Interruption

(A/N: I would like to take the time to thank all of my reviewers. Your words of encouragement are a true inspiration. Thanks again. Now, in this chapter…you'll just have to wait and see. Enjoy…)

~xxx~

Haruka was a little tired but she managed to choke down the horrible hospital food without much complaint. God, she couldn't wait to be out of the hospital and in warmer clothes. There was a knock on the door and in walked Ayako with a duffle bag.

"Hello Aya-chan." She said with a huge grin.

"Good morning Haruka-sama, I have a couple of things here for you." Ayako greeted as she walked over to the bed side. She opened the bag and pulled out a number of items. "I thought you'd want to shower before you were discharged…so, I brought you a change of clothes and some toiletries."

Haruka was genuinely surprised at her thoughtfulness as she looked over the items in the bag.

"That's so kind of you to do this for me…but what about my clothes? Can I at least take them home?"

"I'm sorry Haruka-sama but we had to burn them. The tea had soaked your clothes and with the chance of you getting sick again, we couldn't risk it." Ayako answered with a frown. Haruka nodded in understanding, though she wore a frown of her own. "I'll let you do your thing. If you need anything, there's an ANBU outside. I'll be back after I give Tam-san her bag of goodies."

~xxx~

Hideki arrived at the hospital with his brother, father and grandmother. Haruka was going to be discharged, and after yesterday's…episode, things between he and Ayako were starting to change. He wasn't sure in which direction things were going, but he was curtain that it was good.

Mizuki walked into the room first to find Haruka sitting in a chair while Ayako instructed Tam on how to make the perfect French braid.

"Well now, I wasn't expecting this." She said with a warm smile. "Hospitals turned into hair salons…who would have thought?" the women smiled at her as she crossed the room and sat on the bed.

"Hey Yak-chan, isn't there a festival tomorrow?" Hideki asked from the doorway.

Ayako turned an icy glare in his direction and his handsome smiling face.

"Yes there is…Deki-chan. The spring festival starts tomorrow night." She shot back and smiled when he hissed in disapproval of the nickname.

"That's not funny." He said to the women giggling before him while Ayako smirked and crossed her arms, having finished with Haruka's hair.

"No, not funny," Ayako started as she collected the items off the bed. "It's hilarious Deki-chan."

"That's not cool." He responded hotly, face flush in embarrassment.

"It's only fair; you did call me…by my nickname." Ayako refused to repeat the ridiculous name her mother gave her. It literally made her feel like cattle.

"Ok, ok, let's call a truce. I won't call you by your nickname if you don't call me by mine. Deal…?" Hideki said as his hands flew up as if to defend himself.

"Trust me…if this was war, you wouldn't be standing right now. But…I guess a truce can be arranged." Ayako said with a smile.

The three bystanders were at a loss. They could have sworn –were they flirting?

"Why don't you two make up nicknames?" suggested Aki as he walked into the room with Ken.

"That's a splendid idea." Mizuki said, clasping her hands together. Oh dear god, this could only end in disaster!

"Alright, let me see…" Ayako looked Hideki over, eyes gliding over his lean figure to his handsome face…and those amazing blue eyes; the most amazing shade of topaz she'd ever seen.

One word came to mind; gorgeous, but she couldn't say that. Then her gaze traveled to his lips that were quirked slightly upwards, revealing dimples in his cheeks. They gave him a boyish quality that made her stomach do back flips.

"I'm not waiting all day Aya-hime." Hideki said impatiently as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh no, you didn't just say what I think you did, wrinkles." She fired back with a glare. And there you have it…the dreaded nicknames were born. Laughter erupted from the people around them. The pair glared at each other but then started to crack up.

"I smell carrots." A tiny voice said from one of the bags in Ayako's hand.

"Karachi, is that you?" she searched through the duffle in her hand and found the black and cream ferret sniffing a shampoo bottle. "That's not something you eat, Karachi." Ayako smiled as she picked up the critter and pulled him out of the bag.

"It smells good though." Tam, Haruka, Mizuki and Aki were staring at the small animal as if it had extra legs and arms. Karachi looked around the room and leaned toward Aki. "Hey, he looks like wrinkles. What's your name kid?" Hideki glared daggers at the animal.

