Disclaimer: Disclaimers can go to Hel. I don't own anything.

Moriko: Got that right. It's been over a month!

Me: You can go to Hel too, Mori.

Moriko: Already there, Swirl.

Me: Bite me.

Hockey Nin

"Shay and Gaara loved each other," Naruto said flatly. He received little more reaction than Kakashi motioning him to continue. He nodded reluctantly and went on... "Both their child hoods sucked--"

Geshi interrupted him, "When you say, 'loved each other', do you mean it in that tense?"

Naruto looked up at her, blinked. "Eh? What tense?"

"Past tense," Geshi urged, willing him to answer clearly. To her relief, he slowly nodded.

"Well, I guess," he said, choosing his words carefully, "I don't mean, 'he doesn't love her anymore', because I'm positive he does, even if he'll never show it in a million years..."He shook his head, shaggy hair bouncing. "And, that, well, that's just kinda because none of use have even spoke Shay's name since she left the hospital...left Gaara." He amended the last part--Shay had left without warning, and had lied, telling them all she would be leaving a week later than she actually did. As of yet, no one quite knew why.

Geshi nodded slowly. Kakashi said, "Go on."

"Er, right. Well, yeah...Gaara's father tried to have him killed plenty of times...he was put in jail after breaking the restraining order when Gaara came into foster care under Baki, and Temari and Kankuro were put with him. Eventually, it just was kind of assumed that Baki had adopted them, and I think he has, considering they lived with him for a while until Temari, then Kankuro and Gaara each went off to college. Gaara and Kankuro were in the same year, because Gaara skipped a grade. In the middle of his time at Suna Tech, he took off for a year, and graduated after Kankuro..."

"We know all this," muttered Jiraiya, "Stick to the story, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. "I don't want to be telling you this! It's private. None of your business..."

He trailed off, and Geshi raised an eyebrow. Kakashi didn't nothing but watch him expectingly, and Naruto sighed again, muttered about teachers being pushy, and went on with his tale.

"Uh, yeah. So...Shay disappeared before that. That's kinda it." He stood. "There. Can I go now?"

Kakashi eyed him, then leaned back in his chair. "You're a bad liar, Naruto. You can leave if you want, but if Gaara goes to pieces because no one tells us so we can help him, it's on your conscious."

Naruto scowled. "Damn deceptive old man." He sat back down again.

Kakashi looked at him balefully. "I'm not that old," he muttered, "It's just the hair!"

Geshi smothered a grin, then put on her 'do-what-I-say-this-minute-or-else' expression and gave Naruto the full blast of it. "Please continue, Naruto."

"Like I have a choice," he muttered mutinously, fidgeting to attempt and get comfortably in the big, sagging office chair. To amuse himself, he spun the chair in circles on it's wheels until Kakashi gave him a warning cough. He stopped and stared at the ceiling.

"Look. The thing with Shay...she has to trust you to let you know anything. You asked me about what was between Gaara and her, and I told you. Sorry, but I'm not saying anything else. He stood again, eyes resolute in his decision. "I need to get back to the rink before Neji comes up here and strangles me. See ya."

As a parting comment, Jiraiya said, grinning evilly, "Oh, Neji has more reasons than lost practice time to kill ya, Naruto."

Naruto shot him a glare and closed the door to Jiraiya's coarse laughter.

-

On the ice, Neji and Shikamaru were tactfully keeping kiba and Sasuke away from each other, and Kankuro had joined them, looking somber. Sai, Shino, and Lee were coming through the door just now. Naruto retied his skate laces for the thousandth time, then kicked them off in exasperation. He shouldn't feel guilty. It was true. Shay's history was nothing to them yet, right? Right...

Right?

Suddenly, he looked up, feeling a shadow fall across him. He blinked. "What're you doing here--"

"Shhhh!" she hissed, grabbing him by the elbow and yanking him up the stairs. "Shut up! Gods, now I have to tell them about Shay! For the love of pocky, Naruto!"

