A/N: Hey everyone! I wanted to give a quick update to let new and old readers know that I've started a new story, which is a collection of oneshots based off of this series. If you'd like more of the couple, go to my profile to find it. I've made it very difficult to find by calling it "Like Fire and Ice Oneshots." To give you a taste, I'm adding a chapter in this story of the first oneshot I created for it. I'll likely do more if that's what people want. If you do, please leave me a review! Reviews and likes are very much appreciated.
Becoming Fire for You
Nanami fiddled with her silver locks nervously. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions and jumbled thoughts, all fighting for dominance in her brain. Only when she felt a wet nose prod at the fingers of her other hand did Nanami's eyes focus and her mind return to the present.
"I'm okay, Akamaru," Nanami said, fondly patting the large white dog on the head. The ninken wagged his tail but looked up at her with disbelieving eyes.
Nanami began twirling her hair again nervously. A hand halted hers and silver eyes flickered up to meet dark irises.
"You are so not okay." Kiba, Nanami's fiancé, threw her a trademark smirk. "The tension rolling off of you is so palpable that I can smell it."
"Yeah, well, maybe mind your own business for once, mutt," the cat ninja snapped at him, practically hissing the words.
Kiba laughed at the halfhearted insult. As strange as it was, he'd missed that. The brunette dog-boy moved his love's hand away from her silver locks, opting to rake his claws gently through the delicate strands himself. Kiba leaned forward and affectionately brought her hair to his nose to deeply inhale the smell of ocean water and lilies. He wondered, would she still smell like that after years of no longer living by the ocean?
In turn, Nanami sighed and leaned into the gesture. "I'm sorry," she grumbled. "I can't help it."
"You have nothing to worry about."
"Are you kidding me?!" Nanami snapped again. She took a breath to calm herself before continuing. "I'm an outsider. These things are never easy. But considering I'm also a ninneko user... They'll never accept me..." Her words trailed off and this time she fiddled with the sapphire ring adorning her left ring finger.
Kiba's eyes flickered towards the nervous gesture. "You'll make them," he reassured her. "You have the temper and stubbornness too."
Nanami shoved him playfully at that comment. After chuckling, he continued. "Weren't you training all your life to become clan leader and Mizukage? You need to be more confident in your abilities."
His silver-eyed beauty was silent at that. While it was true that Nanami could be hot-headed and stubborn, she'd always suffered from a lack of confidence. Maybe it had something to do with her deceased father's constant disapproval throughout her life and some deep-rooted abandonment issues. You know, if Kiba had to venture a guess.
When Nanami continued her silence, Kiba's hand slid from her hair to her shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze before trailing his claws down her arm to clasp her hand in his. Kiba tugged her to face him fully and her silver eyes met his dark ones.
"I believe in you, kitten. There's absolutely no one else I'd want by my side when I take my place as Alpha."
Akamaru barked in agreement and even Aozora mewed her approval from where she lounged on the couch. Nanami smiled at their encouragement. She and Kiba were already engaged to be married and she was back living in the Leaf Village in her small apartment once again. Strange that the small, barren space was so fond to her now. Although not where the pair met, it was the place where their relationship truly began.
Now, all that was left before they could be united by marriage was for Kiba to challenge his mother, Tsume, as the leader of the pack. Because Kiba had chosen a second to rule by his side, Nanami would have to prove herself in the ritual as well, to be a successful mate.
"You're the strongest woman I know. Hell, you've kicked my ass more than once!" Kiba laughed light-heartedly again, desperately trying to ease the tension rolling off his partner in waves.
"Even if I prove myself, it doesn't mean they'll accept an outsider. Especially a Nekoyama."
"Nanami." Kiba clasped both her shoulders now. Nanami's eyes snapped back to his, caught off guard that he'd said her name instead of the affectionate pet-name he'd dubbed her years ago. Kiba was serious now.
"As their Alpha, I would rip anyone apart who dares to question my faith in you." His eyes softened slightly after such harsh words, but he still clearly meant business. "Who was it that ended an age-old feud between our families?"
Nanami shifted her gaze and grumbled, "Me, I guess."
Kiba nudged her. "Confidently, this time."
Nanami rolled her eyes and snapped, "It was me, dammit! Now get off my back."
Kiba laughed again and flicked her ear. Nanami playfully shoved him for the assault.
"That's more like it," Kiba growled, snaking his arms around her waist to pull her to his chest. Nanami purred against the embrace, flooding his heart with warmth. However, Nanami noticed a slight tension in Kiba's shoulders and realized how self-absorbed she was being. After all, he was the one challenging his own mother.
"How are you feeling?" Nanami asked, a little sheepishly.
Kiba stepped back and sighed, raking a hand through his messy hair now. He shrugged. "Ready to get this over with. It's been a long time coming. Preparing has been on my mind since the end of the war. I had to do something to get my mind off of missing you or I'd go crazy. I poured myself into the politics and ins and outs of this clan. Training for this very moment."
Nanami knew how important this ritual was for his future and the clan as a whole, but she was still surprised that it went that thoroughly far back.
"Yeah?" she questioned, urging him to continue.
"Yeah. I even told Lady Fifth that I intended to marry you."
