Author's Note: Wow! 20 of you have put "Ramen" in your favorites! I feel so touched… either that or you haven't read any good fanfics XD Also, thank you whoever put this in The Hidden Shadow of the Cosmos Flower C2! That makes me want to cry! And congrats to all of you who guessed about this special segment! You're so smart! But enough about me, on to the date-a-tude…
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, there would be considerably less gay people mobbed by Akatsuki …ow…
Sakura Haruno, future Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha. She smiled and sighed at the title as she walked down the streets of her village, remembering the absolutely wonderful time she had had on their "mission" today. First, Sasuke had brushed by her. Then he'd looked at her! And he didn't frown! Which for no reason (except for that known to his fangirls alone) meant he was in love with her! Granted, it was not just her and Sasuke that were on the mission, but Naruto was keeping his distance and Kakashi-sensei… Well, he was normal, but that was okay. A certain shop caught her eye in the glint of the dying sun. She smiled to herself, and pushed open a glass door with ease.
"Hey, Ino! Just thought I'd stop by since I finished my mission with––– Oh… my… Kami-sama," Sakura managed as she walked into the Yamanaka flower shop, nearly falling in shock. She tried to add more, but found she couldn't speak. Ino turned around guiltily, trying to hide her obvious plunder.
"Darn it, Sakura, can't you knock?" Ino cursed inwardly as she remembered that the bell on the front door wasn't working.
"Ino…" Sakura tried again. "Where did you get so much…?" She gestured around. Ino attempted to laugh, and it came out more of a nervous giggle.
"What? It's not that much." Sakura gawked.
"Not that much? Not that much? Ino, do you hear what you're saying? What did you do, rob a bank?" The pink-haired girl made her way over to where her ex-best friend rested against piles of stuff.
"Actually… Yeah. I did." Ino ran a hand through her fair-haired locks. Sakura blinked.
"You robbed a bank?" She asked blankly.
"Well… yeah." Sakura took a breath.
"I see." She mused this thought over for a second, and then finally exploded.
"YOU ROBBED A BANK? WHY DID YOU ROB A BANK? No, not even 'why!' HOW?"
"Hey, you don't need to blow my eardrums out…" Ino grumbled, then sighed. "Look, it's a long story that started this morning." Sakura pulled out a plastic chair and plunked herself down on it, glancing at the clock.
"We've got time," she smiled brightly, clasping her hands together innocently.
"Y'know, this is why I get mad at you," Ino mumbled.
"I'm listening…"
"Okay, okay. It went something like this…"
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"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Gonna go out with Sasuke-kun! Gonna be all mine––– Sasuke-kun!" Ino sang cheerily into the morning's floral-scented air. She bustled about the shop in a happy mood, for today she, Ino Yamanaka, soon to be Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha, would have her first romantic date with the love of her life. It had been a few busy weeks since the "Chouji incident," and although there was strained awkwardness on everybody's parts, it soon became apparent that things were getting back to normal. In fact, the group of girls had managed to not only meet but plan on just how they would get the Uchiha heir to go on a date willingly with Ino. Well, okay, it was mostly Tenten and Ino planning, but who cares about details?
At any rate, Ino could hardly contain her excitement, even when the bell over the door tinkled loudly, announcing the first customer of the day. Ino winced and looked over at her guest with a forced business smile.
"Welcome to Yamanaka–– Naruto?" Her smile relaxed a little at the company, so close had they gotten over only a few of the dates and a few times spent hanging out on the side. In fact, come to think of it, he'd been in her shop for many of the past couple mornings. The blonde boy pulled up a chair and faced it backwards, propping his elbows lazily on the back.
"Yamanaka Naruto," he smirked with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I like the sound of that." Ino pretended to gasp in revulsion and swatted him over the back of the head.
"Listen to you!" She couldn't help but laugh at the boy's antics. "What would Sakura say if she heard you?"
"Good riddance?"
"Naruto!"
