Have fun sit back and relax be like Shikamaru and let he chapter flow on by. SOOO much thanks to my editor for fixing up this story for me. Dear editor what in GODS name would I do with out you. Nothing absolutely nothing!

Anyways here it is…

Sasuke stared disdainfully at the couple across the road. They looked so happy it disgusted him. And on top of it all he had to watch them all but leap on each other. Growling in disgust at the kiss and playful wasabi comment as it drifted to his ears, Sasuke decided he'd had enough. He discarded his cloak and wide hat and made his way toward them.

Sakura reached absently for the bottle of wasabi that had been beside her dish. Not finding it, she frowned and looked up, startled when she found it level with her face. Taking it, she smiled, prepared to thank whoever had handed her the bottle. Instead she gasped, eyes widening and bottle slipping from her slack fingers. All eyes turned to her as the bottle crashed to the ground.

As though with her last dying breath, Sakura gasped out, "Sasuke."

There was a long, dead silence. Shocked, the group could only stare at the man who now stood unexplainably in their midst. Sakura's mouth was open as though to speak but no sound came out. No sound was available, Sakura found.

Like cold steel, it was Sasuke's voice that broke the silence.

"You said you would wait for me, Sakura," he said in an almost accusing manner. "You said you would love me. Now I'm back and I find out it was a lie. Making fun of me?"

"Sasuke," Sakura began, only to be cut off.

"What an insult," Sasuke spoke harshly. "You chose to go running to the bug freak over a little wait for me. Even that slobbery dog would have been less insulting. Or was this," Sasuke indicated Shino with a stiff nod, "the best you could do?"

Sakura's eyes widen further and her jaw dropped lower. She had no idea what to say to all of this. It was happening too fast. Before she had the chance to think of anything, Sakura felt a firm but gentle arm go around her waist. Calming immediately, she leaned back into Shino and the couple disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to stand silently in shock. He had expected Sakura to cry or yell, not disappear. Eyes narrowing, he straightened in resolve.

Snapping to reality, Naruto jumped up and yelled, "Sasuke-"

Not fast enough. In a puff of smoke, Sasuke too was gone.

There was a pregnant silence.

"Hey, am I delusional or did Sasuke just show up in the middle of the bar, yell at Sakura while she completely ignored him and then took off with Shino, and then disappear?" Naruto looked around at the others, still looking confused. Sasuke's appearance, let alone his words, had shocked him, and he was just now getting around to being angry.

"Normally I'd say, yeah, you are," Kiba replied, shaking out of his own daze, "but I saw it too… While we're at this, did he call me a slobbery dog?"

"Yes, he did indeed call you a slobbery dog, apparently to further his show of dislike for the Aburame," said Neji matter-of- factly. "And that was definitely him. I called on Byuakugan just before he left."

"Does old lady Tsunade know he's here?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"I would think so," Kakashi answered him. "Otherwise he probably wouldn't be so bold in his actions."

"Sasuke," Ino said in a contemplative manner. Then her face contorted in anger and she spoke loudly, "I can't believe his nerve! How dare he speak to Sakura that way!" She sighed roughly before hugging Shikamaru's arm and saying, "I'm just glad I have you now Shikamaru-Kun. And Sakura has Shino."

"Something was strange about this," Shikamaru chimed in. "After all this time he just pops up? And like Ino said, what's with the attitude towards Sakura? Since when does he care?" Shikamaru sighed in irritation. "This is gonna be troublesome, I can tell."

"On a related note," Tenten stood, "where did Shino and Sakura run off to?"

"Ah!" Ino jumped up, nearly sending Shikamaru to the ground. "That's right. I still haven't milked Sakura for the gritty details yet! Not to mention there's the wedding that I have to help her plan and she'll definitely need to be talked into a bachelorette party."

"Shino at a bachelor party is a weird mental image," Kiba had one hand to his chin in thought, "let alone his own. But, hey, what are friends for?"

"As fascinating as all this is," Gaara said as he and his siblings made to leave. "We should be making plans for getting back to Suna. I have a bad feeling about this whole ordeal and I'll feel better the sooner we get back."

Naruto and Lee immediately protested to Gaara leaving, but Temari shut them up with a quick slam of her fan in the dirt.

"Maybe you're forgetting this, but Gaara is Kazekage and he has responsibilities to take care of." That said, she turned to Gaara. "But do Kankuro and I have to go with you? I wanted to stay for Sakura's party."

Gaara stood and looked at her stoically for a few beats. Then he sighed lightly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"When do you planning on this being?" he questioned Ino.

"Oh, well, this sort of thing usually takes place a week or so before the wedding and we don't know when that is, so…" Ino trailed off helplessly, admittedly a bit intimidated.

