A/N: Alright, this story is actually one of a set of two. Choosing: Track A and Choosing: Track B are both companion pieces to one another, and deal with the same events, but with two different perspectives. Normally, I would have just made it as two chapters in the same story, but they each deals with different characters, so I wanted to keep them separate. Basically, this is my attempt to move out of writing just KibaNaru by making it a part of a KibaNaru story. So, if you're going to read this story, make sure that you read the other one as well. You can reach it through my homepage.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and if you don't like M/M pairings, then don't read.

Enjoy!

This was really beginning to get on Akamaru's nerves. Kiba had been pacing back and forth across their apartment for the past two hours. Akamaru would have told him to sit down, but then he would be subjected to watching his master fidget in his seat instead. If it wasn't for the fear that Kiba would go and do something stupid with his anxiety, the dog would have been long gone by now.

Kiba, however, was in too much of a state of panic to notice his pet's annoyance. He was scared out of his mind. Not the usual kind of scared that all ninja had to deal with, the kind that included physical pain. That Kiba would have been able to handle. This was a different kind of fear. This fear was for emotional pain. He was afraid that his heart was about to be ripped apart and trampled. That Naruto would choose to leave him.

At first, it had actually been kind of nice that Sasuke had finally come back to the village. Kiba felt as if time had gone back to before the Uchiha had left, when the village had felt safer and, for lack of a better word, complete. Soon, however, it became very apparent how Sasuke felt towards his blonde former teammate. He'd been trying to show off his appearance more in public, and was constantly flirting with Naruto whenever they were together. Although Naruto, being the dunce that he is, didn't notice the reason for this constant attention, it was obvious to anyone who watched the two of them.

Anyone who saw them probably would have thought that it was cute, too. The only problem was that Naruto was already dating someone else: Inuzuka Kiba. Naturally, Kiba didn't take the situation too well, and his canine-like, 'protect-what's-mine' possessive nature clashed with Sasuke's natural 'take-what-I-wish' attitude. A rivalry sparked between the two, ranging from snide comments and insults to physical fights under the guise of impromptu 'training.' All the while, their blonde prize remained blissfully unaware of the contest being waged by his friends, thinking that it was just their competitive natures.

This had been going on for a few months now, and Kiba was afraid that he might be losing. Yes, Naruto was dating the dog ninja now, but how could he compete with Sasuke? He was the most handsome and sought after boy in the village, who girls like Ino and Sakura would have given their left arms to be with. He was a shinobi genius and, as much as he hated to admit it, a lot stronger than Kiba was. Also, Sasuke was the heir to one of the village's most illustrious and wealthiest clans. While the Inuzuka clan was certainly important, it had nowhere near the rank of the Uchihas. It seemed that Sasuke was superior in every way to Kiba, and in his animal-like mind, Kiba believed that the superior suitor would, no doubt, be the one to take a mate, while the inferior one would be left alone.

There were also Naruto's feelings to consider, too. When Naruto had first come out to his peers, he had admitted that Sasuke had, in fact, been his first crush. Later, when he and Kiba had gotten together, Kiba had been sure that he had taken Sasuke's place in the blonde's heart. However, as he watched how desperately the Kyuubi vessel fought to get his teammate to come back, and how happy that Naruto had been when he finally did, Kiba couldn't help but wonder if Naruto still had feelings for Sasuke.

So, when Sasuke approached the couple on their way home and asked if he could speak to Naruto, alone, Kiba naturally got nervous. The two brunettes had exchanged looks, and Sasuke had made it clear to Kiba that he was going to confess to Naruto. Naruto himself had been slightly surprised at the request, and even more surprised when Kiba OKed it. Kiba was usually very, very unwilling to give up any alone time the two of them got. Nevertheless, Naruto left in a good mood, and told his boyfriend that he'd meet up with him at Kiba's apartment later.

That was about two hours ago, and now Kiba was in a frenzy waiting for Naruto to come as he promised. Different possible scenarios were running through the dog-nin's head, and most of them seemed to end in the same way: Naruto leaving him for Sasuke. Kiba was torturing himself with the possibilities. Would Naruto try to be nice about it, and let him down gently? Or would he just flat out dump him and start making out with Sasuke right away?

Kiba proceeded to make things ever harder on himself by trying to think of what he could or should have done differently. Should he have told Sasuke flat out in public to stay away from his boyfriend? No, that would have just made Kiba look like a jealous boyfriend (he was, but that was beside the point). Should he have told Naruto to stay away from Sasuke? But the two were best friends, and it would have killed Naruto if they couldn't meet. Kiba wanted his blonde boyfriend to be happy. Maybe he should have just broken up with Naruto so that it would hurt less when he left. Kiba loved Naruto, though, and he wouldn't want to give him up for anything.

