Original This Red String About My Finger

by Hyakuyan

"What am I supposed to remember about you, exactly?" "That my name is Uzumaki Naruto...and that you love me." [This is the original story. I decided to repost it because the rewrite isn't turning out well. Sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused.]

This Red String About My Finger

Remember Me 01: Remember My Name

He looked almost lost, deadly uncertain.

There was something about the way he stared up into the sky, searching for a shooting star that would give him the chance of memory they normally provided for people that gave off that very notion.

His hands were subconsciously preoccupied with the red string about his little finger. As he sat on the park bench, feet planted at a comfortable distance apart on the pale pavement that seemingly stretched forever in either direction, he tried to recall just what this string meant. Why had he put it there, if he was the one who did it?

He was amazed he recalled what color it was, or even that it was what it was: a string.

Just a bit of amnesia, nothing time won't fix, they had called it as he did lie there on his back, arms at his sides, tired eyes looking back and forth between the doctors, groggy with drugs and much-too heavy sleep. They were speaking as if he were not awake, to a blonde young man, holding himself for comfort's sake. This one kept looking at him, with deep blue eyes that were shimmering with emotion. How could this happen was plain in his gaze, and he had contorted his face, trying to answer, but found he had not the strength. Just give him some time, and drop some hints along the way, and he's sure to get his memories back. Don't try to overwhelm him; the side effects could prolong his condition.

The dull throbbing in his head at the moment, similar to that which he had when he first did wake, had determined for him that something outrageous had truly happened, and the result being he knew not what he had done.

Promise me, he suddenly remembered, as if his accident had broken a made word. Promise me, Kiba. You have to promise.

Promise what? Was the mind's first premise to wander about in thought, seeking the answers to the questions. What was it that he had to promise?

Gaze turning away from the obscure night sky, no longer finding it holding his answers, Kiba Inuzuka, one of the few things he did remember about himself, had his eyes turned down to his occupied hands, and with a slight absence in his stare, tugged at the red string, this time, while looking right at it. He wrapped it tightly around his other fingers, pulling it taut between his two hands.

What are you trying to tell me, little string? He asked in his mind, head tilting a bit to the side.

"Kiba."

He raised his head suddenly at his being summoned. Who had found him, though he was not hiding at all?

"Hmm?" he asked, the common response to being called by someone, even if one did not know them. Standing there, fists clenched at his sides, was the young blonde one who was in his room when he woke up for the first time since being infirmed. "It's you," he said, recalling the body but not the name. Who was he to him? What was his importance?

"Do you remember my name?" the blonde asked him, his head still downturned, fighting against looking at him. Kiba swallowed thickly, and released the string in his hands to run one through his spiky mess of brown shag. His heart was thumping rather loudly against the cage of his ribs; did he remember what this blonde one was called?

When his hand came back down to fold against its brother, he realized he knew not of this blonde. "No," he responded softly, and bit his bottom lip in sudden turmoil; why he had reacted this way, he was not certain. And then he said, without truly meaning to, "but there's something about you that I'm supposed to remember. Right?"

The blonde gasped, and raised his face, finally. Kiba looked up at him and felt utterly surprised. There was something familiar about this face, about this blonde person standing a few feet from in front of him. "Yes. Right."

Kiba felt he was going somewhere; there was something about this one he had to understand. It was as if he couldn't rest until he knew who this young man was to him, and he wouldn't even rest then, knowing that answer. "Then you'll help me figure it out, right?" he asked, surprising the blonde once again.

The blonde one smiled after his surprise; it was a grin that made Kiba's face burn for reasons unfamiliar. "Right." The blonde now knelt before him, so he could look up closer into Kiba's anxious, slightly pained expression. The blonde's hands rested gently on Kiba's knees, and then he said softly, oh-so comfortingly, "I'm going to help you remember us, Kiba. Believe it."

"What am I supposed to remember about you, exactly?" Kiba asked suddenly, subconsciously putting a hand on top of one of the blonde one's. The blonde laughed in the raspy voice he had, and looked up smilingly into Kiba's expression.

"That my name is Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde said first, and the sudden change in his face color, known as blush became present to Kiba, something he could see even in the lateness of the day, the almost nighttime. "And that you love me."

It was now Kiba's turn to be surprised.

"I'm...I'm in love with a man?" he asked, his head tilting to the side in confusion. Naruto's face blushed redder.

"I know it sounds weird, but you really don't mind it," Naruto said, embarrassed at himself for saying it. "I mean, you didn't mind it after you confessed to me-"

"I confessed to you?" Kiba interjected, a smile of amusement unknowingly putting itself on his face. Naruto looked up and had his spirits brightened when he saw this change in facial expression, and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, at your nineteenth birthday party," Naruto explained, happy to see that Kiba was still smiling. He adjusted himself so that he was sitting on the pavement now, cheek resting softly against Kiba's right knee. "We were on the patio to your big-ass house, and you just had to tell me something, taking me away from the ramen eating contest I was competing in with Choji. We argued about what it was and then your confession just exploded out at me. I was so shocked, I didn't know what to do so I..." Naruto stopped suddenly, overly embarrassed.

Kiba, who was intent on hearing the rest of it, placed his hands on top of Naruto's, both of them and urged him on with, "What? What did you do?" He learned he was at least a few years older than nineteen, he also learned that he had a birthday party, meaning he had friends; he learned of a quote en quote, "big-ass house" that had a patio, and was his. His. What more could he learn from Naruto Uzumaki?

Everything, was Kiba's decision, so he pressed onward for more information. An embarrassed Naruto shook his head, and placed his face against Kiba's knee, the hot breath expelling from him tingling the area through Kiba's dark jeans. I'm sensitive in the knees, Kiba mused, waiting for Naruto to start speaking.

When he muttered into Kiba's jeans, Kiba heard it loud and clear; but he also felt that other people, people not like him, would not be able to hear that just as easily as he did.

"You kissed me?" Kiba said in a questioning-for-clarification manner, a kind of "huh" feeling to his inquiry.

Naruto nodded quickly against his knee, and then muttered something else. It made Kiba laugh surprisingly.

"And we fell into the pool afterwards?" Now his house had a pool; this was inspirational. Naruto pushed away from Kiba's knee, crossing his arms and turning away from him.

"Don't laugh; it's not that funny," Naruto pouted, and then shouted out, "Oh shit!"

"Woof, woof!" and he was tackled down by a ginormous, white wolf-hound, disappearing underneath a mass of white shag and fur.

Kiba jumped back in surprise as well, just at the sheer size of the monstrous dog in front of him. The dog gave Naruto a couple of licks before turning immediately to Kiba, sniffing his face and then giving him puppy kisses as well. While being shocked at first, Kiba found himself laughing; whoever this dog is, and whoever it belonged to, it was sure loveable and kind to strangers.

"Down, boy, down," Kiba said playfully, and the dog obeyed, backing off and away from him. It was well trained, that was for certain. "Is this your dog, Naruto?" Kiba asked him, and the dog quirked his head in surprise.

Naruto sat up and scratched the back of his head, saying, "I guess he followed me here after all."

"What's your name?" Kiba asked the dog, reaching out to pet him. Surprisingly the dog met him half way. This was such a big dog; it could probably hold Kiba's weight. "You look like a..."

Akamaru. A voice inside him did say; this dog, he's yours. His name is Akamaru.

"Akamaru," Naruto said, interrupting his thoughts. He pulled himself up and sat close beside Kiba as he ran his long fingers through the dog's hair in a soothing, petting fashion. "It was his birthday, too. It's on the same day as yours."

"That's too cute," Kiba found himself saying, and brought his face to Akamaru's muzzle. The dog whimpered happily and nudged his cold wet nose against Kiba's face, making the amnesiac smile. "He's my dog, right?"

"You love him to death," Naruto said as a way of agreeing with his statement. "I mean, you bought that big house to fit the both of you, you make his food, you take him everywhere, he squeezes in between us after we've had sex -" Naruto squeaked, his list coming to an abrupt end. His face burning red, he turned to Kiba, who looked like he was having too much fun playing with Akamaru's head. He didn't hear that, did he?

Don't overwhelm him, the doctor's voice resounded in his head. Naruto sighed and settled for silence, watching Kiba talk to Akamaru, and listen to the dog bark animatedly in response to him, as if they were actually carrying a conversation between two persons.

It wasn't until Kiba glanced at Naruto for a moment, a smile broad on his face that Kiba had asked him, "So where do I live?"

Naruto jumped to his feet at the chance to leave the park bench behind; his back was actually getting stiff. "Come on, I'll show you. My car's down that way; we'll drive." Kiba stood up, With Akamaru swiftly at his side.

Placing a hand on the white dog's head, he asked with admiration for the big monster in his eyes, "Does he fit in your car?"

"The back seat's enough for him," Naruto assured, stretching his back before taking the lead. Kiba followed after him, Akamaru happily lapping at his hand.

The dog suddenly found the string and nipped it, making Kiba draw it away from him. The dog whined in confusion, its head quirking to the side. Naruto looked back to see what the problem was; Kiba had not only drew his hand back, but he stopped walking entirely. When Naruto saw the string on his hand, he smiled sadly and recalled that.

Promise me, Kiba. Promise me you'll come back.

"He came back alright," Naruto whispered softly. "But not in the condition that he left."

This Red String About My Finger

Remember Me 02: Remember How You Lied to Me

Sleek was a word for it; yet that one word hardly did the vehicle justice.

It was shiny and clean even in the moonlight, giving Kiba the sense that Naruto really took care of things he really, honestly liked. The nose and hood were jet-black as obsidian, the darkness spreading to the side doors where red and white swirls centered themselves on the passenger and driver side doors. The rest of the car maintained a fierce, bright and tangerine orange, except for the red swirl on the roof of the car in the center of the black, as if it were some kind of whirlpool in the center of a black calm ocean, and the same went for the white and red swirls on the sides of the two front doors.

As if this car was a long time friend, Naruto strode to the back door and pulled the car open, allowing Akamaru to bark happily at the invitation and jump into the vehicle, a white flash landing on black, shiny leather seats. Naruto shut the door behind the dog, who immediately turned around to face the window, looking right at Kiba with pleading eyes.

Get in, get in! he seemed to ask with his eyes, and Naruto had opened the passenger door for Kiba, inviting him into the sleek vehicle, too.

"I can ride in this?" Kiba asked, and in his response, Naruto laughed.

"Of course, Kiba," Naruto responded. "You ride in it all the time..."

The fact that Kiba was stunned was very much present upon his expression. "All the time?" Kiba asked in his shock, something that made Naruto smile.

"Come on; come here, get in," Naruto said, gesturing for Kiba to come over with each new phrase. Kiba's eyes widened and he stepped over to the car, eyeing it curiously yet with awe all the same. He glanced at Naruto and then moved away from the passenger's side, something inside of him begging, pleading, informing him to touch the other door, like the passenger's side was not his place; he was to drive this vehicle, or something.

It was when he touched the driver's side door that everything was strange.

...

Rain. It was raining.

Promise me, Kiba. Promise me.

He held him, kissed him, trailed long fingers gently down his cheek.

I swear, Naruto; I'll be right back, I promise.

He didn't believe him. He never believed him. Not when it was like this.

An idea. He had one; he pulled something off his jacket, wrapped it swiftly about his little finger. He showed it to him, his blonde-haired, blue-eyed love and kissed him again, this time with more passion.

I'll be back, I promise.

But not in the condition of which you left.

...

"Kiba?" Naruto called him, and his head snapped up at the summon.

"Yes?" he answered, the normal response as if someone just called you. Naruto tilted his head to the side in his bemusement.

"You okay? You look kinda funny there," Naruto pointed out. Funny? Yes, Kiba did feel funny. Strange. Was that associated with funny? It probably was. It probably was what he was feeling. It was him, in a sense, that word.

Funny.

Strange.

Liar, suddenly came, and Kiba's face twisted with the invisible pain. Liar. You lied to him. Kiba's eyes screwed shut at the mention. Kiba. You lied. You liar, you LIAR!

"Kiba!" Naruto shouted as Kiba descended, his hand on his heart, gripping fiercely at the dark shirt that now felt to close to his skin.

"Too close, too hot," Kiba panted, and immediately began to pull at the fabric. From inside the vehicle, Akamaru was in a terror. Barking viciously, out! out! he demanded at Naruto with each bark, but Naruto did not listen. His focus was on Kiba, and his weird reaction.

"Kiba, stop that! Kiba!" Naruto shouted, kneeling before him and pulling his shirt back down against him. Kiba roared in frustration at Naruto who was fighting him; but he was glad he was angry. Naruto should be angry; Kiba had angered him, he had done him wrong, come at him foul.

You LIED!

"Kiba!"

"I LIED!" Kiba shouted through the pain in his chest, and Naruto suddenly fell silent. Akamaru kept barking from inside the car, his loud voice muffled by the closed doors of the vehicle. The car rocked unsteadily as Akamaru begged to be near his master. Naruto swore and wrenched the door nearest him open as the car began to rock at that level of violent tipping.

"You'll ruin it, you big lug!" Naruto shouted at Akamaru, a white flash of flesh and fur come right between them and into Kiba's face. Kiba pushed at the dog, begged him to get away, to get away from this liar, this liar, and the dog eventually obliged, backing away whimpering. Naruto and the dog exchanged a look as Kiba laid there, on his side, on the asphalt street of the road to the park.

"I lied," Kiba repeated after all had been silent, too painfully silent. "I lied, Naruto. I lied. To you."

Naruto had no idea what to say.

He could do nothing but call his name. "Kiba..."

Kiba felt pained; he gripped his chest again as the fact that he lied assailed him again. Why would he lie to someone as genuine, as wonderful and caring as Naruto? Something deep inside of him declared passionately that he should not be with him; he didn't deserve Naruto. He didn't deserve to remember.

"Kiba." There was more strength this time. Look at me, please, indirectly stated in that one summoning. Kiba rose to a seated position slowly, and turned to Naruto, head hung in his dejection, brow furrowed in his disappointment with himself. He refused to look at him; Naruto took it as he didn't want to listen.

His fist reached out to Kiba's chest, clenched in his shirt and pulled him forward. Kiba raised his head instantly, something about the action inciting a negative reaction; angry, irritated. But what right did he have? Narutoshould be angry. He should, shouldn't he?

"Yeah, I was fucking pissed," Naruto stated, and Kiba's eyes widened with mortification; not at Naruto, but at himself. Naruto dismissed it and bluntly continued; "But get that; was. I'm not mad anymore. I came here for you, didn't I? I told you that you loved me, didn't I?"

Kiba said nothing.

"Kiba, answer me."

Hesitation. A nod.

A smile in return. "Kiba, I'm not going to give up on you just because you lied to me, and you'd better believe it."

Kiba hesitated, and then muttered out a question; "Why?"

Naruto positioned that trademark grin on his face, making Kiba's dejectedness turn into stun. "Because, you baka; I love you, and I want you to remember me. Believe it."

Kiba then smiled; he felt that he had to. He was going to believe Naruto; fiercely loyal now to the cause of remembrance, Kiba nodded, confidently confident in his resolution. "Okay, Naruto. Okay, I'll believe it."

"Now get in the car, asshole," said Naruto playfully, and pulled Kiba up by the front of his shirt. Akamaru barked happily, and jumped around the two of them.

Naruto released Kiba and turned to the jumping dog. "Oi, Akamaru, Akamaru! Quit it, before you scratch up my car!" Akamaru pounced on Naruto as a rejoinder, making Naruto hit up against the car.

Kiba just laughed as Akamaru rushed out of the way, and back into the open door of the car. Naruto slammed the door behind the dog, who barked in irritation at the action. Naruto leaned down at the window and stuck out his tongue. Akamaru licked the window and barked.

"Ugh! Dog, I'm going to kill you!" but the shutting of a door made Naruto turn away. Akamaru's happy barking was curious as well, especially at the fact that Kiba was missing.

