Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Sakura turned toward Suigetsu, as if she wasn't sure exactly how to answer his question. "So far, the village is mostly just reinforcing its power and making sure it's ready for an attack. Considering Youki's previous actions, it would both unwise and foolish to seek him out for battle. He's lying low for now and will make a move shortly. It sounds stupid, but the best thing we can do now is wait and not change how the village does things. Most of our lower ranked shinobi don't know what's happened yet. We see no point in panicking gennin. Our battle ready shinobi have been made aware of Youki's recent attack and ANBU has mobilized. One of their own was almost killed. They take that quite seriously."

Once she had explained this, she glanced up at Juugo then to Karin and Suigetsu. "You two should keep in touch about anything you see. I know that you both have a method of getting in touch with Sasuke when you need to, so I would appreciate it if you did that should anything important come up."

"That sounds reasonable," Suigetsu remarked as he listened to Sakura's explanation about what they were planning next. Growing up in a place like Kiri, Suigetsu knew the importance of having your troops stay in top spirits. Having the young shinobi panic was never a good idea, as often their panic could be observed by spies or any number of witnesses. A village needed to maintain a sense of normality to get through times like these, that they way that it had always been. A village couldn't be carried on the backs of only three calm men and women.

"We can easily do that. We'll work as Tsunade instructed, but anything that we deem of note we'll make sure that it gets reported."

Sakura smiled at Suigetsu, glad that he agreed to tell Sasuke if anything was wrong and needed his attention. She trusted Sasuke's judgement and his skill in battle. He wouldn't let anything happen to the village, especially with all he's done recently to protect the village. "Thank you. This is the facility. The person that brought us in will let you in when they see you. If you happen to come at a point when no one knows who you are and isn't willing to bring you, then say 'The mountains move', and they'll bring you here. Juugo will bring you where you need to go from there."

She then looked up to the orange haired giant by her side. "Juugo, make sure you bring them directly to the high security room, okay?"

Juugo nodded, understanding. "Of course I will. When you see Sasuke, tell him that I hope things work out for him and his friend."

That made the pink haired shinobi smile. "Aaliyah will be fine, Juugo. They have me to fix her up. Oh, speaking of which," She turned to Karin. "Do you think that you could come with me to the hospital and give her a short healing treatment?"

"That probably sounds like a good idea. It gives us reason to be gathered together like this. Let's go." Karin replied.

"Got it," Suigetsu stated quickly as he listened to Sakura's instructions. He knew that places like this weren't just revealed to anyone, so Suigetsu would have to make sure that he memorized how to get in so that Konoha wouldn't doubt who he was. After all, how embarrassing would it be to show up and not remember the password to enter? Suigetsu may not be the brightest shinobi on the planet, but he knew when information was important and needed to be memorized.

As they decided to go to the hospital, Suigetsu just pushed himself off the wall with ease and began to follow the group. "Speaking of Aaliyah, how is she really doing?" he asked curiously. "I know she's going to be fine, but give us some details. Is there going to be a full recovery?"

Sakura seemed to mull things over in her head before actually answering the question. "Well..." She started. "Aaliyah was badly injured, but most of her concerning injuries were internal rather than external. External wounds are the easiest to heal because they're normally superficial. However, I have been trying to develop a more powerful internal healing jutsu since that is what kills most shinobi. And, especially for someone like Sasuke that takes a beating in battle in order to win, I need to know how to deal with that wrecklessness." She smiled, as if remembering something, a memory of some kind.

"Anyway, Aaliyah has mostly internalized wounds. Unfortunately, it took a toll on her body, especially the movement of her chakra system. It's still intact and functional, but unfortunately some of her internal organs were damaged and we discovered that she's blind in one eye." Even now, she didn't understand Shino's comment about her being perfect when he found out that she had lost her vision. But, maybe he was okay with that? She'd take Sasuke back no matter what happened to him, crippled, blind, paralyzed. As long as he was alive, she would be happy.

