I am back early. Seems like they decided to drop a two week break in my exam schedule so now I have almost three weeks of no exams. Naturally I lost my drive to study and got pulled into my story again. Bless what I put on my last two exams next month. Hope you enjoy.

I really don't own Naruto and I don't want to either. It would take too much to write.

Chapter 16 - Begging for confessions

"Kiba, are you feeling well?" Shino asked his teammate after their usual afternoon practice.

"Yea, I'm great!" Kiba said excitedly they were both lying exhausted on the grass on the training grounds. Akamaru was just a little ways away also resting. They had been training extra hard since Hinata was away on a mission. They considered it their guy time. Despite all their arguments they were the best of friends. "What's up?"

"You have not been...busy." Shino answered and Kiba turned questioning eyes on him. His brow was furrowed above his shades. Kiba could tell he was thinking about this from every possible angle. "How do I know this? It is rapidly becoming common knowledge. The girls have been asking around for your health. There are even starts of gossip of the reasons concerning your… apparent disinterest."

"What exactly are we talking about here?" Kiba asked with a teasing smirk. He could just feel the glare Shino shot him.

"Are you that incapable of understanding? Of course you are." Shino said in his usual tone. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Didn't know you listen to gossip, that's it.

"It's awfully hard to not hear." Shino admitted and Kiba nodded agreeing. They were silent for a couple of minutes before Shino spoke again. "Do you plan on answering my question or not?"

"Oh, there was a choice? I was just going to wait and see if you'd forget but since I have a choice then, no." Kiba answered cheerfully. Now Shino had a full on frown.

"Why not? If this affects our teamwork and our team then we should know."

"It won't affect the team." Kiba told him propping himself up on his elbows to look at him. Shino followed his example still frowning at not knowing.

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm telling you Shino." he answered getting up with a sigh. Leave it to Shino to ask questions when it was only them. He was grateful Hinata wasn't here to add to Shino's questions of concern.

"Has something happened that has affected you?"

"As much as it's nice to know you don't completely hate me, I'm fine Shino. Seriously." Kiba told his friend. Shino watched him with a hint of doubt in his stare even behind his shades. Nobody but he Hinata and Kuranai would be able to tell the emotions that Shino hid so well behind his shades and under his hood. "You'll eventually find out and I'll eventually tell you but not now and possibly not for a long time."

"If this happens to affect your performance on a mission I will ensure to kill you first with my own hands." Shino warned after a moment and Kiba smiled brightly.

"Yea sure. Let's go eat! I bet I can eat more Taiyaki than you can!"

"Keep dreaming." Shino said through a smirk.

"Are they here yet?" Kankuro asked coming into Gaara's office. Baki looked up from a scroll he was reading at the interruption. Gaara looked away from his cup of coffee with a nod.

"They're already on their way." he answered.

"Puurfect." Kankuro said rubbing his hands together. Baki looked from one Sabaku to the other with a frown.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"All in due time, sensei. All in due time." Kankuro muttered darkly and Gaara slowly sipped his drink.

Temari was just returning home from the market after long hours of working with Gaara when a shadow moved in the dark to her left. She continued walking as if she hadn't noticed it. There was another flash of movement on her other side. Temari tensed slightly. That was two of them, she could take them. A shadow slinked past behind her. Three. A little outnumbered but with her skill she'd make it. One more moved nearby. Just how much of them were there? When would they make their move?

All together the four shadows sprung forward. Temari immediately fell into a defensive position hand on her fan. Her bag of groceries lay on the sandy ground.

"Paranoid Temari." the first one stated flipping her long red hair over her shoulder with a smirk.

"She has a right to be paranoid, Aiko." Natsu

"But it's only us." Aiko said with a frown.

"I'd be scared if it was you guys jumping out of the shadows at me." a short girl with equally short hair commented bouncing on her feet. A short blade was belted to her side.

"Shut up Etsuko." Natsu said and the girl stuck her tongue out at her. Temari rolled her eyes and bent to pick up her groceries.

"Here Temari, let me help you." the only one who hadn't spoken yet said moving forward to help Temari pick up her fallen grocery. Her long dark hair was caught upon a high ponytail and the sleeves of her short kimono were caught up at her elbows.

"Thanks Hoshimi." Temari said smiling at the girl before glaring at the others. "It's good to know that at least someone notices I'm still here."

"You know how they are." she commented with a smile while Temari's statement went ignored by the bickering three.

"How was your mission?" Temari asked conversationally as they both continued the walk to her apartment.

"It went well." Hoshimi answered. "We just got back and decided to come see our favourite fellow guard."

"That's sweet. I kind of missed you guys." Temari said and

"Really Sis?" Etsuko asked throwing an arm around her. "'Cause we're sleeping over!"

"What?" Temari asked staring at the girl hanging off her shoulder.

"Shorty is right. We're crashing at your place." Aiko said catching up to them with Natsu.

"Why?"

"We missed you!" Etsuko exclaimed throwing her hands up.

"I don't want to go home." Natsu said blankly.

"I don't want to clean." Aiko whined. Temari could only imagine the mess that place would be.

"Just wanted to spend some time with you." Hoshimi said with a shy smile.

"Think of it this way," Aiko began nonchalantly before pulling out two bottles with a wide grin. "Girls fun night!"

"Yea!" Etsuko celebrated

"No." they all told her. She looked at them wide eyed before pouting.

"But I'm a good drunk. Hoshimi is the violent drunk."

