This is the long awaited (At least I hope so) sequel to "Things aren't always what they seem". The first story was written for a challenge that included Sakura and Kiba. You can probably read this story on its own, but the first one explains why they are going to the ballet and why it's this particular ballet.
I've kind of fallen in love with this pairing- I hope you do to.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
Kiba walked down the street of the unfamiliar city, his long legs incased in the light wool of his gray suit. The breeze played with his tie as he hurried toward the hotel to meet his date. He crossed the lobby and walked up the two flights of steps to knock on Sakura's door. He heard the rustle of fabric before the knob turned and the vision of an angel met his eyes. Sakura greeted him with a smile on her face and an air of excitement. She was wearing an emerald green evening gown cut low in the front with beaded straps across her shoulders. The green satin dress caressed her curves and made her large eyes sparkle. Kiba's breath caught in his throat and he couldn't say a word as he stared at the girl.
"Kiba, come in." she greeted him.
The man seemed to regain his breath as he walked into the room.
"Wow" was all he could say as he gazed at his companion.
"Do I look Ok?" she asked uncertainly. "I wasn't sure what to wear."
"My god you're beautiful." he assured her in a deep whisper. Sakura smiled at his reaction. She had saved forever to afford this dress and from his reaction, it was worth it.
"You look pretty good too." "I didn't even know you owned a suit." She teased him a twinkle in her emerald eyes.
"Actually I don't." he said in a self depreciating manner. "Shino's dad and I wear the same size."
"Well you look very handsome." she assured him, fluttering her long eye lashes at him flirtatiously.
He really did. The charcoal grey suit could have been made just for him. The lapels accentuated his broad shoulders, and the pants showed his long legs off perfectly. He wore a white shirt and a silk tie with burgundy flecks in the pattern. He had tamed his hair and over all he looked good enough to eat in Sakura's opinion.
"I don't know about that," he grinned back "but you look good enough for the both of us." He complimented her. He saw her shawl lying on the couch. He walked over to retrieve it for her.
"Are you ready to go?"
She nodded and he placed the shawl softly against her shoulders. Kiba opened the door for her while she grabbed her matching handbag. Once the door was securely locked, he offered her his arm for the walk out of the hotel. The bell sounded as the doors of the elevator opened into the lobby. Heads turned as the stunning pink haired kunoichi exited the conveyance and was escorted toward the doors. Kiba noticed the jealous looks he was getting from the other men in the room. He glanced fondly at the carefree beauty beside him. That was part of her charm. She had no idea how bewitching she really was. It would be his pleasure to let her know what a treasure she was.
"How did I get so damned lucky?" he thought.
A few days earlier,
Kiba pushed himself to get back to the village as soon as possible. He had been sent on another mission and as much as he loved his job, he was about at the end of his rope. Every damn time he tried to ask Sakura out she was either in a meeting or working. According to Naruto, she'd been working almost two weeks straight without a day off. It didn't help that he'd been gone on missions too.
He passed Izumo and Kotetsu at the gate. He acknowledged them with a wave, but kept going toward his apartment eager to find a shower. Most of their rescue work had been done in the poorest most rural parts of River Country. No fancy accommodations, just a tent and a campfire. He was a mess and he stank. He hadn't smelled this bad since he and Naruto had pranked Iruka sensei and had to clean the sewers as punishment back when he was a Genin.
He unlocked his apartment. "Looks like Mom or Hana has been here." he told Akamaru. He saw dog food and fresh water in the dog bowls. He opened the fridge and found that someone had bought the basics; milk, bread, and eggs. I must have been Hana, because he saw a beer tucked behind the milk. He grinned tiredly. It probably meant that she wanted some help at the clinic. He could tell when his sister was trying to butter him up.
"Come on Buddy," he told Akamaru. He started the water in the tub for his canine friend.
"If you're sleeping with me tonight, you need a bath," The dog climbed into the tub. The thought of bed was welcome. It had been a long two weeks.
'If you're sleeping with me tonight, you need a bath too!' smirked the white dog. He used his bushy tail to flip hot soapy water down the front of his master's shirt.
"Akamaru," the man gritted his teeth and shrugged out of his shirt. Unlike some dogs Akamaru loved a bath. He loved the feel of Kiba's fingers massaging his coat as he was lathered up. He stood still as he was rinsed off. Afterwards, Kiba opened the door to the back patio so the dog could shake. He then wrapped the dog in big towels. The white dog lay in the sunshine to dry while his master showered.
