A/N: Here ya go, kids – new chapter. I hope it's not too cheesy or clichéd.
Yes, I had to write Gaara cute and eating something sugary…. I can't help it. It's just too much fun.
Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san, not me.
Chapter 7
"Did you really have to drag me here?"
"Yes. You're in a funk. You need a night out." Kiba had gone to talk with Shikamaru after his epiphany at Hinata's apartment, only to be immediately ushered back out the door.
"Why can't I just stay in my funk? I'm startin' to get used to it… it's almost comfortable now."
"Kiba… you're getting lazier than me. That's messed up."
Shikamaru quickly spotted his girlfriend once they'd paid their admission. "Oi, Temari!"
"Aw, man… I'm the third wheel? Lame." Kiba whined, crossing his arms.
"Nah..." Shikamaru sneered. "She brought a date for you, too."
Gaara followed behind Temari, happily licking an ice cream cone, oblivious to the rest of the world. Kiba might have been amused by the scary shinobi's acting so human if he hadn't been in such a dour mood.
"So funny, I forgot to laugh…" he grumbled, "Dick."
"Okay, everybody!" Sakura announced over the speakers. "Here's the deal. We're going to play Ferris wheel roulette. Guys line up on one side and ladies on the other. Chop chop!" She pulled a lever and two walls rose from the ground, blocking the two lines' views of each other. "You get who you get. No substitutions, exchanges or refunds."
Temari shrugged. "It could be fun, and Gaara needs a ride he can finish his ice cream on anyway." She indicated the red-haired boy and his confection.
"I bet I can arrange it so we end up together," Shikamaru bragged, squeezing her hand.
"I'm sure you can," she replied, trying to look and sound bored but failing miserably. It was clear they were smitten with each other.
Kiba felt lonelier than ever watching them. "I dunno what I'd say to some girl I don't know." He wished Hinata were there with him.
"Stop being a baby. You're getting on the Ferris wheel." Shikamaru pushed him into the guys' line, spying Ino and giving her a covert hand signal when Hinata wasn't looking.
"Ino, are you sure this is a good idea?" Hinata's pale lavender eyes looked intensely unhappy and nervous.
"C'mon…. Where's your sense of adventure? You could meet a total hottie."
The last thing Hinata was thinking about was meeting 'a total hottie.' She wished Kiba were there with her.
"Let the game begin! Hey-oh!" Sakura cried as she admitted the first pair of riders into a partitioned car.
The line moved quickly and soon Ino climbed in. "See you on the other side, Hina!"
She watched, pleased with herself, as Hinata and Kiba unsuspectingly boarded their compartment below.
"Shika! We pulled it off! It's only a matter of time now." Ino pushed open the partition and raised her hand for a high five.
"What'd you and my sister's asshole boyfriend pull off?"
Her jaw dropped when she discovered Kankuro looking back at her instead of Shikamaru. 'Damn it! I was sure we coordinated so we'd end up in the same car… Probably left me hanging for Miss Thing. Ugh.'
"Don't ask…"
"'Kay. I'm Kankuro."
"Ino. I think we've met before." They shook hands.
"Come to think of it, you do look familiar."
"So…" she searched in the air for small talk. "How's life in Suna?"
"Meh… a lotta sand. Hot as Hell. Comin' here's a nice break." He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Plus Temari's in a better mood when she gets to see Shithead. Tem in a better mood means we're all in a better mood."
Ino laughed at Kankuro's commentary on his tempestuous sister and Shikamaru.
'Y'know, in normal clothes, without the face paint and stupid kitty hat, he actually looks kind of tasty,' she thought.
"I've never seen you without your puppets and battle gear. You like doing this civilian stuff?"
Kankuro smiled. "Yeah… Nothing like loadin' up on junk food and then tryin' to make yourself puke it up on rides." He added with a wink, "Not to mention that instead of bein' in the desert with a bunch of dolls, I'm up in the sky with a cute girl right now. Can't exactly complain about that."
"Well…" Ino cocked her head to the side and twirled the end of her ponytail around her index finger. "That's sweet of you to say. You're not so bad yourself."
"Really?" The older boy stretched his arms, letting one rest across the back of her seat as it came down. "I'm intrigued. Tell me more."
Kiba and Hinata sat in apprehensive silence for a while, neither really wanting to be the one to initiate the interaction with their mystery partner.
Finally, after the wheel had been completely loaded and was in continuous motion, Kiba spoke. "Sorry you got stuck with me. I'm gonna be a crappy person to be on this ride with. I just broke up with my fiancée. My friend made me do this."
She immediately recognized his voice, but said nothing. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she would be physically able to speak even if she did.
He went on. "I miss her so much… it's killin' me. I have no idea what to do without her. She's all I ever wanted."
He felt a little bit guilty about dumping all of this onto an unfamiliar person, but she remained silent, so he continued.
"She's with some other guy now, but I would totally take her back if she asked. Am I a sucker or what?" He produced a small, self-deprecating laugh, but went quiet when he heard sniffles from the other side of the divider.
"Aw… no… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. What kinda jerk am I, bitchin' to a total stranger about my problems?" He was absolutely mortified. He couldn't hold on to Hinata, and here he was disaffecting this poor girl before even seeing her face.
The screen slid to the side, and Kiba thought his extreme loneliness must be causing him to hallucinate.
"…Hinata?"
Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. "I… I miss you too…. K-Kiba… kun…"
The wheel stopped, with their compartment just short of the top.
