A/N:

First I would just like to say… thanks so much to everyone who left wonderful reviews! I am so glad that people are enjoying this fic. It really inspires me to keep truckin' on.

I was a little worried about the story moving too slow… but on the other hand, romance isn't instant. Please be patient with me. :)

Whenever she heard the word 'feast', Tenten usually thought about an all-you-can-eat buffet or a barbecue with friends. But this… this was unlike any dinner she'd ever attended.

The large dining hall was stuffed with an impossible amount of people. The sounds of talking and drinking and laughter were almost overwhelming and oh, the food… the smell of the rich food made her stomach growl. She and Shino had only eaten sensible rations since the beginning of their mission and the thought of a real meal made her mouth water.

It was getting darker outside, and people were starting to pour in from the street. Just how big was this party going to be, anyway? There were people here that were definitely not guests of the hotel. Tenten looked around, observing and cataloging the sites surrounding her as she followed Shino down the stairs and into the dining area.

After some searching, they finally found enough space for the two of them to sit together at one of the long wooden dining tables. Shino felt somewhat claustrophobic, being unused to such large (and inebriated) crowds. There were people clamoring all around them, drinking and messing around… it would have been enough to make him sick, if he hadn't been focused on the mission.

"Ooh, Nakamura-san," Tenten, or rather, 'Nanami,' cooed, leaning on his arm and looking up at him with sharp eyes. That was her signal to him that they were being watched. "Doesn't the food smell good? What is this feast for, anyway?"

"Is this you folks' first time visiting?" someone's voice cut in before Shino could answer her.

"It is," she said to him with a smile, still keeping her light hold on Shino's arm. He knew that the public displays of affection were all for the mission, but her constant touching made him uncomfortable. He was aware that if they were supposed to appear as a couple of some sort they would be required to touch, but being so close to someone… a woman, in particular, made him nervous. Rather than pull away, which was his natural instinct, he leaned into her touch. It was only what his alias, Souza Nakamura would do—no more, no less.

"It's Kurohara's feast in honor of the mountain gods," the older man said happily before taking another sip of his drink. "They do this every month."

Every month? Ridiculous. "Are you from here?" Shino asked in an attempt to seem sociable.

"My village is further up the mountain," the old man said. "I try to get down here as much as I can for this feast. Good food, good drinks… good company," he finished with a leer at one of the girls that was serving sake. She gave him a sly smile.

"That's wonderful," Tenten said, hiding her disgust.

Thankfully, they didn't have to continue their conversation. They were interrupted with the sound of metal clanging on metal. A woman was standing very unceremoniously on top of one of the long tables with a pot and a spoon in her hands, her kimono hiked up so that she could balance above everyone else and be seen.

"Now listen up, everyone!" she exclaimed. The noise level in the large room went significantly down as heads turned to look at her. "This feast is in honor of the Kurohara mountain spirits, who look over us and ensure that we're all happy and prosperous!" A cheer came from the crowd surrounding the two shinobi.

The woman clanged the spoon and pot together once again to quiet the crowd. "Now I know that all of you have been waiting a long time for your food! And you've all been getting nice and drunk on our sake." A laugh scattered around the room. "It brings me great pleasure to tell you that dinner is served!"

A loud cheer erupted as kitchen workers began pouring out into the hall with huge platters of food. It seemed almost endless—plates of chicken, beef, pork, fish, rice, potatoes and vegetables… all of it made Tenten's head spin. She had never, ever seen so much food in her life. She wanted to try everything.

Soon, everyone was eating and drinking. Shino gave himself a reasonable portion of rice and chicken, but watched as Tenten loaded her own plate up with a little bit of everything. "Oh, this is delicious," she told him with a wide, genuine smile. If her hair had been in two buns, it would have been almost like the times when all the teams used to go out for barbecue together.

"Souza," Tenten's voice rattled him out of his reminiscing. It was strange to be called by another name.

"Yes?" He looked down at his partner to see that her eyes were focused on something, someone across the room. She suddenly leaned very close, her body pressing against his side for a moment as her warm breath brushed against his ears. He very nearly blanched from the contact—his bugs whirled about under his skin, right where her body was touching his. There was no way she didn't notice.

