Chapter 8: The Bad and The Good

Yugao had been enjoying her kenjutsu training more than she anticipated she would. Due to Hayate's ability to turn invisible – "transparent escape technique", he called it – her sensory skills had greatly improved, and she no longer felt slightly embarrassed to be labeled a sensory type. Hayate's teaching method – and his company – almost softened the blow of her suspension from regular long-term missions. Even her investigative work, while at times frustrating, could be extremely rewarding.

And yet, she still couldn't help but feel as though she were being punished. She wanted to be out with her team and she couldn't understand why the Hokage was holding her back. Sure, her kenjutsu skills were average when she started, but her specialty lie in medical ninjutsu anyway. That was where her team needed her most. Tenzou was an excellent captain, at times even better than Kakashi, and definitely less reckless, but she wanted to support him and their team in the best way she could, which was as a medical ninja. Of course kenjutsu was useful as well, but she couldn't understand why the Hokage would take the risk of depriving Team Ro of their medic-nin on longer (and usually more dangerous) field missions just so she could be a better swordswoman.

That was why Yugao was grateful when her investigative work took her on a mission outside of the village, as it did with her most recent kidnapping case. One week before, a six-year old boy was kidnapped from his home in broad daylight. His father had been out on a mission and his mother had stepped out of the house for a total of eight minutes, she said, to run and get an ingredient she needed for their dinner. In those eight minutes, the boy had been taken - meaning the victim had been chosen and the house surveyed for a long time without anyone noticing. The evidence Yugao gathered from the home and from witness testimonies led her to a man named Inabi, who she was able to identify as the kidnapper. On the surface, Inabi was a regular citizen of Konoha – retired chunin despite being only twenty-eight, mostly took on administrative desk work, and led a quiet life. It was only looking back into his restricted files that Yugao found something peculiar. For three years as a teenager, Inabi had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. When he returned, seemingly without a scratch or any memory of the past three years, those who had known him agreed that he was never the same.

Given the time period of his disappearance, this only left Yugao with one conclusion: Orochimaru. The man, like so many others, had been an experiment, likely failed and abandoned, and for some reason, left alive.

This was how Yugao found herself along with Tenzou scouting out one of Orochimaru's old hideouts. Three days ago, Inabi failed to report to work. Given the time elapsed and his connection to the sannin, Yugao had tracked down three known hideouts where the kidnapper could possibly be hiding. Han and another Team Ro member, Roku, were at the second location, while their two other teammates Ram and Boar were at a third. Whether the kidnapper still held any current connection to Orochimaru was unclear, but the raid Yugao had conducted of his apartment the day before clearly showed evidence that his memory had at least partially returned, and that he held some strange admiration for his former captor – a sentiment Yugao wasn't sure she would ever understand.

The medic-nin and her captain peered through thick bushes at an enormous cliff face inset with multiple caves. Most were too small for a human to enter, but there were at least three that could have been the rumored hideout. Unfortunately, Konoha intelligence had not confirmed the exact one.

Yugao closed her eyes and focused on sending out her chakra, sensing for the human presences of an adult and a child.

Her eyes opened.

"The largest cave on the left. The boy is there, along with Inabi," she whispered.

Tenzou turned to look at her and she couldn't help thinking, as she often did, that the expression on his cat mask looked positively startled. In a way, it suited him.

"Are you sure? From this distance?" he asked politely.

"Positive."

He looked at her for a moment longer than she deemed necessary before adding, "I knew you were a sensory type but that's incredible."

"Oh...thanks." This didn't really seem the time for compliments but it was surprisingly welcomed nonetheless.

"Alright, I'll have my clones call in the other teams."

Tenzou's wood clones were fascinating. Unlike regular shadow clones, or clones of most other elements really, they could communicate with each other in a way that reminded Yugao of a wireless radio while still intact, instead of waiting for a clone's information to return to its original after disappearing. They were much more convenient than regular wireless radios as well since they had a much farther range and, of course, could assist in combat.

Han and Roku were the first to arrive, and Tenzou dissolved their accompanying wood clone in order to conserve chakra. The party of four stealthily approached the left-most cave, leaving Ram and Boar with instructions to guard the mouth of the cave once they arrived in case the culprit tried to escape. They were not far behind.

