The tiles of the rooftops are loud beneath his shoes as Kiba sprints across the rooftops of the Leaf Village. That scent he picked up is unmistakeable. That cold feel, the aura of power coming from that man...if his ideals are the same as they were a few weeks ago, the village might be burning to the ground within the hour.
Kiba approaches the gates of the village just in time. Apparently the others have picked up on his presence, too. In fact, it looks like he's running late. Hinata and Neji stand side-by-side at the entrance to the village, a close eye kept on the man with their Byakugan. Choji stands ready behind them, and Shikamaru and Sakura aren't far behind. Ino's knees are shaking, despite her feelings towards the man. The one Kiba would expect more than anyone is nowhere to be found.
"Sakura-chan," Kiba pants. Running clear from the Inuzuka estate to here wasn't a picnic, especially at the pace he was taking it. He takes a moment to catch his breath. "Please tell me my nose was lying."
Akamaru finally catches up to the brunette, landing nimbly beside him with a bark as he leaps off a rooftop. Kiba doesn't know how he managed to outrun Akamaru, but all he could think about what he might do to—
"Sakura..." mumbles Naruto. Naruto leaps nimbly off a rooftop, landing beside Sakura without making even the faintest of noises. His eyes glow with the power of Sage Jutsu, making Kiba take a step back. If Naruto is serious enough to be using that technique, this must be as bad as Kiba had feared if not worse. Naruto steps in front of the group, eyes flaring with anger. Despite the tension, the Inuzuka can't help but let out a small smile.
He doesn't really know when Kiba realized he had a crush on Naruto Uzumaki, but when he did, it hit him like a brick wall. Any feelings he'd had for any girl were pushed aside every time Kiba even thought about Naruto-kun. If there was even a slight chance of running into him at some points, he found himself paying attention to things he'd never really cared about before. Kiba fixed his hair carefully in the morning. Shaved at the slightest sign of facial hair. Double and triple checked his breath to make sure it wasn't as bad as Akamaru's. Anything that could impress his love: Naruto. Everything about him is just perfect.
His head full of spiked blonde hair, the whiskers on his cheeks, his easygoing attitude. Kiba notices that his smiles are less common lately, which saddens him. Naruto has been seeming like more than just a little crush lately. He's been wanting to confess it outright, despite what Naruto may think of him. However, the very thought of him avoiding Kiba has been enough to nullify those thoughts.
"He's getting close," Neji reports. All the ninja all take a step back as his figure comes into focus. His spiked black hair, the purple rope tied at his waist. His high-collared shirt and his sword. The very picture of intimidation.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto steps forward, eyes cautious. Kiba lays a cautious hand on his shoulder. "Be careful," he warns. Tears threaten to brim at Kiba's eyes as he pictures Naruto being hurt by the Uchiha.
"Sasuke..." Naruto chokes out. "Why...why are you here?"
"The war is over, Naruto," Sasuke says. "Madara and Kabuto have gone into hiding. They have nothing to give me anymore."
"And you're still hellbent on destroying the Leaf," growls Kiba, standing next to Naruto. Akamaru flanks Naruto, barking fiercly.
"Not exactly," Sasuke concludes. "Naruto, I finally realized why you are so determined to get me back."
What is he talking about? Kiba wonders.
"You said to me, that day at the Valley, that I was like a brother to you," Sasuke says. His expression stays cold as ice. "I never pegged you for a liar."
Naruto swallows loudly, eyes wide with fear. He takes a step back, and Sasuke steps forward. Fully realizing the risks, Kiba throws himself between Naruto and Sasuke.
"Not a step closer!" Kiba barks at his former classmate.
"Get out of the way, Kiba," Sasuke orders. The brunette lets his feral instincts take him over as his fingernails extend into claws. A guttural growl emanates from his throat. The very thought of Sasuke hurting Naruto is enough to send Kiba over the edge.
Sasuke steps closer. Akamaru leaps in front of them, barking at Sasuke. Sasuke makes only a slight pause, but soon begins his advance once more.
"Absolute Fang Over Fang!" screams Kiba. Giving Sasuke no time to prepare, he and Akamaru launch themselves at the raven. His vision blurring at their speed, Kiba uses his sense of smell to determine Sasuke's location. He smells like he kind of needs a shower, but beneath that is something else. Sasuke is sweating, like he's just as nervous about this as Naruto is.
