Chapter Twenty Four
They children had been thinking of more ways to get Kiba back for calling them brats and so far they had soaked him in lemonade, dunked him in honey, stuck feathers all over him, bombarded him with tomatoes, tripped him over seven times, stuck ice cream down his jacket and Terrane had given him a make over while he slept in the ice cream shop, that he still hasn't noticed. However, Kiba had graced them with six more names to go with 'Brat' in response. So far he had called them 'Munchkins' 'Umpalumas' 'Midgets' 'Twerps' and, much to the boys' hatred, 'Fairies' and 'Pixies'. This only gained the dog-boy more chance of being killed by the four. With the way they were glaring at him, if looks could kill…
"Okay fairies, Kini-chan said to take you to get some dango." He declared, heading to the dango shop. "And then Ice cream." He headed in and bought some dango before heading out, only to find the kids gone. "OH NO! KINI-CHAN'S GONNA KILL ME!" He yelled. The dog-nin looked both ways down the street and began to wander around all of Konoha, trying to find the Munchkins before Kinikura came to get them, or worse, before they found her. "Terrane! Ryiko! Tyiko! Karene!" He shouted, hoping that they would come back.
"Hey Kiba!" Hollered a female voice from behind him, angrily. He slowly turned around to see the female assassin standing with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently. She looked angry. Very angry. "Where are the kids Kiba?" She hissed though clenched teeth. "I swear if they're hurt, you're dead meat!" She threatened. Kiba gulped and looked about ready to wet himself. "You couldn't even tell a Henge no jutsu when you see one."
"Well… you see… I, um- wait, Henge?" He asked confused. The Huntress giggled and he heard stifled laughter from the ally. Kiba turned and looked down the narrow street and glared at the five figures rolling on the floor laughing. He turned back to 'Kinikura' and glared harder. "Terrane?" the person shook their head. "Karene?" Another shake. "Ryiko? Tyiko?" Again, no. "Then, who…?" The person pretending to be Kinikura burst out laughing and erupted in a poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared, there stood a girl with brown hair in two buns and warm brown eyes. Kiba stared at Ten-ten unbelievingly. She shook her head.
"Honestly Kiba, it was a good thing Kini-chan told us to keep an eye on you and the children or you would have killed them already!" She reprised. He sighed and awaited the obviously-going-to-happen lecture. "When someone leaves you in charge of kids, you treat them nicely and you don't think of as many names for them as possible."
"What would Kini-chan say if she knew what you've been doing to her siblings?" Questioned a new voice. Kiba looked into the ally again and saw Temari standing with the four that caused this, now two people, lecture. "We should tell her what you did, but since we're in a good mood, we'll let the kids decide what to do with you."
"K-Kiba, you should try to be nicer to the children. They didn't d-do anything to y-you." Stated a smaller, quieter voice, but still feminine none-the-less. Kiba rolled his head on his neck and looked to his right, the opposite direction to Temari and the ally, and saw the pale, but strong, Hyuuga heiress standing there, also lecturing him on the properties of proper child-care.
"Yeah! And, how can you be so cruel to the little cuties?!" Screeched yet another voice, but this one was from behind him. He saw the kids cringe at the sound of her wail and he knew instantly who it was. The queen of boring and pointless lectures, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, THE INO! He groaned and placed; a.k.a threw his head into his hands and waited for the girls to be finished with their pointless babbling. "Names like 'Brats' are not proper for someone to give the children that they are watching."
"I get it! I won't call them brats anymore!" He declared loudly.
"And?" Enquired the girls and children together.
"And I wont call them 'Munchkins', 'Umpalumas', 'Midgets', 'Twerps', 'Fairies' or 'Pixies'! Happy?"
"Why were you calling my little brothers and sister all those names in the first place Inuzuka?" Asked a cold voice from above him, on the roof of the Hokage's tower, since he had gone there in his search for the children. She jumped down and observed him from head-to-toe in slight amusement.
