Everyone follow Linnorra's WONDERFUL example and correct my spelling errors! When you do find one (or several) please tell me where it is. Just saying 'this needs to be spelled like this' doesn't help if I can't find it in the chapter!

Part 14: Snapdragon

We had planned to make it up to the Naras for caring for me. We hadn't- no, YOU hadn't expected what would grow from a 'simple' sentence. I was thinking we where going to buy them a fruits basket or something, YOU had to do something else...

"Kiba, do you know if Shika is busy on Saturday?" You only mumbled back to Ino as you poked at your new flower arrangement. Because of our constant visits, I now had a place behind the register. I could lie down and listen to your bickering which has lessened a great deal as of late. If I understood correctly now, you have gone to an F- to a C. A large improvement, but now you were getting bored of the dying flowers. Any day now I was hoping it was finally going to be our last, but for some reason you kept hanging on.

"...I need to know if he's free, I'm working on a new dress and I want his opinion." If there was a man who was interested in such a subject, it wasn't Shikamaru. Bringing up the word shopping was the fastest way Shikaku got his son off of the couch. Where Shikamaru went next was anybodies guess. Chouji liked saying there was a certain floorboard lose... in some abandoned house.

"He's uh... busy. Why don't you ask Chouji?" Your interest in the Tulips began to grow stronger.

"He's too nice, I need a stronger critic."

"Well, he's got a mission."

"All I heard was he was going to play Shogi, like he always does." twitching from the new voice, you broke one of the stems.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino gave a wave over, "How's it going?"

"They had the ribbon!" she smiled swinging the paper bag onto the counter, "I also found some pretty thread!" she pulled stuff out of the bag but due to the angle I was in, I couldn't see anything.

"Ooh! It really is!"

"Isn't it?" I gave a grin as I watched you roll your eyes at the display.

"That's nice and all ladies, but shouldn't someone be getting a little help here?"

"You doing just fine, Kiba." Ino smirked, Sakura started to giggle.

"What's a guy like you doing with something as girly as flowers?"

"Something manly," you scoffed, yanking off the petals of a display that had taken you forty minutes to create, "I call this..." you yanked off one last leaf, "Exploded in April."

"Fascinating," Ino said in a bored tone, "You do realize you are paying for those flowers."

"God damn it." you picked up the vase and tipped it over the trash, the tortured plants falling to their final resting place.

"That will be 1,296 yen." you reached for your wallet.

"Damn it."

So after you lied about Shikamaru it only made absolute sense to go find him and tell him. I was hoping we would of found him at his house, as I wanted to visit with Maw-kura while you were busy digging yourself a deeper hole. Instead we found him at the market. Mildly ironic.

"Shika? Can I talk to you for a second?" Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at Chouji who just shrugged.

"Sure, what is it?" not saying a word, you grabbed him and yanked him into a corner. Chouji and I watched as you whispered fearfully into his ear.

"You said WHAT?"

Chouji only turned to me, "Would you like a chip?" Licking it up, I recognized the flavor of barbecue (I love this man!).

"Okay, so my choices are to either go with Ino, or hide from everyone I know." we started walking out of the market and to the park.

"You wouldn't rat me out!"

"Your kidding right?" Shikamaru rose an eyebrow, "I'm not going to look at fabrics all day, it's boring."

"They aren't that bad," Chouji said between chips, "She chose some nice ones."

"Nice ones for the dress or for Ino?" we settled under a large Sugi tree. You and the others shoved the forest floor into softer seats. "Girls are silly, just because you like a color doesn't mean you should wear it. Ino should stick to pale colors when she isn't on the job."

"Then why don't you tell her that?" you placed your head on my stomach, "She wanted your opinion."

"That's what she says." Shika placed his hands behind his head, "But when I do she gets all bitchy about it. Trust me, she doesn't want my opinion."

"I just wear what ever is useful and comfortable." Chouji shrugged, you and Shika grunted in agreement. It stayed quiet for a little while with the occasional crunching of wonderful chips till you popped up the question,

"So what are you going to do about Saturday?" Shikamaru glared at you.

"You mean 'we'."

The decision came to if Shika wasn't at his house, then Ino would think he was on the mission like you said. The major problem was preventing everyone but those in the know from seeing Shika and then telling Ino. You suggested our house, Chouji suggested that abandoned place, he settled for the latter.

"I still don't like this," Chouji muttered. I silently agreed, is it that hard to say no to the girl?

"What do you have to complain about? You actually have a mission this Saturday." you waved off, "You'll see the results when you get back, okay?"

I felt sorry for Chouji but maybe it was for the best. He didn't have the same type of humor as I, and therefor wouldn't be laughing like I was. Saturday was certainly a blast. I had forgotten how much could be crammed in a twenty four hour day. I guess it would make more sense to start from the beginning of the day.