Gaara sighed again before addressing Temari, "Find out. You can either stay a few days or come back later if possible. I'll be leaving in three hours so find out before then."

Temari nodded and Gaara swept away.

"If we plan to find out when the wedding is," Tenten spoke up, "I suggest we find the bride-and-groom-to-be. Any ideas?"

"Figure it out," Kakashi came up behind the younger group, the rest of the jounin instructors right behind him. "We should go report what's happened to Tsunade-sama."

"Someone should inquire after Sasuke himself," spoke Neji. "I'll take care of that."

The statement was met with nods of confirmation before the four jounin took off. There was a short meeting of where to start looking for the renegade couple before the group split up to better search.

In the meantime, Sakura and Shino were settled in the crook of a tree they favored not far from the training grounds where they had first met. Shino held onto Sakura in a protective manner as she cried into his chest, her hands clutching his jacket for dear life.

"My god, Shino," Sakura sobbed. "I thought he was dead. They told us he was dead."

Shino held Sakura closer but said nothing.

"It's true what he said," Sakura continued. "I promised to wait for him. But then there was you and… and that report… And now when he comes back all I can do is cry! I couldn't even speak to him. I… I'm such a coward, Shino!"

Shino stayed quiet yet again, lost in his own thoughts. He, too, was shocked at Sasuke's return, but not more so than his words to Sakura. The nerve of him! Now Sakura's words played over in his head as well. She had promised to wait for Sasuke, but he was thought dead. Could that mean…

Shino's grip on Sakura tightened even further, him becoming even more protective at the thought of losing her. He loved her a great deal and it would be immensely painful if she were to return to Sasuke, especially after the display at Ichiraku. But if that was what she wanted… he wasn't about to stop her from being happy.

"Sakura," Shino began quietly.

"Yes?" Sakura looked up at him with teary, expectant eyes. Shino still tended to speak only when he had something significant to say, and she looked forward to what she was sure must be words of reassurance and comfort.

"I've told you many times that I love you," Shino said as he almost carefully wiped her tears from her face. "I want you to be happy, no matter what. If you would be happier with Sasuke, I won't stop you from going back to him."

Sakura's brow furrowed and she blinked in mild surprise as his words sunk in. Breathing returning to normal and tears stopping, Sakura smiled reassuringly up at Shino before leaning up to kiss him gently on the lips. When she pulled away she cupped his cheek lovingly, then snuggled into his chest as she snuck her arms under her coat to wrap him in a tight hug.

Quietly, she began to sing in a soft soprano, "What is this pain I feel inside that makes me want to cry? What is the love that seems to fade as though I am nothing?"

Shino immediately recognized the song as one of Sakura's own and, without any of the hesitation he usually showed when she tried to get him to sing with her, joined in with a rich baritone.

"But then you're there, and all I can do is stare. You step forward and I step away. You can do nothing to make the pain go away. But again I am wrong, and you are right for I feel fine as though you have made it all right."

Their voices intertwined sweetly, both staying quiet as though preserving the moment for themselves alone. The song faded into a comfortable, companionable silence.

"Shino," Sakura whispered, tiredness lacing her words, "being with you is what will make me happy. There's no way I can be happier, not with Sasuke and not with anyone else for that matter."

"Sakura, I-"

"I take that back," Sakura said suddenly as she shifted in Shino's arms, pulling back to look him in the eye.

"Sakura?" questioned Shino, neither his voice nor face giving away his nervousness.

"It would make me very happy, Shino," Sakura said firmly, "if you wouldn't doubt my feelings for you. I agreed to marry you, and not even Sasuke's return will change my mind."

Shino relaxed, pulling Sakura against him again. Sakura, however, refused to be drawn in and sat firm, looking at Shino expectantly. Understanding, Shino moved again to hug her to him.

"I won't question you again, Sakura," Shino promised.

"See that you don't," Sakura smiled as she cuddled him again.

The moment was interrupted when the couple sensed approaching chakra. It was a small group apparently, made up of distinctive signatures, now that they were closer. Sakura groaned lightly.

"They came looking for us."

"And found us," Shino confirmed. "They were probably worried."

"They probably just want a free show," pouted Sakura, annoyed at having her time with Shino interrupted and guilty for disappearing on her friends.

"Sakura," spoke Shino in a tone she wasn't accustomed to from him, "shall we show them something, then?"

Sakura looked up at Shino oddly, not catching his meaning at first. Then she figured it out and smirked mischievously, deciding she liked this rare Shino.

"What did you have in mind?"

"They're both definitely this way," Kiba said to Ino and Naruto who he had grouped off with for the search as they jumped nimbly through the trees.

"Great," Ino smiled in relief. "How far?"

"Not very," Kiba assured. "In fact… Here we go."

Kiba came to a sudden halt on a thick tree branch, Ino and Naruto stopping behind him.

