Author: Sly Omi
Disclaimer: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.
Pairing: KibaNaruKiba
Warning: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.


"Y'know ..." Kiba started thoughtfully, chewing on a dango stick thoughtfully, arms crossed behind his head. His eyes unfocused and slid after a pedestrian as he trailed off.

There was an expectant silence that amounted to nothing – the Inuzuka stayed silent. With an annoyed sigh and a tiny roll of his eyes – this particular interruption of his peace wasn't enough to merit much more than that – Shikamaru placed down his cup of tea and turned to the Inuzuka boy. He propped an elbow on his knee, placed his cheek on his fist, and raised an eyebrow. Just his luck, or lack thereof, that Kiba didn't seem inclined to be very observant today – the brunette kept staring off at the street in front of him.

"What?" Shikamaru drawled at last, annoyance dripping from the word.

"Oh," Kiba snapped back to the present, lifting his eyes to watch Naruto playing with Akamaru. "It just struck me that Naruto's always in a good mood."

Shikamaru's other eyebrow joined its twin near his hairline, "What? What's that got to do with anything? Do you want to see Naruto in a bad mood?"

"No!" the Inuzuka shot back defensively, blushing a little when he realized just who he was talking to. Shikamaru was not the sort of person one thought of when they had something abstract or whimsical to discuss. "Of course not. ... It's just ... it's weird that he's always so happy, is all. I mean, even his anger is half the time just an act – and it never lasts. I've never seen him stay angry, or sad, or anything. It can't be healthy."

Shikamaru snorted.

"Oh, forget it."

"Bah. You're acting like some neglected girlfriend. I'm not going to bother with you if you're going to be so troublesome."

"I am not!" the Inuzuka snapped, snapping the dango stick between his teeth and spitting the pieces out, "It's just weird. I don't understand how he does it, is all."

"Right, right," the chuunin said, holding his hands out placatingly, "Look – maybe he likes being happy. He's not the sort of person to spend his life brooding like Uchiha." – he was cut off as Kiba snorted over the mental image of Naruto dying his hair black and walking around under a perpetual storm cloud. – "If you're that worried about it, let him know."

A loud laugh caught both their attentions, and they looked up to see Naruto snickering madly as Akamaru licked his face, in a dog's version of a kiss. Kiba's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped, and Shikamaru was forced to blink a few times.

"Y'know ..." the Inuzuka muttered, "I think it'd be okay if I left that part to Akamaru."