Summary: Storm Shadow sneaks into G.I. joe HQ in search for Snake Eyes

Pairing: Storm ShadowxSnake Eyes

The G.I. joe premises lay covered in darkness, requiring more security than on daytime, but that didnt stop certain uninvited guests from sneaking around the most heavily guarded buildings. Having located a trapdoor on the roof of what seemed to be the main building, a mysterious whiteclad man opened it carefully and dropped down inside, landing smoothly on the hard floor. He pressed himself up against the wall behind, letting his eyes travel up and down the corridor in search for any lifesigns of some sort, but found none. Could this be the wrong building? The thought had crossed his mind earlier, but he pushed it away and sneaked down the dark hallway, hoping to find a clue to where the person he was looking for could be located at. A couple of security guards appeared behind the corner, blocking his way. Not that it was a problem for a skilled ninja, but the man still proceeded with care, not wanting to arouse any suspicion. He watched the two men shortly, and then jumped, using the ceiling to get past the guards.

In a big room, serving as some kind of livingroom hall for the men who were occupying the building, there was still some lights on. Storm Shadow peeked inside, hidden in the darkness of the corridor. Four joes were seated around one of the tables, happily discussing something that he couldnt overhear. Playing- cards lay scattered all over the place and an empty beercan was rolling around on the floor. The ninja observed the scene in front of him one more second, before deciding to keep going, heading deeper into the building.

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In one of the many private rooms that belonged to the G.I. joe soldiers, Snake Eyes was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was sharing a room with Beach Head- one of the rangers of the team, but that didnt stop Storm Shadow from breaking into the room. Escape routes were part of the roof on each and every room in the building, as a safety measure if an emergency would occur and the doors would happen to be jammed.

Landing quietly on the soft surface of Snake Eyes' bed, without touching him or waking him up, Storm Shadow gazed at the door for a number of seconds, listening for movement on the other side of the door. Deciding that no one seemed to be around, he turned his head, throwing a glance at the appearently sleeping ranger in the opposite bed, before turning back to look at Snake Eyes. Careful not to disturb the other ninja's sleep, he leaned forward, towering over him, studying him curiously. The blackclad ninja had not changed from his outfit before going to bed. 'Must've been too tired to change his clothes' the white ninja thought to himself. What surprised and fascinated him though was the fact that the visor had been removed. The skin around the eyes wasnt damaged alot. A few scars here and there, and the eyes seemed fine too. It had been so long since he'd seen his friend without that mask.... A sudden movement underneath caused him to stiffen momentarily, and he watched as Snake Eyes shifted in his sleep, letting out a heavy breath before going back to being completely still. Storm Shadow released a breath he hadnt realize he'd been holding and relaxed again. 'Snake Eyes truly is beautiful', he thought, which reminded him of why he was there in the first place.

Very carefully, he reached out, gently cupping the other ninja's cheek in his right hand, stroking at the soft fabric with his thumb. Snake Eyes' facial expression changed slightly at this and he opened his eyes slowly, before widening them in surprise and shock. He made an attempt at hitting the man before him, but the attack was blocked quickly and the intruder held him down calmly. The black ninja swallowed, readying himself for another try at getting rid of the man in his bed when his eyes suddenly became accustomed to the darkness and he realized that it was:

"Storm Shadow", came a dark voice from the other side of the room. "Cobra's pet ninja, is it?" both ninjas turned their heads at this. Beach Head was getting out of his bed, aiming his gun at Storm Shadow, but the ninja didnt seem to care.

"I do not work for Cobra", was his simple reply. The ranger approached them slowly.

"Oh no?" Snake Eyes pushed himself up into a sitting position and gesticulated for Beach Head to back down. The said man stopped, lowering his gun, looking slightly confused. He didnt trust someone who'd been working for Cobra, whether they were still doing it or not, but he did trust his friend, trusting that he knew what he was doing. The white ninja glared at the man before turning back to Snake.

"Snake Eyes....", Storm Shadow locked eyes with the ninja under him. "I came here to......it's been so long.....", the room fell silent and the blackclad ninja blinked tiredly, nodding hesitatingly. What the white ninja said next surprised him.

"Come with me..." Snake Eyes stared at him, surprised, and then let his eyes travel to where Beach Head was still standing. He then turned back to Storm Shadow, giving him an apologizing, sad look. The whiteclad ninja immediatly understood and pulled back a little, tearing his eyes away from the other man. Without a word, Storm Shadow removed himself from the bed, giving Snake Eyes a disappointed but undertanding look, before disappearing up through the escape route in the ceiling. The two remaining men hardly had the time to exchange glances, before the white ninja came back down again, closing the door to the roof.

