Hiya everyone! Gah, I am so sorry for the delay in updating! You have no idea how many times I've rewritten this chapter so that I could be happy posting it and I'm still not completely happy but it's the best I'm going to be able to do at the moment. It's much shorter than the last chapter since...well...it's hard to keep to a 10,000+ word count when you get barely any ideas, sorry :'( Oh! On the plus side, I've decided to make this story a little more raunchy to suit the M rating I gave it. Now that they're engaged I think they should be all over each other ;)
WARNING! LEMONY ACTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER! SKIP IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!
Now that's out of the way, I really hope you enjoy this chapter because I know I didn't.
The Blossom Of The Leaf Blooms Twice
Chapter 25 - Kiba's Having A Nibble
Turning over in her sleep, Sakura realised that her warmth was no longer there. The small, single bed seemed much bigger than it had when she had fallen asleep beside Kiba. Judging from the breeze on her naked chest, she hadn't dreamed up the events of the previous night at all. She smiled to herself as she snuggled closer to the pillow, noticing his scent all over it. Sakura would have preferred him to have been there with her but she guessed he had things to do.
"Something's got you happy." came a teasing voice from one corner of the room which caused Sakura to crack a sleepy eye open, "And while I'm not in there too...I'm almost insulted."
"Mmph...Bed nice...Sleep good...Body aches." Sakura groaned as she came round. It was true; her body really did ache but not painfully. Kiba's lovemaking really was just as good as many girls had bragged. Another smirk crossed her face at the thought of their faces when they learned that their beloved Kiba was now officially off the market. Hokage or not, Sakura was sure she'd get some form of hatred from them. The pinkette felt Kiba's side of the bed move and a hand sweep her bangs from her face before a soft kiss was placed on her nose, "You call that a kiss, puppy? About an inch and a half lower and then we'll start talking." she said a little less groggily as she looked up at him.
"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen, baby. Not with the way you smell right now." Kiba sighed, stroking her face.
"Huh? I know I have morning breath but is it really that bad?" Sakura asked, sitting up and smelling her breath. It wasn't all that bad, even for morning breath so what was Kiba talking about? His chuckles weren't helping either.
"It's not morning breath Sakura." he smiled down at her, "Trust me, a simple thing like morning breath wouldn't keep me from ravishing your beautiful mouth. No...It's not even a bad scent. It's just that it smells so fuckin' incredible that I'm having a hard time even now trying not to jump you."
"What do you mean? What could possibly smell that good?" Sakura asked. It was too early in the morning for his Inuzuka antics.
"Us, hun." he grinned as he nodded towards her crotch and his own, "Our combined scent is driving me crazy right now. I'd love nothing more than to climb back into bed with you for a round or three but I have things I need to do."
"Like what?" Sakura asked. She pulled the cover over her breasts as she sat even further up.
"You don't need to cover up around me." Kiba smiled softly, "And I need to see the clan council about arranging a date for our marriage. There's a special time when Alphas have to marry to validate their vows and their right to rule. It has something to do with the lunar eclipse or something." He wished he could tell Sakura more since her scent reeked of confusion but he hadn't really paid all that much attention to the stuff himself. Before Sakura, he hadn't really thought about marriage so why would he have needed to know all of that stuff?
"I take it I can't be there, huh?" she asked nervously.
"Now who said that?" Kiba smirked, "As long as you are ready for some major fireworks, I have no problems with my fiancee coming."
"Fireworks? What the- Wait. You haven't told them have you?" Sakura asked as her eyes narrowed dangerously. When Kiba's face flushed a deep crimson, she hit him around the head with his pillow, "You ass. Are they gonna be mad?" The medical ninja suddenly looked scared and worried. She knew how volatile an Inuzuka's temper was. With an entire council of them, she had no chance of avoiding an argument. Kiba's hand reached out and held onto hers as he gently rubbed the back with his thumb.
"They'll be a little pissy, yes..." he sighed, not about to lie to her, "But leave that to me. I'll set them straight."
"No. If they've got a problem with me they say it to me." Sakura frowned. She didn't want Kiba to have to face his entire council alone just because of her. She wouldn't let that happen, not in a million years. The Inuzuka smiled for the umpteenth time. His fiancee was inspiring feelings in him that he had never felt before for anyone, not even Shino or Hinata. Her obvious dedication to him was touching enough for him to indulge her and plant a soft and tender kiss on her lips.
"Look at what you do to me, blossom...I can't stay away." he smirked.
"Well...I am a kunoichi. A master of seduction. I wouldn't be a very good kunoichi if you weren't taken in by my charms." Sakura grinned. Kiba's smile faded slightly at that thought. If he was truly honest with himself, he didn't like Sakura's life as a ninja. It wasn't that he didn't think she was capable, it was just that Kiba couldn't bare the thought of one day finding her going up against an enemy who could take her away from him. In an effort to rid himself of that train of thought, Kiba scooped Sakura up into his arms and standing up, "What are you doing, puppy?" she asked, gripping onto his neck.
"I'm sure you need a shower after getting all hot and bothered over me last night. I know I do." Kiba said. Sakura wasn't stupid. She knew something about what she had said concerning her job as a kunoichi had bothered him. His smile hadn't quite reached his eyes when he looked down at her. She decided to let Kiba think about it by himself. It wouldn't help if she tried to influence his thoughts since her life as a kunoichi was something he needed to come to terms with alone. She just snuggled closer to Kiba, making him stumble slightly as his legs suddenly went weak, "Fuck...Sakura don't do that so much." he moaned.
