"I'm sorry I failed the mission, Hokage-sama." Hotaru apologised one last time, but the blonde Hokage shook her head.

"You needn't apologise, Hotaru, you didn't fail it. It was a success... just in a roundabout way." Tsunade paused thoughtfully, "However, I think you have some explaining to do."

The chunin sighed, "I know... I just worry about how they will take it."

The Godaime frowned. "Well, if it's going to stress you, don't tell them yet. Your body is under enough tension as it is- that forbidden jutsu you used almost killed you. And the village really can't afford to lose a kunoichi of your prowess at this moment; much of our force has been taken down by the attack. You need bed rest."

The redhead nodded weakly, folding her legs under the covers of the bed she had been forced back into, "Hai, hai. But if I don't tell them soon it will be plaguing me; it's best to get it out of the way."

Tsunade nodded. "Alright, but don't push yourself. When you talk to Sasori, I'll have the wall plates taken down so that you don't need to move."

"Hai. Arigatou, Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage turned to leave, before pausing thoughtfully, "And another thing," Hotaru straightened up a little, forcing down a wince from the pain that the motion brought, "This may not be the right time to say this, but the Jounin exams are coming up in a few months. Both you and Kiba aren't yet Jounin, and I would like both of you to take the exam. This year they're being held in Amegakure; you should be healed fully by then." Tsunade frowned, "Of course, it's your choice. Think it over."

"I will. Arigatou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama."

The Godaime left, and a new face entered soon after her. Hotaru leaned back painfully and looked at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"So are you going to explain all of the crap that happened?" Kiba asked, seeming to know that Hotaru was well-informed. The kunoichi let out a small sigh.

"Yes, but I'm not in the mood for an argument. I don't want to lose any more of my hair because of stress." Hotaru grumbled; she loved her hair, it was the single characteristic that she treasured most since her Mother had always loved it.

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, shocked. He knew that Hotaru loved her hair, and he liked it, too.

"My jutsu made my hair fall out. It's bandaged now, but once they are removed I'll have to start wearing my headband like Ibiki-san does." the redhead twirled a few of the ruby strands in between her fingers thoughtfully, then rose her hazel eyes to meet Kiba's. "But I'm getting off topic." as usual, Hotaru was no-nonsense. "Sit, it's a long explanation."

The Inuzuka moved to sit in one of the chairs by Hotaru's bedside, not arguing since he was glad that she was actually going to tell him something for once, without protest.

"Well... I suppose I should start from the day I told you about the mission of being Ryo's guide..." Kiba scowled slightly at the memory, "First of all, being Suzuki Ryo's guide was not my real mission." the male's eyes widened in surprise, "My mission was to watch over him and make sure he didn't do anything suspicious until the time was right. Unfortunately, it went horribly wrong and the mission was a failure; he acted sooner than planned-"

"Wait wait wait, stop a second! Just who is this Ryo guy, anyway?! Why do all of this in the first place?!" Kiba demanded angrily, and Hotaru sighed.

"Ryo is an S-rank criminal. He is actually quite widely known, so when Tsunade-sama caught wind that he was coming to the Leaf, she was immediately wary and assigned me to watch him; rather than lose force in an ambush, we hoped to gain his trust and trick him. We had not, however, anticipated Hani and the others." the redhead rubbed her forehead with her thumb and forefinger, "And then the deal with the paper bomb happened, and Sasori making both of us rogue... you know the rest."

Kiba was still annoyed, "But what about you?! Your reputation is in ruins! How could you accept a mission like this?!"

Hotaru eyed the brunette for a long moment, before closing her eyes and shrugging slowly. "I had known that it was a self-sacrificing mission from the beginning, that I would need to hurt the people close to me to complete it." she sent a meaningful look to the dog-boy, "After the paper-bomb incident, I had planned to strike secretly and kill Ryo- along with anyone that got in the way- and then go rogue immediately after, perhaps back to Amegakure... but then Sasori got captured. And after that, things got a whole lot more complicated."

