Suki's POV

I walked outside and looked around the gardens a bit. It was nice; there were a lot of different kinds of plants, and plenty of birds flying around as well. I was taking in the beauty of the place just as I heard voices coming from around the corner. I hid in one of the tall trees as Tessi rounded the bend with masked man. "Listen," Tessi said. "The goods are going to the Land of Tea tomorrow afternoon. If you and your bandits foul this up, I'll have your heads!"

"We won't mess it up," the masked man said. "We'll meet the goods at the bridge at four and take them. You sure no one comes to this garden at all?"

"No one does at this time," Tessi answered. "Here's half the payment in advance."

"Good," the bandit said. "We'll give you twenty percent of the profits like we did last time." This wasn't good; Kusanagi was right this whole time. Either that or he was playing me like a fiddle; I couldn't be so sure he hadn't asked his brother to do this or if his brother really was doing this out of spite. I couldn't rule that possibility out just yet, but I did know one thing. I didn't like Tessi one bit.

"What about that kunoichi that the Kazekage brought with him," the masked man said. "She figured me out pretty fast. Thankfully your brother thought I was you."

"She's probably just a student of his or something," Tessi said. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was at the genin or chunin level."

"Sorry pals," I mumbled. "I'm a jonin."

"I don't know," the masked man said. "She did say some things that makes me think she really is his fiancée…" I blushed as Tessi scoffed. "If you think that you're nuts," he said. "Have you seen how good looking and sexy she is? He's at least got to be banging her for the hell of it! Hell, I wouldn't mind a piece of that action. Do what you want with her…actually, just knock her out and bring her to me. I could just make her one of my concubines."

"What about the Kazekage," the masked man asked. "I hear that he's a very strong ninja; the best of his people. That is how a kage is chosen after all…by strength."

"Kill him. He's in the way; but keep the girl alive because I want her."

I gripped the tree branch I was holding on to. It wasn't the fact that I was mad about what Tessi wanted to do to me, although I didn't like that either, I was angry because he wanted to kill Gaara. I had the primordial urge to throw a couple of kunai just to scare them, but it would alert them to my presence and you have to keep a cool head in this sort of situation. That was when I felt a bug crawl onto my hand. I'm not usually frightened by bugs when I know they're there, but when they just start to crawl on you with no warning, I tend to want to cry out loud.

I almost did when someone's hand covered my mouth. "Long time no see Suki," a familiar voice whispered. I breathed a sigh of relief as Shino's hand left my mouth. "Jerk," I muttered. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Meet the rest of us outside the gates," he whispered. "We need to talk." Just before I could say anything else, he disappeared and left me there. "Our squad is here," I whispered. "Why is that?" The masked man and Tessi continued their walk and rounded another corner. I jumped down from the tree and leaped the wall that surrounded the manor without anyone noticing. Quickly I was able to find Shino, Hinata, Kuronai, Akamaru, and Naruto.

"Suki," Hinata said happily as the two of us hugged. "I-I'm s-s-so glad to s-s-s-s-see you." I smiled at my best friend and gave her another hug. "Me too," I said. "I've missed you." I really had too; Hinata was always there for me when I needed her and I hadn't really told her about what had happened between her cousin and me…

"Hey Suki," Naruto cried as he gave me a hug as well. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since you left us and went back. What's up with you and Neji?"

"It's kinda hard to explain," I whispered.

"Neji used a shadow clone to sleep with another woman and Suki caught them," Shino said. I wanted to punch Shino in the face, but he was right. Plus, Shino was always straight to the point like that. I heard a little whine come from Akamaru as he nudged his head against me. "It's okay boy," I said. "I'm fine." He gave a loud bark as I scratched him behind the ears like I used to when he was a pup. "Where's Kiba," I asked. Shino pointed behind me and I turned to see the masked man.

"Well, if it isn't Gaara's betrothed," he said.

"Betrothed," Naruto screamed. "Suki, when did that happen?"

"It's just a cover," Shino said. "It's not like they really are together."