Poor Aki, he was so scared of the talking ferret that he jumped behind his father's leg and refused to move.

"It's all right Aki; he's not going to hurt you." Ken assured patting the frightened boy on the head.

"You promise?"

"Akito-sama and I play hide-and-seek all the time. Maybe you can play with us later, Aki-sama." Karachi said as he wiggled in Ayako's hand, trying to get a better look at the boy. Aki peered from behind Ken's leg and nodded.

"May I pet you?" One small step for Aki, one giant leap for Karachi; the weasel wasn't much for interacting with strangers but he had a soft spot for kids.

"Heck, you can hold me if you want." Aki was a little unsure at first as he reached out and gently stroked Karachi. His confidence grew as Karachi leaned into his caressing fingers.

"Aki-kun, do you want to hold him? I'm going to need both hands." Ayako asked, watching the boy's face light up as he nodded vigorously. Karachi climbed his way up onto Aki's shoulder and the group headed out from there.

~xxx~

Kyoji waited as patiently as possible but wasn't having much luck.

'Maybe she slipped out the back…' he thought, leaning against the pillar outside the hospital. Mission details: locate and infiltrate the noble party, report back with sufficient information.

"Hey wrinkles, don't forget about the chess match against my dad tonight." He heard her say as the group emerged. Ayako was dressed for comfort, wearing the Uchiha trademark high-collared shirt with a pair of long tan shorts and her normal sandals, hair pulled back and rolled into a semi-neat bun.

"Yo, Ayako-san, do you have a minute?" fan-fucking-tastic! Great, just perfect, not only was Ayako with the noble family but it seems they all shared in her distaste of him. They all glanced in his direction and scowled. The world was not kind; Ayako stomped toward him with a menacing glare in her obsidian eyes.

"What do you want, letch?" clearly, Ayako was trying to restrain her anger. Kyoji held up his hands in defense, shielding his handsome face as he eyed her through the small space between his arms.

"I was wondering if you wanted to train today, but I can see you're busy. I-I'll just go home then…" something startled him. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't beaten him to a bloody pulp yet or the calculating look in her dark eyes. Well, whatever the hell it was, Kyoji really didn't want any part of it…except he was on a mission and he had to deal with her, one way or another.

"Give me a second." She said before turning her back on him and walking back over to the noble family. Whispering back and forth, the noble family and Ayako struck a deal of some sort. Kyoji had no clue what they agreed to, he was too far away. Then Ayako was striding back in his direction, a smug look plastered on her face. "Training field 42 at 2:30…be prepared to have your ass handed to you."

'What the hell have I gotten myself into now?'

~xxx~

What was supposed to be a training session had quickly turned into a spectacle beyond compare.

Ayako stood on a branch, cool as a cucumber while Kyoji panted, lying on his back. He hadn't been able to lay a hand on her nor did she actually hit him. All of his injuries resulted from Ayako moving out of the way or pushing Kyoji off balance. The noble family had come along with Ayako and her father, wanting to see the young lady in action. Itachi was there merely to make sure no one got carried away (though he too wanted to kick the crap out of the boy on the ground).

"Have you had enough or do you wish to keep embarrassing yourself?" she asked with a smirk. Kyoji grunted, rolling over onto his stomach. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore, that's how hard his hands were clinched as he slowly, rose to his feet.

"I'm not finished with you yet. Get down here and fight me, DAMMIT!!" he spat. Suddenly, he was eating dirt as his arm twisted painfully behind him.

"You will watch your language around the noble family." She stated matter-of-factly, her eyes glowing bright crimson. "Do I make myself clear?" she twisted his arm just a little more to make her point.

"Yes Uchiha-sama, loud and clear." He yelped then Ayako let him go.

"Class dismissed." She hissed then walked away from him.

"You were holding back." Itachi stated as he handed Ayako her water bottle.

"Hn." Translation: 'he isn't worth the effort.' Father and daughter were more alike than most people cared to admit.

