CHAPTER 17, BIG NUMBER:

As Always, Kilulu, Kirri Kitty and Snickerz71, THANK YOU for the support. Chapter 17 is up. Not much of a fluff but they do talk. Teehee.

Kirri Kitty: I didn't know Ino's eyes were baby blue. I'll Change them in this chapter to baby blue instead of greenish blue!!! And to be honest with you, I never knew that Team Gai wasn't a rookie 9 team, that's embarrassing!!

Snickerz71: WOOO, THEY ARE THE BEST!!!! I'm thinking of sending the creator of the show a poll about making InoGaara official Wow, think about it!!

Kilulu: well, Kagome is going to be 16-17 years old. I won't make her Older XD but she'll be back later XD, XD

Now, On to chapter 17

Enjoy!!

Please remember, Chapter 17

A few meters away from Yamanaka Residence

Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino were on their way to the restaurant to meet with the others. Ino was still being dragged by Shikamaru.

"Will you let go of my arm and explain what's going on?" she said, angrily. Shikamaru let go of her hand and apologized. She rubbed her arm where he was grasping it.

"To make a long story short, we met Tsunade-sama and few minutes ago and-"

"Yeah, I know that, AND?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Patience, woman!" he said, continuing from where Ino interrupted. "We met Tsunade-sama and few minutes ago and we got promoted to Jonin Rank" he said, plainly. Ino gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"Oh my god! You're kidding, right?" she said with a grin. Shikamaru slid his hands into his pockets and shook his head. Chouji laughed. "Nope, it's true. All of us guys got promoted." He said. Ino hugged Chouji and Shikamaru, "That's awesome, I'm so happy for you" she said, they smiled and hugged her back, sandwiching her between the two,

"Ok, Knock it off" she said, pushing them away. Ino crossed her arms, wondering. "so where are we going now?" she said, the same strand of her hair fell in front of her face, she groaned and put it behind her ear.

"We're going to a restaurant called Shimabukuro. Tsunade-sama suggested it so I hope it's good because I'm hungry" he said, rubbing his stomach which was now half what it used to be, Ino laughed.

"Now, Now, Chouji, You should stay fit because it makes you look good." She grinned, making him smile. "You're right" he replied, Shikamaru groaned.

"Ino, don't ruin the guy. We don't want another Ino on the team, it'll be too troublesome to handle" he said, looking up and sighing heavily. Ino went into the 'Crazed-Ino' mode.

"SHIKAMARU! What in the world IS THAT supposed to MEAN!?" she yelled, making Shikamaru stumble a bit. He rubbed his ear, mumbling under his breath. "You're too loud for a girl"

Ino heard him mumble, but decided to ignore him. She sighed "how long is it going to take?" she asked, Shikamaru turned his head towards her. "It'll probably take a couple of minutes. You're not tired of walking, are you?" he asked, Ino glared at him then turned her head to the other side, making him laugh. She smiled, looking at Chouji.

"Hey, Chouji. Let me be the first to ask you. How do you feel, being a Jonin now?" she asked, poking his forearm. He chuckled and as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Shikamaru interrupted.

"He cried his heart out as soon as we heard the news" Shikamaru laughed. Chouji yelled back, angrily. "I DID NOT! Something was in my eyes" he said, turning his head to the other side. Ino giggled and Shikamaru continued his flames.

"Yeah, there weren't any open windows. Tsunade's office is so clean that not even an atom of sand could exist in there. But I believe you, Chouji. I believe you" he said, sarcastically, putting his left hand on his chest and lowering his head dramatically.

Ino was laughing her heart out on Shikamaru's actions, deciding to defend Chouji. "Well, he might be a little sensitive. You DO know that girls would love a sensitive man" she said, winking at Shikamaru. He looked up at her with a surprised look on his face, "you're kidding!?" he said, Chouji smiled at Ino. "I know you're trying to stand up for me but we won't buy that" he said. She looked at both of them.

"I'm serious! If you ask me, I'd love a sensitive guy who would buy me roses and spend time with me under the moonlight holding each other or just holding hands" she said, her hands intertwined together and stars in her eyes. Chouji chuckled and Shikamaru laughed, draping his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, Ino, you've been watching too many romance movies. Guys like this don't exist…for the exception of Chouji of course" he said, pointing at him. "…All I know is that I'm sure my girl doesn't want me to be sensitive, because she isn't one" he whispered.

