Me & You

Chapter Three: This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race

The drive through the town was definitely very interesting. The architecture of Konoha was different from back home. We had Queen blasting in the car as we drove and I lightly tapped my foot to the beat of the kick drum, looking at various establishments as they passed.

"How long have you lived in Konoha, Kiba?" I asked, deciding to start conversation.

The brunet turned down "Another One Bites the Dust", so that it was lightly humming in the background, and he cleared his throat. "Well," he thought for a moment, "I've been here my whole life basically. Grew up with the same people and such. The only time I've really ever changed scenery is when I moved homes. We used to live in South Konoha now we live a little bit closer to the school. Not by much, but still."

I nodded and continued looking at all the pretty trees. They were in fall colors which made a mesmerizing golden brown color mixed with reds and oranges here and there. I sighed contently and shifted in my seat, looking back forward. "I see, well. That's pretty cool. Konoha seems like a fun place."

"Yeah. There's a lot to do, quite contrary to popular teen belief," Kiba spoke, making a right turn down the next street, "movies, concerts, beach, and the arcade as you know."

"A beach?"

Kiba smirked, "You like the water?"

I blushed a little bit and laughed slightly, "Yeah. I used to live basically on an island. So…water is what makes me feel like it's home…"

Kiba glanced over at me, though I didn't really notice. He continued driving and we took a left, pulling into a residential neighborhood. It was, surprisingly for me, gated.

"You live in a gated community?"

Kiba laughed then looked at me, "What? Surprised?"

"No," I lied, "just a question." I had expected Kiba to live more in a neighborhood like I did: still nice but definitely high-end. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable; I really wasn't one for judging people but damn did I underestimate Kiba.

The neighborhood had a ton, and I mean a TON, of three level or really big one level homes. They were almost like mansions! Nothing extravagant like a 30-acre living space, but they were pretty big. Great looking architecture, with that, I could tell that the owners took good care of their homes. What did Kiba's family do to earn such a place like this?

"You're drooling a bit there, champ."

I shook my head, exiting my mind scape, and quickly wiped my lip. Nothing was there and I growled at Kiba. He snickered, "Jeez, just kidding. But seriously, you spaced out there for a second. Haven't seen a neighborhood like this before?"

"Well. Uzu isn't really a big town. We mostly have rural living spaces, farms, or huge garden-like homes." I commented and Kiba nodded his head, pulling down a cul-de-sac.

"Interesting. I bet it's really nice there~"

I nodded. The car pulled into a driveway and I looked up at the house which I assumed was Kiba's. It was a big one level, like the few I had seen driving by. It was a big grey house with red rimmed windows. An interesting color palette, but I didn't mind.

The lawn was neatly trimmed and there were plots of roses and lilies all along the pathway. A big willow tree sat in the middle of the yard with a swing attached to it. The driveway could fit maybe four cars in it; it was in the back middle of the cul-de-sac and had the most amount of square footage of the houses in the lot.

Kiba put the car in park then removed the keys, and got out. I got out as well, grabbing my backpack and shut the door behind me. "Wow…really nice looking home, Kiba." I looked to him and he leaned against his car, giving a cocky bit of a hair flip and smirk.

"Eh, it's not that great." He joked and I rolled my eyes, before walking with him up to the front door. As he was unlocking the door he glanced over his shoulder to me, "Brace yourself."

"Wait what do you mean…?" I asked, confused.

The door opened and instantly I found myself on the ground. The air had been knocked out of me and I struggled to move. What the fuck had just tackled me? A 400 pound man!?

I slowly opened my eyes to see nothing but white fur. White fur…?

Suddenly, I started getting licked. I let out a noise before trying to cover my face. "H-Help! K-Kiba!" All I could hear was laughter, from most likely Kiba on the floor as he tried calling off his dog.

