A/N: This is short. It's sort of an interlude chapter. The next chapter is already written and is way longer. Read and Review. -

--This is what I have been made of

To believe it is enough

This is what I'm after—Lola Ray

Shino nibbles on an apple while Kiba chats amicably about his mission with Naruto and Neji. It's hard to understand Kiba while he has a large chunk of steak sandwich in his mouth. In the distance Akamarau chases a dragonfly. "And I said, my nose doesn't lie but Neji, the damn bastard was all Byakugan, noble, shit, so we lost like fucking 15 valuable minutes."

Shino nods even though he's barely even listening, he does understand the point of Kiba's rant. Neji had underestimated him, the way everyone seems to.

"And ya know, that's why we should just always do missions together. Me and you buddy. Agent number 1 and agent number 2." Kiba barks out a laugh and throws his head back at some mental image. Shino raises an amused eyebrow at Kiba's ludicrous train of thought.

"Shino" Shino lifts his head, staring at Kiba's suddenly serious face. "Do you think we will always be friends forever?" Shino doesn't answer automatically. Instead he takes his time, thinks it over, trying to find the delicate words that won't upset Kiba. "It's possible" Kiba smiles "However, a lot of things are possible. For instance, its possible that a blood vessel in your heart could explode this very second." Kiba stares confused. "See, that didn't happen."

Kiba laughs bitterly at Shino's warped sense of humor and scratches his head. He takes a slice of apple out of Shino's container. "Is it hopeless then?"

To Shino this question doesn't really make sense in the flow of their current conversation. He is sure Kiba means something more. "Have you given up?" Shino's voice is calm and Kiba can't help but scout closer.

"No, I haven't." Shino nods…pleased? "Then no, its not hopeless." Kiba smiles broadly, genuinely. Apparently Shino has said the right thing. On the inside Shino sighs with relief, when Kiba gets like this it's difficult to find the right words to say to him.

Even still, the relief of his accomplishment is short lived He's sure he's given Kiba some kind of false hope. But he can't bring himself to point out that hopeless and impossible are not the same thing. And that the worst possible feeling in the world has to be having hope in a lost cause (how Shino knows this, he's not sure—maybe its from Naruto, maybe its from Lee, or maybe its from the game he and Kiba play everyday).

--Sometimes I feel,

oh yes,

I could do Almost everything I wanted

And it makes me cry -Emily Bindiger--