"Enough of this," Sasuke growls. Kiba feels Sasuke's chakra intensify just as his head explodes with pain. The Inuzuka feels like he just face-planted into a dumpster. He drops to the ground, on hands and knees at Sasuke's feet. It would be as simple as one kunai to end his life right here and now, but Sasuke makes no such attempt.
Kiba brings his gaze back up to Sasuke. Around Sasuke is a purple chakra he'd never seen before. The chakra slowly molds itself into a giant skeleton, Sasuke standing in the middle of the skeleton's ribs. The skull's eyes are glowing yellow.
"What the hell?" mumbles Kiba, slowly backing away from Sasuke and his new friend. He struggles to his feet, but find that difficult as his vision blurs. He drops back down, head pounding. Something warm trickles down the right side of his face.
"Kiba-kun, you're bleeding!" Hinata cries. Akamaru, enraged, throws himself at Sasuke again.
A skeletal fist wraps around Akamaru. Sasuke simply jerks his head to the right, ordering the skeleton to throw Akamaru into the forest. A loud whimper and a snap are all Kiba can hear of my oldest friend.
"S—Sasuke!" Sakura cries. Tears stream down her cheeks as she realizes that Sasuke isn't here to play.
Kiba looks back to Naruto for some support, but find that his eyes are still wide with fear. Sasuke takes another step towards Naruto, but Naruto's knees simply buckle. He collapses on the ground, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Don't hate me, Sasuke," he says. "If you can find it in your heart, if you could think of the bond we shared before, please...just don't hate me."
Sasuke then does the unexpected. His skeleton vanishing, he cups Naruto's chin gently in one of his hands. For the first time since we were lowly Genin, Sasuke smiles warmly.
"How could I hate someone who loves me so unconditionally?" he says. Emitting a small yelp from Kiba, Sasuke does something the Inuzuka would never have imagined in his wildest dreams. In his wildest nightmares.
Sasuke cups Naruto's cheeks with his pale hands, pulling their lips together in a passionate kiss. Everyone is dead silent as they watch the two teenage boys kiss. If what Sasuke says is true, then Naruto must be...
He thought it was impossible. Naruto is gay, or at the very least bi. That means Kiba might have a sho—
Wait, he's kissing someone else. Sasuke,you son of a—
"N-Naruto?" Kiba chokes out. Naruto breaks off the kiss, not blinking as he and Sasuke stare into each other's eyes. Sasuke wears a small triumphant smile on his lips, while Naruto is in awe. Naruto smiles widely, tears flowing freely as he throws his arms around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke wraps his arms around Naruto as he weeps, comforting him by rubbing his back gently with one hand.
"W-what just happened?" Neji asks.
"Naruto and Sasuke are...gay?" Ino mumbles. She puts on a fake smile. "So THAT's how you were able to resist my charms for so long, eh Sasuke?"
Kiba would almost call that funny, but you'd be amazed what a quick Sharingan-powered glare can do to your confidence. The Inuzuka struggle to his feet, simply watching as Naruto and Sasuke hold each other. For them to be so open about it with no preparation is...astounding. He hasn't even come out to his parents, much less to all of your friends.
"Naruto, how long have you...?" Sakura asks.
"When we were in school, I really did hate him," Naruto explains, wiping the last of his tears from his cheeks. "But when we were on Team 7, when we started spending so much time together...all that changed."
Kiba's jaw drops. Not only is Naruto gay and out of the closet, but he's spilling his heart out in public. Naruto is by far the bravest man on the face of the planet.
"To think that all this time, so many years crushing on Sasuke, and the whole time you were...undermining me?" Sakura asks in disbelief. Naruto faces her, eyes brimming with shock.
"Sakura-chan, it's not like that," he pleads.
"I've never had any interest in you, Sakura," Sasuke says coldly. "Naruto is the only one I love."
