CHAPTER 3: THE SECOND QUESTION

Kiba had stayed longer than I originally anticipated; we talked a lot about what was going on with our lives. I also learned that he lives rather close by actually; I also learned that he still had his once tiny puppy Akamaru, which he showed me a picture of and by gods he got huge. Although he didn't seem to notice the difference between the puppy he used to carry around almost everywhere he went, and this huge dog that could probably carry him like a horse.

I found out that he was saving up money to get into school, and was even trying to get into Konoha University, the same school Sakura and I go to! I actually got excited when he told me that he almost had enough to start next semester, but of course I had to hold my joy back.

To me, my Kiba was around again. He had the same persona of when he was a kid; always happy looking, cocky, and really attractive but again, I wouldn't tell him that.

By the time he'd said he had to go home to feed Akamaru, the sun had gone down and the stars were out in the night sky. For a while, I stayed up sitting on the couch where I was when he and I were talking just thinking. That was all; thinking about Kiba, about school, about Christmas, about my family, about Sakura, and about Kiba. Yes, I had to say I was thinking about him twice, because he was the main topic in my head.

All the thoughts spun round and round in my head. I just smiled, shook it off, and got up off the couch before heading to my room. I had already eaten lunch with Sakura at the mall, and had pizza with Kiba for dinner here so now that it was night, I was ready for bed.

Slipping from my sweats, I then went ahead and dropped my underwear that was on. Finally, I stood there in naught but the jacket that I treasured so much. I didn't take it off this time as I climbed into bed and under the covers. It felt right to sleep in his jacket now.

When morning came around, I again woke up at nearly ten in the morning, thinking 'how I could get used to it'; I heard my phone buzz on the side table. "Who the hell?" I asked as I looked over to my phone. Picking it up I smiled slightly as I saw it was from Kiba, but the message said it was sent around eight. My phone was programmed to where if I didn't look at a message it'd remind me every now and again till I checked it.

"Morning! Was just wondering if you were busy today, maybe we can hang out and get some coffee? I don't work so let me know!" I read it to myself before dropping my head back on my pillow.

Crawling out of bed, I had forgotten that I was still wearing the jacket from the day before. Looking over myself in the tall mirror that stood next to my dresser, I check myself out with a smirk. "Damn I look sexy." I said as I turned a little as if I were trying to check out my own ass.

Lifting my phone, I started to text back, "Yeah sounds great! Just give me a bit to get dressed. I just woke up." I sent it and grabbed some clothes.

Silk orange boxers and a pair of black jeans went on. I slipped my favorite Doctor Who belt on through the loops and then grabbed an orange shirt. It was a simple little v-neck that's material was actually thinner than I'd have liked for this weather, but I figured I would look good like this, so why not right?

Looking down at the dresser, I grinned as I saw the black 8-ball sitting in my top drawer. I thought of how it answered Sakura's question yesterday correctly. So why not try again. "Is Kiba single?" I asked before shaking the ball frantically. When I stopped, I watched as the die had yet to show itself. When it finally stopped and placed itself against the small port window, I smiled to myself before setting it down on the number before turning away from it.

I slipped back into the jacket and zipped it up before grabbing my wallet and keys from the kitchen counter before whipping out my phone once again, "I'm ready, where should I meet you?" I sent it. I started down toward my car, but as soon as I got out the door my phone buzzed. As I was locking my door, I unlocked my phone to read the message.

"I'm down stairs. I'm driving." I stopped with a raised brow. I hadn't expected this, but I figured 'what the hell, why not?' Not like I had to waste gas this way.

As I trotted down the stairs, I came around the building before I stopped and looked at the only car that was running in the parking lot. I raised a brow with a smirk. It was an Audi A6, one of my favorite brands and one of my favorite models.

I could see Kiba sitting in the driver's seat looking down; my guess was at his phone. Moving to the passenger's side door, I wrapped my arms under each other. The cold air was almost kicking my ass here.

Slipping into the car, I noticed that when I'd opened the door that he'd jumped slightly before his head shot up to look at me. His hands were busy frantically trying to put his phone in his pocket.

