Sorry it took so long to update! It's been hectic week!

But, here's a new chappie. Kinda boring, but necessary!

Enjoy! Action is a comin' - _ ^

"So what you're saying is...." Kiba was doing his best to not laugh, "that you got played?"

Shino refused to look at his companion. He could feel the glee in Kiba's voice, but he would not allow the dog-nin to provoke him. "I don't think that is what I said, Kiba."

Kiba chuckled, pausing to sniff the air as Akamaru rubbed his snout over the ground's surface. Shino decided that it would be rather hilarious, if he weren't so anxious to find Tenten. They had been traveling for two days, and it had been filled with non-stop running and very little conversation. Shino had refused to stop for food, until Kiba had collapsed from exhaustion and hunger, giving Shino no choice but to give in. They had left the tiny village only moments earlier--mainly with Shino dragging Kiba out by the scruff of his neck. Again, it would have been funny. Any other time, that is.

They had made into Lightning only hours ago, a little before Kiba's pathetic mutiny. The Inuzuka was much more jolly after the small meal, but the bug-nin, on the other hand, was becoming more agitated by the minute.

"But you did!" the canine lover insisted. "Let's go through this again: she moves into your mother's old getaway, your father knew, you come back and find out—then give her seven days to plan a wedding. And, man, even I wouldn't force a woman to marry me in seven days," he was becoming more smug with each new factor he spouted forth.

"Then she decides she is leaving, and no longer having a child. But, in the end, she is still pregnant. And you two aren't even together! It's like a fucking woman's novel!" He leaned over, howling with laughter. "I didn't peg you as a softie, Shino!" he pointed at the Aburame as he bowled from with the perceived hilarity of the situation. He was imaging Shino trying to be angry and demanding.

The concealed shinobi watched Kiba from behind his dark glasses, his fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white. "You should not speak about Tenten in such a manner!" Shino snapped.

"I'm ready to high-five her!" he wiped tears from his face, "It's you that's the asshole, here! You're really quite the whiny little bitch!" Akamaru was disinterested in the conversation, instead choosing to scratch behind his ears and sniff places that were uninviting to a human.

Shino was caught off-guard by Kiba's statement, "I-I do not understand you."

"Of course you wouldn't! You didn't understand the situation you were in, either. That much is apparent," the dog-nin chuckled. Shino's brows dropped behind the frames of his glasses.

Kiba sat for a moment, watching his former teammate carefully. "I have to hand it to you," he spoke softly, his tone more serious, "I never thought you would pick up such an awesome chick."

"Awesome chick?" Shino echoed, still baffled by Kiba's confession.

"Yeah, you know, someone who can put up with your weird ass as well as hold her own ground!" he grinned, as he stretched out on the forest floor. "You really were a dick to her, Shino."

"I do not think--" the bug-nin began to protest.

"Look, carrying a kid is hard on anyone, especially when it's not planned," Kiba stared at the sky, his odd irises growing cold with some far off thought. "My old man bolted when he found out my mom was pregnant," he admitted softly to the forest.

"I-I didn't know--," he pushed his dark glasses up his nose, as he decided that they could spare a moment. He hesitantly dropped the ground, his knees tucked beneath him.

"You wouldn't, I never told you," Kiba agreed. "So, you see, you should be more of a companion to that woman. She deserves it!"

Shino was stunned at Kiba's confession. He had known that the dog-nin's father had not remained with Tsume, leaving the young boy without a male role model. It wasn't often that the Inuzuka heir shared such personal information, and Shino considered himself privileged to hear of it.

"I see." Shino replied, his tone strained.

"You don't see," Kiba pointed out. "Here you are, trying to bully her into coming home. Maybe you should think about what Tenten wants, for once, man. Yeah, you just found out she was pregnant, but she's still capable of being a shinobi for the time being, right? Wait for her to come home, then talk to her."

Shino studied the dog-nin from behind the dark lenses. He wanted to commend the young man on his sudden maturity. It seemed that Hinata may have had some significant role in Kiba's rapid change. Before he could reply, the Inuzuka continued.

"Though she did pull a number on you!" he chuckled deeply. "Not telling you that she decided to keep the kid. Bet that was a surprise when you saw her, all pregnant and stuff!"

"I didn't see her," he admitted softly. "Pregnant, I mean." His face flushed pink with the confession.

"Then how do you even know that she's still pregnant?" Kiba sat up, looking at Shino curiously. He wasn't always the most intelligent shinobi, but he could be very intuitive when necessary.

