sometimes.

Inoichi stepped away from the surgical table and approached the two teenagers, pulling his gloves from his sweating hands. "Good news is," he began, "he's alive." Then, his face shed a different aura, "Bad news is," He paused, "he may not wake up in a couple of days. Or longer." But Inoichi had more to say, "Actually, chances are, he may never even wake up. He's been unconscious for quite some time. About 24 hours?"

"I can't wait long, I said!" she yelled, getting up from the grimy floor, "If he doesn't wake up, I'll kill you!"

Sadist. Inoichi thought before answering Hanabi firmly, "Well, I'm sorry, Miss Hyuga, but all we can do is wait. Like I said, I am not a miracle worker." With that, he headed for the sink to wash up.

Konohamaru quickly stood up beside Blue Gun Shot as she grumbled swears under her breath in fury. Looking at Neji right now, he seemed hopeless. Paler than his usual tone, he was almost just a corpse. He was like a wall now, only with a soul. Compared to the four walls of concrete in the lab, the only difference they had between Neji was that they didn't have a pulse.

Then, Hanabi's eyes twinkled. "You're not a miracle worker, all right," she said, walking towards Inoichi by the sink, "But you're a pathologist and a toxicologist, too." She stood behind him, smirking. "The best among the best, too." And there, Inoichi heard the click of a gun. His heart stopped.

"A genius like you," she murmured as she raised her gun at head level, "would be able to formulate something to quicken Neji's recuperation, right?"

Inoichi stammered, scared for his life again, "Y-Yes." An honest answer.

"Good." Hanabi squeaked, positioning her gun by his head once again, "Make one. Now."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Her black trench coat's tail followed her like the faithful night to the sun. The click-click of her boots echoed in the hospital room. Her henchmen stayed behind her, ready to do her orders.

"Take him." She simply said, "And make sure he stays alive."

Nevertheless, Lee never knew what would happen next.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Phase one accomplished.

"Tenten, you little—!" Kiba shouted out as he lay on his stomach on the bathroom floor, the back of his head black and burnt. Tied with bed sheets with an orange-scented candle in his mouth cavity to keep him quiet. Stripped of his black jacket, two-way radio, gun and ring of keys, Kiba writhed on the floor, staring up at the triumphant, shirtless girl above him.

"That wasn't exactly fun, Kiba-kun," she growled at the helpless Kiba, "Get a life."

Pulling her pants back on, Tenten sighed at what had happened. She'd promise never to tell Neji of how she had managed to escape. For both of their sakes. It would offer no help to their relationship, anyway. Kiba was just a horny dog who did things dog-style. Neji was something Tenten really wanted…

As she clipped her bra clasp back on, Tenten couldn't help but recall the night she and Neji knew each other. Definitely, it was more romantic (and less violent) than this. She tried to remember the warm, old feeling she got on that one evening. But no matter how hard she tried to recall how he kissed and touched her, the feeling wouldn't come back.

Perhaps it was because she was distressed or maybe the magic doesn't pop up through imagination. She likes things… real…

Tenten had expected things to be a blur, like they all say. Everyone says that she won't remember a thing, for it all happens too fast. The first time she opens her eyes after the moment, it's like waking up from a dream. But Tenten found herself clearly replaying those moments in her head. They weren't a blur. At all.

"You're awake now." Neji said, kissing her cheek as a morning greeting. He looked her in the eyes, his roaring like fire. She beamed back softly at him, keeping the morning's rose feeling aroused, "I've been waiting for you to finally wake up, lovely."

After putting on Kiba's coat, Tenten picked up his ring of keys and walked out of the bathroom, closing it behind her. She was sure that one of these keys had to be able to open the door. Her only problem was finding which one would work on the bolts. Approximately, there were more than twenty keys in the ring, all without labels and sprayed gold.

Acting fast, Tenten grabbed the first key and stuffed it into the keyhole, eventually finding it too small to fit properly. She took the second one and eventually rejected it. The third didn't fit, either. And the fourth had too many teeth. At this rate, she doesn't have much patience. And, at this rate too, she'll never find the right key on time.

I have to keep my cool, she told herself in a hush, If I bust my way out of here, I'll definitely gain the attention of Hinata's reinforcements. I wouldn't want that. But if I don't quicken things now, things might screw up. Big time. I have to take my chances.