"Oh..." Kiba appeared deep in thought, "But then, what's this I hear about you being in the Akatsuki?"

Hotaru smiled absently, "I was indeed a part of the Akatsuki for a short time, yes... for training purposes. My skills are sharpened, and... though it's not something to be proud of, I am desensitized to killing." the smile became grim, and Hotaru crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"So in other words, you didn't... you still..." Kiba seemed to be struggling with his words,"But... what I'm asking you now... is where does that leave us?"

Hotaru gave a breathy chuckle, "I just don't know anymore. My mind's completely fucked up right now."

Kiba blinked; it had been years since he'd seen Hotaru so lax and calm. A cocky smirk then wormed onto his lips, "I know, my presence is distracting, isn't it?"

Hotaru rose an eyebrow but couldn't help smirking a bit in humour. She backhanded him over the head, "Jackass.."

The brunette shrugged a chuckled, "Hey, it seems to work for me, though."

The kunoichi rose an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, I suppose I can't really disagree with that." she shrugged, then cursed, "Ow! God damnit that hurts!!"

"H-Hotaru, are you okay?!" Kiba asked worriedly, standing quickly and placing his hand on her shoulder, trying to think of what he should do. The heart monitor beeped erratically, and Hotaru coughed a few times, clutching her stomach, "Hotaru?!"

The redhead pulled in deep breaths, slowly making herself sit up. "I-I'm fine. Sasori's much worse off than I am, and he's pulling through."

The dog-nin frowned at her stubbornness, but didn't comment. He sat back down again, folding his arms, a million and one things he wanted to say rushing into his head, but none of them appropriate for the situation. Things like, 'Just try and recover' and 'I was really worried about you'. However, he was unsure of how she would react, and since her walls were down for once, he wanted to retain the relaxed atmosphere for as long as he could.

"Kiba.." he was pulled out of his thoughts at a soft mumble, and looked up, to meet the redhead's penetrating hazel gaze immediately. His cheeks tinted red; that stare made him feel as though she could see what he was thinking. Hotaru frowned. "Are you... are you all right? You look terrible."

Kiba grimaced and ran his hand through his hair, "I... haven't had much sleep lately.. too much on my mind, what with Akamaru in hospital." 'and you.' he added silently. He frowned to himself; why was he so embarassed all of a sudden?

It was silent for a long moment; Hotaru seemed to be deep in thought. Her expression then twisted in irritation, and she looked back up at Kiba from her lap, her expression determined yet guarded.

"Kiba," dear God he loved how she said his name, "Could you come here a second?"

The Inuzuka blinked, "Uh, sure..."

He stood and crossed the short distance to Hotaru's bedside, curious. He was not, however, prepared for her to grasp his collar and pull him down to her level, then secure her lips on his.

Kiba's eyes widened for a split second before falling shut, and he brought his (considerably larger than Hotaru's) hands up, one to cup her cheek and the other to twine in the hair at the base of her neck. His heart pounded in his chest as if he'd just run a marathon, and the kunoichi's sweet scent enveloped him in a soft mist, the touch of her feather soft lips on his own making him crazy; he wanted more, more than he had, but knowing that even if he went as far as humanly possible it still wouldn't be enough. Even if he had her for the rest of his life, that amount of time wouldn't be long enough. Selfish as it was, he wanted her all to himself for the rest of eternity.

The brunette shinobi was suddenly pulled from his reverie as a mad beeping caught his attention. His eyes widened, and he pulled away (though unableto completely since Hotaru's arms were wound around his neck, and his hands were still in place in her hair and on her cheek), the heart monitor stuttering and starting to slow.

"Hotaru, are you okay?!" he asked, panicked, scared that he'd hurt her. Hotaru shook her head.

"You did this to me.. that heart monitor is going to get seriously annoying." realisation dawned in Kiba's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel strangely smug. It was nice to know that he had as much of an effect on her as she did him.

