Chapter 10

Tsume and Kuromaru arrived home around ten o'clock the following morning, to a scene that would have been funny had it occurred in an average household, one not containing ninjas responsible for other's safety.

They had traveled through the night and been dismissed for the near future; thus they were quite weary. Tsume was too proud to admit it but she was beginning to feel the effects of her age. (Kuromaru wasn't too proud but he reserved those comments for the privacy of their home.) So, it was with a lack of patience for adolescents and an abundance of irritability that Tsume entered her home.

"HAHAHAHAH! Crack!"

Boyish laughter sounded from the dining room and Tsume rounded the corner to find Kiba and Naruto all but lying on the table with a bowl of fruit between them, a couple of plates and a few kunai. Some of the fruit was cut into pieces but none appeared to have been eaten.

Kiba was holding his stomach as he laughed while Naruto reached for an orange and a banana. Then Kiba noticed his mother standing in the doorway with a vein pulsating in her forehead. His laughter died when he saw the damage she'd done to the door post.

"What the hell are you two doing?" She yelled, her grip destroying the door post; sending splinters spraying out into the room.

Kiba gulped nervously while Naruto raised a piece of plum.

"Eating fr-fruit?" He stuttered.

Ten seconds later, both boys were on their backsides, in the yard, as the door slammed shut behind them.

"Mother?" Kiba queried, nervously.

The door swung open and Kuromaru emerged.

"If you want to die, continue acting like children." He growled, before moving back inside and closing the door.

"I guess going back in is out." Naruto shrugged and stood up. He dusted himself off and helped Kiba to his feet. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Kiba scratched the back of his head and looked around. "I was half-expecting Kaori to show up."

"Even after last night?"

Kiba nodded then a sly grin crossed his face, "You going round to Hinata's today? Even after last night?"

Naruto grinned nervously as colour rose in his cheeks. "You don't think they'd hold that against me, do you? I mean, they wouldn't keep Hinata away from me, right?"

"Didn't work before." Kiba muttered as he walked out of the yard.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Kiba said quickly as he ran away, whistling for Akamaru as he went. Naruto rushed after him, shouting.

As the sounds of the boys disappeared down the street, Hana looked up from her work to find Kuromaru in the doorway.

"You're back."

He nodded and jumped onto the table as she crossed the room.

"Any aches or pains I should know about?" She asked as she began a routine check up.

"She's limping again." He replied gruffly. Hana clicked her tongue in annoyance, then leaned in when Kuromaru flinched.

"Hold still. I'll have to stitch that up." She continued working for a while, in a serious silence, accompanied by restrained groans from the hound. Once she was satisfied with the result, she gave a brief nod and Kuromaru leapt off the table and shook himself out.

"Before we even attempt to deal with Mother," Hana said, while collecting her human first aid kit, "Could you explain why you're carrying that scent?"

Kuromaru turned back and eyed her with aloofness.

"Although it hardly matters," He grouched, "I'll have you know, that I too, enjoy being petted, occasionally."

"Right." Hana grinned, knowing there was a story there but willing to let the hound have this round. She swung her kit off the bench and proceeded to cautiously approach her mother's room.

"Lady Hinata is not available."

Naruto's face screwed up and he open his mouth to whine, "But…"

"I'm sorry, but you cannot enter." The guard cut him off. Both boys could tell, the last thing he was, was sorry.

"Well, what's she doing? I just want to say hello. I promised her I would."

"Oh, well then. That changes everything."

"Really?"

"No."

Naruto growled this time, while Kiba eyed the man speculatively. "You must be a real distant cousin."

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you appear to have a sense of humour."

Naruto let out a laugh, before covering his mouth and pretending to cough. The guard glared at him briefly, then turned back to Kiba.

"It isn't a very good one though. I'd keep working on it, if I was you."

A vein bulged in the young man's forehead, then he closed his eyes, took several deep breaths and, inwardly, counted to ten. He straightened his shoulders and resumed his position in front of the gates.

"Lady Hinata is not available. You will have to leave."

Naruto groaned but Kiba pulled him away and began whispering in his ear. While they were busy, the gate opened and Neji passed the guard a letter. Seeing the two younger shinobi in deep discussion, he called out.

"Don't even bother, you two."

They looked up in surprise, then attempted to feign innocence.

"Hinata can't come out. She's busy. If you don't disturb her, she should be free tomorrow."

"Can't I just…"

"No."

"Does this have anything to do with…"

"No." Neji replied abruptly, then he disappeared inside and the gate swung shut.

