Kiba awoke the next morning with a headache that rivaled painful injuries he received during missions. Damn it, how much had he drank last night? What the heck happened? Kiba sat up and winced at the pain lacing through his head and put his hands up to his temples. He needed to get medicine and fast.
"You shouldn't drink that much."
A hungover Inuzuka looked at his dog through bleary eyes before falling back onto the mattress and pulling the covers over his head. "Shut up."
Akamaru jumped onto his bed and curled up beside him. Kiba's hand rubbed his dog's ears. "What happened last night? Naruto and Shikamaru brought you home smelling like way too much alcohol."
Kiba covered his head with a pillow and told Akamaru everything from what Sakura was wearing to how they started a drinking contest. He pondered hard to remember the night's events. Kiba vowed he wouldn't drink that much alcohol ever again, but at least now he had a date with Sakura... although he also had to play the role of her pet for a day. He groaned and wondered just what that pink-haired woman would make him do.
If the dog could laugh, he would have at Kiba's predicament. "Where will your date be?"
Kiba exhaled. "I'm not sure yet. Sakura doesn't seem like a movie and flowers type of girl. She'll want to do something fun. I have to talk to her. We need to decide when we'll hold up our ends of the bet."
"Well, if you got up sometime today, you can go find her."
Kiba peeked from under his pillow and blanket at the clock. It was one in the afternoon. His eyes widened. His mother must not have been home because she would have kicked him awake by now, hung over or not. Akamaru confirmed. His mom left for a week-long mission. Kiba chuckled at his luck; his mom had a habit of scaring away possible girlfriends so if she wasn't here then he would have a better chance of getting a solid start with Sakura.
"Sakura," he murmured out loud.
She was beautiful, smart, and feisty. Kiba liked that. He had to know more. Too bad Naruto's info on her was only that she liked medical scrolls and cooking. That was fine. Kiba would rather figure her out without the help of someone else. Sitting up despite his throbbing headache, Kiba got out of bed and entered the kitchen in search of medicine. He didn't have to worry about feeding Akamaru since his sister Hana would do so if he wasn't up yet, but his buddy wanted to go for a walk. Kiba rummaged through the cabinets and relief washed over him when he found aspirin. After taking it, he scavenged the fridge for lunch. While it warmed up, Akamaru's mate Tamako came into the kitchen and rubbed against Kiba's leg. He reached down to brush his fingers through her tawny fur then rubbed her large belly. Tamako was due soon and from the ultrasound, she would have about nine pups.
"Can you refill my water bowl Kiba?" she asked as she licked his leg. "It's been getting dry faster these days."
Akamaru moved to his companion's side and licked her face. She returned his affections before giving him a soft nip. The male dog went to fetch Tamako's water bowl for her and Kiba sat at the table to eat, every few moments sneaking her a bite of the beef he was eating.
"What's it like having a mate Tamako?" Kiba asked as he toyed with the seaweed on his plate.
"Well," the female dog started as she laid on her side. "It's great to have a mate. I'm glad we're part of a clan or else he would run around getting other bitches pregnant."
Kiba locked his arms behind his head. "He wants to breed with other dogs?"
Tamako licked his ankle. "Remember Kiba that dogs aren't like humans. It's not hurtful for a male to get others pregnant as it isn't for the females to get pregnant by other males. True, since we are part of this clan we mate for life, but if we weren't, Akamaru would get other females pregnant. He can't help it. It's in his nature."
"Is reproducing all a dog cares about?" he questioned as he got up to put his plate in the sink.
"Yes," she answered. "Pups are the desired outcome."
Kiba sighed, realizing it wasn't the best idea to ask an animal for their take on having a partner. He refused to ask his mother for two reasons: one, she frightened off his father and two, she wasn't in town. His sister was single too so no point in talking to her. Just then Akamaru trotted back in with Tamako's water bowl and Kiba filled it up, placing it near the refrigerator. Tamako struggled for a moment to get to her feet before moving over to the water bowl. Kiba needed to find one of his close friends to confide in, but first, he needed a shower.
