Oh my God. Merry Christmas, my beloved fans (but mostly HK Keiji).

Warning, and seriously read this: As of chapter fourteen, the story Lies is officially rated M. So...yes, don't read this if you somehow read this far and don't accept male/male sex or relationships.

Proofread by Adi88, who still refuses to tell me what she thinks. Adi, never tell me to add more ever again. Bad things happen.

This is far and away the longest fic I've ever written. More than a hundred pages already (about 104, in 12-point font, I think). Remember, merry Christmas and happy New Year. (I wrote this and thirteen simultaneously so that I could send it off to be proofread. I really need to start writing ahead of what you're reading... so tired...)

We were sitting in Ichiraku's after training, a week before my wedding. Tsunade had cancelled all of our missions. All those directly involved would also be finished with their assignments two days before the ceremony.

Kiba had a get-together planned for the night before, also. It was extremely illogical to me; I and all of the men were invited, and we would all need sleep for the morning. Why would a social gathering – coupled with the obligatory amount of drinking at all Inuzuka functions – take precedence?

Kiba pouted at me. "Will you please come?"

"I see no reason to do so," I answered simply.

"Because I asked nicely!" he whined.

"I do not support the abduction of the wedding party, Kiba," I said simply, pulling the last of the noodles from the bowl and pushing it away from me over the counter. "Even if you have coerced all of the other men to come, I have plans for the next day."

He shrugged. "Not very important ones…"

"I'm getting married to Mira," I said sternly. "And you will be my best man. I will not have you be ill during a serious tradition."

Kiba flinched at my words, scratching at the counter with his fingernail. Akamaru, from beneath the stools on which we sat, barked and put his front paws on the counter, followed by a drool-covered ramen bowl.

We paid and left. It had become darker than expected; autumn was forcing sunset sooner and sooner. Because my kikai were nocturnal, they were becoming more sluggish in the mornings and evenings.

Kiba yawned. Because of our close bonds with animals, both of us rose and slept with the sun. One must feel the rhythm of a living thing before it is understood.

Kiba, apparently, had not forgotten our discussion. He said, "You and I both know that you can stay awake if you want to. Just look at the exam prelims last month! You stayed up all fricken night and were still all chipper and train-y when you woke me up."

"Losing sleep for a mission is far removed from attending a party," I said gravely. "I will not go."

He watched me in silence as we headed for my home first. "You seriously don't know why I'm having a party the day before your wedding?"

I shook my head to show that I did not.

"Ya know about, like, wedding traditions and all that, don't you?" he tried again.

"I know the traditions better than you, Kiba."

He waved his hand to dismiss my words. "I mean, like, the unofficial ones. Like how the chick and the guy don't sleep in the same house the night before because they're not supposed to have shagged before the 'I do's."

I turned to him in the fading light, easily seeing everything despite my dark glasses. "I have no idea what that means."

Kiba tilted his head vacantly before he realized what he'd said. "Oh, you're both supposed to be virgins. You know that part, don't you?"

I nodded. "And, as far as I know, we both are."

"Well, you're still not going to sleep three doors down from her tonight, are you?" he asked as though scandalized. When I shrugged inside my jacket, he said, "After the party, you're sleeping over at my place. You can't go around living in sin right up to the day of your wedding! Plus, all the girls are gonna be over at your place, and you might get cooties."

"That makes no sense whatsoever, and that is not what Mira and I are doing," I said sternly.

"Shino, I'm throwing you a bachelor party, and you damn well better be there," he declared in the tone he uses when he is prepared to throw a tantrum in defense of his goals.

There was a long pause. Then I said, "I will not do anything ridiculous."

He sniggered. "Not when you're sober."

The auspicious day soon arrived.

Late in the afternoon, I stood in the large clearing in one corner of the Inuzuka clan's lands, where a few men from the smaller branches of the tribe were building a bonfire. A similar tower of wood was being erected more toward the center of the complex, since no Inuzuka could hear about a private party nearby without wanting to enjoy themselves, at well.

