So first I would like to thank all of the reviews, and I had a question from an anonymous reviewer so I couldn't reply via pm.

I have no desire for SasuKarin or ShikaIno. I would rather have Karin be a more independent personality in this story. I'll try not to make her too OOC, but I believe Karin has a lot more potential than the anime gives her credit for. (Such as I have always believed with Sakura towards the beginning of the series)

As for ShikaIno, I've never really viewed them as a pairing. To me with the relationship of their dads (in the actual series) would put them more as siblings than a romantic relationship. So with that being said, I have my eyes set on SasuSaku, SuiKarin, and SaiIno. These of course aren't set in stone, but I haven't had any complaints about it so far. I'm not saying they won't change of course, and there will always be some slight pairings here and there (Such as KibaIno) but nothing that will progress.

This chapter will be more or less "filler" like. Although the storyline will progress slightly, this chapter is filled a lot more with character interactions and relationships.

Also thanks to all of my reviewers, followers, and favorites. Now onto the story!

Sexual Disgrace

~:[Sakura]: :[Naruto]: :[Tenten]:~

Naruto and Sakura plopped down at one of the wooden tables. Naruto, always being the overly dramatic person, was pale in the face and wouldn't move. Sakura giggled at him. She herself was quite worn out from the day. Tenten, however, seemed not to be affected at all and winked at the two. Sakura could not understand how she did this everyday. Everyone had finally settled down. Quite a few wives had left and were now bringing back an assortment of foods.

Sakura could see the sun was setting. She was debating whether they should travel during the day or night. Perhaps night would be best, they could get most of their traveling done without running into someone. She glanced at Tenten who was laughing at what one of the villagers said. She looked so happy, but Sakura could see underneath that cheerful expression. It wasn't that she didn't want to be here, but her heart knew she wasn't supposed to be here.

"Neh, Sakura. Are we leaving tonight," Naruto asked quietly. Sakura needed to talk to Tenten.

"Mmm. Let me talk to Tenten first," Sakura said taking a sip of her drink. Her face scrunched up at the taste. Naruto began laughing at her before chugging his down. Sakura was quite a drinker herself. No one could ever figure out her small body could hold so much alcohol. Now she was sure it was because her body was clearing out the alcohol before it could affect her.

"You know I'm a good drinker, but this stuff is disgusting," Sakura said making a face towards her glass. Tenten walked over.

"Not to your liking Princess," she said smiling towards her. Sakura smiled in return nodding her head.

"Mmm. Do you have anything a bit...sweeter," she asked. Tenten nodded taking her drink. Naruto was gulping down his second beer. Sakura lightly smacked the back of his head.

"Idiot. If we're leaving tonight we can't have you stumbling," she said. Naruto grinned sheepishly at her, before pushing his drink away. Tenten returned as quickly as she had left with another drink. Sakura sniffed it. It smelled fruity. She took a drink and sighed. It was perfect.

"Don't ask for the recipe, I won't tell you," Tenten said winking at her before walking off to help someone else. Sakura gave a grin towards her. Several women began to walk towards the traveling duo and sat down in front of them.

"Neh, so you're the Princess of Konoha?"

"What is it like?"

"Do you have lavish dresses? Handsome princes asking for your hand everyday?" The two looked eager at her answer, but she just laughed.

"Of course not. Well the lavish dresses yes, but I'm the last Princess to be asking about dresses. As for Princes, well let's just say I may have ran them all off," she said winking towards them. Naruto smacked Sakura's back slightly, knocking the air out of her. She glared at him.

"Sakura here is no ordinary princess of course. She prefers reading, fighting, and horseback riding. Hell she's even won a few drinking contests," Naruto said, almost bragging about her. One of the males seemed to overhear their conversation. He was a larger man. He stood up gaining the attention of his table walking over to them.

"Ehh, drinking contests. This little princess? How about a bet," he said loudly. Sakura blushed. A drinking contest with a large man in a tavern was the last thing Sakura wanted.

