Incidence

Sonnie

"Your voice is hurting my head."

"I think it's the tequila from last night that's doing that, Tenten." Tenten fought a wave of nausea as the normally pleasant aroma of scrambled eggs assaulted her nostrils. Jou sighed, pulling the plate over in front of her instead.

"Same difference."

"No, not quite."

"Jou-chan, I'm sorry I ruined your party."

"You didn't ruin it, and even if you did, it wasn't just you. You're in good company, save my manager."

"Yeah, Kankurou really fucked him up. Best taijutsu move I've ever seen him pull, a straight up punch to the face."

"That was really sweet of him." Jou smiled warmly at the memory.

Only you can say it's sweet of someone to punch someone in the face and make it so sincere.

"You know, I think Izari's kind of taken with him."

Tenten's brows shot up. "Really?" She wasn't sure how she felt about that; they might not be together, but there were obviously lingering feelings of possession between them, the previous night had made that quite clear. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, they took a shower together this morning."

Tenten blinked. "…What?"

"Oh, they thought they were being discreet and everything, but my house is only so big and when two members of the opposite sex go missing at the same time, it doesn't take a genius to do the math."

"But…it's Izari. I obviously find Kankurou attractive, but I never really thought he was her type. I thought she'd be all over the hottest man there since she's got this reputation as a maneater…"

"That designation is pretty ironic, considering she's vegan."

Tenten snorted. "Whatever."

"Are you jealous?"

"A little bit."

"I thought you liked Neji."

"I do."

"I thought you loved Neji."

Tenten sucked in a breath. "I do."

"Then you got to start acting like it. I know it's hard, but you probably need to forget all about Kankurou for a little while. You need to make Neji center stage, as much as it pains me to say it."

Tenten squeezed her eyes shut. "Why bother if he's not going to acknowledge it? He knows I feel something then he goes and asks Sakura to your party! What kind of person does that, doesn't call for weeks and shows up with another girl?"

"It'd be insulting if any other guy did it with any other girl, but this is Neji and Sakura."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning Neji's got the social I.Q. of a can of pistachios and Sakura's the kind of girl that can convince said socially retarded boy to escort her to an event because she doesn't want to show up without a date and give her friend Ino any kind of ammunition against her. He's probably not aware that social implications existed at all. He's that dense. I don't really think he has it in him to chase another person to make you jealous, which I must admit is a little problem of yours. If you love someone, you've got to accept their flaws."

"Even if it is through pure naïveté, it's really hard because of all the girls he winds up with it has to be one of the brightest shinobi, and also one of the most beautiful."

"Tenten, you're just as beautiful as Sakura."

"But there's no way I can ever say I'm a better ninja. She trains with Tsunade, for crying out loud. She convinced my childhood hero to take her on as an apprentice. How can I compete with that?"

"I'm telling you, Tenten, you don't have to. If your heart's already made up, then Neji's the guy for you. Trust me, he knows how you feel, deep down under all that way-too-pretty hair and narcissism and superiority complex, he knows. But it's got to get past his personality first. That's going to take time. And once he realizes, I mean really recognizes the fact that you love him, then he's got to come to a realization on his own…and there's no telling how long that's going to take. God, I don't want to tell you wait and I really don't want to tell you to wait for him, but if that's what you want…"

"How do you know so much about this? You've never been in love."

"A friend of mine who went through a very emotional-charged and angst-ridden love affair told me."

"And what happened?"

"Honestly, he was on his way to confess his feelings and was murdered that very night."

Tenten sighed. "You're a lousy cheerleader. I should have gone after Lee. Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, it's supposed to make you realize that these things don't happen overnight, that it's one step forward, two steps back, and that you really picked an idiot to fall in love with, but I'm still your friend anyway."

Tenten laughed. "Well, it's a good thing we're still friends, even though you disapprove of my choice of the love of my life. Speaking of which, you've got a hardcore crush on the soon-to-be-Kazekage."

Jou's gaze dropped and she mumbled something incoherent, immediately scooting away from Tenten and covering the lower half of her face with her hands. Tenten prodded her with a tap on the arm and she looked up briefly.

"I think he's interesting." Jou managed to make the seven syllables sound like three and quickly looked down at her feet again.

"This guy used to terrify you."

"He still kind of does." This admission was uncharacteristically mumbled and quiet. Jou was fiddling with the end of her braid, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"You used to have nightmares about him; please don't tell me you still do."

"They were more along the lines of nightmares about what had happened in general, not necessary about him."

"Well why does he interest you? He doesn't talk a whole lot, is almost completely unapproachable, and probably doesn't like you. I don't really think he dislikes you anymore, which is admittedly progress, but you've got a long way to go."

"I guess I'm just fascinated by how different he is than me. I grew up lucky enough to be surrounded by people that love me openly – I still am. And even though my parents are gone, I still have Lee and all of my friends. We laugh and cry together, share great stories, hug in public…things that he couldn't even begin to relate to."

Tenten was about to add that Gaara was a ninja for God's sake before remembering that Lee was one too, one that did all of the aforementioned things in excess…Especially the crying.

"And you want to be the one that fixes him?" There was a definite challenge in her voice. As much as she loved Jou, she was still protective of Gaara and didn't want another person, no matter how well-intentioned, to attempt to get close.

Jou balked the harsh words before squaring her shoulders. "I don't have aspirations that I can fix him because that would more than imply I thought he was broken. He's not. I've seen broken people before and so have you. If he ever was, then that means there are people that spent a considerable amount of time and care to ensure that he was mended."