"Across the room, right-hand corner by the kitchens. Do you see that guy with black hair and a green kimono?" Her breath fanned out across his ear and cheek. Shino ignored his body's inconvenient reaction to her closeness and tried to focus. "He's wearing glasses," she clarified, and he couldn't tell if his bugs were getting sick or if he just had shivers going down his spine from her tickling breath.

After a moment, he was able to see the man she was talking about. He was standing near the kitchens just as she'd said, looking irritated and authoritative. He was giving orders to the kitchen staff at one moment, and then speaking to guests at the next.

Shino gave a nod to indicate that he saw him. "I saw him on the way from the bathhouse earlier."

He turned his head and very nearly brushed noses with her. "Were you suspicious?" he asked quietly, a question for her ears only. He wondered why she wouldn't say something earlier if she'd found something.

"Not at the time," she replied softly, still leaning into him and looking at him with her plain hazel eyes. Her tone was sweet and soft, as if she were whispering something sweet rather than relaying important information. "But the more I look at him, the more familiar he looks."

Shino's thoughts went to the shinobi bios they'd read before embarking on this journey. They'd seen pictures of each ninja from the missing team. He couldn't quite see the defining features of the man's face, but none of the shinobi in the file wore glasses. Then again, it wasn't all that difficult to throw on a pair and call it a disguise.

He silently commanded one of his bugs to fly across the room to observe the mystery man. Tenten finally seemed to notice his tension and she backed away. He realized that he hadn't actually breathed since she'd leaned up against him. Contact like this was… unusual for him.

"Ah, it's you!" a feminine voice exclaimed, causing Shino to turn and Tenten to look up from the food she was savoring. Before them stood Suki, the woman Shino had met just that afternoon.

"Suki-san, it's a pleasure to see you again," Shino said smoothly, surprising his teammate.

"This must be the infamous Nanami," Suki said with a smile at Tenten. "I was telling your friend here how I wanted to meet the two of you earlier today. What luck we ran into each other again, hm?"

Luck, indeed, Shino thought.

"Oh, Nakamura-san!" Tenten exclaimed, sounding perfectly airheaded. She was actually really curious. Had he actually been talking about her? What did he say? "I didn't know you were talking about me. Only good things, I hope?"

"Of course," Suki replied, kneeling down next to them with a jug of sake. "Have you two been able to try our sake? It really is the best."

"Oh, I would love to," Tenten gushed. "Nakamura-san? What do you think? Shall we try?"

"I don't see why not," Shino said. He never drank (in fact, he wasn't able to due to his bugs), but he knew that it would be rude to turn down a cup in this type of atmosphere. He would just have to pretend. Suki nodded and poured sake for each of them, making sure to lean in very close to Shino while she poured his cup. She stood up straight after she was done.

"Nice to finally meet you, Nanami-san," Suki said sweetly, earning a friendly nod from Tenten. Just as he thought that the painted woman was about to leave, Shino was surprised by the sudden pressure of Suki's hand on his shoulder. He forced his bugs still before they could do too much harm. She leaned in close just as his partner had a moment ago, brushing her lips against his ear.

"And Nakamura-san… if you ever find yourself alone, feel free to find me. Free of charge."

She was gone before he had time to process what that even meant.

Tenten had suddenly lost her appetite. Shino was sitting shock-still as Suki sauntered away with a tiny smile. She knew very well what she'd just whispered in his ear and she couldn't do anything for a second but stare.

After a moment she leaned in to his side, feeling the kikkai vibrate faintly without even touching him. "Was that the woman you met earlier today?"

An affirmative "hn" was his only reply.

She turned back to her plate and ate some more rice out of obligation to finish her meal. She eyed the cup of sake before her and took a modest sip. Well, maybe two.

.

...

.

Later in their room, Tenten sat on the huge bed and studied the faces of the missing ninja they were searching for. Shino sat silently on the ground, meditating.

Sachi Fujioka.

