-I apologize if either of the boys seem OOC-

One of the greatest feats you can ever accomplish is surprising a ninja. Rarely can you catch one off guard and throw them into a state of shock, and even though this happening is just short of a miracle, it doesn't mean it can't. Kiba Inuzuka was living proof of this.

It was beautiful day in the land of fire. The sky was clear except for the few fluffy clouds that accented it. The sun was bright, giving off a heat that warmed the skin and with the sweet scented breeze that rustled the leaves, giving off a comforting sound, it was truly a perfect day.

The triangle marked ninja and his faithful companion, Akamaru, were taking advantage of this wonderful day and going on a walk through the forest on one of the less used paths outside the village. Kiba, while enjoying his friends' company, also took pleasure in the quiet that came with being by himself.

Well, minus his fur covered partner. Parting with Akamaru was out of the question. So he didn't think twice when he decided to take the white dog on his lazy afternoon stroll through the woods. The young dog took delight in sniffing at fresh animal tracks and running through the dirt, making pawprints of his own.

Kiba smiled at the sight of the snow colored canine running around as if he was a pup again. The young Inazuka male was sure of one thing, nothing could ruin this beautiful day, or so he thought.

As the made their way down the old trail the lone ninja found his thoughts drifting back to a certain bug orientated boy. Shino Aburame, the careful spoken male that never once lost his temper. Hell, if Kiba hadn't fought alongside him, he wouldn't have known that he had one in the first place.

Despite his calm and collected exterior, Shino had a broad range of feelings and emotions. He just kept them in check more than most, but if you knew him well enough, you might catch a slight furrow of his brows that indicated he was frustrated. Or the ever so slight pull at the corner of his lips, when he found something amusing. As black and white as the Aburame clan members seemed, this one was definitely a large mixture of grays.

Kiba was dragged out of his thoughts about his teammate when he heard a familiar bark.

"What is it boy?" He asked curiously, wondering what could have caught his dog's attention.

As he made his way to where his companion was sitting he was caught off guard when Akamaru began whining. This was immediately a red flag for the young dog ninja, sending the hairs on the back of his neck on end.

Akamaru gave another whine pawing at something on the ground. Several sets of foot prints, and by the look of it, whoever they belonged to had been in a rush. Kiba sniffed the air, seeing if he could manage to catch the scent of who the footprints belonged.

He made out four in total. All of them were from males around his age. Three he couldn't identify the owners of, but that wasn't what sent fear swirling into his stomach, tying it in a tight knot.

No, it happened to be the one that he recognized. He now understood why Akamaru had whined. Shino's scent, and it was still fresh. Only a few minutes old. He wasted no time following it, his heart pounding in his chest.

He kept telling himself that his teammate was fine. That he was probably just out on a clan exercise. That Shino was just catching some bug that he needed, but he could shake the feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Really wrong.

Side by side, the human and dog duo rushed in the direction of the smell of their friend. The Inuzuka slowed his pace when he heard laughter. It wasn't the kind that gave you a smile and made you want to laugh along. It was the kind that sent chills down your back and made your blood run cold, filling your veins with ice.

"What silence again?" A voice sneered. "Come on bug man? Got nothing to say?"

Another round of laughter cut through the trees.

Bug man? Did they mean Shino?

Kiba swallowed, stealing a look as he peaked around the tree trunk he was hiding behind. Lo and behold, there was his friend standing to the right facing towards three boys. He watched silently, frozen in place like a statue.

What was Shino doing? Who were these people? Why didn't he tell them to get lost? Questions flooded the dog-nin's brain unable to make himself move.

He watched as one of the three boys walked towards the Aburame. He grew his face closer to the sunglasses wearing ninja in a threatening manner. A smirk curled up on his face. "You scared freak?" He paused for a response but continued when he didn't receive one. "Heh, you should have known better than to show your face around here again. Remember what we did to you last time?"

The two other boys chuckled, cruel looks painting their faces.

Why wasn't Shino doing anything? Kiba would have never dared to invade his friend's personal space like that. He knew how important it was to him, not to mention the repercussions of doing such a act. He'd ended up with fire ants down his pants last time he'd joked around and disregarded his space.

Yet here was he was, not saying a word. Why was he taking this? He was a ninja for god's sake, so why wasn't he kick butt and taking names? Kiba clenched his fist at his side as he tightened his jaw.

"I don't think you do... so let us remind you." The boy said, shoving Shino hard, knocking him to the ground. He slowly tried to sit up, not making a sound, but was stopped by the attacking male. After a hard kick to his middle he bent over grabbing his stomach.

Kiba watched in horror at the sight before him. He couldn't move. It was as if his limbs had turned to stone. Ever part of him was screaming at him to move and tear the three boys to shreds. To make them stop. To protect his friend, but he couldn't. It was like he was stuck in trance. He just watched as the other two boys joined.

It wasn't until he heard a low growl from Akamaru did he finally break free of his trance. He stepped out from behind the tree, anger clouding his face.

