Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Even though there was only a little time left of the mission, Sasuke worked hard to spend a lot of time with Kiba. The weeks had made everyone more relaxed and even Naruto seemed to forget about his authority and wanted to switch up partners. In the end, Kiba and Sasuke were stuck together often, talking more than doing the spying they were supposed to. Akamaru seemed to enjoy the Uchiha's company as well, something that made Kiba exceedingly happy—not many of his fellow ninjas felt comfortable around the dog, and it was obvious that Aka and Sasuke had a unique bond.
Sasuke couldn't believe how quickly the days passed with Kiba. Really, Sasuke couldn't believe anything that was happening with Kiba. At night, his voice hoarse from talking, actually talking to the other boy, Sasuke would lie thinking with wonder about this new friendship. Kiba really was not the same boy he had been in academy with. That Kiba, well, he had been almost as annoying as Naruto. That Kiba had been loud and cocky and wore his coat hood pulled up, making his face look almost canine. Sasuke grimaced a little when he remembered how Kiba and Naruto used to get into it, picking on each other, their voices and arrogance rising until Sakura and Ino would beat them both to make them shut up. There was no way Sasuke could ever have been friend with that Kiba.
But now… Sasuke was glad he had started to follow his instincts. He had seen Kiba grow more serious as a shinobi, had watched how intently Kiba trained. Though he had never thought such an amazing friendship would come of it, he had known that maybe, just maybe there was something in the dog boy he could connect with. He had been so right, and then surprised some with how intelligent and witty Kiba now was. Whereas before Kiba's humor had been slightly weird and centered on pranks and mocking people, this Kiba was quick and smart with his jokes, and could always make the Uchiha laugh. And more importantly, this Kiba seemed to know how to listen to him and Sasuke, who had always shut himself off emotionally, found himself actually talking back, telling Kiba all sorts of stories about missions and Naruto. Talking to someone was incredible, and hearing all these words pour out of him helped Sasuke to feel less alone.
After another fast day of stories and laughs, Sasuke lay beside a dying fire, looking at his new friend who was already asleep. The burning embers made his face hot, but Sasuke's private thoughts were aiding the flush. The orange glow cast a subtle light on Kiba's peaceful face and Sasuke couldn't help but to feel a little stir in him. His eyes followed the line of Kiba's jaw, the other boy's cheeks stubbly from a few days of not shaving. It didn't take his Sharingan or any special eyes to see that the other boy was beautiful. Sasuke had noticed Kiba's good looks before, but never had he been so…enthralled with them. Sleep was trying desperately to claim Sasuke, and yet he refused to close his eyes, because he wasn't sure when he would get a chance to study Kiba's face so intently. Eventually, however, he fell asleep, thinking that maybe, just maybe Kiba was finally the person he could talk to about his brother.
Kiba was a little bummed the following morning because it was time to switch. He enjoyed his time with Sasuke, but he understood there was only so much Naruto Sakura could handle before she became very, very violent. The mission was so close to being over, he did not want anything to upset Sakura or Naruto—as long as those two were happy then they chances of him and Sasuke getting their chuunin titles back were good.
During breakfast Akamaru had seemed restless and barked about feeling uncomfortable. Because this usually meant he was restless, Kiba let him run ahead to Naruto's camp. Besides, with Aka there, Kiba could wait with Sasuke until Sakura arrived, and the Inuzuka wanted to spend every last minute with his new friend.
The two of them were sitting together, Kiba sprawled with his back against a tree while Sasuke sat Indian-style in front of him, back straight. They had already reached a point in their quick friendship where silence was comfortable, so without speaking the two just looked at each other. Kiba loved to look at Sasuke. Finally he understood what all the girls in the village were so in love with, because everything about Sasuke was perfection. When he stood up, he slouch was sexy and cool. His blue-black hair fell into his eyes, making him appear mysterious but desirable and his eyes…his eyes were like black holes. Kiba was a little scared of those eyes and could never look into them for too long, because the more he looked the more he felt those holes consuming him, surrounding him and in those holes was something frightening that Kiba did not understand. Fortunately there was warmth in the black eyes as well, and that warmth helped temper the scary depths and helped Kiba to trust his gorgeous new friend.
This morning, however, Kiba noticed that Sasuke seemed out of it, as if deep in thought. The other boy's brow was furrowed and his eyes looked almost stormy. It may have just been Kiba's imagination, or some trick of the sunlight that was filtering through the trees, but he could have sworn he saw flashes of red in a pattern different from the Sharingan he knew in Sasuke's eyes. Those flashes, imaginary or not, and Sasuke's intent face made Kiba silent—his friend obviously had something on his mind and if he wanted to share it with Kiba then he would in good time.
Good time came fast, as Sasuke began to speak as Kiba was thinking.
"Kiba, do you know the history of my clan?"