Raising a brow I looked down at it before looking him in the eye, "You don't need to stop texting on my account." I said before he chuckled nervously.

"Naw it's okay. Anyway, Starbucks alright? That's pretty much all we have here." He stated. Of course I had already figured that that was where we were headed. So I just nodded in agreement.

Pulling out my phone, I went through my contacts and found Sakura's. Clicking it, I started to type out that I had asked my 8-ball another question but before I pressed send I heard Kiba spoke up, "So I know we hung out last night, but I didn't get to hear too much about what it is that you've been doing for these past ten years. I know you're in college, but like, what are you studying there?"

I looked out toward the road ahead of us; it was still covered in ice. Locking my phone and forgetting about the text that I was about to send, I slid it in my pocket. "I'm studying to be an architect." I told him. I went on to explain how I'd gotten into the idea because no matter where I lived I'd always looked at other houses and just loved the way they were designed, and that I even wanted people to live in a beautiful creation of my own such as those.

He didn't laugh or say anything about my dreams until I was finished. But once I finished, he took a moment as if he was pondering a question that had been on his mind for a while. "Hey Naruto, when you become that great architect that I know you're going to be, design me a house too." He said with a sideways smile to me.

I just chuckled and looked out the window with a mumbled "Sure." I said as I could feel my cheeks heat just a little. I didn't expect him to ask me that. Maybe make a comment that he 'knows I'll be a great architect' but not asking me to design a place for him.

"I would really like that." He said with that same smile on his lips.

"I wouldn't mind living with you." I mumbled under my breath. I could feel my cheeks heat even farther as I realized I said that, but thank the gods that I said it as a mumble, maybe then I could play it off.

I looked to him as to see if he realized what I said, but by the looks of it he didn't. He just had that same smile on his face as he drove.

I didn't realize that he'd actually heard me, and that his own cheeks had an unordinary shade of pink to them.

I looked him over out of the corner of my eye as he talked. He was mostly talking about needless things, and silly things too about what he did where and when. Most of the time it was him talking about this one time with his friends…

I didn't actually realize what he was saying as I secretly stored his entire image in my mind. I didn't want to lose a single detail. I'd lost the boy once, and didn't want to do that again. "Hey Kiba." I cut him off mid-sentence.

He looked over at me with a raised brow. We were pulling into the Starbucks parking lot now. I hesitated with my question as he parked. "Ask whatever you're thinking. I promise I won't bite. Hard anyway." He added the last bit there with a laugh. Geez if I'd had his lips on me, we wouldn't be allowed in public ever!

"I was just wondering. You keep talking about all your friends here. But don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked. Looking to him, I could tell that it seemed to be a sensitive subject.

But then he just perked up almost instantly. "Naw, that isn't really for me." He told me with a wink. But that's when I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn't really for him? Did he not do relationships or something?

As I followed him into the building, my mind was still lingering on that sentence. He ordered a coffee with a lot of cream and sugar. I on the other hand just ordered a black one with a few spoonful of sugar.

Finding a seat near a corner window, I sat down and waited for him. He just seemed to have to order a breakfast sandwich here too. It was almost noon and he was just now eating? It was silly to me, but I guess that's just how some people were.

When he finally came over and sat next to me, I was almost half way through the coffee. "Geez, can't you get something to eat at home or something?" I asked with a raised brow. If he'd lived on his own, what was he doing about food?

He laughed and shrugged, "Not really. I don't have much at my place; I mostly eat out so I don't really go shopping for food very often." When he told me this, I wasn't really surprised. Sighing I just shook my head and gave him the look of 'you idiot' before shrugging.

"Well then I guess you can come over to my place and eat whenever you want." I told him before sipping my hot coffee again. The smile on his face was bright, but shy. It confused me, was he shy about something?

"Thanks, I really appreciate that." He said. I felt like there was a 'but' in there, although he didn't add anything else. He just sipped on his coffee before taking a bite of his sandwich so it seemed I'd have to ask.