Being useless, I decided to find Kiba, whose tent was closer to the north-eastern edge of the territory. Kiba had staked out his space when he turned fifteen. Since he wasn't very influential in the clan's hierarchy, and didn't have a family yet, his tent was small and isolated, and I knew it on sight. For one thing, Akamaru would be sleeping, on his back and paws in the air, out front of the entrance.

On the way I passed several primitive tents, some larger than others, depending on whether they housed a family or a single person. The Inuzuka clan, in claiming their huge acreage, hadn't tamed the forest within it so much as they had asked it to move aside a bit. There were trees too thick to see between, as well as sudden breaks where a branch of the clan had had their tents for years.

All the locations were subject to change, as well. If anything was found to be undesirable in an area, the entire family could be moved as little as three feet to the right, or they might migrate to the other side of the Inuzuka lands.

I reached Kiba's tent intact, for the most part. The tents that had seemed so near after my second date with Mira, when Kiba and I had first kissed, were now gone.

There was Akamaru, tongue lolling around outside his open mouth. My smell was so familiar that he did not stir when I walked past and into the small enclosed space.

Kiba looked up as I entered, half-dressed. He finished tugging the loose shirt on and said, "Are they almost finished with the fire? People are going to start arriving soon."

"They are on schedule," I said.

He made a face. "You know that my family only says that to you because you ask them when they'll be done with whatever they're doing. That phrase alone is starting to mean 'I'll get it done in my own time'."

I shrugged. "Then they will get it done in their own time."

He laughed, and then a thought seemed to occur to him. "You know Mira?"

I said, "Yes, I do, Kiba."

He searched for words for a long moment. "You haven't been… um… tongue-battling with her, have you?"

Sometimes, Kiba still pulled me somewhere private and we would kiss. It wasn't unpleasant in any way. If he didn't think it was odd behavior, it was acceptable to me.

Mira told me frequently, at last daily, that she loved me, and then we would kiss. It was different with her, though, because when she would try to tongue-battle, I moved to stimulate an earlobe or another area. She seemed to enjoy this and would make other suggestions, or return the attention.

I said, "No, I have not."

He grinned at me, pulled on his jacket, and we left. "Just checking."

A mere two hours later, the bonfire was roaring and most of the others were far past drunk. All of the guests were those that we had grown up with and fought with, but there was no denying that a shinobi had random idiosyncrasies. Alcohol only magnified them.

Lee, in Celebration of my Vow of Love and Youth, had challenged several innocent trees to a friendly sparring match and won in a shower of little bits of wood. Neji had tried to stop him, but, after having a few small glasses himself, laid himself full out on the ground, folded his hands over his stomach, and quietly slipped into unconsciousness.

Sasuke had stayed dry and level-headed for a very long time, considering, but Naruto had challenged him to a drinking battle and now both were slurring their way through a long retelling of mission after mission.

Lazy Shikamaru and kind, overweight Chouji, both never rowdy, had simply taken most of the available food and settled down on the grass as usual, near enough to hear Naruto's loud voice and in a perfect position to watch Lee dancing through his off-balance world. Chouji had been invited and was welcome, even though he wasn't an actual groomsmen.

Kiba refilled my cup whenever he could, which was not often. Even with his efforts, I drank slowly and sat still against a tree near the fire, silently experimenting with the warm hum through my body and under my skin with the kikai. If I moved my hand, the tips of my fingers blurred slightly until catching up with the rest.

Kiba himself was sitting with his back against my knees, working through at least his second full bottle, jacket discarded with the warmth that inebriation brings.

Finally, Sasuke and Naruto settled down, and Lee gleefully woke Neji only for both to disappear again almost immediately. Chouji said, "Hey, Kiba, how can this be a bachelor party without girls?"

Kiba, always a good host, absentmindedly passed his bottle back for me to hold. "Well, I tried, alright? I know that I got Sakura and Ino, because they're both exhibitionists at heart."

Shikamaru shrugged. "It makes for a fun time in the bedroom, virgin-boy."

Unfazed, Kiba continued, "And I'm pretty sure that Neji convinced Hinata." Naruto's goofy smile lit up his face. "Oh, and I told Itari about it when I saw her yesterday."