"Too many guards...", he sneaked over to the door instead and unlocked it quietly, peeking out into the dark corridor outside. There wouldnt be a problem for him to get out of the building this way, it was just extremely annoying that he couldnt go back the way he came. Light tapping footsteps made him turn around halfway down the corridor, to discover that Snake Eyes was following him.

"I thought you wouldnt come..", Snake Eyes shoke his head, still determinded to stay at the HQ. He walked passed Storm Shadow and down to the corner of the hallway, checking so that no one was nearby, before waving at his friend to come over. The white ninja sighed and allowed himself to be guided through the premises, which Snake Eyes knew like the back of his hand anyway. They continued down several corridors and rooms and when Storm Shadow began to wonder if they'd reach some kind of exit anytime soon, an alarm set off suddenly, making both ninjas freeze in their spots. Light spread out all around them as all the lamps were activated, probably automatically to make it harder for any possible burglars to escape the facilities. Snake Eyes and Storm shadow locked eyes for a second, both wondering who set off the alarm, cause they sure as hell didnt. However, they didnt have the time to ponder further on the matter, but rushed down the hallway, trying to find some kind of escape route for Storm Shadow.

Moments later, when they neared the 'livingroom' area, they met Scarlett and Flint. All four of them stopped dead in their tracks, just in time for Beach Head to catch up with the ninjas.

"Snake Eyes..?" Scarlett panted and both her and Flint fixed their suspiscious eyes on Storm Shadow. The blackclad ninja gesticulated that there was no time to explain. Soon, Hawk, Duke, Stalker, and some other joes joined them, all of them hesitating about aiming their guns at the ex-Cobra soldier, since Snake Eyes was standing in their way, and clearly protecting the other ninja.

"What is going on here?" Hawk wanted to know, comming to stand between Flint and Scarlett, with a sharp eye watching Storm Shadow. "Did he set off the alarm?" this question seemed directed mostly to Snake Eyes, but before the ninja had the chance to shake his head, Storm Shadow opened his mouth.

"I did not set it off", he growled and some of the joes raised their weapons, pointing them at him.

"Well..someone obviously did", Hawk narrowed his eyes, not really trusting the man. "What are you doing here?" he added, sounding slightly more angry than before.

"I simply came to visit my friend....", the ninja replied calmly, letting his eyes travel sideways to where Snake Eyes was standing.

"Friend, huh?" Hawk said and Snake Eyes narrowed his eyes behind the visor, not liking the tone that his boss used when he said this. A sudden beeping sound broke the silence and Hawk fiddled with something on his wrist. A clattering- sounding voice came through to them.

"General Hawk. We've got something down here...", panting followed before the young man continued to talk. "We're currently chasing down a Cobra spy. I repeat- We've found a Cobra spy!"

"I'm on my way", the general replied and looked up, his eyes focusing on Storm Shadow. "Flint, Road Block, Beach Head, Scarlett, you come with me. And you-" he nodded at Snake Eyes and the few soldiers left. "Watch that Cobra ninja", and with this, they took off down the corridor.

"I do not work for Cobra", Storm Shadow insisted, sounding very annoyed. Snake Eyes turned his head and looked at his friend. Their eyes met for a short moment before the white ninja turned to the other joes, watching them carefully. They were armed to the teeth and their big, heavy guns were all pointing at his head. In the blink of an eye, Storm Shadow had three of the men down on the floor, knocked out cold and then rushed back down the corridor they came from. Snake Eyes did nothing to help the remaining joes to chase him down. He just couldnt.

"Snake Eyes!" he took a step forward as Storm Shadow called his name. "If you change your mind, you know where you can find me!" the blackclad ninja hesitated and took another step, before stopping.

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~Next morning~

"I understand that you have some sort of friendly connection to this man, Snake Eyes, but we cant have Cobras running around our facilities." Hawk walked back and forth in front of his desk, and the ninja watched him from where he was standing, straight, with his arms behind his back. Snake Eyes gesticulated something and Hawk stopped, watched and then snorted.

"It doesnt matter if he doesnt work for Cobra anymore. He still was.." he stopped again and leaned against the wooden desk behind him. "We cant trust him. He may have been here to see you, but there were also Cobra spies here. Strange coincidence..dont you think?" he gave the ninja a meaning look and Snake Eyes bowed his head.