Sakura turns away from them, tears in her eyes. Sasuke, slowly and silently, reaches back for his sword. Kiba sees his advance on Naruto's life, and panics. He throws himself at Sasuke, roaring with rage as tears flow from quickly from his eyes. Kunai raised high in the air, Kiba tackles Sasuke and send Naruto rolling on his side. He holds the kunai only a centimeter away from Sasuke's jugular, hands shaking in fury.
"What kind of game do you think this is, Sasuke?" he yells. Sasuke's eyes, wide with shock, simply look over the teenage Inuzuka.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asks.
"I saw you reach for your sword!" he announces. "You were going to hurt, you were going to kill Naruto!"
Sasuke, expression turning cold once again, throws up his leg and sends Kiba tumbling off of him. Kiba leaps back to his feet, screaming in pure rage as he sprints at Sasuke.
Two hands grasp his trembling shoulders. Before he can even blink, he sees Naruto, his eyes cold and toad-like, glaring into Kiba's slit eyes. He speaks no words, but his glare says it all. He is not to be harmed.
Sasuke reaches for his sword again. Kiba tries to push Naruto behind him, but Naruto is impossibly strong. His shoulders hurt when he tries to struggle against Naruto's brute strength.
Instead of the sound of clashing of metal, the sound of paper in the wind drifts to Kiba's ears. Sasuke reaches past his sword and into his back pocket, pulling out a small envelope. The letter is sealed, the Uchiha symbol clearly imprinted on the seal.
"I wrote this for Lady Tsunade," he says. Sasuke throws Kiba the letter, so Naruto allows him to catch it. Kiba breaks the seal, unfolding the letter from inside and reading it aloud.
Dear Lady Hokage,
For the past three years, I have been a traitor to the Hidden Leaf Village. I left with Orochimaru, I killed my brother, and I schemed with the Akatsuki against the village. But now I beg for your forgiveness.
There are some things better said in person than on paper, so I'll keep this brief. Naruto says that the bond between us is what would bring me back to the Hidden Leaf. While for years I saw this as an empty gesture, I've recently found it to be more serious. Much more serious.
I was in awe when I made the discovery, but I now realize that this bond is one that has been formed between Naruto and I. I can't ask you to forgive my crimes, and I will understand if you reject me, but know that I bear no ill will against the Leaf anymore. Naruto is more important to me than any grudge.
All I want now is to return to the Village and continue my life here. Naruto is all that matters to me anymore.
-Sasuke Uchiha
His expression is blank as the Inuzuka read the letter over and over, but that is a mask. Inside, his soul is being ripped, crushed, stabbed, and ignited with every word of Sasuke's heartfelt letter. When he finishes reading it for the fourth time, he can't bear to even look at either of them. Naruto's expression was confused, watching the brunette read the letter over and over again. He looks concerned, like there might be more going on here than he realizes.
If that's what he thinks, Kiba would like to hand him a big fat duh.
"I don't—" Kiba stutters. A single tear leaks from his left eye, causing him to curse under my breath. He and Naruto are still face-to-face, only inches of air between their lips. Naruto brushes the tear away with his thumb, making Kiba blush furiously.
Naruto brings his face closer to Kiba, whispering. "Kiba...are you alright?"
Despite his jutsu, he pushes Naruto away from him with every ounce of strength in his body. Kiba could think of a million different ways to tell Naruto that he is not alright, but most of them either involve too much swearing or new words would have to be invented to explain his fury. Kiba gives a cold, silent glare to Sasuke before leaping into the woods after Akamaru.
The only one he can trust, apparently.
"What's up with him?" Choji wonders.
"I...don't know," Naruto admits. He turns back to Sasuke, who watches Kiba run through the forest with his Sharingan.
"Kiba's changed since the last time we talked," Sasuke says. "He's different. Sadder, but more mature."
Naruto and he share a concerned glance, but Naruto's eyes are quickly replaced with happiness as he embraces Sasuke once again. The two hug lovingly, occasionally planting a small kiss on the neck of the other. The others watch the clouds, or kick some dirt to avert their attention. Only Lee, being the idiot he is, watches them the whole time. Naruto smiles, a tear streaking down his cheek, as he kisses Sasuke once again.
Kiba follows his nose to find Akamaru. When he finally finds his friend, Kiba can only gasp. Sasuke threw Akamaru into the trunk of a monstrous oak tree. Akamaru is lying unconscious on the ground, but the Inuzuka breathes a sigh of relief as he realizes that he's still breathing.