Sasuke visibly paled. "You told Captain?" he asked, aghast. "You willingly invited her to a party in the context of entertaining men?"

I said, "You also abducted the bridesmaids."

Kiba grinned. "Hey, half the guys here are promised to people already. It's not like I should've picked up some hookers."

That was when we heard the first squeal, approaching rapidly. Itari landed on the last elevated branch before our clearing and stumbled slightly. "Hello, boys!" She was wearing all black, in the form of high heels and a gratuitously form-fitting, lacy dress.

Sasuke shook his head and said, "Captain, how did you get directions here?"

She giggled and half-fell out of the tree, landing perfectly fine on her feet but then seeming unable to keep from stumbling brightly onto Sasuke's lap. "I don't remember!"

There was a small sound next to me, and then Jata stepped out from behind the tree I was leaning against. Her legs were covered in sheer lavender stockings and an overlarge knit sweater which drifted off her shoulder and reached down past her thighs, accenting her eyes prettily and making her look like a small doll.

Sasuke wasn't surprised by her presence. "Jata-san, did you come from the main party nearer to the gates?"

Jata nodded with a deliberate cadence.

"Did she drink anything?"

The petite girl produced a kunai – it was considered rude to ask a kunoichi where she kept her weapons – and dragged it down the trunk beside her once in a tally mark.

"Just one drink?" Sasuke asked, incredulous.

Jata shook her head in negation.

"A whole bottle?"

A solid nod. Sasuke sighed and held Itari's hands away from where they were trying to artfully twist underneath his shirt.

Next, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten arrived in a group.

Our little sister was costumed as some sort of mouse character, with a grey corset, ears, and shoes, and then a long pink tail. Naruto took her hand and they fell deep into conversation on reflex.

Ino was a cat character, sporting blond ears and tail. She was attractive enough in the daytime, but now Shikamaru pulled his girlfriend down on top of him and they were soon lost to the world.

Tenten's hair was down from its usual twin buns, and dropped to her shoulders in waves. Other than that, her clothes were normal, as she had obviously disagreed with whoever (probably Ino or Itari, or both) had chosen the girl's clothes for the evening.

Sakura, wearing a cute, short kimono with a cherry blossom pattern, frowned at Itari's continued endeavors to make Sasuke uncomfortable. Then, she and Tenten resolved themselves to entertain Kiba and me, and struck up a conversation.

Jata remained standing beside the tree, listening silently. I was reminded of the exams, when every person we encountered had been evaluating us.

Tenten said, "Really, thanks for inviting us. Spending the night at Shino's house is a little bit weird." She looked over at me and shrugged apologetically. "Shibi-san would walk past the door every few minutes and look in and we all would have to quiet down or suffer death. Except Jata-san. She tried to stare him down, and it was extremely entertaining."

Sakura giggled. "We still don't know who won! Itari-chan started doing Jata's hair and then we all had to get ready..."

Somewhere not-too-far off, Itari giggled and Sasuke chuckled in response. Sakura began twisting the hem of her kimono and didn't turn around to look at them.

Apparently oblivious to her friend, Tenten said, "Mira-chan's really excited. I'm so happy for you, Shino!"

Kiba reached behind him and I handed the bottle back.

Sakura said, "She's excited, yeah, but I feel a little bad for coming here when she can't see you until tomorrow."

I said, "Mira is not a weak person. She will survive."

Kiba, still leaning against me and facing away, took a long swig and then either coughed or laughed. Itari make a particularly loud noise and Sakura took the drink out of Kiba's hands for her own.

Suddenly, Jata stepped softly past us and sat next to Sasuke, staring straight ahead of her. Itari reached over his shoulder and touched her cheek with one finger and then laughed. Under her, Sasuke's pale face faded to pink as Itari's motion nearly pressed his face into her chest.

Tenten shook her head. "Mira-chan's really nice. I mean, accommodating. She was trying to make sure that all of us had everything we wanted." She winked at me. "You're lucky to have her."

I reached forward and touched Kiba's neck. He leaned into it.