Naruto frowned as he surveyed the gate. "I bet they're stopping her from leaving." He said lowly, "That's what this is."

Kiba's eyebrows shot up then he smirked, "Is that right?"

"Yep. So, here's what we'll do…"

"Excuse me."

Both boys turned to see the guard holding out a folded piece of paper. Naruto's name had been clearly written on it.

"What's that?"

"Lady Hinata wished that you be given this. Please read it before you attempt to storm the grounds."

Naruto scowled at the amused look on the guard's face as he snatched up the note. It read:

Dear Naruto,

I'm really sorry, but something has come up and I cannot join you today. I'll meet you in your garden tomorrow morning, so please, try to stay out of trouble.

Love Hinata.

"Aw, how sweet."

"Hey, get out!" Naruto yelled, hiding the paper from Kiba, "At least I know my girl loves me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba growled, eyes narrowed.

Naruto smirked smugly and folded his arms. "You don't even know where she is."

The two boys squared off, dropping into fighting stances and scowling. Kiba was a little annoyed to see that Akamaru was, again, staying out of the fight and had lain down in the shade of the wall. Naruto smirked at the sight, causing Kiba to growl threateningly. They jumped apart when two kunai embedded themselves in the ground between their feet.

"If you two are going to fight, I suggest you take it to the training grounds."

"Good morning, Tenten." The guard called as the kunoichi stepped around the boys and approached the gate.

"Good morning, Hideo. Has Neji left yet?"

"No, he's barring the gate from the inside." Naruto sulked. Tenten laughed, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, Naruto. Hinata will see you tomorrow, I'm sure."

"So, what's going on, Tenten?" Kiba asked curiously.

Tenten grinned. "Hyuga family business, I'm afraid. All very hush-hush." She winked at them both just as Neji exited the grounds.

"Morning, Tenten." He greeted his teammate, casting an eye over the two younger men who were still lingering, "Why are you still here?"

Naruto grinned goofily while Kiba folded his arms with a look of amusement. Neji stared at him, in an unnerving way but Kiba refused to be cowed. The staring competition was starting to make Tenten nervous and she smiled uncertainly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"How have you been sleeping, Tenten?"

Neji's eyes narrowed as Tenten, a little confused and nervous, answered, "Just fine, Kiba. Why do you ask?"

"You're not breaking in a new bed?"

Naruto could barely contain his laughter, while Neji's vein was about to pop through his head. Tenten's face went pale then red and she stepped back into Neji and whispered something harsh. Then she smiled sweetly.

"Have fun today, boys. Try not to wreck anything." Then she grabbed Neji's sleeve and the two left hastily, the sound of laughter following them down the street.

"So. What should we do now?" Naruto asked, straightening his forehead protector. Kiba shrugged then Naruto's stomach growled.

"I guess that means its lunch time." He said, while Naruto grinned sheepishly. Then a thought struck him and Kiba turned on his heel and raced off, calling over his shoulder, "I bet Kaori's cooking something right now!"

As it turned out, Kaori was not cooking at that moment. At least, not in the Inuzuka household; a fact that left a bitter taste in Kiba's mouth upon his discovery. He had reached his home only to find a grumpy Hana unloading various takeouts, while her three dogs circled the table sullenly. Moriko was hiding in the hallway, shooting fearful glances towards the vet and disdainful looks at the kitchen.

"Where's Kaori?" Kiba asked breathlessly.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Hana grumbled, before cursing when the tray of takeout food slopped onto the table as she pulled it out of the bag. "Kiba, whatever you did, you had better fix it."

"What I did?" Kiba asked in disbelief, as Naruto ran in. Akamaru, seeing an argument brewing, retreated to the passage way and flopped to the floor next to Moriko.

Hana slammed another dish down on the table then stormed into the kitchen to grab a towel. "I left her with you last night, and now: where is she? Hmm?" She called from the kitchen. She reappeared with the towel and began wiping up the mess.

"Yeah, well. I didn't do anything!" Kiba protested while Naruto ventured towards the food only to have his hand flicked with the soggy towel.

"Hey! What's up with you?" Naruto cried as he pulled his hand back.

Hana looked at them both then dropped into one of the chairs and put her head in her hands. "I failed again! I followed the recipe! I did everything Hinata and Kaori told me to and it still failed!"

"Wait, you cooked?" Kiba asked incredulously, "Why did you do that?"

"And Mum's back and she won't listen to me, so I'll have to drag Shizune in to see her. And I really just wish that Kaori had've come today!" Hana continued, ignoring what she thought was an inane question from her brother.

"What's wrong with Mum?"

