Hiya! Thank you for reading this far! I'd like to take a moment to thank my reviewers, you guys are great! Sorry for not posting for a while, I've been sick. Here's chapter 5 (finally)

Disclaimer: I don't have a dream of owning Naruto. . . Actually, I dream about it all the time. . . But, it will never happen. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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The pair was silent for a moment as they gazed out, over the treetops to the village. There was no sign of human movement or movement, as if the entire place was a ghost town.

There was a mass of darkened houses, stores and businesses before them. Only far off, near where they could see the newly built bridge, was there a bit of activity going on. But the activity, such as sheets blowing in the wind and a river running to the sea, only took up about a tenth of the entire area.

"That's all… that's all that's left..." Hanna said softly as she set her chin of Shino's shoulder. The man grunted as he shifted her weight.

"All those darkened housed and streets... Those area all homes of the… of the… dead." she lifted a finger to the horizon and began to count,

"… and nine up… four across… two… three… four… on the right side of the road-- there!" she pointed to a dark house,
"That's-- that's my house. It looks just like when I left… I had just hung new curtains and had put the rug out to dry…" she gazed sadly at the surrounding houses, "And that's Kimichi's house… and there-- there's Grandfather Dotchimaro's house… and there's Sugaru's shack…"

Shino could feel her take in a sharp breath, "They're all-- they're all... dead."

Silence took over once again as Shino took off toward the village with the woman on his back.

"Shino?"

"Yes?"

"What if… What if I can't do it?" Hanna asked, as she felt those horrible tears stinging the back of her eyes again.

Shino stopped on a branch and sighed,
"You cannot allow yourself to think that way, Hanna-sama."

The woman shook her head as her tears began to fall down to shino's neck,
"But I can't do it… It's going to be too hard… I'll never be able to rebuild this entire city… It's too much... it's all hopeless-- I'll surely fail--"

"Shut up." The insect ninja hissed. Hanna was taken aback at his sudden outburst.

"Don't you dare say that." He said took back to leaping, "You have worked all your life to bring hope back to these people and now-- now when you finally have the chance to help them-- now you're going to say that you can't do it?"

He looked back at her and smiled kindly, "You may think it is impossible, but I believe you can do it."

Shino leaped to the ground outside the village gate,
"It would be best for you to get down now… I'm sure the villagers wouldn't want to see their new leader carried into their village. They might get the idea that you're weak..." he said softly.

The woman nodded and the Chunin carefully set her down. Once she was on the ground and comfortably standing on one foot, he turned to her.

Hanna blushed as the young man fretfully extended his arms and his long fingers wrapped around her back. They stood face to face, the man gently supporting the Lady. Shino debated with himself for a moment on what to do and then at last removed his dark glasses. Hanna's breath caught in her throat as the man set his forehead against hers. Her tears slowly began to cease.

"Hanna-sama," he said firmly, "I believe in you, even when you don't believe in yourself."

She could feel his warm breath against her lips and her heart began to race when he smiled down at her. Such a lovely smile-- her cheeks began to redden at the thought. She was almost mesmerized by that look in his eyes-- but what was that look?

Shino stared down at the sweet girl, her face still wet from her tears. Her cheeks shone red and a small smile graced her red lips. She looked so beautiful. His eyebrows knit together. What in the name of the Hokage was he thinking!?

Could-- was he beginning to feel something for her? It was not allowed for him to love-- especially love someone he choose. It was not the way of the Aburame clan.

"Shino?" she whispered as she gazed up at him.

Yes. He had begun to feel something. But he wasn't supposed to. Chunin weren't supposed to have feelings. He was her escort and nothing more…

But…

"Hanna… Hanna-chan…" He sighed. It was wonderful the way it came off of his lips. The girl smiled up at him-- oh! How that smile taunted him!

"Thank you… thank you for believing in me…" she whispered, almost embarassed.

Ever so slowly, his hand ran up her back, receiving a slight involuntary shiver from her, into her hair. He gently entwined his fingers in her fiery locks and her eyes widened and filled once again with tears.

"I... I..." the words so simple and clean-cut in his mind would not leave his lips... they were chained to his heart and the key was missing-- long forgotten.

The next few moments were the most blissfully torturous moments in either's life. Her name rolled off of his lips again as he drew closer to her.

Closer, closer, he could feel her quickening breaths on his skin, sending the bugs in his heart into a frenzy, he could feel them frantically moving under his skin, telling him to just get a taste of those juicy red lips.

The Lady's eyes drifted close and there was just barely a centimeter more between them…

"Oi, oi! Look! Our leader has arrived!"

The pair tore apart, both glowing red in embarrassment as they were greeted by a small committee of two old women and some younger people, some around the Chunin's age, he supposed.

"Oh, dear heavens, look, the poor dear's hurt!"
"It must have been one of those confounded human traps!"
"I told Yakamichi to take those old hazardous things down!"
"But you never know, they might have saved us from evil intruders!"

An old woman, apparently the current village leader, approached them,

"I am Hsuo Donym, this," she said, motioning to the other elderly woman, "Is my sister, Pakin Tlip. We've been waiting for your arrival for awhile now-- you should have been here days ago."

Shino bowed to the woman, "I am terribly sorry," he said, "But we ran into... complications along the way."

Donym turned to him,
"My my! Aren't you a strapping young man! You must be her husband, ne?" The pair blushed and Shino shook his head,
"Ah, no… actually I am just her escort… I was sent from the Hokage to ensure her safe arrival."

The old woman's smile faltered and she gained a look of annoyance, "You call that a safe arrival?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she motioned to the Lady's bloodied leg.

Hanna waved her hand about,
"It is completely my fault that my leg is--"

"Aww… you need to get into your new office and get settled right away. A little rest and we'll find a nice doctor for you-- come on, Donym, we need to get this girl in right away." Pakin Tlip said as she hustled over to the girl and dragged her off.

REVEROF YATS

Hanna looked around the dark office-- her office. It seemed as if it was just like when the last Kage left-- when the last Kage had died.

The windows had been boarded over, until she got a village man to take down the boards, and the room was dusty and antique. Papers lay scattered on the desk, some of them from the day of the massacre-- bloody. There was blood on the rugs, which she had taken out of course, and there were spiders on the blinds, of which she was no longer afraid of.

She sat in the plush, if just a bit dusty, chair and took out her paperwork. Carefully stacking the crinkled, old yellowed papers at the side of her desk, she spread out her scrolls and began organizing her plans in order of when she would execute them.

There was a light tap on the door and she called "Come in."

"Hello, dear." Mrs. Pakin (as she had later introduced herself) said sweetly as she carried a tray of tea.

"Oh, hello."

The old woman sat herself down on the opposite side of the dark wood desk,
"I have some important news to tell you."

Hanna smiled pleasantly,
"Ah... Do tell, then."

The old woman sighed and rung her old hands together,
"It has been decided that you are to be the new Kage."

Hanna grinned,
"How wonderful! I can't believe--"

"And you are to remain here permantly."

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Did you like it? I hope so. The next chapter will be the second to last. Please PLEASE PLEEEASE review!

Thank you for your time!

Mysteria Pearl