"Multiple things pointed toward that fact," he whispered. "But the most important factor has led me out here," he waved to the woods.

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "Is she bangin' someone else? Is that it? You're jealous? This is a jealousy trip?" His voice dripped with suspicion.

Shino had the sudden urge to punch the dog-nin for even suggesting an impurity in Tenten's virtue. "No, a friend came to me."

"Friend?" More suspicion. Kiba was not aware of Shino keeping many friends. "Did your old man know?" his eyes widened with the prospect. "Oh man, your dad knew, and you didn't? Harsh!"

A knot formed in Shino's brow: he hadn't thought of the possibility that his father may have known about Tenten. Though now, that he thought about it, it seemed likely.... Could Shibi have had a hand in all of this? Was the elder Aburame aware that Tenten had decided to keep the child? He had wondered what had planted that seed in the kunoichi's mind—the one where she would abort the growing fetus. It hadn'tseemed like she would have ever suggested something like that. Dammit! He inwardly seethed.

"Shit! I'm on to something, huh?" Kiba leaned back on folded arms, as a triumphant smile revealed his large canines.

"It was Neji," Shino spoke quickly, his voice gruff.

"Fuck that—WHAT? The Hyuuga? He told you? Isn't he in love with her? Hell, they had been inseparable since--" he trailed off, realizing who he was talking to.

Shino nodded, "He knew. And I'm sure he had held out some hope. But, from what he says, she quashed that."

Kiba whistled, "Good on her! That arrogant prick deserves it! Especially after years of her following him around like a lost puppy dog." He saw a slight grimace flash across Shino's face.

"He came to the manor to request that I stop her from going on the mission. Why? He had had a dream about some danger," he wanted to preserve as much of Neji's confidence as possible, while letting Kiba in on as much as he could.

"A dream?" Kiba spat. "What good is a fuckin' dream gonna do? What does that tell you? Fre-ak!"

"Apparently he had a similar dream when his father was killed," the Aburame answered, his tone serious.

"Oh," the dog-nin nodded, feeling slightly regretful for his previous statement. He glanced at Shino, warily, "So you believe him?"

"I do," Shino replied confidently. "I think he was being honest, despite detesting every minute of it," a small smile tugged at his lips.

"I bet he hated prostrating himself to an Aburame—since you are so beneath the Hyuuga Clan!" Kiba stated with vehemence. Shino wasn't entirely convinced his companion was speaking about Neji in particular. It seemed that the Inuzuka Clan had encountered some resistance from the Hyuuga elders in regards to Kiba's coupling with Hinata. So much so, that Hinata had angrily rebuked the idea that she would take over the clan, instead handing it to Neji.

"Fuckin' Hyuugas!" he spat. He enjoyed they way it rolled off of his tongue. A lopsided grin lit up his wolf-like face as his red tattoos crinkled.

"Still not getting along with Hiashi?" Shino presumed.

"Eh, he's getting less stick-in-the-ass and more I-guess-you-aren't-leaving-are-you?" the Inuzuka confessed. "Anyway," he craned his neck to peek at Shino, "so you are going to bring Tenten back over a stupid dream?"

"I would rather not risk it, given that she is carrying my child, Kiba," Shino replied through clenched teeth.

"What if she refuses?"

"I hadn't entirely thought out that scenario..." he trailed off, ashamed at his lack of a plan.

"Great, Aburame. I hope she kicks your ass!" he grinned.

"She very well deserves to, I suppose," he admitted. Kiba guffawed, slapping his thigh as he laughed at Shino's rare display of humor.

"You know, maybe you haven't screwed up so badly, yet," he spoke between breaths. Shino cocked his head, awaiting for more of an explanation from the dog-nin.

"I mean, if she hadn't shown an interest in Neji," he waved his hand and spit out the Hyuuga's name. "Then maybe she still does love you."

Shino felt the hope rise in his chest at Kiba's words. He never counted on the young Inuzuka for much, but his ability to pick out fine details could be astonishing at times. Maybe Kiba and Neji are right! he thought hopefully.

"Though you will have to make up your douchebag behavior for a loooong time," he rolled his eyes. "Seriously, man, you score a hot chick, and you somehow mess it up! It's a wonder how you even got laid in the first place."

"Simple," Shino replied, "I am very good at understanding what a woman wants in that aspect." He retained a straight face as he spoke the words, not one muscle on his face betraying the seriousness of his tone.