"Then what's with the ring," Naruto shouted as he pointed to my left hand. I blushed as Kiba turned back into his normal self. "I want to know how Gaara's kisses feel different from everyone else's," Kiba mused as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "And how he looks at you differently than I do." Naruto's jaw almost hit the ground.

"I should have known it was you when you came in as Gaara, Kiba," I said with a hint of anger. "Only you have that wolfish look in your eye!" Kiba smiled and wrapped his other arm around my waist. "True," he said. "I could have given you a signal, but it was interesting to see how these feel." He squeezed my chest and I blushed. After getting out of his grip, I punched him in the face. "What are you," I asked. "In heat?" Kiba blushed a bit and looked away. "As a matter of fact," Shino said, just as Kiba rushed over and placed a hand over his mouth. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I should have known he was. When he was younger it wasn't so much of a problem, but as we got older, it was really becoming a big problem. We knew it wasn't really his fault, but he really needed to find a mate as he put it…

"So what are you all doing here," I asked, trying to maintain some composure.

"We were hired by the lord of the land of tea to find out what was going on here," Shino said simply. "What about you?"

"Gaara got some information from a spy that there was trouble with these two lords. We came here to prevent the two from starting a war," I said. "The lord here knew there was something going on and asked me to help. It seems he doesn't want war either."

"Well that's good," Naruto said.

"You should tell Gaara about our involvement and I think that you two should leave tomorrow with the goods," Shino said.

"W-why," Hinata said.

"We don't know if Tessi hired anymore bandits," I whispered. "Someone should go along and help guard them."

"Exactly," Shino said.

"Okay," I said. "I'm going back in to explain this to Gaara."

"Hey Suki," Kiba said just as I turned. "There's something on your neck…" I paused and felt the place where Gaara had bit me. Jeez, how was I going to explain to these guys if there was a mark on me there… "Oh my God," Kiba shouted as I blushed. "It's a hicky!" Hinata's face turned red while Naruto's jaw dropped once more. "Who gave you that," he shouted while removing my hand to inspect it further.

"None of your business," I yelled.

"I never thought that Gaara would have that in him," Kiba said. "He always seemed so shy."

"Look, someone was outside the room we're sharing and Tessi and his brother are skeptical of Gaara and I being a couple so we tried to fool them," I hissed. "Now let me get back to Gaara."

"Right," Naruto said. "Don't want to keep the love of your life waiting!" It took Kiba, Shino, Kuronai, and Akamaru to hold me back from kicking Naruto's ass. "You sure haven't changed," Kuronai Sensei said. "Still losing your temper at small things."

"I'm not losing my temper," I yelled. "I just have other business to attend to and I don't need all of your input thank you very much!" I stomped off as the others stood there giggling and laughing. I walked to the gardens again to find Gaara and Lord Kusanagi talking with one another. "My lord," I said while looking at Kusanagi and bowing. He nodded to me and smiled. "If it isn't the lovely bride of the Kazekage," he said while kissing my hand. "We were just discussing whether or not to make your engagement party an indoor or outdoor affair. I thought it would be nice if it were an outdoor affair, seeing as most of the garden is in bloom."

"It would be nice," I said while leaning my head against Gaara's shoulder. Gaara blushed a bit, but got the message and wrapped his arms around me. "I was hoping this little party of yours would take place when Suki and I got back from Lord Hanzo's place," Gaara said.

"It shall," Lord Kusanagi said. "It will take place whenever you like it."

"In that case," Gaara continued. "Could we have it at night?"

"Why at night?"

"The first time I met Suki," he answered. "It was night. It was about four years ago if I'm not mistaken; we actually met on a roof top in her village because the two of us liked to look out at the moon. The light that it cast made her look so beautiful…" I blushed and looked up at Gaara's eyes. He seemed to be thinking at the moment; as if he were off in some dream. I couldn't help but smile; I didn't know that night had such an effect on him. Then again, that night was very important one for me as well. I hadn't known it then, but I would fall in love with the Kazekage of the Sand.