So, pocketing the keys with her gun, Tenten stood up, opened the bathroom door and entered. Kiba was still screaming muffled swears, wriggling like a huge, white worm the size of an anaconda. "Amf getchu fer thith if ith th las thinm I tho!" Kiba screamed, trying to say something about last things and getting. Tenten hardly paid any attention to him as she picked the scented candles up.

Quickly, Tenten stepped onto the toilet seat, reaching for the smoke detector above her. As soon as the flames of the scented candles pricked the detector, a clash of various alarms came. As planned, Tenten saw the door automatically swing open. You just gotta love Hyuga facilities. Throwing the candles into the filled tub, Tenten made her way out of the bathroom briskly.

Making a run for the now-open door, Tenten held her breath. Hopefully, none of the men of Black Ivory would get to her before she'd even be able to reach the hallway. The sprinklers turned on, engulfing the room and the hall in tiny droplets of water. Through sweat, water, and a little blood, Tenten ran past the many paintings of the Hyuga mafia, hoping to reach the fire exit's stairs at the end of the corridor soon.

Soon enough, she halted her shifting feet in order to grab the fire exit's handle. Not even daring to breath normally, Tenten pulled on the handle and tried to catch her breath…

… Only to find a white-eyed henchman waiting for her at the beginning of the stairs.

A gasp escaped her, followed by a cheerful chime from the elevator not far from where she was. Another henchman, armed and deadly, came in view as the doors grew apart. Shit, not this, Tenten thought in a fit of panic. Then, a third henchman appeared nearby, blocking the hallway. Now what?

Almost instantly, the three men charged for her. Without thinking, after a glimpse of every serious man's face, Tenten ducked as low as she could and paced towards the fire exit, praying for speed upon her feet. Down small, metal steps she went, hoping she wouldn't miss a step, and when she does, she'd get up quickly before any of them could get their hands on her.

This is a good time to have a gun! She screamed in her head, near to crying out of terror and panic. Through the stairs, Tenten nearly threw herself to the next step. She could hear the heavy feet of the henchmen behind her, gaining on her faster than she expected. Their two-way radios' static murmurs seemed to be just behind her neck.

But then, on the next fourth floor she reached, whatever it was, it caught her ankles and pulled her down. Her chin slammed onto a step, causing her to shriek in suffering. A dribble of blood or two ran past her lips, making her shake at the bittersweet taste that invaded her tongue.

"Thought you could escape now, didn't you?" the spicy female voice made her grunt. Hinata pulled her by the arm, lifting her up for a better view. "Aw, got a boo-boo there, huh? We'll fix that later." She eyed her with the anger of an intruded badger, "I'd like to bargain, Tenten, if you're not willing to be a good girl." A snap came from Hinata's fingers.

Immediately, a henchman approached with something—or someone—strapped onto a wooden chair with wheels. Through red and blue wires, a dextrose and a huge monitor that stated the sickly man's pulse, Tenten recognized the hostage sooner than she ever expected. And to Tenten's horror, a bomb counted down. It was strapped onto the man's chest.

"Lee!" Tenten screamed as Hinata pulled her back from getting any nearer from him, "Let Lee go! He's not even fit enough to fit back!" Tenten bore her stare through Hinata's eyes, "Are you such a coward that you're going to pick on people weaker than you?!" Black Ivory tried to resist hitting Tenten for that comment.

Hinata cackled. "It's a little strategy I learned from my ancestors: It's called hostage-taking." Black Ivory pulled Tenten farther from Lee as she started to speak, "Listen now, Tenten, because this is a one-chance kind of thing. Seeing how selfless you are," She made it a point to emphasize the word 'selfless', "I'm going to give you a test."

Lee was taken away, to who-knows-where, when Tenten was held firmly by Hinata still. "That bomb is going to blow Young Man's guts to Kingdom Come if you don't do as I say. If you don't do as I say, you say bye-bye to this bush-browed freak and to yourself. Now, are you ready to do my bidding?"

"No!" Tenten snapped back, reaching out to hit Black Ivory. Unfortunately, Black Ivory had hit her before she even thought of doing it.

Moaning, Tenten dabbed her fingers onto her lips, checking if the blood was still dripping down her mouth. Definitely, it was. "I want you to do just one thing for me. Then, once that's over, I deactivate Young Man's bomb and set you free. Got it?"

Turning to look at Hinata, Tenten mouthed a dry question, "How am I supposed to know that you're not going to break your promise?"