"No offense, Sas, but everyone knows it. You are the only survivor. Your entire clan was murdered. You are the last Uchiha."
Sasuke's eyes closed, as if he was in pain, and Kiba wished he could take back what he said. But then, Sasuke had brought it up, so Kiba just waited.
"That is almost correct. However, I am not the last Uchiha. My brother, Itachi, is also alive. He is the one who killed everyone, including my mother and father. When he murdered my entire clan, I swore revenge. I have yet to kill him, but I will someday. I… I am ashamed about what happened with Orochimaru. I am ashamed so many of my fellow ninjas were injured trying to find me, to help me. You and Aka were almost killed, Kakashi told me, and now that I have you as a friend… knowing you almost died and it would have been my fault…we never would be here…it is almost unbearable."
Kiba was going to argue but seeing Sasuke's face shut him up—the other boy was not finished.
"What I did, I can't ever undo. The hurt I caused. No one knows this, but I almost killed Naruto. Granted, I was in the second stage of the seal but…something inside of me really wanted to. My brother had told me that my family's heritage could only be fully claimed when an Uchiha killed his best friend. In my desperation for power, I actually considered killing Naruto. These are the things that make me push apart. Sometimes I just think that maybe, if no one cares about me, then no one I love will ever be hurt again. And the shame of how much pain I've already inflicted on others… it makes me afraid that maybe, in my quest to kill Itachi, I am becoming him."
Sasuke's lower lip was quivering, but Kiba knew better than to expect him to cry. The things he had just said… Kiba couldn't think of what to say in return. All he knew was that his new friend had so much hurt and pain that it would take a long time to get through. The prospect of so much baggage was a lot for Kiba, and it scared him, and with those dark eyes staring at him, pleading with him to say or do something, the only thing he could do was look away and hope the right answer would come to him soon.
While Kiba thought of what to say, Sasuke began to mentally kick himself. It was too soon, he shared too much too soon and it was going to be awkward. How could he have been so stupid, to think that Kiba would understand or know the right thing to say? He was such a fucking baka, to think that he could talk about these things. Sharing had seemed so right, but judging his new friend's (or ex friend, after this…) expression Sasuke knew that he should have stuck to keeping it secret and hidden in him. No one could know what he was feeling or what it was like to be him. God, why did he say anything?
The tension grew and neither boy knew what to do, so they both sat there, staring. After what seemed like hours, Sasuke closed his eyes and began to meditate. He was so angry at himself that his thoughts drowned out all of the noise around him and he began to sift through his feelings, trying to regain his calm and cool.
It was unfortunate he closed his eyes and became so absorbed in his anger, because had he been looking at Kiba that moment, he would have seen Kiba's body begin to tremble and his eyes grow wide with fear.
Stealing glances every now and then, Kiba wondered when Sasuke would speak again. He knew the Uchiha was probably waiting for him, but there was nothing Kiba could think of saying that didn't sound contrived and cheesy. It was just so much information, such a flood of pain that he could feel radiating out and he wanted nothing more than to run over and hold Sasuke, to hold the boy to his chest and protect him from all that sorry, but he didn't think that their friendship was so close that hugging and touching was allowed. So he watched the other boy's face twist with torment until finally Sasuke had closed his eyes and began some deep breathing exercises.
That was when the shadow fell on Kiba. When he looked up, his eyes were instantly gripped by a pair of red eyes, Sharingan eyes. The two cold, red orbs held Kiba's own canine-like ones as his insides began to freeze with fear. Kiba found he couldn't move, he couldn't talk and he could scarcely breathe. Not sure if it was the Sharingan that was paralyzing him or just his own fear, he regretted sending Akamaru ahead. His mother had warned him not to be separated from his ninja dog for too long—the Inuzuka's skills relied on their pets—and now most of his jutsus were worthless. Then again—he could feel the power behind those eyes and knew he and Akamaru had an ice cube's chance in hell against this new foe. Akamaru must have felt this incredible chakra power earlier, and that was what had made him feel uncomfortable. They were on a mission, and Kiba couldn't believe he had not paid attention to his dog's intuition—in fact, Kiba realized he hadn't been paying attention to anything but Sasuke. At least Aka was far away from here and wouldn't get hurt. Kiba knew he would not be the same as the two red eyes began to swirl a little, mesmerizing him.
The owner of the Sharingan was one of the most beautiful people Kiba had ever seen. Sasuke was gorgeous, but in a masculine way, as the years and sorrow had given his face lines and edges. This face had shadows of Sasuke's, but it was softer and almost androgynous. The smooth skin was flawless and ivory and contrasted sharply with the long, silky black hair. There were no descriptions Kiba could find other than beautiful, and it disturbed him how enraptured he was in Itachi's looks while his limbs froze with fear.
Unable to break the gaze and frighteningly, not entirely willing to, Kiba continued to shake.