Debt was one of the worst things a human being could have in their lifetime. It meant that there would be very few openings to pay off the debt, and even then, sometimes enough just wasn't enough. Things were different according to each person. Some people needed to borrow money, some people needed favors, and others needed saving; Inuzuka Kiba knew this all too well. For the past few months, approximately a year, Kiba had felt somewhat strained when his thoughts drifted to a much more difficult time. He had been called forward to retrieve an old comrade who went by the name of Uchiha Sasuke. Despite the fact that Sasuke had left alone, he hadn't remained alone, and had ended up travelling with a group of shinobi that were stronger than a lot of the Jounin he knew.
It was that day that Kiba and his dearest friend, Akamaru, had nearly died. It was also on that day that Kiba had acquired this debt. And so here he was, sitting on the top of a wall, kicking his frustration into the surface, thinking about all the ways he had completely messed up. It wasn't like he enjoyed being in debt, and it wasn't like he was going to try and forget it either. If he ever crossed paths with the man who had saved him, he knew that it was inevitable the event would be brought up.
Just how did Kiba intend to pay him back? Was there even a way you could repay someone who had saved your life?
"Damn," he muttered, leaning his head back to look at the navy blue sky. It was nearly midnight; Kiba had sent Akamaru home and went for a walk so he could think. There were so many things on his mind lately. Ever since Naruto had left, the village Hidden in the Leaves had been quite; peaceful. It was almost unnerving, and he wanted something to happen to take his mind off things. It was almost as though he was his old self again, craving the mischief and chaos the young Uzumaki had always carried with him, no matter how old he got.
Kiba chuckled and scratched his head. He was losing it; missing Naruto was such a taboo thing for him. They were rivals of sorts, and it stayed that way; he preferred it that way. Obviously within that rivalry was a good friendship, but they would always be trying to surpass each other. Things just didn't seem like they would change, in that aspect.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Kiba glanced down at the man standing below, clad in a black jumpsuit and purple face paint. He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands.
"This was probably the last place you looked," Kiba muttered darkly. "Why were you even looking for me? If I'm here, I obviously don't want to be found."
"You looked lost today," Kankurou shrugged in a nonchalant way. Kiba felt his irritation with the man spike dangerously. "I thought there was something wrong, and I was curious. So I decided I'd find you and ask you about it."
"It's not like I'll tell you," Kiba snapped, leaning up to cross his arms. "You'll just laugh at me."
Kankurou snorted. "I always laugh at you."
"I guess," Kiba agreed quietly. "I also guess that you're the only person I can tell this to. I mean, it's not like anyone else could help me with this. They're not the ones who saved my life, effectively putting me in a very awkward position. I don't like being indebted to someone, you know."
Kankurou laughed. "That's what you're worried about?"
Kiba nodded, his eyes narrowing when a strange gleam sparked within the Sand shinobi's green eyes. He hadn't been in Konoha for more than a few weeks, along with his older sister and younger brother, but in the time they'd spent together, which were usually moments such as these, Kiba had picked up on a few things. Things like mischievous gleams and devilish smirks were something that only marked troubled, in his opinion. Especially when Kankurou was involved.
"You know exactly how you can repay me," he grinned, walking forward, standing just in front of the wall. The wall itself was only five feet tall, but being nearly six foot, Kankurou had no problem reaching the young Inuzuka sitting before him. Kiba cleared his throat self-consciously and looked down at his hands, examining his nails. Kankurou smirked and grabbed Kiba's hands, pulling on them. Kiba shouted in surprise and caught himself before he could fall forward. He kicked forward, pushing his feet against Kankurou's stomach, but with hardly enough force to nudge him back a few inches.
"What's wrong, pup?" The Suna ninja chuckled. "I've told you before how you can repay me. I doubt you want to be indebted to me for the rest of your life. Am I right?"
Kiba grumbled obscenities under his breath. "I hate you."
"No you don't," Kankurou drawled easily, reaching up to place his hand on the back of Kiba's neck. He ran his fingers lightly through the Inuzuka's hair, smirking triumphantly when it elicited a shiver from him. "You and I both know that you don't."
"You don't know that," Kiba growled, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You have no idea how I feel."
"How long…" Kankurou frowned, the gleam in his eyes being replaced by a distant look, removing his hand from the Inuzuka's hair. "How long exactly have I been in Konoha? I specifically remember talking to you the same day I came here—though I also specifically remember we didn't talk for very long—"
"Nearly a month," Kiba said, effectively cutting the Sabaku off before he could go into detail about their reunion. His cheeks flushed a dark red and he averted his eyes, looking at anything except for Kankurou. It was impossible to deceive the puppet master, and Kiba found it particularly frustrating that he found it nearly impossible to lie to himself as well.
"You'll be gone in a few weeks though. The Chuunin Exams are nearly over."
"That's true," Kankurou conceded. "But don't you think we should take advantage of the little time we have left?"
"I've never been the type of guy to take advantage of time to get something done," Kiba muttered evasively. "It's probably why my mom makes Hana do all the chores now."
"Stop trying to change the subject."
"I'm not trying to change the subject," Kiba rolled his eyes, glancing down at the Sabaku. "I'm succeeding in changing the subject."
Kankurou sighed. "Not exactly; you haven't succeeded until I start talking about it with you."
"Details," Kiba waved his hand nonchalantly. Before he could pull it back, however, Kankurou caught it. The Inuzuka tried to pull it away, but despite his appearance, Kankurou was pretty strong. He had absolutely no desire to admit it, but he knew that if Kankurou tried hard enough and bugged him enough, Kiba would let him do whatever he wanted.
With every day that passed, the Inuzuka found it harder and harder to say no. Abruptly, Kiba pushed Kankurou away and jumped down from the wall. He wasn't much shorter, but he still had to look up to the older male. He glanced down at the hand Kankurou still held tightly and sighed, resigning himself. He laced their fingers together and moved closer, letting his eyes drift upwards to meet pools of forest green looking down on him.
"Your definition of hate must me different from mine," Kankurou murmured, leaning forward. Kiba raised his free hand and pressed two fingers against the Sabaku's lips. The older male frowned but didn't move.
"You're not going to be the one to make the first move this time," Kiba said quietly, though his voice held a note that told Kankurou not to go against his word. "I want to try something. I might hate you," he said, his face suddenly contorting into a frown. "Or maybe something else."
"What are you planning to do?" Kankurou whispered, removing Kiba's hand from his mouth. Without a word in response, Kiba leaned up on his tiptoes—just slightly—and kissed the man before him. It was another one of those taboo things Kiba had once considered. He was a boy kissing a boy. Was this normal for him? It wasn't like he had ever thought about the possibility of being gay, but when he was around Kankurou, his previous inhibitions escaped him, leaving him free of the restraints of society.
It was true that Kankurou had in fact told him exactly how to repay him. Kiba had found reluctance upon receiving the offer, but feeling their lips move together in total sync, he found no reason to refuse. It was no secret that Kiba had dated a few girls in his lifetime and that he had kissed and been kissed, but this was nothing like the kisses he had shared with girls. There was something oddly exhilarating about kissing a boy; or rather, kissing Kankurou.
It was like the older male was providing Kiba with that chaos he was craving, even if it was a few times milder than the level of chaos he'd been thinking about. It was just enough to make his heart rate kick up a notch, make his breath hitch and his palms sweat; make him feel as though the people around him didn't matter. What could this feeling be called? His definition of hate certainly was different than Kankurou's.