"C'mon Princess, don't be shy," he said. The two women moved aside to let the large man sit between them. Sakura's eyes narrowed. She was not shy, and she would never back down from a challenge. A crowd had begun to gather around them. They all started making bets on who would win. Sakura was surprised so many had faith in her drinking grinned at her as she sat down a tray of beer.

"Alright lads and lasses, when I say begin start drinking," Tenten said. The crowd had quieted down.

"Begin!" Sakura grabbed her glass. It wasn't fruity, in fact it was extremely bitter. She ignored it as she drank glass after glass. The other man was surprised that the girl could keep up with him, and he began to have second thoughts. Sakura smirked at him before slamming her last cup down. The larger man was finally looking green in the face. He stood up quickly, running outside. Sakura laughed as some of the men groaned at their loss.

"Tenten, we should leave tonight," she said. Tenten was surprised that the small girl looked nowhere near drunk before nodding her head. The crowd had began to leave taking their seats, the excitement over. She took the glasses and the tray before walking over to the bar. Sakura watched as her Dad let his head down.

"Naruto. We should get our stuff," Sakura said. He nodded standing up, Sakura following. They walked up the stairs, into their first rooms and gathered their things. Throwing their cloaks on, they walked back down the steps. Tenten had her own cloak on, her bag thrown on her back. Takumu nodded before they hugged. Sakura walked over to them, Naruto following.

"The villagers have already gathered supplies for you. Our stable master has also provided horses for you three. They're already saddled and your supplies have been strapped on. Again we thank you for your help," Takumu said giving a small head bow.

"The kingdom of Konohagakure will never forget your kindness, and perhaps one day we can also be of some help to you," Sakura said. The inn got quiet as the villagers bowed to her.

"I have one last request," Sakura said. Takumu nodded at her.

"Word must not get out that I've been here. I would greatly appreciate if we kept our arrival a secret," Sakura said turning and looking towards the villagers. They nodded smiling.

"Are you guys ready," Sakura asked her two companions. They nodded.

"Then let's head out."

~:[Ino]: :[Karin]:~

Horns blew signaling the beginning of the gala. The two sisters were already ready, through much excitement (Ino) and protests (Karin). Ino smirked at the commotion Sakura would have made if she was here. The thought made her chest hurt, and you could see the solemn expression on her face.

"What's wrong," Karin asked her sister. Ino rolled her eyes at how quick her sister noticed.

"Just thinking about Sakura," she replied softly staring into the sky. Stars were beginning to shine in the sky as the setting sun gave off an orange glow. It was silent for a few minutes, the only noise came from the shuffling made by the eldest princess.

"I'm not sure how to comfort you. We can't rule out the possibility that she didn't survive," she replied pushing up her glasses. Ino stood up quickly glaring at her sister, her knuckles turning white. It was silent for a few seconds before Ino finally released her anger.

"How could you say that! Sakura is the strongest girl I know. She can't be killed off that easily," Ino screamed at her sister, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Throwing the doors open, she ran out of the room. She knew she was being childish but she was too emotional to care.

"Hey?! Ino," Kiba yelled starting to run after her. Karin's voice stopped him.

"Let her go she needs to come to terms with the truth," Karin said crossing her arms as she watched Ino disappear around the corner. Kiba said nothing. It was almost like Karin was holding him back, but not physically.

~:[Ino]: :[Sai]:~

She ran into the garden. The sun had finally set in a surprisingly short amount of time. She sat down inside the gazebo, sniffling in her hands. She didn't even care her makeup was ruined and her dress was wrinkled.

How could her sister say that? Even after all they've been through. Ino knew it was a possibility that Sakura hasn't survived, but she was the strongest most stubborn girl she had ever met.

'Why should I be surprised. Karin was never nice to us in the first place. Why did I think she had changed?' Ino had finally stopped sobbing and sighed loudly.

"May I join you?" Ino's head whipped around her eyes wide.

"Sai?" Had Kakashi really let him loose? She nodded hesitantly. He was dressed up himself. His pale complexion contrasted with his black suit.

