A/N: Thanks for the response to the last chapter, much appreciated everyone. Unfortunately, the date will not feature in this chapter. There was one thing I had to get out of the way first, which I think you will still appreciate. A certain confrontation between two blondes had to happen before Kiba and Naruto go on their wonderful date. Don't worry though, the entire next chapter will be dedicated to it (I thought that was better than trying to squeeze it in here.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless. I'm eagerly awaiting your feedback.

The boy bounded into the room with a smile on his face once again, ready to face the morning with even higher spirits than the week before. For the first time in his life, Naruto had been looking forward to school. He couldn't wait to see Sasori and Sasuke again, his friends, and even more so- he couldn't wait to see Kiba. The idea of their date after school had been floating around in his head all night. Where would they go? What would they do? What would it be like? He just couldn't stand the wait.

"You look happy again." Sasuke said, staring at the practically skipping blonde as he made his way into the room.

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Sasuke." Naruto said, plopping down in the chair next to the other boy. Naruto had considered going to watch Kiba's morning basketball practice, but had decided seeing his friends should come first after spending the entire weekend with the brunette. He didn't want to lose the few friends he had just because he now had a boyfriend.

"You're such a lo…." Sasuke trailed off, closing his mouth slowly before spitting out the insult. A calm, yet wise, voice rang out in his head and stopped him before he could offend Naruto.

'I started treating Obito like a friend and…that's what he became. My best friend.'

Remembering the conversation he had with Kakashi, the ravenette couldn't bring himself to finish his insult. Something his teacher had said had gotten through to the boy's stubborn heart. Kakashi was a lazy jerk…but for once, Sasuke was taking someone's advice.

'It's true. You see, Obito may be goofy and a little too friendly, but guys like him are friends for life. By giving him a chance, I gained the best friend I've ever had and I have a feeling we'll be friends for a long time…even if he is annoying sometimes.'

Was it really possible?

"So how was your weekend?" Sasuke asked, hoping the other boy wouldn't notice his correction.

"Awesome! I was with Kiba for the whole thing. We went to see this horror movie and then hung out at mine for the rest!" Naruto said excitedly, grinning like a moron. It was taking a lot of effort for the ravenette not to insult him. It really was.

"Cool."

"What about you?" The blonde asked, blue eyes shimmering happily. It was stomach churning really.

"The usual- Obito went out and got drunk, Kakashi stayed over and I took complete advantage of Obito's hangover." A small smirk crept onto the Uchiha's face at the memory. It had been a good morning.

"Wait, Mr Hatake stays round your house?" Naruto asked, blinking in surprise. He couldn't imagine a teacher really having a life outside school, let alone hanging out round a student's house.

"Yeah, him and Obito are friends." Sasuke stated casually, shrugging it off as a pointless piece of information that no one really needed to know.

"Cool. So how exactly did you take advantage of Obito's hangover?" The blonde asked curiously, glad he was having such a conversation with his new friend. This was the sort of conversation most friends had- Naruto had heard them in the hallways.

"The classic ways- played loud music, set my alarm and left it by his ear, rang the house phone repeatedly."

"Wow…" The blonde blinked again, cocking his head to the side slightly. "You're a jerk."

"Eh…shut up, loser." The ravenette scowled, glaring coldly at the blonde. Screw being nicer. If Naruto was gonna insult him then he was going to do the same back. The thought of being mean to Naruto triggered a memory from earlier that morning- something Sasuke had merely pushed aside. "Deidara was looking for you." Naruto froze instantly, all happiness draining from his face as his smile disappeared. Those five simple words were enough to shatter every ounce of the boy's positivity and plunge him into nothing but fear and the desire to run as far away as possible. All of a sudden, he didn't want to be at school anymore. He didn't want to spend the day with Sasuke, Sasori and Kiba. He just wanted to lock himself in his apartment. His left arm, still wrapped up in its sling, was a painful reminder of his last encounter with the older blonde. He didn't want to go through that again. Deidara probably wanted revenge or something.

"Wh-what did you say?" Naruto asked nervously.