Sakura said, "She strikes me as optimistic. She completely left Kumo behind and dove into making friends here. I just don't have the heart to tell her when something's different from how she grew up."

"Yeah, optimistic," Kiba grunted. "Very, very optimistic." He took the bottle back from Sakura.

"I felt really bad for her at first," Sakura went on. "But now she'll have you, and everything's going to be alright."

Kiba's arm dropped to the ground and his hand wrapped around my ankle.

I said, "Yes, it will."

Just as Ino and Shikamaru stood up and began to creep away and leave Chouji behind, Lee and Neji returned, but they didn't join our conversation. Instead, Hinata and Naruto called them over, and they all blended into one group easily.

Instead of Itari, it was Sasuke's moans that reached us next, and Sakura stood up. "Um, I think that the girls should go. Busy day tomorrow, right?" She raised her voice. "Ino, get your clothes on, we're going!"

Seconds later, Ino stalked out of the trees blushing. "For your information, forehead girl, we were only making out, and I was still dressed!"

"'Still'?" Sakura mocked her, not looking down as she put her hands on Itari's shoulders and tried to guide her away from Sasuke.

Jata stood up from beside Sasuke and stood in front of Sakura. The height difference skewed the intimidation, but it was there nonetheless.

Sakura's hands let go of Itari as though the captain was on fire. "Itari-chan, it's time to go."

"Fine," Itari pouted. "Bye, Sasuke."

Sakura flinched at the more personal name, and then turned to her crush. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, it looks like you got bruises from somewhere. I'll heal those for you, if you want."

"All over his neck?" Shikamaru laughed, rubbing his own red skin. "Have you gone dim, Sakura?"

Sasuke said, "No. If you healed them, some people might not know to stop throwing themselves at me."

Sakura took a deep breath, turned away from him, and walked slowly out of the camp. We heard her choke once, very quietly, and then Ino and Tenten raced after her.

Itari leaned down and whispered something in Sasuke's ear, and then took Jata's hand and they left, too.

Lee, Neji, Hinata, and Naruto came closer to the fire. My teamate said, "I should go, too."

Naruto smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Hinata nodded, squeaking, "We're both part of the wedding, Naru-chan." She hugged him tightly, and then let go.

Lee put his hand on Neji's arm and pushed him forward. Neji said, "Good night, Hinata."

She hugged him, too, and then looked up at him and swallowed. Neji leaned further down and then they kissed, very quickly, and stepped apart. Lee put his hand back on Neji's arm and Naruto pressed his forehead against Hinata's.

Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sasuke had apparently lost interest and were nursing full cups.

After Hinata had left, Kiba stood up. "Okay, so I got my third-cousins to set up a big tent for you guys. You ready to go to bed? It's just south of here."

Neji said, "I'll go."

Beside him, Lee nodded quickly. "We must have Energetic Souls for the Bond of Love tomorrow!"

Kiba sniffled and rubbed his nose. "Hey, what smells weird, guys?"

"Is it alcohol?" I said quietly.

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Chouji stood, as well. Sasuke said, "I will sleep."

The four of them walked south together, toward the clearing nearby.

Kiba watched them go and then banked the dying fire carefully. "Come on, you can sleep in my tent. It's got more personality."

I managed to stand up and walked ahead without him.

He caught up quickly, and said, "Hey, Shino?"

I would have answered, but he pushed me against the tree we were passing and took off my glasses.

There wasn't enough ambient light to see my eyes like this. "Look at the sky for a minute, okay?"

I looked, and he made an annoyed sound and proceeded to try to climb high enough to see my eyes. I was too tall for him. He held my shoulders and jumped to press both feet against the tree, straddling my body, using chakra to hold himself there. Slowly, his peeked over my chin and then he was looking down at me with an unusual expression on his face.

"Shino, you're getting married tomorrow," he said slowly, tracing his fingers up my neck.

I nodded, but the motion brought his hand into my hair, and he began to massage.

"And you're going to have your wedding night… Open your eyes."

