Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story. Please enjoy this chapter. Naruto/Sakura and Kiba/Hinata.

Warning: There will be some spoilers from the manga (but not enough to get you guys confused and lost) and character death.

Chapter One

I Must

Kiba sat on a bench, in the middle of a small, quiet park in Konoha with his eyes closed and his head tilted upward to soak in the sun that was beaming down on his face. On the top part of the back of the bench, were his arms, extending casually out away from his body. He was wearing a jet black leather jacket that was unzipped, revealing a murky grey t-shirt. His pants were slightly baggy and blackish brown, and had pockets similar of those from the army. Kiba's hair was dark brown, slightly longer than normal, straight and pretty messy looking and the tips of his hair would brush against his face like angels caressing his face gently with soft, gentle finger tips. Next to his feet, lay his loyal dog, Akamaru. Akamaru had grown over the years and was now about two yards long. He had his head resting on his front paws, was fast asleep, and was facing Kiba's left. Kiba was just about to fall asleep when he heard a voice.

"Kiba-kun? May I join you?" asked a sweet, kind voice. Kiba lifted his head up slowly off the back of the bench and saw that the voice belonged to Hinata. He placed his hands on his lap and smiled kindly.

"Sure." Hinata had grown her hair down to her waist and looked more like a young woman even though she and Kiba were both fifteen years old. Both Hinata and Kiba were now Chuunin and were no longer Genin. Hinata smiled warmly and in a graceful manner, she walked in front of Akamaru who was still sleeping and sat next to Kiba to his left. Kiba couldn't help but think to himself, in his mind, that Hinata was beautiful in everyway; from her smile, to the way she moved, she, herself was simply amazing. In the distance, Kiba could see a handful of little kids playing tag with each other on a small field of grass. He was instantly reminded of his days of his youth and when he first received Akamaru from his mother.

"It brings back memories..." Hinata's voice trailed off, most likely thinking of her own past as well. Kiba nodded in agreement. From the corner of his left eye, to his left, he could see Kurenai walking somewhat quickly towards them from the houses of the Hidden Leaf Village. Kiba turned his head and watched the Jonin instructor get closer to them. She stopped walking when she reached about four feet from Kiba and Hinata. No one said a word for a couple of heartbeats. Drowsily Akamaru lifted his head off his paws, sat up and watched Kurenai with curiosity forging his eyes. Kurenai had a stern expression on her face as she searched her students' eyes.

"Hinata, Tsunade wants to speak to you," Kurenai's voice was filled with a serious tone as she spoke. Obediently, Hinata got up off the bench, gave a quick half bow, glanced at Kiba and ran in a medium pace towards the Hokage's office. Kiba couldn't help but wonder, "What does the Hokage want with Hinata-san? What does Kurenai-sensei want with me?" The Hokage probably has a mission for Hinata; although Kiba wondered what kind of mission it was. Kurenai slowly walked and then sat next to Kiba where Hinata had sat before she left. He thought he caught a glimpse of grief in her eyes. Then something hit him. In realization, he remembered that a few weeks had passed since Asuma's death, and Asuma and Kurenai were very, very close, possibly dating. Kiba didn't want to think about what would happen if Akamaru, Hinata or Shino would share a similar fate. He didn't know exactly how Asuma died, but he did know that it was a fight and that Shikamaru, Ino and Choji had witnessed it.

"Kiba, I know you have feelings for Hinata." Kurenai spoke with tenderness and with a hint of anguish in her voice. Feelings of shock, anger and a little bit of jealousy overflowed him so suddenly that he could barely think. "What?! How could she-?? Why would she think that?!" Kurenai smiled slightly as she examined her pupil more carefully. He averted her gaze and watched Akamaru sniff his right front paw.

"I don't have feelings for her, except for team mate care! Why did you bring this up?! Why don't you ask Naruto? I'm sure he'll accept the fact that Hinata likes him!" Kiba felt agitated and overly jealous. Even after the two years, Hinata still had feelings for Naruto... She smiled at his reaction and stared at the little kids who were still playing their game of tag. The look on her face was distant.

"Because I want to test your metal ability. If you fail it, your mind won't develop right for dire situations, but if you pass, you'll be on a pretty high level of knowledge that is needed for certain combat situations. Are you interested?" This must be why she said she knew he had a crush on Hinata. Kiba knew that this could help him out and if he refused, he might be considered weak with care for his friends during combat.