"Well, she would," he whined, but then looked up at her slyly. "But who says I care anymore; I get to hang out with you, right?" Ino could see the imploring look in his eyes. When she didn't answer Naruto tried to laugh it off, but it came out awkwardly, so he stopped. The girl turned away and busied herself with a potted plant. She didn't want to see this happening; she had seen it too many times already. That same look, that same tone of voice all over again. It seemed this whole date thing was turning out to be a stupid mistake. Maybe it wasn't what she thought. Maybe he hadn't grown so attached to her. Maybe…
"Naruto, I'm telling you, Sakura's just using Lee." Ino paused, then added a little more quietly, "Like you used me, right?" Suddenly Naruto was snapped out of his dreamy stupor.
"Wait–– what?" He cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?" Ino cleared her throat.
"I mean that you're trying to get Sakura back, right? Wasn't that the whole point?" Naruto was only able to blink in disbelief.
"So what are you saying, that I'm just… using you?"
"Well, no, but…" She didn't turn around for fear of looking into his eyes. "I mean… Yeah." She waited.
"So I'm using you," he said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.
"Well, no, I mean…" This wasn't turning out right at all; she didn't like the direction this conversation could take. Why had she decided to get close with him in the first place? Was she really so jealous of everyone else?
"Then why did you say it if you didn't mean it?" He got up, pushing the chair back. She closed her eyes and tried to take a breath.
"But I… did mean it …" She couldn't say anything more. Why, oh why on today of all days?
"You meant that you think I'm using you to get to Sakura-chan?" His voice was barely under control, dripping with disbelief. "So this whole thing has meant nothing to you at all?"
"No, I…!" Ino turned all of sudden, trying not to cry in her frustration. "It's just… It seems like… I mean, I just thought…!"
"That's… That's not fair, Ino-chan!" As his agitation increased so did the level of his voice. "You had just as much fun as I did! I mean… didn't you? You would have said something, wouldn't you?" Ino couldn't look at him. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yes!" She hated this. "Yes, I would have–––"
"And you were flirting with me! We talked over the phone and–––"
"Only because you were!" She wasn't thinking clearly. "Naruto, I don't want to talk about this!"
"We are talking about this!" He was staring intensely at her, fists balled at his sides, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.
"Ino, look at me!" He commanded suddenly, his alarm giving rise to uncharacteristic gruffness. She couldn't. "Ino!" She couldn't handle any more. "Ino, tell me that you like me!" She couldn't. "Ino, tell me that you like me like I like you! Tell me!"
"But I DON'T!" Suddenly the room was silent, catching the girl offguard. "Naruto, I'm sorry for what you thought it was, but it's not like that! I don't… I don't like you like that, okay?" She could see the shock hit him first, then pain. "I mean, yes, I enjoyed being with you, and yeah, I kinda had a thing for you going there, but come on! We're only twelve! It was just a stupid dating thing! I didn't… it…it wasn't supposed to be… like that." Why did she feel like she had to justify the way she felt? Why did all this guilt suddenly flood her? She was just getting a handle on what a "crush" was, and now this! Naruto's eyes widened with the rejection and he looked down, clearly feeling burned. She didn't mean to lead him on like that…
"Naruto…?" Ino couldn't stand to see him like this. "Naruto, we can still be friends, I'm just not ready for–––" He swatted away the comforting hand she tried to put on his shoulder.
"Whatever," he muttered darkly. He paused, clenching his teeth, then looked up slowly. "I…I guess…"
"You… guess what?" The change was abrupt. Suddenly he grinned widely, and even laughed a little. Ino was taken aback.
"Yeah, well, that's never stopped me before, right?" He laughed harder, but she could tell it was forced... and it pained her. "I guess… what really sucks is that I'll always keep losing to that stuck up jerk!" He laughed again for good measure, but Ino did not join in. How could she? She felt sick to her stomach.
"Naruto, it's not–––"
"Oh, don't worry about me," he shrugged hastily, cutting her off. "I'm used to it from Sakura-chan." He smiled again, and then thought for a moment. "Which reminds me, I'll be late for our mission. That same stupid lady keeps losing her cat, and now two dogs and a few gerbils, maybe a hamster…"
"Wait––– what mission?" Ino asked, puzzled even further. "Today's the…" She trailed off, realizing it might be insensitive. He tilted his head to the side as he had done earlier.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? Oops. Yeah, we got a last minute mission, so Sakura's calling the whole thing off. Geez, you think they would'a picked another team, but no…" He stopped, and then looked directly into her eyes. "Hope you won't die of… anxiety or anything." Ino couldn't believe her ears. That was a note of bitterness just now!
