A/N: Please, enjoy! =)


XIX: Desert Sands

Rooftop. Sunagakure-themed restaurant, Desert-something. Sands, probably. He really didn't know. Or care.

Kiba leaned forward on the edge of the sign that crested the short wall around the roof. The neon cast yellow-pink-blue hues over him. Further out, the midnight blue sky outlined the black Konoha cityscape. Lights here and there made pathways up and down streets. The air stirred- -a breeze rose and died. People below laughing, chatting, going in, going out. Oblivious to him.

He wished he was one of them. With a gentle finger, he rolled the earrings in the palm of his opposite hand. Definitely wouldn't be hiding out if she was with him.

They would be laughing right now, talking with Shino and Masako. Enjoying their time together. Ino would laugh at one of his stupid jokes ('cause in this dream he was funny) and like predicting the other's thoughts, they would lean together and kiss.

An ache pounded his chest. He'd better stop. But couldn't…didn't want to…

They would sneak to somewhere special- -like the top of the Hokage Tower, and star-gaze. (He'd have a blanket and pillow stored up there, for just that reason.) Laying back, the swirl of stars above them, he'd point out the constellations he knew, and she'd help him, laughing, because she was smarter than he was about astronomy. And getting frustrated- -but playfully- -he'd kiss her to shut her up.

Her lipgloss would taste good, something-berry, and his hand would caress her hip. She'd break the kiss to scoot closer, so he could put his arms around her. Those light eyes would be looking inside him, wanting him as wholly as he wanted her. Mouths would press together, and she'd part her lips, letting him touch his tongue to hers. Then-

"Kiba." Shino's voice came from behind him; the dream shattered. "I thought I would find you here."

Kiba closed his hand around the earrings. "Yeah. I needed some space."

"That is understandable. I noticed how uncomfortable you were during the play."

Ah. He'd seen. During the play, Kiba had had to unbutton his shirt some because his collar choked him, and especially with the closeness of people in the theater, he couldn't breathe. Yukari had been wearing that overpowering lilac scent, and to remain seated and not run for the exit took all the discipline he had.

Once at the restaurant, he couldn't stand it anymore. He felt like playing prince with Yukari had drained his soul from his body, so before he went bat-shit, he'd excused himself to the bathroom, jimmied the window there, and hopped to the roof.

"The girls are worried about you."

Kiba shrugged and continued to stare out over Konoha. He wanted to be in the field, with fire, silence, the rush of wind through the trees…anywhere but here.

In a movement meant to warn, Shino scuffed his shoe- -and Kiba felt his teammate approach. "You should come back in."

An exasperated growl rumbled in Kiba's throat.

"Do not give up. Think of what you will lose if you do," Shino said quietly, and his hand weighed on Kiba's shoulder. "You have to perform to perfection."

What Shino said was true, of course. "Grin'n'bear it, right?"

"Truly you are to be admired."

The quiet comment shocked Kiba into silence, and he turned to gape at the reserved figure standing next to him. Shino admired him? No freakin' way.

"Do not think me above such a feeling as envy," Shino continued. Though the sunglasses hid his eyes, Kiba could feel his gaze. "You have always possessed an inner-strength that I had often could not comprehend. This is a perfect example."

"Awww…yer embarrassin' me." Heat had flooded to his face. "We're havin' such a…touching moment."

"Indeed, warm and fuzzy."

Shino's deadpan speech and the ridiculousness of the words coming from him tickled Kiba, and he laughed, really laughed, and that felt good. Shino didn't show it, but Kiba knew he was laughing along, on the inside.

"We had better return," Shino said as he dropped his hand from Kiba's shoulder, "before the girls think we have abandoned them."

"Yeah, sure."

He and Shino left the roof to return to the restaurant. The murmur of the diners, the clinks of plates and glasses, and the delicious scent of food eased Kiba back into company. Shino's kind words stayed with him, making him feel better and boosting his confidence. He could do this. He only had to mimic what he would do with Ino. Easy. Well, kinda.

They wound through the open area to the table. The girls greeted them; Masako smiled, shaking her blondish hair over her shoulder, but Yukari looked concerned.

"Is everything okay?" she asked when he sat beside her.

"Yep. I had a headache and needed some air. I'm good now."