"Ahhahahaha! A-akamaru! Get off of him boy hahahahaha." The laughing wouldn't stop as finally Akamaru got off of me and sat next to his owner, nudging him lightly with his nose. I struggled a bit to sit up and I growled.

My face was covered in saliva and I felt gross; that was no dog! It was a bear. Akamaru looked at me with a tilted head and barked a bit. I jumped. Kiba laughed and got up, holding out a hand to me. "Here. Let me help you up."

I grabbed his hand and stood, straightening out my clothes and I blushed slightly. "Thanks…ow…" I rubbed my tailbone a bit and Kiba checked behind me.

"Your ass okay?"

I covered my ass with my hands and turned away, "Y-yeah it's fine! Don't look at my ass, man!"

He laughed slightly and stuck out his tongue again. "Whatever! It's not that bad." He joked and I rolled my eyes; why did he keep saying stuff like that? It was embarrassing.

"Sorry about Akamaru. Come on in." Kiba entered the house, followed by Akamaru, and I followed after the both of them. The inside was even more kept than the exterior.

The wood flooring was shiny, most likely recently cleaned, and the walls were a beige color that matched the orange-red ceilings. A very tuscan feel. I blinked and put my bag down next to my shoes as I took them off, and smiled. "Really nice home."

Kiba put his shoes next to mine and dropped off his backpack as well. "Thanks. My mom takes pride in keeping it clean, despite all the dogs."

"Dogs…? You have multiple?"

Kiba nodded and walked forward, whistling. Suddenly, the patter of many paws got louder and louder as about five more dogs came into view. I hid behind my new friend, afraid that they'd all jump on me as well. Kiba glanced at me over his shoulder and smiled, "Okay! Stay!"

All of them sat and stayed still, panting happily.

I slowly came out from behind and Kiba went up to the first one, farthest on the left.

"This is my mom's dog, Kuromaru," the black and white dog barked and oddly enough had an eyepatch covering his right eye, "he's missing an ear and partially blind. But nonetheless a fierce and loyal companion." Kuromaru licked Kiba's hand and the brunet went to the next two.

"These are Hakusho and Dosumaru. They're the youngest of the bunch. We bred them a while ago with Kuromaru and his companion Luka," Kiba pointed to a beige female dog with shorter hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes. "They're sweethearts."

The two dogs had grey hair, lighter than Kuromaru's, with tints of beige which I guessed was from Luka. I nodded, "They are pretty adorable, hehe." I stepped forward and pet Dosumaru and Hakusho's heads. They sniffed me for my scent for a moment, then proceeded to lick my hand.

"They like you. Surprising." Kiba took note and went to the last two. "Of course, I introduced you to Luka. She's the only female of the bunch. But don't assume we just let them have their way with her," I blushed and gave a look of disgust and disbelief.

"Why would I think that!? That'd be cruel!"

Kiba laughed and shrugged, "Never know. I assume you don't own any pets."

I shook my head, "How could you assume that…?"

"You don't have a scent of another animal on you…"

"You can smell that?" I asked, not believing anything he was saying.

Then Kiba nodded, "Yeah. So can they. Which is why they like you." I had to agree with him on that; other animals could definitely be on edge if I had owned any sort of animal. Especially other dogs.

"Anyway. Luka. Then we have Yanmaru. He's probably our oldest dog," Kiba patted the head of a scruffier looking dog. He had a brown mane, his hair definitely thinning. You could tell that this dog was the oldest. He panted slowly but happily and I smiled. "He's cute too."

Kiba then reached the last dog, which was the one that tackled me. The brunet put this one in a sort of a headlock and hugged him tightly. "And this one is my favorite dog. He's mine. His name is Akamaru. And he already likes you~"

Akamaru barked and licked my hand lightly before biting it slightly. I pulled away and held my hand, "Ah fuck! What the hell!?"

"He does that sometimes. He doesn't mean to hurt people." Kiba reassured and he stood up next to me. He grabbed my hand and examined it. "Eh it's fine. Just this will help~" Then Kiba did something unexpected.