Sakura shuffled through work at the hospital. Her head pounded she got up that morning. She couldn't convince Shizune to perform a chakra technique that eased painful headaches. The dark-haired woman declined, stating Sakura deserved to suffer for drinking so much. Shizune told her she was acting more like Tsunade each day. Sakura insisted that she wasn't, but her actions spoke louder than words. good thing there were no surgeries that day because focusing wasn't her strong suit right now.
When Sakura woke up the next morning on Ino's bedroom floor, the blonde informed her of the events that transpired and why she now had the most raging head trauma she'd ever experienced. She and Kiba swore they could out drink each other. They both won since Neji halted the contest before someone got alcohol poisoning. Now she had a date with her animalistic comrade. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed with irritation. Kiba apparently liked her if he wanted to take her out, but his goal was to get in her pants. It was his mating season time. Then again, he didn't take Ino out last year during his rut. Her friend and Kiba ended up at her place after a few drinks. Ino said he was so amazing in bed she wanted to jump on him again... pig.
Sakura decided to Hinata about Kiba. She was his teammate and would know if Kiba had ill intentions. Right now, Sakura was unsure about the whole situation. She made a bet though and she would hold up her end, but she refused to fall into Kiba's arms. She wasn't even sure how she felt about him. Sakura never paid attention to him before. Her eyes remained locked on Sasuke Uchiha.
The medic grasped her next chart to prepare for patient who got a kunai stuck through his hand during practice. The kids nowadays didn't pay attention to what they were doing.
Sakura's legs moved on autopilot, her mind tracing back to a certain Inu Nin. She was positive he would seek her out soon. She'd study his features better then. For now, she would come up with ways to embarrass Kiba when she paraded him around as her pet dog. Giggles bubbled up the medic's throat as she opened the door to see her patient.
Hinata dodged away just as Shino's bugs almost captured her. The Hyuga princess panted hard, pulling her dark purple hair out of her face and smiling at her friend. Every morning, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba sparred to keep on top of their game. Each of them were Jounin and often deployed on hard missions. It was imperative their skills always remained sharp. Sometimes even Kurenai-sensei came to assist them, but nowadays Kairi had most of her attention. The two-year-old was a handful so the former students understood their sensei's responsibilities.
However, the child seemed to love watching them battle so when Shikamaru wasn't busy, he would bring her by. It also seemed like Kairi was fond of Shino the most. She brought out something in the bug user that Hinata had never seen before. Her comrade would be a good father one day. He would swing her with the help of his insects, (which she found amusing and not icky) making her giggle.
"Gentle Fist!" Hinata shouted when she moved close enough to Shino.
I got him, she cheered in her mind when her hand connected, but that was short lived when Shino turned into a swarm of insects. They moved to hit her in the stomach and Hinata dodged once more.
"Do you have any idea where Kiba is?" Shino asked.
Hinata whirled around to see her opponent standing behind her. "I saw him last night at a bar with his friends. He got drunk, so he might still be sleeping."
Shino's eyebrows furrowed. "He can be such an idiot."
"Who's an idiot?"
Both ninjas turned to see Kiba ambling towards them. Hinata smiled at him. "How are you feeling Kiba?"
"Got a raging headache, but other than that I'm fine," Kiba answered, leaning against a tree as Akamaru sat at his ankles.
"You deserve it." Shino moved to stand next to Hinata, still gazing in Kiba's direction. "Hinata, I need to talk to Kiba alone. Can you give us a moment?"
"Um sure," Hinata responded as she laced her hands together. "I'll meet you guys at Ichiraku's okay?"
Both male teammates nodded, and their soft-spoken partner headed through the woods back to the village. Shino turned to his teammate. "What's bothering you, Kiba?"
It was a statement. Shino wasn't the type to beat around the bush. He always got straight to the point. That was something Kiba liked about his friend although he was a little too stoic for his tastes. Shino and Neji had similar personalities. He understood why Shino was so serious. His parents were the same way. They were nice people though they didn't say much.
"How did you know I wanted to talk?" Kiba questioned as he gazed up at the bright sun.
Despite that it was high in the sky, he still needed a jacket. Kiba exhaled, watching his breath billow in front of his face. The breeze caused a shiver to move down his spine, but he enjoyed the cooler weather. He didn't have to worry about getting all sticky unless he was training and no worries about getting sunburned. He was prone to peeling despite his tanned skin.
"Because I know you," Shino responded as he walked to stand next to his childhood friend. "Now what's bothering you?"