Naruto immediately began panicking. Were his words not enough? Were they ever enough? They normally were, he thought. He looked around, but Kiba was not there. He tried to call him, "Kiba? Kiba?"but got no response.

Where was his boyfriend?

Thus, the window rolled down and out came Kiba's head. "Are you getting in, Naruto?" asked the brunette, and Naruto gave him a slack-jawed expression. His jaw snapped shut, and he smiled softly instead.

"I guess you remembered that you drive this car, huh?" Naruto asked more to himself than to Kiba who listened. Naruto moved around to the passenger's side, took his seat and buckled himself in.

An earful of tongue.

"Ugh, Akamaru!" Naruto clapped his hand over his ear and began to start his nattering at the dog, who barked conversationally, as if they were actually holding a conversation.

"I have the nagging urge to stomp the gas and see how fast this can go," confessed Kiba over the fighting, and both participants turned towards the brunette, who turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine.

The sound seemed to trigger a deep, enthralling emotion; he was remembering something, this time, something much better.

...

Sunshine. It was sunny, a beautiful day. The vehicle was calmly placed in the drive, just awaiting the key to be turned in the ignition.

A funny expression. A laugh, a sweet one.

Wow, you colored your car after my jacket?

A hand, in his hand; a sweetness on the cheek. A kiss.

Yeah, of course; you never let me wear your jacket so I colored my car just like it, to you know, have something of my own.

Another laugh. Swift kiss.

Wow, Kiba; you're weird.

Nah, just in love.

In love with this person.

...

It was then decided. "Yeah, let's do it. Let's go fast." Kiba revved the engine one more time, bouncing lightly in the seat in his excitement. He wanted to test how fast this car could ride; how long could he go before he ran a red light?

Naruto, however, was not willing to test how much of Kiba's driving habits he remembered; there were many, many bad ones, with going insanely fast especially towards the next checkpoint happening to be at the very tippy-top of the list.

He had to stop him, before something bad happened.

Naruto held his hands out defensively, a sweat drop trailing down the side of his face in his anxious apprehension. "Uh, Kiba, that might not be the best ide!"

Kiba pulled the car into drive, and stomped the gas anyway. The car tired screeched, and then the vehicle shot down the road, Naruto gripping his seat as everything around them turned into blurs.

This is what I get, Naruto imagined, his fright turning swiftly into joviality, a serene happiness as he saw the joy and determination written on his brunette lover's expression. This is what I get for loving a racecar driver.

And then he faced forward, cheering Kiba on to go faster.

Remember Me 03: Remember Where You Live

He looked stunned, slightly unaware.

His eyes scanned the establishment of which Naruto had directed him to and honestly was baffled at the very thought that someone actually lived in that house. He would have to leave it to the imagination the exact appearance of the building; all he could do was appreciate how nice it was, how appealing it was to his senses, his tastes more accurately. If this was his house, Naruto's little words about it had been quite the understatement.

But he was on the dot about one thing, however; this was, indeed, a big-ass house.

He turned to the blonde one and gaped at him, the one who stared at Kiba with uncontained amusement, a wide, enthralling smile upon his face and his hand placed gently on the back of his head. Kiba could only point at the house in front of them; Naruto could only laugh.

"Yeah, that's your house," Naruto said after his fit had subsided, and Kiba turned to look at the home again. He couldn't deny that there was something about this place he remembered, and it was not just that he lived there.

He could nostalgically recount - a sensation completely the opposite of his episode before he had driven his car; he was positively positive that the sleek, beautiful vehicle was his - all his wonderful times spent inside those doors, just by looking at it from the outside. Some of the faces were fuzzy, but one remained constantly clear.

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed youth always with him, always by his side.

The reason why Kiba was so stunned was not in that he knew he had a house somewhere in this direction from the park; he knew he lied when he told the nurses he remembered where he lived, though, so he was actually grateful someone had come and found him. Kiba was stunned because he had forgotten the enormity, the complete him feeling he got when he looked up at the house. It was how he knew it was his, but couldn't believe it.

He stated his feeling to Naruto; a soft laugh in that raspy voice of his was the response. Then he answered him clearly, "You literally threw yourself at the door before we even looked at the inside."

Kiba laughed, "Haha, really? You came with me when I bought this house?"

Naruto had that red color about his cheeks again; blushing, as Kiba recalled it. "I went with you everywhere for a while, yeah. It - it wasn't like a date or anything, I didn't take it that way, or...or anything." Naruto folded his arms and looked away from Kiba, who only smiled as a white flash jumped up from behind Naruto and rested forelegs, and most of his upper weight on his shoulders. "Oh shit!" Naruto jumped at Akamaru's touch, and stumbled forward as the dog put more of his weight on him. "Akamaru!"

Kiba laughed again and moved over so he could scratch behind the white flash's ears. Naruto didn't want to fall, and he didn't want to throw off Akamaru, either; the dog would immediately get into assault hound mode and would, as in Naruto's words, "go ape shit".

Naruto still wanted the dog to get off him, though, and he expressed his concern. Kiba could see that Akamaru was ignoring Naruto's complaints, and was staring admiringly at the house; the nostalgia was there in his eyes, and it also reminded Kiba just how connected he was to this dog. He smiled at this and then said, for Naruto was still complaining at the dog; "Aw, come on, Naruto; he's just happy to see the house again, arncha, pal?"

"Woof!" Akamaru responded happily, and for two reasons; one in agreement, and the other in that Kiba was beginning to talk as his old self again, more sure in his statements and less shaky and iffy in his words. Kiba nuzzled his nose in the white dog's fur, and he received happiness in return.

"Yeah, but does he have to show all his affection towards me?" Naruto grumbled as he maneuvered his way from underneath the dog. Akamaru landed on his feet and Naruto turned around quickly, as if to avoid more surprises. "He only started tackling me and stuff after I started smelling like you all the time."

Kiba cocked an eyebrow, and turned towards Naruto, who realized he had said something ambiguous. "'Smelling like me'?" Kiba repeated, and Naruto's cheeks were dusted with red again.

"Ah, I mean, well, yeah..." Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head and keeping his eyes closed to hide his embarrassment. "Ah, let's go inside, yeah?" Naruto took the keys to the car from Kiba and rushed over to the front door of the house. Kiba followed and waved Akamaru to come after him. Akamaru barked happily and rushed forward, past Naruto and into the house. Naruto had almost been knocked over, and he was sure to let the dog know by shouting it loudly into the house. Kiba laughed at this and stopped walking for a moment, taking time to turn up his hand and check on the little red string about his finger.

Promise me, Kiba. Promise me you'll come back. flashed back into his mind.

Come back from what? Kiba still wondered; the answer to his question not coming as swiftly as the others. He truly wanted to know the place of which he promised so lightheartedly to come back from. All he knew was that it was in relation to his accident, and that he had promised Naruto he'd come back. But what was it? He asked himself again, and looked to the lightening sky, his answer still not found in its premises.

"Kiba, come in already, I'll make ramen!" Naruto shouted, and Kiba turned his attention back to the current situation, away from the forever obscure sky with its little patches of light that would not connect. Kiba jogged up to the door and grabbed the handle, pulling himself inside by it and then shutting the door swiftly behind him.

The house was much bigger on the inside than it was on the out, and it had the warm feeling of "home" that that particular place normally gave people. It was one thing he could count on in this trying situation, that feeling of home. He knew he could; he remembered how it felt.

This was where he lived; this was where he called home.

But he had a wonder.

"Naruto, do you live with me?" Kiba asked loudly as he maneuvered through the den, looking and touching and remembering the items of which decorated his house.

"You'd think after three years of commitment we'd be living together, huh?" Naruto shouted from where he was in the kitchen. Kiba, in his meandering, was soon joined by Akamaru, the one happily bounding through the house and incapable of sitting still for a few moments, or staying away from sniffing Kiba's hand.

"Yeah," Kiba agreed.

"Well, we don't," Naruto said more distinctly, and Kiba turned around to see that Naruto had whipped up two bowls of ramen in the short time they had been in the house. He raised an eyebrow, and Naruto raised the other. "Problem?" he asked after a moment.

"How did you make that so fast?" Kiba asked, stepping forward and reaching out for a bowl. He was handed one, and a pair of chopsticks, and Kiba sat down on the sofa nearest him.

Naruto sat down as well, a little more plop to how he seated himself, and then answered him. "Ramen's practically instant; it's why it's so delicious."

Kiba set the bowl in his lap so he could open his chopsticks, and then proceeded to hold the bowl in one hand and eat with the other after a quick prayer with Naruto over the food. "I have a feeling you really like ramen."

"It's one thing I'm picky about," Naruto said with a shrug, as well as a mouthful of ramen. "I could put down about six bowls of it on a good day."

"And on a bad day?" Kiba asked after swallowing what he had put into his mouth. Naruto knew how to whip up a bowl of instant ramen, Kiba would give him that. It was delicious, and something about it was triggering nostalgia. He did not listen to Naruto's answer because there was something enlightening about the taste of the food.

Kiba closed his eyes as he calmly remembered, slipping gently into a vivid reverie.

...

Hand; he was holding his hand. At this, at this, his heart was beating so pleasantly quickly, this touch, this feeling; regardless of how long they had been dating, it still tingled and lightened his soul.

Come on, it's this way! Happy, so happy was his blonde love, especially at the mention of their quick dinner plans.

Slow down, Naruto; we'll lose Akamaru! The white flash bounded happily behind him, thinking their rushing was some kind of game possibly. He turned back around to see that his blue-eyed and spirited happiness was only tugging on his arm with more force.

Don't worry, don't worry! He's a big dog; he can carry your weight and still outrace a sports car going seventy! Let's go, let's go! They turned the corner, and Kiba caught a flash of something, something he could not and would not associate with the flash that was his dog.

There were two; two gray flashes; brown eyeliner, turquoise lipstick, cackling faces.

Problems. Not friends. Rivals. Enemies.

His brow furrowed; then they were gone behind a brick-wall corner.

There, there it is! Shouted his happy blonde and oblivious love. Kiba smiled gently at the favorite ramen shop. You're treating, right?

Of course, Naruto, Kiba answered; a swift kiss to the cheek, a shy giggle in response.

Fuck yeah! Now let's go eat! Naruto shouted, and then rushed inside the little shop, shouting his order and getting shouted at in return.

Kiba followed after, only to stop and stare at the entrance of the alleyway. Two gray flashes, brown eyeliner, turquoise lipstick, cackling faces.

Enemies. Enemies connected to his career.

Enemies connected to your accident.

...

Kiba sighed heavily and lowered his head, the steam of the hot ramen doing nothing to free the cloudiness of his senses. He set the bowl on the nearby coffee table and used his now free hands to hold up his heavy head. A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Kiba?" Naruto asked him softly, and Kiba shuddered at the mention of his name; the more Naruto called him, and the more he remembered Naruto calling him triggered emotions inside of him, happy emotions, yet some were the feelings that came with missing a person. His gut was swirling with cold sensation at the recollection of who tore him away from the sunshine.

"I...remembered a date we had." Kiba started off saying. Naruto's smile was enough to want to hide the rest of it, but Kiba could not find the strength, or the weakness to stop himself from saying on; "I think I also remembered who I raced before my accident."

At that, Naruto's smile faded, his hand slipped a little ways down his shoulder, and yet gave a moment before starting to slowly move in a circular motion on his back. The action was soothing, almost lulling and totally sweet. I like having my back rubbed, Kiba added instantly, yet he waited for Naruto to say something.

"Sakon and Ukon," Naruto muttered more to himself than anyone else, and Kiba could now place the names to the faces. "They were the last people you raced before you...before your accident. You won, but afterwards..." Kiba looked at Naruto. He was remembering something Kiba found he could not.

"Afterwards?" Kiba urged on, loyal to the journey of figuring out what happened. Naruto looked him in the eyes; they were determined to say, yet determined to not.

Don't overwhelm him, Naruto recollected, and all he could do was set his empty bowl down and pull Kiba into a tight embrace. Kiba was stunned, and was stunned at why he was stunned; his body seemed used to the blonde one's embrace, so what was his mind doing? What was he thinking?

Naruto's still strange to me, Kiba decided. Even though I remember so much about loving him, everything about him is still very strange.

They sat like that for a moment, Kiba's body limp and unresponsive to Naruto's embrace, only making the blonde hold him tighter as if to press his silent order further in.

"It doesn't matter," Naruto final muttered into his shoulder after that moment of silence, just as Kiba' shock began to dissipate.

Kiba's lids drooped a little at this, yet he brought his arms around Naruto gently, unsure of whether or not he should do this or whether or not what happened afterwards truly "didn't matter". If it caused his amnesia, it most certainly did matter.

Yet...

"I'll believe you," Kiba decided to say, closing his eyes and turning his face into Naruto's neck. The blonde sighed relief and pulled Kiba tighter; lovingly, happily, protectively. All the things Kiba could recognize about his sunshine love. He was not even the least bit surprised at how well he fit there; how at "home" he felt surrounded by Naruto's smell, smile and warmth.

But I still want to know, Kiba determined. I want to know what happened. Maybe...just maybe that will trigger everything else.

Or maybe it would bring him immense pain; maybe it would erase everything else. Kiba glanced at the little string about his finger, hoping that in it, he could find his answer.

Promise me, Kiba. Promise me you'll come back.

But what happened to his promise? What event made him forget it, and return to his love in a condition that made his touch both familiar and strange, home and uncomfortable?

I'm sorry, Naruto, Kiba thought as he inhaled Naruto's smell, familiarizing his mind with it, and letting himself remember. But I have to know.

Naruto tensed as he sensed a change in Kiba's demeanor. It was fiery, powerful, determined and loyal; stubborn was honestly the word for it. It was the way his brunette love naturally psyched himself before he got in his car and raced towards first that Naruto actually found both frightening and thrilling about Kiba's personality. Naruto guessed he shouldn't have been surprised that Kiba still wanted to know what Sakon and Ukon did to him.

And Naruto knew he'd always be there for Kiba; he knew he'd be there and help him figure it out, even if it caused pain for the both of them.

But there was that little something the blonde did not want Kiba to recollect; he felt it would challenge their relationship though, when the promise was made, it truly did not matter.

The fact that Naruto did not want Kiba to realize he forgot nearly everything in the name of their love was that little something that bothered the blonde-haired youth to innumerable ends.

Promise me, Kiba. Promise me you'll come back.

I shouldn't have made that promise, Naruto thought. I should have stopped him, just like everyone said.

This Red String About My Finger

Remember Me 04: Remember Where I Work

He walked alongside the blonde, staring at the uncovered toes of his feet (courtesy of his flip flops) and the fine, nearly invisible hairs winding up his shins and into his tan shorts. His hands were in the pockets of those shorts, the little red string still about his finger, yet his mind was far from that item; he was more concentrated on listening to his animated love talk about a dream he had the night prior, and he swore it was only so crazy because he had collapsed on Kiba's couch after his seventh bowl of instant ramen.

"...and then I was running from cupcake warriors and octopus men with my wet-noodle sword as, like, my only weapon," Naruto went on, and the thoughts of cupcakes portrayed as warriors and octopus with the capabilities of man made Kiba struggle against the release of his laughter, as he was trying not to laugh at all (Naruto begged him to remain serious about this; the dream really freaked him out), but the random events that occurred to Naruto in his sleep were so hilarious that Kiba had trouble.

Naruto was oblivious to it, as he continued after a small sigh, "Man, I swear, I have the weirdest dreams on your fucking couch."

"And how many times have ya fallen asleep on my couch, Naruto?" inquired Kiba, and Naruto chuckled.

"Because of an argument or because of watching your race videos?" said Naruto in a playful tone. Kiba gave him a concerned look, and Naruto realized he said something awkward, slightly out of line; He gave Kiba an apologetic look, and at this Kiba's expression became determined to know.

