Uzumaki Naruto
“That was… Nice,” Zazu hummed, his eyes remaining closed

“I hate you,” I told him, my lip curling with disgust in myself. “Now tell me what it is. And holy shit, it better be good.”

He opened his stupid big eyes and sighed deeply, his smile fading. I furrowed my brow and looked to him intently. His head slowly moved towards his companion who stood obliviously a ways away. I was anxious to find out what this secret was, and I was going to find out one way or another. But the sudden grave aura and depression tension that suddenly began to develop between him and his partner and me was enough to make me sick to my stomach.

“Kinaru,” his voice shook. “You tell him.”

“What?!” Kinaru shouted, shaking his head vigorously. “No! You tell him. It’s your problem, you dweeb.”

Zazu hesitated for a long moment before sighing and turning his body to face me.

“Alright,” he said as though he was bracing himself. “Have you ever heard of an Akatsuki member named Deidara? He has long blonde hair, sexy blue eyes, and mouths in his hands.”

I paused as he said the last four words. I knew exactly who he was. He was the man who had kidnapped Gaara, killed him by taking out the spirit of Shukaku from within him, and then fled. I remembered him as the man, who Kakashi-sensei and I had chased until we had caught him, tore off his other arm, and I killed a clay clone of him. However, the last I saw of him was when he had blown himself up to get away from us. He was a member of that horrible organization called Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi was in that group. Itachi had killed Sasuke’s entire clan. Sasuke…

“Yes,” I replied, pained. “I remember him.”

“Well, he had a younger brother,” Zazu explained. “And his younger brother heard about what they were trying to do. To take all nine of the tailed beasts and use their power. Anyway, Deidara and his younger brother were rivals, right? And they both are members of evil-doing teams. Deidara’s dead now… Some absolutely gorgeous guy from here killed him. But his younger brother doesn’t know that yet, I don’t think. Anyway, he wants the Nine-Tailed fox so that no one could have its power, but him.

“A while back, I was ambushed. My team, Mellora and Kinaru, and I tried to fight off the attackers, but I was captured. I woke up in some dark room with a light shining on me. I was tortured and questioned, but I didn’t know anything. They kept asking for an Uzumaki Naruto. But… I didn’t know you. They didn’t like the answer to that, so they practically killed me and threw me out into the middle of the forest. I was left there to die.

“Kinaru and Mellora found me later on and nursed me back to health. I told them what had happened and that’s when we decided that we really had to find a place to stay. And we would have to find this Uzumaki Naruto and warn him. That’s when we came here.”

“So some group of people are looking for me to take Kyuubi out of me,” I asked him. “I mean… Another group?”

“Pretty much,” Zazu nodded. “They’re no where near as adapt as Akatsuki, but they’re pretty good. Enough to torture me and nearly kill me just for the whereabouts of one person. They’ve got some tricks up their sleeves.”

“And Deidara’s little brother is leading them?” I asked.

“I’m pretty sure,” Zazu replied. “That’s what it looked like.”

I allowed my legs to collapse under me. I fell into a sitting position and laid backwards, giving myself some time to let this all sink in. I wished Kyuubi could just leave me alone… but I knew that part of me needed it for all that I could do. I had no idea that so many people were after me just for the Nine-Tails. I would not let them have it, though. It was rightly given to me, and I was the one who would have to keep it. And this information from this off-boy was rather important. I was still debating in my head whether or not it was worth the kiss given to Zazu, though. He laid down beside me and sighed deeply.

“So, Sexy,” he said seriously. “What are you gonna do now?”

“I have to tell Kakashi,” I told him. “Or Granny-Tsunade. Someone who can help with this situation.”

“How about another kiss?” he grinned.

“Zazu,” I raised an eyebrow, narrowing my eyes. “You wish.” I stood up slowly and began to walk away from the two team mates.

“Hey!” Zazu called after me. “Where yah going?”

“I’m gonna go find Kakashi,” I told him, walking away. “Maybe he can help.”

Zazu nodded slowly, looking around himself. Kinaru strolled to his side and looked at him. Zazu slowly turned his head to face Kinaru, realizing that he had no idea where he was. Kinaru raised an eyebrow, smirking. They then paused and looked around themselves, noticing something I had a while ago.

“Hey…” said Zazu. “Where’s Mellora?”

They both paused.

“Hey Naruto!” they both called, running towards me. “Wait up!”

Sabaku no Gaara
“Gaara, you’re right!” she said, slurping up a great quantity of noodles. “This is some of the best ramen I’ve ever tasted!”

“Ichiraku Ramen,” I told her, chewing on a carrot. “Naruto loves it. Almost anyone who comes to Konoha comes back just for the ramen. Or so I’ve heard.”

“I think I’ll have to too,” she responded, chewing a large mouthful of noodles, some hanging half-way out of her mouth.