"I feel as though you wanted to say something else there." I told him, he raised a brow at me and shook his head no. Maybe I was wrong about that but it still looked like something was lingering there. I didn't pay it any mind as I finished off my coffee and tossed the cup away. "So what else do you want to do today? Or is just going out for coffee all?" I asked this because, personally, I wanted to stay around him a little longer.

He stood as well, now going toward the trash with his empty containers. "I didn't really think about afterward. What do you do for fun?" He asked me this, and I just didn't know what to tell him.

"Oh, fun? Umm, I don't usually do anything aside from going to school and going to work. I'm usually too tired to go out. So I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing." I answered truthfully. I never really had time to go out and about to have fun. I was usually too tired from school and work, although I never called out sick for either.

"Well I know this great place to smoke hookah and play video games, that's only if you are okay with that sort of thing though?" He told me this, and I bit my lip. He smoked? I didn't know that, and I don't usually try to hang out with people who used drugs, even as medication. By my guess, he saw my reaction in my face, "Oh don't worry, and it's not pot or anything. It's shisha! It's sort of like a Tabaco and tea mixture, without the nicotine."

As he explained it to me, he snickered at the expression I had earlier as I thought about what he meant originally. But now that he explained it, I nodded in understanding. That I might be able to do, after all it'd be legal then, and hey it could even be some fun.

As we headed out to the car, he started to explain this place he always went with some of his friends, it was called Akatsuki. I didn't really care what it was called, as long as I was going to be there with my friend here, I didn't care if it was on the other side of the world! I knew that I'd have fun with him.

As he talked, I don't know when I stopped paying attention to his words and just thought about him. He was already a great friend to have and I'd just regained his friendship. I knew that we'd grow even closer, as long as I didn't let him know how I felt. I knew that I liked him; I had once before when we were children. That was the reason for the promise I made back then.

"Naruto?" I heard him call my name and I jumped a little before looking to the driver's seat. It was empty and Kiba was standing outside the car with the door open, looking at me with concern. "We're here." He said with a laugh.

I shook myself off before getting out and following him up to the door. I expected a bunch of people, all either high or drunk. I expected it to be like a bar. But boy was I wrong.

As we walked in, the group behind the counter waved to Kiba and said welcome to him as though they were old friends. He turned to me, waving to someone behind me as he looked to me, "Take a seat anywhere. I'll be right back." He said before turning and walking off to the counter. He started to talk to some guy with dark red hair.

Smoke filled the air, but I was still able to breathe so it wasn't so bad that someone would die from suffocation.

I looked around to see people were sitting on black leather couches that littered the room. On my left there were about six couches that lined the wall. One was on the far back next to the counter that was blocked from view by a wooden partition. I could see some smoke coming up from behind the wall there, so I knew that it was occupied. Across the room sat a wall that was shorter in length, probably about twenty-five feet across that held about four couches there. They were all occupied with people. In front of each couch sat a black coffee table maybe about two feet tall and about four feet wide. On the smaller wall there were three 70" flat screens handing, each with a different game system attached; PlayStation 4, Xbox one, and Wii U.

Sitting down at the third couch from the front door, I leaned back into the couch and sank in. It was incredibly comfortable. I closed my eyes and rested my head back but before I could even feel sleep try to take over, the couch dipped on my right as someone else sat down.

I instantly assumed that Kiba had returned, but I was proven wrong when a girl started to talk. "Hey there cutie. I've never seen you here before." She said. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a girl's voice there.

Turning to look at her, I shook myself off of surprise and gave her the most bored look I could possibly manage. "Hi." Was all that I said. I didn't try to start a conversation or even lead the girl on but I knew that I wasn't going to get rid of her that easily.

"What are you doing in a place like this? I didn't know that such an attractive guy would come to places like this." She told me as she placed her hand on my thigh.

I didn't tense, I didn't even flinch. I was used to girls trying to get me to bed with them. They were always like this actually; I just brushed her hand off, and looked her in the eye, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to tell you this. But I don't enjoy the presence of a whore who thinks she can seduce me just by touching me and trying to act all sensitive. Also, I'm gay." I told her this with a straight face.

