Disclaimers: A, I don't own Naruto. B, I don't own The Donnas' "Fall Behind Me."

Bleeding Martini
By Areku1993
Chapter eleven: Cry and Beg for Mercy

Martini stared at the mistletoe with a glint in her eye from the lantern.

The mistletoe is the only flower that means 'kiss me.'

He was right.

She looked at Kiba, then at the ground, smiling the small, cute smile Kiba liked. "Kiba-kun..."

Kiba lifted her chin with a finger. "Martini-chan..."

"Neji-san." A new voice said.

"Neji-san?"

Martini and Kiba turned their heads and blinked. Neji rubbed one eye and pointed at Martini. "You, get to bed. It's past midnight."

Kiba and Martini stood up, blushing, and looked at each other. Neji let Martini pass, but blocked Kiba with an arm. "Martini-sama, do you know the way back to the mansion?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Kiba-san, you stay here. I need to speak with you."

Once he was sure Martini was gone, Neji narrowed his eyes and hissed, "What the Hell are you doing?"

"Oh, is Neji-san jealous?" Kiba retorted.

"No, it's just you're making out with a client at midnight!"

"We weren't making out, but we WOULD be if SOMEONE didn't butt in!"

"I'm not going to let you make out with a client at midnight! ESPECIALLY when TODAY is..." He smirked. "The day I become a jounin."

Kiba glared at him. "What? Not until the mission's over..." His eyes widened. "No..."

"We just got the call. Martini's to return to Sunagakure later today."

Kiba's pupils shrank. "But... I didn't even..." He looked at his feet and shifted. "Martini didn't get to hear..."

"Of course, she wouldn't have to go home if I didn't find her mother's cell phone number and call her and tell her where her daughter was. She's coming and demands her daughter back in Sunagakure. She said she didn't care whatever the Hell her husband said, she wants her back."

Kiba's eyes widened again in rage. "You..." He gritted his teeth. "You bastard..."

"That is the correct term, you know." Neji smirked again, enraging Kiba even more. "You shouldn't have confronted me when Martini was drunk. Now you know, when you mess with me, I get my revenge a hundred times worse!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Kiba's fist made contact with Neji's cheek a milisecond later, sending him staggering aside.

Kiba pointed to himself with a thumb. "Now you know, you play with fire, you get BURNED!"

You're gonna fall behind me

Neji, after rubbing the wound for a moment, made the necessary hand signs and activated his byakugan. He focused his superior eyes on Kiba and said in a dangerously low tone, "It's over already, Kiba-kun."

"It ain't over!" Kiba replied. "You're using your stupid tricks to win. You're gonna cheat and use all your bloodline shit. Forget jutsu! We're gonna fight with our fists!"

Neji narrowed his eyes, but turned off the byakugan. "Fine. But that just gives me more of an advantage to kick your ass."

Kiba didn't reply. He sent a swinging kick to Neji's face, where Neji caught his ankle and easily flipped him into a tree. "Worthless."

You're gonna cry and beg for mercy

Kiba hit the tree with force and shut his eyes instinctively. He wiped blood from his lip as he was showered with pine needles from above.

Pine. Hope.

He opened his fist, surprised to see the lily from Martini still there. A tiger lily.

Pride.

He closed his fingers around it and stood up.

'Cause you're not ready

Kiba ran towards Neji, going for a punch to the chest this time. Neji sidestepped and dealt Kiba a kick to the gut, sending him back into another tree.

"Will you just stop this?" Neji asked, sighing. "I'm tired and slow. I'd much rather fight you when I'm fully awake."

"You making fun of me?"

"Oh, so you noticed."

The last hit was Kiba going for Neji's legs, but Neji jumped over him and dealt him a blow to the head. And so Kiba lay there, bleeding, as Neji picked a flower and twirled it in his fingers. "Ah, the yellow hyacinth. You know what that means?" As he walked back to the mansion, he dropped the flower on Kiba. "Shame.

'Cause you got nothin' on me.

"No, Neji," Kiba said, sitting up. But Neji was already gone. Kiba picked up the flower and threw it in the river. "The yellow hyacinth stands for jealousy."