Blue Quartz Foxy, I'll try to keep updates prompt, but most likely things will slow down once I have less time. But until then, I'll try to remain consistent, a part of me regrets uploading the chapters so quickly, because I'm afraid some readers may be disappointed when I don't upload as promptly in the future!

Foolycoolyshippo, I would laugh pretty hard if Kazuo fell on a pin cushion 300 times, but alas I need the role of the pervert for a bit longer.

Achillea, thanks for commenting on Hinata's reaction, I tried really hard to convey just how much her determination has pushed her to be more self-respecting, without her being too out of character, I'm pleased that I seemed to pull it off alright.

Thanks for reading, and the reviews, honestly they keep me writing.

Chapter 4

Hinata ran the scene over and over again, being more and more regretful as to her actions towards her client. She was a shinobi, one who was never to let their emotions take control, no matter the situation… right?

Trying to push back her thoughts and face the mission at hand, she now stood outside of Kazuo's home and silently observed as the villagers prepared for the days festivities, people hanging paper lanterns and the fried food booths preparing their wares of squid and sweet potatoes for the morning rush. Hinata still felt highly perturbed in the attire she was forced to don, but it was too late for changes.

Hinata felt the familiar sensation of Shino's approaching presence, and closing her eyes she exhaled deeply, a gentle but firm hand brushed against the small of her back shooting a shudder up her spine with contact, opening her eyes she recognized Shino's gesture towards comforting her. It was funny how a man of few words could communicate so much with his touch.

The kunoichi forced a smile on her lips, and Shino drew his hand into his pocket and in his hand he held a butterfly with vivid purple wings. Wordlessly he gently put it into Hinata's hair, where it sat on top of her clip and remained frozen, as if it were an ornament that had been created by a master craftsman.

"It'll let us know if there's trouble." He muttered into her ear as he placed it atop her tresses.

Hinata smiled, feeling a bit more comforted with his kind gesture, no… it was strictly required for the mission, Shino was strictly concerned over her in order for the mission to be successful, that was all, she couldn't let them down, him or Kiba.

Kiba had emerged from the doorway of the house, by now only seeing his two other comrades idly watching the preparations of the festival, and the trickling crowd of kimono clad villagers start to wander into the festival.

Hinata heaved a sigh, and clenched her hand against her heart.

Her mission today was to find possible suspects that may be the culprit. She had 3 days of which then afterwards the festival would end and the man would then be hard to trace.

She reviewed the necessary approach in her head. Establish connections but remain somewhat aloof and unnoticed.

A sudden jolt on her shoulder caused her to snap out of her reverie, Kiba smirked and gave Hinata a friendly squeeze. She relaxed in response.

"You worry too much Hinata." Kiba retorted with false smugness, "Shino and I will be nearby."

With a now less reluctant nod Hinata smiled, even now her team pampered her.

By noon the festival was packed, Hinata had not found much luck yet, a couple young teen hormone driven boys flirting left and right, but otherwise nothing particularly bold or suspicious.

Hinata kept skirting area where most of the girls congregated, passing by fortune telling booths, she watched a group of girls giggle and blush. The kunoichi couldn't help rolling her eyes. Honestly, what a waste of money.

Maybe she was just growing cynical with the lack of success. Maybe this was all some kind of set up by Kazuo, just so he could strangle some poor girls into a dress for his own sick fantasies.

Before she reflected more sourly on the bad luck of this morning, an unknown hand wound around her waist and she could feel someone sniffing her hair.

Thoroughly vexed that she was being violated again because of her attire for the second time this morning and also with herself for not having paid attention to their approach, she whirled around in fueled frenzy and held the wrist of the violator as she spun around with ease.

She hadn't expected to see a smiling grown man, a perverted teen boy maybe, but not a tall red headed man with a piercing gaze that seemed to shatter her defenses with the way they bore into her.

He cocked an eyebrow and let an entertained smirk leak onto his lips, Hinata regained her composure and smiled politely trying to recover from her hasty action from before. This man was the most interesting encounter to mark for this morning's progress.

"I'm sorry about that," Hinata relinquished her hold on the man's wrist whom seemed to have not minded much anyways.

He raised a hand as if to wave off the action as purely justified, his eyes glittered in an unreadable way that made Hinata more nervous, and she brushed a hand upon the thigh where her kunai lay out of instinct.

"No need to apologize, I shouldn't have been so bold." The way he smiled caused Hinata to tense, it was eerie, like the way a vulture eyed a dying animal knowing that in a few moments he would have it in its grasp.

"You can call me Yuu, and may I know your name?" the man had a horrible way of never releasing his gaze.

"Hi-," she stopped herself from almost giving out her real name. Had she really let this man affect her so much as to forget such basic rules of undercover missions?

"Hikari…" she finished, having gained inspiration from one of the flickering lights in a lantern nearby.

