As soon as Hana disappeared Naruko watched as Kiba bolted to his feet and took off into the bathroom connected to his bedroom. As soon as he was out of view and she heard the sound of running water Naruko grabbed her duffel bag and slipped the strap over her shoulder, ready to leave as soon as he got back. Kiba on the other hand was less then prepared for the sight that greeted him when he exited his bathroom. Naruko was standing there, almost sadly, her bag in hand and from what he could tell she was ready to leave.

"Your not leaving yet are you?" Kiba said without thinking. Naruko seemed stunned at the question, her brow crinkling as she spoke.

"I . . . well I didn't think you guys would have wanted me to stay for dinner so I figured I'd, uhm, head home I guess." Kiba himself noticed the way Naruko seemed hesitant, her shoulders hunching inward as if she was trying to shrink in on herself. Kiba huffed causing Naruko to look up at him. She watched in shock as Kiba strolled up to her confidently. She swallowed hard as he reached her, flashing his signature toothy grin down at her before snatching her bag away from her in an instant. Naruko instantly regretted the awe she had felt watching him stroll up to her as she tried to desperately grab it back from him as she yelled

"Hey! What the hell, give that back!"

Kiba just grinned down at her as he tossed her bag on the bed, and before he could even lunge for it Akamaru had lept up on the bed and laid down on it barking happily in Naruko's face as she cried out.

"Hey what the hell boy! I thought we were friends!"

"Yeah the thing is . . ." Kiba began speaking as he turned and headed for the door, "He does like you, he just wants you to stay, and my mom and sis would kill me if you left before having dinner with us." Naruko was speechless. They actually wanted her to stay for dinner? Not that she was complaining, but most people didn't spare her the time of day, let alone invite her to dinner. As Kiba reached the door he turned to see that fish out of water look plastered all over her face and something in his chest tightened. He flashed one more toothy little grin before adding. "Would it help if I said I wanted you too stay for dinner too?"

Kiba watched in glee as Naruko's face turned a bright shade of pink. Pumping her fists she yelled back at him. "Dummy! Why would that make a difference!" Her protests whee however silenced when a loud rumble emanated from her stomach and she grimaced. Crossing her arms Naruko huffed before glaring at Akamaru as she spoke. "Well if you guys are that eager for me to stay I guess one meal isn't going to kill me."

Kiba just chuckled at the smaller girl as he ducked out into the hallway shouting behind himself as he walked away "Yeah yeah, just make sure you wash your hands or Hana will kill you."

Once Kiba was gone Naruko let out a breath of air before slipping into his bathroom to wash her hands. The moment she stepped foot in the bathroom her eye's went wide at the site. There was clothing strewn everywhere and she could swear she could see the corner of a dirty magazine peaking out from behind the toilet. Yep it was totally a boys bathroom alright. Shaking away the sight before her Naruko washed her hands as fast as possible, enjoying the smell of the soap, before bounding out of his room and down the stairs with Akamaru not far behind her. It wasn't hard to find the kitchen considering all she had to do was follow her nose, but when she actually reached the kitchen she froze.

While Naruko hadn't seen many kitchens in her life, she was fairly certain the kitchen she had just entered was one of the best she'd ever see, if not the best. The whole room was split into two sections. Kiba and his family were sitting in a massive dining area, furnished with a large dining room table and six chairs, atop the table was an array of food that had her mouth watering. The other half of the room was a massive kitchen with a wide array of herbs and spices hanging from an assortment of spice racks and hooks. It was complete with anything one could want for cooking. She was fairly certain she'd just walked into Gordon Ramsey's kitchen.

"Naruko!" She heard Kiba shout from the table, "Come on were waiting on you!"

"Kiba!" Hana shouted as she wacked him upside the head, "She is our guest, show some manors would you!"