"But you're like an obedient, eager to please puppy that listens to everything Natsu says and you know she's a heck moody drunk."

"That reminds me, you all like puppies right?" Temari asked as they walked into the apartment building she shared with her brothers. They all looked at her quizzically.

"Uh, yea?"

"Good, I have a puppy now."

"A puppy!" Etsuko said happily

"Can we play with him?" Hoshimi asked

"He's really supposed to grow into a nin-dog but I guess you can play with him a little."

"If he's a nin-dog, why isn't he with you?"

"He wasn't feeling well so I gave him some medication his vet sent for him and he fell asleep." Temari told them finally reaching her door. They waited while she unlocked the door to let them all in. She was immediately ambushed by the little blond bundle of energy. She handed off the bag in her hands to Natsu to pick up the puppy that seemed to be growing a little faster than he should be.

"So what do we do first?" Etsuko asked suddenly in her sleeping gear.

"You guys are serious about this?" Temari asked eyeing the girl.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Hoshimi asked, she was also changed. Aiko and Natsu were already lying about in her living room in their sleeping clothes as well. Temari stated at them in disbelief.

'I'll never get how they do that.' she thought to herself before putting Sanji back on the ground.

"First we eat." she told them moving to the kitchen. Aiko grabbed her before she could get there.

"You go change your clothes. Hoshimi and I will cook for ya!" she said smiling.

"Me too." Etsuko volunteered only to be shot down.

"No offence but you're a klutz." Natsu told her. Etsuko folded her arms turning away from them. Temari sighed but went to change her clothes anyway. They could be such a handful.

Soon they were all gathered around Temari's centre table eating a late dinner and chatting about things in general. Before long the sake began to flow.

"I won't lie to you Tem," Aiko said suddenly after a bout of laughing. "We were sent by Gaara to find out about somethin' (hic) buuuut (hic) I'm more interested in this boyfriends of yours that you never tilled us about."

"Wasn't that what we were supposed to find out?" Natsu asked with a confused look.

"You said tilled!" Etsuko giggled pointing at Aiko.

"You're hiding stuff from us Sis." Hoshimi said darkly before jumping up with a kunai in hand and a dark aura. She threw the kunai into the table where Temari had just reached for her cup. "You're not supposed to hide this stuff from us!"

Temari had known something was up the minute Aiko brought out the sake but she had forgotten just how violent Hoshimi got when she was drunk. This was only her being slightly drunk.

'Note to self: no more sake for Hoshi.' Temari thought inching the bottle away from the dark haired girl.

"Aren't you going to tell us?" Etsuko whined.

"Yea tell us." Aiko joined her.

"Bubbles!" Natsu exclaimed staring at the very plain, very smooth and very bubble free table top. Temari was eying the kunai that Hoshimi was now wielding. Temari was by far the sanest person in the room.

"Ok fine. I will." she told them with a calming gesture. They all stared at her intently except Natsu who gave her a vacant look. "Well. He's sweet."

"Is he lazy? Or anything along those lines?" Natsu surprisingly asked the first question.

"Nope he's nothing like that guy."

"Good." she said nodding slowly but quickly being drawn in by the stars outside. "He sounded like someone I'd hate."

"You'll really hate him when I tell you why we broke up."

"Tell us that after you tell us about um who?" Aiko prompted

"The awesomest guy in the world." Temari answered

"Yea, that guy." Aiko waved her off.

"What was saying?"

"He's sweet like candy!" Etsuko answered cheerfully.

"Maybe..." Temari and her cheek became slightly tinted.

"Oh! Blushing is good." Aiko teased.

"Or he could be another bum in disguise!" Hoshimi murmured but was ignored.

"What else?"

"Nice and cool."

"Is he cute?" Aiko grinned playfully.

"Hot." Temari answered this time really blushing. Maybe she had more to drink than she originally thought.

"I like them cute." Etsuko said thoughtfully but soon brushed the thought away for something more interesting. "Details!"

"No. If you know what he looks like you'll dream and take him away and I'll dream nightmares and he'll cheat and you'll suffer and there'd be sex and blood and tears and gore and sand. Lots of bloody sand and millions of blades and torn cloth and blood, blood everywhere." Temari said throwing herself onto the floor in despair and buried her head in her folded arms. 'Yup definitely more than I thought. Even I didn't understand that.'

"Enough gossip!" Hoshimi suddenly yelled standing. "Tell us what the ex did."

"Had an affair with his teammate." she said head still buried in her arms. There was a collective gasp.

"How could he?"

"Death to pineapples!" Natsu chirped.

"How dare that bastard?" Hoshimi raged

"That horwibble." Etsuko grumbled.

"We plot vengeance!" Hoshimi agreed

"Immediately!" Aiko added with a fist in the air.

"He'll be caught like a deer in headlights!" Hoshimi plotted darkly.

"Pun!" Etsuko yelled

"What's headlights?" Natsu asked.

"You know, the lights they tie to the carriages in front when people travel at night." Aiko explained irritably. Temari mentally slapped herself. "When do we start?"

"After nap!" Hoshimi answered before nose diving into Temari's sofa and instantly falling asleep. This time Temari really sighed. She sat up only to see that not only had Hoshimi gone to sleep but the others had also decided to simultaneously nod off. If anything she was getting a blessing. Sanji sauntered over to her and laid his head on her lap. She rubbed his side absently before moving to snuggle him and going off to sleep as well.