Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, or Shippudden, or anything like that. I just own my OCs…except Renae (Arene) doesn't do what I tell her to do…:(

Recap: Then I'll see you at the flower shop at seven. It's been great to see you again Arene, tell Shino if you see him to stop by and say hey, if you can. …when I do I'll send him with Haru.


Arene was walking throughout the house, checking stuff mentally off her list of things she needed.

"Pajamas…change of clothes…toothbrush…brushes…scroll, ink, and chains…ice cream…blanket…pillow…chocolate…hmn, stuffed animal?" The girl turned to yell towards the bedroom. "Do I have a stuffed animal?" Haru's head peered from around the room's doorframe.

Look in the ramen bowl. Arene sighed and went into the living room, where the kittens' bed (dubbed the "ramen bowl" by Haru) was located. Sure enough, a stuffed wolf plushie was placed in the center, covered in fur and various strings.

"Okay, stuffed animal…I think that's all I need." Haru walked into the living room and stretched out on the floor.

Pack a few kunai.

"Why do I need kunai?"

You and Tenten might have to settle an argument.

"We settle those by wrestling or hitting each other with bottles."

I was referring to an argument with the two loudmouths.

"Oh."

You hit each other with bottles?

"Soda bottles, yeah."

Why?

"Why not?"

You're weird.

"Whatever you say, Haru…I'm about to head out; dinner is already out on the table, so eat when you're hungry." She looked up from Haru and called to the other residents of the house. "I'll see you all tomorrow afternoon! Don't break anything while I'm gone!" Miso and the kittens came from around the corner to say their goodbyes, before the feline put the litter to bed, Haru went to eat in the kitchen, and Arene left for the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Hokage Office

Tsunade was filling out a few of the mission logs and statements from the Special Ops mission that had just returned when the door was slammed open.

"Lady Tsunade!" The hazel-eyed woman scowled at the papers that flew across the room from the door's wind gust.

"What is it?" Shizune and the head for the Aburame clan stood in front of the desk.

"Shino is missing."

"…WHAT?"

Outside of the flower shop

Arene stood in front of the door, staring at the wooden frame, doubting her ability to walk up to it and knock. This stare-off between the girl and the inanimate object continued for about ten minutes, with neither side showing a sign of weakness or the need to blink. This may have continued for hours except a certain Hyuga Heiress, who had watched the competition for five minutes, interrupted.

"A-Arene? What's wrong? Is there something on the door?" The brunette jumped, not hearing the younger girl arrive.

"Ah…no…nothing Hinata. I was just thinking…"

"O-oh. Okay." The bluenette looked away for a moment, before noticing Arene's bags on the ground; seeing the plushie and blanket, the girl visibly brightened.

"You're here for the sleepover?"

"Yep, Sakura invited me."

"That's great! It has been forever since you came for one!"

"Yeah…" Arene rubbed the back of her head, reminding the Hyuga girl of a certain blond boy. "You see…what happened was that Tsunade always sends me on a mission when you all have a sleepover, so I could never make it…sorry." Hinata smiled warmly at the girl.

"It's fine Arene. You don't have to apologize." The two girls grinned at each other, before Arene turned back to the door.

"…"

"…Arene?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you keep staring at the door?"

"…"

"Arene?"

"We're early."

"What?"

"It's six fifty. The sleepover starts at seven."

"Oh." The girls were silent as they waited for the ten minutes to go by. At six fifty-five, Tenten arrived and without asking, she joined the staring competition. Sakura and Ino opened the door five minutes later, to put a few plants outside that needed to be out at night, and blinked in surprise of the three girls that seemed to be staring at them.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…" The three staring girls blinked and a large smile crawled onto their faces.

"WE WON! IT BLINKED!" Ino and Sakura looked questionably at the girls, before shrugging and going back into the house, motioning for the others to follow. The group scrambled inside and once all of the items were put into place Arene was put into almost immediate questioning.

"Why haven't you been to a sleepover?"

"Seriously! Last time you've been to one was like, the one after Sasuke left!"

"…" The Ino, Hinata, and Tenten winced, anxiously glancing at Sakura, who went to the corner, cloud floating over her head, storming fiercely. Arene gave the group a confused look and Tenten mouthed 'still can't say Sasuke around her yet'. The Sannin sister blinked, surprised by the statement, before rolling her eyes.