"Shall I make it up to you, Hikari-chan, by treating you…" He offered a hand, and for some reason Hinata lost the ability to have resisted, but from what, fear?

"Er. Sure."

The rest of the festival had been awkward enough, having spent the entire day with Yuu, who proved to be a man of supreme aloofness, making him all the more strange to Hinata. However, Hinata was diligent in watching his every move to see if he was particularly flirtatious, instead it seemed that he was quite the opposite, having a particular interest in Hinata.

Towards the end of the festival, she had no luck spotting anything suspicious, Yuu seemed strange and definitely threatening to her, but it was hard to detangle the reasons as to why she felt that way. Was it her mind playing tricks on her, or was it her instincts reacting to true reason for suspicion?

A tap on her shoulder caused her attention to come back to her escort who had accompanied her to the entrance of the festival where many people were now leaving as the sun began to set. Hinata couldn't help but feel disappointed with the lack of progress of the first day.

"Hikari, please do me the honor of accompanying me tomorrow," before she could react, his hand had found its way to her chin and brushed his lips against his cheek, Hinata feeling completely numb from terror.

She couldn't shake the feeling of sheer fright in reaction to him, the lurking feeling had clung to her throughout the entire day.

As she watched his retreating figure, Hinata felt incredibly cold, as if all her skill as a shinobi was stripped bare of her, and that she stood alone as a helpless girl at the hand of someone with such a foreboding presence.

Reluctantly she retreated back to Kazuo's tailor shop, dismayed from the lack of any substantial progress as well as scolding herself for having been so distracted by the mere presence of a man.

When she reached the door of Kazuo's home, another surprise awaited her as she saw a rather injured Kiba massaging a cut arm, one of many that were all over his body. Hinata quickly made her way to him, and crouched by his side, a flash of concern overwhelming her and driving all her past thoughts away to focus on Kiba's beat up state, he didn't seem to be in any critical danger but he did seem quite depressed.

An embarrassed Kiba turned his head from her gaze.

"Don't look at me like that Hinata…" he pleaded, a bit ashamed to see her take such quick pity on his state.

After much trouble Hinata managed to get Kiba to a room where she formally treated his cuts as best she could. Her agile hands ran across the wounds on his chest and arms, her fingers familiar with the roughness of his skin as she applied ointment with practiced skill, having dressed Kiba's wounds before when he had gotten injured from his reckless fighting before.

Kiba rested his chin on her shoulder as she wrapped a bandage around his chest. He breathed in her scent and his eyes fell to a lidded state as he enjoyed her aroma, tempted to draw himself closer to the nape of her neck, his hand that steadied her balance on her back having subconsciously started stroking her but stopped quickly when he realized that he was letting himself get out of hand.

'It was that damn dress…' Kiba blamed his unusually active hormones on the revealing dress, cursing it for making him into a fool that could barely control his own hands.

Wiping the sweat off of her brow she finished tying the last bandage around his chest, which had been quite faster than normal for Kiba, or was it just his pleasure in their intimacy? He shook his head and faced Hinata who had seemed distracted enough with putting away her bandages to notice.

Kiba gave his muscles a stretch and smiled satisfied.

"Thanks Hinata, these wounds'll probably be fine by tomorrow." He grunted pleased and sat cross legged facing Hinata.

"What happened?" Hinata finally grew impatient of Kiba brushing off his state as if nothing had really occurred.

"Got into some trouble with a punk at the festival, he had been doing some shifty business, swiping money from booths, he was pretty good too but nothing special, though he did happen to give us some trouble when it came to fighting…"

By Kiba's choppy and un-sequenced explanation Hinata could only sigh, seems like just another one of Kiba's quarrels, she was thankful that it wasn't anything serious.

"Where's Shino?" Hinata inquired, knowing that her stoic friend was probably fine wherever he was, being fully capable for protecting himself, but she couldn't suppress the nagging feeling of his absence this late at night.

With a yawn, Kiba stretched out onto the floor and closed his eyes.

"Probably off sulking…"

Hinata left the room after giving Akamaru a scratch behind the ears.

Returning to her room she changed into a white sleeping yukata that had been lain out by Kazuo, which, to her satisfaction, she had not seen much of all day. She released her tresses from their constraint atop her head, careful not to injure the butterfly still perching upon her locks.

As she prepared to slip into her futon, she hesitated. She could no longer ignore the nagging feeling as she looked out the window into the forest from where they had come from just this morning.

In a swift movement, after a quick debate with herself, she got back up and grabbed the medical kit she had used on Kiba and headed out the door.

The thought that Shino had still not come back unnerved her.

-Continued in Chapter 5-

Sorry if it's a bit slow, I didn't foresee the amount of detail I would have to go into in order for the story to flow more smoothly. Hopefully things will start to pick up once I get going.

On the other hand, I didn't want to make the chapters too lengthy.

Thank you for reading thus far.