She gave me a disgusted look and walked away. I chuckled as I saw her seat her blonde-self down next to a guy with red hair and a brunette. The later of the two laughed as I saw the one with red hair give me an apologetic look. What was up with that?

"So you're gay huh?" I heard a voice from my left. I jumped and turned quickly to see Kiba standing there with two mountain dews in his hands. Holding one out to me, he grinned.

I took it with knowing that my face was now red. I silently thanked the fact that the room was slightly dark and filled with smoke. I turned away as I opened my drink and took a sip without answering him.

"Hey you know, I don't mind if you're gay dude. I'm always here fer ya." He said it with that same cocky attitude that he'd taken up the day before. And by gods did I find that attitude of his attractive.

"Thanks." I mumbled before taking another sip. I looked up to the televisions watching people play. There were four people playing the newest Call of Duty on the PlayStation, I figured they were online since they were getting their asses kicked by the other team. Then over on the Xbox one, there were a few playing Destiny. A new game that I wanted to try later on.

"You wanna play?" Kiba asked as he nodded toward the games, "I suck at Destiny and Advanced Warfare, but they have Smash Bros for the Wii U." I looked over to the last system and sure enough that's what a group of six people were playing. Of course the game could feature eight, so I didn't see why not.

"Sure. I could probably kick your ass with a few characters." I told him. He just shook his head as though he didn't believe me. I just shrugged, he'll learn.

"Hey Shika! Toss some controllers over here!" Kiba called to the other side of the room. The guy that sat on the other side of the room, with dark colored hair that was up in a spiky bunch on his head looked over before tossing two Wii controllers.

"You can start next game Kibbles, I'm kicking their asses right now." The guy, Shika, said. And I guessed that he was Dark Pit because that character was kicking everyone's ass.

I looked to Kiba before speaking, "You know them?" I asked. He just nodded while he took a sip of his drink.

At this moment a girl with blue hair walked over with what I guessed was the hookah that Kiba had ordered. She held a light blue colored origami rose in a bun on her hair. She smiled sweetly before setting it down, "Anything else I can get you two?" She asked.

"No thanks Konan. We're good." He said as she placed the coal on the top of the bowl and handed the hose over to my friend. Waving to her he started to suck on the hose to try and get the smoke flowing. "And yeah, I know them." He said as he pointed the tip of the hose to the people across the room that were almost done with their game; Dark Pit still in the lead.

"That one there, with his hair up, is Shikamaru. He's smart but lazy as hell. I don't even know how he's alive from the lack of work he does. There's no way he has money enough to pay for anything." He pointed out before continuing. "The girl next to him is his girlfriend Ino. She's a bit of a know it all, and loves gossip but otherwise she's pretty cool I guess. Then there's Choji, he's always eating. It's like he's got tapeworm or something I swear. But don't call him fat if you want to live till tomorrow. Next is the guy with those sunglasses. He's actually a pretty good friend of mine, his name is Shino. He's the quiet type though, and pretty damn smart too, although his obsession with insects is unnerving. Then there's Neji, a genius for his age. He's a teacher for martial arts so don't piss him off, if you don't want to be in the hospital. Lastly there's Hinata. She's usually quiet, so there's not much to tell about her aside that she's Neji's cousin."

He pointed out person after person before the guy, Choji if I remember properly, screamed over to us. "Hey you better pick your characters if you want to play this round Kiba!" He said as it seemed that everyone else who was going to play had already chosen for the next round.

I chose Zelda while Kiba decided on Little Mac. Aside from that, I was facing up against Dark Pit, Link, Kirby, Ike, Zero Suit Samus, and Lucario. All of them seemed like they'd be difficult to fight. But I was a bitch to kill in this game, and I took great pride in that!

They turned it to stock lives and no items except the smash ball on, so it was just an all-out brawl. Then they started the game, and it was on.