Gaara felt me looking at him and looked at me with a blush. "What is it," he asked. I smiled and threw my arms around his neck, kissing him. "I didn't know that the first time we met meant so much to you," I whispered. I figured Gaara would think I was just putting on a show for Kusanagi, but I really meant what I said. Gaara returned my smile and pulled me in for another kiss. "It does," he said.

"I'll leave you two be for a while," Kusanagi said. "I have a few things to attend to." I waited for a bit just to make sure he was gone. "Gaara," I said, once I knew no one was around. "We need to talk."

"If it's about earlier I'm really sorry," he whispered while letting me go and turning away from me. "I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand…I know you're still trying to fix things with Neji, so what happened between us earlier was out of line."

"Huh," I said a bit confused. "No, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about…it's about what's happening with the trade agreements."

"You found out something," Gaara asked with a slight hint of surprise. I nodded. "While I was taking a walk out here, I caught Tessi talking to someone," I whispered. "I thought it was a bandit at first, but later on it turned out to be Kiba. Anyway, Tessi told Kiba that he wanted him and his bandits to steal the goods that are going to the land of tea! Not only that, but he also wants you killed so that you won't be in the way when he tries to over through his brother."

"How did Kiba get involved with all this," Gaara asked.

"My whole team is involved in this apparently," I answered. "The lord of the land of tea wants to know what's going on over hear and hired them."

"Who's in your team?"

"Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kuronai Sensei," I said. "Oh, and Naruto is hear as well. Kuronai thinks it would be a good idea if you and I left with the trade items in case Tessi hired more bandits."

"I see," Gaara whispered. "Did Tessi say when the initial attack was?"

"Yeah, at some bridge at four in the afternoon," I answered. "I could try to get some more information from Tessi though. He seems to be interested in me." Gaara's eyes flashed angrily before he pulled me back in for a hug. "I can't let you do that," he whispered.

"Why not," I asked as Gaara held me close. "I am a ninja after all…"

"I don't want you to get hurt," he answered in a sad tone. "You've already done more than I could ask for…" I blushed a bit as I found myself snuggling more and more into Gaara's arms. "I'm only doing my job," I whispered. Gaara let out a snort and shook his head. "I only remember asking you to be my bodyguard on this mission," he whispered. "Not a spy." "You know," I said with a smirk. "I'm not a bad kunochi; in fact, I've gotten a lot of information from people just by using my sex appeal…" Gaara blushed and nodded slightly. "I don't want you to stoop to that level," he mumbled. "Besides, if you got hurt, I wouldn't know what to do." I frowned a little and closed my eyes. Don't say such things, I thought. It makes me feel like you care deeply for me. Gaara slowly let me go and took my hand. "Come on," he said. "I know a great place to have some lunch."

He took me to a very nice restaurant and the waiter seated us at a table. "It's funny," Gaara said while staring off into space. "Usually Matsuri is with me when I come here. It's kinda nice to have someone new with me." I smiled at him, but wondered if he really meant that. "Well if it isn't Suki and her husband to be," said a familiar voice as a person sat next to Gaara. I growled and looked at the source. "Kiba," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious," he asked while grabbing a bread roll from the center of the table. "I'm having lunch."

"Shouldn't you be with Kuronai sensei and the others?"

"We're all here too," said Naruto as he walked over with Hinata. I smiled at Hinata as she took the seat next to me. "Hey," I said. Hinata smiled at me and nodded. "What's going on," Gaara asked.

"Sorry," I said. "Gaara this is my best friend Hinata, the one stealing food from our table is Kiba, and Shino should be around here somewhere…"

"He's with Kuronai at our table still," Kiba answered; his mouth full of bread. "So, how's the greatest love affair since Kakashi and Shiranna?"

"What," Gaara said with a blush. I spat out the water that was in my mouth and glared at Kiba as he grinned. "Shut up," I muttered. "Or I'll get Shino to give you and Akamaru ticks with Lyme disease."

