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Chapter 4

Kiba

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Bark!

Ino grumpily rolled over in the small sleeping bag. Reluctantly, she pulled her arm in front of her face, in hopes of more sleep. However, the annoying noise coming from outside didn't seem to want to let her do that. Opening her tired eyes slowly, she came in contact with bare flesh. She knew it wasn't hers, it was rougher. It took her a moment to realize what it was; the bare chest belonging to her traveling partner. If she had been fully awake, or at least more aware of what she was doing, she would've jumped back and shout at him and blame it all on him. But, being extremely tired, she instead snuggled up against his lean chest, her forehead touching his warm skin.

Bark, bark!

Maybe it was the continuous barking, or maybe it was how close he was to her, but he slowly opened his eyes. He must've turned around in his sleep because he did not remember facing her before he went to sleep last night, and he certainly did not remember being this close to her. His eyes were wide open and he could feel blood rushing to his face. If she was still asleep, or at least not fully awake, he did not want to risk her waking up to them in such an awkward position. There's was no telling what she would do, so he decided it would smart to separate themselves before she woke up.

Baaaark…

His eye twitched, now annoyed by the constant barking. Slowly, he lifted his arm that was carelessly draped over her. As he pulled it out of the sleeping bag, he couldn't help but miss the soft feeling of her skin against his. He clearly shook that thought out of hi head, now more than halfway out of the bag. He stopped suddenly when he saw a small movement in her still sleeping body. Staying still for another moment, he made sure she was still asleep before removing himself fully from the bag.

Standing up, he gave a quiet sigh of relief. He knew that sleeping together would cause trouble, but as long as she didn't find out, it would be okay. But that wasn't important now. He first had to deal with the annoying barking coming from outside.

Turning around one last time to make sure she was still asleep, he slowly went outside the tent. He was greeted by a rush of cold morning wind causing him to bring his arms up in hopes to keep him warm. After getting used to the temperature change, he looked around for the source of the noise. It didn't take him long to find what it was, and as he guessed it, it was a dog. A pretty small one at that. As he neared it, he noticed it was a white dog, but it was so covered in dried blood that he couldn't be certain. From what he could tell, that dog had been in a pretty bad beating just recently.

The ninja kneeled in front of the dog, wondering how he should take care of it. There was no way he would just leave a poor little dog out in the cold, but it would've helped if he knew some kind of medical jutsu. If only he had paid a bit more attention in class. Either way, he would have to improvise. The dog gave a small groan of pain as he carefully moved him onto his side. The wound near the dog's belly looked pretty deep. He would need some water and bandages to clean him up.

Rising to his feet, he went back into the tent to get a few medical supplies. Again kneeling down, he pulled out a bottle of water. Slowly, he let it drip down onto the matted down fur and began to carefully clean it a bit. Another groan came from the dog, but he was managed. The wound was more visible once some of the dry blood was washed off, which made it easier for the Konoha-nin. Grabbing a small bottle of disinfectant, he grabbed a small towel and dabbed it with some of it. Slowly, he went over the wound to get rid of any infections. This time, the small white animal gave a loader groan, similar to a bark, trying to endure the pain. Shikamaru couldn't blame him; the wound was deep.

Once that was done, he set aside the towel and reached for the bandages. Until they reached Suna, this would have to do. He began wrapping the white material around the dog's small body, making sure to seal up the wound. He managed to finish the wrapping rather quickly as he tied a secure knot at the end. Putting all of the medical supplies in one arm and the dog in another, he again reentered the tent.

Ino was, luckily, still asleep, but he knew they would have to leave soon. He put away the medical supplies in the bag once again before setting the dog down on his half of the sleeping bag. Rummaging in the bag, he pulled out another, clean towel and draped it over the animal, in hopes to keep him warm. Once that was done, he continued his search in the bag, pulling out two bananas and a small bag of cereal. That would probably last them until they got to Suna.

The kunoichi stirred once again in sleep, her back still facing away from him. Sighing, the shinobi crawled over towards her back, deciding now would be a good time as any to wake her up. The earlier the better, right? He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking it a bit. Seeing no reaction, he shook a little harder. After a moment, she turned around, her face only inches away. Slowly, her eyes opened, staring directly at his. At first, neither of them reacted. Dull black eyes stared into vibrant sky blue ones, lost for a moment before Shikamaru quickly pulled his face back, and Ino couldn't help but wish she stared into them a moment longer, but those thoughts were quickly dismissed.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" Getting up, the shinobi went towards the small pack, pretending to look for something or anything else that would keep him from looking at her.

"Yeah, I did. You?" Slowly, she pulled out of the sleeping bag and continued to sit there, not quite sure what to do. Glancing over to her side, she noticed the small dog asleep on the pillow. She slowly picked the small animal up in her arms, all the while being careful with the wounds she noticed he had. "Since when did we get a dog?"

"Oh, that." He pulled out his hands from the bag and turned around, watching her and the dog. "He was outside and he was hurt. I decided to bring him in and treat him. We can take him with us until we reach Suna, or something."