Kiba's face paled at the admission, before he suddenly broke out in a wide, toothy grin. "Fuckin' gross, dude! I don't need to know that. Not about you!"

Shino shrugged, "Fine. Suit yourself. But that's how you score chicks, Kiba." The dog-nin rolled on the ground in laughter.

"Y-you are a riot! I have n-n-never s-seen this side of y-you, Shino! You used to be so uptight!" he howled. "W-we need to hang out-t more often!" he was slowly regaining his breath.

"Well, you've been busy," Shino replied softly, his tone no longer correlating with his facial expression.

Kiba's smile faded, as he realized the impact his sudden involvement with Hinata had on his best friend. "Look, man, I'm sorry about that. I really should make more time. It's just that--" he began to offer his long-overdue explanation.

"Nevermind," the bug-nin replied. "I understand. Lives are complicated. Look at how mine turned out," he smiled sadly.

Kiba smiled, glad that he didn't have to get over-emotional with Shino. He made a silent promise to spend more time with his former teammate. "Yeah, but I still hope I get to watch her kick your ass. In a non-kinky way."

Shino opened his mouth to reply, but was instantly stopped by the change in Kiba's expression. "What is it, Kiba? " he jumped to his feet.

"I-I smell blood," Kiba looked at Akamaru, who shared his worried expression.

"Can you tell whose it is?" Shino felt his heart in jump into his throat.

Kiba shook his head, "No. But I keep getting a fresh whiff of Neji, Tenten, and the other two, so I know it's not them."

Relief washed over the Aburame as Kiba crawled around on his hands and knees, sniffing the air around the area. Akamaru yipped a few times. "I think we should check it out," he confirmed, his face still etched with concern. "It's still fresh, who ever it is may still be alive!"

Shino nodded, and they were immediately on the trail, following Akamaru's lead. Within ten minutes, they had approached a small clearing in the woods. Shino could see that there had been fighting, as the trees' bark had been scraped, branches were scattered about, and a few trees had even knocked been from their trunks. He spotted a familiar kunai that looked as if it had once held an exploding tag. The ring of burnt bark around it confirmed his suspicion.

"I wonder what happened here," Shino murmured to himself.

Kiba held up his hand, as he continued to sniff. He silently gestured for Shino to follow him. He leaned down and put his finger in a dark, thick puddle. Shino could see that it was a pool of blood. Kiba sniffed his finger, before immediately spotting the source. He pointed for Shino to see, and nodded his head toward the direction they were going to cautiously travel.

The small puddles grew into larger puddles, then into small streams. The watershed of blood ended in a dark pool. In the center of that pool was a body.

"Holy shit!" Kiba muttered under his breath as he grimaced at the violent scene. "Someone was pissed."

Shino squinted toward the awkwardly positioned body. From this angle, he thought he could see the slight rise and fall of the chest—a man's bare chest. A few, dark brown handprints dotted the light-skinned torso. He walked ahead, crouching down next to the man. He watched the still body though his dark glasses. The shinobi's face was soaked with blood as was his neck. It looked as if someone had left a giant gash from ear lobe to ear lobe through the thin skin at the front of the neck. Suddenly, Shino felt a hand close around his wrist.

"Must...stop her!" the man gasped out, his eyes rolling around in his head.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba shot back, he had been taken by surprise by the man's sudden movements.

"Yumi—she..she.." he gasped, his hand weakening from its grip on his throat. He shook he head, indicating that his windpipe had been severed. He tried to tighten the grip on his neck, his hands faintly glowing green. Shino recognized the faint chakra. It was that of a medic! The Aburame closed his hands around the man's slow, pulsating one. He could see the blood cracking in between the digits. He felt a faint grating and clicking beneath his hand.

"Thanks," the man muttered. "Better," he licked his lips. Shino recognized the hitai-ite and its foreign symbol. This man was a Kumogakure shinobi. From the looks of the once-white apron around his waist, the medical pack strapped to his belt, and the faint chakra from his hands, Shino was confident that this man as a medical-nin.

"What about the woman?" Shino asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Yumi, was it?"

"She..she went after the...others," he whispered. A faint gurgling sound was beginning to emanate from his throat.

"Man, how are you still alive?" Kiba asked, his eyes round as he studied the wound, "your throat has been slit!"

Shino shot him an annoyed look, "The others, you say?" He had hoped to ignore Kiba's comment.

The man nodded, licking his dry, cracked lips. "The man with the..purple...eyes. He is..from...your village. I recognize that kekkai genkai...saw it..years ago.." He nodded weakly toward Shino's forehead protector.