"Well, at least she's not dead or crippled. I couldn't imagine a worse fate for her if she was," Suigetsu remarked more to himself than anyone else. Suigetsu learned a long time ago what happened to people that couldn't defend themselves, usually they ended up dead and mistreated in such ways that they wish they had never been born. It was why the shinobi system of villages worked after all, because the weak were able to pay and afford the strong. Suigetsu never had a desire to be weak.

For Aaliyah herself, it would be even worse. While she may have Shino to protect and see to her needs, she still had a mad man that wanted to kill her. If anything was permanently wrong with Aaliyah that hindered her in battle, there was no telling what Youki might do to her next time.

Sakura agreed with Suigetsu's idea, even though she knew it shouldn't be the case. Aaliyah's body had been so badly damaged that she was surprised she wasn't crippled. But, Aaliyah had always been a powerful woman and it seemed that despite the beating she took she made sure that beating wasn't fatal. She'd returned to the village. That meant the most to those that knew her, especially Shino. At first, Sakura had been intimidated by Aaliyah--the way she held herself, the presence she had, the power she radiated--it was almost like staring down a younger Tsunade. Sakura had respected her from the moment she saw her, and in a way even emulated her. After hearing what she was and what she went through, that admiration only grew. Female shinobi with their power was rare and Sakura was more than willing to learn from anyone that could offer her strength.

"She'll be okay. I'm confident that unless something drastic happens, she'll be just fine. The only thing we're not sure of is now long she'll sleep. All things considered though, it would probably be best for her to sleep for a few days. Anything that will spare her the pain she's likely to suffer is what I'm hoping for. We can't put her in a medically induced coma, but I'd prefer for her to sleep for the next few days. I know Shino feels differently, but if she woke to pain, he'd quickly want her to be sleeping peacefully again."

"Shino's emotional right now, you know how rarely that happens. He loses control, like any of us would if the ones we loved were where Aaliyah is right now," Suigetsu remarked as his eyes glanced at Karin for a moment before looking back at Sakura. "Despite that, Shino's still a smart guy. He knows that everyone here is on his team and no one's trying to sabotage or hurt him, he just needs some time that's all," the swordsman added.

Suigetsu normally hated people because they were either assholes, or extremely stupid. If there was anything he couldn't stand about someone, it was because they were stupid and lacking in the head. Shino wasn't like that though, despite everything happening to him at a relatively young age, he was still able to push forward and cope better than people twice his age. Suigetsu really did hope that everything would be okay, but he knew that no matter what happened Shino would be okay.

Sakura supposed that Suigetsu was right, and he was in a better position to say than she was. To be completely honest, she had never expected Sasuke to make such good friends with Shino. The two of them were so completely opposite that it was unlikely that they would get along very well at all. Knowing that the two of them were close enough to rival the friendship between even Naruto and Sasuke was surprising to Sakura, which says a lot since Sasuke was her husband. It didn't bother her, especially since Shino was smarter than Naruto and easier to deal with in most instances. Shai seemed especially fond of Shino and asked about him often. That alone made Sakura expectionally trusting of Shino, even though she had always been before. There were levels of trust though. She trusted Naruto with her own life, but not with the life of her son. Shino seemed quite capable of a great level of trust. If Sasuke was willing to give a mission to someone else to be with Shino now, then she knew that Sasuke was willing to do just about anything for him. So, she was willing to do the same.

"I know. I think that's why Sasuke is staying with him. Sasuke hasn't left the hospital since Aaliyah was admitted, with the exception of going to get Shino and going home to take a shower." Looking back, Sakura realized that Shino and Sasuke had become friends faster than Naruto and Sasuke had. It was really incredible, since Sasuke had always had an aversion toward trusting people, especially with what happened to him as a child. Maybe this meant he was truly letting go of Itachi and what happened in his past.

