Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

More so with any other shinobi, it seemed that fate, destiny, or whatever they called it had a way of haunting those who that cycled the more unfortunate outcomes. True, no life was perfect, and considering she was still alive, it wasn't as if she was in a place to complain. She was powerful, had a long term mission, that if it ended successfully, she'd never have to work another day in her life.

If she succeeded...

A strong breeze blew through the trees and over her fare skin. It was a mild annoyance considering it was approaching fall, making her suddenly cold in her less than conservative clothing. Her hair was done neatly, as if it had been poured onto her head rather than done where it was now. It moved in the breeze, the curls dancing on the west headed breeze, her light brown and blonde hair eagerly dancing, as if the breeze wished for her to head west. This wasn't what was going to happen, considering Ame was as west as she was going to go. Akatsuki was going to make an alliance with her so called 'master.' She'd believe it when they see it. What could he have that Akatsuki possibly wanted?

The strong breeze slowly lessened, and her golden eyes closed. "Good evening, Aaliyah..." A seductive female voice was behind her, a hand moving over her should, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Sensei..." The words were casual, but held a sort of bitterness in the tone.

The taller dark haired female moved around her student, looking her in the eyes. "I'm impressed." She tapped the right side of the younger woman's face. "The jutsu seemed to work; looks like Lillian did learn more from Tsuande than I thought."

Aaliyah nodded, both eyes fixed on the woman before her. Dressed in a pink belly dancing outfit that seemed fit for one with beauty on par with the level of a princess -the shining and almost glowing pink fabric went to her ankles, but a slit went from above thigh level to the left handed center of teh shirt, and went down to end of the skirt. A few places along the thighs and legs were purposely torn in small places, the waistband a tight golden chain that had multiple lines of fabric. The chains and fabric mixed together to cover those parts of her skin. Connected to the waist band, part of it went up her body, a triangle forming around her belly button. Connecting to the breast piece, a strapless bra shaped top that matched the bottom, the same golden embroidery and chain meeting in the center between the breasts, the only connection between the top and bottom.

A golden necklace with diamond-like stones trailed up her breast line, around the back of her neck where it fastened together. Her long blonde and brown hair was curled, resting on her shoulders, flowing elegantly from her head, framing her face and body. Both her eyes were striking, standing out through her hair, slightly narrowed as they stared at her sensei, but not in a way that would be noted or reasoned as disrespect.

The taller woman leaned to her student, moving the head piece, making sure it was straight and her hair fell just right coming out of it. More diamonds and smaller stones radiating from a center piece. Truly, this woman had to be of importance to be dressed as such. An entertainer, or princess to be. Something you'd expect her to meet a husband wearing for a political or marriage for peace.

If only.

Such a thing would be much easier.

"Ai-Sensei..." The fairer of the two said slowly. "I... I don't know if this is wise, Ame is..."

"You're not backing out." The darker haired woman snarled, raising a hand as if to back hand her student, but thought twice of it. "You will do this."

Nodding, the student connected a long pink cloth with an embroidered edge to the head piece. It trained down her back and ended around her hips. "Goodbye then, Sensei." She left, moving out onstage. The breeze picked up, lights turned on. They were hot, almost unbearable. The chilled air made it easier to bare with, at least it would for the next few minutes. The music picked up as her hands began to move with her hips to the beat that grew louder, faster with him. As such speed increased, her movements mirrored them, until a different beat began, and her voice stopped all noise around them as the huge crowds turned to face her, most of which where men.

Those who were there with an intimate other or even an intimate other without strings couldn't help but watch her as she moved and sang. Of course, the purpose of this was known to little, but seduction was the forte of these women.

"I can't live without them I
asked to the heavens only one wish
that in your eyes I can live..."

The wind blew again, moving her hair around her body, blowing the dense fog from the stage around her legs around her body in a cyclone like fashion before it faded. the chains and gems around her waist band moved, as did the top of the piece with her bodies movements and wind. The stage floor seemed to be moving around her until the fog cleared enough for snakes, all of which not native here, more to the desert, all poisonous moved around her.

"I've traveled the entire world
and a thing I'm coming to say to you..."

Seeing a member of the crowd that just didn't seem to belong, her eyes rested on him, a smile appearing on her face, much sweeter and larger than from when she started. Whether she liked it or not, this was what reality was now, and whereas it wasn't perfect, she felt better than most woman did in a lifetime.

"I went from the north to the south pole
and I never found eyes like those..."

Moving to the outer most part of the stage, she stayed mindful how easy it could be for her to be pulled off, her body twisted, and she bent back, moving with the beat to the music, bending her body so it was almost as if her back as laying in mid air. True, this was mainly to make all those in the audience pay more attention, but all her focus was on the man who's eyes she was unable to physically see....

"Like the ones you have..."

As the song ended, the lights faded, her body disappeared in a whirlwind, an wind jutsu, it seemed. She appeared where others were walking around and she slowly slid into the crowd. Her clothing was the same, but who would look for her out here?

Was it wrong for one to be alone? They always say that the only joy that you could experience in life was the joy that you shared with others. Most of the shinobi in today’s world would agree, seeing the blind illusion that companionship gave you, the love that you experienced in victories, and the happiness came with each other’s company. However, one leaf shinobi was more than happy to disagree.

“As long as I do my job, I am happy enough”

The Jounin was finally rid of his former teammates when he had advanced to the rank of Jounin. Don’t misunderstand; there was nothing wrong with his teammates at all. The Aburame simply preferred to work alone, that was the way he was raised and that was the way that he had always wanted to work. There were some who could not take being alone, they needed friends and family in order to get them through the tough times in their career. Shino was one of those who could be perfectly happy on his own.

“I am a shinobi of the Leaf Village, my job is my mission, and I will always see to it that it is done”

Ever since the departure of himself from his team he had found himself to be more successful, but felt no change on the inside. He was the same Aburame, probably always would be anyways. The village had gone about signing him more and more missions as time went on. He had been one of the top graduating students in his class in his academy days, and his career as a shinobi continued his record. He even showed compassion at a young age where his kunoichi teammate was forced to be saved by his hand due to her petite nature. Although she would eventually grow out of it, it was something that Shino faced every time they worked together.

“The job will be done effectively, what more can you ask of me?”

