AN: So, It's Christmas time… well Christmas Eve where I am. At my house I just got up and everyone is making cookies, and my dad is blaring the Christmas music … like every year. Our house is decorated with two trees, a medium tree (which we just found out the cats are eating) and a puny one in our kitchen that normally sits outside with its twin, but we have poinsettias this year. Anyway, I know not everyone celebrates Christmas as I do. So Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza… who ever celebrates those. And Merry Christmas! If I haven't covered all of them, Happy SOLSTICE … which was a couple days ago when we had our last Lunar Eclipse. This is my gift for everyone reading! And if I don't update by December 31st, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

By the way, This story has reached 200 reviews! You all rule! I love you guys!

And to Thomas Drovin, Actually this is my Christmas gift. I needed to get the other chapter out of the way before I posted this though, so… And Yeah, Naruto is a genius really. He can see very convenient loopholes. ^.^ And Shikaku is just awesome!

And to Dantesfreezer, Well eloping felt more his style with a controlling mother. Because even if it was an order, Mrs. Nara could still mess it up.

And to sesshoumaruluver1, Well Gaara and Cordi get married in January… so that's a little while away. However, Rox and Shika are very soon!

And to Xchica-de-musicaX, You are my 200th review. So thanks a bunch! Anyway, I'm really happy you like this so much. And honestly, I too am an aspiring story writer, hopefully eventually an editor or publisher. The best advice I can give is when you come up with a story, write the plot down. It kind of follows as blueprints so if you get lost, you know where you're going with it. First day I was writing this a year and a half ago, I sat down with my sister and bat around ideas, telling her where I wanted to go with it and writing it all down on a piece of loose-leaf. Then I typed it up, and reference it whenever I need it. Another tidbit is have someone edit for you. Before I had my sister read my writing and fix my errors, I used to instantly post as soon as I finished a chapter. No one read my stuff. This is actually the first story that has gone through well, and I thank all of my readers, like you, for it. It doesn't have to be a sister. My sister just happens to read a lot of fanfiction with me, so get a friend who reads these with you. One of my best friends, GrimSpeck18, helps me edit along with my boyfriend, Dantesfreezer, too when my sister isn't feeling up to it. (This is the first one he ever liked apparently. .) If you can't find anyone to edit for you, I will gladly do it. Just send me a message and I'll tell you how to contact me better. And lastly, I'd type up the first couple chapters (like say 10-15) before posting any of them. It's been my recent experience that most fanfiction readers will read stories that are farther along because their authors are more into the story, which makes for better writing and ensures the readers that the writers wont just leave them hanging, and if they do, they can always reread I guess for clues. I wrote the first 15 chapters before I posted the first two the same night. That was because I didn't have internet all summer, but still. Sorry for the novel… you came here to read a chapter. But seriously, if you want anymore advice, review or send me a message.

And to GrimSpeck18, I know the lack of Lynne/Sasuke is frustrating. I promise I'll put more in. Just wait. Merry Christmas!

And to KingofHeartless'09, No, it's not Cordy from Angel/Buffy. I got the name from there, because I love that show. But Cordy turns out to be very different from Cordi.

And we have new faves and alerts! Anglaissam, Xchica-de-musicaX, KingofHeartless'09, meshiaberry, and Charlotte-Rose. Thanks guys. And welcome to the group!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters etc. You know the drill. Oh, and Kirigi, Saito, Mi, and Ryuu belong to Thomas Drovin, which I'm very grateful he's letting me use. Although, I did take some creative liberties with Saito and Ryuu, Thomas. Thanks a bunch!

Chapter Eighteen: The Solstice Festival

'Twas the day of the solstice, and all through the lands – No one sat still, not even our friends. For everyone had a part in the festival to play, and Cordi was looking for rooms where her sister could stay. While in Konoha, Neji looked after our Lynne with great care. He never left her side and was always right there. But the sun sank lower, their time almost spent. And it's time for the solstice to commence.