The entrance to the cave was narrow, causing the group to move in a single line: Han going in first with his byakugan, followed by Tenzou, then Roku, and Yugao providing support at the rear. The way was dark but nonetheless the four employed a camouflage jutsu to blend in with the rock walls, a staple for any ANBU stealth mission. They wanted their attack to be a surprise, going so far as to muffle their footsteps, mask their scent, and hide their chakra such that only a high-level sensory type or doujutsu user would be able to find them. Their mission was to rescue the boy and capture the culprit alive if possible. Live capture was tricky, and cruel in Yugao's opinion, but the general protocol for anyone with connections to an S-rank missing nin or terrorist organization.

The passageway opened up into a small foyer with only a mostly-camouflaged door set in the rock. This was likely the extent of the natural cave, and what lay beyond was Orochimaru's man-made lab. Han generously lit a small flame in the palm of his hand using his fire release so that the others may make out the door as clearly as he could with his byakugan. His free hand formed signs, though not for any jutsu.

'One room. Target front and left. Boy in the back,' he signaled in Konoha Sign Language.

Tenzou looked back to make sure everyone understood before giving the signal to rush forward.

Inside the room was large and dimly lit in a green-ish light. Rows of tables, strange equipment, advanced technology, and giant test tubes filled the space, all in various stages of dilapidation. Huge stalactites hung menacingly from the ceiling, making the room feel even more crowded and claustrophobic.

A loud gasp told Yugao that their target had been taken by surprise, as they had hoped, but her attention was not on him. As the medic-nin and the expert on the case, her job was to rescue the boy. She hadn't been foolish enough to promise his parents out loud that he would return safely, but on the inside, she had vowed to herself that she would make it so.

Scanning the space, she could sense the boy at the back of the room, but could not see him. As she reached out her arm to where she thought he should be, her hand closed around a thick fabric. Cloak of invisibility technique. It was elementary in comparison to the ANBU's camouflage jutsu, but often equally effective to the untrained eye. Pulling off the camouflage sheet, she found the boy half-conscious, arms and legs tied, huddled in a small metal cage.

Sick. Did he really have to go through such measures to restrain a six-year-old?

Behind her the sounds of a battle echoed off the cave walls. Despite being taken by surprise, their target was putting up a considerable fight. Yugao concentrated on getting the boy out of the cage. Another unconventional use for a chakra scalpel, Yugao had found, was picking locks. The cage was open in no time. But as Yugao reached in to grab the boy and cut his bindings, she was met with unexpected resistance. The boy was fully awake now and cowering in the corner of the cage furthest from her, eyes wide with fear.

Right. To him she was just another stranger in a mask, no way of knowing if she was friend or foe.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help," she tried telling him, but the boy didn't budge. She drew back her arm.

She could just take him by force, if she needed to, but an unwilling child would be much more difficult to deal with. Besides, the boy did not need any more trauma. Behind her, she heard Roku yell something to Han. Metal and glass shattered to the floor. Wood splintered from all directions. She tried to position her body so as to hide all this from the boy's view. She had to get him out of the battle zone, but how?

Taking a stone from the cave floor she used her hair to wrap around it like wires until it resembled a bird. She held it out towards the boy and let go, letting the chakra in her hair move the stone and make it appear as though it were flying. 'He loves birds,' his mother had told him. Gods she hoped this would work.

She watched the expression in the boy's eyes turn from fear to curiosity, then wonder. He slowly moved towards her, reaching out his hands, and she let the small bird rest on his palms. With the boy distracted, she quickly cut through the rope around his wrists and ankles. Only then did he look at her with something like relief.

Carefully cradling the bird in one hand, he crawled towards the door of the cage. Just a few more steps and –

"Behind you! Look out!"

Yugao grabbed the boy and somersaulted over the cage, looking back to see one of the giant stalactites hovering right over the spot where Yugao had been crouching. Tenzou released the wooden tendrils spiraling around it and let it fall. He had saved her. Again.

Suddenly the entire cave was rumbling. Small pebbles were falling from the ceiling, soon turning into large rocks, then boulders. Soon, the rest of the stalactites would come crashing down as well. The entire cave was collapsing.

"Get out!" Tenzou called to her, as he shot wooden beams out of his arms to try to stop the ceiling from falling. Yugao's eyes searched the cave frantically for Han and Roku. They were still fighting the man, who had seemed to activate some sort of self-destruction of the lab. Roku's leg had been stabbed by a piece of falling rock and was bleeding profusely.

"But Roku – !"

"Get the boy out, now!"

She heard the beams of wood crack, the weight of the ceiling was getting too heavy, but there was nothing she could do. The child was their priority.