It was at that moment that Shino noticed his approaching teammate, his glasses having fallen to the ground giving the world a full show of his beautiful brown eyes. A shocked look sprang onto his face before he tightly closed his eyes.

Kiba almost paused mid step at the sight. He could feel his heart clench tightly in his chest. He'd wanted to see his quiet friend's eyes as long as he remembered. When he did finally see them, it was supposed be a special moment. Shino was supposed to let him see them of his own free will, because he trusted him and he felt safe doing so, but that was no longer an option. No, all because these punks, the moment he hoped would bring the soft spoken ninja closer to him had just been ripped from them both.

Kiba was going to make them pay. When he was done they would be having nightmares of the triangle marked boy.

Shino Aburame could feel his heart race at the sight of the only person he could even come close to calling a best friend. He could see the flicker of shock that cut through the anger infested look on Kiba's face for just a split second. He immediately noticed the loss of weight on his face. His glasses must have been knocked off. He closed his eyes quickly, shunning the world from his sight.

If he hadn't been trying to catch the breath that was being knocked out of him, he would have sighed. Kiba was never going to let him live this down. He could just see in his head Kiba making fun of him for letting these guys beat him up like this. Not to mention the current loss of his sunglasses. This was going to be annoying to explain.

He really didn't feel like having a lengthy discussion about his current situation after it was over and he knew that Kiba wasn't just going to accept a quick simple answer.

"Ever last on of you is dead!" Kiba yelled with a growl.

Shino held his breath when the onslaught of attacks stopped. He opened his eyes at the sound of one of the boys that had been hitting him started begging for mercy.

Kiba was pummeling the boy, having already given him a bloody nose that was most likely broken. His eyes flickered around momentarily, searching for the other two boys, but they were nowhere to be seen. It probably wasn't good that Akamaru wasn't anywhere to be seen either.

He quickly stood up, not bothered in the slightest by the pain littered over his body. He made his way over to Kiba, grabbing his arm from behind as he swung it upwards.

Kiba ripped his arm from his friend's grip, turning around to see who had stopped him from giving the punk pinned below him what he deserved.

The rage slowly slipped Kiba's face and to be replaced with a sorrowful look.

"Kiba." Shino said with a calm tone, not showing any emotion. "That's enough."

"I can't! Not after what they did! They deserve-"

"By beating him up, you are no better than him."

Kiba sighed in frustration before standing up, letting the now black and blue boy go. The injured bully scrambled up right, running off without so much as looking back once.

The air went still, leaving only the sound of the adrenaline filled Inazuka's heavy breathing.

Shino didn't move, watching Kiba closely, waiting for him to say something.

"Why?" Kiba said after a moment with confusion fueled frustration. "Why didn't you fight back? Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you do anything?" He looked his silent friend in those breathtaking brown eyes, desperately looking for a reason to explain his actions.

"Before you showed up, they would have stopped in roughly a minute and a half, leaving me alone afterwards. Now they'll most likely try to seek me out and try to get back at me for what you did once you leave my side."

"Are you kidding me?! You were letting them treat you like dirt because of that!?" Kiba yelled, grabbing the stone faced ninja by the shoulders. "And what hell was this about them doing this to you again? Have they done it to you before?"

Shino closed his eyes and gave a slight sigh before opening them again. "Why do you care?"

Kiba gawked at his teammate, not sure his ears had heard right. His grip on the other male tightened. "Why wouldn't I care?"

"Are you going to let me go?" Shino asked his voice just as quiet. At this point, Kiba wasn't sure the male Aburame could talk any differently.

"S-sorry." He let go, realizing how roughly he'd been holding onto him.

"Your fine."

Kiba shifted his feet with an uncomfortable look before asking, "So when was the last time they did that?"

"About three weeks ago." He stated, this time his voice quieter than usual. He looked down, not meeting his friend's gaze.

"Is that the first time they've done this?"

Shino paused, carefully picking the words he spoke. "Three weeks ago was the first time they've ever physically hurt me to that extent."

Anger flashed once again in the dog-nin's eyes. "So they have hurt you even before that."

"I never said that."

"But you just-" Kiba gave an exasperated sigh. "Have they, or have they not hurt you before they did three weeks ago?"

Shino didn't respond, but instead walked over to his discarded glasses. He bent down, picking them up carefully. Shino had to remind himself not to sigh again. One of the lenses was cracked, and he'd really liked this pair. Oh well. No use crying over some broken glass. He stood up and tucked the broken sunglasses in his pocket. With a steadying breath, he turned to face the triangle tattoed ninja.

He really didn't want to have a conversation on the boys that had been periodically causing him trouble since he first started in the academy, but Kiba wasn't going to leave him alone if he didn't say something. It was best to keep it short and simple, and pray that the worried male would except his explanation.

"Throughout the past..." The bug ninja paused, making sure he chose his words with extreme caution. "I've run into them. They're from a rival clan. It's in the best interest of everyone that both my clan and their clan doesn't get a reason to start a fight. So, I've done my best to keep them from having one."