As Kiba and his sister argued over practically nothing, Naruko giggled aloud before practically skipping over to the table and sitting down to the right of Kiba, drawing small looks and grins from his mother and sister. Kiba noticed the looks but Naruko was completely oblivious as she stared hungrily at the food strewn across the table. It didn't take long for everyone to fill their plates and once they had their food Naruko filling a plate of stir fry that could Rival Kiba's. Naruko took one bite of the food before tears began to roll down her cheeks in streams drawing worried looks from everyone at the table.

"Naruko, sweetie? Is everything ok?" Kiba's mother said worriedly. Naruko swallowed the food that was in her mouth before she looked over at Tsume and grinned wider then she could remember doing in a long time.

"I think I just died and went to heaven!"

There was a collective sigh of relief from Kiba and his family before everyone started laughing.

"Jeez don't scare us like that silly!" Kiba growled playfully, but Naruko was lost in her own world, shoveling fistfulls of food in her mouth. Kiba couldn't help but chuckle at that before he joined in eating almost as fast as she did.

"So, Naruko was it? How long have you and Kiba known each other?" Hana said as she smiled at her brother and his guest.

"We actually just met today!" Naruko said through a mouthful of food before swallowing hard and continuing. "I kinda ran out on gym class today after a couple of girls tore my mo-I mean my sweatshirt."

"Yeah she looked pretty upset and I couldn't just do nothing." Kiba added through a mouthful of food.

'Kiba! Manors!" Hana shouted at him across the table, "We don't talk with our mouths full!"

Naruko giggled at the look of defeat on Kiba's face before his mother spoke up finally. "Manors aside, I'm proud of yo Kiba. You did the right thing today."

Kiba blushed slightly at his mothers praise, rubbing at the back of his neck as he spoke. "Yeah well I couldn't just leave a pretty girl crying like that." As soon as he said it he instantly regretted it as both his mother and sister let out a wave of 'Awwws' before Hana goaded him saying

"I think Kiba has a little crush! Look at him blush!"

Naruko had been giggling like silly, watching Kiba and his family banter back and forth. She hadn't missed the way Kiba had called her cute again, and when his sister chided in about him having a crush, she noticed how he didn't deny it. With the happy mood around the table, Naruko felt content for the first time in a long while, sitting here eating a nice warm meal for the first time in a long while. The whole atmosphere had her feeling more relaxed then she'd feltin a long time, and then it all came crashing down around her as her stomach twisted.

With one hand gripping her stomach, Naruko gently poked Kiba to get his attention. He was so caught up in his conversation with his family he didn't notice so she instead tried just saying it. "Hey uhm, wheres your bathroom?" No one noticed her a they were all aught up in teazing Kiba for his new infatuation. Naruko knew if she didn't get to a bathroom soon there was going to be a problem so at the cost of seeming rude she yelled this time. "I hate to interrupt, but where's the bathroom?"

Tsume was the first to notice the look on Naruko's face and shooting up from the table she made her way over to the young girl and took her shoulder gently as she spoke. "Here follow me." Naruko did as she was instructed and let Kiba's mom lead her through the house and to the nearest bathroom. As soon as they reached the bathroom, Naruko was cradling the toilet as she vomited up most of what she'd just eaten. Tsume knelt down beside the young girl and gently rubbed circles in Naruko's back as she held Naruko's hair out of the toilet for her.

After several minutes of vomiting dry heaving, Naruko's stomach finally settled down. Looking up at Tsume with tears in her eyes she smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry for ruining your dinner. I think I may have ate to fast." Tsume brushed the apology aside as she thought to herself,

'Or maybe you ate too much'

Smiling down at Naruko, Tsume gently pulled the much much smaller girl to her feet as she spoke softly. "It's nothing to apologize for we all get sick sometimes." Naruko wasn't really convinced. Tsume on the other hand was very much worried. Naruko was most certainly malnourished. Her reaction to a rather normal meal had been a good clue, but the fact that she couldn't keep down what little food she'd managed to stuff in herself was another clear sign. As Tsume held Naruko to her for support, she could feel the way her bones stuck out on her hips and shoulders. How had foster care let this happen to her sweet little god daughter? Tsume was most certainly going to get answers.

