Thanks for all the support guys! KibaSaku needs your love!
Also, a note: I make fun of Naruto a lot, but I wanted to reassure you all that I love Naruto. This story is more from Kiba's perspective, which is why I make fun of some characters, or go into the hotness level of others. Just so you know. I'm not a character-basher. :)
You know, it's so weird to write this fic after Cover Girl. That one had like no dialogue and this… has a lot. But it'll get deeper later on. Maybe. ;)
One last note, I'm aiming for weekly updates with this thing (I just need to choose my day, hah), so chapters may be on the short side. Or not. But yeah, just a heads-up.
Disenchanted
There's no time limit to romance.
Take things one step at a time.
"You know, you're allowed to relax."
"You know, you're a stranger," Sakura shot back. "If I didn't need this job, I would be so out of here."
"We can fix that," Kiba told her, shifting smoothly into the next lane. "But first, tell me where we're going, or I'll just—" Take you back to my bachelor pad. "Drive around aimlessly and waste a ton of gas."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's not far, that vet's office across the street from Ichiraku? If you know Naruto, you know where it is."
"Indeed I do. That's where I was headed myself. I'm picking up my dog."
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah, just a check-up. He's probably making love with all the girl dogs as we speak." Sakura tried to hide it, but… "And she laughs! Here I thought you weren't happy to be here."
He saw her shake her head, exasperated, out of the corner of his eye. But she was smiling. "You're a stranger, remember. For all I know, you're taking me home to lock in your bedroom so I can be your personal toenail-clipper."
Kiba cocked an eyebrow, decided it was safer not to comment, and said, "Right. About that. I'm Kiba, I'm twenty-one, I love girls, dogs, and soccer. Now you know me."
"I kind of picked up the thing about girls when we met," she said dryly. "So how'd you like Hinata?"
Kiba grinned. "I'll bet you did. And she's cute, but not really my type."
"Good," Sakura sighed, as Kiba turned into the parking lot of the vet's office. He parked neatly in a spot near the door, turned off the car, and looked over at her, unable to hide his foxy little grin. When Sakura saw it, she blanched.
"Possessive, aren't we, Sakura?" he asked, even as she tried to take back her words.
"I just meant," she growled, "That Hinata's spoken for – even if he doesn't know it yet." Obviously, she meant Naruto. But Kiba had nearly forgotten what they were talking about, because Sakura was looking annoyed and flustered all in one, fumbling to unclasp her seatbelt.
"Let me get that," Kiba said, leaning over. "There's a bit of a catch." He pressed down on the buckle, and it opened easily. Sakura stared down at it, clearly at a loss. Kiba winked at her. "I have magic fingers."
"I'm sure," she deadpanned.
And then she got out of the car.
-x-
Of course, since Kiba was going to the same place, she didn't get away for long.
"So, you're looking for a job here?" Kiba asked. Duh. It's pretty obvious.
But Sakura only nodded, not looking too happy about being followed inside. "I want to go into medicine, only I'm stuck between humans and animals." She shrugged. "A professor of mine, Tsunade, suggested this job."
"Sounds interesting. Tell me more."
She looked up at him, as if trying to decide whether he was being sarcastic or not. "About what?" she finally asked.
"You. What makes Sakura… well, Sakura?"
The sun was shining down on them, hot rays blinding, scorching on their skin. Summer was just beginning, but it felt like August. Sakura squinted in the bright light, but she didn't look away from Kiba's eyes, boring into hers. They were stopped in the doorway, frozen in time, until she opened her mouth.
"I'm getting late."
And this time, she got away.
-x-
"So! Hinata really liked you. Congratulations on doing something right."
"Like all girls don't love me," Kiba said. He knew he seemed full of himself, but it true, after all. He was charming. He was hot. He made girls swoon.
Well, except girls like Sakura. Because either she had a boyfriend, or…
Well, Kiba didn't want to think that it was because she just wasn't interested, so he would hope for the boyfriend excuse.
"Yeah, I really don't know what she was thinking," Naruto said sarcastically. "Wanna go out with her again? I told her you would."
Kiba sighed, rubbing his temples. Beside him, Naruto yammered on about how they could all go to see the new bloodbath out in theatres, oblivious to his friend's inner turmoil.
Okay, so inner turmoil was a bit melodramatic. It was more like Kiba's humiliation over Sakura's apparent rejection.
"So, did you get Sakura-chan to her interview on time?" Naruto asked abruptly. Kiba wondered briefly if the blond could read his mind, then decided it was a ridiculous thought, since Naruto could barely handle his own two thoughts an hour.