"Why not?" she asked, looking up at him with the most innocent face she could muster despite her inner pervert loving her effect on the normally cool Inuzuka.
"Seeing you act so...so canine is just too damned sexy." he growled, "Keep it up and I won't make it to the shower before I jump you." There was a twinkle in his eyes that told Sakura that he didn't really mind all that much but she stopped anyway, merely laying her head against Kiba's chest was enough. Kiba didn't even let go as he turned the water on in the en suite shower. Sakura had been mildly surprised at how posh his house actually was. With his canine nature, she would have thought he'd be less fancy. He only ever let go of her when he let Sakura soak for a minute under the steaming rush of water, letting it wash away the night's fatigue and the sweat which mingled with her skin. Kiba soon stepped in after her, closing the glass door which had steamed up completely. With the shower really only built for one, Sakura soon found herself just as close to Kiba as she had been in bed with him. His caloused hands gently ran down her shoulders until he came to her hips, pulling her closer to him. His touch slowly rubbed up her back as he scrubbed away the dirt. It took all of his sexual control to supress the erection that was causing his member to slowly grow in size.
"I didn't know showers were so exciting." Sakura teased, feeling his member growing slightly as her thigh rested against him. Kiba's face flushed but he remained focused on the skin of her neck as he ran the bronzed palms over the pulse of the woman. Not wanted to be the only one to get clean in such a glorious way, Sakura's own hands rested on Kiba's chest and began to run her fingers through the fur there. Kiba chuckled and pulled away slightly.
"I have a special shampoo if you're so desperate to wash me, darlin'." he said, his voice becoming husky. He pressed a small amount of a liquid into his palm and rubbed it lightly onto his chest, "There you go, knock yourself out." Sakura didn't need telling twice, her hands immediately and gently began massaging the liquid into his fur and skin in little circles. Kiba's own ministrations had ceased as he reached out to support himself on the wall behind Sakura, letting her access his chest more. The pleasant growls coming from her man teased a little smirk onto Sakura's face, "Yeah...a little harder...oh fuck yes that's good Sakura." he moaned into her ear.
Bathing had never been an erotic thing for Sakura but this just about changed her mind. Despite his tough exterior, Kiba was extremely sensitive to touch which made this a whole lot more pleasurable for him. His control over his steadily growing member had gone, resulting in it almost shooting upright in a second. Whatever was in this unknown shampoo had to be some form of miracle substance if Kiba was acting like this. A little squeak left her lips as Kiba's hips suddenly began to rhythmically thrust against her thigh, pushing her back against the wall, "Babe...I really wanna do this...but...I want every time with you to be special. Not just some random fuck in a shower." His Inuzuka instincts would not let him degrade Sakura like that but his male side found the prospect of having his fiancee moaning his name in a shower very erotic. When Sakura's cool hand grasped his meat and guided it across her thigh slowly, he bucked and hit the soft folds that he had acquainted himself with the night before.
"I don't mind you know..." Sakura smirked up at him, "You can't be a loyal little puppy all the time." Her mouth went to his ear, "Show me how much of a man you really are."
At this Kiba sheathed himself inside Sakura with one swift thrust. Such a challenge couldn't go unnoticed as Kiba leered down into Sakura's eyes, "You might end up regretting unleashing my inner beast, babe."
"We'll see about that." Sakura laughed. Her laughter was turned into long and breathy moans as Kiba drove into her without warning, refusing to hold back even a little. Without very much searching, Kiba was able to find that beautiful spot which made Sakura groan even louder and sag against him and the wall. Kiba briefly pulled out of Sakura before turning her around to face away from him and thrusting back into her moist core.
"Tight...oh fuck yes...so fuckin' tight." he groaned in her ear as he nuzzled her. With his hands on her hips, bringing her back to meet his harsh thrusts, the dog nin soon had Sakura panting and nearly screaming as she tried to grip onto the wall only for her nails to scrape down the wet tiles. His own strong, lightly calloused hands roamed in two different directions as he continued to mercilessly plunge inside of his lover. They accented the curvature of her hips as one dipped around the the front and began its assault on her neglected pink bud while the other twisted around to pinch Sakura's already erect nipple gently.
"KIBA!" she screamed, tossing her head back as his index finger swirled around her clit, brushing over it deliberately to make her lose the rhythm that she was pushing back against him with. Her pink locks flew over his head, mingling with Kiba's own brown hair as she groaned her loudest yet. With his family's enhanced senses, he was sure they could either hear or smell what was going on. Sakura's scent of desire was overpowering as he brought her closer and closer to her climax. His shaft was throbbing inside of her tight heat as the mark around it caused the pleasure to increase a tenfold.
"Hey! He's turning you to jelly here!" Inner Sakura ranted, "Show him the true benefits of our chakra control!"
An evil smirk crossed Sakura's lips as she took her inner self's advice and began to weave her chakra slowly down towards her crotch. She knew that the marking on his member was driving Kiba crazy already so this small burst of chakra would make him scream for her. Beg for more. Whine like a little puppy. "FUCKIN' HELL! SHIT!" Kiba screamed with all the air in his lungs as he felt the chakra of his fiancee seep soothingly into his penis, enhancing his already incredible sensitivity to inhuman levels. Tears welled up in his eyes at how good it felt to be with this woman, causing him to bury his face in her neck, "Baby...do that again for me! Please!" Another burst sent Kiba spiralling into ecstacy but still he kept thrusting and caressing her clit, "You want my seed baby? You gotta work for it."