Black Ivory brought her smirk tighter, drawing a darker aura, "You don't know. But, truly, Young Man's fate in your hands." Hinata crossed her arms across her chest and repeated her offer, saying, "Ready to do my bidding, Tenten?"

There was not much of a choice. Tenten wiped her lip with the back of her hand before mumbling, "What do you want me to do?"

Finally, Tenten gave in. Hinata leaned nearer to Tenten's face, grinning like a predator at its prey, "Remember what Kiba told you yesterday? About your father's death and my cousin's involvement?" Tenten had a feeling that Hinata was up to something wrong… more evil than she thought it would be. "Use it as a motivation. Suppress your anger no longer. Avenge your father…"

"… Tenten, I want you to kill Neji for me."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"What I don't understand," Rose muttered as she and Sasuke made their way through the bustling city, "is why Tenten can't pay the mafia immediately, in the beginning." She took a bite out of her chilidog and added, "She's a rich man's daughter, isn't she not? Then, why does she have to look for a job to pay for the 10,000 dollars? Why can't she sell any of her property to earn anything?"

The past few days still weren't all the twenty-eight that were accommodated, but it felt longer than it usually would. Sasuke chewed on his sandwich, pondering on the fact, too. It was true. Tenten could've done just that, seeing her economic state. Didn't her father leave everything to her, since he mother is divorced? Tenten had known that from the very beginning, too, probably.

Sasuke turned to Rose as she sipped on her soda. He could tell by the loss of luster in her eyes that she was worried of Lee, Neji, Tenten and even the whole Caged Bird Mafia. "We can do what we do best, then:" he suggested, putting down his sandwich, "Investigate."

As if shocked by his words, Rose went to a complete stop, dropped her chilidog and stared blankly into space. "Yeah…" she murmured through bread and condiments, "We could do that. That way, we'd also be helping in the situation without having to be in action." She looked down at her lost chilidog, shrugged, then moved again. Sasuke caught up behind her.

Rose was never much of a gunslinger or martial artist. She specialized in investigations and autopsies, researches, too. Still, she didn't fine pleasure in desk jobs like filing documents or punching holes in folders or signing contracts. This was why she declined the offer of becoming head agent thrice. Despite her love for intelligent work rather than action, she still liked having a mission or two.

Agent Crowe Blood, or Sasuke, wants nothing but to defeat every single enemy he has in front of him. Once, armed with nothing but knuckles and his shirt on his back, Sasuke beat up more than ten able-bodied men in a brawl. And he still had the energy to lift weights afterwards. Still, Sasuke had brains in where his muscles would also be. Back then, he'd hold investigations with Rose Pierce, enjoying most of it.

"Where shall we begin, then?" Rose asked as she disposed of the half-empty cup of soda in the nearest trash bin.

Sasuke gulped the rest of his sandwich without hesitation, "Tenten's house. It always pays to start in the very beginning."

"Alright," Rose said, nodding in agreement, "What're we going to look for, then?"

With that, Sasuke raised his brows as he hailed a cab, "Masaki's last will and testament, maybe. There's sure to be a copy in the house."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Only now did Hanabi ever realize that waiting was also tiring. Tiring to the point when she had fallen asleep on Konohamaru's lap, trying to erase most of her anxieties and apprehensions. The sapphire bullets she found comfort in slid from the smooth slope of her palm, tinkling onto the floor without her knowing. For the last two and a half hours, she has been in another world.

Konohamaru, on the other hand, had never taken his eyes off of Inoichi since he started preparing for the serum that he claims will help Neji gain consciousness faster. Hanabi, actually, was after something that would wake Neji up ASAP, and this was the nearest she could get.

Through chemicals and beakers, test tubes and samples, Inoichi wished he were never given the title of 'Scientist of the Year' for nine years in a row. He wished he had never signed that pledge of service to the Caged Bird Mafia. He wished his only child, Ino, had never transformed into a (secretly) world-famous thief. Right now, he was on the phone.

"The chemicals you asked for a while ago are on their way to your lab, Daddy," the cheeriness of Ino's voice swept him away, even through the phone, "I had Shikamaru send them, just a mere twenty minutes ago. Expect them in a few minutes, probably soon, knowing Shikamaru's delivery service." She paused to chew on a nail. "It's been a long time since you last ordered those components. What's it for?"

