Disclaimers: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any related characters...they belong to the brilliant mind of Masashi Kishimoto.

Warnings: This story contains Yaoi (boyXboy) If you don't like yaoi at all, then click the back arrow now.


Kiba's POV

Most people believed him to be cold and arrogant because he spoke very little and what little he did say was very blunt and to the point. Hell, even I believed it for a while. However blunt or cold, Shino was still my teammate.

As I said, even I fell into the majority belief about the Aburame. One day about two years back, I decided for some reason to see if the bug-boy even had emotions. It all started when Kurenai decided to round up the old team.

"Oh, man, oh, man, we're late!" I ran through the streets of Konoha with Akamaru at my side. I had completely spaced the little get-together and accidentally slept in.

I finally came to the meeting spot. Kurenai was sitting on a large boulder, feet dangling off the side. Hinata was laying in the grass propped up on her elbows and Shino stood to her right, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jacket as usual.

I remember thinking, "Man, what does he have in those pockets to make him want to have his hands in them twenty-four seven?"

I doubled over, Akamaru panting at my right. "Sorry I'm late, guys." I panted the words between sharp inhales.

"Don't worry about it, Kiba," Kurenai said, hopping from her perch. "You're only ten minutes late, and it's not like we're on an important mission."

The three of us looked up at her in disbelief. (Well, Hinata and I did at least, I mean, who could tell with Shino?)

Kurenai simply beamed at us. "That's right! No big, troublesome mission, just the four of us spending some good-old quality time together!"

We looked at each other then back to our sensei. Was she serious!?

"Just how long is this 'good-old quality time'?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"A week."

"What!? A whole week!? You mean I dragged myself out of bed just to spend a week with you, Hinata, and Bug-Freak!?" (Oh, right, forgot to tell you…Shino and I had had a fight the day before and weren't exactly back on friendly terms.)

Shino glared (at least I think he did) at me and took a step towards me.

Kurenai stood between us and said, "Alright, you two, knock it off! You're both seventeen! Quit acting like little academy brats!"

We both pulled back. I glanced over at Hinata who breathed a sigh of relief. I knew she didn't like it when Shino and I fought, but it's not my fault! Honestly, Shino started it.

Shino and I ended up calming down enough to get moving to the campsite.

By the time we made it to the spot, it was already getting pretty dark out. I finally asked the question I knew the three of us were dying to know.

"What's this 'bonding time' for anyway?"

"Well, all the teachers decided it was a good idea to round up their old teams for old times sake."

"Uh, huh, sure." Like I believed that. "No, really."

She sighed deeply. "We all felt that we should show all of you that there is a support network in case something happens."

"What, afraid one of us is gonna pull a 'Sasuke'?" I said, subconsciously eyeing Shino. (You always gotta watch the quiet ones…Oh, Sasuke came back, or rather, Naruto dragged him back. It was actually kinda funny.)

"To put it bluntly, yes. We all are."

A few hours passed by and the darkness of night crept over our campsite. Kurenai was asleep and Shino was off doing who-knows-what. I walked over to Hinata and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Hinata."

"Hmm?"

"I got an idea."

She looked at me with obvious interest so I told her about my plan to annoy Shino. She then gave me one of those "Are you crazy" looks.

"Isn't he mad enough at you already?"

"Well, I guess…I mean, who knows with that guy?" She frowned at me. "Come on, Hinata! I'm not doing this to make him angry, I'm doing this to see how far I can push him."

Again, a look. This one read, "Why the hell would you wanna do that?"

"It'll be fun! Whadoya say?" I nudged her a couple times.

Eventually she caved. She nodded but quickly asked, "We won't try to hurt him, right?"

Now it was my turn for a look. "Are you joking!? Of course not! All we're gonna do is push his buttons a little."

Hinata sighed. "Okay, I'm in."

The whole next day Hinata and I tried everything we could think of that would bug any normal person. Too bad I forgot Shino's not a normal person. All he did was ignore us or stop, listen to us ramble, then walk away.

Nothing worked! We tried sneaking up to scare him but he somehow knew we were there the whole time. Hinata tried to tug at his sleeve then either say, "Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say." or something to that effect, but he pulled his arm away as soon as her hand was an inch away from it. I also figured out that he is impossible to poke.

That night, we sat--defeated. I had completely run out of ideas. That's when I got the shock of my life as far as dealing with Hinata goes.