"You're sadistic enough to do that," Kiba said with a sigh. "Although you wouldn't do that to your best pal would you?"

"You're right," I said with a smile. "I wouldn't drag poor Akamaru in on this." Kiba snorted and shook his head. "Bitch," he mumbled. I smirked at him, knowing this was just the usual playful banter between us. "You would know what one was wouldn't you," I asked.

"Ignore t-those two," Hinata said while turning towards Gaara with a smile. "T-they're always l-like this."

"Man your team always fights with one another huh Hinata," Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head. "Not always," she mumbled. "O-only w-when s-s-someone starts with S-Suki. Even then s-she has to be in the m-mood to fight."

"Hey," I said.

"The truth hurts doesn't it," Kiba asked with a smirk.

"Never a dull moment then," Gaara said. "That's nice."

"Not always," I muttered. Kiba smirked and wrapped an arm around Gaara. "So tell me Gaara," he said. "Just how far have you two gotten? Have you seen her breasts yet? Are they really as big as they look or does she stuff a little bit of tissue in there?" Gaara blushed deeply as Kiba smirked and I felt my face turn red. "Ya know, Neji did mention to Lee and me over some drinks that Suki was a fireball in bed; said she was like some sort of sex goddess," Kiba said with a smile. Gaara's eyes widened and he even looked a bit dizzy as I shot up from my seat. "Kiba," Hinata and I shouted together.

"I didn't need to know that," Hinata said.

"Gaara and I are not a couple," I shouted as Tessi walked in with a woman and a small boy. I glanced at them as Tessi looked over at us. "Of idiots," I finished before quickly sitting down again. Gaara looked towards the door after I nodded towards it. His eyes widened and Kiba looked at me apologetically. He slinked off and Naruto took his seat quickly as Tessi walked over.

"Lord Kazekage," he said with a small bow. "I didn't expect to see you and your lovely fiancé here."

"Lord Tessi," Gaara said while getting up and bowing. "I'm surprised to see you as well."

"Tessi," said the woman while she came over with the little boy in her arms. "Who is this?"

"Lord Kazekage, may I introduce my wife Hana and my son Tanaka."

"Lady Hana, Lord Tanaka," Gaara said softly. "I am Gaara, the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand. This is my fiancé Suki Nara, from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Lady Hana nodded as I stood to greet her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Hana," I said with a smile. "May I say that your son is very adorable." I had to say, I loved kids and Tanaka really was a cute little boy. "Thank you very much," Lady Hana said as Tanaka hid his face in her side. "I hope that you and the Lord Kazekage are blessed with such children." I blushed as Gaara smiled. "We haven't really talked about children yet," Gaara said. "But I hope to have at least five or six."

My eyes widened as I looked down at the ground. It was amazing that he had said that number, since Neji and I had talked about having kids, we had pretty much come to the conclusion that we'd have five or six. I suppose you'd say it was ironic that Gaara would say we planned on having five or six children, but it was still a shock since I had never even told him about the discussions Neji and I had…

"Hana," Tessi said while taking his wife by the arm. "We should let the Lord Kazekage and his fiancé enjoy their lunch." She smiled and nodded. "It was very nice to meet you," I said to her with a smile. She nodded again and walked away with her husband. Hana seemed pretty nice and I hated the thought of someone as kind as her being married to someone as horrible as her husband. "Suki," Hinata asked as I sat down. "Are you alright?" I nodded slightly with a small smile, trying to mask the small pain I felt. "I'm fine," I mumbled. Gaara frowned, knowing I felt bad. "Suki…" he whispered.

"I have to use the bathroom," I said before getting up and rushing over to the restroom. I breathed in slowly and felt myself start to cry. I didn't really know why I was starting to, but I felt upset about something. "Suki," Hinata said while entering the bathroom and then locking the door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I whispered. "I just didn't expect that…" Hinata looked at me and shook her head slowly. "Suki," she whispered before hugging me. "Is it about Neji?" I nodded slowly and hugged her back. "I never told you this but Neji and I talked about kids," I whispered.

