Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Aaliyah smiled at him and brought a hand to cover his lips. "I'm fine, Shino. I'm a shinobi, give me more credit." She leaned forward, kissing his lips softly to lull his concerns. "You're worrying too much, my love. I'm just fine. Just a little tired." She shifted a little on the bed to be more comfortable. The major annoyance she had was the IV that was making laying down in the position she was in not as pleasant as she would have liked.

"With everything that happened, I'm not surprised it took that many people. I am surprised that I'm not in as much pain as I would have expected. They did a really good job. I'll need to thank them." She said, shifting her weight to lean against his chest. "I'm sorry that I worried you, love. And I know that you were worried."

Shino shared the kiss with Aaliyah, holding it for some time until Aaliyah broke it. He never wanted it to end after all. "I know, I guess that I just want to make sure that there aren't any more surprises. Sasuke came and got me when you were brought back to the village, you were already in surgery by the time that I arrived at the hospital," Shino explained as his eyes looked at Aaliyah once again. He slowly reached up and removed his glasses, knowing that when she saw his eyes it always brought a smile to her face.

"I only worry because I love you," Shino said sincerely. "You're everything to me. As you promised to return to me, I promise that I'll never leave you and that I will NEVER stop loving you."

Aaliyah leaned closer to him when he took his glasses off. "I love you too, Shino. And I know that's why you were worried. If our roles had been reversed, I would have been worried for the same reasons... that I'd never see you again. But, I think that because that's behind us now, we don't really have anything to worry about. At least, not about me coming home or not. Youki will still hunt us both, but I won't be in the same danger, especially in or around the village." She laced her fingers with his and kissed the back of his hand.

"We're together. That's all that matters. I survived."

Shino just gave a soft nod as Aaliyah spoke. He knew that she was right of course. It was why they had made that promise to each other. They would both survive, neither wanted the other to die for them because it would still mean that one of them had to live without the other. The pact that Shino and Aaliyah made had lasted this long, and he truly believed that it would last forever. He was scared, but with Aaliyah at his side he knew that they could face any adversity together. Their love was too strong for that.

Shino took in a deep breath, his heart was still racing from all of this excitement. "Akiko was here earlier today. She was really worried about you. Kiba was here too, even Suigetsu and Karin came by....but I think my dad is the only person that came close to how I felt. He stood up to an ANBU agent who wanted to speak to you."

Aaliyah hadn't considered the fact that ANBU would be that upset by this. You know, since she almost died. Oh well, she should have expected it. She rubbed her face and let out a deep breath. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. ANBU will want to speak with me, probably about what was compromised, rather than having me killed for failing. I assume they'd have expected it with everything that has happened recently and how suspicious Youki has been. It should have been obvious after the trade we made for Temari. Konoha wouldn't just give up any hostage."

Shino nodded, glad that Aaliyah was taking this information better than he had suspected. Still, he was just glad that she was okay. ANBU could be dealt with at any time, but Aaliyah's death was something that they couldn't handle. This was still a good day, as far as Shino was concerned. "At any rate, things are okay for now," Shino said as he smiled at Aaliyah again. "You're here, and that's all that I could ever hope for. We can be together forever now," he smiled as he took her hand in to his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you need to sleep?"

Aaliyah held his hand and smiled. She was glad that he was taking this as well as he was. She was worried that her being hurt would have destroyed him, especially since even she didn't think she'd live for a while. Still, it meant a lot to her that he was so relieved and happy to see her. "I love you." She whispered as she curled close to him. "And, yes, I think that we should both get some sleep. You're insects always make that ticking out whenever you're tired."

"And I love you too," Shino said with a wide smile before slowly laying his head down next to Aaliyah's. "Sorry, I guess that I've just had a lot on my mind," he said as his head tilted next to Aaliyah and rested against her easily. His smile remained on his face as he briefly made eye contact with her. "Let us rest than, but if you need anything don't hesitate to tell me. I'll wake up and get you anything."

"I'll be fine." Aaliyah said, kissing his cheek. "You're here and that's all I need right now. anything else can wait until morning." She said, wrapping her arm around him. She closed her eyes and relaxed into his arms and the bed. Within a few minutes, she had already fallen back asleep.

