The Tournament

“While it's true that I lost to Shampoo the first few times I challenged her for marriage, I know that she and I will be together forever. Just as soon as I free her from her unwanted marriage to Saotome,” Mousse explained for the third time. Shikamaru had finally grown tired of it. He'd put up with it all day and didn't really feel like dealing with the constant delusion of Mousse during dinner. Especially since all his ranting about “his love” was starting to draw the attention of the other diners in the restaurant.

“Unwanted by whom?” he asked sarcastically.

Mousse blinked at him from behind his glasses. “Why, by my love Shampoo of course.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “What makes you think that? All she's ever done to encourage your wooing is insult you and beat the pulp out of you.”

“That's not true!” Mousse shouted, growing angry. “Shampoo has given me a place to live while I woo her in Nerima.”

“And you work for her for less then minimum wage, and constantly get beat on whenever you try to express yourself. Heaven forbid if you're ever sick or voice a complaint,” Shikamaru pointed out.

“What complaints could I possibly have?” Mousse gushed, “I live everyday with my love, Shampoo. Everyday I get to bask in her love for me...”

“What makes you think she loves you?” Shikamaru interrupted.

“We're meant to be,” Mousse said stubbornly. Shikamaru recognized the look in his eyes, and realized that nothing he said would change Mousse's mind.

“Whatever,” Shikamaru shrugged and turned his attention to Hinata and Kiba. Hinata looked like she wanted to say something, but there was something stopping her. Kiba wasn't making eye contact with anyone, and had his back turned to Hinata as he ate.

“I'm going to go find Shampoo!” Mousse announced as he finished his meal. Hinata nodded absently and Kiba glared at him.

“Take Akamaru with you,” Shikamaru ordered. Kiba looked like he was going to argue, but Mousse beat him to it.

“I'm not a baby. I don't need to be babysat.”

“Akamaru needs a walk. If you're going out anyway, why not take him?” Shikamaru asked reasonably. Before Kiba could interrupt again, Akamaru stood up and moved to the door, looking at Mousse pityingly. Shortly after that the two left.

The very first thing Shikamaru did after Mousse left was pull out his packet of cigarettes, move the ashtray on the table closer to him, and lit up. He ignored the disapproving look Kiba gave him, 'If they didn't want people smoking in here, they wouldn't put ash trays on the tables.' After a few drags he set the cigarette gently into the ashtray and made sure no one could over hear their conversation.

“Starting tomorrow, we have five days before the tournament starts. As the representative of Konoha, I have four days to register for the event. I want to locate and rescue Akane Tendo before then.”

“I thought you of all people would want to have a slave,” Kiba practically snarled, “You're lazy enough that the thought of having someone there to do all your chores must be pretty tempting.”

“Women are troublesome. Why would I want to own one?” groused Shikamaru.

“The mission is to either rescue Akane or make Ranma win,” Hinata stated seriously. “Shikamaru winning a slave would mean that we don't complete it properly.”

Kiba thought about this. Shikamaru knew that an incomplete mission would mean no money, and Kiba needed the money since he moved out from his mother's home. “So, what's our first move oh fearless leader?” Kiba asked grudgingly.

“Starting tomorrow, you and Hinata will search for signs of Akane. Once we've located her, we'll devise a plan to rescue her.”

“And what will you be doing while we work our asses off?” Kiba growled.

“I'll locate and monitor everyone in town that the Hokage warned us to look out for. I'll also train Ranma Saotome, as a back up plan.” Hinata nodded. Kiba scowled.

“Why do you get the cushy job?” Kiba snarled. “I know how to play shougi. Why don't I train him?”

“I've seen you “play” shougi,” Shikamaru muttered. “After three moves you either try cheating in the most obvious way, like shout 'Hey look over there!' and twist the board around to switch pieces, or you have a tantrum and storm off. Besides that, you are one of the best trackers I know. I can't have you waste our time and jeopardize the mission just because you want the “cushy” job.”