Her hand clutched his shirt sleeve. "Kiba," she said softly, "if…if you want to leave, we can. I'd…understand."

Hm. So very tempting to accept her offer. He smiled instead and worked loose her hand.

"No, it's okay. Thank you, though."

When he kissed her fingers, Yukari visibly relaxed, and the worry melted from her face, revealing a relieved smile.

The time was well past ten-thirty before they said their goodbyes and Kiba began walking Yukari home. As it had been with their first date, Yukari rested her hand in the crook of his elbow, but the gesture had a wildly different effect on him. He sort of…wanted to shake off her hand and leave her.

"Shino and Masako are really very nice," Yukari said. "I'm glad I got a chance to go out with them."

"They were excited to meet you, too."

Hairs stirred on the back of Kiba's neck, the sure indicator that something, or someone, was watching them or- -

"Oh, I'm glad. I had so much fun tonight with them. I hope we can do it again soon!" she said.

"Uh-huh."

- -following them.

Kiba tilted his head and charged chakra to his nose, powering through Yukari's lilac aroma. Hm. A three-man cell. They were taking pains to cover their approach, but Kiba could smell their adrenaline-induced sweat- -two boys and a girl, all of them non-adults- -the faint taptap of boots, as they hopped over the rooftops.

"Do you think that we could plan another double date? I know that there's a festival in one of the other towns coming up. Would it be too much trouble to go?"

"No…"

Maybe he was jumping to conclusions. They could be passing him by for a mi…ah, shit. Nope. They had taken positions in selected spots on opposite sides of the walkway.

"I'll be sure to ask my mother, and then we can plan it together!" Yukari continued. "She'll be so pleased to hear of it."

He assumed they were another batch of Mrs. Bitch's hired goons and wondered if they were from Hidden Leaf or if they had been imported from somewhere else. Either way, Kiba recognized the ploy for what it was.

Mrs. Bitch didn't trust him to protect Yukari, or it could be that she wanted to see what he could do in battle. Whatever the case may be, this wasn't the time to hypothesize.

Yukari had said something he missed. "Kiba? Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Sure, whatever you want, kitten."

She shot him a confused look, but he had other concerns. Since he was without a single kunai or shiruken- -thanks to Akamaru's suggestions, he might add- -he had to avoid direct melee combat, at least until he could get the cell separated or onto grounds of his choosing. So his best option was flight rather than fight.

On the sides of the walks were plenty of trashcans and other moveable items. A transformation jutsu to mimic both himself and Yukari would allot the seconds needed for escape. His priority was to get Yukari out of harm's way; he had an idea how Mrs. Bitch would react to her precious treasure getting hurt on his watch.

Leaning in so that his mouth was close to her ear, Kiba said, "Don't be alarmed." She tensed, but when he put his hand on her back, she relaxed a little. "We got company. I'm gonna use jutsu. Pretend yer feeling sick."

Like the good actress she was, Yukari wobbled on her feet and groaned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't…" She staggered some, "I don't feel well."

"Okay, take it easy." Kiba guided her towards the nearest wall and trashcans, where he whispered to her. "Go limp."

She did so on-cue. In the scuffle of catching her, Kiba pulled off the transformation jutsu; he swept up Yukari and dashed to a darkened doorway. Once there, he set Yukari on her feet.

"Yer gettin' on my back," he told her, his voice so low, he was surprised when she nodded her agreement. "Hurry."

He rotated, felt her lean into him, and the sweaty knee-pits rested in his ready hands. Her arms enclosed his neck. Kiba's nose monitored the movement of the cell as they closed in on the transformed trashcans.

Instead of waiting, Kiba snuck into the shadow of the building, keeping his attention divided carefully between the pursuers and his path. Around the corner he tiptoed. Yukari's breathing sounded too loud near his ear, and when he leapt without warning, she gasped, and thankfully, didn't shriek.

He'd taken his first bound when he heard his jutsu release and the surprised noises of the pursuers. Immediately after, he heard their quick, light footsteps to the roofs. The night should give him ample cover; he expected a bit of a lead before they caught on to him, but one must've had exceptional eyesight because their scents and footfalls came after him.