"I politely told him to fuck off." The ravenette hissed back, scoffing in disgust. The response reminded the blonde about how Sasuke had defended him and fought for him last Friday, when it happened. Although Naruto's arm was busted for a few weeks, it could have been a lot worse had it not been for his black-haired friend. "I'm in most of your classes, those I'm not Sasori is in anyway. As long as you're always with either me, Sasori or Kiba, you're safe. Deidara can't touch you. If he does, then I really am gonna smash up his stupid artwork."

"Thanks." Naruto said hesitantly, allowing himself to smile slightly. He was still scared, but he felt safe from Deidara for the first time ever.

As soon as the boy saw Kiba, he ran up to him and gave him a hug, squeezing the older teen tightly with absolutely no intention of letting go. He didn't care about the whispers and mutters coming from the Inuzuka's basketball team, as long he got some contact with his boyfriend he was happy.

"Hey, Naruto." Kiba said, the wind completely knocked out of him as the boy rushed out of nowhere right into the older teen's stomach. He'd only just finished his morning basketball practice and the last thing he'd expected was to be attacked by a flash of gold. "What's up?" Naruto lifted his head, looking up into Kiba's chocolate eyes with a small smile.

"I just wanted to come and say hello." Naruto said, squeezing tighter.

"That's cool but…I can't breathe."

"Sorry." The boy mumbled, only loosening his grip slightly. Kiba immediately sensed something was wrong from the blonde's clingy and protective hold- it wasn't as calm and warm as usual, but more tense and desperate.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" The Inuzuka said seriously, dropping his voice to a murmur.

"I…" The boy began, only to be cut off by a very annoying and energetic shout.

"Kiba, myself and the others are going to get changed now!" Naruto instantly nuzzled into the older teen's chest, trying to hide from the other people around the court.

"Alright, Lee." Kiba growled, sighing heavily at the other boy's unfitting excitement. "I'll catch up."

"Okay, I hope you enjoy your hug further!" Naruto felt the brunette's chest vibrate as he growled again. The younger of the two had no idea who was shouting such stupid things but he didn't really care at that point, he was just glad to hear them leave.

"Now, what's wrong?" Kiba asked again, a hand reaching up to softly stroke the boy's soft spikes. To say he was concerned was an understatement.

"Sasuke said that…that Deidara is looking for me." The boy mumbled, trying to hide the extent of his nerves. He could literally feel every one of his boyfriend's muscles tense up and tighten as soon as he heard the older blonde's name, trapping the smaller boy in a protective hold.

"That dick ain't coming anywhere near you, alright?" Kiba stated boldly, wishing he could just carry Naruto around for the whole day to ensure his safety. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't come near you."

"But you'll be in all your lessons." Naruto said, looking up helplessly- his blue eyes shimmering. The blonde was no stranger to fighting and he'd gained a reputation for holding his own against his bullies. Kiba knew the boy could hold his own in a fight. But something about Deidara threw Naruto off. The boy just couldn't fight that particular bully. He couldn't.

"Then you have to promise me you'll stick with Sasuke. I saw how that guy beat the shit outta Deidara's goons Friday so I'm damn sure he'll keep that dickhead away from you."

"Okay." Naruto said. He already knew Sasuke was there to side with him but he just needed reassurance from Kiba. There was something about the Inuzuka. He was so strong that he made Naruto feel secure and stronger as well. There was no way Naruto could defend himself with his busted arm, but now, for the first time in his life, he had friends to depend upon.

"You okay now?" The brunette asked fondly, cupping the boy's cheek.

"Yup."

"We better go then." Kiba announced, reluctantly pulling his body away from the smaller one and guiding Naruto towards the doors. The two of them would be late for their first lesson at this rate. "What do you have first?"

"Double P.E."

"In other words, two lesson of doing nothing, huh?" The brunette chuckled pointing at the arm uselessly hanging in the sling. Naruto would definitely be sitting this one out.

"Yeah, it sucks. I just wanna run around and burn off some steam."

"I can help you with that." Kiba whispered huskily, sending shivers down the boy's spine before teasingly pecking his lips and rushing off towards the changing rooms. "Later, Naruto!" The blonde was left, alone and blushing. He had never heard Kiba's voice like that before- so low and deep and…sexy. He had no idea what his boyfriend had meant by his statement but he really didn't care, it was the way he said it that was so damn amazing. Naruto knew, at that moment, that he wanted nothing more than to hear that voice again- no matter what it took!