Brown hair. Brown eyes. Jounin rank…

Satoshi Yoshida

Black hair. Brown eyes. Jounin rank…

Kano Nishimura

Red hair, blue eyes, Chunin rank…

She tried to make connections between the faces in the pictures and the faces she'd seen tonight at the feast. Brown hair, brown eyes… The one female from the missing team had such a plain face, she could be anybody.

Just like her.

That morbid thought was a sign that she needed to take a break for the night. She lifted her eyes to watch as Shino sat cross-legged on his mat on the floor. He was silent (as always) while he meditated, in quiet collaboration with his bugs.

She tried not to stare as he focused, but it was all too interesting. When she'd had to lean in to whisper in his ear his kikkai had been so obvious, almost loud. She wondered if that was how it always was.

"The man you pointed out to me," Shino began, startling her out of her musings.

"Yeah?"

"His name is Jin. He's the manager of the hotel."

Jin. Finally, a face to the name. "Did he do anything?"

"My kikkai report that he did nothing out of the ordinary for a man of his position."

"Oh." Well, that was useless. The more she'd looked at him, the more she'd thought he looked like one of the people from the missing team. But when they'd returned to the room, she'd compared the photos to her memory and felt foolish. Still, she had at least hoped that Shino's bugs would pick up on something that would validate her concern. "Sorry for the trouble."

He ignored her apology and went on: "However, you were right about him being suspicious. Why, you ask? Because my kikkai picked up a high amount of chakra for a civilian."

That got her attention. "How high? Shinobi-high?"

"Not quite. Perhaps he has some training, just enough to defend himself… Or perhaps he is suppressing his chakra. There is no way to tell for certain at this point in time."

So it was possible that he was just a prepared civilian. After all, his face didn't match any of the ones in the file she'd just been studying. "Shino-san," she said slowly, wondering how to articulate her next thought without seeming like she was beating a dead horse. "We never received a picture of the missing-nin."

Shino seemed to know exactly where her line of thinking was taking her. "No. Our mission is to recover Suna's team, not go after a missing-nin." His voice was calm and even, but Tenten was nothing if not perceptive. She could tell that he wanted the issue to rest. He'd been very clear that they weren't going to go after the criminal if they found him, and she was perfectly willing to obey orders.

"Of course not," she said, using the placating tone of voice she used when Neji was beginning to get irritated. "All I'm saying is, isn't it possible that a missing-nin of that rank would have a good reason to conceal his chakra level? Especially if he knew that the team from Suna had already been sent after him?"

The Aburame was silent for a moment, as if considering her words. "It's possible."

"Do you think Jin could be him?"

"I do not know. If he is, then he has most likely killed the team before us. We can't assume anything yet."

"If he's killed the other team, our mission is technically over," she said thoughtfully. "Do you think he's capable?"

"Tomorrow we will find out how long he's been here in Kurohara," the mission leader decided. "I also planted a bug on Suki-san.

"What?" The mention of that woman made her ears perk up.

"I also planted a bug on Suki-san," he repeated.

She rolled her eyes. "I heard you the first time. What did you find out?"

"She and Jin are close."

"Just how close?" she asked with a smirk.

"He trusts her more than all the other hotel workers," he replied flatly, purposefully ignoring her innuendo. "However, given her role… it is possible that they… perhaps, they engage…" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "They…" Tenten raised an eyebrow, knowing what he was trying to say but waiting for him to say it.

"They…?" she questioned, unable to help the grin that curled her lips upward. Was Shino Aburame, experienced shinobi, killer, and spy, afraid to talk about sex? He looked almost embarrassed. After a moment of awkward silence she gave up and waved her hand in dismissal. "Okay…" she leaned back onto her pillow, trying to think of what the new information could mean but too tired to come up with a plausible reason. "Wait. Why did you plant a bug on Suki?"

"I do not believe it was a coincidence that she found me earlier this afternoon and this evening."

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows. How long had he been suspicious of Suki? Why hadn't he mentioned that when he'd told her about meeting her that afternoon?

