Authors note: I feel like I haven't updated in over a week…it's been so hard not to g on a writing frenzy…I love this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own Kiba's love though.
Beautiful Liar;
Chapter nine: Cleanse the heart of a sinner.
The twelve friends laughed heartily at a sarcastic remark from Shikamaru about him getting a girlfriend, something about him being too lazy for the female species and he found them all too troublesome. They laughed again when Naruto asked if he was gay all too innocently. Shikamaru replied with a 'never thought about it' and from there the topic changed. There has plenty of talking and laughing and joking, and a fair bit of serious conversation, future missions and such. From there the topic travelled to mission successes and mission failures then…inevitably, to Team 8's most recent failure and then of course, the reasoning behind Kiba's decommission, for as it seemed, Kiba was the only one who knew. By that time Kiba hadn't done anything except play with his food, he said nothing when asked questions, by all rights he didn't have to, they all knew it was a sensitive subject for him. But, he did say he was okay with it right? Why not see how okay with it he really is? Apparently, not very okay at all, as when he had been asked the question 'Where did you get that mark of your back?' he froze completely. His chopsticks stopped moving in his Raman, it looked like he wasn't even breathing, he didn't even respond to his name.
Five minutes later, and people and only just started to have quiet conversations with each other, deciding to drop the subject of missions all together. Silently clearing his throat, Kiba lifted his head and took hold of his Raman bowl "N-Naruto…" Said boy turned to his, after only a moment eye eyes widened slightly, Kiba didn't notice "Do-do you want the rest of my Raman"
"S-sure…Kiba…are you okay?" Naruto asked, his eyes full of concern, although as he asked the question a few more people turned to look at the pair, this didn't go unnoticed by Kiba, who simply nodded an gave a small, nervous smile. Naruto accepted the bowl, staring at a place on Kiba cheek, next to him Sasuke shifted slightly to look at Kiba, he had, up until a moment ago been uninterested in Kiba's behaviour, but thanks to a certain blonde's tone on voice, he just had to see what got him so concerned, and he found it, he found it indeed.
"Are you sure you're okay, Kiba?" Naruto asked again, Kiba only nodded, looking over his friends for a moment, all of them had shock written all over their faces, with that in mind he turned back to Naruto.
"Fine…why are you all staring at me…?" he gulped, not really wanting to be looked at, let alone stared at, rather blatantly too. It was then that Sasuke cleared his throat and bought his own hand to point at his cheek.
"You are erm…" he paused, unsure of his words "crying" it was then he felt it there was definitely something on his cheek, gingerly his hand to his cheek 'damn it' he thought, he bought his hand down, to gape at the water that glittered under the light of a nearby lantern on his fingers.
"Kuso" he muttered to himself, he stood from his seat, he didn't want to be here anymore, he didn't like it, he didn't like it at all then he felt so weak "I have to go…" he paused and moved away from the table "…feed Akamaru" he finished weakly as he walked away from the group "it's going to rain anyway"
"Kiba-kun!" Hinata shouted as she made to follow her broken friend, in a second she found a hand on her shoulder, Hinata turned, looking imploringly into Shino's shaded eyes, he shook his head.
"Leave him" he paused "if he had wanted our help, he would have said something"
There was a sigh beside them; Shikamaru. He looked up at the sky "there aren't even any rain clouds, was he right about the rain?"
After a moment Shino nodded "The winds are shifting"
- Shino -
Shortly after Kiba's departure, the warning of rain had prompted many of our friends to go home; I nod my head towards Sasuke and Naruto as they head back home. Which ever they end up at is not my concern. Tenten is leaving with them talking to Naruto about the latest shuriken design. It sounds quite interesting but it is not my top priority right now. Beside me Shikamaru sighs, I assume it is because he will not be able to go cloud watching, due to the on coming rain, it is quite close now. The rain is just beginning to fall. Hinata is still sat at the table with Neji, I hear Kiba's name slip from Hinata's lips; she must be worried about his behaviour this evening. Neji simply assures her he will be fine and convinces her that they should be getting home. She leaves with him after waving goodbye to the rest of us, I wave back, knowing she likes it when I respond to greetings and leavings, it makes her happy, she said to me once, to know I'm not always in a state of brooding. I myself, assured her I do not brood, not too much anyway. I remember, it was in our Genin days, one of our first training sessions, well, first few, she had to work up the courage to talk to us. It was quite amusing for a while. She wondered why I over-think, I said I didn't, she left it there.
