Thanks to Senpaiidude and Gaara'slittlegirl for reviewing!

And, Gaara'slittlegirl, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you if they end up together or not, but they're listed as the main characters because they are the main characters and they're placed as a team.

Sorry this one is so late, too! My grandpa visited us yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to write anything.

But here's chapter 11!

Sasuke walked in front, with Naruto right behind him and Ino last, holding on to the back of Naruto's shirt, though she was taller than he was.

"Ino, you brought a flashlight, right?"

"Um, yeah! Here you go!" she handed Sasuke a bright red metallic flashlight.

They were standing in front of a cave somewhere near where they had landed at the beginning of the whole fiasco (Sasuke had started to think of his situation as a fiasco). It was dark, damp, and just icky-looking. But the three brave reality show contestants wanted to know what happened to Shikamaru, so they decided to go in anyway.

"Ew," Ino yelped as she stepped on something wet and squishy with her bare feet. "What was that?"

Sasuke didn't stop walking. "Just ignore it; it might be better if you don't know."

"He's right, you know, it might just be sh-"

Sasuke put his hand over Naruto's mouth, half hoping he wouldn't bite him, half hoping he would. "We must use appropriate language around the lady, Naruto. It's common courtesy."

"Hey, I've said worse, guys!" Ino reassured them, and still they walked on.

"Um, Gaara, I think the car just ran out of gas."

He was kicking the old, green Jeep as hard as he could, screaming the worst curses he could think of. "Dammit! It's not out of gas, it's evil! It hates us! I can hear it mocking me!" Gaara stopped and clutched his head in his hands, muttering incomprehensible phrases.

Hinata leaned out of the open window of the Jeep. "Gaara, you alright?"

"Just fine," he retorted sullenly. "Peachy keen. Wonderful! Frickin' fabulous!"

She stared at the angry redhead concernedly, then returned to her seat. She knew she'd just have to ride his anger out.

A few minutes later, still muttering, Gaara climbed into the car. He crossed his arms and stared at Hinata. "I'm hungry."

Hinata was about to answer that they didn't have any food, but then her stomach growled. She stared inwardly at her innards. Very opportune moment, stomach. Very nice indeed, she thought sarcastically.

"We don't have any food, do we?"

She smiled apologetically, and shook her head.

"Goddammit."

"Uh, but I bet there must be some food here, right?"

"I doubt it."

But they had water, and they had each other. That meant, if they got too hungry to bear, one of them could eat the other. Hinata had read about something like that, the Donner Party, where a bunch of people were on a mountain, they ran out of food, and they ate each other. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

So on they walked. They didn't even bother to try to push the Jeep; it was too heavy, but they took all their supplies.

The desert extended on and on into infinity. No plants, animals, or anything except sand for that matter could survive there. It was hot and windy, and the sand got grit in eyes, mouths, ears, noses- in fact, let's just say that the sand just got everywhere- and stung everywhere.

It was a very miserable existence in that desert. Thankfully for our two heroes, it didn't last for as long as they thought it would. No, they did not die, but something good did happen. Something that neither of them would ever expect.

"Oh my god..."

"Well, Sasuke, I guess we found Shikamaru," Naruto half-laughed.

What was left of Shikamaru was a mutilated corpse. Something had been chewing on it, which was made clear by the bleached bones on the lower half of his body. His face was twisted into an expression of horror. He was still holding the handgun that he had taken the night of the storm. Sasuke wrenched it from his grip.

"We'll need it," he said, turning around to see the three feral figures crouched in the opening of the cave.

Didn't their mothers ever tell them not to go into caves inhabited by things? Oh well.

CLIFFHANGER!!!

Review if you want Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino to LIIIIVE!!

Naruto: that's not fair!

beanpaste-chan: well, you'd better deal.

Sasuke: you suck.

beanpaste-chan: I know I do, dear.

Shikamaru, Neji, and Sakura: REEEVIEWWW!!!!

Gaara: I thought they were dead...?