Kiba gently untangled himself from her grasp, missing her touch the moment it was gone. He looked down at her; she wore a strangely satisfied smile, all traces of restraint and caution gone from her expression.

"I... what was that about?" Kiba asked, slightly breathless. Hotaru just shook her head, unwilling to explain that she just wanted to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

Moving slowly, the redhead reached around and gently laced her fingers with Kiba's. She leaned backwards with a sigh, "You should go home and get some rest."

Seeing Hotaru this placid was nice, but somewhat unnerving for Kiba. He was used to the brash and irritable Hotaru, but he decided that he could definitely get used to the change if it meant that he could hold her hand and kiss her.

"If anyone needs rest, it's you, my dear." a nurse said as she came bumbling into the room. She was a rotund woman, with a kind look to her chubby face, and greying hair. She walked and checked Hotaru's heart monitor's records. "Your heart rate got a little high there... twice. Are you feeling all right?"

"Mmh." was Hotaru's only reply, Kiba's thumb rubbing circles on the side of her palm. The nurse noticed this and giggled to herself quietly.

"Ah, l'amoure..." she murmured under her breath, then smiled warmly, "Well, you best get some rest now, just to be on the safe side. And the same goes for you too, young man."

Kiba eyed Hotaru for a moment longer, before nodding, "Once she's asleep."

The nurse nodded, watching him speculatively, "All right. From the looks of things, that won't be long."

The old woman then left the room, and Kiba watched Hotaru as she started to drift.

"Go home, Kiba..." Hotaru mumbled drowsily, but, contrary to her words, her hand tightened around his.

This action did not go amiss to the Inuzuka, "I will. Once you are asleep."

Too tired to argue, Hotaru just sighed, "Whatever..."

- - -

Within a week, Hotaru was up and around again. The hospital had wanted to keep her longer, but she had gotten so stir-crazy in that room that they had discharged her without argument.

Hotaru glanced around nervously, "Everyone's staring at me..." she whispered, and Naruto just grinned at her.

"They're staring because you're a hero! You saved the village!" he exclaimed, and Hotaru shook her head. It was hard for her to feel heroic when everyone she saw stared at her as if she were some sort of freak-show. It just made her even more self conscious of the new, shorter cut of her hair.

Before she had left the hospital, Hotaru had gotten her hair cut shorter, since some of it was burned. The length now only came down to about the bottom of her shoulder blades, when it had reached her lower back before hand. However, she supposed that that was better than being completely bald, although some patches of her head were just that. She used her headband to cover it, but still felt as though everyone was staring.

But what was the worst, were perhaps the burns. Her face was still partly bandaged, along with her neck, arms, legs, and a small section of her stomach, to cover the blistered skin that had been ravaged by the chakra flames of the Ike ni e no shīru. No doubt that parts would scar.

"I don't feel like a hero. I feel like crap." she muttered, folding her arms. She jumped as something suddenly tugged on her shirt, then turned around. Two small children stood there, their eyes sparkling and slight blushes on their faces. They looked about eight or nine each, a small girl with chestnut pigtails and a boy with fluffy red hair and blue eyes. The girl held a small bunch of about three poppies, the exact same shade as Hotaru's hair.

"Ano, Hotaru-sama! We got you these flowers to go with your pretty hair." Hotaru blinked in surprise, then smiled, all of a sudden feeling as though she might cry.

"Wow, thank you." she said softly, taking the flowers, "They're very pretty."

The little girl beamed, "Me an' Setsuku-kun growed them ourselves! Then we learned about you in the Academy and decided to give them to you!"

Hotaru blinked some more; why on Earth would they have learned about her in the Academy? She then smiled again, crouching down, "So you two are going to become shinobi?"

The girl nodded vigourously, "Yup!! Me and Setsuku-kun!! And Setsuku-kun's top of the class, he can hit all of the targets in kunai practise!" she pointed at the red-haired boy, who blushed and looked down, then looked up at Hotaru.

