His natural scent was a combination of vanilla and an earthy smell that was oddly addicting to Alex and her pure scent of cinnamon mixed with the salty scent his bugs picked up from the tears that were rolling down her cheeks still was enough for both him and his beetles to forget their preferred isolation from contact. The silence that had taking over the two shinobi just enhanced their bond and neither one dared to move away from the other. Their foreheads had been together was a while but their concept of time seemed to have evaporated from their minds.

"A-alex?"

"Oi! Earth to Sheep!"

"Kiba, you know her clan is rams not sheep."

"I know but they are both zoning out!

"Oh it looks like Shino is back with us"

"Finally! Shino! You are good with Alex, she's zones out!"

"Aren't you of meant to been her best friend since childhood" Shino's words made the dog handler whine slightly.

"Yes! But she's always been so stubborn and I can't get her to stop day dreaming!"

Shino sighed from behind his collar. He too, just like Alex had been zoning out for the last few days since their late night meeting and that went double for her sleeping pattern. Well, that was if she had really slept. Apart from the ten minute naps she seemed to slip into while marking the chunin exam papers, she hadn't really slept and it showed. Her hair made her look as if she was a member of the Inuzuka clan with this scruffy look and her knee high socks were constantly at different levels up her shins. Alex knew she looked like a mess but she was too sleep deprived to really care about her appearance.

Shino raised his arms and poked her forehead slightly but left them putting pressure on her forehead. Once Alex had come back to reality, her eyes went crossed eyes to look at her forehead before she slowly brought her hand up to his wrist. To Shino it seemed that she was taking her time to lower his arm away from her. Maybe he was just being paranoid but he was sure that this was her way of having contact with him. Once she had dropped his wrist a irritated look developed in her eyes.

" Sorry" Her voice seemed as if she wasn't quite herself as she pulled the exam papers in front of her and went to her work, scribbling the markings down with a yawn which made Kiba frown.

"Can't you just leave that til later? We are having a team meeting" Alex looked up at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Then why am I here? I cannot go on any of these missions that you three go on and now I will be unable to go for even longer" Once she had gathered her papers together and gulped down the rest of her tea she stood up.

"I'm busy, Kiba. I can't just sit round and play happy team with you anymore. I am still injured and I have my duties with the chunin exams. This isn't my place"

Before Alex left her eyes fell on Shino was a long moment. They hadn't said a word since their spontaneous moment but they both knew that the other had deep feelings for the other but with their busy schedules and Shino's need to be distant from people there was no chance for them. Or at least that is what Alex told herself.

It took Alex a little while to finishing marking the rest of the exams but once she was done she left out a thankful sigh. Her temper hadn't improved with the new thought and the combination of sleep deprivation and her annoyance at both Kiba and Shikamaru was making her more obnoxious than usual. Her plan was to get a quick nap in before Shikamaru and Temari came by so that the three jounin could finish up the exams but her plan was short lived as she heard a knock at her door. After grumbling Alex opened the door to a smirking Temari.

"You look awful" Her words made Alex frown.

"Gee, thanks. You try not sleeping for two and a half nights and all of the chunin exam papers to mark and looking good" Their was a silence moment between them before Shikamaru began to talk.

"What a drag, just hurry up we need-" Alex shook her head as she interrupted him and held her hand out to him.

"Oh no, you owe me big time, buddy! " After he moaned, he held out a cup of tea to her and she shook her head again.

"Not that" Her eyes narrowed even more before she leaned forward slightly.

"It's far passed tea, Sika. I want what Asuma Sensei told you to give me if I was beyond help" Her words were so serious and the look of Shikamaru's face was one of announce before he put a hand in his pocket and brought out a cigarette. Once he had lit it he handed it to her and she closed her door as she shoved the chunin exams into his hands.

"Alex, are you really going to do it?" He asked her as they walked through the village on their way to the office. Alex looked at it once more and nodded before putting it in her mouth and taking a puff.

"Out of everyone you should know that my father had this agreement with Asuma. I may not like the smell or the taste for that matter. However my father used to do this."

"That's before they both died"

"Hm" Was all Alex said before she began to ignore Shikamaru and the annoying blonde beside him. The sooner her duties were over, the better. All of this responsibility was stressing her out and all she really wanted to do was lay down under a tree and sleep.

"Well let's hand in all of this ridiculous paper work and then we will be free!" As Alex put her hands up in the air she smiled brightly. Once her hands were down at her side again she stubbed out the cigarette.

"You only had one puff, that was pointless"

"Your pointless, Blondie"

"Troublesome women"