Jumping over broken equipment and dodging falling rocks, Yugao ran towards the exit with the boy cradled closely to her chest. Once outside she alerted Ram and Boar to the situation within, and, both strong earth-style users, they rushed inside without a second thought. 'Team Kakashi' was still somewhat reckless it seemed.

Yugao took the boy a safe distance away from the cliff wall. It seemed as though the entire mountain was shaking now. Once they settled in a spot where Yugao could check the child for any injuries, the boy tried to turn to see what was becoming of the room they had just left.

"Look at me!" Yugao ordered, rather more harshly than she intended. The child didn't need to see more destruction, didn't need to see people d –

"Just don't worry and look at me," she tried to console between deep breaths, her hands a soft glowing green as she scanned his small body for injuries. Her heart was pounding in her ears. "Look at me, ok? Everything will be ok if you just keep looking at me."

In truth, she didn't want to look at the cave either. Despite Ram and Boar going in for backup, the cave entrance seemed to have collapsed as well. Roku's leg was gravely injured; she would have to operate. Han would be exhausted from using his byakugan so much; he always said his eyes had made a full recovery but she knew that wasn't true. Tenzou's arms were likely broken from holding up the cave ceiling; she had heard them crack. And none of this would even matter if they were all crushed.

She hated being the first one out, being the only one who couldn't do anything to help. They were all competent shinobi, she knew, but she was their medic. She was their support. She was supposed to save them.

So she kept her eyes on the boy. She kept her hands over his ears and she thought about how thirteen-year-old Yugao would have reacted so very differently in this situation. Thirteen-year-old Yugao only had the mission. Nineteen-year-old Yugao had her team. She watched the boy hold the small rock bird so delicately in his small hands.

She didn't even see the six figures bursting out of the rock wall until the earth stopped shaking. And only then did her breathing return to normal.

…

They weren't going to make it back to the village before nightfall, not with a child and a prisoner accompanying them, so Tenzou built them a house in the woods to make camp. His arms had both broken in the cave, Yugao had been right in that assumption, but they had also both healed incredibly quickly, with only very little of her assistance. Rapid healing, if she remembered correctly, was also a trait of the first Hokage, the only other known wood style user. She wondered if there was some connection between those two traits. Roku, on the other hand, did not have either of those traits. He had lost a lot of blood and a lot of chakra, but nothing that Yugao couldn't fix. They were letting him rest while the others took shifts guarding the camp and the kidnapper.

In the end, Yugao had had nothing to worry about. Han incapacitated the culprit by cutting off his chakra. Boar assisted Roku while Ram and Tenzou cleared a way out of the cave. All the concern, all the fear she had felt while waiting outside that cave seemed so silly to her now. Of course they would be ok. Tenzou knew what he was doing when he planned their strategy. He rarely took any huge risks, besides that of being an ANBU in the first place. Their team worked perfectly together. But...did that mean that they had also learned to work without her while she was on temporary suspension? Did they no longer need her?

No. She had saved the boy. That was her role, and it might have been the most important one. She could rest now, along with her team, in the house that Tenzou built. It felt fitting.

The structure was much larger than the ones the wood-user had been able to make in their youth, with two stories and multiple rooms. The room she was in currently was smaller than the others, just large enough for her, Tenzou, and the culprit to fit comfortably if they all sat against a different wall. That was how they were sitting now, their captive unconscious while she and Tenzou kept guard. The man had been given a sedative after being interrogated by Ram and Boar and would likely not cause any trouble, but given that he had been experimented on and might have altered DNA, Yugao and Tenzou did not want to take any chances. In another room Roku slept as he recuperated, while in yet another Han stayed with the boy. He had been given permission to rest before his shift, but knowing the Hyuga he was likely still wide awake. The only reason the boy was currently sleeping soundly was because he had chosen to take a lower dose of the sedative Yugao had offered him. He wouldn't have any dreams, she told him, and he readily accepted. But it was only for one night. Yugao could do nothing about the nightmares he would have for the rest of his life.

In his short interrogation the culprit had confessed that he was seeking out the sannin Orochimaru, who had kidnapped him years earlier. Although his memories had initially been erased, they had slowly started to return. That scar never left his mind. He kidnapped the boy as a kind of offering to the sannin, to be another lab rat in one of Orochimaru's cruel experiments. He wanted the man who had abandoned him years ago to take him back, so much so that he was willing to subject another young life to the torture he had experienced. It was inexcusable, in Yugao's mind, deranged. To experience pain only to then cause the same kind of pain – it wasn't right.

