"No...I-I saw him. I was there," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. The blade shook in her hand.

"Sai took him back to Konoha, for medical treatment," Shino calmly replied.

"I don't believe--" she began.

"You don't believe me?" Shino replied sharply. "Tenten, I did not come all the way here to lie to you."

Why did you come here? she wondered, but it was not the time to ask for his answer. Of course Shino would not lie to her. He would never lie to anyone. But she had seen Neji stop breathing. She hadn't felt a pulse. How was it possible that he was still alive?

"Tenten," Shino's voice pulled her from her silent contemplation. He reached an open hand toward her katana. "We've had enough bloodshed for one day."

Tenten glanced toward where Kiba was cradling Akamaru's head in his lap, the tears silently streaking his face. There was no anger in Kiba's eyes, only sorrow and regret. How was he holding back the rage at losing his best friend? she asked herself. She had wanted to massacre an entire village at the thought of Neji's unjust death.

"Put down the sword. Please," came the soft request, once again. Tenten looked at him, her remaining tears softly falling to the ground. Neji's alive!

"He will be OK?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"I cannot speak for his condition. I can only attest to what I had witnessed," Shino carefully answered. "There's no telling if he'll make it to Konoha—or even if they can do anything for him. His injuries were severe."

Tenten slowly nodded. But he was still alive! She eyed the young Kumo-nin warily as she released the blade from its post at the boy's neck. She nimbly sheathed the katana, taking a step back.

"Thank you, Shino," she murmured. He nodded, the kunai still pressed against the prisoner's neck.

"We'll take the rebels back to Konoha," she glanced at the only conscious ninja. She saw the fear in his eyes as the realization that he would be in enemy hands. "You will be interrogated there. If you cooperate, you will be treated humanely."

She nodded for Shino to relax his stance. The kunai was removed from the teen's neck, though Shino continued to hold it in his hand.

"Do you understand what I am telling you?" Tenten asked the rebel. Before the boy could answer, a sudden flutter and movement in her stomach caused her to grimace.

Shino recognized her discomfort. "Is something wrong?" With the baby? The unspoken question hung between them, only intended for Tenten. She nodded, as her hand rested on her flak jacket. She was glad for its protection—it hid her slightly protruding abdomen with ease.

"I'm fine, it's just--" she began to explain.

She caught the Kumo-nin's sudden movement from the corner of her eye. His fingers quickly disappeared into his boot, reappearing with something shiny and, most likely, sharp. He attempted to swing around to slice Shino. Before he could, Tenten stepped forward, catching his wrist with her right hand. She brought her left hand up and connected with his elbow. She could hear the bone break before the ninja's screams tore through the forest.

He immediately dropped the small blade—a tiny knife he concealed in his shoe. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching his now dislocated elbow and broken radial bone. Tenten could see the bulge of the bone through his skin as she kicked the blade into the nearby brush.

"Amateur!" she hissed as she glared down at the Kumo-nin.

In one fluid motion, she quickly touched her index and middle finger to his forehead, completing the Temporary Paralysis Technique. The boy stopped writhing in pain, though she wasn't entirely sure the pain had actually subsided.

"It may have been more prudent to use that technique on the other four, no?" Shino asked, a slight smirk on his face.

Tenten blushed. "Kumo shinobi are deadly with close-range combat. It was not a technique that was prudent to use at the time."

"Ah, but Sai tells me you are more than capable of paralyzing your opponent without having physical contact or being in close proximity, even."

She glared at him as the corners of his mouth twitched. She knew he was toying with her, chastising her for going to such extremes when she could have easily incapacitated her multiple opponents with such a basic ANBU technique. He was emphasizing how she had emotionally compromised her mission, as well as endangering both her life and their child's.

"Sai doesn't know shit," Tenten shrugged, avoiding Shino's gaze. "Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures," she stared at Kiba as he stroked Akamaru's snout.

Shino followed her gaze. "He was able to say goodbye?" his voice was low and his concern evident on his face.

"How did you know?" Tenten glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"How?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "It is simple: he would tore the hearts out of each of these shinobi had he not been given that chance." He wasn't so sure that Kiba would be this calm later, but that was a different story. He would worry about that when the times comes...

"ANBU owes both him and Akamaru for their sacrifice," she confessed, pushing the hair from her face. One bun was slowly coming undone, the long wisps of hair peeking from the slouching knot. Without thinking, Shino reached out and touched the stray lock.

Tenten's eyes grew wide at such an open display of affection from Shino. Much less one that came after weeks of no contact between the two. She opened her mouth to speak, "Shino..."

"I'm sorry." He answered softly. "I should have been more supportive. I was mistaken, Tenten. I know that now. And after Neji--"

He saw the pained look that crossed her face at the mention of the Hyuuga's name. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"We will discuss this later," she tried to use her most commanding voice. Another movement forced her hands to find her stomach, once again. Shino's eyes fell to her abdomen.