The village would see to it soon that a new mission was delivered to him. He was supposed to locate and spy on a strange group lurking in the area, not many details were given since little was known to them. He was to find them, capture one if possible and learn if they were to become a threat to the Leaf or any of it’s allying villages. Shino set off the next day in pursuit of where they were last rumored to be. That was what had brought him here tonight. He sat calmly and alone at a table for the viewing of the show. Shino suspected that one of the attendees might be the spy, he had no idea that she was going to be the show herself.

Shino had sent out a few bugs among the crowd, ordering them to inform him of anything suspicious going on in the area. They had separated but so far had reported nothing. At least until the show began. As the woman made her way out on stage one of his bugs reported back to him, claiming that a strange chakra signature was in the area now. It was obvious enough who the cause was, but Shino had them keep up their search just in case. As the show went on he continued to stare at her, watching for any sort of sign or giveaway that she might present herself with. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Shino would swear on his career that he felt something, something new. She gave herself away the moment she activated her wind jutsu and disappeared.

“Found you”, the Jounin said under his breath. His army of bugs had already identified and tracked to the source to a different area of the crowd. He slowly stood up and put his chair back in as if he was simply done with the show. He walked at a calm rate, as he always held himself, not wanting to give anything away as he tried to find the girl. She knew something, and it was about time that he found out what it was that she was holding back. He would use any means necessary, that’s what shinobi did after all.

A chakra signature spiked not far from her. Most of those here were shinobi, or at least had a basic ability to use it in battle. Not as much as a well trained shinobi from Konoha, but enough to protect them from another. Or at least, they hoped.

Aaliyah looked over her shoulder as the chakra level took a drastic dive, it;'s owner was hidding it, which showed a skilled shinobi. Well, maybe this wouldn't be as boring as she thought. Moving closer to the crowds, she returned so someone would see her. Scanning the area, one her eyes lightened a few shades. Hearing a man's voice, she turned her head.

Rather than a shinobi, it seemed to be a drunken man who barely had control of motor functions such as walking, never mind walking. The smell of liquor was strong on his breath and she moved away from him, only to have his arm return around her shoulder, his lips near her ear, his words slurred muttering something about going with him somewhere.

Her hand touched his chest and within seconds he let her go and walked away straight, as if he was no longer drunk. Aaliyah turned her head, the curled tendrils of honey brown hair sliding over her bare and delicate skin. Walking closer towards the trees, her fingers lightly grazed the bark. It didn't seem to have a purpose, and seemed like an innocent gesture. Looking in the order of her eyes behind her, she slid into a small patch of them.

It seems a Konoha shinobi was among the criminals and those who were here for less than noble purposes. As she disappeared into the dark trees, moving away from the lights that came back to the stage as another woman came onto it, the same chakra, though much weaker seemed to be following her. Her pace slowly continued, her eyes looking up at the sky slowly, taking in the beauty of the moon and the easily visible stars in the minimal lights. There were no cities close to them, and this was set up in the woods for easy escape if any of the major villages decided to find the criminals that were most likely present.

"You're pretty well trained." She said aloud, sitting down on a tall rock, looking to where he was standing. "You're almost untracable and your movements are silent. Better than any other shinobi that's followed me." Leaning forward, her chin rested on the palm of her hand, held by her elbow on her knee. Because of her position, it was possible to see a small amount down her shirt.

Her eyes wandered to where he was standing. "My guess would be Konoha. They're the only village that trains their shinobi to the degree you seem to have. Suna as well, but they're known for their ruthlessness. I never would have made it this far, correct?"

Shino kept up his slow pace as he did his best to make sure that his chakra would not leak out in any form. Of course no one could ever completely suppress their chakra, but he was trying as hard as he could right now. Every time he felt like he saw her begin to turn her head back he would simply side step in order to hide behind someone. In this crowd it would not do well to simply vanish using his body flicker. He needed to find out where this woman was going.

As he continued in his pursuit he saw the exchange between her and the drunken man. He raised an eyebrow as she simply touched him and he began to walk away. That proved it. Either she had quite the way with words for even a drunk man to understand, or she had used some form of jutsu to simply make him go away so that she could continue her movement uninterrupted. He would definitely have to be careful with this one, drain her of chakra at the first moment he got.

As she approached the forest he slowed his pace and turned to someone as if chatting with them, trying to leave no signs that he was the one pursuing her. He hoped that she wasn’t a detector shinobi, if so that might make things rather difficult in the time to come. If she knew that he was following her he was worried that she might be one of those shinobi spies that are trained to flee and not get caught. Shino had dealt with that kind before; if they are trained well enough sometimes there is no hope of getting them.

As she turned back into the forest he immediately turned and followed after her. The trees could make a perfect cover for her, but thankfully he had trained himself how to trace chakra signals. And in this forest she probably wasn’t going to be hard to find. He kept to the trees, constantly moving at every moment that he could get but using his training to the fullest in order to stay as silent as he could. It almost amazed Shino when she basically told him to come out and had completely pinned who he was.

“Clearly not well enough”, Shino said in his calm tone, he was still in control of the situation. Or at least that was what he told himself. “If I was a good shinobi then someone like you would not have been able to know I was following you”, he said as he stepped out and leaned against the side of the trees. He would play it easy for now, try to get her attention while his bugs were slowly moving around the area, ready to strike as he told her so. As he saw the strange position in which she sat he could not help but notice a few things. So she was THAT kind of spy. Well thankfully Shino was good enough at ignoring that.

“I wouldn’t take me so lightly, just because I’m from Suna doesn’t mean I won’t do what I’ve been told”, he said as he crossed his arms and stared at her. “Or perhaps you wish to come along quietly now that you have found out your being tracked? Can’t blame you on that one”, he said as he stared at her through his glasses.

Aaliyah laughed slightly. "I wouldn't be as confident, just the fact your a man puts you at a disadvantage against me." She shrugged her shoulder, her hair falling over them, hanging around the pink top that wrapped around her breasts. "And as I said, if you were a Suna Shinobim, you'd have already disarmed me." She smiled, watching him closely, studying him.

Her eyes wandered his body, as if trying to figure something out, her right eye lightened several shades before returning to it's normal color. "Ah, your an Aburame." She said with a sweet smile. "What do you want." Her other elbow rested on her knee so both her hands where holding her chin. The way her eyes cast, staring intently at the man before her, studying him closely.