"Jou…"

"I'm so aware of my limitations, Tenten. If I could I'd go out and be by Lee's side, fighting with him every second of every day. But sometimes people need to be on their own so they can become strong for themselves. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, let Lee go off and be a shinobi and make a half-hearted attempt not to worry about every single mission."

"But you trust him to be strong. You've always trusted him and he won't ever hurt you."

At the tiny hint of wistfulness, Jou smiled at her friend. "You know, one day, I think you'll be able to trust Neji like that."

"Yeah right."

"Don't be so quick to brush it off. As much as I utterly loathe him sometimes, I can't deny that you two have this…connection. I mean, you joined ANBU and barely saw him for a year, yet the feelings between you are stronger than ever, even if they're extremely complicated. And you can't blame that solely on him, because you're confused too."

Tenten hung her head. "Yeah, I know. Being a ninja isn't particularly conducive to a relationship."

"I think you need a vacation."

"…What?" Tenten's voice was flat. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You know, those trips people go on when stress has driven them so insane that they're useless at work?"

"Oh, those." The sarcasm in Tenten's voice did nothing to affect Jou.

"Yeah, those. Izari and I are heading up to Snow Country to meet up with some friends in about a week. Want to come along?"

"I don't know your friends. It's going to be awkward."

"No it's not. It's only going to be three—I mean two of them. There's Chiie, she's a ballet dancer and she's the friendliest person you'll ever meet. She's so enthusiastic about life and she loves sports, just like you. There's Asazaki too; he's an amazing musician and he does lead vocals and guitar for The Starmen – you like them, right? But on second thought, you might want to stay away from him because he's going to try his damndest to get in your pants."

Tenten's brow rose, a faint challenge in her voice. "I've seen pictures and he's pretty hot, but I'd like to see him try. Anyway, who's the third person?"

"Huh?"

"You said three before changing your answer to two."

"Oh, well the third's the guy I told you about."

"The dead guy?" Tenten immediately regretted her words at the emotion that passed over Jou's face. Admittedly, Jou was not a crier. Tenten knew she cried more than her friend did (Lee cried more than her, too, though this was no surprise) and wasn't sure she wanted to see her start. Jou might be weird, paranoid, panicky, and worrisome, but she simply didn't cry, and Tenten was convinced she didn't cry ever.

"Yeah, the dead guy," Jou said flatly, though her voice was clear of hostility. As she continued to speak, it regained its normal bounce and lightness. "He used to be Izari's sensei. He's a genius on the violin and his artwork is amazing. You would have liked him and he would have liked you."

"And you're sure of that?"

"If there's one thing Yoshida prided himself on (though there was definitely more than one thing), it would have to be his great taste."

"Oh yes, I can tell we'd get along great. I'm sure I'd get along great with all of your friends too." Tenten's uncharacteristically flat tone was slightly distressing to her friend.

"Come on Tenten, you'll have so much fun! Chiie is the world's best snowboarder, I swear to God, and she'll teach you how if you don't know. And Asazaki likes to go on insane early morning jogs and insane early morning swims and for all the flirting he does, he's a lot of fun to be around. He'll get your mind off of Neji for awhile, which is exactly what you need…in order to get your mind back on him, if that makes sense."

Tenten shook her head. "No, sorry."

"Look, you and Shikamaru were just goofing off last night. Watching you and Kankurou is really, really painful and since you don't want to pursue things further, things need time to cool off. Asazaki is a great guy and he'll give you attention without posing a threat to your feelings for Neji. He'll make you feel like a normal girl."

"But I'm a ninja."

"Yes, you are, but you said it yourself, that being one isn't really conducive to relationships, right? This trip will just let your real personality out for some fresh air. What do you say?"

Tenten rubbed the bridge of her nose, wanting really hard to give a negative answer convincingly but knowing she just couldn't. She didn't think a trip would help her at all; Jou really meant well but Tenten wasn't at all hopeful this was going to work. Her mind was made up the moment Jou suggested it, as much as she hadn't wanted that. Sighing, she gave her friend a half-hearted smile and said yes.

-O-

I guess I'd be kind of mean if I turn down any food from her in the future, Temari thought sourly as she left Jou's house before the sun came up. They didn't even taste that bad and they made me so sick…

Temari was still attempting to shake the last remnants of nausea when she nearly walked headfirst into Shikamaru. He was carrying what appeared to be a large shoebox and a shovel, but that wasn't what struck her as odd. His eyes were red-rimmed and bleary, and before she could help herself, Temari said the first thing that flew into her head.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I had a bad night."

"Join the club."

Shikamaru glanced up at her guiltily, wearing the classic look of a Man About to Apologize, which sent Temari not-quite-welcome reminder that it was little things like this that made her fall in love with him in the first place.

"I was such an ass last night. I really didn't think about how it might affect you so I…" Temari could see this next part was almost painful. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, not really knowing what else to say. She wasn't used to it being awkward, yet another part of why she liked him, so the fact that the awkward silence dragged on between them started to annoy her.

"So…what's in the box?"

Shikamaru looked even more uncomfortable than he had during his apology. "Eh…it's nothing."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'? A man just doesn't walk around with empty boxes and shovels…"

"What?" Shikamaru was a little put off when she trailed off, an odd look on her face.

"May I?" She asked hesitantly, pointing to the corner of the box.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You really don't want to do that."

