…Why…?

The first rays of sunlight were breaking over the Forest of Death, casting shadows on the giant gates of Konoha. A figure sat on top of the gates, staring out over the forest, his scarlet hair rustling in the chilly morning breeze.

Gaara looked down to the ground, looking for any signs of his teammates: The mission was going to start as soon as Tsunade arrived to set them off. He looked around, and then gave a huff.

…Why can't everyone just hurry up…?

Suddenly, something made a rustle through the leaves covering the forest path around the gates. Gaara looked down to see no other that Hinata. Unaware of his presence, she looked around for any sign of her friends. The Sand ninja watching her smirked softly, then disappeared in a soft wisp of sand.

Hinata, sensing the sudden burst of energy, looked up, only to meet empty space. She sighed, and looked back down, only to stare directly into the eyes of Gaara.

"Ah--Oh, Gaara! I-It's you…"

Gaara's face remained smirking. "Well, at least I'm not the only one out here early."

Hinata giggled softly. She smiled up at him, and moved some of her long, raven hair out of her face. Gaara quickly reached out to her face, reaching for her hair, taking some of it up and running his fingers through the smooth, dark strands. Hinata tilted her head to the side, raising a hand and placing it on Gaara's. Gaara returned his hand to his side and turned towards the gates. Hinata gasped, and turned as well: Tsunade stood there, smiling, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura approaching behind her.

"Well, you two are here early!" Naruto piped up, approaching them. "Did we miss anything, Gaara? Bwahaha!"

Gaara huffed, and Hinata chuckled softly. No, Naruto, you didn't miss much.

"So, Hokage," Sakura spoke up. "It's just us five? Do we have a backup squad, just in case something should happen?"

Tsunade nodded. "If anything should happen, I will send Kankuro, Shino, and Ino to back you guys up."

Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "So, I guess we're all set?"

Tsunade nodded. "It would seem so."

Everyone centered their attention to the Hokage, as she gave a brief review over the mission. Hinata, though, couldn't concentrate on Tsunade: She felt….weird. The voices of her friends got slightly blurry, and her stomach began to flutter.

...W…Wha…?

Suddenly, there was a sickening splat. The group of ninjas turned to Hinata, who stared down at the ground, shocked: She had gotten sick. Hinata wrapped her arms around her stomach, stunned. Naruto winced slightly.

"Hey, Hinata--Are you okay?"

Hinata wiped her mouth with the edge of her sleeve, and turned to Naruto.

"Y--Yes, I--I'm fine, Naruto…"

Sakura stepped forward. "Is there anyway I can help? I mean, I am a medical ninja--!"

Tsunade walked up to Hinata. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small velvet pouch.

"I was suspecting something like this would happen…Don't worry, it's just a symptom," Tsunade whispered, slipping her the pouch. "This should make you feel better: Just take one every time you get sick."

Hinata nodded, and Tsunade continued to the group:

"Well, you guys better get going. Best luck to all of you…"

Naruto nodded, and with that, the group of ninjas headed out on their mission.

……………………………….

Later that day, at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar:

Kankuro, Shino, Ino, and Neji sat alongside one another: Ino ranted about her split with Shikamaru, while Shino and Kankuro listened. Neji sat silently, poking his ramen irritably with his chopsticks.

"…And, I swear, I mean--How could that lazy ass give me up?! I mean, I--Ugh!" Ino banged one of her fists on the counter. Shino nodded.

I see why he gave her up already.

Kankuro looked across the bar at Neji. Kankuro saw it immediately: He knew. Kankuro could see it in his eyes. Kankuro sighed, and walked across the bar to the Hyuuga. Neji directed his eyes at the puppeteer.

"…Heh. You know about Hinata, huh?" Kankuro whispered.

Neji smirked, surprised that he had known, and nodded. Kankuro took a seat next to Neji, and reclined his arms behind his head. Kankuro stared up at the ceiling, leaning his head back on his arms.

"…Sometimes, I wonder about my brother. He gets himself into the most horrible crap, sometimes," Kankuro scoffed. "I always knew that, one day, it was going to get him into serious trouble."

Neji looked up at Kankuro, who turned his eyes to the Hyuuga.

"…I guess that day has come," Kankuro said.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Neji and Kankuro turned to Ino, who was staring at them quizzically. Shino stared from behind his thick sunglasses.

"Oh--It's nothing…" Neji spoke up. He smiled, got back to his ramen, and began eating it instead of repeatedly poking at it. Kankuro returned to his seat, a smile spread softly across his face.

