Inuzuka Kiba; 3 Years Later

Age 15

-Whatever You Want-

I knew it.

The first time I get to go on a mission by myself, I mess it up.

I hadn't gone on it all by myself though. Akamaru had been with me. But that's where all the trouble started.

We completed the mission all right, and on the way home we got careless. Neither of us bothered to keep an eye out for any traps, figuring that since the mission was over, so was the danger.

Akamaru fell into a trap.

A nearly twenty foot plunge into darkness and there was nothing I could do to save him. The opening was too small for me to fit in and Akamaru had gotten injured so he couldn't jump out. I don't know how long I stayed there, digging out the sides of the walls so I could get to him. It certainly was a long time.

When I finally reached him, he was in pretty bad shape. I had to take him back to the Hokage so she could make him all better.

So here I was, running as fast as I could while also trying to be steady.

"Don't worry, Akamaru!" I said. "You'll be fine!"

He only whined in response.

Finally, I could see the village. I ran faster than I ever had before until I reached the Hokage's office.

"Kiba, slow down." Shino said, standing up.

I turned around and looked at Shino. He had been sitting there on the steps? Why?

But now wasn't the time to think about it.

"Shino, Akamaru's hurt really bad!" I said. "Where's the Hokage?"

"She's on vacation."

"She's on a---what?—how?!" I demanded. "How can the HOKAGE just take a VACATION?! She has to heal Akamaru!!"

"Shikamaru is filling in." Shino said.

"Shikamaru isn't going to help." I said, looking a little annoyed.

"You could try asking Shizune, the Hokage's assistant." Shino tried.

"Where can I find her?" I asked.

Shino gestured his head for me to follow him. I figured he probably knew the ropes better than me because he's a chuunin and everything. We went to a part of the Hokage's building that I had never been to before.

He opened the door and there was a woman sitting behind a desk under a huge stack of papers. She poked her head up over the papers.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Hey, can you heal Akamaru?" I asked her, going over to her desk.

I think she thought I was playing a prank or something because she looked at me with an extremely questioning look. But, after a moment, I think she realized that I was entirely serious. She stood up from her seat and put her hand on Akamaru.

I waited for a minute or so until she pulled away.

"There." She said. "Just rest him up for a day or so. No vigorous training or missions for at least a week, though!"

"Yes ma'am!" I said. "Thanks!"

I think Akamaru was already resting because he looked like he was sleeping. I turned to leave and almost bumped into Shino who had just been standing there the entire time.

We both left Shizune's office.

"You should find Hinata." Shino said.

"Why?" I asked.

"She's been worried about you." Shino replied.

For some reason, the thought of Hinata worried about me made me… happy. Was that right?

"Let's take Akamaru home." I said. "Then we'll find Hinata!"

"Okay." Said Shino with a shrug.

We went to my house and dropped Akamaru off.

My mom went CRAZY!

"Kiba, I was SO worried about you!!" she yelled, hugging me even though Shino was standing right there and she was embarrassing me. "I never should have let you go on that mission on your own!! I knew you were too young!! I should have listened to your sister!!"

"MOM!" I said, pushing her away. "I'm dirty! You don't want to hug me!"

"Of course!" she said. "But why are you so late?!"

I told her the whole story. I also told the story for the benefit of Shino too, since I figured he might want to know.

"And NOW we're going to go and find Hinata!" I said. "Cause Shino said she's been really worried!"

"She has been!" my mom said. "I think she's been over here three different times to ask me if you were home yet! Which, of course, only made me worry even MORE! Oh, Kiba, if you're going to go and see your girlfriend you should at least wash your face off."

"MOM!" I yelled. "She's not my girlfriend!!"

I looked at Shino.

"Shino, she's not my girlfriend." I said.

"Okay." Said Shino.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face off like my mom said. Even though Hinata wasn't my girlfriend, I didn't want to run around with a dirty face. As I dried it off, I noticed that I had the very thin and light tiny makings of a beard. Yay! I'm so manly!

But I decided not to tell my mom while Shino was there or else she'd embarrass me some more.

"Come on, Shino!" I said, going out the door and dragging Shino along.

"Come home soon!!" my mom called as I shut the door.

We both started walking towards Hinata's house.

"Hey Shino, I think I'm growing a beard." I said.

"Okay." Said Shino.

"Should I grow a beard?" I said, more to myself.

"I don't know." Shino replied.

He wasn't being much help.

I was kinda glad that Hinata had been worried about me for some reason. She WASN'T my girlfriend, just my friend who happens to be a girl. Besides, girls worry about their friends who are boys but not their boyfriends all the time!

"Hey Shino, was Hinata REALLY worried about me or just KINDA worried about me?"

Shino didn't answer for a moment.

"REALLY worried." He said finally.

"Oh." I said. Suddenly, it didn't make me feel as fuzzy anymore.

"There she is." Shino said, stopping dead. I looked ahead to see Hinata walking across her lawn and across the street. She didn't even notice us, but she was all dressed up nice.

"Where's she going?" I asked him.

Shino shrugged.

"Let's follow her!" I said.

I knew it wasn't right to 'spy' on people, but something compelled me to be excited about it. Shino didn't object and almost seemed to lead the way as we followed her down to a club.

"Whoa, Hinata's going clubbing?" I said, not even realizing that I was hiding behind Shino.

