:Okay… here we go! Sorry for the long time to update, school is back, sophomore year is pretty busy!
:I don't own Naruto…
Chapter 11: The Setting Sun
Kakashi gave another one of his one-eyed smiles at his two former students, and his future student before leaving the Uchiha compound.
"…I'll let you off the hook this time Sasuke, but if I find out you told anyone about me and Anko… well, let's just say you're lucky Sakura is so worried about you, and Fugaku is just too, well, he needs you… I guess you didn't turn out too bad after all…"
He made his way to his home, as the sun was setting, and took out another Icha-icha copy to read off of while walking casually on the streets of Konoha. But, just as he reached his apartment, he found two people there he least expected to find.
"Koharu-sama, Homura-sama… what brings you here?" He said plainly as he took a seat on the couch opposite the two village elders.
"We want to talk to you about the Hokage position." Homura said.
"Hokage? Me?" Kakashi said, as he put the book down in disbelief. "I don't think the Godaime is in need of replacing."
"Yes, yes, but in the event that something unexpected might happen, I think you already know that you were chosen as the replacement." Koharu said.
"I was informed, yes. But why are you two here? If I remember correctly, Tsunade-sama is still Hokage." He said indifferently, he really didn't like these two old geezers, dwelling in the past and making wrong decisions.
"Yes, yes. She is still Hokage. We are simply here to ask you who you think is suitable to be Rokudaime, if you do not assume the position." Homura said casually.
"Ahh… well, the future Rokudaime should be old and ready enough to assume the position by the time the Godaime retires… one of my former students would gladly accept the offer." Kakashi said with another one of his smiles. "But tomorrow is a long day, and I'm sure the two village elders have better things to do… thank you for coming." He said, showing them out the door, glad to be rid of them.
"…do they even have to ask? Tsunade will surely choose Naruto…" he said, sighing and getting ready for some rest.
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"One of his former students? Which one?" Koharu said as they reached their private meeting room after visiting Kakashi.
"Isn't it obvious?" Homura said. "It's the Uchiha."
"What makes you so sure?" Koharu asked. "He betrayed the village, and you know what his bloodline is capable of, you know what really happened that night of the massacre, you know the reasons why he is dangerous."
"Kakashi trusts the Uchiha, and because he has already married one of Konoha's kunoichis and has a son, I doubt he will pose much danger to Konoha." Homura explained. "As of what I know, he does not know the truth behind his clan's massacre. He is smart, and he knows how politics works. I can see him as a good candidate for Hokage."
"I see. It is the least we can do, after all that has happened. We do owe his clan something." Koharu agreed.
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"Now...what to get, what to do?" Kiba said as he was thinking to himself walking in the very picturesque streets of Sunagakure. He looked towards the sun making it's way down to touch the horizon… "I've got it!" He said, and he and Akamaru rushed towards their guest accommodations.
Once he got there, he found a bored Ino sitting on the bed. "Hey Ino! I want to show you something!" Kiba said, as he got in the room.
"Errm… Kiba… Did you know that they gave both of us only one room?" She said with a worried expression.
"They did?" Kiba said with a pretend confused expression on his face. Things sure were going his way, how lucky for him. He knows nothing about all his friends plotting for this.
"Yeah." Ino said. "There's a shinobi meeting or something, and this is all they've got. I could get a hotel room or something…"
"Don't. It's better if we stay here. We can't reject their hospitality." Kiba said.
"Well, that is true." She agreed. "But how are we gonna-?"
"Let's worry about that later! We haven't got enough time!" Kiba said as he grasped Ino's arm and set her on Akamaru's back. "Let's go Akamaru!"
They were soon making their way with lightning ninja speed to a place Ino knew nothing about. All she could get from her former fiancé dog-boy Inuzuka was "Don't worry. It'll be fine!" with that fanged grin of his. The strange thing was, she was playing along with it. She knew she should just forget everything about him, and stand up, move on. But the way he's acting now just makes it a thousand times harder to hate him.