She supposed that it was his choice whether to let her in on that knowledge or not, since he was technically the mission leader and she his subordinate. She was just used to working with her own team—they weren't on a need-to-know basis with each other. They just shared information because they trusted each other.

"Tenten-san." His voice once again invaded her thoughts.

"Yes, Shino-san?" she said, sitting up to face toward him. He had gone from a sitting position to lying flat on his back under the thin covers of his sleeping bag.

"Have a restful sleep. Tomorrow we'll continue to observe the Inn. Perhaps we'll be able to complete your blueprint."

She shuffled the file that she'd been staring at away and into a scroll, which she hid in her luggage. "Good night," she said, slinking under the covers and closing her eyes. She silently compartmentalized her thoughts, stacking them away into neat little drawers in her mind to think about later.

She was hardly aware of the bug-user on the floor beside the bed, trying to sleep and calm his restless bugs.

.

...

.

Shino found himself awake in the very early morning hours despite falling asleep very late. The sun was barely peaking over the mountain, painting the sky a pale and misty purple. He dressed in a dark-colored yukata and stepped out onto the balcony of their small room to look out at the garden below their room.

He sighed and took off his glasses. He rubbed the area around his eyes for a moment, glad to finally have them off. He'd worn them all night for the past two nights, too uncomfortable to take them off in Tenten's presence.

He knew that she wouldn't say anything. She'd felt his kikkai on several occasions already and had said nothing about it—she hadn't even reacted, which was a relief for him. He was sure that if she saw his eyes she wouldn't make a big deal out if it, but she wasn't a part of his family or his team. He just didn't know her well enough to be comfortable with that sort of thing.

Still, he did admire Tenten as a kunoichi. He'd found her to be unfailingly professional and insightful. He could see now exactly why she was so successful undercover—she could speak with perfect Hiroshi dialect, could act just like she was from the country. She even walked like she was from the Hiroshi Swamps. He hadn't been on nearly as many undercover missions as she had and yet she still respected him as mission leader, a fact that he appreciated.

He turned from the garden and faced the room, his eyes unhindered by sunglasses. The morning light reached into the room, leading his eyes to his sleeping bag, to the bottom of the bed, to the woman sleeping in it.

He allowed himself to study her sleeping form for a moment—just one fleeting moment. She was sprawled out on top of the covers, surrounded by pillows and a hugging a heap of blankets. Her hair splayed across her pillow and in her satiny robe she hardly even looked like the girl he knew.

Or was it, perhaps, that he didn't know Tenten at all? He averted his eyes from the sight and looked back out to the garden, deep in thought. It didn't matter. What was important right now was their mission, one he was more confident about now that he had a little more faith in their partnership. He had to admit that he'd had worries before, but they had been an effective team so far.

He replaced his sunglasses and walked back into the room, closing the door to the balcony behind him. He grabbed a towel and made his way to the bathhouse for a soak.

.

...

.

Tenten was sort of getting the hang of tying her obi. It still looked stupid, though. Frustrated, she pulled at the silk until the knot was loose and she threw it across the room. She leaned forward and shook her hair out of its frustratingly delicate style and she combed her fingers across her scalp.

She really didn't want to have to ask Shino to help her again. For the moment, she simply wanted to twist her hair into their customary buns and wear something sensible. These silly kimonos and countless layers were getting old.

She missed pants.

"That's no way to treat an obi," Shino observed from his relaxed position on the settee, eyeing the abused piece of fabric and wondering exactly how long it took the average person to learn to properly tie an obi.

It was early afternoon and they had confined themselves to the hotel room for the morning, unable to sleep until noon but unwilling to draw attention to themselves by being out and about before the rest of the town awakened.

He watched as she pulled the silks of her kimono together and sat down on the edge of the bed with a huff.

"It shouldn't be this difficult," she sighed, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the ceiling.

"It isn't."

Tenten huffed. She remind herself that he probably wasn't being a jerk on purpose.

"Well then, Mister Expert," she said, grabbing the fabric and pushing it toward him. "Where did you learn how to tie an obi, anyway?"

