Guess whose back! Back again! Puppets back! Tell a friend!

Alas, ye who been awaiting my return! I had left a young girl, and now I return to you a full woman! I am now legal in my country of origin! I can smoke legally! (Not that I do.) Also, I can drink legally! I can drive with my full license, and alas, I am a psychology major! Huzzah! What've you guys been up to? Out of high school? Are you in your last year of schooling? Tell me in a private message or in a review, because I've missed you guys' a lot! :) Well, unfortunately it's been so long, I don't remember what I planned for this chapter, but I have an idea that I'm going to try on you guys ;) Please be gentle on me! Love you guys :) Thanks for stickin' by me after all this time!

Chapter 6: untitled.

Hinata sprang up from the couch, and made a dash for the door. Or so she thought. She had tried to disappear but Kiba was just too quick for her. She hadn't felt Kida grab hold of her wrist and toss her back onto the couch. Of course he caught me, she thought to herself. He was always faster in races, faster to react and... Well he was just plain faster and better at her than everything! He didn't deserve to get hit. How dare she? He'd been so nice to her over the years. He never one time picked on her in a serious manner. He never once hurt her and if by accident he did, he made up for it and kissed up to her for a week. He'd always helped her with anything she asked, and even those that she hadn't asked. He always included her the most he could, he treated her like family. Shoot! She pretty much was family.

They were always together. Every vacation the Inuzukas went on, Hinata was always asked to tag along. He treated her like a princess; like gold! ...And she had the audacity to get frustrated at his little game and hit him? What kind of best friend was she? What would Shino think of her after this? ...What does Kiba think of her now? She couldn't bear to think of it she was almost in tears just imagining it in slow motion. She almost couldn't believe she'd done it but the pink tinge of Kiba's cheek and the sting on her hand let her know it was real. She wished the pain in her chest would switch with the sting on her hand.

Hinata sat in frozen absurdity. What would she say after this? What could she say? Sorry would definitely not cover her butt. To see him flinch away, after years of leaning into her touches. Her heart skipped a step. He was exactly the same as Akamaru. Once Hinata had her hand stretch out to pat him on the back or to pinch his cheeks or ruffle his hair and what have you, he'd lean in like a little puppy dog being congratulated for making potty on the paper, not the carpet. On the outside Hinata couldn't bring herself to smile at the thought but on the inside she smiled head to toe from all of the fond memories that she'd just flushed down the drain with a little slip up.

Kiba sat in front of her on the floor. Would Hinata start bawling? He didn't want her to, he'd made her cry many times before and he hated it. He never liked when she cried but when it was his fault it was like the world had turned against him. No one could save him from the doom and despair. More like he wouldn't let them save him. If he'd made her cry and he felt like crap, he deserved to feel like crap. It was his own stupidity for disrupting someone so pure. It would be like tearing the wings off a butterfly; a gruesome act and should be punishable. God damn it, he certainly deserved that smack to that face and while it totally burned and his left cheek was probably numb he had to admit that Hinata had quite the muscle power. He couldn't remember the last time that she'd let loose and showed her true strength. She was so worried about hurting someone. Kiba secretly thanked the God's for Hinata holding back. He might've been dead by now if she hadn't. Kiba shook his head to clear his mind which was once again getting off track of the situation at hand.

"Did you just slap me?" Kiba wasn't sure if he was asking or accusing. He sounded a little bit harsh to himself. If that wasn't a big enough clue, he'd noticed that, even though Hinata had hidden her face, she'd closed her eyes the way she always did to clam herself down before she hyperventilated and passed out. "Did you just slap me?" He repeated. His attempt at sounding less harsh paid off. Unfortunately this time he sounded hurt as if he, himself might be crying. For the first time in 5 minutes, Kiba made the first official move by shrugging his shoulder up enough to brush his cheek (to see if it was indeed numb. It wasn't but it sure did hurt to touch) then slowly, cautiously taking Hinata's hands away from her face.

"I'm so sorry," Hinata whispered. It took all of her might to not start stuttering in front of her best friend. She only ever stuttered when she was scared, embarrassed, or meeting someone new. 2 out of 3 options wasn't quite what she was aiming for. She didn't dare try to look up at him right now.

"It's okay…" Kiba said as quietly and softly as he could, which ended up being this rugged, deep voice cutting in between a low voice and a whisper. Hinata risked a peek up at him. He was looking down at her hands, held in his, resting on her knees. She kept her eyes on him, sensing that he wasn't going to be looking up at her for a while. "I understand why you did it." He went on, his facial expressions matching the tone of his voice. "I totally get that sometimes you just get crazy…" He sighed. Hinata's stomach sank. So this was what he thought of her now? "I totally should've seen it coming too." He shook his head in disbelief of himself. "I get that you need to slap around us weaker ones to prove you're the alpha in the pack, but I thought I was your beta." Hinata's jaw dropped. "And no matter what you say to me…" He voice dropped lower. "I will never ever believe that you were only trying to high five my face cause that's what best friends do!" He mimicked the last part in the best Hinata voice he could muster.