Kiba pouted in the face of Shikamaru's logic. Shikamaru was beginning to suspect that Kiba was not happy with him, and not just because he was in charge of the mission. Shikamaru had worked with Kiba in the past, so he knew that Kiba didn't take kindly to being bossed around. What he hadn't expected was the outright disrespect that he was receiving from the dog-nin. 'What's up with him?' Shikamaru asked himself, glaring thoughtfully at Kiba.

“If that's all,” Hinata said quietly, “I'm going to go to bed. I'll get started looking for Akane Tendo at first light.”

“We'll join you in a little bit,” Shikamaru told her. Hinata nodded, then left the restaurant.

Kiba looked as though he was ready to leave. “What is your problem?” Shikamaru asked quietly.

“What are you talking about?” Kiba snarled.

“You've been acting like a bitch all evening. What is your problem?” Shikamaru answered evenly.

“I don't have any problems,” Kiba answered. “Maybe you're the one with a problem?” With that Kiba stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Shikamaru with the bill. Shikamaru picked up his cigarette and finished it before he payed the bill and trudged back to the hotel room.

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Hinata had just finished showering and changing into her sleeping clothes when she heard the door to the hotel room open. While she put toothpaste on her toothbrush, she activated her byakugan to see who entered the room. 'Good, Kiba's back,' she thought as she started cleaning her teeth, 'I can talk to him about what happened this afternoon.'

After finishing her nightly grooming, she joined Kiba in the main room.

“Kiba?” Hinata asked. Kiba nodded that he was paying attention. “Can we talk?”

“Sure Hinata,” Kiba answered, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, I wanted to talk about this afternoon,” Hinata took a deep breath before she started. “It really hurt my feelings that you doubted my abilities. I'm much stronger then I was when we graduated from the academy, I worked very hard to get where I am today, and for you to just disregard all that work really hurt me.”

“Oh Hinata,” Kiba said moving so that he was sitting next to her. He put his arm around her in a semi hug, “I never meant for you to feel like that. I was just worried. One minute you're there, then the next thing I know, you're gone. I guess I over reacted.”

“Thank you. But Kiba,” Hinata protested, “I don't want you to worry about me. That's why I worked so hard. Besides, it's not just this afternoon. It's all the time. I feel like you don't trust me when you do or say things about how I can't protect myself against anyone.”

“Huh?”

“You always go out of your way to protect me,” Hinata stated. “That is not what team mates do. Team mates trust in the abilities of their team mates, and only offer back up. You always treat me like I'll shatter if anything happens to me. You're like a brother to me, but you need to stop treating me like a weakling and start treating me like an equal.”

Kiba was silent for several minutes. “I can't promise not to worry about you Hinata,” Kiba started slowly. “It's not that I don't trust your abilities, it's that I love you and want you to be safe,” he muttered.

“I love you too Kiba,” she said. Hinata hugged Kiba, and gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.


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Mousse was feeling a little disgruntled about the fact that he was being babysat by a giant, slobbery dog. 'Well, he's not that slobbery,' Mousse amended to himself. In fact Akamaru was a very tidy dog for his size.

Mousse squinted at a statue that suddenly appeared out of no where. “What an unusual subject for a statue,” he commented to Akamaru. “I've never seen an elderly chimpanzee depicted so accurately.”

Mousse clutched at his head due to the ringing pain in his head caused by the statue leaping into the air and smacking him in the head with a stick. He slid his glasses into position over his eyes.

“Ah, Elder Cologne,” Mousse greeted her politely, “I'm so glad I found you. Where's Shampoo?”

“Shampoo is doing what she can to help Son-in-law,” Cologne answered vaguely, “You are not to interfere.”

“SAOTOME!” Mousse shouted at nothing in particular, “How dare you do this to Shampoo! I shall defeat you so that Shampoo will be free of you!”

Mousse was treated to another smack to the head. “What did I just tell you?” Cologne demanded, her eyes squinting dangerously.

Mousse attempted to glare back, but ended up trembling due to the awesome battle aura the Amazon elder was producing. “I understand Elder,” Mousse ended up saying. 'I won't attack Saotome, but I will make sure that he gets Akane Tendo back. Once that happens Shampoo will see that Saotome doesn't love her and that I am the only one for her,' he thought to himself.

