ONE

"Dove, do you have eyes on her?"

The low hum of her teammate's voice scratched against her eardrum. Canine was somewhere on the ground, in a car, with a piece of expensive tech in his lap; he was tracking her. She eased the tension in her shoulders as she watched the interior of a penthouse condo from her perch on its balcony.

Hinata was hiding in the empty Jacuzzi. From the grime of it, it was due for a cleaning soon. It wasn't the most dignified position, but it would have to do for now. There were several doors on the balcony that led straight inside, but for now she waited. She slid the glasses that were perched atop her head over her eyes and tapped the left lens twice to activate them. Once the glasses came on she could see heat signatures, and there was a bright red and yellow one coming closer and closer, only a few yards away. Perfect.

"Not yet," Hinata said into her headpiece. "Soon."

She secured her braid into the high-neck of her tight, black bodysuit that she always wore on jobs like these as she watched a woman breeze into her penthouse, flipping on lights. The woman was her target: Ms. Sakura Haruno, daughter of Haruno Kizashi, and heir to the Kizashi fortune and business enterprise.

She was wearing a thin green jacket, which Hinata watched her drop mindlessly onto the dining room table. High heels. Red. A tidy black dress, fit for a luncheon or meeting. Pink hair gently curled around her shoulders that moved when she laughed. She was laughing. Her phone was between her head and her bird-like shoulder blades.

"Eyes," Hinatasaid, confirming the sighting of their target.

"You ready?" Canine asked. He was typing, she could hear him.

"Waiting," Hinata said. "Cameras?"

"Down." Canine confirmed.

Ms. Sakura Haruno was a known tech genius. Her father's company was celebrated for its innovations, so it only made sense that the cherished daughter would reap some of those benefits in the form of advanced intellect. Hinata had read her dossier, had even compiled some of it: Ms. Sakura Haruno had been the top of her class at her private all-girl high school, her science scores earning her a place in the 99th percentile of students in the entire country. She attended Oxford University in the UK for undergraduate, and graduated with honors from their computer engineering program. She'd also double majored in Women and Gender Studies, but no one really cared about that. She wanted to be a doctor, but her father disagreed with any careers having to do with service to the public, and saw that she would be better suited to train to take his place as CEO of the company.

It was that or politics –– so Ms. Sakura Haruno had her little, pretty, hacker fingers in both pots of honey these days. She was pursuing her Masters Public Policy at an elite Konoha university, and taught gender studies classes when she had a little free time. She rarely had free time. She was 28-years old, modeled on the side, and was engaged to rising politician and lawyer, Uchiha Sasuke. They had already started wedding planning, despite the fact that they had only announced their engagement a week ago. Hinata had seen the Pinterest boards.

Because of Ms. Sakura Haruno's advanced technological skill, the only safe way into her apartment was to from the outside––the balcony––in, hence why Hinata had gone to the 12th floor instead of the 15th, and had climbed all the way up using a harness and some strategically placed window-cleaning ropes. While she waited, she hung window-side, scooping soap suds across the windowpanes of the wealthy, looking through the windows curiously. Some of the apartments reminded her of a life she had once dreamed of having: a kid, maybe. A dog. Pizza Fridays in front of the TV. Someone to rub her scalp. She always had headaches.

And anyway she hung there, 12 floors up, for about an hour until it was time. When it finally was, she pulled the rope––testing the resistance––as her body went up and up and up. Luckily these windows had little footsills that she could use as leverage. Finally, her watch dinged and she ascended the 15th floor where she effortlessly removed the harness and the rope and stored them in her bag. Her father was against bags on missions but she thought they were handy. She might need the harness again. Her relatives were the type of people to throw them back off the roof for their partners to catch, but no––Hinata was anything if not resourceful. She would not waste.

So there she was waiting in the jacuzzi for something to shake up for half-an-hour, and finally here comes Ms. Sakura Haruno. She was really pretty like everyone said. Shame too, that this would be her end. Hinata watched her shake a cigarette from a box on the dining room table and open the door to the balcony. She laughed again, her lips ruby red as she lit it.

