Author's Note: Geez, I wasn't gone that long… Long story short, I was pestered to the point where I finally updated. That, and… I don't have a good excuse anymore not to. Oh, and one thing I suppose I must answer: The LEE question. Yes, I will get to him eventually. I am the Author Ruler Goddess Fairy Lady Queen of Death, and I say I will kill Lee off if I hear another peep about him! No, I'm just kidding… But seriously, I'll get there… Anywho, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, the show would branch off into another wildly successful show entitled "The Adventures of Team 8" Or… something not quite so dorky sounding.
Kiba: YEAH! Our own show! WHOOT!
Hinata: Um… that's so nice… Thank you bow
Shino: …even if you owned Naruto I don't think you could control the popularity of the show
Me: Anyways, enough with your taking up space! On with the show!
"Um, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked as she tossed the bright red ball as far as she could so that Kiba could go and chase it like the easily amused kid we know he is. "Where did Akamaru-kun and Ino-san go?" Kiba blinked as caught the ball, looked around the dog park, and then looked back at Hinata.
"Uh…?"
"Oh, I hope they're okay!" Hinata said nervously, fumbling with her fingers. "I don't know… know what I'd do if Ino got hurt because of my suggestion." Hinata seriously looked as if she were about to break down into tears at this point. But that's what happens when you've been constantly harassed all your life for your inferiority.
"No, I'm sue they're just fine!" Kiba grinned suddenly, placing his hands tenderly on Hinata's shoulders. She looked up.
"R–really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If anyone's in trouble it's Akamaru," Kiba chuckled, then immediately dropped his hands to his side. "Um, anyways, Hinata…" Kiba trailed off, glancing around nervously.
"Yes, Kiba-kun?"
"Um, nothing," he said quickly. Hinata looked confused for a second, but dismissed it. Dangit, and I was almost gonna say something! Kiba chastised himself. In a few minutes. Yeah. I'll say it then.
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"Go fish," Sakura said, followed by Neji reaching for the deck and glaring at her.
"Liar," he growled under his breath, which wasn't really because Neji's way too cool to have tact like that. At least, he thinks so.
"Neji, don't play if every time someone tells you to 'go fish' you're going to accuse them of cheating!" Tenten sighed in agitation, gripping her cards and frowning at her teammate.
"She is cheating!" Neji cried in his defense. "I can see two queens right in her hand!" Sakura gasped and covered up her cards protectively, as if that would help, seeing as though Neji had already seen her cards. But that's just something Sakura would do, so smile and nod.
"Neji!" Tenten shouted angrily. "I thought I saw your Byakugan, you cheater!"
"Wait, I'm the cheater?" Neji asked suddenly. If you thought you were a genius and the best person in the world and hated most people I'm sure you wouldn't like being called a cheater very much either. Even if you were. But that's beside the point.
"Yes, you're a cheater! What'd you think I'd say! 'Oh, good job Neji, thanks for defeating the point of the game!'"
"…so? I figured I would've won anyways. In fact, you should be thanking me for expediting the process!" Neji growled, crossing his arms and glaring at a tree branch.
"Oh, so now you're gonna blame this on me?"
"I didn't say that, but yes, I guess I am."
"URGH!" Tenten cried, slamming her cards down and standing up abruptly. "You are so selfish!"
"Tenten, maybe you should just calm–––" Sakura began nervously.
"You stay out of this!" Tenten yelled fiercely, then caught herself.
"I… I need some time to myself, she muttered, leaping from the tree and landing firmly on the ground below. "Away from him."
"What?" Neji asked as Sakura glowered at him.
"Way to handle that, Neji," she said in a snotty tone that makes you want to kill that person for being right.
"What, you think that it's my fault?" The boy replied with a frown.
"Um, yeah. You kind of just yelled at Tenten, you know," Sakura stated, putting away the cards into one of her convenient ninja pouches.