"Why don't you try to steal his sunglasses?"

I gaped at her like a fish out of water. I didn't realize until that moment just how badly Hinata wanted to push him as well. I guess even she wanted to know if he had any emotions other than anger.

Her smile dropped. "Is that a bad idea?"

"What? Are you nuts!? That's a great idea!"

The next day, I tried to steal Shino's sunglasses. All day I tried, but I failed at every attempt. (I have to say, if Shino wasn't mad at me before, I bet he was after that day…) I came close one time…actually touching the frames, but he jerked back to soon. He avoided me for the rest of the day.

A whole other day came and went. I did nothing to Shino and neither did Hinata. (The good news is, Shino wasn't mad at us. I asked and he said that he wasn't.)

That night, I thought up one more plan. It was sheer brilliance. I told Hinata about it and she gave me a look that said, "Are you serious!?"

I nodded. If this plan didn't work, nothing would. Little known to me, I was going to get a bit more than I bargained for.

Around noon the next day, I caught Shino roaming around the trees. I walked straight up to him and got right up in his face. (He's about two inches taller than me, so I had to stand slightly on my tip-toes.)

We had about four inches worth of space between the two of us. Shino just gave me this look that I interpreted as, "What do you want?" (I, mean, all you could see were his eyebrows!)

I gave him a smirk and pushed his hood down. He froze at the movement and stared at me.

I can't believe I'm gonna do this! Shino's gonna hate me, but screw it!

I yanked down his collar and kissed him full on the lips. The kiss lasted all of about two to three seconds, and when I broke away I had two thoughts. One was, "Damn, that felt good!" and the other was, "What's Shino gonna do now?"

Much to my surprise, he didn't do a thing! I went back to the campsite and sat there talking with Hinata and Kurenai until dinner was ready.

"Where's Shino?" Kurenai finally asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him all day," Hinata said, turning to me.

"Hell if I know. If you're so worried, go look for him." I took a bite of my dinner and left them with that. I gave up on him. I thought, Apparently, the guy just doesn't have any real emotions.

Kurenai got up and headed off into the woods in search for him while Hinata stayed back.

"Where is Shino, anyway?"

I shrugged.

"What did you do to him?" She seemed a little frightened.

"Kissed him. He didn't do anything, so don't ask." I was kinda pissed off. I mean, I would have settled for a "Get the hell away from me, you dirty pervert!" All I got from Shino, though, was nothing more than any other everyday reaction.

Surprisingly enough, I actually liked our little kiss. I couldn't really explain it, but something about the Bug-nin was intoxicating. I simply found myself attracted to him.

That was when it happened. Suddenly, I felt two strong arms wrap themselves around my waist. At first, I thought it was my female companion, but then I realized that the body against my back was flat. I thought to myself, That can't be Hinata or Kurenai, so that means…

"Ah! Shino!" I threw his arms back and fell flat on my face from my seat on the log. I scrambled forward and turned around, propping myself up on my elbows. I was only a little freaked out by this. (Wouldn't you be freaked out too if a guy you believed had no human emotions came up from behind you and gave you a hug?)

He looked down at me. Hinata stared at him, then looked at me.

"What the…what!?" I eventually spat out. (Okay, I lied…I was totally freaked!)

"Oh…I get it…" Shino quietly said. Was there a hint of…sadness in his voice? He turned on his heel and ran off.

"Wait, Shino…" I said as I got to my feet. I reached out in some weird attempt to try and grab him, even though he was already twenty or more feet away. "Uh…hmm…" I dropped my arm and my head. (Boy did I feel like the world's biggest ass…)

The whole next day no one heard from or even saw the Bug-nin. It wasn't until dinner that everyone decided that someone ought to go look for him.

"I'll go…I have to talk to him anyway…" I stood up and waited for the girls to agree. Honestly, at the time, part of me wished that one of them would go instead.

"Alright," Kurenai finally said.

I turned and began to walk towards the trees. I stopped. "Oh, don't come looking for me if I don't show. I wanna finish this with Shino…I'll be okay." I turned my head over my shoulder and when two nods came my way, I resumed walking.

I think I must have spent about an hour just looking for the guy! When I finally found him, he was sitting cross-legged by the small lake at the base of a waterfall. He was holding a couple of small stones in his left hand and skipping them with his right.

