Hello :) I'm Tito and I'm a huge fan of Kiba x Ino. Even though they are a crack-pairing I hope they get together! So, this is actually a pre-quel to another fic I was working on earlier. The reason I wrote this is because I thought the other one could need some background explantion. So basically this is an explanation to some of the things in my other fic. It is set after Pain destroyed Konoha and when Rookie 9 finds out Sasuke is officially a rogue ninja. It's Kiba-centric and it's not very Kib x Ino-ish. It's more about their friendship, but the sequel to this is entirely KibaxIno! Anyway, I hope you will give it a shot, I really did my best.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The Reason For Her Tears

The day Sasuke officially went rogue, everyone from Team Gai and Rookie 9 – except for Naruto, Sakura and Ino – had met up to discuss the matter. Everyone was shocked and didn't want to tell the two kunoichi. After all, it wasn't a walk in the park to get told that the person you had been love with for years could be killed at any time.

In the end they couldn't keep silent and decided to tell the two. Lee was going to tell Sakura and Kiba was picked to tell Ino, because of his straightforwardness and because Shikamaru and Chouji were out on a mission. They would return in the evening, and this was something to be dealt with immediately. If someone was going to tell her, it had to be him. So, Kiba being Kiba sniffed out Ino from where they were standing. Her scent was easy to catch, a nice mixture of vanilla and peaches. He left the others and quickly followed the trail to the other end of the camp.

Once he could see her, he stopped and took a minute to think things over before approaching her. She was currently stacking boxes inside a tent and seemed a bit busy. How was he going to tell her? It would break her heart, but she deserved to know. Kiba took a deep breath and steadied himself before going closer. There was no easy way to tell her, he just had to get it over with. When he was right behind her and about to tap her on the shoulder, she suddenly turned around and almost crashed into him.

"Oh! My bad, Kiba! I didn't see you there." She said and picked up some of the boxes.

"Ah, no problem. Need any help?" he asked and picked up some boxes himself.

"That would be great, thanks!" Ino chirped. She waited for Kiba to follow her and then headed in the direction of the forest. Due to the destruction of the village, the villagers had been forced to set up camps here and there. It was one of these camps Ino was headed for. Kiba cautiously sniffed the boxes he was carrying. They smelled like medication. They walked through the forest in silence. After a while Ino spoke.

"Hey Kiba? What were you doing here? Aren't you supposed to help out with the reconstruction?" The blonde asked and turned to look at him through her bangs.

"Oh, well… I was sent to lend a hand, where I could." He said and tightened his grip on the boxes. Ino started chuckling beside him.

"I heard about your constructing-skills." She teased.

"That wasn't my fault! I didn't know that the screw was missing…" Kiba pouted childishly. Ino stuck out her tongue and kept on laughing.

Not long after, the two shinobi reached their destination. Ino had to fill in some formulas about the quantity and content of the boxes and went inside one of the medical teams' tent. Kiba waited patiently for her outside. When Ino noticed him waiting, she went outside and asked him to head back first.

"'S okay. I don't mind waiting a bit." He replied and flashed her a smile.

"Oh, alright then. I won't be too long." Ino said and quickly went back to the tent.

Once she was out of sight Kiba sighed. He had wanted to tell her on the way, but he was afraid the news would affect her work, so he had decided to postpone telling her until they headed back. The longer he had to think of a way to tell her, the better. Now he was starting to regret that decision. He just wanted to get this over with, but the thought of telling her wasn't exactly intriguing.

"Straight forward my ass…" Kiba mumbled for himself bitterly.

Ino returned not long after and the two teens headed back to the forest. Ino started telling about this annoying guy in the tent, who wanted her to fill out every single form and checklist he had. Meanwhile Kiba was wrecking his brain for ideas. They entered the forest and headed back to camp. When they were around half way back to their camp, he stopped Ino. There was no way back, he had to tell her already.

"What's wrong Kiba?" she asked him rather concerned.

"Come with me for a while, Ino. I have to tell you something." He said slowly and walked in between the trees. He knew the forest like the back of his hand and went straight to a little clearing he knew of. Ino walked right behind him, but didn't once ask where they were going or why he was acting so weird. She just quietly followed his lead and watched her step.

They reached the clearing in no time and Kiba guided his blonde friend towards a log lying sideways. He took a seat and gestured for Ino to take one as well. She sat down, her lips pressed into a thin line. A worried expression was haunting her features; she seemed a little uncomfortable as well. Kiba took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Look Ino, I have to tell you something and you are not going to like it. I didn't want to tell you at first, but I think you need to know. Heck, you deserve to know." He started. Ino gulped and nodded slowly. Her hands were resting in her lap and she gripped the material of her skirt tightly. She had a feeling this was important and didn't dare to interrupt Kiba.

