AGH... my sincerest apologies for NOT HAVING UPDATED THIS FOR SOOOO LONGGG... i felt sooo guilty. And you really do have Artheph to thank for this, because I had the beginning of this all written out and it was just sitting there cause i didnt have an ending for it... then dear Artheph came up with this AWESOME ENDING all of a sudden for no reason at all. Twas very random. very random indeed. Anyways, enjoy.

-Crysthur
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Yet ELSEWHERE in Konoha...

Kiba was strolling along down a street that just so HAPPENED to be surprisingly empty. It also just so HAPPENED that today, Akamaru was NOT in his usual place on top of his best friend's head. Nope, today was that one day every month that Akamaru spent out with all the other dogs in the family. It was a kind of... bonding thing the older dogs insisted on doing, and as much as both Kiba and Akamaru hated the couple of hours of separation, Akamaru had to go along with it, else risk excommunication from the pack. And they couldn't have THAT happen now, could they? Kiba had been moping around the house, but his mother, tired of the constant sighing and muttering, had kicked him out. Which is how Kiba ended up strolling down a street that just so HAPPENED to be surprisingly empty.

Whilst Kiba was bemoaning his lonely existence, something furry brushed up against his leg. Kiba stiffened. Too late, he realized that there was an odd smell in the air. He closed his eyes and prayed that this wasn't happening. After counting slowly to ten, it seemed as though whatever it was that had touched him was gone. With a sigh of relief, Kiba opened his eyes. He was safe...

Then, he saw it. There it was, just sitting on the floor in front of him. That blasted kitten. He cursed it silently. He cursed it out loud. It looked up at him with those big eyes and meowed. Kiba wanted to strangle it. The kitten got up from the floor, and pranced up to him. It meowed again. Kiba's skin crawled. To his horror, the kitten then began to rub itself all over his legs. (You know... that thing cats do... they... frolick between your legs.)

"Control yourself, Kiba... don't let it get to you... it's just a kitten after all. POWER TO THE SELF-RESTRAINT!!! Just ignore the compulsion... breathe in... breathe out..."

Just as Kiba had managed to gain some degree of control, the kitten purred. Kiba felt something inside him snap. Slowly and deliberately, he reached down and grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck. He raised it up until it was face to face with him. The kitten looked at him with large, innocent eyes.

"Damn you... EVERY SINGLE TIME..."

Kiba looked furtively around and checked out his surroundings.

"Nope, no one's around...all right then... I suppose..."

He focused his attention back on the kitten. A grin slowly spread over his face. He then proceeded to... cuddle the kitten??? Yes, that's right folks. Kiba cuddled the kitten. Not only was he cuddling with a KITTEN, he was doing it in a very grossly sweet manner. That means baby talk, high-pitched giggles, the whole nine yards. Alas, this was Kiba's deep, dark secret: He, Inuzuka Kiba, youngest of the clan known for its mastery of canines, had a soft spot for...kittens. Cute, fluffy kittens.

Kiba had lived with this secret knowledge ever since he was a little 'un. Every time he was within smelling distance of a kitten, he could not help but drool all over it. It was the bane of his existence. And oh, the irony of it all didn't escape him. What would his family think of him if they should ever, God forbid, EVER, find out about his little... abnormality? By golly, they'd just about disown him. And oh, none of the dogs would ever, EVER speak to him again. Kiba shuddered at the thought, even as he continued to lavish the kitten with attention. Suddenly, he froze as a familiar scent came to him. Letting go of the kitten, he sniffed.

"No... Please God no... it can't POSSIBLY be..."

But his plea went unheard. A low growl came from behind him. Kiba turned around... and there, with a look of horror and betrayal on his little doggy face that nearly broke Kiba's heart, stood Akamaru.

"OH CRAPPOID!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO??? HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS???"

"BARK BARK!!"

"NO AKAMARU!! THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!!"

"BARK BARK BARK!!!"

"NOO NOOO!! THIS IS JUST A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!!! THIS, THIS KITTEN MEANS NOTHING TO ME, AKAMARU... NOTHING!!!"

"BARK BARK BARK... BARK BARK!. BARKKKKKKKKK!!!!!"

And with a howl, Akamaru turned away and flew off as fast as his little paws could carry him. Kiba was at a lost for words. His very soul was torn. Like a man who had nothing left to live for, he fell down on his knees. Thrusting his arms up into the sky, he yelled in that overly dramatic, slow motion kind of way,

"NOoooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO!!!"

Unbeknownst to him, the poor, heart-broken boy was being watched. As he continued to grovel on the floor and wallow in self-pity, a small back speck detached itself from the roof of a nearby shack and flew away...