"Da...Da..."

He had heard the troublesome news from Ino, of course, who claimed to be earwitness to a particularly unsettling conversation with the Hokage that was the main reason why he was pacing to and fro the place right now as if he was on a death march to Suna with the deepest scowl knotting his brow. It might turn out to be but another rumour; however he had to confirm the truth himself! And he did.

"...a-Dadda...Da!"

Reaching a dead-end he spun around and stopped in his tracks; his stern eyes zeroing in on his target he avoided some random assaults at his face while he couldn't use his hands for protection. The third one was a clean hit at his jaw, though, and it felt like the slap in the face when he had got that crucial piece of information. The stinging taste of wet iron permeated his mouth where he had bitten down too hard on his tongue. He stoically ignored the gleeful giggle his further glowering elicited.

"What are you doing? Cease this troubl- pfft!... troublesome foolishness right now", he continued urgently without letting himself be stopped by another smack to his lips. "Do you want to repeat after him so badly? Is this your deathwish?" There were things that had to be said. And if he was the only one able to deflect the trouble, then so be it and he would do the deed. Even if he had to play the bad guy here... He was angry enough to be convincing in his acting and concerned enough to take the swatting without even blinking.

"...Da!"

Instead he started moving again, closing in like a panther on his prey. Except this prey was a predator in battle gear herself and wouldn't back down so easily before her junior, devil's advocate or not. "You can't stop me, Shikamaru... it's my job, and I'm good at it", came the cold reply with a smug smile curling deathly red lips. She was right, and he knew it; he was well aware of her capabilities and thus quite wary of them.

But that was beside the troublesome point.

So he shifted the weight of life he was burdened with, but it didn't become lighter to carry the responsibility alone. "It's hardly been a year, Kurenai...you're a mother: look at this little troublemaker, think about her future!", he therefore appealed to her feelings.

His stare finally drifted to the very lively toddler in his embrace who was happily dabbing at his nose and drooling on his collar by now. At the sight of the big red eyes gleaming at him with pure mirth and wonder, of the round little face with a frolicking toothless smile framed by a thatch of beautiful black locks and of the so very tiny fingers latching onto him in innocent faith his gaze finally softened a bit. "Dadda!", the little troublemaker who owned his heart and thieved his sleep exclaimed in delight once she had his attention.

But Kurenai apparently wasn't wooed as easily anymore as he still was: "That's exactly what I do. It's high time I get back on the active roster; beggers can't be choosers. And with Asuma gone, I have all the more reason to go." He sighed and s* his head to get a lock on his emotions again; it wasn't only for Kurenai's good he was doing this! It was all for the sake of his 'King', of Asuma's little Queen he had been entrusted with...

"Except you can! I know, life is generally harder on single moms, especially Kunoichi. But you're in the comfortable position of not having to shoulder everything alone: there's always your team and mine, that's two Kunoichi, four Shinobi and one Ninken at your disposal!", he enumerated while treading a path of restlessness into her floor. "You really don't have to do this, Kurenai. Please reconsider; it's too dangerous. Let us handle the troublesome missions and cover your expenses for now, so you can take care of and be there for her until she's old enough, at least. I- we are happy to help! I know, you are a strong Kunoichi and you aren't a Jonin for nothing, but what if you die out there? Would it do this babe girl any good? Asuma already made me protect his child on his deathbed and I gladly, gladly accepted, but just don't dump the same responsibility on me, too!"

His shoulders slightly sagged as the nasty lump in his heart acted up again, twisting and thrusting the thorns of pain deeper into the flesh of his soul. As young as he still was, he was already irreversibly invisibly scarred. Of the four dead Shinobi dear to him, he had lost five too many: Asuma, his father, his 'uncle' Inoichi, Neji-...and all of them had been Jonin, too!

"...Da?", the little girl blinked at him, a questioning look worrying her adorably chubby features. He s* his head, hugged her closer, showed her a reassuring smile and gently kissed her brow so the tiny troublemaker would laugh again.

Then he continued to compromise with his former Sensei's troublesome lover: "If you still itch to flex your skills again, why don't you work with the Academy as Genjutsu instructor for starters, and then maybe take up another Genin team after a couple of years? Keep it low and less troublesome, you know. You've been a good Jonin Sensei already, why not teach again? I could talk to Iruka-senpai and Tsunade-sama and arrange things for you..."

He walked up close to her and looked straight at her bloodred gaze, his husky voice lowered to barely a murmur: "Please. Just promise me, you won't take dangerous missions on the frontline when you have this little darling troublemaker depending on her mother...Leave them for others with less to lose, will you, Kurenai? Serve Konoha from close to home, if you so wish. Don't do it to ease my worries for you, but do it for her sake, for her safety: the dragon to the enemy camp, the horse to your own!"

Her long lashes fluttered as she finally withdrew before his long intense stare and made her exit, solely a faint blush on her cheeks indicating his small victory. He smiled.

He was definitely getting better at dealing with troublesome stubborn women, he figured, but he still had a ways to go! Or else he would forever be strung around their pinkies in a beautiful bow like his late father had been... "Dadadada-...Dadda!", the charming girl in his arms merrily chirped in and poked her curious wiggly finger into his nostril.