Apparently he felt my presence because he turned his head over his left shoulder. He looked back at the lake, still skipping stones. "What do you want?"

"I, uh…" I was at a loss of words. I heard him scoff and saw him shake his head.

"Look, I'm sorry about the game…" I hesitated. He was still skipping stones. "If yer gonna be mad, be mad at me…leave Hinata out of it. She…she didn't even…just…just be mad at me…"

There was an awkward silence that must've lasted only about fifteen seconds, but god did it feel like hours.

"I don't care about the stupid game, Kiba." His voice was flat. I could tell he was pissed--and not just a little. "Look, I know what everyone says. They all think that I don't have emotions just because I can control them. Just because I don't get emotional over every little thing that happens doesn't mean I'm not human."

I watched him drop the two or three stones he still had. He sighed and shifted so that his knees were in front of him and his arms wrapped around his legs.

"If it's not the game, then what is it?" I thought for a moment. "Oh…the kiss?" He turned his head to the right in a jerking motion. (Did I call that or what?)

When he said nothing, I added, "Look, about that…I was just messin' with ya…"

"Just go."

"Huh?"

"GO!" That was the first time I ever heard him raise his voice. I must say, it kinda scared me a little.

He didn't look at me, he just yelled. I hesitated for a moment and saw him put his head to his knees. I was seeing a whole new side to Shino. He was upset, and it was my fault.

I waited for a moment, then walked up slowly behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I rested my head on his back for all of a half a second before I was on my back on the ground.

"What are you playing at!?"

"I…"

"Well!?"

I, again, was at a loss for words. After a minute, I said, "I, uh, have to tell you something…"

"Well that's just too damn bad, 'cause I don't wanna hear it!" He turned and began walking off. This pissed me off. I got to my feet and ran after him. He turned just in time for me to jump at him, sending him the ground. I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him towards me. I was sitting on his midsection with my feet on either side of his ribcage.

"Dammit, Shino, I've got something to say and you damn well better listen!"

He simply looked at me with a smug look on his face. "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but you better get over it. I said I was sorry, alright, what more do you want!?"

I was practically growling in his face, but damn, I was pissed. I still had a grip on his coat front but before I knew it, our positions had been reversed. Shino was now straddling my waist and his forearms were in the grass on either side of my head. He said nothing, but I was scared nonetheless.

What he did then was the biggest shock of my life. My eyes were closed out of fear, so I didn't see it coming. I soon felt his lips on mine and my eyes shot open. He broke the kiss and said, "Does that mean nothing to you?"

I was flabbergasted. (And yes, I know what it means. I'm not stupid, I just act it sometimes.) There I was, laying below my male teammate who had just kissed me and asked if it meant anything to me.

He shook his head in a defeated manner and made a move to get up. Before he could, my hand was behind his neck, pulling him down into another kiss. This one lasted about six seconds and when I loosened my pull on his neck, I said, "That answer your question?" I smiled at him and he smiled back.

He kissed me again, this time we both enjoyed it. It was passionate and was only broken when we needed air. Again, he smiled down at me, then went into another passionate kiss.

LEMON-I'll leave this little bit to your perverted, yet utterly brilliant mind(s).

Hinata's POV

"I'm worried about them, they've been gone all night." I looked up at my teacher, who also had a concerned look on her face. Akamaru whined. Kiba wanted to go by himself.

"I'm sure they'll turn up…"

We had stayed up all night worrying about them. I knew Kiba said not to worry, but I couldn't help it. It was already breakfast time and still no sign of either of them.

A few moments came and went before Kurenai finally said, "There they are!"

I turned around and saw my two male friends. I was…shocked…to say the least.

Shino's jacket was button improperly. (He skipped a few button holes here and there.) Kiba's jacket wasn't even in sight. I even noticed that Kiba's shirt was on backwards. Both boys' hair was a mess and dirt patched their clothes, hair, and faces. Then I noticed something that I will never forget. Shino's sunglasses were missing!

The boys both had messy hair that stuck up here and there and they looked like they were completely out of it. I was slightly disturbed by this.

I watched as Shino kind of stumbled over to our campsite and flopped down in the grass in a very un-Shino like manner. He let out a loud sigh and kind of giggled a little. That scared me even more, I mean, Shino never giggled.

Kiba went over to Shino, layed his head down on Shino's chest, curled up against him, and they both fell asleep.

I looked at Kurenai and we met each other's very disturbed glances.