"I like your hair, Setsuku-san." Hotaru said, a grin on her face, "It's the same colour as mine!" she ruffled his spikes, making him blush more, then stood. "I'm sure you'll both make fine ninjas. But I'm afraid I have to go visit a friend now, so run along."

They both waved and smiled, before running away to a woman with long brown hair. She sent a nod and smile of thanks to Hotaru, before ushering the children along.

"Wow..." Naruto commented. Hotaru grinned.

"What can I say? I'm good with kids."

The pair continued to walk, Hotaru sticking her hands in her pockets, feeling a lot better now.

"So who's the friend you need to visit?" Naruto asked, and the redhead's smile faded.

"Akamaru's still recovering. Kiba's taking it pretty hard." she said absently, and the blonde smirked.

"'Friend', huh?" Hotaru blushed slightly and grimaced. Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones who knew about the pair's relationship, since they (Naruto) had burst into Hotaru's room a few days ago without knocking, and Kiba and Hotaru had been kissing at the time. Sasuke hadn't remarked too much, just worn a smirk at the sight, but as usual, Naruto couldn't seem to let it go.

"I'll leave you to it then... but keep it PG, guys." Naruto laughed, as he left Hotaru with Kiba at the entrance of the animal hospital. Both of them blushed, and Hotaru waited until Naruto was out of sight to allow Kiba to wrap his hand around hers.

"Any development?" she asked gently, and Kiba shook his head, not speaking since it was too painful. They entered the hospital, greeted immediately by the scents and sounds of all different animals. They went immediately to the room where Akamaru was being kept, laying on his side and breathing in and out in slow but shallow breaths. Hotaru's forehead creased, and she let go of Kiba's hand to bury her fingers in Akamaru's furry scruff. She eyed his bandaged midriff, and cursed Ryo to the darkest pits of Hell, before gently scratching behind the dog's ears. To her, Akamaru was as much of a teammate as anyone else from squad Ten, so seeing him so wounded was saddening.

"Get better soon, Akamaru." she murmured, letting go of his fur and moving to stand back beside Kiba. Her male companion then moved to his bedside, and Hotaru could tell from his body language that he was taking it hard. And of course he would- Akamaru went everywhere with him, he was his partner, and had been for years. Hotaru didn't like seeing the usually energetic Kiba so tired and lifeless.

The redhead moved forward after ten minutes and placed her hand on his arm, "Kiba... we should leave. It's not good to stay here too long." 'not good for you.' she added silently. Kiba looked at her for a second, before nodding.

"See you later, Akamaru." The brunette mumbled, and Hotaru smiled sadly.

"Bye..." she whispered, and the both left. Kiba wound his fingers through Hotaru's, and for once she didn't protest, sensing he needed the comfort.

"Do you want to come back to my place?" she asked softly, "I'll make you dinner."

The Inuzuka paused, before nodding and attempting a smile. "I'd like that."

Hotaru smiled in return, and they walked at a liesurely pace until they finally reached the house.

Hotaru grabbed the key from the hanging basket by the door, glancing back to Kiba as she did so. His eyes were glazed, making her frown; he was completely out of it.

The redhead unlocked the door, and pushed it open, tugging Kiba inside before pushing the door shut. She pulled him through the hall, into the kitchen, then froze.

Her expression twisted into a glare, "You?!"

- - -

So who d'ya think it is? Any guesses?

So sorry for not updating in so long!! It's just.... shit went down. So yeah... I haven't updated anything in a while. Hopin' y'all are still reading and commenting! ^^'

Wellllll, fan, vote, comment, share, all dat shiz!! Or I shall fill these pages wiz ze gobbledigook!! XD I think I had a leeeetle too much sweetness earlier :3

Also, I iz changing ze cover for this. So dun' get confused :3

BAIZ!! <- ooh look at me, being all bad at spelling ^^