"Ivy-chan?" Said girl looked to Shino. It was a week after Neji accepted her, and Tsunade was also beginning to trust the girl. Especially after she healed Neji. But Shino was still her guard. Hiashi believed his council might still do something, and Tsunade agreed.

"Yes Shino?" Ivy asked. She had been studying her family tree from the Mazi and Hyuuga when the Aburame had spoken.

"I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the Firefly Festival?" He asked.

Ivy looked at him. "Aren't we already going?" She questioned, confused on what he meant.

"I mean, as a date. With me." He clarified.

Ivy's hazel blue-green eyes widened from surprise. "A date?" She said under her breath, but Shino caught it.

It was quiet for a minute, and Shino was beginning to doubt that she'd accept. He was about to say that she didn't have to come as a date with him before a shy smile appeared on her features.

"I would like that Shino." She said softer then her normal voice level, but Shino heard. If his jacket wasn't covering the lower part of his face one would see the most goofiest smile on him.

"Then I'll pick up at six. I have to go back my Clan for a few hours to help my mother with lanterns. Ten-Ten said she would be able to watch you for me till I return." He said.

She nodded. "Alright." She said, and went back to the Family trees. She gazed at her mothers name, Haruhi Mazi, for a few moments. 'A date with Shino.' As the thought sunk in a wider smile appeared. For a while now she had began to get impatient to see him at the start of the day. She felt sad when he left her at night, for an ANBU to watch just outside her apartment. She even thought of him more as the days went by.

Ten-Ten arrived and Shino left. Ten-Ten was beginning to like Ivy and it was showing when she would arrive for a visit. She noticed the smile Ivy had and she asked what was up.

"He asked me to go to the Festival with him." Ivy said happiness showing in the older girls eyes.

Ten-Ten blinked a few times before a smile lit her face as well. "No way! Come on! We need to find you a Kimono!" Ten-Ten shot to her feet, grabbed the Poisoner's hand, and dragged her to the closest Kimono clothing stores.

As they entered the third store, they were beginning to despair. Because it was tonight, most of all the good Kimono's were already bought. As Ivy began on the last rack, she spotted it. The perfect one. She carefully took it from it's hiding spot, looking it over. The inner kimono was a dark forest green, as was the Obi that was draped over a shoulder. The outer Kimono was a dark royal blue with purple butterfly patterns on the left shoulder, and on the bottom right. The sleeves were wide and long.

"Ten-Ten, look at this one." Ivy turned to show Ten-Ten the one she had found.

"It looks simply beautiful Ivy-chan! Let's buy it and get ready for the Festival. Oh! I completely forgot to tell you." Ten-Ten said as they went to buy it.

"What?" Ivy asked as she paid.

"Neji asked me to the Festival!" Ten-Ten gushed and Ivy smiled.

"That's great! Lets get ready for tonight then, and make you look perfect for Little Brother." She said as the two walked out. "Oh, excuse me." She said as she just about bumped into someone. The person grunted, and Ivy nearly flinched from how tall the man stood. Heck, the man was almost as tall as Kisame. He looked familiar to her though but before she can place where she had seen him, Ten-Ten had grabbed her arm and lead her away.

"Thank-you Ten-Ten." Ivy said and Ten-Ten waved off her thanks.

"It's what friends do." She assured her smiling.

Ivy's smile widened as she realized that Ten-Ten thought of her as a friend.

The two girls got ready for the night. Ten-Ten's outer kimono was light pink with no decoration, and the inner kimono was a dark pink. It also reminded Ivy of a fighting Kimono, which she thought suited the tomboy. They did each others hair. It was easy for Ivy to do Ten-Ten's. She had combined the two buns into one, only leaving two strands to frame her face. And to hold her hair in place she used senbons instead of chopsticks.

Now, it was a bit hard to figure out Ivy's hair do. Since she usually wore her hair down Ten-Ten wanted it up. They tried many 'up' do's but nothing seemed good on her. Ten-Ten was about to give up when she was untying the left side forest green ribbon. She had tried pigtails but it made Ivy look to childish. When that was down, and she was about to start on the other, she stopped.

"What's the matter Ten-Ten?" Ivy asked.

"Nothing. I think I got something." Ten-Ten said as she untied the last pigtail.

She brushed her hair again, then gathered just a bit of Ivy's hair on the right side leaving some down. She wrapped and tied the ribbon and stepped back. "Perfect!" Ten-Ten said smiling.

Ivy looked in the mirror and her pale blue-green eyes widened. "Oh, wow." She turned her head this way and that to see her hair at different angles. She loved it, and even said so to her friend. She then clamped her red scorpion necklace on, and was ready.