Cordi's team's mission today given by Gaara was in two parts. Cordi was to find a bedroom for her sister to stay, and her students were to escort the "very important" family member's of the future Kazekougou to the Kazekage Manor. Cordi wasn't given much time to look for rooms. She was running everywhere in the house for good guest bedrooms. Some weren't made yet, which had Cordi seriously wondering what had gone on that those rooms were dirty. And the others were too far away.

It wouldn't have been hard to get them cleaned up in time. One of the council's engagement gifts to Gaara had been an indentured servant named Minami. The poor girl's parents ran high on their debt and had to sell their only daughter into servitude. The Lord of the Wind Nation felt he had an excess of servants, so gave her to the Wind Nation Ninja council, who gave her to Gaara a week after receiving her, damn re-gifting.

Although she was a servant, she wasn't too good at her job. Cordi would always catch her day-dreaming, sitting around reading, or, Cordi's personal favorite, waltzing about the grounds getting lost. Cordi didn't have the heart to snap at her about not doing her work on account of her age and what had happened. But when Cordi found guest rooms like she had nearest the stairwell, it took her a great deal of patience, most of which she didn't have, to not go to Minami and point out the work wasn't finished. This time, Minami had decided to waltz around the grounds, so Cordi was left running about the house calling for her to help prepare the rooms.

It was ten o'clock, and Rox and Shikamaru were going to arrive any minute. Cordi finally managed to get the rooms where they were staying straight and ready for company. As she was running downstairs to straighten the kitchen, she found Minami there flipping through an old magazine sucking on a lollipop.

Cordi pursed her lips then snapped, "Minami!" The girl's brown eyes shot up, as if asking "Yes?" Cordi sighed, then said, "Could you help me out a little? I need the stove and counters wiped down, while I get the table ready."

Minami nodded her head quickly before asking, "Who's coming over?"

"My sister and her fiancé," Cordi answered breathlessly as she threw two tall red candles on the table with a green runner down the center. There was a loud knock on the front door that resounded loudly through the decorated foyer and stairwell into the kitchen. "And that's them," Cordi sighed, eyeing the table to make sure it was alright before running to the front door.

As the door swung open, Cordi could see Rox and Shikamaru standing in the front door, just behind Yoshi, who had his hands in his pockets and just walked in. Cordi gave Rox and Shikamaru a great big hug before pulling them in the house. Just behind them walking up the walkway from the street was Naoko and Hosaka holding Rox and Shikamaru's bags.

"Nice digs," Yoshi muttered, gazing around the foyer, not really paying any attention to anyone but himself.

Just then Minami ran in saying, "Ma'am, I finished wiping down the counters and stove like you asked."

"Thanks, Minami, that's it," Cordi dismissed, giving her a bright smile. Minami gave a small courteous bow then walked back to her room, to read most likely. Cordi's gaze passed over Yoshi as she turned to her sister, and she noticed Yoshi gawking at Minami. She could practically see the hearts in his eyes. She ignored it and focused on her sister. "Now, I have you two set in two different rooms upstairs. Is that ok?"

Rox was about to say that it was fine when Shikamaru jumped in, "Actually, Cordi, we came here to elope. I was hoping we could do that as soon as possible."

Cordi's eyebrows shot into her hairline with surprise then stuttered a, "Yeah, s-sure. I-I'll talk to Gaara about it, see if we can get it done just before the festival starts."

"Thanks," Rox sighed, giving her sister another big hug.

"Alright," Cordi smiled. "Now, Naoko and Hosaka, you can go ahead and take the bags up to the first room on the right. Thanks." She watched the young ninjas drag the bags through the entryway, just after setting them down for a bit. "Now, first things first," Cordi sighed, turning to her sister, "You need a kimono. Everyone in the Kage party is supposed to have one, because this is a formal festival. Shikamaru did you bring yours?"

He pursed his lips then muttered an, "I think so."

