Sequel time! I'm finally getting on it, as promised a couple of months back. I couldn't leave the Tobirama/Kiba pairing alone, if I can tell y'all the truth. So I've decided to post this first chapter and see how it goes.

Maybe this'll be the first sequel I manage to complete!

(*fingers crossed*)

~..~..~

"If you don't get off of me at this very moment, I will make you regret ever having met me."

Kiba pressed his nose even deeper into the crook of Tobirama's neck, unable to keep himself from smiling.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

His arms remained wound tight around the taller man's waist- strong enough to make him understand he would not be letting go, but not so much as to hurt him. And his legs stayed in their place, keeping Tobirama pinned to the bed below them.

It wasn't a comfortable position. It wasn't even all that pleasant- Kiba could feel blood rushing out of the arms that were kept under Tobirama's chest. But this was one of the best ways to keep the ex-Hokage in bed with him… So he worked with what he could. Could he really be blamed?

A long suffered sigh left the silver haired man's lips, muffled by the pillow that was busy currently keeping his face smushed. "Yes. You have. Every day since I allowed you to move into my apartment."

Softly, Kiba chuckled at himself. Then he pressed a kiss into Tobirama's pale neck and separated his head from the male's body to look at him, "It'd be every minute if we finally got a big place."

They both knew that Tobirama could throw him off without breaking a sweat. Both males were very much aware that, if the Senju so willed it, he could make Kiba regret ever having thought he could keep him pinned down to the bed.

But just as they knew this, both males were also painfully aware of the fact that Tobirama would never willingly hurt Kiba. And, even though neither would admit it, Tobirama secretly enjoyed Kiba's more affectionate actions.

"And here I thought you enjoyed being in an enclosed space with me." Finally the Senju turned his head to the side, allowing Kiba to see half of his face, "Aren't your arms getting tired?"

"Very much so, yes." Kiba smiled down at him, "But I love cuddling, you refuse to give me cuddles, and I'm in desperate need of them. So I've got to get me some of my own."

Tobirama rolled one red eye around and Kiba found himself having to stop himself from laughing at his dramatics.

His soulmate may insist he was grounded and down to earth… But he certainly was one of the most dramatic and over reactive people the Inuzuka had ever met.

"You've got a dozen other brats you can get such a thing from." The man huffed, although he began to move around so he could roll over.

Kiba loosened his grip on him enough for the man to do so and they wound up lying chest-to-chest. Once that was over with, Tobirama moved his arms so they were wrapped around Kiba's lower back, pulling him even tighter. And Kiba moved his arms so they were framing the man's head, smiling down at him in what he knew was an extremely goofy, stupid manner.

"Okay, yeah, I can get hugs or high fives from other people," Kiba conceded, but pouted mockingly, "But there's one thing no one but you can give me."

Tobirama quirked one elegant white eyebrow, but did not question him. Instead he allowed Kiba to continue speaking.

The Inuzuka had no problem with this.

He lowered his head so that their lips were only a couple of millimeters apart, eyes staring intently into Tobirama's own.

"Well, I could try…" He murmured, "But I don't think you'd be too happy."

Tobirama lifted his chin up just minutely, enough for their lips to brush against each other.

One second passed in which they both stared at each other. Neither moved a muscle- Kiba didn't feel like he even breathed.

Then Tobirama's grip on him tightened and he brought their lips together. This time it was a solid and true kiss, the kind that still managed to take Kiba's breath away.

~/~

Once their lips had separated, Tobirama allowed himself to rejoice the warmth that flowed from his lover's body for a couple of seconds. Then tapped the Inuzuka's hip twice with his right hand and pushed at his body softly with his left.

"I don't wanna go, though."

"We have duties to complete."

Kiba didn't move.

"Errands to run."

Not even a flinch.

Tobirama sighed, "Food to eat."

Predictably, that got a rise out of his soulmate.

Kiba groaned loudly, rolled off of Tobirama's body, and released a loud sigh once his back hit the mattress.

"Why do we even have to do stuff? Why can't we just stay in here all day and do nothing?"

Tobirama smiled softly even as he rolled his eyes at his soulmate's actions.

He was accustomed to Kiba. He sometimes still grew exasperated with his dramatics, but that was only human on his part. It was completely normal to sometimes grow annoyed with the significant other you had allowed into your heart after years of trying to deny him.

"Because if we did nothing, we would die."

Kiba huffed and threw an arm over his eyes. Tobirama, as Kiba continued to sulk, busied himself by stretching so he could begin his day.

"Are you being a smartass again? Doing nothing does not include not breathing."

"Are you still sore over the argument you lost?"

He did not have to look back at Kiba to know he was pouting.

"… You've got morning breath…"

Real mature, the man thought in amusement. But he didn't bother replying. Instead he made his way over to the bathroom he was now forced to share with Kiba (which he didn't actually mind, although he'd never let Kiba know that) and began his morning routine.