He licked, with his own tongue, where my hand had been bitten.

I blinked a couple of times and blushed profusely, pulling my hand away from him. "E-Ehhh!? WHY DID YOU LICK ME!?"

Kiba tilted his head a bit and shrugged, "Well? It's supposed to help. Or at least take away the pain until further attention is given. What's wrong?"

"T-That's so gross! Like…humans aren't supposed to do that!"

"I mean…we humans do other things with our tongue. Like…let's see! I mean, sometimes we suck di—"

"STOP. Just…let's go ahead and get to writing music yeah?" I interrupted Kiba before he could finish his sentence; I could feel myself reacting in a weird way though from him licking me. What the fuck was that? I blushed as I could feel myself getting…aroused!?

"U-Uh…do you have a bathroom though first? I really have to pee…" I blurted out and Kiba nodded, looking slightly confused. "Yeah…it's right down the hall over there."

I nodded and quickly rushed my way over there. Kiba watched me leave and he shook his head, shrugging. "I don't know what that was about…"

I reached the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, contemplating life. Why was I getting aroused by Kiba licking me? Or in general: Kiba Inuzuka! He…HE…was a boy! I shouldnt've been getting turned on by another guy…that would be strange.

I splashed some water on my face and finally I calmed myself down enough to be able to go and face Kiba. I exited the bathroom, flushing the toilet for good measure (I was method acting. Give me a break) and met Kiba in the main room again.

He was petting Akamaru, as I noticed all the other dogs had left. I rubbed the back of my head and cleared my throat, "Ready?"

"Yeah! I'll show you where my room is. We'll work in there~" Kiba stated as he got off of one knee. Akamaru went off to join the other dogs, I assumed. Kiba led me down the same hallway where the bathroom was and entered the room nearest to the back.

Inside of Kiba's room was…not the neatest.

Some clothes were discarded everywhere: boxers, pants, shirts, socks, shoes. The walls had posters, much like my own room, and his bed wasn't made. He had a smaller bed than I did, but his room was definitely a lot more spacious.

He had his own bathroom and inside I could see that there were towels discarded in there as well. Some other clothes were in there, when there was clearly a hamper in there for that reason. His desk though, was big. It held a huge computer and a couple of monitors. There was sound board on the table and next to the desk, there were three electric guitars and one acoustic one, that seemed to also be electric as a substitute.

I nodded a bit, disregarding the clothes and clutter, and smiled. "Nice room you've got here…I see you change clothes…often."

Kiba looked at my inquisitively and laughed, "Uh, duh. I mean…you think I just wear the same clothes all the time? That's gross man…"

"I was talking about the fact that they're scattered everywhere." I bluntly put it and Kiba mouthed an 'oh'.

"Well, sometimes I get so busy that I forget to pick up after myself. Does it bother you that much? I can clean up a bit."

I put my hands in front of me and shook them a bit, "N-No! You don't have to do that for me…sorry, I bet that sounded douchey didn't it?"

"Just a little bit. But don't sweat it okay?" Kiba punched me playfully and then went over to his desk. I rubbed my shoulder and walked alongside him. I removed my jacket and placed it neatly on his bed, and unbuttoned my shirt a little bit more. It felt good to let go of the uptightness of the uniform.

"Wow, stripping already? We haven't even been on a date yet!" Kiba joked and I looked away, embarrassedly.

"You keep saying stuff like that…do you WANT to go on a date or something?"

Wait. What the fuck did I just say?

I quickly covered my mouth and blushed a deep red; where did that come from?

Kiba blinked at me a couple of times, his face actually quite surprise. I could see, once again, his cheeks heat up and turn red as he turned towards his desk, "U-Uh, no. I-I was just kidding calm down…haha. Anyway! Music! Look at my guitars!"

