Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns everything on my story except for Kumo.

Kiba had finally recovered from his shock enough to begin his search for Kumo. But the sky was crying, drowning out her scent. He searched futilely with increasing desperation until he saw a familiar hooded figure. "Shino! Have you seen Kumo? I need to apologize."

"She is currently located in room 212 of the hospital."

Kiba stopped in his tracks. "The hospital?"

"Yes. She was sleeping when I left."

"What happened?" Kiba asked, desperately trying to ignore the sinking feeling in stomach telling him that it was all his fault.

"She tried to kill herself."

Kiba sat down hard, not caring about the puddle that he landed in. "Oh Kami. It's my fault. I shouldn't have grabbed her." He stared at his hands in horror. "It's my fault, isn't it?"

"The reasons that she cited were that she had almost killed Kakashi and almost killed you, that we would be better off if she was gone. She viewed herself as a threat."

"Is she alright?"

"She will recover completely. It was fortunate that Sakura was only a block away and that Hinata managed to grab the kunai before she slit her other wrist. Sakura was able to reconnect the slashed radial artery."

"Oh Kami."

"Emotionally, I think she is a little better. I have devised a training regimen involving clones to accustom her to being touched unexpectedly. When she stops accidentally killing the clones that startle her, I believe her emotional state will be improved enough that we will not have to worry about a second attempt on her own life."

Kiba closed his eyes. "Oh Kami. I'm such an idiot."

"You cannot change the past." Shino informed him flatly, carefully hiding his emotion. He had felt anger towards his teammate for shattering Kumo's emotional stability, and Kiba's inability to do anything but wallow in pity and whimper made him resent the other boy. He didn't understand why he was feeling these emotions. Around Kumo the strong box he kept his emotions in cracked and they started to ooze out. There was something about her that made him want to lose control of his objectivity and protect her for some reason he couldn't understand.

"Kiba." He said calmly. "Sitting in a puddle and muttering 'Oh Kami' will not help either of your situations. Go home. Change into dry clothes and plan your apology."

His teammate didn't look at him as he stood and shuffled off through the rain, shoulders slumped.

Shino on the other hand strode off with purpose in his steps. He needed to gather others who could use clones and surprise the girl if she was going to learn not to kill anyone who touched her when she wasn't expecting it. Namely Kakashi and Naruto.

Shino knocked on the dark grey door, waiting for someone to answer, not wanting to trigger the traps that he was sure resided just inside. He heard shuffling. The door opened halfway to reveal Kakashi who looked like he had been asleep. His vest was gone, as was his hitai-ate and his hair looked even more unruly than it normally did. "Shino."

"I need your help. It's about Kumo."

The copy nin silently motioned the younger ninja to come in and sit down. Kakashi poured himself a cup of sake and motioned questioningly towards Shino with the bottle. Shino shook his head. Even if he wasn't sixteen, his kikaichu would neutralize the alcohol and he saw no reason to strain them.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked after downing his cup in one motion.

"She tried to kill herself. She slashed one wrist, but Hinata managed to catch the blade before she could slash the second. Sakura was only a block away and sealed the radial artery that she had slashed. She is in the hospital, as is Hinata."

"Damn. I thought she was improving again."

"Apparently Kiba surprised her when he grabbed her arm from behind. She almost killed him before she realized who it was. She convinced herself that she was a danger that needed to be eliminated."

"How convinced was she?"

"There were no hesitation marks. She was convinced."

Kakashi stared into his empty cup. "What do you need me for?"

"I thought that she could reprogram her instincts. That we could use shadow clones to surprise her while she is going about her normal life until she no longer tries to kill anyone who surprises her."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Someone should stay with her until she finishes her reconditioning." Shino heard he underlying message: In case she tries suicide again. "I don't think she has completely forgiven herself on my account, so she should probably stay with you again."

Shino nodded. "She seems to trust me for whatever reason."

"You are her support. You rescued her, cured her episodes, kept her from killing me, brought her back from Suna, and were there when she was trying to die. She trusts you."

Shino didn't answer for a few moments, though Kakashi could see that his eyebrows were drawn together in thought even if the expression in his eyes and mouth were hidden from view. Finally he spoke. "Then will you use your shadow clones when she is released from the hospital and can begin her conditioning?"

Kakashi nodded. "Are you going to include anyone else?"

"I had thought about Naruto, since he is one of the few others who can use that technique. But I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"He is not the most diplomatic, and can be remarkably clueless, but his heart is in a good place, and it is harder not to be optimistic around him. I think it might be a good idea to include him."

"I will find him." It shouldn't be that hard. He's probably at Ichiraku's.

Shino was correct. Naruto was at Ichiraku's paying for the teetering stack of empty bowls in front of him. "Naruto."

"SHINO? WHAT'S UP?" Naruto called loudly.

"I need your help."

"YEAH! WHATCHA NEED?"

Shino outlined his plan after explaining what had happened to Kumo yet again.

"SURE! I'LL CHEER HER UP IN NO TIME! BELIEVE IT!"

"I will let you know when she is out of the hospital and we can begin."