"You did," she asked stunned.

"We wanted to get married," I mumbled. Hinata looked at me shocked as I nodded. "He wanted us to wait till I was at least twenty one or twenty two and we wanted to have about five or six kids but…"

"You know it can still happen," Hinata whispered. I shook my head slowly. "I don't know," I said. "I'm not so sure. After what happened I don't know if I want to go back to him."

"I know it's hard to forgive someone after a thing like this," Hinata said after letting me go. "Neji really does feel horrible about it and he misses you something terrible. He knows what he did was wrong, and he knows that you can't completely forgive him, but he hopes that you two can fix things. He loves you so much Suki."

"I know," I whispered. "It's just…I don't think I can go back to him."

"Don't you love him?"

"I do but…"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I don't know if I love him the most," I blurted out.

"That's ridiculous. Who could you love more than Neji," Hinata asked softly. I shook my head and took a deep breath. "Gaara," I said under my breath, realizing that I really did love him a small, insignificant bit more than Neji. "What," Hinata asked.

"I love Gaara," I said simply. Hinata looked at me wide eyed as I nodded. "When did…how did that happen," she asked. I shrugged. "I don't really know exactly," I said. "It's just…he was there for me after what happened with Neji and that's when I realized I had a crush on him. I started to dream about him the day he was captured and that's when I realized I loved him." Hinata shook her head. "I don't get it…Aren't you supposed to love only one someone in your whole life?"

"I asked Shiranna the same question," I mumbled. "She told me that doesn't mean there isn't another person you could love even more. I'm starting to think that maybe Gaara…"

"But Neji still loves you more than anything else in the world," Hinata said softly. "Are you sure this isn't some sort of rebound thing? I mean you still love Neji right?" I shook my head and looked at the mirror, not wanting to face Hinata. "I still love Neji," I said, although right now I wasn't too sure. "It's just that with Gaara…he makes me just as happy as Neji did and when he holds me I feel so safe. Even his kisses are better then Neji's."

"You must be joking," Hinata said. "You've kissed him before?" I nodded with a small smile on my face, thinking of the time we kissed in his office. "Yeah," I mumbled. "I have."

"What about Neji," she asked. "You can't just leave him in the state he's in, you know?" I looked at Hinata with worry. I was in love with Gaara, but I still had a soft spot for Neji; maybe I still loved him. "What's wrong with Neji," I asked while looking at the ground again.

"He's just as bad as when you broke up with him," Hinata mumbled. "He's not speaking to any one and he's barely eaten anything. When he found out you'd be working with Gaara like this…he wanted to rush over here as fast as possible and save you."

"Save me from what," I shouted.

"You know how he is," Hinata said softly. "He's always got to charge in and save you from danger…he promised himself that he'd always be there to take care of you."

"What is wrong with him," I said. "It's like he doesn't believe I can take care of myself during a mission. Doesn't he know I'm just as strong as he is? I mean, we've fought together in training and we've always tied! I don't need him to charge in every single minute just to save me…" I sighed, thinking that at least Gaara didn't do that. He at least believed in me. "You know he only does it because he loves you," Hinata said.

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," I murmured so she wouldn't hear.

"Let's go back okay?"

"Sure," I answered with a smile. Hinata and I walked out to find Gaara and Naruto in deep conversation. "Just tell Suki how you feel," Naruto said with a smile. "She's a good person."

"Tell me how Gaara feels about what," I asked with a blush. Gaara and Naruto almost jumped up from their seats when they saw Hinata and me standing there. "Uh…" Gaara said with a small blush.

"How he feels about dogs," Naruto said. I shrugged as Hinata sat next to Naruto. "Okay," I said. "How do you feel about dogs Gaara?" Gaara shrugged as I sat next to him. "They're okay," he said. "I guess I like them enough."

"Were you afraid I didn't," I asked.

"I was thinking about getting one," he said. "So I wanted your opinion."