"Go check," Cordi ordered. "If not, I'll have Kankuro take you out." Just then Naoko and Hosaka came down from the stairs, Naoko massaging her sore arms. "Naoko and Yoshi, you two are dismissed," Cordi sighed. Naoko walked out happily. Yoshi although looked as if he were about to complain about some injustice when Cordi just pointed to the door. "You can call on Minami anytime after my sister goes home," Cordi stated, still pointing to the door. Yoshi walked out, grumbling something unhappily on his way out.

At that time, Shikamaru walked down the steps and gave an awkward, "Uhm… about the kimono…"

Cordi shook her head lightly then looked at her youngest genin. "Take him to Lord Kankuro's apartment. Tell him Shikamaru needs a kimono," she ordered. The youngest genin nodded, then motioned for Shikamaru to follow him, which he did. "Now, your turn," Cordi grinned, kind of evilly. "I just went to a boutique yesterday and they made my alterations a rush job because," she motioned to the ring.

"DAMN!" Rox gaped, snatching Cordi's hand out of the air. "That's a nice ring!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Cordi smiled impishly. "Anyway, I think they'll do the same for you if you're with me. So come on!" With that, Cordi dragged Rox out of the house and down into the market place where a ton of setting up for the festival was happening.

Fred and Ronni were both getting ready for the festival. They both had gone out and bought some inexpensive Kimonos, as was the dress code for tonight's festivities. Fred was having issues tying the complex butterfly knot that went with Ronni's periwinkle blue kimono. It was then they heard a knock at the door. Fred ignored it for a bit as she finished Ronni's knot. There was another knock, to which Fred yelled, "Yeah! Hold on!" As soon as she was done, she walked briskly to the door and wrenched it open.

On the other side was a delivery ninja holding a package with a letter attached to the top. "This is for a Fred Butler," the ninja sighed slowly.

"That's me," Fred drawled, taking the box from his hands, signing the paper in his hands, just before shutting the door.

"What is it?" Ronni asked, running in curiously.

"Let's find out!" Fred smiled. "Quick, grab me a knife." Ronni ran into the kitchen, digging through drawers for a knife as Fred slipped the letter off the box. She quickly opened it and read:

Dear Fred,

I know this won't appear to be much, but I'm very happy I finally get to

do this. It's just a thing we do in Suna, a tradition if you will. You are the first

person I've been able to do this for. So hopefully you like it just as much as I liked

making it.

Sincerely,

Kankuro Subaku

P.S. Yukina says "Hi" and is wondering when you are going to come visit. I told her

you'd let me know.

"Here," Ronni sighed, running in with a kunai.

Fred set the letter down, a smile plastered on her face as she eagerly cut away the tape. She set down the knife as she pried open the box. At the bottom of the box was a wreath woven with mistletoe. There was a small note attached to it saying:

"You wear it tonight at the Festival to show that you have a sweetheart."

"Lynne," Neji sighed, eyeing her closely. Over the past weeks, he had become really worried about her. Ever since Sasuke told her he had wanted nothing to do with her or their children, she had been in a constant depression. Seeing her smile was a very rare occurrence. Truthfully, seeing her in this much pain made Neji feel some of her depression. He had talked to Saryu about relieving some of her pain, but the dragon told him that he was already taking away most of her pain, which was only enough to keep her stable and prevent her from doing something terrible.

"Neji," Lynne asked slowly, placing a calm hand over her abdomen. She still looked out the window, watching the night sky. She hadn't left that spot for days, except only to shower. "Do you know why I was afraid of getting pregnant?"

Neji just blinked at her. "Disgracing your family and friends, and your honor?" Neji guessed. Honestly, he had no idea what it was, and those two reasons were the most popular.