Temari bristled at the condescending tone and pulled up the corner, as he hadn't given an outright refusal. She dropped the lid and stepped back.

"That's disgusting."

"It's a cat."

"It's dead."

"Hence the box."

"But what are you doing with it?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You're going to bury it."

"Yeah."

"It's just a cat."

Temari knew she said something wrong when Shikamaru's expression became very closed and he walked right past her without another word.

-O-

"Maybe she just never had a pet growing up. Gaara wasn't a very stable child; any animal living there would have a pretty precarious lifespan."

"But she said 'it's just a cat.' Who says that?" Ino's hands were thrown up in her characteristically histrionic manner.

"People that have never had childhood pets don't understand the bond. She wasn't trying to be mean."

"But this is Temari!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "She's not the devil, Ino."

"She's trying to steal my man!"

"I think she's handling you two rather well." Sakura was starting to lose patience. "Besides, Tenten was doing a great job of that last night."

"Yeah, I heard." Ino's voice was sullen.

"You did? From who?"

"Shikamaru told me," Ino sighed, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head on them. She studied her coffee mug morosely.

He ruined all my fun! Sakura fumed inwardly, though she was secretly impressed. For professing to not understand troublesome women, he's certainly figured out it's better for her to find this stuff out from him than someone else like me…

"But he told me it will be strictly platonic from now on."

"And you trust him?"

"Yeah, because as of this morning, his ass is now mine. We're official."

Lucky Shikamaru, Sakura smirked. Not that Temari is any less scary, but this is Ino-pig we're talking about here.

"So what about you and Neji?"

"Me and Neji?"

"Yeah, you two have always got on really good."

"So…?"

"It's just kind of weird, because Neji doesn't really like social things but he seemed more than willing to go to that party with you."

"It's probably just the way I asked him; he's still really into Tenten. She was less than thrilled when we showed up together."

"Do you like him?"

"No, but I'll be the first to admit that he's really attractive."

"More attractive than Sasuke?"

"…Well, no, but…"

"What about Sai?"

"Psh, that jerk?"

"He may be a jerk, but he's a hot jerk. And he's got an amazing stomach."

"He does have an amazing stomach," Sakura echoed absently before realizing what she said. "Ugh, even if he does, he's still a jerk."

Ino nodded. "…With an amazing stomach."

"Ino-pig!"

"Forehead-girl!"

Both girls dissolved into giggles, completely ignoring the mild disapproving stares around them. The man behind the counter shook his head.

Women.

-O-

Izari was staring at the rather meager contents of the Hokage's office, not for the first time surprised that a woman with such a notorious reputation as Tsunade could, when she desired, appear almost normal. Even in Lightning Country the sannin were famous, and she was still slightly on edge when meeting with her, though this certainly wasn't the first time. She decided to get right to the point…it was, after all, what they both wanted. Tsunade's demand "tell me everything you know" was going to be more than a little taxing, but Izari knew she had to start at the beginning.

"Lighting Country's power was in the hands of the gentry when I left and I suspect it still is. There are five major bloodlines and historically they've always been at each others' throats for the position of Kage. They tended to pay more attention to the other families than to the needs of the people living on their land. Over time, people living outside the Village Hidden in the Clouds began to form a loose coalition in response to this neglect."

"This coalition never posed a real threat to us – I use "us" because my family is nobility – but they undermine our authority, causing problems with civilians. A lot of shinobi that came from ordinary families cut ties with Hidden Cloud and joined their families. During these mass defections the standards and loyalty of each ninja became much more strenuous and demanding to prevent such a thing from happening again. Hidden Cloud doesn't have a lot of ninja that it trusts, but the ones it does have been trained from birth to defend its interests."

"Civil war officially broke out when the Commons, what those loyal to Hidden Cloud have come to call them, took credit for assassinating the daimyo. But as someone present, I can say for certain that their declaration was false, as the act was performed by a member of the nobility. He works for what we call The Third Party, which is basically waiting it out to see who wins, or, when it suits them, tipping the scales in the favor of either side."

"He sounds wonderful." The dry intonation in Tsunade's voice was impossible to miss.

"It was Shikami. He was the one who killed the daimyo."

"A ninja going against the ultimate superior…" Tsunade didn't like it, not one bit.

"Not the way he saw it. The daimyo was a kind man, but raised as he was, he was naturally inclined to cater to the desires of the people he identified with best, those of the nobility. He wasn't unfeeling towards the Commons but he really wasn't aware how bad life was getting for them." Izari paused, taking a sip of the water Tsunade had offered her when she first sat down. "He really didn't deserve to die. But Shikami doesn't believe a title, especially as one as important as daimyo, should ever be inherited; he honestly believes in earning things, ironic since his family is so prestigious. And in light of this, Shikami made a real attempt to completely decimate the family so no one had a proper right to the title."

"Was he successful?"

"As far as I know, he was. A replacement must have been found since they're opening up the country for the exams. I can't imagine the current Raikage doing such a thing because he wants to. It has to be on the orders of the daimyo."

"Do you know the Raikage personally?"

"He said my father's attempts to forge peace with your country at the beginning of the war were a fool's errand and took measures to ensure that his efforts would be stopped."

"Such as?"

"He had my father put to death for treason before I was even born."

"Your father was Ikonji Osane?" Tsunade remembered hearing about the lone Cloud nin that wanted to call a cease-fire so negotiations could resume. He was almost successful, too, until his country decided that somehow they had more to gain from prolonged fighting.