"Don't be silly, Naruto," she was saying as she walked over to the edge. "You don't think this is…wrong, do you? Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just get worried…..You're right. Anyway, it's going to be a surprise. Unless you told him…?"

The view was gorgeous, even Hinata could admit it. While she sat dangling for the hour and a half she had waited, she admired the sun to the west and how it began to move steadfast into the clouds. The buildings lit up perfectly at dusk during summer, didn't they? She'd mentioned this to Canine over the earpiece but he didn't get it. He was on the ground.

"Focus," he'd said.

"I'm not even doing anything," she replied.

"You're 130 feet in the air," he was being stern with her. "Act like it."

"You sound like my cousin," she complained. "I didn't know you all were so scared of heights."

"You should be more scared, Dove."

When she was Dove she could do anything. She didn't stutter when she was Dove. She made jokes when she was Dove. She thought that everyone actually liked her better when she was Dove. If she could be Dove all the time, she probably would until the stress of it all would undoubtedly give her a heart attack. It was fun being Dove. Dove wasn't afraid of heights or people.

Anyway, Ms. Sakura Haruno was smoking conspicuously on the phone, chitchatting with a name Hinata had heard before but hadn't bothered to commit to memory. Hinata climbed out of the empty jacuzzi, crouched low, and made her way past the open door and into Ms. Sakura Haruno's apartment. Where to go? Where to go? Hinata made a few calculations in her head. She'd been drawing up a blueprint of this place for weeks now, but it was difficult, considering the technical safety measures Ms. Sakura Haruno had taken to make this place impenetrable by someone like Hinata

Hinata noted the inconsistencies as she went. Ms. Sakura Haruno was turning from the balcony now that her cigarette was done, and Hinata went for the pantry. She slipped her body into the crack and noted the cereal boxes. Horrible tastes.

"Don't forget the bug," Canine said. He was trying to bring up a blueprint of the rest of the building in case Hinata needed to escape. The little bug would help break down Ms. Sakura Haruno's firewall ever so briefly, so that Canine could do the scan.

Hinata picked it out of her braid and slipped it into a box of gluten-free cheerios. "Done."

Ms. Sakura Haruno hung up the phone and pulled out a chair in the living room. She sat down gracefully, and Hinata watched her head fall back, her wispy hair fanning out around her body. She unbuttoned the four buttons of her tidy black dress, then fanned herself with the flat of her hand. Tobacco smell filled the room.

Hinata considered her options. Technically, she was supposed to get information then kill her. If she killed her first it would be harder to find the information––smart woman like Ms. Sakura Haruno wouldn't just leave that hanging around somewhere. They'd already tried looking.

"Done." Canine said.

Ms. Sakura Haruno opened her phone when she was done fanning herself, and began scrolling through emails. She started humming. Hinata always appreciated how human people were when they were alone––humming was such a human thing! Hinata would hum, if she weren't supposed to be so quiet. Focus, Hinata told herself. She had to think of the technical things now.

If it were a typical assassination, Hinata could have simply shot her from the jacuzzi, pushed her off the roof, or poisoned her food. But nothing was ever simple, no. Not for her. Not for someone of her caliber. She considered the rope in her bag. Yes. She'd probably have to tie her up. That would suck. Ms. Sakura Haruno was known to be able to fight. It was part of the reason she was so respected by the Uchihas.

"Darling, you're early," a smooth voice came from behind the kitchen. A bedroom, Hinata's formal blueprint had designated. The sound sent shock through her body––her glasses had not registered any other heat signatures. She sant deeper into the pantry.

"Plus one," she said into her earpiece.

"Copy." Canine said. He didn't sound concerned. "Can you identify?"

The kitchen was beautiful. It had these gorgeous rose-colored marble floors with green rectangular tiles on the wall. The countertops were white marble––this flawless oval shape, with birch wood paneling on the sides.. The new person opened one of the refrigerators and pulled out a bottle of creamy champagne. Hinata was silent as she watched the back of their head.