Kiba nodded, kicking at a pebble. The two were ambling through the grounds of the campus, between classes and not really eager to get a head-start on studying in the library. It was a nice day, sunny and breezy. It was a lazy day.
As if on cue, he yawned, showing off almost abnormally sharp canines. "She was going to the vet's, and so was I."
"Sakura likes animals," Naruto said with a nod. "Actually, she likes everyone. And everyone likes her."
"So I've noticed," Kiba muttered dryly. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of white-blond hair, and he turned, smirk already forming on his face, to see Yamanaka Ino, Konoha U's Party Queen extraordinaire, sprinting over the grounds towards him.
He opened his arms to her, and she leapt at him, smacking a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"You seem enthusiastic," Kiba observed, just as she burst out with, "Ibiki-sensei chose me! I got the spot!"
"Wow," Naruto said. "Congrats, Ino!"
"Thanks, Naruto," she said, a little breathlessly. Even flushed with happiness, hair tossed about from the wind and her run, Ino was gorgeous. Kiba had gone out with her once, briefly, when she broke up with her long-time boyfriend, Sai – also briefly. But while she was fun, Ino was a veritable ball of energy. She was like sunshine on crack, and too much for even him to handle.
But now, this little cheerleader-prom queen-diva was going to be training under her Forensics Professor, Ibiki, to read crime scenes and solve cases over the summer.
Kiba privately wondered what he had been thinking, but wisely chose not to say anything.
"This calls for a party!" she said. Naruto cheered, pumping his fist, and Kiba had to join in. Ino, with her own penthouse, courtesy of her darling, doting Daddy, threw the wildest parties on campus.
With promises to celebrate soon, Ino rushed off again, calling out to anyone who would listen about her news.
Once she was out of earshot, Naruto muttered, "Five bucks says Ibiki kicks her out within a week."
With a grin, Kiba replied, "Ten says she has him begging for her to come back within the next."
-x-
When Kiba finally got to the library to start on all his work, he thought he was thinking way too much about Sakura, which was ridiculous, because he had only met her two days ago, but no, he wasn't imagining it, because Naruto, disregarding all library rules, just-about-shouted, "Sasukeeee!!"
Somehow evading a scolding in his lucky Naruto way, the blond crossed the room to loom over his best friend, who seemed to be trying to pretend he didn't know him.
"Watcha doin'?" Naruto asked, plonking down on the chair beside Sasuke. Kiba followed suit, somewhat awkwardly, since Sasuke wasn't exactly a friend of his.
"What does it look like, loser?" Sasuke snapped. Idly, Kiba wondered why the two of them were friends at all.
"It looks like you're working on an Economics paper," Naruto replied innocently, leaning over to see the screen of Sasuke's laptop.
"Good job," Sasuke deadpanned. "Why don't you let me do it so that I can pass and you can fail?"
"Naw, you'd miss me too much." As he was speaking, Naruto was unzipping his bag. Kiba already had his books open and was attempting, fruitlessly, to do some Calculus.
Sasuke sighed and tried to ignore him. Kiba tried to hide a snicker. That never worked with Naruto.
Sasuke had evidently heard, however, and was glaring at Kiba, who was taken aback. Until he remembered he had hit on this guy's probable girlfriend.
Oops.
It was right then that a girl with black hair pinned up at the back of her head wandered by, hips swinging. Kiba grinned up at her, leaning back in his chair to wave hello (read: fully appreciate the view). She giggled, looking away bashfully, and his smile widened triumphantly.
Oh yeah. He was pretty much the hottest thing ever.
When he looked back up, Naruto was gone to find a book, and Sasuke was looking even angrier.
Bemused, Kiba finally asked, "What?"
Sasuke looked back down at his notes, but when he spoke, his words were stiff with annoyance. "Don't flirt with a girl unless you mean it."
"…You mean Sakura?" This couldn't be good. But if he was her boyfriend—
Sasuke snorted. "Obviously."
Kiba was at a loss. "I didn't—well, I did, but—Aren't you her boyfriend?"
The look Sasuke shot him was very dry, and Kiba would be lying if he wasn't happy – and a little peeved, because now he had no excuse – when Sasuke said, very simply, "No."
Well, now that that was cleared up…
-x-
You like a girl? Okay.
You need to be honest about it. You need to let her know how you feel.
And how you feel has to be that she's the most important thing in the world.
-x-