But there was an underlying feeling of depression.

"We argue a lot?" Kiba asked softly, and Naruto shook his head immediately. I know he's lying, Kiba thought, and was surprised that he could tell. Then he recalled Naruto's quirks when it came to him telling a lie; he could even sniff that little hint of adrenaline when the heart beat speeds ever-so slightly after lying.

Naruto's ears had reddened, his cheeks flushed ever-so slightly, and he responded way too quickly.

"Naruto." With simply calling his name, Kiba demanded an answer. He was shocked at himself, but knew this was how, well, things went between he and the blonde; it was a pressure in his gut that told him that this wasalso what started arguments; Naruto lying and Kiba wanting the truth.

On the other side of this equation, Naruto felt a bit of nostalgia at this, as well as a familiar feeling he associated with fear and "Oh shit, I'm in trouble" in a curious mixture. He knew that they were going to have this conversation when Kiba stopped walking, yet to avoid it Naruto kept on, but at a much, much slower pace than he first initiated.

This would be one of those arguments, Naruto groaned in his mind, recalling how, dare he think, bitchy Kiba got when Naruto was being the slight introvert that he was not.

He was about to open his mouth to say something when, coming from the door of the building, they were asked, "Are we having another argument on our way to work?"

Both Naruto and Kiba turned towards the door; Naruto's face contorted in distaste and Kiba's face an irritated curiosity.

Who's this bitch? He found himself wondering, shocking himself once again and thanking his mouth that he didn't say that out loud.

The woman was pale with a clean complexion, her bright green eyes trained on Naruto with pink eyebrows pressed firmly together. Her hair which was also the color of sakura was styled simply and cut short at about chin-length. Her hands went to the hips of her slim frame and she raised one of those eyebrows when Naruto still hadn't answered her.

"Naruto, are you picking on Kiba again?" she asked more firmly, and Naruto glanced back at Kiba, who also raised an eyebrow, as if asking, "Well? Are you picking on me? Is this normal?"

Naruto choked in his shock and then turned towards the pink-haired woman, pointing a finger at her and angrily shouting; "I am not picking on him; you can believe I haven't done anything yet!"

The pink-haired woman hesitated before sighing out, "You're a bad boyfriend, you know that? I guess you'll never change your ways, even when your poor boyfriend just got out of the hospital after an accident like that."

Naruto narrowed his eyes to the point of his face looking foxlike. "It's not like I'm not taking care of him; I couldn't go home and get my files because I was with him all night."

"That's your excuse every Thursday," the pink-haired lady pointed out, a little amusement and a little knowing in her voice and facial expression. Naruto flushed at her expression and started sputtering out protests, of which the woman casually listened to, her arms crossing against her small chest as she listened to Naruto's excuses.

Kiba found himself just casually watching this conversation; these two seemed to know each other; he wished he recalled who this pink-haired woman was. His hostility in the beginning was due to an uncontrolled rage; part of the personality post-accident, Kiba assumed. He recognized her face, he just needed her name.

The woman finally raised her hand and made Naruto pause, "I don't wanna hear it, Naruto; you'll just have to tell Tsunade-sama why you don't have her paperwork today."

"Geez, Sakura, cut me some damn slack!" Naruto groaned. "Don't tell the old woman; she'll bite my ear off!"

Sakura. Her name is Sakura. She's Naruto's friend; your acquaintance. She's...cool.

"Hey, Sakura; how are you this morning?" Kiba chimed in cheerily, walking over to stand next to Naruto. Sakura smiled at Kiba appreciatively.

"Hey, you remember me," Sakura acknowledged. "By the way Naruto sounded on the phone a few days ago, he made it sound like you forgot who he was."

Kiba felt a pang of guilt that was mixed with fear smash into his chest; yes, in the beginning, he knew not a thing about him and Naruto, only recognizing Naruto as "the blonde one", or his "blonde love" It was strange that he could not associate the face in his visions with the face he saw in reality everyday. Because of this feeling, this incapability of making that connection, he had doubts about their relationship.

The patches of light, the episodes that came with remembrance were still not connecting. Maybe the visions about the two of them being together were just his heart aching, telling him what he wanted to believe.

I...I don't remember him, was Kiba's horrifying epiphany, making his face contort with pain at the thought that the one who cared about him, who cared enough to come after him the day he was released out of the hospital and take him home, even, was not the first thing he recalled when he woke up after his accident.

"Kiba?" Sakura asked, bringing Kiba back into reality. He first gazed up at her.

"Hmm?" he hummed; the common response when someone was calling you.

Her hand was upon his shoulder. "You all right?" she asked, and Kiba thought a moment.

"Yeah, I'm okay." No; no he wasn't. "You got a bathroom in that building?" Kiba asked, jerking his chin towards the office where Naruto said he worked.

"Yeah, just ask Hinata at the front desk; she'll tell you where it is," Sakura instructed. Kiba nodded and slipped past her, not looking at Naruto and not looking at Sakura, either.

When Kiba was well inside the building, and from the glass Naruto and Sakura could both see Kiba asking (and getting passionately hugged by her) Hinata where the bathroom was. Sakura turned to Naruto, who had a melancholy smile about his features.

"You know, don't you?" Sakura inquired, and Naruto sighed.

"Yeah."

"He'll come around, Naruto. I know he will," Sakura said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto reached up and gave her soft fingers a light squeeze, and they both shared a sad smile. "But..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

Sakura slipped her hand off his shoulder and stepped closer to the building. "You still have to tell Tsunade you left the files at your house."

"Dammit..." Naruto swore, and Sakura giggled; together they walked into the building to get on with their day, and for Naruto to get on with his punishment.

"So he doesn't remember you, Dobe?" asked Sasuke, his jet hair spiked back like a wing and his dark eyes glancing at the brunette across the way, talking (more so listening) to Ino Yamanaka talk about how worried she was for Kiba's health and how happy she was to find that he was quite alright.

Naruto held the ice pack his best friend had fetched for him (ever since he had started working there, the saintly devices had to be kept on tap), looking sadly towards his brunette love. Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones he had the strength to tell this most disturbing part of Kiba's condition to, and he didn't want to seem as though he were wearing his heart on his shoulder for this predicament.

Naruto eventually nodded, the crick forming in his neck making him wince in pain. Sasuke sighed at this and voiced his opinion. "Sometimes it's the most prominent part of one's life that they forget for the longest. Does he remember what he does for a living?"

Naruto thought; Kiba didn't seem to recall that he tested racecars for car companies, drove stunt vehicles for those same companies car endorsement commercials, or (hopefully he would never recall this) was an illegal racecar driver, illegally raced in the street with the state-of-the-art cars his money had bought him; or at least he never said it out loud.

"Nah, he hasn't mentioned it," Naruto stated, turning to Sasuke. "You think there's a way to make him remember me faster?"

Sasuke shrugged lazily, as he naturally did. "I'd bet lunch that if you keep hanging out with him he'll remember you."

And with that, the gears started turning, Naruto's smile was widening, and his heart was racing. He turned to Sasuke and abruptly hugged him around the arms, squeezing him tight and then releasing him quickly.

"What's up with you, Dobe?" Sasuke asked; he had a little irritation with being touched. "You were sad one moment and hyper the next; are you bipolar, or just fake?"

"Shut up, Teme; I just got the most brilliant idea ever!" Naruto said his trademark grin upon his features, the ice pack forgotten on the desk behind him. "Be prepared to treat me to Ichiraku's on Tuesday of next week, Teme, because Kiba's going to remember me by the beginning of next week!" Naruto giggled mischievously at his own planning, and the sunshine blonde rushed off in the direction of their boss's office.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, yet found himself smiling.

"I guess that's what happens when you love someone," Sasuke muttered to himself. "You dare to go to our boss and ask for three days off." He chuckled lightly, "Only you, Dobe."

The raven glanced at the ice pack on his desk, and after spending a few lazy seconds deciding on what to do with it, moved from his position, leaning against the Dobe's desk to pick it up. Guess I'd better put this back in the freezer; that Dobe might need it when he gets back from Tsunade's office.

Sasuke tossed the ice lightly in his hand as he walked to the break room, already shivering from the shouts coming from the boss's office.

"Come on, Granny, I'm on my knees here; just gimme three days off, and I swear I won't take off for the rest of the year, promise - believe it!" Naruto begged, that grin taking away points from his plight, and his hands clasped together in a design of prayer. He was, in fact on his knees, something of which made the busty boss of Konoha corporation feel rather embarrassed to be in her position.

"You leave the important files I trust you with at your damn house and dare to come to work without them, and then come crawling back into this office and ask for three days off? Not even five minutes later?" Tsunade practically shrieked at the end. Naruto remained poised in his position of prayer and beseeching; Tsunade might have considered letting the idiot have his three days, if he looked serious about it.

She decided to ask him why again, just for clarification; it was about the third time. "Why do you need three days off again, Naruto?" she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger.

"I need to help Kiba get better," Naruto said, and his sudden change of tone made Tsunade's eyes widen; so he was serious about this. "If Kiba doesn't get better, he might not remember what he does for a living, and that'll break his heart, I know it...I..." don't overwhelm him, it might prolong his condition.

But what if remembering me...doesn't do that?

He was sure now. It was the only reason why he was beseeching, begging, relinquishing pride to his boss in the first place.

"Tsunade-sama," Naruto said, the determination rising in his voice, "I need him to remember me."

The way Naruto sounded; confident, sure, powerful; like his father, Tsunade mused, and she smiled softly. It was something Naruto couldn't see; he had fallen on his face to advance his form of begging.

"So please, Tsunade," Naruto asked. "Please. Let me take off."

Tsunade sighed. She was such a caring person. "All right; you can take off; but three days, no more, no less, and today counts so get the hell out of here." Naruto jumped to his feet and moved to hug her.

"Thank you, Granny! You're the best ever - oof!" Her hand met his face to stop him from hugging her. She pushed him back and gave him a small smile.

"Just make it so you didn't take off work and get on your knees because you like to suck-up every once in a while," Tsunade said in a (almost ) comforting tone, and Naruto smiled softly. "If anything, get that boy to remember you; don't worry about his job. Get him to know you first, I say."

"Thanks, Granny," Naruto said sincerely. Tsunade smiled and waved her hand dismissively, a sign that Naruto could leave.

"Tell Sakura to pick up the files from your house," Tsunade called after him as the blonde left her office. He shouted back his answer and Tsunade sighed again, taking her seat and turning towards the window.

She was glad to see Naruto hold so much ambition for something, or in this case, someone. However, the thought of ambition tended to remind her of someone else; the same someone who Sakon and Ukon can say created them. Tsunade turned from the window as the name Orochimaru passed through her thoughts and left just as swiftly as it came. It was very much a frightening experience, thinking of him.

It was not deniable, not by Tsunade's book, that it was definitely frightening to think of someone who could take their ambition and turn it into something more malicious and reckless in its character, and make it as horrible as it was today, at least to her, when it was attached to that name.

This Red String About My Finger

Remember Me 05: Remember The Places I Love to Take You

Kiba was more than shocked when Naruto removed him from his four-way conversation between Sakura, Ino, Choji and Shino. Kiba recalled that Shino was his best friend almost immediately when he saw the shady guy sitting in the corner of the office at his desk, watching a small little bug crawl along the surface of it.

"Hey, where are we going?" Kiba asked, looking back at what he assumed to be their friends (he didn't know who they were to Naruto; it seemed everything about the blonde except that he had hung out with him a great deal had all been a blur). "Hey, Naruto! Talk to me; where are we going?"

"Well, I forgot I was on leave for a bit," Naruto lied, "so I came into work for nothing. I thought, 'well, might as well spend the day with my boyfriend', and so that's what we're doing, until Tuesday when I have to go back to work." Kiba tilted his head to the side; hearing himself be called "boyfriend" was still a bit strange, considering he didn't remember much or anything about the blonde at all. He already summed up the emotion as the light patches weren't connecting; he didn't know why it bothered him so much. "Think of it as a local vacation!"

"'A local vacation', huh?" Kiba mused, and Naruto stopped pulling him once they got outside. He turned around to Kiba, and took both of his hands in his. He raised them, and placed a gentle kiss on the red string about Kiba's little finger, making the brunette stiffen at the contact.

Naruto pulled away, but his eyes continued to stare at the red string. "Believe it," he commanded, and released one of Kiba's hands. He locked fingers with the one he still held, and gently tugged the brunette towards their means of transportation. "Come on; I'm going to take you to one of my favorite places for lunch."

As Kiba settled himself in the passenger's side of the car (he promised Naruto that he could drive today, to keep the blonde at ease), he tried to recall the name of Naruto's favorite restaurant. If anything, it had everything to do with ramen.

He remembered it just as Naruto shouted over the purr of the engine, "Ichiraku's, here we come!" He giggled a bit before throwing the car in drive and peeling out of the parking lot; Kiba pressed himself firmly against the seat at the action. And he was the wicked driver?

There was something a little funny about that.

Kiba didn't recall Ichiraku's being an adorable white house in a cul-du-sac community, however.

"Naruto, where are we?" Kiba asked; they had finally stopped driving after about a good twenty minute drive.

"Well we're at my house," Naruto explained as he unbuckled his seat belt. "We can't go have fun while I'm dressed in business casual."

Kiba silently agreed with Naruto and started to undo his own seatbelt. He got out of the car and followed Naruto inside the little white house.

He didn't know whether to laugh or feel repulsed. There were no words to describe how...dirty the house was without offending someone.

There's shit everywhere, Kiba decided, using the connotative form of the word "shit."

"Ugh, Naruto, clean up your damn house," Kiba blurted out suddenly, clapping his hands over his mouth just as he finished.

Naruto only laughed and set the keys on the side table. Kiba felt a little more at ease that Naruto was comfortable with his statement. "You always say that when you come over," Naruto explained, and Kiba's smile deflated a little bit.

Honestly, it was fuzzy remembering this house and the times he had come over. He even had to ask where they were just to get the memories of the house to be fuzzy. He watched as Naruto disappeared around the corner, and Kiba started his wanderings, skirting past fast-food wrappers and possibly important papers, aimless in his movements about the house.

He was glad to see that Naruto consumed other means of nutrition besides ramen. There was a basket of round chocolates at the side table, left to Naruto by Sakura.

The note on the basket said she had made them herself. Kiba looked back to see if Naruto was around, and then back at the basket of chocolates.

He wondered if he could try one; Naruto didn't seem to have eaten any of them.

He reached into the basket and pulled one out to test the texture on his fingers. It was smooth and hard, just like chocolate should be. He gently pressed the orb to his nose, to get the aromatic smell of it. He sighed as he realized the smell was incredible; the scent of dark chocolate, fresh mints and other chocolate-enhancing spices filled his sensitive nostrils pleasantly. His mouth watered as he lowered the ball to his tongue, just as Naruto came back from the back of the house.

"Alright, Kiba, I'm ready to…" Naruto stopped and watched in a mixture of lust and horror as Kiba licked around one of the brown chocolate orbs. The outside tastes wonderful, it's just when he gets to the inside...

He had to stop him, before this all went horribly wrong.

"Kiba, I ah, wouldn't finish that," Naruto advised, stepping over and on trash just to get to his boyfriend before he made the worst mistake of his life. Kiba's erotic licking had stopped at Naruto's comment.

"Why?" Kiba asked, the ball still resting on his tongue. Naruto reached past Kiba's hand, grabbed the now wet-with-salivation orb between his thumb and forefinger, picked it up and tossed it harshly against the wall. Kiba saw that Naruto had just thrown the ball into an area crawling with ants, and he was about to say it when he saw that the ball itself had broken.

And the ants had scurried away from it as if their lives depended on getting away from that chocolate.