Kiba bites his thumb, weaving hand seals. "Summoning jutsu!" he says. In a puff of smoke, a small hound is sitting in front of him. The canine's golden fur glows in the sunlight, his tail wagging.
"Go get Tsume, tell her Akamaru's hurt and I need her help," Kiba pants. The dog barks before running back towards the village.
Kiba turns back to the hound, stroking his white fur with his hand. The soft furs beneath his hand soothe Kiba's racing thoughts. In truth, though he feels guilty about it, Akamaru is Kiba's second concern. What really concerns him is Naruto and his new boyfriend.
How could this happen? On one hand, Kiba was ecstatic that Naruto wasn't straight. The fact that he might have even a sliver of feelings for his dog-loving friend was enough to make Kiba giggle like a kid on Christmas morning. On the other hand, there's Sasuke.
Sasuke Uchiha. With girls fawning over him during his time in the Leaf, never did the idea of Sasuke being gay ever once cross his thoughts. Now that he thinks about it, that would explain why Sasuke didn't have an interest in any of them...
"What a mess..." Kiba groans. The thought of Naruto being with anyone but him is enough to drive him to the brink of insanity. Why couldn't he just love Lee or something? Lee's strong, he's kind, he's...oh God, Kiba can't get past the eyebrows or the bowl cut if he were to give it more than a moment of thought. Upon further thinking, the idea of it altogether grosses him out. He only has eyes for Naruto.
"There you are, Kiba!" Tsume yells. When Kiba turns his head, the fang markings on his face, the symbols of his Clan, are streaked with tears. Tsume thinks he mourns Akamaru, fearful for his life. While Kiba is concerned for his friend, his tears are caused by another. Caused by Naruto.
"Oh man, he's in bad shape," Hana states. "We need to get him to Lady Tsunade now!"
"Kiba, I know you probably want to be with Akamaru right now, but we need you to go to the mansion and get Tsunade to the hospital. We'll meet you there!"
Before he can protest, His mother and sister load Akamaru onto a monster-sized stretcher and begin to carry him away. Seeing no other option, Kiba leaps through the trees and back to the village.
Kiba bursts through the doors of the Hokage's office, interrupting a conversation between Tsunade and a woman with her back turned to Kiba.
"Kiba?" Tsunade asks. The woman turns, revealing crimson eyes and a belly full of baby.
"Kiba, how nice to see you!" Kurenai greets. Looking him over, seeing his short breaths and sweaty body, her happiness is replaced with concern.
"What's happened, Kiba?" Tsunade asks.
"Sasuke's back, Akamaru's hurt, you're needed at the hospital!" he chokes through his gasps.
"Wait, what was that first part?" the Hokage asks in disbelief.
"I'll tell you later, but you need to get to the Hospital!" Kiba says. "Please, Akamaru is really hurt!"
Tsunade sighs, standing from her chair and running past Kiba. Being too drained of energy to follow, Kiba drops to the ground in exhaustion. Kurenai, his former teacher, walks slowly over to him. She puts a hand on Kiba's shoulder, eyes filled with concern.
"Kiba, is there something bothering you?" she asks. Kiba averts his gaze, trying to slow his breathing.
"I'm fine, just—" he pauses. "I'm just worried about Akamaru, that's all."
"Uh-huh, sure..." she says. Through a great deal of difficulty, the pregnant woman takes a seat on the floor next to Kiba. "Tell me everything that happened."
Kiba relayed his story to Kurenai-sensei. Him running to the gate, seeing Sasuke approach the village. His kiss with Naruto, and the letter for Tsunade. Kurenai paled when the kiss came up, but quickly shook it from her thoughts as he continued his story.
"...and that's when Mom showed up," Kiba concludes. Kiba unbuttons his jacket in an attempt to get more air.
"One thing doesn't add up, Kiba," his sensei says. "Why were you so upset after Sasuke showed you the letter?"
"Because he's done so much to hurt the village," he lies. In truth, those are things that can be forgiven in time. But kissing Naruto is crossing the line.