Neji! Shino realized. So he must be referring to Tenten, Neji, and the rest of the squad that had been assigned here.

"The woman....white cloak....pregnant. I attacked...but..realized...and refused...she..spared me," he rasped, blood oozing from the side of his mouth. "I...healed Yumi....but Yumi wanted to... track....kill them....I refused," he tried to explain. Shino felt a small swell of pride at Tenten's reluctance to harm a surrendered foe--as it was against ANBU code, and he knew it. It showed her compassion, something that few ANBU maintain after they are appointed.

"Did they have tattoos?" Kiba asked.

The man nodded, "ANBU...markings.."

Kiba and Shino met each other's gaze, both realizing the danger of the situation. "She is will attack the pregnant woman?" Kiba spoke the words that Shino wouldn't utter.

Again, the man nodded, "They had attacked us....killed some...others fled...they track..others," a slight cough spurted fresh blood over Shino's hand, while Kiba looked horrified.

"So ANBU managed to take out some of the missing-nin?" Kiba asked, looking over the hitai-ite with the gash through it. He recognized the sign of rogue ninjas. It was most likely a job ANBU would take on.

The man nodded again. "Yumi," he gasped, the gurgling in his throat becoming more prominent. "Angry..very angry...rage.." he whispered, "when I..refused to go after them, she did this.." he gestured to his neck with the other hand.

Shino grimaced at the cold-blooded attack. "She cut your throat? Because you wouldn't help her kill the Leaf-nin?"

He shook his head, "Not that...this.." he hissed as his other hand rubbed his chest. "Chakra..armor.."

Kiba looked perplexed, as Shino's eyes widened behind his glasses. "She understands their attacks," he murmured to himself.

The medic-nin nodded, his fingers tightening over his throat. The raspy grating noise become louder as he made an effort to keep speaking. "She...is ruthless....do not...let your guard down...scrolls.." His eyes were growing more dim with each word. Each breath was becoming more strained.

He reached an arm skyward, dropping his wrist as his voice called out: "Exploding!"

It was the last word the man uttered, before his arm went limp and the light died out in his eyes. Shino waited for another breath. Another word. But found none. He released the man's hand, his own covered in the sticky blood. He examined the wound—this man should have been dead long before they found him.

"Kiba," he spoke softly, "how old is this blood?"

The dog-nin wrinkled his nose, obviously dissatisfied with the task-at-hand. He took a few sniffs, wincing with each intake of breath. "Hours, at least," he admitted.

Shino took a closer look at the arteries in the side of the medic's neck. They looked to have been poorly melded together, obviously by the man's own hands. He had most likely stopped the bleeding, before concerning himself with anything else. From the appearance of the lost blood, Shino had no doubt that he had been too weak to continue healing.

Both men stood, staring silently at the dead medic. Shino said a silent prayer for the man's soul, thanking him for the warning.

"So, he was killed by his own comrade?" Kiba asked, his tone vehement.

"It seems that is the case." Shino agreed. He felt a slight chill of premonition run over his skin. It was as if Fate was raking her claws over his flesh in warning.

"All because he refused to go after a pregnant woman?" Kiba interrupted Shino's thoughts, as he scratched his unruly nest of hair, still confused by the last few words uttered by the Kumogakure ninja.

"Not just that, but because he refused to give up his armor," Shino admitted. "That's why he was pointing at his chest. There was not another article of clothing nearby. He was a medic-nin, so it would make sense. Why? Because should be the most protected in battle."

"That makes sense, I guess. But what's so great about this armor? Chakra armor did he call it?" his brow was furrowed in concentration. All those years of skipped classes at the Academy were finally catching up to him.

"Chakra armor," Shino nodded. "It'll absorb genjutsu and ninjutsu attacks," he looked at his companion, "which both Neji and Tenten use."

"Oh. Shit." Kiba groaned. "So that means trouble?"

Shino nodded, "We have to hurry, I'm sure she's not far behind ANBU."

"Right! Akamaru!" Kiba growled, as the dog barked his understanding as it ran between his master's legs. Within moments, the Inuzuka—on the back of the shaggy white dog—and the bug-nin were running as quickly as they could, following the scent through the forests of Lightning Country.

Shino remained silent as they sped through the trees, thinking frantically about the man's last warning. It may have been cryptic, but the threat was there. This woman was dangerous, and they would have to be on high alert.

What mattered most, though, was that Shino would have to prevent Neji's dream from becoming true.