Disclaimer: I guess Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. But I can always dream about owning Kiba, now can't I?

Pardon Me...
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The sun was blazing high above Konoha and its rays seemed to have it in for Inuzuka Kiba—and he would readily swear by it. He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing as his hot skin stung under his fingers.

However, he did take comfort in the fact that Hinata was not waiting outside the Hyuuga manor as he came closer to it, which meant she was late, which meant he would have to go inside to retrieve her, which meant he would be offered a cold drink in the process.

And he skipped a little as he bound up the stairs—though he'd never admit it—and knocked on the front door.

"Kiba-san, welcome," a Hyuuga servant bowed as she let him enter the house. It was cool inside. "It is very hot today. Would you like a cold drink?"

He mentally pumped his fist in victory. "Yeah, thanks," he replied.

He sipped on ice water as he made his way to the back of the house. It seemed to be empty and he could hear his own footsteps echo throughout the quiet hallways. As he moved nearer to the courtyard, he could hear Hinata and Neji.

They were training, and Kiba waved her over, but she was determined to continue. She had that look, that "scary training look" as Kiba described it to Shino once, and he was hesitant to force her to stop. But even Neji wouldn't let her go on.

"You at least need a break," he told her as he blocked her last hit, slightly out of breath himself. Kiba mused with the idea of Neji being the one who needed the break; he almost laughed aloud at the image of a deathly-tired Neji, crawling on the floor, panting heavily... "And I believe you promised Kiba a lunch date?"

Kiba glowed. "That's right! My treat!" he exclaimed, throwing a casual arm around her shoulders. She was exhausted, he could tell, as she buckled slightly under the weight.

Neji nodded in response, never being one for much conversation anyways, and Kiba and Hinata left the manor. They walked down the street for a while before Hinata began squirming under Kiba's arm.

"Alright, alright," he laughed, letting her go. "You okay? You seem a little quiet… and antsy."

She didn't answer him, but he could see the signs of a painful blush creeping across her pale cheeks. She was looking down and it could only mean…

Naruto!

Before he could say another word, the blond ninja passed the two, waving behind his head as he sped by, even sticking his tongue out at Kiba. In the same very second, Kiba grabbed Hinata's elbow instinctively before she could disappear in the complete opposite direction.

"Ch…" He grabbed her shoulders and began pushing her down the street, though only a little surprised at how difficult the action was. She certainly was strong when she wanted to be.

"Kiba-kun… I'm not very hungry anymore…" her small voice came from in front of him.

He did not stop. "Aw, whaddaya mean you're not hungry?"

"I don't know, I'm just—" She was stopped by a loud grumble and Kiba knew it wasn't his stomach shaking the very ground under them.

"Mhm…" Kiba mumbled, disbelieving, raising an eyebrow as Hinata reddened.

She allowed him to steer her in the direction of the main street of the village, but she would not step anywhere within the close proximity of Ichiraku's ramen shop and no amount of Kiba's force could move her.

All the same, he wasn't in the mood for ramen; he rather wanted a cheeseburger. They sat themselves in one of the restaurants and Hinata took to staring at a fascinating spot on their table. Kiba watched her with mild interest before taking a deep breath.

"You're still very shy when it comes to Naruto," he said, quite bluntly.

She flushed at the mere mention of Naruto's name. "I don't—I—well…" Unable to get a coherent sentence out, she still nodded, frowning slightly at the heat that reached her cheeks.

He stared at her for a while, before sitting back and placing his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes in thought. "You know… all you need is some confidence, Hinata! You're great, you just need to show that blockhead that you are, you know?"

The spot on their table was more interesting than ever and Hinata looked truly lost for words.

Kiba opened one bleary eye and looked at her. When she didn't answer, he continued. "I can help you… Yeah, I can!" He leaned towards her, wagging a finger at her. "I understand the male mind," he said mistily, jabbing himself on the temple.

Her eyes widened with surprise and, for a brief moment, she made the mistake of thinking Kiba was fooling around with her. "Um… Kiba-kun…?"

"Really, Hinata! I can help! If you take my guidance I know you can nab him! Just a thing here, a thing there, you know... I'll take care of it, I will! You don't have anything to worry about."

She looked uncertain. "I don't know, Kiba… I don't think—"

He smiled, reaching over to place a hand over hers. "Trust me. He won't know what hit him."

She was feeling increasingly uneasy as Kiba continued to think aloud, muttering to himself and occasionally exclaiming "Yes!" and "Oh yeah!" and "Yahoo!" A few times, she felt the urge to slip away from him, maybe return to training, but she was so very hungry and the smell of grilling hamburgers was making her stomach grumble.

Kiba was in his own thoughts, resting his head on his hand and rambling on. He soon came to a quick decision and he grinned devilishly. "Hinata! We have to get started right away!"

"What?" she asked, though she had heard him perfectly, maybe her mind was playing tricks on her… or her stomach might have been, in deliberate protest.

"I've come up with Plan…one!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Come on, we gotta get a move on!"

"What?" she groaned, her eyes flying over to the kitchen of the restaurant. The chef was bustling around the stove and the countertops, chopping vegetables and flipping meat…

"Come on, come on!" Kiba went on, grabbing Hinata's hand and trying to forcefully drag her away from the table. She hung on for her dear life, but he was stronger than her and he managed to pry her fingers from the table and drag her off. Staring longingly towards the restaurant, she watched as it faded away in the distance and the smell of grilling meat disappeared into the air.

"Oh… food…" she whispered sadly, her voice too low for Kiba to detect, especially in the crazed state he was currently in. She noticed his mumbling had started again and she knew his mind was working at top speeds.

His ideas were always absolutely insane and she feared for her life a little, but tried to have at least some faith in her best friend. Though she was frightened, she couldn't deny his words had not stirred a feeling inside of her. If he could actually help her…

"Where are we going, Kiba-kun?" she chanced asking him.

He looked at her, his eyes gleaming. "To Shino's!" he replied, smiling. "I don't think he's home, so we can raid his closet and make Naruto fall for you!"

She silently doubted whether she had heard him correctly.


Author's Note: It goes without saying that I would like you to review (: Please and thank you.