As he was picking one up, I was going to ask him why he was blushing. "Hey you don't have to be so embarrass—"

"This one was signed by George Harrison before he died." He picked up what looked to be Harrison's guitar and I immediately shut my mouth. I started shaking a bit and my eyes were wide.

"G-George…H-Harrison…like….the B-Beatles!?"

Kiba nodded and put it into my hands, "Go ahead! Strum it a bit," I took the guitar and held it appropriately. The cool metal and wood mixture made my fingers tingle. I could tell there was some use on it, which blew my mind; I strummed a couple of times. I wasn't really sure of where to put my fingers but I just randomly placed them and strummed, "seems like you've got the form down. You might be able to pick up guitar a lot easier than you think." Kiba responded.

I looked up to him, "How…where did you get this?!"

"Well, before my dad…well….it was a present. After I had been taking lessons for so many years, I received it as a gift to congratulate my hard work. It was quite the pretty penny but I cherish it to death. One of my favorite guitars to bust out, but I haven't been able to lately for any special occasions or such." Kiba explained, taking the guitar back and putting it on its stand.

I blinked, noticing that Kiba had glossed over his dad. "Hey…I didn't bring anything bad up did I…?"

Kiba shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'll tell you about it later…right now! We should be writing and singing and such."

"Singing…? Oh yeah…that's why we're here. Shit…" I cursed under my breath and Kiba put his hands on my shoulders, straightening me out. He looked into my eyes and gave me a sincere smile.

"I know you can do it, Naru. Trust me."

I shuddered as he shortened my name; Naru…I blinked and smiled sheepishly, nodding shortly after. "Okay…if you say so…what do I even sing?"

I felt better…as if Kiba's reassurance was all I need to gain the confidence to sing in front of people; I didn't know what it was about him, but Kiba made me feel…at home. Not alone. There was a connection I couldn't quite explain yet, but I knew that there was something there. I smiled and waited for his answer.

Kiba let go of me then sat down quickly in his office chair, which slightly moved and spun him around. The hardwood floor made it easy to move around and, at least, that was impeccable.

At least there was some form of cleanliness in Kiba's room.

I could see Kiba open up iTunes and then scroll through tons and tons of songs. "What do you think you are…a tenor? Baritone? Bass?"

I looked left and right and shrugged, "Uh…I don't really know…?"

"Well, judging from your talking voice…I'd say…maybe a tenor? It's pretty high pitched."

I blushed and talked a little bit, "Do I REALLY sound HIGH pitched?" I modulated my voice to see if I could hear myself talk and all it did was earn me a weird look from Kiba, who proceeded to chuckle.

"Yeah, you do. Scratchy, but still high pitched. Hmm, try this! You know the Beatles right?" Kiba asked, highlighting a tune.

I moved a bit closer to look at what song he picked, "Obviously from my freak out of George Harrison's guitar…Yesterday? I do know that song…"

"Well then try singing along with it! It'll be a way for me to tell." Kiba double clicked it and it began to play. I nervously shuffled back and sat on the bed, looking away from Kiba.

He turned towards me and waited and I began to sing along:

Yesterday.

All my troubles seemed so far away~

Now it looks as thought they're here to stay.

Oh I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be…

There's a shadow hanging over me.

Oh yesterday came suddenly…

Why she had to go I don't know,

She wouldn't say.

I said something wrong now I long,

for yesterday.

Kiba turned off the track and I blushed and looked at him sadly, "I suck don't I…?"

"Dude…dude…no! You're so good! Like…what the fuck!? I wish I could sing like you man. It's so raspy and like sweet at the same time, and like your tenor notes flow so easily. Why haven't you done anything music related before…!?" Kiba talked at fast speeds; he was like a kid at a candy store. I smiled and rubbed the back of my head.

"You really think I'm good…?"

"Yes! How many times do I have to say it!? I could just…gah, I could just kiss you right now!"

There was silence in the room and Kiba's eyes widened at what he just said. He sat back down and cleared his throat. Both of us were in an awkward panic it seemed, but I was the first one to speak.

