+- Naruto: The Hidden Curse -+ ---[Starts!]

[Prof. Jb Wolf]

Inuzuka Hige
~Turnabout Jam~

On any other day, I would probably still be jumping for joy through the trees and howling my praises to the world. I mean I was a Genin (okay, a Genin again but this time permenently). Kukai's words had caught me off guard, especially in light of our recent success at working as a a team. The particular event she alluded to, or the "Washboard Incident" still burned fresh in my mind. I hadn't been able to go near a body of water for months after that.

Sighing to myself I could feel Ginmaru's puzzlement and worry. He was oblivious to what had happened, having been absent at the time due to his biannual medical exam with Hana. I gave my partner a small grin as I scratched his head, setting his tail a wagging. No need to worry him about something in the past that. As we sat together on the balcony of my room, my ears once again twitched at a very familiar sound.

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" From out of the trees burst Kiba and Akamaru landing perfectly on deck next to me. My cousin was grinning from ear to ear. "Heya Hige, home already?"

"Yea. I take it you passed your 'final' test?"

"Yep! With flying colors of course!" He smirked at me and Ginmaru. "You ain't home early cause you failed are ya?"

"No, it's nothin' like dat."

"Oh, I see. Got into a big fight with the Missus huh?"

I gave him a hot glare. "How many times do I have to say it? There's nothin' goin' on 'tween me and Kukai!"

"Yea yea Romeo, whatever." He and Akamaru shared a knowing look as I shook my head. "Hey how about we practice?"

"Practice?"

"Yea, ya know ta celebrate and get yer mind off your girl-"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" As angry as I was at Kiba, I had to admit that a nice practice session would probably help me feel better. "Still, that does sound like a good idea. I'll meet you in the regular place?"

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

"Ready?"

"Ready. On three. One...two..."

I flourished the pair of drumsticks in hand before bringing them down on the cymbals, tapping out the time before moving on to the beat. They danced a top the drums in rhythmic falls and set the stage for the other instruments to build upon. Drumming was all about keeping a steady beat as the others wove the melody around it, keeping it in time and signaling a change in tone.

Next to me, Kiba strummed along the guitar's strings before breaking into a short riff. His fingers, calloused not only from use, slid along its contours with the ease of a seasoned musician. Gin and Akamaru sat nearby, their heads bobbing somewhat to the music as we passed the time playing.

Growing up together, it was inevitable for us to favor many of the same things. Among them was like for rock music and one day we'd gotten into our heads to attempt to become rockers. Years of rainy day practice sessions would follow and though our dreams of being rock stars had died, we still had a bit of passion for the music. We often held this impromptu sessions when we had nothing better to do or to get our minds off things. We might not be the best, but I like to think we were competent.

The sound of clapping as we winded down made me look up in surprise to see Oyaji. He was built just as broadly as I was, but his narrow frame made him seem lankier than he actually was his. His hair once as black as his sister's was now streaked in grey, but his slitted eyes still shone with the same wild light as the rest of the clan. Repositiong his crutch, he hobbled over to us grinning.

"You two are getting pretty good at that." He stopped next to me as he lay a hand on my shoulder. "So how was your first day as Genin?"

"Well, if you believe our Jounin sensei, we were only Genin for a few hours." I grimaced slightly as the memory of my celebration returned.

"They still administering those secret tests huh?" The old man chuckled slapping me on the back. "Don't worry about it. No Inuzuka has ever failed one of those exams!"

"Our teams were also finalized. Kiba's in Team 8 with Aburame-san and Hyuuga-chan under Kurenai-sensei. I'm in Team 14 with-"

"His wife and that quiet kid whose always scribbling in that book of his. 'tch almost as bad as that Selkis-yatsu."

"OI! How many times do I have to tell you!?"

"Calm down Hige, I'm sure your cousin didn't mean anything by it." My father placed a reasurring hand on my head.

"Yea, but I don't think we'll be getting along very well..."

"Well you have to remember Hige, your teammates are going to be the only thing you can rely on during your missions." He grinned at me. "Even if you can't stand either of them. I remember my first team, I was always butting heads with this one bastard."

"What happened?"

"Well after nearly getting each other killed because of our arguing we both agreed that it was better to put aside our differences and work together." His smiled turned slightly sad. "He became one of my best friends. If it wasn't for..."

He trailed off looking down at his leg. I did as well. It was the injury that had cost my father his career as a shinobi, leaving him a crippled man. The first year had been crushing for my father, for the entire clan. He had been one of the foremost Jounin before his injury. I had to make up for what he could no longer do. I gave him a faint smile.

"Don't worry Oyaji. I'll sort it out."

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

The next morning I stood outside of the Shodou Clan shop. Ginmaru was laid out by my feet, a bit angry at me for interupting his sleep for what he considered a petty reason. But Oyaji was right. I didn't want this hanging over my head. We were going to be a team, whether I liked it or not and that meant we had to at least be on speaking terms.

The bell above the door rang lightly and I looked up to see Kukai stepping out. She had an unusually determined look on her face and it just grew moreso as she looked at me. It was actually just a little scary. Swallowing past the lump forming in my throat, I opened my mouth to speak, "I-"

"Gomen nasai."

I blinked.

"Na-na-"

"I was out of line yesterday. I had no right to bring back such an obviously traumatic memory especially in light of our recent success as a team. I realize now that such an action may turn our relationship sour and impede any teamwork. I apologize for any 'damper' I may have placed upon your celebrations and hope that you can accept it."

I blinked again.

A bird winged its way above us and two scrolls fell from the sky. We caught them deftly and unrolled them. It was another message from Miharu-sensei, this time asking us to meet her back at her home for our first mission. Kukai rolled hers up and immediately set off down the street. She stopped after a few feet and turned to look at me. "Are you coming Inuzuka Hige-san?"

"I..Uh...Yea..." I looked down at Ginmaru, who only shrugged and yipped Girls.

Well I guess things were back to normal.

"You think Kuroda-sensei would mind if we got some breakfast first?"

"I do not believe she would hold it against us if we were to have a meal. Perhaps we could even get some free ramen from your little Ayame-san, HIiiiige-kun."

"She's not my little Ayame-san! And stop doing that..."

Yea...things were back to normal.

*Singing* Ashita ga aru sa asu ga aru. Wakai boku ni wa yume ga aru. Itsu ka kitto! Itsu ka kitto! Wakatte kureru darou!