Slowly Tsume led Naruko to the living room and laid her down on the couch. "Ok sweetie," Tsume cooed " Just rest here for now, do you want me to call you parents to come and pick you up?" Naruko stiffened immediately at the question before trying to sit up.

"N-no, they're out of town on a business trip!" Naruko said. Tsume let out a low sigh before telling her to just lay down while she went and grabbed her some juice. Tsume was used to reading people, but she barely had to try with this girl. She was terrible at lying. As Tsume stepped back into the Kitchen Kiba was on her in a second.

"Is Naruko ok?" The worry on his face was more then endearing, and Tsume quickly explained the situation before thinking back on what the girl had said. If she was truly lying, that meant one of two things given her current condition. Either they were home and she didn't want to go home to them, or their were no parents to go home too. Either option left a bad taste in her mouth. "Kiba sweetie, could you go check in on Naruko while me and Hana talk?"

"Uhm yeah sure." Kiba said and just like that he was gone, disappearing off into the living room.

When Kiba entered the living room, what he saw left a not in his stomach. Naruko was laying on his couch, clutching her stomach in one hand, and wiping away fresh tears with the other, while Akamaru lay on the floor below her, watching her wearily as he whimpered. Kiba didn't understand how such a small girl could be full of so many emotions. One minute she's a ball of sunshine, all smiles and energy, and the next she's a teary eyed wounded kitty cat. Kiba cleared his throat, both to garner the girl's attention, and to clear the lump that was forming there. Naruko practically jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Hey uh, how you doing?" Kiba actually face palmed at his own question before shooting Naruko an apologetic look, "Sorry stupid question, you probably feel like shit. Huh?"

Naruko just shut her eyes tight, draping an arm over them in the hopes of disguising her own emotional status.

"I'm sorry for ruining your dinner like that. I should have just . . . " Naruko began to say before she suddenly felt a weight press down into the coach right beside her hips. When she looked to see what it was she found Kiba sitting down on the couch right beside her, smiling worriedly down at her.

"Why do you do that?" Kiba suddenly asked, surprising Naruko even more.

"Do what?" She replied hesitantly, confused by his sudden question. Kiba rubbed nervously at the back of his neck as he stared at his feet for a moment before he turned to fae her again.

"Sorry, what I meant to say is, why do you act like your a nuisance? I mean, your no nuisance, I can tell you that. Sakura for example is a nuisance!" Kiba flashed a wolfish grin her way at that last part drawing a small giggle from Naruko in the proces.

"Well, I mean everyone else see's me that way soo I just figured . . ." Naruko began before a large warm hand gripped her much smaller one firmly.

"Ok stop. None of that yah here!" Kiba said starting to get a little annoyed. "If you keep thinking that way then that's all you'll be. You gotta be more confident. See the good in yourself. Yah here?!"

Naruko and Kiba stared into one another's eyes, Naruko trying to grasp the words that Kiba had spoken to her so warmly, Kiba trying desperately to get the girl to smile again. He liked her smile. Then as sudden as the silence set in, Naruko abruptly broke that silence when she spoke without thinking.

"Where the hell have you been all my life?" Both Naruko and Kiba were startled by her sudden question. Naruko on one hand hadn't meant to say that, and Kiba on the other was trying to think of something to say back.

"Uh, well yah see, me and my family just moved back to Konoha this year. We were living abroad for a while thanks to her work." Kiba thought on it for a moment before a question of his own slipped out of his mouth. "What about you, have you always lived in Konoha?"

Naruko seemed to grow sad at that question and Kiba felt an immediate guilt for even asking, but then she smiled softly before saying.

"I was born in Konoha but I spent a few year's living down in Sannin. I kinda liked it their but Konoha is home you know?"

"So you think she's been abused?" Hana asked through hushed tones, feeling an anger rising up within her at her mother's assumptions.

"Yes." Tsume said quietly, folding her arms in front of her as she thought aloud. "from what I can surmise, she's malnourished. That's why she couldn't keep down the food. It was probably to rich, and too much for he stomach all at once. On top of that she lied about her parents being out of town. I think she's scared to go home . . . or worse."