Kiba let out a sigh of satisfaction as he stepped into the shower. He let the hot water run down his back loosening his tense muscles. The soap ran down his firm pectorals, past his hard abs, to tanned calves washing away the aches and pains. The hot water was starting to cool by the time he was done. He felt like he might have enough energy to make it to the Missions' room to turn in his report. There was no getting out of it, Kotetsu and Izumo had seen him enter the village. He put on his black jeans and a cotton sweater. Until he did laundry he didn't even have a spare uniform that was clean. Maybe he would run into Sakura while he was out
Between her work at the hospital and Kiba's missions, their chances to see each other had been almost nil. Kiba had announced his interest in her by obtaining tickets to take her to the ballet. She had seemed thrilled by the attention. However just days after giving her the gift Kiba had been called back to River Country. Torrential rains had aggravated the rescue attempts of the country's shin obi, who were still recovering from an earthquake.
"You ready Akamaru?" he called. When he got no response he walked into the living room to find the big dog fast asleep. He was lying in a pool of sunshine and would occasionally kick his legs and whimper like he was chasing a squirrel. The poor guy was bushed.
Kiba grabbed his report and headed out the door. As he walked down the street he thought about the beautiful medic from team 7. He hadn't thought he'd stood a chance with her until their last mission together. She had been relaxed around him, open and easy to talk to.
She'd been cute as a teenager and Kiba, like most of the boys in town had been attracted to her. But since she had become a medic, she had become a self assured radiant woman. It helped that she'd stopped trying to be a carbon copy of Ino and developed her own style. These thoughts breezed through Kiba's mind as he thought of the lovely girl he was hoping to see. She wasn't brash like Ino, or shy like Hinata, not loud like Temari or fierce like Tenten. She was just herself and she was just perfect. Kiba blushed at his thoughts. When had he become such a sap?
He opened the doors to the Hokage tower and started up the steps to the missions' room. Iruka sensei was working.
"Hi Kiba." he greeted the boy. "Thanks for your hard work." Kiba handed his old sensei his mission report.
"Have you happened to see Sakura today, Iruka sensei?"
"No" the man replied. "She hasn't been on any missions lately so I don't expect her in." "You might try the hospital."
"Ok, thanks." Kiba passed Kakashi as he walked toward the door.
"Hey Kakashi, have you seen Sakura today?" asked the young Inuzuka.
"No" mumbled the older man. "Seems like she was doing something girly with Ino though."
"I may have seen a pink head near the flower shop."
"Thanks" Kiba called on his way out the door.
Kiba's need for sleep over rode his desire for Sakura. He'd just have to hunt her down at the hospital tomorrow. Right now all he wanted was dinner and his bed. He stopped and ordered food, then ran to the market as he waited for his order. Fifteen minutes later he returned from the market dead tired. He had to admit his last reserve was used up.
Walking toward the counter, he actually saw Tenten's top knots first, then Sakura's pink hair and Hinata's black bob. He smiled at his luck, just when he gave up he found his prize.
"Yo, ladies." They had looked up to see a very tired rescue Nin.
"Hey Kiba," said Hinata giving him a quick hug. "Where's Akamaru?" she said looking around puzzled.
"Oh, he's at home. We're dead tired, Hina. I don't even want to think about how many metric tons of dirt we've searched the last two weeks." The dark haired girl patted his leg in sympathy.
He turned to Sakura. "How have you been?" he gave her a weary smile.
"We've been busy at the hospital. A lot of refugees have been coming from River to get medical attention." she smiled at the man. She had to admit that he was adorable even when he was tired. Her fingers itched to tuck his shaggy hair behind his ears and smooth the lines on his forehead.
"It's kept us busy hasn't it?" she said to Ino and Hinata. The Hyuga girl had been put to work full time at the hospital until the crisis was over.
"Are you busy tomorrow night?" One of the things she admired about Kiba was his inability to beat around the bush. "I'd like to take you to dinner."
"I'm on the day shift tomorrow, so yea, I'd like that." she smiled. He gave her a wolfish grin back.
"Can I pick you up at seven? We can decide where we want to go then. Alright?" he asked. A yawn caught him by surprise. An assortment of smiles and grins met him from the girls at the table.
"You need to get some rest." Sakura admonished him. "You do that tomorrow and I'll take it personally." she gave him a mock frown.
"Never, I promise." He grinned again and gave a tired wave to the ladies as he left them to collect his food.
