Kiba's POV

"Aww, c'mon Aka. Gimme some, will ya?" I pushed my bottom lip out to enhance my begging face. Akamaru wasn't budging. He huddled even further in the corner, chewing happily on the juicy steak.

I stared at him, half jealous. "Akaaaaaa ... You're really not going to give me any? After all we've been through? C'mon, that's low."

I inched closer, hoping to swipe a piece. Akamaru snatched the steak further away and growled at me. I drew back immediately.

"Fine then. Have it your way. I'll just go buy my own steak. How do you feel about that?"

Seems like the right thing to say since my oh so fickle dog abandoned his steak and pounced on me in excitement. He began earnestly licking my face. I laughed.

"Okay, okay! Down boy! I'll get one for you too, okay? Although we can't let Choji find us or we won't even get a little piece of meat at all. That guy could eat a whole cow ..."

Akamaru barked his complete agreement. I laughed. "To a great barbecue we go!'

We raced off, only slowing down when we almost neared the restaurant. I looked around suspiciously. "We gotta keep an eye out for Choji, remember Aka?" I tiptoed, my head swiveling around, on the lookout.

Akamaru yapped.

"Where?!" I dove behind the fruit stand of an old man. He gave me a weird look. I ignored him, looking frantically for any sign of the fa - I mean chubby - boy. "Where is he? I don't see him ..."

Akamaru barked at me again then erupted into a fit of dog laughter. I glared at him. What a cruel joke. I had really been scared, you know.

"Haha, you think you're so funny huh?" I stretched my hand out to rub his belly. "That's right. Get comfortable. You won't see the ambush even when it's right in front of you."

Akamaru wasn't even listening to me. He was too busy enjoying my hand on his belly.

"Kids these days, am I right? It's so hard to understand them."

I glance over to my left. It was woman standing in front of the fruit stand. She seemed to be buying something although who would be buying fruit at this time of night is beyond me.

"You know that Lea girl, right?" she asked the fruit vendor.

My ears perked up. So did Akamaru since he flopped back over and his tail started wagging. At the mere mention of Lea's name, this was his reaction.

"She came into the hospital today," she continued saying, not waiting for a reply. "She was with that Uchiha kid and her weird animal. And you know what I said to her? I told her to watch out since she had a lot of rivals. You know, love rivals." The lady grabbed the bag of fruit. "She didn't even thank me. Kids these days."

I sprang from my feet. Lea went to hospital?? Why? Was she sick? Did she faint again?

And why was that bastard with her?

I raced towards the hospital, Akamaru hot on my heels. I couldn't stop the ache in my chest, hoping that she wasn't sick or injured.

I dashed inside the hospital and ran straight past the lady at the front desk on the night shift. It was until I saw the many doors that I realized my mistake.

"Damn it! I should have asked her for the room number!"

I ran to a door and opened it. Nope, wrong. Just a deathly pale old person.

I ran to another room. Nah, just a shinobi reopening his wounds in what looked to be suicide. I closed the door and went to the other.

Nah, just a little girl having a severe asthma attack. I wonder why the nurse didn't come running? I slammed the door shut. Not to worry, I could hear their footsteps on their way anyway.

The fourth time the charm. I burst into the room.

"Lea!"

I was right. She was here with the bastard. But she wasn't injured. Instead of her, Sasuke was the one lying in the hospital bed. The relief was so strong I had to lean on the doorframe for support.

"Thank God," I whispered, holding my heart. It was going wild. "Thank God she's okay."

She was sleeping. Her head was resting on the side of the bed as she sat in the chair beside it. Her head was turned towards me and the moonlight was catching her face so I could see everything. There were bags underneath her eyes.

My eyes switched from her to Sasuke then back to her and jealousy rose up in me like a roaring wave.

Akamaru trotted up to her leg and cuddled up beside it. I walked up to her. I could just imagine her reaction when she saw him there.

I stooped down to face her.

"Baka," I said.

A real baka. She should be called that for making me feel like one too. I raced all the way here for nothing ... and my heart was still racing after seeing her face.

"Such a baka."

She stirred. I watched calmly as she opened her eyes slowly and focused on me.

"Kiba?"

Lea's POV

What was Kiba doing here? I sat up fully, looking around, still much disoriented.

"What happened?" I asked him. "Why am I here?"

"That's what I should be asking you," he replied, eerily calm.

I frowned slightly at him. That's weird. He's usually so upbeat and energetic, not calm and cold. That's more Sasuke's character, not his.

Speaking of Sasuke, what was he doing lying in the hospital bed? I struggled to remember. Something about his brother ... I think?

"Oh, now I remember." I looked down at him, still unconscious. Will he ever wake up? After what happened, I don't know if he'll even be okay. The doctors had said the genjutsu he went under placed him in severe trauma that physically damages him. How the hell could that be healed?

"Care to explain what you're doing here, Lea?"

I looked over the dog boy. "I must have fell asleep after carrying Sasuke here. I haven't slept in a while."

"It looks that way with those bags underneath your eyes." Kiba cocked his head to the side, his eyes hard on me. "Were you taking care of this goon all night?"

I wasn't sure if I should reply. His question sounded like a deathtrap, but I had no idea what would happen if I said the wrong answer.

"Nah," I finally said. "The nurse was. I'm just ... I'm just here for support, I guess."