“Where are you going after this, anyway?” I asked her, swallowing.

“Where am I going?” she repeated. “I have nowhere else to go, so I’m going back to Suna with you.”

I choked on my mouthful of broth and noodles, coughing hard. I pounded on my own chest to keep from dying. She simply looked at me carefully, taking my arms in her hands and lifting them over my head, clearing my airways. She then patted my back lightly as I swallowed the rest of what was in my mouth. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to a side.

“Coming back with me?” I coughed. “Why?”

“Why not?” she suggested. “I love you, you love me, so why not be together? If I stayed here, I would have to travel three days to see you. I’m certainly not going back to my old village. There’s really nothing I want to do more than be with you, Gaara.”

I smiled and leaned towards her, kissing her lips softly for a moment. She had a point, I had to admit. She was good at making points. I did love her, and I did want to be with her. I would probably take the other two along with me as well. I knew that I would do all I could to accommodate her with whatever I had to make her happy. I just hoped that she would be.

“I guess you’re right,” I said nodding. “I will take you home with me.”

“Every king needs a queen, right?” she smiled, holding my hand tightly.

The day was beginning to fade into night, by that time. The sun said its final words in rays of reddening light as the moon was a small smoky orb in the distance behind it. I finished up my ramen, as did she. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small change purse, which she unbuckled carefully. I took her wrist in my hand, stopping her. She lifted her eyes to look at me, confused.

“Hey,” I told her, sternly. “I’m paying.”

*

We walked along the edge of the forest, hand in hand. The wind ran cold, smooth fingers through out hair, smiling at us as we passed. The stars were beginning to twinkle to life above us as the sky continuously darkened. The moon began to cast a silver trail before us, lighting our way. I squeezed her hand tightly, watching as the moon shimmered into her dark eyes, as though there were stars deep within them.

“It’s a beautiful evening,” she commented.

“Yes it is,” I agreed. “Just like you.”

“Aww,” she put her head on my shoulder. “You’re so sweet.”

I put my head on hers. I found myself yawning broadly, and I knew it was the end of the day for me. She yawned shortly afterwards and flexed her shoulders, stretching her muscles. I knew that she was as tired as I was, and it wouldn’t take long for us to fall asleep tonight. I wondered where she slept, as well.

“Where’s your hotel room?” I asked her. “I’ll walk you to it.”

She pulled my arm and took me back into lower Konoha. I followed obediently as she led me towards a large building. Hotel doors lined the outside of it, windows beside each door. She stopped at the doorway which I assumed was hers. She took a key from her deep pocket and fumbled with it before fitting it into her hand. She then inserted the key into keyhole and opened the door.

“Well,” I said, holding both her hands tightly in mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely,” she responded.

She leaned in towards me and our lips met once more. We parted shortly after. I licked my lips, tasting her. I smiled at her and let go of her hands. Just as she was about to walk into her room, she refused to let go of my hand. I looked to her face through the darkness and found her standing within the shadows. The moonlight reached enough of her face so that I could see her lips spread into a grin. I swallowed hard and smiled weakly, knowing perfectly well what was coming. She pulled me into the dark room and locked the door behind herself.

Aburame Shino
I opened my eyes the next morning, breathing disturbingly heavy. I smiled when I found myself staring at Hinata’s sleeping face beside me. I lifted my hand and stroked her jaw line softly with my knuckle. Without opening her eyes, she smiled and groaned softly. I smiled more and kissed her forehead softly. She blushed lightly and sighed deeply, breathing the morning air.

“Hey, Shino,” she said, her voice groggy and leaving her slightly.

“Morning,” I replied. “Have a nice night?”

She simply opened her eyes wide, raising and eyebrow. I chuckled licked my dry lips. She giggled and ran her fingers through my hair. I moved my head forward and kissed her lips softly. This was so different of me. I would never have done what I just did normally. I knew, deep in my heart, that if a certain someone would hear of this, he would kill me. My father. Would. Kill me.

“You’re so…” she sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, stroking her jaw line, down her neck and stopping at her bare shoulder. “And thank you.”

I suddenly lifted my head, painfully recalling what I had done with my sunglasses before kissing Hinata for the first time. They shattered. I remembered that too. I glanced towards the floor, closing my eyes in shame as I saw them in billions of pieces. I sighed and dropped my head into my hand. Hinata sat up, keeping the covers at her chest. She looked at my expression in utter perplexity.

“Aw shit,” I said, falling back to the bed, my head hitting the pillow.

“What’s wrong?” asked Hinata.

“My sunglasses,” I snorted, not being able to sustain myself from laughing any longer. “Shattered.”

“We should go get you some new ones,” she suggested, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Something spontaneous.”

“I’ve already done some pretty freaking spontaneous things rather recently,” I reminded her. “But I guess one more wouldn’t hurt. I’ll leave it to you.”