He was still thinking about that voice, replaying it over and over again in his mind, when he took a seat on the gym's benches alone. Naruto Uzumaki was absolutely head over heels in love with Kiba Inuzuka. And he hated it. He thought it was so stupid and girly, the way he felt, but he couldn't help it. He'd heard that in gay relationships, sometimes one of the guys was more feminine than the other…he was only just realising that he was playing the part of girl in their relationship and it irked him. He'd always considered himself rather tough and he always aimed to be manly…but Kiba was so much bigger, stronger, more confident, captivating and dominating. Naruto only came up to his chest (his small height was something he really hated about himself) and seemed pretty small in comparison to the Inuzuka.

The blonde had some tone on his small body- he had no body fat and was in pretty good shape. But, Kiba was something else. Naruto had seen him in just a pair of boxers and Kiba's body put everyone else to shame. Each muscle was chiselled and toned beyond belief. There was no way the brunette looked like that just from playing basketball- he must work out constantly to uphold such a hot appearance. But it wasn't just his appearance. He was so cocky, self-assured and arrogant and yet so kind, caring and protective. People were always taught that there was no such thing as a perfect person…but Kiba was pretty damn close.

…

…

…

Naruto jumped, snapping out of his trance-like state and back into reality as someone slipped next to him on the bench. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts about Kiba that he hadn't even noticed the guy approach- he felt like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar (though there was surely no way the person could know what he was thinking about.)

"You seem distracted, hmm."

Hell.

Naruto was in hell. He could practically feel the burning touch of the flickering flames against his skin, despite feeling so cold inside, and the pitchforks piercing into his skin over and over- torturing him beyond belief. He was actually in hell. Life couldn't get any worse. His most feared nightmare had come true. He recognised the voice and he could see the long, blonde hair out of the corner of his eye. Deidara had sat next to him. Only then did he realise what a vulnerable position he was in. Naruto was completely alone, his class having gone outside to enjoy the sun, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen and there was no one around to help him. He never once believed that Deidara would come here. Why wasn't he in his own lesson? On the other side of the school? Away from Naruto? Now the boy was trapped, with nowhere to run or hide, with his worst enemy sat right next to him.

"D-Deidara…wh-what are you doing here?"

"Didn't fancy going to History, hmm." Deidara grunted in response, so casual…like he wasn't about to be the shit out of a kid. That was the concerning thing…he was so damn calm. "Besides, I've been looking for you. Asked that Uchiha where you were and the little punk told me to fuck off!" He whined. "Who the hell does he think he is, hmm?"

"Just leave me alone!" Naruto snapped, sliding away from the boy, unable to handle it anymore. The build-up to the moment was so much worse. He just wanted to have it over and done with; he didn't want any time to build up suspense and fear.

"Man, you're annoying. So ungraceful and clumsy, hmm. Just sit still already, before I lose my patience." The taller blonde said, glaring down at the boy as he edged closer, threateningly.

'I am so, so late!' He shouted, rushing around and gathering up papers frantically- stuffing them all in his briefcase with no time to spare at all. 'My first day back and I'm gonna be later than the bunking students!' Minato was definitely panicking. His morning rush was made obvious by his hastily done shirt and tie and the array of papers carelessly sticking out the sides of his scratched briefcase. He knew he should have been more prepared for his first day back as Principal of Konoha High, but having a baby wasn't the easiest thing in the world- he hadn't had any time to prepare.

'Calm down.' Kushina said, handing him his newly polished shoes as she too rushed around the room. The two of them were a total mess, stumbling and bumping into each other as they tried to prepare themselves. The man watching them did so with a cocked eyebrow and a slight frown, glancing over to the baby beside him with a look that said 'your parents are weirdos.'

'I should have just not bothered going to sleep!'

'Oh, why did my hair appointment have to be the same day as your first day back?' Kushina complained, hastily combing here red locks to at least make it presentable for the hairdresser. The two of them had enjoyed their son terribly, but it had been a lot of stress fulfilling the child's needs.