"You could kiss me huh…?"

Kiba nodded, "Uh…yeah…like…hum…"

"Kiba…are you gay?" I asked, straight up. It was time for him to actually admit something; I needed clarification.

The brunet didn't really speak as he stood up and walked to the other side of his room. "Man, what should we do with the band? What style…? Your voice would totally suit a lot of different covers…I wonder if you can sing Queen…Hey, Naruto, can you si—GAH!"

Before he could finish his statement, I turned him around and looked him in the eye. "Don't change the subject…I'm not going to hate you…"

I knew people in the past that were gay, sure. I myself wasn't even sure, due to recent events, but I definitely had no problem…with Kiba…right? I said it didn't I? But did I believe it?

The red fanged boy looked away and sighed, "Jeez…nothing escapes you, fox boy?"

"So…it's true huh."

Kiba nodded and I let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were just being extremely obnoxious…so you are gay huh?"

"Yes! How many times do you want me to say it?" He looked a little hurt, but I wasn't sure on why; it was okay to know right? Unless…

"A-Am…Am I the first person you've told?"

Kiba pulled away from me and let out a big breath, "Naruto…you're a cool guy, you know that?"

I blinked and shrugged, "I'm not that great…"

"Yeah you are…like. I know we got off to a rough start today and all, but you are truly a good friend. I've never told anyone…okay? So I'd appreciate it if you didn't…spread the word. I want to be able to say things on my own."

I nodded in agreement, "It's alright…I can keep a secret, believe it!"

"Believe it…? Is this a 90s sports montage?" Kiba chuckled and I blushed and looked away; I didn't think anything was wrong with saying that.

Then I felt a hand cup my face a bit, "I like it…you should say it more often." And with that, the unspeakable happened. Kiba kissed my cheek, ever so lightly. I could feel my face heat up again for the millionth time as I lightly placed my hand where he had.

I wasn't sure how to react and I looked at him with shocked eyes. I began to stutter a bit and he frowned, "Oh shit…why did I do that? Fuck!"

He pulled away and clutched his head, "What a way to ruin a friendship…!" Kiba muttered under his breath and all I could do was grip where my heart was. It was pounding a million miles an hour and I gulped slightly.

"Hey Kiba…it's getting late and I really should be getting home. My mom hasn't responded yet, which usually means she's upset…"

Kiba sighed and looked at me, "I get it…you don't want to hang out with me anymore cause I kissed you…isn't it?"

I shook my head, "N-No!"

"Then give me your phone."

I blinked, "What?"

"Give. Me. Your phone." Kiba repeated, slower. I took the phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. He opened it and started typing something out. I tried to peer over to see what it was but he pulled away from my eyes.

After a second or five, he handed it back to me and crossed his arms. "There."

"What did you do?" I inspected my settings to see if he had done something to bug my phone or whatever.

"I added my number…if you aren't weirded out by me, I hope to hear a text from you soon."

I looked him in the eyes and he was serious; I did have a very rude reaction it seemed, and I sighed. "Sure. I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise…believe it." I smirked and Kiba smirked back. He cracked his knuckles.

"We'll talk more about this band stuff later, okay? Let's get you home." Kiba opened his bedroom door and started walking out. I grabbed the coat off of his bed and followed him out, at a bit of a slower pace. My mind was racing.

Why…why would Kiba kiss me? And why was…I feeling so hot about it? I felt dizzy, even so my legs almost gave out from underneath me as I walked. I put my shoes back on and grabbed my backpack, and as Kiba left the front door open, I followed. But not after getting a nudge from a certain white fur ball.

I pet Akamaru's head and smiled, "I'll see you later buddy."

Akamaru barked and I left the house, closing the door behind me. Kiba locked the door and unlocked his car doors. I got into the passenger seat and he got in his side, turned on the car, and backed out. "Where do you live?"

"Uhm…1220 Northern Gate Lane…familiar?"