"Yeah, I guess it's okay," Kiba replied in a thoughtful manner as he looked back at Kurenai. She nodded when her eyes met Kiba's. A serious expression almost overshadowed Kurenai's face for a moment. Kiba began to wonder what his former sensei was thinking.

"Don't worry; Kakashi-san's doing this to Naruto as well." Kurenai stood up and walked in front of both Akamaru and Kiba. She turned around with her eyes closed in concentration. All of a sudden, with no hesitation, she whipped her hands up from her side to make the hand signs for her illusionary technique. She opened her eyes while hypnotically staring into Kiba's. Kiba found himself standing up and before her knew it, he was face to face with Orochimaru and no longer Kurenai. Looking to his left and to his right, he noticed that Akamaru and Kurenai were no longer there. Then it hit him, Kurenai was Orochimaru. He looked back at the snake-like being. His right arm was spiraling around Hinata's body until his hand covered her mouth. Orochimaru clutched a long silver like sword in his left hand and was aiming it at Akamaru's neck. Akamaru was sinking in quick sand like substance while whining at an attempt to break free. So far, Akamaru's shoulders and head were free.

"Hinata, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted in furry. He grabbed his kunai instinctively from his right coat pocket. He felt his right hand, which was grasping the kunai, shake slightly.

"You can only save one of these two. If you take too much time, your dog will die. You cannot save both. This is quite boring so make a decision," spoke the Orochimaru type figure. Kiba relaxed a little as he remembered one important factor.

"This is just an illusion... It won't matter," Kiba stated, half hoping it was true. Orochimaru smirked, revealing his vampire like fangs.

"This is no illusion; one will die. Kurenai summoned me here with these two. These are their spirits, their minds, my mind. The emotions are real." Kiba looked from each of his team mates. He grunted in frustration as he began to wonder what he could possibly do. Suddenly, an idea hit him. The idea was crazy, but it to work. Kiba shook his head sadly for a moment.

"Sorry, Hinata... But I'd like to choose Akamaru." Kiba saw disappointment and fear fill Hinata's eyes. Hinata's eyes widened at Kiba's reply and let out a small cry that was muffled by Orochimaru's hand. Orochimaru snickered at the request. He lifted the sword up towards the sky and slowly drew Akamaru up out of the sand. Kiba thought Orochimaru was watching Akamaru. So he, without hesitation, lunged himself forward in the air to Hinata. Orochimaru snapped his head back like a whip and stared at Kiba, giving him a death glare. Then Orochimaru stuck out his head, so it grew about five feet in length, and smacked Kiba in the stomach so he wouldn't get to Hinata. Kiba flew backwards landing on his feet and slid back and few yards. He noticed that the bench behind him was gone and so was the park that he was once in. From the corners of his eyes, he saw Orochimaru slowly bring the sword back down so Akamaru would be in the quick sand again. The surrounding area looked like it was foggy and the ground was dark brown with no grass. "Darn it!" Kiba thought as he looked from Akamaru to Orochimaru and then finally onto Hinata. He wasn't sure who he would pick, but he knew someone would die. "So let me get this straight, we are spirits and one of our souls will die?" Kiba asked in a heated tone.

"Something like that. Now choose because if you don't, they'll both die!" Orochimaru sounded really annoyed at Kiba's hesitant behavior. Kiba knew that if Hinata died, he would be angry with himself for letting this happen to his best friend. He didn't know if he could live without Hinata or Akamaru. Akamaru was his friend for as long as he could remember. Hinata was truly one of his best friends along with Shino. He took a deep breath as he recounted his decision.

"Kill me, not them!" Kiba cried. A mixture of emotions swelled in his heart. He wanted Hinata to be happy and alive because there is no life no worth living. Deep in his heart he realized that he truly cared for her even when he was too stubborn to admit it, even to himself. Kiba also realized, at that instant, that he could not ever live without Akamaru. Appearing eager to continue, Orochimaru licked his lips with a long serpent like tongue.

I was planning on having chapter one be a little longer, but it seemed better with a cliff hanger. Also, I will be working on chapter two as soon as possible. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please review with feedback. I really want to improve on my skills. Thank you guys so much for reading.

Sincerely,

CatGirl R and S Fan