'Alright, I'm off!' Minato shouted, kissing his wife on the cheek before quickly rushing over and planting a kiss on his son's forehead. With a forced smile and a wave, he ran out the door, papers fluttering out his briefcase behind him. For the man, who had no worries at all, it was hilarious to see.

'I better go too.' Kushina announced, kissing Naruto in the exact same place her husband had before sprinting to the door. Despite having been combed, her hair was still a mess. Whoever had to cut that was in for a rough morning. 'You sure you're alright with him for the morning?'

'Please, I've been looking after Minato since the day he was born. We'll be fine here.'

'You're positive.'

'Just go.'

'Alright. Bye, Naruto. Mummy loves you!' And with that, she disappeared out the door, slamming it behind her.

At last the two of them were alone in a quiet and peaceful home- now devoid of panicking parents who didn't know the meaning of calm. Kyuubi looked over at the baby, his eyebrow still cocked, and Naruto looked back with the sort of innocence only a baby could display. For a moment, the two of them just stared at one another.

'So…what are we gonna do now?' He asked, having no idea how they could kill a couple of hours. 'And of course, you're not answering. Honestly, I'm sat here expecting a month old baby to respond.' The red-haired man reminded himself, shaking his head in disappointment. It must have been all the late night feedings, the lack of sleep must have driven him insane. 'Honestly, Naruto…sometimes I swear I could murder your parents.' The baby didn't answer, merely blinked as he stared up at his uncle curiously. Kyuubi let out a heavy sigh and shook his head again….

"Guess there was more truth to that statement than I thought." The man pondered out loud, the memory floating through his head.

Naruto's eyes snapped close, head turning to the side, as he awaited the first blow. He knew Deidara would probably go for the face first, then the ribs, then any part of the smaller boy he could reach. Normally, the spikey-haired boy's brain would tell him to get in the first strike and try and make a break for it- Sasuke was probably only just outside after all. Deidara had come alone, without his cronies, so his usual advantage which scared Naruto off, was gone. So the boy didn't know why he was still so reluctant to fight his worst enemy. All the excuses he had made for taking Deidara's abuse couldn't be used in this situation.

But, he knew exactly why he couldn't defend himself.

Deidara had managed to do what all the other bullies couldn't. Over the years, he had broken Naruto's will. He had rattled the younger boy up and stripped him of the confidence he had when faced with other assholes and jerks with mouths too big for them. Deidara was the only one persistent enough to accomplish that. That's why the boy was willing to just take it.

…

But the hits never came. The pain didn't rush through the boy and no fists connected with his face. Cautiously…hesitantly…the boy slowly opened his eyes, glancing to the guy who should have been hitting him right now. Deidara was making no move to hit him. He was just sat there, staring at Naruto with a confused and weirded-out look on his face- as though the smaller blonde was insane.

"The hell are you doing, hmm?" He snapped, one elegant eyebrow rising up as he studied the flinching kid.

"I…." Naruto began, unsure of what to say. "Why aren't you hitting me!" He suddenly shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the other blonde.

"What the…? Why do you want me to hit you?" Deidara shouted back, shocked by Naruto's outburst.

"I don't want you to!"

"Don't talk to me like I'm insane! You're the one asking me why I'm not hitting you like you expect it or something, hmm!"

"Why wouldn't I expect it? You've been doing it long enough. You only busted this arm last Friday!"

"…"

Silence.

Slanted, blue eyes slowly crept down to stare at Naruto's arm and its sling. It was the first time the older blonde had taken notice of it. He knew when he twisted the boy's wrist that he'd done something to it, but seeing the actual result of his actions struck him hard. Sometimes something wasn't real until you were forced to face it. With the sling supporting the boy's arm, there was no denying what he had done.

"So…you're arm's pretty screwed, hmm?"

"Yeah, in a sling for a few weeks." Naruto replied slowly, growing ever suspicious as his enemy calmed down.

"…I…I'm sorry."

"Wh-what?" Naruto blinked several times, swearing he must have misheard. That 's' word was one he had never heard coming from Deidara's lips. It sounded odd and foreign.