Yugao and Tenzou sat across from each other, their captive unconscious against the wall between them, the fourth wall being occupied by the door. Tenzou had removed his gloves and arm guards to allow Yugao to bandage up his rapidly healing arms, and his vest presumably just for comfort. This struck Yugao as oddly informal given that they were still technically guarding a prisoner. It also struck Yugao how much he had grown from the young boy who could barely fill out his vest six years ago. In contrast, her vest had gone from being slightly too big to slightly too constrictive in parts. They clearly were not designed for women.

Even though they were still widely alert, as they should be on duty, the weight of the physical and mental demands of the mission taking their toll could be felt in the still air of the small room. They had an hour ago opted for sitting instead of standing, and although neither of them would ever show it, they were both quite tired.

The mixture of fatigue and emotional strain made the atmosphere feel odd, intimate, like they were in some half-space between the mission and the real world. That was how Tenzou's houses felt. That and safe.

"Feels familiar, doesn't it?"

Yugao's gaze moved from its random spot on the wall to her captain's feline mask. In the dull light of the lantern its red and green embellishments looked closer to gray.

She knew what he was referring to. They had been on quite a few tracking and capture missions – it was their specialty after all – but there was one in particular that bore a striking resemblance to this one.

She nodded. "It does."

She watched his head turn slightly as his gaze settled on the sleeping captive. His voice was low, a mix of pity and, perhaps, anger. "He was an experiment too."

He was referring to the mission they had been on years ago with Kakashi and Han. The man they had captured then was also a forgotten experiment of Orochimaru's, wandering in disillusion, degenerating in mind and body. Tenzou's reaction to the target then was similar to how it was now. Yugao felt pity too, she even felt anger too, but there was something different about Tenzou's anger, something deeper, maybe, empathic. And she thought she might know what it was.

"I think I understand him…almost," he confessed, the strain of his words just barely seeping into his voice. He was still looking at the man.

"How is that?" she dared to ask, barely above a whisper. If she spoke too loudly she felt as though something might break, though she wasn't sure what.

Even though she couldn't see his eyes, a small tilt of his head told her that he was looking at her now. "Do you know why I have wood release?" he asked.

The question felt like a test. Something between them was stretching, splitting, like a transparent sheet of film that held their masks in place. "I have my…theories, but…"

He let a small silence stretch between them. She wasn't sure if he was going to give her an answer, or if she even wanted to hear one. Something wasn't...right. The gas lamp flickered. She knew it was purely a coincidence but it felt fitting.

Then, woefully in tune with the hum of the air, he began, slowly, "As a child, I was one of Orochimaru's experiments. I don't have any memories from before then." He turned back towards the man. "In a way, it's like he raised me. That bond…we don't want to have it but it's there."

And it clicked. The mystery of Tenzou, the secret behind his abilities, was altered DNA – alterations that must have been based on the first Hokage. It explained everything – well, almost everything.

"And I can understand how," he continued mournfully, "if you never form any other bonds...you go back to the only one you know."

Bonds..."attachments", as the Hokage once called them. According to him, forming attachments was against the rules in ANBU. Thirteen year old Yugao had readily agreed with him. But now...it felt wrong, but it didn't feel bad to be talking to Tenzou like this.

And she couldn't help but wonder, what bonds had Tenzou formed that kept him from going back to Orochimaru? What bonds from his past could he still not let go? And...what bonds did she have?

Yugao didn't know what to say. She didn't have any appropriate response to this type of revelation, she didn't even know if there was one. Her head tingled. The back of her throat felt tight. The film between them had stretched to a breaking point. "Why are you telling me this?"

Tenzou's mask turned back towards her, then towards the ground, as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've never said it out loud before," he admitted, sounding almost relieved. How long had he been holding all this inside? "Only three other people in the village know about my past. And, now you."

"Is one of them Kakashi-senpai?"

At the mention of their previous captain's name, the air around Tenzou suddenly turned somber. He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Yes, though he figured it out on his own."

She struggled again with what to say next. He had just shared something painful, something that made him vulnerable, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with the information.

"You don't have to say anything," Tenzou continued softly, as if he had read her mind, "but thank you for listening Yugao. You know, maybe it isn't my place to say, but you seem…lighter these days."

"Lighter?" She wondered what could have brought on this perception. She was different from when she was thirteen, of course, wiser, stronger, better in most ways, but lighter? There hadn't been any recent positive changes in her life, except…maybe.

