Chapter 11

The next day Naruto was already at the clinic an hour earlier than the time he was supposed to arrive. He needed to talk to Ino as soon as possible and he knew she always checked-in early. Thankfully only one PT staff and one co-intern of his was present so he could talk to Ino as soon as she arrived.

He realized just that morning that it was probably not the best move that he waited for until morning to talk to Ino. He could have called her just to make sure she'd keep her lips sealed. But it didn't cross his mind. Now he was at the intern's lounge and waiting for the said girl. Honestly he was tired and sleepy. Ino has assigned him to start with the plan of care for the patient and it was an entry that was difficult to do. He drafted it out already and he hoped they would only have few changes later.

After placing his things inside his locker, he went to the treatment area to help with setting up the place. There were around 20 treatment plinths that needed cover sheets and pillows and the Ultrasound machines needed to be plugged in. His co-intern Menma, who also had blond hair albeit long and had an angelic look on his face was inside the hydrotherapy room plugging in the hydrocollators and preparing the towels.

When Naruto was about to finish with his task, Ino arrived and greeted him.

"Hi Ino." he greeted back. "I did what you asked and drafted the plan of care."

"Great. I'm also done with the journal and have tried to transfer the data to the slideshow presentation." Ino informed. This surprised Naruto because he thought that they were only supposed to do it later evening but it seemed she wanted to do as much as possible. It was probably for the best because he too didn't want to stay up late and add more to his lacking hours of sleep.

"I'm gonna go bring out the electromodalities." she announced before heading to the storage room but Naruto stopped her.

"Wait." he said making her turn. "About last night. I'm sorry for how my roommate acted. He can just be really possessive."

"Oh, your boyfriend?" she said which made Naruto blush. Ino noticed it and laughed softly. "Why didn't you tell me you had a thing for guys? I know you told me your ex was Sakura and just last week you were even drinking 'cause you learned she had sex with your bestfriend."

"Ino don't say that here. People might hear. Let's talk inside the interns' lounge and keep your voice down." Naruto said in panic and dragged the girl down to the more secluded area.

"I don't have a thing for guys. Well, maybe for Kiba but it wasn't always like that." Naruto defended.

"So what you're saying is that you were straight but then when you met your roommate you fell for him?"

"Kind of. And I am dating him now." And this he confirmed for Ino. No use to deny it anymore.

"Oh, I wonder how that happened. It's not everyday a gay guy seduces a straight guy and actually succeeds. Well, despite his attitude he is quite the handsome guy." Ino commented.

"Yeah, I suppose he is." the blond boy had to agree with that. "But anyway, will you please not tell this to anybody. I'm still adjusting to this dating a guy thing and I'm not yet ready to tell it to anyone. I really don't know how my parents and friends will take it."

"Okay, okay. Don't look so worried. Your my closest friend here in this hospital and there's no way I'll tell your secret if you ask for it to stay within us."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." she said and using her pinky she did the cross over her left chest.

"Thank you." Naruto sighed in relief but then he remembered he hadn't asked if she told anyone last night. "You didn't tell anyone yet, right?"

"Of course not. If I did I would have told you when you asked me to keep it a secret." Ino stated as if it was obvious. Naruto sighed again.

"So, where should we finish the case presentation this evening?"

"I was thinking on doing it at your place again but your boyfriend doesn't want me there. And if I asked you to do it in my condo then your jealous boyfriend will surely not let you."

"Wait, so you don't have any problems doing it at my place again?" Naruto asked in surprise. He thought that Ino would have a problem being near Kiba after what happened the night before.

"Not really as long as your boyfriend behaves."

"Great. I'll tell him then. I'm sure he'll like it better that we work at where he is."

"You are so the girl in your relationship." Ino remarked.

"What? I'm not the girl in our relationship." Naruto blatantly denied.

"You're saying he is? Come on, he's definitely not acting like a jealous girlfriend. It's more of the overprotective boyfriend. And with his size, there's no doubt about that."

"Ah, stop thinking that. There are no girls in our relationship."

"I was only kidding. So, wanna go shopping with me? I could really use the company of a gay guy to help me pick some clothes." Ino asked, teasing Naruto for one last time.

"I am NOT GAY!" Naruto denied loudly. "And I don't do shopping like that."

"I know, I know. You're just fun to tease."