"If only she would hear you right now. She'll kick your butt. That would be hilarious" Chouji said and Ino laughed. Knowing Temari, she'd probably kill Shikamaru for what he said.

Shikamaru took his arm off Ino's shoulder and slipped his hand back into his pockets. Chouji continued, "by the way, is she going?" he asked, Shikamaru looked at him and gave him a bored look.

"God knows. I haven't told her anything. I, well, kinda forgot." he said, rubbing the back of his head "But she knows about things even before they happen, she's like a wizard. So, 90% of my calculations predict that she'll be there", he grinned. Chouji laughed. "Then I'll make sure to tell her that you think she's insensitive annoying and a very troublesome woman. You always say they are" Chouji said, making Shika glare at him. Ino stepped between the two.

"Ok, Ok. Calm down both of you. Are we there yet?" she asked, Chouji stopped, sniffing the air. "I smell something good, FOOD!" he said, pointing at a Huge sign in front of them that says 'Shimabukuro Restaurant: where all your delicious dreams come true' (Lame motto, I know!)

Both Ino and Shikamaru smiled as Chouji ran towards ex-team 7 with their sensei. Naruto welcomed Chouji with a grin. As it's apparent from his hand movement, he was telling him about something that was huge and awesome... or something like that.

As they were walking closer, Ino noticed that Sasuke had his left arm around Sakura's shoulder; she held his hand with hers as they listened to Naruto and Chouji talk about some new jutsu Naruto was going to learn. 'So, it's official then.' Ino thought as she watched the couple laugh at Naruto's stupidity.

"…And then, Tsunade will get older than she is right now and will be unable to handle the Hokage position and I will be voted HOKAGE." He said. Sakura and Sasuke were chuckling while Kakashi sensei tried to hide his laughter, Ino and Shikamaru were smiling, noticing that Chouji's gotten his arms crossed, listening carefully and nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, it's good to have a dream, Naruto. And you're working hard to accomplish it." He said, turning towards the laughing trio, angrily, "Do you have any plans for your future? I don't think so!" he said, they stopped laughing. Shikamaru and Ino chuckled.

"Good evening everyone" Kakashi said, raising his hand. They all greeted each other. Sakura moved away from Sasuke and hugged Ino. "You look awesome!" Sakura said goofily, complimenting her on the clothes she bought for her. Ino smiled. "Thanks. You too." She said, looking at Sasuke who was busy checking out the ground.

"Sasuke…" she said, he looked up with a blank look on his face, she smiled. "Congratulations on the promotion" she said, he smiled, nodding. "Thank you" he replied, going inside the restaurant. Sakura laughed, "He hasn't gotten used to being talkative and nice to others, hehehe" she giggled, Ino laughed.

"Well, he's improving" they both broke in a fit of laughter. Kakashi sensei told everyone to get inside and white for the rest of the guys.

Shimabukuro Restaurant

Inside was a whole different world. It consisted of a big room and a couple of small cabins inside. The main walls were definitely painted by a great artist. The first wall had a view of an ocean on one side, on the other side the drawing continued so you could see a beach, then on the other wall were a mountain and a waterfall, on the next wall was a natural view of a greenery scene. Medium-sized Chandeliers were hanging down from the ceiling. It was breathtaking, the guys walked in with an Awe.

"Awesome!" Naruto whispered. Sakura and Sasuke walked hand in hand. Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino walked afterwards and then Kakashi-sensei followed. A young cute brunette-green-eyed waitress came by.

"Good evening, welcome to Shimabukuro restaurant, how can I help you?" she said, smiling. Kakashi replied with a smile (a hidden one, I presume)

"We'd like a table for 16, please?" he said. The waitress paused, "…Um, Yes. We have a table for 20, is that ok?" she said. Kakashi could clearly tell that this is her first time here, he smiled and nodded. "That's perfect, thank you" he said, she blushed. She walked in front of them, leading them to a table. It was a table at the end of the room.

"Here's your table" she said, they all chose their seats and sat down. "Thank you" Kakashi said, she nodded. The waitress walked around the table, placing a menu in front of each person and next to each plate for those who didn't arrive yet.

