"That's so unfair! How come we got stuck hanging around here when you got to go off and rescue a kage!"

Tenten simply shrugged, adjusting the strap of her bag so it hung higher on her shoulder. Upon the completion of her last mission, she'd been instantly sent off to join the others. In the time since she'd left them and taken off to find wherever Jun had disappeared to, her bat had slipped slightly, the old fabric complaining about not getting a break. She'd have to do something about replacing it soon. The straps had stretched so that they refused to remain in place and the adjustments that should have been able to fix this problem were frustrating to deal with at the very least- and utter hell at the most. For a girl who could do about anything with a weapon, it was frustrating to think of how difficult it was just to shift those clasps over a tiny millimeter.

"We were closer, Tsunade-sama probably didn't mean anything by it."

Jun blew out a breath of air, flopping back on the grass he'd been lying in upon her arrival. His hair was a disheveled mess, his eyes bright despite the fact that she was rather certain that when she'd come upon him, he'd been seconds from sleep. It was strange, she realized. At the moment, despite his complaints, he was relaxed. Something she rarely saw him as. Then again, she was rarely outside of the village with him and given the chance to study him as relaxed as he currently was.

Attempting to distract herself from the distinct memory flashing through her mind of his requesting to be called cute- something that seemed rather fitting at that moment- Tenten tore her gaze away to the gates surrounding the estate they were currently supposed to be inside. Instead of preparing for their trip, however, Jun seemed content to blow off all other company and lounge around beneath one of the many, well cared for trees bordering the land.

"That doesn't make it any less unfair!" Jun whined, a pout appearing on his lips. "I always miss out on the good stuff!"

Tenten simply gave a bemused smile, shaking her head a little.

"You didn't miss out on much. Don't worry."

"You have to tell me everything," he ordered, raising one of his hands to point a finger at her, as if to drive that point in. "You can't leave out a single detail!"

"Shouldn't you be getting ready to leave?" she countered. "We don't have time to stand her and talk."

His pout only grew.

"Tenten-chan...."

She'd been right when she'd informed him he'd kept his baby-face, in a moment like this his personality matched it, only making it more obvious. Rather than indulging him, she took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips.

"Up."

"Bu-"

"Up, Jun."

With a sigh that said she was asking the impossible, he slowly drug himself up from the grass. Amusement flickering across her face, she pointedly gestured towards the gates as she attempted to hide the expression behind her other hand. If Jun knew he'd amused her, he'd be more interested in the reaction than in the matter at hand. It was just who he was. A very, very frustrating factor that made up the boy.

"March."

A cheeky smile flashing across his lips, he straightened into a stiff posture and saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Then, before she could even roll her eyes, he took off for the gates. Laughing under her breath- once again amused despite herself- she followed him with a slightly quicker pace as to draw even. It only took them moments to cross through and reach the building- moments that were filled with cheeky comments on Jun's part and easy-going retorts on her own. As soon as they'd taken steps inside the hall, she ushered him off to the room he'd been given to stay in while waiting to leave. With what was suspiciously similar to what she'd imagine a smug smile on his part- most likely the result of having gotten whatever reaction out of her his playful behavior was aiming for- he behaved and departed to get his things.

"He's in a good mood."

Tenten jumped, a swear escaping her lips before she'd even had the moment to think of it. With a slightly annoyed expression, her eyes shifted to where a certain Moon shinobi had been lurking in one of the darker spots of entry hall. His dark hair, hanging about his face in shadowy, perfectly trimmed locks kept her from being able to read the expression on his face. If his tone was any indication, however, it was something lingering between amusement and intrigue.

"He's Jun," she answered with a shrug, then continued as an afterthought. "And don't do that creepy, sneaking in the dark thing."

"Noted," he answered with an equally dismissive shrug of his own. "And... that he is."

Saichi's musing tone seemed to hold some other meaning behind it, but she wasn't as interested in the man as to dig into it. Instead, she looked about the hall, making sure she hadn't missed anyone else.

"If you're here, the princess must be almost ready," she observed.

He nodded despite the fact there was no question in her words.

"She kicked me out."

Tenten's amusement was obvious.

"You do hover."

He shrugged once more, something that Tenten almost pointed out to him as a slightly annoying gesture. In the two years since he'd started frequenting the Leaf, with trips for various reasons usually involving the Princess and her fiance, she'd discovered something strange about the boy. He was rather dismissive over most matters, yet utterly obsessive about others. He could care less about what most thought of him and dismissed most teasing or joking comments at his expense as if they'd never been uttered. At the same time, if the one speaking was part of what he was currently interested in, he'd take note and actually participate in the conversation. At the moment it would seem that she wasn't part of his interests. Which made her wonder why he'd bothered to speak to her at all.