All the same; she didn't seem at all threatened by him, but it could be seen as an act so he'd be less inclined to attack her. Or she could be telling the truth. It was hard to tell either way... But her smile was almost calming, like she really didn't want to fight. Her beauty itself seemed to be a sedative, and it's reflection in her smile wasn't like she was a threat. Nothing about her body relaxed body language said she wanted to fight or was ready to get into any sort of altercation.

Her eyes were close to almond shaped, and were neatly and elegantly outlined with eyeliner, her long eye lashes shined in the dull moon light every time she blinked, pinkish eye shadow was above her eyes, and seemed to fit her as if she was a doll and not a woman at all.

The painted nails on her hand were perfectly shaped and done, but were rounded, not boxed at the end. Despite this, they had white tips and a dark pink base. A white flower was on the base pink. It looked like a lily, and was easy to tell even from the distance - the detail was that defined and well done.

"What is it you're looking for?" She asked him, her eyes looking to dark glasses that caused his eyes to disappear. "You're a spy, that much is obvious, but what your looking for has to be specific if your targeting me for using such a simple jutsu."

Now she leaned back slightly, her hands holding her weight from behind as her legs slowly and erotically closed.

“If you were smart you would not judge me based on that”, Shino said simply. He of course knew exactly what she was referring to. The way she dressed, her nails and make up that allowed her to look like some object, the way that she moved her body was obviously meant for sending one clear message to Shino. She was going to be very disappointed at who was sent to track her, just the fact that it was Shino was going to make her usual tactics much less effective on him.

“What I want is information”, he said simply as he stared forward, making sure that his eyes were on her face at all times, not that she would know that. Nothing else was important, her distractions would not work on him no matter how she dressed or sat. She was obviously someone who was used to using her body to her advantage on a mission, that or she was just a slut. The Jounin was more convinced on the first option though. There was something about her that just made him feel like she was experienced with this, she was acting far too calm to be some innocent bystander.

He raised an eyebrow as she pin pointed him to be an Aburame. How could she tell?! And what was going on with her eye? Shino didn’t know, but he knew that he would get his information in due time. “Don’t play cute with me”, he said simply. “I’ve faced your kind before and it only serves to annoy me”, he said as he took a few steps forward. “If you know what I am than you know what you are up against and how this will end”, he said as he stared at her. “I’ve put together enough information to know that you are the one that I am looking for”, he said as he stared at her. “So are we going to stop playing your game and tell me what I want to know? Or are you going to make this harder on yourself?”, he asked. “I would think carefully before you picked if I were you”

Aaliyah sighed, her legs straightening as she slid off the rock and crossed her arm over her chest, her hips leaning out to the right hand side. Her lips were pursed as if she was thinking. "Konoha is the only village which has such a diversity of clans. Your body has insects inside of it." She pointed at him, and then smiled sweetly, but she wasn't using a jutsu, making it clear she didn't seem to want to fight.

"Aburame are powerful, but that's only if they have their insects under their control. Not that I have the ability to take it from you." her body suddenly disappeared from where she had been standing about 10 yards in front of him.

Reappearing, she was directly in front of him. "I am a shinobi, yes." her smile was still on her elegant features, but she wasn't planning or scheming. The look on her face didn't seem evil or dark; she wasn't trying to do something traitorous. "But if i were you, I wouldn't take me as lightly as you are. You know what a Geisha is I assume?" She asked, arching a brow. "That's in a sense what I've been trained to be." Stretching her arms over her head, she looked up at the moon, which was above them.

"I have no interest in fighting." her words came after a long pause, and was sweeter, and quieter than it had before, showing her sincerity, which wasn't something she could fake. "Konoha does it's best to stick it's nose to where it doesn't belong." Her eyes slid back to his face. "And I know what you are because you graduated a year before me in the academy. In the class that Uchiha Sasuke graduated from. He was the first, or so I recall." Leaning against one of the trees, she shrugged.

Normally she wasn't forth coming, but she was a really good judge of character - she knew that he was here for the village, and that they sent him from the way he acted. "Akatsuki will be arriving at around midnight. They're coming to see the man whom I've had the misfortune of knowing and being forced to work under."

There was another pause as her eyebrow raised, her eyes looking into his intently. "What's your name?" She asked, looking around the trees. She was putting more than just her trust in him, and for the first time she seemed slightly nervous, scanning the area as if looking for something.

"That's all the games I have time for. They'll enter from the north." She said quickly, her hand touched his cheek gently, through the clothing of his jacket that covered it, and with another gust of wind she was gone, not even in time to hear his name.

Returning to where she had been with her sensei, she appeared there, on knee at the ground in a bow as a man walked into the room. He seemed angry, his nose crunched and his face in a displeased expression. "You're late..."

"Got caught up..." She muttered, looking away.

He grabbed her shoulder to make her look up at him. He stared into her eyes before letting her go and nodded. "Very well then." he said, looking at the other two girls who bowed before him, the sensei Aaliyah fought with standing not far from the displeased looking man. "When Akatsuki arrives, I don't expect you to go missing." He rubbing his chin. "But Aaliyah?"

She looked up at him, her golden hues meeting his dark, almost black ones. "Yes?"

"There's a shinobi here that doesn't belong. I expect you to lure him out and kill him, understand?" He bent down in front of her, leaning closer, whispering in her ear. "And I expect nothing of this to be reported to his home village, whichever it is. If he's from Konoha, you know what I do to those shinobi."

She nodded, and he moved away from her. "Dismissed." The two others stood and left, Aaliyah on the other hand smiled slightly. So, he wanted her to find him again. Fair enough. Vanishing from the wind, it seemed that she was the only that could use wind jutsu and could move quickly enough with it. Heading back towards the woods, she saw him exiting them.

Another smile crossed her features. "Looks like you cause quite a disruption." She pointed at him. "What's your name?" She walked into the woods once more, not even saying she wished for him to follow. "I plan to stay for the answer this time."

Shino stayed silent as the girl spoke to him, making sure to never let his mind wander. There was something about her he couldn’t read, part of his mind was screaming for him to stab her and beat the answers out of her before he made her death any more painful then it needed to be, but another part of him was forced to hear her out. Shino naturally was curious to learning more about the shinobi world and how best to prepare for it. She pinned him as an Aburame because she could supposedly see the bugs that were inside of him. Based on her eye from earlier she had some form of dojutsu he had never encountered before.