Kiba's jaw dropped at the sight of it and he turned to Naruto, who gave a satisfied nod, and then looked at Kiba with a "now aren't you glad you let me take it" look about his face. Naruto patted Kiba gently on the back to comfort him, if it was needed.

"Well, that's that; another life saved, thanks to Naruto Uzumaki," he announced, and led Kiba out of the house using the hand on his back to steer him. He made sure to grab the keys and lock up his house while Kiba tried to string the thoughts together about what he had just seen.

"You...you saw...?" Kiba asked as they made it outside, the words of clarification not capable of coming out of his mouth. Naruto just nodded understandingly, continuing to lead Kiba to the car. "The...the ants...they...theymoved away...!"

"Yeah, buddy; I'm sorry you had to see that," Naruto apologized, helping Kiba seat himself before walking around to the driver's side and sitting down himself. "But, you're safe; and that's all that matters. Now, off to Ichiraku's!"

What would I do without Naruto? Kiba decided, watching the blonde as they drove towards Naruto's favorite restaurant. I guess I'm figuring it out now...even being in his house didn't make me remember him. What's...what's wrong with me?

It was not long before they pulled into the parking lot across the way from a small alley. Kiba remembered this place from his dream; Naruto had dragged him here with Akamaru tailing behind them, and it was also where Kiba saw Sakon and Ukon just around the corner, grinning at him or laughing or whatever they were doing. They didn't seem to be there now, so Kiba could let his guard down for the moment.

Naruto, on the other hand, was overly excited about this alleyway of which they were going to eat at. He even opened Kiba's door and yanked the brunette out of the car unceremoniously. Before Kiba could begin complaining, he was already being dragged across the street and into the alley.

"Gees, Naruto, don't pull me so hard," Kiba complained when they had finally stepped onto the sidewalk. Naruto just giggled as they entered the alleyway and walked a few paces before they neared Ichiraku's.

"We're almost there," Naruto said excitedly, and when they did reach the restaurant, he gave a cry of joy. "Yay! Let's go eat!"

"Your treat, right?" Kiba asked, smiling up at the slightly worn sign.

"Fuck yeah; let's just eat!" Naruto said, still ecstatic, and pulled Kiba inside, beginning to shout out his order, and offered to do Kiba's, if he liked. Kiba kindly declined; he just wanted to look around and enjoy the memories the place brought on.

...Except one.

Brown eyeliner, turquoise lips, grey hair.

Meet us in the bathroom.

So he did.

Our friend doesn't like your connection to him.

So he sent you to do his dirty work?

Of course. Race us, you keep him. Decline, we make sure you never race again.

Like I'm going to pussy out.

Fine. From Konoha Corp. to Co. Sound. Got it?

Got it.

And they left.

Kiba felt a sinking feeling; there was only one "he" they could have been talking about. He wouldn't say a word about the memory this time; he actually fought to forget it. Naruto noticed his scrunched up expression and pressed a hand to his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked. "Kiba?"

"I'm fine; just dazed and hungry," Kiba said with a small smile. It wasn't a lie; the memory had dazed him, possibly due to the quickness of it. Naruto just smiled and rubbed his back a little. Kiba inhaled deeply; he did enjoy having his back rubbed, which was not the question. When Kiba smiled, too, they took their seats at the bar. By Naruto's comfortable expression they sat at these stools often.

"Order-up!" called the old man working the restaurant. All talk was set aside as they began to eat; Kiba's memory was pushed away yet still unforgotten.

...

There were several other places of which they went after eating out at Ichiraku's. Naruto showed Kiba the sports stadium where sports games took place. Naruto just ended up chasing Kiba around the field, only to have Akamaru appear (out of nowhere, mind you) and chase the both of them back to the car. They eventually let the dog in after he whined enough, and he spent the entire ride to the next destination in Kiba's lap.

Naruto took Kiba to the school where they grew up. He showed them the pool where they had their first competition, and the field where they had their first fist fight. Akamaru bounded happily around the field, hoping to play chase again, but Naruto and Kiba kept meandering around the short-cut grass, with Naruto telling Kiba about their great times (and some of the worst times) they spent in grade school.

It was evening, so they went back to Ichiraku's for dinner. They went back to Kiba's house afterwards so he could feed Akamaru. Then they went out again, back to the park where Naruto found Kiba. Kiba found the exact same bench, and sat down with Naruto. They talked until was a bit darker, and Kiba decided he wanted to go home.

When they pulled into Kiba's driveway, Kiba started to get out of the car. Naruto did as well. While Naruto passed the keys off to Kiba, Kiba felt a warm surface press against his cheek.

"Just one..." Naruto whispered as he pulled away, and Kiba's hand reached up to touch his cheek. Naruto was blushing, but his voice held no remorse for what he had done. "I had to give you just one, you know?" Before Kiba could say anything (he didn't know what to say) Naruto pulled the keys to the other car in the drive, a red one that was just as nice as Kiba's own car and got inside. He shouted a good-bye before leaving for the night, and Kiba took himself inside, holding his hand to his cheek and wondering. Akamaru followed him inside; he followed him as the brunette got ready for bed; however, the white flash was the first one to the bed.

Kiba remembered that it was custom.

He also realized something as he spent the entire day with Naruto. He realized that he wanted to remember everything that had to do with Naruto and their love first, before anything else. Naruto was spending his off time taking Kiba places and helping him remember. It didn't take long for Kiba to understand that Naruto was trying to push Kiba to remember him; either that, or they spent a lot of time together in youth. It was as though he didn't care about his accident, at least not as much as he was supposed to care about Naruto.

As he crawled into bed, he cuddled up next to Akamaru, the one love of his life he was glad he did remember completely, and thought on the words that he remembered first about Naruto.

Promise me. Promise me, Kiba.

And he changed a word, just for the determination it would set in his mind, while glancing at the little red string about his finger. He remembered that Naruto kissed it so sweetly earlier. He picked up the hand, and touched the pinky to his lips.

Remember me. Remember me, Kiba.

Kiba wanted to remember Naruto, too; it was the first thing, actually, that he desperately wanted to remember. Remember me; that was the new promise. To remember Naruto Uzumaki...and that he, Kiba Inuzuka loved him.

+ This Red String About My Finger +

Remember Me 06: Remember Everything

The red car pulled up into the drive, and Naruto stepped out of the vehicle, wearing a graphic tank top where the white and shades of green exploded in various directions, all over a base of white and light grey stripes. He pulled off his sunglasses and clipped them to the back pocket of his fitting dark jeans, and his hands followed them as he walked up to the front door.

He knocked and shouted out, "Kiba! You up, love?" Instead of waiting for an answer, Naruto reached into the potted plant and pulled out the spare key hidden in the foliage. He unlocked the door and let himself in after tossing the key back into the plant.

Naruto walked into Kiba's obsessively clean house and walked up the steps to go find him. Naruto knew where Kiba's room was; he wasn't his lover if he didn't, in his opinion.

"Kiba?" Naruto calls more softly now that he's in the house. He felt he should check all the other rooms on the floor just in case his brunette was awake, and went to his room. He opened the door and found Kiba laying there on his stomach, one leg and one arm dangling off the edge of the bed and poking out of the grey and white sheets, and Akamaru snuggled up into his side. The white dog raised his head and looked to Naruto, panting happily at his presence.

Before he could bark, Naruto shushed the dog with a mischievous smile on his face. Naruto snuck up to the bed and laid himself on top of Kiba, his heart fluttering in his chest at his excitement. Naruto rested his chin on his hands and waited for Kiba to wake up.

Kiba inhaled deeply, catching a familiar scent as he did so. Immediately he associated it with Naruto and smiled to himself. He wondered how he got into the house, though. Kiba was sure he locked the door behind him when he came home last night.

"Morning, you," said Naruto softly, Kiba catching the fresh smell of Naruto's toothpaste in his nostrils.

"Hi," Kiba sighed and continued to keep his eyes closed. He really wanted to go back to sleep. "What're you doing here?"

"Well first you have to get up."

"Why?"

"So we can go do stuff."

Kiba hesitated a moment. He was still tired, and didn't feel like getting up. "Now?"

"If you wanna seize the day, yeah," Naruto said, and Kiba remained where he was. Naruto thought the brunette went back to sleep. Naruto pouted a bit but ended up laughing anyway. "Aw, don't be like that Kiba."

Kiba pretended to take time to think about it. "No." And he put his pillow on his head. Naruto turned to Akamaru, pointing his thumb at Kiba. The white flash barked happily as Kiba groaned how it was too early for him to be starting conversations, and Akamaru nosed Kiba's side, urging him to get out of bed. Naruto got up to help pull Kiba out of bed, trading off between Akamaru's come on, come on bark and his own "Come on, Kiba!"

Soon Kiba felt as though the both of them were just alternating between calling him.

"Kiba!" Bark!

"Kiba!" Bark!

They stopped pulling and pushing him just to jump on the bed to annoy him out of it.

"Kiba!" Bark!

"Kiba!" Bark!

"Kiba!" Bark! Woof!

"Kiba!" Bark!

"ALL RIGHT, SHIT - FUCK!" Kiba snapped, pushing himself out of bed and to his feet. He turned around and gave Naruto both a tired and an irritated look. Naruto was ignoring his tiredness, and was posed as though he were being painted or drawn.

"Draw me like one of your French girls," he asked him huskily, making sure to sound sexy and stir unfamiliarly familiar sensations in his boyfriend. Kiba fought against them and rolled his eyes, going to go get into the shower.

When he was satisfied with his level of cleanliness, he found Naruto and Akamaru sitting on the bed together, watching television. Kiba's mind thought it would be awkward dressing in front of Naruto, but his body felt no such emotion at all. So he went with what his body wanted and started dressing himself, applying lotion to his cleansed, tan flesh as he did so.

He pulled on grey jeans and a black and orange shirt and had slipped his shoes onto his feet and his checkered wristwatch before turning to Naruto and asking about breakfast. Naruto got to his feet and asked Kiba where he wanted to go, and Kiba felt empowered by having the decision today.

"Let's eat here," he decided as he found a dark grey beanie he wanted to wear and Naruto nodded. Kiba had to feed Akamaru anyway, and he actually wanted to take the dog with them today.

He said as much to Naruto as they were gathering breakfast items from the pantry and fridge. Naruto didn't seem to mind, and it was then that Naruto's phone began to ring.

He pulled it out of his pocket, touched it to his ear and answered, "Hey, Sakura, what's up?"

"Naruto!" she complained into the phone, making the blonde wince.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees?" Naruto answered sweetly into the phone.

"Why didn't you tell me I was supposed to go to your house and get the files? Tsunade-sama's angry with me because I didn't bring them to work today!"

Tell Sakura to go get the files from your house. Naruto remembered that bit of his conditions for taking three days off. "Whoops," Naruto said, and Kiba waited patiently on the outside end of the conversation. He just finished heating up Akamaru's food and knelt down to feed the dog when Naruto said "Whoops".

"Whoops is right, and I'm standing here at your house, waiting for them!"

"Sorry, Sakura, they're in my car," Naruto explained. "You can come get 'em; I'm at Kiba's house."

Sakura sighed and took a softer approach to conversation. "Of course you are. How's he doing?"

"He's doing great; we're making breakfast," Naruto bragged into the phone, looking in Kiba's direction and winking at him before going back to the sausages he was cutting.

"You know what I mean."

Naruto's smile deflated a bit. He knew what she meant. Is he remembering you yet? Naruto told Kiba he had to go to his car to get something and walked out of the house. When he was on the porch he said,"He's remembering things we used to do; but nothing after his nineteenth birthday party." About us, he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to.

Sakura wondered how Naruto figured that. "Are you asking him about it, or just assuming?"

Don't overwhelm him. "No. I'm not asking him. I guess I'm just hoping he'll figure it out the more I talk to him about stuff we used to do."

"How's he been remembering things?" Naruto could hear that Sakura just got into her car.

"My voice, sight, touches." Then he heard her engine start and said, "You really shouldn't be on the phone while driving. You might crash and shit."

"Oh like you've never been on the phone in the car before," was Sakura's retort and then she asked as she started driving, "How'd he remember Akamaru?" Naruto had told her before that Kiba had remembered Akamaru almost the instant he saw, touched and was touched by the dog.

"Well, he touched him, and Akamaru licked him a lot," Naruto asked.

"...Let me think about it, and I'll give you my opinion on what you should do," Sakura said. "I'm going to get off the phone now; I just saw a cop."

"Haha, don't get caught," said Naruto, and Sakura laughed before she hung up. Naruto slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked up the sky, where the blue was obscured in places by patches of white cloud.

Meanwhile, Kiba was inside the house, still putting breakfast together. He glanced at Akamaru and wondered why he had stopped eating to glare outside the window, and it was then that he saw them.

Brown eyeliner.

Turquoise lips.

Grey hair.

Twins.

Without being invited, the two wrenched the back door to the kitchen open and allowed themselves inside. Kiba set down anything lethal even though his heart was pounding for him to kill them.

"Good morning, Inuzuka," the one he assumed to be Sakon said to him. Figuring out who was who turned out to be difficult when they 1, looked exactly the same and 2, Kiba found he really didn't care. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Kiba said nothing.

"Aw, don't be like that, Inuzuka," the one he saw as Ukon teased, making Kiba's brow furrow, since Naruto had said about the same thing to him just moments ago.

"What do you want?" Kiba asked as all his instincts told him to kill them, made his chest race faster than his car.

Racing, speed, I am speed, Kiba's head began to hurt as he remembered. Some of the memories were painful like this, such as those surrounding his occupations and possibly his accident.

Sakon and Ukon were stepping forward. Sakon reached out for Kiba and grabbed his forearm, smirking as he asked him, "You alright there, Inuzuka?"

And everything came back to him as his wrist was firmly grasped. The pain would render him unconscious as he fell to the floor, his mind blocking out the sounds of Akamaru's barking, and the feeling of being dragged out of his house and to a new destination.

...

…It was dark and raining sheets; a weather pattern that made everything but the night itself seem deadly uncertain. Kiba threw his hood over his head and prepared to step outside, when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.

"Kiba."

He turned around, to look deep into those blue orbs he had fallen in love with so long ago. He recalled how precious they could be, and how worried and concerned they had become. He had to tell him, but he had to tell him a lie. He couldn't tell him what he was really racing for. "They threatened me. I have to."

"Kiba, just let it go," Naruto said. "It's not worth this. It's not worth possibly getting into an accident. You know they cheat. They always cheat."

Kiba turned fully around, taking Naruto's hands in his. Naruto closed his eyes, fighting his frustration, and that was when Kiba pressed his lips gently to his forehead.

The wrinkles that had formed there relaxed, and Naruto sighed as he said, "We could just leave, run away and never come back here."

The details of the race were thus; if Kiba wanted to stay with Naruto, he would have to race Sakon and Ukon, and win. Naruto was the designated heir to control Konoha Corp. when he had proven that he was capable. Konoha Corp. was the head police department in Fire Country, where Sound Co. was number two.

The two were constantly battling for the top position, and everyone and their mothers between the two companies knew that Naruto had a relationship with Kiba Inuzuka, the illegal racer who also tested cars and pulled driving stunts for flashy commercials. Their relationship was stunting Naruto's ascension to the top, but his capability of keeping the driver in check was proving to gain his ascension, not lose it.

Because of his addiction to racing, Kiba, Sakon, and Ukon had been racing each other ever since Kiba had proven he liked to go fast, and fast he went. They had always lost to him; they also worked for Sound Co.

Kiba had been uncertain of why anyone would have a problem he and Naruto's relationship, but he saw it as soon as he began to wonder. A future police department head? In a romantic relationship with an illegal racecar driver? If Kiba wanted to stay with Naruto, he would have to win the race. If he didn't, Sakon and Ukon could turn on their sirens at the press of a button, and send him off to jail in an instant when he lost.