My eyes had closed without realizing it. I obediently opened them. I didn't try to respond, considering the proven dangers.

"I was thinking, maybe you shouldn't have sex for the first time with Mira."

I looked up at him, and he released his hold on the tree to put his weight onto me and kissed me, sliding down until my hands supported the weight and stopped the fall.

"Kiba, you're drunk."

He made a light, laughing little sound and leaned against me more to whisper in my ear, "It's a party. Aren't you drunk, too?"

I considered it a moment. I was slightly off-balance, leaning mostly on the tree at my back to keep us both up.

"Shino," he murmured, sending a small tingling through me, "let's have sex."

Without thinking, I kissed him, and he kissed me back forcefully, untangling himself from me. His hand wrapped around my wrist and he led me back to his tent.

Once inside, he spun around and kissed me again. This was softer than before, as he tried to unzip my jacket with trembling hands.

I knew that he wasn't drunk. He had lied to me. The purposeful and lucid look on his face as we stopped kissing long enough for him to pull his hitai-ate off was proof enough of that. He knew perfectly well what we were doing and what it would mean later.

Then again, I had lied, as well. I knew just as well, and I was still pressed against a soft tent wall, pushing off his jacket while he deftly pulled up my shirt. It was probably thrown to the ground; I didn't even look.

His tongue was back in my mouth, and he was pressed hard against me, both his lips and his body. We were both aroused – very aroused. I moved against him, and then broke away to breath in quickly. That had felt good. Why hadn't we done this before? We had only kissed for the first time six months ago, and the tongue-battling was enjoyable, but this was better.

Then, I thought of why we had not, and I firmly pushed him away and said, "Kiba."

He gave me a dazedly confused look that said, "You know that this only works if neither of us talks, right?"

In as steady a voice as I could manage, I said, "I am not drunk."

His eyes – when had they become so brown and feral? – widened, and he looked away, taking a step back for good measure. "I-I'm not, either." There was an underlying tone of something in his confession.

"And…you still want to…" I allowed my voice to fade. I could not say it.

"It's my virginity we're talking about, too, not just yours," he croaked, attempting to sit on the grass-covered ground in a way that did not advertise his erection to the world. It didn't work, but I ignored his discomfort. If I was still standing, completely visible, he could bear it, as well.

I took stock of my clothes, and asked, "Where are my glasses?"

He tossed them to me, and I slid them in place.

After a short silence, I asked, "Why would you want me to be your first partner?"

Now he looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I think I want someone that I really, really trust, or else it won't work. I mean, first of all, you both have to be naked, and with us that's nothing new. Second, between guys, it hurts if you're not careful, and you'll definitely be careful."

Neither of us suggested that he might be with a girl.

I removed my hitai-ate. I was spending the night here, after all. Considering his words, however, I discovered something rather important. "I have no idea how two men have sex."

I had been told a few things by Father (during a massively awkward hour of silences at the age of ten) and I had heard enough from others (mostly Kiba) to fill in the blanks. I had seen Hinata nude before – on long missions in close quarters, this was inevitable – and I knew how everything worked. But how could Kiba and I…fit together?

Kiba, thoughts apparently following the same path, turned crimson. "Hana-nee-chan h-has books that she showed me when I told her I was," he nervously began cracking his knuckles, one by one, "interested in that sort of thing."

I could calm myself down with the prospect of learning. "What has to happen, then?"

In the half-lit tent, I lost his clan markings to his blush. "You need lube…lubrication, or it'll hurt for the one receiving, and you have to stretch them out, and then it's a lot like with a girl…"

I blinked. Differing anatomy advocated the next question. "Where?"

He choked, and shook his head. After some deliberation, he dug through the pile of things that he owned, all stacked in one corner. He came back almost immediately, shoving a manga into my hands. Making a vague motion with his hand, he sat down again, not looking at me.

I opened to the middle of the book arbitrarily. Talking about being at work in an office building. That bore no answers. I flipped a dozen pages, and found things about two men loving each other. Closer, presumably. I flipped again, and – what was this, pornography? Proud of myself for not dropping the manga in surprise, I forced myself to look for the answer. Where would…

Oh.