Once they arrived at the hospital, they went inside and up to the room that Aaliyah was in. It was out of the way and away from the other rooms. They wanted to protect Aaliyah from spies in the village. Tsunade planned to move her room as soon as she woke and was stable enough to move in order to protect her. Either Shino or Sasuke was always with her, so she saw no need to appoint a bodyguard to watch her. However, Tsunade intended to pay both Shino and Sasuke for it, as if it had been a mission, simply because they were dedicated enough to do it for free. She hadn't told them that yet, but she was planning on it.

"Nope." Sasuke said as they entered. The two of them were sitting across the room from one another. Shino was sitting on the floor beside Aaliyah's bed and Sasuke was across the room, about ten feet in front of the door. "Focus it more when you shoot it. Don't worry too much about hurting me." Sasuke gathered some lightning in his hand, a minimal amount and fired it at Shino, who sent it back. They then started to move the lightning ball (which is what it looked like) back and forth in something almost like a game that mirrored training.

Suigetsu gave the smallest of nods, as he wondered about what was exactly going through Sasuke's mind right now. There was no denying anymore that Sasuke had changed drastically from the man that he had once been in to something else entirely. Sasuke didn't have to help Suigetsu and Karin prove their loyalty to the village, and yet he had put himself in to harm's way in order to force Tsunade's hand in to granting them their freedom. Suigetsu still believed that part of that had been guilt, but surely it had been more than that. Suigetsu couldn't help but wonder now what motivated Sasuke to help Shino so passionately as he did now. Was it also a feeling of guilt? Perhaps he knew that Shino deserved the same happiness that Sasuke himself had...and yet Shino's odds of actually having that life always seemed so small.

Shino hardly looked up as the group entered in to the room. Despite what people thought, his peripheral vision was actually pretty good. He saw the group and who came in, and he didn't really know what to say. He still had some things on his mind, even Sasuke's game could only distract him so far. "Focus more, right sorry," Shino said before doing as Sasuke instructed and shooting the ball back. Focusing wasn't easy for him right now.

"Hello," Shino finally said before turning his head to make it clear that he was speaking to the group that had just arrived. He wasn't sure what to add other than that, so he just waited to see what any of them might say.

Sakura looked toward her husband, trying to gauge what was going on. He glanced in her direction and smiled on one side, then went back to tossing lightning back and forth with Shino. It was odd that they shared more than just a chakra affinity. As their game resumed, Sakura went to the bed,standing on the side closest to Shino and had Karin stand on the other. "We're just going to give her a treatment." She said, raising her hands which started to glow with her chakra.

Karin went to where Sakura asked her to and pulled back her hair into a high ponytail. She then adjusted her stance and her hands started to glow as well. Her eyes closed and she moved her hands towards Sakura's. They started to heal her together, their hands moving more or less together. Sakura was the more talented medical shinobi, yet Karin's skill exceptionally magnified Sakura's own abilities making it so they could repair some of Aaliyah's organs without cutting her open.

Shino continued to pass the ball back and forth with Sasuke as the group came in. When someone throws a ball of lightning at you, you tend to pay attention again in order to avoid being shocked after all. And so they kept playing the game, using it as a way to train to adjust the chakra in order for Shino to better fight against Youki the next time they met. There would obviously be a next time, after all, Shino had crossed a line where Youki was concerned.

When Sakura and Karin began to work on Aaliyah though, Shino couldn't just sit there. He passed the ball to Sasuke before standing up, indicating that he had other things on his mind. He slowly walked over and watched Karin and Sakura work together in order to use their techniques on Aaliyah. "Can you give me any sort of update?" he asked simply but respectfully.

Sakura glanced toward Shino as he approached them, knowing what was coming. "I'm sorry." she said softly. "But there's not much I can tell you, Shino. Aaliyah is injured, but she's alive and is better than I expected her to be considering what happened. She'll wake up.. but I can't tell you when." She turned to face Shino and smiled at him, in an attempt to show her sympathy for his plight. But there was pain behind it. Not because she was lying, but because there wasn't anything she could tell him to help him feel better. There was no magic answer.