"I think she's meeting Naruto." Shino observed.

"WHAT?" I said, almost jumping over Shino in order to see. Sure enough, Naruto was standing in front of the club, looking like he was waiting for Hinata. The two of them spoke for a minute and then went inside the club.

Together.

"Are they going on a date?" I asked Shino.

"I don't know."

"It LOOKS like they're going on a date."

"Why do you even care? It's not like she's your girlfriend."

"I know that, Shino!" I yelled at him.

Why did EVERYONE give me such a hard time and try to convince me that Hinata was my girlfriend?! We were just two people of the opposite sex who liked to hang out with each other!

Shino looked at me.

"Okay, FINE!" I said. "Let's follow her! But only because YOU want to so badly!"

Shino didn't reply to that because he knew it was true. The two of us crept up to the club as if Hinata would jump out and surprise us at any moment and catch us sneaking up on her. Once we got inside, I caught sight of Hinata almost immediately across the club.

"DUCK!" I yelled, pushing Shino out of the way before she could see us.

"Kiba, if you yell like that, you'll get noticed." Shino warned me.

"Shh, be quiet Shino!" I hushed him. "Let's go sit over there!"

I prodded him in the direction of a table where we could go unobserved by Hinata but still be able to see her.

"Hey, Sasuke and Lee are there too!" I said, trying to see over some people who kept walking in front of me, blocking my field of view. "What's going on?! I've only been gone a few days!!"

"Ino's there." Shino said.

"Oh, okay." I said, sitting back down.

I continued to crane my neck around, lean back in my chair and sit up or stand down…whatever had to be done so I could still see her. She wasn't moving much.

Eventually, Ino, Sasuke, Naruto and Lee all left the table.

"Hey!" I said, standing up. "Hinata's sitting at the table all by herself!"

"You should go over and talk to her." Said Shino.

"No way!" I said. "She'll think I'm stalking her or something."

"You kind of are."

"Be quiet Shino!" I insisted. "I'm going to get a little closer."

I got up from the table and maneuvered my way across the dance floor so I could still see Hinata, but made very sure that she couldn't see me. I could hardly see over the crowd of people.

"Hey there, Inuzuka." Came a voice behind me. I turned around to see a girl standing there I didn't even know. But she definitely was a lot older than me. She was probably…eighteen or something.

I looked behind me to make sure she was actually talking to someone else.

"Hi." I said. "How'd you know I was an Inuzuka?"

"I just KNOW these things." She said. "So, Inuzuka, you want to dance?"

"Oh, no." I said. "You're way older than me. I'm only fifteen."

"So?" she said.

"I don't know if you'd want to touch me though." I said. "I just got back from a mission and I haven't showered yet. I guess I should have though, especially if I was going to come to a club. But I didn't really have any intentions to come, actually."

"Oh, so you're a ninja." She said. "But I don't mind the smell or the dirt. I like a rugged man."

I watched as Naruto and Lee got back to the table. I was trying to see past the older girl, but she was doing a pretty good job at getting in my way.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked, turning around.

Suddenly, I watched as Hinata stood up and made her way across the club to the bathrooms.

"Sorry!" I said. "I have to go!" I pushed past her and followed where Hinata went.

She was going towards the bathroom.

I would just have to stand out there and wait for her to get out because there was no way I was going to go in the girl's bathroom. Besides, it's not like I NEEDED to speak with her. I just wanted to tell her I was back so she wouldn't worry anymore.

However, my nose told me she had wandered off into the boy's bathroom.

So I decided to peak in there just in case.

She was standing there.

"Kiba!" she exclaimed, looking surprised. "You're back from your mission! You're all right!" She paused and looked around. "And you're in the girl's bathroom!!"

"Hinata, YOU'RE in the BOY'S bathroom." I told her, showing her the sign on the door.

She turned red. "I don't believe I did that!" She dove under my arm and sprinted out of the bathroom.

"It's all right, Hinata!" I said, realizing that she was upset. "I won't tell anyone!"

"What a coincidence that you're here too!" Hinata said, obviously trying to change the subject. "When did you get back from your mission?"

"Around six thirty." I answered.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "Any injuries?"

"No." I said. I decided not to tell her about what happened to Akamaru since she seemed upset enough. And, knowing Hinata, she'd only get MORE upset.

"Kiba, I was really stupid tonight." She said randomly.

Hinata? Stupid? No. That's MY job. "Hinata, I HIGHLY doubt that." I said, laughing because I figured she was joking.

She laughed too.

Then she got serious again. "No, I really was. But I finally realized something tonight that I should have realized a long time ago."

"Oh?" I said. "And what's that?"

She looked like she wanted to answer, but couldn't.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

I wasn't going to push her if she didn't want to talk about it. "Okay, Hinata. So… do you want to go home?"

"Yes." She replied. "I really do."

"I'll walk you home if you want."

"No. Thank you, though. I just need a little time to clear my head."

If she's upset, I think it would be better to be with someone. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

"All right." I said. If that's what she wanted, then I wasn't going to argue with her or force her to walk with me. "Whatever you want, Hinata."

She started to leave.

Just before she got out the door, however, she stopped and turned around.

"Actually…" she said. "Could you…walk home with me?"

Hinata knew what was best for her. "Whatever you want, Hinata."