AN: Ok, if you've ever read my sisters stories, you should recognize this pretty quick. It was part of another challenge, and I think we both threw Ebisu out of his element. Just read and find out…

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Hinata answered her front door sleepily. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what she saw was definitely not high on her list of possible options.

Two very drunk shin obi, one of them her former sensei, were standing in the rain on her front porch. Hinata stared in surprise at Iruka and Ebisu. Iruka's face was slightly pink with the affects of sake, but he was not as bad as Ebisu, who was looking at her sideways with a lopsided grin from where he was hanging from Iruka's arms.

"Hey Hinata. Sorry about this, but with the village the way it is, yours was the only credible shin obi house we thought it relatively safe to stay at since we can't make it home." Iruka explained, his words slurring only slightly.

Hinata nodded and let them in, thanking the heavens that her father wasn't home. They wandered in and stood in the front entry way, dripping wet. As Hinata scrambled to find some towels, Iruka started taking his vest off.

Hinabi wandered out of her room and looked at Hinata as she rushed past to the bathroom. "Hinata? What's going on?"

"Iruka-sensei and Ebisu-san need a place to stay for the night, but their also dripping wet and need some towels too."

Hinabi sighed and followed her sister. "I guess I'll come see if I can't help."

By the time they came back, Iruka was standing there shirtless, and Ebisu was struggling to tug his shoes off, also shirtless. Hinata turned bright red at the sight and quickly handed them their towels before gathering up their wet clothes and rushing back down the hall. Hinabi followed a bit slower.

She walked into the laundry room just in time to see Hinata throw everything into the dryer.

"Good looking men." Hinabi said softly, causing Hinata to blush. "I mean, I know you like Naruto and all, but that one guy, Iruka, wasn't it? He has muscles in places most people don't even have places!"

Hinata gaped at her sister's blunt expression of opinion. "G-Go to bed!!!" She commanded angrily.

"Or what miss Sunshine?"

"I'll wake nee-san!"

"That's suicide!"

"And he'll kill anybody he can get his hands on! Meaning you, since I'll tell him you're the reason he's been woken up!"

Hinabi glared at her sister but quickly retreated to her room. Hinata sighed in relief. She hated confrontations with her sister. Hinabi's confident attitude made it difficult for Hinata to intimidate her. Not that Hinata was intimidating in the least, but she knew Neji was. And she used their relationship to her advantage.

She hurried back down the hallway and found that Iruka and Ebisu had moved. She looked around and saw the two of them sitting at her kitchen table.

"There you are! I was wondering where you were! Now, can I get you anything? Water, aspirin…"

"More sake?" Ebisu chuckled from where he was laying on the table.

She frown. It was the first time she had seen him without his glasses, but with the sake so evident on his face, it made his normally beautiful eyes look less than pleasing to her. "Ebisu-san, I don't think that's such a good idea. You look very drunk." She remarked softly, trying to be gentle. Not only that, but she could also smell the alcohol. He reeked of it. She wouldn't be surprised if he passed out on the table right now.

He just smiled lopsidedly at her. "Nonsense." He slurred. "I'm not as think as you drunk I am."

She blinked, taking a moment to process the information. "Ebisu, I'm going to get you some water, aspirin, and a blanket. You can sleep on the couch."

But he had passed out. She cringed as she realized that she would have to clean his drool off the table and probably out of whatever pillow he slept on. Iruka just smiled at her.

"So where will I be sleeping, Little miss Sunshine?"

She tried to control the mild blush creeping over her cheeks in vain. It was a pet name he had given her as a young student, and everybody had since adopted it. "There's another couch. And I'll be down the hall if you need anything. Don't hesitate to ask. Now, do you think you could help me get Ebisu over to the couch?"

"I dragged him here, so I suppose I could manage it." He smiled.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei." She blushed again as her shirt-less teacher stood to help her with Ebisu. With the towel draped around his neck, she had to admit that he looked very good. Still, having one shirtless man help you haul another shirtless man to a couch was a bit distracting.

When they finally got Ebisu on the couch, Iruka was wobbling a bit more noticeably. She gave his shoulder a gentle push so that he toppled over onto the other couch, and tossed a blanket at him. He smiled at the gesture, but she could tell that whatever alcohol he had been drinking was started to take a firmer hold on him.

As he made himself comfortable, she got a glass of water and some aspirin and set them on the coffee table by him and Ebisu.

"That should be everything. Now, I'm headed to bed. Good night Iruka-sensei."

"Good night. And thank you Hinata." Iruka mumbled.

She blushed and looked at him, already dozing on her couch. "Your welcome." She whispered.

"Sunshine…" He mumbled sleepily to himself.

Her face turned red and she hurried away. Note to self: Never let drunken shinobi into your house after two a.m.

The next morning, Hinata was startled awake when Hinabi jumped on her bed and scrambled for cover under her sheets.

"Hinabi? What are you doing?" She asked groggily.

"Nee-san is awake!!" She whimpered.

Hinata's eyes widened fearfully just as Neji burst through her door, seething with anger. Hinata started at him, terrified, as Hinabi hid farther under her sheets.

"Hinata! There are two shinobi sleeping in the living room that reek of alcohol!! What have I told you about drinking without me?!" He yelled angrily.

Hinata sighed and put her head in her hands with a small smile. It was certainly going to be an interesting morning.