"Please, take you time choosing from our menu. When you're finished, I'll be right of there…" she pointed at the cashier register, "…if you need anything, just wave. I'll be here in a flash" she grinned. They all nodded. She excused herself and walked away. A few minutes later, she came back with the appetizers. Sakura looked around the room, checking each corner. Her eyes were as the size of a saucer, just like a baby seeing a lollipop in a market.

"This is beautiful, don't you think?" she said, looking at Sasuke who appeared to be in some sort of a trance. She squeezed his hand, making him look at her.

"Hm?" he, well, managed to say. She looked at him, concerned. "Are you ok? You don't look too well" she said, he shook his head then smiled at her.

"No, I'm fine" he smiled back, leaning in and claiming her lips with his in a small, innocent kiss. They broke it a couple of seconds later, "Don't worry about me, I'm ok" he whispered softly. She nodded with a smile. He backed away, "So, you were saying…" he said. Sakura continued on saying how beautiful this is and how cute that is. He was listening carefully to every word she said.

Ino was playing with a fork, poking the table with it. Then the fork was snatched out of her hand; she looked to her right to see Shikamaru.

"Hey, I don't think the table did anything to deserve being poked like that. Why don't you poke Chouji? Or maybe Naruto, I'd like to see that!" he said, glaring at Naruto. She looked at Shikamaru, then at Naruto. Then she waved her hand in front of Shikamaru's face. He didn't budge; instead, he kept glaring at the hyper, now, Jonin.

Ino decided to ask Chouji about it. Then again, Chouji came back a few minutes ago. She didn't think he knew anything about it. She leaned at the table, checking the menu until the others arrive.

In some part in Konohagakure

"We're lost, aren't we?" a bored, arms-crossed Gaara asked Lee who was standing on Top of a building, scanning the area. Lee chuckled and looked down at him

"Don't be silly, I live here. There's no way in the world we could be lost in my own village…um…" he said, trying to maintain his nonchalance. Gaara sighed and shook his head. Temari was tapping her foot to the ground while Kankurou was leaning on the wall, checking his fingernails. (Don't ask me why)

"You know, it won't kill you if you admit…we're pretty lost." Kankurou said, looking up at Lee then lowering his head and rubbing the back of his neck. He's been looking up at the guy for the last five minutes. 'I can't believe this.' He thought, looking up at Lee again.

Gaara looked to his right to see Neji and Gai-sensei along with a very disturbed looking young lady, she seemed mad for some reason, she had a weird hair-style, 'More like panda ears' he thought as they came closer.

Gai spoke first, "Ah, Gaara. I thought you were with Lee" he said, knotting his eyebrows. Gaara looked up and nodded his head towards Gai's miniature on top of the building. Gai looked up and yelled.

"LEE, what are you doing up there?" he said, Lee looked down and waved. "Gai-sensei. I was looking for the restaurant, but we couldn't find it. Maybe they changed its location." He yelled back. Gaara snickered and mumbled under his breath "…they didn't change its location, we got lost".

Neji shook his head. "Lee!" he said, Lee jumped down. "Did it ever occur in your little head to ask for direction before assuming that you got lost?" Neji said, Lee laughed. "We weren't lost…"

"Yes, we were" Kankurou said, chuckling. Lee glared at him.

"It's apparent that no one asked for your opinion" Temari nudged her brother in the stomach, causing him to make an 'uff' sound.

Neji looked at them then diverted his vision to Lee. "It's a couple of streets away. What brought you to this street in the first place?" Neji said, it was a good question, actually. That street was half lit and the air was damp. It gave Neji the chills by just standing there.

"Well…um…we decided that it was faster to go from this way and uh…" lee stuttered with the words. Gaara shook his head and took a couple of steps forward.

"We got lost" he plainly repeated, Neji nodded and turned around to Gai-sensei. "You know the way, don't you Gai-sensei?" he said. Gai nodded, "Yes, let's go" he pointed his index finger forward. Lee jumped "YES, LET'S GO" both of them taking the lead, followed by Tenten, Neji and the sand trio.

From his calculations, Neji figured that it would take them a couple of minutes, probably less than five. 'It's going to be a couple of long minutes' he thought as he watched the back of Tenten's body; straight back, clenched fists. She had kept her scary silent attitude ever since they picked her up.

Flashback (picking Tenten up from her place)

Knock, Knock.