She nodded and started to pet his back carefully. "Looks like you're not so bad after all."

He let out a mere chuckle, wondering what the ANBU of Konoha would think if they saw him helping a little puppy. Silently, he rolled up the sleeping bag and tied up the pillow with it. He slowly rose to his feet, the bag of cereal and bananas in his hand. "Here, eat up." He tossed her one of the bananas and the bag of cereal which she caught with ease.

"Thanks." She peeled the banana and ate it slowly while she took out a few pieces of cereal and fed it to the small animal.

He quickly ate the banana and tossed the peel outside as he picked up the sleeping material and small bag. Signaling for her to get out of the tent, he followed her out. "Let's get this tent down and go. Who knows what trouble we'll run into in Suna."

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Nearly two hours had passed and Shikamaru could already feel his stomach grumbling. He sighed, rubbing his free hand over it in hopes to settle it down. It wouldn't be much longer until they reached their destination, another hour.

The two hadn't spoken much during their walk. Their relationship was still rather awkward, especially since their sleeping together. The only conversation they had during the day was about what they were going to do after they arrived in Suna. He had mentioned that he knew someone there that could possibly be of help, but he didn't say any names. Other than that, they only sounds they heard were the birds, occasional whimpers from the dog, and the leaves crunching beneath their feet.

Shikamaru's black eyes widened as he swiftly turned around, a kunai flying past his face, barely missing his ear. Ino also took action quickly, but the small puppy in her arms hindered her from doing much. The wanted shinobi quickly dropped the sleeping bag and pillow the ground and took out two kunai from his pouch, holding them ready to throw.

The figure that had attacked came out of the bushes, and from the looks of things, he was in absolutely no condition to battle. His thick jacket was opened to reveal two large chest wounds that were still bleeding. His hood was thrown back and his hair was matted down from blood and sweat. Down his face, red drops of blood seemed to match the color of the red marks on his face. His arms and legs were covered in cuts and bruises, but he didn't seem to mind. In his hands were a few more kunai in ready position to use.

"Let go… of Akamaru…" Following his words, he coughed up a puddle of blood, which caused him to stumble backwards. Still panting, he got into fighting position once more, even though he could barely stand.

The Nara gripped the weapons in his hand tightly, but made no move to attack. There was no way their opponent would be able to put up a fight in this condition. And beneath all the blood covering his face and body, he could recognize the red marks any where.

Ino quickly set the bag down along with the small dog, apparently Akamaru, carefully. "What do you think you're doing?" She could feel her tone rising, almost sounding like the mother of a small boy who just got himself covered in mud. She knew that he was no ordinary opponent. Like Shikamaru, it didn't take her long to remember the face of the second loudmouth of her class. "You're in absolutely no condition to fight!"

He didn't seem to hear him, or if he did, he didn't show any signs of it. He had to use all his strength just to stand up, and the fact that the world was spinning certainly wasn't helping. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to identify the two standing before him, but his vision was too blurry. Coughing up another round of blood, he could feel the grip on the kunai loosen as they fell to the ground. It didn't take long for him to follow, eyes closed and body limp.

After a moment of him not moving, the blonde kunoichi quickly ran over to the young man's side. Carefully, she flipped him over onto his back. She didn't know much medical ninjutsu, only the things they learned in class and a few that her mother taught her, but those were basic. Opening up the jacket a bit more and rolling up his shirt, she winced. They wounds were large and looked very painful. Turning around, she signaled for him to come and bring whatever medical supplies they had. He nodded and gave her the bag, while kneeling down next to her. Akamaru, who had been awake the whole time, ran over as quick as his injured body would allow him to and sat down next to his owner, lightly licking his face in hopes to wake him up.

"Looks bad," he commented. She nodded in agreement while she pulled some bandages and a bit of ointment.

"There isn't that much." She stated as she poured the remaining contents onto his two wounds. Carefully, she rubbed the gel around a bit to make sure it got as much of the wounds as it could. A groan of pain came from the teenager's mouth and she could tell it was working.

"Do you know any ninjutsu that could help?"

She shook her head. "Only the basic stuff, but I doubt it would help here." Grabbing the bandages, she wondered if there was anything else there was she could do. The blood kept seeping out and she knew she had to do something fast. "Here, help me." She motioned for him to lift him up a bit. Quickly, she stretched out the bandage and began to wrap them around his chest with his help. Standing up, she glanced him over once again, noticing the other cuts around his body. They didn't have anything else, so those would have to wait.

"I'll carry him to Suna." Shikamaru offered as he slowly lifted the motionless body onto his back. He was careful to not reopen any wounds while he began to walk slowly. The small puppy followed close behind, keeping a close eye on his owner. Ino nodded and grabbed the bag along with the sleeping bag and pillow.

"What do you think could've happened to him?" She questioned once they were back on their path to their destination.

He shrugged in response. "Who knows. But he was one of our classmates, so we have to help him."