Kiba couldn't believe the words coming out of his teammate's mouth. Was he seriously OK with being a doormat? Wait, he never answered his question. That sly little- He was not avoiding this question.

"Ya' didn't answer my question though." Kiba was clenching and unclenching his hand in attempt to keep his cool. "How many times have they hurt you?"

Shino suddenly gave the other male a glare, startling the young Inuzuka. "I get that you're concerned but I would prefer we didn't discuss this any further." His voice was harsh and snappy, giving off a tone that Kiba was sure could never come from those lips. The glare slipped from his face a quick as it had formed, realizing the look he was giving his friend.

"I'm... sorry." Shino apologized, gaining control of his voice again.

What was he doing? Kiba was only trying to help him, yet here he was taking his anger out on him. It wasn't his fault that he got his favorite pair of glasses broken. It wasn't his fault that those boys were constantly causing him trouble. He didn't cause a rival clan and his to be at each other's throats twenty-four-seven.

"It's fine." Kiba whispered quietly, looking away as he shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"No, no it's not."

Kiba took a deep breath, working up the courage to look his teammate in the eyes. Slowly his gaze traveled up the quiet males upper half before finally making it to his brown orbs. He swallowed, not sure what to say next. Shino must have noticed because he decided to speak up in his friends place.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you. You're just worried about me, that's all." Shino paused to see if the usually loud, but now quiet, boy wanted to say anything. When he didn't get a response, he continued. "To answer you question... Yes they have hurt me... multiple times. I-... I can't tell you an exact number." Horror filled the triangle tattooed boys eyes, but he didn't speak, afraid that if he did, his friend wouldn't tell him anymore.

"I told on them once. It almost escalated into a full out fight between mine and the boys' clans. So... Next time, I fought back. Hoping, by me taking a different approach it would keep it from happening again. This however, did not work. This time it did escalate into a fight, both clans ending up with men in critical condition." His voice had steadily grown shaking, so he took a moment to regain his composer before opening his mouth to speak again.

"With both clans constantly looking for a reason to go at each other, I quickly decided to do everything in my power to not give them a reason. So... I took the abuse. It started off as a small shove, a single hit here, but when they realized that I would not only take their verbal assaults, but their physical ones as well, they stopped holding back. As I said before, three weeks ago was the first time they've ever gone to this extent and ganged up on me like that."

Kiba could feel the wetness nipping at the corner of his eyes. His best bud had been going through this for years behind everyone's back, behind his back, unable to speak out, afraid of what would happen if he did. Yet again, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, he was shocked beyond words.

How did Shino think this was OK? That being a human punching bag was alright? He lived in fear, too dedicated to his clan to speak up. It was beyond wrong, and it was making this Inuzuka sick to his stomach.

Kiba almost knocked the other boy to the ground as he wrapped his arms around him in a comforting hug. Shino froze, his body going as stiff as a board. At first he wanted to shove away from the embrace. Being touched wasn't something that happened to him often. Thanks to his bugs, from a young age people had kept their distance. He'd grown used to it after while, and now preferred having his personal space kept, well, personal. Even his parents didn't do this to him. The most physical contact he got from them was, at most, a pat on the back.

So this sudden embrace was setting off more red flags than he could currently process, but he didn't dare break away. While he didn't truly needed this hug, Kiba on the other hand definitely did. He seemed seconds away from an emotional break down. He would endure, if only for his friend.

Forcing his body to relax, Shino hesitantly wrapped his arms around his teammate's lower back. The more they stood there in each other's arms, the more the Aburame became accustomed to it. This... wasn't horrible, and, just maybe, if the circumstances called for one to come up again, he wouldn't mind.

Eventually Kiba did pull back and the two were forced to separate. If he hadn't been focused on trying to calm his racing heart, Shino would have noticed the saddened feeling that snuck it's way in when he let go of his friend.

"Promise me you won't let them do that to you again."

The quiet one of the two ninjas was about to explain why he couldn't when Kiba gave him the most pitiful look he'd ever seen. He could feel his mouth go dry as Kiba's eyes pleaded with him silently making his heart twinge uncomfortably.

He swore at his friend in his head, but not before whispering quietly. "I promise."

Two words. Two small, simple words. Yet it felt like Shino had promised him the world.

The bug-ninja almost smiled as Kiba cheered loudly. He didn't even mind when Kiba wrapped his arms around him again for another hug.

Word count: 3,302

Hey guys! This was written for my beta reader in thanks for all the hard work she does. She puts up with my crazy hours and getting up in the middle of the night for me. So I decided to write something nice for her. I don't write a lot of fluff, but she absolutely adores it. I might not be a big Naruto fan, but I'd like to think I captured the world at least decently. I've spent over a week on this now, trying my hardest to make this perfect for my beta reader, and you guys two.

I never really thought I would write something like this, much less for Naruto. Needless to say, I'm a bit out of my comfort zone. So, please, tell me if there is anything I could work on for future reference.

I'm a disclaimer of Naruto and the character in it. If you have any problems or complaints about my content, please P.M. and I'll we can try and get the problem sorted out as soon as possible.

Thank-you!