Tenzou chewed over his words carefully. "Well, some ANBU, the longer they stay, they sink deeper into their own darkness. It's natural, given our line of work, but…"

He trailed off, unsure if he was being complimentary or offensive. That was Tenzou, she mused, ever observant, ever considerate, ever since she had known him. Given what she now knew about his past, it was really quite an incredible feat.

"Not you, Tenzou," she said, with the most genuineness she could muster, "You've always been kind."

She wondered if he was smiling then. Or maybe he was frowning, maybe he didn't believe her or thought she was just being polite. Due to his mask, she would never know.

"Thank you." He inhaled, and suddenly it was as though a spell had broken over the room. "I think it's about time we get some rest, don't you?"

"You're the captain."

"Then I'll call a shift change." He shuffled to his feet and extended his arms above his head in a full stretch. Something about him was still charmingly feline and childlike, she couldn't help but notice. She stood and followed him out the door as he let out a low whistle to signal the shift change, just as Kakashi used to do.

Their sub-teams would then rotate: Ram and Boar would come guard the prisoner, Han would head to the roof, and Yugao and Tenzou would get to sleep.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Tenzou mentioned to her and motioned for her to follow him. The others were moving to their new posts.

He led her to the other side of the house and opened a door to a large room on the second floor. It even had its own set of stairs to lead to the first floor and, presumably, a bathroom. "Your room," he announced with pride.

"Wow, look at this!" she responded with exaggerated enthusiasm as she stepped inside to inspect the room. "Don't tell me you're secretly planning on opening a chain of luxury hotels?" Upon further inspection, she actually wasn't exaggerating all that much. The room, like the rest of the house, was wonderfully designed.

He only laughed, low and sweet, a sound she didn't get to hear often. Her mouth crinkled up in a small smile; maybe she was feeling 'lighter these days', as he had said.

"Good night, Yugao."

"Get some rest, Tenzou," she called to his retreating back. He only gave a noncommittal hum in response. She knew he wasn't going to go sleep but rather to relieve Boar and Ram from their duty so they could get some rest. He was going to go sit alone with the prisoner, and with his thoughts, and nothing she could say would stop him.

At the beginning of this mission, Yugao had believed that Inabi, their target, was unequivocally a bad person. The harm he had caused to a six-year-old boy and his family was inexcusable. But if she learned anything from this mission, it was that without certain circumstances, Tenzou could have ended up going down the same path. So what went wrong for Inabi? In her quickness to judge, Yugao had failed to consider why an investigation had never been opened into his kidnapping, why no attention or resources were ever allocated for his healing. What made a person good, and what made a person bad, were not so simple to define. So how could she ever determine one or the other?

Yugao closed the door, rolled out a sleeping mat, and, for the first time on an ANBU mission, removed her vest, arm guards, and mask. She could rest comfortably, for Tenzou was watching over them.

…

The sound of wooden swords clashing and whirling rang out in the cool spring evening. The quickened pace of Yugao's heart matched the quickened pace of her strokes as she swung her weapon in defense. Hayate was being relentless. It seemed as though his attacks were coming from all sides. In the six months they had been training he had never yet come at her with this much force and speed. She couldn't tell if he was in an extremely good mood or an extremely bad one.

"You'll never be able to defend with that weak of a grip," he chided as he landed a swipe at her left arm. He retreated back for a moment then charged again at lightening speed.

"Your arm's gone. Now what?" He drove her backwards into the tree line before landing a blow on her left leg.

"Be more aware of your surroundings. These are basics Yugao."

He disappeared from sight. She grit her teeth and spun around so that she wouldn't be forced against a tree trunk. He never used to talk this much either.

He suddenly appeared again in her peripheral vision.

"I'm right here. Why don't you attack?" She turned towards his voice only to block another onslaught of blows. By the time she saw a split second of an opening he had retreated again.

"Why don't you go back to the Academy Yugao?"

Was he mocking her?

"Why don't you go see a damn doctor?"

He stopped. His arms hesitated, then slouched. Had she taken it too far?

Head hanging low, all the fight was gone from his stance and his voice. "You know that's a sore subject."

A few seconds of stillness passed between them. He didn't move.

Yugao relaxed her grasp on her own weapon and took a hesitant step towards him. "Oh, I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - "

And in a flash a wooden sword swung down from behind to dig into her right shoulder blade.

Or it would have, if she hadn't spun around to block it in the last second. And there stood Hayate with the cheekiest of grins on his handsome face.

"Not bad. You didn't fall for my little trick. Although I am a bit offended."