Ms. Sakura Haruno turned in her seat and a smile split her face in half. "Baby," she gushed. "Were you here this whole time?"

They kissed. Hinata tried to figure out if it was perfunctory or not. It was brisk. The new person sat down across from Ms. Sakura Haruno and Hinata swore.

"Who is it?" Canine almost barked.

Hinata twisted her lips. How the hell was she supposed to get out of this? "Uchiha fucking Sasuke."

"Abort," Canine said. "Abort, Abort, Abort––"

Sasuke's head snapped up from where it was bent over the champagne bottle. Hinata watched his hand at his waist. "Someone's here," he said. "Sakura stay right––"

Hinata took her pistol from where it sat secure at her waist and sent ten shots out the pantry. She ducked and rolled behind that beautiful marble countertop and tried to remember the blueprint. It would be too risky to go over the roof, they'd fuck with her anchor points.

"Canine. I need an escape route. Now."

"Get to the 10th floor, there's an empty apartment. Behind you, past the first bedroom is a service entrance. Go there first."

"Copy."

The Uchiha was firing back, shots hitting the gorgeous green tile, sending small pieces of ceramic at the back of her head. According to one of their best sources, Sasuke was supposed to be in Taiwan, having lunch with an investor. He wasn't supposed to be with Ms. Sakura Haruno at all.

But of course, the lady in question seemed surprised herself. She dived behind her beautiful country-style table that held huge green vases of pussywillow and peacock feathers––all that fluff which Hinata shot up as she attempted to at least get a clean hit on her. Maybe she could kill her and complete half her mission? Peacock feathers went flying into the air.

But the Uchiha was relentless––and when the gunfire momentarily stopped, Hinata thought it was best to assume that it was because the Uchiha was getting a bigger gun from somewhere else. Hinata scurried, keeping low to the floor, past the kitchen and into the hallway where the Uchiha had come from in the first place. The service door was easy to find. Just as she was easing her body through it, a round of bullets arched over her head, and the man was barging down the hallway with a rifle, backlit by the setting sun.

This is crazy, Hinata thought as bullets raced over her head. She saw a laundry shoot in the corner and thought about pitching her body down it, but then of course, he could shoot into it.

"Don't even think about it," Canine said. "The door on your left is the exit. Take the stairs down to twelve. Be fast."

"Copy," Hinata said. She kicked the door to the laundry room shut just as she saw Sasuke's patent leather shoe cross into the hallway, his rifle raised to his chest as he looked down the nose of the weapon, his pressed button-down shirt half open, his tie eschew. It would be really cool, if it wasn't also so terrifying, Hinata mused. She'd never seen Uchiha Sasuke in person––had only heard the rumors.

The door shut as more bullets rallied against the door frame. Hinata exited through the door to her left, which was a long hallway, leading to another door. Double locked. She stood, breathed through her nose, raised her right leg to kick the door knob until it splintered open. It took a few tries, but when she finally got it, the door hit the wall behind it with a SLAM! and Hinata raced down the stairs. It did not seem like Sasuke was still pursuing her, but it wasn't like she could leave from the front door.

So she went down the five flights of stairs with her gun drawn, watching her back and keeping Canine in her ear. Canine was instructing her on her next steps, and when she finally reached the correct landing she heard his sigh of relief.

"There," he said. "Apartment 1202."

Hinata ran down the hallway and opened the door––unlocked, just like the other one was when she arrived there. The apartment was completely empty––she even checked for heat signatures––though even that method had failed her already. She paid no mind to the ugly gray floors and ugly gray walls and got to work unpacking her rope, harness, and carabiners from her bag. She made quick work of securing the harness and got the carabiners in place. She'd left one of the window washing planes secure just outside this window, so she hooked onto it and began to float her way down.