"Anyway", Hawk started again when he didnt get any respons. "The thing is...we dont want any contact with the enemy in this way. They might be luring us into some sort of trap." Snake Eyes watched him intensivly, not showing any emotions of some sort. "That's why I want you to cut your connection to Storm Shadow." The ninja stiffened and stared at his commander, shocked by the words he had spoken. Hawk noticed the sudden change in Snake Eyes position and sighed. "Is that clear?" he asked with a serious voice, looking deep into his eyes. The ninja bowed his head and then looked up again with a nod. Silence occurred.

"Good...you may leave." Snake Eyes nodded and turned on his heels, leaving the room quickly. He then hurried down the hallway, heading for his room. Lots of thoughts were running through his mind and he struggled to sort them out. He felt a sting in his heart as he rounded the corner, something he didnt think he'd feel when he was given the order, but realization slowly sneaked its way into head. He would never see Storm Shadow again. He brought his hand up, clutching at the fabric covering his chest. It hurt him...for some reason, it hurt him so much. When he'd met Storm Shadow last night, it had been a friendly visit and Snake Eyes had realized how much he'd missed his him. When he reached the room he shared with Beach Head, he entered and made sure that the door was properly closed before sitting down on his bed, letting out a sigh.

"If you change your mind, you know where you can find me" those words were still echoing in his head. He was pretty sure that he knew where Storm Shadow had his hideout but pushed the thought away. He couldnt go there. He just couldnt. It would mean that he'd go against Hawk's orders...Lying down, he pulled the covers over his head and tried to ignore the world around him for a while.

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In an abandoned construction site building, a small sliver of light could be seen under a staircase. A small bonfire lightened up the small room. Two suspended katanas glimmered in the light of the flames and lots of stuff lay scattered over the floor, but in a controlled, tidy kind of way, as well as a mattress. A small, red lantern was also resting on top of a big wooden box in the corner. Light footsteps approached the abandoned room and in came Storm Shadow, holding a porcelain bowl in his arms. He put it down on the floor, close to the fire, before seating himself on the mattress, staring into the flames tiredly. His thoughts wandered off to Snake Eyes. Wondering where he was now, what he was doing...wondering if he was at least thinking the offer over...probably not. He pushed that bad thought away and snorted, gazing outside where the rain was starting to fall softly. He got up on his feet again and walked to the part of the building where a wall was missing and stepped out on the wet street, letting the raindrops fall on his face.

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~the same afternoon at G.I. joe HQ~

The joes were enjoying their dinner, chatting, laughing, like they did most of the time during the evenings. A nice tune was playing on the radio in the bar, causing several of the men to hum along to the music. Everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood. Except for Snake Eyes then. The ninja had hardly been eating anything. Most of the time had gone to poking the food around on the plate. Scarlett had even tried to make him eat some, trying to figure out what was wrong but Snake Eyes wasnt interested. He practically dissed anyone who tried to talk him, which wasnt like him at all but he just couldnt force himself to be nice to anyone right now. With the sudden decision to leave, he stood up and grabbed his plate, which he left on the way out of the room. He felt people staring at his back as he walked down the corridor slowly, but decided not to care. All he could care about at the moment was that he was never going to see Storm Shadow again.

It also happened to be thursday. The day on which their weekly evening training was sheduled. It wasnt that Snake Eyes was sloppy soldier. There was no time for that in the army, but this night he was so exhausted he could hardly get out of bed again after having decided to take a nap. His whole body felt numb and cold and, like it didnt want to respond to his tries at moving. Still, he forced himself up into a sitting position and got ready. He'd come to a conclusion.

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The rain was practically pouring down on the soldiers where they stood, lined up outside the base. Everything looked so beautiful in the rays of the evening sun. Snake Eyes watched them carefully from a distance away, sheltered from the water. A sigh escaped his mouth and he leaned his forehead against a pillar, watching as Duke, who was in charge of it all, walked back and forth in front of the men, lecturing them. The ninja let his eyes travel down to the ground for a moment. He should have been there by now, standing in line, listening to the sergeant. He took a hesitating step backwards, his gaze focused on Duke's back, before retreating back into the building. There was no turning back now...he'd already made up his mind, no matter how many times his brain was trying to tell him that it was a bad decision, that it was the wrong way to go, his heart had already won this arguement a long time ago. Picking up a small, black bag from the floor by his feet, Snake Eyes left the premises, not knowing when he'd ever return.

Yummy, cliffhanger x)