Nothing Fancy
xxhikari E

Summary: He was not the Prince Charming or the Knight in Shining Armor that she always dreamed about, but he could be just what she needed. KibaSaku.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and probably anything else you recognize.

A/N: Number 3 of 30. I know, I'm working slow. Multi-chaptered, hopefully. Just the prologue. My summary is in dire need of fixing, I know, but I wanted to get this out as soon as I could.

/00/
Once Upon a Time...
x

Regret.

It was the first thing Kiba thought when he woke up with a pounding headache and the disturbing urge to vomit whatever junk he had consumed the night before.

"-and the last one the finish has to dance on top of Tsunade-baa-chan's head... in the nude!"

People always wondered what Rock Lee would look like without a hideous jumpsuit clinging to his body. Hopefully, the sight of one of Konoha's Green Beasts pirouetting on top of the Godaime's statue naked wouldn't blind the residents of the village.

He smirked as he thought back to last night. It was tradition for the Konoha Eleven (with the addition of Sai) to get together at least once every couple of months, and yesterday had led them to a drinking party at a local bar.

Another pound in his head reminded him of why he was awake and he adverted his gaze to focus on the familiar ANBU member that was perched silently on his window. The shinobi was clad in the usual ANBU garb. Darkened shades covered his eyes, giving off a mysterious aura. His mask was pushed carelessly to the side and the lower half of his face was blocked from view with a large pale-grey scarf.

"Shino." He greeted his friend and got up in search for a drink to help his pain subside.

"Hokage's office in ten. Mission report." Without another word, the Aburame disappeared from view in a poof of smoke.

He hated mission reports. Usually, the mission was to be reported within three days of completion, and he despised having to take the time to scribble fancy words on paper. The Godaime rarely bothered to read the written reports, anyways, but somehow she always found out when his lacked details or information.

Kiba chugged down a small carton of chocolate milk that he pulled out of the refrigerator and breathed out in relief as the pain dulled slightly. He lugged his 18-year-old body to his room where a large white dog lay lazily on its stomach and began changing into his own uniform.

It had taken years, but all of Team 8 had reached the jounin rank. Kiba and Shino pursued a further career in special assassinations and worked their way into a spot in the ANBU, and Hinata was currently leading a genin team of her own. Although they were no longer an official team, they were still frequently grouped together for their specialization in tracking and information gathering. Hinata kept the title as the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and her shy personality had long since faded into a more confident, but still soft and polite, attitude- one that led her team well. Her interest in a certain blond demon container had not yet dwindled, but still remained unrequited due to the ninja's obliviousness. Most would not be able to tell, but Shino had also changed over the years, taking on a slightly less shadowy presence and making it a point to involve himself more amongst his peers. Kiba didn't think that his current self differed too much from his old self, but if anything he was slightly more appropriate when necessary and now looked tiny in comparison to Akamaru, who's head now reached his chest.

He slid a thin sword back into his sheath and groaned when saw that his dog mask was not hanging from his bedpost as it usually was.

He stepped back out in the center of his living quarters, a decently sized two bedroom apartment with one bathroom falling between them, a fairly large livingroom that connected to a small deck, and a kitchen. Easily, he could buy a larger and more glamorous apartment, but he preferred to spend his money on more entertaining things. A few of Akamaru's belongings were placed haphazardly in the other bedroom, but for the most part, the extra 180 square feet was left untouched.

A speck of white caught his attention. As he kicked aside a randomly strewn towel from the floor in order to pick up the object, the lonely part of his brain brought up the idea of a roommate.

Having another person sharing his apartment would not make much of an impact on Kiba's home life, seeing as though his roommate would also be an active shinobi. The constant influx of missions would, more likely than not, lessen the chances of either of them crossing over each other.

Anyways, if he did end up with a roommate, the person would have to know how to cook. Well.

After slipping the mask on, he pushed it to the side like his dark haired companion and shouted a goodbye to Akamaru. Kiba kicked his front door open and sped off, not bothering to close it.

Having owned the furry white canine since birth, he knew that the dog would get up within the next hour and leave to go do manly dog things and trusted him to close the door behind him. Though a closed or locked door wouldn't pose as a problem if anyone did decide to break in, for whatever reason it may be. Kiba wasn't a material person, and owned nothing of high value in his diminutive apartment.

As a matter of fact, his most expensive item would probably be his mattress- a comfy king-size that covered nearly three-quarters of his room. It was his first investment as a resident in the apartment complex and held a small ounce of sentimental value. Kiba wasn't one to get too attached to inanimate objects, after all. Most people labeled him as an arrogant, competitive jackass- but he was so much more than that.

At least he could proudly say he was undoubtedly a big boy who could take care of himself and not have to return home to his mommy.

