It was a nice day in Konoha, though Kiba hadn't gotten a chance to enjoy it once that day. Kurenai-sensei had taken him, Shino, and Hinata out to an empty field and they were training all day long. Now that he was seventeen, he didn't think that they'd still be training with Kurenai. Not that Kiba didn't enjoy being around his teammates and sensei. It just got annoying when it was every single day of the week.

He was finally able to take a break. The brunette grabbed a bottle of water and drank half of the bottle. "God. This is too much, Kurenai. I'm going back to the village," He told her, picking up his bag and starting back towards the village. The next Chuunin Exams were being held in a couple days, and he knew that there would be ninjas from other countries that would need escorts around the village. Unfortunately, Tsunade-sama had volunteered him for an escorting job.

Kiba went home and he changed into different clothes, since the ones he was in were so sweaty. Akamaru had jumped up onto the bed and laid down, closing his eyes. The poor dog was so tired from all the training as well. When Kiba was done changing, he picked the dog up and held him in his arms as he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. The brunette grabbed a piece of bread and munched on it as he left, going to the entrance gate to meet up with the person he was showing around. I hope they aren't a stupid person, He thought as he finished his bread.

Two days. Two days of non-stop walking. Two days of... stupid, stupid Temari bitching and complaining about the impending moisture and greenery. Was it completely impossible for the bitch to adapt? The humidity was making his paint run under the heavy black cloak, and even he wasn't complaining! Then again... Temari didn't share Kankuro's deathly fear of Gaara's irritation, either.

Yes. That's why he was here, at the gates of Konoha, with neither the his brother [the Kazekage] or sister in sight, sweating twice his daily intake of water out through the pores beneath his clothes. Because he was afraid of Gaara. No matter how civilized he became, Kankuro couldn't say no without a fear of being strangled, as irrational as it was, so when Gaara said 'We're going to the Konoha Chuunin Exams,' Kankuro just asked when they were leaving. Leaning back, Kankuro idly toyed with a few strings twined about his fingers, humming absently as he waited for his guide.

"There was a barber and his wife..." Pausing, he glanced up at the two eternal-chuunins guarding the gate, getting the distinct feeling that they were... laughing... at him. Why was he even here!? He was a frickin' Jounin by now, hell, he could have been greater if he wanted to! Why did he need to watch some stupid kids getting themselves half-killed just so that they could be sent out to die for their country? Sighing, he ran a hand over his hood and tugged it down over his face. This is bull, man...

Kiba walked through the streets of Konoha, his faithful companion in his arms. After walking for a bit, he sighed a little bit, stopping in the middle of the street. He ignored the strange looks that he was getting from all of the people. Sure, he shouldn't be standing in the streets, but it isn't like they had anything there that could knock them down or kill them, besides other ninja. The brunette sighed and stared up at the sky, wondering if he should even worry about escorting someone around Konoha.

The brunette shook his head and he continued towards the gate, trying to push all the worry out of his head. There was no point in worrying who he was going to escort around. Kiba got to the gate and saw Kankuro standing there. He rose an eyebrow a bit, but went to the two Chuunin guarding the door. "Morning boys," He said, sifting through the papers, trying to find his name. Kiba was a Chuunin now, so he was allowed to. When he found his name, he read a little bit and then looked at the name of the person he was escorting. The brunette twitched a little bit when he saw Kankuro's name on the paper.

He hasn't really talked to Kankuro since the Konoha ninja helped to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki. The brunette sighed and turned around and faced the other. "Hey Kankuro," He said, not really looking at the other. What was the point to this? Kankuro knew his way around Konoha. At least...that's what Kiba thought, but he could have been wrong. "How've you been? And how're Gaara and Temari?" He asked, noticing that the other two didn't seem to be with him. At least he only had to escort just one of them around. Maybe Shikamaru would be escorting Temari around once again. The brunette chuckled at the though.

He was almost, almost thankful that he didn't recognize the voice of his apparent guide, the one addressing him so casually. Konohans... No respect, man. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt that usually was associated with Konoha Shinobi that he knew... Or at least, so he thought until he looked up. He might not have recognized the voice at first, but that dog... and the markings... were impossible to mistake. Dog-boy. Like he could forget that face, either.

Bringing his hands together to nimbly unwrap the almost invisible threads from around his fingers, he resisted the urge to groan. Great. Just fantastic. "Inuzuka," he murmured, bowing his head just enough to be respectful. "I have been... well. Temari and the Kazekage have also been well..." Then under his breath he muttered, "As well as two psychopaths can be..." Clearing his throat, he pushed himself up off the post that he'd previously stood on, tucking the threads into a pocket of his cloak. "And how have you been?"

