It hard trying to piece together a story that flows. But if it flows or not, enjoy and review. Thanks.

Ino ducked quickly back behind the counter but it was too late to stop the visitor from spotting her.

"Ino? Why are you hiding behind there for?" the visitor asked quite loudly as he walked around and squatted in front of her. When he discovered Ino sniffling and hugging her knees to herself, he actually softened his voice as he asked, "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here, dog-boy?" Ino asked stiffening and not bothering to answer. She wiped the excess tears from her eyes and rubbed it on her skirt before staring down at her curled up toes.

His huge and furry dog, Akamaru nudged her feet and stared at her with deep brown eyes full of care, while his owner prepared his answer.

"Hinata sent me to get congratulation flowers for Neji and Tenten for becoming a couple," Kiba replied automatically, before carefully wondering how he would ask her what was wrong without sending her into a crying fit. He just couldn't handle stuff like this.

"The shop's closed," Ino stated emotionally, "So why are you in here?"

" I didn't see it," Kiba said sheepishly as he pushed back his hood, he glanced down at Akamaru and with a long look, knew what he had to do. He hesitated before going on to ask, "What's wrong Ino?"

Ino's eyes flooded, and she grabbed a hold of Akamaru and sobbed into his neck. She held on tightly to his fur and cried with her shoulders heaving up and down with every noise she made. Kiba was scared out of his wits. He didn't know what to do, after all he had the only quiet Kuniochi on his team.

"I gave my heart away, and the jerk broke it!" Ino wept, continually wiping her eyes when it got to the point that a blurred Kiba looked more like Kankuro with every added tear, "I caught Kankuro kissing another girl!"

"Kankuro!?" Kiba's eyes widened, and he didn't even try to hide his disbelief. Out of all the couples to pick, he would have never suspected Ino to get together with Kankuro the master puppeteer. He was almost in a slight of shock, but with Ino blubbering all over his dog, he snapped out of it rather quickly, "Ino! Why? How? What?" He calmed down a bit and thought it rather odd that a loyal guy like Kankuro would actually cause harm to his own relationship. So he added a bit advice, " I don't know what to say, maybe you should talk with someone who knows Kankuro. Like. . . The Kazekage, or . .. Temari! That's who you should see!"

"R-really?" Ino whimpered, as she thought of asking Temari why her brother was such a jerk. After all maybe she'd understand exactly why Kankuro would give her so much pain, "Maybe I ought to clean myself up first."

Ino said this with a watery smile, and Kiba decided if it would be okay to ask her. . . After all she had stopped crying and such. He asked with a bluntness that was completely in touch with his Inuzuka genes, "Ino, can you let go of my dog already? He's almost soaked to the bone."

"I'll let go when I'm darned good and ready, Kiba!" Ino retorted hugging Akamaru tightly and laying her cheek on his soft comforting fur. . .

"Still the bossy Ino, I see," Kiba muttered beneath his breath, and jumped when Ino gave him a death-glare. It was going to be a long day. . .

Pain filled his chest, but he had to get away from this village. Temari could handle things on her own without his help, not that she really wanted it in the first place. Kankuro was hurting, hiding it well, but hurting inside.

He was furious that Ino would even begin to think he would choose another girl. But at the same time he felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if Gaara was squeezing the life out of him. But he would ignore it, no matter how impossible. He struggled greatly and the pain subsided to a dull throb.

"I got to head back home. Who care's about what Ino thinks?" Kankuro murmured to himself, his eyes hardening as he clenched his fist and how Ino had rejected him without any explanation. Why hadn't she believed him? Did she not even trust him? But he had to admit that they hadn't known each other for very long.

But he still continued to brood all the way to the Nara Clan. He had to tell his sister he was leaving with her or without her. He growled low in his throat and suddenly wondered why his eyes were watering. He wiped them quickly, blaming it on the cool moist wind of Konoha.

"If I ever find out who that girl was, she's gonna regret ever meeting me," Kankuro muttered under his breath as he came to the Nara Clan's address. He was half-way surprised when he knocked, to come face to face with his sister right away.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with your girlfriend," teased Temari as she covered her morning yawn with her hand. When she saw his expression turn bleak, the Suna Kuniochi looked at him strongly and decided to ask bluntly, "What's with you?"

"I'm leaving and heading back to Suna," he answered calmly even though he seethed inside about that stupid idiot girl who had ruined his relationship. Kankuro looked at Temari's teal eyes, and saw the wary expression in them. Obviously she believed there was far more to his answer.

"Why?" Temari demanded, her eyes flashing, "Did you just destroy the short bond you had with Ino?"

"Stop interrogating me Temari! Let me control my own life," Kankuro shouted at her, pain filling his voice as he lowered it, "She rejected me, because she thought I cheated on her. I would never try to hurt her, yet she doesn't trust me."

"Kankuro," Temari soothed, her eyes wide at the wild emotions in his eyes. She had never seen her brother this depressed before. Could it be he had true feeling for Ino? She quickly added her counsel, "You can't leave now! You got to go back to her and make her understand. That's the only way to make it right, no matter how pig-headed she gets."

"It's too late. There's no way I'm going to force her. She has to make her own stubborn choices. If she wants to talk, Ino will have to come find me." Kankuro said, his face changing into one of those determined looks, he always seemed to get, "Bye Temari. Perhaps Shikamaru and you will have better luck than we did."

He left as quickly as he came, and Temari stared after him. She shook her head, wondering how Ino was feeling. Probably miserable, with the way Kankuro looked. Those two were strangely perfect for each other, but their stubbornness was getting in the way. . .