When he returned home Akumaru was gone and so was his sunny spot. The weary man gulped down his dinner and headed for bed. His big white buddy was already there. Kiba didn't even care. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed between the sheets. It felt so good to finally have a mattress. He sighed deeply in contentment. Before he could register the softness of his pillow he was already asleep.
In the city of Fukui,
Kiba escorted his lovely date out the door into the historic city of Fukui. The streets were bustling with coaches and rickshaws. He flagged one down and turned to Sakura, drawing her attention back to him.
"This way hime." He handed her into the rickshaw, carefully moving her dress before seating himself. He gave the driver the name of their restaurant and the man moved into the crowded street.
"I really do feel like a princess tonight." sighed Sakura in delight.
"Good" her date replied, a satisfied look on his face.
The trip to the restaurant led them past an avenue of cherry trees, the sakura blossoms were in bloom and as pink as the hair of the beauty beside him. They passed the ancient castle of Maruoka-jo. It was lit up in the twilight.
"It looks like a fairy castle doesn't it?" exclaimed Sakura.
He could see that she was enjoying all the sights of the city. He saw that their driver was taking them the long way to their destination, but frankly he didn't care. He was too busy watching the kunoichi beside him. Her eyes were sparkling with interest and her face glowed with excitement.
Kiba was not an eloquent man and not much given to fanciful ideas, but he couldn't shake the notion that tonight he was indeed in the presence of a lovely fairy princess, a beauty full of light and joy. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Without conscious thought he found his hand holding hers. He rubbed his callused thumb across the satin smooth skin of her knuckles. This same hand could burst through solid rock or bring a new born babe into the world. She was a mixture of hard and soft and tonight she was all his.
"How did I get so damned lucky?" he thought.
A few days earlier,
Kiba knocked on Sakura's door at seven on the dot. A smile lit his face as the door opened …to Naruto.
"Hey Kiba come on in." the blonde exclaimed as the dog nin eyed him with a puzzled expression. "Sakura's almost ready. I kind of made her late." he said with a wry grin. Kiba could see white bandages stick out under his shirt.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked his friend.
"Oh that stupid teme got a lucky shot in. It's nothing."
"Naruto, you have two broken ribs." said Sakura walking into the room. "It's hardly nothing. I want you to be careful at least until tomorrow."
"Ok Sakura chan" replied the blonde sitting gingerly onto a straight backed chair,
Sakura eyed her date for the evening. He looked one hundred percent better than he had the night before. He was dressed in dark jeans, white shirt and his leather jacket. Sakura had to admit, the man looked yummy in leather. His brown hair was in its usual spikes which she found oddly comforting since last night his hair had even lain down in weariness.
She was glad she had made the effort to dress up. She was wearing black pants with a cherry red sweater and shell. The day had been just a little chilly; beside this was her favorite sweater. Good things seemed to happen when she wore it.
"So what seems good for dinner?" Kiba asked. Naruto laughed at them as they tried to decide where to go. Every place seemed to have something wrong with it, too dark, too crowded, not enough vegetables.
"We're definitely not going to Itchiraku's" they both agreed.
"Ha! You're laughing at us, but what are you having for dinner?" Kiba taunted his friend.
"Oh, I'll probably have a cup of ramen and head to bed early." He said with a false smile.
"Why don't you call Sasuke?" Sakura suggested. She knew Hinata was in a clan meeting.
"After that teme broke my ribs? No way! I'm still pi…upset with him." He amended quickly.
Kiba watched Sakura's face. He knew they were as close as brother and sister. He could also see that she was worried about him.
"Why don't you come with us." he offered. Sakura gave him a grateful look as she turned to her almost brother.
"Yes, come with us. You know every restaurant in town." she cajoled the blonde.
"I don't want to crash your date." Naruto replied but both friends could see he was tempted.
"Well technically we invited you so it's not crashing." the brown haired man replied.
"Come on" Sakura smiled. "You know you want to."
"Well" the blonde Nin thought for a minute. "There is that new place by the academy. Iruka says its good and Choji says that they have great BBQ."
"Oh yea, I'd forgotten that place." agreed Kiba.
That was how Sakura found herself with a man on each arm, walking her toward the academy. The men joked with each other, catching up on news since Kiba had been out of town for two weeks. At the restaurant, Naruto had almost sat beside Sakura out of habit, but caught himself at the last minute with a muffled "sorry" to Kiba. The rescue Nin just laughed and seated himself beside his date.