His options were either to continue along the rooftops or use the streets and buildings to his advantage. The rooftops would benefit his speed, since he could shoot straight to safety; but he had a passenger and he was in plain view, both of which devalued the benefit. The streets would slow him further, though he would have ample time to double-back, find a safe spot for Yukari, or wait out the pursuers.

Hm. Kiba could play cat-and-mouse, which was a better option than getting destroyed by three guys. His eyes picked up the dark void of two buildings split to accommodate an alley, and he leapt to close the distance, mind on the girl who rode on his back.

What about her? He couldn't just…dump her somewhere and leave her while he fought. Down he dropped, from balcony to balcony. Couldn't hide her without her probably doing something stupid and getting herself hurt.

Someone had to guard her, and he couldn't outrun his enemies long enough to get to Naruto's apartment. Shino and Hinata were on the other side of town, too. He bounded off the lowest balcony and landed on the sidewalk. Where could he go?

As he dodged into the recesses of a building, he recognized the street and realized he was a block away from the Yamanaka Flower Shoppe. An idea flicked into his mind.

Oh-ho, that was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

"Kiba? Why are we stopping?" Her voice sounded like a cowering mouse. "Won't they…catch up?"

He waited before answering.

Possibly. Possibly, he could deposit Yukari into the flower shop. Someone would be attending it (Ino? God, he hoped so) and would safeguard her while he was taking care of business. Bu-ut…would that constitute as an infraction? Would Mrs. Bitch count his visit as a visit?

Everything inside him said, 'Uh, yeah, yer a dumbass. Don't do it!' A teeny, tiny, itty-bitty part asked him: What other option do you have?

Try to outrun three shinobi who didn't have another human being on their backs? Set Yukari in a dark corner somewhere and tell her to stay? Pffft. Yeah, like that'd ever happen.

In his brief moment of thought, the cell had gained on him considerably. This was no time to stand around with his thumb up his ass.

"Yukari," he whispered as he started running, "I'm gonna drop you off somewhere safe. You gotta stay there, okay?"

"Wh-where are you taking me?" she asked, grip tightening around his neck. "Don't leave me!"

Kiba rounded the corner and put forth a burst of speed. The lights shone through the glass display, slanting onto the sidewalk; he hadn't considered whether someone would be there or not. The smell of fresh-cut flowers hung lightly on the air…and the three sweaty ninjas, breathing hard, trailing behind.

"You've been here before. This is as safe as it gets," he reassured Yukari.

The door banged open with a wild jangle, his strength half from excitement, half from adrenaline. No one was manning the counter. The shop's flowers masked the scent of the Yamanaka working, but he was sure it was Ino. She would definitely help, no questions asked.

Kiba let Yukari climb off his back, and as he guided her through the shop, thinking of Ino, the backdoor behind the counter opened.

"Hello?" Yukari called. "We need your-mmphf!"

Kiba clamped a hand over her mouth when he saw who was there. Dammit. How had he been so wrong?

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shoppe." Inoichi stopped when he saw them, a curious smile to his mouth. "Kiba. Miss Nakamura."

Kiba blinked, hand falling limply, having already built it up in his head that Ino would be working tonight. Since he'd expected someone else, he hadn't thought of an alternate excuse to be there with Yukari. Inoichi swept around the countertop and when he stood square in front of Kiba, his eyes looked intense; darkened, deeper, wiser.

"What do you need?" he asked.

The question seemed…knowing. Too aligned with Kiba's thoughts. Inoichi was doing it again. Whatever he did before, he was doing it now. But different. So differently than before. Kiba could feel something strange inside his brain, a feeling like being plugged in to something? But was this mind jutsu or a sudden onset of nerves from facing Inoichi, the father of the girl he had slept with?

He didn't know and shifted uncomfortably, and beside him, Yukari glanced back and forth between them. She squeezed his fingers; he hadn't even noticed her hand in his.

"What do you need?" Inoichi asked again. "You don't have to worry."

The gentle prompt broke Kiba's tongue loose from the roof of his mouth. "Can you…can you keep an eye on Yukari?" Nerves had dampened his palms. "She isn't feeling well, and I…uh, I have an emergency. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Wait here," he told Kiba.

Then Inoichi lifted a hand, and, using the same hand she'd held Kiba's with, Yukari took it. She looked curious and mildly surprised as Inoichi continued talking, guiding her through the aisle.

