Chapter 12

Kiba's Feelings; Hinata Saved

Kiba was searching franticly. Both he and Akamaru were worried half to death about her. But her scent was gone. Their searches took them closer to the water. Then Kiba smelled it.

Sand! And her! She's alive! He ran towards the scent, hoping that he could get there before Gaara killed her. He knew that no one else would have sand here.

When he found Hinata, she was sleeping restlessly in a hollow tree. "No," she said weakly. "Naruto-kun wouldn't do that…"

She's still hung up on that idiot? He picked her up as best as he could, savoring the feeling of her. Even when she's been in the ocean, she still smells beautiful.

HE carried her to the hospital, hoping that she would be okay. When he arrived at the gates of Konoha, she search was called off. Everyone was relieved that she was okay. Kiba went to Ino's flower shop (luckily someone else was at the counter), and bought a flower for her. It was a tiger lily.

He went to the hospital and put the flower in a vase on the bedside table and sat there, waiting for her to wake up. He couldn't imagine living without her kind but shy presence. It just didn't seem possible.

Finally, after three and a half hours of sitting, Hinata woke up.

"K-Kiba-kun?" she asked. "Kiba-kun, where am I?" The sense of security she had had since the attack was gone. Her stutter was back again, not surprising after the trauma she had been through.

"Yeah, it's me." Kiba replied. He smiled. "You shouldn't have worried us like that. Half the village was out searching for you."

"R-Really?" she asked faintly. "G-Gomen, Ki-Kiba-kun."

Ha enveloped her in a bear hug. "I was so worried about you. I thought that you were gone, and I just couldn't live with myself if that had happened to you."

Hinata blushed, realizing that Kiba was crying. "I'm sorry." Her first response was another needless apology.

"No, I'm the one that should be sorry. If we hadn't split up, this would have never happened." he said. It wasn't until she had disappeared that he realized how deep his feelings for her were.

"Hinata, I never realized how much I love you before." he whispered, causing her to freeze and catch her breath.

When dawn broke, Kakashi was feeling very pained. I shouldn't have had that much alcohol. I knew I would get a hangover. And where am I? Kakashi realized that he wasn't in the hospital, or his house. He wasn't in a back alley or the bar, either. It was bright.

"Ngg." He moaned. It hurt. Footsteps came. The sound of them hurt. He looked at the person. Tallish, pineapple head… "Shikamaru-chan?" Why would he be anywhere near Shikamaru? Shikamaru wasn't even his student! Oh no! Don't tell be I mistaked him for Iruka and did something perverted to him!

"No, it's me." The person said. Iruka. I spent the night with Iruka? Well, I'm still clothed, that's a good sign.

"What did I do?" asked Kakashi.

"Nothing I want to remember; included taking my bed, forcing me to sleep on the couch. Well that's not so bad.

"When do you think you'll be able to go home?" he asked.

I did something that he's not telling me.

"An hour?"

"Okay."

"What did I do?"

"Too much."

"Please tell me."

"You did something terrible, that no man should do to another man."

"What was it?"

"You kissed me, dammit! Kakashi, why would you do that to a man!"

"I'm sorry. I wish I hadn't." Kakashi was ashamed of himself. He didn't know he was that horny.

"Are you really? Do you really regret that?"

"Of course. I hate it when I do horny things when I'm drunk." He knows. I guess I couldn't hide it forever. And I wanted my first attempt on his to be when I could remember it!

To Kakashi's relief, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Iruka went to get it, allowing Kakashi to think about what he should do. It would have to be before Iruka twisted the memory to be even worse, but after he got used to the idea. Three days? A week?

To Sasuke's sharp eyes, Iruka looked disturbed. "Iruka-sensei, Hinata has been found."

Iruka nodded and smiled. Sasuke decided to see if he could find out what was wrong. I'll start randomly, then get closer to the problem.

"Have you seen Kakashi-sensei anywhere?" he asked, not knowing how close to the problem he was.

"Yes, actually, he's right here." Sasuke easily saw through Iruka face of this being normal.

"Why isn't he training us?" he asked, making up a reason on the spot for needing him. "He promised he would train us today."

"He, erm, had to talk to me." Iruka wasn't any better than Kakashi at making excuses. "He'll be out in a minute." When Iruka turned his back, Sasuke turned on the Sharingan, looking closer at the matter. It had been a while ago, and it was because of Kakashi. He reverted his eyes to normal as Kakashi walked out of the house.

"Is this where you are every morning when you're late?" Sasuke asked, aware of the implications.

Kakashi glared at him. "No." he said. "I'm not gay."

"I never said you were." Sasuke knew he had. He also knew, from Kakashi's defense, that he had hit something. Kakashi is gay, but I don't think that Iruka is. Did Kakashi force himself on Iruka? This line of thought was rather disturbing. It also made sense, under the circumstances. This was worrying, and he would have to tell a few people, but he would have to choose carefully, in case he was wrong.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura and Naruto yelled. "You're late!"

"I had to teach a fly how to fly on the way…"

"No, you were talking to Iruka-sensei. I was there, and there's nothing wrong with that." Why did he make up an excuse when he had a good reason?

They started training, but Sasuke's mind wasn't on it. There had been a lot on his mind lately. Ino, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, and now Kakashi and Iruka. This wasn't his week.

Neji was extremely troubled. He didn't even know if he liked Tenten, and that was the one thing he really needed to know. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Sakura creep up behind him.

"Boo!" she cried, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Ack!" Sakura laughed at him as he glared.

"What's wrong, Neji-kun?" she asked. "Normally, I wouldn't even be able to get close to you, never mind pull off something like that."

"Nothing." he muttered, and continued on. Sakura decided to pull something mean, knowing it wasn't true but liking the idea that she could make fun of him: the so-called genius.

"You like someone don't you." She said, expecting a 'No!' or just being ignored.

"How did you know?" he stared at her.

"Really?"

That's when he realized it was a joke. Well, he needed help, might as well. "Yeah…"

Sakura stared at him. She would have to be something special to get him. Well, he wouldn't have any problems getting a date with her.

Five minutes later, they were at a small café, drinking coffee.

"So, who is it?" she asked. "Start from the beginning."

"Tenten." He said. "She likes me, but I don't know whether I like her."

Sakura blinked. She had thought it was the other way around. She thought it would be that he liked someone but he was unsure of their feelings.

"Well, duh!" Sakura cried. "If you didn't like her, you wouldn't care about it."

Neji thought a moment, not quite taking it in. Then, slowly, he nodded. "But what should I do?"

"Drop hints, wait for her to confess, then ask her out. I won't tell her my hand in this until you're going out together."

"No, you just won't tell her."

"I will, unless you would rather have me relate the whole thing to Ino right now."

Neji knew when to back down. He agreed silently, glaring at her.

"I hate you."

Oops

"You like someone don't you."

"Well it's not a guy!" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

He's gay?