A/N: This has not turned into a KibaNaru people B(

xxxChapter 8: Discoveryxxx

Heavy pants filled the air as Sasuke awoke with a start, sweating and shaking slightly. And onyx orbs were wide as bits and pieces of his dream began to come together.

A long, drawn out moan passed his lips at the recollection, but he caught himself and quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes darting to the small tent where his master was still sleeping.

Sasuke quietly picked himself up from the ground and walked away to a nearby tree, but far enough so that he was out of hearing range from Orochimaru.

He lowered his hand and slowly slid down the trunk, dropping to the floor and sitting against the wood. "Damn it," he muttered while punching a fist to the earth, coal eyes settling on the moon.

This was becoming increasingly difficult for Sasuke. The farther they ventured into the forest, the heavier Naruto's scent became. His mind was becoming filled with nothing but raw urge. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Sasuke groaned loudly, his dream re-surfacing again. It had, of course, centered on Naruto. He might be able to restrain his thoughts while he was awake, but asleep, he had no choice but to relinquish control to his body – and what his body yearned for.

And through that dream – clawing, sweating, and panting – what he wanted had been clearly shown.

And it had nothing to do with killing Naruto. Though there had been pain involved, pleasured heaps of it.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, not having realized that they had slipped shut at some point. He also noticed that his hand had slid down to grab his now erect member through his pants. Breathing had increased as well.

Sasuke moaned loudly, letting himself go. He tossed his head back and began rolling his hips.

He could picture it so clearly, his dick pulsing and throbbing in the fox's tight heat. Their bodies flushed, touching, hot and sticky with fluid.

His hand was working furiously; rough strokes against the fabric as panting tore his lips apart. "Naruto," he growled, the imagery becoming more vivid.

Sasuke gasped and hastily unzipped himself, pulling out his erection and enclosing fingers around it. His hand moved in a jerky rhythm, no skill or timing with his breaths. Pale fingers squeezed and tugged with little more than raw desperation.

Pre-cum seeped out and his ears flattened as pleasure threw his head against the tree. His hips bucked into his touch, desperately seeking release.

There was a familiar coiling at his base, drips of his essence running down his fingers that gleamed in the moonlight, and Sasuke's mouth hung open in a mute scream as his orgasm erupted and covered the dirt before him.

The dog's fingers shakily loosened around himself, eyes opened and slowly recalled how to see. His breaths were deep, heavy, with long pauses in between each one. And he stared at the white mess he'd made on the ground.

Sasuke sat still, not moving or tucking himself in, nothing.

Itachi suddenly came to the forefront of his mind; weak and pained and helpless.

Sasuke's brows came together in anger, and he kicked his foot to cover his seed with dirt. "Fuck you Naruto," he said through clenched teeth.

But whether it was a curse or a plea, Sasuke could not tell.

x-X-0-X-x

Blue eyes fluttered open to the sight of Kiba, lying beside Naruto on the floor of his den.

Naruto had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the other fox, who had his mouth wide open, loud snores flying out and drool trickling down from the hole.

He also noticed that his arm was wrapped tightly around Kiba's chest, and Naruto blushed a bit before hesitating and removing it slowly. Not to mention that Kiba's tail had also somehow wrapped itself around Naruto's leg. Naruto blinked in the dim home before carefully pulling his limb from the mass of fur.

The blond yawned loudly and got on his hands and knees. He stretched forward, arms reaching before him and bum rising in the air. Then did an opposite stretch where his bottom half calm down and his chest arched upward, his eyes closed and ears flat.

Naruto shook his head from side to side, ears flopping with the movement, and he jumped suddenly when a loud snort came up behind him. He looked back at Kiba. The fox was still asleep, but he had a very large grin on his face, and he was babbling something about fish.

Naruto smiled with amusement before moving his foot to shove at Kiba's head and wake him up.

Kiba started with a jerk, his eyes flying open and darting around the den. His mouth pulled down at the corners when he failed to find whatever he was looking for; he looked at Naruto. "What happened to all the babes who were feeding me?"

Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head. "They realized who they were feeding."

Kiba glared before growling playfully and shoving Naruto lightly with his foot. "Whatever blondie, don't be jealous just cuz' I can get hotties and you can't."

Naruto's mouth fell apart in a response, but he bit his tongue before he could say it. 'Sasuke was beyond the definition of 'hottie.''

Thank God he'd stopped that.

Instead, he licked his lips and said, "It's not like I had much of a chance."

Kiba tilted his head and sat up. "Aw that's not true man! I was kidding, you're a total looker," he puffed his chest out, "Of course, not as good as me, but hey, if you were of the opposite sex, I'd be into you."

Naruto shook his head, but smiled a bit at the thought that Kiba in some way considered him attractive. "That's not what I meant. I've never been around a girl before."

Kiba's jaw literally dropped, his eyes growing comically wide. "...What?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've never seen a female before, besides my mother. But she died when I was a kit."

Kiba's ears flattened. "That's...that's terrible!"

Naruto stared at him before snorting a laugh. "What is? My mother dying, or my never having been around a girl?"

"Both."

The blond looked down and shook his head, still smiling.

Kiba eyed the other before grinning and moving forward. "C'mon."

"What?"