"One of my many duties as an Aburame involves helping younger cousins learn things like this," he replied, accepting the silky ribbon from her and smoothing out the wrinkles with a careful hand. She watched as his long fingers carefully folded delicate fabric. "Excuse me if this question is too personal. How did you not learn to tie an obi before now?"

Tenten laughed. That was his idea of a personal question? "I just never needed to," she said with a shrug. "I mean, I can tie it, I know the basic knot. It just looks stupid when I do it myself."

"I've seen you in a kimono before now," he said, thinking of village festivals where he'd seen nearly all of the kunoichi in formal clothing.

"You have?" she asked, surprised. Of course she'd seen Shino on such occasions but he'd always looked too… well, gloomy and wrapped up in himself to notice anyone but his own team. The idea of him noticing her in a kimono surprised her and flattered her at the same time, because she'd never considered herself particularly eye-catching.

"I never noticed a poorly-tied obi before," he said.

"Ah, Hinata helps me when I have to go formal," she said, plucking the obi neatly from his hands and beginning another attempt at tying. "She lets me borrow her kimonos, too."

Shino was surprised. His own teammate and Tenten were that close? Well... he supposed it made sense since Tenten was on a team with her cousin. "Do you not have any kimonos of your own?"

"No. Not any nice ones, anyway. I'm living on a jounin's wage here," she said lightly, watching as his face flushed.

"I apologize," he said, adjusting his glasses and looking away from her. "That was an insensitive question…"

"No, don't worry," she replied, not feeling offended at all. She knew that Shino, like many of her peers, was a part of a large clan. They didn't really have to worry about money like she did, although she knew she'd never trade places with them. She'd rather worry about finances than stress over impressing clan elders all the time. She stood up and made one last tug on her obi. "Look, I did it."

Shino looked at the knot for a moment before saying, "It looks sloppy."

He didn't hold any punches, that was for sure. She let out a huge, deflated sigh.

"Would you mind, then, Shino-san?" she asked earnestly, turning her back to him and handing him the ribbon once again.

He accepted the obi and stood. She lifted her arms slightly as he tied, trying not to laugh when he tickled her sides.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, conscious of his hands at her back.

"There are some food stalls outside of the inn that are much cheaper than the café downstairs."

"I like the sound of that," she replied, turning as he finished with her obi. "Thank you, Shino-san. I'll learn how to tie it soon."

"You'll improve with practice," he said, adjusting his sunglasses and watching as she twirled her hair into a low bun. He wasn't one to stare at women—in fact, he had been raised not to—but when he caught an accidental glimpse of her long neck he couldn't help but look for longer than he should have.

They wandered together down the busy street, looking around at the souvenir stalls and food vendors.

"Dumplings?" she suggested, pointing over to a food stand. Shino nodded and let her lead the way. She ordered four dumplings; two for each of them.

They made their way to a bench that faced out into the street, a ways away from the hotel. "It's nice to get outside," Tenten sighed before taking a bit from her first dumpling. She'd felt cooped up for the last week or so, ever since they'd stopped travelling on foot. She breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the smell of the mountain breeze and street food. Shino simply nodded, but she hadn't expected him to say anything, anyway.

She had to say that as wonderful as the air out here felt, she still missed her Village Hidden in the Leaves. She stared out ahead as she ate, thinking of how the weather must be changing from summer to fall in Konoha. By the time they were through with this mission, the leaves would probably be changing. So caught up in her thoughts she was that she almost didn't notice a certain someone walking their way.

"Oh, Souza," Tenten said, causing him to look up at her quickly. "It's your friend, coming our way." She gave a friendly little wave and he looked in the direction she was looking.

Suki, the woman that she had only met for the first time last night, was walking toward them, looking vivacious and voluptuous as ever in a kimono that showed off her assets. Tenten was immediately wary—how was it that this woman showed up everywhere? She could feel Shino tense up beside her.

"Nanami-san, Souza-san!" she greeted with a short bow.

"What a surprise!" Tenten exclaimed, wrapping up her extra dumpling and setting it on her lap. "How nice to see you again, Suki-san."