Izari nodded.

"But your name is Zan Izari."

"Zan is my mother's maiden name…I've almost always gone by that. It's my way of carrying on her family...just as my brother carries on our father's."

Tsunade said nothing but mentally filed away this piece of information.

"When my father was executed, my mother was more than a little angry and made a serious effort to kill the Raikage that very night. Her bloodline has strong ties to the weather and the atmosphere; the storm she attempted to kill him with resulted in a large flood. A lot of people died that night and thousands of acres of crops were wiped out. Being eight months pregnant she understandably lost, but it was because of this that he spared her life. He might be the Raikage, but the families don't go around killing each other, at least overtly. It would have looked really bad, so he instead placed my mother under house arrest until she died."

"Even though I inherited qualities from both parents, my talents as a shinobi are more like my mother's. My brother inherited the bloodline of my father the strongest; my father was a med nin and a proper physician, a tradition my brother carries on. Because of the war, lots of bloodlines were attempting marriages with other noble clans in attempts to create super ninjas, despite the fact none of them really got along. Shikami and I are the ultimate bi-products of this, though I must say I think he's far more successful at it than I am."

"Why do you say that?"

"Let me put it this way; it didn't help that I most definitely did not want to be a ninja when I was growing up. From birth, Shikami and I were taught to hate each other and were trained to defeat each other. The, ah, preparation was more than a little intense because at some point I was convinced (and so was he) that we'd have some kind of final showdown and one of us would die. We eventually lost interest, much to the dismay of our respective parents who were living vicariously through us. My brother, as heir, arranged a marriage for me and it is around this time that Third Party recruited him to join their cause."

"Why would the Raikage's son join them?"

"He has no sense of connection to his family members with the exception of his mother, who died in what I believe in a totally bogus suicide after his little sister was born nine years ago. He started to disregard authority; that's the odd thing about him. He doesn't go on killing sprees and he's not even particularly violent as far as shinobi go, but if he wants to do something he gives no thought to consequences and just does it. He's involved with Third Party and there's no telling what their true agenda is and because of that, no way to tell what his actions will be."

"But why join this Third Party?"

"I honestly don't know. For all I know it could be boredom. I just don't get the guy, or like him much for that matter. We used to violently hate one another but I can't say I understand why he does half the things he does. He's the most unpredictable person I've ever met, but I'd never call him unstable; a shame, since he rarely makes errors in judgment that can be exploited. He's manipulative and secretive but I wouldn't call him evil…He's probably more amoral than anything. He terrifies his own father and pretty much the entire country."

"Is there anyone that terrifies him?"

"I don't think he's scared of anyone, really. The only people I know that pose a real threat to him are my brother and my former sensei, Yoshida."

"You told me about him before…Shikami's uncle?"

"Yoshida's older sister married the Raikage when she was sixteen; at this point in Yoshida's life both of his parents had died and he was pretty much left on his own. Even though he was ten he was able to look after himself and the estate, but he most definitely resented the fact she was taken away. The marriage was arranged before she was even born…she didn't even find out until she read her parents' will."

"The Raikage's family is one of the five noble houses but so is Yoshida's, who's also got a lot more money. The pure bloodline of that family died when he did; he was able to manipulate magnetic fields and appropriately responsive metals, fitting as his family is famous for fine jewelry and such. All precious gemstones and fine metals are procured through business with the Samura family. And much to the Raikage's chagrin, his eldest son and heir, Shikami, has adopted the use of his brother-in-law's family name as he's strongly inherited his mother's bloodline.

"Yoshida was always more a father to Shikami than the Raikage was. He wasn't as neglected as you think growing up. Damn…it would have been just too perfect for us - Yoshida lived in Snow Country and would have been handy if Shikami got out of control during negotiations, but I just got a phone call early this morning from one of my former students telling me he was murdered. Pretty convenient, I'd say, especially because Shikami almost always behaves around his uncle."

"It must have taken quite an effort to kill him."

"Yoshida's one of the most naturally talented ninjas I know with one of the most advanced bloodlines, but he left Lighting Country with me eight years ago to start a new life. Neither of us has been practicing and it's pretty evident in our combat. He probably put up a hell of a fight but was over thirty years old and hadn't done anything as a shinobi since he was in his very early twenties."

Abandoning training in your prime…that's highly unusual, especially for a skilled ninja. Tsunade frowned. "Was it the commoners you believe responsible for Yoshida's death?"

"Their advantage lies in numbers, not skill. They simply don't have the organization or the caliber of shinobi necessary to pull off such a reckless assassination, especially not so far from home. I fear that it's Third Party. They're going to want to shut down the negotiations before they start by giving Shikami free reign of Snow Country."

"He's as dangerous as they say."

"He's twice as bad as anything you've heard. Trust me on that one."

"Who was the other member of your team?"

"Yuu Rikichi. He's a total cheeseball but he's a great ninja. His family is far from nobility but he's always wanted to protect Hidden Cloud for some reason, even though it's run by the gentry." Izari paused as a chuckle escaped. "This is completely unimportant, but Yoshida used to have a really big crush on Rikichi's mom…" she chuckled again before straightening up in her chair. "Now that I think about it, Rikichi could keep Shikami in line. Let's hope he's there. Shikami even likes him, insofar as he likes anyone. Yuu Rikichi is a really nice guy, even nicer than Lee."

Tsunade wasn't sure if such a man existed, but it was enlightening to get a subjective viewpoint on possible enemy nins.