"Wait, Naruto!" But he was already gone, running as hard as he could out the door. Ino stood there for a few minutes, and then sighed. Naruto was heartbroken from rejection, and now Ino wouldn't even be able to go on her date with Sasuke! She flopped down into the chair that had held her guest only a few minutes before… and found she felt like crying. Couldn't anything go right today? What she needed desperately was something, anything at all to help her forget this lousy start. A distraction of any kind! Ino closed her eyes and held her face in her hands, wishing with her heart. And it was at that moment that the door banged open in violent gust of wind, causing the fragile bell to shatter on the wall. In the doorway stood the cause of the disturbance, and normally the blonde girl would have risen in anger immediately. But when Ino looked up… she saw a savior.
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"Y-y-you!" The girl managed, standing up suddenly and pointing a shaky finger at the other girl. "You…!"
"Me," her companion replied with a small smirk, quirking an eyebrow. She stepped into the shop, dragging her giant fan behind her and running a sweaty hand through her bangs. "Nice place you got here. You get much business?" She looked over at the door and gave a fake guilty smile at the destruction. "Oops, did I do that?"
"W–wait a minute. Why are you here?" Ino managed, looking wildly about. The other girl snorted.
"How about you show your elders some respect, little girl?" She leaned against the folded metal fan. "But I guess I couldn't have expected much more. Shikamaru said you'd be trouble…" At the mention of the name Ino snapped back to reality.
"Shikamaru? He sent you?" The girl with the fan suddenly struck the floor with the silver instrument in frustration.
"Look, I have a name, you know! How 'bout you learn it?" She cleared her throat and said, very slowly. "Te…ma…ri… Got it? Good." Ino scrunched up her face, insulted, but did not retaliate. This girl, Temari; she was much stronger than Ino, she knew, and it would not be good to incur her wrath. So thinking, Ino swallowed her hot spit.
"Temari," she repeated, and the other girl nodded with a smile. "Okay, Temari-san–––"
"Just Temari," the other girl cut her off. "I hate formality." I can tell, Ino thought ruefully.
"Okay, then, Temari… please tell me why Shikamaru sent you here." Temari snorted at the comment but proceeded anyways.
"Here's the deal. My brother, Kankuro–– I'm sure you remember him from the Chuunin exams, the one with the wack face paint? Anyways, he has business in town and I decided to drop by." She ended this vague explanation with yet another smile, and Ino was beginning to see a pattern.
"So… that's it? You're just going to hang out here?" Ino's voice was rich with skepticism. Temari snorted again.
"Tsh, no. I'm here to drop this one off." The girl turned and craned her neck to see behind a display of fresh roses. "Come on, now, don't be shy…" At first Ino thought that perhaps the girl really was insane, but slowly something began to move… And what Ino had thought were petals she saw, with horror, was actually hair. Red hair. She gasped, unable to find words to voice her terror.
"Come on, Gaara…" Temari cooed in a sweet voice. He stood beside his sister, a little uneasily, but his stone-cold stare said differently. "Gaara, say hello to––"
"Is that really necessary?" he snapped, and his older sibling shut up immediately. The room was filled with an eerie aura of doom, and Temari, doing the intelligent thing, decided not to stick around.
"So… I'm just gonna leave you two alone to get acquainted and stuff, mmkay?" She beamed, grabbing her fan and placing it in the sash on her back.
"Wait, um…" Ino was still trying to get in control of her tongue. "This isn't––– what's going on?" Temari's smile widened as she leaned against the frame of the door, ready to bolt at any second.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? Your Gaara's new babysitter."
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Silence hung thickly in the air of the small floral shop, and Ino could not begin to describe how confused and emotionally drained she was right now. She sank into the plastic white seat, wanting to no longer cry but laugh hysterically. Babysitter! Her! Here she was, the same age as this boy, and his sister thought she could just dump him on her like that! Oh, and let's not forget the fact that the last time Ino had seen the mass-murderer, he was on a killing spree and had "R.I.P. Uchiha" burning in his eyes. This was not Ino's idea of babysitting, and certainly not her ideal date. She sighed.