"Well I love them," I said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to stand Kiba." Hinata giggled and Naruto laughed. Gaara smiled and shook his head. "Well let's order something to eat," Gaara said while handing me a menu. I nodded and placed my head on his shoulder. He blushed but got the message and wrapped his arm around me in a comforting way. I only wished that this was something that would happen all the time...but if it did we'd be together as a couple and not just friends. That was something that would never happen; he didn't feel the same way. If only I wasn't so afraid of telling him how I truly felt…

Gaara's POV

"Suki," I said as I got up and watched her rush off to the bathroom. I sighed and slowly sat down again, wondering if perhaps I should go after her. "I'll go talk to her," Hinata whispered. I nodded as Naruto grabbed her arm. "Wait Hinata," he said. "I think Gaara should go after her."

"No," Hinata said. "It would be better if I talked to her." Naruto let go of Hinata and watched her go after Suki. "I still say you should go in there," Naruto said.

"It might be better if she spoke with another girl," I whispered. Naruto shook his head and looked at me sternly. "What's going on between you and Suki," he finally asked. I blushed and looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about Naruto," I said while looking away. Naruto sighed and I could feel him glaring at me. "Cut it out Gaara," he said. "It's so obvious that she loves you. I just want to know how you feel about her!"

"She loves me," I whispered with surprise.

"Are you that dense," Naruto asked. "It doesn't take a scientist to figure it out Gaara."

"How would you know," I asked angrily. "Did she tell you that she loved me?"

"No, but…"

"Then don't assume things," I almost shouted. Naruto looked at me angrily. "Listen," he whispered in a dangerous voice. "Suki does love you. She doesn't have to say it to anyone but she looks and acts the way you would around someone you love. So just tell her."

"No," I whispered.

"Tell her."

"No."

"Tell her!"

"No!"

"TELL HER," Naruto shouted while slamming his fists on the table, making the tea cups and other utensils jump.

"Shut up," I hissed while glaring at him. "You don't have any idea do you…what I feel…it's so hard to describe. Do you even know what its like to be in love with someone you know you can't be with? Spending every waking minute knowing that while my dreams are of her, hers are of another man? Knowing that I can't even hold her the way I want to when she hugs me? Knowing that every time I kiss her to fool them, she's thinking of the one she loves? Thinking that she will never feel the same way towards me? The thought of her rejecting me is just too much…I can't loose her and it hurts knowing that she'll never think of me as more than a friend; but as long as I can be around her..."

"Look, Suki may never have even realized it but even when she was younger she loved you. She was the one that saw right through you the first time we all met you and she told you that you didn't have to be alone anymore. Remember the time she tried to save you and wound up in that dome with you?" I nodded slowly. "She was supposed to team up with Lee and me but instead she went after you. For three days she hadn't slept, eaten, or spoken to anyone while you had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki, and she helped us save you when she wasn't even supposed to be a part of that mission to begin with!"

"She did that," I whispered. Naruto nodded while I shook my head. I had no idea that Suki had been through so much because of me, but that didn't mean she was in love with me did it? Didn't friends do the same for one another?

"If that isn't enough proof," Naruto added. "Why did she come back to you after leaving with Neji? It has to be because she loves you, right? I'm not saying I'm completely right Gaara it's just that I haven't seen her as happy as she is with you."

"Suki's everything to me," I whispered. "But I don't know if I really love her or if it's just some shallow feelings."

"Let me ask you this," Naruto said. "When you look at her do you feel yourself smiling?" I nodded. "Does she make you feel happy?" Again I nodded. "Do you feel something when you kiss her?" I blushed before I answered. "I feel…complete. As if she was someone I was meant to be with. As if I've found the one person that's been missing from my life, but didn't even know they were missing. I'm just as happy holding her as I am kissing her, but when I do it feels…"

"Indescribably wonderful," Naruto asked.

"Yes…"

"That she's the only one you want to kiss?"

"Yes."

