Hey everybody! Let's get those votes in, m'kay?
Disclaimer- I don't, nor will I ever, own Naruto.
Red faces and a limp across town
Over the next few weeks, my time was spent doing three things. Visiting Kaito, Helping Roka train, and planning play dates for Akamaru and Jun. Right now, I'm doing none of those things. Confusing? Oh well.
See, right now I am trying to find Kiba and his little dog, so we can have another one of those wonderful play dates. Note the sarcasm.
Usually they ended up in a fight between me and Kiba, while our little friends sat a few feet away, waiting patiently for us to finish. Sometimes they weren't just verbal though.
Jun was currently positioned on my shoulder comfortably. I walked around Konoha, uncertain of where to look for the annoying boy. Would he be with his team, training Shino for the last exam? I had no clue. Jun hooted and took off for no reason, and for a second I thought he had found Kiba the menace, until I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned around, and saw someone I hadn't been expecting. "Oh, hey Shika-kun." I said with a smile. He looked as bored as ever, but I saw a flicker of surprise. What, haven't I called him Shika-kun before? I guess not. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.
"I mean, if you don't like that I could just call you Shika again. But I thought that since we're friends it's okay. I'm sorry." I rambled. He rolled his eyes.
"How troublesome. I don't care what you call me." He answered, putting his hands in his pockets. It was just then I realized I was in his neighborhood. How had I gotten here?
"So what're you doing here?" he asked, apparently reading my thoughts. I frowned, and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Looking for Kiba. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" I asked. He looked at me as if I had grown another head, but still managing to look bored. How does he do that?
"You, Tsukiko, are looking for your sworn enemy, commonly referred to as "mutt" but you called him by his actual name? Is the world ending?" He asked rhetorically. I let out a small laugh, but shook my head.
"We called a truce because Jun and Akamaru have taken a liking to each other. I'm trying to find him so they can hang out together." I explained, and by now we had wandered over to a bench to sit on. Unfortunately it was very small, so our sides brushed against each other as we sat. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but Shikamaru seemed fine.
"Who would've thought?" He said, leaning back a bit. I smiled, and watched Jun chase after a mouse.
"That's what I said. So, how do you feel about the exam? Roka is terrified." I told him, watching a flock of birds fly overhead. I turned and caught him staring at me. He shrugged, and turned to watch the clouds, which there were only a few of.
"It's so bothersome. I'm not very worried about it though." He admitted, and looked over at me.
"Are you gonna go?" he asked, and I smiled at him.
"Of course! I've gotta support my friends, don't I? And by that I mean you and Roka. Not Naruto. And I don't really know Shino, so I can't really support him." I told him. We sat for a while, before Jun hopped over and flitted straight into Shikamaru's lap. He looked surprised, and unsure of what to do. I giggled at him.
"Here." I took his hand, and gently put it on Jun's back. Shikamaru stared at our hands, before I let them go. I think I held on a second too long, but oh well. He started to stroke Jun's back, and Jun curled up and fell asleep on him. I sighed.
"I'm sorry, you've probably got training to do, don't you? I guess I'll keep looking for Kiba then." I started to get up, but he shook his head.
"I've already done my training for the day, and I would rather talk to you then train anyway. If you want, even though it's bothersome, I could help you look for Kiba." He told me, staring up at the clouds, still stroking Jun's feathers.
I grinned at him. "Thanks." I was grateful for his help, but I also wanted to talk to him some more like he did with me. I realized the last time I had talked to him had been when I was in the hospital, which was about three weeks ago.
So now Jun was awake, and taking a nice fly above us, while Shikamaru and I strolled along, chatting.
"Oi Bird brains! You're late!" I sighed.
"It's your fault you didn't show up on time. I had to go looking for you." I reprimanded. He frowned.
"I wasn't late. I was at Ichiraku's at one like you said." He told me. I felt fury bubble up.
"No! You were supposed to be at training field four at twelve! God you're stupid."
"It's not my fault Kurenai-sensei worked us to the bone and all I could think about was food!" He pouted and I rolled my eyes.
"Fine. It's nearly dinner time, how 'bout we all go get something to eat?" I asked the two boys. Shikamaru had been watching us argue quietly, so Kiba seemed to notice him for the first time.
"Hey Shika! Didn't see you!" Kiba said with that dog like grin of his. Shika nodded.
"Yo." Was all he said.
"So, dinner or not?" I asked again. They both nodded, and Kiba picked the barbeque place. We had to sneak Jun and Akamaru in though. We all talked and Kiba and I argued, while we ate. We had a bunch of fun (though I won't admit that to Kiba's face) and when we were done, we had the customary, who's paying for it battle.
"I'm telling you, I'll pay! It was my idea to get dinner anyways!" I argued. Shika rolled his eyes.
"And you paid last time, so I get to pay this time. Besides, you're a woman. I won't have a woman paying for me." Shikamaru declared, and I glared at him.