"No," Lynne sighed. She bit her lip, before continuing. "When I was a young girl, I was diagnosed with a severe case of bipolar disorder, almost to the point of multiple personalities. When the kids at my school found out, I was shunned, so my parents moved me to another school, hoping to start a new life for me. That's when I met Cordi and Rox. They instantly began talking to me, smiling and telling me what a great year it would be. Then they introduced me to Fred and Ronni, two girls who rode my bus. I was so afraid that my … curse would rid me of these great people, so I hid it from them for several months, until I just couldn't bear it anymore. I couldn't lie to them anymore about myself, so I told them why my parents moved me there and everything. I remember being so afraid when their silence met my ears, not wanting them to shun me too. They didn't. When I looked up, they were just surprised by my story and told me the other kids were assholes, it wasn't my fault that I was like that, and that they wouldn't judge me because of it."

"I-I don't understand," Neji stated, slowly blinking at her.

"This curse," Lynne sighed, "it's genetic. I have no way of knowing if my own children will have it or not."

Neji pursed his lips. "Do you still have it?" he asked slowly, so as not to upset her.

"No," she sighed. "Ever since I got my spirit powers, it stabilized. But, it still becomes apparent if I bring something back from the dead, or if I stretch and bend my spirit too much. I have no idea if this power will be passed down to my children."

"Don't you want your children to be powerful?" Neji asked, confused by her answer. Most families in Konoha wanted their children to grow up and become as powerful as Lynne and her friends were.

"Not if the price is their sanity," Lynne whispered, more to herself, but Neji still caught it. He instantly understood why her huge power could be such a double-edged sword.

"So, how do you feel about having kids now?" he asked slowly.

"Happy. I love these children. I can't wait to see how they are going to look, what they are going to do. I want them to be happy," Lynne smiled, gently caressing her abdomen lovingly.

Neji was silent for a bit, before standing up and saying, "Come on. We're going out." She shot him a weird look "There's a festival going on, and I think that's just what you need to cheer some part of you up."

Evening had finally fallen, and everyone was meeting up at the Kazekage house before going anywhere. Gaara stood in the lobby in a red kimono that matched his dark red hair. There were small forest green designs in the fabric, as was the obi and his pants. He looked around the foyer taking in all the festive decorations which Cordi had put together. She had lit garlands lining the banisters and an imported pine tree that she decorated. Well, not really imported. They didn't pay for it, because one of the days before Cordi was assigned her team, she rode Aleera out and had her yank one out of the ground, then cut it with Aleera's claw so it would fit in a tree stand. This was the first time Gaara could remember ever having a real solstice tree. Most other families in Suna had fake ones half the size. She also had candles lit, like above the fireplace and one in the foyer in a glass candle holder, and others just like it in every window. Outside was a wreath with a large red bow on it and soft lights surrounding the door. He had to say, it looked really nice.

A clearing of someone's throat brought him out of his reverie. He looked up the stairs to see Cordi, hair pulled back in a formal looking ponytail and purposefully pulled out fly-aways curled around her face. Her make-up colored her pale features. Her lipstick was a dark red and complemented her kimono really well. The fabric color of her kimono was the same as his, while her obi was more of a sage green than forest.

"Are you sure we aren't matching too much?" Cordi asked, pulling her white elbow-length gloves on.

"No," Gaara smiled. "You look beautiful." His eyes grazed over her image, pulling a smile on his face. He couldn't believe the luck he had to be engaged to such a beautiful woman. He walked over to the steps and grabbed her hand, helping her down.

Next to come down were Rox and Shikamaru. Rox had found a dark purple kimono with silver filigree. Her obi was silver to pull it all together. Her dark brown hair was down and curled, her long bangs pulled back and pinned. Shikamaru on the other end of the spectrum went with his usual green and gray. The Kimono was gray with a dark green obi and pants. They came down arm in arm, their hands clasped together firmly.

And last down was Kankuro and Yukina, who had decided to change here after helping Shikamaru. Kankuro wore a medium purple kimono with a black obi and pants. Yukina was wearing a light pink kimono with purple butterflies on it, and a purple obi. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into pigtails, making her look adorable. Kankuro had her bouncing in one arm as he walked down the steps to join the group.