"That was totally amazing Aya-chan!" shouted an overly excited Aki as he rushed toward her. Karachi followed behind the young boy as his eyes wondered over to the slumped figure by the trees.

'Deserved everything you got…moron.' He thought as he climbed back onto Aki's shoulder. "Nice moves there, princess. Next time let me help."

"I am perfectly capable of defending my own honor, thank you vey much." She snapped back then sat down to fix her sandals.

"Aneki, aneki, can we go swimming?" Akito asked as he charged toward his sister, hope shining bright in his onyx eyes. She smiled up at him.

"Does anyone else want to go swimming?" there was a nod from Hideki, Ken and surprisingly Hattori, who just happened to show up with Akito and Shiro. Shiro shook his head no but decided he would still go with them.

"I-I don't know how to swim." Aki responded, lowering his head.

"Don't worry, aneki can teach you. She taught me how to swim." Akito smiled at his new friend. Now Aki was smiling, beaming his beautiful blue eyes in Ayako's direction.

She nodded and stood. "All right, let's get changed and go."

~xxx~

The lake was as clear as crystal, shinning a magnificent blue that Ayako now related to Hideki's eyes. The group had arrived and had grown in number. Ayako held Aki's hand in her right and a number of beach items in her left. The young boy was a little intimidated by the sheer size of the glistening clear water but did his best to be brave.

Behind them was Hideki, Shiro, Akito and Hattori while Sasuke, Sakura and, surprisingly, Itachi walked just a little farther behind. Mizuki, Haruka and Ken walked with the trio, talking about the history of the clan, though not much was given away.

Laying out the items they brought, Ayako and Sasuke got everything ready on the hot spring day. Really, it had been unusually warm so far and a little dip was just what they needed. Both families were ready for a much needed vacation, but circumstances just didn't allow time for that. So, this 'mini vacation' would have to do.

"Wait for me Aki-kun; we can't have you getting hurt." Ayako hollered as she pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a crimson one-piece bathing suit. Having borrowed a pair of blue swimming trunks from Akito, said boy waited patiently at the water's edge for his swimming lessons. Ayako stripped herself of her tan shorts, showing off her muscular yet shapely legs and washboard abs as she kicked off her sandals.

Hideki turned his head from her as he tried to control the heat rising to his cheeks. He and Hattori set down the cooler and removed their shirts and pants, making their way into the water as Ayako took Aki's hand and leading him into the lake. Sasuke and Shiro started to build a sandcastle, determined to beat their record of a six foot tall sand monument. Akito had swam off on his own with Karachi for a bit of turtle hunting.

Sakura, Haruka and Mizuki positioned them selves on the dock, sitting with their feet in the water as Itachi and Ken swam out and into the deeper section of the lake. Hattori and Hideki took up residence at the end of the dock, not really swimming but, rather, enjoying the cool, relaxing water as they stood and chatted.

"How long have you known Ayako?" a tentative question if Hattori ever heard one.

"All my life," Hattori answered as his eyes wondered over to his lifelong friend and small boy. "Our mothers were friends when they were younger. They still are."

"Your mother was a leaf kunoichi?" well, that came out a little harsher than intended but Hattori didn't seem to mind.

"Yes. She and my father married to strengthen the alliance between our villages." He turned to look at the slightly younger teen next to him. "It wasn't easy at first but they made it work for the sake of the alliance…and now, I do wish I had siblings." Hattori laughed. "Ayako is like a sister to me and the boys are like my brothers, so I guess it works out; getting to see them every so often."

Hideki was nodding at the red-haired teen. "It must be hard, being a shinobi I mean. Going off into some unknown place where danger lurks around every corner and not knowing if you'll make it back alive. Leaving family, friends and all those you hold dear behind so that the village will be safe." He said as his eyes scanned the waters. "That's a tough decision to make." Hideki's eyes wondered back over to Ayako and his brother, who was doggy paddling around her. It was a sight that made his heart flutter with pride as his brother smiled ear-to-ear at his accomplishment.

Hattori's gaze followed Hideki's. "You like her…don't you?" Hideki nearly jumped out of his skin at the question.

"I think Itachi-sama has it in for me but…yes, yes I do like her." Hideki nodded.