"Likewise," Suki replied with a low voice and a smile directed at Shino. Tenten wouldn't have admitted it out loud, but the close attention that Suki seemed to show Shino irked her. Last night it had seemed like a one-time thing, but this was getting just ridiculous.

"We seem to keep running into each other, Suki-san," Shino said with a grin. It was a charming, handsome smile that really had no business on his face. "What a happy coincidence."

"It is happy, but not a coincidence this time," Suki said, smiling at the both of them and flipping her black hair. "I was sent by the hotel manager, actually. Jin-sama wanted me to greet the two of you formally, and invite you to a little private party we're having later this evening."

Shino and Tenten's eyes met, alarmed. "I love parties," Tenten was the first to speak, her silly declaration clashing with the apprehensiveness she felt inside.

"Who will be there?" Shino asked, leaning back into the bench and looking straight up at the dark-haired woman.

"Well, of course Jin-sama will be there, not to mention some of my other colleagues," Suki grinned. "Of course, there will be sake and good food. What do you say, friends?"

Tenten looked up at Shino with a smile, but really she was hoping for some sort of guidance. This was most certainly a trick, a trap of some kind.

"I don't see why not," Shino said, his voice smoother than silk. "Where will this little get-together take place?"

"Jin-sama will be hosting it in a private room by the garden. It's a beautiful view," she added, giving Shino a significant look. His lips curled up in a smirk that would have infuriated the kunoichi had they not been on a mission. If she hadn't known him personally, she would have suspected that he liked flirting with Suki.

"We'll be there." His confident response surprised Tenten, but she simply smiled.

"How wonderful. I can't wait," she said cheerfully. "Suki-san, thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure," the other woman said distractedly, still eyeing Shino. "An attendant will come to your room and take you to the party tonight. Be ready," she said with a wink at the both of them.

"Until then," Shino said, his voice as low and smooth as ever.

Suki bid them farewell and the two ninja watched as she hurried off.

After a moment, Tenten murmured, "I don't like it."

"I agree," Shino replied in a low voice, close to her ear. "I've deployed more kikkai. We'll be receiving intelligence soon, but until then I suggest we prepare."

Thee air in their room was tense. Tenten sat on the bed, strategically placing weapons in the folds of her kimono and in her hair. Shino sat on the floor like he had the night before, meditating and communicating with his spying kikkai.

With closed eyes and a focused mind, he could perceive exactly what one of his his planted bugs saw and heard. This particular kikkai was hiding in the folds of Suki's kimono, dutifully looking outward and listening to everything. Like the night before, Suki did nothing out of the ordinary. She wandered the streets to find people and deliver messages from her master, Jin (nothing that had to do with him or Tenten) and flirt with customers, promising to catch up with them later in the evening when she wasn't busy. She even invited a select few to the 'private party,' which seemed to indicate that their invitation was legitimate.

"There is nothing that indicates that she knows our identities," Shino said eventually, focusing on what his kikkai were telling him. "I find no evidence that they know about us at all." His eyes snapped open to look up at her, though she couldn't see it through his sunglasses.

Right now they had a decision to make: they could either go to the party and hope it wasn't some kind of ambush, or leave the town right now and risk the failure of their mission. Neither shinobi were inclined toward the letter.

"If that's the case, then maybe we should go," Tenten said, hiding another senbon in her hair. "We'll be prepared."

"Perhaps…" he said thoughtfully. He knew that the decision was ultimately his to make. As of yet, there had been no evidence that this party was anything but just that: a party. But it all seemed like too much of coincidence that Suki would be everywhere they were. Not to mention the fact that Tenten had seen this Jin just the other night.

He studied his partner from behind his glasses for a moment. As careful and calculating as he was, he hated to fail a mission. Tenten was strong fighter; he had seen it for himself on several occasions. If they ran into trouble, he had no doubt that the two of them together could escape unscathed.

"We will go to the party."

She seemed to expect this answer. "Alright, boss," she said with a grin, pleased with his decision to stay.

"Tenten-san," he said softly, getting her attention.

"Hm?" she asked distractedly, carefully weaving another senbon into her hair. He wondered just how many weapons she had hidden on her person. And how could she do it when her clothes were so loose and breezy? Kunoichi were a mystery to him.