Hinata rolled backwards into the cushions and started laughing. Kiba looked up at her with his trademark goofy grin. Hinata leaned forward, still in a fit of laughter and put her hands on Kiba's cheeks gently, "I thought you were breaking up with me!" she said through a jumble of laughs. "I mean… you know I thought you didn't want to be friends anymore" she blushed, forcing herself to laugh to cover what she said.

"Nah, the only way you'd lose me as a friend is if I die" He smiled, typically leaning into her touch. "And believe you me, that hit was damn near close to a decapitation." He cried. He pouted, puffing his cheeks out against her hands and gave her the best puppy dog eyes he'd ever tried for.

Hinata sniffled, and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. "I should go help with the rest of dinner" she smiled to him. She stood up, but Kiba didn't move or let go of her hands he just looked up at her with his sad face. She tried to shake her hands free but it was useless. She sat back down, and then he loosened his grip on her hands. "What's wrong?" she asked, the smile fading from her face.

"It's stupid…" He mumbled.

"Tell me, I don't like when something is bothering you"

"Well… When I was a kid… nah it's really dumb. Don't worry about it." Kiba smiled and moved away so he could pull himself up and set up the room for gaming night. This time however, Hinata used Kiba's trick against him. She stood up and took his hands.

"Please tell me."

"Well…" He looked at the floor. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "When I was a kid my mom used to kiss my boo-boo's better and I know it's dorky and it's all in my head, but it really did make me feel better! Like it didn't hurt anymore and stuff…" He trailed off, looking around the room awkwardly. He suddenly felt more stupid then he could ever remember, and he'd don't some pretty dumb things in the past. Kiba felt the heat in his cheeks rising.

Hinata giggled. "You're so silly sometimes." One the one hand Kiba was relieved that she wasn't freaked out by him, but he was also sad that she'd brushed him off. "Well," She said confidently. "If we want you all fixed up by the time the boys get here, we'd best fix that up. We don't want them thinking I beat you up for something!" Hinata leaned in and kissed his cheek, then took off into the kitchen.

Kiba was floating. He couldn't believe what'd happened. Was it just that easy? Say something dorky and ask for a kiss? Well jeez. If it were that easy, he'd have to ask more often. He'd be the biggest baby in the world if it meant getting kisses from Hinata! He fell back on to the couch with eyes closed, replaying over and over again that sweet moment feeling lighter every time.

Hinata on the other hand was taking deep breaths to calm herself. She wasn't sure where she had gotten the courage to do that. Not to say she wasn't proud of herself, or that she didn't enjoy it. She bit the inside of her cheek and smiled to herself. She only wished she had a girlfriend to gossip this too. She could tell Shino, but it's just not the same as telling a girl, who you would squeal with and jump around giggling with. With one last big smile for herself, she took off to the kitchen to keep good on word.

. .

Dinner passed without any awkward mentions of a slap or kissing and making up. Just the usual chatter about days and work and the like, the only difference of this dinner from most, were the glances that Hinata and Kiba would steal from each other. A few times they'd catch each other, and smile to themselves but nothing was out of the normal.

Once dinner was finished, Kiba went back to putting the finishing touches on the consoles, since he was so distracted the last hour before dinner. Hinata helped Tsume wash the dishes, and offered to put them away herself so Tsume could have her bath and call it a night.

"Hinata? Would you mind checking the door after the last one has arrived? Kiba forgot to lock the door last week and he's lucky nobody came in stole everything," Tsume sighed. Her first child was like a blessing from the gods, her second was like a blessing from hell. Hinata giggled. That was so like Kiba. Reckless. She assured Tsume that she had nothing to worry about so long as she was there to babysit the boys. Sighing with relief Tsume smiled thankfully and went upstairs for her early night.

Hinata turned and headed for the living room. Suddenly she had butterflies and her palm were sweaty. She hadn't been alone with Kiba since she'd kissed him. What if someone didn't decide to show up for another hour? She couldn't exactly avoid Kiba for an hour without him coming looking for her. She braced herself and entered the living room, head held high. She'd be damned if she showed that she was nervous, after pulling a stunt like that before dinner.

"Hey" Kiba smiled from the couch. He was flipping through channels trying to find something remotely interesting. "So the night doesn't start until dusk. It's kind of a ritual. …Also give's my mom a chance to pass out before the party starts ha-ha!" Kiba grinned. Hinata's stomach sank. Her worst fears were true. There was plenty of time until someone would come along. "Aren't you going to sit? You look like a creeper just standing there staring at me." Kiba stuck his tongue out at her.

Hinata smiled. Now, where to sit. On the recliner? No, that my show that I'm scared. Left side, or right side of him? There was more room on the left. But there was plenty of room on the right too. Left side, but not pushed up against the arm of it. Look relaxed and comfortable! She told herself. Kiba watched her sit down but only smiled when she looked back at him. He didn't move closer, and he didn't try anything. Which threw Hinata off for a moment. She figured after he found something on TV he will. But after deciding on Criminal Minds, he'd still yet to shift a single inch.

