Kiba began to act strangely after that one question. And Tobirama immediately understood that it must have been because of something to do with him and his friends.

The boy didn't skip out on training and he followed all of Tobirama's orders, but there was something odd about the way he went through the motions. The passion that was clear to see in everything the Inuzuka did was not there anymore. And he didn't go out of his way to spend time with Tobirama.

This, of course, worried the Second Hokage. But he decided to give the teen some time to relax and cool down, to take a breather from whatever it was that was bothering him. For an annoyed Kiba was liable to do something that they might both regret later on.

The course of action he decided on did not work too well. Even though nothing worsened, things did not get better either. Kiba continued to be distant. And it was beginning to worry the man. His soulmate was not the kind to be so quiet and peaceful. There must have been something very off with the boy to turn down even a chance to trap Izumo and Kotetsu in their own stupidity with the man's help.

He had to do something. These two weeks without Kiba's smile had been unbearable. And even though Tobirama was loath to admit it, he wanted the annoying and hyperactive Kiba back.

Tobirama had never been one for conversation. He enjoyed silence and peace. Piecing things together to solve a mystery without having to ask for help was his creed. Why would he ask when he could just figure things out?

Then again, everyone he had ever met that cared about him in any way insisted that the one way to get to the bottom of someone's odd behavior was as simple as just asking them.

Keeping quiet and allowing things to go on their own had not worked out. Kiba was still sulking and Tobirama didn't know how to make things better. So how much would it really hurt if he just asked the boy what was wrong?

~/~

Sasuke and Ino were trying to get him to talk about his soulmate again. For the past few weeks, they'd been doing the same, putting pressure on Kiba recently after he'd slipped up.

It had been an honest mistake. Their group of friends had been talking about all of their future plans with their respective soulmates and Sasuke had asked what Kiba wanted to do with his own. Kiba, lulled into a complacent and peaceful state with the easy conversation that flowed, had answered.

"Getting him to see me as more than just a kid would be a good start... I guess I kinda like him as more than just a friend."

Tobirama was a very handsome man. And, even with the hard ass act, he was a man that really cared for the village and its people. Kiba knew for a fact that he could be one of the sweetest people on the planet because he had seen it first hand. Which was kind of the reason why he wondered if he maybe, one day, could be more to the man than just a kid he taught that happened to be his soulmate.

Sasuke and Ino immediately jumped at the chance to learn about Kiba's soulmate. Kiba regretted having spoken the very second the last words left his mouth. And Akamaru just barked, asking to get some more food from the humans that were ignoring him.

After that, they had continued to hound him without any kind of mercy. Now that they knew a bit about Kiba and his soulmate's relationship, they wanted to know everything possible. If Sasuke had been bad before, now that he had Ino helping him out, he was almost unbearable.

They were the reason Kiba wasn't feeling all that good for the past few weeks. And the fact that Tobirama must have only seen him as a friend and student certainly didn't help brighten up his darkened mood.

"Yo, Kiba, there's-"

"No! Goddammit!" Kiba finally shouted out in anger, baring his canines at the suddenly surprised genin. "I will not tell you about my soulmate! No, I don't give a damn about your feelings or friendship or whatever new excuse you want to use now! I. Don't. Care!"

All of his friends were surprised to hear him shout so suddenly. If he was being honest, it must have come as a surprise to them. They had just been having a good time eating lunch when Kiba's thoughts had soured and he'd shouted.

Silence pierced through the once jolly air that had filled their table. Kiba glared at Sasuke as the Uchiha stared back at him with wide eyes. Then there was the clearing of a throat, one which made Kiba wince and freeze up.

The scent that filled his nose up made his heart swell in happiness. But it also caused him to wither, knowing that he'd most probably reacted over the wrong thing and shouted at all of his friends for almost no reason.

"Kiba... Are you feeling alright?"

He just wanted the ground to swallow him up.

~/~

When Tobirama went to the ramen shop he knew Kiba's group of friends frequented, he did so with his course of action clear in his mind. He wished to speak with Kiba and wanted to do it as fast as possible to be able to get the real Kiba back.

He had expected to find a bunch of genin and chunin united, shirking their duty as shinobi to have some fun. And he had expected to find Kiba and Akamaru busy feasting and reluctant to let go of their food.

He had not expected to find Kiba glaring and snarling as if he were a cornered animal. And he certainly did not expect to hear him shout about not wanting to speak about his soulmate.

As soon as he heard the Inuzuka scream that out, Tobirama felt guilty. He didn't have to talk to the kid to know that this was the problem that had been eating away at him this whole time. Soulmates... Why hadn't he been able to see this before? Of course the kid was being affected by their relationship. How could he not when they had such a huge age gap? There was no telling how much this could truly hurt someone, knowing that they would be forever separated, even though they were meant to be together.

The boy was extremely angered. There was no doubt about it. But after Tobirama had made his presence known, it had evaporated and the boy looked as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The Inuzuka looked mortified to have screamed out with Tobirama so near him. And, for some reason beyond him, this bothered the white haired man.

"Uh... Yeah... I'm good, Lord Senju."

The boy's cheeks lit up as he looked away from Tobirama, an adorable blush taking over. There was no doubt about it. The kid was cute.