Sakura found herself thinking about how much she really enjoyed their company. Unlike many of the men she worked with, i.e. Shikamaru, Neji, Sasuke. Kiba actually talked. It was interesting to hear him and Naruto talk about the mission to River Country. She could almost see the places he had been and she could hear his concern for the victims in his voice.
Naruto's suggestion of pork BBQ was brilliant. The food was good and the company was even better. Kiba got Sakura to talk about her training with Tsunade. He found out from Naruto that she worked over time at the hospital almost every day. Both men took her to task for pushing herself too hard.
"That's what I do. I like working at the hospital and helping people." She defended herself. Deep inside though, she was secretly glad that someone cared enough about her to worry over her.
Kiba snickered to himself as he watched Sakura mother over Naruto like a hen with one chick. It really was funny to see one of the most powerful Nins in the village told to eat his vegetables …and do it.
Before they parted for the evening, Sakura checked Naruto's ribs one last time. She eased his pain enough for him to go home and get to bed. He gave her a brotherly bear hug, before clapping Kiba on the back and waving good bye.
In the city of Fukui,
Sakura felt the man beside her take her hand. It was warm and solid. When he brushed his calloused thumb across it, goose bumps broke out across her arms. It felt good to be the object of his attentions. He had let her know in every way that he only had eyes for her tonight. It was a heady experience and she planned to enjoy every minute of it.
She leaned against his side taking comfort in his solid presence beside her. He smelled good too, a mixture of pine and soap and his aftershave. She could smell a hint of Akamaru too, which should have been unpleasant but surprisingly wasn't.
They pulled in front of the restaurant and Kiba turned to help her down from the cart. Fukui was a sea side city and the restaurant specialized in seafood dishes. Kiba gave the hostess his name and they were shown to their table. Sakura was impressed with the grandeur of the establishment. There were fresh flowers and candles scattered on the tables. Elegant arches divided the rooms and the chair that Kiba held out for her was padded in velvet. The hostess handed them menus and left them.
"Kiba" Sakura said softly to get his attention. The brown haired man turned to her.
"This has got to be expensive. Are you sure you want to eat here?" she asked in concern. When he had asked her to the ballet it had not been her intention to beggar the poor man.
He gave her the charming smile that she loved so much.
"I just spent a month in River Country in a tent." He smiled at the girl. "I got plenty of hazard pay and I intend to spend it and enjoy myself." He took in her serious expression.
"Really Sakura, this restaurant was recommended to me. So, unless you don't like seafood, I really want to try it. Besides" he added with a grin, "Looking like that I can't really take you to Ichiraku can I? I'd have to beat back the locals with a stick."
Catching his humor she grinned back. "There's no way I'm eating ramen in this dress."
"Exactly" he replied. "You're with me, not Naruto." They both laughed at his joke and turned back to their menus.
When their dinners came they were beautifully arranged and garnished. Sakura's radishes had been cut into flower shapes. She almost hated to eat them. Her date on the other hand had no problem. He attacked his meal with true appreciation.
"How was Akamaru before you left?" asked the girl. Although she knew they couldn't bring him to the ballet, she felt bad about bringing him so far and having him miss out on all the fun.
"He likes coming to the Tanaka's. They still have a couple of his litter mates, so he was pretty happy to be here." "He told me that he doesn't see what the big deal is. He'd rather stay home and play anyway."
Sakura laughed at the canine's comment. She was starting to think that her date felt the same way. He had been a perfect gentleman the whole trip and had not complained once about the preparations for this evening, but she felt that he would rather have done something more laid back. She thought it was sweet of him. She had never had a date go to so much trouble to make sure she had a good time.
"How did I get so damn lucky?" she thought.
A few days earlier,
By mutual consent they began to walk toward the grassy area by the practice fields. Kiba took her hand to find it ice cold. He drew her close and tucked her hands under the sleeve of his coat. The grounds were deserted. Kiba found a bench overlooking a wooded area.
"I wanted to talk to you about our trip to the ballet." he said seriously looking down upon the pink hair beside him. "We only have two weeks before the performance. Are you still able to go?" he asked.
"Yes" she said shyly. "I cleared it with Shishou so there shouldn't be any trouble."
"Good" he said in relief. "You know the performance doesn't start until eight. That's going to be really late when we get out. I think we should spend the night. They have a nice hot springs and hotel there."
