Author's Note: I'm back! Have you all missed me? Yes, it took me a while to post this chapter, but I've had a busy couple days, so sorry. Alright, I know this is a short chapter. Oh well, it had to be done, I had to get people to where they need to go. Oh, and for all Kankuro/Kiba fans...yay! See the foreshadowing I send your way...praise me...lol, jk. See you all next time!

"Gaara, you should go and get some rest. Don't worry about the mission. Kankuro and I are handling it. We'll be back at dinnertime with food. Oh, and take off the flippin' gourd. It's only hurting your back more. See you tonight." With that, Temari walked out the door. Kankuro had left earlier and now Gaara was yet again alone. Not that he minded. He was really quite tired and his back pains were just getting worse with time. A nap sounded like the perfect plan right now…

Break-

Kankuro was heading back to the hotel room to check up on his little brother. Not that he was worried. Kankuro, master of the puppets, was not one to worry. He was however, concerned. A fact which he had repeatedly corrected Temari about in the past few months. All he was going to do was check up on him, make sure he was resting and leave. See? He was not worried like a little mother hen.

As he neared the inn he noticed a strange movement from the edge of the building. Looking to make sure no one saw him leave the side alleyway, Inuzuka Kiba stepped out onto the street, Akamaru bounding happily at his side. Kankuro narrowed his eyes. 'What the hell is Inuzuka doing here? Is he the reason why I felt like looking behind myself every five freaking minutes this morning?' That morning, while Kankuro was readying for his day, he had felt an odd prickling sensation coming from the window. He could almost swear he felt eyes boring into his back. But when he had turned and looked, nothing was there.

With determined strides Kankuro came up behind the ninja who immediately caught onto his scent. Kiba turned around and managed a, "Kanku-" before he was rammed up against the building by his neck. Kankuro leaned forward, his face a mere two inches away from Kiba's. "What the fuck are you doing snooping around here, dog-boy?"

Akamaru sat next to Kiba's side and barked like wild, while Kiba gulped down his nervousness. "Umm…nothing really. Akamaru and I were just taking a walk." Kiba took a pause. "Not that it's any of your fucking business what I do."

Kankuro smirked and Kiba felt a shiver run down his spine at the look. "Right, I see. Then what were you doing outside the window this morning?"

"How did…wait, what the hell are you talking about?"

Kankuro leaned in next to his ear and whispered threateningly, "I know it was you. Don't deny it. We can stand here all day until you tell me. Oh, and don't bother sicking your dog on me. He's already unconscious."

Kiba looked down, shocked to see his little white pup curled into a ball, fast asleep. He snarled at Kankuro and grabbed at the hand around his neck. "Bastard."

"Nice of you to notice. Now tell me just where exactly you're sticking that prying nose of yours?"

"Nowhere; I just heard you guys were in town and I wanted to see if it was true."

Kiba was lying through his teeth, and Kankuro knew it. He let a small breath of air feather Kiba's neck before replying, "Liar."

Kiba was never a good liar. Not under pressure and especially not when he was being distracted by the odd sensation of Kankuro breathing on his neck. "We saw you guys in the forest and Shikamaru came up with this crazy theory as to why Gaara was so fat. I just wanted to see if he was pulling our tails."

"Ours?"

"Neji, Shino, Naruto, and me."

"Really now? So what theory did he come up with?"

Kiba fidgeted against Kankuro's hand, finding it difficult to concentrate. "He said…" Kiba stopped and squirmed some more.

"I'm waiting Inuzuka."

"He said Gaara was…" Kiba sucked in an air of breath. "He said Gaara was pregnant."

"What?" Kankuro felt his heart stop. This could not be happening. No way in hell.

"Yeah, pretty stupid huh?"

Kankuro finally looked at him and dropped his hand. "Are you guys by chance meeting up sometime soon?"

"Yeah, Thursday; Shikamaru is collecting on his bet that day."

"Bet?"

Kiba gave a toothy grin. "Yeah, he bet all the others that Gaara was pregnant." Kankuro's eyes narrowed. "Don't look at me like that! I didn't fucking bet with them! I just wanted to know!"

"What time?"

"Huh?"

"What time are you guys meeting?"

"Six. Why?"

"I think we need to clear something up." With that, Kankuro turned around and walked away, his back rigid, and his face set in a scowl.

Kiba mumbled to himself, "It's not that big of a deal. It's only a freaking bet."

Author's Note: For anyone confused with the whole Akamaru thing; Kankuro has about 50 million gas bombs on him if you recall from the show (okay, not 50 million, but a lot anyways). He did not kick the dog or harm it in any way. He just used a clear sleeping gas. Sorry if there was any confusion.