"Your point being?" he asked flatly. After a few moments the duo realized Tenten was not coming back. With a groan Neji jumped down from the tree and landed smoothly.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sakura inquired, suddenly recognizing that she would be left alone, even though that was the typical state she was in.
"Where do you think?" he answered grumpily, and took off running. Sakura watched for a few seconds, shrugged, and then took the cards out again for an all-too-familiar game of Solitaire.
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"I wonder where Ino's gone off to these days…" Shikamaru remarked randomly as he and Chouji waited for their food at the International House of Ramen.
"Now that you mention it…" Chouji stated, having been oblivious to this fact as nothing but Shikamaru's sudden ample amount of company had occupied his attention.
"Well, whatever. That's great for us," Shikamaru shrugged. "Us?" Does that mean… Chouji smiled happily to himself.
"Chouji, why are you so cheery all of a sudden?" Shikamaru asked as he went back to looking over the menu.
"Um… Just… being here with you," the rotund boy grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah… Well, come to think of it, it is pretty strange that that ramen shack is still standing when this place is around," Shikamaru replied.
"You're right! Gee, Shikamaru, you always have such valid points," Chouji said with a sigh. "But I guess it's because… Well, IHOR is so far away from Konoha and located so randomly in the middle of the woods that no one would really want to come all the way out here." They were both silent for a moment.
"Chouji, I'm extremely lazy and you're, no offense, not exactly in shape. How precisely did either of us get here?"
"I… don't know," the kage nin's friend admitted. "Um, but anyways… I… kind of have something important to tell you." While he's in a good mood and it's just the two of us, I need to tell him…
"Hn?" Shikamaru asked, opening one eye lazily as he had already begun to drift asleep.
"Um… I… I–––"
" Welcome to IHOR!" The waitress stopped, shuddering at that awful name and then continued cheerily. "What'll it be, gentlemen?"
"After this, Chouji," Shikamaru said before ordering. Chouji only hoped that his courage would last that long.
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"Wow, this is beautiful!" Ino explained as she frolicked among the tall stems of various flowers. "I've never seen this field before!"
"Well, Kiba and I kinda found it by accident…" Akamaru said in a tone indicating there was probably a lengthy and interesting story to go with that statement. "But you run a flower shop, right? Kiba bought a rose for Hinata there once. Um, anyways, I figured you'd really like it."
"Like it?" Ino repeated, as she had done a lot during this date. "I love it! You can't even find some of these flowers anymore! Sales will boom!" She turned and smiled at him, but then it faded. "Hey… what's the matter?"
"What? Nothing," the puppy replied quickly.
"Yeah, there is. I can see it on your face," Ino insisted. Akamaru sighed and sat down, scratching behind his ear with his foot momentarily.
"I… Well, I guess Kiba told you about the switch, right?" He coughed. "Oh, duh, he'd have to have told you about it… Did he tell you why?" Ino stared at the white fluffball from where she had been rolling amongst some dark blue flowers, embarrassingly enough.
"Oh, yeah, that," Ino acknowledged, getting up and coming over to her companion. "I heard. He made up some story but we both know the real reason."
"We do?" Akamaru said, gulping slightly.
"Yeah, Kiba just wanted to go on a date with Hinata but didn't want to make it awkward. It's so obvious, the way he fawns over her and stuff," Ino said with a hint of, perhaps, jealousy in her voice.
"Um… Not exactly," Akamaru said, clearing his throat. Then he paused. "Well, yeah, that is true… But not really!"
"Akamaru, is there something you're trying to tell me?" Ino said, using her suddenly strengthened ninja senses… and canine senses.
"Um… Well, yes!" He said finally. "Ino-chan, it's really important…"
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"SASUKEEEEEE!" Lee cried as he came barreling down the road at super speed, because in truth that's not at all an exaggeration. Kami-sama! Iruka just distracted Naruto enough so that I could get away–– now I have to face the guy who sat on me!