Sakura's PoV
I had just finished my discussion with Tsunade and was about to head to the park to meet my siblings when I spotted Kiba running along the street. 'He brought them here?' 'If Inuzuka brought them here then where are they?' 'I want to see my sister and brothers!' 'He lost them.' 'How do you know that?' 'Listen.'
"Terrane! Ryiko! Tyiko! Karene!" He shouted, obviously hoping that they would come back.
"Hey Kiba!" Hollered a female voice from behind him, angrily. He slowly turned around to see a poor Henge of myself standing with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently. It was obviously Ten-ten. The chakra waves were all wrong. "Where are the kids Kiba?" She hissed though clenched teeth, trying to act as intimidating as I am. I have to admit, she is pretty good. "I swear if they're hurt, you're dead meat!" She threatened. I almost laughed when Kiba gulped and looked about ready to wet himself. "You couldn't even tell a Henge no jutsu when you see one." She stated. Kiba would defiantly figure out who it really was now.
"Well… you see… I, um- wait, Henge?" He asked confused. The Huntress impersonator giggled and I heard stifled laughter from the ally. I looked down into the narrow street and saw five figures rolling on the floor laughing. Amusement crossed my features, but I banished soon after. Temari.
He turned back to Ten-ten, or 'Kinikura', and glared harder than he had glared at the ninja and ninja-to-be in the ally. "Terrane?" Ten-ten shook their head. "Karene?" Another shake. "Ryiko? Tyiko?" Again, no. this was starting to get more annoying that funny and I decided that I would need to put a stop to it soon. "Then, who…?" Ten-ten did a very un-me-ish thing and burst out laughing before cancelling the jutsu and getting covered by a poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared, there stood a girl with brown hair in two buns and warm brown eyes. Kiba stared at Ten-ten unbelievingly. She shook her head yet again.
"Honestly Kiba, it was a good thing Kini-chan told us to keep an eye on you and the children or you would have killed them already!" She reprised him. I rolled my eyes and almost felt sorry for Kiba, since he was about to get a Ten-ten lecture, in which the other konoichis in hiding would most likely join. "When someone leaves you in charge of kids, you treat them nicely and you don't think of as many names for them as possible." She told him.
"What would Kini-chan say if she knew what you've been doing to her siblings?" Questioned a new voice. Temari was just stepping out of the ally again with the four kids and I smirked as his lecture became doubled. "We should tell her what you did, but since we're in a good mood, we'll let the kids decide what to do with you."
"K-Kiba, you should try to be nicer to the children. They didn't d-do anything to y-you." Stated a smaller, quieter voice, but still feminine none-the-less. Hinata was standing to Kiba's right, the opposite direction to my siblings and the ally, and had now, also, started lecturing him on his poor child-care.
"Yeah! And, how can you be so cruel to the little cuties?!" Screeched yet another voice, but this one was from behind him. I noticed that the kids cringe at the sound of my friend's wail and no one there needed to look because they all knew instantly who it was. The queen of lectures, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, THE INO! Everyone began to call her 'The Ino' since she was the number one lecturer in Konoha. 'She could probably win in a fight with Kisame by telling him off for killing and saying that it was wrong to abandon your village.' I heard Kiba groan as he threw his head into his hands, waiting for the girls to be finished with their babbling. "Names like 'Brats' are not proper for someone to give the children that they are watching."
"I get it! I won't call them brats anymore!" He declared loudly.
"And?" Enquired the girls and children together.
"And I wont call them 'Munchkins', 'Umpalumas', 'Midgets', 'Twerps', 'Fairies' or 'Pixies'! Happy?" 'He called them all of those names?!'
"Why were you calling my little brothers and sister all those names in the first place Inuzuka?" I asked a coldly from the roof of the Hokage's tower. I then jumped down and observed him from head-to-toe in slight amusement. He was covered in some yellow, sticky stuff and had feathers all over him. I also noticed that he had an ice cream stain seeping though the underneath of his shirt and had tomato juice and seeds over him, but mostly on his face and in his hair. "What happened to you?"