"Why are you doing this Kiba?" She whispered to herself. "Why?"
What she didn't know, was that Kiba could hear her, and whispered an answer to himself. "Because I still love you, and I don't want to lose you again."
After a few minutes, they found their way to the top of a huge sand dune overlooking Suna. The red setting sun was touching the edge of the horizon. Kiba got Ino off Akamaru, and gazed at the sun's red glow.
"It's beautiful." Ino said, as she looked at the sight.
"Like you." Kiba said, though he didn't really mean to.
Ino didn't reply, but she did smile.
Silence settled on the couple as they watched the setting desert sun.
Kiba broke the quiet as the sun had finally gone down. "Well, I've never seen the sun set in the desert before."
Ino smiled. "Me neither. Thanks Kiba." She said. It was a beautiful sight, and she hasn't done something like this in a while. She missed the feeling. "I bet you get to watch sunsets all the time."
"Mostly on afternoon walks with Akamaru, but nothing like this. Right boy?" He said as he petted his dog.
"Why did you do this Kiba?" she said somewhat exasperatedly. "I know you have someone else, and watching the sunset alone together isn't usually what 'just friends' do." She said, not looking the Inzuka in the eye, but holding some desert sand and making it slip through her fingers.
"Because we aren't 'just friends' Ino. To me, we're 'special', and you have to admit, you don't see the sun set like that everyday." He said with a toothy grin. "…I don't really have someone else… I just have her because she reminds me of you…" he thought.
"What do you mean…'special'?" she said awkwardly.
"Can we please stop pretending to hate each other, or pretending that nothing ever happened? I know that I still love you Ino. You know I do." He said, gazing at the blonde's beautiful blue eyes.
"Kiba…" she said.
"There you go again. Saying my name… then not saying more." Kiba said, with a hint of concern. "Please Ino. Tell me the truth now, and I promise I won't bother you again."
"Well… the thing is…" she said shakily. Should she just tell him the truth? Will it ever work out? What afterwards? She decided to take the gamble. After all… there's nothing much left to lose, and nothing worse than what had already happened could. "I… do."
"You do!?" Kiba said, wide-eyed and smiling. "She does! Did you hear that Akamaru?! She does!" he said, jumping in the air and raising his fist. Akamaru gave a yip of joy.
"…" Ino just stared at Kiba, but tears were welling up in her eyes. This was very confusing, and what should she do now? Doesn't Kiba have this other girl at home?
"Hey… please don't cry." Kiba said, as he stopped celebrating his victory. "I don't want you to cry for me again… okay?"
"Shut up dog-boy. You're not that lucky." Ino said, wiping her eyes and giving a mock-laugh.
"Now that's the Ino I remember!" He said, as he stretched out his had, and helped her up. "Lets go back, things are getting dark, the desert sure is cold at night."
"Just because I told you… doesn't mean it's going to be that easy!" she said, as they were making their way back.
"Okay then." Kiba said with a toothy grin. He had something up his sleeve he was pretty sure Ino wouldn't resist.
"Wait a second Kiba." Ino said, as she thought of something.
"Yeah?" He said, stopping and turning to look at her.
"Uhm…" She said, she was about to ask about the girl that Kiba had at home. What were they doing? This wasn't right. He was with someone else. But, it felt so good, so right. No one would know anyway. They were three days away from Konoha, and Gaara and Kankuro wouldn't know a thing. Maybe this gamble would be worth it. "…nothing. Nevermind." But she knew that they had to talk about it sooner or later.
…a not-so tragic affair…
:So… who saw the Sasuke-Hokage mix up from a mile away? (sees people raise hands) I knew it. I'm too predictable. Damn.
:Sorry if the Kiba and Ino thing went by too fast, but they do love each other, and just have to go and say it, it's stupid that some people take far too long.
:What do you think? Too many cliffhangers?
:Please Review! Thanks for Reading!
:Special thanks to everyone who ever reviewed! I would never be able to write without them!
