Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting from this. Any mistakes, please tell me.

ok, here we go. the kiba thing.

Maybe he'll have friends someday

"Ya know, you're kind of a coward," Uzumaki Naruto said offhandedly. He probably didn't mean much by it.

"Naruto," Haruno Sakura hissed, worried her teammate's careless words might offend the other boy. She didn't really know the kid, but she heard he was a sensitive kid, and she didn't want any unnecessary drama between them.

The boy in question was Inuzuka Kiba.

Her worries were unfounded. Inuzuka Kiba was not particularly sensitive to the careless words of those around him. He did not take them to heart.

Kiba tilted his head forward just a tad. "Oh? What makes you say that?" he asked.

"'Cuz you like, never do anything. Always stand in the back and stuff," Naruto tried to put his feelings into words. Kiba didn't think that made a person a coward, but if that was how it was in Naruto's world, then so be it.

"Naruto-kun… That was very rude of you," Hyuuga Hinata spoke up with some trouble.

"E-eh, oh, um, my bad."

"Kiba! How was it today? Your teammates cool?" Inuzuka Hana asked her brother as he walked through the doors.

"It was fine. Yeah, they're cool," Kiba replied. Hana leaned in closer, expecting something more. Kiba stood for a moment, recalling what had happened earlier that day, and for the first time that day, Kiba smiled.

"Yeah, they're cool. Mm, yeah. They're cool," he repeated.

Hana gave her widest, most brilliant smile. Kiba returned it with his own.

Maybe one day, Kiba will befriend his teammates. And maybe Naruto and his team too.

He sure hoped so.

As a child, Kiba was kept at a distance by the other clan children. They would extend their invitations to play, but always kept a strained smile in his presence. Kiba once thought it was due to his status as the clan head's son. But his sister Hana never got this treatment. She laughed and played with the others with howling laughs and cheek-burning smiles.

Kiba wished he could too.

He never did.

"Mom."

"What is it?" Tsume looked down at the child pulling at her pants. Kiba and his adorable face stared up at her.

"Why don't the other kids like me like they like Hana?" he asked. To outsiders looking in, they would see the unnaturally blank face of the Inuzuka child. Tsume was his mother. She saw the hurt and loneliness clear as day.

"Don't worry about what others think. If they can't see how wonderful you are, then they don't deserve to be your friends," she said. Briefly she wondered if that was the right thing to say, but Kiba's smile put the thought to rest.

"Okay!"

"Kiba! Let's go to the kennel! Mom said you can get a partner today," Hana yelled in her excitement one morning. Her partners faithfully mirroring her emotions. They were just as excited to see Kiba's future canid partner.

And so at the kennel, they were greeted with wet kisses and snuffles of curious pups. Kiba thought they were cute. They seemed to like him too. So maybe one or two or three would like to be his friend.

The curious nudges soon lost interest in him and all left to chase the butterflies.

"Maybe tomorrow one will come," Hana deflated. She seemed even more bummed out than her brother. But Kiba was never one to show much on his face.

The next day, Hana and Kiba and the Haimaru brothers revisited the kennel.

Kiba didn't want to go after the fifth time.

He left another day without a friend.

Kiba didn't mind he didn't have a partner.

(That's what he wanted to think, so he lied to his own mind every morning.)

He decided if no one in his clan wanted to be his friend, he would look somewhere else. The village was big. There had to be someone looking for Kiba to be friends with.

There had to be.

Outside, at some playing field, Kiba found himself looking from a distance at a group of children playing ninja. He was about to step forward when they declared uneven numbers, but another child beat him to it. Or rather, two children did.

He picked up what they were saying. They didn't want the red-haired child playing with them. Kiba's interest in the group of children faded quickly. He watched the child with teary eyes rushing away from the field. Kiba stepped forward to follow the child. Perhaps they could be friends.

But once more, he was beat by that other child.

Kiba was too late twice that day. He went home, unwilling to face the possibility of losing yet another opportunity.

"Yama-san?" Kiba stopped a clansmen as he watched from his seat on the porch. Said clansmen stopped in her tracks, whirling around to face the head's son.

"Ah, can I help you, Kiba-chan?" she asked. He watched her for a brief moment, cocking his head like the bird he saw earlier that morning.

"Why do the other kids not like me?" he asked. He wondered if her response would be just as honest as his mother's.

Yama pursed her lips, glanced side to side, and walked up to him. He simply stared back up at her.

"Kiba-chan… It's not that they don't like you, but it's just…" she struggled with her words. Yama was never known for fluid speech.

"It's just, you're kinda weird for an Inuzuka. You make them uneasy," she finally finished her sentence.

"How so?"

"Well, you're not as excitable. Really calm. A-and, the dogs… The dogs don't really…" She didn't need to finish that sentence. Kiba knew.

"Oh. Okay."

Yama heard dismissal in his voice and promptly left with a nod.

Kiba just wanted someone to talk to.

"It is fortunate Hana is the elder of your children."

