I would like to give a big thanks and a plate of cookies to Shanice Miharu, little wolf blossom, Vampire Toy, shikashikanaranara, Payday, and krn-kimbap for reviewing. After being all alone for so long I had given up on this story, but after reading their reviews I decided to forge on.

Chapter 14

The Fever

When Shikamaru woke up, he was disorientated. Why am on the floor? He I fall out of bed? Then he remembered Temari and smiled. How should I wake her up?

He looked at her. She was lying on her side, and looked extremely hott with her hair spread over the pillow.

He remembered her reaction to his joke the previous evening. He looked at her. He smiled and used the Shadow Imitation on her. With a bit of manipulating, he got her out of bed, still sleeping. He stood mere inches away from her and let go.

Temari woke up to see Shikamaru right in front of her. She blinked, and she was about to scream when he kissed her, silencing any thoughts she might have had with a slightly mischievous look and the feel of his lips. When he broke off, it occurred to her that she was still in bed…her eyes flew open, and she looked around, only to realize that she wasn't in bed any more.

"Ara?" she started. "Why aren't I in bed?"

"The Shadow Imitation is good for more than battle." He said. "I wouldn't go farther than I did, though." He added to silence the slightly panicked look in her eyes.

"And by the way, you're beautiful when you're sleeping." Temari's blush deepened. "Though I don't think I've ever seen your normal color, under that constant blush of yours."

The comment didn't make her blush go away. Instead, she went into the bathroom to get changed and ready for the day. When she was done, Shikamaru went in, and Temari made his bed and folded up the pallet. She figured it was the least she could do after staying there for the night and causing him so much trouble.

When Shikamaru got out, he told her to stay up there and he would get her some breakfast.

"What time did the nice girl leave?" asked his mother.

"A few minutes after she came."

"I didn't see her leave."

"She left by the back door."

"Do I hear talk of a young girl?" asked his father, who was just waking up. "Boy, have you finally got yourself a girlfriend?"

"No." he said, the look of disinterest not leaving his face. He took a large breakfast upstairs, wishing that his parents hadn't been there so that he could have grabbed two pairs of chopsticks instead of one.

When he got there, he didn't mention what his parents had said, or how much it bothered him.

"I got breakfast." He said, just as Temari finished rolling up the pallet.

"That's good."

Shikamaru saw what she was doing. "You don't have to do that!" he exclaimed.

"It's the least I could do after the trouble I caused you."

"You already made up for that."

"I did?"

"Yes. Every kiss I steal from you is better than the one before it." Temari blushed again. He set the plate on the floor and they sat across from each other.

"Itadakimasu!" Temari reached for the chopsticks. She started eating. When she realized that Shikamaru wasn't eating, she was puzzled.

"Shika?" she asked. "Why aren't you eating?"

"You have the chopsticks."

"Oh!" she handed them towards him.

"No, it's okay. You can go first."

"But…"

"What did I say about buts?"

"No buts," he said. "Unless you'd rather I slept with you." Temari's constant blush returned. She started eating again, but he looked very hungry. She soon finished, after eating about a third of the food.

She was about to get up, when Shikamaru stopped her.

"You'll never stay alive on that measly amount of food."

"I've been going without breakfast for the last year. I'll be fine."

"All the more reason for you to eat."

She sat back down and continued eating, this time putting her heart into it. She ate another third before getting up and going to the place where she trained with Kankuro. (Gaara didn't train, he killed.)

"How was your first night with a man?" asked Kankuro. She whacked his head again.

"He didn't sleep with me!"

"Sure. Whatever."

When Hinata woke up, there was a dish of water lilies beside the tiger lily from Kiba.

Dear Hinata,

I went into the water for the first time yesterday to save you, but it was worth it. You are more precious to me than my own life.

When I saw that you weren't in the hollow I left you in, I was worried, but you're safe now, so it's okay. Do you think you're well enough to come see me at the park?

Gaara

They were even more beautiful than last time, and there was a note beside them, like last time.

Hinata gasped. It was Gaara that saved me! And he cares about me! But what about Kiba! He won't be happy if I tell him. But I have to go see Gaara, I'll go right now!

Hinata felt the familiar warm feeling as she stood up, she was a tiny bit dizzy too, but she contributed that to the fact that she had been off her feet for over twenty-four hours. She walked out of the hospital and out into the street. She was sweating. It was really warm out for fall!

She walked maybe not as stable as she should have been, towards the park. When she got there, Gaara was waiting. He walked over to her.

They sat on a nearby bench. Gaara looked at her.

"Hinata, I'm not sure if you feel this way, but I really care about you." He said. "And I, um, wanted you to know, that I really like you, maybe even love you."

Hinata gasped and looked at him. Gaara loves me, too? But that's two guys in the past twenty-four hours!

She looked at Gaara. Suddenly, there were three of him, and the world became darker and darker. She heard his voice echo strangely, far away before what remained on her consciousness slipped away from her.

Tenten was training with Neji. Once again, she just barely hit him, but this time the reason wasn't because he was spacing out.

"Neji?" she asked. "Why did you let me win?"

"I did not." He replied, through a faint smile and a deep blush.

"Is something wrong?" I could have sworn that he was being nice to me!

"No." Neji said. Though it would be better is I could summon up the courage to kiss you.

"Neji?" Tenten was swaying.

