AIC 32 preview

She came awake, murderous and blind. Aiko flashed chakra to her eyes and the world lit up. A little. It was definitely still dark, but more importantly her security had suddenly become alarmed and that wouldn't do at all.

The chuunin was confronting another one of her shinobi at her bedroom door- at least, the spectral figure looked like one of hers, in special operation whites. They must have come through the hallway window checkpoint- there were no entries directly to her room from the outside. So either the outside security had chosen to let them in, or that person was dead.

'I think I would have noticed a fight. But not if the security personnel had no chance to fight back.'

“Speak,” Aiko said in a hard voice.

Her personal security didn't relax at all.

The special operations officer ducked their head. “Mizukage-sama,” they murmured. It was difficult to describe the voice as anything other than soft. It wasn't particularly high or low, no rasp, or other identifying qualities. Possibly it was some kind out audible genjutsu, or possibly just disguising voices was in the curriculum. “We have apprehended a person who we believe to be a foreign agent. A patrol officer sensed someone in city hall and investigated. The intruder subdued the officer, but was taken into custody soon after.”

She threw off the futon cover and slid out of bed. “I see. Identification code, please.”

They rattled off a 10 digit series of numbers ending with the personal id number '892'. The first three matched a department she knew, the next four belonged to a subgroup that affiliated with…. She strained to remember Kiri's system. Ah, this person worked with Counter-Intelligence and rendezvoused with patrol teams. They probably had more information, then. She nodded and didn't take her attention fully away while she pushed open the closet door and found a long-sleeved shirt to pull over her head. “Wait a moment. Gaara?”  

He shifted on his feet, the first sound he had made since materializing behind the intruder. “Yes, Aiko-sama?”

The Special Operations officer gave the smallest start.

Aiko did not smile. She did not. “Wake your sister, please, and stay with her in the kitchen.”

He nodded and disappeared into the house.

“Are you making certain that she does not gain information of value to Orochimaru-san?” Sanbi confirmed.

'Ah, you know me well.' She flipped her hair over her shoulders and gestured for the visitor to start walking first. The chuunin kept an uneasy position between Aiko and the masked officer, which was dutiful and not at all safe if they really were a threat. “When did this happen?”

“The intruder was observed about half an hour ago,” came the muffled answer. “Stealthy pursuit and observation lasted about 12 minutes, the fight about five, and then reinforcements arrived on the scene. I was on the second team of reinforcements and came to contact you as the suspect was taken to interrogations. I left as he was escorted away.”

“So we don't actually know for certain that this person hasn't wiggled away en route,” Aiko pointed out. “It seems incredibly unlikely, but I would like to personally see them in custody. Anyone who has made it this far into Kirigakure is formidable, in preparation and intelligence if not ability.”

“Of course.” The officer gave a little bow, which looked a little strange since Aiko had forced them to walk ahead of her.

“This could be a trap,” Sanbi said thoughtfully. “Perhaps this person is a spy. Or perhaps this is intended to walk you into an ambush.”

'Mei has waited longer than I thought she would to try to kill me,' Aiko acknowledged. She grabbed a sword off the top of a dresser and buckled it on over her sleeping shorts as she walked. 'But at least for now, I will take this at face value. I will be careful, though. If you see anything that reads as unusual…'

“Of course.”