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My clan and the Inuzuka clan never got along. My wife loathed them dearly, and the mother of Kiba despised us back. It was because of this hatred that my wife let her bugs suck stray puppies dry of chakra. I assumed Shino had learned to hate them too. I was wrong.
He never spoke ill of Inuzuka Kiba unless he was speaking the truth. He mentioned the boy's audacity, boisterousness, and that he always smelled like he was a dog, but it was never in a disgusted tone. I never gave it much thought until Shino brought the boy over for a visit. The puppy brought dirt into the house, but it wasn't nearly as much as "Kiba-kun". The puppy was loud, but not nearly as much as "Kiba-kun". The puppy was energetic, but not nearly as much as "Kiba-kun". My wife was easily angered by Shino referring to the Inuzuka as "-kun".
Except for the headaches I received from my wife and the boy, I never saw much of a problem with the Inuzuka coming over. He was Shino's friend, and I could see that he would never be cruel to my son. He'd tease him every now and then about the glasses, and did say (quite rudely) that it was stupid for everyone in the whole clan to wear them, but it was harmless. Shino seemed used to the boy's rudeness. This fact unsettled my wife and my parents, but it didn't bother me.
I can't remember very well what my first reaction was, when I found Shino atop the Inuzuka, holding the boy in a lip-lock and his hand inappropriately handling part of the dog-lover. I can remember my second clearly; I was angry, not because of the gender of the one underneath and not because of the boy's clan, but because he thought it was a good idea at their age. Shino had just turned fourteen, for Heaven's sake, and of course I knew how things like that could get out of hand.
They were both embarrassed when I pulled my son off of the Inuzuka. Shino was six shades of dark red, and the boy sported a blush that covered his whole face and his hickey-dotted neck. My anger subsided slightly as I dragged both of them out and led the Inuzuka to the door, leaving Shino to wait for his scolding. The boy started muttering apologizes and explained that it was his fault because he wanted Shino to touch him like that but Shino had refused at first but in the end (obviously) he got his way and that he was sorry for getting Shino into trouble. I sighed as he finished his explanation, but then he started apologizing for other things, things that he didn't know I wasn't angry about. He apologized for being a boy and not able to help Shino carry on the Aburame clan. I stopped and turned the boy around. I knelt down so that he and I were at eye-level. "It doesn't matter to me that you're a boy and dating my son. When my wife finds out about this, she'll most likely want another child to carry on the clan. I'm only angry about one thing, and you've already apologized for that. Now go home while I p- talk with Shino." I almost said punish. The boy gave me a suspicious look before leaving.
After that day, I started calling him Kiba-kun as well. Not in front of my wife, of course. As time went by, Shino became a Jonin and a medic nin. Kiba became a Chuunin and an ANBU captain. Shino was worried about Kiba every day he was on a mission. When Kiba returned, it would usually be late at night and he would still be covered in blood and in ANBU attire. Shino didn't care, though. He'd hug him, kiss him, and tend to his wounds. They were both eighteen by that time. My wife had yet to find out about their relationship, but she was the only Aburame who didn't. I couldn't keep it a secret from my parents and my grandparents. Mother glared at Kiba when neither of the boys were looking. Father pretended it wasn't happening and would turn a blind eye whenever he accidentally caught them kissing. Grandmother decided that she could try and be a little more open-minded; she soon found that she liked this particular Inuzuka, especially one morning when she, Kiba, and Shino were the only ones home and Kiba said that he could cook. I heard that Shino said it wasn't necessary, but Grandmother said that Kiba insisted and said that it was a thank you for the family letting him spend so many nights. Shino said that this was a second home to Kiba, but Kiba said that didn't mean he didn't have to pay rent in some sort of way. Grandfather, however, grumbled comments under his breath. The comments were more like insults toward Kiba, and Grandfather thought that Kiba couldn't hear a word. Kiba did act like he couldn't hear, but he did. One time when it was only myself, Grandfather, and Kiba, the Inuzuka confronted Grandfather and said, in these exact words, "I get it! You think I'm a bitch! But you better get used to seeing me around 'cause I'm Shino's bitch and I'm going to stay that way!" None of us repeated what had been said. Shino never found out about it.
One night, Kiba showed up unexpectedly. Shino was out on a mission, my wife was asleep, and Grandmother had been about to finish her visit. There was a bruise covering all of his left cheek and his lip bled. He hadn't been out on a mission either, but had he been, there would've been other wounds. All he said was if he could stay here until he could find an apartment. I hadn't even opened my mouth when Grandmother said yes, of course he could. I was going to say that anyway, but he looked to me for confirmation. I never verbally expressed my support of him and my son. I never treated him badly, and he never seemed to think I didn't approve before, but something in his eyes held uncertainty. He looked like a wounded dog, afraid to trust but wanting to. I nodded and he visibly relaxed.