"Well," Hattori started, "you have my seal of approval. You just have to convince Itachi-sama that your intentions are true. Otherwise, you'll end up like the rest of her…unfortunate boyfriends."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you're aware of what happened to Ayako?" at Hideki's nod, Hattori continued. "Ever since then, all of Ayako's suitors have been…tested, and if they do not meet Itachi-sama's standards, they are deemed unfit to date Ayako. No one has passed yet and it seems no one will."

"What kind of test are you talking about?" he ventured, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

Hattori let out a soft sigh. "A taijutsu fight. If you can land one hit, you pass." Hideki's eyes bugged out, almost popping out of their sockets; mouth agape in utter shock. Hattori snorted softly. "Don't worry, you're the noble son…he can't touch you, even if he wanted to."

"Aniki look! I'm swimming!" Aki shouted making the women on the dock and both teen boys turn their heads in his direction. Ayako let of his waist and Aki slowly made his way over to Hideki. A smile bloomed on Hideki's face as Aki inched toward him. Moving around Hattori, Hideki held his arms out as a target for his younger brother. Once Aki made it to Hideki, he was promptly hoisted up and into the air and spun around as Hideki gave a grateful smile to Ayako.

"All right Aki. Good job my boy." Ken hollered from the middle of the lake where he and Itachi sat on the floating dock.

"Hey Aki, I caught a turtle. Wanna see?" Akito chimed as she swam with one hand above his head.

"Akito, what have I told you about catching turtles?" Ayako asked as she turned to her brother who was swimming up behind her with Karachi on his head.

"Don't worry princess; it's not a snapping turtle." The weasel responded who definitely looked like a drowned rat at the moment, paws planted firmly on the boy's head.

"We should go catch toads sometime." A voice said from the hill.

"Hinato…!" Ayako shouted as she hurried out of the water and toward her longtime teammate. They hugged for a long time then grinned at each other –the pranksters were back together. Two-thirds of team seven was reunited after months of missions; if only for a brief moment.

"Hey, Sasuke-tem…err…Sasuke-san, you and Ayako are to be dressed and in Hokage-sama's office in ten minutes."

"What? What about my duties here?" Ayako asked as she looked back at the noble family. By now, Itachi and Ken had made their way back to congratulate Aki when Hinato arrived.

"Tsunade-sama split your duties between Riku and me. He'll be here later and tomorrow morning and I'll be taking them to the festival if you're not back by then." Hinato answered as hit 10,000 watt smile began to fade. "You should really get going, she said it was urgent."

Ayako turned heel and grabbed her towel and sandals then ran over to her mother, giving Sakura a kiss on the cheek before turning to Itachi and doing the same thing.

"Sorry everyone, but duty calls." And just like that, Ayako and Sasuke disappeared, rushing into the trees.

~xxx~

Squad one and four hunter ninjas set out not twenty minutes after they reached Tsunade's office. There had been a report of an attack on an incoming caravan, supposedly the Suna ambassador's caravan. Kankuro was supposed to have been in Konoha early that morning and when he didn't show, Gaara began to worry. Now with the possible attack on the Sunian caravan, things were starting to strain the Kazekage's patience (which was in short supply from the very beginning).

Seven hours into their journey, the Konoha shinobi came across four cloaked figures beating back Suna jonin and ANBU. The group split into two teams; Ayako going with the hunters while the rest of squad one swung around and flanked the attacking group.

Using an earth jutsu, Ayako easily slipped into the middle of the action and pulled the injured to safety.

"Seriously, why are there four of us when we only need one to take out this bunch?" asked a white haired male as he kicked a Suna ANBU, sending him back a few feet. Something grabbed his legs. Looking down, he saw a blue and white cat mask and a red wolf mask sinking into the ground.

"Here piggy, piggy…" the one with the white mask said, her tone was strained yet very feminine.

"Oi, oi, oi, Kakuzu, help me out over here!" He shouted to the man standing not ten feet away.

Said male, turned in his direction and shook his head.