During lunch break Naruto called Kiba and asked him whether it was okay for Ino to just work again at their dorm. Kiba took some time to think but ended up agreeing to Naruto's proposition. He promised to 'behave' so long as Ino doesn't get close to Naruto like what he saw the night before.

The day went by and at around 5:30 Naruto and Ino were once again in front of the blond boy's dorm. This time however it was opened for them by Kiba and the brunet pulled Naruto into a kiss. He didn't notice that Ino was just right there standing behind Naruto 'cause he forgot she was coming over. They heard her clear her throat and both boys opened their eyes and it was only then that Kiba realized that someone was watching them.

"Hey, uh. Sorry about yesterday." Kiba apologized to the girl as he pulled away from Naruto.

"It's okay. While I didn't appreciate how you embarrassed me in front of my friends in the gym and yelled at me last night, I think it's cute you've hooked up with Naruto here. So I don't really blame you for your display last night." Ino said in a calm manner. Kiba was analyzing her as she spoke, wanting to figure out whether this was really her speaking or she was just acting friendly. "Although, if you want Naruto's secret to be kept hidden, I suggest not kissing him in such an open area where many people could have seen you."

Both Kiba and Naruto turned to look around the dormitory but the area was free from the other tenants, much to their relief.

"Noted. So, come on in and you can start finishing your case presentation. I'll be joining you two while I write for my thesis." Kiba said and so Naruto and Ino went in. Kiba's laptop was already on the dining table in which they were using as their make shift office table. It was open but the screen showed only the desktop while Kiba went straight for the cooking area and tended to the dish he was preparing.

"Hey, what are you cooking?" Naruto asked as he took a peek from behind Kiba.

"Beef steak in soy sauce and white onions. It goes well with fried rice."

"That does smell good."

"Oh you two are so cute." Ino squealed in giddiness. "Can I take a picture?"

"NO!" came the firm rejection from the couple.

"Who knows what you'll do with it. Just go read some manga if you want to see yaoi but don't fantasize about us." Kiba added. He knew girls. They don't like it when the guys they like are gay, but when it's their friend who is gay, they think about them like the characters from yaoi manga and become fans.

"Aw, but it's rare for me to see real gay couples, much less hot ones." Ino complained.

"I'll take that as a compliment but I'd really prefer if you find some other guys to ogle. I have some friends who are definitely looking for a girl to hang out with. Who knows, you might like them." Kiba offered. He knew that Ino found both him and Naruto attractive and that this girl has already offered sex with Naruto. If he could find her someone, she'll definitely stay away from his boyfriend and he wouldn't have to worry too much.

"Well, that does sound interesting but if you're thinking about me going in a relationship while I'm still an intern, there's just no way. Too much drama right now. What surprises me the most is that Naruto agreed to date you when he knows how difficult this internship is going to make it for him. In a little more than a month he'll be assigned to a different hospital and I don't really know any other hospitals he can train under nearby. It will be hard seeing each other after that." Ino said as she turned to face Naruto when she said the last two sentences.

Her statement somehow hit the two men like a truck. Somehow they have forgotten that one small detail and they've never really talked about what would happen when Naruto had to leave their dorm.

"You worry too much. We'll make it work." Kiba said, trying to sound confident but actually he feared the time when Naruto would have to leave. When he first learned about that two month training in the hospital, he was only worried about having to lose a roommate but by now Naruto was already his boyfriend. She was right. It would really be hard being in a relationship where you'll barely be able to see each other. It was what Naruto told him to be the reason why his ex-girlfriend broke up with him.

But he was Kiba. He wasn't going to let a thing like that get in the way. He'd visit Naruto everytime he could. Naruto may be busy but Kiba has more free time. Who cares if he had to travel 4 hours just to see him. It would be all worth it. He'd show him his dedication and their relationship won't end up like Naruto's previous one

The night went on fairly quietly. They ate Kiba's cooking and though Ino declined at first because she was on a diet, Naruto managed to sway her as he himself fell in love with the dish. The beef was so tender and the flavored soy sauce had seeped into its fibers. More than that, the fried rice was also exceptional which had Naruto saying that Kiba could start his own restaurant with it. The brunet thanked him for the compliment but said it was more of his sister who enjoyed cooking. She just taught him the basics.