“Good,” Cologne said. “We are running a stand before and during the tournament. Since you're here you might as well help out. You will return here at dawn.”

“Yes Elder.” With that Mousse bowed and made his way to the hotel room.

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Shikamaru stood outside the door to the hotel room looking for his key. He could hear what Kiba and Hinata were talking about, but didn't pay attention to it. He would need to remind them to soundproof the room, or talk more quietly. 'Maybe I should tell them that I heard everything. That'll teach 'em.'

With that thought in mind, he entered the room. Hinata and Kiba were sitting on the edge of Kiba and Mousse's bed. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and Hinata's lips were pressed firmly against Kiba's cheeks. Shikamaru noticed that Hinata was wearing less clothing then he'd ever seen her in, a light blue tank top that clung in all the right places and a matching pair of short shorts. 'Legs...' he thought distractedly as he watched Hinata's cheeks heat up cutely.

Shikamaru had the urge to yank Hinata away from Kiba. 'It would only end up embarrassing everyone,' he reminded himself. Hinata smiled at him in greeting as she detangled her limb's from Kiba's. 'Good.'

“I'm glad that we got to talk Kiba,” Hinata said looking at Kiba. “I'll see you guys in the morning. Good night Kiba. Good night Shikamaru.” Hinata bowed slightly, giving Shikamaru a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage before turning around and climbing into the bed that they were to share.

“Good night Hinata,” both boys muttered, neither one looking away from the other.

Shikamaru glared briefly at Kiba before going into the bathroom to get ready for sleep. He brushed his teeth, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror, and wondered about his reaction to the sight of Hinata the way she was. He remembered her flushed face and slightly damp hair more then he remembered the outfit, even though the outfit was definitely memorable on her.

Shikamaru cursed his body for its reaction to the outfit. He was a healthy eighteen year old male, so was familiar with the way his body dealt with lust, but he normally didn't have an erection right before he climbed into bed with the woman who caused it. Shikamaru took deep breathes to calm himself down while he let down his hair and brushed it out. By the time he was ready for bed, and changed into his favorite pair of pajama bottoms, he had calmed down enough to feel comfortable going to sleep.

Shikamaru left the bathroom and saw that Mousse and Akamaru had returned. He nodded a greeting at Mousse before climbing into bed with the already sleeping Hinata. The sight of her comfortably curled up on her side, the strap of her shirt hanging off her shoulder, had Shikamaru blushing. Gingerly he climbed into bed, and turned so his back was to Hinata.

He watched quietly as Mousse and Kiba took care of their own nightly rituals, then climbed into their bed. Kiba lay on the side closest to Shikamaru and Hinata's bed and turned so he was facing Shikamaru. Kiba pointed towards his own eyes, then towards Shikamaru before closing his eyes and going to sleep. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at the sleeping form of Kiba, 'That's subtle.'

Purposefully Shikamaru turned his back to Kiba. After staring at the back of Hinata's head, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

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Hinata woke up feeling warmer then usual. It wasn't an uncomfortable warmth, just different then the way she normally woke up. Still half asleep, Hinata snuggled back into the warmth. The warmth made a murmuring noise from behind her, and seemed to tighten around her.

She stifled a gasp when she realized that the “warmth” surrounding her was actually Shikamaru. Turning a bright red, Hinata stiffened, then tried to extract herself without waking the softly snoring ninja. At first her actions only seemed to tighten his grip, causing Hinata to squeak quietly, but with a little patience Hinata was able to make her way to the edge of the bed.

Swiftly and silently Hinata got out of bed, and gathered her clothing for the day. Before heading into the bathroom to change, Hinata looked around the room. Kiba was flung across the bed, arms outstretched, snoring loudly. If it had been a stealth mission he would have been much quieter. Hinata couldn't see Akamaru from where she was standing, but she could hear his familiar dog snores coming from the space between the two beds in the room.

Mousse didn't seem to be in the room, but she could hear water running in the bathroom. Hinata sat on the edge of her bed and waited patiently for Mousse to finish with his morning grooming.