"Baby's kicking," she growled. "Quit staring!"

Shino said nothing, though Tenten thought his features looked more...content. Was he happy to know that the baby was alive? How had he so easily allowed her to leave the Aburame Compound to abort her pregnancy? There were many questions she wanted to ask, but she knew it was not the time to discuss such matters. If they were going to pick up the broken shards of their relationship, they were going to have a long discussion, she knew. Part of her was still angry at his behavior, but the other part was completely flattered that he had come all this way to see her.

She had to admit, though, she was curious as to what Neji had said to Shino. Had that changed Shino's mind--had that been the push that Shino needed? Shibi had told her that if she gave Shino his space, his son would eventually come around—one way or another. She had no idea as to what Shibi had intended to say to Shino, but she had followed his instruction, despite the pain it caused her. It was difficult to not want to hug Shino each time she saw him, or to reach for his hand. She had prayed each and every night that he would appear at her doorstep with apologies on his tongue. She had known that his pride would keep him from doing such a thing. But, now....now...he had come to find her! For what reason? She had all intentions of finding out!

They stood, watching Kiba attend to the body of Akamaru, neither wanting to interrupt his ritual. He would most likely take the dog-nin's body home in a scroll, since the canine would be too heavy to carry from the forests of Kumogakure. At home, there would be a proper burial. Shino had never seen Kiba so upset or calm. His friend's behavior was beginning to scare him. Shino couldn't help but feel partially responsible for Akamaru's death. It was he who had brought his friend and the dog into this mess.

"I feel..." he began, closing his eyes behind the dark glasses. "That this is my fault."

Tenten turned toward him, watching him with concern. She reached out to touch his hand, reassuringly. "You could not have predicted this, Shino."

"I know...but if I hadn't brought them--" his voice was strained.

"You did not force him, did you?" Tenten's voice was soft. Shino shook his head.

"Then it was free will that brought them here. I'm sure Kiba would never blame you. Besides," she glanced at Kiba, "Akamaru has outlasted most shinobi."

Shino did not speak, only staring at his friend. Tenten knew that he would continue to blame himself for Akamaru's death, even if Kiba told him otherwise. She squeezed his hand, feeling his fingers entangle themselves in hers. They stood like that: side-by-side, their fingers entwined, saying their final goodbyes to the canine as Kiba outwardly mourned for them.

***

***

Tenten wasn't sure how long they had been standing there when the sound of beating of wings announced Sai's arrival. Sakura leaped off the bird before it landed, immediately sensing Kiba's injuries. She stopped and stared at Akamaru, realizing what had occurred. She reached down, placing a slightly glowing hand on Kiba's shoulder. Shino knew that she was using her healing chakra to calm Kiba and most likely dulling some of the pain—both physically and emotionally. She healed his hands to the point that she could wrap them, as Kiba sat there with a blank stare on his face that broke all of their hearts. Sai quickly stored Akamaru's body while Sakura was healing Kiba. He walked over to Tenten and Shino as he tucked the scroll into a pocket.

"Sai, may I please handle that scroll. Why? Because I would like to personally hand it over to the Inuzuka Clan," he adjusted his glasses. "It's the least I can do."

Sai said nothing as he handed the scroll to Shino. He looked at both of them, "Neji is in the care of Tsunade-sama and Ino. I have nothing further updates about his condition."

"Thank you, Sai," Tenten replied calmly. It was better than nothing, she supposed.

"He is in surgery. From what I read, it is a serious procedure, only reserved for the worst--" he began to explain.

"That's enough," Tenten frowned. While his first statement had put her at ease, he had managed to quash whatever comfort he had given her with his unnecessary explanation. Idiot!

"Maybe you should ease up on the reading, Sai," Tenten muttered under her breath. "Really." Sai seemed to not hear her, as he quickly rounded up the surviving Kumo-nin.

Shino shook his head slightly, "I may be socially inept at times, but Sai manages to make me look eloquent." A small smile had crept across his usually-reserved features.

Tenten snorted, enjoying Shino's sudden quirkiness. She watched him shove the scroll into his vest, the smile vanishing from his face. "What are you going to say to Kiba's family?" she shuddered. She liked Hana, but Tsume was a bit over-bearing at times.

"I'm going to give them my condolences."

Tenten studied his face as he spoke, not entirely convinced he was telling her the entirety of his intentions. She sighed, "Well, whatever you are planning, I'm sure it will be appropriate." Shino said nothing as they watched Sakura cut the pants off of Kiba's injured leg.

"Hey, dammit! These are my favorite pants! If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask!" Kiba grumbled. Sakura's jaw clenched as she opted to ignore his comment. She untied the make-shift tourniquet he had made.