I understood.

Now I did drop the book. Kiba flinched and did not look up. I said, as levelly as possible, "And that is…pleasurable?"

"It looks like it. I wouldn't know," he mumbled.

I didn't say anything. I thought of Mira, and having sex with her the next day. 'Someone I trusted' was definitely Kiba… "Who would do what?" If I thought about it logically, I would not blush. I clarified, "Giving and receiving."

"I-I would…um…" He growled, tugging at his hair with both hands. "Damn, I really hoped that this would be one of those 'no words, just emotions' things that you read about…"

I raised an eyebrow. "You read women's romance novels?" The teasing was an easy fallback.

He lifted his head to glare at me. No teasing. We couldn't be 'best friends' right now. He stood, and stalked toward where I sat on the bed. His fingers ran through the hair at my temples, nearly petting me. "I'll be on bottom. It doesn't matter," sliding my glasses out from behind my ears. "Okay?"

I leaned closer and kissed him. It was a natural motion, now, and I felt him smile as he settled his weight on my lap. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, and he pressed back, until I lost my balance and he was on top of me, spread across the bed. My hands pulled his mesh undershirt up and over his head, because it was only fair, seeing as I had already lost mine.

He got off and began tugging his pants off. I shrugged and did the same, and it was an easy thing, since this was something we had been doing in the same room for years.

It wasn't the same at all.

Then, we were back on the bed, only this time Kiba was below me, as promised. I hesitated, fervently wishing that I had spent longer reading that manga.

What now?

He blushed again, reaching for the pile adjacent to the bed. "U-um, next is lubrication. I guess I'll do it, I know how to…" He pulled his knees up, trying to slide out from beneath me. I moved to the foot of the bed, intending to watch and learn the required steps. If nothing else, it would prevent this incredibly awkward conversation from ever again occurring.

He unscrewed the cap on the tube and spread some of the stuff on his first two fingers. The cap was replaced, and the tube returned to the miscellaneous pile. The hand moved and then froze, and he whined, "Shino, turn around! You're staring!"

I obediently turned. His words made no logical sense whatsoever. If we were going to have sex, I would see everything inevitably. To be self-conscious was useless.

What was preventing me from learning? A kikai crawled from my abdomen and alit on the wall. From here, I used its eyes.

Kiba checked twice to make sure I wasn't looking, and then his hand moved down to his stomach, and then lower, and his fingers-

"That makes sense," I said aloud.

His eyes, closed in concentration, snapped open and searched the walls. "I told you not to look!" he squeaked. "Call your stupid bug back!"

I shrugged and it returned. The visual had been too much from me, in this condition. Kiba was…touching himself, and naked (which I had seen before), and very hard (which I had not). But, I was the same. The wet, squelching sounds I heard did not help.

Finally, Kiba said, "O-okay, I guess this is good enough."

I turned back around and froze. Kiba looked indescribably alluring, spread across his own bed, daringly meeting my eyes.

But I had to focus on the next step. Thinking of that, I asked, "And now?"

Looking firmly away and mouth set in a determined line, he reached out and smeared the slickness from his fingers onto me. It felt good, but he looked uncomfortable, so I felt guilty for enjoying it.

"Then it's just…you know."

Jolted out of my reverie, I climbed on top of him again, neither of us making an attempt at eye contact. There was a busy moment as we tried to find an acceptable position. We settled for just him bending his knees and spreading his thighs enough for me to access his…the place where…

How did people enjoy this? It was ludicrously embarrassing.

Then, I push forward carefully and discovered the attraction.

Afterward, there was silence. Our eyes met, and he blinked up at me blearily.

I smiled at him. Kiba sucked in a breath, pulled me down to lie next to him, and kissed me. It only lasted a few seconds. He was falling asleep, obviously; neither of us much believed in staying awake past sundown, since the natural light was gone, and it was far past that.

A final thought seemed to occur to him. "The room smells different. If this is what sex smells like, then," he trailed off in shock. "Oh my God, Lee and Neji were…"

I stared at him.

Some people really are blind.