"And you just don't want to stop?"

"Yes!"

"And you want to go farther than just that kiss?" I blushed and looked down at my hands. "I do sometimes, but I feel that something like that should be mutually agreed upon before doing it…not something spontaneous that she would regret later."

"Face it Gaara," Naruto said with his silly grin. "You're feelings aren't shallow. You're completely in love with her. You should tell her how you feel." I looked at him with wide eyes. "But what if she doesn't feel the same way…and she's still trying to fix things with Neji…" Naruto laughed. "Neji's out of the running Gaara," he said. "Suki made the choice of going back to you didn't she? Whether or not it was just on a whim I don't know but it's obvious she chose you."

"But if she doesn't feel the same for me…"

"That is very unlikely," Naruto said. "But even then, what's the worst that can happen to you two?"

"I could lose her forever," I muttered. "She could laugh in my face, she could tell me I mean nothing to her…the list is endless."

"I can guarantee you that what you think will happen won't," Naruto said with a smile. I looked at him and shook my head. "How would you know?"

"Because I know someone that confessed his love to her before she left for the Sand village," Naruto answered. "Her friend Choji has been in love with her since they were kids. He finally told her how he felt and you know what happened?"

"She ripped his heart out and tore it to shreds?"

"Aren't you the optimistic one," Naruto said sarcastically. "She told him she was sorry and that she didn't feel the same way. She then said that he was like a brother to her and that she hoped that she wouldn't lose the friendship they had by rejecting him because it was important to her, but she would understand if he never wanted to see her again. Choji told her that it was worse not being around her than being with her, so they're still friends."

"Naruto," I whispered. "I love Suki so much, but I'm so afraid of loosing her. She lives in the same village as Choji and has known him much longer than she's known me. I'm only letters she gets in the mail every so often. Who's to say she won't stop writing me? Besides, she probably still loves Neji despite what you say."

"Well maybe she does a little bit…"

"See? She'll probably tell me something like 'how could I love you when I have someone like Neji…'." Naruto was silent for a while and shook his head. "Just tell Suki how you feel," he said. "She's a good person."

"Tell me how Gaara feel's about what," Suki asked curiously from behind us. Naruto and I almost jumped from our seats. How long had she been standing there? Had she heard how I really felt about her? She probably hadn't…at least I hoped she hadn't. "Uh…" I said with a slight blush as Hinata took a seat next Naruto.

"How Gaara feels about dogs," Naruto said, which didn't sound so believable.

"Okay," she said. "How do you feel about dogs Gaara?" I shrugged as Suki sat next to me. "They're okay," I said. "I guess I like them enough."

"Were you afraid I didn't," she asked.

"I was thinking about getting one," I said. "So I wanted your opinion."

"Well I love them," she said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to stand Kiba." Hinata giggled and Naruto laughed. I smiled and shook my head. "Well let's order something to eat," I said while handing Suki a menu. She nodded and placed her head on my shoulder. I felt myself blush when she did, but I understood and wrapped my arm around her. My blush deepened a bit as she snuggled closer. "Would it be alright for me to sneak a kiss every now and then," she whispered so only I could hear. I gulped, but nodded anyway, knowing that Tessi was watching us intently. Slowly, I pressed my lips against hers and she kissed back tentatively.

"Come on," Naruto said after I pulled away. "That's not a kiss; this is a kiss." He wrapped his arms around Hinata and pulled her in for a strong, passionate kiss. Hinata blushed furiously while Naruto pulled away ever so slowly. "N-Naruto," she said as he smiled his goofy grin. "D-don't do that…"

"Why not," he asked as he pulled her close to him. "Couples do that sort of thing don't they?" Hinata nodded slowly and then shook her head. "Not in public," she whispered. "Or in front of friends." I looked over at Suki and she was glaring at Naruto. At first I thought it was because Naruto had kissed her best friend like that, but then I remembered that those two had been dating almost as long as Neji and Suki had. So why was she looking like that?

"Uh-oh," Hinata said sheepishly.