Naruto and Ino worked focusedly on their case presentation. They managed to complete the assessments of Mr. Sarutobi and were integrating it to what they accomplished the night before. Kiba on the other hand was just right there on the opposite side of the table, working on his thesis but was also busy keeping an eye on the two. Ino's presence just really made him feel uneasy but he would light up whenever Naruto smiled his way. Ino would catch Naruto doing this and scold him for not staying focused. By 10 PM they managed to wrap everything up and decide who's to report which. Ino was to report about the patient's assessments and the journal while Naruto on the plan of care because he worked mostly on that part. With that Ino left.

"Finally." Naruto sighed in victory. "I thought we would be up for at least midnight but it was thanks to Ino for doing much last night after she left."

"Great. You look really tired and I'm feeling sleepy too. I say we hit the hay already so you won't walk the hospital halls like a zombie." Kiba suggested then gave a large yawn as he stretched his arms.

"Yeah, I really need to get a lot of sleep. They say case presentations could reach until 10 PM. There are 4 teams to present cases tomorrow night and it starts at 7 PM after clinic hours."

"That late?" Kiba asked in surprise. "But we have basketball early Saturday morning. Do you think you can join us or would you rather rest?"

"I wanna play ball. I miss playing it so much and I if I get to sleep by 10:30 Friday night I'd still get enough sleep if we need to wake up by 5:30 AM." Naruto said. Kiba gave him a doubtful look but since it was his body, Naruto knew better than him if he could play or not. This had Kiba thinking about how he should try to learn more about his boyfriend's body. Hopefully Naruto would let him.

"If you say so. Anyway, I was thinking. Do you think it's okay if I introduced you to them, you know, as my boyfriend?" The question had Naruto staring at the brunet. He was silent for around ten seconds not knowing what to say. Kiba figured that the blond probably wasn't ready for that yet, even though if it were with his friends. He knew that for a guy, showing any signs of homosexuality was a down to one's pride especially if other guys learned about it. Back in high school those who were openly gay were teased and bullied for it and that was why Kiba had been very careful to hide his sexuality back then. Since Naruto was still in the questioning and exploring stage, his suggestion was something he really shouldn't have asked because the answer would be obvious.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked that of you."

"No. Don't apologize for that. I appreciate it that you asked but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Even though they're your friends and let's say they could keep a secret, I'm not ready for people I barely know knowing about personal stuff. It's not that I'm ashamed of being your boyfriend because I'm not. I'm just... scared."

"I understand. It's only natural that you feel that way." Kiba placed his hand on top of Naruto's hair and lightly tousled on it. "Trust me, I wasn't always this confident about being gay. Come on, let's sleep."

Naruto nodded and followed his boyfriend to their bedroom. That night, they slept with Kiba spooning Naruto from behind and hugged him with his right hand, intertwining it with Naruto's. His left hand played with Naruto's golden hair while he showered him with kisses on his neck and nape. Naruto found himself calming down in his hold and with his kisses. It just felt so right. He liked it so much when Kiba showed this much affection towards him and his hand involuntarily held on Kiba's own tightly.

"Good night, Kiba." Naruto said in a sleepy voice. The brunet smiled at this.

"Good night." And he gave one last kiss on top of Naruto's head before he too let himself fall into slumber.

The following day was the date of the case presentation and Naruto could swear whatever divine force was there, it was on his favor. Two of his scheduled patients informed him through telephone that they wouldn't be able to come for therapy and his bedside patient was having a fever that day so he couldn't treat him too. That left Naruto with almost 3 hours of free time. There weren't any new patients and since he got nothing to do, he decided to just help Ino with her patients. He figured that even though his boyfriend and she have sort of settled their problems with each other, it was the best thing to stay on Ino's good side. Honestly, even though Ino promised she wouldn't tell, Naruto still feared she might. He knew her tongue was always itching for gossip so it was almost an obligation not to do anything that might give her a reason to divulge his secret.

All patient treatments have been finished by 5 PM, even the bedside patients and they managed to perform aftercare of the rehab in just 45 minutes including inventory of the equipment of the facility which was the most cumbersome task only done during Fridays. The clinical supervisor gave them 30 minutes to eat dinner before they started with the presentation and by around 6:20 they began.

They drew lots and Naruto drew 3rd which was a good thing because at least they would know how the panel will ask their questions and what is to be expected of them when they report. The first team who reported had been unlucky. The assessments were incomplete and so they weren't able to make a solid plan of care and goals. Ms. Shizune was having a fit and saying things like 'and you call yourselves therapists?' and other disheartening comments. The girl who reported was near crying and the worst part was when they were given 50 demerits each which mean that both of them would have to serve 5 days of make-up duty at the end of the whole internship training or else their clearances wouldn't be signed.