"So, what's the plan?" Kankuro asked, stepping into the foyer.

"I think the Kage building first," Gaara answered, "we have an hour before the fireworks start and the festivities really get underway. So we have time to marry you two."

"Thanks," Roxanne smiled, squeezing Shikamaru's hand.

"It's no problem," Gaara replied, waving it off. "But we should be going." Everyone nodded and started walking out. "Oh, Cordi, I have something for you," he said, stopping her. She gave him a quizzical look, but followed him where he motioned. In the living room, sitting on the coffee table was wreath, a small one woven out of mistletoe. He picked it up, fingering the leaves nervously a bit. "There is a tradition here in Suna that on the day of the solstice, a man goes and picks several branches of mistletoe, the plant of love, and weaves it into a wreath to give it to his love. If the person he gives it to wears it, it means the feeling is mutual and that they are taken, so the nymphs or spirits of the solstice know who is free to steal away and who is not."

Cordi smiled and muttered, "That sounds very Pagan."

Gaara didn't get that, which he showed by giving her a small strange look. But instead of going into it with her, he continued, "Now-a-days it's something for teens and adults to do for people who are their sweethearts or people they care for. Anyway," he sighed, holding the wreath out to Cordi, "would you do me the honor of wearing my wreath?"

Cordi smiled, taking the wreath out of his hands and placing it firmly on her head, pulling her ponytail through to make sure it would ruin the work she put into her hair. As soon as the wreath was in place, she reached up and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, licking his lips lightly before pulling away. "Come on," she smiled, taking his hand in hers, pulling him towards the rest of the group, ready to go marry Roxanne and Shikamaru.

Lynne slowly twirled around in the kimono Neji let her borrow. It was apparently his mother's when she was still alive, and he hadn't bothered getting rid of it. It was beautiful. It was a yellowish orange with red flowers falling in a swirled pattern, reminding her of the sunset. Her obi was white and tied in the butterfly knot, which for some odd reason, Neji knew how to do. With it, she wore the traditional wooden sandals and the white socks that went with them. Neji just watched her, seeing her smile show, brightening her face a little.

"I've always wanted to wear a kimono," she laughed, watching the dress slowly flow around her. "I'm ready," she smiled to him, linking her arm with his as they walked out to the town. Neji took her down Main street, toward the center of town where everything was being held. He had never seen this side of Lynne. She was so excited, like a child in a candy shop, as she looked at all the boutiques. Stopping at every place with things for children. It made him smile.

"You know, I was invited to Cordi's wedding in January," Lynne smiled, fiddling with the soft silk.

"Are you going to go?" Neji asked, hoping it would cheer her up. Lynne's seclusion was starting to make him worry, so a wedding outside the country sounded great to him.

"If I'm allowed," Lynne sighed. "Naruto has to give me permission because I'm pregnant and all that. Especially with the Uchiha bloodline. Whatever, I'll sneak out if I have to," she smiled.

Suddenly it was silent. His hopes for a peaceful evening were quickly dashed. The cheerful, skipping Lynne quickly stopped what she was doing. Sitting in front of them was Sasuke and a blond girl, kissing at a table, holding hands. The happy Lynne, the Lynne Neji worked so hard to achieve was gone in an instant.

Within the blink of an eye, she had the blond girl by her scalp, and had yanked her off her chair. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Lynne bellowed at Sasuke.

He just scowled back at her. "Let her go," he growled in annoyance.

"Sasuke, who is this girl?" the blond asked.

"She's no one, Sherie. Just an ex-girlfriend," Sasuke stated, "that is, if you can call a whore's one-night stand a relationship." Lynne flung the girl to the side into another table, rounding on Sasuke.

"Don't you DARE call me a whore," she hissed at him, snagging the collar of his shirt up, holding him in place as she swung to punch him in the face. She saw red, and that was it.