Sakura didn't hear another thing he said. 'Spend the night' and 'hotel' had told her all she needed to know. She was disappointed. It wasn't the first time someone had expected her to sleep with them. Something about the word 'kunoichi' seemed to suggest that she had no morals and would sleep with anyone. It's just that she had thought Kiba was different. That he cared about her more than just a quick one night stand. She pushed away her disappointment in the face of her anger.
There was no way that the price of a ticket included sex. She would only give herself when she felt it was right and it wouldn't be for a bribe either. 'That idiot' she fumed. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, when her brain began to kick in.
"What?" she interrupted him? "Say that last part again?"
Kiba gave her a strange look and repeated; "The Tanaka's are good friends they won't mind my crashing there, and they can watch Akamaru for me."
"Who are the Tanaka's again?" Sakura began to think she'd missed most of the conversation.
Rolling his eyes the dog nin repeated, "They're long time friends of my parents who also train dogs. We work with them a lot. I know they won't mind if I stay with them. Akamaru's dame was one of their dogs."
"So you'll stay with them and I'll stay at the hotel?"
"Didn't I just say that?" the man asked. He saw her blush and teased her. "What?" "Did you think you were going to have your wicked way with me Sakura?" his voice lowered and he scooted toward her on the bench. She scooted back from him.
"What kind of boy do you think I am?" he mocked in a low tone. He leaned toward her; she could smell his aftershave and feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. She ran her eyes over his broad shoulders and his strong arms. She felt herself being tempted and she scooted back once again in self defense. Only there was no more bench. She felt herself falling backwards before two strong arms reached out and grabbed her setting her back onto the bench.
Kiba broke into wild laughter. He threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Don't worry Sakura; I'm just messing with you. Besides, Naruto would beat me to a pulp no matter how many broken bones he had." His laughter dispelled the awkwardness and made his date smile too. Kiba gave her shoulders another squeeze before continuing.
"I thought if we took the early buss to Fukui we would have time to use the hot springs before dinner that night. Then since it will be late when we get done at the ballet, we can take the bus back the next morning. Does that sound Ok?
"Sure" answered the girl. He had obviously put a lot of thought into their trip. She looked at him fondly. Maybe he was looking forward to this as much as she was. She gave him a dazzling smile.
In the city of Fukui,
The food was absolutely wonderful. Kiba had ordered shark. Sakura had tried a bite and had to admit it was nicely done. However she had ordered a seafood pasta dish that she adored. She had never had anything quite like it but it was instantly her favorite. They were served fruity sake along with their meal. Just when she thought their meal was about perfect, they were approached by a man in a white samue. Looking at his uniform, Sakura surmised that this was their chef for the evening. She noticed the circular tattoos on his cheeks and realized that he must be an Akimichi.
"Kiba how was your meal this evening?" the man greeted her date.
"It was excellent Cho." He replied. "This is my date Haruno Sakura." "Sakura, this is Chouji's cousin, Cho."
She gave the man a dazzling smile. "I thought you might be." "Dinner was fabulous." She assured the chef. "I've gone to some nice dinners with Hokage Sama, but none have been as delicious as this."
The portly chef chuckled in appreciation. "My dear, I cannot resist a beautiful woman who enjoys my cooking. Let me send you out a little something from the kitchen to complete your meal." He kissed her hand gallantly before turning to Kiba.
"You'll have to watch this young lady or someone will steal her away." he chuckled. The older man patted the Inuzuka on the back. "Thanks for coming. Tell Chouji hello for me."
"I will." The Nin replied. He took Sakura's hand. "I fully intend to keep both eyes on her tonight." The chef beamed at the couple before leaving their table. A few minutes later their hostess brought out two desserts.
"The Chef has sent out a couple things for you to try. This is a plum and almond tart with a light almond glaze." She set the sweet before Kiba. "And this is a chocolate truffle with fudge sauce." She set a small decorative cup before Sakura.
They tried the tart first. It was deliciously fruity, but Sakura was in awe of the chocolate truffle. It was so rich there was no wonder it was served in a small dish. Sakura felt her toes curl at the first bite. It was so wickedly decadent she couldn't believe it looked so innocent. Kiba laughed at her expression as if he knew the phrase 'better than sex' was on the tip of her tongue. She blushed to the roots of her hair, but offered him a bite anyway.
"No thanks, I'm too full. You go ahead." he offered. Sakura smiled as she ate the last of the sweet.
"How did I get do damned lucky? She thought.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
The second chapter will be up shortly. I'm typing it now. (How'd I get so damn lucky- grimace)
Kudos to Masashi Kishimoto for creating the Naruto series. Wish it had been me.