Kiba exhaled. "I like Sakura."
"Well she is pretty," Shino mused, "but isn't this kind of sudden?"
Kiba explained to his friend everything that happened the day before and expressed the different feeling he got around Sakura compared to other women. He found her body attractive, but he wanted to learn more about her. Shino remained silent as he listened to Kiba's story.
"So, there's something different about her in your eyes," he murmured. "You want to figure it out. This date is the perfect opportunity to see deeper into Sakura. You need to concentrate on her. No stupid stunts trying to be funny. Take your date with her seriously because I doubt Sakura is the type to give second chances."
He had one shot. Sakura wasn't the forgiving type. Kiba had to impress her with the best date of her life. The wheels turned in Kiba's mind. That didn't leave many options, so creativity was key. Kiba smiled to himself, a plan formulating on their date.
Sakura was on her lunch break and stopped to eat at a small restaurant in the village. They served the best seafood dishes and Sakura had a taste for fish at the moment. Sakura looked up from the menu and saw familiar purple hair across the street.
"Hey, Hinata!"
The shinobi turned around at the sound of her name and smiled at her friend. After walking the short distance over to the outside restaurant, Hinata took a seat next to the pink-haired woman she had known since childhood.
"Would you like something to eat?" Sakura asked as she continued to gaze at the menu. "They've got great stuff here."
"That sounds nice," Hinata answered, leaning over in her wooden chair to look at the menu in Sakura's hands. "I don't want to eat ramen today."
Sakura understood that. When she and Naruto were kids, it's all they ate... ever. It didn't matter if it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner time. That was all the Jinchuriki wanted. She couldn't stomach ramen all the time. With Hinata being Naruto's girlfriend, she had to. All that salt was bad for one's health. When the waiter came to assist them, both girls ordered a glass of tea and waited for their breadsticks. She hoped Hinata would have the answers to her questions, so she'd better ask now. Her lunch break was only thirty minutes.
"Hinata," she began, taking a sip of her tea. "I wanted to ask you a few questions about Kiba."
"You do? what questions did you have in mind?"
"I'm sure you know about Kiba's mating season and how he finds a girl to satiate him during that one-week period. It seems like I'm the girl he's looking at, but then again, I'm not sure. He wanted a date so do you have any idea if he is genuinely interested in me or if he's just trying to get laid?"
Hinata's cheeks burned at the latter part of her sentence. "Well, um. Kiba never asked the girls before on a date so I think he wants to get to know you, but I'm sure that... getting... having..."
"Sex may be his ulterior motive," Sakura finished for her.
Hinata nodded. The waiter returned and took their orders and Sakura handed the blonde male her menu. Kiba wanted sex most right now. That wasn't happening. Did she want a relationship though? Without one, she wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt by some jerk...
Sakura pushed her thoughts away from a certain Uchiha and smiled at her friend. "Thanks for telling me Hinata."
They continued to talk over their lunch and soon it was time for Sakura to go back to work. As she laid down the money for her meal, Hinata stopped her before she could leave.
"Kiba is a good guy, but his rut isn't the best time."
That made sense. Because of Kiba's rut, he wasn't thinking straight most likely so when it was over, they could talk better. There was still their date and her parading him around like a puppy. Sakura doubted she'd be able to hold that off until next week. Today was Tuesday meaning there was still five days left of his rut. What could she do to postpone it?
Naruto ran up Sakura stood to go back to work. "Hey what's the rush?"
"Sakura, the Hokage wants to see us." The blonde smiled with excitement. "We've got a mission."
Sakura groaned. She didn't want a mission! Wait... this mission would keep her out of town for the rest of Kiba's rut. Then he wouldn't be thinking with his penis... well not as much anyway. If she was against dating, why did it matter? Sakura sighed. She was just tired of being alone. The Inuzuka's personality was nothing like Sasuke's and it was obvious that he was interested in her. Sasuke never showed much interested.
"All right let's go."
Naruto nodded and kissed his girlfriend. "There are two more going. We'll meet them at the briefing."
"Okay, bye Hinata!" Sakura called as she and her best friend took off towards the Hokage Tower.
Kiba was busy walking Akamaru (if that's what one could call it) while Shino watched the insects in their habitats when an ANBU Officer appeared near him.