Sighing in quiet aggravation, Kankuro pulled the hood of his cloak back to run his hand through his hair, fully aware of the slight smearing of the paint on his forehead. Shit, shit, shit. I hate this humidity...

The Inuzuka looked at the sand nin. He rose an eyebrow suspiciously as he bowed his head a little bit. Though, he shook his head a little and forgot about it. "I've been alright. Kurenai's been pushing Shino, Hinata, and myself to the point where we can't stand anymore. But, she just wants us prepared I guess," He said, smiling a little bit. Akamaru was starting to wake up and when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kankuro. The dog growled lowly.

Kiba rolled his eyes and lightly patted Akamaru's head. "It's alright Akamaru. He's not going to kill me," The Inuzuka said to the small dog. The brunette looked at the other and then back at his dog, continuing to pet him. Things were getting a little awkward, though when have things not been awkward when they were around each other. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he looked at the other. "Well, let's get you into a hotel and let you get cleaned up," The Inuzuka said, smiling.

As he turned on his heel, he noticed a bunch of the other Konoha ninja coming to the gates to wait for the outside ninja that would be there soon. Well, I hope everyone else have worse people to escort. Especially for the blond dobe. The brunette smirked a little as he started walking, motioning for Kankuro to follow him.

Kankuro almost bristled at that- Cleaned up? What does he mean, cleaned up? The feel of purple paint sliding down his face brought him out of his self-righteous irritation, though. Oh. Right, that. Someday he'd figure out how to not be so hostile. Tucking one hand into the pocket of his dark pants, he nodded, a slightly relieved smile stealing over his face. "Yeah, that'd be nice. Don't know how you people survive here, it's so damn humid." Ruffling his own hair, he glanced over at the gathering of other Konoha Shinobi waiting for their assigned foreigners. Heh. Sucked for them.

Ignoring the statement about Kurenai working the dog-boy's team to death- Tch, wimps.- Kankuro followed, eying the dog warily. "I'd be more concerned about him killing me than me killing you." Truly, the canine was terrifying to Kankuro- the puppet-master was much more of a cat person, as it were. Biting back a few more caustic remarks on the nature of the canine, Kankuro glanced around, noticing glares and how the children were herded away from him. He was the only Suna nin who hadn't openly apologized for his part on the attacks on Konoha, so it was understandable, but he pulled his hood up anyways to shield himself from the stares.

"So, is there already a hotel chosen, or do we get to go hunting for one?" He actually didn't particularly care, really, but the silence from his escort was getting on his nerves. He had to say something.

Kiba glanced around as he saw people backing away from him and Kankuro. "I have a question for you Kankuro," The male said as they got to a hotel that would house most of the foreign ninja. He got Kankuro checked in and they went up to his room. "Why haven't you apologized for that day? Temari and Gaara have apologized, yet you haven't." The brunette opened the door and let the other go in first. When Kankuro was inside, Kiba walked in and just leaned against the wall. Truth was, he was surpirsed that Gaara had apologized before Kankuro.

The brunette calmed his dog down more, keeping his eyes on the dog. At that point, he didn't want to make eye contact with the other male. Of course, asking that question made him think about why he didn't thank the three sand nins for saving them that day. Kiba had wanted to say something, but he was too stunned at the fact that they just showed up out of nowhere and was able to defeat the last three sound ninja. He looked over at the other male, waiting for an answer from him.

{sorry that it's shorter. I couldn't really think of anything else to type^-^;}

[xD Quality over quantity hun- it's a great post, don't worry about the length. <3]

Kankuro paused in his examination of the hotel room that he was staying in when Kiba spoke. He froze for a moment, then sighed, turning and flopping down on his back on the floor. Tucking his hands beneath his head and crossing one knee over the other, he stared at Kiba for a few long moments, and then snorted. "You really wanna know why, Kiba?" He lost the pseudo-respect that he'd been playing up not even a few moments before. "It's because, unlike most Shinobi in Sunagakure, I don't like to lie. I'm not sorry, I don't regret the part I played in it, so why would I pretend that I am?"