"That's too...bad...'cause I'm almost...I'm gonna...oh fuck!" Sakura panted. This was it. She couldn't hold on any more. With more effort than ever, she pulsed more chakra into Kiba's shaft and sent pulse after pulse quickly into him, making him quiver and quake in pure bliss.
"Take it! FUCKIN' TAKE MY CUM! NOW, SAKURA!" Kiba roared as he violently spilled himself inside of his fiancee. His hand was brought down hard against Sakura's behind, making her squeal in delight as she tightened around him, milking his cock for all it was worth. Repeatedly he smacked her behind hard and strangely, Sakura loved the feeling of the sting. The repeated smacks softened as Kiba sagged against her and pulled out slowly, "You're mean Sakura, you know that?" Kiba growled in her ear as his hands caressed her form, "I didn't know you could do that with your chakra."
"So I've been told. And you have no idea just how many perks there are to being a chakra control expert and medical genius." Sakura smirked as she turned around in Kiba's arms, recieving a strong, searing kiss from the soft lips of her lover.
"I can't wait to see how they work." he smirked, "I think I finally found my sexual match."
"What do you mean? I totally blew you away." Sakura said. Kiba's arms wrapped even tighter around her.
"You don't need sex to do that to me, Sakura." he whispered into her ear before scrubbing her down once more and turning off the water. Even though both of them had just had the most exhausting sex of their lives, both had never felt more energetic. Kiba vigorously rubbed a fluffy towel all over Sakura's body, taking great care to be gentle with her. Something told him that after him being so rough with her, he should be gentle. She repayed the favour with her own unique brand of drying technique. Kiba felt a little strange as the marks on Sakura's hands blew bursts of her chakra out at him to dry his bronzed skin. Once that was done, she giggled happily.
"All done." she grinned, "Now I've gotta get back home and change. I now have no clothes other than the dress I wore yesterday."
"You can borrow a shirt of mine to get you there." Kiba smiled as he led her back into the room where Akamaru was now wide awake and growling deeply at the pair who blushed vividly. Once again, they had forgotten he had been in earshot of their loud mouths. Sakura slipped on her panties as Kiba took it upon himself to slip a white wife beater onto her. The piece of clothing absolutely drowned her as Kiba was at least a few inchest taller than her and much broader. Sakura wondered how it would look on Kiba himself with the contrast between the white and his bronzed skin. Forcing that image back, Sakura petted Akamaru for the first time in a week. The white nin dog barked happily and panted furiously as he was subjected to Sakura's mindblowingly skilled hands, "You're spoiling him." Kiba smirked.
"What's the point in being sick if you can't be spoiled a little?" Sakura asked, "Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
"ARF!"
"Whatever." Kiba sighed, running his hands through his hair, "As long as he doesn't try to steal you away from me, I'll allow it."
"Kiba?" Sakura asked suddenly, "When do you want me to come back? Have I got enough time to see someone important?"
"That depends who." Kiba sighed, "I don't want our friends told without me being there. I wanna tell them together, okay?" Sakura nodded in understanding. In fact, she would prefer it that way. She didn't know how to take Naruto and especially Lee's reactions to her engagement, "Who do you wanna see?"
"Well...Tsunade-shishou wanted-"
"Say no more." he smiled softly as he wandered across the room to embrace Sakura, "You take as long as you need. I'm sure you have a lot to tell her anyway." Sakura grinned happily and slung her arms around Kiba's neck to pull him even closer. A peck on the cheek made Kiba turn a brilliant shade of crimson. It was funny how, even though the pair had performed the most intimate act a couple could perform, he could be made to blush after something as simple as a little kiss. Sakura gave him a smile before forming quick handsigns and bursting into thousands of cherry blossom petals which fell to Kiba's floor before disintegrating completely, leaving nothing but the delicious scent behind for Kiba.
A bark from his long time companion made him chuckle. Sakura would make the single most girly and flamboyant Inuzuka who had ever lived.
After leaving her Hokage issued home, Sakura wasted no time in bounding across the rooftops of Konoha dressed in her usual attire, complete with her Akatsuki cloak which was buttoned up to stave off the ever cooling air in the village. Her heeled footsteps clattered across the tiles of the rooftops as she ran at full speed. Her presence outside of the office turned quite a few heads from the villagers below; most notably, Naruto and Shikamaru who were on a disguised date. Both of them decided to discretely follow their Hokage and friend to see what had gotten her so riled up that morning.
When Sakura landed outside the gates of Konoha's Cemetery, the gates were already opened and allowing the public in to tend to the graves of their loved ones. Sakura wished she had brought some flowers for her shishou's grave but her excitement had got the better of her again. Oh well, Tsunade would be pleased enough to hear what she had to say. The pinkette nodded to both of the guards who were on duty and saluting their leader.
"What's she hear for?" one of them asked.
"Duh. Tsunade-sama's buried here, dumbass." the other snapped, "I know you're only a new recruit but do try to keep up."
Sakura trudged through the grassy area, marked with the graves of countless heroes and heroines who had defended the village so bravely. Silently she paid her respects as she passed them on her way to the very rear of the place where six extravagant graves were lined up. Her eyes spotted several figures paying their respects to graves all over the cemetery. The tranquility of the area was the complete opposite of how Sakura felt.
"Well...Well...Well. You sure took your time in coming to see me." came the voice that only she could hear as the ghostly image of a blond woman appeared before her. Sakura smiled sheepishly, "Don't just stand there, girl, fill me in!" Tsunade demanded, still smiling at her pink haired apprentice. It was horrible not knowing what was going on in the village. Even in death, Tsunade felt an attachment that would never fade.