"She hurt her leg again." Hana looked up just as Kiba turned to race up the stairs, "No! Don't go up!"

"Why not?"

"She threw me out. She's going to sleep for the rest of the day and she doesn't want to be disturbed until evening." Hana said, turning back to the mess she'd made on the table, only to find that Naruto had cleaned most of it and helped himself to the food.

He smiled nervously and asked, through a mouthful of food, if she minded. With a sigh, Hana waved him on and he resumed eating.

"So, what should I do?" Kiba asked in annoyance.

Hana stared up at him with a blank face and slowly shook her head. "Idiot." She muttered, "Eat lunch. Go out. Find Kaori." She stood up and left the table. As she left the room, she called over her shoulder, "I don't want take out for dinner."

"So, where do we find Kaori?" Naruto asked as he pushed the empty containers aside and sat back. He looked over at Kiba expectantly.

Kiba shrugged then folded his hands behind his head.

"You don't know?"

"I have trouble tracking her." Kiba admitted, a little embarrassed, then he shrugged again. "She smells like wildflowers and sunshine. That scent hangs over the village."

He narrowed his eyes and scowled when Naruto failed at suppressing his laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Dude, that was such a girly thing to say!" Naruto cried out, coming close to hitting his head on the table as he gave up trying to hide his amusement.

Kiba would have retorted except that two of Hana's dogs re-entered the room and barked gruffly. Taking the hint, Kiba and Naruto left the house. Had they started fighting inside and woken his mother, Kiba knew there would be hell to pay. So the two headed into town with the aim of information gathering to locate their missing cook.

"I reckon we ask Shikamaru." Naruto said emphatically. "I'm sure he'll know something relevant."

"That lazy bum only pays attention when the chick from Suna is around." Kiba sniggered.

Naruto smirked, "Or when Ino starts yelling."

Kiba stopped and grabbed Naruto's arm, "Dude, that's brilliant!"

"What is?"

"Ino! She would know where we can find Kaori. Ino knows everybody's business!"

"Yeah? There's just one problem." Naruto replied, nervously scratching his head.

"What's the problem?" Kiba asked as he began walking in the direction of the chunin mission office, "Don't tell me you pulled that prank on her…"

"No! No, no, no, no!" Naruto shook his head repeatedly, "No, I just noticed the other day, in the old lady's office..."

"What?"

"Ino's on leave. She has a week off after her last mission." Naruto changed their direction, leading Kiba into the market district.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Naruto echoed, as they turned the corner, "And where does Ino spend her time when she's on leave?"

They stopped as the Yamanaka flower shop came into view, the scent of flowers drifting on the breeze.

Akamaru whined and hid behind Naruto while Kiba shuddered. Then he straightened his shoulders, "Not to worry. I can handle it."

"Don't do it, Kiba! It's not worth it!" Naruto cried, holding Kiba back.

"I have to! We won't be able to find Kaori any other way!" Kiba protested, throwing Naruto off and taking a deep breath.

He marched forward; head held high, a look of agony on his face, as sweat began pouring down his body.

Just a few more steps! Almost there! Just go through the door!

"Ino? I…"

Ino looked up from the flowers she was arranging as Kiba fainted in the doorway, the concentrated smell of the flowers too much for his sensitive nose. She started toward him but turned as her father entered the shop from the back room.

"Ino, I heard something! Oh." Taking in the situation, Inoichi smirked, "Wow. One step inside. Impressive."

"Dad!" Ino rolled her eyes as she crossed the shop to help Naruto drag Kiba outside.

Inoichi just chuckled, "Works every time!"

"You're a cruel, cruel man!" Naruto called as he dragged his friend outside to the fresh air.

"Self-preservation, my boy." Inoichi replied, standing in the doorway and watching their progress across the street. "You have to use your enemy's strength against them."

Ino rolled her eyes again, as they propped the still comatose Inuzuka on the bench across the street. "At least he was nice enough to provide the seat."

"Be thankful for small mercies." Inoichi called before re-entering the shop with a little old lady customer.

"No matter what he says, I can't believe Tsume was that bad!" Naruto remarked, while waving a handkerchief in front of Kiba's face. He was referring to the reason Inoichi always gave when questioned about his shop.

"Old people always exaggerate." Ino agreed, gently shaking Kiba in an effort to wake him.

"I need information!" Kiba shouted as he came round and sat bolt upright. Ino jumped in fright and Naruto fell over. He then stood up and hit Kiba over the head for scaring him. Ino giggled then set a restraining hand on their shoulders.

"What information?" She asked, still smiling as they scowled at each other.

