Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Wolf and the Bear. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own BL, Sunao Katabuchi does.

(Zashchitnik)

Zorin watched from the bridge of the 252m battlecruiser as it pulled into Skrytyy Ray base. It had taken a year to complete the abandoned base. Zorin stepped off the ramp and turned to see Balalaika surrounded by both his and her men.

"I'll take you to her… C'mon…" Zorin muttered as he helped her down, they walked through dozens of former Red Army soldiers, Balalaika looked at dozens of MIGs, Su-027 fighter jets, KA-50 helicopters…

She wouldn't have been surprised to see tanks and other army vehicles.

"I see thousands of soldiers here it seems." Balalaika stated, a woman with a Barret, brunette hair and a Major's uniform spoke up.

"A lot of them are here… Unlike you who hasn't once tracked down the General..." She hissed and Zorin glared at her.

"Dedova! Bite your tongue! She didn't know where I was for years and she's one of the most elite soldiers in the Soviet Union…" Zorin growled and the woman backed down.

Zorin and Balalaika reached a building with enough Spetnaz and soldiers to kill a small army. They stood at attention and Zorin turned to Balalaika.

"You know I was surprised how many soldiers are here… There are hundreds if not thousands of men and woman who hate the way things are now back home… And when I left, more and more came…. And then we have enemies coming from all over to hunt us… The same people who split us up…. The soldiers who we fought… And the ones who tried to tear down we fought before." Zorin said as both entered.

The room despite the rest the base was painted like a child's room, shades of blue and red decorated the room. Zorin walked over to the crib and looked at the small girl who had blue eyes and blonde hair, she had a bonnet and diaper and cooed as Zorin took her out of the crib.

"Hi little one… This is your mother, I know she wasn't here before…" Zorin said, Balalaika laughed despite herself.

Zorin was many things, he was manipulative, he was ruthless to anyone who he couldn't kill. He was one of the few 'modern' generals to fight alongside his own soldiers. He was cruel…

A caring person was something he only reserved for his own men, people caught in the middle of war, people he respected.

And her, he turned and walked over, holding Acacia in his arms as he did.

"You know, if I told anyone we're together, they'd laugh…. And I'm guessing you never told your associates back home about me… Or her." Zorin said as Balalaika looked at her.

Her daughter, who she hadn't seen in 2 years, she cooed for her mother as Zorin looked at her.

"I don't care what you've been up to, Bal. I'm charge of an army of deserters fighting a war against our own government, dozens of Nazi soldiers and god knows what else… I'm only wondering if you're going to stay…" Zorin said, Balalaika continued to look at her daughter.

"You know you could always come with me…. There's nobody you couldn't take out… I know you, Zor." Balalaika said, Zorin chuckled as she took her from him.

"One of us is going to have to cave, Bal… I have people here to look after, there's not many people who can lead a war like me… And I'm not abandoning them… And I'm guessing if you can't leave Roanapur…" Zorin muttered as he looked around the room and Balalaika put Acacia back in her crib, both exited the room and the soldiers took back their positions.

"I'm keeping order… Without me, crime will flood the city…" Balalaika stated and Zorin sighed.

"I really doubt that since I heard from Boris you were a queen of crime back home… Like I said, I'm not mad at you… I can't really be, I'm a criminal from our own government." Zorin stated as he looked away and leaned his head away from her.

"I don't blame you for hating me when I left… I had my reasoning, but that doesn't forgive me… But like I said..." Zorin said as he walked around Balalaika.

"I wouldn't forgive myself for if they got their hands on you or her… I knew you wouldn't be caught, but her… They got to my daughter…. I'd never be free of them…. I'd never have the ability to think of saying something wrong… of questioning their orders…" Zorin muttered as he walked past his wife.

"You want to leave; I won't stop you…. Just make sure you think hard about your past… We could use you on the frontlines." Zorin said as he walked away and into the crowd into the soldiers forming.

They were preparing for war and it clear that they'd be in the thick of it soon.

Balalaika sighed.

Author Note

Phew, another chapter done! I promise for bigger and longer chapters to be in the future but for now I need to make shorter chapters. I also want to point out that Zorin probably won't be meeting Revy as I don't know if they should meet down the road. Next chapter will be in 2 weeks on Tuesday and will show Balalaika's decision. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!