Kiba held the hose in his lips as he pulled smoke out of the hookah, "So when did you move up here to Konoha?" He asked. With the smoke in his lungs, his voice was really deep compared to its usual. But as he spoke and the smoke came from his mouth, his voice faded back to its usual tone.

"Well I guess I came here about a year ago. After this semester, I'll be here a year and a half." I told him as I took a sip of my drink while simultaneously reflecting one of Dark Pit's arrows back at him. I could hear some cursing on the other side of the room.

"I see well then when I get into the University I'll have to ask you to show me around huh?" He asked me as he used Little Mac's infamous KO punch on Kirby.

I chuckled a little before pulling the hose from his lips. I didn't bother to wipe it off as I placed it between my own and pulled the smoke from the water in the bulb at the bottom. The taste of the smoke was amazing, but for some reason reminded me of the breakfast cereal Fruity Pebbles. I looked at him with a little confusion as I let the smoke fill my nose and flow out.

"What? I like the taste of that one. It's called Rainbow from Fantasia." He told me with the widest grin. I turned back to the screen that was in front of me only to see I was about to fall off the screen. And, I died. I sighed before sitting back as my character responded.

We had five lives so it was okay for me to die just once or twice.

"You are a strange one alright." I told him as I tried to focus on the game.

"I'm strange? Well I guess so, but look at you. You're a real weirdo!" He laughed as he was now attacking me in the game, only to be blown up by Zelda's fireball. I snickered as I did that because of the groan I heard from him.

"Well at least I know one thing. If we ever play this game again, you're so screwed." I laughed.

Within about ten minutes of all out onslaught, it was just Dark Pit, and Zelda left on the screen. So it was between Shikamaru and me. For a little while it was just a stare down. We both had near two hundred percent damage, so almost one attack would kill either of us. And both having one life, it was a very tense stare down.

I noticed that Kiba was snickering at me as he watched, now leaning back into the couch with the hookah hose hanging out of his lips, and his right arm draped around the back of me on the edge of the couch, and his right on the arm of the couch.

Then there it was, Shikamaru shot an arrow with Dark Pit, and I reflected it almost laughing with joy as I watched the arrow fly at him. But he put up the shield and reflected it back. Zelda was still spinning as she had used the first move to reflect the arrow, so I was hit with it and thrown from the screen. I lost.

I set the controller down before ripping the hookah hose from Kiba's lips and putting it between mine. I liked the taste, and playing with the thick smoke was actually rather fulfilling. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and sighed as I pulled it out. There was a text from Sakura asking where I was.

I unlocked my phone, and realized that I didn't send the text I started at the Starbucks. So I erased it and started typing back, "I'm with Kiba at this hookah bar, wanna hear something kind of interesting?" I sent it and put my phone on my lap as I watched the next brawl battle start without us.

"I was wondering Naruto." I heard and looked over to my friend. He looked like he was currently locked in thought. "Wanna come back to my place and hang out? I mean I can drive you home whenever you want, or if you'd like you can even stay the night." He told me.

I pondered this for a moment before I felt my phone vibrate, looking at it I looked up to him, "I don't really want to go anywhere else. Just home really. I'm sorry." I told him as I saw the time was already four pm; I unlocked my phone to read the message.

"Oh you're with the sexy guy from yesterday? Get it! And what's so interesting?" I laughed at the first part, and sighed as I knew that it was just her way of being fun and saying good luck.

"I asked my 8-ball if Kiba was single. I know don't pester me about 'getting it' but it said he was." I sent. I turned to look out of the corner of my eye to see that Kiba seemed a little disappointed with my answer to him. "If you still want to hang out, come back to my place. Bring whatever you want from your house and come over. And if you really want to stay the night with me then I guess you can." I told him as I caved on that last part. I knew that if he were to stay over, I wouldn't be able to sleep how I usually did; naked.

"Really?" Kiba perked up at that then slumped down slightly, "I can't. I have Akamaru at home, and he doesn't like being home alone all the time." He told me. And I knew that I was going to regret the next thing that came out of my mouth.

