Author's Note: Well, well. Long time no see -is watching Young and the Restless on her day off, sitting in her pyjamas and dressing gown on a Friday.

Heh.

Now. I apologise for the disgusting amount of regularity that I seem to be posting – but this is ARC 2. Wee! So yeah. I've written the first couple of chapters in preparation for when my exams start coming. –cries-

Anyway Onwards, and if I still actually have anyone reading, then reviews would be appreciated.

Pairings: ShikaxIno. None others, really

Love

Certain till death do us part

Hope

Like drifting in the dark

Chapter 1. Arc 2.

Ino was crying.

Ino was crying so hard she could barely breathe. With each greedy, strained gasp for air her chest heaved and shook violently. Tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting her boyfriend's arm and earning more than just a couple of glances.

"Ino… it's really not that bad, you know…."

She released an animalistic, keening wail, let him go, and fled towards the elevator.

Shikamaru followed her at his own pace, trying to ignore everyone else that saw fit to look at him. He managed to catch Ino just as she pushed the 'doors closed' button, and could do nothing but raise an eyebrow as she proceeded to flood the elevator with even more tears.

And all this over having to come to work on Boxing Day?

Troublesome.

Ino walked mournfully through the eleventh floor building, ruefully noting that most of the other lawyers that were usually at work weren't there at all.

This is weird… It's so empty….

She sat at her desk and booted up her computer, extracting a Christmas picture of her and Shikamaru from her handbag and putting it cheerily on one of the glass platforms that made up her work surface. Ino grinned, remembering Christmas morning in his apartment, and greeted Sakura, who was in her familiar spot across from her, typing madly and moving the mouse so fast Ino couldn't track it properly with her eyes.

"How was your Christmas?" the blonde asked cheerily. The picture had brightened up her day considerably… and there was the fact that even if Ino did complain and chuck a tantrum then Sakura would probably just ignore her anyway.

"It was fine."

The rosette secretary's voice was dull and full of scathe. Ino pouted, but read the signal loud and clear and backed off.

Where's Shikamaru anyway?

The lazy bastard still hadn't reached the eleventh floor yet. Surely he should have been here already…. She focused her attention on the screen in front of her, until one very unlucky man caught her eye

"Neji! Neji Hyuuga! I have a bone to pick with you!"

The high boss froze and looked about ready to pull a gun and shoot himself. He'd been trying to sneak inconspicuously past both women – more specifically the holiday-loving one – while their heads were down and they were working…

Mission failed.

"What is it, Ino?"

"How could you have brought me to work, sir? How could you?" she shouted at him, tears in her eyes as she slumped over the desk. Neji's eyes widened, and he wheeled around to look at Sakura.

'What do I do?' he mouthed. She shot him a dark look and refused to answer.

Now, why did everyone hate him today? Sure, it was Boxing Day and they had to come to work, but he had to as well. It's not like the poor little suckers had lives to go home to anyway.

Hmm…

Judging by Sakura's mood, the consequences of bearing herself to Sasuke were starting to take effect. Maybe he should… comfort her… in her time of need….

Or would that be a little bit too low?

Yeah… probably.

"Where's Shikamaru?" he asked, using her boyfriend's name as a distraction that actually worked quite well.

And where the fuck is Tenten? I see her talk to an older, even more sparkly version of Lee for two minutes and then she just disappears…

Ino answered curiously. "I don't know… he was with me in the foyer…."

"So has he gone to get your new escorts then?"

"What?"

Neji sighed. Did no one listen to him anymore? He'd sent memos to everyone no less than five days ago. He had upped office security so that everyone on the tenth, eleventh and of course, the twelfth floor had their own personal team of Konoha agents to look after them. Ino was meant to be meeting her team now.

He told her, and she looked appalled.

"Is my father one of those agents?"

Now it was Neji's turn to question her. "What do you mean?"

"Inoichi Yamanaka. He's an agent for the Konoha firm too. Will he be looking after me?"

The Hyuuga high boss shrugged. "I don't know. I told them to choose the best."

"My father is the best!" she shot, standing up and glaring. Ino loved her beloved Daddy. In her eyes there was no one else more suited to protecting her than he was.