That really scared the hell out of Naruto because there was just no way he wanted to have demerits. He didn't want to go back to this place and meet Ms. Shizune ever again so their team has to present the case without a hitch. Ino saw his nervousness and gave a tap on his shoulder.

"Come on don't be scared. Our presentation will be good, I'll make sure of it. Just do your best to speak confidently and I'll do the same."

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto agreed and he calmed down with her words. He almost forgot how good Ino was with handling cases. She might not be as good as him when it came to patient rapport and with the lifting techniques, and sometimes she fumbles when applying modalities to patients, but when it came to asking for the important questions in history taking, in determining which assessments need to be taken, in making sense in all of the data she gathered, Ino was on a whole other league.

The next presenters were not bad and they didn't get Ms. Shizune's ire but Naruto could say they barely passed the presentation and with them being done, it was now their turn to present their case.

Ino started with it as she explained the subjective and objective assessments of the patient and Naruto was amazed with how smooth the flow was when she discussed. No one from the panel were cutting her off midway to ask questions and before he knew it, she was done. Naruto took his turn to present the plan of care and following her advice, he spoke confidently, making sure that no doubt would appear in his voice and in his facial expressions because the look of doubt will make the audience question the integrity of what the presenter is discussing, even if there might not be anything wrong with it. Naruto managed to continue this until the end and he gave a sigh of relief when he saw that Ms. Shizune wasn't showing any look of disapproval. She was the PT staff directly supervising him and Ino and whatever they did, will reflect on her mode of supervision. It was to say that if Naruto and Ino did the best presentation, she would have the bragging rights to the other PT staffs that it was thanks to her supervision of her interns.

After the presentation came the barrage of questions. They were difficult but somehow they managed to pull through with Ino managing most of the questions. Due to the surprise nature of the questions, Naruto fumbled with answering some of them but he was able to provide the answers and defend the things he reported. In the end the panel clapped at them and congratulated them for a job well done with Ino surprising Naruto when she gave him a hug right there in front. They got catcalls from their co-interns with them chanting 'IS, IS, IS', the 'internship syndrome'. Naruto made a face and denied having an 'IS' with her and Ino smiled at them saying Naruto's already seeing someone so that 'IS' was impossible.

Naruto decided that he was so not going to be telling Kiba about that hug. He'll definitely act the possessive boyfriend again and do who knows what with Ino. This girl just saved him 5 days of make-up duty thanks to her efforts with the presentation and it was not a good thing to repay her by having his boyfriend strangle her or something.

In the end, the best presentation however was with the 4th team. Naruto's classmate Shikamaru who was top of their class reported and it was flawless. The blond was baffled at how he managed to do it because he was the laziest person he knew. They were givens only two days to do it and it was so un-Shikamaru like. Despite his laziness though was a brain of general. He could sleep his way through class and still get the highest marks so there was no doubting his team took up the presentation like a piece of cake.

Naruto checked his phone when he was on the way out of the hospital with Ino walking beside him. There was a message from Kiba which made his heart beat a little faster. There was just that feeling every time he got a text from the person he adored.

Call me when you get out of the hospital.

And Naruto did with the call answered at the first ring.

"Hey, so are you done with the presentation?"

"Yeah. We finished earlier than expected."

"How did it go?"

"It went well. We got the 2nd highest grade."

"Awesome. At least you didn't stay up late for nothing. Where are you right now?"

"I'm actually on my way out the hospital."

"Great. Well don't head home just yet. Go straight to Ichiraku's and I'll meet you there. We gotta celebrate that victory." Naruto's eyes widened at hearing Ichiraku. It's been 5 days since he last ate ramen and it was definitely long enough a break.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there." he said excitedly. He could hear Kiba chuckling on the other end.

"Your enthusiasm for ramen never ceases to amaze me. See you."

"See you." Naruto hanged up then turned to Ino with a grin on his face. "I'll be meeting Kiba at Ichiraku's so I guess I'll just see you on Sunday."

"On a date already? You make me feel jealous that you have a boyfriend." Ino whined.

"But I thought you said having a boyfriend is not a priority of yours during internship."

"I know. You two are just so cute."