He blinked as she spoke about his bugs only to have her appear directly in front of him. She was fast, that could be a bad thing. He listened to her words as she out right admitted that she was a shinobi and a geisha. Like he cared. What could she possibly do to him that would so greatly changed what was happening?

“You are from Konoha?”, Shino questioned curiously as she mentioned the graduation and even the fact that Sasuke was the top graduate. Only someone on the inside of Konoha at one point or another could have known that for certain. It made him begin to wonder, who was this girl? The mention of Akatsuki was what was going to keep him from attacking her for now. “And what is Akatsuki doing here? And for what purposes?”, he asked curiously as he strained his eyes at her, although beneath his glasses she once again couldn’t tell.

“My name?”, he questioned. Why would she ask such a question? What was in a name that would change anything? A moment ago he was threatening to knife her and now she wanted his name? He didn’t get her at all.

And it was only a moment later until she had vanished into the wind, touching his cheek as she did so. He moved his hand and touched his own skin, as if trying to see if she had pricked him for blood or something. Nothing, and his chakra network seemed fine as well. Who was this girl and what was she planning? The information from his village told him that she was supposed to be the enemy, but if that was true why was she offering information to him? He couldn’t say, but it made Shino almost a bit nervous that he couldn’t control this situation. That didn’t happen a lot.

He left the forest with several thoughts filling his mind, mainly what his next action was going to be. He couldn’t just let this girl’s confusing act throw him off like this. He was Shino Aburame after all; he’d never hear the end of it if this went over his head. He continued to walk in silence when of course none other than the girl appeared once again in front of him, stating something about him causing a disruption. Shino wanted to mutter a curse. How many people knew he was here!? He simply adjusted his glasses before turning and beginning to follow the girl, if this was some trap he would simply outsmart her in the end. He did have to consider the possibility of her telling the truth.

As a sign of good faith he decided that he would answer her question. “Shino Aburame”, he said simply as he kept walking behind her. “And I don’t believe you introduced yourself before so hastily leaving”, he commented.

Looking over at him as they walked, she smiled, seeing that he didn't like the position he was in. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it already, Shino." She said his name for the first time, and she was smiling at him happily. She slid over to the rock they were at earlier and sat down on it, her back facing him, watching the insects move around them. They were fireflies, lighting up as they searched for a mate to reproduce their own kind.

Now, she seemed much more relaxed then when she left before. "Akatsuki is coming here to make a deal with a former Konoha clan." She said quietly, so quietly that he would most likely have to come closer to hear her. Or, Maybe even sit beside it. It was in both their interests if they were close. If Youki were to check in on them, it would seem like she was seducing him; and if anyone else were to see, they would simply leave the two alone.

"But surely Tsunade-sama told you at least that much?" She asked, looking at him with a brow raised, another sweet smile, a mirror image of a previous one appearing on her shined red lips. Now, under the moon in a small clearing of trees, the fullness of her lips was visible, and how her body seemed so perfectly balanced and slid into the next part without any trace of a flaw - and with most of her body showing in the dull rays of the moon - it was an almost unreal sight of beauty.

Her hands came together and one palm rested on the back of the other hand, fingers interlacing innocently. Something about her made her seem as if she wasn't hiding or trying to be difficult about what was going on.

The only noise around them was the crickets and other insects which where trying to mate before the end of the warm season. In Ame, it was warmer for much longer than most other nations, because there was no winter here. Most species lived here at all times during the year.

The way she spoke even confused the Jounin. She spoke as if she knew exactly what there was to know about Shino, like she had read a biography on everything he was capable of. It annoyed him, never had he been this underestimated by anyone. But at the same time he had to hold a certain degree of respect for her, she was confident that she could kill him, but she spoke as if she had no intentions of doing it. If she was an enemy, she was good at being confusing he could give her that much.

He was a shinobi, and like her sometimes acting was required in order to complete the job. He took a seat softly next to hers, turning his head as if marveling at the extreme level of beauty that she possessed with every movement that she was making. She was definitely someone with a large amount of experience under her belt; she was not just being a slut. Every single one of her movements was truly meaning something. She was a lot like him in that regard.

“She mentioned it but we have no idea which one”, he commented softly as he leaned a bit closer. To anyone walking by it might have looked like he was getting closer to smell her or something, in reality it was just so they could talk without any real fear of being overheard. “What sort of deal are they making and why?”, he asked. In a sense he had asked this question before the girl had left. Now that he thought about it she still hadn’t even give her a name to call her by, but perhaps that was more of the deception. As much as Shino was against it he would have to play along.

He rested one of his own hands softly on her interlocking ones, his eyes moving around as if trying to see the beauty of her face that came with the glowing brightness of the night. He gave a soft sigh, both with his mouth and with his body, as if he couldn’t help but just enjoy the moment they were sharing.

Her body moved slightly and her head rested on his shoulder, making it seem from the outside that the moment was intimate and private. It was sweet, like a first date or something. She let out her own sigh softly, her eyes closing slowly. "My name is Aaliyah." She muttered much quieter than before. "It won't appear on any Konoha records though, they wiped it long ago." Her eyes looked up at him, her cheek never leaving his shoulder.

A small smile was still on her lips, but had faded slightly. She felt comfortable with him, and knew without a doubt in her mind that he wasn't interested in her body or hurting her. He wasn't going to jump her when he found out what he wanted and force himself on her, which was something that made her feel safe around him.

Most men found it harder not to touch or attempt to kiss her, so his restraint in not being able to grab her made it clear from the start that she could trust him. Smiling at him, she sighed slightly, this was a little more at ease than the one before. She sat up a little straighter and rested her head on his shoulder, her hands letting go of one another and sliding over his palm, looking at the lines that lined his skin.

"I'm not quite sure what they're main objective is. If I was to have known, I wouldn't have been sent to watch you." She said honestly, showing she was going to tell him more.

"My master knows a shinobi is here, but as long as he doesn't find out you're of Konoha, he has no need to give his special treatment. He was of Konoha at one point, and he tortures any shinobi of the leaf until they die of injuries, normally months after they're captured. This is mainly for your protection, but I know they're meeting is an alliance, but the exchange is something which I won't know unless I'm present at the meeting." Her eyes looked up into his glasses, staring at him, trying her hardest to see it his eyes, but to no avail.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed, her body at complete ease as she leaned into him, her fingertips sliding over the lines of his hand, analyzing it. "You have a long life time." She said in an absent minded fashion, her golden eyes opened to look at his hand, which was almost double the size of her own.