"I overheard Kiba. Kakashi let me go. I'm not for sure how long though," he said looking at her intently. His chest had been hurting since he heard Kiba's complaints. He still wasn't used to these emotions.

They sat in silence. The moon shone brightly above, illuminating everything around them. Sai wished he had paper and ink. His need to draw the upset beautiful princess in front of him was unnatural. His fingers twitched at the thought. She had now kicked her shoes off and pulled her knees to her chest, her head still hanging back to look up into the sky. Sai leaned back just watching. Having trouble feeling emotions himself, he always found watching others interesting.

Sometimes, such as in this case, he was glad he couldn't feel anything. He never understood sadness or anger. He knew how to describe emotions, mainly from the books he read, but he had never truly felt them. His hand went to his chest clutching at his jacket. The throbbing in his chest, he could only relate it to sadness. It confused him how he could be sad when nothing had happened to him.

"Sakura is alive, I just know it. She's always excelled at anything pertaining to survival. I'm not sure how, but I can feel a soothing voice in the back of my head just chanting about her. Things she's doing or seeing. How her health is," Ino said resting her chin on her knees. It was silent except for the humid breeze that rustled the foliage, swaying Ino's hair.

"Beautiful," Sai whispered out. He was genuinely surprised. He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"I'm sorry?" Ino asked looking at him. He could see both of her baby blue eyes as she angled her head towards him. He noticed her bangs had been held back by a small pin. Another emotion flickered through him. He stood up walking towards her. She positioned herself into a sitting position watching him.

They just stared at each other wondering what each one was thinking. This experience was new for Sai. He had never acted on impulse before, but what he was doing felt so natural. He took his hands and cupped both sides of her face before slowly lowering his lips towards hers. It was like slow motion for the both of them.

"Hey!" A shout was heard, knocking the two out of their daze. Sai dropped his hands quickly as Ino pulled back, giving Sai a confused look. Sai looked at the intruder. Another emotion. This time he could only describe it as anger. The dog boy had been giving him dirty looks since they had met, and he could never understand why until now. So he also held feelings for the youngest princess? Akamaru growled next to him sensing his master's fury.

Sai took a step back as Ino stood up, slipping her small feet into her shoes. She held her head down as she walked towards Kiba and right past him, not sparing him a glance. Another breeze swept through the garden as both men watched her walk away.

~:[Sakura]: :[Naruto]: :[Tenten]:~

Sakura was surprised at the supplies the villagers were able to provide. She had figured a smaller village would need to stock up. Although it wasn't too far away from Konoha, they had to of gotten their supplies from somewhere else. Tenten had mentioned another medium sized village that wasn't too far away.

"The next village, Kosaten, is rightfully named. It's a place where all kinds of people are accepted. Merchants, prostitutes, you name it. I'm hoping we can blend in, " she said. Sakura nodded. Luckily for them it was a clear sky, giving them enough moonlight to light their path. Sakura could feel the impatience radiating from Naruto. She sighed.

"You can walk if you're that bored," Sakura mused towards him. He groaned, making Tenten laugh.

"I was hoping we would encounter a few bandits waiting in the shadows. Some action or something," he said making slashing motions with his hands. Tenten snorted at him.

"Not likely on this road. It's hardly traveled. There's a main road, north of us, that most merchants and travelers use. Bandits would get more out of waiting there than wasting their time here. Besides the most valuable thing here are your swords," Tenten said. It never occurred to Sakura exactly how such small important items could hold little significance. Growing up in a castle had made her take things, such as food, for granted. She never once thought about the people outside of the castle walls that didn't have near as much.

Sakura glanced over to Naruto. His facial expressions hadn't changed with her statement. She knew he had grown up, mostly under Kakashi's care. He always wanted to be the next General of the Konoha Army. Although, she had noticed, Jiraiya also held a soft spot for the boy as did Tsunade. They were both older people, maybe they knew something about his parents? The Kyuubi attack was a subject that was avoided to younger generations.