…Gaara…You really have gotten yourself into some deep shit…Heh…

Ino sighed, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and stood up.

"Well, I'll see you guys later…I've got some stuff to do, so I'd better get going…"

Ino turned and left, a small hint of slight bitterness reflecting in her eyes. Shino watched as she left.

…What's she so agitated about…?

Shino got up, leaving his unfinished bowl of ramen, and turned after Ino. He caught up to her, finding her seated on a bench under a willow tree on the outskirts of the forest. Shino shook his head, and preceded up to her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his large coat. Ino hung her head, so she didn't notice Shino as he approached.

"…Ino, are you alright…?"

At that moment, time seemed to go a little slower. As Ino quickly raised her head, time seemed to slow down just for that moment, as a few tears flicked from her face, excluding the crystal trails that ran down her cheeks from her stainless blue eyes, which stared up innocently at the Aburame shinobi.

Time seemed to go slightly slower for Ino as well: The wind blew a fair breeze between them, making Shino's spiky hair cascade over his eyes, which were peeking mysteriously over his dark sunglasses. The leaves that had fallen from the willow tree blew between their figures, making the scene seem even more unreal than it could ever be.

Then, time caught back up to them. Ino shook herself from her daze, then wiped away her tears, a reassuring smile now on her face.

"I--Yes, I'm fine…Thanks for your concern…"

Shino simply stared at her, his eyes showing that he knew that something truly was troubling her.

"…Is it Shikamaru, Ino…?"

Ino hesitated for a second. Shino sighed, and took a seat next to her. Ino looked up at him, surprised. Shino removed his sunglasses: A sight rarely seen….Ever.

Ino blushed slightly. He--He's kind of cute…I never noticed--I mean, he's always hidden behind those rims…

"Ino?"

Ino shook her head once again, snapping back to reality. Shino stared deeply at her.

"…Why are you letting your relationship with Shikamaru hurt you so badly? From what I know about you, you're stronger than that, Ino."

Ino shook her head, her frown reappearing on her face, deeply upset.

"I--I don't know why I'm letting him get to me…I just--I just don't want to believe that…That it's over…"

Ino jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. Then, Shino smiled.

"…When I took off my sunglasses, you seemed shocked to see what I really looked like."

Ino blushed, embarrassed, and chuckled sarcastically. "Well, I--Um--Yeah, I guess…"

Shino looked up at Ino's blonde ponytail. "You know, I've never seen you with your hair down…May I…?"

Ino nodded, and she reached up, pulling the tie out of her ponytail, letting her long, blonde hair cascade down her shoulders. Ino shook her head, making sure that her hair didn't stick up. Shino remained silent for a second, simply staring at the young kunoichi. Then, he got up, and began to walk away. Ino stared, her mouth slightly hanging open.

He…He's not even going to say anything…?

"…Maybe you two were just too different."

Ino gasped slightly at his words: He turned back to her.

"…That's probably why he left you….Either way…" Shino smiled.

"…He was a fool to let you go, Yamanaka Ino."

And with that, the Aburame boy turned and walked away, leaving the blond girl speechless and smiling.

…Th--Thank you, Aburame Shino…

……………………………….

The group of ninjas continued towards the waterfront, dashing through the limbs of the trees in the forest, making every move almost invisible to the human eye. Naruto led, with Sasuke and Sakura slightly behind, Gaara behind them, and Hinata in the back.

Hinata took a bottle of water from the pack on her back, drinking from it as she ran. She looked ahead at the group, running faster upon realizing that she was falling behind.

…Geez, this pregnancy is really getting to me…I hope I'm not too much of a burden, excluding the fact that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura don't even know about my situation…

"Are you okay?"

Hinata looked up at Gaara, who was still running before her, only slowing down to her pace. Hinata shook her head, smiling.

"N-No, I'm fine, Gaara…"

Gaara nodded, and then turned his gaze forward.

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "I see the ocean!"

The five ninjas popped out of the forest, landing on the rocks surrounding the water. Naruto surveyed the water, looking for any sign of the shark-like Akatsuki.

"Okay, I don't see him," Naruto said. "Perhaps we should split up and look."

"Heh, there's no need, Naruto."

Before Naruto knew what had happened, he impacted with the water below after the force of a blunt sword struck his back. Naruto swam back up, and looked up at the top of the rocks: His friends were facing none other than Hoshigaki Kisame.