Beside me Shikamaru mumbles something about going to the mission report, I frown slightly, I had
forgotten. I will leave it to him; my father is expecting me home soon. I make my way down the streets of Konoha, with my hands in my pockets; it is a habit I am reluctant to grow out of. I like it. It's like Kiba trying to stop scratching his markings when he's thinking, change won't happen. I turn my head up to the sky as I walk, the rain is getting heavier now; I am slightly irked that my house is so far away. I cannot say I like the rain, but it does not bother me to the point I will make a scene. One of the only scenes I think I have ever made was when I burst into fits of laughter during a mission and even then I did not wish it.
As I near the Aburame compound I heard hurried footsteps, it is quite late at the moment, the sun is just beginning to set, to turn on my heels to face the oncoming pair, I am only mildly surprised to see Tsume and Hana, they look worried, perhaps they nee- "have you seen Kiba?!" Hana asks breathlessly. Ah, I had thought Kiba might be the reasoning behind this.
I shake my head, no. "I have not" I state, Hana lifts her head and sniffs the air "Do you wish for my assistance?" I ask politely. Tsume nods and steps forwards.
"Hai, we would. We would usually be able to find him ourselves under normal circumstances but the rain is diluting Kiba's scent" I nod in understanding. Then I frown, I cannot send my Kikaichuu out under this heavy rain, they may get injured.
"Where have you looked?" I ask simply, I cannot help but think Kiba had planned this, but then again, why would Kiba plan something like this? He hates the rain with a passion, a passion none can compete with.
Tsume shakes her head and scratches her markings in thought. Ah, now I see where Kiba got his habit from "we looked everywhere we thought he might be, the park, the training grounds, the market and home, we can't find him anywhere…" I nod, this was either very well planned or Kiba just knew what his family would do and where they would look off by heart. He is very good at keeping track of movement.
"Then this is what we shall do" I pause to make sure I have their full attention, I continue when I see they are, in fact, already giving me their full attention "Hana-san, you go home and wait for Kiba to come back, Inuzuka-san, you search the centre of town, I will check the outskirts of the village" they nod in understanding and we separate, I am glad they chose not to argue over who looks where, I assume it means they trust me.
From the Aburame compound it take a little less then five minutes at a brisk pace to get to the outskirts of the village, I am not pleased about being as soaked as I am, it is raining heavily and there is a light mist in the air, I have a feeling this will turn into a heavy storm. The soil squelches under my feet as I walk along the edge of the forest, if I am right, Kiba will not have gone far from the village, why would he need to? As it is, he knows that if he is gone for too long, he will become a missing-nin; he is not likely to let that happen. Unless he has been unhappier then I had previously thought. If that be the case, why would he feel the need to leave? With that thought in mind, I set off at a faster pace.
It has been around ten minutes since I began my search; I have made it to the western side of the village's outskirts, I had started at the south, there was still no sign of Kiba, I will probably be out here for another half an hour before I have completed my search. I can only hope Tsume has at least reported to the Hokage about this. It is darker now, but the rain has yet to let up even the slightest. At this moment in time, I can't help but feel slightly vulnerable; the heavy rain is making it difficult to hear anything other then the noise it makes as the droplets hit the ground with a wet thud. My guess is that that the rain drops are about the size of my Kikaichuu, it is inconvenient, if I were able to send them out, I would. It is by far, less time-consuming.