"This one..." her fingers slid across the longest line that went across his palm near his fingers "Means you have a pure heart. It also gives insight to your emotions and how you look for a partner." She said, not looking up from his hand, but smiled. "And whereas you're not looking for her, when you find her, you'll be loyal to her for life." her finger touched a smaller line that touched the line she mentioned as Heart.

"I could tell you more, but you don't seem the type to believe in palm reading."

Shino watched as she rested her head on his shoulder, obviously trying to make the action seem more personal and sweet than anything else, it was a good act for them trying to make it look like they wanted to be alone. Shino was now seriously hoping that this girl, Aaliyah as she said actually was an ally, if only because it seemed like such a waste of talent if he was going to have to stop her in the end. His eyes closed a little as she mentioned that she was not in any of Konoha’s records. That was convenient.

He glanced down to his palm as he saw that she was leaning in a bit closer and playing with his hands. Obviously more distraction on her part, he made sure that anything she was saying next was to be memorized by him. She spoke of her master and the deal that they were going to be making with the Akatsuki, a deal that she for now knew nothing about to say the least. Her master was a former shinobi from Konoha according to her, shino would have to check out for any sort of record for him when he got back; perhaps he could start putting pieces together on his own. This mission was getting more complicated with each and every sentence that she spoke.

Shino’s body would seem to change as she mentioned that this man was going to ally himself with Akatsuki, they were bad enough as it was. His body got tense before relaxing again, just further proof that Shino had more self control than nearly anyone Aaliyah had probably met before. He turned as if to speak to her once again, but found his tongue refusing to speak at the moment when she began to read his palm. She was going to be right, Shino really didn’t believe in such things.

She spoke as if she knew him, as if the texture of his skin could really tell her everything that she needed to know about him. He almost let out a weak chuckle, almost. He just stared at his hand as she continued to explain about his life, and his heart, and about how whenever he found his partner he would love and be loyal to her for his entire life. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that easy? He looked down at his hands before slowly and softly taking a hold of hers, not a violent gesture, just one to get her attention.

He turned his head slowly so that he was looking at her face to face, even though most of his was covered up. He finally asked the one question that had been plaguing his mind the most. “If your master is really doing this……..then why are you telling me all this information?”, he asked.

Aaliyah smiled at him. "I think that'd be obvious from what I told you before. Konoha shinobi are trained to be loyal to their village, are they not?" She asked. "My essence was erased when I entered ANBU. Those who have clearance on the level of Hokage and ANBU leaders have access to my existence. I doubt they'd let you in on such information which is why Tsunade-sama didn't tell you about me." She sighed.

"My existence is someone who is seen and not heard. I give the village information, but for all extensive purposes, I don't exist. If I'm mentioned, the village has little to no memory of me. I was put under Youki when I graduated the academy to watch him inside his circle; and have been doing so since I was 13." Her eyes closed slowly, she seemed tired, and sighed. But then she chuckled softly.

Her eyes met his face, and she felt safe. Much safer than before at least around him. Looking up at him and then at his palm, she grinned. "Well..." She shrugged. They were doing this because it seemed like they were talking about something more casual than about something as important as they were.

"This line..." She traced a small line under his pinky, whereas it was small it was deep. "This is your marriage line, and you only have one, meaning you'll only marry once." She smiled at him. "The depth of the line shows your affection. She'll mean more to you than anything, you'd die for her with no hesitation."

Her fingers continued to slide over his hand. "You're strong, intelligent and have complete control of your body and emotions. You're normally relaxed and calm, as you are now, but occasionally your emotions try to over take your better judgment, and if and when that happens, it will end in the end of your life, or..." She touched another line she pointed to earlier. "The life of the one you love. And you have a skill for reading and understanding. You're strong with critical analysis and understanding the emotions of others..."

She could tell he was getting irritated because he didn't believe anything she was saying, and that she was trying to play these guesses on his emotions of outer visibility, which most did. But she, on the other hand, didn't need to do such a thing. Now, she mentioned something no one but one who was close to him would know. "But the emptiness and shortness of this line shows that woman are hard for you to understand because you have no reference to compare their emotions to."

Shino calmly listened as Aaliyah explained about her existence and how for good she was basically not known to anyone in the leaf village. To be put on such a dangerous mission at the age of thirteen? What kind of history or abilities die this girl have in order to be assigned something like that? It was one of the cruelest things that Shino had ever heard. To be assigned to such a dangerous mission for the past several years? She really was loyal to her village, not even Shino was certain that he could go to this extent.

Shortly after she began to read his palm yet again. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was just trying to stall him for something, but he guessed that he really couldn’t complain. Perhaps this was one of her first real actions with a stranger that wasn’t a whole part of her job, perhaps she was finally feeling like a human instead of a shinobi. Shino really couldn’t tell at this point, but the possibility almost made him feel sad.

She went on to explain his emotions and how he always judged everything as if from a different perspective, he still didn’t buy into this palm reading thing. He was fairly certain that his actions were easy to read after all. Anyone could tell by Shino’s attitude that this was the way he always lived his life, they just add the stuff about people dying in order to keep you into listening, at least this was what Shino believed.

And then he suddenly found himself retracting his hand quickly before facing Aaliyah straight. Her comment about having no real women in his life was true, no sisters or a mother to watch him when he was young. It was just him and his father. How could she have known that? He stared at her for a moment as if about to say something. Ultimately he simply decided to let it go though. “What exactly should I do with this information?”, he asked. “I have no way to call for back up and I can’t take on Akatsuki by myself”, he said simply. “Obviously you have some sort of plan and want me to do something otherwise you would not be speaking to me…………so what is it you want me to do?”, he asked as his voice was now even more stern. It was obvious that the comment about his family stung at least a tiny amount.

Aaliyah looked up at him, but looked away, annoyed by something, but considering she kept trying to look into his eyes or at his face, it might be the fact she was unable to see any of it. Sighing, she shook her head. "Well..." her voice seemed unsure or unclear. "I don't know exactly how you will fit into this, I'm used to working alone, and relying on another, whereas it can be a comfort almost got me killed the last time... And needless to say, her life also expired in the incident. I'd rather you return to the village or stay in a hotel in a village nearby where I can meet you..." She said quietly, looking towards him, and smiled.