Hana flinched at the words, or worse. What could possibly be worse then living with abusive foster parents?

"Hana," Tsume's voice snapped her daughter from her thought's in an instant, and as she looked to her mother she could see a spark behind them. Her mother was exceptionally gifted at hiding her emotions when she had too, but even Hana could tell her mother wanted to hurt some one. " I'm going to ask Naruko to stay with us until her 'parents' get back into town. If we play it right, I should be able to get to the bottom of things before she leaves."

"Hahaha, so Lee right, he looks me dead in the face and you know what he says?" Naruko was practically on the edge of her seat now, she had no idea having friends meant you could tell embarrassing stories about them, but she loved it. "Haha, He says 'That was most unyouthful of me'." Naruko stared blankly into Kiba's for a long silent stretch, almost bringing him to think that he'd told the story wrong, before she suddenly clutched at her belly and burst out laughing, happy tears spilling from her eyes at the exertion.

"Hahahahaha, he, hahahahah, no, hahahaha, He didn't!" Naruko managed to say through her fit of laughter.

"Oh yeah, god as my witness I swear he did. But the best part was the look on the girl's face as she stared at her shoes covered in vomit! If looks could kill Lee would have been cremated on the spot!" Both kids doubled over laughing now and it wasn't until a third voice cleared it's throat that they snapped to attention, Kiba's hand pulling away from Naruko's in a heartbeat as they turned to see his mother smiling at them knowingly, with two plates of food in her hands. One was obviously Kiba's, and the other was a much smaller portion of food then what Naruko had eaten before.

"Feeling better I see, well then you should be feeling up to dinner again." The look on Naruko's face said it all. She wanted the food but was afraid she'd throw up again. Tsume kept her smile up as she followed through with her plan. Making her way to the couch she handed Kiba's plate to him, before handing the smaller portion to Naruko as she spoke.

"This time just eat slowly, ok Naruko?" Naruko took the plate hesitantly before taking a much smaller bite then she had been before. Her stomach almost instantly felt better as she took her time eating this time. "Now before I leave you two love birds to your food," the sudden comment from Tsume had both kids sputtering over their food, which drew a light chuckle from her lips as she continued. ",Naruko sweetie. You said your parents were out of town. For how long did you say they'd be gone for?"

Naruko choked on her food at the sudden question and as she gasped for air Kiba turned to look at his mom questioningly. What the hell was she getting at? Once Naruko caught her breath she looked up at Tsume nervously before mumbling out reply.

"Uhm, they uhm said they'd be back by next weekend?" Naruko grimaced at how her response had come out more like a question then an awnser, but Tsume let it slide a she tapped a finger on her chin coyly for a moment. "Well then, I guess I have no choice. I cannot leave a sick child to fend for them self while they're parents are gone, now can I? I guess you'll just have to crash here until your parents get back into town. Unless you think we should call them first of course."

Naruko went rigid as she shot her hands out and wove them around frantically.

"N-No! It's uhm, a no phone business trip, so we couldn't call them even if we wanted too!"

Tsume was getting tired of her lying, but until she had proof of what she was lying about she would say nothing of it.

"Naruko, if we can't get in touch with them until they get back then isn't that all the more reason for you to stay with a responsible adult?"

"Yeah but . . ." Naruko began before Tsume ct her off.

"No buts. Until your family get's home your staying with us. Understood."

Tsume had expected more of a fight from the girl, so she was very surprised when the girls shoulders sank as she smiled back at Tsume saying

"I guess it would be nice to not be alone."

Both Kiba and Tsume were stunned by her agreemant, but not just by her agreeing to stay, but by how she'd agreed. On the surface they could have taken it as she didn't like being away from her family, but it almost felt like she was talking about something else. Tsume held her fake smile before nodding at the younger girl saying

"Good. Now that that's settled, eat up, and watch some TV. If you need anything Hana and Kiba will help. I'm going to head out for awhile, take care of some buisness . . ."