"Excuse me? Just what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying what we're all thinking. Despite her rather tame appearance, Hana is the prime example of what an Inuzuka leader should be. Kiba, on the other hand-"

"I WILL HAVE NO MORE OF THIS TALK. MEETING DISMISSED!"

Kiba wasn't supposed to hear that. Really, he didn't even want to. He just happened to be passing by.

He really wished he didn't.

"Hey, Hana," Kiba spoke. He sat in front of his sister as she tied ribbons and bows and feathers into his hair.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked, eyes never leaving her work.

"I'm glad you're my older sister," he said.

"Heheh! Well, I'm super glad and happy to have you as my little brother!" she laughed.

Kiba laughed with her.

Some clan elders were hesitant to send Kiba to the Academy. They worried he would disgrace the clan somehow.

Tsume's glare fixed their opinion.

Kiba would enroll in the Academy the following year.

Kiba thought, 'Yes. This is good. The Academy will have kids my age, and they won't know how weird I am. Someone might be my friend.'

Poor kid realized too late many children knew how a "proper" Inuzuka was supposed to act. Kiba did not act like one. Therefore, they knew on day one. Kiba was a weirdo.

Kiba sat alone, quiet and sad for many days of the Academy.

Sometimes he would sit with the other loners, with the other quiet kids.

They didn't seem interested in talking with him, but he was grateful they didn't move away from him.

"How was your day?"

"Fun."

For the most part, people left Kiba alone, and Kiba didn't have the nerves to approach them. He stayed still and silent, observing the going ons in his class from the way back. But there were times his classmates made some sort of effort to talk to him, however brief it may be.

"Hey, how come you don't have a dog?" an Uchiha child asked him once. He was a cocky thing, rash and impulsive. Tried too hard to imitate his brother.

"I just don't," Kiba answered. He didn't think it was the kid's place to know.

"That's not an answer," the kid appeared to pout.

"It is to me," Kiba said, and promptly left.

Kiba saw that Uchiha kid again the next year. The kid had changed a lot. More like a "proper" Uchiha. Not that there were any to compare him to.

"Heehee!" A girl giggled behind him. Kiba didn't want to think it was directed at him, so he kept his gaze forward and continued his way.

"Hey!" the girl called. Kiba turned around, hoping to assure himself she did not call to him.

She was looking right at him.

"Hi?" he spoke with uncertainty.

"Hi!" She was a cheerful child. She looked like the man Tsume had for dinner a couple times. "You're Kiba, right? I'm Ino."

"Hi, Ino…"

"You have ribbons in your hair." She pointed at a spot on her own head, indicating where in his hair the ribbons were. He reached over and felt his sister's fabric graze his fingers.

"O-oh." He was embarrassed. He didn't mean to leave any before leaving the compound.

"It's cute!" she smiled, wide and bright.

"Oh! Um.. Thanks….." Kiba managed to say, though the girl left with a quick goodbye when she spotted her friends.

The day had come. The day Kiba had been nervously and excitedly waiting for.

Team assignment day.

Maybe he'll have friends now.

His teammates were Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. They were quiet children. He would often sit by them.

They never really spoke with one another.

They just didn't.

Kiba wanted to talk to them. Perhaps they could be friends one day.

The first few weeks of team training went by without much progress on Kiba's hopeful friendship dream.

Then his team met Naruto's team.

"Ya know, you're kind of a coward," Uzumaki Naruto said offhandedly. He probably didn't mean much by it.

"Naruto," Haruno Sakura hissed, worried her teammate's careless words might offend the other boy.

Kiba tilted his head forward just a tad. "Oh? What makes you say that?" he asked.

"'Cuz you like, never do anything. Always stand in the back and stuff," Naruto tried to put his feelings into words.

"Naruto-kun… That was very rude of you," Hyuuga Hinata spoke up with some trouble.

"E-eh, oh, um, my bad," Naruto apologized, realizing his insensitive words.

"It's no problem," Kiba accepted his apology. It surprised him when Shino stepped up from behind him.

"Please take care to notice how your words might affect others," he said, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"Eeeh, yeah, sorry. I will," Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"You know how I told you how I think Hinata might have a crush on Naruto?" Kiba spoke from his seat next to his mother. He leaned into her side as she carded her hand through his hair. Hana laid on her other side, dozing off with her partners splayed around her. Kuromaru was a little way out in the garden, watching the clouds roll before the moon.

"Yeah. You said she'd get all red in the face just looking in his direction." There was obvious mirth in her voice and her eyes as she looked lovingly down at their son.

"Mm, yeah. Today, she stood up for me even though it was against Naruto. A-and Shino said something for me too."

Tsume did not say anything for she knew Kiba had more to say. She waited patiently.

"Yeah… I think maybe we can be friends soon."

He hoped so.

Tsume hoped so.

Only time would tell.

note: okay, that's it. i didn't include akamaru. there's no reason why, just didn't. sorry, i'm kinda tired.