"I think you've given enough support." He rose and held out his hand. I frowned at it. Why was he being so weird? "Time for you to go home," he said.

I shook my head. "No, I think I'm going to stay here in case something happens." I rested my head on the bed again.

Suddenly, I felt myself being jerked upwards. "You're going home, Lea! Look at you! You're dead tired. There are bags under your eyes."

There he was. I was wondering when the real Kiba would come out to play.

I snatched my hand out of his. "Go home, mutt-boy! You can't tell me what to do!"

"The hell I can't!" He grabbed my hand again. "You're going home, Lea. Even if I have to drag you there myself."

I dragged my arm back again. "You're really getting me angry, mutt-boy. I said I'm staying and - wha? What the hell are you doing, Akamaru? Get off me!" I withdrew my foot from the white dog who whined in protest.

Kiba dragged me out of my seat and before I knew it, I was upside down. My hair fell down and brushed the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, MUTT-BOY!" I hollered in rage. I thrashed around wildly. "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

"Not until we reach your apartment. You're tired. You need sleep."

Kiba kept a firm hold on me. I struggled as hard as I could but there was no swaying him. Maybe it was because I was tired...

"Kiba, I'm going to say this for the final time," I warned. "Put me down right now!"

"No can do, sweet stuff."

Hearing the nickname reminded me of Kakashi's slimy dog Pakkun. I shivered in disgust. Akamaru ran up behind Kiba and I lifted my head to face the pup.

"Psst, Akamaru," I called silently, not wanting Kiba to hear. "You want to make me like you?"

He gave a happy bark.

I quickly put my finger on my lips to silence him. "Shhhh! Don't let him hear! If you want me to like you then you only have to do one thing. Bite him right here." I pointed to his ankle. "Just right here would do so it can cripple him."

"He won't listen to you," Kiba spoke up. I flinched when I heard his voice. "I have very good hearing and you are really not good at whispering."

I ignored him. "C'mon Akamaru! Right here! Now! Go! Action!"

He only stared at me with his dog eyes as he trotted along. I folded my arms in annoyance, still very much upside down.

"This isn't funny, Kiba."

"Does it sound like I'm laughing? Do you want me to laugh? I could you know. Hahahahaha - Ow!" A real chuckle escaped when I punched him in his side.

"Oh, mutt-boy got jokes does he?" I sighed. "No really now Kiba, at least keep me upright. The blood is rushing to my head and it feels as if I'm going to pass out."

I was swung around immediately. It felt as if I made a complete 360° angle. My feet landed on hard ground again.

"Woah that was fast." I patted his head, a little unsteady. "Good boy."

He swat my hand away. "You really need to stop treating me like I'm a dog. The ladies wouldn't like it if I looked like I had an owner."

I stopped and looked out into the hospital hall, my hand on my forehead. "Are you sure you aren't becoming delusional?" I asked him. "I see no ladies around here. Or is it just that your massive ego is blocking my view of them."

"Hey, massive ego, lots o' ladies. I'm good with that." He smiled at me, his teeth winking.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking. We made it out of the hospital. We were nearing my apartment and I was actually happy for it. I felt as if I was going to fall asleep on my feet.

Kiba must have realized because he stopped in front of me and held his hand out behind him.

I looked at him evenly. "What are you doing?"

"Get on. I'll carry you home."

I stared at him a while longer before I skirted around him. "You must be joking," I said.

I heard his footsteps coming after me as I walked away. "Hey, I never joke when helping a damsel in distress."

"Do I look like a damsel in distress to you?"

"You look like you're going to fall over if you take another step."

I rolled my eyes and exaggeratingly placed one massive step before the other. "Oh, wow it's a miracle," I exclaimed in mock awe. "I didn't fall over! Oh look I did it again!"

"I said you looked like it," he muttered sulkily. "Jeesh..."

I laughed loudly. "I'm not a little girl who needs saving all the time, okay?"

"Of course I know that but-"

"We're here." I gave him a quick smile. "Thanks for forcing me to go home."

"Um, yeah ... sure." He grinned at me. I waved goodbye but before. I could turn to go inside, he grabbed my hand, pulling me closer. I stared up at him with bewilderment.

"Remember that time when I was trying to ask you something during the preliminaries and Neji interrupted us?"

I frowned, racking my brain. I really couldn't remember that happening. I was about to say 'no' but he looked so intense that I nodded my head.

"Yeah ... what .about it?" I asked.

"What I wanted to say is that one day, we should go out. Just me and you." His sharp teeth kept winking at me. "Wha' do you say?"

His grin was infectious. I felt my mouth being stretched into a smile. I nodded with a shrug. "Sure, why not?"

"Then it's set!" Both Kiba and Akamaru jumped into the air with extreme happiness. I frowned at the pair. Why all the excitement? It was just us going out. What was the big deal?

They seemed elated however, giving fist pumps and shouting out.

"Lea, you're awesome!!" Kiba ran up to me and I could have sworn he was about to hug me. He caught himself however and instead smiled sheepishly at me, rubbing the back of his head.

Why was he acting so weird?

"Goodnight then," he said.

"Goodnight," I gave him one last confused look before I turned inside. As soon as the door closed behind me, I heard Kiba whoop in joy. I froze, listening to him. Why was he so happy?

I'll never get boys...