"So, we're only waiting on Jun, then?" she prompted.

He looked as if he might shrug again, but was interrupted as a door opened further down the hall to reveal Ai, her fiance, her personal assitant and almost guardian- Sadao- and Tomoko. The last person in question looked to be a mixture of annoyed, bored, and perhaps even a bit embarrassed. The reason for the last became obvious as Tenten noted the red state of the male's face and Ai's smug expression. Obviously, the princess had been testing her boundaries with her fiance once again. Ai had a habit of seeing how far he could go before he turned into a stammering, embarrassed, mess. Something that usually resulted in red faces on all those around her as well seeing as she was less than subtle about her affections when she got what she expected as a reaction.

The moment that Tomoko spotted Tenten, her relief was obvious.

"We're leaving now, right?" she demanded. "No more waiting?"

Tenten offered an amused smile and shook her head.

"We're waiting on-"

"Jun, right?" Tomoko cut in with a groan. "Of course we are, dammit."

"No you aren't!" a cheery voice added on as the person in question reappeared. "I've got everything. We're ready to go! All the Princess has to do is say bye to her puppy!"

The male in question turned red, but the Princess only beamed. Beside her, Sadao only shook his head with slight amusement.

"Nope, I got permission from the daimyo! He's coming too!"

The resulting scowl that appeared on Tomoko's face was mirrored by Tenten's groan and her head dropping into her hand. Jun, of course, only laughed and pumped his fist into the air.

"And I thought this trip was going to be boring!"

"Hardly," Saichi muttered, eyes settled on Jun.

Jun visibly deflated at the reminder of Saichi's presence, that pout reappearing on his face. Tenten simply shook her head, dropping her hand from her face and grabbing onto the back of Jun's bag, startling him as she started dragging him towards the exit rather than letting him stand there and pout.

Saichi was right, boring was hardly the word to describe the trip. There were many that could describe what she had a feeling they were about to deal with and few of them were complimentary.

________________________________

His bare feet felt cold against the wooden floor. Ignoring that fact, he quietly snuck along it, eyes looking out for his little sister. His parent's yelling only grew worse.

"I couldn't deal with two of him!"

"So, you-"

"It was my only choice! I won't lose two children, to this! It's your own damn fault for bringing this in-"

"You knew who I was-"

"That doesn't mean a fucking thing!"

He shrunk against the wall for a moment, his eyes squeezing shut as he attempted to tune out the words. When that didn't happen, he remembered that he was supposed to be finding Jin. Swallowing thickly, the eight year-old pushed off the wall and continued. As he drew closwer to the livingroom, he hesitated, then decided that if they were fighting so hard, he'd be able to slip by. He took a step into the room in time to see a flash of movement as his father stopped arguing, as he lunged towards his mother.

As she sunk to her feet with a gurgling, gasping, almost scream like noise, he darted forward.

"Okaasan!"

Before he knew it, there was a figure between her and him. A small, black-haired girl that was the same height as him. She offered him a cold smile, the exact copy of his baby sister beyond her crimson eyes. There was a kunai in her hands.

He didn't move as she thrust it into his stomach, pain raidiating outward. He tried to speak, tried to breathe, she only smiled and twisted the blade.

"You should have found me, Niisan."

Blood bubbled up between his fingers as he pressed them to his stomach, attempting to pull out the blade. It wouldn't move.

The blood kept flowing, and flowing, covering his stomach just as it'd covered his mother's in every other nightmare he'd had. It kept going, not slowing or stopping. He could only stare at the damning crimson.

He should have found her. He should have rescued her. He should have stopped her. He should have saved Kazue. He should have beat her and the others.

He should have, he should have, he should have, it was an endless list.

He should just bleed out.

He snapped up, gasping breaths escaping his lips. Shudders racked Jun's frame as his hands jumped to his chest, feeling all over for the warm blood he could have sworn that should have covered his chest. It wasn't until he'd calmed down, his breaths coming slower and easier, that he felt the eyes on him. Even in the darkness of the first evening of travel that settled around them, he could make out the face he'd expected to see when Jun lifted his eyes to meet the other set.

"You still have nightmares, I see."

He shrugged, in no mood to exchange witty comments after the scene that was still flashing through his mind. Instead, he scanned the others settled around the embers that had been their camp-fire, looking to see who else might be awake. Eventually, he decided that it was Tomoko. Tenten was curled on her side, her bed-roll blanket crumbling off her body. Most likely it'd been shoved away by some sleep induced motion. The princess and her fiance were a short distance to the side, as was the assistant. Therefore, Tomoko must have been somewhere in the trees.