"Did you know I'm Hokage now?" Sakura chuckled.
"Hmm? Now that's interesting. I never took you for the leader type, Sakura." Tsunade said, "Did something happen to Naruto?"
"No. The council thought he was better suited to being on the front lines. My medicinal background made me perfect to stay behind and give commands." Sakura sighed. She still wasn't wholly convinced about the decision herself.
"Well, I'm sure you're doing a good job." the sannin smiled softly, "After all, you've got time to see me so late in the morning. I'm glad to see my lazy ass attitude didn't rub off on your work ethic." Sakura laughed quietly at that. No matter how hard she tried, Tsunade would never be able to stop herself from sounding like a mother. Well...how Sakura knew a mother should act, "Still nothing from your parents?" she asked.
"Nothing. They don't wanna be seen with a shinobi." Sakura sighed, "It's difficult seeing as what's happening now."
"Would it have anything to do with that boulder you've got wrapped around your finger?" Tsunade smirked, eyeing Sakura's ring finger intently, "Did you and Kiba sort things out or is that someone else?"
"Kiba proposed last night." Sakura grinned, "He was so sweet about it too. His whole family was there, including Shino. He seemed so nervous about the whole thing. I spent the night with him too." She giggled at the thought. Sakura stopped to see Tsunade's face held an exhasperated look. Sakura's eyebrow quirked, prompting the blond sannin to point behind the pinkette. Sakura slowly turned around to see Naruto and Shikamaru stood behind her. Naruto had a face like thunder and the woman realised that he must have heard everything.
"He. Asked you. To marry him?" he ground out, clenching his fists. Sakura nodded, "And you said yes?"
"Of course she did Naruto," Shikamaru said, "Sakura obviously loves Kiba and vice versa."
"And she slept with him?" he roared, causing people around the cemetery to look over in their direction. Naruto was literally shaking with anger at the thought of the Inuzuka playboy so much as touching Sakura anywhere more than her shoulder. The last thing he wanted to hear were rumours about his best friend and that man. Sakura's face had turned a deep pink as as fought back both embarrassment and the urge to smack Naruto silly, "How could you let him touch you, Sakura-chan?"
"He's your friend, Naruto. How can you be so negative about him?" Sakura asked.
"It's just that...you're too innocent Sakura-chan! He's Inuzuka Kiba for fuck sake! Master of the bed!" Naruto hissed. Sakura chuckled at the memories that name conjured. Boy had he earned that nickname. Naruto shuddered at the perverse look on Sakura's face. He did not want to think about what was going through her mind, "Plus...Kiba likes rough sex. What if he hurts you?"
"He already promised he wouldn't. And last night, he was very gentle I'll have you know." Sakura said unashamedly, "And I'm not innocent Naruto. I made him scream with some tricks of my own." The pinkette heard the stifled chuckle of her ghostly shishou who was leaning against her gravestone with a smirk on her face at Naruto's twisted face. It looked like the jinchuuriki had sucked a bag of lemons. Shikamaru looked slightly impressed at that. Kiba always had control in bed. For Sakura to have made him scream for her, she must have done something right, "Please give me a little more credit than that, Naruto."
"Ew...too much info." Naruto grimaced.
"Sakura." Shikamaru smirked, his curiosity piqued, "How was it? I've heard he's rather legendary."
"SHIKA!" Naruto squealed, not wanting to hear about Sakura's sexual exploits.
"That story, my dear Shikamaru, is for when I am exceedingly drunk and not in the middle of a cemetery." Sakura grinned, winking at him playfully before mouthing 'fucking incredible' at him, prompting a loud laugh from the lazy shadow nin, "Anyway, I'm supposed to meet Kiba later so we can talk to his clan council about a date." The pinkette turned back to the grave where Tsunade's ghost was still perched, "I'm sorry I took so long, Tsunade-shishou. I'll make sure I visit you a little sooner next time."
"That's fine. We dead folks have all the time in the world. You on the other hand, do not." she said with a smile, "Of course I want you to visit me but real life comes first. Especially now that you're gonna be Mrs Inuzuka soon. Tell Naruto I said hello. I'll be sure to let Jiraiya know too."
"How is Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked, much to Naruto's confusion. Neither he nor Shikamaru could see the ghost that Sakura was talking to.
"Same old, same old." Tsunade chuckled, "Still a pervert but we're happy for the first time in a long time."
"I'm glad to hear that." Sakura grinned, only to see her former mentor's face drop suddenly.
"Sakura. I need to be serious with you for a moment...I don't want to worry you, especially not since you've got other things to worry about but..."
"No. Tell me." Sakura insisted.
"Orochimaru never made it to the afterlife with us." the blond said urgently, her amber eyes showing the concern not only for the village but for her teammate, "Me and Jiraiya wait every day for him but...nothing. I want you to be careful. If he's alive you know he'll try something." Sakura's face had paled considerably upon hearing the news. Her body began to shake with fear as she processed the information. The snake was still loose and slithering through the forests around Konoha. That meant that she may soon need to prove herself as both a kunoichi and Hokage and take him out.
"I see. Thanks for telling me. I'll begin preparations immediately." Sakura said, her tone and eyes becoming hardened which comforted Tsunade greatly. Whenever Sakura looked and sounded as serious and focused as that, it meant that she'd get the job done and to the best of her abilities, "I'll speak to you later Tsunade-shishou."