"I'm sorry for…for fucking up your arm. And…well, for all the shit I've been giving you, hmm." Deidara muttered, for once not seeking the spotlight. He had never spoken so quietly before. But he was serious right now. Naruto's reaction, however, was one he hadn't expected at all.

"What the hell are you talking about!" The boy yelled, sliding further down the bench to get as far away from the taller blonde as possible. His mouth was wide open, as were his eyes, and he was staring endlessly at Deidara. "This has gotta be some kinda joke! You bully me for years, bust my wrist, corner me in an empty hall and you're telling you came here, not to beat me up, but to apologise! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Calm down, hmm." Deidara hissed, narrowing his eyes at the kid's stupidity. The boy was loud, ungraceful, tedious and annoying. The complete opposite of art.

"Seriously, if you're gonna beat me up just do it now and get it over with! I know you're cruel but dragging it out like this is just-"

"Shut up!" The older teen snapped, reaching over and grasping Naruto's shoulders tightly. "I'm not here to beat you up!" Naruto just stared at him, still suspicious and unsure. He just couldn't believe the bully was there to apologise- that wasn't like him at all.

"Why?"

"I genuinely came here to apologise, alright?" Deidara admitted, sighing to calm himself down again. Naruto really was infuriating. "Sasori sorta made me realise that…that I've been blaming you for something that wasn't your fault. I know I've been a jerk to you for quite a while now-"

"Seven years." Naruto cut in.

"Shut up! I'm trying to give a heartfelt apology here!" Deidara snapped. He sighed again, reminding himself that getting angry wasn't exactly the best way to do this. "Look, all I wanna say is that I know after a certain point saying sorry doesn't really mean much…but I want to say it anyway. I've been a jerk to you and I always justified it because you were related to Kyuubi, hmm….That's why I've always called you Little Kyuubi, to give myself an excuse to mess with you…Well…Naruto…I'm sorry."

The blonde was completely frozen- not by fear but shock. Deidara's apology…sounded so honest and sincere…he'd even used Naruto's name for the first time. Naruto knew then that this wasn't a trick or a sick joke. Deidara was truly apologising, from the heart. The moment Naruto had imagined a number of times (though not as often as thoughts of Deidara getting punched in the face) had finally come. He didn't know what to say or do. He still had ill feelings towards the taller blonde, but a massive sense of relief washed over him at once. This moment was the second best of his entire life- the first being his kiss with Kiba. And he just couldn't stop himself. With Deidara's hands still on his shoulders, it was easy to slide along the bench into a somewhat awkward hug

To say Deidara was taken aback was a major understatement. He had never given a large apology before but he was pretty sure this wasn't the usual response. In fact, he didn't really receive hugs that often anyway so it was surprising regardless of the context. However, despite how uncomfortable he was, he couldn't ignore the kid who had now wrapped his good arm around him- forcing him into an embrace. Reluctantly and awkwardly, Deidara wrapped his own arms around the kid loosely- practically grinding his teeth at the contact. It wasn't welcome.

"I can try and forgive you, hmm." Naruto said, smiling happily.

"Did you just mock me, hmm?"

"Maybe, hmm."

"Stop that!" Deidara shouted, pushing the boy away from him and glaring coldly. The annoyed, pale blue eyes of the older blonde met with the happy, shimmering ones of Naruto….The smaller of the two may have been happy, but Deidara was in a huff.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed. I wanted Deidara's apology to come before the date so he'd be in even higher spirits for it. I think a few important things were shown in this chapter- Sasuke trying to follow Kakashi's advice, Kiba's protective side, another Kyuubi flashback and, of course, the apology. Let me know what you think!

By the way, quick question. I came up with an idea for an AU oneshot involving the Naruto/Kiba pairing which I would like to write up and put up here as well while still working on this story. There's just one question I'd like to ask- who should be 'on top'? I thought that because this story has Kiba dominant that I would have Naruto as the seme in the oneshot but what do you guys think? Any response and help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. If I do go through with the oneshot, it will be some time before I post it up- as in I would have probably done three chapters of this story before finally getting it up.