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Sweet Dreams

Kiba didn't know how much longer he could last. Between the situation with Lee, the situation with his wolf and Sakura, and even the rogue Alpha, he didn't know how much more stress he could take. Eventually, he would snap and who knew what would happen then.

Tonight would be one of the nights where he would have to sleep under Sakura's window. He doubted he would be able to even close his eyes whilst he was in his room, alone. No, he would have to find solace in being near his mate. Then, at the very least, he could be assured that she was safe.

He still had not told Sakura that he would sometimes sleep under her window. He was pretty sure that she would find some way to kick his ass, dump him, and then tell the rest of Konoha that he was a creepy stalker. So, Kiba kept it a secret.

It was already dark by the time Kiba made it to Sakura's house. As he settled into his favorite spot, Kiba focused his consciousness on Sakura. Right now, she was listening to music and singing along. If Kiba was in the room with her, he would have told her not to quit her day job. Sakura was definitely not the next Celine Dion. He couldn't really tell what else she was doing because the music drowned out all the other sounds that she might or might not be making. Kiba sighed in contentment; even at this distance, being around Sakura calmed Kiba's nerves considerably.

Kiba didn't know how long he had been laying there when Sakura turned off the music and went to bed. He guessed that it couldn't be later than 11pm. Sakura loved to sleep and hated staying up late. Her argument was always the same, "Night time was created for sleep. Why waste it?" Kiba had to admit that she had a point but that didn't stop him from staying up until the wee hours of the night. Not long after Sakura fell asleep, Kiba also succumbed to the Sandman's influence. (A/N: Just to be clear, the Sandman does not exist in this universe)

Kiba jolted awake. Something was wrong and it had awoken Kiba. It took a minute for Kiba to gather his wits and figure out where he was. Once he realized that he was at Sakura's house, Kiba stood up and started to assess his surroundings, looking for the disturbance that woke him up.

After about a minute or so of silence, Kiba discovered what woke him up. It was a scream. Not a blood-curdling, ear-splitting scream of pure terror, but a scream none-the-less. Kiba then realized that the scream was coming from Sakura's room. Kiba listened even more intently; Sakura's window was closed so he couldn't use his nose. He needed to know if it was just Sakura in her room, or if someone or something had come after her. Kiba backed up enough so that he could jump into her window if he needed to while he did this. He would probably break down the entire wall of her room if he jumped through her window in wolf form, but, if Sakura was in danger, Kiba wouldn't hesitate. (A/N: Sakura's house is two stories because of reasons. Her room is on the second floor, also because of reasons)

After Kiba was satisfied that Sakura was alone in her room, he shifted and put on his shorts. Sakura wouldn't be happy with it, but he would have to break the locks on her window, assuming that she locked it in the first place. Luckily, there was a small section of roof that jutted out right under Sakura's window. Kiba backed up some more to get a running start; he would need more speed since he was in human form. Kiba leaped and landed on the small section of roof with a light thud, but he had to brace his hand against the house so he didn't face-plant into it. Kiba grabbed onto Sakura's window and checked to see if it was locked. 'Damn, she locked it. She's going to kill me for this.' Bracing himself, Kiba lifted up on the window until the locks gave way.

Quickly entering Sakura's room, Kiba began searching for the cause of Sakura's scream. He quickly noticed the strong smell of fear that was radiating off of Sakura. It was practically the only thing he could smell, which was saying something because Sakura's scent should be overwhelming in her room. He looked to her bed and found Sakura in it. She was tossing and turning erratically, covered in sweat, and whimpering. 'She's having a nightmare,' Kiba thought. 'It must be pretty intense for her to be so scared.'

Kiba walked up to Sakura's bed and sat on the edge. He tried to wake her up gently, but Sakura remained in her nightmare. He then tried being a little more rough, but Sakura still didn't wake up. Kiba sighed. He didn't know how Sakura would feel about his next idea, but he couldn't think of anything else. Still sitting on her bed, Kiba gathered her into his arms and pulled her close. As he expected, Sakura began to squirm wildly, her limps flailing everywhere. Kiba didn't care. Sakura's sleep-punches couldn't hurt him. He just continued to hold her close and started whispering words of encouragement.

Sakura somehow managed to wiggle and squirm enough so that her back was to his chest. She fought against him for a few more minutes and then she froze. He heard her sharp inhalation and he guessed that she had awoken. Then he heard her start to breathe deeply. Deep enough to scream loud enough to wake up the whole city. Kiba reacted quickly. He silenced her mouth with his palm, trying not to be too rough. "Shhh… Sakura, it's me, Kiba."

After Kiba's words processed, Sakura relaxed and Kiba removed his palm. Kiba just hugged her tighter to his chest and laid down on the bed, dragging her with him; he covered them both with the sheets. The open window would not bother her with its chilly onslaught whilst she had a large amount of werewolf heat next to her. Kiba buried his face in her hair, deep enough so that his nose lightly touched her scalp. He heard Sakura's light sobs, not heavy enough to be crying but he was certain that a few tears had escaped her eyes. Kiba knew enough about Sakura to know that she wouldn't want him to comfort her like he wanted to. She didn't want to ever show weakness, even while they were the only two in the room; a quality born from her insecurities and her efforts to overcome her inner demons. He just squeezed her firmly, only long enough to show her that he was there for her. To show her that he would protect her from anything, even her dreams.

They laid there for a few more minutes until Kiba heard Sakura's breathing even out, revealing that she had slipped back into the peaceful realm of sleep.

Kiba stayed awake to think whilst she slept. This wasn't a sexual experience for Kiba. His mate needed him and he was here for her. His wolf wasn't even bothering him right now, which Kiba was grateful for. Here, in Sakura's bed, lying next to the woman he loved, even with all of the problems he would face tomorrow, Kiba was content.

'Wait. What was that? Love?' Kiba thought for a minute. That was just a slip of the mind, but Kiba realized that he did love Sakura. If Kiba had his way, he would spend the rest of his life with this woman; he would make her his life-mate. 'Now if only Sakura felt the same way…' But Kiba would wait for her. He was sure that she had real feelings for him but whatever baggage she was carrying around was still holding her back. Kiba didn't like it but he had no choice but to respect it. She would heal at her own pace and trying to force her into something she didn't want would only end in misery for them both. So Kiba would wait until she was ready.

Knowing that she was still asleep, Kiba lightly kissed the back of her head. "Sweet dreams. I love you."

A/N: Please review