By morning, the hospital was moving more quickly than usual. A mission had returned at around dawn with a few injured parties. Many of the doctors were on duty, and Sasuke was awake, dressed, and dealing with hospital security. Most shinobi wouldn't assume that the hospital would need security, simply because the hospital treated injured shinobi. But, there were many types of injuries. Three of the shinobi had been infected with some kind of poison that made their chakra come in bursts, which made them aggressive and attack others. It also appeared that their minds were affected. They had a hard time identifying friend or foe. Both Sasuke and Shibi were dealing with these shinobi's desire to attack the medical shinobi attempting to save them.

Sasuke had heard Aaliayh wake the night before and called Shibi that morning. When Shibi arrived, Tsunade had giving him something to do: protect her medical staff. It didn't take Sakura too long to deal with them, especially with Sasuke forcing them to be docile.

After things quieted down, Tsunade, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shibi went to Aaliyah's room to see her. Tsunade was surprised to see her sitting up and eating. "I'm quite impressed with the progress you've made." She said, walking over to Aaliyah. Her hand lit up blue and she ran her hand over Aaliyah's body, checking her vitals.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. But I think you should be congratulating your medical staff."

Shibi had of course come the moment that he received information. He'd be damned if he wasn't there to wish his daughter well. He knew that Shino and her would be married soon, but he had considered her to be his own daughter for quite some time. Never had he seen a woman affect Shino so, and she did it with such love and care that he never once doubted her intentions. He only hoped that she looked at him as a father already, nothing would make him happier.

As they arrived back in Aaliyah's room, the smile on Shibi's face could not be contained. She was alive, she was well, and she was smiling. He couldn't ask for more. He quickly walked over and took her hand in his own before giving it a light kiss. "It is so good to have you back, to stay," Shibi said as he smiled down at the girl. "You have been greatly missed."

Aaliyah smiled at Shibi when he and Sasuke entered the room. She leaned toward him, taking the hand that held hers and pulled him to her chest so hug him. "I have missed those who have missed me." She said, slowly releasing her father-in-law. "Thank you, Shibi. I appreciate you being here to welcome me back." She looked to her fiance and smiled at him. She was more in love with him then she could ever express.

Tsunade smiled at Aaliyah and finished checking her vitals, then took a step back, surveying her. "So... what happened?" She asked, having been curious about this for quite some time.

Aaliyah let out a sigh. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

Shibi gave a nod of happiness as he heard Aaliyah speak to him directly. The fact that she was loved and missed was not forgotten by her, nor did she forget about those that were waiting for her to come home. While Shibi obviously did not love Aaliyah the same way his son did, he truly did love her as a perfect daughter that he would be proud to have as family. She would be kind and gentle with his son, and she would help to raise great children.

As Tsunade asked about what happened, Shino slowly glanced over at Aaliyah. "If...if would be easier for you to say....I could leave the room," the Aburame offered. As much as he didn't want to leave Aaliyah's side, he knew that what happened might be important. IF she didn't want him to know, he would leave to make it easy on her.

Aaliyah shook her head. "I would never ask you to leave, Shino. Youki has been suspicious of the movements of all of us for quite some time." She said, wondering how to ease her way into this. "Youki's been trading, buying, and bartering information for years. And... I don't know exactly what happened. I suppose he just finally put the pieces together. How was it that I could do soemthing no one else had done? I retrieved Kakuzu's body, when, you would think that Konoha would be on alert for me. Konoha traded my life for Temari's, without trying to get me back, or killing me... And, I was with Akiko when she fell in love with Kiba. And Kiba wasn't alone. From the start, Kiba and Shino have been together, have lied and cheated. Why would Kiba risk his life for Akiko while Shino risks his life for nothing? I blew my cover and it was my fault." She closed her eyes and looked down.

"He never saw my tattoo." She felt the need to say, as if it would make her feel better. "He saw my jacket. And he recognized it."