"I think I've heard of that street…yeah. Let's go."

With that, we headed off to my house.

The drive was about fifteen minutes and the time read 6:50. I hoped my parents wouldn't be mad at me for staying out after school for so long. I know it doesn't seem like a late time, but to my parents, if I don't give some sort of notice, I'd be dead.

Kiba parked alongside the curb and I opened the door and got out. The window rolled down behind me and I looked through. Kiba smiled, "It was fun today…Naruto…"

"Yeah…fun."

"I'm sorry about—"

"Don't worry about it okay? I'll text you…?"

Kiba nodded, looking still a little downcast. He rolled up the window and drove off. I watched the red mustang pull out of my neighborhood and felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. The drive was awkward enough.

I sighed then turned to enter my new home. It was two stories with a plain looking exterior; it was nothing fancy nor was it anything to laugh at. I unlocked the front door and removed my shoes. "I'm home." I closed the door behind me and watched as my mother peered around the corner from the kitchen.

She smiled and walked over, giving me a hug. "Ohhh, my boy…how was your first day? You're home early."

"Early?"

"Well, I got your text," she took out her phone from her apron, "saying you'd be home no later than 8:30. I expected at least 8. Did your hangout not turn out the way you wanted?"

I shrugged and scratched the back of my head, "Not exactly. It was fun though! Kiba showed me around town and took me to an arcade. We had fun there. Then I went to his house for a bit and played some music with him…"

"Played some music?" My mom asked, curious.

I looked confused then let out an, "Oh!" I smirked, "I decided to join a band with Kiba…I'm going to be singing lead and playing rhythm guitar."

My mom crossed her arms and laughed, "Really? That's awesome, honey! Hey, Minato!" She called out to my father.

"Come here! Your son is going to be in a band with someone he met today!"

After a few seconds, my father appeared from upstairs and looked me over. "A band? Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I'm proud of you! Getting out there and doing more things. So this kid…what's his name?"

"Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka." I said and my dad grimaced a bit. I looked at him oddly, "What's wrong?"

"Well as dean I've had to look at all the records of the students," he crossed his arms, looking concerned, "and Kiba Inuzuka…he's had some trouble in the past with fights, disorderly conduct, disrupting classes…he seems like a bad influence."

I frowned, "Wait…what are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying…I don't know how I feel about you hanging around him. I don't want him to rub off on you. You've got a clean record and even though I'm dean, I can't protect you from anything. You're a student like everyone else." My dad explained and I gritted my teeth.

How dare he say that! How could he hide me from my Kiba?!

Wait. MY Kiba!? I shook out the thought and looked away, "He's not going to rub off on me. If anything I'll probably rub one off on him."

My parents blinked a couple of times then I realized what I said. "I MEAN. RUB OFF. GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER."

My mother snickered and turned towards my dad, "C'mon, Minato. Let Naruto hang out with this Kiba. What about this? We invite him over this weekend. Or Naruto does. And we you know…judge him ourselves. He might not be as bad as the records say."

I could see my stern father thinking about the concept my mother just proposed. And he sighed, looking at me. "Fine…Naruto, invite your friend over for a sleepover this weekend, eh? He can eat dinner with us and hang out. And we'll see if this whole band thing is a bad idea or not. Deal?"

I thought about it. It was better than nothing. I nodded, "Yeah. That sounds good. I promise he's a good guy, dad. He's really cool. And he's…really one of my first true friends here. I can tell."

My parents looked at each other and let out a relieved smile, "Okay. Well, dinner is almost ready. I'll call you down when it's all set up. I know you probably have some homework or something to do." My mom suggested and I nodded, traversing up the stairs with my backpack.

Minato and Kushina looked at each other one more time. They both had the look of concern on their faces.

"What?" Kushina asked, walking back into the kitchen. Minato followed and tried cracking his neck a bit before speaking.