"I'll get it, Mom." Both Gai-sensei and Neji heard Tenten's muffled voice behind the closed door. Neji was getting nervous by the minute. He didn't think she'd forgive what he's done, more like what Naruto has done. He had tried to explain by calling her several times in the last two hours, but each time her mother would answer the phone, telling him that 'she's in the bathroom' or 'she's a bit busy' or even 'Not here'.

The door was unlocked, Tenten stood still, smiling to see her sensei, never taking her eyes off of his figure in order to avoid Neji. "Gai-sensei! What are you doing here? I mean, please come in." she said, taking a step back to let them in. Gai nodded, walking in, while Neji kept looking at her, in hopes to make her look at him, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground, she raised her head.

"Mother! It's Gai-sensei…and Neji" she wasn't planning on saying HIS name, but she had to. That would sound impolite. Tenten closed the door as soon as her mother appeared from the living room.

"Gai, it's good to see you. My, Neji-kun, you have grown quite well in the past few years. It's been, what, two years since the last time I saw you?" she said, Neji nodded, smiling. "Yes, I think that's it" he said. All this time, Tenten was looking at him, glaring at him. Neji felt her gaze upon him, he felt that she was slowly and painfully tearing him apart with her eyes. He couldn't blame her, from her point of view; it was Neji who was at the lake, who was peeping at her, who was, as she put it, a big jerk who is a total scumbag.

"It's good to see you too" Gai said, nodding. She smiled, "How can I help you two?" she asked, ushering for them to sit down. They both sat down on the couch. Tenten decided to sit down on the arm of the couch her mother was sitting on, leaning her arm across the back of the couch.

"Well, we don't want to bother you for a long time. We were going to a restaurant to celebrate and we thought of taking Tenten with us, if you don't mind" Gai explained. Tenten's mother raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? A celebration for what?" she asked, Gai chuckled. "The Chuunin boys got promoted to Jonin rank this afternoon. Tsunade-sama suggested that we go celebrate." He said, grinning. Tenten's mother gasped.

"That's wonderful news, you were promoted too, right, Neji-kun?" she asked, he looked at her and nodded, His eyes diverting to Tenten who, for some reason, was smirking.

"Tenten, darling, did you hear the wonderful news?" she asked, Tenten looked at her, "Yes, mother." She said, coldly. Neji narrowed his eyes. Tenten's mother turned to face her.

"Your teammate got promoted. Aren't you going to say something?" she said, in the same tone as hers. Tenten looked at her mother, "right…" she looked, or should I say, Glared at Neji. "Congratulations for the promotion, I can't be any happier than I am right now." She said as cold as she can get then turning her gaze away. Neji remained silent. Her mother wasn't pleased with the tone her daughter was using. She turned to face Gai.

"Gai-san, please forgive my daughter. I don't think she'll be able to go tonight." She said, Tenten turned her face away and rolled her eyes, then smirked.

"No…" she replied. They all looked at Tenten. "…I'd love to go, if you'll let me, mother" she said, trying to be polite and maintain her self-composure. Her mother sighed, "Alright, but please don't stay out for too long" she told her daughter who nodded, understanding.

Gai and Neji got up. So did Tenten and her mother. Tenten kissed her mother's cheek and smiled, "Don't worry, ma. I'll be fine." She said, walking towards the door. "Well, if you'll excuse me" Gai said, Tenten's mother smiled. "I'll see you later." She said as the three of them walked out the door. Tenten Taking the lead. Gai-sensei spent half the way speaking to them, but neither replied. Both were drowned in their own thought.

End of flashback

"There it is!" Lee yelled, bringing Neji back to reality. Gaara had noticed that Neji has been out of it ever since he joined them a moment ago. 'I wonder what's up with him' he thought. They got closer to the restaurant, coming from their left side were Asuma and Kurenai along with her team. Neji noticed Hinata, remembering that Naruto told him he left her behind.

"Oi, Hinata!" he said, walking towards her. She raised her eyebrows. "Neji-nii-chan? What is it? You seem worried" she asked. He stood in front of her, arms crossed.

"Well, I am! Naruto told me that he left you alone. Are you alright?" he asked, worriedly. Hinata laughed. "Yes, I went shopping with Temari right before going home" she said, smiling at Temari, who smiled back and gave her a loose two-finger salute.