Blankets rustled as Shikamaru sat up in bed. Glancing back, she saw that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Hinata flushed at the naughty thoughts that popped into her head at the sight of his naked chest. At first glance she would almost him skinny, but after further study beneath her lashes, she could see the ropey muscles move under his skin as he covered his mouth to yawn. The movement caused the light to catch on something metallic on his chest.

“Morning,” he muttered groggily. “What time is it?”

Hinata glanced at the clock which was actually closer to Shikamaru, then at the curtain covered window, “Just a little before dawn,” she answered politely.

Mousse opened the door to the bathroom, and walked out of the room, glasses perched on the top of his head.

“Morning Mousse,” Hinata greeted, “Where are you off to so early?”

Mousse turned so that he was facing the direction that Hinata's voice came from. “I found Elder Cologne last night. She's running a stand for the tournament and wanted me to work. Why are you awake so early?” he asked, “I thought you were on vacation?”

“I have a lot of sight seeing to do,” Hinata answered. “I always wake up early, so I figured that I would start early. There are a few temples I want to see, and tomorrow I might go to the bee farms.”

“Bee farms?”

“This is the Honey Country, named so because they have some of the best honey in the land. Of course there's going to be bee farms.”

“Ah,” Mousse said knowledgeably. “Well, I must be going. If I'm late Elder Cologne will be very angry and dock my wages.”

“Oh,” Hinata said. “Maybe I'll see you for lunch. Have a good day.”

“Thank you and I hope you have one as well.” Briefly Mousse bowed before he exited to go to work.

“Nice cover story,” Shikamaru complimented her.

Hinata blushed a little at the praise before she stood up and went into the bathroom. She quickly got dressed and brushed her hair. After brushing the morning breath out of her mouth, she smiled at herself in the mirror. 'Today I will succeed,' she told herself. This was a ritual she had started shortly after the first chuunin exams. It was a little silly she knew, but it helped make her the person she was today.

Hinata exited the room to see Shikamaru with his back to her, pulling his pants up and over his firm, naked butt. Her face heated up, knees grew week, and spots danced in front of her eyes. Vaguely she heard a thump and felt a dull ache in her back before the world went black.

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Kiba woke to the sound of a gasp and a thud. His eyes snapped open, he sat up ramrod strait and found the source of his awakening. Kiba knew immediately what to do when he saw a half naked Shikamaru kneeling over a passed out Hinata.

Emitting a deep growl, he launched himself at Shikamaru's exposed back. Blinded by rage, he started punching whatever part of the shadow-nin's body that came into contact with his fists. He was too angry to speak coherently. All he knew was that Hinata was out of it and Shikamaru was to blame.

“Kiba.”

'I knew I shouldn't have trusted him!'

“Kiba!”

'I warned him! I warned him and what does he do!?!'

“KIBA! Stop!”

Something tugged on his arm, trying to impede his movements. He brushed it aside and continued smashing the hell out of Shikamaru. There was a crash and a grunt in the background, but Kiba didn't pay attention to it.

“I said STOP!” was the last thing he heard before he felt light pokes up and down his back. Against his will his arms started slowing down. He was feeling tired and couldn't really remember why he was so angry about what he had just seen.

“H-Hinata,” he croaked out, knowing that she was the cause of the forced tranquility. He was pushed aside gently, only to topple over because he lacked the energy to catch himself.

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Shikamaru heard a gasp faint gasp from behind him. Without bothering to fasten his pants he turned around just in time to see Hinata go from vertical to horizontal before his eyes. 'Huh?' he thought as he went over to check on her.

The next thing he knew, his world was full of pain. He had just enough time to turn around before he was slammed against the floor. The first punch slammed into his cheek, the second into a rib. The third punch and all the others that followed ended up crashing into his forearms as he barely managed to move them into a defensive position.

'What the hell?' was the only thing he could think. The best plan he could come up with at the moment was to wait for Kiba to calm down a little. He could take it, he was tougher then he looked, he just didn't really want to let the beating continue.