"Suki-san mentioned that there would be sake at this party."

"Uh-huh," she replied, her deep brown eyes now focused on him, one delicate eyebrow raised.

"I cannot drink. My kikkai do not react well to alcohol." A lesson learned the hard way, he remembered, thinking of the one time that he had given in to his reckless teammate's peer-pressure.

"What happens when you drink?" she asked, looking genuinely interested.

Shino cringed to remember his first and only drink of liquor. It was ten years ago… Kiba had somehow obtained (rather, stolen) an old bottle sake from his mother's cabinet at the young age of fourteen. He couldn't remember exactly what situation they were in or why, but he, Kiba, and Hinata were all down by the river when Kiba had presented his loot.

At first, both Shino and Hinata did not approve… but the ever-charming Kiba took one small sip. Next to cave in to temptation was the young Hinata, who, with a blush, took a few sips for herself. Then, in a moment of foolishness (and perhaps with a desire to fit in), Shino took only two sips of the bitter stuff.

Kiba and Hinata were fine, if not a little bit giggly, but Shino had felt terrible, awful. For a few long hours he'd felt like he was moving through water, until he'd finally passed out at his family's dinner table.

He'd awoken an hour later to see the look of disappointment on his father's face. He learned then that his kikkai were completely intolerant to alcohol, and that if he'd consumed any more, he would have risked killing a major portion of the bugs in his body.

"My kikkai are... sensitive to alcohol," Shino replied, trying not to relive one of the more embarrassing moments of his life. "They'll die if I drink too much."

Her eyes widened. "No problem, Shino-san. I'm sure that no one will pressure you to drink here. And if they do, I'll help cover you." With her reassuring smile, he couldn't help but feel more confident.

There was a knock at the door and the both of them were on the alert. Tenten answered the door with a smile.

"Nakamura-san, Nanami-san," Kano the attendant greeted them with a bow. "How lovely to see the two of you again. If you'll just follow me, I'll take you to the party."

The room by the garden truly did have a beautiful view.

Both shinobi were impressed, even if they were preparing to defend themselves in a fight. The room was really not so much of a room as it was a deck. It was large, with richly-colored hardwood floors and huge glass doors that were opened to look outward toward the garden. The evening was coming quickly and everyone could admire the fireflies out in the yard.

Tenten sat close to Shino, leaning in just enough to give the appearance of touching him. She was aware now of his discomfort when it came to physical contact, and she'd resolved to try to respect that as much as she possibly could.

"We're so glad you could come, Nakamura-san," Suki said, smiling with red-painted lips. "Please, enjoy some tea while we wait for everyone else to arrive." Tenten didn't like how Suki only seemed to see Shino when she was right there. She supposed it made sense, though. Shino—or Souza, was the paying guest. She was just along for the ride. For his part, Shino didn't seem too bothered by the attention.

There were other people attending this private get-together—mostly wealthy-looking older gentlemen with women who were far too young for them. It seemed that most of the ladies present were being paid as escorts.

It was encouraging to see more people at the party, because it meant that there was less of a chance that it was some kind of ambush. Shino was still wary, however. He had seen too much to believe that all shinobi preferred to leave civilians out of fights. By the way Tenten was tensed beside him, he was sure she had the same idea.

"I think everyone is here!" a voice drew everyone's attention to the center of the room. Suki stoof in the center of the room, her hands clasped together in delight. She looked very much in charge, and it made Shino wonder if Suki had more power than the average call girl. "Everyone, tonight you've been invited to witness a spectacular performance. We have the Kurohara Mountain dancers here just for you!" She waved an elegant hand toward the corner so that everyone would pay attention to a group of performers. "Please enjoy!"

The room was in total silence the moment one of the performers hit a drum.

The dance had just begun.

A/N:

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this third chapter!

There will be some exciting stuff coming very soon, so please hang in there! Please tell me how you liked it.

Extra Credit Question-Is there something specific you would like to see happen in this story? I have this fic pretty much all planned out but I love to hear ideas! ;)