The smile was weak then her others, but it showed she was worried about him, and concerned for his well being. "This isn't worth your life, and considering his has been my mission for the past four years, I'll take life or death in the circle that comes with it. I never expected to make it out alive..." She sighed, looking at the ground. "Sarutobi Hokage told me I would, but those who are close to Konoha's dark secrets always end up dead."

Her golden eyes trailed up the sky, taking in a deep breath, feeling comfortable and relieved that he was listening to her. "My mother died when I was young too." She said, not looking at him, knowing that it bothered him. "Many people are unable to truly read palms or use tarot cards, but for those who were taught in a different way find much more truth than they wish to." Her eyes now laid on his face, on his glasses and to his eyes - somehow knowing they made direct eye contact.

"She died when I was 10, and because i knew the truth of what happened, they assigned me to ANBU where secrets became my life and keeping them allowed me to keep the life I'd been given. I know you're loyal to Konoha and that you'd die for your village..." She sighed. "It just goes to show there are trustworthy shinobi from Konoha." She rested her head on his shoulder again and fell silent once more.

Suddenly, she slid from the rock quickly, moving away from him, putting a distance of about 10 feet between himself and her. Somehow her chakra changed slightly, showing that she said something she wished she hadn't. It seemed she felt too comfortable around him or perhaps just never had someone around her she could trust. Both seemed possible, but the second seemed more likely. Her having to lie to live her life, something that haunted most people. Her life wasn't her own to live, it belonged to the village, and failure on a mission this size would result in disgrace, possibly even exile from the village.

Thankfully the long and strange silence would soon be broken as she chose to spoke to him again, despite his rather rude reaction to her comments on his part. He wanted to say something, to apologize, to do anything that would stop her from being so quiet, it was like he had taken a knife to her or something. “A village near here sounds like it would be the best option for me”, he said slowly. “The village trusts me to the point where they know I won’t leave or do anything if I am gone for extended periods, they will just assume that I’ve found my lead and I’m tracking it. Which it sounds like I am in a sense”, he pointed out.

He turned his head towards her again as she said that this was not a mission worth his life. According to most shinobi this was exactly the kind of mission that he should die for. Akatsuki was making an alliance, if there was any time worth risking your life for it was now. And yet he couldn’t help but feel his look drop as she remarked about how she knew she was going to die, and that she never had expected to survive from the beginning. Shino might prefer to be alone, but if someone died that did not stop it from being a tragedy. He didn’t want to see someone who had sacrificed so much to die for nothing.

Shino’s head turned slightly as Aaliyah mentioned that her mother died while she was young herself, was she trying to comfort him or just share a fact? He couldn’t really tell, but either way he found the gesture comforting. He couldn’t help but ask himself what the truth of her death exactly was. It was not really the time or the place to ask right now, but perhaps one day he would ask and learn, he found himself fascinated by the way this Aaliyah held herself. She had been through so much, and yet she seemed so strong at the same time.

As Aaliyah leapt off the rock and put distance between herself and him, he could tell that something was wrong, that perhaps she had gone too far in how she spoke of the village and the harsh words that she had said about her own life. She knew he was a serious shinobi, perhaps she was worried he would not feel the pity for her. He slowly moved off the rock and walked about five feet before stopping, not wanting to intimidate her and think he was attacking. He extended a hand towards her. “I would like to help you if I can…….no one deserves that you are going through. I don’t know exactly what you think about yourself, but I want you to live”

Aaliyah laughed slightly. "I've seen Youki so things that people have nightmared about without even blinking. I've seen him kill people for no reason other than the fact it was in his better interest or fun." She turned to face him. "I have the feeling Akatsuki will gain a lot for having the help of him and his siblings." She rubbed the back of her head, her hair moving around her shoulders.

"I shouldn't be telling you any of this, Shino, but the fact that you listen more than you talk is comforting." She turned and walked over to him, touching his face, pulling down the collar of his jacket so she could see the bottom of his face before leaning up on her toes to throw off the hood that covered his head. "I like knowing something about what you look like, even though I know you'll never let me see your eyes."

The comment wasn't because she knew his clan was banished from allowing outsiders to see their eyes, but just from the way he acted. It was a comfort to her, and she liked it a lot. He was strong and sweet, and she felt comfortable.

There was a pause before she responded to what he said. "it's not a matter of me not wanting to live, it's the fact that no one has ever betrayed Youki and lived. I've seen it myself, and when and if Konoha takes him down - I'll die in the process. On my life, I have to help stop him. If I survive and another shinobi dies, it's the same as defying a direct order. I don't expect to live because I don't see coming out of this alive. I can only live a life of lies for so long until Youki discovers something in me or I say something stupid. I'll die eventually. All that is born must die, and if I do something good for Konoha, even if it's not stopping him, but slowing him down... From what I've seen him do, it'll be worth my life."

Nodded, she smiled. "That sounds good to me." She looked up at him, and standing this close, it was clear that he was easier half a foot or more taller than she was. The top of her head barely reached his chin. She could tell from how close they were that he was strong. Her hand moved over his and closed around it. "Go to the village now..." She said, looking away towards the trees her eyes scanning slowly. "Stay in the smallest hotel you can find..." She bit her lip gently.

"They want me to come back..." her voice seemed to drift on the breeze that blew by. "Trust me, get out of here before they come looking for you. Just leave and I'll meet up with you later. If I don't show up by sundown tomorrow, go back to Konoha, but I will." she winked at him.

“This guy sounds like a murderous mad man that needs to be taken out”, Shino said simply. “I do not care what others have died by his hand, the only thing I know is that people like him need to be stopped before they lose control completely. From the way you describe him he isn’t all the way there”, he remarked slowly. “Perhaps I am ignorant but that is simply how I feel”, he remarked as he glanced towards her again.

When she approached him and lowered his hood he saw no harm in the act, if she went in for something more he would stop her. It would seem that as her respected her limits she too would respect his. He was grateful for this. He found himself wanting to help her, the fact that it sounded like she had signed herself to the gallows he did not like. She was in the service of the Leaf Village, she would be rewarded, not given a death sentence for it.