"You only have them, I think, because you're so obsessed with being normal. If you were content with being more than normal, I doubt those things would bother you anymore," Saichi continued, his tone musing.

Jun pulled himself to his feet, shuffling over closer to the fire embers before dragging a piece of wood off of the stack they'd gathered and settling it, and another, atop the remains of their fire.

"Then I'll be glad to continue with my nightmares," he retorted.

"I suppose if you stopped having them, we'd miss out on these intriguing fireside conversations. So, perhaps it's a good thing you're stubborn."

"Hm, perhaps I should forego my humanity."

"Charming."

As Jun shifted the embers around with a stick, flames began to lick the edges of the wood.

"I try."

"I've been wondering... your halucinating, aren't you?" Saichi questioned, laying his head on one hand.

Jun stiffened.

"I'm not."

"Are you certain?"

"I think I would know if I was halucinating."

The flames coated the edges of the wood, lighting up their small camp-site. As if mentioning him brought him to life, Kurai Jiko settled himself next to the fire, staring at it in fascination.

"If I stick my hand in, do you think I'll get burnt?"

Unable to help himself, Jun rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you try it?"

Saichi's lips twitched.

"I don't believe I spoke," he commented.

"He's right, you know," Kurai snickered as he shoved a hand into the flames. "He didn't say anything."

"Shut up," Jun grumbled, not caring which of them listened.

"You know, halucinations are the beginning of the end. From what I understand, the moment your kind lose touch with reality, those around them start to be in danger. I wonder, how in touch with reality are you?"

"Enough," Jun retorted instantly.

"Hey, I didn't burn!" Kurai exclaimed eagerly. "Lookie, lookie, that's so awesome!"

Pointedly ignoring Kurai's words, Jun moved so that he was settled with his legs crossed, hands on his knees. If he hadn't been aware that going back to sleep would only give him another dose of nightmares, whether it was the new one or one of the old, reoccuring ones, he would have gone to sleep to avoid this conversation.

"Enough that you aren't concerned with how dangerous you might be?"

There was a mumbled word from the group of peope on the other side of fire, which of the sleeping forms Jun wasn't certain. He gripped his knees more tightly, studying each figure where they were tucked away in their bed-rolls before responding at a much quieter volume than before.

"Exactly. I'm in control. Now, stop talking."

"You're worried someone might hear? I've told you, the sooner you stop pretending to be someone you aren't, the easier things will be. At this rate, they'll learn of it sooner or later."

Jun's face twisted into the familiar, cheeky grin he displayed on most occations. He turned the expression to Saichi's bemused face as he tucked his hands behind his head instead of atop his knees. The message in it was obvious even before he opened his mouth.

"I'd prefer later."

As the two's calm conversation drifted into silence, the sleeping figure shifted beneath their blanket, hugging it tighter to themselves. Her eyes, however, were open.

The conversation easily heard by her sensative ears.

__________________________________

"You know, traveling is a lot more fun when there's conversation."

"You know, traveling is a whole lot more fun when you shut up, Jun."

"Aw, come on Tomoko-chan, you know you lo-"

"No."

"Not even a little?" Jun demanded. "Just a tiny bit of conversation. You find me funny, you know you do."

Tomoko, to her credit, offered him a highly sarcastic smile rather than actually hitting the egotistical Jun.

"I find you annoying."

"That's not nice," he whined.

"Because I was so trying to be nice to you."

As she listened to the bickering going on among the shinobi, Ai simply shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. The other two, non-shinobi figures shared similar expressions while Tenten eyed the two of them with something between amusement and exasperation, although inwardly her thoughts were swirling.In the short time they'd been traveling that morning, one of the couple days they'd traveled through the woods towards the port that would take them to the island the Crescent Moon country consisted of, Jun had set his eyes on Tomoko as his amusement for the day. Something that the girl obviously didn't appreciate in the least.

Not for the first time, Tenten had to question the decision the hokage made when making Tomoko the new member of Team Miki after Kazue's... disappearance.

"Perhaps I should give you a few tips," Jun suggested. "Your trying is failing."

Tomoko's fist twitched, as if she happened to be seconds from lunging at the smart-mouthed boy. She paused, however, and cocked her head instead of lunging for him. In that same second, Saichi snatched one of his kunai from it's pouch and used an arm to shove all of the non-fighters behind him as he flung out a hand, sending the weapon flying into the trees. Jun stiffened, pressing his hands together in preparation as several, masked bandits flooded into their pathway.

He couldn't help but question their intelligence. Who attacks a traveling group that's obviously made up of shinobi?

Of course, he got his answer a second later when one of the attackers suddenly blew fire.

Shinobi attack shinobi.

A/N: Good spot to end the chapter, right?