"So… G…" She choked on the word, but regained her composure. Chill, chill… If Naruto can handle this guy, then so can I…
"Gaara, right?" The girl asked, beginning again. "I'm In––"
"I know," he interrupted her disinterestedly. "She told me."
"…oh." Come on, Ino, make the best of the situation! "So…um… do you… know what's going on?" He didn't move a muscle. At. All. Ino gulped. "I mean, 'cause I'm not sure…" This was hopeless. "Okay, look, I know you probably don't like me… at all. In fact, you probably hate me. A lot. But this is like, the last thing I need right now, so if you could kindly tell your… um… your…"
"Sister." It was said evenly, his eyes not moving from her face.
"Right. Sister. If you could kindly tell your sister to not drop her problems on me, it'd be much appreciated." He remained silent for a while, thinking, watching her. Ino hated this; she was practically to the point of screaming and they'd only been there for five minutes! In fact, she might do something drastic––
"Your eyes." His voice in the quiet room had a chilling effect, but Ino braved the cold anyway.
"I'm…I'm sorry?" He tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Your eyes," he repeated slowly, and this time he moved his head to the other side, but only a little bit. He paused, looking for the right words. "They're… "
"Blue?" Ino asked, trying to hasten his thought out speech. He shook his head.
"Pretty," he decided at last. "They look like… his."
"Whose?"
"Naruto's." Ino sucked in air sharply.
"I see." Her sudden change in mood made Gaara curious.
"Don't you like him?" Ino laughed lightly.
"Well, what's not to like?" She paused. "Um…Can we change topics?" He shrugged.
"You want to know why I'm here?" Gaara said at last.
"Wha–– oh, yes! Please," Ino added enthusiastically. He nodded somewhat, and his sudden openness in manner threw Ino off. It was almost as if he knew for when he spoke again, he said, "It's because I trust your eyes." The boy seemed to look right through them. He waited again before speaking.
"I have a brother, too," he began. "Not just a sister." Ino nodded for him to continue. "His specialty is puppets… he works with them… And uses them to fight.
"Recently, he joined up with… some people… They travel a lot. And they put on shows…" He hesitated. He was looking for the right word again; communication was obviously not his strong point.
"A puppet troupe?" He nodded, and his eyes relaxed a little.
"Yes. They're here this weekend."
"Oh… So you guys traveled here to watch your brother perform?" Gaara shook his head this time.
"No. Not exactly. Temari's friend… your friend, he and Temari have been sending letters to each other."
"Letters?" He nodded. "Why?" He shrugged.
"He told her about this… thing that you've been doing… And she decided you would watch me." Thing? Ino was confused, and it took her a few minutes to process what he had said. Then it hit her.
"Wait a minute. So Temari is the one who sent all those letters to Shikamaru that one time, and she's his 'penpal' that he's been hiding from me, but that I found out about anyway by bribing Chouji? And he told her about the dating thing, and now you're here because your sister thinks that this can somehow count as a date?" Gaara nodded simply. "AUGH!"
"What's wrong?"
"Well, for starters, this isn't exactly a date." Gaara blinked.
"It's… not?"
"No." Ino couldn't believe the gall of that woman! When she saw Temari again… she'd probably cower like a little girl. But at least she could imagine beating her up!
"What's… a date?" He paused, and then added. "Ino."
"A date?" She thought it over for a moment. "Well… it's what two people do to get to know each other."
"We're getting to know each other," he replied blankly.
"Yeah, but normally they go out and do something fun." Gaara blinked.
"Fun?"
"What? You don't know what fun is?" He shook his head.
"I was told… my definition wasn't exactly… correct." Ino understood.
"Well, it's something that makes you happy." Gaara's eyes widened slightly at this.
"Happy?" He thought for a moment. "What makes you… happy, Ino?" The girl smiled, sweating slightly.
"Well…" She laced her fingers and stretched before getting up. "Walks. Walks make me very happy. Do you want to go for one?" Gaara was silent for a minute or two. Then finally he nodded.
"Yes." He hesitated. "A date-walk."
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"Ahh, it feels so nice to be outside!" Ino laughed as she skipped ahead slightly. Gaara was in less of a good mood; after all, people stared at him, whispered about him when they thought he wasn't looking, and then there was the occasional little child pointing, screaming, and running away when they saw him come near. It didn't help that he was outright glaring. Ino knew this all too well and turned abruptly around.