Neji sighed, "You should've told me, you know." He said, she giggled. "I appreciate that you're worried about me. But I'm fine, Oh and Congratulations" she said, hugging him. He laughed and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Hinata" he replied, both pulling apart. Akamaru barked, making his master look at him.

"You're right, Akamaru. Let's eat, Akamaru and I are hungry" he said, walking inside the restaurant. They all laughed at his wild behavior. Akamaru suddenly stopped, turning his head towards a certain direction.

"What's the matter, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, Akamaru didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Gaara, making the rest of them look at his direction. Gaara narrowed his eyes as the dog ran up into his mentors Jacket. Lee noticed that they were looking at Gaara then at Lee, deciding to speak up; Lee took a step forward, standing in front of Gaara.

"I asked him to join us with his siblings. Since we're all grown ups now, let's deal with it as grown ups." He said firmly. They were all surprised. They all realized that the one Lee was talking about is the one who almost killed his future, almost taking his life as well.

A couple of seconds has passed and everyone stood in their place. Lee was defending Gaara who was utterly surprised. They were all waiting for a reaction from anyone.

"I believe that he's changed…" Asuma started. The rest looked at him, "…I don't see the boy I saw five years ago. Besides, he was responsible enough to lead his own village and I think it's courageous enough that he accepted Lee's invitation to join us, right, Kazekage-sama?" he said, stressing on the last few words. Gaara nodded.

"I couldn't refuse an invitation from someone who made a reconciliation handshake with me" he said. Lee looked back at him to see him smiling. He smiled back. "Yeah, we reconciled, so there's nothing to be upset or mad about" he said, waving his hands in the air. They all took a look at Gaara then smiled, Kurenai was the first to reply.

"Well, then. Let's not waste any time and let's party" she said, raising her hands in the air, being the total opposite of what a Sensei should be like. They all looked at her, especially Asuma, who was looking slyly at her. Kiba was the first to notice, he got closer to Shino as they walked inside.

"Oi, Shino. Did you notice that?" he whispered, shino turned his head slightly. "Noticed what?" he replied, Kiba shook his head and waved his hand in the air. "Forget about it!" as they continued walking.

When they walked in, they were all, also, stunned with the interior design of this place. Asuma noticed Kakashi waving at them to come over. Asuma told the waitress that he was with them. She let them all in, when it came to Kiba, she stopped him.

"Now what?" he said, she waved her index finger in his face, and then pointed at Akamaru.

"No pets allowed, Mr." she said, politely. Kiba groaned, playing with Akamaru's fur. "He's going to stay here…" he said, pointing at his jacket. "…all the time. I won't let him out, Please!" he said, pleading. His eyes turning into a true puppy dog eyes. The waitress shook her head, "I'm sorry, sir. It's the village's policy" she said.

The rest of the guys walked in, leaving Kiba to argue with the waitress. A couple of minutes later he was able to convince her, walking to the table and taking his seat. Gaara looked around, checking his surroundings. The drawing on the walls were exactly his imagination of heaven; peaceful and clear, nothing disturbing it. Lee was talking to him, telling him that the artist had a great youthful spirit to draw such a wonderful thing. Gaara was nodding all the time, concentrating on the drawings he was talking about.

He checked the wall in front of him, and then lowered his gaze at the table beneath it; the table where they were led to. A certain blonde caught his eyes, he unconsciously smiled. 'She's here, just like I hoped for' he said, walking towards the table, never taking his eyes off of her.

"They're finally here. So, that's where Asuma-sensei was, hanging out with Kurenai-sensei. Something's going on between those two" Shikamaru exclaimed. Ino slapped his arm, "Remember that you're talking about Kurenai and Asuma-sensei, not your friends" she said. She looked at the plate in front of her, playing with the fork. Shikamaru nudged her.

"It looks like Lee is getting along pretty well with that Suna kid, doesn't it?" he said, Ino froze, 'Suna kid? Gaara.' she slowly took her eyes off the table and raised her vision towards the arriving company. There he was, looking at her, smiling. For some reason, she felt her heart skip a beat, her expression changing from a shocked and dull one to a very happy one, smiling from ear to ear. Ino didn't want to say it, but she was surely happy to see him.

"It's good that you guys arrived. We thought you forgot or something" Kakashi started, bumping his fist against Asuma's and nodding to Kurenai who smiled, that's when he saw Lee, talking to a certain red head.