Shino stayed quiet the entire time, listening to Aaliyah's side of the story as she assumed that Youki had just finally figured out the truth of what happened. Things had been too perfect for Aaliyah. She had performed missions without getting any injuries or Konoha capturing her. Things had been too perfect. "It wasn't your fault," Shino said softly as his touch was still gentle against Aaliyah's skin. He didn't want her to feel self blame, it had been years of a perfect cover...the fact she did this well was a miracle on its own.

"No, Shino, it was my fault. Youki has never been a stupid man. It was out of line for me to make myself a jacket out of one of yours. He recognized it, finally. But it had always bothered him. He had always seen it as familiar. Whenever I wore it, I would catch him watching me, as if he was trying to place it. I suppose in the last battle you had, he just noticed it. Then he saw mine... and it just all made sense to him all of a sudden. His anger took over and he tried to kill me. That's really all I can say."

A man that hadn't been noticed before now stepped forward. "So, then you admit that this was partially your fault?" The man was tall, with a muscular build. His arms weren't massive, but he was better built then some other male shinobi. He was dressed in ANBU gear, his face covered by a mask.

Aaliyah nodded at him. "Yes, leader, it was."

The man took a step toward her bed and nodded under his mask, the sound of his breathing just barely audible. "Well, your willingness to admit such things will come into our calculations. But, your contract does state that--"

"You can't uphold a death warrant upon failure to protect the village when he already knows!" Aaliyah yelled. 'What purpose will that serve?!"

The man sighed. "He will attack the village to find you."

"He'll attack the village regardless! He doesn't know I'm alive!"

This time, Tsunade grabbed the ANBU leader's arm to stop him from advancing. "Who signed off on this agreement that Aaliyah has been subjected to."

"Your predecessor. Sarutobi Hokage."

Shino's eyes snapped up as he looked at the man that had arrived. To hear Aaliyah address him, he just stared for a moment in surprise. The new leader of ANBU was here? But why? He just listened in silence as he heard the conversation taking place between Aaliyah and him, it was as if they were talking about possibly executing her. That wasn't possible, it couldn't be. They wouldn't really want her to be killed just because of how her mission ended? She had done too much good!

Shino just slowly looked over at Tsunade. "You promised me that you'd do everything you could for her...you can't let them take her away."

The ANBU leader stiffened. "The... only way to revoke the choice of a previous Hokage is the the council and the current Hokage. And the Council is in agreement that Aaliyah's survival is dangerous to the survival of the village."

"No." Sasuke interrupted for the first time. "There is one other way. If the Hokage and the core clans vote, they can override the village council. We only need six clans to override Sarutobi. Uchiha, Aburame, and Inuzuka will vouch to save Aaliyah's life if the council will not. How difficult to you think it would be to convince Hyuuga, and the Trio? If one of Ino-Shika-Chou sides to save Aaliyah, the other two will follow. Considering Aaliyah's sacrifice saved Temari's life, I doubt very much that Shikamaru will have any trouble convincing Nara. That's already seven clans that will save her life."

Tsunade smirked, looking at Sasuke. As soon as she looked at him, Sasuke nodded in her direction.

Shino couldn't help but smile as Sasuke voiced his plan to save Aaliyah's life. Either ANBU could agree to let her live, or the entire clans would vote to save her and the council along with ANBU would lose face with the whole village. It was a perfect plan. The rookie nine were all too close to turn against each other. Surely Shino could call upon old favors to convince him friends to let Aaliyah keep her life. It was in the bag.

Shino locked eyes with Sasuke and mouthed a simple thank you.

The leader of ANBU's tone changed, showing his irritation. "You would never be able to make that stick. Certainly the last Uchiha--"

"I believe my son continues the Uchiha name, making it so I am in fact not the only Uchiha in this village." Sasuke said, crossing his arms, taking a step toward the ANBU leader. "ANBU has been riddled with corruption and doubt, which, I'm sure the Police force will be investigating since they have both the authority to investigate ANBU Black Ops as a corrupt organization, especially considering the fact they're willing to execute one of their own shinobi. You forget that this vote will be forced to be public to the entire village. What will that do to the reputation of ANBU? That they're willing to KILL one of their own?"

