HC & VF chapter five

On the ride back to my apartment I thought about my father's story again, and again. I honestly hadn't known much about my mother; I couldn't even remember her face aside from the pictures I had seen so learning so much about her in one night was an odd experience. For the first time, I got a good idea of the kind of woman she was, what kind of man my father was and what kind of relationship they shared. It was more like watching a romance movie about someone else's life than hearing about your parents. I felt so far removed from it and yet so connected at the same time.

My father was correct; I was indeed in love with Kiba. I had known that long before Kiba admitted to loving me, but I needed someone to point it out to me for me to acknowledge it.

Realizing there was only about 48 hours until our date, the date that Kiba has foreshadowed to be the deal breaker, I decided to switch trains and head to the mall. The mall was a maze of torment that I had only subjected myself to a handful of times in my life. There where people everywhere, everything was expensive, and I genuinely felt out of place everywhere- even the bookstore.

I generally did most my shopping at a department store but today I was on a mission. I weaved my way through the throngs, trying as hard as I could to avoid bumping into the teens that giggled and yelled at each other as they roved in packs.

I was generally exhausted and highly frustrated until I found a men's clothing store and slipped in. I took a moment to the right of the entrance to clear my mind and relax before venturing further into the store. I even found myself amused at the thought that this place seemed like a location that Kiba would thrive at. He was very much like a teenager himself, whereas I never was.

I was quickly approached by a woman about ten or so years older than me, offering her assistance and looking at me like I had wandered in from another dimension.

Gathering my courage and biting back my pride, I replied, "I have a date and…"

"And you have nothing to wear?" She cut me off, "I assume you know your sizes?"

"Yes ma'am"

She clucked her tongue looked me over carefully and then sighed, "Let's get started; follow me."

Feeling rather foolish I followed her around the store as she held up various articles of clothing to me. In the end she settled on an outfit and sent me off to the dressing room.

Normally I change one article of clothing at a time but this time I started with a blank slate by stripping down to my undershorts. First, I slipped into a nice pair of jeans that fit better than the ones I owned and were pre-faded in places for fashion.

She had handed me a black V-neck shirt so I pulled that on next. It fit almost snug; you could easily see the outline of my form without the shirt being tight. Feeling exposed, I pulled on the jacket she had handed me. It was olive green with a high collar, an off to the side zipper, buttoned pockets at the chest and at the waist, and straps on the shoulders. It was unlike anything I had ever worn and reminded me vaguely of the military.

Overall I couldn't complain. I really liked the jacket and I did look nice. Way nicer than if I had been left to pick out my own attire. I slipped on my shoes and stepped out to show the lady.

Her eyes lit up when I came out the door, "I can't believe it! Here, just one moment!"

I stood there awkwardly watching other customers browse until she returned carrying a pair of simple black boots. "You need a pair of shoes like this for that outfit, what do you think?"

I nodded in assent, strangely elated.

"Good! Tell me your shoe size and I will get them for you as you change back to your clothes. Then we will ring you up and on your way!"

I gave her the requested information and reentered the dressing room. I was careful when removing the clothing and folded it all nicely before dressing again. Stepping back into the shop I found the woman waiting for me by the service counter.

"Oh good you're ready. I bet you blow your date away."

I nodded and set the clothing on the desk. She rang it all up and I did my best not to cringe at the prices. As I paid she reminded me that I should come again and she would be more than happy to help if needed. I thanked her and escaped back into the fray.

As I worked my way back, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kiba's reaction at my outfit. I was fully aware that he liked my normal mode of dress just fine but he also loved to see me loosen up as made evident the way he reacted when I wore my first pair of jeans.

The next few days were just as restless as the ones before I visited my father but this time my mind kept wandering forward to the upcoming date instead of back to Kiba's words. I probably should have been worried but I couldn't help but be excited. Finally work ended on the night of the date. I slowly changed into my new outfit, inspecting it constantly to make sure I didn't look foolish and then stashed my work clothes into my locker. Running my hands though my hair one more time, I stepped out the door and headed to our meeting ground.