"You invited Gaara, I see?" Kakashi asked Gai who shook his head. "Lee did. Apparently, the two met briefly before we get here and…" he turned around to look at them, talking like old friends. "…here they are" Kakashi nodded. Gaara turned to face Kakashi who stood up. Everyone watched what was going to happen.

Gaara, deciding to start a fresh new start, smiled, extending his hand in hopes that Kakashi wouldn't embarrass him and refuse the handshake; instead, Kakashi smiles and shakes his hand.

"I'm going to quote Asuma's 'the more the merrier'" Kakashi said, laughing. Gaara chuckled and thanked him and walked towards the younger Jonins. Lee was already seated and waving to Gaara.

"Hey, HEY!! Over here, I reserved you this one" he said, patting on the chair next to him. He shook his head, smiling. Luckily for him, it was the seat right in front of the blonde beauty, right in front of Ino.

Temari and Kankurou walked to their seats next to their brother. Temari's seat was in front of Shikamaru, he got up and leaned over the table, pouting his lips to kiss her, instead, she gave him a light slap on the face. Temari then sat down with a smirk on her face.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" he whispered loudly. she crossed her arms.

"You didn't tell me you were promoted AND you left me behind. Thank God Hinata was there. She's more fun than you" she said, pointing at Hinata who was seated next to a very flirtatious Naruto, being glared at by a very angry and upset Neji.

Shikamaru felt a bit embarrassed when Kankurou started to laugh at him, only to be punched by his insanely-strong sister.

"Don't-breathe. It's between me and him, don't butt in." she threatened and panting. Shikamaru smiled, "I love it when you're angry." he slyly grinned, she blushed. Shikamaru found this as the perfect opportunity to apologize.

Ino was listening to the conversation, giggling silently as Shikamaru gave Temari an apologetic kiss, but her giggles stopped when she felt a fierce, almost intense gaze upon her. She knew it was him. She could see Gaara in the corner of her eye, looking at her. She turned her head towards him, smiling. He smiled back and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"We meet again, Ino-san" he started, she nodded. "That's true. Three times today". The rest of the guys were having conversations. She couldn't hear him that well. Naruto, who was sitting at one end, was trying to say something to Kakashi who was sitting at the other end, 'Too loud' Ino thought as she leaned her elbows as well, getting in the range of hearing Gaara's low, whisper-like voice.

"Tell me more about you. I'd like to know." He quietly said, causing Ino to blush. She lowered her eyes to the plate in front of her, running her fingers across its rim.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, looking up at his eyes again. He chuckled, "Everything." He replied, looking straight in her eyes, his gaze was so intense that she had to lower her eyes again. Gaara waited for her to begin. She took a deep breath and started.

"Well, you said everything. That would take at least five hours" she said, joking. He laughed. "I've got the whole night." he said, making her giggle. He could clearly see the blush on her face. In his eyes, she looked beautiful with rose-colored cheeks. She rested her hands on her lap and leaned a little bit.

"Well, I'll start from the very beginning. I was born on September 23rd here in Konoha. I was raised, and POSSIBLY, probably and MAYBE spoiled by my parents since they got me everything I wanted, even tried hard enough to get me a little brother," she laughed, making Gaara smiled.

"they're still trying, but I was thinking about it. Mom would probably leave the baby with me so I'll end up raising him OR her. Anyways, I think that's enough about my parents. I have a great sense of fashion, love flowers, as you know." he nodded, she continued.

"My favorite food would be small tomatoes and pudding. I like star gazing and sitting under the moon light on a summer night." She said, looking up, thinking of more things to say. Ino then looked at Gaara, smiling. He looked at her, then at Shikamaru then Chouji. Then he looked back at her.

"I can't help but to notice that you and those two wear the same earrings. I know. It's a pretty bad question." he said, she laughed. "Chouji, Shikamaru and I are team-mates. We decided to wear these…" she said, touching her earring, "…when we were 9 years old. Our parents have been friends since childhood, so we practically lived together. So it's like a friendship bracelet, but it's a friendship earring" She smiled and leaned her chin on her fist.

"Now, tell me about you, Kazekage-sama" she said, smiling. He gave her a warm smile. Gaara liked it every time she used his title. He wasn't the type of guys to like being called by his title, but he liked it from her. Gaara leaned back in his chair, his left arm resting on the back of the chair, smiling.