They were normally good about their word, but it was often that they turned on their sirens during a race and chased Kiba until he managed to lose them. If he won, they would leave him be. If he lost, he would be arrested for criminal racing. There was no "friend" involved when it came to someone not liking Kiba and Naruto's relationship.

It was all a failure of a ruse; the "friend" would be the handcuffs around Kiba's wrists when he lost.

"I can't just leave it," Kiba said to Naruto, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "If I don't race them, they'll arrest me. It's simple as that."

"I'll arrest you if you don't come back," Naruto swore, and Kiba laughed, tucking the smaller man's head underneath his chin. "Kiba?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me," Naruto said, pulling away and taking his brunette lover's face into his hands. "Promise me that you'll come back."

Kiba's eyes widened; he was being given a chance? Naruto trusted him with something of high caliber. Their love, Kiba's life. It was all being put into his hands.

So Kiba took a string from his red jacket, wrapped it around his little finger.

"I promise," he said with all confidence, with all determination in his stare. He leaned in, kissed Naruto one more time before parting at the door, and leaving his blonde love behind.

He promised he would come back. Sakon and Ukon would never, could never catch him, even if they tried.

So he raced them; he pulled out a win. He beat them to Sound Co., just so they could turn everything he knew about cheating against him.

Sakon came up to his side as he was pulling around and turning to stop. The car was smashed into at the side, and Kiba was thrown into the swerve. Ukon crashed into him from a different angle and sent his car spinning towards the side of the Sound Co. building. Kiba's seatbelt had come undone and he laid there, a massive head wound and his body shaking vigorously from the fear of his crash.

His door came open, and everything around him swirled between black and what was there, the foggy haze that covered memories when people remembered them, and the reality of what he was currently seeing.

"You alright there, Inuzuka?" was the question they asked him before he blacked out.

No was his answer. It had always been his answer.

And now he was sitting in a chair, waiting for the interrogation to begin. Kiba raised his golden eyes, peering through his bangs to give that feral look of his more feeling. He remembered; he remembered everything.

"We have some questions for you, Inuzuka-san," Ukon asked him as he took a seat, and Sakon moved to stand. Kiba kept his cuffed hands on the table, clenching and unclenching his fists but never looking away from the two who stood before him. "Where were you on the night of the fifth, three months ago, in the later hours of the night?"

"Waiting for your asses to show up," Kiba answered in a bit of a snarl, his head still pounding from the memory that collapsed him. There was so much to be irritated about at that time, and he was damn well going to be irritated about all of it. Finally, he was allowed to remember Naruto, but he would never touch him again. Finally, he had remembered everything about his career, and he would never, ever drive a fancy car again. Finally, he recalled the facts of his accident, the very reason why Remember Me was a wish from his blonde lover.

"Show up where?" Sakon asked, failing at hiding the amusement in his voice.

"To race me for my boyfriend," Kiba answered. "And need I remind ya, I did win."

"Yes you won, and you'll race again," Ukon said, making Kiba's heart pang with fear and his face contort with rage. "If you still want your freedom this time, we want another race, Inuzuka. And don't worry, there'll be no cheating this time."

Kiba hesitated. Like I'm gonna pussy out. "What are the conditions?" he found himself asking.

"One car each," Sakon said, holding up a finger for added emphasis. And then another raised as the smirk on his face widened. "But two people in the car."

Kiba knew where this was going. "What do you mean?" he asked anyway. He wanted to hear them say it. He dared them to say it.

"Two people in the car," Sakon said again, and a chuckle released itself from him and his brother's mouths. "Us, Sakon and Ukon, versus you, Kiba Inuzuka and one other person."

"An' who do ya have in mind?" Kiba asked bitterly, tilting his head to the side.

"The one person you actually care about, Inuzuka."

"Naruto Uzumaki has to be in the car with you this time, or we jail you for racing illegally in public streets."

+ THIS RED STRING ABOUT MY FINGER +

+ Remember Me 07: Remember Our Passion

The water ran as rivulets down his skin, drenching his sunshine-yellow hair and easing the tension from his body, yet his mind would not, and will not rest, not until the one thing on his mind, the one complicated, loveable person on his mind returned to him, in better condition than that of which he left in.

Oh, Kiba. Where are you?

Naruto turned his head down the same time he turned his palms up, pressing them together and trying to fight back his frustration, his shame. How could he have left him in the house? How could have not heard Akamaru's angry barking? He only knew something was wrong when the dog started throwing himself against the front door, begging for Naruto to come back inside.

But he was busy. Busy with Sakura, and their conversation.

Oh, the distrust that filled the white flash's eyes at that moment; Where were you? Blazing furiously in those red, angry, hurt, and worrying eyes after Naruto had finally opened the door, only to be tackled down and viciously snarled at for his mistake.

The dog blamed him. It was clear and obvious. The white dog was overly worried about his brother, his master, his Kiba as well.

But didn't Akamaru know that he was worried, too?

There was blood staining the dog's mouth that flicked into Naruto's face when the dog barked WHERE WERE YOU? In his face. It was then that Naruto knew that something was off, Kiba was in trouble, but Akamaru; he had attacked someone, that was certain. With a wound like that, the one assaulted would have to remain seated for the rest of the evening, get plenty of rest.

That was when Naruto went into the kitchen, found the letter carelessly tossed onto the counter, into their breakfast.

We have Kiba. He'll be back soon. Come and we will most certainly jail him, without question.

Sakon and Ukon

Naruto wanted to rush out of there, to go save Kiba, but Akamaru threw himself in front of him and demanded that he wait. He said it not with his voice, but with his eyes and motions. You will not harm Kiba anymore, was dusted over the top, and Naruto promised the dog he would wait.

He had crouched down in front of the dog, asking for forgiveness, showing him, with his own eyes that he was afraid for Kiba, too. The dog had seen, and the dog had known. He nudged his head into Naruto's hand and whimpered. He hugged Akamaru, seeking the puppy's comfort, too.

So together they worried; together they refused to eat any food. Together they were now, the dog laying on the floor of the bathroom and Naruto in the shower still, contemplating on where his brunette could have gone, could have been taken.

And then the water began to get cold. Sighing his distress, Naruto pulled himself out of the shower and stepped over and around Akamaru; he didn't feel like a towel, even though it wasn't his house.

Heck, what pajamas and underwear was he going to put on? He hadn't planned on staying at Kiba's house the entire day.

How he changes the plan on me, constantly, Naruto mused to himself as he was followed by Akamaru into the bedroom. Naruto flopped onto the still unmade bed, and inhaled the scents that rested there. Kiba, mostly, and Akamaru, additionally. He traced random shapes into the bed as his mind swam with thoughtless thoughts, worries and nothings, being powerless, even though he, too, was a cop.

Kiba…was his final thought before he closed his eyes, and force himself to sleep.

…come back. Come back in a condition better than that you left.

…

Assholes.

They were two.

He stormed up his driveway, cursing their existence and their name, putting his love in danger like that, and placing his freedom on the line. They were even more of asses because they had him walk home. They were lucky it was only a couple hour's walk from his house – wait, no, even then he was still pissed off at them.

"Assholes," he muttered aloud as he made it to the door.

It was selfish of him to agree. He agreed if he showed up. He refused if he pussied out and never came.

He threw himself against the door, pushing it in with a loud bang against the wall. He roared in fury as he crouched down, pressed his chin against his chest, and folded his hands on the back of his head, tucking his elbows in between his legs.

What was he going to do? Get arrested for illegal driving and lose Naruto? Or be selfish and force Naruto to risk his own life for the sake of Kiba's freedom?

"Kiba?"

"Woof?"

Kiba felt his heart stop for a moment. Then he felt it plummet into the ground, deep to the core of the earth, just to rocket back up like an explosion and lodge itself in his throat, choking him and his desire to shout out for Naruto.

When Kiba felt Naruto touch him, he visualized his face almost perfectly. Worried, blue eyes shimmering with tears at his safety, brow twisted and wrinkled with worry lines.

"Naruto…" he whispered. Naruto pulled Kiba's hands away from his head, and they came away cold and wet, meaning he had been digging his nails so deep into the fabric of his beanie that he had gotten into his head.

Or it was just sweat from walking home. That turned out to be the truth.

"Kiba," Naruto said gently, a silent plea for his lover to look at him as his hands released him. Kiba raised his face, eyes pooling with water at the corners as well. He saw that Naruto's face was as he predicted, but his hair was soaking. He was wearing the clothes that he had worn earlier that day, except his shoes and socks. He smelled fresh, like the favorite spring-scented bath soap Kiba recalled that his own body was washed with.

Kiba couldn't hold back anymore. The tears that spilt down his cheeks as he ran the back of his hand against his lover's cheek, drawing his knuckles along his neck and down to his exposed collarbone. The more he touched him, the more his mind was yessing, yessing at the fact that yes, this was his Naruto. Yes, that this skin was soft and belonged to his hands, his kisses.

Yes, this was his boyfriend; his lover for three years running.

"Naruto."

The blonde's eyes had been slipping shut as Kiba caressed the skin of his neck and cheek, but at the summoning of his name, he answered, "Hmm?" which was per usual when someone was calling you.

"I…" the lump in his throat was choking him; however long it was that he had forgotten Naruto, no matter how long, no matter how short, had been. Too. Long. He missed him, and it was so pleasuring to remember him.

Naruto had to ask, though. Just for confirmation as Kiba's hands came down to Naruto's wrists. Everything, everything about the blonde was back to him, or still coming. The feel of his skin; that had returned. The familiar touch of his hands, that had come back as well. "Do you…do you remember me?"

Kiba held around Naruto's wrists and pulling the blonde forward to kiss him. The blonde's eyes fell closed and their lips began to meld, Naruto's hands being released from Kiba's loose grasp and slipped up his chest and to his shoulders.

The feel of his lips, the power of his kiss; that was fast in returning, empowering, bringing light to what had been a dark situation. All the blackness of the starry sky was no longer obscured by night clouds; the stars were shining, Kiba's wish to remember Naruto coming true at last.

Their kiss was slow and passionate, Kiba's missing Naruto and all the other emotions displayed in how tenderly he kissed his boyfriend. Naruto felt and received, delivered his own emotions and felt his eyes burn as the tears streamed down his cheeks. He ignored them, for all that mattered right now was that Kiba was answering his question.

He remembered him. And he remembered him well.

Naruto licked against the brunette's lips in an attempt to wet his own in a moment of breaking, but his lover took it as an invitation and opened his mouth, Kiba's tongue pushing in and causing the blonde to moan into his mouth. Kiba removed his hold on Naruto's wrists so that he could grab him at the shoulders and pull him closer to him. Naruto moaned again as he was moved from his crouching position and fell onto his knees, pressing himself against Kiba to let those arms finally wrap around him lovingly once again.

But there was another being, just as happy to see Kiba back to normal in the house.

Per usual – they should stop kissing on the ground; it might actually prevent this event from occurring – Akamaru nudged and pushed his way under their chins up to his ears, panting happily and oblivious – or playing it well – to what he was interrupting.

Kiba and Naruto smiled against each other's lips and pulled slowly away. It was time to breathe anyway, their chests heaving as they returned air to their lungs through their noses. Both sets of eyes, golden and indigo, were dimmed with what could only be pure affection and tender happiness.

Akamaru between them raised his head and glanced at Kiba, then at Naruto and back at Kiba again.

Kiba laughed and nuzzled his other love against the side of his face, and scratched Akamaru in his favorite place. Naruto pulled the dog to him and kissed under his eye, to show that yes, he loved him, too. Kiba watched Naruto and Akamaru for a time before realizing that there was something he had to tell the both of them.

It was the more bitter part of the night.

"I'm going to jail," Kiba told them.

The shock on their faces had already been registered before Kiba had come home. The sorrow was there, a bright beacon giving aid the shock.

What he did not expect was the flash of anger that passed through Naruto's eyes, and disappeared as soon as Kiba assumed it was there.

"Kiba, no," Naruto begged, and Kiba simply nodded, looked away to Akamaru's tail that had stopped wagging. Naruto decided he'd better ask. "Why?"

"Because I can't put you in danger," Kiba said. "And…and I don't know if I could ever race again." Now that he remembered everything that had happened, something of a trauma had set in whenever he thought of his car, going at speeds that can only mean a fat speeding ticket if caught, with being caught racing putting him in jail for the night to three months, and he had begun to scare himself into never racing again, slowly but surely.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked him.

"…" Kiba stood, and used the draft pushing through the door as an excuse to turn away. He went to shut the door, and then, knowing he'd never escape it, motioned for Naruto to follow him to the den. The blonde stood, asked Akamaru to stay, and indeed followed Kiba into the den.

Naruto paid attention to his love's movements. They weren't fluid; they were stalling and inconsistent, as if he were as lost and uncertainly uncertain as he was when Naruto found him sitting on that park bench, staring at the little red string about his finger.

Naruto looked to his love's hands, and saw that the string was still there, strong and fiercely loyal to staying put on Kiba's little finger.

When they finally did reach the den, Kiba turned around and took Naruto's hands, pausing a moment to trace circles on the backs of them, just happy to look at those hands and recall everywhere that they had been; in his hands, on his face. He sat Naruto on the end of the couch, and, without thinking about it, laid himself on what remained with his head sitting in Naruto's lap, and turned towards his belly.

It was then and there, in that position, that he told Naruto everything about the conditions for his freedom.

"Then let's do it," Naruto said. "We're not pussying out; let's do it."

Kiba had a feeling that Naruto wouldn't back out, either. It's why I love him, Kiba realized, but sighed. It was still difficult to swallow down. "But you could get hurt if they cheat again," He objected, touching Naruto on his stomach, something he felt that he had not seen for a while. Naruto reached down and took Kiba's hand, forcing the brunette to look up at him and stop his motions.

"Then we'll both be in the hospital next time," Naruto promised, making Kiba's eyes widen. "Or we bust their car, too, you know, go down swinging. I'm not letting you go to prison because you're afraid for me. I've handled your fast-paced driving before, and you were drunk then."

Kiba felt a drop of sweat tickle down his face. "Ah…yeah…I don't – wait, yeah, I do…ah…remember that."

Naruto smirked. "See? And I'm still alive, miraculously." Kiba still looked unconvinced. Naruto was having a bittersweet moment right now; he was overjoyed that Kiba finally got his memory back, but he was totally irritated with the guy for even considering pussying out of this race, this time. Naruto knew that he didn't want Kiba to race the last time, because he knew Sakon and Ukon constantly cheated, but this time, Naruto himself was involved with it, literally.

He wasn't backing out; he didn't want to.

There had to be a way to convince Kiba though…and then it hit him. Sasuke. "Hey, Kiba, maybe we don't have to worry so much after all."

Kiba raised his gaze and looked at Naruto. "Why's that?"

Naruto smirked knowingly. "Sasuke will be on duty that night. If they're after us, and they turn their sirens on, no way he's going to let down Konoha Corp. and let those asses catch us before he does."

Kiba found himself considering the fact, but tossed it out at the one, singular factor that remained: Kiba had never talked much with Sasuke, not even when they were in school together because Naruto and Sasuke had been together at that time, and the Uchiha had never really been fond of the Inuzuka, and that became even more prominent after Kiba's nineteenth birthday party, when word got out that he, in fact, loved Naruto Uzumaki, too.

Just a year after Sasuke and Naruto broke up.

So they were going to bet on Naruto's ex arresting them before Sakon and Ukon could so that Konoha Corp. would get the credit for Kiba Inuzuka's arrest.

Great.

"I don't know, Naruto…"

"Kiba, you're not trusting me, here," Naruto said. "What's the worst that could happen if we race together?"

Kiba knew the answer before he even had time to think about it. Still, he hesitated."…You could die."

Stubborn. Stubborn was just one word for him. Possibly two, or a word and a half.