A few minutes later and I find myself at a clearing, as I scan the horizon my eyes drift over a tree, in the centre of the clearing, which happens to be on a large hill, atop that hill is a lone figure, sitting with his knees to his chest, it does not take me long to realize this figure is Kiba as I move closer to him, as I approach, walking towards the hill, I take note of his hair, due to the rain, it has flattened and sticking haphazardly to any bit of skin it can find, some of it even curls as it hangs wetly by his ears. He takes a deep breath in, and lets it out with a shuddering sigh.
He is still oblivious to my being here, even as the soil squelches and the grass brushes against grass with every movement my feet make, I am close now, only a few feet behind him. He's shaking terribly, but as I can tell, not just from the cold, from the looks of him, he's trying to hold back tears. My guess is he came here just as soon as he left Ichiraku's. It pains me to see a friend so miserable, and as hard as it is for me to admit, I miss his teasing smirk, I miss him as a partner, I miss him as a ninja, and I…I miss him. I know I sound as if he has died, I know that is incorrect to consider that fact but in my point of view, he has. He is no longer the Kiba I knew, that Kiba is gone, it seems. Dead. This new Kiba, this quiet, secretive, depressed Kiba is what we are left with. I do not like it…I want the old Kiba back, good as new, however that is unlikely ever to happen, not unless he speaks to someone. I shake my head, I am brooding. I move forwards…
- Normal -
The grass behind Kiba crunches, his eyes widen and he shoots up, claw's and fangs at the ready, he turns he claw already on the path to the intruder's throat, suddenly he stops short, all the air in his lungs escaping from his lips – Shino. He almost attacked Shino. The boy didn't move when Kiba came at him "you found me" Kiba breathed out, shock evident in his voice and on his features. Shino moved passed him, with a slight nod, Kiba kept staring straight, his eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, eyes shinning with confusion, slowly he lowered his arm and his head to stare dejectedly at the ground.
"Kiba" said boy slowly turned, only to see Shino sitting under the same tree he had been only moments ago, he watched as Shino patted the patch of grass beside him, silently asking him to sit. Kiba, although still with the shocked look plastered on his face wordlessly obeyed. He had decided that his hands were far more interesting then Shino's face, he fiddled with the sleeves of his blue jumper as he pulled his knees up so the soles of his feet lay flat on the ground. Shino just looked on, contemplating what should be said to break the awkward silence.
"You want to know what happened…don't you." Kiba asked, still fiddling with his sleeves, Shino merely nodded in response, he knew Kiba saw the movement from the corner of his eye, as his irises flickered for a moment. Kiba's finally turned to look at the other boy "Shino I-"
"You do not have to tell me" he paused "I do, as you say, want to know what happened" there was another pause, Kiba could feel Shino's gaze harden with seriousness "but, if you are not ready to tell me, I will force nothing out of you" for the first time in weeks, Kiba let a small, genuinely happy smile grace his features for a few moments before it was gone again when he turned to look at the horizon, Shino already missed it.
- Kiba -
I had to turn away, I had to stop the tears falling, and I didn't need to burden him. I mean, if I started crying, he'd no doubt try to get me to talk. It's not that I didn't like the fact that he was here – which I'm not too enthusiastic about anyway, it's just that fact that I can't seem to get more then ten minutes of alone time, I can feel a sad smile on my face as my mind wonders over the rain. I never used to like it; in fact, I hated it with a passion. The exact words I said to Shino one day, years ago. But right now, it's the only thing that makes me feel clean, it makes me feel like it's washing away all the wrong I've ever done. That botched mission for one. I let Akamaru get hurt and I made everyone worry, that's another thing I did wrong. I lied to them "I'm sorry I lied" I mumble, it almost sounded like a sigh as every word escaped my lips. And what that guy did to me…that was my fault too, I should have been more careful. That's one of my biggest sins, sex out of wedlock. I'm not saying I'm big on the whole 'God will punish you if you defy him' thing but, I can't help but think like that right now, and I'm not saying that people shouldn't have sex out of wedlock, by all means if you want to, do it. But I…I was saving myself for someone special, and now…I have nothing to save.