As I rounded the corner to our alleyway, I was able to see that he was wearing his 'date' jacket and had his dog with him. In the hand opposite of the leash he held a bag of groceries. He turned towards me as I was appraising him as if he sensed my presence but he froze as if surprised. He said nothing as I approached him but Akamaru greeted me with a head butt and a not so subtle hint to pet him. I crouched down to greet the overly large canine, when Kiba started laughing.

Feeling a little stung, I kept my attention on the dog and asked, "Have I done something humorous?"

He stopped my hand mid-stroke and brought me up to face him, causing his canine companion to whine in annoyance. "You look great Shino, you just caught me off guard. I thought for a moment that my mind was playing tricks on me," He laughed nervously, our faces mere inches away.

"I figured a date of this magnitude required a change in wardrobe."

He laughed again, before leaning forward to close the gap between our lips, my hand still in his.

The kiss was brief and light, mostly due to Akamaru wedging his way between us to remind us that he was still there.

Laughing once again, Kiba released my hand and crouched down to his dog, "Feeling a little jealous boy?"

The large dog licked him in response and then head butted my dangling hand.

"Geeze, I think he likes you. Maybe I should be the jealous one. My boyfriend and my dog, who woulda thunk it?" He teased as he stood once more.

"That hardly sounds appropriate to the situation," I smirked as I accepted his hand, "My apartment first?"

He sighed sadly before flashing that grin of his, "Of course, how else am I going to impress you with my culinary prowess?"

We walked quietly hand-in-hand as his dog led the way in front of us. As we climbed the stairs, I realized that I didn't know whether I was allowed to have pets at my apartment. Looking back at the large beast happily loping his way up the stairs, I decided that surely to have one, as a houseguest, was permissible. I led the way in and turned on the lights before turning to my guests, a little fearful of confirming the chilling glint I observed last time.

When I turned I found that Kiba had already released Akamaru from his tether and the dog was making his way over to my bed. Before I could object, Kiba placed his hand on my shoulder and told me not to worry about it. Curious about his meaning, I watched the dog reach his destination and instead of jumping up on top of it, he made himself comfortable on the ground at the foot of it.

Happy at how well behaved he was being, I went to retrieve the present I had bought for him. Reaching into my closet, I pulled out a large rawhide bone. As soon as the bone came into sight, his head was up watching my every movement. Chuckling to myself a little, I brought it over and laid it in front of him. He sniffed it for a moment and then placed his large paw on it and drug it back to his chest like he was afraid I'd change my mind.

"Aw man, here I am slaving away in your kitchen and you are giving him presents," Kiba laughed while rinsing some vegetables in the sink.

Realizing that I probably should have asked him before giving his dog a treat, I stood and headed into the kitchen, "I hope that my actions were permissible."

"It depends," he jested, "Where's my present?"

I couldn't help but shift uncomfortably.

"Oh come on, I'm only joking besides," he gestured over to his dog, "Do you really think I have the balls to take that away from him?"

I looked over at the dog and had to agree with his last statement before realizing that Kiba didn't know his way around my kitchen, "Do you need my cutting board?"

Looking at me puzzled at the sudden shift in conversation he joked, "I don't think it's going to protect me from the wrath of Akamaru but it would be helpful with these vegetables."

I blushed, reached into the drawer and pulled out my cutting board before giving him a mini-tour of the kitchen so he could find whatever it was he needed while cooking.

Sitting down at my desk to let him cook, I watched him. Even though he had been almost laughing non-stop tonight, he seemed to have a general sense of gloom to him. Whatever we had to talk about tonight seemed to be really weighing on his spirits.

I must have been lost in thought because next thing I knew his lips where on mine, "Come back to earth Shino, dinner is ready."

I looked over to my table to see two plates of food and two steaming cups of tea, "Sorry."

He just grinned at me and led me over to the table, before taking the left seat. I smiled back and took the remaining seat. Looking down at the food, it appeared to be some kind of vegetarian stir-fry on rice but without a sauce. Noticing him watching me, I picked up my fork and tried a bite. I was relieved, not only was it not spicy but it was also delicious. The pleasure must have been visible on my face because after just a few moments of watching me chew, Kiba visibly relaxed.