"Eh...Pocky?"

"Just keep moving! You're telling them with me, dammit."

"Gods, who pissed in your shoes this morning?"

"Republicans. Now MOVE!"

Kakashi and Geshi and Jiraiya were all thoughtful. Kakashi's eyes seemed unfocused and broody, while Geshi's traced patterns on the wall. Call Naruto back up and make him confess? Yes? No? All very confusing.

Jiraiya sighed and was about to speak when there was a savage knock on the door. He looked bewildered. "Who in the--?"

"Open. The. Door. Dammit, Geshi, Kakashi-sensei, I know you're in there!"

"Eh, I'm pretty sure it's unlocked..."

"I know it's unlocked!"

"Then why are you knocking and telling them to open up?"

"GODS DAMN IT!"

"Hey--ahhh!!"

Naruto came flying through the door as it was kicked open, slamming against the wall it was bolted to with a loud bang! and turning to swing absently on it's hinges. The girl in the doorway kicked it angrily again and and glared at them all balefully, her eyes glinting in the light coming through the closed blinds.

Without preamble, Moriko stormed into the room.

-

The hotel room was surprisingly clean, would have thought anyone who knew either of the two girls who were each packing the last things haphazardly into their suitcases.

"Woof!"

"Ar-ar-arf!"

"Hush!" shouted Kani, straining to be heard over the clamoring racket of the two dogs. Neither of the canines listened to her, continuing to leap about. "HUSH!"

"OI!" screamed her companion, sighing and rolling her eyes when that didn't work. "Shu! Sit, Shu! SHU!"

"Mikan, SHUT. UP!" ejaculated Kani, effectively raising her voice louder than the dogs (and giving the people downstairs a heart attack). The barking only grew louder, and she cried out in exasperation.

As one, she and Shay hollered, "QUIETTTT!!"

The dogs stopped immediately and stared at them. Mikan cocked her head, and Shu woofed in a bewildered way. It seemed they were both asking the same thing--"What'd'ya have to be so loud for, guys?"

Kani's eyebrow twitched, but then she smiled. "Sheesh. I thought you guys would be used to seeing a camel walk by!" She laughed good naturedly.

Blowing a strand of hair from her face, Shay grinned as well. "Huh. I'M not used to a camel walking past yet."

She and Kani looked at each other, with grave faces, and then burst out laughing.

After a few minutes, after the giggles subsided, Shay sneezed. Perplexed, Kani tossed her the tissue box again--careful to throw it higher than eight feet, so the dogs watched it's ark with interest. "Gods, Shay. Glad to have you as a roomy, and all, but if you get me sick I won't be thrilled."

"No kidding," Shay muttered, blowing her nose noisily so that the dogs' ears pricked up and they stared at her. With a quiet chuckle, she told them, "Don't worry. I'm clean. Just someone talking about me."

"Hmmm," murmured Kani, "That seems to be happening a lot recently."

"Ya' think?"

"Woooof!"

"ARF!"

"Not again!"

"Mikan! Shu! For the gods' sakes, shut up!"

But the dogs weren't barking at a camel this time. This time, they each felt something wrong. But, as humans at large sadly do not speak Canus, the girls had no way of knowing this.

In America, a few secrets were about to come out.

-

Moriko stomped in, grabbed Naruto by the back of his jersey as he tried to stand up from where he had gone sprawling on the floor, and she dumped him unceremoniously into the squishy office chair.

"I'll tell you about Shay," she snapped, "But only if you promise to keep your bloody traps SHUT! Understand?!"

Bewildered, they stared at her. Geshi slowly nodded. Why Moriko was acting so oddly, they couldn't guess, but here came the truth at last.

"We promise."

-

Author's Note: More deliberating! Yayyyy!

...Don't shoot me. Next update, tomorrow, Monday at latest. I swear. XP

Moriko: I NEED AN ASPRIN!

Me: O,O" -edges away-