"Yes. Bye. And good luck with Kiba." Tsunade smiled, "Oh! A word of advice if you're dealing with his clan; don't break eye contact. It makes you look weak." Sakura nodded and watched as the ghost finally faded away before her eyes. The pinkette turned to see the perplexed expressions that lined the faces of her friends. She noticed that Naruto's mouth was forming questions that his voice wouldn't or couldn't say as he pointed behind Sakura.
"Tsunade-shishou says hi, Naruto." Sakura smiled as she wandered past them, "Oh. And Jiraiya-sama is fine by the way." She stopped briefly before turning back to face them, "Don't tell anyone about me and Kiba yet. We want to tell everyone together." The pair of them nodded immediately. That would be easier for Naruto since he didn't want to think about what Kiba would be doing to Sakura after they became a married couple. With a smile, Sakura exploded into hundreds of petals for the second time that day and Shikamaru turned to Naruto who had begun to look at Tsunade's grave.
"She was talking to Baa-chan..." Naruto said, "But she seemed to think she was talking back. I think work is getting to Sakura-chan."
"Naruto you have a lot to learn about the connection between master and student. I bet if you tried to talk to Jiraiya-sama you'd hear something too." Shikamaru said. He and Asuma had many a conversation. The shadow nin felt it was his duty to look after Kurenai and her child after his death. The smoking sensei was always happy to hear from him. Naruto just scoffed and told his boyfriend how Jiraiya would be too busy perving on women in the afterlife to talk to him, "Have at least a little faith in him Naruto."
"Meh. Let's just get going. I want some ramen to help me bleach my brain of those images Sakura-chan gave me." Naruto grimaced.
"You're such a child, Uzumaki." Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head as he was led off by his boyfriend.
XxxXxxXxxXxxX
A heavy sigh escaped her lips as Sakura stood in her husband's arms outside a grand and ornately decorated building in the centre of the Inuzuka Compound. Her heart was beating faster than she had ever felt it beat before; no mission had ever made her feel this terrified before. She was sure that Kiba would be able to feel or at least hear her heart. That was true. Kiba could hear her heart's incredibly fast pace and he was scared Sakura would end up passing out before they got inside the building, "Baby calm yourself down. This is just a formality so you have nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? Nothing to worry about?" Sakura hissed, throwing a glare at Kiba, "This is your family Kiba. You know, the same clan that for some reason dislikes me so much?"
"No-one dislikes you." Kiba sighed, rolling his eyes, "They're just wary about outsiders that's all. Anyway, they can't stop me from marrying you."
"They can't?" she asked.
"Of course not." he smiled, "Sakura, my Ma gave us her blessing. She's the Alpha. They can't argue with her about this." He was glad Sakura didn't possess Inuzuka hearing or else she'd have heard their attempts at doing just that inside the chamber. The anger inside the room was making Kiba feel a little nervous if he was honest but he wasn't too worried, his mother and father were strong so his relationship would be fine. He felt Sakura relax in his arms and lean closer into him which reinforced his need to protect her and be more confident, "And just remember that I love you, okay?"
"Yeah." she nodded against his chest. The kimono her fiancé was wearing felt really soft and warm against the skin of her cheek. The material was jet black with the burgundy markings of the Inuzuka clan placed sporadically over it. She felt like she should have dressed a little more smartly now that she was stood there with her Akatsuki cloak on and her usual attire underneath. It was too late to go and get changed so Kiba's clan council could either like it or lump it as far as she cared. Her fiancé's words had comforted her greatly and, with his arms around her, she could feel his possessive and protective nature beginning to take over. Sakura knew he wouldn't let the council take her for a ride.
Both shinobi's attention shifted from each other to the large wooden door as it opened to reveal one of the council's secretaries on the other side. At first, Sakura noticed the look of distaste on her face when the woman looked at her but then, when her eyes drifted to Kiba, lust seemed to take over like the smile on her face. It made Sakura roll her eyes with a sigh. Even though he was a taken man, he still had some stupid fangirls who wanted him to notice them. When she looked up to see Kiba looking completely disinterested in the other woman, Sakura felt smugness rise up through her body and her own smirk tugged at her lips, "Kiba-sama. You and your…thing…are requested by the council."
"Thing?" Sakura snapped, "Listen here-"
"That's great we'll be in shortly." Kiba said with a nod, interrupting Sakura before she could say anything else. The pinkette looked outraged as she watched the smug little bitch walk back in, making sure to wiggle her hips a little more. When this was done, Sakura made a promise to make sure that woman would never wiggle another hip at her husband again, "You need to calm down. This meeting is going to be full of jibes like that." Kiba instructed sternly, "You can't lose your temper against these people or they'll tear you to shreds."
"I'd like to see 'em try." Sakura said, cracking her knuckles.
"Just get in there, little girl." Kiba chuckled, patting her behind to get her moving. Sakura licked her tongue out at him before following her fiancé through the double doors and into a colossal room. It seemed as if the entire building was gutted to make way for that one room. It was extremely hard to see at first without the aid of natural light but the braziers dotted around the room allowed some sight. Around the room were statues carved out of stone, each depicting a former clan leader and his mate, Sakura assumed. There appeared to be hundreds of them which was an indication of how many generations had come before her and Kiba. It seemed that the Inuzuka Clan originated some five hundred years before the founding of Konohagakure, if Sakura's maths was right.
In the centre of the room was a large table which had twelve men and women sat around it, including Kiba's own parents who were together on one side. Every eye appeared to be on the couple who were walking in.