Inoichi breathed in, and then held it as he spoke. "The Hyugas had a favor to ask of me. It's nothing, Pumpkin, go back to selling your booze." But, before he could put down the phone on his daughter, she asked him a question.

"Does it have anything to do with Neji Hyuga?" she shot out of curiosity.

At this, Inoichi flinched. "You know?"

"I know, Daddy, of course." Ino replied, giggling as she did, "I know a lot about the hottest guy in the Caged Bird Mafia." Her statement was followed by a squeal of a lovesick slut. Inoichi felt his breakfast come up. He didn't like the idea of his baby girl crushing on a mafia boss.

Konohamaru arched a brow and watched Inoichi as he rolled his eyes with his phone on his ears. "Hey, Inoichi!" he called for his attention, "What's the hold up, old man? We have a schedule to catch up with!" Konohamaru took out his gun—carefully not to wake Hanabi up—to threaten the man as how Blue Gun Shot would.

"Y-Yes, sorry…" Inoichi stuttered, putting down the phone after a quick murmur of a goodbye to his Ino. Instantly, Inoichi went back to rummaging for beakers and droppers from his cabinets while Konohamaru put his gun down and relaxed a little bit. He, too, was getting drowsy from lack of sleep and exhaustion.

Ah, luv, he thought as he looked down at Blue Gun Shot's still and peaceful face, If only you'd realize how near we are to getting Eagle Eye back. You'd probably be still pressuring Yamanaka to get going faster, but I'm sure your happiness is swelling up as you do. At this, he gave her a sweet peck on the cheek, smiling, Once this is over, I'm treating you to lunch. At a buffet. And you can eat all the ice cream you want.

He knew, after all, that she was still a kid at heart.

Inoichi slipped out of his laboratory for about five minutes, unnoticed, before coming back with a box of liquid. "Here we go," Inoichi grunted as he placed the crate down on his countertop, "All I need to create the serum. In this situation, I'll have it created in fifteen minutes, more or less. After that, we can have Eagle Eye here down it."

"Yeah, yeah," Konohamaru growled, "Just get on with it!" He knew that Blue Gun Shot was jolted into waking up from her nap.

Rubbing her eyes, Hanabi tried to tone her voice as Inoichi went to work, "Good to know there's progress. You better work faster, though, unless you want all twenty of my sapphire bullets rammed down your throat by force!" The announcement sent Mr. Yamanaka sweating profusely than ever and panicking like a turkey at Thanksgiving.

Still, Neji remained on the surgical table, still cold, still unconscious, still paler than white… almost dead…

… The green lines that held his pulse seemed to have a tinge of red somewhere…

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Anything?"

"None, Rose. Not even money!"

"What the hell did they have a vault for, then?"

Sasuke fell back onto his back, looking back at the forcibly opened vault with annoyance. He and Rose had gone through the twinge of having to picklock the vault. They were more than disappointed to find nothing but papers—Tenten's drawings of 'Dadda and Mamma' when she was no older than four, card grades, birth certificates, some safety pins, and a bundle of paper they were still yet to go through.

"You mean, there's nothing good here?" Rose mumbled in irritation, holding her hand out at the vault, "Not a single dollar? Not a cent? Not even a check? I thought the man was rich? Filthy rich!" She bit her tongue, "Do you think he has everything in the bank?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke mentioned, "I doubt it. I really do." He scratched his head, baffled in some sort of way, "But, it makes even less sense! If he's filthy rich, why does he borrow money from the Caged Bird Mafia? Doesn't he have enough to support himself and his daughter? Maybe he uses everything in casinos…"

"Or maybe he's a drunkard."

"Even so," Sasuke shook his head at the theories, "He wouldn't be so desperate as to borrow money from the mafia. I wonder…" He grabbed a bundle of the unorganized papers and started leafing through them on his own while Rose whined about fruitless labor. Random drug test results… Sasuke read every heading, Tenten's Junior Year report card, prom pictures, receipts… Hold on. What's this?

His eyes grew, dilating at the sight. He lifted the bundle to his face, calling Rose, "Look at this." When he thought it'd be just one sheet, it happened to be more than ten sheets held together by numerous staple wires.

Rose scooted nearer to Sasuke, getting a glimpse of the typewritten documents. "… This isn't what we're looking for, but it'll do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I think the questions come up on their own. ;)

Again, I apologize for the prolonged delay. –bows down in shame-

Kankuro: -takes out whip- Oh yeah!

Me: -sharp eyes- Just you try!