"We're…"

"You mean, you." Naruto interrupted, before turning to Ino, "Kiba's got himself a crush!"

"Shut up! She's just a friend!"

"For how long? You ran off with her pretty quick last night!"

Kiba's face reddened slightly and he glared up at Naruto, no comebacks coming to mind because Naruto's relationship with Hinata was both widely acknowledged and approved. It was only Ino's intense and slightly unnerving attention to the conversation that brought them both back to their current mission.

"So, who is she?"

"She's just a friend." Kiba replied sulkily, the continued before Naruto could further embarrass him, "but her name is Kaori Tokudan and I…"

"Oh! Kaori! I know her."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. We sell her products in the shop." Ino said, jumping up and running back across the street. The boys looked at each other in confusion, both shrugging at their ignorance.

"See." Ino waved a small glass bottle at them as she sat down. "She makes it. It's very popular."

"What is it?" Naruto asked, taking the container and opening the lid.

"Perfume!" Kiba and Ino said together as the strong scent of vanilla and jasmine spilled out. Kiba began swaying alarmingly, feeling light-headed and Naruto hurriedly closed the bottle while Ino attempted to dispel the aroma.

"Strong!" Kiba coughed, wiping his watering eyes and wheezing slightly.

"Yeah." Ino nodded, "You only use a little bit." She took the bottle off Naruto so he couldn't spill or break it. "But it's very popular. We made a good deal with her for it."

Kiba leaned against the bench and tilted his head back, taking in deep breaths, not really caring about the financial aspects of the perfume industry.

"I guess that explains why you can't track her." Naruto said, taking the seat next to Kiba. Ino looked at them oddly.

"Why are you trying to track her? Is she in trouble?"

"No. Well, not from us." Kiba replied. "She's been helping Hana in the clinic but she didn't come in today and Hana told us to find her."

"But we don't know where she lives because she lied about it last night and Kiba doesn't know anything else about her because he's just a dirty-minded j-AUGH!"

And whatever else Naruto was going to say was cut off when Kiba put him in a headlock. However, due to his short attention span, once Ino had loosened Kiba's grip, Naruto did not rejoin to the conversation, having been distracted by the growing number of insects hanging around.

"So, you don't know where she lives, you don't know what she does during the day, your nose is useless for finding her and you want her for what reason again?"

Kiba opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself from blurting out that she'd been cooking their meals for the past three days because Hana had tricked her. He found talking with Ino to be like walking through a minefield at the best of times, but one thing he knew for sure, telling her that they'd been taking advantage of Kaori was sure to make her angry. And if Ino was angry, she would, inevitably, tell Sakura, who would tell Tenten and Shizune and Kurenai and any other able-bodied kunoichi within earshot and then he'd be killed for something that was clearly Hana's fault.

Luckily for him, the growing awkward silence was disrupted by Naruto's innocent question of: "Ino, why are there lots of bugs around here?"

And Ino's reaction was nothing, if not suspicious.

"Oh, w-well, they're attracted to the flowers." She replied while blushing and playing with the perfume bottle nervously, before holding it up triumphantly. "And the perfume!"

Both boys eyed her sceptically while she pretended innocence, then Kiba took a closer look at the insects and understanding dawned.

"So, you and Shino, huh?"

"SHH!" Ino covered his mouth, glancing over her shoulder at the door of the shop. She sighed in relief to see her father was still busy with customers. Turning back to the boys, she scowled at their massive smirks.

"I'm going to get Shino for this!" She growled lowly, then she asked them, "What do you want?"

"Information about Kaori and her location," Kiba stated while Naruto chortled. Ino's eyes flashed, thinking she'd be the victor in this deal because she was going to help them anyway, until Kiba continued, "And you take her place if we can't find her."

She flinched back, a look of distaste on her face. "Doing what, exactly?"

Naruto fell off the bench, laughing, and Kiba chuckled.

"Look who's got the dirty mind now! It's nothing like that. Kaori has been cooking dinner for Hana and me…"

"And I." Ino corrected him.

"…and Hana doesn't want takeout if we can't find Kaori," Kiba continued, not heeding the correction, "So, you'll be cooking dinner tonight."

Ino's eyes lit up, "I can cook dinner. I'm really good at cooking."

Naruto sat up and stage-whispered to Kiba, "Why is she so happy about this arrangement?"

"Who knows? I can't figure out women." Kiba replied in kind.

"Because I CAN cook!" Ino stated happily as she pounced on Kiba. "You've tried Forehead's cooking, right?"

She laughed when Kiba pulled a face and Naruto went pale.