"Wow, this feels like one of those 30-seconds dates." He chuckled, making her laugh. It was true, saying what you have to say in 30 seconds or less. Ino blushed at the word 'date'. Gaara opened his mouth to speak, but grimaced when Naruto yelled.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!! WHERE'S THE WAITRESS?" he yelled, making a few of the guys boo, the other yell at him, In Tenten's case, slapping him hard on the back of the head. Gaara chuckled and turned his attention to Ino who was also saying something to Naruto, starting an argument.

"Some of us are trying to start a useful conversation here. So be quiet, will ya?" she said. Naruto -who was standing up now- crossed his arms, "It's always about you, Ino. You're as evil as Sakura", Sakura, who was talking to Kankurou and Temari, thought that she heard 'evil' and 'Sakura' in the same sentence. She turned to face Naruto, who –at the moment of seeing Sakura's face- knew that this person was INNER SAKURA.

"Naruto, if I knew that you were saying something bad about me, I'll kill you." Sakura said, Naruto stuttered. "W-wait, Sakura-Chan, I was just kidding. Hehehe. I was saying how beautiful and kind you are" he laughed nervously but then frowned, mumbling. Sasuke glared at him, giving him one of the 'don't-flirt-with-my-girl' looks

"Kill me…" Naruto snickered and sarcastically said, "…and you call yourself and medic-nin."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sakura said, loudly. Sasuke calmed her down by putting his arm around her, whispering what Naruto thought was an insult to him. How would he know? Because Sakura's angry expression turned into an evil one. 'That bastard, he's turning her against me' Naruto thought, counting the people who hate him the most on his fingers.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji, is someone missing?" he said, putting a finger on his chin. Hinata pulled on his sleeve, "Naruto-kun. Are you alright? You became quiet in a matter of seconds" she asked with a smile on her face, he sat down and smiled at her.

"I'm ok, Hina-chan. But I want you to promise me that you'll never hate me" he gave her the puppy eyes. She laughed, "Of course I won't, Naruto-kun. What makes you say that?" Naruto sighed, relaxed to find someone who's not on his hate list.

Ino, who was watching them, didn't realize that she was being watched by Gaara. He checked her out. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, two strands of her hair framing her face like a godly portrait. He baby blue shirt was reflecting the color of her eyes, especially when she smiled. He moved his eyes to focus on her face as a whole which was, in his opinion, flawless. Her skin wasn't so pale or so tanned. It was just perfect. He'd loved how when she talked to others, she'd touch those strands and place them behind her ear. She was tapping her fingers to the table, watching Naruto and Hinata share a look which definitely held so many words

Ino smiled at the young couple. She was happy to see Hinata out of her shell and being open to other, especially to Naruto. She looked at the table then all of a sudden remembered that Gaara was about to say something, but interrupted by Naruto. She gasped.

"Oh my god, you were about to say something and I completely ignored. I'm so sorry." She blurted, snapping Gaara out of his thoughts about her. He hummed and then remembered. "I'm sorry, I was the one distracted" he smiled and leaned on the table.

"So, where were we?" he said, getting a smile from her. "We were starting to talk about you" she said, pointing her finger at him. He chuckled, blinking slowly.

"What's there to know about me? I was born on January 19th in Sunagakure to a Family of four, father being the fourth Kazekage. Mother died as soon as I was born. I had a troubled life. I didn't know the meaning of friendship, so I grew up alone. Being raised with two annoying brothers and a very busy father is tough…" Ino nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes. 'Grew up alone, I bet he has a very hard time during his childhood'. She thought. Gaara, remembering his painful past, shook his head

"If I ever had children, I would never be too busy to take care of them. I won't treat them like my father did to me and my siblings" he said. Ino nodded, smiling at him, and then laughing.

"If I ever had children, I would raise them to have my likes and dislikes since they would definitely be the opposite of me" she smiled. Gaara gave her a quizzical look. She rested her elbows on the table, stretching her right hand a bit.

"I always had this feeling that my children would be like their father" she looked at him, he smiled. "I doubt that. Why wouldn't they be as intelligent, as beautiful and as talented as you are? I bet everyone knows that about you." he said, making her blush. She lowered her head, then looking at each couple on the table with a sad look on her face.