"I swear, all Rikichi ever did was yap about how he was going to get Monomori Ayase to marry him. It was pretty ridiculous, because she was and still most likely is the richest, smartest, most beautiful woman in all of Hidden Cloud with a sweet personality to boot…Not that Rikichi doesn't have a shot because he's insanely handsome and bright, but he's poorer than dirt and her dad hates him on principle. None of the gentry ever really trusted his mom, either…thought she was in league with the Commons because she never really liked any of those 'rich people'…"

"Sounds like things are pretty complicated over there."

"It's all about money, star-crossed love, and class politics…Are things any different here? Your hands are still tied by the Elders at times, I'm sure. The Hyuuga clan still has 'issues' it needs to sort out…and of all things, I saw Hyuuga Neji last night with that woman Tenten…it's like a fucking soap opera. What kind of place are you running, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade sighed tiredly. She caught a glimpse of the brunette girl sporting a hell of black eye and got the full story from Sakura. Honestly, she really didn't know what they were thinking.

"Kids these days, right?" Izari smiled broadly, the picture of innocence.

Right. Tsunade smiled tightly. She had definitely learned a lot, but this meeting was far from over.

-O-

Neji was aware of Hyuuga eyes on him at all times, even when there weren't any Hyuuga around, per se, whenever he was in the compound. By familial obligation he was compelled to stay, but he had never given a lot of thought to what it would be like to live where no one saw, if only because it would never happen.

The only times I ever really feel like I have privacy is when I'm on missions. Whenever I'm here I have every member of the family attempting to dissect why, exactly, I'm acting the way I'm acting. None of them ask…none of them have to.

It was partially this line of thought that turned him onto the possibility that he might like Tenten because she had to ask, she couldn't just look. Years ago when the prying white eyes threatened to overwhelm him he'd been more than happy to look at a pair that did reflect his own image back to him framed in white irises. Back when Tenten still needed to ask what actions meant what because she didn't know him well enough yet.

And now she knows how I feel when I sit a certain way, or walk a certain way, or look at her a certain way, sometimes before I know myself…At least she used to be like that. I don't know if she remembers all of that now. And when I look at her…I used to know what everything meant and now so much has changed…

I used to like her because she was different. That was my reason in the beginning. Then I started to like her because she understood things about me, or at least accepted them. But now I know that in many ways we're similar, that she doesn't know a lot of things about me and that I certainly don't know a lot of things about her. Some of her habits are driving me insane so logically, I shouldn't like her anymore because all of the original reasons don't apply anymore.

Neji remembered frowning when asking Lee what it had been about Sakura that he liked the most. Ignoring the expected "her glorious beauty and amazing personality and brilliant mind" he finally got his friend to admit that it was, of all things, the way her eyes got all squinty when she was mid-sentence and attempting to recount tiny details. It was totally inane, but Neji realized with a healthy dose of acceptance and mild despair that he had plenty of idiosyncrasies of Tenten's that he admired for no good reason at all.

Her hands are always warmer than mine even though they should be colder because she's smaller. She bites her lip a lot when she's nervous or thinking and it makes me stare at her mouth. She never orders two scoops of the same type of ice cream...she's always trying a new flavor. Her hair gets slightly frizzy when it's damp outside but she doesn't know I know this.

Neji frowned. I'm not supposed to be thinking about her like this after how she acted last night. I'm supposed to be angry with her, I should be! She tried to make me jealous, intentionally, just because I showed up with someone else, a purely platonic friend. I shouldn't be interested in someone so insecure…

But she's not exactly insecure, a little voice reminded Neji. And if she is, it's only because of your actions, right? Showing up with another woman on your arm has got to be a blow to anyone, even if you didn't mean anything by it, what was she supposed to think? It's not like you called her or anything…

Neji wanted to curse his brain for being so damned logical.

"A person is not a puzzle to figure out, a prize to win, a broken thing to fix, or an obstacle to defeat. At times you might have to approach them like that, but the attempt is not a means to an end, it's an end unto itself. Every interaction does its share to shape you, too."

It was Sakura who'd told him this once, more than a little tipsy when he'd been sitting with her, Naruto, and Shikamaru one evening after a mission. He was willing to bet that she didn't even remember it. She'd been deep in some muddled comparison between Sai and Sasuke and he hadn't even been paying that much attention until she'd mentioned Tenten.

"Don't be like Sasuke and let a good girl get away from you."

Neji had been about to reply quite tartly that he was in no way similar to Sasuke, but realized she had a point. Sakura was a great ninja and a good woman; Sasuke had walked away from that. Tenten was similarly skilled in her area of expertise and in his mind, exactly what a beautiful woman should be, but he realized he was basing a lot of this on superficial things. His analytical mind picked apart every flaw and for a time, she lost some appeal, but this tactic never worked long term.

It's not like a perfect woman exists. I don't even want a perfect woman. I just want—

Tenten.

Back to square one.

Neji wondered if he really was in love, and if he was, why anyone ever wanted to be in the first place if it meant feeling anything approaching this feeling. He couldn't fathom that it was anything a person would want.

"Love sucks."

Neji winced at the memory of Sakura's rather loud declaration. Shikamaru had just shaken his head and Naruto had looked puzzled. He remembered that he hadn't cared at the time, but if she was right, and she often was, exactly how much truth was in such a statement?

-O-

"I can't believe you."

"You're the one who said "it's just a cat.' Who does that?"