"It is quite impressive that you knew to do this, Kiba," she commended him.

She examined the wound, noticing the muscle injury. This would need to be sutured with chakra for maximal healing. She didn't have the resources nor the appropriate instruments, at the moment, and would have to take care of this when they got back to the Konoha Hospital. For now, they would have to set the leg to prevent further injury.

"You should continue training with your sister, you have a great skill, you know."

Kiba's face flushed at the praise. "Too much studying," he grumbled.

"You can do it. I believe it!" she smiled at him.

"You sound like Naruto," he shot back. A strained smile crossing his face.

"Thanks!" Sakura grinned.

"Not a compliment," he rolled his eyes.

Sakura quickly pulled open a scroll, scribbling furiously. Tenten suspected that it was linked with one that Tsunade would be carrying. The medic-nin was mostly likely letting the Hokage know what to expect when they arrived back to the village. Sakura opened another scroll, releasing its contents. She quickly wrapped and set Kiba's leg with expert hands, helping him to his feet. He winced in pain. Sakura's hands quickly found a few points on his back, gently blocking the pain pathway to his lower extremities.

"You'll be able to walk, but won't be able feel anything," she explained. "At least not until we can get that leg sewn and in proper working order."

"Thanks, Sakura," Kiba quickly nodded. He glared at the body of the shinobi that had dealt Akamaru's fatal blow. His face screwed up with anger as he leaned on Sakura and kicked the partially-dismembered ninja with as much strength he could muster in his good leg. Everyone stared, afraid to say anything about what had just occurred.

Kiba looked around, before looking shyly at his feet. "Sorry," he muttered. "That was for Akamaru. This fucker deserved it."

"Agreed," Tenten spoke, much to everyone's surprise. Kiba stared at her, in wide-eyed amazement. She was the last person he would assume to take his side.

"Thanks, Tenten," he whispered. She nodded her support, silently wishing she could have prevented Akamaru's demise. But, she knew there was nothing more she could have done.

Sakura's brow was knitted in concern as she squinted at Tenten. "Kiba, can you stand on your own? I need to examine Tenten," she murmured.

"Sure, let's all fawn over her. Just 'cause she's preggers," he mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura knew he was using humor to mask his pain. She smiled warmly as she left him against the tree.

"Tenten?" she turned her head slightly, looking at Tenten suspiciously.

Tenten knew that whatever the medic-nin was going to ask, it was not going to be good. She wasn't the best of friends with Sakura, but she had been getting to know the kunoichi. And, she recognized that face. It was not a face she wanted directed at her. Not right now, at least.

Sakura's green eyes fell to Tenten's stomach, "When was your last appointment with Shizune?" She glanced at Shino, before her eyes flickered to Tenten.

Tenten felt her face grow red. " Um..er, a couple of weeks. Maybe more, why?"

Sakura squinted, as if concentrating on something. She dropped to her knees, her eyes never leaving Tenten's concealed abdomen. Tenten looked around as everyone watched with muted interest.

"What?" Tenten snapped at Sai. He shrugged, turning his face to conceal his smile.

Shino was the first to speak, "Sakura, what is it?" He recognized the soft pulsations of chakra, they were unlike Sakura's normal healing chakras. He had an idea of what she was doing.

"I-Is there something wrong with the baby?" he asked, his voice lowered.

Tenten glanced at him in shock. Was he concerned? What had prompted such a change in the young man? He avoided her gaze, watching Sakura's face.

Suddenly, a grin spread across the physician's face. "No, nothing is wrong," she confirmed. "I..I was just getting a strange feeling of emitted chakras from Tenten's stomach."

"Chakra?" Tenten murmured. Her eyes suddenly flew open with realization, "Chakras?"

Sakura peered up at Tenten, her smile still set on her face. "Congratulations, Tenten. Shino. You're having twins!"

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Twins! She suddenly remembered Neji's words as he pleaded for Shino to take Tenten as far away as possible: get your children as far away from here as you can! Neji knew! Could he see the chakra pathways with the Byakugan?

It was too much. Today had been too much. She had lost a comrade, almost lost her best friend. The man she loved showed up out of nowhere, and now she is having not one child—but two! Every ounce of exhaustion she had been feeling thus far suddenly came crashing down on her. Flecks of darkness began to inch their way into the periphery of her visual fields.

Kiba's guffaw was the last thing she heard before she felt the darkness envelope her.

Thanks for readin' and reviewin'! Hope you don't mind where I went with this.

I totally put the hint in from Neji earlier! I was wondering if anyone would pick up on it. Probably thought it was an mistake in proofing ;)

Please feel free to leave me your thoughts.

Thanks to my Naruteers! :D