Naruto shot to his feet, shoving Kiba off of the couch, who let it happen in his shock. Kiba laid there for a moment, did that just happen blatant on his features, and scrambled to his feet, whirling around to find Naruto and demand to know what the fuck that was for, only to be knocked down again by a strong, angry fist. Kiba looked up at Naruto, holding his cheek with a mixture of hurt and fury and curiosity prominently prominent in his golden eyes.

Naruto's only held an irritated amusement.

"Then I guess I'll have to kick your ass in order to change your fucking mind," Naruto growled past his malicious smile, and Kiba hopped to his feet.

"Naruto, I don't want to fight you – " Kiba was interrupted by Naruto's fist flying towards his face. He raised his hand in time to catch it. "Like I'm going to fall for that again – oof!"

Naruto's knee came up and smashed into Kiba's stomach, whooshing the air out of him. He doubled over, and was sent back by a surprise left uppercut. Kiba stumbled back and stopped himself by bracing against the tall chest behind him. He turned feral, golden eyes to Naruto who was bouncing on his toes, obviously pumped and ready to fight.

"Come on, you fuckin' asshole, fight me for your damn opinion," Naruto spat, making sure to add emphasis to the word "asshole". Kiba was trying to protect him, so he gets punched in the face, kneed in the gut and punched again, and now he's the asshole?

Hello, confusing; his real name is Naruto.

Kiba rushed forward with a yell and tackled Naruto against the wall, pinning his arms to it so he couldn't punch him, and shoving his knee in between Naruto's legs, so he couldn't kick him. They struggled against the wall for a bit, Naruto fighting back his urges to moan for Kiba's knee was fierce against his crotch and creating a friction he desired, but was so angry he didn't want it. The brunette glared into Naruto's eyes and dodged his headbutt attack by jerking the other way, looking back to be completely shocked by such a recklessly stupid move.

"What the fuck are you doing – no one wins with a headbutt!"

"No one wins if you go to FUCKING jail, either!" Naruto yelled into his face, making Kiba stop. "You obviously think that sending your ass to prison is the best option for us, but it's NOT! IT'S NOT, OKAY? IT'S WHAT YOUWANT TO DO, NOT WHAT I WANT TO DO, OR WHAT AKAMARU WANTS TO DO, OR WHAT ANY OF OUR FRIENDS WANT YOU TO DO! IF ANYTHING, IF ANYTHING, OUR FRIENDS, THAT DOG, MYSELF, WE WANT YOU LOCKED UP IN KONOHA CORP. PRISON, NOT SOUND CO.! SO GET IT OUT OF YOUR FUCKING HEAD THAT YOU'RE BEING A HERO BY GOING TO SOUND CO. JAIL, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE BEING A – A PUSSY!"

There was a moment of silence as Kiba allowed Naruto time to catch his breath. Naruto was waiting for it, practically begging Kiba to hit him, just so he could punch this shit of a boyfriend in his mouth again. Naruto knew Kiba was protective over three things, his pride, his dog, his lover, but throwing away all three just to – he didn't even know what those assholes would get if Kiba conceded and went ahead to go get locked up.

"…A pussy, huh?" Kiba asked, looking down and out of Naruto's eyes. He thought as much as well, he wanted to let Naruto know that.

"Yeah, a fucking pussy! You're being a pussy, and an asshole!" agreed Naruto as he began to struggle again. "Now let me go so I can kick your damn ass! You asshole! You fucking assho – mmf!"

Kiba smashed his lips against Naruto's. Naruto kept his mouth a hard line until Kiba – who knew him; was glad he remembered he knew him - and shifted his knee, brushing against the inside of Naruto's thigh most deliciously, making Naruto gasp at the friction and relent, softening his mouth and screwing his eyes shut. He bit Kiba's lip and opened a tearful eye, muttering, "Asshole," before feeling that, because he was actually very excited about Kiba returning to him, he was forced to melt into the kiss. Before long, the light, cool, excited energy in his chest and the tight, hot, throbbing presence of his need brought forth and gave deliberate birth to a desire to move, and he was rolling his hips down and against, forward and back, grinding his crotch against Kiba's knee, where the brunette was sensitive, a bit of revenge, making him growl into their kiss.

When they broke for air, Kiba took time to look Naruto in the eyes, to just look at all the emotion there.

Lust. Sadness. Desire. Fear. Anger. Powerlessness yet strength, strength was there.

"When do they want to race you?" Naruto whispered, his breath hitting against Kiba's lips.

"Tonight, at one," Kiba whispered back, Naruto's breath regretfully hitching as the hot air touched against his mouth.

Naruto closed his eyes as he silently fought with desire for Kiba and desire for persuasion. His chest was heaving; his crotch was very tight, very warm, very aroused. "We've got time."

At that, it was as if the green light for go shined on. Kiba released Naruto save for one wrist and dragged him out of the den, and up the stairs, even though they both had an aching erection, due to eagerness and longing, and made it to the bedroom, a white flash bounding at their heels.

Akamaru had followed them.

Kiba knew this by the smell of him and turned around, pointed to the open door.

"Aka-chan, out," he said commanding yet gently, using a nickname he only saved for mental conversations, and the dog barked in response, Yes sir! I will make sure no one disturbs you! In his intonation.

Kiba chuckled a bit and turned back to Naruto. He took a moment to look at him, to trace his hands along his bare arms and back up to his shoulders and then to his chest, savoring the touch of him and the memories it brought on.

It was then that Naruto grabbed Kiba by the front of his shirt, getting one, impatient kiss before Kiba knew he would have no time to marvel and recall his lover's body tonight.

It was another green light, signaling for him to go. Kiba shoved Naruto onto the bed, crawling on top of him and initiating a bruising kiss. Naruto winced and opened his mouth with a long moan when Kiba bit his lip, and their tongues began to dance around each other. Their arms came around each other, pulled each other closer.

I love you; isn't that enough?

I don't want to lose you again; isn't THAT enough?

Their clothes had long-since disappeared from their bodies; Kiba no longer felt lost or deadly uncertain around Naruto. As they moved in unison, pushing and pressing and moaning against each other, the Inuzuka racer was reassured of his memories.

They flashed before his closed eyelids in his pleasure, a sepia haze over all the times, over the first time, how he had felt watching those implied muscles contract and release, sweat and glisten and hold on to him fiercely; how he had tenderly caressed the blushed face of which was contorted in its painful pleasure. How each kiss felt like heaven and earth fused together into one great entity, and despite all that had happened on that day, Kiba found he could not complain.

Love, I love you; there was nothing else he could say. He muttered it against the skin of which was paler than his, yet just as warm, where the owner exuding such heat muttered that he was an asshole, especially when he found that small hill of nerves inside his lover's body of which made him see stars, cry out in ecstasy, and demand for a faster pace, a stronger thrust, and a release; a release of which they achieved together, in a great quantity that they were tired, sticky, and ready again.

Kiba sighed out after he came for the second time, collapsed on top of his blonde love, and together rested like that for a time, their chests heaving, glistening with sweat from their exercise and lustful lovemaking. Kiba's hands, of which had grasped onto the other's and held Naruto's hands to the bed remained that way as he fought to recover, to maintain conscious thinking.

His mind was swirling with his release and the heaviness that came with so much recollection, yet he knew that Naruto would not appreciate it if he fell asleep on him.

In addition to being an asshole, he would be called a dumb bastard.

Naruto had occupied his recovery time by looking up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath.

"So?" Naruto panted after a while, waiting for Kiba's answer to a question of which he knew neither the answer, nor the question itself.

"…" Kiba said nothing. He just laid there, his head underneath Naruto's chin as he waited to regain the strength to move again.

"Will you let me race with you, asshole?" Naruto said between breaths.

"…" Kiba hesitated, and then closed his eyes, snuggling up against Naruto's chest as if asking for forgiveness before he gave his answer. "No."

"…You asshole," was the last thing Naruto said before he decided he wanted to sleep. Kiba rolled off of Naruto, lying beside him and pulling the blonde's sleeping form against him.

"I'm sorry. I just can't let you get hurt like that," he muttered into his forehead. Naruto wrapped his arms around him in his sleep.

"…still and asshole…" Naruto muttered into Kiba's skin; and it was the last thing Kiba heard before he closed his eyes to sleep.

An asshole I'll be, then, Kiba thought, glancing at the clock and seeing that he had about an hour's time to rest. As long as you're safe…you won't need me.

+ This Red String About My Finger +

Remember Me 08: Remember? I Never Listen!

It was 12:58 AM, according to the clock in their car. Sakon turned to Ukon, to see how his brother was holding up. He looked fine, yet his leg managed to still seem messed up. That dog of Inuzuka's has a nasty bite, apparently.

It should really be more loveable to strangers.

The two stood side by side, the twins, with their turquoise lipstick, their brown eyeliner, their grey hair, and their complete and total alikeness. They immediately knew which car Kiba Inuzuka would show up in: it'd be the one he raced in before, you know, his two-month absence from street racing.

The orange and black one, of the sentimental connotation.

Ah, 12:59.

How they planned to wreck that car; they may not be "cheating" this race by turning it into a police chase when their chances were slim, but they did plan to fight dirty. It was a street race after all, crashes and bang-ups were necessary.

Especially to that sleek, strange and oddly colored car.

And yet…that wasn't the one that showed up at 1:00.

Sakon and Ukon both furrowed their brows as a red car pulled up to their black vehicle and parked a ways away from it. They watched it carefully – who at their job owned such a vehicle? Who would come out this late at night, to stop them? – Their confusion turned into bitter amusement as Kiba Inuzuka emerged from the red vehicle. It was nice, a good vehicle for showing off around the city; probably had horrible freeway mileage.

However, with Kiba in his grey t-shirt, dark jeans and simple hoodie, looking as angry as ever, and determined, as they'd dare recognize without making themselves ill. Nevertheless, one thing was off about his posture and walking; he looked ready, but not to race.

There was no blonde. Where was the blonde?

"Where's Uzumaki?" Sakon asked, his brother Ukon leaning against the car since that damn dog nearly wrenched his leg from its joint.

"He's not coming," Kiba told them, folding his arms against his chest. There it was; the I'll damn well get what I want. "If you really want your race, you'll race me alone or not at all."

So he had called their bluff; no way were they going to arrest him without getting and winning their race first.

"…How bold of you," Sakon laughed. Ukon smiled, though it was clear by his lack of speaking that he was still very-much in pain. "You're lucky we really want our race, Inuzuka. But here's the catch; if you break enough speed laws, we might just have to turn on our sirens."

Kiba hesitated for a moment before grunting out, "Fine." That meant he had a speed limit on certain streets. That meant they could attempt to catch him for running a red light. That meant he would have to follow traffic laws, or risk the race changing.

Not that it mattered; as long as Naruto was safe.

"Fine," Ukon grunted out, but seemed to regret it as his leg pained him again. Kiba wanted to laugh; it was such an amusing situation. He wished he had given Akamaru more love before he left. He just told the dog to keep an eye on Naruto; make sure he didn't do anything stupid to himself while Kiba was gone.

There was one key component about their race that Kiba had heard neither hide nor hair of. "Where are we racing to?" Kiba asked.

The twins smiled; though on the other, the smile never reached his eyes. Too much pain there. Akamaru had all of Kiba's love at that moment.

"From here to the parking lot of the sports stadium," Sakon said to him, and Kiba mentally kicked himself. The way to the sports stadium had many, many traffic lights, and traffic, no less. There would be much weaving and lane changing, maybe even some illegal U-turns.

These guys are something else, Kiba grunted as he wrenched open the car door and plopped into the seat of the vehicle.

…

First, he was unbelievable.

He told many people to "believe it", like it was cute or something – which it actually was for a time – yet he remained completely and utterly unbelievable.

"You want me to do what, Dobe?" Sasuke Uchiha asked, sipping his coffee – of which he started taking black a few years ago, of which was eloquently put by Kakashi Hatake as the current "shade of his soul" – and setting the cup back into the holder.

Naruto laughed, mentioned something about repeating himself again. In all honesty, Sasuke just wanted to listen to him talk. "Come get in trouble with me," Naruto said playfully into the phone and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Such a temptress, he mused to himself and then, "What do you mean, stupid?" asked Sasuke, knowing the pull and change of his mouth as he smirked, absently tapping the wheel to his car.

He was sitting on the corner of Ninth and A (random streets), waiting for some idiot to speed past him and his traffic light. By the "shade of his soul" that evening, he really wanted to smash someone's car up, and then arrest them for a million accusations of which only one or two may be true.

But he knew he would get his due that night; the way to the stadium always had speeders, because of all the lights that stopped and sent them on.

Naruto continued, keeping cryptic as he stated, "I'm about to get in trouble; and I'll need you to do me a huge favor."

Favors. Since when did Naruto Uzumaki ask Sasuke for favors? Not for a while, he decided, and sighed. "…You're driving on the phone," He pointed out, but ignored it as he started his car engine. He didn't know why, but he could never say no to the Dobe. "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

"A street race I'm going undercover for," Naruto said, as if it were no biggie. Well, the idiot was on duty with him that night. And a street race would give Sasuke the opportunity to bust an idiot's car up.

But Naruto took a few days off to help his boyfriend recover. Why the hell would he go undercover?

Unless it was his boyfriend who was racing.

Naruto then said into the phone, "I'm almost where I need to be."

"Do you need me to come now then?" Sasuke asked, sighing deeply as the realization of what was going on, was going on.

Naruto chuckled again; he was too excited about whatever he was doing. "Nah, not now; you'll know when you see him."

Sasuke hesitated, and looked down the street via his car window. "See who, exactly?" he asked, though he truly didn't want to know – because he was already sure of it by now – and Naruto chuckled into the phone.

"Kiba," Naruto answered. "I'm here right now, listen to my pocket; this'll scare the shit out of him!"

…

!

Kiba raised his head. That was not his engine.

He turned around to the other vehicle. The other drivers were just as confused and worried as he was. So that meant it wasn't Sakon or Ukon's car either.

But there was one thing that made him swear to heaven and back again. Those headlights belonged to no other car.

For everything that is fucking holy, Kiba grumbled bitterly in his mind as he threw himself out of the car and glared, unflinchingly into the bright orange headlights of his favorite vehicle. It was funny; the car completely suited Naruto's tastes.

It was one of the reasons why he colored it after his jacket.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Kiba shouted at Naruto, who waved at Kiba from his place in the driver's seat, grinning like a child who just stole all the best candy for the piñata, and felt no remorse for doing so when all the children cried after it was broken, finding only black licorice and busted piñata as their winnings.

"I'm getting in trouble, you asshole," Naruto said, pushing down his sunglasses to give a blue-eyed stare to his heated lover. "I do what I want, Inuzuka." I NEVER listen, plastered pleasantly on his face.

Kiba was so shocked, so pleasantly stunned that he was trying not to get aroused.

His façade of anger was breaking up as the moments passed. "Ugh, you, I can't…" Then he couldn't take it anymore.

Kiba found himself laughing. He laughed and laughed. He shook his head and turned to Sakon and Ukon, the former of which had gotten out of the car to notice that Uzumaki Naruto had shown up.

"So he is here," Sakon said with a smile, malicious and plotting all at the same time. "You lied, Inuzuka."

"Shut up and get in your damn car," Kiba shouted back, turned back to Naruto and leaning in the window.

"Get in, you fucker," Naruto said, laughing at how true that statement was. Kiba rolled his eyes and opened the car door, slipping into the passenger's side and buckling in.

When a white flash in the rear-view mirror caught his attention.

"Bark!"

"Ah, damn it!" Kiba turned around and found Akamaru sitting in the backseat, his mouth open and laughing. He licked Kiba's face when the Inuzuka nearly gave himself whiplash from turning around so quickly, and turned slowly to glare at Naruto. "You brought AKAMARU?"