~/~

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Kiba was dressed and prepared for the day. Well, physically, he looked the part. Mentally, he just wanted to stay in Tobirama's extremely comfortable bed and never have to move ever again.

Unfortunately, because he was a shinobi and it was his duty or something, he needed to actually do stuff. Which was so not okay. But that was just the way the world worked sometimes, no matter how unfair. So Kiba had to actually do things he didn't want to do… Like always.

"So, what's our schedule today?" He asked as he sat down at their small kitchen's island, Tobirama a blur in the kitchen as he prepared the day's breakfast.

Tomorrow would be Kiba's turn. And he had an extremely awesome breakfast planned out to make Tobirama's morning perfect. But that was tomorrow. This was today. And today he would not be offering any of his services to the (evil) soulmate that had forced him out of his bed… Their bed.

"Tsunade is in desperate need of emissaries to go the Hidden Mist. It seems that they're under threat of the Mizukage being *dethroned*- again- and the bureaucrats wish to have Konoha's word that we'll help them keep her in her place."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at this. The smells of Tobirama's wonderful cooking were invading his nose, and normally this would cause him to be distracted. But what he'd heard from Tobirama had him so intrigued that not even his food could distract him.

"Konoha can't promise that… Can we? Like, we shouldn't be forcing our way into other Village's political problems. That's like asking for us to be hated."

"We're already hated, Inuzuka." Tobirama deadpanned, stopping suddenly in his cooking to level him with a glare.

Kiba glared back with equal disinterest, "You know what I meant, old man."

For a second, they both glared at each other without saying a single thing.

Then Tobirama smirked and went back to his cooking.

"We both agree, then. I'm going to go and explain to Tsunade why we can't expend any of our forces trying to keep the peace in Mist- not even for diplomatic reasons. That means my schedule will be full until at least midday."

Kiba huffed at this information- not completely sure why, it wasn't as if he expected to be able to hang onto Tobirama the whole day- and nodded. He thrust his hands inside of his pockets, hands beginning to chill a bit because Tobirama had no idea just how cold his apartment could get. But once they were inside, his right hand bumped into something… Which was odd.

Frowning softly, Kiba looked down and pulled out the scroll that had found its way into his jacket.

Blinking at the rather small object, he called out, "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"I'm trying to tell you the exact thing I already told you. Why would you- what is that?"

~/~

Kiba wasn't the kind to carry scrolls around. Especially scrolls that were so small they could be eaten up by any of the pups the Inuzuka Clan had lurking around their compound. So it wasn't farfetched for him to doubt just where the scroll had come from.

"Dunno… It was in my jacket's pocket."

Tobirama's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, "Don't open it. Give it to me."

The Inuzuka didn't fight him on this. He merely leaned over the kitchen counter with his arm outstretched, the scroll within his hand, as Tobirama shut his stove off to not burn any of the food. Once he was sure that nothing would be ruined because of this sudden development, the man grabbed the scroll and searched it for any kind of booby traps.

His sensory skills were usually so great that he could sense traps in other Villages. But whenever Kiba was around- much like years ago- he found those senses to be muddled. He was still able to feel dangerous things, but not as acutely or easily as when Kiba wasn't around.

"Nothing."

The frown on his face was heavy. And it wasn't a frown he wore lightly.

This jacket had been resting inside of Kiba's side of the dresser for a good month now. The kid always managed to bring a change of clothes, even though he had a dozen different articles of clothing stashed away for emergencies. And if Kiba didn't recognize the scroll as something he'd left inside of his jacket when he'd brought it here, then it meant someone that was neither him nor Tobirama had left it inside.

"How do you think it got in there?" Kiba asked softly, as if whispering would keep his voice from being heard by unseen adversaries.

Tobirama was not surprised by Kiba adopting the quiet whisper. He had a penchant for theatrics. But, for once, these theatrics didn't seem all that out of place.

"I haven't felt anything off in my apartment. If my traps had been set off, I would have known. So whoever left this knew how to get in here and leave without alarming me." His frown deepened at these implications, then breathed in and moved to open the scroll. "Be prepared for anything."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kiba nod stiffly.

Even though Tobirama was more than aware that if anything dangerous came out of this scroll and hurt him, it certainly would have no difficulty hurting him, he still felt reassured upon witnessing the kid's actions.

He unrolled the scroll, muscles tensed so tightly he felt he could snap at any moment.

For the couple of seconds after it was completely stretched out that passed, silence reigned.

Then, "What does it say?"

Tobirama's red eyes scanned over the fine print that had been used to write on the piece of parchment, feeling his frown loosen.

It still remained, but it was no longer worried… Instead, it was a confused one… He was confused.

What?

Blinking, Tobirama began at the top of the message.

"Don't leave me in the dark, Tobirama."