"So, Gaara! Now that I've said what makes me happy, what makes you happy?" The question caught him off guard and he nearly tripped over himself in the process, a very un-Gaara-like thing to do. He shook his head slowly.
"I… " He seemed a bit frustrated. "Not this walk." Ino frowned, hurt a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I–––"
"Not you," Gaara cut her off. He nodded slightly to the surrounding area. "Them." Ino suddenly understood what he was saying.
"Oh, I see… Yeah…" She thought for a moment. "What about ice cream?" The idea came to her as she saw a small cart up ahead, the vendor happily selling the sweet product to various people. Gaara blinked and then nodded.
"Yes," he admitted at last. "It's nice… At home it's hot… So ice cream is good." Ino smiled in satisfaction. They stood in line and waited, Ino chatting about whatever came to mind and Gaara nodding every now and then in response. However, when it came time for them to order, Ino fished into her pocket for her wallet and found she only had enough money for one cone!
"Ah! I thought I had more money!" She cried. "I suppose it's because we've been waiting for the flower shop to pick up…" She sighed and handed over the currency, receiving the vanilla cone Gaara had admitted to wanting. In fact, he had practically demanded only vanilla, but Ino let it slide; after all, he was talking, right?
"Man, that sucks," Ino murmured as they continued their walk through town, Gaara contentedly licking his ice cream cone.
"Here." Gaara offered the rest to the girl. Ino shook her head, but he insisted.
"Um… thanks," she managed. It was good. For some reason Ino didn't remember the ice cream from that man being so good, but maybe he just got a different brand.
"Better?" Gaara asked, a little worry in his voice. Ino laughed when she realized what he meant.
"Oh, that's not the reason I said it," she said with a chuckle. "It's just that I don't have any money…" The red-haired boy timidly reached for the cone again, seeing Ino was preoccupied, so she distractedly handed it back. He cheerfully finished it off. But the sugar did not hinder his curiosity.
"Why do you need… money?" Ino blinked at this statement.
"Mmm? Well, see, I was going to go shopping, because that's something I also find fun, but I guess I can't." The disappointment in her voice caused Gaara's gaze to harden. Granted, he had barely known this strange girl for a couple hours, but his sister and Naruto trusted her, so the fact that she was unhappy disturbed him greatly. He was finding it was a hard thing to do, not only love yourself, but you could manage it if the other person wasn't unhappy. At last, he spoke.
"Where do you… get money?"
"Well, normally I would get some from my allowance at home," the girl replied as she gazed into a store window at a cute purse she was just dying to have. "But I don't feel like walking all the way home and back, and by the time we would have gotten out here again, we'll have to go right back." Gaara's frown deepened.
"So people have to… carry their money with them everywhere?" Ino thought for a moment.
"Well, no. There are credit cards, which we're to young to have but are great for shopping, there're checks, which I don't know much about, and then…" She trailed off and shook her head. "There's the bank, but we don't have an account."
"What's…a bank?"
"It's a place where people store their money, but I don't think–––" Gaara seemed to brighten considerably.
"Is there one nearby?"
"Um… Yeah, actually. It's across the street." Ino pointed at a rather old and large building. Gaara nodded.
"Good. Let's… get some money."
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Gaara's eyes narrowed, and his fists were balling at his sides. He was trying to control his anger; Kankuro, being the only sensible one in the household, had taught him a little about that. Even so…
"Yeah… Nice try kid…" The woman behind the desk continued to smirk and snicker at the boy. "You kinda have to, I dunno, have an account? How old are you, anyways?" She was still snickering. Ino, embarrassed, stood behind the determined and frustrated Gaara, hoping no one recognize her. Gaara's steely gaze would not from the lady's face, and she was beginning to find it annoying.
"Hey, kid, I don't have time for your jokes," she snapped. "So if you would kindly get out of the way of the other custo–––" It happened in an instant. It always did. Gaara's lethal strike was practiced until it was an artform, and this lady was his recent piece. An arm of sand held her by the collar, and she choked out her surprise.
"I didn't ask for your scorn," Gaara growled, the sand tightening its hold as his hands tightened on his folded arms. "I asked for money." The women's eyes were wide with fear, and Ino managed to squeak something in her shock.