"What," I asked while looking at her. Hinata blushed and looked down at her lap. "S-Suki's very competitive…" I was a bit confused until Naruto piped up. "Sometimes we went on double dates," he explained. "One time when we did, Suki and I started this competition of whose kiss was hotter. After that, every time we went on a double date we had that contest." I smiled a bit and shook my head. Suki was always a competitive person, but I doubted she would start that up again. Besides, this wasn't one of those dates. I looked over at Suki and my smile fell. "If you think I'm going to lose my professional standing Uzumaki," she muttered in a dangerous voice. "You'd be wrong."

My eyes widened as Suki turned towards me and pulled me in for the most amazing kiss I'd ever had. Her hands clenched my haori as she pressed her lips against mine. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her body, while she licked my lips slowly; begging for entrance which I happily gave. Our tongues fought for dominance and I, being as inexperienced as I was, lost the battle. While Suki pulled away, she sucked my lower lip into her mouth and let her teeth slightly graze the skin.

After she pulled away, I felt myself going back in for more. What stopped me was the sigh that came from Naruto. "You win," he mumbled. "Jeez and I thought I might have you this time."

"Wait," I asked. "How did she win?"

"You leaned in for more," Suki answered calmly with a small blush on her face. I blushed at her answer and had to admit it was a very arousing kiss; it left you craving more. "How is it that you can make any guy lean in Suki," Naruto asked. "It amazes me how you do it."

"So others haven't been able to resist that either," I asked now feeling a little better. Naruto nodded. "I know I couldn't," he said. I stared at him wide eyed while Hinata sighed. "What," I almost shouted. "You and Suki…?"

"It's not what you think," Suki said with a laugh. "We were playing spin the bottle and I landed on Naruto. He told me there was no way I would affect him the way I did Neji and I proved him wrong." Naruto looked at me sheepishly and I couldn't help but glare at him. The thought that the two had actually kissed before made me jealous. "It's not like I felt anything either…well not like I feel with Hinata," Naruto said. "I just couldn't help but lean in again."

"I should teach you my technique Hinata," Suki said with a smile. "I can guarantee that you'll get some action." Hinata blushed horribly at Suki's comment and Naruto's eyes widened. "W-w-what," she stammered. "W-what m-m-makes you think I don't?"

"Let me ask you this, when you're in the mood and Naruto isn't have you been able to get him in the mood," Suki asked with a devious look. Hinata blushed and slightly shook her head. "Just gently suck on his lower lip when you're pulling away from a kiss," she advised. "Like so." Suki turned towards me and pulled me in for another kiss. While pulling away, she sucked on my lower lip again.

"Wow," I mumbled under my breath so she couldn't hear. Suki was right; it did leave you wanting more. "Wanna try," Naruto asked Hinata. She blushed, but did what Suki had advised and left Naruto wide eyed. "That's a real turn on…do it again," he said before catching Hinata's lips with his. I blushed as the two remained lip locked until our waiter came over. "Ahem," he said as Naruto and Hinata pulled away from each other. "May I take your order?" Hinata blushed madly as the waiter looked from her to Suki. "I don't know about anyone else," Naruto said. "But I'd like some Ramen."

"Very good sir," the man said. "And you miss?"

"Udon," Hinata mumbled.

"And for you sir?"

"I'll have the sushi platter," I said. Suki nodded as the waiter looked at her. "That sound's good," she said. "But I'll have the Maki platter instead."

"I'll have your orders ready for you in a moment," the waiter answered. I laughed a bit and Suki looked at me. "What's so funny," she asked. I shook my head. "It's nothing," I said. "It's just that I've brought Matsuri here a few times before and that's what she'd always order." Suki smiled softly, yet for some reason, she looked a little crestfallen. "I see," she whispered. Her smile fell and I felt myself wanting to hold her close. It was like she had been hurt somehow and I had no idea why or how she could have gotten hurt…she smiled again, noticing my confused stares so I just shrugged it off as my imagination.