"Both of you shut up and let me pay. I picked the place!" Kiba argued. I slapped my money down on the table.
"I'm paying and that is final!" I growled, daring them to object.
"But-" Kiba tried to protest, and I glared at him and he shut up. Then I smiled and leaned back.
"You guys can pay next time." I told them, and they seemed happy enough with that, so we left right after that.
Shikamaru's house came up first, so soon it was just me and Kiba.
"So why were you with Shika anyways?" He asked after a few minutes.
"Why does it matter?" I asked curiously, and I wasn't sure, but his face looked a little red.
"I dunno, are you two going out?" He asked awkwardly. I laughed.
"Me and Shika? No way." I told him. Another few minutes of walking I silence.
"Do you want to? You know, go out with him?" He asked. I glanced over at him, confused. Why was he making such a big deal over it?
"No, Shika is my friend. Nothing more." I told him, though part of me wanted to mess with him and tell him I was madly in love with Shikamaru. But another part of me said he wouldn't take that well if I tried to say that.
"Oh. Good." He said, and glanced over at me. I gave him a curious look.
"Good?" I asked, as we approached his house.
"I mean, it's good because you two don't seem like each other's type anyway." He told me. I laughed.
"Just a few weeks ago you were telling me how we would go great with each other." I pointed out. He reddened.
"Well, I was wrong." He said, and we were almost at his front door.
"So what is my type? Someone like Naruto? I could totally see that." I joked, and turned to see him redden a bit more, and stop. I stopped too, and turned to look back at him.
The sun was setting, and it made the natural golden highlights in her hair glow. It made her look rather pretty. As we talked, I felt so stupid for asking her about if she liked Shikamaru. I realized half way through the conversation that I was jealous. I was actually jealous that the lazy boy could get her to smile at him, and I couldn't. All I got from her were yells and arguments.
When the hell had I gotten a crush on her? When she asked me who I thought her type was, I stopped walking and stared at her. I wanted to tell her that I was her type. I wanted to run over, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her. How horrible was that? When had my enemy gone to being my crush?
But instead of doing that, I shrugged. "Maybe Chouji because both of you are so big." I struggled to make it seem teasing. She frowned.
"And maybe you and Naruto would go well with each other since you're both loud and full of yourselves." She said coldly, and I realized I hadn't sounded teasing at all. I had sounded like I was truly insulting her. I flinched as she turned around and stalked in the direction of her house.
I wanted to run after her and shout "I'm sorry" but my pride kept me rooted to the spot.
"God I'm pathetic." I muttered, and walked inside with Akamaru right behind me.
How dare he! And I had thought we were okay now? And he goes and brings that old taunt back? No! See if I ever talk to him again.
I paced in my room angrily, contemplating what had just happened. Then I huffed and sat down on my bed.
"What am I doing?" I asked myself, feeling my anger diminish a bit. I laughed.
"I'm being stupid. He's called me that a thousand times. I shouldn't be so angry." I told myself, and my anger vanished, only to be replaced by guilt.
"That was very mean of me. I'll go apologize in the morning." I compromised, and got dressed in my pajamas, and went to bed.
Except, the next day Roka and Hiroshi came knocking, and I had to help train Roka because Kaito wouldn't be getting out until the day before the big exam. And even then he wouldn't be ready.
After training, they both dragged me off to a D-rank mission (weeding some old woman's garden) and a late lunch. And after all that, I was exhausted, so I trudged back home and flopped into bed.
The next day, I got a D-rank mission with Shino in the form of organizing files in the Hokage's office. Then after that more training came, and a run around Konoha.
Unfortunately, with my ankle, I was a bit slower than usual, so Roka had gone on ahead, while Hiroshi was on the other side of town.
So as I ran through some neighborhood, I tripped. I know, you would think with my eyesight I would've seen the root sticking up out of the ground. But I wasn't paying attention. I let out a yelp of pain as my bad ankle twisted slightly, sending jolts of pain up through my leg.
I sat up, and stared at my foot. It looked okay, and I hadn't sprained it again. It just hurt very badly. I tried to stand, but my leg failed and I collapsed again. I tried calling for help, but no one was out and Jun was back at home.
"Help!" I called out, drawing pictures in the dust, having given up on anyone coming to my aid.
"Kiko?" I heard someone ask from behind me. I looked back and saw Kiba. I groaned mentally, but I could feel myself blushing on the outside.
"Hey Kiba." I muttered as he walked over and looked at me. He smirked.
"Have a nice fall?" He asked, and I glowered at him. His smirk faltered, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Do you need help?" He asked, and I'm not sure why, but I felt a bit of my old anger come back.
"No, I'm sure I would just crush you, right?" I said angrily, and I saw him flinch and turn his head. I immediately felt horrible.
"I'm sorry." We both said at the same time, and we both turned and stared at each other.