"Kiba. Sakura-san." Tsume's voice rang through the chamber, "Take your seats before the council if you will." Sakura found it so odd to hear the woman speaking in a proper manner. It was reminiscent of how a Hokage had to speak to those she dealt with, "This meeting has been called to discuss arrangements for the wedding of Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura." This was met with grunts of disapproval. Sakura didn't need Inuzuka senses to feel the distaste of everyone in the room. Kiba's hand sneakily wound around her thigh and rubbed it gently to comfort her.
"I do not believe that our heir should break five hundred years of tradition!" one elderly man called from his seat, "It just isn't done, Tsume-sama."
"You have already stated your case quite clearly Toru-san." Tsume sighed, "But we have tried and failed to get Kiba to marry within the clan. An outside marriage is the only solution."
"But the bloodline must remain pure. This…this girl will taint the bloodline and make our next heirs weak!" Toru argued. Sakura's body tensed at the final word that the man uttered. All her life she had been called weak and this was no different. It didn't sit well with her at all. Not even Kiba's comforting touch quelled Sakura's anger upon hearing the word. It was only out of respect for Kiba and his family that she did nothing but silently stare at this Toru man. She knew she would get a lot of trouble from him once she was Kiba's wife.
"With all due respect, Toru-san, shut up." came Kiba's growling voice from beside her. Sakura could feel the tightening of his hand on her thigh and placed her own over it, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't blatantly insult my fiancee and your Hokage in front of me."
"Impudent pup!" Toru said, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at Kiba and Sakura, "You are not Clan leader yet you know, show some respect!"
"I will show respect to those who earn it Toru-san." Kiba said simply, "If you continue to insult Sakura, I will not treat you with the respect you think you deserve."
Tsume and Kazuya couldn't help but share a mutual smirk with Kazuya's father who was sat to his left. Kiba's scent was changing gradually to show that he wasn't joking around and it made them proud to think that he was so ready to defend what he cared about. Of course, Toru was a stubborn old man; he didn't like change and would most likely fight Kiba every step of the way until he overstepped the mark and made the heir angry. Both parents knew that, with both of their combined short tempers, it would most likely happen much sooner than they'd really like.
"Why do you continue to fight this foolish battle, Toru-san?" said an exasperated female who sat with her chin rested on her palm, "It is quite obvious if you were to just look at the girl that she is special. Her chakra is strong and her personality is even more so. If Kiba-sama is truly intent on being with Sakura-sama then I personally have no objections and neither should you." Her eyes were boring into Toru's as he tried to formulate some form of argument and failed miserably, forcing him to merely sit silently and sulk, "I am sorry Tsume-sama, please continue."
"That's Inuzuka Akane." Kiba whispered into Sakura's ear, "She's like my baa-san. She's pretty cool, huh?"
Sakura nodded. Akane seemed to be surprisingly levelheaded for an Inuzuka which she supposed added a nice balance. She could offer some rational thought to any situation if required. The kind smile which curved her wrinkled face made Sakura smile back gratefully.
"Okay." Tsume sighed, "Now we have that over with we can move onto the actual arrangements. Sakura-san, you may not know this but we have a very specific tradition when it comes to the marriage of an Alpha; it may only happen during the lunar eclipse which, quite fortuitously, is on the 21st of December this year."
"That soon?" Kiba asked, knowing that only a couple of months separated them from that date.
"Yes." she nodded, "Of course, you can delay it until the one after that if you wish however this will mean that you cannot take over the clan until then."
Kiba looked over to Sakura who was looking down, obviously thinking about her situation. From her scent he could see she was torn between getting married quicky so that he could fulfil his duties and savouring the opportunity and having a truly memorable day. Her pink lip was being gnawed gently before she glanced very briefly at her fiance's eyes. In that one moment, an understanding came about, "I do not wish to wait too much longer. If it is all the same, the 21st will be fine." she finally spoke up in a clear voice which did not betray how anxious she really was.
"Same here." Kiba smiled softly, squeezing his lover's thigh gently.
"Now, before you go and invite everyone to the wedding," Tsume said, "I will remind you that this is purely and Inuzuka tradition. I am afraid that only family will attend."
"What? Why?" Sakura asked. She had been looking forwards to having her friends there. Oh Ino was going to be pissy when she found out. Shizune would understand as would Hinata. Hopefully...
"We find that they do not understand our traditions." Kazuya informed her, "We don't want any potentially embarrassing situations to arise that might insult some of the more fragile of our clan. But there is also a problem; Kiba and Tsume visited your parents to inform them beforehand of your engagement." From the shock on Sakura's face, everyone could easily ascertain that she didn't have a healthy relationship with her parents, "It is unclear whether they will turn up or not."
"I highly doubt they would." Sakura sighed, "They do not believe a woman is a fitting shinobi...In that case...May I be permitted to make one exception?"
"That depends on who." Tsume said.
"I want Kakashi-sensei and Shizune to be there to act as my parents." Sakura said without hesitation, her face set with a little hope. She hoped that with their reputation in the village a strong and trustworthy shinobi, they'd be allowed to be there. Tsume sighed.
"It's not as simple as that, I'm afraid." she said, "You must hold a bond of at least a name with them. If you can get them to adopt you before the wedding day then of course we will have no objections. If not...you will need to persuade your biological parents to attend." Sakura nodded. She did not want the latter to happen. Her real parents had no love of the shinobi lifestyle and, around a shinobi clan, their insults would not be tolerated. Kakashi and Shizune were her only option. It felt a little wierd thinking about Shizune as her new mother but she could easily see Kakashi as her father since he had been her sensei for years.
"I'll do my best to persuade them." Sakura said, talking obviously about Kakashi and Shizune.