As she descended, she began to feel nervous. Hinata bit her lip, not able to concentrate on the beautiful scenery any longer. She had failed yet another mission. Her father was going to be pissed.

-:-

"What the hell was that about?" Sakura was crying. She had a big cut on her leg from where one of her giant vases erupted from a gunshot and had sliced her skin open. Her fingertips came back bloody from where she inspected the wound.

"The question should be, what the hell did you do?" Sasuke was breathing heavily. This was not the evening with his fiancée he had been expecting to have. He threw the rifle down on the couch and wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. He tugged his tie off. He unbuttoned his shirt. Then, he walked over to his crying fiancée, looked down at her rumbled black dress, her running mascara, the 3-inch cut on her leg, and shook his head. He extended his hand and led her to the couch that didn't have the hot rifle on it.

There were bullet holes everywhere––most of them, from him. Sakura would be pissed when she finally came to her senses.

All Sasuke had wanted to do was settle down after work, have a beer or two, eat a rare steak with bourbon, and celebrate his birthday with his fiancée. Before all the commotion, he had gotten off work early in hopes of getting his dick sucked. In fact, his team had practically pushed him out of his office after they discovered the Google Calendar Reminder (Sasuke's 28th Birthday!) that his assistant, Karin, had annoyingly put on the team account without his consent.

Instead of getting blissfully drunk, he was dealing with this. He left Sakura on the couch and went to the bar where he poured two glasses of whisky in round crystal glasses. Then, he grabbed the first-aid kit from the pantry. As he was pulling it off the shelf, he noticed a disheveled cereal box. Gluten free. He grabbed that too.

Once back into the living room, he handed Sakura the drink and set the rest of the objects aside on Sakura's coffee table. "C'mere," he muttered, trying not to sound annoyed with the whole thing––she was still crying for God's sake. "Give me your leg."

She slowly extended it like a ruffled flower, bunching the dress up around her waist, and Sasuke saw the cut on her calf. It was quite a nasty cut, though it wouldn't need stitches. Sasuke quietly mused that he'd hated those ugly vases with the peacock feathers anyway. Good riddance.

"So," he said as he took antiseptic alcohol on a cloth and pressed the wet edge to the wound. He ignored her when she whimpered at the sting. "What did you do, Sakura?"

Sakura avoided his eyes, choosing instead to look over at the rifle on the other side of the couch. Sasuke kept one on every property he slept at. This one had been stashed in a special compartment in her office.

"I didn't––"

"Don't lie," Sasuke said, monotone. He took a bandage and wrapped it tight around her calf. "It's my birthday."

Sakura continued to avoid him, pretending to inspect the bullet holes along the walls instead. "Why would it be my fault?"

Sasuke shook his head, a short movement that revealed the tense vein in his neck, and pushed Sakura's leg off of him rather roughly and she grunted. He grabbed the cereal box and poured its contents onto the coffee table, ignoring Sakura's protests. On the table, among the crunchy brown nuggets, was a small black device. A bug. Sasuke held it up.

"You're being targeted, Sakura. That person who came in here? That was an assassin. I would know. Now stop playing these games with me," Sasuke opened her palm and placed the bug inside of it. "You don't get targeted for no reason. What did you do?"

He watched her as she turned pale with fear and took a couple of shuddering breaths. She looked down at the bug in her hand and swallowed hard. "I––I'm not sure if it's safe to tell you here––anymore." She said carefully. "We should go somewhere else."

"Fine," Sasuke said. He took the bug and crushed it between the––now empty––crystal glass and the coffee table. "Go get dressed. I'm calling my brother."

Happy fucking birthday to him.

-:-

"You did your best, Dove," Canine soothed––or attempted to–as he eased the car to a stop in front of a set of double doors. "How were you supposed to know that Uchiha Fucking Sasuke was going to be there?"

"I should have been better prepared," Hinata whispered. She was hunched over in the car, her shoulders drawn in, her fingers laced tightly. She could only allow herself about 30 seconds more of this nervous movement before she would have to go back to being Dove the Special Agent, and let her failures roll off her shoulders like they didn't bother her. She would be back to being regular Hyuga Hinata by the day's end. She could wait that long.