"Like what you see," Naruto said wriggling his eyebrows towards Sakura. Knocked out of her gaze her eye twitched at him.

"Get any closer and I'll make you walk. Behind the horse," Sakura said raising a fist. He grinned at her holding his hands up in defeat. He, of course, knew she was joking as it was the type of relationship they had. He was always causing trouble for attention and she would be the one to put him in line. Naruto looked ahead smiling. Sakura was the only child that ever got near him. Even her sisters avoided him.

"Sakura? Do you think your sisters are ok," he asked in a worried tone. He watched as Sakura's head dropped. Her face was concealed by her hood.

"I..I don't know. I sent Ino off to our safe house during the attack, but I can't say for sure," Sakura said. He could hear her voice laced with sadness. He wanted so bad to hug her and hide her from all of this.

"We should be able to grab some news from Kosaten," Tenten said. She hadn't meant to listen into their conversation, but the night was quiet enough that the noise was welcoming.

"Kosaten? Is that the next village," Naruto asked confused. Tenten shook her head. He scratched his head as he watched Sakura bring a palm to her face.

"Yes Naruto. We've just told you that, " Sakura said. Naruto shrugged, he had never been a good listener. The trio fell back into a, more comfortable, silence.

'It's ok guys. I'm going to settle this. I'll come back to Konoha and bring peace,' Sakura thought with determination.

~:[Karin]: :[Suigetsu]:~

Karin looked around. After her name was called she gracefully walked down the steps, holding her head high. People watched in curiosity at her presence. This would be the first time that they've seen her after all. She watched as Suigetsu walked towards the bottom of the stairs, grinning up at her. He held his arm out and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey now, I'm just being the respectable gentleman I am," he straightened his body, as if it helped him prove his case. Karin inwardly snorted at him. However the attention was soon reverted to how it was before her arrival. There were a few women's laughs that overpowered the stereotypical music provided for special social events such as this.

She absolutely hated formal parties. Everyone was so fake, as if this gala was a masquerade. She glanced towards Kumo's leader and even she could see he was irritated at this whole thing,

"There's Shikamaru," Suigetsu said snapping her out if her thoughts. He guided her over to two men that seemed to be around her sister's age. One looked exactly like Shikaku, lazy posture and all. The other one was a heavier set boy with long spiky brown hair, he was currently stuffing his face with the many entrees provided.

"Suigetsu, man what a drag," she heard Shikamaru say, a large heavy sigh slipping past his lips. Suigetsu gave a grin in return.

"Shikamaru, seems you haven't changed," Suigetsu said leaning slightly to look at Choji," And apparently neither has porky." Choji sent him a glare at the offending comment, but said nothing. Karin noticed the informality between the three.

'Perhaps they are used to his company?' She thought observing the interactions between them.

"My fair lady. This is Shikamaru Nara, Shikaku's son and this is Choji Akimichi, Choza's son," he said finally introducing them formally. They gave her a slight head bow and she nodded in return. They already knew who she was. She was the reason they were having this party. Shikamaru groaned remembering the excitement and yells his mother gave towards her husband and son.

Karin watched as Kiba walked in through the large entrance from the gardens. His knuckles were clenched white, and his expression held a mix of anger and sadness. Was he still upset about earlier? Inside Karin shook her head no. This seemed to be something different. She knew he was extremely upset at their earlier argument, but she could see in his eyes that something bigger had happened. He walked up towards Kakashi saying something to him, and he nodded in return before Kiba disappeared from the room completely.

"Karin," Suigetsu said questioning her gaze. She shook her head saying nothing. He looked at her intently, but didn't push her. Her gaze was once again sweeping the room to find a certain princess, but came up empty. She sighed, perhaps she went a little bit too far with her words? The whole ordeal was stressing her out, and she could feel herself getting agitated each second.

"So, where is your sister," Suigetsu asked Karin. The others looked at her expectedly. She shrugged. It was the truth, she didn't know where her sister was. However she knew the reason as to why Ino hadn't appeared. The conversation was dropped as two couples approached them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Princess Karin," one of the men said giving her a bow, his wife curtseying.