"Tenten!" he caught her before she fell. He put a hand on her forehead.

"Tenten, you have a fever!"

"Oh." She said, feeling fuzzy. "You smell nice."

He almost dropped her. "Tenten?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I knew you liked me, Sexy."

This was obviously more than a fever. Neji blushed again. "Yeah," he admitted. "Enough to know that you need medical attention."

"I'd rather have attention from you." She said, fingering his neck.

She's definitely got more than a fever. This is embarrassing!

"Sexy, if we have to go into the hospital, will you stay with me?"

"Of course!"

"That's good. There's no one I'd rather see than you, when I wake up."

Tenten took one of the straps on his headband. She licked it suggestively.

"Ack! What are you doing!"

Tenten passed out before she could answer.

Sakura was helping Iruka with the children, as Kakashi was giving Sasuke special training: something to do with the Sharingan.

When the children were dismissed, Iruka thanked her, and she went home, feeling unusually tired. When she got there, Naruto was waiting.

"Why are you here?"

"We're going on a date tonight!"

"I'm too tired." She said, going into her house. Naruto ran after her.

"Sakura!" he called. "Sakura, are you okay?" he asked as her spun her around and out a hand on her forehead. She had a terrible fever.

"Let me go to sleep." She said.

"Sakura, you're burning up! You have to got to the hospital!"

Sakura collapsed onto Naruto, knocking him over. He banged his head, and winced as Sakura's head hit his stomach. He got up slowly, then picked her up. He carried her, bridal style, to the hospital. Halfway there, she woke up.

"Naruto, you're hotter when you're in your boxers." Naruto smiled. That was the Sakura he was used to. "But I bet Sasuke has better muscles than you."

"Sakura! You shouldn't say things like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're my girlfriend!"

"I am?"

"Yes!"

"Have we kissed?"

"Yes!"

"Ew."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. She doesn't remember!

"Keep going."

"Sakura, did you really forget?"

"Forget what?"

"Our relationship."

"Of course not!" she said and kissed him passionately. In the middle of the kiss, she fainted. Naruto was really worried, now. She needed attention, as soon as she could get it.

Kankuro was sheltering from Temari's winds more than usual during training. She seemed stronger.

"Wow, Temari, you're doing really good today."

"Or maybe you're doing worse!" she said, laughing.

"Hey!"

"Did you have fun explaining sex to Gaara?" she asked meanly.

"No."

"Tell me the details!"

"No!"

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad!"

"It was."

"Well you deserved it. After all, you are the one who brought it up."

He hit her playfully, Right before he did, she got a blank look in her eyes. She fell over.

"Temari!" he yelled. He checked her vital signs; she was still breathing. "Temari, that's not funny!"

Nothing.

"Temari?"

He rechecked her vital signs, she wasn't breathing, and her heartbeat was getting worse fast.

"Temari!"

Sasuke decided to visit Hinata at the hospital. What he saw there surprised him half to death. Hinata, Tenten, Sakura, and Temari were all unconscious, and carried by someone.

His first thought: Wow! What happened here?

Next, he realized that a nurse was talking to him. "They all fainted with fever at around the same time! It's a phenomenon!"

"Where's Ino?"

"We don't know."

"If all the other girls have it, she probably does, too."

"You're right!" she said, but Sasuke didn't hear. He was already out the door to find her.

Ino sold a lot of flowers, that day. It seemed that all the other girls had a fever, so quite a few guys bought flowers.

Kiba and Gaara got flowers for Hinata, Shikamaru and Kankuro got flowers for Temari, Neji had sent Lee to get flowers for Tenten, who he wouldn't leave the bedside of, and Naruto got some for Sakura. Ino wished she had the fever, then she would get flowers, too. During a lull in business, Sasuke came running in, out of breath.

"Sasuke?" she asked.

"Ino, are you okay?" he asked, leaning heavily on the doorway.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You're sure?"

"It's sweet of you to be worried!" she cried, running over to glomp him.

"Ugh." Sasuke commented as he tried to pry her off of him.

Her warmth was suffocating. She was not only more persistent, but also worse today. She slid a hand up his shirt and ran her fingers up his abs. He hit her hand away angrily.

"You're even sluttier than normal." He said.

"And you're even hotter than normal." She replied. He rolled his eyes. As if I haven't heard that a thousand times already.

"Ino, go away."

"What happened to the worry?"

"You proved me wrong. I should have known a snake like you would get a mammal disease."

"But, Sasuke," she whined. Suddenly, she fell over.

"Get up."

No response.

"Ino, get up."

Still no response.

He squatted and checked her vital signs. No breathing. No heartbeat.

"Shit!"

He got her onto his back and piggy-backed her to the hospital.

The first four girls were already in rooms. Ino was given a room. Sasuke frowned. Why did I even care if she got the fever or not?

Oops

His first thought: Wow! They're all so much hotter when they're unconscious!


Shanice Miharu I'm not alone in my support of Gaahina! Yay! (And the Oops will continue to make fun of everyone until this ends. .)

little wolf blossom I will try to get in another 'brotherly moment'. I was laughing so hard when I typed that...

shikashikanaranara I'm on my way to being your idol fanfiction! Omg! So happy!

Vampire Toy Grammar? There's a grammar check on Microsoft Word...It's not that great, but better than nothing.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I wasn't expecting people to actually read it. I'm so happy!