He paused, closing his eyes, then sat up and drew his cloak over his head, using it to wipe the paint off of his face, leaving a few purple smears over a painfully unremarkable countenance. "No doubt you're thinking I'm an asshole about now. I am. Do you know, though, what the punishment in Suna used to be for disobeying orders?" He fell silent for a few moments, then chuckled. "Torture. Not even death- just torture, for weeks sometimes, and then you would be put back on the field and expected to 'fight for your country'. Probably get stabbed in the back by a teammate on duty later on, too." Shrugging, he tossed the cloak off to the side. "So I'm not sorry about what I did, because what I did kept me alive. And even you should understand that... Shinobi and all."

He stood, then wrinkled his nose at the tank and half-pants that his cloak had been covering, as though he hadn't been talking about such a serious topic only moments before. "Man... I guess at least no one will recognize me without the paint." Shrugging, he leaned against a wall. "So... Got any good recommendations for food joints around here? I'm starved."

{Thanks. I won't answer for a bit because I'm going to the store with my dad.}

Kiba looked at the floor and he sighed a little bit, though he didn't really say anything else. Though, when Kankuro said that they got tortured if they disobey orders, his eyes went wide a little bit. The brunette swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and then shivered a little bit for some reason. Though, he really didn't understand why Kankuro thought that it was the same way in Konoha. "The only person that's ever really betrayed us recently would have been Sasuke, but he's back in Konoha and living a better life than when he was in Orochimaru's hideout," The brunette said to him.

The Inuzuka turned around and opened the door. "There's a takoyaki place across the street. Then a dumpling place down the street to the right and ramen down the street to the left," The brunette said and then left the room, shutting the door. He didn't really want to deal with Kankuro anymore at that point. Sure, he was neglecting his duties as an escort, but Kankuro was pissing him off more than usual that day. When he got outside, he noticed the other Konoha ninja escorting their foreign ninjas around. He noticed that they were all getting along and his eyes narrowed a little bit. The brunette went down to the dumpling place.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he sat down at a table and ordered a couple plates of it, along with some tea. Akamaru was laying on the bench next to his companion, though he was facing outwards, watching all the people. Most likely watching for Kankuro to make sure he didn't come near Kiba.

[No problem. I've gotta get going about... now... anyways. Might not be back on tonight. See ya!]

{Ok. I'm back, just so you know. Go ahead and post when you're back.}

Kankuro, who hadn't been implying that Konoha was like Suna had been, only that Kiba should understand to just what lengths someone would go to stay alive, was understandably confused when the Konohan Shinobi stalked out of the room after a brief rundown of what restaurants were around. Huffing, he glared at the door, pulling out a tiny, unfinished wooden puppet and shaking his head. "Maro, I think that kid has serious problems." Setting the work-in-progress to the side, he shrugged. "Not my problem, though. I'll be back once I've eaten- thank god I don't have to follow Temari or Gaara around. "

Running his hand through his hair again, he stepped out of the room, then made his way down to the street below, glancing around. No one glared at him, no children were herder away... Amazing what a make-over could do. Snickering, he tucked his hands in his pockets. "Now... did he say the ramen was to the right...? Eh..." He shrugged, used already to his own inability to remember directions, and chose a street at random to go down.

It was actually nice to just be one of the masses today, for no one to recognize him as either an enemy or someone to be terrified of. He stumbled slightly at the sight of Kiba- and damn, that was the Dumpling place, not ramen!-, but then smirked, sauntering up and taking a seat at the table next to Kiba's. "Hey, mutt. Great guide you are. What did I do to piss you off, eh?"

Kiba was enjoying his dumplings when he heard Akamaru growl. The brunette looked up and rolled his eyes a little bit when he saw Kankuro stalk in and sit at the table next to his. "You didn't do anything to piss me off," He told him. "I'm getting ticked off at a bunch of stuff today, so don't take it personally." The brunette sighed softly as he took a sip of his tea and then set it down, thinking about stuff.

"Truth is, I want to um...thank you for saving us that day. I don't think we could of made it if you guys didn't show up," He told him, looking at the top of the table. Kiba pet Akamaru, calming him down. "It's ok Akamaru." The brunette sighed softly and he stretched his arms into the air a little bit. He then looked over at Kankuro, waiting for an answer from the other.

"Eh, no need to thank me. I got to kick ass- s'all the thanks I needed. But, uh, thanks for thanking me?" Ruffling his hair again, he shot the dog a wary glance. "Yo, pooch, chill. I'm not gonna do anything stupid, so just relax, alright?" Sighing, he flagged down a waitress and ordered a plate of dumplings, then turned back to Kiba. "So, lemme guess- irritated that you have to escort someone around Konoha, eh? And you probably weren't even asked if you wanted to, either." Grinning, he folded his arms over the back of his chair. "Generally the way things work when a buncha delegates come in from foreign countries. What else did you have planned to do during the exams?"