"Them." He said, gesturing to the four children that were standing, looking as innocent as angels with an inability to lie or do wrong. I shook my head and gave them the same look a mother would give her child before they miraculously and totally 'willingly' confessed to their crimes and/or wrong doings.
"We tipped almost frozen lemonade all over him so that he would get a cold!" Ryiko admitted. The eldest and youngest both scowled at him where as his twin looked ready to burst out with the amount of information he was holding in. I looked him right in the eye and he cracked.
"After-we-tipped-freezing-lemonade-on-him-we-dunked-him-in-honey-and-then-we-stuck-feathers-to-him-and-then-we-threw-hundreds-of-tomatoes-at-him-but-tis-weird-kid-with-chick-hair-chased-us-yelling-"MY-TOMATOES!"-And-when-we-got-to-the-ice-cream-shop-we-put-ice-cream-down-his-shirt-and-then-when-he-fell-asleep-Terrane-put-make-up-on-him!" Tyiko yelled out in one breath and, surprisingly, as once word.
I had a good idea about who the tomato obsessed freak with the chicken hair was and they did have some good ideas, but no matter what logic I put behind it, I couldn't find anything not funny about what the did to him. I laughed out loud and got some odd looks, but after a few seconds the konoichis and the kids laughed with me. Kiba stood for a few moments before he too laughed his head off.
"Kini-chan, why did you start to laugh?" Kiba asked stupidly.
"No matter how hard I try, the things that they did to you aren't logical, just smart and funny." I told him when I finished laughing.
"Okay. So, since I took care of them for you, how about I take you to diner, you know, so that you can pay me back with your lovely self as company." He asked as he was trying to be the Casanova he obviously isn't. I heard gagging noises from behind him and when I looked over his shoulder I saw that Terrane had sort of a jealous/angry look while the boys were pretending to puke. "Oh yeah?" Kiba said, turning to face the boys. "Let's see you do better then!" He challenged. Karene smirked and walked over to me. He had a look in his eye that asked me to help, so I did.
"Lovely maiden," He began, taking my hand. "You look radiant, would you do me the honour of allowing me to escort you to dine with me at the Ichiruka ramen bar tonight?" 'Now that is how you speak like a Casanova!'
"It would be my honour of being your date, good sir. I only fear that master dog-breath would become like green-eyed monster of jealous rage." I replied, making him smile and the others laugh, while Kiba just looked dumb-struck.
"If that were to be so then I would protect you to the end my fair maiden for my love cannot be rivalled by the hatred of lord flea-brain." He told my, still holding my hand and I smirked.
"Sorry dog-boy but, Karene won." I said to Kiba. "He's a regular romantic, this one."
"Fine, so the kid does it better than me. What about the gruesome twosome over there?" He asked, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the twins.
"Watch and learn flea-boy." Ryiko told Kiba as he walked over to Ino. She cleared her throat but the boy thought better of it and turned around to walk to Ten-ten instead. "Beautiful princess, your pure soul has drawn me near and I fear that I cannot stay away. Pray, take my invitation to the ramen bar and do not throw it back to break my heart." 'Wow. He will have no trouble with the ladies when he grows up' Ten-ten giggled and took his outstretched hand as she prepared to answer in the same way he asked. Kiba was going down. Way down.
"Oh humble lord, it would be my pleasure to have yourself to escort me to dine on this night at the hour of my friend's departure for the very place you have requested we should go." She told him. He grinned and stood to the side of Ten-ten, smirking at Kiba. The Inuzuka boy huffed and turned to the last boy to try and ask out a girl at least twice his age.