"W-What?" Nanami face flushed fiercely and Kiba smirked at her embarrassment. He loved getting her flustered. Taking her left hand in his, Kiba ran a thumb over the ring he'd given her.
"I started saving for this right away," He began softly. He wasn't meeting her eyes, but Nanami stared at him, entranced by his admittance. "You fit into my plans from the start. And I knew I had to begin my preparations if I wanted everything to work out smoothly."
Kiba frowned a bit then said, "I'm sorry it took me so long. I'd wanted to ask you sooner but there was more to do and learn than I'd anticipated. I wanted to ask you the moment we'd both turned eighteen. I never wanted to wait another year to have you back in my life."
Nanami let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. He'd just answered a question that was prodding at the back of her mind for a while now. When she'd turned eighteen shortly after him and he didn't come for her, doubt had crept into Nanami's mind at the time. Fear that he no longer wanted or needed her. Fear that he'd met someone else. But now it all made sense to her.
Thankful for the clarity Kiba had brought her, Nanami squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I understand. You did exactly what you had to. For the future... for us."
There was a pause and then Kiba exploded all over the walls. "You have no idea how pissed I was when Naruto got married before me!" Kiba let go of her hand and balled his fists in anger. Nanami resisted the urge to snort, recognizing the tantrum that was about to ensue. She knew that Kiba had a rivalry with the blonde ninja.
"I mean, what the hell?!" Kiba continued the tirade. "He beat me again?!" Kiba huffed, clearly annoyed. "I would've proposed to you at their wedding if I didn't respect Hinata."
Nanami laughed now, recalling the Uzumaki wedding in her mind. It was one of the few times she'd gotten to see Kiba over those two long years apart. Kiba was happy for the newlywed couple but had seemed flustered at the time. Come to think of it, he'd also been fiddling with something in his pocket for most of the day. The thought sent Nanami into a fit of giggles that calmed the Inuzuka down.
When Nanami's laughs finally subsided and she returned her gaze to his, wiping tears from her eyes, Kiba was still looking at her a little uneasily.
"That's not all, is it?" Nanami asked.
"Well..." Kiba rubbed his neck. "I know being a leader was never something that you wanted. It was always your father who pushed you towards that.
Nanami stayed silent, confused, and uncomprehending at what he was getting to. Kiba took a breath and continued.
"I don't want to push a future on you that you don't want. I know you're capable of becoming my second. But is that something you want? I'd understand if you didn't..." The fact that it would break his heart was unspoken.
Nanami smiled at her mutt-boy fondly. He really was always looking out for her.
"Kiba..." she began gently. "I was done doing things that I didn't want the moment I turned my back on becoming Nekoyama clan leader to be with you. It was the few times I'd considered making my happiness a priority."
Kiba still looked uncertain. Nanami turned her gaze to the window of her small apartment before she spoke again.
"You weren't the only one who'd done some thinking over the last two years. I'd known you were next in line to be Alpha and I knew what came from being with you. Although I have some doubts over my own abilities and whether or not I'll be accepted..." Nanami's eyes flickered to him momentarily, noticing Kiba open his mouth to argue that. Nanami spoke again before he could. "I never once questioned if it was what I wanted."
The ninja hound user listened, entranced, watching as her silver eyes gazed out the window once more, recalling memories.
"I thought about things like how we'd plant lilies outside our home," Nanami said, smiling softly. "How we'd build a pond in the back, so I could be close to water once again. I thought about how I'd aid you by pulling you down to earth when you'd get too worked up." She snorted at the thought. "Hell, then I thought about how I might just add fuel to your fire. I thought about how I'd like to ask Hana to take me as an apprentice so I could work at the animal hospital, specifically with the cats..." She paused, then added. "I thought about how we'd argue over how to train our children, ultimately deciding to let them choose their partner instead of deciding their path for them."
Kiba took a sharp intake of breath at the word "children" and felt the heat rise to his cheeks. Of course, he'd already thought the same. But it was nice to be reassured that she'd given as much thought to their future as he had.
Nanami looked back and smirked at him. She reached out a long-nailed finger to poke his clan marking, his face nearly the same color.
"There is one thing I want, though," Nanami admitted.
"Hmm?" Kiba said, still distracted by her earlier words.
"I don't want to take the name Inuzuka."
Kiba nodded a little, absentmindedly. When he finally processed those words, he shook his head. "Wait, what?!"
Nanami rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "Oh, don't go getting all offended." She waved her hand at him, dismissively. "I'm a cat tamer. It wouldn't make sense to have 'dog' in my name, would it? I thought that I'd combine our names. Nanami Neko-Zuka."
Kiba considered that. While his ego took a bit of a hit, he couldn't be upset at her decision. Clans were a source of pride and it wasn't fair of him to ask her to give that up. She'd already sacrificed so much.
"Also, I thought that maybe every few years we could hold a little rally and bring our clans together to keep our newfound bonds strong!"
Kiba smiled at the suggestion.
"The pack might not accept that," he said, referring to not only the rally but also her choice of last name when marrying the future Alpha.
Nanami's eyes twinkled. "Then I'll make them," she said, throwing his own words from earlier back at him.
Kiba smiled, grabbed her waist again, and nuzzled her neck affectionately. "That's my kitten."