"Kiba Inuzuka," the masked man stated. "The Hokage has summoned you."
Kiba landed on the ground from his place in a tree. The ANBU Officer told him it was for a mission and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kiba said his goodbyes to his quieter friend and jumped on Akamaru's they made their way to the tower, Kiba was more than annoyed this mission would delay his plan to speak to Sakura that evening. The higher the rank, the longer time spent away from the village. True that the pay rate was much higher, but he'd skip the mission if he could to spend time with Sakura. Kiba growled as they stopped on the front steps of the familiar building. His time with Sakura had to wait until he returned. He might not be in a rut anymore, but he realized that was okay. He could pick a mate whenever he chose, not just in mating season.
Kiba and Akamaru traveled to the Hokage's office and knocked before opening the door. He surprised to see that the girl he was just thinking about was standing next to her teammates. Those gorgeous viridian eyes shot open with surprise and when she looked away, Kiba was sure he saw her blushing. He smirked at the thought of being able to make her blush by doing nothing. Maybe it would be easier to win her affection than he thought.
"So, we're all here now let's hear the mission sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, moving from his place next to the dark-haired artist.
"Ah ah ah. That's Hokage to you Naruto."
Naruto growled. "You like rubbing that in my face, don't you?"
The Hokage turned in his chair and his single opaque eye closed, showing he was smiling. Despite that he was now Hokage, the former Jounin still kept his face covered with the dark cloth he always wore unless he was out among the people. Naruto was shocked the first time he saw his former sensei without a mask. For a few moments, the loudmouth remained silent. That was the longest Naruto ever kept his mouth closed.
"It's nothing like that," Kakashi answered. "The job is yours once you finish your training. Now about this mission. It's an A-rank mission from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. They need us to discover who killed their village leader."
"All right!" Naruto exclaimed. "We're on our way."
"Not so fast." Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at the silver-haired man. "You can't let anyone know why you're there. Our client has informed us she believes the advisers of their land have something to do with it. Do not engage with them if possible."
The four ninjas nodded in understanding.
"Sai, you're the leader of this mission," Kakashi informed. "I can count on you to get things done efficiently."
"Yes, sir."
"Prepare to leave in two hours."
With that, the four ninjas left to gather their belongings. Kiba couldn't believe his luck as he searched his room and bathroom for everything he would need for the trip. This mission gave him plenty of time to get closer to Sakura. They wouldn't be able to go on their date or hold up his end of the bargain, but at least they could talk. The mission came first, but still, he could spend time with her whenever they weren't busy.
"Lucky of you huh Kiba?"
Said ninja grinned. "Yeah, I can't believe we ended up on the same mission."
Akamaru wagged his tail. "Are you going to mate with her while we're on the mission?"
Kiba coughed as heat flooded to his loins at the thought. "That isn't the reason I'm trying to go after her."
"I thought you wanted her to be your mate?" Akamaru trotted over to his companion and nudged his hand.
"I never said that," Kiba mumbled.
He didn't have to. If anyone knew him inside and out, it was Akamaru. Pros and cons came from that. The dog was nosy, so he asked a billion questions until he understood.
"I take then you're just going to learn more about her?" Akamaru whined as he headed for the door. "You humans are so complicated."
Kiba chuckled at that, slinging his pack over his shoulder and following the large dog to the front door. Tamako was waiting for them, her tail wagging. Kiba stopped to scratch behind her ears and rub her belly, a habit he formed when the female dog first showed signs of pregnancy.
"Don't you have those puppies until I get back," Kiba informed her.
She licked his hand in response. "I'll try not to."
"Good girl."
Owner and companion headed towards the front gates of Konoha to meet Sai, Sakura, and Naruto. Weird, Naruto always arrived last. Oh well, they all were there. Sai nodded at all of them and the four-man squad headed into the forest they had grown to know so well. Kiba kept looking over at Sakura, realizing she was trying hard not to catch his eye and she smelled a little nervous. Was that because of him? Well if she wasn't interested at all, she wouldn't feel nervous... right?
Sakura stole a glance at him and Kiba gave her his fanged smile. He chuckled inwardly at the redness that tinted her cheeks. Yeah, it might be easier to get Sakura than he thought.