"That's not quite as bad as sleeping with a girl you just met."

"Technically, I've been hearing her voice over the radio for years."

"You're unbelievable."

"I'd say the same but I do believe that you'd say something that cold and insensitive."

"I wasn't trying to hurt his feelings, it just slipped out."

"And it's not like I went to that party to get laid, it just happened."

"But this is Zan Izari. She's…got a reputation."

"Eh, doesn't mean it's true."

"There's usually a measure of truth in rumors. Sure, I spoke with her a little last night and she's not that bad, but that doesn't mean I want her going out with my brother."

"Whoa, who said anything about going out?"

"You mean you two just slept together and you're not going to see her ever again?"

"Well, maybe a few more times—"

"Kankurou!"

"Look, it's no big deal, just a rebound."

"We're talking about a person, here."

"A person you were just insulting a minute ago, Temari."

"I wasn't insulting her, per se."

" 'She's got a reputation,' " Kankurou mimicked in a higher-pitched voice.

"I didn't know you seduced her."

"I SO did no seduce her. She put the moves on me."

"Oh really."

"Yeah, she popped in a movie and sat next to me on the couch."

Temari was unimpressed. "Oh? And what movie was this?"

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

"The singing transvestite movie?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think she put it in to seduce you unless there's something about your sexuality you're not telling the rest of us."

"The fact she put in a movie and sat with me…" It sounded weak, even to Kankurou's ears.

"She probably wanted an excuse to keep an eye on Jou. Gaara told me about the sleepwalking. That's just weird."

"It was creepy. People should not be able to talk in their sleep, let alone walk around and stuff. I thought she was messing with me."

"She's not really the type to do that."

"I guess you forgave her for poisoning you."

"She didn't poison me."

"Yeah, sure."

"You're just trying to change the subject."

"No, I'm not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT!"

"Be quiet."

Years of conditioning made Temari and Kankurou automatically shut up at their brother's intervention, but that didn't stop him from mouthing the words "are too" at her. She rolled her eyes and waited for Gaara to ignore them again before mouthing "am not" right back.

-O-

"If shinobi training was forced on you so strongly, why have you been classically trained on the viola?"

"Through the generations, each noble house has an instrument it's known for: Zans play viola, Samuras play piano, Monomoris play cello, Kotabes play harp, and Ikonjis play violin. They'd parade the children around in recitals…more cultured than shinobi combat but it was all a farce, a thin veneer of civility meant to veil yet another competition." The contempt on her voice was alarming, Tsunade noted that while her face was perfectly cool and detached, each word was spat with venom. "We have endless symbols that stand for our houses; flowers…animals…colors…But on the surface, all families 'get along' or so they would have the Commons believe. It's total bollocks, too."

"Who is Kotabe?"

"The Raikage's name is Kotabe Hiro. You didn't hear it from me, but he can't play the harp worth shit. He's got this inferiority complex because he's got a powerful genjutsu-based bloodline, but it's one that can't be applied in practical combat. For years he worked insanely hard to be at the same level of his peers, but even after surpassing them he's still worried he can't beat some of the more powerful members of the village in a direct, one-on-one confrontation. To add to his ire, his prestigious bloodline doesn't show up in his sons. It might in his daughter; she was born only a few days before I left, so I can't tell you. I've even heard rumors that Kotabe's little brother is in Third Party. Everything over there's really fucked up, as you can tell, I'm sure."

"It doesn't sound like they're in any shape to host a Chuunin exam. It might be dangerous for us to go."

"It's always dangerous to go. I bet the Raikage's got some elaborate scheme planned. But it'll all go to hell if his son and Third Party decide to get involved. He might even be hoping you help him eliminate them while you're there. That's why Kotabe wanted to become Raikage – he can just order people to do things for him."

"He's not going to order me around."

Izari smiled. "I don't think he could. He's still not to be underestimated. He's strong, very crafty, and highly organized. If any other person were Raikage I bet Third Party would have made a bigger move, and as far as I know that hasn't happened yet. Eh, any male with Kotabe blood is a chauvinist pig in my experience. Kenji, Hiro's middle child, was an absolutely wretched student. Arrogant, spoiled, and way too smart for his own good. You'd need to watch out for him, too, if only the kid weren't so obsessed with rules and decorum and reputation that he's too 'civilized' to act out...for the most part."

"This whole family sounds like trouble."

"They are. The Kotabe family is strongest right now – the head of the family is Raikage and both of his sons are at least within the top five most powerful ninja in Hidden Cloud, I'm sure. But for all their power they're still wary of Takayori, my brother, who's got a lot of ninjas' respect and loyalty; Kotabe is fond of sending my brother out of the country on diplomatic missions when he plans on doing something really despicable. Takayori is the most patient, even-tempered man I've ever met, but he simply wouldn't stand for some of the things Kotabe does. Nobles are hesitant about disagreeing publicly; no one wants to show weakness to the Commons or worse, Third Party."

"So we can expect some hardball in Snow Country, but nothing too aggressive or bold?"

Izari nodded. "I don't think they'd risk word getting back. Even though Shikami does as he pleases, Kenji is loyal to his father, if only because they're related. Kenji, depending on how much he's progressed, could be a very real threat to his brother. But Kenji's so tied up in the concept of loyalty he often winds up betraying the people he most likely cares about. He's very black-and-white, by-the-book."

"What about strengths and weaknesses?"