This was what she hated the most about being a doctor. "I'm sorry." She said, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do to help. "Aaliyah is healing better than I could have ever expected... she should wake up soon, but in the mean time..." She stopped, not sure what to say to him.

"You'll just have to trust her." Sasuke said, standing up from where he'd been sitting. he felt guilty saying that to Shino and it showed on his face.

Shino was quiet as Sakura explained that she didn't have any updates to give him. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't show any anger, and he didn't threaten to hurt her physically, and yet when Sakura spoke it was as if she feared how her words would affect Shino. It was obviously not a byproduct of fear, but of concern. She legitimately felt sorry that she couldn't deliver more positive news to Shino when she wanted to so badly. He could only appreciate and thank that about her.

"Don't be sorry Sakura, you have nothing to be sorry for," the Aburame said as he looked right at Sakura. "You, Karin, and everyone else have spent many hours and large amounts of chakra to do everything you can in order to save Aaliyah and keep her hear with me. You've succeeded, she isn't going to die," he said as his vision turned to look at Aaliyah's unconscious form. "For all that you've done I am in your debt, of that there is no negotiation or discussion. My thanks will not be enough to truly thank you for what you've done for me."

His gaze fixed upon Sakura again. "You and your husband have always been kind to me, especially when I've needed it. I trust you fully, I'll wait the next year if I have to...and I know that you have done everything you can. So once again, I thank you."

The entire time Shino spoke, Sakura was genuinely surprised. No one had ever spoken to her like this before. Usually the spouses of those injured were quick to anger or violence. No one was taking this as well as Shino and she admired that about him, in addition to everything else she already thought was good about him. A smile met her lips and she couldn't help but be flattered by his gratitude which was so genuine and sweet.

When Sakura finished healing Aaliyah, which was a rather large chunk of her chakra, she smiled and turned to face him. She took a step forward and hugged him, figuring that no one had hugged him yet, mostly due to the fact that none of his male friends (with perhaps the exception of his father) would have done so. She held him tightly for a moment. "I should be thanking you." she whispered so that only he could hear her. "Before spending time with you, Sasuke had no interest in the village, in being redeemed, or having his name cleared. You motivated him to do so much more than he was and finally stand up for what he was afraid to do. I should be thanking you." Again, she squeezed him tightly and let him go, taking a step back. Her smile remained.

When Sakura walked forward and hugged Shino, he just blinked in surprise. He and Sakura had never been particularly close. It wasn't that they had hated each other, their paths had just very rarely crossed. He had always liked Sakura though, Sakura always seemed bright and willing to put her ideas and thoughts to the table. Along with that, in recent years she had become a much more adapt fighter for Konoha. She was strong, loyal, and fierce. These were qualities that Shino could admire in anyone. As she hugged him he knew that he should do something, so he very slowly lifted up his arms and lightly returned the hug.

As Sakura spoke though, Shino just listened. He had never thought about the appreciation that Sakura would have for him. Shino had been the one to actively convince Tsunade that Sasuke wasn't the same shinobi he once was. Although he started the assignment unwillingly things had quickly changed, he never realized that Sakura probably appreciated it more than Sasuke did. When Sakura let go and just smiled at him, Shino knew that he couldn't say anything. It was a comment that was meant for just him to hold on to, it was not something to share with the group. He only gave a slight nod, knowing that Sakura would be able to understand what he meant by it.

There was a silence in the room for the moment as Sakura moved away from Shino. He nodded and her and she nodded back.

"Is Mommy hitting on Shino?" Shai asked from where he was sitting playing with his toys near the window. Now that there were people in the room, he was more interested in them then the boys he was playing with.

To this, Sasuke of course started laughing. He walked over to where Shai was sitting and picked him up. "No, Shai. Girls hug people to say thank you."

As he was picked up, Shai took hold of his father's shirt. "Oh..." He said, quietly, looking at Shino and his mother. "Okay." He smiled at Shino.