"Good. Kiba, your part in this is large also of course," Tsume said, "Since I know you didn't listen the first time we told you this, I shall repeat it for you now." Kiba's cheeks were tinted a little pink as Sakura and Akane chuckled at that. His arm was now completely around Sakura, holding her close and he was nearly nuzzling her out of pure instinct. He had to stop himself from completely absorbing himself in her scent again, "If you wish, you may choose to take over the clan on the same day as your wedding. If so, you are both required to perform a ritual which will allow you to do so."
"Hmm?" Kiba grunted in confusion.
"You and Sakura must prove yourselves worthy of the title Alpha." Kazuya elaborated, "In other words, you will fight your mother for the title of leader while Sakura fights me for the companionship. Understand now?" Kiba nodded. Sakura sighed. She wasn't happy with how complex this was getting. Anything else and she may explode, "And that's not mentioning the dance."
"Dance?" Sakura squawked, "What the hell?"
"It's another ritual which, if performed correctly, will cause both of your chakras to bind with each other." Tsume chuckled at Sakura's widened eyes.
'Why can't they get married like normal people?' Inner Sakura screeched, 'Where can you go wrong with a white dress and flowers, eh? Why dancing and fighting?'
'It's not the fighting I'm worried about; I can kick ass. It's the dancing. I wish Kiba would have told me beforehand so I could have psyched myself up for this...' Sakura answered, "So let me get this straight; after Kiba and I fight you two, we get up and salsa?"
"Pretty much." Kazuya smirked at the simple yet surprisingly accurate description of his clan's traditions.
"What about the whole neck biting thing I've heard about?" Sakura asked, feeling completely stupid when Kazuya, Tsume and Kiba all burst out laughing at her.
"Babe you need to read up on our clan a bit more." Kiba chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye, "We don't bite our permanent mates. Only the temporary flings." Sakura's mouth formed an 'O' shape, "Of course, if you want me to bite you..." his voice dropped an octave and became husky as he nuzzled her neck, planting a few kisses on the flesh before dragging one of his canine teeth across it playfully, "You only have to ask."
"Shut up, you made your point." Sakura blushed. Strangely enough, it didn't sound like too bad an idea to her.
"Don't worry...I'll have a nibble later." Kiba whispered into her ear softly as he smelled her attraction to the way he had just acted. He was going to have so much fun with this; Sakura was a lot more adventurous than he thought she was. Of course, he'd learned that earlier that morning. The blush which rose to Sakura's cheeks after Kiba's whisper made everyone shake their heads. Their next leader was a lech. According to the smack to the back of the head which sent Kiba's face slamming into the tabletop, Sakura was just as big a firecracker as the rumours had stated. Some of the elders began to come around to the idea of their union; Sakura had the energy and intimidation factor that would keep Kiba in check where so many others had failed before.
"Well that's what you get for being a pervert." Sakura huffed after Kiba whined about her being vicious while rubbing his bruised nose.
"Sakura-san." Tsume said, trying to suppress a chuckle at Kiba's childish pout, "You will need to work with me to get a good grip on your duties as the wife of a clan leader and then you'll need to learn the dance of course."
"Hai." she nodded, straightening her back up, "But that won't leave much time to plan..."
"In our clan, planning the wedding of the Alphas is left to the male." Kazuya informed her, "He takes it upon himself to make absolutely sure that his wife's first moments as an Inuzuka are perfect." That had to be the sweetest thing Sakura had ever heard. She was liking this more and more with each second, "Kiba and I will be planning the ceremony and you cannot be involved whatsoever." Sakura's jaw dropped. She wanted at least a little input into her wedding day, "Not even a single word will be said to you about it. Kiba will pick the dress too."
"Oh good lord." Sakura sighed, shaking her head.
"Hey. Trust me on this Sakura." Kiba smiled at her, "I've got better taste than you think."
"In women maybe." she smirked, "But dresses? I've never seen you wear one so I wouldn't know and don't get me started on the flowers." Kiba felt a little deflated. Sakura was basing her opinions of his tastes on those of the average man. Surely she had to have learned by now that Inuzuka males weren't ordinary men. Aside from being amazing lovers, they were more loyal to their partners than most. And a lot more trustworthy. Kiba in particular, as a former playboy, knew what women liked. Inspired by his fiancee's lack of faith, he silently vowed to give her the best. Even if it killed him.
"I think our son just took that as a challenge." Tsume muttered to her husband who chuckled, "The girl has no idea what she's unleashed on herself."
"Well, I can't say she'll be disappointed." Kazuya smirked, "Kiba's gonna give her one hell of a wedding day."
The diamond set into Sakura's engagement ring glinted in the midday sunlight which was streaming through the windows of her office as she stood with her hand in front of her, admiring it casually as she waited for her friends to arrive so that she and Kiba could deliver the amazing news to them all. Beside her, Kiba was gripping her hand tightly as if he were nervous of what everyone's reactions were going to be. Sakura was nervous too but not of how they'd react to the engagement, but of how they'd react to the knowledge that they weren't going to be invited to the wedding itself.
"It's going to be fine Kiba. There's nothing to worry about." she smiled comfortingly.
"Um...Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Shizune and Lee are gonna be here." Kiba said, shaking visibly, "They're gonna kill me for touching you."
"Ah. Kiba there's something you need to know." Sakura said nervously, "Um...Naruto...already knows."
"What? Sakura I told you not to tell anyone! I can't believe you'd do that!" Kiba shouted, breaking his grip on her hand with a hurt look on his face. Most of all, he couldn't believe his fiancee had lied to him; she had said she was going to see Tsunade's grave, not going to tell Naruto herself.