...Although the only reason why he was living on his own was because his mother kicked him out a few years ago after an unfortunate incident involving Kuromaru, a frying pan, and a small fire, but he hadn't complained and left with his ego intact (and a secret relief to finally get out of that crazy madhouse).

A quick glance at the clock told him he had two minutes until the meeting.

Kiba gave a small wince at the thought of the ruckus that may occur if he were to arrive late- something that definitely would not help maintain the low frequency of pounding in his head. Not wanting to waste another second, the shinobi sped off.

Haruno Sakura walked through the market with two cups of coffee in hand and a slight frown plastered on her face.

It was nearing noon, but still considered early as the streets were bustling with civilians and ninjas alike, scavenging for the best quality items they could find before the day wore off.

The weather was starting to chill and the trees were beginning to look more and more bare as the days passed. Winter was arriving and soon enough the number of available low-ranked missions would skyrocket, from what she could remember from her genin days. Citizens of the village were often lazy and paid for the simplest and mediocre jobs to be done in order to avoid standing out in the wild, snowy weather themselves.

She sighed in contentment, glad that she was now at jounin-rank. She was perfectly happy with her job as the head doctor at the hospital. One would think that working at the hospital disallowed her from leaving the village often, but she was also a regular field-medic and was sent out frequently on missions with other shinobi of her rank.

Team 7 (and they would always be Team 7) had not crumbled the slightest despite the disbandment of the group, they wouldn't allow it. Naruto demanded a weekly dinner at Ichiraku that quickly became tradition among them.

The loud blond was, like a few other of the Konoha Eleven ninjas, a leader of his own genin team, much to her surprise. Sakura didn't think that Naruto had the patience or skill to be able to teach children how to kill and work as a team, but he always had a knack for proving people wrong.

Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-sensei (and they would always be called 'sensei'), and Sai returned to active ANBU duties and the two elder of the three were now rarely seen around the village.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and stopped in front of a wide building that read Yamanaka Flower Shop in a bold red color.

The bell rang as she entered the store with her roseate locks strewn wildly from the wind outside. The powerful scent of flowers flooded her nostrils and she breathed it in happily. Her childhood friend's familiar voice called out from the back room and Sakura made herself comfortable against the counter.

"Hey, forehead. What brings you here?" Ino's disgruntled form greeted her unenthusiastically as she walked into the room, wiping her wet hands with a towel.

"Just wanted a talk." The Haruno responded with a grin. She pushed one of the still-warm cups of caffeine towards the blonde, in which she responded to with a quick 'thanks'. "Brought you some coffee. Thought it might help with the head." A laugh escaped her as the recalled a few memories from last night. "You were getting pretty freaky all up against Shino last night, but I'm sure you were too intoxicated to remember. Don't worry, though, I'm sure he didn't mind." This was a lie, of course. The bug-ninja had looked fairly uncomfortable with the blonde grinding against his unmoving and stiff body.

Ino took a large gulp of the magical liquid and sighed in relief, eyes closing in bliss. As her baby-blue eyes opened after a while, a confused expression was settled on her face. "I danced with Shino?"

"Again." Sakura added, remembering the last time they went out to a bar together. She swirled her cup around a little before taking a sip of her own coffee. "And it was more of you dancing on him and him trying to pretend nothing was happening. On the brighter side, everyone else, with the exception of Neji and Sai, was too damn smashed to notice anyways. With my luck, I probably started dancing on his other side not long after."

The Yamanaka snorted in amusement at the last sentence. "Wait- Hinata got drunk too?" The normally demure Hyuuga usually opted out of drinking.

Sakura chortled at the memory. "Yeah. That girl is a natural-born party animal." She distinctly remembered the heiress slamming her glass onto the table and demanding a drinking contest, which later led to a consequence for the loser. She outwardly shuddered as she thought of Lee dancing- up high where the whole village could see him in his birthday suit. Sakura was glad she hadn't took a glance at the monument on her walk here, or she surely would've seen some unnecessary... dangle. Better Lee than herself, she figured. Knowing the taijutsu specialist, he would be up there all day (or until he got forcibly removed).

"So what do you need? I know you didn't come all the way down here with coffee just to talk." A slender platinum blonde eyebrow rose inquisitively. "If you want your really nice shoes back, you're not getting them."

She pouted jokingly. "Darn." Her expression then turned serious. "Seriously though, I need those back next week. But, that wasn't what I came here for..."

"Get on with it, forehead. I don't have all day." Ah, there was the Ino she knew.

"Well, I was wondering... if I could maybe crash at your apartment for a week or two." Or three. Or four.

