Dark •Sequel to Bright!•

Reinstatement

-Akari, POV-

I was sitting in a chair, my hands tied and a sealing jutsu set around me. I barely made it in the village before I was whisked away to the interrogation room. I had already been questioned, they knew that I wasn't a total threat to them, but they had to clear it with Tsunade. So here I was sitting in a chair, watching the fresh, new, Jonin sit in front of the door guarding me. I remembered him from a few offhand missions around the village, but I didn't actually know his name. What I did know though, is that he seemed to be scared of me. I'm guessing after hearing the stories of what I went through, he had every reason to be.

Still though, being able to sense someone's fear, it was almost heart wrenching. Knowing that I was back in the place where everybody was already scared of me, and now they were just going to be worse. I was a deserted, I was a subordinate of Orochimaru who is the number one enemy of the Leaf, and to make it all better I was one of the Nine Tails Jinchuriki.

The door to the dimly lit room was opened, causing my eyesight to mess up a little bit. Judging by the outline of the person standing in the doorway though, I was the one who needed to be scared. The outline of his hair was enough to let me know who it was.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled, worried about how the situation was going to go down.

"Will someone please release this damn barrier? She isn't a prisoner, she's home." Shikamaru complained, his voice had changed, grown a lot deeper. He still had that damn lazy tone about him though. Hell his body posture was still the same. In the dim light though, you could tell his face had matured. His brown eyes still seemed to be in a permanently annoyed look.

"Shikamaru, it's good to see you," I grinned and went to hug him but he stepped back.

"Kiba might have forgiven you like it was nothing, but I haven't, I may have failed my mission that day but your comrades almost died chasing after you and that lunatic." Shikamaru's voice was stern, and he looked my up and down one time before walking back out of the room. When I stepped into the corridor and began following began following behind him, that feeling of anxiety hit my stomach again. I should have known that they weren't just going to welcome me back like it was nothing.

"Shikamaru, please, just let me explain and maybe-"

"Listen, it's a big drag for me to hold a grudge, but it's not a drag for me to not completely trust you so you have to earn that back," Shikamaru turned around to face me, "Besides, I'm not the one who you should be worried about."

Shikamaru opened the door and standing on the other side was a face that I was in no way ready to face. Someone that I thought I would have a little more time before I had to see them.

"Kurenai, I, I just-" The dark haired woman took a few strides towards me and wrapped her arms around me. I was taken back by the action but returned it.

"You are pardoned of your crimes Akari." Kurenai whispered and it was as if a switch had flipped and I felt all of my emotions begin to pour out. So there I stood, in the Jonin's arms, crying. Letting the barrier I had put up around the soft side of me come crumbling down.

In that moment I had never felt more vulnerable, but yet I had never felt so safe.

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Once I was able to pull myself back together, we continued up to Tsunade's office. She began reading through the debriefing and all of the information that the interrogation team had pulled from me.

"So you're saying that you know where Orochimaru's hideout is?" Tsunade rested her chin on her propped up, folded, hands. She was studying me, or more accurately staring into my would.