She spoke as if the grim reaper was her best friend, like she knew from just a word that she was never going to live through this. What a horrible fate to consider. Shino had some tough fights, but even then he felt like he would succeed in the end, that everything would be okay. He had come close to death once, his father had saved him on that day. But ever since then Shino sword on his life that he would never allow himself to be there again, he didn’t want someone saving him. Perhaps this is how Aaliyah felt. “I….”, he began but was cut off by her next bit of words.

She began to speak hesitatingly, telling him to go to the nearest town and stay in the smallest hotel that he could find. She was starting to get worried. Clearly she had spent too much time here. “Right”, he said as he listened to all of her instructions. “I got it all so look for me where you’d except me, I’ll be able to find the place”, he said as he started to walk. He stopped and turned back to her. “Don’t go dying on me”, he said simply before walking in the other direction.

Aaliyah smiled at him. "He is in a sense murderous, but he's far from mad. He's surprisingly intelligent for someone with his particular hobbies." The smile that mounted her face seemed much happier than the ones before it, and her hand closed around his and held tightly for a moment as he moved away to leave.

She wanted to meet back up with him again. Something about him was like a magnet that she just couldn't stay away from. he was strong and powerful. He was a man that she could trust. As his hand slid out of hers, she laughed slightly. "I won't die just yet. You're too interesting to let go of. I've never met a man that will follow my instructions without blinking or hesitation."

As his hand completely left her, she smiled. He was sorta cute. His facial structure was something she'd want to see all of, even though she almost knew she couldn't see his eyes. Maybe it was part of his desire to blend in and not be noticed? or maybe it was due to the fact he was secretive or something. Who really knew?

Running back to where Youki wanted her, she felt his hand grab her shoulder and pull her closer to him. His arm rested around her shoulders, her body pressed partly against his. Well... this was an unwanted contact. It was what they'd been told in the academy to be "bad contact" with an older man.

And he was much older than she was. Almost two decades her senior.

"It worked..." he muttered, leaning down, his breath streaming across her face. She looked up at him. "They're our allies." He ran his hand through her curly hair and took in a deep breath through his nose, taking in her sweet scent. "What of the intruder?"

Aaliyah sighed, knowing better than to push him away. "I did enough to make him forget why he was here. He's bleeding, if he survives, he found out nothing about akatsuki or your goals. He was from Iwa."

Youki nodded, kissing her cheek. "You're dismissed for the night." He stopped, grabbing her wrist. "But that doesn't mean i don't want to see you again tonight." He left her alone and she shook slightly.

"Too bad you won't..." She went to find her sensei, who talked for a while, and the team ate. Aaliyah wanted to leave now, but did well not to show it. She washed the make up off her face, and her appearance didn't seem any different. Oddly though, the outline of her eyes didn't fade, almost as if they were naturally darkened. A sort of inborn eyeliner?

When they eventually all went to sleep, it was around sunrise that she wrote a note saying she wanted to visit a hot spring not far and would meet them back. Each of the three were allowed small periods to be alone and relax, and Aaliyah had never used any of hers before this. She was always close by and remained with Youki. She had gotten little information from her sensei or from over hearing conversations in the village. Akatsuki had taken their leave before she returned, or perhaps as she returned.

Leaving the village in a fast paced run, she used her wind jutsu to move faster, but didn't use it too often due to the fact it used too much of her chakra. As she entered the village and approached the smallest Inn, there was a woman at the front desk. She smiled, and continued walking, like she knew were she was going. Her chakra spiked, and whereas she expected Shino to be sleeping, she only assumed he left something for her to find his room that didn't involve leaving something at the front desk would could easily be traced if anyone looked into it.

Walking down the hall, she smiled at the door that had his insects on the outside of it. She watched them touching the door, only to see the light turn green and it open. She expected to see him, but rather, his insects had opened it. That... was interesting. They were that strong and could think almost independantly. She didn't see him in the room.

"Shino..." She muttered, pushing the door closed after walking in, her golden hues taking in the dull light of the room. The blinds were closed, and the sun had barely risen, so minimal light was in the room. Walking towards the bed, she wondered if he was in it sleeping or maybe waiting for her to arrive.

Shino had taken his time getting to the town, not wanting to act like anything was wrong or something was abnormal in case there were other spies that were onto him. From the way Aaliyah spoke it seemed like this was not that farfetched of a possibility. According to her he had caused some ruckus, that meant that he had messed up, it meant that someone else knew that he was here. He couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge as he made his way to the town, almost glancing back as if to see if he was being followed or not. His bugs at least made it easier to confirm that he wasn’t, as far as he could tell.

He made his way into the village without saying a word to anyone. He scanned the city with his bugs to find which hotel was going to be the smallest; it wasn’t that hard to find in such a small town. There were very few to pick from as it was. He made his way into the room and shortly paid for a room. She had not specified what room to stay at so he simply allowed himself to leave a few bugs outside, it might be bad for business but there were lives at stake here. He went into his room and sat on the bed in order to think things through.

He closed his blinds in order to make sure that no one was spying on him, once again another case of habit from his shinobi training. He gave a small sigh as he leaned up against the wall, trying to figure out whether or not to trust Aaliyah. He figured it would be harder to do, but everything about him was telling him to do it, and he could really figure out why. Had she used something on him? Was he going soft? No, she was either completely trustworthy or she was the best liar Shino had ever seen. She could have killed him, but she didn’t. He had to see where she was going with this plan.

Several hours later he stood in the same spot, his training had allowed him to go for nearly a week without sleep and still function well enough. He heard creaking down the stairs, something that caused him to draw his kunai a bit closer to his chest. His door began to open and he gained a tighter grip before seeing who it was as Aaliyah made her way into the room. “Over here”, he said simply as he took a step forward after getting rid of his kunai. “I assume you have learned something since you are here, otherwise you would have just not shown up and had me go back to Konoha”, he remarked. “Take a seat if you want”, he added as he sat on the edge of his bed.

Aaliyah smiled at him as she walked over to where he was sitting. Walking over to the side of the bed he was on and sat down beside him. She shrugged her shoulders and drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "Well..." She trailed off. "The aliance worked out. I didn't get many details, but I know Youki gave them something that they needed or wanted. One of his siblings is a host to a tailed beasts, and he seemed particularly happy to see me, so I'm guessing whatever it was includes me." She said, sighing, letting her head touch his chest against.