"Shikami and Kenji are resistant to genjutsu…they may not have their father's ability but they aren't easy prey to it, either. Their chakra capacity is immense, their skill and knowledge thorough, and both are incredibly intelligent strategists, but Kenji thinks inside the box."

"What about Shikami?"

"Oh, Shikami's very creative. His nihilism is rather frightening and I'm not saying he's easily swayed by any means, but if you present a good argument he will give you the time of day. Kenji is far more elitist and arrogant than his brother, who oddly enough has no problem giving credit where credit is due, even if he doesn't like a person."

"What of Kenji's teammates? Are they still alive?"

"As far as I know." Izari shrugged.

"Do they pose a threat?"

"They're very skilled and competent but lack the chakra capacity to do any real harm. One of them might be able to open gates but I don't think she'd be able to match someone like say, Rock Lee. She's fast but incredibly small. But she and his other teammate most likely quit being shinobi – neither of them wanted to do it, really."

"Then why…?"

"Before the rules got insanely strict, every child in Hidden Cloud had to train to become a shinobi. After the mass defections, rules were tightened but both made the cut, probably more out of loyalty than skill, since they were both very young at the time."

"I'm going to ask you to prepare more detailed reports on all of the Hidden Cloud nins you know. I want to know their powers, intelligence, potential, strengths, and weaknesses."

"I can tell you up front that Takayori…I can't tell you any of his weaknesses."

"I understand he's your brother, but—"

"No, you don't understand. The bloodline he inherited from our father is not well understood. Our father's power was barely a fraction of what Takayori's is and he died before he could tell us all of its secrets. Ever since I can remember Takayori's been hunting down information on it. He didn't know a lot about it when I left so I don't have a lot to say on the matter. He kept its inner workings private, even from me. I think the only people that know are his former teammates, Ayase and Yoshida. But since Yoshida is dead, there's no way to get information on it without asking him."

"Are you prepared to gather intelligence on the matter for us?"

"You're asking me to collect evidence that might lead to his death." Izari couldn't cover the panic that rose in her voice.

"It's unlikely that—"

"Tsunade-sama, with all due respect, you have nothing to worry about from Takayori. If you only knew him, you'd—"

"As you know him? He's your own brother and yet you claim to know next to nothing about his bloodline. It sounds to me like you don't know much of anything about him, at least nothing you want to admit."

Izari slumped in her chair in defeat.

"I expect those reports done as soon as possible. You will write them here; I'll have Shizune set up a space for you."

Izari nodded numbly, hoping with every ounce of her being that her brother would not be in Snow Country when she arrived.

-O-

"Hey, wait up!"

Shikamaru stiffened when he recognized the voice. He really didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, but especially not Temari, not after what she said. Still, a tiny shred of civility forced him to wait until she'd caught up with him. She'd even hurried her steps to catch up.

"Hey, Shikamaru."

"Hey." His reply wasn't sarcastic, but it was very unenthused.

"Um, about what I said earlier…"

"Yeah?" Venom had dripped into his voice ever-so-slightly.

Temari frowned, knowing she deserved that. "I'm sorry for what I said."

"What are you talking about?"

"I said 'it's just a cat.' I didn't know it wasn't a good thing to say."

"How could it have been a good thing?" Shikamaru was horrified when he blurted this out.

""Well, why is it so bad?"

"I've had Nano-chan" his glare stopped her mid-laugh "since I was five years old. He sat under the table and helped me eat all my green vegetables when I was a kid. His fur kept Ino's mom from coming over as often as she wanted to, meddlesome woman, since she was allergic. He sat on my legs every night when I went to sleep, which was troublesome, but not really all that much, I suppose. He was my least troublesome friend ever."

Temari thought it all sounded a little ridiculous until she realized he was completely serious.

"Fifteen years is a long time for a cat. He led a full life, from the sound of it."

"Since you never had any pets you wouldn't know, but it's really relaxing to have a cat, at least a good one."

"I don't really like cats," Temari admitted.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Heh, Ino says the same thing, but I saw her around Nano-chan. You have to get to know a cat first before you make that call. Ino was almost as sad as I was that Nano-chan died, even though she didn't want to admit it."

"I can't really foresee me getting along with a cat, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to be more open-minded about it," she conceded after a moment. Silence hung between them again, and Temari was racking her brain trying to think of something to say.

"Temari," Shikamaru began tentatively, looking her straight in the eye with some expression she'd never seen before. "In every situation like ours, things get awkward. But I don't want us to stop being friends. I don't want to turn into Neji and Tenten and have it be painful every time we're in the same room. I'm not trying to dismiss our feelings, but we've also got a job to do."

Temari mulled over what he said; she was glad he wasn't patronizing her more than anything. It did hurt, maybe it hurt a lot more than she knew at that exact moment, but it wasn't the end of the world. And it was that terrible, wonderful connection that seemed to exist between Neji and Tenten, the one that had unfortunately involved her brother.

"Thanks for not apologizing," Temari said finally. "You didn't do anything wrong; if you had apologized, it'd make me think that you somehow did."

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm really glad you're not beating my ass with that fan of yours."

"I don't like going after people if they're not going to fight back."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully at what might be a rather loaded statement. "Did you get briefed on the latest mission yet?"

"The one to Snow Country?"

"Yeah."

"I was heading to Tsunade's office; there are materials there she's not allowing outside the building, at least not in the hands of Leaf nins I've been told. She gave my brother some information on a Lightning nin they speculate might be there, but I heard she got some new information earlier today."