"C'mon," Canine said. He was looking at her kindly; his wild hair and red face tattoos were always a welcome sight after a mission. He was a great partner who understood her both in and outside of the workplace. He was an even better friend. He was one of the few Byakugan6 agents outside of her family that she was on a first name basis with. "Seriously, those were unpredictable circumstances. Your glasses didn't even pick up his signature!"

"Good luck telling that to my father," Hinata said darkly. She took a deep breath before pushing a few buttons onto the touchscreen device that was attached to the car's dashboard.

"Hello Vehicle 64732," a familiar voice range out of the car speakers. "Please verify your identities and sequence numbers."

"Dove, number 7."

"Canine, number 48b."

"Thank you. I will now scan the perimeter."

Hinata and Canine waited. Hinata could feel Canine's stare on her shoulders and she pretended to be preoccupied by undoing the carabiners that were still looped around her belt. The descent back to the ground had been uneventful: she'd landed near the trashcans and Canine and zipped the car around to pick her up. It didn't seem like Sasuke or Sakura had even bothered to call the police. Hinata didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Dove––" Canine began again.

The voice interrupted. "We have not identified any threats in your vicinity. Permission granted, please enter door 3."

The double-doors pulled apart and Canine drove the car into a small square room, bare of any signs or directions. Once the doors shut, the lights flickered on to display plain gray concrete walls and equally gray floors. Hinata remained in the vehicle, waiting for their next instruction.

"Going to Floor U3. Canine, number 48b, your tech is being requested for review on Floor 3. Dove, number 7, you will report directly to Command. Have a great day. Goodbye."

"She's being polite today," Canine commented, as the square of concrete they were on began to sink into the floor. It was a glorified elevator that would take them deep underground to where Byakugan6 stored their vehicles. U3 was a civilian car floor. For this mission, they'd taken an upgraded 2023 Volvo Recharge–It was just fancy enough that they'd fit into the aesthetic of the Blue District without question, but just normal enough that no one would blink an eye if they saw it racing down a street. It still had the plastically New Car Smell that Hinata liked. It was likely a new acquisition.

"She'd always nice," Hinata defended the AI who handled the doors and other small logistics around Headquarters. They called her Myagi, and she'd been built by the tech team some time ago to support operations. Myagi worked alongside real human agents who didn't quite trust her judgment yet. Hinata didn't blame them. Anything could be hacked these days.

"She's nice to you," Canine argued, though neither or them believed that the AI yet had the capacity for meanness. Perhaps one day she would. "Anyway, are you going to be okay? By yourself, I mean?"

They reached Underground Level 3 and the lights changed from orange fluorescents to bright white overhead lights. The doors parted and Canine pulled into the designated parking spot. Hinata pulled her hair out of its braids and combed her fingers through it as she exited the car––she was already finding herself back to Hinata––getting farther away from Dove. Even her tight bodysuit was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

I think I need a therapist, she thought, idly. But then of course, who could she talk to about this? The onsite counselors were nothing but glorified little tattle-tales, especially since Command was her father. No, she thought. I'll just power through.

"––Dove?" Canine asked.

"I'm sorry. What?" She blinked.

"I asked if you're going to be okay?"

"Oh," Hinata smiled. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked at her friend, whose face was clouded in concern. It was a cute expression: his eyebrows drawn, his lips puckered, his hands clenched like if he reached out he would hug her, but Hinata was giving nothing back. Her face was closed, her smile tight, her arms crossed over her chest. "Of course, Canine. What other choice do I have?"

Although she had become good at pretending, Dove was only a work persona. Hinata was constantly scratching through the skin and taking the damn thing off.

AN. I bet you didn't think I would be back so soon...I told you I was cooking.

Yes, Command is inspired (taken directly from) Scandal. I had a long month of watching that lmao