"Did you get kicked out again?" Ino sighed, throwing a reprimanding finger into the air. "I told you last time to stop barging into your parent's house in the wee hours of the morning, acting like a-"

"Actually, pig-"

"-because you just shouldn't do that. I know how loud you can be when you're tripping over random items and cursing like-"

"I can't-"

"-It's like you never listen to me! If you would've just listened to me, you wouldn't be in this predicament-"

"Pig."

"-know what I'm talking about. This is the third time this month and I-"

"Piggy."

"-and besides, my cousin is-"

"Piggy-pig-pig-pig."

"-they're asking why little Sakura-dear is always staying over my apartment when she should be living in her own, and you know how my parents can get, with the-"

"Ino!"

Ino blinked at the now-fuming pink-haired girl. "Yes?"

Sakura breathed in and out for a few seconds to calm her rage. She was surprised her temper had even maintained itself for so long. If it were Naruto, he would've been unconscious by the second interruption. "The thing is... I did get kicked out."

"See, this is what-"

"But this time, it's for good." Sakura frowned when Ino burst into laughter. She thought it was a serious topic, and would've preferred some comforting words over ridicule. "Ino! This is for real!"

"Good." Ino's laughter subsided and she forced herself to keep from smiling as Sakura's frown deepened even more. "It's about time you leave your parent's house! You're eighteen." And a half- not that it mattered.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura said forlornly, before buttering up a cheesy smile on her face. "So, please?"

"Sorry, darling, but if you were listening-" Which she definitely wasn't. "-you would've heard me say that my cousin is coming over to stay with me for a week. My apartment is hardly big enough for two, I don't think three would work." Ino frowned, giving the girl a much-needed reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Hey, why don't you stay at Naruto's place for a couple of days? I'll even help you go apartment hunting, okay?"

Sakura sighed, resting her abnormally large forehead on the glass counter. "Naruto's apartment is barely big enough for him. Plus, last time I visited, it was littered with ramen and junk."

"Hinata?"

She coughed. "At the Hyuuga mansion?"

"Right, right... Sai? Tenten? Shikamaru? Chouji? Shino? Kiba? Lee?"

"No- just no; she just left on a mission; he would be too lazy to make room for me, or bother to check if he has room for me; not enough room; living in clan grounds..." Sakura approached a thoughtful look. "Kiba has his own apartment, but he's in ANBU and probably has a mission soon anyways." She paused. "And it's Lee. As much as I love him as a friend, I don't think I can stand staying in the same quarters as him." Her nose wrinkled disgustedly as she was reminded of his consequence. "Besides, today he's dancing nude on shishou's statue. I don't think me staying with him would look good for either of us."

"From what I remember, Shino and Kiba came back from a mission a few days ago. Maybe you can go ask him anyways. He's your last hope, after all." Ino suggested. "Chances are, you'll be sleeping on Naruto's couch again."

"Oh, but I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"But you don't mind intruding on me?"

"We've been best friends since forever, pig, I'd hardly count it as intrusion."

"You've known Kiba for almost as long. I'm sure he won't mind." Ino finished off her drink and threw the empty Styrofoam cup into the trash bin. "And like I said, I'll come and help you look for an apartment as soon as my cousins are gone."

Sakura gave in, mimicking Ino's actions. "Alright. You've convinced me." She stood up straighter and fixed her coat. "I think I'll go find him now. See you later, Ino-pig. Meet me for dinner at 7."

She left the store and paused immediately, easing in to the harsh winds. Now where would he be?

She recalled Ino saying that he had returned from a mission a couple days ago. If she was lucky, he would be delivering his mission report and she could catch him at the administration building before he left.

Sakura was hoping he would let her stay at his apartment, she would hate to have to stay on Naruto's century-old couch for a week. That thing was old, and the blond was in a dire need of a new one.

Her pace sped up as she walked through the market, praying that she could avoid the afternoon traffic of children with their parents. She purposely kept her eyes to the floor. Seeing as though she was now walking towards the memorial, she didn't want to risk the chance of visual scarring. Judging by the startled gasps of the civilians and seniors and the heaving laughs of the shinobi and adolescents- it was a good call.

After a few minutes of walking, her emerald eyes spotted a familiar tuft of brown hair and the distinct crimson fang tattoo that marked the Inuzuka clan. He was walking beside who she assumed was Shino with his arms placed behind his head lazily. Surprisingly, Akamaru was not with him.

And here it goes.

"Kiba!"

A/N: So, my first multi-chaptered set in the actual Naruto universe! I think I might've lingered on certain topics for too long, but oh well. Suggestions? Corrections? Anything? And did you know, 'styrofoam' is supposed to be capitalized? I sure didn't.
07/10/08 - 07/12/08