"What do you want, Lee?" Sasuke growled, but the normal scariness was devastated in the first few seconds by his new afro going boing!
"Sasuke Uchiha! It has come to my attention that with a fiery passion my heart has been claimed by–––!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What does that have to do with me?" Sasuke asked, a little creeped out more than usual. "I already know you like Sakura."
"Sakura! YES! I LOVE HER WITH A BURNING PASSION THAT NOT EVEN MY YOUTH CAN COME UP WITH WORD FOR! AN INTENSITY THAT–––!"
"Lee, just shut up and tell me what you came to tell me," Sasuke demanded.
"Oh. Well, then! To the point as always my youthful, if not grumpy, comrade! It has come to my keen ninja senses that a new love has been born in my heart. A small one, no doubt, but one that burns like a million suns!"
"Lee, what does this have to do with me?" Sasuke asked tiredly, not even bothering at this point.
"Well, I'm glad you asked! It just so happens that I, with a passion unmatched by any other, love–––!"
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"Kiba-kun, are you feeling all right? You seem… jittery," Hinata asked as they walked back to the dog park carting their fruit smoothie. Yes, singular, because Kiba didn't have enough money for more than one large one supposedly, but you know he just wanted to share one with Hinata.
"R-really? You think I… um… Hey, is that a squirrel?" He said, pointing in a random direction.
"Um, Kiba? That's a Dalmatian…"
"Ah, silly me!" he said.
"But Kiba-kun…"
"Yes, Hinata?"
"Are you sure you're all right? I've got some medicine that… conveniently treats all injuries… even though I'm nothing near a medic nin… But still, if you want we can leave and–––"
"OKAY!" Kiba yelled finally, scaring the bejeebers out of Hinata, who went "Eeep!"
"I'll tell you!" He said in an agonized tone of voice.
"T-tell me what?" Hinata asked nervously, clenching the drink.
"Hinata, please don't get mad at me when I say this, please," Kiba begged, looking extremely emotional. "I… I…"
"Y-y-you?" Hinata prodded, her heartbeat getting faster and faster.
"I… can see your underwear!" he said at last, turning away and blushing fiercely. Hinata blinked a second.
"Um…" she looked around. "Is that… it?"
"YES!" Kiba cried. "I'm SO SORRY!"
"Oh. Well, it's fine… Kiba-kun. No need to beat yourself up over it…" Hinata stated as she gingerly pulled her jacket down in the back. "Thank you for telling me, though."
"You're… not mad?" the boy asked hesitantly.
"Not in any way," Hinata said, drinking from the smoothie and handing it to Kiba. "I'm glad that we're friends enough… to be able to tell each other things like that."
"Right, friends," Kiba said, taking the drink and enjoying the icy goodness. …Until Hinata piped up again.
"Ah, Kiba-kun?"
"Yes?"
"That's my straw. The blue one's yours…" Kiba turned and looked at the smoothie, back at Hinata, blushed, and then handed it back.
"S-sorry!" he said quickly, but you know his inner alarm was beeping "Indirect kiss! Indirect kiss!" Hinata, however, remained oblivious.
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"Tenten! Tenten, stop already!" Neji sighed as he ran up to the bunned kunoichi who was currently employed in filling a target with kunai. "Okay, I know you're mad at me…"
"With good reason!" Tenten snapped, hitting the bulls-eye again. And again. And again.
"Do you really have to do that?"
"Do what? Try to get rid of my anger productively instead of yelling at people and not admitting to doing something wrong yet again? Is that what you mean?"
"You're making this very vexing for both of us…" Neji stated, rubbing his temples.
"Oh, I'm making this difficult? Well, there you go, Neji. Let's just blame me. Again. For everything. Because Heavenly Spin forbid, Neji, that you be at the fault of anything!" Tenten growled, taking a moment to rest from throwing weapons.
"When did I–––?" He began and then stopped. "Fine."
"Fine what?"
"Maybe… I was being a little of a jerk. Again…." He said slowly.