But I guess I still hope to have someone special, not that anyone would want me if they knew what happened. I'm just spoiled now, no good at all. I shudder as I try to hold back a cry of despair. Shino I suddenly think, he is always there when I need him, like when we were on the mission, I could swear he caught me when I passed out…and I'm pretty sure he was the one who carried me to the…hospital… Kami, I hate that place. I choke down a sob and a tear falls from my eyes and I rub furiously at it, growling in frustration.
Suddenly there is an arm across my back, catching me on my left shoulder, I yelp as I'm pulled to the right, then my head meets green, a green jacket, Shino's jacket. I get a feel for my new position and from what I can tell, my head is resting on the crook of Shino's neck, my cheek is on his collar bone and I can just about hear his heart beat, it is calm and steady, just as one would expect of him "just cry" he whispers in my ear imploringly. I shake my head, still on his shoulder, he's warm I like it, I like the warmth. Without warning his hand is on my cheek, he strokes it with his thumb, in small circles "please" he insists. My lips shakes, it's getting increasingly harder to hold my tears at bay, he wipes a newly fallen tear away, and that's it, I'm gone, I let go, everything. My tears are falling freely as I cry into his chest, letting out anguished cries and choked sobs as I go along. Shino does nothing to stop me, he encourages me, whispering "cry, just cry" in my ear every so often, I don't know how and I don't know when but somehow, I had shifted so my legs lay across his lap and I clung to his jacket, like a life-line, I don't really understand why he's doing this. It won't help in the long run.
The rain is letting up slightly now, I can feel it the droplet's aren't as heavy as they used to be, but they haven't slowed down at all, I pull away from his chest and look up at Shino, my eyes are no doubt red and puffy from all my crying "I wasn't lying when I said it hurt…you know…" I whisper through a choked sob, he nods at me. I understand perfectly what that means; it means 'I know you wouldn't lie about that' I shoot him a sad, grateful smile, I was right. Right in thinking he was always there when I needed him, he was there then and he's right here…right now… "Shino…" I breathe out, I stopped thinking my actions over. I can feel myself moving forward, I can feel the blush raising on my cheeks and across the bridge of my nose, my hand reaching for the rim of Shino stupidly high collar, I watch my hand as I pull it down, and I smile slightly. His lips are pulled into a quizzical frown, I'm still leaning forward, I'm so close now, really close…my lips meet his, my eyes are closed, even if they were open I'd never be able to tell if his were open in shock. Neither of our lips move, but I decide to add pressure, nibbling lightly on his lower lip. Suddenly I realize how wrong this is – I pull away…
- Shino -
That had been the single most confusing event of my life, Kiba looks frantic, his lips definitely look kissed, they are slightly pinker then before. The seconds before the kiss - that was strange. He had looked at me with what I can pinpoint as need, he needed me? Perhaps Hinata was right. Perhaps I do over-think things "I-I'm really, really Sorry Shino!" Kiba says frantically "Really- I really am so, so sorry!" He says again "I don't know why I did tha-" I hold up my hand to silence him, Kiba blinks confusedly at me.
"It is fine" I say simply, making to stand, I shift and Kiba moves his legs, eyes wide with confusion.
"Wha…" he gaze follows me as I begin my walk towards the village; I turn and look at him for a moment.
"I said: it was fine" I state again, he's gaping at me now, struggling for words, I hold up my hand again and he shuts his mouth with an audible click "come" I state "you will catch a cold if you stay out here much longer" I watch as he nods dumbly and scrambles to get to my side "I want to see you well at training tomorrow" I state, he nodded again, the blush still on his cheeks. He looks nervous and unsure, I decide not to worry about it; it will pass.
(A/N: So, did you like it? I know it was a long one, longer then usual. But still, I hope this meets your expectations)