"As the head of ANBU you cannot ignore the rules that you have been set to," Shibi chimed in. He was formed ANBU after all, and he too knew of the corruption that could exist within the system. He'd march in to hell itself before he let these men hurt his daughter. He wouldn't let them touch her for even a moment. Shibi faced the man and just held his smile. "You may not have heard it, but that was our very polite way of asking you to leave. Force this to a vote, and the entire village will lose faith in the ANBU. Aaliyah is an asset and has helped everyone in this village from dying....she's a hero and will be treated as one. She will not be held to something that was decided so many years ago. Things have changed."

"You did this... It was your damned apprentice." The masked man said, turning to Tsunade.

Tsunade, on the other hand, just smiled and crossed her arms. "Now, if I didn't know better, I'd think that you were threatening the only other person aside from myself who knows your face." She said, a broad smile on her face. "Sakura has saved your life personally more than just a few times, and to hear you criticize her in such a way. Well... maybe I don't feel comfortable letting her tend to you anymore. In fact, I don't think I want to risk Ino's involvement either. Surely you and your men will understand why four most talented medical shinobi will no longer heal you. I'm sure they will look to their leader for a reason. What can he tell them, really? That he destroyed the trust of the Hokage through a threat of not only the best shinobi he had in ANBU, but also the apprentice of the Hokage."

The leader of ANBU stood up and let out a chuckle. "Right. I see." He nodded suddenly and then he bowed to the Hokage. He placed himself on his knees, his hand along his waist in a formal bow. "Lady Hokage. I would like to thank you for freeing me of the burden that was levied upon me by the previous ANBU leader." He then stood up and turned to Sasuke and bowed to him as well. He then glanced to Shino and Shibi, lowering his head in their directions. Then, he looked directly at Aaliyah, smiled behind his mask and vanished.

The others watched in silence as the decision was made that Aaliyah would be able to live and that the decision of the former Hokage would be overruled in favor of her. Shino just watched in near confusion as the leader eventually left and seemed to be happy that he didn't have to kill Aaliyah. Politics, it was crazy how such a strong hold it had on the village. Everyone seemed to be bound by it, and it almost always caused someone to be hurt rather than saved.

"Seems like you won't have to worry about him anymore," Shino said as his grip on Aaliyah tightened slightly. He smiled at her.

Aaliyah smiled too and hugged Shino tightly. "I guess I should thank you." She said to Sasuke, watching him as he went back to leaning against the wall.

But, the Uchiha just shook his head. "Naw. I don't think you need to do that." He added with a keen smirk in her direction. "You came back alive. I'm just making sure you stay that way."

The shinobi smiled at him and nodded, taking hold of her fiance's hand. She let out a soft sigh and leaned toward Shino, glad to be back at his side again. "In any case, thank you, Sasuke."

"No problem." He said, shrugging it off, quite easily.

A month later....

"Now that was some fine dining," Kiba said with a smile as he walked alongside Akiko through the village of Konoha. They had just come back from one of the nicer restaurants that Konoha had to offer. Tsume had insisted that Kiba take Akiko out to a nice dinner in order to just celebrate how good things had gotten in the village recently. Aaliyah being alive had been one of the main ones.

"So what'd you think Akiko?" Kiba asked as he placed his coat around her. It was a bit cold outside and he figured that she would appreciate a little extra warmth. Kiba had more body fat after all, so he was naturally warmer than she was. He smiled and than gently took her hand. They had both dressed up since they were going to a place as nice. She was looking as beautiful as ever, and just seeing her forced Kiba to smile.

Akiko shifted when he put the jacket around her and smiled, drawing it close to her. She took Kiba's hand as they walked through the village, back toward the Inuzuka estate. "I had fun." She said, genuinely. "But I don't like it when you salivate over someone else's food." She teased, a joke between them, especially since he was always hungry and would eat just about anything. She was glad, however, to have a night off, if only because she was a little tired, considering all the missions the village had recently.

As they made their way home, Akiko couldn't help but wonder why Tsume had been so insistent that they leave. It almost felt like she didn't want the two of them to be there.