Neji blinked. Touchy subject. Oops.

"I'm… sure he is," he said carefully, feeling fragile. She'd been happy, started to cry, shouted, yelled, and now she was getting all defensive, all in the space of two minutes.

"Whatever. Where do I have to go?" she asked, glaring at him after the questioning of Daddy's almighty power. Ino got to her feet as he told her to go to the fourth floor, and stalked moodily towards the elevator.

A covered face, a lopsided bandana, and a low sigh.

"I can't believe we're on babysitting duty."

Tanned skin, an unimpressed stare, and the scratching of a scar.

"It's what the Chief ordered. Get over it."

A puff of cigarette smoke, a clearing of the throat, and a fond look.

"You two argue like an old married couple."

Black curls, full curves, and womanly wiles.

"Now, now. Don't tease."

The four of them sighed simultaneously, waiting for their designated charges to arrive already.

Due to Kakashi's sorry lack of punctuality, he had actually missed the two people he was protecting, and the common officer that he was going to be working with. So he had to wait until the message got through to them again.

Asuma had already been addressed by three different men, receiving warnings from Inoichi Yamanaka – an agent specialising in interrogation, who conducted mind games as a hobby – as well as a nonchalant wave from Shikaku Nara – a strategic genius and the only one that managed to keep the crazy blond under control – and a clap on the back from Chouza Akimichi – a friendly looking man by all accounts, who worked in the weapons armoury, concocting gun designs – real heavy duty stuff. Apparently, Asuma had been assigned to protect their only children.

Kurenai was there to meet everyone. She, Kiba and Shino were assigned to patrol duty – digging up information and keeping an eye out for all parties involved. It was their job to focus on the attackers, instead of just the ones being attacked, although there was the possibility of working in a tag team with Asuma as well.

Iruka was there for organisation and natural bonding reasons. He got along with everyone – a social skill by which some of the others in the group were lacking completely. It was his job to keep everybody happy, and to keep up the good side of the ANBU force….

Yes. Okay. He was there to make sure no one – especially Kakashi – didn't get a little too overenthusiastic, and rip off anyone's head…. More than ever if they were dealing with lawyers.

"Where's Gai? Why isn't he here?" Kakashi complained to the shorter man, crossing his arms and pouting – even though you couldn't see it. Iruka turned on him with a snap.

"He was here early. He already has his charge. He is already working with Lee to protect Neji Hyuuga and his secretary. He was -"

"Okay! Fine!" the silver-haired man whined. "You're so mean to me sometimes, you know?"

Iruka shot him a glare, which turned into a smile as soon as two men left the elevator and started towards them.

"Chouji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara?" Iruka asked, smiling welcomingly.

"Yeah."

"I'm Iruka. This is Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma," he told them, pointing to each individual in turn. "Gai Maito is already upstairs, attending to Mr. Hyuuga and his secretary."

Shikamaru nodded uncaringly. Kurenai smiled at the resemblance between him and his father.

"What's this all about?" asked Chouji. "I'm a cook across the road, what do I have to do with any of this?"

"Your restaurant is the most popular for the lawyers at this firm, the policemen on this floor and the levels below us, and for the doctors and vets above. I believe you share some brand of familiarity with most of your customers – more so your regulars."

Chouji nodded, understanding. True, nobody seemed to notice the chef and his waiters when they were talking about things they shouldn't. After all, his staff were trained not to be noticed. Get in, get out, and not be seen in the time in between.

Did not being seen mean you were deaf though?

Not so much.

"Does this mean I will have to leave my business?" he asked, ignoring Shikamaru's bored-out-of-his-brain stare. Honestly, they'd been friends since childhood, and he hadn't gotten any less lazy.

The other ANBU agents let Iruka answer it. The Akimichis were known to be fiercely protective of the things they loved, and despite their gentle exterior, could turn vicious without too much provocation. Hopefully he'd understand.

"…Perhaps," the tanned academy teacher frowned. "But maybe we can change things so that Kurenai and her team can set up base in your restaurant, so that you won't have to leave. Otherwise, you might have to check with Mr. Hyuuga to see if you could set up shop over here."