"What is it?" Naruto asked in concern.

"Why did we stop?" Ino chimed in.

Kiba looked at them over his shoulder, smirking widely. The look was almost frightening to his blonde companions.

"Don't you wonder what they do in their alone time?" Kiba jerked his head in indication of a spot just beyond the trees ahead of them. "Especially since half of the couple in question is Shino."

Ino and Naruto now smirked in return, though Naruto was admittedly a bit displeased with the idea of seeing anything happen between Sakura and, well, anyone. He had only found out she was unavailable a short while earlier, after all.

"Yeah, let's see what the lovebirds are up to," Ino nodded, quietly coming up beside Kiba. Naruto was right behind her, trying not to giggle like the little prankster he usually wasn't anymore.

With the inherent stealth of Shinobi of their rank, they snuck up to the place where Kiba smelled Shino and Sakura. Peeking through a few thick branches, they caught sight of their apparently unsuspecting targets.

"They're just sitting there," Naruto pouted.

"Shush," scolded Ino. "I think they're talking."

"I can't make out what they're saying, though," Kiba frowned in frustration as he strained.

"They're just sitting there," Naruto repeated, his inner mischievous child extremely disappointed.

"They're not just sitting there," Kiba argued, not taking his eyes off the couple. "They're cuddling. Shino is cuddling."

Kiba, though still annoyed not being able to hear, began his smirk anew. This was gold, pure gold.

"Sure looks like they're just sitting there," Naruto grumbled, not impressed by Cuddle Buddy Shino- not after what he had witnessed earlier that night.

As if on cue, the stationary Shino and Sakura began to move. At first it was almost unnoticeable. But after a few moments it was impossible to miss. They were readjusting in a manner that was almost frantic. The reason soon became apparent as Sakura pushed Shino's coat off his shoulders and threaded her hands into his thick hair.

Kiba, Ino and Naruto watched in fascinated horror as the two seemed to mesh into one. Their hands were all over each other and the sound of a zipper penetrated the quiet forest.

"Oh, my," Ino paled slightly as the couple before her became more erotic in their movements. "Are they..?"

"Hey, Ino, what's up?" Sakura spoke suddenly into Ino's ear.

"Sakura!" Ino gasped loudly and clutched her chest as she spun to face her friend.

"Shino!" Kiba nearly yelped as he turned to face the disturbance and found himself looking at his stoic teammate.

"What?" Naruto looked at the two then quickly back at where he had just seen them.

"Something interesting happening over there?" Sakura questioned innocently, eyes sparkling with humor.

"You- he- we-!" Ino looked back and forth as Naruto had done. Then her face hardened and she scowled and raged, "You brat!"

Sakura chuckled gleefully before responding, "It's my fault you can't see through a simple genjutsu? And you, Kiba, I would have expected better of."

"You just got behind me too fast!" Kiba defended roughly. "Where were you anyway?"

"Us to know, you not to know," Sakura replied haughtily, her nose in the air.

"You are a brat!" Ino pouted, hitting Sakura playfully on the arm. A moment later the girls were smiling at each other, Kiba rolling his eyes at their antics but glad to have attention off his mistake.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said in a gentle but firm voice, his face serious, "are you alright?"

Sakura flinched slightly, having hoped to have had the incident forgotten. Her smile returned a second later, albeit a little forced this time.

"Of course I'm fine, Naruto," she assured. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto frowned, not entirely convinced, but he nodded and grinned back at her.

"All right, if you say so," he allowed. "Now let's go back. The others were worried to and they'll want to know you're okay. Temari needs to know when you're getting married."

"Oh," Sakura frowned slightly and fell into brief thought. "We hadn't really thought about a date… Why does Temari need to know?"

It had not been lost on Sakura, apparently, that Naruto had named Temari specifically.

"Because-"

"No reason!" Ino cut Naruto off, sending him a glare to keep him quiet. "Let's just get back. We have a celebratory dinner to finish!"

"Ino," Sakura said dangerously.

"So, let's get going!" Ino said nervously. In another second she was gone, making her way back through the trees.

"Ino!" Sakura yelled as she went in pursuit. "What are you up to?"

"Something I should know about?" Shino asked Kiba plainly.

"Oh, nothing special," Kiba didn't bather to hide his up-to-no-good grin from Shino. "We'll talk about all that later. Let's just get after those two."

Shino was quiet for a moment, just standing and looking at Kiba, but he soon turned and followed after his fiancée and her friend. Naruto and Kiba shared a knowing smirk before heading back as well.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was stealthily making his way out the front gates of Konoha. This twist in events wasn't part of the plan and could mean trouble. He would have to report it immediately.

Hope this chapter was good And I look forward to posting the next Anyway nothing much to say but reviews are liked…

Ja-Ne

Mako-Chan