"Today, Sasuke officially went rouge. He won't be able to return to the village anymore. I'm sorry, Ino." Kiba held his breath. Ino didn't react at all. For a second, the brunette wondered if she had heard him or not. But then she slowly blinked and smiled at him.

"No way. Stop joking around, Kiba." She was still clinging to that tiny thread of hope that Sasuke would come back. She didn't believe him. She didn't want to believe him. Kiba was slightly pissed off.

"God dammit Ino! He's not coming back! Stop lying to yourself. Can't you see? You keep on hoping he will return, but you know he won't. If he really thought of Konoha as his home, he wouldn't have left in the first place. But he did. He doesn't see us as his nakama, we mean nothing to him. Do you remember when we went to get him back? Do you remember how badly Naruto was beaten up? Sasuke did that to him. He CHOSE to leave Konoha himself. There is no way he can return now. He's a criminal for crying out loud!" Kiba couldn't help, but get a little angry at Ino. Why was she so delusional? She didn't say anything at first. She just looked down at her feet. Then she slowly looked up.

"R-rouge…?" She whispered asking for confirmation. Kiba nodded. A couple of seconds passed before the first tears formed in her eyes. She made no attempt to wipe them away, instead she stared blankly ahead of her. She started sobbing quietly and Kiba could see how hard she fought the tears. It wasn't like Ino to lose her composure at all. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but the tears didn't stop flowing. They kept on making tracks down her cheeks.

"You know what? I knew it would happen eventually, but I still hoped… For the last three years I have hoped, he would return. I-I knew it was nearly impossible, but I kept on believing that he would come back to me." The tears ran even faster than before and she was starting to get more upset. "And you know what's even more stupid? I have loved him for so long and I've never asked myself why he should return. The truth is, I was afraid to face reality. It was easier to love him and hope he would return than to be realistic and admit that there was no future with him. It hurt less and-and God I'm so stupid!" Ino hid her face in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking.

She suddenly shot up from the log they were sitting on and stood up. Kiba hated the fact that he had been the one to tell Ino. He didn't like to see her like this, so vulnerable and fragile. She was sobbing into her hands and her whole body was shivering. Kiba felt like he had to do something. He got up and moved a little closer to her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. Ino turned on her heels and faced Kiba; her eyes were overflowing with tears.

"Why did I love him Kiba? How could I have been so blind?" She asked. Her voice was horse and she sounded so broken and hurt. Kiba had no answer, but he knew what he had to do. He was responsible for telling Ino about Sasuke, and he had known, she would get hurt, so he could at least offer her some comfort. He reached for her and pulled her closer. Ino gripped the front of his shirt and cried into his chest. Kiba didn't mind the tears that were soaking his shirt. He had to make sure. Ino knew that he would be there for her. She wasn't alone.

And just like that, the two of them stood in the clearing. Ino cried and cried and Kiba held her like he would never let go. As soon as Ino calmed down, they left the clearing. They didn't talk much on the way back, but Kiba had to know if she was alright. While they were still in the forest he asked her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so…" She replied.

"But you know, if you… um… if you feel like talking, I-I will lend you an ear or a shoulder or both!" Kiba said a little flustered. He had never been good with words and he was very weak to tears. He couldn't stand when girls cried and most certainly not when they were his friends.

"Thanks Kiba. I really appreciate it, but I don't think it will be necessary." Ino sent him a weak smile.

Kiba nodded, and pulled Ino in for a hug. He wasn't the type to usually do so, but he knew how much a hug could help. Ino hugged him back and for a second she almost started crying again, but then she calmed down. She looked up at him and smiled again. This time her smile was sincere. Kiba let go of her and they started walking again.

After a while they reached the camp and Kiba walked Ino back to the medical unit's area. She was looking better now. Her eyes were a little red, but it was nothing serious. Before leaving, he waved at Ino and she went inside the tent she had been assigned. He let out a sigh of relief and headed back to the construction site. He still had a lot to do and he was going to meet up with the others once they were done working for the day.

Later that evening everyone gathered. Everyone was there except for Naruto. Sakura was looking worn out and Ino was crying. Everyone thought that she was crying because of Sasuke. And she was, but Kiba knew there was more to it than that. She wasn't only crying because of Sasuke going rogue, she was crying because of the feelings she had for him. Her expression was that of pain, disappointment and confusion. She had accepted the fact that Sasuke wouldn't return and she had to let go of her feelings as well. If she kept on loving him, she would only keep on getting hurt. And that was the other reason for her tears. She had realized, she had to move on. Kiba didn't like seeing Ino devastated like that, but one thing he knew for sure was that he wouldn't let her go through it alone.

And done! What do you think? Was it too much? There are some parts I think were unnecessary, but then again, they kind of complete the fic. Anyway, I hope it wasn't too bad, and if there is something that confuses you, you are morethan welcome to PM me. I hope you'll leave a review, I would like to hear what you think or if I need to improve anything (grammar?). Thanks for reading and have a nice day! (=w=)/