"Get your filthy hands off my boyfriend," Sherie yelled at Lynne, yanking Lynne away from Sasuke. Lynne began to loose her balance, but found it again by swinging her fist at Sherie, knocking the blond back several feet. Sherie wiped blood off her lip, scowling at the spirit user. Neji tried to step in and drag Lynne away, but she shook her hand out of his grasp. "I can see why Sasuke dumped you. You are a whore, flinging yourself at Sasuke when you already have a man. And what poor manners too." That did it.

Lynne launched herself at the blonde, a battle cry tearing its way out of her throat. She punched the girl across the face, then punched her across her face with her other hand. Lynne then kneed her in the gut, knocking the blonde out of air, while Sherie tried to scratch and claw at her face. Lynne caught Sherie's hands at the wrists in her left hand, and slapping her hard with her right. Lynne quickly pulled her up by her blond hair, holding her head in a head lock.

Lynne took a deep breath before spitting, "I guess he never told you the real reason we broke up." Sherie just struggled, so Lynne continued. "He knocked me up, then refused to believe he's the father." Sherie stopped for a bit, looking at Sasuke, betrayal evident on her face.

"She's lying," he snarled, but Sherie wouldn't look at him anymore. Lynne let her go and watched as the blonde's brown eyes filled up with tears and then her hasty retreat. Sasuke stepped up to Lynne, glaring her down. "Are you happy now? I was actually serious about her," Sasuke spat, pointing after the blond.

Lynne sneered in disgust, letting her hand fly, hitting his face with a loud resounding smack. His face snapped back to look at her, a red hand slowly creeping to his skin, letting his own hand fly, hitting her across the jaw.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Naruto bellowed, walking over to them. "My office, now," he growled menacingly, before walking over to the Hokage building. Lynne quickly turned to follow him out of the festival. Sasuke waited a moment, a scowl on his face, before turning and following them.

"Neji!" Sai called, running toward the brunette Hyuuga. He jumped into Neji's embrace, giving him a small peck on the cheek. He slowly looked toward Sasuke, Lynne, and Naruto, the men of the group giving them both weird stares. "Honey, what happened?" Sai whispered to Neji, eyeing them.

"Nothing, Sai-kun," Neji stated, squeezing Sai's entwined hand in his. Sasuke and Naruto seemed to have turned green, while Lynne grinned victoriously. Sasuke's whole argument was that she slept with Neji and Sai, so it couldn't have been his children. Neji and Sai just proved her argument, which was she wouldn't sleep with them because they were homosexual. Why would they want to sleep with her?

"Why don't you guys join us?" Lynne smiled over to Neji and Sai. They smiled back, and nodded their agreement, following behind Lynne, Sasuke, and Naruto, hand in hand.

As soon as they reached Naruto's office, Naruto ripped his chair out from behind his desk and sat down sharply. He glared up at Sasuke and Lynne, her black hair dropping like a curtain in front of her face. "Sit," he ordered. Both pulled up chairs in front of the desk and sat down. "This has got to end," Naruto growled, eyeing both of them, "Now!" Lynne's face held a guilty expression, where Sasuke's just held an angry frown. "Both of you are acting like petulant children. Normally, I could tolerate this, but you two are tearing my village in half. I want you both to know I will not stand for it." Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, until Naruto shot him a death glare and held up a silencing hand. "I wasn't finished," he informed Sasuke. "Now, I had the twins genetically tested, and Sasuke, you are the father. So I want you to get off your high horse and do what's right," Naruto ordered. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"And how do you suppose I do what's right?'" Sasuke snapped back.

An evil grin appeared on Naruto's face as he looked at the two in front of him. "I want you two to get married. That's an order," Naruto stated.

Both of them went wide-eyed. "Excuse me?" Lynne gasped.

"You heard me," Naruto replied. "As your Hokage, I am arranging you two to have a marriage." Suddenly he dropped his smile to a serious dead-pan expression. "And it better be a happy one, or I will make your lives a living hell." He paused for a bit, letting that sink in before he stood up from his chair with a smile. "That was all." And with that, he walked out of the office, muttering something along the lines of, "I seem to be doing an awful lot of marriage arranging recently…. maybe that's my real calling," and leaving Sasuke and Lynne gaping in their seats.