The man heard Kiba's feet hit the floor as he jumped down from his seat. Then he heard his hurried footsteps as the teenager stalked towards him. But he just ignored his soulmate and finished reading the message for the second time.

"Gaara wishes to meet with you…" The man murmured, eyes narrowed as he read over the fine scrawl, "Next week. At the Village Gates. It says he has something important he wishes to consult with you about."

Kiba weedled his way in between his arms, firmly planting himself against Tobirama's front so he could read the message as well without taking the paper from the man. And the Senju allowed it, just stretching his arms out a bit more so the Inuzuka could fit comfortably.

Once Tobirama had finished reading his third and final repetition, Kiba cleared his throat. "It says he wants to talk with you too."

Tobirama frowned once again and glanced down at his soulmate, "Just what could that friend of yours need to tell both of us that must remain so secretive?"

Kiba shrugged and pointed at a specific sentence, "Says here that he'll be joining Kankuro, Temari, and their soulmates on a diplomatic caravan… Guess he's using that as an excuse to see us."

"But why us?" Tobirama stressed, "Why not just you?"

"He trusts you." Kiba huffed, "And he enjoys it when you're around?"

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow down at him. Kiba looked back at him with a disinterested not-quite glare. "He does." He reiterated, then pushed Tobirama's arms away so he could step out from his embrace. "Guess we'll just have to wait until next week to find out what's up."

~/~

Just why Gaara had gone to such lengths to hide such a cryptic yet plane message, Kiba wouldn't find out until next week. But it must have been something big if he had gone through all the trouble of keeping everything quiet and hidden until Kiba had found himself grabbing the jacket.

"Funny thing is that this thing must have been hidden for a while…" He murmured as he returned to his chair while Tobirama rolled up the scroll and placed it on the kitchen counter beside him, "It's got a full date… He must have hidden that last time he was here."

"Three months ago?"

Scratching at his chin, Kiba shook his head, "No, he was here after that… It was a smaller trip- with only Baki-Sensei accompanying him. They were here to transfer a prisoner or something…"

"Still…" Tobirama huffed, returning to his stove to begin cooking once again. "It isn't like him to be this cryptic. Nor is he the kind to indulge others with his secrets."

Gaara was a weird one, so it wasn't all that weird- at least in Kiba's mind- for him to go to such lengths to make sure no unwanted eyes found his message. But he wasn't the kind to trust easily in others, nor did he like bothering people with his personal problems. So he had never been the kind to tell others his secrets… Unlike his loudmouth brother, Gaara knew how to keep to himself.

Just what could he want to tell him that he'd needed to go to such lengths? And, even weirder yet, what could he possibly want to tell him and Tobirama?

"Who knows?" Kiba finally relented with a sigh, "No use worrying over it. We'll find out in a week."

~/~

Kiba's ease with the situation was not out of character.

That did not meant it didn't bother Tobirama in the slightest bit.

His soulmate had always had a bad habit of trusting too much. Which was an admirable quality, truly, when they found themselves on opposite sides of the world with more than a torturous amount of time and space between them. But this trust wasn't only for Tobirama- his soulmate. It was a trust he gave to all of his friends and loved ones.

It was admirable, in a way… But it could also be the Inuzuka's downfall.

Sighing softly, Tobirama flipped the fish he was cooking over.

They'd have to wait and see.

A somewhat uneasy silence fell over them. Tobirama wasn't sure if he perceived as uneasy simply because he was worried or if they both felt that way. But he tried to force himself to relax- that if anything was truly dangerous enough for him to worry about, then Gaara would have warned them about it as well.

After he had finished cooking and had plated the food, Tobirama remembered something Sarutobi had wanted him to remind Kiba about.

"Don't forget about your community service at the Academy."

"What?! That's today?!" Kiba just about yelled, all the while Tobirama calmly walked up to him and placed his plate of food in front of him.

As Kiba freaked out, Tobirama sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and enjoyed his first bite of food. Then he turned to his lover, offered him a piece of food with his chopsticks, and smiled softly when the kid pouted at him.

"It's today, Akamaru is required, and you can't get out of this. Now accept my food because you know I don't do this often."

With a reluctant groan, the kid rolled his eyes. But as he did so, he moved his mouth closer to the offered food.

He opened up his lips and Tobirama dropped the piece of fish, eliciting an immediate moan from him.

"So good!"

Tobirama truly loved his soulmate.

No matter how much of an idiot he was.

..~..~..

Now, I've got no idea how I should proceed with the next chapter. So I shall put it up to a vote!

A) Tobirama and Kiba living out their regular lives- giving exposition as to how some of the lives of other Konoha-native characters have changed in the few years that have passed.

B) Last minute mission that forces Kiba and Tobirama to leave the village suddenly- Drama!

C) Free choice. Write up what y'all want to see if you choose C.

Highest votes (or vote, I've no idea if anyone will even read, much less review this) will be the chapter I next write.

Please review and vote!