Pausing, he considered something for a moment. "And... Not gonna drag you with me, since you've been working so hard with your team from what it sounds like, but where's the training grounds? I'm supposed to meet up with Temari and Gaara later tonight for sparring, but they failed to tell me where the grounds were..."

Kiba rose and eyebrow. "I'm not irritated about it. It's just...I didn't expect to be escorting you around," The brunette said, smiling softly. "I'm not complaining though. You are a nice person to be around...usually." The Inuzuka chuckled a little bit and ate one of his dumplings. A soft sigh escaped his lips when he finished eating the dumpling. "I just wanted to watch and enjoy it this year, since I didn't exactly get to do that when I was fighting myself."

When Kankuro asked where the grounds were, he smiled. "I can show you where they are. I'm not gonna completely go up there though. I don't exactly want to be around Gaara. He kind of scares me," The brunette said, shivering slightly. Akamaru stretched out a little bit, closing his eyes, finally not growling at Kankuro anymore.

"Me. Nice?" Kankuro snorted, flashing the waitress a smile as his dumplings arrived before popping one into his mouth, eyes closing in bliss. "Oh, god, that's good... Anyways, you're off your rocker if you can imagine me as nice." He made a mock-vicious face, then chuckled. "I'm absolutely horrible. Didn'tcha know?" He paused, then tilted his head back. "That's understandable- don't worry, I won't drag you away from the exams or anything. I'd like to watch them myself, it'll be fun."

Blinking, he tilted his head to the side curiously. "'Kind of' scares you, eh? Strange... I'm absolutely terrified of him, and he's my brother! Anyways, that's fine, just pointing me in the general direction will work too. Oh, and just so you know, it's Temari that should frighten you- Gaara's got control over his insanity, Temari's just out-and-out psychotic. I think it's because she's female..."

Kiba chuckled softly. The brunette finished his dumplings and finished his tea too. "That's why I said usually," He said, smirking. He got up and put some money on the table for the bill and stretched his arms into the air, his shirt coming up just a little bit. When he brought them down, he slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced down at Akamaru. "Let's go."

The brunette walked to the entrance of the dumpling place. "The training grounds are up on the hill. Behind all of the faces of the Hokage's in the rock," He told Kankuro. The brunette turned to leave, but then he turned around. "I'm just gonna tell ya this now. I think the reason that Temari's like that, is because she likes someone." The brunette smirked a little bit and then left with Akamaru, going towards his house.

Nodding, Kankuro turned to thank Kiba when the words set in. He stood there frozen for a few minutes, then just as Kiba reached the end of his range of sight, screeched, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE LIKES SOMEONE!?" Snarling, he stalked out towards the training grounds. The last thing he needed to think about was his sister in a relationship... Which could potentially lead to little-Temaris running around and GAH! Then his like would really be hell!

What he needed now was a good beat down by his siblings... that would be sure to take his mind off of that horrid, horrid image.

~~

[Skip to the next day? ^^]

Late the next morning, one Kankuro could be found sitting at the Takoyaki place, looking about ready to fall off his seat any second. His right cheek sported a long vertical slice that stopped just barely short of his eye, and a multitude of bruises and abrasions accompanied it. Grimacing as a bite of his morning meal brushed against his split lower lip, he moved the bowl aside to let his head rest on the counter.

Never let it be said that Gaara was anything less than ruthless in training...

Kiba woke up late in the morning as well. The dog boy got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He showered, and then got dressed into his clothes. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he grabbed Akamaru and then walked out of the room. He went downstairs, said good-bye to his mother and sister, then left the house. The brunette walked into town and through the streets. He passed the Takoyaki place and blinked when he saw Kankuro. He walked into the place and sat across from him.

"Kankuro?" The brunette said softly to the other. He noticed that his face had scratches, bruises, and other injuries on it. He cringed a little bit at the injuries.

Kankuro glanced up, his one good eye widening slightly before his face settled into a natural, although slightly strained, smirk. "Heeey, Inuzuka, Wonder-Dog. I got a make-over. You like?" He turned his face to fully show off the marks, completely aware of how squeamish most people were about such things. Then he sighed. "Temari was bein' a bitch- something about the Nara kid and the mind-freak, what's her name, Yamanaka? And Gaara must'a had a bad meeting or something, 'cuz he was pissed, but he refuses to beat on Temari and Temari knows better than to beat on him, so guess who got to be the training dummy?"

