Man's Best Friend

A Naruto fanfiction. This fanfiction is mine, but the Naruto series rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. (NOT CartoonNetwork… grumble grumble)

Kiba's thoughts.

"SHOUTING."

…………………………

The sun shone brightly that day, but instead of being warm, the air was frighteningly cold. Silent winds carried leaves from their high perches, to the ground below without a sound. Everything seemed so surreal, so fragile that it would all simply shatter upon contact.

When did days like these become so cold?

Kiba's footsteps echoed in the empty confines of his heart. Every step he took lasted an eternity, while every eternity lasted forever. A hand came gently to rest on his shoulder, along with a few simple words.

"We're here, Kiba." Shino said quietly from behind his collar.

Before them lay a simple, curved stone. It rose from the ground atop a slightly rounded part of the earth. Kiba stared. Why was that stone there? It shouldn't be there. Not all alone. There should have been a second stone.

It shouldn't even be there to begin with.

"What do I say?" Kiba asked. His normally loud voice was silenced now, caught on the persistent lump in his throat.

Shino bowed his head as Hinata closed her eyes. For grief? Or for lack of comforting words to say?

"WHAT DO I SAY?" Kiba choked out as he fell to his knees. Rivulets of tears spilled down the sides of his red triangles. His face fell forward towards the ground, his whole body shaking from head to toe.

"This wasn't supposed to happen… But it did, and I'm all to blame…" Kiba sniffled loudly.

We were supposed to be together forever.

"I wasn't there for you… Now we're both alone…" Kiba bowed his head in shame and grabbed at the grass, groveling in front of the stone.

"Remember all we went through together? Remember all those times we never thought we would survive? But we got through them all!" Kiba chuckled sadly. "We got through them all together! But not this time… All those times you were there for me, all those times you saved my life… And I couldn't return the favor…"

"Kiba…" Hinata reached out towards him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Kiba knocked her hand away, his eyes never leaving the stone.

"Please forgive me… Won't you?" Kiba laid his hand across the stone. "Please…?" He begged.

Can't anyone forgive the mistakes I've made?

"W-wait…" Kiba's hands trembled as he reached into his pocket. "Wait for me, okay…?"

Of course, the stone didn't reply.

"I'll search for you there." Kiba gently laid a thin, red collar across the mound. "You're my best friend, and you always will be."

Kiba got to his feet, tears still streaming down his face.

I should have died with you. That way neither of us would have had to be alone.

"Goodbye… Akamaru…"

The End