"Come right back. There's a couch in my office where you can lie down. I have some hot tea- -" They went through the door behind the counter.

Kiba could hear what Inoichi said and Yukari's replying murmurs, but didn't pay attention to them. Anxious, feeling out of place, he roamed around and inspected the items in the flower shop, trying to pinpoint when he'd felt this strange connection before. He knew it'd happened, the memory on the tip of his tongue.

Ah, he couldn't remember. Flower bobble-heads stood in a neat row. The bases were pots, the stems were green, and the 'heads' were smiling daisies, roses, and tulips. He set a few of them bobbling, as he tried to decide where on the spectrum he should adjust his attitude toward Inoichi. Pissed at him for using what Kiba thought to be mind jutsu or…not. Was this the time to address issues he had with Inoichi?

The shinobi in him said to worry about Inoichi later. Yeah, anger seemed the best route, but why waste all that energy when there loomed a larger, three-person problem? Use that anger to kick some ass and get some answers from the cell that circled liked vultures outside the flower shop doors. If only he had weapons and camouflage…he'd be good to go.

Inoichi came back into the front of the store. "She's all settled in."

"That's good."

"Yes." He studied Kiba a moment. "I have something for you."

What could Inoichi possibly have for him? Unless he was hiding Ino somewhere…

Inoichi waved Kiba over to the side of the flower shop, where he opened a door to reveal a broom and supply closet. Several shelves lined the walls, items neatly organized and positioned just so. Inoichi stretched up to slide a box off the top shelf.

"Here. You'll need this."

Hesitantly, Kiba accepted the heavy box and set it on the counter to open it. Inside, as neatly folded and arranged as the broom closet, were a Konoha flak jacket, a fully-loaded belt and hip pouch, and a kunai holster. The items themselves didn't hold much meaning, but the scent that had hit him in the face…it smelled like home. Like him and his mother; a scent that hadn't been fresh in years.

He didn't understand. How had Inoichi gotten hold of a box-full of his father's gear?

"I'll tell you the long, long story another time," Inoichi said. "I think that you've got an emergency to attend to."

Silently, Kiba lined the items up on the counter and discovered a net shirt at the bottom of the box. At least he wouldn't ruin a nice dress shirt. While he changed and buckled up, Inoichi was at the front, releasing the blinds to cover the front display windows.

"Those boys are anxious for a piece of you," Inoichi said. "Two out front, and one out back. Will you be able to manage three to one?"

"I'll separate them out and take them down one by one."

Inoichi gave him a sharp look. "Watch your swagger. They may be more talented than you think. And you don't know their intentions."

"They're not chunin, that's for sure. I heard 'em breathin' and movin' around. Besides, if someone wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

While they spoke, they had walked together through the door into the back and crossed the floor to the backdoor of the store. He saw a dim light on in Inoichi's office, and he assumed Yukari had curled up on the couch. The mean streak inside him wanted to forget her for the night and let someone else deal with her. Maybe Inoichi would be so kind?

Kiba glanced at Inoichi. "Should I…come back?" Sounded too hopeful.

"If you don't want a furious woman on your hands, I suggest that you do."

"You mean, if you don't want a furious woman on your hands."

Inoichi smirked. "Hn. True. But either way, you'd still have a furious woman to deal with. And maybe, then, not just you."

Kiba got his meaning. Mrs. Bitch would retaliate if she felt that he'd mistreated Yukari in anyway. She wouldn't stand for him leaving Yukari in a flower shop all night, and facing the door, knew that he couldn't stall forever. Standing with Inoichi felt weird, anyway.

He shrugged. "So-o…I'll…be going."

"You look the spitting image of your father." Then before Kiba could question further, Inoichi swept past and twisted the doorknob. "Go get 'em, kid."

"Thanks," he managed, as Inochi flung open the door.

Kiba exploded into the night like hell. One stepped right in his flight path, a silver glint in hand; the predator in Kiba ached to smell fresh blood, but another glint caught his eye. A Leaf hitai-ate. No killing until their alignment could be confirmed, so he flicked up a kunai, deflected the swipe. His momentum and a shoulder helped him to plow through the shinobi. Felt like diving through rice paper- -too easy. A thud as the smaller body hit the pavement. Skidding.