"They do give me those descriptions." she lowered her head, then looked at him with a sad smile. "I was starting to wonder if they actually apply on me." she said, lowering her head and closing her eyes. She felt her right hand being pulled and held in a gentle grasp. She looked up to see Gaara, smiling at her and caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. He got a bit closer and whispered.

"You don't have to compare yourself to others. You're great, being you and only you." He said. She remained silent, gazing into his eyes. He chuckled. "You can't be perfect, no one is. But to me, you are." he smiled and whispered.

"You're the most beautiful, attractive, sophisticated, amazing, wonderful and intelligent girl I've ever laid my eyes on." He said, chuckling. She laughed and blushed. He went on. "If I had another reason for coming all the way from Suna to here, it would probably be because of someone like you" he said. Her lips were lightly quivering, she was shaking. Being close to him was overwhelming to her.

Gaara squeezed on her hand, adding his other hand to the grip and resting it on top of hers. "When I first got into this village, I saw every single person, on this table, on my way to the Hokage building. The only one that attracted me the most was you. There was something about you that I couldn't quiet figure out. I still can't figure it out." He said, shaking his head.

Ino was in total shock, Gaara was practically praising her, flirting with her but in a decent way. She smiled and squeezed on his hand, tears forming in her eyes.

"Gaara…" she started; his eyes had a sad smile as well. "I…thank you. You don't know how much it means to me… to know…" she said, Gaara was smiling genuinely. He didn't know how the words came out, feeling that it came out of his heart. He was glad it meant something for her. Her speech was cut when the waitress showed up. Ino blinked a couple of times to make the tears go away. She slowly pulled her hand away from his, blushing beet red. Ino picked up her menu.

"God, I didn't choose something to eat." she said, chuckling. He laughed. "I didn't even take a look at it" he said, picking the menu up. Both took a look at it, noticing that the menu consisted of four pages, each page filled with a couple of main dishes, along side drinks. Gaara widened his eyes.

"Wow, so many choices." He said. Ino nodded in agreement. They all told the waitress their orders. A couple of seconds later, a loud voice was heard on the doorway of the restaurant.

"HEY, Why didn't you guys wait for me?" everyone looked at the doorway to see none other than the hyper-annoying, female version of Naruto. Mitarashi Anko.

"A-Anko!" Kakashi said. She walked to their table, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Well, first of all. Congratulations to the new Generation of Jonins. I hope you do the best you can in your mission and your lives as well. ANYWAY" she said, taking the seat next to Kakashi, grabbing one of the appetizers on the table.

"So, what did I miss?" she said, winking at Kakashi, who laughed. The waitress came back with a menu. Anko took a quick look at it and told the waitress her order.

A couple of minutes later

The waitress came back along with other waiters and waitresses and started putting each plate in front of their guests. Lee and Naruto clapped their hands in prayer

"Itadakimasu!" they both said, digging in their food. Gai laughed. "Ah! Their power is overwhelming. I don't recall the last time I was that energetic" he turned to face Kakashi. "I bet I could eat my whole plate before you eat yours." Kakashi rolled his eyes, 'Not again' he thought, picking up his chopsticks as slowly as he can, leaving Gai eating with light speed.

Kakashi reached up for his mask and lowered it, revealing for the first time his face. Anko, Kurenai, Asuma and Gai were surprised. Underneath that dark mask, Kakashi hid a very handsome face. Anko, who was seated next to him, gaped at him. He slowly put the Chopsticks in his plate and picked up the meatball and put in his mouth, chewing slowly. He did not notice his four jaw-dropped colleagues. He slowly moved his eyes from the plate in front of him to them, looking at them one by one.

He swallowed. "What?" he said, Kurenai closed her mouth and cleared her throat. "You finally took off that Mask, didn't you?" she said, he smiled, a small dimple forming on his right cheek. Anko squeaked.

"Oh, you have a dimple. Now THAT is super kawaii" she said, touching his dimple with her index finger, her cheeks turning to a light shade of red. He shook his head and continued eating; the others were eating as well, a certain blonde and redhead were secretly exchanging looks, smiling in between.

END OF CHAPTER 17…this was a long one...GAARA INO FLUFFINESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

I love you all, Thanks for supporting and I'm sorry for being THAT late.

Please review and forgive my bad English!!