Did she have stuff on her face? She put her hands to her face, pretending to rub her face, but she didn't feel anything. She looked down. Did she look fat? Well her sweater was bunching a wee bit. Hinata got up to kill two birds with one stone.

"Where are you going?" Kiba asked sadly.

"Just to the bathroom" She smiled. Which was true. She stared in the mirror. Nothing on her face. She smiled, and pulled her cheeks away from her teeth. They were clean. Nothing was spilled down her front. She frowned. Why all of a sudden wasn't he giving her attention? It hit her. She stared in the mirror in horror; she was a terrible kisser! It wasn't her fault! She'd never had real practice before. Well she'd just have to make up for that. She unzipped her sweater, and studied herself once again. She turned left and right, smoothing her shirt over her stomach as she turned. She pulled her shoulders back so her chest stuck out more. She even inhaled deeply so her chest would stick out more.

"What am I doing?" Hinata asked herself slumping to the toilet seat. "This is foolish. He's my best friend. I could walk in there naked and he'd be like why are you staring at me you creeper." Hinata groaned. She splashed water on her face, dried it and went back out, taking her hair brush with her. She went back to her spot on the couch and brushed her hair, staying silent.

"Want a drink?"Kiba asked.

"Sure. What cha got?" Hinata smiled at him, before she could stop herself. Stop trying to be cute. He thinks you're being weird.

"Your favorite, of course. I picked some up yesterday, in hopes that you'd agree to sleep over." He called from the kitchen.

Hinata's stomach fluttered. He remembers my favorite drink! But from the back of her mind a grim, dismal voice shouted he's supposed to. He's you're best friend. It comes with the territory. And she was back to her hopelessness.

Kiba came back with two huge cups for Hinata and himself. He placed them on the table, then flopped on the couch. "Do I get a thank you?" He grinned. He shifted closer. This was it. With this kiss, assume their relationship was sealed. I mean you don't just go around kissing your friends right? His pulse raced.

Well of course, where were her manners? "Thanks Kibbles" she patted his shoulder. He'd already been leaning into her touch. She smiled he's so predictable.

Kibas eyebrows knitted together, and his smile faded. What the hell was that? Um, no she didn't just assume I wanted a verbal thank you. He stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "That's not what I meant" He whined. Hinata looked back over to him.

"What?" She asked blankly.

"You know what I meant" He pouted.

"Meant what" She started turning red. Her eyes widened "Oh." She looked away. "Oh…"

Kiba inched closer to her. "Please?" He asked quietly. Hinata regretted taking her sweater off now that she had nothing to hide behind. "Pretty please?" he reached for her hand. "Don't make me steal it!" Kiba warned. Hinata turned in shock.

"Like you didn't the last few times!" She cried. Was he really trying to be the innocent one?

"The last one was all you" He grinned, in turn making Hinata's blush go deeper. He inched even more into her view, so she turned and looked out the window. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. I just thought maybe we had something. Guess I was just being me again." He pushed himself back to the middle of the couch and went back to watching Reed do his nerdy thing.

Hinata continued staring out the window. He thought we had a thing too? He was serious? She racked her brain trying to find a serious moment from the whole afternoon. If he was serious, why didn't he seem serious? She looked back over at him. Of course, he's not a serious person. He's the type to smile through anything. She bit the inside of her lip. With one last unnoticeable deep breath, she put her hands on the cushion and leaned over to Kiba.

He laughed at something Penelope had said, but Hinata didn't catch it, she was too focused. Kiba, still laughing, turned to see if Hinata was laughing too, then turned back to the TV only to do a double take and find Hinata up close and personal with him. She leaned in a bit closer, and with just a centimeter shy of his lips, kissed his cheek.

When she stopped, she didn't pull back very far, just enough so she wasn't touching him anymore. She wasn't sure if it was because she wanted to do it again, or if her nerves were so shot that they'd frozen in place from fear. Kiba didn't move either. He was afraid if he moved to fast she might run away. Ever so slowly he turned so he could face her. Did he really want this? He expected her to put up a fight, but he didn't think she'd come and do it on her own again. Did this mean she wanted him too?

What if she only did it out of pity, like the last one? There's no way she really wants to kiss my gross, zitty face .I wouldn't want to kiss my gross zit covered face either. I'm going to go in for it, and I'm going to get hit again. Of course it'd totally be worth it this time. What if she cries though? What if she cried and Neji found out? I'd be tomorrows' dinner! Do I chance it? It definitely outweighs any possible outcomes. My break probably smells like crap though. Fuck this! If I wait any longer she'll leave!

Hinata was having worries of her own, I should've brushed my teeth while I was in the bathroom! He's probably unconscious! But I'm too afraid to open my eyes. What if someone's standing in the doorway staring at me! I look like an idiot just leaning over here with my head hanging in shame. What if he's not even there anymore? My god I'm so stupid! I have to open my eyes. Just a little so see if everything's how I left it…

Lifting her head back into position, she slowly peeked her eyes open.

the end of this chapter! I had a bit of fun with this actually :) I'm actually working on the next chapter! as you can tell, my writing style is ...a lot... different lol. but hopefully a good different not a bad different :(. any ways, please please please read and review folks! :)