"And to you," she said giving a small head bow. She scoffed inside. Nobles, always trying to worm their way to the royals good sides. She thought it was absolutely pathetic the way these people groveled at her feet for her attention. It made her want to kick their fake smiles off of their faces. Perhaps that was the reason she tolerated the younger people around her. They actually treated her like a human being, instead of a spoiled princess waiting to become queen.

The couples introduced themselves, though Karin had long ago tuned out their conversations.

"Pardon myself for interrupting, but I need to be excused. It was a pleasure meeting you," Karin said letting go of Suigetsu's arm. The couples bowed their heads towards her before walking away. Suigetsu attempted to follow her, but she shook her head no. He seemed hurt by her actions, but watched as he shrugged it off and started a conversation with Shikamaru. She walked into the hallway following the scent of lavender.

~:[Karin]: :[Ino]:~

Ino had ran back to her room throwing herself onto her bed. First her sister had to go and question Sakura's life, then Sai had tried to kiss her. She didn't know whether to be sad or angry. She knew she was a jumble of emotions right now, and it made her want to tear her hair out. It was another reason she wished Sakura was here. Her sister would listen to her, and whether she wanted to admit it or not she did provide good advice.

She sighed once more as she heard the sounds of heeled shoes approach her room. She sat up looking at the door expectedly. The doors opened and Karin walked in, leaving the massive stone door slightly ajar. Ino narrowed her eyes as she watched her sister take a seat next to her. She said nothing waiting for her sister to speak.

Ino was raging inside. She had thought her eldest sister had changed, but that apparently didn't happen. She folded her hands in her lap before she asked a question that had been with her for a long time.

"Why do you hate Sakura and I so much," Ino said. It came out as a whisper and a lot less confident than Ino wanted. Karin sighed.

"I don't hate you guys, but I will be honest. You guys annoy me. How you can always be so happy and carefree, but I'm stuck with so much responsibility? I don't have time to have fun like you guys and it makes me...jealous. I've been taught to have a stone heart to make logical decisions. Sometimes I wish I could just run from it all and never look back," Karin said quietly.

She was reluctant on giving Ino the answer she wanted to hear. Karin wasn't one for sharing her thoughts and emotions. Perhaps her studies made her this way. The rest of her family seemed to always be full of happiness and warmth. Even her father, who could be strict at times, always gave a smile even in the toughest of times. It pained Karin to know that she was unknowingly pushing away her most important people. She doesn't want her sisters to hate her, but it was like she was programmed to act this way.

"I see. Why don't you ever take a break then?" Ino asked looking at her.

"I can't. I'm next in line for the throne and I have to be prepared. You wouldn't understand," Karin said clenching her fists.

"You're right. I don't understand! But how can I if you don't tell me. Don't tell us. Sakura and I will always be here for you, but its like you don't even want us to exist." It was silent between the two, both filled with conflicting emotions.

Karin lowered her head as a tear escaped her eye. She hated showing this weakness, especially to someone she needed to be strong for. Ino's head was filled with thoughts that she knew only her sister could think of. It was like being inside of her mind, and after listening for a few minutes she felt like she finally understood. Karin was shaking slightly and Ino knew she was trying her hardest not to show it.

She decided to push away her anger towards her sister and hugged her. Karin's eyes widened and she tensed up, however Ino didn't expect more from her. She could feel the bond between them strengthen in this moment, and Karin's thoughts became less jumbled. As if the situation allowed Ino to 'hear' more.

Ino let go of Karin and they looked at each other. Unknown to them, two men watched between the crack of the door at the two sisters. They walked away quietly, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

And done with this chapter. I actually really like this chapter even though not much of the story progressed. I blame myself for being a sucker for character development.

Like I said this chapter is probably what one would call a "filler". But I felt some light may need to be shed on some of the characters relationships to give them more personality.

Reviews, comments? Keep 'em coming!

Thanks,

Sexual Disgrace