"I don't know, Kushina. What if this Kiba kid turns Naruto into a delinquent? I don't want to be known as the dean of a bad egg."

"Don't call him an egg. He's our son. Our only child, at that. Let the kid have some fun! So what if he breaks some rules? Or stays out late? Or does drugs?"

Minato's mouth dropped and he looked shocked. Kushina sighed, "Okay maybe not drugs. Fuck that."

Minato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The red-haired Uzumaki walked up to her husband, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked him in the eyes. "Look. All I'm saying is teenagers are going to be teenagers…if they get into trouble, they do. I mean, think about us when we were teenagers. We did so much…and now he's in that position, too."

"Fine…you're right. I'm being too harsh. It's just, I want to make sure to give a good impression to the superintendent and all the other faculty. It's hard being new." Minato explained.

Kushina removed her arms from around his neck and nodded, going back to her cooking pot. "Yeah. Naruto knows how that feels."

Minato seemed to get the point and he sighed, "I'm going back to the office. Let me know when everything is ready. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good. Thank you though." Kushina said and squealed a bit as arms wrapped around her waist. A kiss was placed directly on her neck and a warm embrace ensued.

"I love you." Minato said and Kushina blushed; even after many years of marriage, it still gave her chills when Minato kissed her like that.

"I love you too, Minato…now let me cook!" She hit him on the head with a spoon and the blonde winced, rubbing the sore spot.

"Damn…still with the hitting?"

"You know me~" She winked and began stirring again.

Minato laughed and walked back upstairs.

I laid on my bed and looked at my phone.

Kiba's contact was up and I debated on whether or not to text him. He had asked me…practically begged me to do so. But…there was something on my mind. The kiss…even though it wasn't technically a KISS. It bothered me a bit.

But why did it bother me? I wasn't sure. I didn't feel disgusted, which was the weird part, but I didn't feel completely sure about it. What was going on with me? Maybe it was my teenage hormones acting up on me, but I needed answers.

I opened a new conversation and sent a text to Kiba:

Hey. It's Naruto.

I waited for about a few seconds and realized that I already had a reply; the iMessage symbol came up and I realized that Kiba had an iPhone too.

Hey! You actually texted back…

I scoffed audibly and returned to my response:

Duh. I promised I would ^_^

Like before, a response came:

Well! Who knows? Uhm, so what's up?

Not much. Just laying in bed, really. Uhm, so I have a few things to talk about.

Like?

Just…well firstly, I want you to stay the night this weekend.

I waited for what seemed to be an eternity before I got a reply:

Oh…? Really!? Like…stay the night…sleepover…slumber party…?

Yeah…all of those are synonymous with each other.

YES! I've never been to a sleepover before. Just the two of us?

I really don't know anyone else yet…

Okay! That'll be fun~ Your parents are cool with it?

Well, it was kinda their idea too.

Oh…I see…well, yeah. It'll be fun…

That text seemed sad:

Is everything okay…?

Yeah! It's all good…so about earlier.

I actually wanted to bring that up next.

I'm sorry! I felt really bad…I didn't mean to…just ugh, I'm sorry.

It's okay…really. It's just…I've been…confused lately about some things. And that just added on top of the pile. But don't worry okay?

Confused?

Yeah…

What do you mean?

Before I could respond, I could hear my mother call me down for dinner. I quickly typed back:

I'll talk to you about it later, okay? My mom is calling me for dinner.

Okay…talk to you later?

For sure.

I put my phone down on my bed and got up. What was I getting myself into, honestly? I had just met this Kiba kid yet…for some reason, the connection was so strong. But what kind of connection was it? I was sure that I'd find out soon.

A/N: I think this chapter turned out a bit shorter than I expected, but nonetheless, we're getting the point across! Comment, review, fave, share, read. Etc. Whatever you do with stories! I really hope that you guys are enjoying this story and I'm happy to actually get positive feedback from old and new fans of Bad Karma and some of my older work.