"Yeah, you're right. He's one of us."

The wanted shinobi picked up his pace a bit for he could feel how uncomfortable and injured the dog boy must be. The kunoichi followed him without a question, thinking the same exact thing. He was perfectly content with the silence, or even rather happy. He needed some time to think clearly without worry of any ANBU that might be chasing them, but it seemed she had other plans.

"So, we never finished our conversation last night." Ino commented as she stepped next to him.

Giving a sigh, he glanced at her, then back in front of him. "What else do we have to talk about?"

"I don't know, maybe…" She trailed off, trying to think of a question. "How about secret crushes?"

He nearly dropped the Inuzuka hearing that question, but he held on tightly. "What?" His voice held a tone of disbelief and so did his face.

"Well, you know how I love Sasuke-kun… But then again, that's not really secret. How about you?"

There she goes with her 'beloved Sasuke-kun' again, he thought. "Women are too troublesome. How do you expect me to like them?" He immediately earned a slap on his arm for that answer. Wincing in pain, he decided to go with another answer. "Well, Haruno Sakura was very smart…"

"What?! Forehead-girl? You can't be serious!" She gave him another slap on the already reddening spot on his arm.

"Isn't this an opinionated question? That means I can't be wrong." He took a small step away from his companion, just in case that response would earn him a slap as well.

"Well, they're good answers, and then they're bad answers. Besides, who could ever like forehead-girl?" Sighing, she shook her head. "I sure hope you have better taste now."

He gave another sigh in response. "Is my choice in women of real importance right now?"

Putting a finger and placing it on her chin, she gave it a moments thought before nodding. "Yes, it in fact is. If I'm going to be traveling with you, well you need to know exactly what women to go after. For example," she took this moment to glance sideways at him, her grin widening, "someone more like me."

She then quickly walked ahead of him, leaving him a few steps behind. With a surprised look still resting on his face, he wondered if she had only been joking or if she had just flirted with him.

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"We're here." Shikamaru stopped suddenly, which caused Ino to bump into him and Kiba. Taking a step up, she stared past him and saw the large gate marking the entrance of Suna. It was rather large, just like those of Konoha, but it was a dark brown color opposed to Konoha's green. She could barely make out two figure standing on top of the gate, probably guards.

"What business do you have here in Suna?" One of the guards shouted down at the two of them.

Shikamaru carefully set down the dog boy before lifting his hands up in the air, showing he meant no harm. Signaling for her to stay back, he took a few steps forward. "We just want to seek medical help for our friend and perhaps stay for the night. We've been traveling all day and we're rather tired." He forced himself to keep his voice firm and not show any signs of fear. Konoha and Suna had been allies in the war since it started, so he was thankful for that. But, if Konoha had kept them up to date, then they might recognize him.

The blonde kunoichi watched intently from behind, just as nervous as him. The small dog in her hands took this opportunity to jump out of her arms and next to his owner. Slowly, the puppy began to lick his face, only to find him still unconscious.

The two guards looked at each other before turning their attention back to the outsiders. However, just as they were about to respond, they were cut off by a new voice.

"Hey! What's going on here?" The owner of that voice seemed to command a lot of respect, for the two quickly turned around and bowed their heads.

"Kankuro-san, there are some Konoha-nin outside asking for permission to enter," one of them responded with their head still bowed in respect.

The young man, Kankuro they guessed, walked to the end of the gate where they saw him. At first glance, he looked rather odd with the full black outfit and the purple face paint on his face. He also had large scrolls tied onto his back, no doubt his weapons for fighting. He narrowed his eyes and inspected each of the three carefully, before curiously raising his eyebrows. "Well, well, this soon, eh?" He muttered to himself before turning back tow the guards. "Open the gate."

"But, Kankuro-san shouldn't you-"

"I said open it! I'll deal with them." The guards, through confused, did what they were told and quickly opened the large gate so they could enter.

The black haired shinobi looked confused at first, but he decided not to argue. Quickly, he grabbed the injured Inuzuka and put him on his back once more. The two walked towards the entrance, only to be stopped by the face paint-wearing young man from the bridge.

"You're from Konoha, right?" He asked, eyeing their forehead protectors.

"Yes, we are," came Shikamaru's curt reply.

"Well then, you wouldn't happen to know Uzumaki Naruto, would you?"

Both of them widened their eyes in surprise, wondering how he would be familiar with their classmate. He opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to answering the question.

"That loud mouthed blonde? Man, I wish didn't."

Giving a sigh, Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, we know him. He was one of our classmates. But may I ask how you know him?"

"It's a long story, but I know someone who would want to see you. By the way," he looked over his shoulder to the two, showing off his face that still held the purple paint more clearly, "the name's Kankuro."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. Nice to meet you."

At first, he hesitated to say his name. He still wasn't sure if Suna would accept him or if they really did know of everything, but he had to take that chance. "Nara Shikamaru."

Kankuro raised his eyebrows in a surprised manner before facing back in front of him. "You don't say…"