"Hidan, you really are a fucking idiot." The man said as his red/green eyes trailed to the ground that the ANBU's hands had just disappeared into. Directing his web-like appendages into the ground, Kakuzu smirked under his mask as his hands grasped the two ANBU and yanked them from his partner's feet, and was sorely disappointed when they disappeared with a poof when they emerged from the ground.

Suddenly, Hidan went flying; crashing hard into Kakuzu as the same cat mask came barreling toward then only to disappear in the blink of an eye. Hidan and Kakuzu soon found themselves surrounded by hunter-nins.

On the other side, Sasori found the antics to be just above annoying. First off, he wasn't in a good mood to begin with. What with having to wait almost a week to attack. Second, reinforcements just showed up and they were a hell of a lot better than they had anticipated. Glancing to his left, Sasori could see that Zetsu wasn't happy either.

"Fuck this. I'm not waiting any longer." He said, moving his fingers in an intricate manner. His puppet rocketed forward and scooped up Kankuro's limp form from the ground before Ayako could reach him. In fact, she had just reached out a hand to him and the damn puppet snatched him from her.

"Kankuro-sama…!" she screeched in surprise, watching him be dragged out of reach. Before she knew what was happening, Zetsu had come up behind her and pulled her the rest of the way out of the ground. She disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a log in her place.

"This one is smart…but not smart enough." Zetsu commented as she spun around, clipping her mask with his arm. The mask tumbled to the ground, revealing angry crimson eyes.

"Mangekyo Sharingan…" she seethed as the large pinwheels around her pupils began to spin. One second they seemed to be in a deadlock and the next, Zetsu was on his knees writhing in pain. Ayako sent him flying towards Sasori while the rest of the team worked to pin the rest of them in a tight circle.

A lone seagull flew overhead and the cloaked men looked up, minus Zetsu.

"We're retreating." Kakuzu commented as he took Kankuro from Sasori. Hidan bent down and picked up Zetsu. Then all five of them disappeared.

"My team will go after them, your team will help the caravan to the village." The mission captain said. He was tall man that Sasuke figured was Kiba.

"We need to send a runner to get the medical staff on standby." Ayako said as she picked up her mask and put it back on, her back was to the group. She just had to have the misfortune of showing her face to the enemy. Fuck!

Sasuke was nodding at their comments. "Alright, I'll leave them to you. Blue, run ahead; Tsunade-sama must know about this. It seems they got what they wanted." Kyoji bounded away with a small smirk under his mask.

~xxx~

Sasuke and Ayako returned home at three in the morning, just after the festival. Neither one had spoken a word since leaving the debriefing at the hospital. Gaara had been furious, not at them but at the Akatsuki. He and his council members were planning on returning to Suna at dawn, claiming that they needed to be back in Suna to direct his forces in finding his brother.

The duo slunk into the house to find the kitchen light still on. Itachi, Hideki and Ken were playing a game of cards while Hinato slept on the couch in the adjacent room. They set their packs down by the door and entered the kitchen, faces solemn as Itachi stood to greet them.

"What happened?" he asked as he reached for the sake, knowing instinctively that something had gone wrong.

"Kankuro-sama was taken." Sasuke answered as his eyes shifted over to Ayako, who sat with her head down and hands in her lap. Not a peep left her lips as she reach for the sake and poured her self a large shot. She downed the shot with little regard to the burning in the back of her throat.

Finally, she spoke. "The hunter team will find them. The Akatsuki may be fast, but they can't out run hunters that went after them just after the attack and the second team on the way." She hissed, slamming her cup on the table. "Plus, a hawk was sent to Suna. They've sent their own team to head them off."

"Then why are you so upset?" Itachi asked as he say back down and poured another glass for his brother, daughter and their guests who sat quietly on the other side of the table; card game long forgotten.

"I was right there. He was just within reach and they dragged him away." Ayako whispered tears stinging in her eyes. She felt like she had just lost Sasuke to the same men; like how she felt when she killed Gennosuke, dirty and horribly alone.

The group downed another shot and decided to call it a night. But sleep would not come so easily to them, knowing they were missing someone important to them.

A/N: So, what do you think? Leave a comment if you like it or even if you don't. All same thing, made in Taiwan. Lol.