You and I woke up, that was a given. Breakfast was quick and simple, due to the fact no one had bothered to buy any groceries in weeks because everyone was thinking someone else would do the job. We went out for an early morning walk where we came across Tenten and Neji, exchanged a few words and continued our way.

"I could totally picture Neji with a handlebar mustache." you said offhandedly. I shook my head, as humorous as it was, I preferred seeing people's faces. They are harder to read when they are covered in hair. Or clothes... you gave a curious look as I shivered from the hideous image of Shino with a lumberjack beard formed in my mind. Why did I have to imagine that? Why?

Another stupid conversation came and went as we came to the morning market for a light snack. After Chouji, I'm pretty sure that we come in second on the constant snacking meter. Unlike us though, it really is necessary for him to eat constantly. Ugh, I envy him, allowed to eat all the time any time.

After cleaning our bowls and returning them to the owners, a dust storm of sorts came charging in our direction and only when it was eight meters away did we realize what it was caused by.

"Alright Kiba! Fess up! Where is he?" Ino growled at you, her manicured nails clinging tight to your top.

"Where is who?" you gasped.

"Don't screw with me! He didn't go on a mission and you know it!" I stretched myself down in the shade made by the noodle stand. Looking up, I watched your mouth open and close failing to make any distinct meaning.

"Nah... no Ino!" you patted her arms nervously, "I wouldn't do a thing like that on purpose! I only told you what I knew!"

We are ninja, lying is more than normal and in most cases it is more important than the truth. A mission that has been assigned to us might contain information that can hold not just the danger of our assigner, but possibly thousands of other lives due to even a minor slip up. It's a way of life that has been lived for hundreds of years and honestly, I wouldn't know how to live a true honest life. Konoha wouldn't be 'the great fire nation' without people willing to murder and lie for someone's belief if not their own. It really makes me wonder what would happen if that crazy blond kid actually makes it to Hokage. With his ideals... I'm not sure it would be a ninja village. But something inside me says it would be truly amazing all the same.

Thankfully for Ino and not for you, she didn't believe your claim and grabbed you by the wrist. You know, the way mom does it you did something wrong when you're little and pointed to the thing you did wrong, "Bad Kiba! That was wrong! How dare you eat my shoes!" I've stolen shoes, but I've never chewed on one thanks to your example.

She dragged you around and I followed. First, we went to Shikamaru's house. Next, Chouji's. After that it was the park, the meadow and it was about that time Ino seemed to lose it. You started to regain composure and rubbed lightly where red marks had shown on your arms.

"I'm sorry Ino but his mission involves being someplace beyond the walls." You were smiling now, completely unaware of my grinning. She may of looked frustrated, but I could feel her steadiness and growing amusement.

"Do you like dresses Kiba?" she said calmly.

"Do I what?"

"You might be rustic, but you've never worn anything that clashes. Heck, I've never seen you wear an Aloha shirt..."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Well since Shika can't help me with my dress, I was thinking..."

"Oh hell no!" you started to back away, "Not my field!"

"Have you ever indulged in it? How would you know?" She pressed, as you backed yourself into a tree.

To those who are painfully tactful, one might of said you were being rather prejudiced in the world of feminine attire. But to those who know the Inuzuka clan would tell otherwise, no one wears dresses in our clan. The most casual wear the female might be walking in is pajamas if not naked. Even the transvestites and drag queens keep to pants. They are some of the most weirdest and creepiest pants I've ever seen, but they aren't dresses. It's not a manly issue, it's more of not an Inuzuka thing.

Ino did not know of this, taking you and pushing you to the back of the shop. I was in barking laughter when you tore yourself out of the place with bits of string in your hair and to the abandoned house.

"Shika! Where are you? Let me join you!"

"What are you doing here Kiba?" he was in a mad hiss, "This wasn't part of the plan!"

"NARA SHIKAMARU, YOU BASTARD!" screamed Ino from behind.

I thought when the Naras were so kind to keep me on that day, we would pay them back. I was thinking among the lines of a fruits basket, something easy and nice. Now you owed Nara Shikamaru so much more...

"I'm going to kill you man." he mumbled sitting next to your side as Ino modeled her tenth dress idea.

"I'm sorry!" you hissed back.

"Boys! I asked if these colors blended nicely!" she snapped making the both of you twitch. She then turned to me and patted my head, "You are such a good boy like Chouji, but I'm sure if you could talk you would of shown me where he was without all the trouble..."

"That fat bastard ratted us out?" you exclaimed, both Ino and Shika glared.

Shut up, Kiba. Shut up.

1,296 yen is about 12.50 USA dollars for those who are curious. This is dedicated to all the people who have to go through, "Honey, does these pants make me look fat?" No it doesn't, but your ass does.