"What?" Tenten paused suddenly, a little surprised.
"I said… I was being a jerk, maybe."
"Neji, are you…?" Trying to apologize to me?
"Anyways, I… Let's get back. Aren't you supposed to be spying with Sakura?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Tenten said, smiling. "And, um… I forgive you." Amazing how a simple apology can make some people melt…
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"Shikamaru, I can't stand it any more!" Chouji cried at the top of his lungs as he slammed his hands down on the table, making his companion and everybody else in the restaurant jump. "I have to tell you!"
"Um… that's nice, Chouji, but could you tell me a little more quietly?"
"…oh. Okay," the Akimichi boy replied, sitting again.
"Is this the thing you were going to tell me before the food came?" Shikamaru asked, noting the various empty bowls that surrounded his friend.
"Yes. It is. Shikamaru, I…" Chouji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, opened them again, and stared right at Shikamaru's face. "I… love… deer."
"What?" Shikamaru said, blinking.
"I know. I recently stared eating a lot of it and… and I didn't tell you because I know 'deer' is in your name and I thought you'd be offended." Shikamaru shook his head.
"Chouji, the reason 'deer' is in my name is because my family are deer herders… As in, we eat deer, too?" A little lightbulb went off in Chouji's head.
"Oh… That makes sense!" Chouji replied cheerily. "I feel better now…"
"At least one of us does…" Shikamaru sighed to himself.
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"Are you serious!" Ino asked, putting a paw to her mouth. "I thought that Kiba invented that so that he could get time with Hinata!"
"Um… no, it's true…" Akamaru admitted shyly.
"Wow…" was all Ino could answer. "Wow…"
"Well, I know it'd never work put and stuff, but I was hoping… you know, for one day… we could hang out…"
"Akamaru?" Ino asked as he started trotting away to the dog park again.
"Yes?" he said, stopping, still embarrassed.
"Thank you," Ino smiled, and gave him a quick lick on the cheek.
"Ah… What was…?" Akamaru tried, his fur becoming the shade of his name.
"Shh!" Ino commanded, running up ahead. "Come on, let's go back and see what everyone else is up to… My chakra's almost run out…"
"Um…" Akamaru smiled giddily to himself and chased after her. "Right. Ino-chan!"
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"Lee, get away from me, you freak!" Sasuke cried, dashing at a mad speed around Konoha.
"But I love your new hairstyle with fierce passion! All you have to do is tell me how you have achieved such a wonder and let me touch it, and then I shall depart!" Lee reasoned, skipping after Sasuke just fast enough so that Sasuke had a little distance between them.
"You will not touch my hair!" The Uchiha boy growled, rounding the corner into a… "Dog park!"
Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten were back up in the tree, and Ino and Akamaru had just returned.
"Ah, it's good to be back in my own body!" Ino was proclaiming when Sasuke ran into her, causing her to be thrown across the park into a tree… but not the same one as Sakura, Neji, and Tenten. Then Lee came barreling into the dog park, and ran into Kiba, who was tossed into Hinata, both of which ended up in a pretty awkward position… Then Lee continued to run after Sasuke, who, after dodging so many canines, tripped over Momo the Chihuahua, and went careening into a convenient mud puddle, where Lee found him and managed to touch his hair. All this went unobserved by our Trio in the Tree until Neji pointed it out, much to Sakura's despair.
After Ino was taken to the hospital to get her injuries treated, after Sasuke and Lee finally came to an understanding that involved Sasuke kicking Lee's butt in a battle, and after Hinata and Kiba managed to get things cleared up on their end, all was well. Until… it came to drawing from the hat again, that is!
Whew! What a long chapter! Well, I worked hard on it this time around because it took me a little while to update. Yes, Lee did appear in this one! Yay for you guys! Oh, and in case you're wondering why Shikamaru and Chouji randomly showed up, it's because of a certain random review I received… but nevermind that. See you next time! -wave-