Konoha Vice - Chapter 17

    Somehow sitting in his car in his driveway for an hour seemed like the most natural thing in the world to Kiba.  Perhaps it was the way the wind swept through the clouds in the sky, or the sound of the off and on rain pattering against his convertible’s roof.  After the long talk with Kakashi and Hiruzen he just didn’t feel much like doing anything.

    With a drawn out sigh he left the car and finally went into his house where he dropped himself onto the couch.  Out of the corner of his eye the blinking red light of his answering machine started to bother him so he finally turned it on, but the sound of Shino’s voice immediately made him regret his decision.

    “Didn’t see you at the office this afternoon.  Hope you didn’t forget our plans.  I don’t care what kind of trouble you’re in with the chief; you’re paying me back tonight.  I’ll be by to pick you up at 7.  Do try to remember to put on some deodorant.”

    Kiba had borrowed $50 from Shino the other week and had been dreading when that debt would come due.  What struck him as odd was not being able to determine what troubled him more: the conversation he had with the Chief Inspector, or just what exactly Shino had in mind for payback.
Putting on a clean shirt and jacket, Kiba was ready by the time Shino arrived.  His partner was casual, but always carried himself with a serious air to him; it wasn’t an air of superiority, just a quiet confidence.

    “Okay Shino, what’s the plan for the evening?  Need a wingman on a date?  Are we going to do some yardwork for a little old lady?  Any of your other little service projects you need a second pair of hands for?”

    “Actually” Shino chuckled softly, “Nothing like that at all.  I’m taking you to see a movie.”

    “A movie, really?” With as much as he had on his mind, a little theatrical diversion seemed just the thing he needed.  “Okay, but you’re driving.”

    With a nod Shino started his car and drove them down through the more bohemian part of Konoha.  After a few minutes it was clear they weren’t headed to the big theater in the area but rather one of the art house cinema screens he knew Shino favored.

    “So what pretentious piece of film are you going to subject me to tonight?”

    “One, I haven’t seen it yet, just came out today.”

    “Today?  Shino it’s Tuesday, what kind of movie comes out on a Tuesday?”

    “Two,” Not even missing a beat, Shino continued, “I already know from the title you’re going to love it.”

    “And just what is the ti-”  Kiba paused when he saw the sign on the front of the cinema, “My Life As A Dog”

    “Swedish flick, heard a lot of good press about it.”

    “Oh this I’ve gotta see.”  Kiba said, now utterly unsure whether Shino was teasing him or if he knew him perfectly.

*******

    Two hours later they were in a small bar a little over a block away; Shino seemed to be in his element, socializing with the cultural oddities of Konoha and talking about everything from politics to art.  Not five minutes earlier he was sharing a pitcher with some bohemian named Sai and the two were arguing about Reagan’s tax policies and whether he had done any good for the economy at all.  Their entire conversation concluded with them forgetting what they had just talked about and then arguing over whether How Green Was My Valley was a better film than Citizen Kane or not.

    For Kiba, he quietly nursed a pint and thought about his day, about the movie, a film about a boy who empathized with others because it helped him escape from how miserable his own life was.  But reality ultimately caught up with the boy, breaking him down but helping him become a man.

    “What’s on your mind son?”  The older bartender asked, mostly likely interested in whether Kiba was going to stay at the bar when it was prime real estate.

    “If you stay in a cage, you wind up getting euthanized, even if your cage happens to be orbiting around the world at 17,500 mph.”

    With a shake of his head, the bartender took Kiba’s glass and waved over at Shino who came after a few moments.

    “Don’t tell me, you’re drunk already.”

    “I only had two glasses.”  Kiba proudly spoke without a slur.

    “You’re well on your way then.  Come one,” lifting Kiba from the bar, Shino took him to the booth where he was sitting with Sai.

    “No, don’t take me over there; I don’t want to talk to that weirdo art dealer.”

    “Hey.” Sai retorted, clearly a little drunk himself, “I don’t deal art, I make art.  I have someone who deals art for me, and I even have a patron too.  Some big shot down at Konoha Med.”

    “Like I care who your patron is?  Probably some art snob who only likes modern art because his head is so far up his own ass he can’t tell the difference between his rectum and what passes for art these days.”

    “This coming from some Don Johnson wannabe.”

    Before Kiba could raise a finger he was grabbed by the collar and pulled out of the bar by Shino.  
   
    “I know what happens to your temper when someone mentions that television show.  Go kick that fire hydrant over there a few times; I need to get some information out of Sai.”

    Not wanting to fight over it, Kiba took a seat on the curb and angrily crumpled the movie ticket that had been in his jacket pocket.

    “Something on your mind tonight?” A strong feminine voice called from behind, her exhale carried with it the smell of a menthol cigarette.

    “Haven’t slept in two days, work puts me on suspension, my co-worker drags me out to some foreign, coming-of-age flick about a boy coming to terms with loss, and then he drags me outside the bar like a kid because he’s talking with someone else.”  Finally turning to the woman Kiba felt like he recognized the tall blonde, but there was a haze to the neon lights that made it hard to even tell if her dress was purple or some off shade of red.

    “Sounds like you have it rough.”

    “Some people like it rough.” The innuendo just slipped out, with a quick backpedal he added,
   
    “That is to say some people rise to the occasion when things get worse.”

    Her laugh was sweet, but it felt like she was hiding something with it.  “Perhaps you really do need the break your work is giving you.  Any plans to unwind?”

    Keeping his cool, Kiba was unsure if the woman before him was a prostitute or not.  He cursed himself for being so damn weak to alcohol.  Both his mother and sister were solid drinkers, but it was a gene he did not inherit.  “I have a few plans, probably going to head out of town for a week or so to clear my head.  The Everglades are nice this time of year.”

    “Best wishes to you then.  See you around wild man.”  Stamping out the cigarette, she walked into the bar.

    Breathing out a sigh of relief, Kiba stood up to shake his head as he walked down to the corner restaurant for a bite to eat.

******

    “How was Kiba?”  Shino asked as Ino walked into the bar.

    “Wasted, he didn’t even seem to recognize me.”  Ino took a seat and quickly took a drink of water and coughed.  “Think part of it was the cigarette, totally not my thing but I knew he’d recognize my perfume even drunk.”

    “Fooling Kiba is nice and all but it’s not exactly what we’re here for.”  Sai said, pulling out an envelope.  “My client made some special orders for me to machine.  Here are the specs.”

    “Is this the same client that you and Sakura have been investigating?”  Shino asked.

    “Orders were made through a few intermediaries, but I can confirm that it leads back to Sasori.”  Ino opened her handbag and retouched her lipstick, checking it in a small mirror, and deftly sliding Sai’s envelope into the bag without anyone noticing.

    “Why are we keeping Kiba out of the loop?” Sai asked.

    “Chief has him on another assignment; we’re going to be working independently for a little while.”

    “And you’re the more perceptive one so you confronted Kakashi about what was happening until you got the run down.”  Ino smirked and sat back.  “And here I thought Shikamaru was the clever one.”

    “Sergeant Nara is clever, but he was always too lazy to ever be a good field officer or detective.  Covert operations require just that; someone to act covertly and someone to conduct operations.”

    “You sure it was wise of the chief to make Kiba the undercover man on this job?”

    “Time will tell, now you two wait a while before you leave, I have to go track down Kiba and pretend that I’m surprised when he tells me the chief suspended him as pretense to send him into a den of vipers.”  Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, Shino took off into the night.  He didn’t often feel it, but from the scant details he had gleaned from Kakashi he couldn’t help but be nervous for his partner’s safety; or for that matter, his own.