She knew that voice! Ive went to open her door once more, but the Katana darted out and nicked her arm. She pulled it back, grabbing at the small wound. She looked at the man, and gasped as she realized that she had almost bumped into him earlier. He still looked the same from all those years ago, if not a little older.

"How the hell did you survive whelp?" He snarled out the question, glaring.

She started back defiantly up at the man. His scowl deepened and he grabbed her arm. Effectively pulling her closer to him. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"Shino!" Naruto yelled as she saw said boy walking past him, Hinata, Ten-Ten, Neji, Lee, and Sakura.

The three groups had met when Ten-Ten and Neji asked if they knew why Ivy seemed upset. Neji was glaring at Shino when he had stopped and looked to the six.

"Why the hell did ya mane Ivy-chan upset?" Naruto demanded as his eyes narrowed.

Shino said nothing but stared at them. He didn't move or turn his head away from the looks Neji and Naruto were giving him. Ten-Ten, Sakura, and Hinata were upset. Lee was confused. But it was Hinata who stepped over to her teammate looking up at him. She hesitantly brought her hands up and took hold of his sunglasses. He made no move to stop her as she pulled them away.

She slightly gasped in surprise. The others got closer to see what had made her gasp, and their eyes widened in confusion on what they saw. Shino's eyes were closed almost like he was sleeping.

"Hey, Shino." Naruto poked his arm but got no reaction.

"Where's Kiba?" Neji asked.

"I.. I saw him and Akamaru b..by the Steak Jerky s...stand w..with Shikamaru, I...Ino a..and Choji." Hinata supplied.

Neji nodded and left. "How's he still walking?" Naruto wanted to know. They were pretty sure that Shino would never sleep walk, mostly since he's never done so before.

"Alright, what's such a hurry that you dragged me away from my food?' Kiba grumbled sounding a little like Choji at that moment.

They looked over and saw Neji practically dragging the young Inuzuka with Shikamaru, Ino and Choji following. They were curious on what had made the Hyuuga seem out of character.

"Him." Neji said almost shoving Kiba into his teammate, but caught himself in time.

"Eh? His eyes are closed." Kiba said as Neji and the previous others huffed.

"No shit, Sherlock! Does he smell any different?" Neji demanded.

"Alright, what's this about?" Shikamaru asked as everyone kept staring at the so out of character Hyuuga.

"He had asked Ivy-chan to the Festival. And what did he do? Ignore her, not talk to her, and so she went home upset thinking it was something she had done. And apparently this isn't the first time he's been silent." Ten-Ten explained.

Kiba tilted his head and looked back to his teammate. Akamaru stepped closer to Shino sniffing him, then looked to Kiba,

"Arrrf!" Akamaru barked. Kiba's eyes narrowed in confusment, as he took a sniff.

"Well?" Neji asked.

"He smells of himself. Nothing else that I or Akamaru can tell." Kiba told him.

"I can try to look into his most recent memories of today." Ino offered.

Neji nodded and she did the Jutsu. She came back a moment later, confused. "His last memory was Ivy agreeing to come with him. And his last thought was helping his mother with the lanterns. Anything after that is blank, like his memory was wiped clean. Almost a non-dream if that makes sense." She explained.

Neji scowled. "Then how do we wake him?"

"Like this." Naruto hit his fist against the back of Shino's head. Shino stumbled, and caught himself from falling as his eyes flew open.

"What the hell?" Shino snapped glaring at Naruto as he rubbed his head.

"Great! Your awake!" Shino stared at Naruto rather confused on what he was talking about. He then noticed his sunglasses were off, he was outside, and it was dark. He then noticed someone important was missing.

"Where's Ivy-chan?"

"Doesn't this bring back memories?" The mans voice rang out in the night.

Ivy panted as she stopped running to catch her breath. He had brought her to the forest just outside the Village gate. But because it being a festival the guards were having their own since they were missing out on the main events. So they didn't notice them at all.

Ivy's once beautiful Kimono was ripped and ragged. She had cut the bottom of her Kimono so that she could run better. Her hair was fully down, and a few places cut from her dodging the mans Katana.

He had told her to run, and run she did. She hadn't been able to fend him off with the Taijutsu and the little knowledge she knew of the Gentle Fist that she was able to do, didn't seem to work well on him.

"What..do you.. want?" Ivy demanded through her gasps of much needed air.

"Just let me finish my job." His voice seemed to be all around her.

She began running again and felt the wind whistle past her, and felt a few more strands of hair get cut. She put another spurt of speed. She was trying to get to the main gate opening and thus to safety.

She felt a tug on her hair, and she gasped as she was pulled back. "Well, doesn't it? And with no one around either. Like old times." The man laughed his breath washing over her and his arm snaked around her neck. She flinched and struggled in his hold. She brought a fist up with a bit of chakra enforced and hit a chakra point in the guys hand.

He let go and she sprung away from him, running again. "Where are you Shino?" She whimpered under her breath. She cursed herself for leaving the safety that was Shino, but he had made her upset. He didn't speak, or even compliment her on anything. Maybe she was being shallow, but she would have liked some sort of recognition on anything.

She wiped the few tears that had sprung to her eyes. It was her fault that he was always around her. Maybe if she hadn't listened to Sasori-san, she would still be in the Akatsuki, still serving under Leader-sama and untouchable as always.

"- you might have been killed sooner or later by one of us and then neither of us would be talking like we are."

Ten-Ten's words entered her mind and she faltered in her running, but still kept going.

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

"Aren't we already going?"

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

"Got you!" The man appeared in front of her and grasped Ivy's throat, lifting her to the air.

"NEJI!"

"What?"

"What did you call Ivy-chan a moment ago?"

"Ivy-nee-san. She's my older half-sister."

"Ivy-nee-chan!" A voice called, but the man's grip had tightened.

"It's what friends do."

"Let her go!" A familiar voice snarled out and the grip on her throat slackened.

"Ivy-chan, you alright?" She looked up at the other familiar voice and she noticed his eyes.

A dark brown. A beautiful dark brown that looked more worried as the silence from her grew on.

"Shino?" She asked as her vision still swam with black spots, and her throat sore from being choked.

He nodded, and looked up to see Neji and the others capturing the man, though Neji was being held back from beating the man to a bloody pulp.

Sakura walked over to Shino who was holding Ivy in his strong arms. Sakura's hands glowed the green color of healing chakra and checked Ivy over.

"The worst damage is her throat, but I'm able to heal that easily." Sakura said softly.

Shino nodded and the two stood up with Ivy still in his arms. She clung to him small tears running down her cheeks. Shino scowled to himself, not believing that it was because of him that had made her run home. He didn't remember what he had done, just that it was because he ignored her. In fact, he didn't even remember helping his mother with the lanterns.

"Let's get back into the Village and tell Tsunade-sama." Sakura said.

The others nodded, and dragged a hog-tied criminal behind them with Akamaru and Kiba bringing up the rear to make sure he didn't try anything.