Her clothing had changed, and covered more of her body than the previous one, but this one showed her figure even through the clothing and was pink and white, bringing out her hair and nails. Pulling out the headpiece that was still in her hair. After removing the entire thing, she threw it onto her backpack which was next to the door.

"I didn't find out much, but I know that he didn't trade me to them. His personal goal in life is to find a way to make me love him." She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her body relax in his presence. She was exhausted and could sleep for a few days if given the chance. It had been a while since she slept the entire night, or more than an hour at most.

Yawning, she moved her position so more of her weight rested on his body. "My guess is that Youki will ask me to seduce the Kyuubi and make him walk to Konoha rather than them having to fight and capture him. I just hope I'm wrong. The more chakra a man has, the harder it is for me to make him do what I want." She rubbed her eyes and seemed to be tired.

"But that's all I found out for now. He'll tell me more when he's in a better mood... Or when he wants something."

Shino did not shrink back from Aaliyah’s presence as she pushed herself against him and began to explain that Akatsuki had gotten whatever it was that they were going after, even if she didn’t know what said item was and that it included her. Shino nodded in silence, trying to put together any pieces that he could in his mind. He was considered quite the intellectual after all.

Aaliyah seemed to be way ahead of him though. The brother of Youki was a tailed beast? That mean that most likely they had traded him over to Akatsuki, Shino wasn’t even sure how many were left anymore. There was Naruto at least, the most powerful one supposedly, so hopefully there were more other than these two. “This is disheartening”, he admitted with a small sigh as it seemed like Akatsuki always got closer and closer to what he wanted.

He raised an eyebrow as she mentioned that Youko’s goal in life was for her to love him. Shino couldn’t help but admit that Aaliyah seemed like someone worth holding onto if you felt something for her. Of course had he known how old Youki was he might have found it a bit more of a disturbing concept. He gave a small sigh as he was once again reminded of the trails that Aaliyah seemed to go through on a daily basis.

Upon hearing the last part of their plan, or at least what she believed it to be he readjusted his glasses. His hood was no longer on, but his glasses were so close to his face that his eyes were still not visible. “Well then, sounds like you’ve been doing quite the work”, he admitted as he was impressed with all the knowledge. He looked down at her form, the one that made him feel like she was about to fall asleep in his chest. “Where does that leave us now?”

"Exhausted." She answered with a yawn and smile. "I'm not sure. There isn't much for Konoha to go off of, but my assumption is that the 12 will accompany the three tails and they'll keep him alive. Youki is big on keeping his siblings alive and having their unwavering devotion. One of his sisters is my sensei, so he likes to keep business in the family." She said, rubbing her eyes.

Her body moved once more and she laid down on the bed, looking over at him. She smiled, and let her arms rest on the pillows near her head. He seemed at ease, which made her feel the same. He felt comfortable around her, and she mirrored the feelings of comfort. Stretching, she smiled sweetly. "If you want to sleep, I won't attack you in your sleep or anything. I haven't slept at all in two days, and only slept for an hour before that." She stretched her arms above her head and bent them at the elbows letting her hands rest behind her head.

The way she was laying almost seemed like she was inviting him to lay beside her. Slowly, her golden eyes weren't visible as her lids covered them. She wouldn't help but be surprised at her own actions. She had never trusted a man this much ever.

She didn't even trust her father this much.

"If you want me to stay awake and do something like cook I will." her voice was soft, and she pulled the obi around her waist and pulled off the over shirt, revealing a smaller belly shirt that barely covered her navel. Rolling onto her side, she pulled the larger one off and threw it on the floor. Her knees bent and she seemed content in a sleeping position.

Never had she ever let a man see her sleep like this, so vulnerable and at ease, but he was from Konoha right? SHe made his mission easy. He didn't have to do anything at all. Just stay in this hotel and walk. It's not like he got hurt or ran the risk of being hurt. No one followed him, she made sure. Nor did they follow her.

“Family business, that almost sounds too sick to be real”, Shino remarked as he turned his head and glanced towards the window. He didn’t see anything and glanced back towards Aaliyah who went on to explain what she believed the plan was going to be. He just listened and nodded, making sure to dedicate all this information to himself as best as he could. She was being far more useful than he had ever imagined. If she hadn’t shown up and volunteered this where would he be now? Probably dead odds were. He felt comforted by this.

As she offered to let him sleep and so quickly changed he had to admit that he was surprised. It was like she felt completely comfortable around him. He felt comfortable for the most part, but never would have gone this far. She didn’t seem scared that he’d do anything like most men would take advantage of the opportunity. He smiled to himself as he considered that, someone actually trusting him to such a large extent.

He picked up his head as she offered to stay awake while he rested. He was quick to decline that. “No, rest yourself if it has been so long. God knows you deserve it”, he remarked as he watched her curl up to sleep. “I need my energy for whatever the plan is next, just wake me whenever you need me”, he said as he lay down next to her. However from the sounds and movement of the bed it was obvious that he had turned his face and body away from hers, now they were back to back. “Just well Aaliyah……..rest well”, he said before closing his own eyes underneath the glasses.

It took seconds for her to fall asleep once he finished speaking. She could feel his back even though they weren't touching. She moved in her sleep very little, and was comfortable around him. Through the upcoming morning, all movements which occurred where minor.

Eventually, her body was against something warm that moved slightly. Sleeping next to something warm never happened to her. She was normally either hot or cold, but she felt comfortable for the first time in a while. Her body was against something firm and strong. Moving slightly, she started to wake up, feeling the air around her chilly that was away from her heat source. Her arms were around it and when her eyes opened and saw something a dark green.

Yawning, she moved slightly, blinking to clear her eyes, then realized it was Shino's chest. She would have pushed away and gave him space, but was too comfortable to move and refused to until he either pushed her awake, got up, or she for some reason needed to get up. Without being able to explain why, she couldn't describe his scent, but he smelled so good. It wasn't overbearingly strong, but it didn't smell like a cologne. It put her at ease and made her smile.

Maybe she was right to trust him. He seemed to be the type of man that would protect her from the village or from youki if she needed somewhere to run, and honestly, she'd feel safer hiding with him then underground as a prisoner if ANBU had to protect her. They'd put her in a metal cell; sure it would protect her, but it would strip her of the little freedom she had left.