Love Through Negotiation «COMPLETED»

Chapter 2

Yugito was waiting on the rooftop of a medium-sized building. The sun was just starting to set on the hidden leaf and she got a pretty good view of it happening. It didn't have anything on Cloud, which had a setting sun turn a blank swath of white cloud into a toiling ocean of orange-pink radiance. Leaf had trees, though. She liked them. They were a plus.

A heavy impact hit the roof behind her. She knew it was the Raikage just as a child would know a parents' footsteps. Although it would be quite a stretch to call him a father figure, he was a constant in her life. One of the few

Yugito turned around to him as slowly as she could. A heavy frown marred her face. "What were you thinking?" she spat out.

His face was steely. He normally wasn't like that. Whenever someone refused his orders or insulted him without reason, he was more likely to get into a shouting match, which would very likely end up with the opposing party with a few smashed ribs, rather than the detached veneer of someone disinterested in another's plight. "I made the decision almost seventeen years ago. I did what I thought I had to do for the good of Kumo." His voice was moderate and reasoned, a far cry from the usual.

"Regardless, you can offer someone else up for the job, because I'm not doing it."

"Yugito-"

"Nope! I refuse!" Yugito snarled out. "I have been a loyal ninja to Kumo for as long as I have lived. And for what? My childhood, ruined. My adolescence, ruined. Christ, things have only just started to get better for me. And you want to do this? I've trained until everything hurt. I've born the hatred of the village. I've lied, killed, and stole for the good of the village and this is how you repay me? By just shucking me away like a useless noble with a penchant for linen rather than steel? No, I refuse."

Ai didn't do anything for a very long time, and when he did, it shocked Yugito to the core.

He got down to his knees, touched his forehead to the cold, dirty ground, and said "I'm sorry."

Yugito stared at him with wide eyes. It was like watching a rabbit try to hunt a bear. Completely foreign, confusing, and somewhat pitiable to watch.

"News of the fourth hokage having a baby reached me at a time when my brother was just getting used to being a Jinchuuriki. In all honesty, I still didn't trust the demon containers. There were others available to the job, others that were more within the age range, but I wanted you gone. I thought I would have too much on my hands trying to get my brother to stay with me without having to worry about you as well. If it went well, we had an easy ally that took care of a problem Jinchuuriki and if it went bad, we had all the justification and rallying cry needed for war. This thinking was wrong, and I apologize."

Yugito gulped. It was difficult seeing him like that. "Rise," she said.

Ai got up from the ground and stared at her with the same steely expression as before.

Yugito pursed her lips and looked to the side. "So what's the plan then? Kill them all? Make it look like it was the one with the black hair?"

Ai walked up to her and planted a single hand on her shoulder. "I want you to try."

Yugito's brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

Ai's eyes went half-lidded as he looked away at the sunset. "It's pretty, isn't it? Doesn't have anything on Kumo, but still, it's pretty."

Yugito followed his gaze. "What?" she repeated.

Ai sighed. "When I was younger, the only thing I wanted to do was to go to war. Expand our influence, and power, and bring stability to the world. Now, all I want is for peace. So no, I don't want you to kill anyone. I want you to try."