"Sasuke clearly regrets his past decisions and wants to come back," she says. "There's no reason to hate him any longer. And besides, it's good that he can make Naruto happy."
Kiba winces, confirming the crimson-eyed kunoichi's suspicions. "Sasuke shouldn't be able to make Naruto happy after everything he's done to him."
"After everything Sasuke's done to Naruto, or after everything he's done to you?" she asks.
"He's done nothing personal to me," Kiba lies. He imagines that he's red in the face so that his skin matches his clan markings. "But everything to Naruto..."
"You seem to care an awful lot about Naruto, eh Kiba?" she muses.
"Yeah, well..." Kiba blushes. "Aside from Shino, he's like my best friend. I'd do anything for him."
"I bet you would," she teases. As she and Kiba exchange glances, Kurenai winks to Kiba. He blushes furiously.
"Why did you wink?" he asks flatly.
"God, you are so dense!" she jokes. "If you're trying to hide the fact you're in love with Naruto, stop blushing every time you hear his name!"
Kiba's heart lurches up into his throat. His panting returns, for a different reason this time. While he's managed to hide it from his parents for years, his sensei was able to dissect the situation in a matter of minutes. What the heck should he say now?
"I...I don't—"
"Don't lie, Kiba..." she says. "Relax, I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to."
The brunette drops his gaze to the floor, tears brimming in his eyes. "You probably think I'm disgusting."
"I could never think of you that way, Kiba," Kurenai admits. "When I look at you, all I see is a young man in a lot of pain. You're sad. You're sad that Naruto is in love with someone besides you."
Kiba wraps his arms around his legs as the tears come freely. He weeps into his sleeves, his sensei comforting him by wrapping her arms around him in a hug. For nearly ten minutes this continues, but eventually his sensei becomes stern with him.
"Enough crying Kiba, we have work to do," she says. Kiba, tears stained on his cheeks and jacket, locks eyes with her crimson orbs. "In my experience, I've seen that love between two men escalates quickly. If you're going to get Naruto, you have to act fast."
Kiba is dumbfounded. First, he's horrified that his teacher discovered his deepest, darkest secret, and now she's giving him romantic advice for use on another man?
"W...what should I do?" Kiba asks.
"You have to tell Naruto how you feel before things get too serious between him and Sasuke," she says. "From what you've told me, they've pretty much made their relationship official. You're already short on time."
"How long?"
"With men, love between them is like a drug," she says. "At first it's fun, but after a while you're hooked. If you let Naruto get addicted to his relationship with Sasuke, you've missed your window of opportunity."
Kiba nods, wrestling his emotions to keep his tears at bay. Kurenai-sensei is right, this is not a time to cry. He has to speak to Naruto, like ten minutes ago.
"I'll go now!" Kiba says. "I can't...I can't lose him..." Kiba's expression is dark as he pictures what might happen if Naruto rejects him.
"Are you out of your mind?" Kurenai asks. She stands up with Kiba's help. "If you go right now he'll still be with Sasuke. You have to wait until they're together and Naruto isn't thinking about Sasuke too much. And you shouldn't do it alone, either."
"What do you mean?" he asks.
"If I go with you, it'll seem like I'm supervising, and that'll get you nowhere," she says. "You need friends to be with you when you pour your heart out to him, be your emotional support."
"Who could I go to, though?" Kiba asks. "I don't know what people will say when I, er...'come out'."
"Who else should you go to?" she asks. "Shino and Hinata, of course."
"Really? Hinata?" Kiba asks. Kurenai ponders that for a moment, and shakes her head.
"Right, forgot about that. Definitely not Hinata."
"Then Shino and who?"
Kurenai supports her chin with one hand while she thinks. She goes down the list of the ninja in Kiba's class, but none of them but Shino really seem like they would be helpful.
"How about your sister?" Kurenai offers.
"Hana?" Kiba asks in disbelief. "Kurenai-sensei, I know you're trying to help, but I don't think she would take it too well."
"You might be surprised how understanding family can be," Kurenai says. "Go, Kiba. I'd say you have three days until Naruto's addicted."
With only the smallest of smiles on his face, Kiba thanks his sensei before running out of the Hokage mansion. He'll begin his search for Shino at the hospital.