Chouji crossed his arms, thinking.

"Do either of you know where Ino Yamanaka is?" Iruka asked as Kakashi and Kurenai started talking amongst themselves behind him. He was glad that Asuma was at least showing some interest in the people he had been assigned to protect with his life.

"No. Do you, Shikamaru?"

Chouji had become quite familiar with Ino in the last month. Even though he was quietly sceptical at first, having seen her and Kiba to start off with, he accepted it on her and Shikamaru's mutual reassurance. He thought she suited Shikamaru well. She reminded him of the Nara boy's mother.

"I think she went onto one of the above floors…" he drawled. "Forgot, I think…."

"You couldn't have reminded her?" Chouji scoffed, pained. Kakashi and Kurenai looked up at the possibility of an argument.

"She was distraught because she had to come into work today. I thought it'd be better to just let her run around and tire herself out."

"That's the way to do it," Kakashi agreed. Kurenai promptly slapped him over the back of the head, much to a chuckling Asuma's amusement.

"No wonder you have nothing to come home to every night except for those horrible books," she snapped. "With that attitude, you're going to die slow, cold and alone."

"I've been telling him that for years," Iruka nodded, before shaking his head slightly and tuning back into the conversation. "Alright. Do you guys need to be somewhere urgently, or do you have a bit of time to spare?"

"We'll wait," Chouji said. He doubted Shikamaru would care at all.

"Good. Ah! Kakashi, your people are back!"

The whole room seemed to take on a different demeanour as Naruto bounced through the fourth floor, being greeted and high-fived at every possible turn. He held tightly to Sasuke's arm as he pulled him through the building, earning harsh whispers from some of the less intelligent officers – who, consequently, were shut up by a prompt snarl from the blond and a dark leer from the lawyer.

"Yo."

Sasuke took one, nostalgia-caked look at his old trainer – the freak with the gravity-defying silver hair, the high-necked, sleeveless black shirts, the black bandana slung across one eye, the semi-psychotic, social-retarded pervert whose favourite pastime was to annoy the people around him when he didn't have a certain violent orange book with him – and stopped dead in his tracks.

"No. Not him."

"What's wrong with me?"

Iruka restrained himself from answering the very open question, and watched with amusement as the ANBU agent chewed the fabric of his high-necked shirt.

"You're a fucking psycho."

"Isn't that more of a reason to like me? Better liking the psycho, being nice to him and having him like you back, than being on the team against him, right?"

Sasuke was going to something about not being (batting!) on the same team as him – ever – but was cut off by the sound of irritated yelling as someone raced past the police desks in high heeled shoes that clacked against the floor.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Shikamaru Nara! Why didn't you tell me I had to come down here in the first place? Hey. Why are you two here? What's the point of all this anyway? Neji said we were beefing up security, but he didn't really tell me why. Do you know sir?" she asked Iruka, who seemed mostly in control of the situation. Asuma had already pinned her as Ino Yamanaka – who else could she be? Her father spoke just like she did. He looked her over briefly, performing a quick character profile.

Loud.

"Yes, we're just waiting for one more now," Iruka smiled at her. "But for now, let me introduce you to the man that will be one of your personal guards. This is Asuma Sarutobi."

Ino looked up at the smoking man and grinned. He smiled lazily back.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka."

"It's good to meet you."

In Ino's mind, he had definitely passed. There was just something about him that seemed to make him trustworthy. He definitely looked more sane than that other guy….

Hmm… One-Eye's hiding his face too. Maybe him and Kakuzu could be friends?

"One of my personal guards?" she asked, remembering a detail and feeling important.

Kurenai nodded. "Yeah. We can't have only one person to look after three at one time, so people from my team will be taking turns working as his partner."

Ino nodded.

"Oi. Iruka. How come Asuma gets a girl?" Kakashi whined, pawing at the man's shoulder and tugging insistently on his hair. "Where's mine? Don't I have another one?"

"Sakura Haruno, yes," the instructor glared. He didn't want to appear as a character witness if that man went to court for sexual harassment… again. It was pretty embarrassing and reputation-destroying to have the whole legal system understand that your best friend was a nasty old molester.

