Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

A/N: Hello all! Internet is spotty at the moment so I'm taking advantage of the good connection to post now. I'll respond to reviews in the next chapter. Thank you very much for sticking with the story!

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino regrouped in a sheltered clearing forty miles outside Konoha.

"South and west sides are clear," Hinata reported.

"North side clear," Kiba said.

"East side is clear as well," Shino said.

"Great, now we can eat!" Kiba rubbed his hands, and Akamaru echoed his sentiments by giving a short bark.

They were on the way home to Konoha after completing an A-class mission to track twelve outlaws who escaped from the Sand and were now on Leaf territory. As soon as they had tracked the criminals, the ANBU members they had been traveling with took over the mission - that is to say, eliminated the missing nin.

Hinata had been away from the Uchiha compound for a week now. The day before she was scheduled to depart, she had waited for Sasuke to come down for breakfast so she could tell him. His only response was a grunt, and they ate breakfast in silence - a nervous one on Hinata's part. That was their first encounter after their dust-up the day she had her hangover. She had quietly fidgeted during the entire meal, not knowing what to say to Sasuke. She was loath to leave without clearing the air, but she was too anxious to confront him. In the end, she had left before he did, muttering about training.

The next morning when she woke up, though, Sasuke was sleeping again on the kitchen table, like he did the first time he wanted to get ahold of her. He had been woken up, again, by her startled gasp.

"Here," he had said, handing her a small white cake box. Yawning, he went back to his wing without further comment, leaving her bewildered yet again. This time, though, when she ate the chocolate cake, her spirits were considerably lightened. As she blissfully chewed her cake, the thought flashed through her mind that Sasuke had a delicious way of making up with her indeed.

"Here you go, Hinata-chan," Kiba's voice recalled her to the present. With the help of her pocket flint, she was able start a fire and get water to boil. Shino handed her vegetables from the forest which she added to the water, along with a pinch of salt and oyster sauce.

"Ne, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun," Hinata said. "What kind of mask would they give me if I were to make ANBU?"

Kiba considered for a moment. "Maybe a mouse. Something cute."

She wrinkled her brow in thought. "Are mice cute?"

"Are you thinking of joining, Hinata-chan?" Shino asked. "The application period is five months away."

"Now that you mention it..." Hinata trailed off. Five months of training. I know I can make it. "How amazing would it be to become ANBU?"

Shino quirked an eyebrow. "It would also be dangerous."

"Chouji says you have to take a written exam and a practical exam," Kiba interposed. "Hey, did you guys know he's now teaching at the Academy?"

Hinata paused in her stirring. "Really? That's nice." She tried to recall what she remembered about Akimichi Chouji. She knew he was never without a bag of chips in his hand outside missions, that was all. If he had become a teacher like Iruka-sensei, then apparently there was a lot she didn't know about him.

"Somehow, it doesn't fit," Shino said musingly.

"You don't even know him that much," Kiba retorted.

"That's true," Shino agreed. "I hope he has the patience to deal with the Kiba types."

"What do you mean by that?" Kiba jabbed a finger at his teammate. "I was a model student at the Academy!"

Shino's snort indicated he believed otherwise.

"Hey, it's true! Back me up here, Hinata-chan."

Hinata laughed. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, I don't seem to remember anything of the kind."

Kiba argued with them all throughout dinner until lights out, when Shino finally shushed him, and they all slept side by side, Hinata sandwiched in the middle. She fell asleep to the low hum of insects, her head against Shino's chest, and Kiba's hand on her waist.

They rose at dawn and swiftly packed away their gear. In no time at all, they were journeying towards the village. They reached Konoha past noon, foregoing their lunch in favor of taking a long bath as soon as possible.

At the village gates, Shino suddenly stopped. They also halted, confused.

"Hey man, what's the holdup?" Kiba complained. "I want my bath already!"

Shino turned to them. "Before we go in, I have to tell you something."

Hinata's hands flew to her chest on instinct. There was a sense of foreboding in her.

"I'm married to Ino."

"WHAT!" Kiba and Hinata shouted at the same time. Shino started to jump away, but they held each arm and yanked him back.

"Shino-kun!" Hinata cried out as Shino briefly struggled, and stilled.

Kiba took the lead in pinning his teammate against a nearby tree. Shino shrugged him away.

"Shino-kun, when did this happen?" Hinata asked, twisting her hands. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"We didn't even get to throw you a bachelor party!" Kiba yelled.

"Hokage-sama called me into her office, and Ino was already there," Shino began.

Hinata started. It sounded painfully familiar.

"Lady Tsunade asked me for help in repopulating the village, and I agreed. The end." Shino shrugged.

"What?!" Kiba yelled again. "You believe in that crap? After what happened to Hinata-chan?"

Shino crossed his arms. "As it happens, I do believe it is our duty."

"But... Shino-kun..." Hinata was at a loss for words. How could Shino be so calm and sure about this? It was true that she believed that repopulating the village was a shinobi's duty, but it didn't have to be her duty. And she wanted it to be her choice. Every day she was tortured by the fact that by agreeing to the Hokage, she had effectively made it hers. Even though she felt like she had been railroaded into marrying Sasuke, in the end, she was still the one who said yes, the one who cut her thumb. Every time she blamed herself for being weak and saying no, she trained harder and longer to the point where she would be barely conscious while making dinner. This was especially true during her first week being married to Sasuke. "Do you... Was it your... Do you-do you love Ino-san?"

Shino shrugged again. "Does it matter?"

"That's stupid!" Kiba said hotly. "You just went and got married and then I suppose you'll have kids like Hinata and now everything has to change!"

"It would," said Shino, unflappable.

"Not yet," Hinata said hastily at the same time.

"You'll have to deal with it, Kiba," said Shino in a gentler tone. "It will be your turn soon."

"I say nuts to that. I'd rather join the ANBU," Kiba spat out, and marched on to the village.

Hinata looked helplessly at Shino, who only sighed. They followed Kiba to the long walk towards the Hokage's tower.

"You're making me feel guilty about my feelings, Shino-kun," Hinata spoke softly. Really, how can Shino be stoic about it all? He was stoic most of the time, but this... This was a major development in his life. If they both believed that it was their duty to provide the next generation of shinobi, why was her reaction different? How come was Shino so accepting, and she wasn't?

"Don't," he said, looking straight ahead.

"It's just... I guess I envy your certainty, that's all," she looked up at her teammate. Even though his eyes were hidden by dark glasses and his mouth by his high collar, Hinata could tell by his posture that he was far from happy. She could feel the tenseness emanating from him.

"Marriage does limit your options somewhat," he replied carefully. "To tell you the truth -"

"Oi!" Kiba said loudly, putting himself in between. "Don't think you can confess without me, bug boy." When he had wedged himself squarely between them, he gestured to Shino and put his arms around their shoulders.

"As I was saying," the Aburame heir continued, "to tell the truth, I'm a little nervous going back home."

"Well, don't do what Hinata-chan did and disappear for a week," Kiba laughed, poking her in the ribs.

"Oh shush, Kiba-kun," Hinata said reprovingly. Kiba had found it funny, but she felt that treating it lightheartedly felt like a betrayal to Sasuke. She let Kiba have his jokes, but she didn't retain any sense of humor about the whole thing.

"Come on Hinata-chan, if Kurenai-sensei hadn't talked some sense into you, you'd avoid him forever or until he tracks you down," Shino added.

She turned red. "I'm not the subject here," she said with dignity. "Why does going back home make you nervous, Shino-kun?"

Through their connected bodies, she could feel him shrug. "I don't know Ino very well, that's all."

Hinata sighed. "I know exactly what you mean."