Later I discovered that he had informed his family about him and Shino. His mother hadn't taken it well. I then made sure that my wife could never find out. Without anyone's knowledge, I made her blind. Everyone thought it was her ageing eyes finally failing. Only Kiba's dog knew better, but only because he had seen my doings. I implored the dog never to tell because it was for Shino's and Kiba's own good. The dog still doesn't trust me.
The boys turned twenty, owned their own house, and visited every now and then. Kiba's sister, I never learned her name, once visited Kiba. She looked confused and a little distrustful of Shino. Her dog didn't care about Kiba's relationship. Her dog was happy. She was just confused. She didn't know what to think. After that, she was killed on a mission. Kiba went to her funeral, but made sure Shino had a mission first. Kiba adopted his sister's dog and toyed with the idea that he and Shino could also adopt a child and give the dog to the child. Kiba never voiced the fantasy with Shino. I never understood why.
Kiba and I shared a mission twice. First was an assassination mission. We went undercover and everything went perfectly until we met other undercover ninja. Those ninja were to assassinate us, but something worse happened to Kiba. I rushed him to a hospital, Kiba all the while crying, sobbing, and muttering what Shino would think. I tried to comfort him while waiting for the blood tests to return, praying that they all were negative. Of course, they couldn't be. One of the STD tests was positive. Thankfully, it was one of the curable ones. Kiba wasn't truly the same since. He acted the same after a while, but his regular clothing changed. He wore a dog collar at all times and chains around his wrists, ankles, and waist.
The second mission is still hard to think about. It was a rescue mission. Shino and the two Hyuuga children and the Uzumaki were with us. We got separated: Uzumaki, the Branch Hyuuga, and Shino in one group, myself, Kiba, and the Main Hyuuga in the other. We were ambushed and the girl had her hands full with ten opponents. Kiba and I were standing back to back, Kiba's dogs yelping and biting. He helped me, and I helped him, but I, nor the dogs, were fast enough. The girlwas in danger and wounded badly. Kiba landed on all fours and protected her from the killing stroke. The cost was his life. He didn't die at impact, however. The spear went through his back and the sharp end tore through his chest. He screamed out in pain, but jumped back up and stabbed the enemy ninja through the neck. I finished the rest of them and ran to Kiba's aid. The Hyuuga gasped as I helped Kiba keep his balance. The spear had stabbed right through where his heart should be. We couldn't do anything. Even a medic nin only had 50 chance of saving him. "Get Shino!" I said, for he was the only medic nin we had. The girl nodded and was about to leave when Shino, Uzumaki, and the other Hyuuga entered the clearing. The dogs whimpered at the fact that they couldn't help. Shino seemed to freeze for a few moments at seeing his love with a spear through his chest. He snapped to his senses and hurried over to Kiba. Uzumaki, the two Hyuuga, and I stood back and watched. Shino hesitated, not sure of what to do. He hesitantly grabbed the spear and attempted to pull it out. Kiba gripped Shino's arm in pain and he stopped, not wanting to mess anything up. "Get another medic nin." Shino said, but Kiba interrupted. "There's no time. It'd take them days to get here." Shino's eyebrows furrowed. "Kiba, if I do it, I'm going to end up killing you!" Kiba gave him a sad smile. "I'm going to die either way, Shino. If you take it out, I'm dead. If we wait for other medic nin, I'm dead. If we wait until we get to somewhere with medic nin, I'm dead. You might as well kill me the quicker way because this spear is getting really uncomfortable what with the heart-needing-to-beat and all that." Shino's grip on Kiba tightened; he obviously didn't want to hear that. My son hesitated. "Shino, it really hurts. Hurry up." I could tell Shino closed his eyes before ripping the spear out and Kiba's scream ripped through the air.
I went to Kiba's funeral. Akamaru howled mournfully. Kiba's parents stood near the boy's grave, the woman holding back her tears while the man cried silently. Shino wasn't there; I understood why. He didn't want anyone to remind him that it was his fault. Even though it wasn't really his fault.
The grave stone was being carved while we stood there. I walked over to the carver and whispered into his ear. The carver gave me an odd look before complying after I snuck fifty dollars into his pocket. When the man was finished, he placed the grave stone atop Kiba's burial place. The boy's father raised an eyebrow at the stone. Even though I turned away to leave at that point, I know why he was confused. It read: Inuzuka Kiba, Great Ninja, Loving Son, Dear Brother, and Beloved Dog.
He always had at least one dog following him around. Some days I found myself thinking of him as my son's dog.