"That's fine, he can come too I guess." I said. It was almost like the frown on his face did a complete one-eighty. Then his face went straight.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, he doesn't shed too bad right now because of the cold. But he is a dog." He told me. "Well, he's still a puppy anyway."

I raised a brow and chuckled, "Kiba, that'd mean he's been a puppy for ten years." I laughed as his pondering of this.

It took a few more hours, and about five more games of Smash Bros, each ending between a duel between Shikamaru and I with him always winning, before we left the Akasuki Hookah Bar heading for my apartment.

"I'll drop you off at home and go and get my stuff and Akamaru okay?" He told me. I just nodded as I text Sakura that I was on my way home. I didn't really mind the idea of Akamaru coming over too. It still bothered me about having both of them stay the night. But that was to be expected when you haven't seen someone in ten years and you don't know who they are anymore.

As we pulled into the parking lot of my complex, I got out and waved to Kiba as he said he'd be back. I didn't listen as I walked off through the crunching snow. I just about ran up the frozen steps to my apartment. I needed to get warm, and fast. It was freezing out now.

The time came to around six, and Kiba still hadn't shown up again yet. Maybe there was something urgent that he needed to take care of. I didn't know why he wouldn't say anything though. But then the door opened behind me.

Looking over my shoulder from my video games, I almost asked what took him so long, but realized it was only Sakura. I sighed and slumped back down turning back to the TV to continue playing Call of Duty. I wasn't the best, but I was still pretty good.

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day." She said as she moved into the kitchen. I heard the fridge open up. I knew exactly what she was going for.

"Leave my monsters alone!" I called only to hear her grumble before the fridge opened up again. I smiled to myself as I heard the jingle of the cans. She came out a few moments later with a glass of water.

"I thought you said Kiba was going to be coming over tonight? Where is he?" She asked. I stopped my game, thinking for a moment about where he was.

Before I said anything, I looked to her a little confused, "I never said anything about him coming over tonight." I told her. Then with a sigh I turned off my system, and turned to her, "You were talking to him today weren't you?" I asked.

She acted as though she had no idea what I was talking about as she took a sip of water. "Hmm, nope can't say that I heard from him today." She tried to play it off by picking up a video game case that lay on the floor in front of the couch. But with her eyes, she glanced over at me to see if I was still staring at her. Which I was.

"Okay yes I talked to him, he text me this morning asking where you were because he couldn't get ahold of you, I told him that you sleep in late on breaks because of school and everything. And we just sort of kept talking a lot today." She told me. I sighed and slumped down in my spot. "I'm sorry Naruto." She said as a mumble.

Unbelievable. My best friend was already trying to make a move on the guy that I liked, sure he was straight, but come on! "Wait, don't you have a boyfriend?" I scolded.

She giggled at me but nodded, "Yeah so? I can't talk to a hot guy without trying to hit on him?" She asked me. I gave her that look that everyone knows so well as the "are you fucking kidding me" look.

Raising her hands defensively she shook her head, "I am not trying to put the moves on your man. Sorry!" She said just before we heard the door open.

"Sakura you're trying to steal Naruto's boyfriend?" We both heard. My face turned at least five different shades of red as I turned to see Kiba standing there with a backpack on, and grocery bags in both hands. "I figured since you were kind enough to let us stay tonight, I'd make dinner." He told me before walking to the kitchen with his huge white dog following him with another bag in his mouth, and another backpack on his back.

I raised a brow and looked to Sakura who just shrugged as if she had no idea either.

We both got up from our spots and leaned into the kitchen, "Hey Naruto, is it okay if I use your pans and everything right?" He called, but lowered his voice when he noticed we were standing right there.

"Yeah sure, use whatever you need." I told him before turning away and pulling Sakura with me to my room. I closed the door and looked her in the eye. "Do not embarrass me, or I swear to whatever holy god you believe in I will end you." I warned. She just smiled sweetly before shaking her head and pushing past me to walk out into the kitchen.

"Hey Kiba, do you have a boyfriend?" She called out. My face went beat red and I ran after her yelling her name.