She allowed him a moment as a fit of coughs wracked through his body. She took this as a signal that their spar really was over this time. "Even without a mask you're as unreadable as ever." Cough cough.

"I thought using shadow clones was cheating," she accused as she took a swig from her water bottle. She tossed him his so he could take a sip of his own mysterious beverage.

"Not when I do it," he replied with a wink.

"I think you're just afraid of losing, Gekko Hayate."

"That is a bold accusation to make, Yugao, ANBU since age thirteen, sensory type, excels at tracking, capture, medical ninjutsu, and now kenjutsu – "

"Are you seriously reciting my file again?"

" – doesn't break under pressure, stickler for the rules, incredibly stubborn – "

"Ok now you're just embellishing."

" – a tad snarky, and absolutely gorgeous."

The hand holding her water bottle dropped down to her side.

His eyes never left her face. He had a way of looking at her sometimes that was so intense it was almost difficult not to look away. He was like a child watching a cocoon, wanting to look inside, waiting for something spectacular to happen.

She blinked twice, slowly.

"What?"

He finally turned away. "I suppose I'll have to edit some parts before I report to the Hokage."

Had she heard him correctly? Was he making fun of her? She tried to think of something to say, anything so that they could change the subject.

"Do you report to the Hokage after every training?"

"Yes. Do you know why?"

"I suppose the Hokage wants to keep track of my progress."

Cough. "But do you know why?"

Why what? What more to it was there? He seemed to enjoy playing these games with her.

"What do you mean?"

She did not fail to notice the self-satisfied glint in his eye. "Well, rumor has it, the Hokage wants you for his personal guard."

For the second time that night Yugao had to resist staring at him with wide eyes. She hated that he somehow managed again to catch her off guard with only his words. At least when he did it with his sword she was able to defend against it.

Only the most elite and dependable ANBU made up the Hokage's personal guard. The only one she knew of was Kaya, and in comparison she felt much less qualified.

"Why me?"

"Why not?"

He slung the two practice swords over his shoulder along with his bag. Training was over, and apparently so was his explanation.

"I'll be on a mission for the next two weeks," he called as he made to leave. "Training is postponed until then."

"Two weeks?" she called before she could stop herself. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

He turned to her with his cheeky grin. "Is that a hint of concern I'm detecting?"

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of stunning her a third time. "You're my teacher," she responded matter-of-factly.

"Is that all?" he prodded, grin still in place, eyes boring holes into hers.

Of course. That was all, right?

"You still haven't taught me the dance of the crescent moon."

He sighed, looked up to the real moon, then took a few steps back towards where she was still standing next to the fallen log. His eyes locked on to hers and she had to remember not to hold her breath. "Then let's make a promise."

"A what?"

"With the moon as our witness, we promise to come back safely from all of our missions. So that I can teach you the dance of the crescent moon."

She simply stared at him half in confusion and half in amusement. She found herself wondering how his mind worked, how he thought of all the things that came out of his mouth.

"Well?" he prodded again.

"This is ridiculous."

"Would you rather I don't come back?"

"No! Of course not, it's just – "

"Then?"

He was inspecting her with that gaze again. It was magnetic, almost cruelly so.

"Fine."

She knew that it was ludicrous, that there was no guarantee that a shinobi would return from a mission, especially at their ranks. Still, there was something about the way he looked at her that made her want to believe it was possible.

"Then it's a promise." He paused, then added with a mischievous grin, "You'll wait for me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Go home Hayate."

As he turned, he chuckled and muttered, "Damn unreadable ANBU," and raised a hand in parting. She watched his retreating back for a moment before retrieving her mask.

Once home, she found herself robbed of sleep. She lied flat on her mattress, eyes open staring up at the dark ceiling. If she closed them again, she would see his face, hear his voice.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Had he really called her that? Or had she misheard him?

The muscles on her face felt taut, unnaturally strained. When she tried to relax them, she realized that she had been smiling.

Why did he say that to her? What did he mean by it? For the first time in a long time, she wished her mom were alive. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like this was something she needed to tell her, that only her mom could have answers for.

But was it ok to be feeling this way? This – whatever it was? They were shinobi. They couldn't be making promises or plans. They didn't have that privilege. The world was not that simple or forgiving.

Still…

For every sick, rotten, worthless bastard out there, there were a hundred more good people – Kaya had told her that on their last day of training together. And as she lay in bed, allowing her eyes to close and her mind to wander, Yugao was sure that Hayate was one of the good ones.