"Hey Sakura, you're not the only one who misses him. Ino had just as much of a crush on him as you and he was my teammate too…get a hold of yourself." Sakura was silent for a moment, before sitting up and joining the group, smiling at everyone.

"Yeah…you're right Arene, thanks." The girl returned the smile and before they all changed into their pajamas and prepared for their night.

Hokage Office

Tsunade slammed her fist against her desk, causing the wood to creak and a crack, about half an inch wide, appeared on the smooth surface.

"No one is available to find him! Gai, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Jiraiya are all gone on missions. Who can I send?" Shizune looked through the stacks of shinobi, eventually pushing six papers to the side.

"What about them?" Tsunade looked at the profiles.

"You know how dysfunctional this retrieval will be?" Shizune shrugged.

"But they would be efficient, yes?"

"…Yeah."

"So should I send for them m'lady?"

"…Yes, at once."

At the sleepover

"So? What do you think?" Ino struck a pose in her outfit that Hinata provided. The ice blue kimono clashed with the blood red lipstick that she applied, while causing her baby blue eyes to stand out even more; flicking her bang over one eye, the look was absolutely "Ino". Sakura, in her own soft pink kimono with intricate designs decorating the seams on the bottom, clapped.

"It's perfect Ino-pig. It's all you!" The said blonde rolled her eyes at the pinkette's comment.

"Well duh, forehead, anything I wear is 'me'. But how rocking am I? Thank you Hinata-chan!" The shy heiress smiled.

"You're welcome Ino, it does look quite nice on you." Tenten picked off imaginary lint of her own white kimono, with light yellow blossom patterns trailing from the waist down to the small slit near the calf of her leg.

"Yeah Ino, it does look pretty." The brunette then turned to the bathroom, where Arene was dressing. "Are you done yet? It shouldn't take that long to put it on." The girls chuckled at the reply.

"I can't figure out where my head goes!"

"The smaller hole"

"There's like four holes!"

"The smallest one!"

"I thought my arms go there!"

"The one in the middle!"

"Oh…" Shuffling was heard and eventually the door opened, causing Ino and Sakura to go starry-eyed.

"You look-"

"Absolutely-"

"AMAZING!" Arene sighed at the girl's antics. She wore a dark blue kimono, with red butterflies on random spots of the fabric. Her hair was in a half ponytail and spiraled down the front of her neck.

"Why butterflies, Hinata?" The girl smiled in a slightly devious manner.

"Well I was with Shino-kun when I picked it out. He was very interested in the pattern."

"…What are you trying to say Hinata?"

"Do you and Shino go out?" Arene blinked at the once shy girl's direct and probing question.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're just friends."

"But you two are so close!"

"So are you and him."

"But we're teammates."

"So?"

"He has no choice but to be close to me."

"You're point?"

"He's close to you without being forced."

"And that means we should date?"

"Yes."

"Can you explain that logic please? I fail to see how that makes sense." Hinata sighed, before explaining in the simplest terms that she could.

"Shino-kun is very antisocial, yes?"

"I guess…"

"And he doesn't spend too much time with anyone unless it is a mission, training, or something that Kurenai-sensei insists on, right?"

"Yes."

"So if he actually does something social by his own choice, does that mean he's interested in it?"

"I suppose…"

"And he spends time with you, even if it's not training or mandatory, right?"

"Yes."

"Which means…?"

"That he uses me to get away from Kiba and extra training with his father."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…" Hinata sighed.

"Never mind Arene." Ino shook her head in disbelief.

"I though you two really had something going on." Arene rolled her eyes, before going back to the bathroom to change back into her pajamas. Once they all were out of the formal wear, the girls all sat in a circle to decide what to do next. "Okay…I did everyone's makeup, Hinata had us dress up, Tenten brought some way-too-cool hair accessories…so we either watch Sakura's movie or…wait, what did you bring, Arene?" The raven-haired girl went through her bag and pulled out a bottle of ink, a scroll, a few paintbrushes, and various sized chains. Ripping the scroll into five rectangular sections, Arene set one paper in front of each girl, and then one in front of herself.