"We are not cute." Naruto said with pout. No one called him cute. He was a man and men are not cute.

"You pouting like that says otherwise." Ino chuckled.

"I… whatever. I'm going."

"Tell Kiba I said hi." she said with a wave of her hand but Naruto was already jogging his way to Ichiraku's. It took only three minutes before he found himself in the establishment and saw Kiba already there waiting for him.

"Hey." Naruto greeted him as he sat down in front of his boyfriend and placed his backpack on the chair beside him. "Ino says 'Hi'."

"Really?" Kiba asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "Hmm, I suppose we're on good terms with that but anyway, I already ordered. Pork Miso Ramen, your favorite for you and Beef for me."

"Thanks." It made Naruto smile when he learned Kiba knew what his favorite was. It meant that he notices little details such as those. "So, why the sudden chow at Ichiraku's, you know besides me surviving the presentation?"

"It's been a while since we went out. I just wanna us to spend time together from a place other than our dorm." Kiba replied.

"But Ichiraku's the last place we visited."

"Well, you do like ramen a lot so it was like the safest choice. We have basketball tomorrow morning but if you want, we can go on a date in the evening."

"A da-date?" Naruto blushed. Kiba was asking him for a date with all these people around and they might hear them. He tried to clarify what he meant but spoke in a softer voice, hoping Kiba would do the same. "Like, what are you thinking?"

"We've only ever went out to eat. I've always been a fan of Detective Conan and the new movie is really interesting. There's a showdown between two major characters and I've heard good reviews about it. Tomorrow's the last showing."

"Conan? Well that does sound cool. I haven't watched it for quite some time but I do love that series too."

"Excuse me sirs, here are your orders." Both of them turned their heads at the voice and it was none other than the waitress who always served them when they ate there at Ichiraku's. "One Pork Miso Ramen and one Beef Ramen."

She set the bowls in front of them and gave them a pitcher of ice cold water. With that she took off.

"So, what do you say?" Kiba asked, resuming their conversation. He was actually a bit scared asking him out because Naruto might decline. Rejection never felt good.

"I'll go watch it with you." Naruto replied eagerly. "I think a movie would be a good way to take out the stress this case presentation gave me."

Kiba sighed in relief and joy that his boyfriend agreed. Nothing could have made him happier that night. Well, except for some other things that goes on in his mind involving just him and Naruto.

The two ate while telling each other about their day. Naruto narrated how the presentation went while Kiba told him that he already informed the boys that Naruto will be joining tomorrow morning and that they were thrilled to have him play with them again. When they finished their meals, Kiba paid for the bill and the two walked home.

It was a new moon that night and so the sky was dark. It was late at night, around 10:30 and it was a curious thing that there was only the two of them in the sidewalk. Then with surprise, Naruto felt Kiba's hand hold his own making him turn to Kiba with a certain blush that wasn't visible.

"Just for tonight. There's no one around to see us." Kiba whispered to reassure the blond. How he really wanted to do this ever since Naruto became his boyfriend. Naruto panicked but tried his best to compose himself. He checked around to make sure there really wasn't anyone around to see them. When he didn't see anyone, he felt a bit of relief but still there was that anxiousness of being seen. He wasn't used to this but decided he would try his best so that in time this will all be natural.

"Okay." Naruto didn't pull his hand away from Kiba while the brunet gave it a light squeeze. The two walked towards their dorm, enjoying each other's presence and only let go of their hold when the dorm was about 20 meters away.

Naruto decided that night, he liked it when his hand was held by Kiba when they walked together.

A/N: I didn't post late but it kinda makes me feel guilty that I wasn't able to post sooner. I had the time but sometimes laziness gets the best of me. And I don't only write fanfiction, I read too and that also takes up time. It was also because of the fact that nothing much happened this chapter but I had to write it because Naruto has to do that case presentation. However, the next chapter will be fun to write because Naruto's status with Kiba may or may not be divulged to Kiba's friends and of course they have that movie date. But things will start to get more serious at Chapter 13 where a person from Kiba's past will make an appearance. I'm telling you in advance so don't forget to click the 'Follow Story' to get notifications.

The one-shot story I posted before this update is a SasuSaku vampire rape story. If ever you wanna read about it, just check my profile and look for 'Once Every Fortnight'. The next one-shot to be written is a NaruMenma sequel to 'Bonding'.

Leave a review guys, it really makes me happy.