"Kiba don't be an idiot." Sakura snapped, knowing exactly what he was thinking, "He and Shikamaru followed me to the graveyard and overheard me tell Tsunade-shishou about us. I'm sorry...don't be too mad at me, I'm really sorry Kiba...I am." Kiba's furious expression broke and fell into a much softer one as he saw Sakura becoming worked up to the point of tears trying to convince him that she hadn't lied. He could now tell by her scent that she wasn't and felt stupid for doubting her at all.
"Oh, c'mere." he sighed, pulling her into a tight hug and sighing against the top of her head, "It's not your fault, hun. That nosy bastard can't keep his nose out of anything can he? What did he say?"
"He was a little pissy about it." Sakura admitted, making Kiba grimace, "But Shika creeped him out by teasing me about me staying the night."
"Shit." Kiba winced, "I think I'll check into the hospital now to save us any trouble." Naruto would most likely have told Kakashi about that and Kiba didn't really feel like fighting with a pair of over protective men when he could be relaxing with Sakura. There was little time for that now, especially since the door to Sakura's office had been flung open and the room was flooded with excitable shinobi. Sakura hid her hand inside the sleeve of her cloak for the time being, hoping to make a grand unveiling later. The barrage of questions caused Kiba to cover his ears, "SHUT THE FUCK UP WOULD YA? MY EARS ARE GONNA BLEED IF YOU CARRY ON!" he roared.
The room fell into silence immediately and Kiba was able to remove his hands, "That's better." he sighed.
"Someone's a little grouchy." Ino smirked.
"I am not grouchy Ino, you know how sensitive my ears are." Kiba frowned, liking the idea of telling them less and less. Hopefully they'd keep their tirade below a dull roar, "Anyway, Sakura called you all here for a very special reason." His eyes caught the sight of Naruto's moody face and Shikamaru's smirk. He could tell that the Kyuubi container was about a second away from trying to hit him, "Go on." he said as an excited smile began to creep onto his face.
"Well..." she began, "As of last night...Kiba and I are..." She too could see Naruto's face and it was putting her off. She didn't want the guy to flip and he was looking for an excuse to do just that, "We're getting married guys!" she grinned despite that and flashed the ring in the face of the nearby Shizune who screeched with happiness, flinging herself at Sakura and wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Oh Sakura that's incredible!" she squeaked, squeezing her tightly.
"Would you look at the size of that thing!" Ino squawked as she came over and examined the ring herself, "Oi! Kiba! Fancy dumping Forehead here and marrying me instead?"
Even though he knew she was joking, he felt the need to say it anyway, "Not in a million years, Ino."
"So there." Sakura smirked, sticking her tongue out playfully which Ino mimicked. The pair immediately began to bicker like they once had with an array of flashy insults generated by both sides and hurled across at each other. Kiba felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see that Kakashi was stood next to him with his patented eye crinkle smile on his face. This wasn't the reaction he'd expected. Lee's rants...well...they were definitely as he expected. And they really weren't helping Naruto's mood as he stood with a scowl on his face near Kakashi.
"I'm really happy for you two." he said as he watched Sakura happily dancing around with Ino, Tenten, Hinata and Shizune, "Make her happy Kiba, Kami knows she deserves it." The sadness mixed in with that statement made Kiba's heart break.
"I will don't worry." he said quietly. Kiba sure that if he hadn't been madly in love with Shizune, Kakashi would have married Sakura just to take away some of the pain of her past. It felt good to know that his Sakura had so many people who cared so deeply about her. He knew he wouldn't be the only one striving to make her happy, he would just be the only one dedicating his whole life to it. As Kakashi moved away, he saw Sai moving in and dreaded the kind of unknowingly callous comment he was about to make.
"For once in my life I am actually feeling...happy...for you and Sakura." Sai smiled a genuine smile, "Although this does mean that I need to read up on this 'married' thing you're talking about." Kiba shook his head. It wasn't surprising that he didn't know what marriage was; Danzo had suppressed all emotions and that included love. With no love, there really couldn't be a worthwhile marriage. Nevertheless, Kiba thanked Sai before recieving a several quick but hard punches to the gut which sent him stumbling to the wall behind. Now this was the reaction he expected.
"That. Was for daring to touch her." Naruto snarled, "There'll be much more as and when you fuck up, dog breath. And this..." he pulled the guy into a man hug before pulling away, "was to tell you to take care of her. Now it's your job to protect her too. Just like it's mine and Kakashi-sensei's. Don't fuck this up." Kiba had never seen the combination of fury and resigned happiness before but they both shone in his deep blue eyes. Kiba knew that Naruto didn't think that he was worthy of Sakura; probably due to his former playboy days.
"I will Naruto." Kiba said as he looked over at Sakura who had been staring at him since Naruto's attack with a concerned face, "Believe it or not, I really do love her and I'm not going to let her be hurt again. Ever. I'll die before that happens." Naruto studied Kiba and sighed, a smirk coming onto his face.
"I never knew you were the type to get so attached to someone." he teased.
'Arigato Kiba...But I still reserve the right to kick your ass as and when you fuck this up!' Naruto thought as he too watched Sakura. Hopefully, Kiba would be true to his word and Naruto would be able to keep his fists to himself.
What did you think? The reason for the Inuzuka marriage rites was just that I thought the whole 'marking' a mate in the conventional 'bite on the neck' thing was getting a little stale and overused so I decided to be a little creative and think up something of my own :) Yay creativity!
I hope this chapter didn't suck too badly. Reviews are appreciated :)
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