"Unlike her, I can actually cook. Real food, that tastes good."

"But you'll give us the information anyway, right? We don't want wrong information because you want to prove you're better than Sakura."

Ino nodded, "I promise to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." She smiled broadly. Then her smile took on a sharp edge, "But even if we find her, I want you to invite me for dinner. And Shino too."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, in confusion.

"Because I said so."

Kiba smirked, "Is the bug-man scared of your father?"

He dodged as Akamaru leapt over the bench, snapping at the cloud of insects that rushed at Kiba. Looking up from the seat, Kiba grinned, "I'll take that as a yes."

The cloud of insects hovered over him, buzzing menacingly. Ino pushed Kiba off the bench and waved her hand. At the signal, the insects dispersed, leaving a few to monitor the conversation.

"It isn't that. Daddy tends to over-react to my romantic involvements. I have no idea why." Ino replied, somewhat petulantly. The boys eyed her disbelievingly. "I swear, I had nothing to do with that Kankuro incident. If that's even his name. I wasn't there. And Kotetsu was with someone else when he got locked in that interrogation room with no clothes on."

"Sure, sure."

"I swear!" Ino protested.

"And you weren't responsible for all of Takashi's shirts disappearing from his locker at the hospital either?"

"I wasn't even in the village." Ino said shaking her head, "I was on a mission."

"Right."

"And Arai's problem….

"So, what did you want to know about Kaori?" Ino asked, cutting Naruto off and changing the topic.

"Well, do you know where she is?" Kiba asked hesitantly.

"Right now? No." Ino replied, leaning back and tilting her head up, thinking. A bug flew in front her face and she smiled. She turned back to her audience. "She might be at the hospital."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, as Kiba raced off towards the hospital, Akamaru running beside him.

"Sure is eager, isn't he?" Ino muttered, and as the two blondes watched, he disappeared down the street.

It was only when he reached the hospital that Kiba realized he had no idea why Kaori came to the hospital. He paused in the doorway, undecided about his next course of action, until Akamaru bumped into him and he fell over.

"Kiba? Are you alright?"

Kiba looked up to see Shizune walking toward him. Kneeling, he shot a glare at Akamaru, who gave a doggy shrug, before he stood up, dusting his pants off.

"I'm fine." He muttered as Shizune reached him, already starting to check him for signs of injury. He lightened his mood to avoid a check-up. "Really, Shizune, I'm not injured."

Shizune smiled and stepped back, "I'm sorry. Force of habit. Not many shinobi enter the hospital willingly, you know."

Kiba chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah?"

"Yes. So, if you don't need aid, what brings you to us today?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face, "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes!" Kiba said loudly. He then lowered his voice when the receptionist glared at him, "I mean, yes, I am looking for someone but I don't know if you know her. She isn't a kunoichi."

"Oh," Shizune looked confused for a moment, then she smiled once more, "well, we do heal the villagers as well, Kiba. Medical aid is not exclusive."

"Heh," Kiba felt out of place again, "Uh, well, her name is Kaori."

"Kaori?"

"Yeah, Ino said she might be here. I don't think she's hurt though."

"She might be visiting someone." Shizune thought for a moment.

"Her brother? She said he's a jounin." Kiba offered as Shizune led the way out of reception.

"I can check. Do you know his name?"

"Minoru? I think that's it." Behind him, Akamaru barked in agreement, before whining because he'd been shushed by a passing nurse.

"Do these mystery people have a last name?" Shizune said with a laugh. "That would help me find them."

"Oh, yeah. It's, um, Tokudan." Kiba replied, momentarily distracted by an odd contraption being used to help a patient in a room they were passing.

"Oh."

Kiba looked around to find Shizune regarding him with a solemn expression.

"What is it?"

"We have a patient with that last name, Kiba. But you can't see him."

"But I don't want, wait… what do you mean, I can't see him? Is he dying?"

Kiba turned away, running a hand through his hair when Shizune just looked at him. Filled with new resolve to find the girl, he turned back to Shizune.

"I have to find Kaori! Have you seen her?"

Shizune bit her lip. In truth, she didn't know who Kaori was; she had simply seen the name on a list and briefly checked on the patient.

"I'll ask for you. Just… just wait here. Ok?"

Kiba sank into a seat, leaning back and resting his head on the wall. This could be bad. Very bad. Akamaru sat next to him, his head resting in Kiba's lap; offering what comfort he could.

But both knew that the person who needed the comfort more was not there.

I've posted a small one-shot explaining Inoichi's somewhat cryptic explanation. It's called A Historical Sidestory. Read it, because it's awesome.