"He does what he wants," Naruto explained, shrugging and revving the engine to the car. He pulled up next to Sakon and Ukon's vehicle, of which was waiting at the stop light, rolling the window down and peering over his sunglasses. Kiba was worried that that would affect his vision, but Naruto seemed to not care; he did what he wanted, after all.

Kiba just had to believe it.

"Are you ready to lose, assholes?" Naruto asked their challengers as they too started their engines.

"Just get ready to drive at the light," Sakon said, smiling. Kiba rolled the window back up in time to look at Naruto, and give him one last kiss on the cheek.

"You'll go to jail, too, if we lose," Kiba said as he gently pulled away. Naruto rolled his eyes as if he didn't care. It was behind his sunglasses, so he had to roll his head to give more gesture to his gesture.

"Can't talk me out of it, Kiba," Naruto said to him, holding up a finger in warning and absolution. "I'm already here, and you'd better believe I'm driving. I've chased some pretty wretched drivers during my time as a cop, and Sakon and Ukon should be no different."

Kiba sighed, realizing he would not win either way and fastened the seatbelt. But there was something he had to get off his chest first. Something he had to do.

"Promise me, Naruto."

The blonde turned to Kiba, who was staring at the little red string about his finger, tugging at it gently, as if unsure, a bit uncertain. "Promise you what?" Naruto asked, clenching and unclenching his hands around the wheel of the car.

Kiba smiled, and smiled genuinely. "…Promise me to drive like no one's business, and drive as fast as my heart beats for you," Kiba said, turning to look at him. Naruto smirked and reached to Kiba's finger, rolled the now-loose red string off and slipped it onto his own. He showed it to Kiba, who smiled.

Naruto presented Kiba with his trademark grin, and they both turned to face the light.

They could feel the time ticking down as the light would soon turn green.

Three... Naruto's foot slowly began its descent on the gas; he was in park, just like the other car. It was starting to roar gently, almost purring.

Two… Naruto switched the car into neutral; he wasn't going anywhere, but he would still be ready for that last second, when the light when green.

One!

And the light went green just as Naruto switched into drive, stomped the gas and the tires screeched for only a second before he was soon shooting down the road, with Sakon and Ukon's car right behind them. Kiba was impressed at Naruto's quick reaction time, and knowing of how to start a race off right. It was almost arousing; but Kiba couldn't focus on the race if he had a boner.

And he was supposed to be the reckless driver.

…

What the Dobe meant by "you'll know when you see him" wasn't clear at all.

At least, not until shooting by was an orange and black blur – of course it was a vehicle – that looked too much like Naruto's favorite jacket – the one Sasuke himself had bought the Dobe for his sixteenth birthday – that was closely followed by a jet black blur – of course, it was another vehicle.

Sasuke's brow furrowed as he caught what the black car had done to the orange; it had rammed it just as it passed, and there was a great deal of screeching and engine-roaring that cleared up as they sped past in those few seconds of sight.

Sasuke realized what Naruto meant by "getting in trouble" a long time ago, and he assumed that this was it. He thought just because he was a damn cop, he could do whatever he wanted in the name of "going undercover".

If he's driving…Sasuke warned, yet had not the sanity to continue the statement. He'd better not die. The Uchiha started the engine to his car again, and turned on his radar. It had caught their engines when it passed him. The two cars were bleeping fast down the screen, obviously headed for the stadium, or in that general direction.

Good thing Sasuke was in an unmarked police vehicle. If he was going to be a cop, he had told Tsunade-sama and her predecessor that he was going to do it in his own damn car.

The things I do for this Dobe, he mused bitterly in his mind as he decided he would follow the race, in his own shape and fashion.

He wasn't the Ninja Cop for just any old reason.

He sighed again; This Dobe. The things he did because he still loved him.

…

The black and orange vehicle had emerged in the lead after their first crash. Akamaru had tried to warn them, yet it had happened so fast.

It continued to go as that way for a while: crash, vroom, bang, vroom, screech, turn, bang vroom. It was clumps of seconds to just barely a second between the crashes and the nudging of back tires or front tires in attempts to throw off each other, but there was something about Sakon and Ukon's car that took both attacks very well: the black car was in the lead after the seventh turn.

Naruto felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins, especially as he whipped the car around corner after corner, bursting down streets and totally, completely driving, shooting past other, shocked vehicles and ignoring stoplights and the people stopped at them. One old-looking car had spun out and crashed because of Naruto's maneuver to get ahead; he had been driving on the wrong side of the road to shoot past and around the black car, making sure to get dangerously close to shock them into instinctively slowing down to dodge him.

Kiba kept his eyes on the side-view mirror, watching for Sakon and Ukon, especially now that they were in the lead again. OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE EATING YOUR DUST, BITCHES.

"Bark!" warned the white flash in the back seat. The nose of the black car had suddenly bumped against their back right tire, making Naruto lose control for a moment as it sped up to pull up next to them.

Not this again, Naruto groaned mentally as the black car scraped up against the paint of his car. There was no way that Naruto was going to get past them, not with their car so close to his and with its special ability, or whatever, and they must have known this, for they went ahead and sped forward.

Naruto's mouth twisted up as he switched gears and shot down the street, yet the black car had a decent amount of space between them of them, but not too much that the orange and black vehicle could not catch up when it reached full acceleration.

There was a problem when the turns became too many again; Sakon and Ukon still had their lead because some of the turns were verily nasty. There were less cars getting in the way; there was one truck of which made the racers lose each other as they went on either side of it, with the orange and black car coming ahead, only to be crashed into by the black car and passed up.

Kiba was unsure about this way to the Stadium because he didn't remember all these turns.

"Fuck this!" Naruto shouted suddenly, making Kiba jump. He had said as much during his last race with Sakon and Ukon when they had led him down a way with so many irritating turns and watched in horror as Naruto turned down some unknown way, something of which made Kiba whip towards the blonde who shouted "Shortcut!" animatedly in his response.

"Shortcut? What shortcut?" Kiba asked, looking back to find no trace of the street they were on before.

"Konoha Corp.'s always battling with Sound Co.," Naruto explained as he turned down a sharp alleyway corner; they weren't necessarily made for vehicles going over one-hundred-and-twenty miles per hour. "Of course we know a few shortcuts to the stadium!"

Kiba nearly laughed at himself; Naruto knew the streets like the back of his hand. Why, ever why, did he think to not take him on this race?

When they emerged into the new street, Kiba looked up and saw no trace of the black car. The pang of fear that assaulted him was heightened as Akamaru gave his warning bark again, for when Sakon and Ukon were behind them.

It eased as he realized the black car had just now pulled up about six meters behind them. Naruto had his foot practically through the gas pedal the entire time; Kiba wasn't so sure if he should be the racecar driver in the relationship anymore, but he had his foot pressed down as well; he felt as though he was the one driving, the excruciating amount of adrenaline coursing through him was just the same, regardless of who was actually driving.

Naruto whipped around another corner; this time faster, more reckless than he had before. He had narrowly dodged the lamppost and a frightened car.

"Bark! Bark!"

Twice? What did two barks mean?

Kiba turned towards the side, where Akamaru was staring out and saw that there was a black car moving through the alleys. It wasn't Sakon's car; it couldn't be his. It was too long.

Then who did it belong to?

Kiba's attention was drawn away from the other car as Naruto swore viciously.

There were cars appearing on the streets now.

Traffic, Kiba thought in his mind. He looked back to see what Sakon and Ukon were going to do. They did not want to be caught in this mess, either; so they turned down the next street; obviously, they had their Sound Co. shortcuts, too.

"They turned, Naruto," Kiba said warningly, then as he realized what it meant as Naruto kept continuing forward: he meant to road rage through traffic.

Why was Kiba the reckless driver?

"They turned, they turned!" Kiba warned again, and Naruto simply laughed at him.

"We're turning, too, fucker," Naruto said in an assuring tone, and yet was the opposite as he swung the car around to turn down a nearby alleyway.

Kiba was panicking; this was the way the other car had gone, but that was irrelevant; what really upset him was that Sakon and Ukon had turned in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked a bit angrily.

"I know what I'm doing," Naruto assured, turning down a fork in the alley. Kiba's heart was threatening to jump out of his chest; he was so alert and frightened right now, every shift in the backseat, Akamaru and his barking about the other vehicle, made him twitch uncontrollably.

He found he could breathe a bit easier as Naruto emerged onto the free street, ahead of the now-stopped-by-the-light traffic just as Sakon and Ukon pulled up beside them from their own shortcut. They were neck and neck as Kiba looked to see what street they were on.

The street was a practical straight away to the stadium.

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

BANG!

Naruto swerved to the side as they were hit; Sakon was trying to throw them off. Naruto used the momentum to turn the assault back at the other vehicle, but apparently as it came to light through Naruto's reasoning skills, Sakon's car had better handling and better track on his tires; it wasn't just for show. It was built for street racing, apparently.

Naruto glanced at Sakon and Ukon's car, just as Akamaru warned Kiba about the other black vehicle again.

Kiba turned to see the vehicle emerging from the garage of a city apartment complex.

Then he saw it. The siren, sitting on the dashboard. A cop.

WHA-WOOOOOOOOOOOOW! It flashed, but to Kiba in his panic, it was almost blinding. CRASH! !

"DAMMIT!" Kiba swore as his arm came around him, memories of his crash flooding past him; the panic settling in, his mind threatening to burst open. It was as if all the pain and suffering of his crash came at him at that moment, with electrical shocks attacking his body and hammers taking themselves to his gut. If he screwed his eyes shut any tighter, they would be crushed by his eyelids, and the blood would trickle down his cheeks, into the collar of his shirt and he wouldn't feel it at all, because his brain was throwing itself around, bashing about his skull as if it wanted to relive his crash once more.

He could feel it knotting up in his gut and taking control in order to lose it in a burst of energy; he was about to seize.

"KIBA, CHILL! IT DIDN'T HIT US!" Naruto seemed to have shouted over Kiba's confusion and deafening pain. It managed to knock him out of his self-torturing, and he turned to the side-view mirror to look for the unmarked police car. It had corrected itself, but it was getting smaller as Naruto kept driving and gaining speed; he didn't want to get caught, not by that car.

He would have to take a different way to the stadium; he didn't expect Sasuke to seriously follow him, as in give chase. Nevertheless, he knew one thing was certain about that car. That was an angry car, and angry, unmarked police car.

And it was still angry, even as it jetted down the road after them, in hot pursuit of their orange and black vehicle.

…

"Yeah, I'm gonna need someone to come get these punks right here on Ace Avenue by the Village Apartments because the other car's resisting arrest," Sasuke said into his phone as he burst down the road after the orange and black vehicle; it wasn't getting away from him, even if it was Naruto's car. He still knew where it was going; it wasn't going to get away from him, not until he sat the Dobe down and asked him just what the fuck was he thinking, getting into a dangerous ass race with fucking notorious Sakon and Ukon –

His answer came in the voice of Shino Aburame, "Yeah. Sure. I'll come get them."

In addition, Neji Hyuuga. "On our way, Uchiha. Need help with the other car?"

"No, I've got this shithead," Sasuke responded bitterly and pushed his foot further onto the gas and hung up his radio, fucking, and dangerous, and fucking dangerous ass racers, and any other combination of the phrases running through his mind. He could still see the oddly colored car; it was somewhat hard to miss.

Damn Dobe, getting me all angry and pissed off, Sasuke grumbled as he swerved around a corner, dashed down a lane and emerged into the parking lot of the stadium, where the orange and black car had pulled to a stop. As he had chased it, he realized there was one thing he truly didn't like about Naruto's car.

Yes the car had stopped; maybe it was not going to resist arrest. But Sasuke wasn't going to stop, however as realization hit him just as his car was about to crash into the vehicle.

I HATE THIS DAMN CAR! He mentally shouted as he smashed into it, CRASH, right into the side door of it. As he stopped his car immediately, the other car sliding a ways away from him and his Ninja vehicle as criminals who were under the influence, he seemed to kick his own door open as he stormed out and onto the asphalt. Naruto and Kiba had gotten out of the vehicle and out of the way; it was possibly the white flash, bounding around the parking lot like the hyper dog it was who had warned them that they were being chased by his car, and was now off in his own world, doing whatever that dog did when he was in a large, open space.

They were now sitting on the ground, shocked, staring up at the angry Uchiha who was trying desperately to control himself.

"Should I fine you for speeding," Sasuke started off slowly, using his fingers to count the allocations, "arrest you for resisting, driving recklessly down a busy street with an animal in the car, have you imprisoned for street racing…or kill you for being an idiot?"

Naruto and Kiba blinked. They blinked at Sasuke, and then they blinked at each other. It was when they turned back to Sasuke, ready to open their mouths again that a white flash crossed over the raven cop and appeared a few feet away from where he had been standing, with the Uchiha underneath him, facing reprimand for shouting through puppy kisses and dog love.

Sasuke would not admit to screaming like a girl in any form or fashion; but that's not what Naruto heard.

It was strange, though; Akamaru didn't really know Sasuke on that personal level of tackling and then relentlessly licking; Kiba and Naruto both just assumed he was very kind to strangers.

"Stop! Stop!" Sasuke commanded, pushing the dog's face away and groaning in irritation as the dog pushed back, and kept licking him. "Stop! Stop!"

"All right there, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, Kiba snickering as Sasuke sat up to glare in their direction, only to be forced back down and assaulted with more puppy kisses.

"Get him off of me!" He shouted, but when neither Naruto nor Kiba came to his rescue, it was he who desisted, and let the dog have his way with his face until Kiba whistled for him to come, and bounded over to the brunette and his blonde love.

Naruto got up and walked over to Sasuke, who glared at him the entire time of his approaching. The blonde just smiled, crouched down beside him and gave him the most sincere look he could muster at the moment without laughing at what had just happened. "Sorry."

"Dobe," Sasuke insulted, looking away from Naruto, hoping the night would hide the pink on his face. "What makes you decide to go undercover and do shit like this?"

"Well for one, it was pretty damn fun," Naruto admitted, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, now capable of looking at Naruto without feeling as if he was red in the face all the time. "And for two, Kiba couldn't race those two by himself. It just wasn't happening."

There's a third reason. There's always a third reason.

"And the third reason?" Sasuke asked, looking at their crashed vehicles for the first time since he left his car.

"I do what I want," Naruto said casually, avoiding the true "third reason".

They were in silence for a bit, only listening barely to Kiba and Akamaru's conversation, which was mostly Kiba giving the dog ultimate praise, as if he were the one who had done all the driving, and the smashing and the winning.

"So…" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"So?" Sasuke urged, taking on the normal tone of boredom of which he held with people.

"Are we free to go?" Naruto asked, almost pleadingly, clapping his hands together in a form of prayer.

Sasuke sighed and hesitated. Once again, for the same unknown reason, he was incapable of saying no to the Dobe. "Call a tow; I'll take your stupid ass home in my car."

"Yes! Thank you, Sasuke!" Naruto sang, bowing to the raven man, still lying on his back on the ground. Sasuke just sighed, hoping the night would hide his embarrassment again.

"You owe me lunch on Tuesday, you fuckhole," Sasuke told him, in a voice that brooked no opposition. Then before he could stop himself, he added on, "And don't forget one little thing, Naruto."

"What's that, Sasuke?" Naruto urged in the form of asking. He was too happy to notice the awkward turn that their conversation was taking.

And it was too late for Sasuke to stop now.

"I still love you," Sasuke said, it's why I do this shit, hidden in his silence. Before Naruto could say anything about it, Sasuke got to his feet and put his hands in his pockets, walking over to Kiba to personally deliver the news about their situation, leaving Naruto there on the pavement to smile, smile sadly at the ground, silently wishing that the Uchiha wouldn't say random ass things like that.

This Red String About My Finger

Remember Me 09: Remember The Red String About My Finger

He no longer looked lost, deadly uncertain.