Quirking an eyebrow at the answer, the man looked over all of the kids together at the table. They were all mostly surprised to see him appear, even though Hinata and Shino were more worried than surprised. Those two were so accustomed to having him around that they most not be too affected by seeing him anymore.

The white haired man crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over the Uchiha and Yamanaka, the ones he knew for a fact were giving Kiba the hardest time when it came to his soulmate, then looked back at Kiba.

"I have need of you. Come along."

The boy hurried to get out of his chair and follow after Tobirama, seeing how the man turned around and walked away without waiting for him.

Tobirama led him away from the ramen stand and towards his apartment. Even though it wasn't close by, it would give the kid some time to calm down and get his thoughts together.

When they reached the apartment, Tobirama held the door open for the kid. Akamaru bounded in without needing to be told, more than happy to use the couch for his own pleasure. Even though Kiba hesitated at the threshold, looking into the apartment with worry clear on his face.

"Uh... Lord Senju?"

"You're not in trouble, kid." The man smiled softly, "I just want to talk."

~/~

Tobirama's voice was soft and calming. And his smile was relaxed, looking nothing like the tense frown the man would wear whenever he was angry or annoyed.

There really wasn't much reason to believe that Tobirama was angry. But Kiba had shouted out pretty loudly in the middle of a pretty public place... He did have a right to be irritated with him.

"You haven't been yourself lately and it's got me kind of worried." The red eyed man wrapped his right arm around Kiba's shoulder as he spoke, bringing him into the apartment and over to the couch.

Akamaru looked up at them from his comfortable spot, but soon huffed and jumped off so the humans could sit down. Tobirama sat himself down on one side of the couch, then Kiba followed. The man's arm was still around Kiba's shoulders, but loose, as if meant to comfort and not hold.

Kiba kept his gaze on his hands as they fidgeted on his lap, unsure of what to do. He knew he had been acting differently. But he had hoped that if he continued to follow all of Tobirama's orders without too much hassle, the man wouldn't ask him about his changes.

He wanted Tobirama to see him as more than just a kid. He didn't want to live the rest of his life without his soulmate romantically involved with him. And he wanted to at least have the chance to prove himself as a good partner before the man struck him down as only a student for good.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He did. He really did... Why wasn't he talking?

Taking in a deep breath, Kiba decided that if Tobirama wanted to talk, now was the time. "I... I like you, Lord Senju."

There was a momentary flash of confusion before the man smiled, "I like you as well, Kiba."

Tobirama was being condescending, and Kiba knew he wasn't aware of this. This caused the boy to let out a small huff of frustration and turn to look the man square in the eyes.

"Tobirama... I. Like. You."

Once more confusion flashed inside of those red eyes. Then, "Kiba... You are-"

"I know I'm a kid!" The Inuzuka interrupted immediately, "But it's not fair for me to be your soulmate and not treated like I am it! I want to be able to tell my friends you're my soulmate! And I want to be able to think that, maybe, in the future, there's some hope for us to be more than just an old guy teaching a young guy some water style jutsu!"

~/~

Kiba shouting was nothing new. Kiba being overly passionate about his feelings wasn't either. But for Tobirama to hear the boy admitting to wanting more out of him... Well... Tobirama knew this was a possibility, he just wasn't prepared to fully internalize it.

"But, Kiba... You are merely thirteen..."

It hurt Tobirama to admit this. But the sooner he made this clear, the sooner they would both be able to live their lives like they should. The gap between them was too vast to overcome. And even though Tobirama never even wanted to think about this, there would come a time when he would die again. And Kiba would be left without his soulmate with him, no matter how much it hurt.

If they were to form any kind of deeper relationship, Kiba would only be hurt even more than he would if they kept their relationship the way it was.

"I know I'm a kid!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "But we're soulmates. And you're hot."

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow at this admission, "Hot?"

The kid's cheeks brightened up once more, but he soon glared and puffed out his cheeks. "Yeah, you are. And I know that nothing's going to change, but... Technically, I'm an adult. You wouldn't be breaking any laws. We'd be fine."

The eagerness in Kiba's voice made Tobirama smile. But that soon turned sad and he tightened his arm around the kid, bringing him in, closer to his side.

"I don't want to give you fake hope... And I wish for you to live your life like a normal person, explore the many options out there. You aren't bound wholly to your soulmate."

"I know-"

Tobirama, in a move that so much like something Hashirama would do that it somewhat stung, placed his hand over Kiba's mouth to stop him from talking. Then, with grief and guilt gnawing at him, he told the boy, "But I won't push you away either... Nothing will happen between you and I until you are mature... But I will not turn you away either."

~/~

Kiba had been prepared to put up a fight. But it seemed that all of the fiery spirit he had come to expect in Tobirama had left the man.

He looked kind of sad... But kind of happy as well... That didn't make any sense.

But Kiba could feel happiness begin to bubble up in him as he processed the man's words.

"So... You're saying that..."

"Who knows what the future entails?"

Looking up into the man's red eyes, Kiba could see that Tobirama was not completely elated with what he was saying. The Inuzuka could tell that there were a lot of conflicting emotions and thoughts inside of the man. But there was also a hopeful kind of glint that could be seen, and that made Kiba smile broadly.

"You know what?" He murmured, bringing his arms around Tobirama's waist to hug him. "I don't think I'll tell my friends about you just yet... I kind of like keeping them on edge."

..~..~..

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