In the middle of his musings, Kiba heard his front door open, and watched as Naruto stepped into the apartment. Akamaru immediately got up and left, passing Naruto on his way out the door. One way or another, the two boys would have to be left alone, so the Akamaru, being the faithful friend that he was, went outside to make sure that no one disturbed them. If Naruto had been able to understand dog speak, he would have recognized the dog's low growl as "You better not hurt him."

Kiba, meanwhile, rubbed his face with his hand to get rid of any worry lines on it. He got up and went over to greet Naruto in his usual demeanor. "Don't you know how to knock, dumbass?"

Naruto, who has wondering why Akamaru was just sitting outside, began to pout. "Like you really care, Dog Breath. You gave me a key, remember?"

Kiba chuckled a little, trying to ease his nerves. "So…what did Sasuke want?" He tried to ask the question as casually as he could, and prayed to God that Naruto would be as dense as he usually was and not notice how tense Kiba really was. If Kiba was going to be rejected, then he wanted to get it over with.

Naruto's expression had immediately sobered, and he suddenly seemed to have trouble looking Kiba in the eye. When he finally answered the question, it was quiet and a little shaky. "He…He told me that he liked me. That he liked liked me. He asked…he asked me to dump you and go out with him."

"Oh?" Kiba didn't know if he sounded surprised or not, and to be honest he didn't care. This was the moment of truth. He just closed his eyes, and waited for the incoming blow.

"Yeah. He knew that we're dating, and he still asked me out. I mean, why would he do that? I feel like kind of a jerk, though. I think I kind of hurt him when I yelled at him. He looked like he was about to cry. Sasuke never cries!"

Kiba blinked. He blinked again. Naruto yelled at Sasuke? Sasuke was about to cry? Wouldn't that mean…

"So, wait. You turned him down?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised. "Of course I turned him down!"

"But…why?"

"WHY?! Because I'm dating you, you moron!"

"But, but Sasuke is…he's better than I am…" And with that, Kiba looked down in shame, preferring to look at his feet instead of Naruto's face. Admitting that someone was better than him at anything wasn't easy for Kiba.

Naruto's face softened when he saw how Kiba was reacting. There were two things that Kiba never did. One was admit that anyone was better than him. Even after Shino had bested Kiba in over fifty sparring matches straight, the dog ninja still insisted he was stronger. Kiba also never acted ashamed. Embarrassed, sure, but never ashamed.

"You really thought that I chose him, didn't you?" Kiba gave a small nod. "Why would you think that? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all. But Sasuke was your first love. And he's just so…so perfect. And I'm nothing like-"

"Stop right there," Naruto interrupted. "First of all, Sasuke was my first crush, not my first love. He's the one that made me realize that I was gay, yeah, but it wasn't anything serious. Never was, and never will be. And if I wanted perfect, I would have asked out Neji. I don't like those 'Prince Charming' types, Kiba. I've had too much crap in my life to want for some kind of fairytale relationship."

Naruto quickly walked up to Kiba and wrapped his arms around the brunette. When Kiba still wouldn't look at him, Naruto moved one of his hands to the dog-nin's face, the other arm still holding his torso. Naruto grabbed under Kiba's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Listen, Kiba. I love you, and I'm not going to leave just because someone else asks me to, whether they're perfect or not. I don't want perfect, Kiba. I want real, and you're as real as they get."

Kiba choked backed his tears a little. He had never heard Naruto speak like this before. Now, he felt foolish. He should have never doubted Naruto. The blonde was his, just as he was Naruto's. It was as simple as that.

Naruto brightened when a small grin finally appeared on Kiba's face. "Feel better now?"

"Heh, heh, yeah. Sorry for being such a loser just now. Anything I can do to make it up to you?"

A mischievous grin spread over Naruto's face. "Well," he said seductively, "I can think of a few ways…" Kiba returned the grin, having a good idea what 'ways' Naruto had in mind.

Outside the apartment, Akamaru was continuing to keep guard. He had been eavesdropping on the conversation inside, but now that it seemed that everything was all right between his master and his blonde mate, he lost interest. The dog laid down in front of the door for a nap. Judging from the sounds inside, it didn't seem that he'd be able to get back in for a while.

Believe it or not, this story is actually inspired by an old "King of the Hill" episode. I don't really like the show myself, and I saw this particular episode over half a decade ago, but the ending of it was possibly one of the most romantic endings of a TV show that I had ever seen, and that's what this story is based on. Now review, and let me know how I did, or even if you know what episode I'm talking about. And make sure you read this story's companion, too.