"I brought a little surprise, so can you all right your names on the paper in front of you please?" The girls obliged and quickly wrote their names. "Now each of you needs to hold a chain…now wait a moment please." Arene wrote something on her own piece of paper and began to make a few hand signs. Stopping at the boar sign, Arene slammed her hand on the document. "Saguriwoieru!" (1) The tags in front of the girls began to glow and lifted from the ground, hovering in front of each girl's nose. "Release!" The parchment disappeared in a puff of smoke, and a charm appeared.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…" Arene smiled at the group.

"My own little creation, one of a kind, specially made jewelry! But please, don't take it off, even for missions; they have a tendency to perform their own special 'magic' when the time is right!" The girls gaped at the pendants in front of them. Ino picked up hers, a silvery blue charm in the shape of a flower in bloom, with the kanji symbol of her name etched delicately in the middle.

"It's beautiful Arene…"' Sakura stared at her gift, which was a stunning wooden carving of a sea shell, painted in pink and emerald, but still had spots that showed the natural dark wood.

"What type of wood is it?" Arene glanced at it before snorting.

"Wood that was taken from a sakura tree, duh Sakura." The pinkette smiled at the girl's aloofness. Hinata did not notice the conversation as she stared in wonder at her charm. It was a smooth white rock, shaped in the form the sun, with blue lines flowing throughout the stone.

"A sun?" Arene smiled.

"Your name means a sunny place, correct?" Hinata nodded, still in awe of art in her hands. Tenten grinned at hers.

"Mine is awesome!" She waved the soft green key around for a moment, before bringing it closer for a better inspection. "It's different, and it has 'Weapons Mistress' engraved on the handle! That's so cool! But I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Why is it a key?"

"…" Arene had a difficulty holding back her laugh, as she whispered something in Hinata's ear, who then began started laughing so hard, that she began to cry.

"Oh! Can I tell her Arene? Please?" The Sannin sister laughed as the girl practically attacked her with excitement.

"Sure Hinata, go ahead." The heiress jumped with joy for a moment before turning to Tenten.

"It means, Tenten-san, that you will unlock-" A loud squawk interrupted the explanation. The group turned to the window, where a messenger bird sat, a scroll tied to its foot. Ino quickly went over and untied the message, before opening it and quickly read it.

"Who is it for?" Ino glanced up.

"It's for all of us." Arene raised her brow.

"Really? All of us?"

"Yep."

"Interesting. I'll meet you all at the Hokage office then. I need to get Haru."

"Okay."

Hokage Office

Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Sakura, Tsunade, Shizune, the head of the Aburame clan, and Tonton waited for Arene and Haru to arrive. A few minutes later, a hiss filled the room as Arene and Haru arrived. Tsunade nodded.

"Good, now everyone is here. Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Tenten, Arene, and Haru, I would like for you to meet Shou Aburame; he is the head of the Aburame clan and is Shino's father." The girls quickly bowed the man, saying their greetings. Shou nodded his head.

"Hello." Tsunade continued.

"The mission you are assigned to is a retrieval mission, Shino disappeared-"

"WHAT?" Ino, Sakura, and Hinata yelled. The group glanced at Hinata from her outburst, before Arene took a step forward.

"When was the last time he was seen?" Shou answered.

"This morning, he was sent for an errand and did not return. I followed his trail and it disappeared near the gates. My bugs are unable to track him from there."

"What time did he leave for the errand?"

"Between seven and seven thirty." Arene nodded and turned to her friends.

"We are going to start off where his trail ends. Hinata, you can use your Byakugan to see if we can pick it up again. We will decide our next course of action from there." Arene glanced at Tsunade. "Is there anything else?"

"No. You are dismissed."

At the gates

The girls and Haru stood near the entrance of Konaha, waiting as Hinata searched the area. After a moment passed, the Hyuga Heiress returned to the circle.

"His trail is faint, but it leads out of the village, with three other chakras. I do not recognize them." Arene was silent for a moment, before turning to her friends.

"Hinata, you will be in the front; Ino, you and Tenten will be behind her, Ino on the left and Tenten on the right; Sakura, you'll be behind them, and me and Haru will be at the back. Any questions?" Ino nodded.