There was something about the way that he stared into the night sky, his lover laying down beside him that made watching the meteor shower all the more pleasant. The shooting stars that he originally hoped would give him a chance at memory were now something of beauty, something he could watch forever; something he could look at and perceive his future.

His hand was locked with the blonde young man's, the little red string in between their clasped hands. The string no longer needed to tell him anything, because everything, he already knew. Remembered.

To his own devices, and bounding around somewhere was the white flash Naruto and Kiba both loved so dearly, chasing some invisibly invisible creature of which gave him pleasure to chase.

Kiba was amazed that he recalled everything at all. The red string had no other use but to remind him the dangers of what he had been so addicted to, though a recent development (Naruto's reckless driving) turned him further on to the idea of letting Naruto come with him on more of his races, since he was sure to get into more of them, just because of what happened to Sakon and Ukon.

The underground, most certainly, had its way of forwarding information about street races, Kiba should know. His phone, after he had checked it that night, had been blown up with messages concerning his amnesia, that last race, and how long he would be out for. Before he went to bed last night, he had fifty new messages, a great deal of them positive and the few that remained were negative about how lucky he had been with an unmarked police car showing up to arrest the other driver.

Nonetheless, he was glad for his freedom.

The things an accident can do to you, Kiba mused as Naruto pointed out a particular star, making Kiba smile.

"I swear, it was green," Naruto said suddenly. "The rest of them are all blue and white and stuff."

"Only you would point out the one green star," Kiba said, and Naruto chuckled.

"Believe it."

There was a moment of silence. Kiba decided he wanted to sit up, and Naruto did too. Kiba scooted closer to Naruto so their hands could rest on their touching knees. "It's funny," Kiba said as Naruto's head came to rest on his shoulder.

"What's funny?" Naruto asked, though he had a feeling about what was funny.

Kiba shrugged, and said, "You know, how Sasuke appeared out of nowhere at that race last night, just in time to ram Sakon and Ukon out of the way and allow us to speed off to victory." Kiba knew that they were the closest target to Sasuke's car. They were the slower vehicle; it would have been smarter to take them out first.

Kiba assumed that Sasuke was trying to cut them off…but he probably wouldn't have pushed the other car, and his own car, out of their way if he was trying to stop both vehicles with his steel-frame car, where the other two were sleek, stylish aluminum.

Naruto only smirked and looked at Kiba, who was giving him an amused expression as he waited for his answer.

Naruto just repeated the same thing he had said last night as they had gone to bed: "He was on duty that night, I told you," he said. He was a bit tired of answering this question, but apparently, since Kiba kept asking it, Naruto hadn't answered it yet.

But obviously he would get no answer out of him. "Yeah, okay," Kiba agreed grudgingly, rolling his eyes and turning back to the sky.

"I don't know about you," Naruto said, "But I'm glad it happened. I really owe him one, Sasuke."

Kiba couldn't deny that he was glad Sasuke showed up when he did as well, he was just curious as to whether or not the two cops had it planned.

But he let the topic pass; today was too good a day to get upset over something so trivial. "So does he still owe you lunch tomorrow?" Kiba asked, using his free hand to play at his shoelaces.

"Nah, I owe him lunch," Naruto said as he watched Kiba do that, remembering the conversation they had before Sasuke had taken them home.

I'll take you home in my car, Dobe. But just remember one thing…. I still love you.

Ah, Sasuke. You…need to let me go…Naruto sighed and turned to Kiba, a slight sadness mixed into his tender smile. Kiba raised an eyebrow, but Naruto shook his head in answer.

Kiba remembered something he wanted to say to Naruto, and it was, "I forgot to thank you for showing up yesterday."

"There was no way I was letting you race those two on your own," Naruto said. "They probably know the streets just as well as I do, and they would have taken any route to get ahead of you like they were."

"Well, thank you, anyway," Kiba said, and leaned in to kiss Naruto's cheek. Naruto turned his head and he and Kiba kissed passionately and slowly, relishing in the moment.

But there was that little cold feeling, blossoming in his chest. Sasuke, saying such random things as the reason for helping, when he could have just said, that's what friends are for.

Naruto was about to pull away, when a certain white flash shone across his vision.

"Ah, Shit!" Naruto swore as Akamaru tackled him down, and prepared to kiss Naruto in his own way. Kiba just laughed and pushed himself to his feet, and whistled for Akamaru to come to him. Akamaru jumped up and put his forepaws on Kiba's shoulders, licking his owner on his face and forehead before jumping off and bounding away, but not too far where Kiba wouldn't lose him.

Kiba turned to Naruto and offered him a hand up, something of which was gratefully taken, and Naruto took a moment to look at Kiba.

It turned out what the doctor declared he didn't need, was exactly what he needed. It was funny that way, how Kiba functioned. It took one instance of fear, one moment of loving embrace (after a physical altercation) to bring everything back to Kiba.

I wouldn't have it any other way, Naruto thought as-a-matter-of-factly. As he looked at Kiba, Naruto took in his golden eyes, which no longer looked lost, stalling, or deadly uncertain. He saw the unique way Kiba did his hair that was slightly wilder than the blonde's own way of having spiky shag for a hairstyle. He saw his lover's tender smile, the smile that was only for him. He saw that asshole in the way he subconsciously drew his eyebrows together in that curious, accusing manner as Naruto stared at him for too long.

And one thing, always the "one thing" that remained certain about Kiba whenever he looked at him was the energy he felt whenever he thought of him, and used that's my boyfriend when he introduced the brunette to new people.

"I love you," Naruto said to the brunette suddenly, and instinctively Kiba smiled and kissed Naruto again.

As he pulled away he responded with, "I love you, too," and Naruto embraced Kiba strongly, with Akamaru, the white flash rising up and placing his forepaws on both of their shoulders. He rested his head on top of theirs and barked happily at his reunited family.

When Akamaru moved off them, Kiba kissed Naruto one more time, before telling him, "Let's go home."

Naruto agreed and followed Kiba to his car, happy to be led lovingly by the hand. Naruto was happy that Kiba finally returned to him, and had remembered everything between them.

Yes, it was true. Kiba had returned to him, and, in a condition that was far better than that of which he left.

+ THE END +

+ THIS OMAKE THAT TICKLES MY FUNNY BONE +

Lunch With Sasuke: The People that Show Up When You're Out for Lunch…

+ THEY SAT ACROSS THE LOW TABLE FROM each other, seated comfortably on the cushions supplied for their backsides to well, take rest on. Naruto drummed his fingers lightly on the table and gnawed his bottom lip as he looked over the menu, thinking of what he might want here that wasn't ramen.

No ramen, Sasuke had warned him, and Naruto had agreed, yet grudgingly. What the Raven had against ramen, the blonde held no intimations, so he just assumed it was Sasuke's way of being Sasuke.

Naruto raised his gaze to look at the raven across his way.

Sasuke was doing as he was doing, yet with less drumming and gnawing of the bottom lip. He was casually looking over the menu, as casually as a bored, tired expression could muster, possibly scanning for his favorite menu item.

The server soon arrived at their table, and inquired after what they would like to drink. Sasuke asked for coffee, black, with no cream or sugar, and Naruto asked for tea with lemon.

Sasuke sighed as the server took her leave. Naruto followed her a bit with his eyes, making sure he had seen what he had just seen.

"She was checking you out," Naruto whispered to Sasuke as he pulled his eyes away. Sasuke raised his, as well as an eyebrow, and Naruto repeated himself again.

"Like I care, Dobe," Sasuke chuckled, then turned his attention back to the menu. "That happens."

"Maybe you should ask for her number," Naruto suggested, reaching for the salt and tipping it over into his free hand.

Sasuke watched him for a moment before saying in a flat tone, yet accusingly was the undertone, "Why; do you think I need a girlfriend?"

"I think you need to stop taking coffee so black. It represents your soul," sounded an answer that was not in Naruto's voice. Sasuke furrowed his brow and looked over the blonde's head, looking into an eye as black as his, yet more smiling, more amused.

"What would you know about souls, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke said, referring to his old police mentor by his formal title. Kakashi Hatake was a mentor at the Konoha Corp. Police Academy, where he was one of the better-known teachers on the campus, for more reasons than one.

"That yours is black, and requires more cream and sugar," Kakashi put simply, shrugging lightly. Naruto looked up and smiled toothily at his former teacher.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! I didn't know you ate here for lunch!"

"Well, not everyone goes to the other side of town to eat at Ichiraku's, Naruto," Kakashi explained casually. "That's just something those that dare do."

"I guess I'm pretty daring then, huh?" Naruto said proudly, his ego swelling as it did at such praise.

"It means you're a Dobe," Sasuke corrected, and Naruto turned to glare at him. It was at that moment that Naruto was going to retort that the server came back with their refreshments.

"Are you two ready to order?" she asked sweetly, her attention mostly on Sasuke. Naruto gave Sasuke a silly look that was both knowing and entirely amused, yet Sasuke's remained bored and disinterested.

"Yeah," he said, and picked up the menu, "I'll take the number seven, with extra onion and no sweet peppers."

"Like your soul," Kakashi said from the other booth, and Sasuke chose to ignore it where Naruto burst out into laughter.

"And for you, sir?" the waitress asked him, giggling at his sudden fit of laughter, even though she knew not what it was for.

"Ah, yes, I'll have the number nine, with the broth and noodles," Naruto said, satisfied with his choices, and both menus were handed to the server. She took them with a smile, of which went up in brightness when she turned to Sasuke, and told both patrons that she would return shortly with their orders.

"Broth and noodles, huh?" Sasuke said, noticing the pull and change of his mouth as he smirked.

"It's a good appetizer," Naruto said, shrugging, but could not keep himself from smiling. "It goes great with what I ordered."

"Uh-huh," Sasuke chuckled and turned his attention to his coffee. He took a sip and Naruto watched him flinch at the excessive bitterness. "It's strong today."

"Maybe it needs some sugar to cancel out the bitterness," Naruto suggested.

"Like your soul," Kakashi said once again, and Naruto snickered, where Sasuke scowled, yet managed to regain control over his face.

"Oh, look, Naruto and Sasuke!"

They turned towards the entrance to find Kiba and Shino standing there. Kiba waved at Naruto, who smiled and waved back.

"Kiba's here," Naruto said in a musing sort of tone.

"I wonder why," Sasuke grumbled, as he took another sip of his especially strong coffee and immediately regretted it.

Kiba and Shino came over to their table and Kiba bumped Naruto over so he could sit down. While they complained at each other, Sasuke made room for Shino without a word, and he took his seat gratefully.

"Did you guys already order?" Kiba asked Naruto, and the blonde nodded in answer.

"The waitress is over there, need me to call her?" Naruto asked, and Kiba shook his head.

"I'll wait until she comes back," Kiba said, and turned to Shino to see if he disagreed with that. Shino just nodded once, and went back to playing with the ant that was crawling over the back of his hand. Kiba scrunched up his face and asked, "Do you have to play with bugs at the table?"

"It's kind of gross man," Naruto added on. Sasuke didn't mind it. He was staring at the window, watching more people show up to the little diner he had taken to eating his lunch at. It was probably a good day to come eat lunch here, Sasuke thought.

But then again, it was just Tuesday.

"Do you have to breathe?" Shino asked in retort.

"That's taking it a bit to the left, Shino," Kiba pointed out, and Shino just huffed, and went back to the ant on his hand.

"You're a bit to the left," he muttered, and Kiba raised an eyebrow, yet said nothing.

He looked at Naruto, who simply shrugged. He then turned to Sasuke and said, "Oh, hey, thanks for the help the other day."

Sasuke turned to Kiba, who was smiling, much like the idiot sitting next to him. Honestly, they're perfect for each other, he admitted bitterly, and then said, "I would have arrested you if Naruto didn't tell me he was going undercover."

Kiba smirked knowingly and turned to Naruto, who noticed his "asshole eyebrows" and furrowed his. "When'd this occur? Before you showed up or when we needed a ride home?"

"When we needed a ride," Naruto muttered and looked at anyone else but Kiba. He noticed more people coming into the door. "Oh, it's Sakura, Ino, and Hinata! They all eat lunch here, too? Hey, we're over here!" Naruto called to the three girls, who turned to them and smiled, glad for other people they knew to eat lunch with.

As they advanced on their table, Sasuke rolled his eyes, and turned away from them. "Sure, squeeze more people into the booth, four grown ass men is never enough," Sasuke muttered to the scruffy wooden wall he had turned to.

"I thought you were going to Ichiraku's, Naruto," Ino said as she scooted in next to Kiba, where Hinata sat next to Shino. Sasuke pushed himself further against the wall, and was now touching shoulders with Shino.

Sakura sat next to Ino, who pushed up against Kiba, who shoved Naruto against the wall on accident.

Ino was not happy about it. "Geez, Sakura, why do you need so much room?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched and she said with a wicked smirk, "I don't need much room; it's you and your pig ass that needs all this room."

"Oh really? Maybe it's just you and your big head talking."

"Do you think so?" Sakura ground out slowly. Hinata was trying to camouflage against the plush seat cushion, avoiding being brought into the altercation, as it happened sometimes.

The server had returned with Naruto and Sasuke's food, and almost thought she had the wrong table, until she noticed both of the previous owners of the booth shoved against the far-side wall.

She controlled herself, and then said with a smile, "shall I get more menus?"

"Yes, please," was the collective answer.

"We could wait for you guys," Naruto suggested as the server handed both he and Sasuke their entrees. The server had left to go receive more menus immediately afterwards.

"If you want to," Hinata said in that shy manner of which she said things, and Naruto, with a grudging, mutual decision from Sasuke, decided to wait for everyone else to place and receive their orders.

Shino noticed the cup of black coffee that Sasuke had taken a drink of. "You take your coffee black?"

"Yeah," Sasuke affirmed, "my tastes have changed."

"Like your soul."

I'm going to kill him, Sasuke decided, turning towards the wall again to pretense boredom.

He listened to the group's chatter and Sakura and Ino's violent exchange of biting comments as his food became cold. He nibbled a little on this, took a pinch of that, sipped his bitter coffee, flinched, had someone comment on it and then hear Kakashi call over the storm, "Like your soul," as if it were cute or something.

"Oh my gosh, there's a bug on the table," Ino pointed out, and instinctively smashed it with a napkin. Everyone gasped except Sasuke, who returned his attention back to the group of friends that had come out to lunch. "What?"

"Murderer," Shino muttered, and Ino was obviously confused.

"What? There was a bug on the table."

"So you kill him?" Shino said, his brow furrowing but no one was quite sure they could notice it. The man constantly had his hood up, and the collar of his jacket was high indeed. No one could truly tell what the man was emoting until they heard his voice.

And right then, everyone at the table was frightened at his scary tone of voice.

"Well that's gross, y'know," Ino pointed out, trying to defend herself.

"That was my friend," Shino muttered to himself. "My friend." Then he said a bit louder, "what if it was your father on the table? Would you squash him, too?"

"Are you saying that bug was…your father…?"

"Taking it to the left, Shino," Kiba warned him.

"You're to the left," Shino muttered, and stared at the back of his hand with total emptiness.

"Food's here!" Hinata pointed out cheerfully, just to get past the subject of bug-murder. The servers passed out everything with little issues, and a quick prayer was said before everyone started to eat.

While Kiba was preoccupied with conversation with the others, Sasuke asked Naruto, "So he's better now?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Yeah, we checked and everything's there, so, no worries, right?"

"Right," Sasuke agreed lazily, pushing his now lukewarm food around the plate. He didn't know what "checked" entailed, but he could hazard some guesses. "So what's he plan on doing now?"

"Believe it or not, but he's still going to race," Naruto muttered, twirling his noodles and putting them into his mouth. "Probably shouldn't tell you when, though."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyes from his food.

Naruto winked. "You're a cop."

Sasuke felt the pull and change of his mouth as he smirked. "Yeah, that's right."

Lunch wasn't so bad after all.