“Kiba,” he heard Hinata say. “Kiba! KIBA! Stop!” Vaguely Shikamaru noted that this was the first time he'd ever heard Hinata yell. Briefly one of the rhythmic punches was delayed, then he heard a crash and Hinata grunt.

Kiba started grunting a little, and Shikamaru heard some quiet thuds. The punches slowed down, then eventually stopped. Shikamaru warily peaked out from behind his arms.

“H-Hinata,” he heard Kiba croak, then the weight of the dog nin was removed from Shikamaru's body. Slowly Shikamaru lowered his arms and tried to sit up.

“Shit,” he hissed out between his teeth. Hinata was by his side, pushing him back onto the floor gently.

“Don't move,” she ordered as she ran her hands gently over his ribs. Her fingers were too clinical to turn him on too much and too firm to tickle. Unfortunately they weren't too gentle as to not find the tender spot on his ribs from where Kiba hit him.

At his inhaled hiss, Hinata looked up into his face and smiled at him. “It doesn't feel broken, but let me check,” she said softly. The veins around her eyes puffed out in a way that Shikamaru found fascinating. It definitely wasn't pretty, but it wasn't ugly either. 'I guess it's just a distinctly Hyuuga look,' he thought fuzzily.

“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly.

“Like I got hit,” Shikamaru answered honestly, “A lot.” Hinata chuckled a little at his attempt at humor.

“Stay here,” she ordered, then disappeared from his view. He tried to follow her movement, but it just caused his neck to hurt. With a defeated sigh he slumped back into the floor.

“Hey Hinata,” Kiba whined, “What about me?”

“You can wait,” Hinata said calmly as she returned with a small traveling pouch. She opened it up and took out some supplies. “Look at me,” she ordered, and shined a light into his poor abused eyes. Shikamaru tried to wince away, but she gripped his jaw firmly and held his head in place. “Follow my finger,” she ordered and waved a finger back and forth in front of his face.

“Can you sit up?” she asked. Before he could answer she reached out behind his shoulders, grabbed his wist, and started pulling him into the seated position. Once fully erect she maneuvered him so that he was leaning against the wall. “Nothing's broken, and you don't appear to have a head injury. Just sit there for a while. Once you feel well enough, let me know, we'll stand you up and you can take a quick shower before I give you some ointment for the bruises you're going to get.”

“Thanks,” he grunted. While he leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath, he watched Hinata tend to Kiba. There was no warmth to her movements. She was clearly angry again, although she didn't take that anger out on Kiba physically.

“What were you thinking Kiba?” she asked as she pressed into his back with the tips of her fingers.

“I don't know,” grumped Kiba sullenly. Hinata didn't say anything. “I was just worried about you. Why'd you faint?”

“You don't need to worry about me,” Hinata said, completely ignoring the question. “I don't need you to beat up anybody for me, let alone Shikamaru.” Kiba looked like he was going to argue, so Shikamaru interrupted him. 'Whatever he's going to say is going to make the situation worse.'

“Hey Hinata?” Shikamaru called out. “I think I can stand now.”

Hinata moved over to him, sliding his arm over her shoulder. Shikamaru inhaled deeply, catching her scent. It was clean, but a little flowery, and teasingly musky. He quickly exhaled so that he could inhale again and get more of that scent.

'She smells really nice,' he thought as they moved towards the bathroom. He noticed that her cheeks heated up quite becomingly, causing his body to react in a way that he hoped she didn't notice. That would just top off the day, and it had barely even started.

Once in the bathroom, Hinata removed herself from under his arms. It was a little disappointing for Shikamaru. Hinata hovered near him, making sure that he didn't fall over. It was clear that he wouldn't fall over, and in fact Shikamaru had walked a few steps toward the shower when he noticed that Hinata was still in the bathroom, staring at something below his waist. He looked down to see that his pants were sagging dangerously low.

He quirked an eyebrow and met Hinata's eyes, “Did you want to help me in the shower?” he asked, hooking a thumb into the already loose waist band of his pants. 'Where'd that come from?'

Hinata squeaked cutely and turned bright red. Then she turned around and left the room quickly, slamming the door behind her.