"Hey Ivy-chan?"

"Yeah, Ten-Ten?" Ivy answered as she got tea for them. They had enough time for a cup before the guys arrived.

"Where did you get that necklace?" She asked, and Ivy faltered a little as she poured her tea.

"Sasori-san gave it to me." Ivy said softly.

"The Akatsuki puppet man?" Ten-Ten asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ivy nodded. "You know how my mother's Clan was killed, and my mother and I escaped the man for a year?" Ivy said, and Ten-Ten nodded.

"Well, it was a few days when I had awoken with no memory on anything, not even my name. I had stumbled upon his and his partners camp. He showed kindness giving me some of their left over stew. After that I followed him and his partner." Ivy hadn't told anyone this story, not even Shino and she couldn't stop.

"It was a year before he gave me my name, Ivy, and a week after that when he gave me the necklace. He said it was for protecting me, though I can't see how it can. I can only assume it would protect me from the more ruthless Akatsuki members, to show I belonged to Sasori-san."

Ten-Ten soaked in this information as she sipped your tea. "So in a way, Sakura killed your father figure?"

Ivy nodded. "I know everyone was told I was a prisoner forced to make them poisons, in a way I was. I was never allowed outside unless he was with me. He didn't want me in Akatsuki, from day one. I don't know why he took pity on me, but might be because I hadn't no memory or parents or family looking for me."

Ten-Ten looked at Ivy then shrugged. "I guess even S-Class criminals have feelings. I'm sorry you lost him, but then you might have been killed sooner or later by one of us and then neither of us would be talking like we are."

Ivy thought this, then nodded. "Your right." She smiled, then looked serious. "You can't tell, okay Ten-Ten? I'm finally beginning to be trusted, and I want to live here and get to know my brother, cousins, and uncle."

"What about Shino?" Ten-Ten smirked at the blush that covered Ivy's face.

"Yes."

"Good, cause he just arrived." This announcement caused a 'squeak' to emit from Ivy as she turned to see she was right. Neji was right behind him, and was eying Shino critically. 'Guess he's already going into protective little brother already.' Ivy thought as she stood and stopped as she fully saw Shino.

He was still wearing the sun-glasses, but other than that nothing obstructed his face. His Yukata was dark forest green, with the bottoms black. His hair was down, and looked shaggy. He wore nothing else with it, but Ivy thought him handsome.

Neji had kept his hair tied, but didn't look as it usually did in the low hanging ponytail. He wore a white Yukata with the bottoms black and a black vest.

"Hey guys!" Ten-Ten greeted. Neji looked from Shino, then looked at Ten-Ten. If one looked closer, one would see the barest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Well, lets go." Neji said gruffly, but Ivy smiled gently when he held his arm out for Ten-Ten to take.

Shino held his own out and Ivy placed her arm on his. The four exited the apartment, and headed to the main street where the Festival was. Ivy's eyes shined as she took in the decorations. "Wow, you and your mom made great lanterns Shino."

He nodded his thanks, and she glanced at him. By now they had lost sight of Ten-Ten and Neji, but it didn't matter. They played games, got some food and just walked. When ever Ivy asked him a question, he would either shrug, nod, or shake his head. She was beginning to worry. This wasn't the first time, it was in fact the fifth time since the first time he hadn't talked.

It was while they were eating some dango that Ivy got fed up.

"Shino, why are you not talking? This is the fifth time in four weeks and I'm beginning to worry it's something that I've done wrong." She demanded but he didn't speak. He just continued eating, seemingly ignoring her.

Her eyes narrowed and she got to her feet. She threw the dango at him, and left him at the table in a huff. She passed kids with sparklers, and a few couples. One of them was Naruto and Hinata. When Hinata looked over her way she noticed that her cousin was distressed about something.

"Ivy-chan." Hinata called as she walked over to her with Naruto following behind.

"Ivy-chan, what's wrong?" Hinata asked.

"That's just it! I don't know what's wrong! I don't know what I've done wrong!" Ivy ranted and told the two about Shino's behavior, and how it wasn't the first time. Ivy was suspecting that he might have just asked her to come in obligation, not because he wanted too. That she was burden that was beginning to annoy them. Hinata had her arm on her cousin's shoulder as Naruto thought it over.

"I can go ask him if you want Ivy-chan." Naruto volunteered.

Ivy shook her head. "It's alright, I think I'll just go home." She got up, thanking Hinata and Naruto for their time and headed home.

She passed a few more familiar faces, but all she did was wave in greeting. She opened her door and slipped in. She locked the door, turned, and found a Katana level with her face.

"I see you survived, whelp."