"My now?" Kiba nodded at Tyiko and the boy cleared his throat, turning to Temari. "You must be a warrior for you have slain any part of me that didn't love your beauty and yourself as a whole. Or perhaps you are an angel, sent from above to give me heed of when I may take a lovely woman, such as yourself, to dinner at the ramen bar so that I do not feel alone when my brothers partake in their dinner with to women so lovely that a flower would pale in the presence of one, but to have all three of you here and now, well. I might die today and die with the happiness of knowing that I have seen pure beauty and nothing less. Will you let me take you by the hand and guide you to the Ichiruka tonight at the time of similarity to my brothers?" 'He is smooth.' 'I have the most romantic brothers that anyone could ever want!'
"Why, noble lord, you flatter me and my friends with your words. If you continue I might need to draw upon my warrior's spirit, that you said I hold, to fight away my rosy blush. I would be joyously appraised to accept an offer such as yours. We shall depart at the time of my friends and your brother to meet at the place you have spoken with your charming words." Temari said to the eight-year-old.
"Well Kiba, unless you plan on asking Ino, then you have to be single for the night." I informed.
"Why Ino?" He complained.
"Because, Hinata is married and she's going to meet us at the ramen bar with her husband. Right Hinata?" Temari declared.
"R-right."
"Well, she still hasn't proven to me that the kids have better flare that me when asking someone out!" He snapped, pointing at Terrane.
"She can't. The only boys she could ask are her brothers and that would be wrong. Not to mention they already have dates." Ten-ten told him, putting her arm around Ryiko's shoulders.
"I-I could pretend to ask K-Kiba." Terrane said shyly. 'SHE LIKES KIBA!!!' She walked over to Kiba and stood in front of him. He looked down at her while she looked up and gulped. "K-Kiba? D-Do you… I mean… W-Would you…" She sighed and her shoulder slumped. Her cheeks were burning and Kiba just continued to look at her.
"Kiba! Quit staring at her! You're way taller and are making her loose her nerve!" Ino yelled at him. He sighed and looked straight forward, right over Terrane's head, and she started again. She took a deep breath, released it, took another and closed her eyes.
"Kiba, will you reply positively to my request of a meeting with yourself and I at the Ichiruka ramen bar tonight at the time of my brothers' departure?" She asked, still really shy about talking to Kiba. 'She defiantly likes him.' 'Cha! That was so good. She's shy but managed to ask out her crush! Shannaro!' 'No way can he resist! She's too sweet!'
"No way." He said coldly. She looked up at him with teary eyes and then looked down at the floor. I noticed tears hitting the ground and her shoulders were shaking slightly. 'THAT JERK!' for once, Little Saku-chan I both agreed with my inner about the same thing. How could he turn her down like she was nothing? I glared at him while she continued her silent sobs. This didn't go unnoticed by her brothers who immediately let out an aura of worry and joined in with my glaring.
Ten-ten, Ino, Temari and Hinata were just as shocked as the rest of us about how Kiba could be so cold to a six-year-old girl with a crush. He smirked at me and I scowled back. Kiba seemed to silently question me about why I was being so cold and I almost walked over to him and hit him for being so nastily unaware of the innocent heart that he just broke like it was nothing more than a glass window and he had thrown a rock at it for fun.
"What did I do?" He questioned dumbly. His expression was one of pure confusion and the younger boys continued to glare. His idiocy had shielded him to the pain he had inflicted on the little girl. What really surprised him was that ten-ten, Ino and Temari had all stared to glare at him also. The most shocking thing, however, was that Hinata had swallowed her timid-ness and was giving him a small glare of her own. "Something bad then?" We all continued to glare and he turned his head down, towards the only person who wasn't glaring daggers at him.
Terrane was still crying and her shoulders were slumped, shaking occasionally, as her tears hit the ground like rain. He saw the watered dirt and saw the water in her eyes that was crawling slowly down her face.
"Oh." He said in quiet realisation of what he had done. However, instead of correcting his mistake and making her fell better, he just walked away, down the road. She watched after him and ran in the other direction, to the Sakura groves, to cry her aching heart into submission.