"Yeah, why did you pick us in that order?"

"Hinata needs to be in the front to lead us, since she's the only one who knows where we're going. Your jutsu require someone to watch over your body, correct? Tenten can do that while keeping all enemy away with her weapons. Sakura is the medic, which means she needs to be closest to the person who would need to be healed; as you might get hurt by your Kekkei genkai, and the possibility that Tenten might get injured protecting you; therefore Sakura should be behind the two of you. Haru finds it easier to work in the back of a formation and since he is my partner, that means I'm in the back with him."

"Oh."

This is the retrieval team? Your mate isn't going to be found.

"Shut up Haru." The girls exchanged glances, as they still weren't used to listen to a seemingly one-sided conversation that is usually an argument and is full of insults. "Are we ready to head out?" The girls jumped up and mock saluted the Sannin heiress in a fashion that would have made Gai and Lee cry an ocean filled with the tears of youth.

"Yeah!"

About an hour and a half later

Hinata froze in mid jump and quickly landed on a tree branch.

"Look out!" The others quickly followed her example and took cover behind the tree branches. Seconds later kunai peppered the trees. Arene scowled, before creating a shadow clone of each girl and Haru. The doppelgangers leapt into the air and began to fight with the unseen opponents, giving the group time to reform and see what was attacking them. Ino scowled.

"They're just bandits." Arene rolled her eyes, before turning to the pinkette.

"Can you take them out?" Sakura nodded, pulling on her gloves.

"Where should I focus?" The Sannin sister observed the area for a moment, before answering.

"That large tree on the left, strike it directly in the middle." Sakura did what she was told to do, and the tree split in half, falling in a domino effect, killing the bandits instantly. Tenten quickly checked the surroundings, making sure that there were no survivors. After they took a break, the group continued following the missing Aburame's trail.

Near the

Haru stopped, giving out a sharp bark, before bounding away from the girls, along the line of the country's boarder to the Hidden Village of the Rain.

"Haru? Where are you going?" Arene broke formation and ran after the wolf, the others quickly following.

The boy is this way.

"What? Hinata, do you pick up Shino's trail this way?" The Hyuga Heiress activated her Byakugan.

"No, his chakra leads the other way."

That's a false trail. His real one leads this way.

"How are you sure?"

He has a trail of his sucker bugs this way. I think he was hoping that we would be on the retrieval mission; he knew I could find them.

"Sucker bugs?" Arene thought for a moment, before smiling. "The kikaichū? Really? They're this way?" Hinata grinned.

"Shino must be this way then! Great job Haru-kun!" Smugness was radiating off of the wolf's fur as he led the group to a small cabin.

I smell your mate…he's not conscious…and his chakra is at a dangerous level…we should get him soon.

"Who else is in there?"

Ten males, two females, and six summons.

"Hmm…you wouldn't be able to tell what kind, would you?"

No.

"Okay…Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"Can you check the surroundings for a trap?" The lavender-eyed girl was silent for a moment, before answering.

"There are trick wires along the path to the entrance along the windows, but there seems to be another way in…a basement…the door is behind that bush." She pointed to a large rose bush. "But we're probably going to be scratched by the thorns." Ino observed the shrub, before her flower shop abilities kicked in.

"Those thorns are particularly nasty…some people pour a little poison on the plant as it's growing, and it eventually keeps the poison on the thorns." Sakura frowned.

"So it's most likely a poison bush?"

"Yep. I bet it is." Tenten raised a scroll.

"I have several scythes. I can shred it in two seconds flat." Arene shook her head.

"No, the goal is to bring as little attention to ourselves as possible."

"So I can't shred it?"

"No."

"Oh…"

"Yep."

"So then how do we get past it?" Arene thought about it for a moment, before turning back to her blonde friend.

"Is there an antidote for the poison?"

"Well…"


Insert epic cliffy! Lol, sorry that it's been forever and a day since I've updated; I've been going through a lot of life-threatening things recently so I've been kinda out of it. I'm about to start typing my other story again so I can get back on track, and then I'll try to be more regular again. Sorry again!

(1) It means search in Japanese...so its another original jutsu! You'll see its uses later on :D

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