Something was wrong. He shouldn't have been able to knock aside a trained soldier like that. Was it a transformation jutsu? Or a shadow clone? Though darkness hid the shinobi partially, Kiba's enhanced vision saw every physical detail, his hearing monitored breathing, and his nose tracked the still-living scent of the human. Nothing happened, not even a groan or an attempt to rise.

Looked young, male, eleven or twelve years old. Dark hair. Some jumbled combination of clothing. He'd seen this kid before somewhere. It was the visor that sparked his memory, and his heart dropped into his stomach. This was one of the genins who'd delivered that letter from Mrs. Bitch!

The fuck were they doin' comin' after him like that? He could've killed them!

The two other scents were closing in. Righteously angry, Kiba didn't bother to hide himself. He wanted to face them in all his glorious fury and give them a beating they wouldn't soon forget.

Within a few more moments, the other two landed in front of him, a boy and girl. Their belligerence pissed off Kiba further. Of all the green-behind-the-ears stunts…jumping right in front of your enemy had to be the dumbest, and so far, it had happened twice.

Who the fuck was teaching these dumbasses?

A wide gesture. "Hey! What'd you do to Tohru?" shouted the boy.

The boy Kiba recognized as the loudmouth punk who'd called him an asshole a couple weeks ago. The girl kept glancing to Tohru as though she wanted to run to him, but she must've known that if she tried, Kiba'd attack her as well. Their scents were sharp with fear. Good.

"He got what he had comin' to 'im."

"Get away from him!"

"No."

"Do it or I'll…I'll…" the boy searched for an adequate threat.

When he couldn't find one, he sprang forward, but Kiba stuck out a hand. It was like the kid hit a wall; he bounced back and landed on his ass. The girl crouched, putting her hands on his shoulders instead of standing by to defend her comrade. So stupid.

"You snot-nosed little moron." Kiba stepped forward, growls ripe in his throat. "What didja think you'd accomplish? Yer stupid!"

The girl cowered back. "Shi, he's scary." But the boy gritted his teeth and pulled a kunai.

"We're not stupid, asshole! Stay back."

Kiba took another step. "Or what?" He twirled the kunai around his finger.

Shi got to his feet, but when the girl tried tugging him back, he shook her off. "Or I'll kill you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna tear off your head!"

"Hmph. Let's see you try, punk."

The dig worked. Shi leapt, face contorted with anger. Kiba slid back a step, grabbed the kid's wrist and flung him in a wide arch overhead. Shi slammed flat on his back with a loud oompf!

A second of stillness, then Kiba heard the girl jump at him. He strafed. She tripped over Shi and, on her chest, slid over the pavement. In the moment Kiba took to dodge the girl, Shi had gained his feet and attacked again. Afterwards, they both tried all sorts of maneuvers, which he repelled with ease.

Partially toying with them, he used defensive strategies to evaluate their teamwork, skill level, and strategy. As angry as he was, they were too pathetic to keep his anger alive. Shi relied on classic textbook moves. The girl was useless, except to be a distraction.

Tohru's scent indicated he was awake, but playing possum. Probably had set up a trap. And when Kiba sidestepped another one of Shi's overly dramatic, waste-of-energy attacks, Tohru made his move, revealing to Kiba the nature of the trap.

Before they could come together as a team, Kiba threw a smoke bomb. They didn't scatter like they should have, so he had an easy time of landing three accurate, heavy punches and knocking out the team. When the smoke cleared, he'd barely broken a sweat and found Inoichi standing outside the back door with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"Bravo," he told Kiba from across the lane. "I couldn't have tested them better myself."

Hunh? "What're you talkin' about?"

"I want you to meet my genin team."

"These kids…are yours?" Kiba gawked. "They suck!"

Inoichi laughed and walked over to inspect the fallen youngsters. "They've only just graduated. Hn," he grunted, leaning over, "looks like you gave them something to remember you by."

"So it wasn't Mrs. Nakamura who sent them? It was you?" His quieted anger rose. "If you gotta problem, why don't you take it up with me?"

Inoichi looked up, still smiling secretly. "They came after you on their own."

"No one sent them?"

"No one sent them."

"I…don't get this." Kiba scratched his head. "I chased them off once, but why should they want to get revenge for that?"

"It's not that. Shi is Yukari's little brother."


A/N: Next up, Saying the Words.