Kurenai's POV

I knew it was coming. I mean, it was just the way they acted towards one another. They fought just a little too much.

In a way, the way they acted reminded me of the time Kakashi told me about Sasuke and Naruto…

Anyway, I was shocked when I saw my two male students emerge from the trees dressed in a fashion that could barely be considered decent. There was an awkward pause on my part (Shino always had his sunglasses on--no exceptions), and I could have sworn Hinata had turned about a million shades of red.

They seemed really out of it. "Um, guys?"

Neither of them seemed to even realize that Hinata and I were standing right there.

"Guys?"

Again, no response. Shino simply stumbled onto a patch of grass and Kiba followed soon after. I looked at Hinata and I could tell both of us were quite amazed by the scene that had just played before us.

The next morning, Shino wasn't the first one up. I was pretty groggy. I must not have slept too well…whatever. Shino always woke up at the crack of dawn, and when I looked over and he was still sleeping, I could help but chuckle.

Hinata woke up shortly after me, and she looked at her teammates. She looked over at me and sighed.

Apparently, the initial shock of the boys' strange behavior had worn off. We exchanged glances and wordlessly agreed to let them sleep.

About an hour or so later, Hinata and I decide to get breakfast. Hinata stretched and sat down to eat.

Great. I had the job of waking up the boys. Kiba was one of those people who were violent when you woke them up, and since Shino was always awake first, I had no idea what to expect from him.

I kneeled down and gently shook Shino's shoulder and Kiba's back. "Boys…boys wake up…"

Shino's POV

I felt someone shaking me and it made me kind of mad…I finally got a decent night's sleep, was in the middle of a great dream and everything, but somebody decides to wake me up.

My eyes reluctantly opened, causing me to wince. It was at that point that I realized that my sunglasses weren't where they were supposed to be. I brought my left hand up to my face and noticed that there was weight on my chest.

I slowly opened my eyes again. What I saw, I must admit, frightened me at first.

Kiba was sound asleep, his head resting peacefully over my sternum and his left hand curled over a fold in my shirt.

I could feel my eyes widen with shock, but I soon relaxed as memories of the night before came flooding back.

At ease, I simply watched Kiba sleep. He'll hate me for saying this, but he looked pretty adorable sleeping like that…almost like a small child.

It took a while, but I finally noticed that I was being watched. I tilted my head to the left and saw Kurenai looking right back at me. She had a strange look on her face that I couldn't decipher. I think it was happy.

"Good morning."

I hesitated. I heard the words, but I didn't understand them at first. A few seconds later, my brain woke up. "Oh…uh, good morning…"

"Want some breakfast?"

"Uh…no? Thanks, I'm not hungry…" I was still pretty out of it.

Kurenai shrugged and joined Hinata by the fire.

I brought up my left hand and began to stroke Kiba's hair. It was messier than usual (I had no idea that was possible) and dirt was all through it. Memories made their way back and I couldn't help but smile.

Kiba inhaled deeply and a wide grin appeared on his face. He let his breath out in a half sigh. He snuggled closer and his eyes blinked open.

He tilted his head slightly and looked up at me. His grin was directed fully at me. I continued to stroke his hair and he leaned into my hand. "'Morning."

"Good morning to you, too," I said, smiling back at him. He stretched, then snuggled up closer. He was so close, in fact, that if I were to have lifted my head off the ground, I could have kissed his forehead.

And that's exactly what I did.

Kiba went slightly pink, but smiled nonetheless.

"Hey, uh…Shino?"

"Hmm?"

"About last night?"

"What about it?" I shifted slightly and Kiba positioned himself in such a way, that he was looking right at me with his hands on my chest. He had a worried look on his face.

"Um…does it make us…well…a…couple?"

I simply smiled at him and began stroking the back of his head. "Do you want to be a couple?"

He nodded his head and had an adorable-looking chibi face. "Mm-hmm!"

His look dropped. Now he just looked scared. "Do you not want to?" His voice was shaky.

I didn't answer. I looked at him for a moment. Kiba made a defeated sound and I could see the corners of his eyes beginning to water.

I smirked and pulled his chin up with my left forefinger. I gave him a small peck and smiled.

"Huh?…Uh…" It took him a while, but he finally got the hint. He giggled and buried his face into my shirtfront.

"I love you, Shino…"

"I love you, too…"