"I'm sorry I've been so sensitive. I over reacted, and that was wrong of me. I need to accept the truth, I am big and I need to work on it." I admitted, turning to hide my face behind my curtain of hair. I felt uncomfortable, and started to doodle in the dust again.
"No. I'm sorry, I was a jerk. You aren't big at all. You're nice and healthy. You're the weight you should be. You don't need to lose any weight, besides, it makes you look more womanly." He choked the last part out with a very red face. I smiled softly at him.
"Thanks Kiba." He looked at me, and we stared at each other for a moment before he offered me his hand. I giggled as I took it, and he yanked me up. We hobbled all the way home, with me describing my mission with Shino, and how intimidated I had been, and him telling me about how he and Akamaru were learning a new jutsu.
We finally stopped at my house, and he helped me to the door. I opened it, and he walked me over to the couch, where I flopped down. He smiled, and glanced around.
"So this is your house, eh? I imagined there would be more torture devices." He teased and I stuck my tongue out at him.
"At least it doesn't smell like wet dog." I teased right back. He rolled his eyes and walked around, investigating. I switched on a movie on the TV, and watched as some dude made a fool of himself in a restaurant trying to get a woman to notice him. I giggled as I watched, before Kiba picked up a picture from a table.
"Who's this?" He asked, staring at the picture. I turned to look at him, and realized which picture he had picked up.
"Oh. That's my mother." I answered, before turning back to the TV.
"She's very pretty, what happened to her?" He asked. My smile fell, and I paused the movie. Kiba sat next to me, and I stared at the picture he held.
"She was a medi-nin." I started, and he waited patiently for more. "She was given a mission to go to a small village north of Konoha. It had come down with disease, and they needed someone to help. So she went, and cured everyone, but she herself got sick, and no one knew until it was too late. She died in her sleep the night before she was supposed to come home." I finished my story softly, and his face looked ashen. The picture was held very loosely in his hand, so I reached over and took it, staring at the woman inside.
Kiba had been right. She was very pretty, with her big brown eyes and soft smile. Her eyebrows were too big though. I wonder if she had ever been teased about it. Her long curly black hair was pushed back over her shoulders, but a few strands lay in front, and they looked silky soft.
Her pale skin shone in the sunlight, and the regular clothes she wore made her look laid back and relaxed, like she didn't have a care in the world. I traced her slightly chubby cheek with my finger, before I shook my head.
"I'm really sorry." Kiba said, and scooted closer so he could look at her too.
"Don't be. I don't miss her. I can barely remember her. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like to have her around, you know. But other than that, I hardly think about her." I told him with a smile. It was one hundred percent true. He nodded, and patted my shoulder.
"Do you want me to stick around until your dad gets back?" He asked, glancing at my foot. I giggled.
"If you want to. There's a stash of junk food in the cabinet to the left of the fridge." I told him, and he grinned and scampered for the unhealthy snacks as if they were gold.
He came back, his arms laden with sweets and chips, with soda cans too. I giggled, and plucked a bag of chips from his arms before he dumped everything on the far left seat. He sat next to me with a box of Twinkies and I started the movie over. It was a comedy so we were both laughing the entire way through.
So three giant bags of chips, one bag of burnt popcorn, a Pepsi explosion, and countless sweets later, I yawned and laid my head back, and let my eyes flutter closed. Before I knew it, I was in dream land.
God she was adorable. I would never say it out loud though. She had fallen asleep, with only another quarter of the movie to go. I had slept in late today, so I wasn't tired. But I stopped paying attention to the movie, and looked at her. Her long brown hair was slightly messy after rubbing against the couch for so long, and her long neck was exposed from her head lying back on the cushion.
Soft little puffs of air came out of her mouth, and it almost sounded like a snore, but softer. I smirked at her. I hesitantly reached a hand over though, and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. It was so soft, I wanted to run my fingers through more of it, but I held back and shook my head.
Suddenly, her head slumped to the side, and landed on my shoulder. I was surprised, but she kept sleeping. Must be a deep sleeper, I thought. I got up, and gently lowered her down into a lying position on the sofa. I put her feet up too, and I rose an eyebrow when I saw her nails were painted white with little dark blue polka dots.
I tossed a blanket over her, and switched the TV off, and put my shoes on. As I opened the door, I looked back and shook my head at her.
"Why you?" I asked no one in particular, not knowing what exactly I was asking her about. Almost as if she had heard me, she shifted into a more comfortable position, and I walked out of the house and back to my own home.
So! Not exactly fluff, but still cute right? Well, we'll get some Shika fluff in the next chapter (hopefully). But you knnooowww, reviews and votes might encourage that fluff! *Wink Wink*
Seems like Kiba has developed a crush! Le gasp! I wonder what will happen? And when will our pretty little Kiko get it? Stay tuned for the next episode of Silver Moon! (Nearly typed moo there. I don't think Kiko would like the insult :D)
Buh bye now!
-Ash