"Shai... where did you learn that?" Sakura said, walking over to her husband and running her hand over son's head.

"Nowhere!" The boy said, reaching over to his mother and hugging her.

Shino glanced over at the conversation that Shai was having with his parents. He couldn't help but smile, the boy was very capable of making Shino do that after all. He just walked over as Shai finished explaining that he didn't learn the phrase that he used from anywhere in particular. Shino had a feeling that he already knew the source.

"Does nowhere stand for your Uncle Naruto now?" Shino asked as he smiled down at the boy.

Shai looked up at the older man. It looked like he was pouting for a minute and then he reached out for Shino to take him from his mother. Once Shino took him, he whined. "You're mean!" He said, attempting to be quiet, but being a child the statement was rather loud. "Why would you get uncle Naruto in trouble!?" He whined, resting his head against Shino's shoulder.

Sasuke just smirked at his son. Shai had a remarkable gift for making others feel better.

Shino moved his hands out to take Shai the moment that the boy stretched his arms out. Though the motion had been alien to him before, it was now one that he was completely comfortable with. He rested the boy against his body easily and just held him there. "Believe me Shai, your uncle has been getting himself in trouble for as long as I can remember," he said with a small laugh.

It was amazing how much a laugh can heal. The pain that Shino felt was emotional, but the logic of his mind allowed him to stay in control. The pain wasn't going to leave until Aaliyah woke up, but he was able to stay in control and not freak out at Sakura or anyone else. They were all trying to help, and Aaliyah wasn't dying.

Ultimately, everything was going to be okay. For now, that was good enough for Shino.

"Uncle Naruto does seem to cause a lot of problems..." The boy finally said, smiling up at Shino. "But that doesn't mean he's bad, right?" He was asking him for confirmation rather than his parents. Whereas Shai had always been very loved by his parents, he was very affectionate toward Shino. He trusted him and would accept an answer from him similarly in a way that he could accept an answer from his parents.

"No, Naruto is very far away from bad....thought sometimes he'll just do very stupid things," Shino admitted as he looked towards Shai. "But no, he is loving and honest and kind, he is a great uncle to have and look up to. Although, you should remember that he isn't perfect," Shino said with a warm smile as he looked towards Shai. If any of his children were anything like Shai, Shino would be able to die as a happy parent.

The most genuine smile crossed the boy's face then and he looked as if someone had said something to him that made him truly happy. No one had ever said anything like to him, about anyone. And that made him joyful beyond belief. Someone had never said anything bad about Naruto before, well, not bad, but something honest like Shino just had and it made him happy. He hugged Shino after that and beamed up at him.

"You know what I think?" He asked rheotrically, but waited for a moment before he replied. "I think that Aaliyah is beautiful and loving and kind too. And, that when she wakes up and sees you, it will make her happy because she'll think the same thing about you."

"What's that?" Shino asked despite the rhetorical nature of the question that was presented to him. He figured that this was some kind of a game, or Shai had something funny to say. What actually came, Shino never would have predicted. As the words slipped out of the boy's mouth, Shino couldn't help but feel his eyes water slightly. Thankfully, they were hidden beneath his glasses. Shino just blinked several times in order to stop them from fully forming, it even took him a minute to respond.

"Yeah, I hope that she feels the same way too Shai," Shino said quietly as he turned and looked at Aaliyah's unconscious form. "I'll make sure to ask her when she wakes up."

Sasuke himself couldn't believe what his son had just said. He stared for a moment then glanced to his wife, who had raised a hand to her mouth in surprise. But Sasuke smiled, because Shai was so much more then he could ever be. Shai was truly the redemption that Uchiha needed. The Uchiha wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and kissed her temple. He loved her and their son more than he could ever express.

Shai was surprised by Shino's reaction and of course, he grinned. "I think she feels the way, you can tell by how she looks at you. If she opens her eyes and smiles in that pretty way she does, then you have your answer."