"G-Gaara, we'll be killed by ANBU!" She hissed, back to back with him, searching for security–nin.
"Hold onto me," he commanded. Ino blushed suddenly at this order.
"W-what?"
"The sand will protect you if you hold onto me," Gaara explained quietly. Ino wavered but at last she held onto the boy from behind, pressed tightly against the grooves of the large gourd. What the heck was she doing? Ino didn't know, and she decided it was best just not to think about it. Gaara was stronger than anyone she knew (well, except maybe Sasuke-kun) by far, so what could she do?
"Now I'll give you one last chance," the red-haired youth grinned wildly, his eyes alive with the spark of fresh blood. Some habits don't change. "Give. Us. All. Your. Money." Ino wanted to interrupt him and yell that this was crazy, but the Gaara she was gripping was the psycho one of old and would most likely not listen to reason. The boy let the woman drop to the floor roughly, and she rubbed her neck bitterly.
"I'll scream!" She threatened, smiling nervously. Gaara grinned insanely right back.
"Do it. It'll be your last sound." That shut the woman up. She began searching for a bag distractedly, and then filled it with all the money she could get her hands on. This kid wasn't kidding around. With a quivering hand and a defiant glint in her eye the lady handed him the bag. Gaara was about to grab it from her when the woman suddenly chucked a stapler at his head in an attempt to distract him. Ino let out a shrill scream. Needless to say it attracted the attention of everyone in the immediate vicinity, including several nin who happened to be in the bank and should have been paying attention in the first place. Alas.
"Help, help! Theif!" The woman shouted as the stapler bounced harmlessly off of Gaara's sand. Instantly other ninja sprang into action, running at them and throwing various sharp, metal objects. Ino couldn't take it anymore; Gaara was just standing there, and sooner or later one of the nin would know her. She had no choice.
"Gaara, watch my body!" She yelled suddenly. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Gaara found himself holding a limp Ino, but heard her voice nonetheless… coming from the bank teller?
"Um… Sorry about that! HEY! Yeah, all you ninja, um… I'm just kidding. This is my nephew… And… um…" Ino's faked voice hesitated, and she looked at Gaara, who was still a bit confused at the jutsu's use. "It's Fake a Theft Day! Yeah, you know… testing your skill… um… So anyways, I'll just take this back…" But Gaara, still suspicious, wouldn't let go. He glared at Ino's current body, holding onto the bag like a vice.
"Gaara, what are you doing?" Ino hissed.
"No," he said simply. Ino sighed.
"Um… Okay, fine. You can, uh… take the play money, sweetie…" By this time most of ninja and normal bank people who should have known better but conveniently didn't had returned to normal, so Ino released the jutsu, and had Gaara promptly knock out the woman, at which point they made their escape and went shopping like mad. And Ino got that cute purse she really wanted. Heck, she got ten, with matching outfits and jewelry. Then Gaara helped her move the stuff with his sand to the flower shop, and then his sister picked him up. The End.
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"Wait, what?" Sakura blinked at the abrupt ending to the story. "You rob a bank and then the end? That's it?" Ino threw up her hands in defeat.
"Sakura, we robbed a bank! What more do you want!" Ino paused. "I guess I shouldn't say that too loudly…"
"Nope," Sakura laughed. "But now I have something on you and Gaara… Well, okay, just you…" Ino glared.
"They wouldn't recognize me…" she muttered.
"Wanna bet?"
"Okay, okay, what do you want?" Ino ran a hand through her hair, not wanting to play games with her "rival." Sakura smirked and fanned out tickets in front of her face. Tickets to a show…a puppet show…that puppet show!
"What the heck!" Ino exclaimed.
"Ino, congratulations. You just won a date… with Kankuro!"
Ah, sorry this was so long, but it wasn't long enough to justify cutting it into two chapters (the original Shino one was over 5,000 words, so…) I mean, uh… extra long because I take so long to update? ;; Also, sorry about the length of the NaruIno scene… A lot of people said they liked this couple, so I thought I'd make it special… Come to think of it, I like this couple XD Next time is Kankuro! Don't' forget to tell me what you thought by reviewing! 3 Labbess