"Apparently that blonde from the party knows a lot about what's been happening there."

I'm sure she does, Temari thought. "I guess I heard the same thing."

"Here to pick up a copy for your brother?"

Temari shrugged.

"At least you get to leave with it. I've got to memorize it all; Neji and Sakura will be there."

Temari didn't miss a beat. "Good luck with that."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

-O-

Tenten stood over the open, empty suitcase sprawled on her bed. She stared absently at its dimensions, pondering what she'd fill it with. She didn't really have a lot of clothes; most of her money went right back into weapons – she spent a lot of time fixing the ones that could be salvaged to save money.

"I'll just pack the bare essentials," spoke out loud. "If I need anything, which is really unlikely, I think Jou and I can manage to find it."

But can you afford it? Tenten winced. I'll manage somehow. It'll probably be a boring trip anyway.

-O-

Sakura's eyes lifted from the paper for the sixth time that paragraph; really, why did men have to be so absurd? Neither of them was dating Tenten and both were acting ridiculously possessive; Shikamaru was glaring at Neji in a "leave me and her the fuck alone" kind of way. Neji was sending off "stay the hell away from my girl" vibes. It was really difficult to concentrate.

"For crying out loud, this isn't a pissing contest!" she blurted out. She pointed at Shikamaru. "You're damned lucky Ino hasn't dumped your sorry ass. Hurry up and memorize these files so you can get your ass home to her." She pointed at Neji. "And asking you to take me to that party was the dumbest idea I've had in quite awhile. If you liked her at all you should have gone with her. That's just common sense."

When both men were unresponsive, she stood and threw down the file she'd been twisting.

"For fuck's sake, GROW UP!" Sakura was positively fuming and she, at least ostensibly, got her wish when both men quietly returned to their reading, glares and grudges temporarily forgotten.

I guess this would be a bad time to mention that Lee told me Tenten's going to Snow Country with Jou and Izari…

Shikamaru dropped file at Neji's feet; the Hyuuga made no move to retrieve it until Sakura sent him a lethal glare. Frowning, he swiped the paper from the floor and tossed it onto Shikamaru's lap.

Maybe this whole trip won't be so bad after all, she smiled.

Wow, this guy could totally kick my ass, Shikamaru thought grimly, reading Izari's notes on Kotabe Kenji. One of his many instructors throughout the years was Monomori Ayase, a woman whose bloodline I've never seen the likes of before. Apparently it has no direct power, but when she's in the proximity of another bloodline, she can enhance its abilities. Prolonged contact can and will cause a permanent boost in power…I don't like the sound of this.

Neji was leafing through the file on a woman named Chiie. She's primarily a taijutsu user like himself. She lacks a bloodline and her moves are straightforward, but it says she received basic training in technique from several houses; must be quite a popular student to convince so many powerful families to take her on as a student and teach her their secrets. She has Lee's speed and Sakura's inhuman, chakra-enhanced strength, but the inability to do genjutsu and very limited practice with ninjutsu…interesting because she has such great chakra control.

Who puts down in a ninja file that the subject is a womanizer? Sakura thought irritably. This Asazaki guy doesn't sound like much. His family is to cats what Kiba's family is to dogs; he doesn't have a familiar, though. And what the hell does "brilliant but not academically inclined" mean? Are we talking Shikamaru-lazy here? This kid was only twelve when she left, how can you be a womanizer at the age of twelve!? Get real!

Shikamaru dared a wary glance at Sakura, only to see her furiously switch to another file. He hastily returned to his own, now covering a ninja named Rikichi.

He doesn't sound like a ninja at all, Shikamaru conceded after a moment. Plays the tenor saxophone, good for him…Likes red roses (how the hell is this important?)…Can't dance (once again, how is this relevant?)…Obsessed with Monomori Ayase, the chick with the amplifying power, gee, how nice…Is there anything useful in here?

Neji was regarding his file thoughtfully. Shikami doesn't quite fit any profile I've seen before. He's unpredictable but not unreliable or incompetent. Izari writes that he's very intuitive and that he might not have the ability to control metal as well as his brother does or uncle did, he is a master of seals. I always suspected the Kotabe family used seals to keep their family "pets" loyal. They don't cage their birds, they brand seals upon their flesh…

Sakura knew instinctively that the file she now held in her hands was in a completely different tone than all the others. Tsunade had told her to be especially careful with this one; Takayori and Izari were siblings.

He's really a doctor? It says he's a successful and highly-skilled surgeon that works very well with others. He does very well on diplomatic missions and is often employed to handle tense situations, as he's trustworthy and fair. He never loses his temper or raises his voice (why don't we have ninja like that here?) and he is a rather quiet person. He reads classic novels and plays in his spare time (nerd alert!).

What kind of shinobi are these people? Half of these files sound like dating ads! I'm surprised I didn't read "likes long walks by the beach" or something! I guess it kind of makes sense, though. We're not going to Snow Country with the intent of meeting these people in battle. To know their personalities is even better, and we do have a wealth of information on these weirdos…

At the very bottom in tiny, neat handwriting, she spotted a message from Izari, a plea, really.

"You can't kill him!"

Sakura smiled grimly. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Author's Notes: A nice long chapter to set the stage for the next arc of my story. If you review (and I hope you do, because they provide a LOT of inspiration), please be constructive. This is very roughly edited and proofread, so I apologize but I really want to crank out these chapters while I'm really enthusiastic!