I watched him take a bite before commenting, "I didn't expect you to make a vegetarian dish." He swallowed and flashed me a smile, "All food is about the same to me taste-wise but I thought this meal suited you."

"It is very good and well made but I'm not a vegetarian," I explained incase he misunderstood my eating habits.

"I didn't think you were, I just thought you would like it," he looked a little nervous again, "I can cook something with chicken next time if you like."

I ate another bite before answering, "No need, I like vegetarian food, I just wanted to make sure you knew."

Dinner passed with light conversation, less than we normally have at the café but of about the same consequence. After dinner he refilled my tea and began washing the dishes from dinner. I tried to protest but he refused to listen so I just quietly sipped my tea and thought back to my conversation with my father.

It didn't take him long to finish and then we were on our way to a park to walk Akamaru. After we got down the stairs and joined hands I decided it was time to speak, "I went and visited my father a few days ago."

He didn't turn to look at me but rather kept his eyes on his dog ahead of us, "Do you go see him often or was it for something?"

"I don't seem him as often as I should, and when I do, it generally is him visiting me," I followed his cue and watched the path ahead of us instead of looking at him.

"So what prompted the trip?"

I stopped our trek and turned to look at him, "You."

He looked me over for a moment before gesturing for us to continue walking, "I'm so amazing you had to go brag to your old man about me?"

I sighed; he wasn't making this easy, "Not exactly."

We arrived at the park and began to follow the trail. "I think I know what you went for, but before you tell me, we should talk about my family first," he said dejectedly, "ma was right of course, we should have had this discussion sooner."

I felt the weight of dread settle into my stomach but I stayed quiet and waited for him to continue.

"I don't know how to tell you without you thinking that I'm crazy and I don't know how to show you without scaring you. I'm really backed into a corner, I don't know how people do this," he paused, "You're worried right now, I can smell it."

I wasn't sure what he was going on about at all but I was thankful that it was the middle of the night and nobody was around to hear us, "smell it?"

He sighed again, "Yes smell it, I know your scent and I can tell when there is an emotional shift in you. Embarrassment, worry, fear…lust- I can sense them all."

I wasn't sure how he could possibly have such an ability but I had to admit that it also made a bit of sense how he always seemed to know what I was feeling as soon as I did. Confused and more than a little embarrassed, I remained silent.

"Well at least you seem to believe me so far, or enough to get embarrassed. That really isn't what I have to tell you, it is just a part of it." He ran his free hand through his hair, right still firmly griping mine. "Have you ever wondered why we only meet up at night?"

I shook my head, "I figured that night was just when your work schedule allowed for free time."

"No I don't have a job."

That explained why he said his apartment isn't as nice as mine, I figured. Feeling a little unsure of what to say, I tried again, "Are you just more active during the night because your mother runs a nighttime café?"

He shook his head, "No we meet at night and my mother runs a nighttime café because we can't be out during the day."

I was running through the information he had given me and tying to piece together an explanation. Can't be out during the day? A sun allergy maybe? No I don't think he'd be so worried about my reaction if that were the case. A criminal record? That didn't seem right either but it was the best my mind could come up with.

He stopped our trek, turned me to face him and kissed me. It was a brief gentle kiss and when he pulled away he sighed another time, "please hear me out and don't act like Ive lost my mind."

I nodded the best I could as close as our faces were. The last thing I wanted to do was knock our heads.

He reached up with this left hand, realizing he was still holding Akamaru's leash. He turned to face his dog, "Aka, be a good boy and don't wander off or I'll send Ma's dog after you." He then dropped the leash and brought his now free hand up to his face. "You've noticed my teeth?" he asked pulling up his upper lip to reveal his pronounced canines.

"Yes," I acknowledged, opting out of nodding my head again.

"These are why all human food tastes the same to me, I'm not designed to eat it," He paused and when I said nothing, he continued, "Shino do you believe in vampires?"

A/N: I actually started and stopped this several times so I hope it isnt too bad, I know it is very late. There is already part of the next chapter written. It was all going to be one chapter but it was getting too long in my opinion so I chopped it at an interesting point. Comments? Criticisms? See you at the next (and hopefully last?) chapter.