"Sakura's still upstairs," Ino told him, snapping him out of his somewhat pessimistic thoughts. "She was working on something for Sa -" she looked up at Sasuke while speaking, only to meet the destructive snarl that was set across his face. "… For Mr. Uchiha," she finished softly, ducking her head. Shikamaru glanced at her, frowning.

"Kakashi, maybe you can go and get -"

"What?!"

Everyone except Iruka, Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai either ducked or jumped as Gai Maito made his way uproariously onto the scene.

"Iruka! Passionate worker and dedicated officer! How could you set a mission for my Rival without giving me an equal share of knowledge? Is this a declaration of the severing of youthful bonds of friendship?!"

Iruka scratched his scar tiredly. "No…. He probably couldn't do it anyway, Gai." He took up a stance – super secretive – and whispered in the wild man's ear. "Your mission, Gai Maito, is to collect one Sakura Haruno from floor eleven of -"

Iruka didn't have to finish his sentence. Gai was off like a sparkly, green bat out of hell.

Iruka sat at the head of the table, Asuma and Kurenai to his left, Kakashi and Gai to his right. He shuffled the papers in his hands and addressed the people that sat before him.

"On the 19th of December, a group of six Konoha agents were killed in a suspicious car accident," he started, noting carefully the reactions on each person's face.

"Were they the people meant to do the trivia for the Christmas party?" Ino asked, thinking about the phone call that Tenten had gotten at the end of the night.

"Yes, Ino, they were. We have reason to believe our agency is being targeted by a group of killers, bent on destabilising the justice system in this city community. If there are any other motives behind such actions, they are unknown to us."

"So why should restrictions be based on our lives?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"Why do I get the asshole?" Kakashi grumbled. Iruka hit him sharply across the face, with a hushed "You're being rude!" and answered Sasuke's question.

"It won't be too bad. Your privacy will be held in the highest respect, Mr. Uchiha. However, you must understand that this is in your best interest. Kakashi and Naruto here will do their utmost to save you and Miss Haruno from any danger you may face. Understand that these men would readily give their lives for you, and I will ask you only for civility and cooperation in return. Just remember that this arrangement is only temporary, until the culprit or culprits are found."

Sasuke sat back in his chair as Gai started to sparkle in reaction to Iruka's speech.

Oh, he had something of an idea about who could be targeting the police force. Itachi Uchiha had been involved in murder for a long time, it would make sense he'd want Sasuke and other officers of the law gone. He'd always been a solo soul though, so he may just be an acquaintance of the group. Ally would be stretching it. Sasuke knew he was close to finally tracking his older brother down. His information could prove useful for this case.

It could prove more useful than anything a hundred Shikamaru Naras could put together.

He shot a look at the rosette sitting next to him. She seemed thinner. Her hair wasn't as bright. She wasn't smiling, and neither did she seem upset by the current situation.

He didn't like to do this to her. She didn't deserve it. If she really loved him like she said, he should, at the most, have rejected her if he did not feel the same. Now she was stuck in the background until he needed a good looking date, or some sort of stress-relief.

No. She didn't deserve it.

But Shikamaru didn't deserve Ino.

I gave my life to save her

The ocean turned to red

Oh! And just in case you were wondering. It's Kakashi Iruka friendship … I just think slightly hyperactive Kakashi is amusing…. It's sort of like Kyouya and Tamaki. Ish. Look, I've been watching Ouran lately, okay?

Okay.

Song is The Navy Song by Billy Talent. I love it :3 And omg! The stupid seperating lines didnt work in the last chapter! -is annoyed- so it all ran onto each other. disgusting. I apologise. The filter slaughtered them.

Quote: You can hire a lawyer's outrage C-- Oh, but it's so true! –loves lawyerness-

Alright. This is really pissing me off. i can't use the little like... dash (-) lines. It wont let me! It DELETES THEM AND THE SCENES ARE ALL CONJOINED! -hates like semtex- that. is so. annoying. I apologise if I missed some. I think it keeps deleting my ...'s as well. No! I love those things! -cries-