“You have a mission today, right?” she asked me, her voice suddenly upset.

“Yes…” I said, lip curling. “With Sakura, Lee and… Naruto.”

“When do you have to leave?” she said (I took pleasure in realizing that she didn’t even blush when I mentioned Naruto’s name), she sat up completely, still not letting the blankets drop.

“Probably any time,” I told her, sitting up as well.

“We should get ready now, then,” she suggested. “Then we’ll go get you some sunglasses. A very enthusiastic pair, at that.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I grinned.

*

Hinata and I walked the streets of downtown Konoha. Though I had confessed my undying love to her and her to me, and the afterward results took place, she and I still seemed to act as though everything we perfectly normal. Maybe, to her, it was. However, it was as though there was something new in this whole chapter of my life. Something new to hold on to. And it came in the form of an angelic best friend. There was also something different about the way we walked together. Not only the fact that we were hand-in-hand, but that we were both smiling brightly. This new day was a day to remember. A new page in my life, and in hers. We were also one of the most unexpected couples in all of Konoha.

All of a sudden, a large, white blur flashed across our vision. I blinked and stopped dead in my tracks, as did Hinata, and waited for someone, who we both knew was going to react rather enthusiastically. A large canine blocked our path, our good friend happily on his back. Hinata blushed when she saw him, and couldn’t help but look to our clasped hands. I also made a move to look at my hand tightly grasping hers, but stopped when I remembered that my sunglasses were gone.

“Hinata!” Kiba greeted us. “Shino! Where the hell are your sunglasses?”

Then it hit him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he exclaimed. “Are you two… an item?”

“Um…” Hinata stammered, placing her other hand in her mouth and biting her thumb. “Shino-kun and I… We’re…”

“Ha!” he cheered. “I knew it was bound to happen! This is so cool!”

“Cool?” I raised an eyebrow. “How is it cool?”

“Cause you two are made for each other,” he laughed.

With that, he and Akamaru bounded away, the oversized, white dog barking eagerly in a mixture of agreement and farewell. I couldn’t help but slowly look to Hinata, who continued to blush as her eyes turned to me. I wondered if what Kiba had said was really true, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. I smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head as we entered a convenience store not far from where we had stood.

Hinata disappeared behind aisles of foods and wracks of clothing. There were even some tourist items, insanely overpriced. I stood in the center of the store awkwardly, wondering what she was searching for in particular. I had let Kiba’s comment drift away from my mind and slowly disappear amongst the rest of the virtual tension I had been experiencing. I looked around at small, intricate mugs or other fragile sculptures. I found sculptures of different clans’ abilities. The Uzumaki sculpture had been completely sold out, followed by the Uchiha then the Hyuuga. Aburame was well on its way. I smirked, crossing my arms.

“Shino!” I heard Hinata call, pulling me out of my porcelain clan daze. “I found them!”

I swallowed hard, mentally preparing myself for the worst. I didn’t know what she had been looking for, let alone what she had found. I carefully stepped forward, following her voice. She stood before a wrack covered with shelves upon shelves of sunglasses, all of different shapes, sizes and even colours. She stood proudly beside them, her huge, lavender eyes scanning each lens.

“Here,” she said, handing me a pair. “Try these.”

Without really looking at them, mainly out of fear, I gently took the sunglasses from her and set them on my face. She smiled and giggled loudly, gesturing to the mirror on the side of the wrack. I gulped and slowly turned to face the mirror. My eyes, which were completely consumed by lenses, widened. It wasn’t only my eyes that were covered, though. It was also half my entire head. Huge, black, square lenses covered my eyebrows, most of my cheeks, and my nose. I immediately took them off as though someone had shocked me.

“Not so much,” I told her, placing them back onto the wrack.

She giggled and disappeared behind the wrack. Before coming back into view, she ordered me to close my eyes. I knew that she had something horrible in store for me. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes slowly. She stepped towards me – I could hear her – and paused once she was directly in front of me. I felt her soft, gentle hands place the sunglasses over my eyes. I felt her breath on my chin and neck, sending chills up and down my spine. Once she was finished, she took a step away from me. I slowly and carefully opened my eyes and looked into the mirror. It was at that point, the only time in my whole life, when I actually felt like screaming.

“Hinata,” I said, looking to her, one eyebrow raised.

“What?” she asked, giggling. “They look good on you.”

“Well, you know what? They do bring out my gently chiselled facial features,” I smirked, adjusting them. “You know what? I’m actually gonna get them. I’m obviously gonna buy a proper pair, but I think these will make a statement.”

“Oh, Aburame Shino,” she sighed, smiling. “What have I done to you?”

I grinned slowly and leaned in towards her, pressing my lips to her ear.

“You fell in love with him,” I whispered.