After several minutes of awkward silence, Lynne decided to break it with an awkward, "So."

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered. They stayed silent for another couple minutes.

"What on earth made you think I was sleeping around?" Lynne asked randomly.

"You mean beside the fact that you were?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"I was not!" Lynne growled.

"Don't lie," Sasuke snarled back.

"I'm not lying," Lynne hissed.

"Yes you are," he pushed.

She slapped him yelling, "NO I'M NOT!" She tried to slap him a second time, but his hand moved with lightning speed, snatching her hand out of the air and throwing it back at her.

"That was pitiful. You're so weak, you loser," Sasuke muttered. All Lynne could think was, DEATH! She gave a loud battle shriek, launching her body onto his, pinning him to the ground and punching him in the face. Suddenly he pinned her arms to her side and rolled on top of her. She struggled against him, but he ignored it. "If you weren't lying, explain why you didn't have your virginity," he demanded.

She struggled more as she growled, "You knew I lost my virginity years ago, dumbass!"

"So, you freely admit to sleeping around?" Sasuke inferred.

"Only with guys I was serious about," Lynne snapped, still struggling. She sighed in exasperation before sarcastically asking, "What, you think every girl has to wait for you to have sex with them before they can have sex with anyone else? Don't be so narcissistic, asshole!"

"No, but I do expect the woman I intend to marry to be faithful," Sasuke remarked.

"For the last time, I wasn't cheating on you!" Lynne snarled. "Whoever told you that needs to get their facts right!"

"I didn't need to be told," Sasuke replied dangerously. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Lynne blinked a bit, then rasped, "What? With who!"

"Neji, Sai, the bartenders at three of Konoha's most popular bars, Shino …" Sasuke listed.

"EW! SHINO!" Lynne gagged.

"Yes, Shino," Sasuke replied.

"I wouldn't touch Shino with a forty foot pole. I HATE bugs!" Lynne groused. A small shiver of disgust ran down her spine thinking about Shino filling her with his bug-like semen, making her writhe underneath him. "EW! Just EW!" She squealed.

He paused, thinking about everything she just said. "You didn't sleep with Shino?"

"GOD NO!" Lynne gagged. "I'd rather not wake up with cockroaches coming out my vag., thank you very much!"

Sasuke reasoned through it. Suddenly, what she said made sense, considering Lynne freaked out about a gnat on her ceiling. "What about the bartenders?"

"I've only been to one bar, and that was Halloween… I mean the Fright-Fest," Lynne stated. "I may have had more than one serious boyfriend in my lifetime, but not at the same time, and that doesn't mean I go sleep with random strangers." He blinked at her. "I'm not a slut. And I've already told you that Neji and Sai are gay, and if you didn't believe me, you saw it with your own eyes."

Sasuke let go of her, getting off of her. "Maybe… no…" he muttered to himself, slowly pondering how all of this could have occurred.

"What?" Lynne asked.

"Well," Sasuke started, "Sherie was a girl from the academy that had a huge crush on me. Back when I was twelve, I just thought she was really creepy. She was the kind of girl that would save my used tissues and stuff. I kind of forgot about her until several weeks ago at a café. She seemed to have mellowed out. She invited me to a casual lunch, but I told her I was dating you, so it didn't seem right. She couldn't have though …"

"She couldn't have what?" Lynne pushed.

"She couldn't have set us up, could she?" Sasuke asked.

Lynne pondered the possibility, before replying, "They do teach transformation jutsu at the academy. It certainly is a possibility." Sasuke quickly stood up and marched toward the door. "What? Where are you going?"

"Sherie has some explaining to do," Sasuke growled, slamming the door behind him.

AN: Happy ChristmaHanuKwanzika! And please leave a review! Thanks!