Scratching slightly at a cut that was already scabbing over, he shrugged. "Guess it's a good thing I'm a quick healer, eh? Sorry if I'm grossin' ya out, I just don't wanna wear my face paint out here, seems to scare everyone."

Kiba rose an eyebrow at how cool Kankuro's attitude was towards all the injuries on his face. When he started to pick on one that was already scabbing over, he grabbed the other's wrist. "D--Don't do that. Please," He told him. The brunette pulled a first aid kit from his leg pouch and pulled out a band aid. He put it over the scab. "There. That's better."

The Inuzuka smiled and then ordered some Takoyaki and a tea. "Also, it's ok that you don't have your face paint on. I don't blame you," He said, smiling softly. "Of course, it might be better if you apologized."

Kankuro blinked at Kiba's grabbing of his wrist, then wrinkled his nose as a band-aid was unceremoniously placed over his scab, then sighed, plunking his head down on the counter again. "Geh. What is it with you people and apologizing? Temari said it too. I told you, I'm not sorry about my involvement, and I'm not a liar. Sure, I'm sorry that people got hurt, who isn't? But man, they're asking me to tell everyone that if I could go back in time and re-do that portion of my life, that I would refuse to participate, and I wouldn't."

Shrugging, he took a sip of the water sitting before him, and rubbed his hand over his face. "Besides, at this point, I doubt anyone would accept my apology." He bared his teeth in a grin. "They still need someone to blame for it, and I just happen to be the lucky bastard who's getting used as a scapegoat. In all honesty, I really don't give a shit."

Kiba sighed softly and thanked the waitress when his takoyaki and tea was brought to him. The brunette sipped at his tea every once and a while as he ate his takoyaki. "So you're telling me that no matter what, you won't apologize? That's pretty stupid, isn't it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the other. "I mean, I know it's hard to apologize and all, but someday you'll need to do it." The Inuzuka finished his tea and takoyaki. He paid for it and stood up, picking Akamaru up.

"Oh, and about what you said about Temari bitching about Shikamaru and Ino, is probably because your sister likes Shikamaru, but he's with Ino, so she can't have him," The dog-boy said and shrugged. Then he walked out of the Takoyaki place and started up to the training grounds. He needed to punch the hell out of a tree and get all his frustrations out.

"No, I mean-" Kankuro groaned as Kiba walked out, then thudded his head against the counter again. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, FUCK." The waitress glanced at him wide-eyed before scuttling off, and Kankuro stood, running both hands over his hair and heading out the door. The last thing he needed was to get kicked out for vulgar language. "Damn dog-boy. He doesn't get it. It's not hard to apologize. I'M SORRY! See? Not that hard!" He paused, then glanced around at the people who were staring at him from his little outburst. "Shit." He growled, then stalked back towards his hotel. Great, just great. His guide was making him loose his mind!

Halfway there, he paused, then abruptly turned. "Where was Temari staying again? Like hell is she gonna beat up on me because she can't get what she wants. Might as well have it out now, or we'll wake everyone up sparring tonight..." Groaning, he touched his face, then shook his head. Well, if he thought he was sore now, in a few minutes he would be in excruciating agony.

Ten minutes later, the mixture of male and female screaming and cursing and the following bangs could be heard all over Konoha.

[Ehe. Kankuro has some problems. ^^; Sorry it took me so long to reply.]

Kiba was in the midst of punching a tree when his ears twitched a little bit. The brunette ran to the edge of the hill above the Hokage's building. He scanned the village and his ears twitched once again. He closed his eyes and listened for a minute and then followed the loud bangs and screams. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he finally made it to a hotel. He jumped up every flight, listening for the sounds. When he heard the sounds coming from the floor that Temari was on, even though he didn't know who was in the hotel room, Kiba opened the door. He moved out of the way as he was nearly hit with a flower vase.

The Inuzuka blinked as he saw Temari and Kankuro going at it. "Shit," He muttered and then ran in and pulled Kankuro off of Temari and kept Temari away from Kankuro with his foot. "Ok you two. What's going on?" He asked as he moved Kankuro away and sat him in a corner.

Temari glared at Kiba, then shot the glare at Kankuro. "What the hell is your problem?!" She snapped at her brother. Then she looked at Kiba again. "And you! Don't EVER get in between my brother and I when we're fighting!" The blonde female ninja's fists were so tight that her knuckles were turning white.