"That's just unnatural, never having contact with someone of the opposite sex. I won't just sit by and let this continue, what kind of friend would that be?"

Naruto flinched, surprised by the word, but his lips stretched out farther. "Okay," he said.

They both crawled out of the den into the bright morning sun and stood up. Kiba began leading them in another direction, walking shoulder to shoulder with the other fox.

And Naruto just couldn't wipe the stupid smile off his face. If he had any doubts before, they were nonexistent now. He truly believed that Kiba was heaven sent to help him get through hell.

x-X-0-X-x

Iruka looked up to see Kakashi coming through his front door. He hastily got up from the couch, where he had nervously been chewing away at his nails, and hurried over to the wolf, grabbing his shoulders. "How is he? Is he alright? Is he eating? How thin was he? Does he need more clothes? Is he lonely? Does he-"

Kakashi clapped a hand over the stammering man's mouth. "He's fine, Iruka, even made a new friend." He lowered his hand. "Naruto's a big boy. Not even, he's a fox. He belongs out there and he can take care of himself."

The smaller man blinked and let out a relieved sigh, resting his forehead against the wolf's chest and lowering his arms. "Thank God," he whispered. "I was so worried...I might've made the wrong choice."

Kakashi's eyes scrunched up in little crescents, showing the smile under his mask. "Well, no need to fret." He settled one hand into Iruka's hair, "He's been soaked by rain, slept in a tree, made a complete fool of himself in front of another fox, and managed to get the crap beaten out of him all within his first two days."

Kakashi cupped the man's face. "The fact that he's still alive should put your worries to rest."

x-X-0-X-x

"So Naruto,"

Naruto tilted his head to the other, hands laced behind him as they continued their walk through the forest to wherever Kiba was taking them, "Yeah?"

"You say you've never been around a female before."

Naruto nodded. "I haven't."

"But...I know you've had," Kiba flushed lightly as he searched for an appropriate word, "contact, even though it was with a dog. I could smell it on you."

Naruto blushed. "Well...yeah..."

"It smells like a male, does that mean the dog was male?"

Naruto hunched, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Yeah...he is."

Kiba snorted a laugh. "So not only were you screwing dogs, but it was a male dog?"

Naruto stopped and spun to him. "No, it was one dog and he...it's...it's complicated." He lowered his head and continued walking.

Kiba cocked his head, seeing that he'd hit something sensitive with his friend. "Hey, I'm sorry. Whatever you do is your business."

Naruto shook his head. "No, it's just...I know it's weird, I know it is...but Sasuke and me...we have, well, we had a...special relationship. You know? We...I...I don't really know how to explain it, we just...needed each other...but..."

Kiba waited for an answer, frowning when Naruto bit his lip, "But?"

The blond jerked. "Nothing," he muttered. And just like that, his blinding smile was back full force. "So, where's this place we're going?"

Kiba blinked at the sudden mood swing but looked up ahead nonetheless, and his own smile came out, "Right here."

Naruto looked ahead as well and saw nothing but a bunch of bushes in their way. "Um...there's nothing here."

Kiba suddenly grabbed his arm. "Now listen here blondie, you can look but if you touch, I break your arm off. Got it?"

Naruto's brow furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kiba grinned and pulled Naruto forward towards the bushes before pulling them apart, revealing a vast meadow filled with white flowers.

Naruto's features twisted to amazement. "Whoa..."

Kiba grabbed Naruto's chin, shifting it to another direction. "That is what I'm talking about."

Azure eyes settled on a slim figure not too far off. It was sitting among the flowers, their back facing them, orange tail swishing from side to side under long, dark hair that fell down the pale frame.

Naruto squinted before gasping at the realization of what he was staring at. "That's...that's a she."

Kiba nodded. "Her name is Hinata. She's real pretty and sweet," he gave Naruto a warning look, "and mine."

Naruto raised a brow before crossing his arms and staring at him. "Does she know that?"

He was surprised to see a blush spread out on Kiba's cheeks. "Well, uh, no...not yet, but she will!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Uh-huh," and scoffed before standing and stepping into the meadow, feet sinking and disappearing beneath the flowers.

Kiba growled. "She will!" he yelled and stumbled after the blond.

Naruto continued his advancement until he was in front of the girl, and he was about to say something, if his eyes hadn't trailed down and found her exposed breast first. All words died on his tongue, leaving him to let out a light breath.

Hinata caught this and lifted her head, tilting it at the blond visitor, a bouquet of flowers were clustered in her hands. "H-hello," she squeaked.

Naruto felt heat rush up his neck. Even though the fox's long hair was covering most of her breasts, they were still...there, peeking out on the sides. Her bottom half was buried beneath the meadow flowers.

Kiba finally caught up, smiling brightly at the girl. "Good morning Hinata!"

Hinata returned the gesture, "Good morning Kiba. Is th-this your friend?"

"Yeah!" he slapped Naruto's back harder than necessary, causing him to lean forward a bit. "This is Naruto. I just wanted to show him what a pretty girl looked like, and you were first to pop in my mind!"

Hinata's ears flattened in embarrassment, and a light blush spread out on her cheeks. "Oh, th-thank you." She smiled warmly at Kiba, then at Naruto, who was still hot in the face.

It was like a damn blush fest.

But Naruto's flush receded when he caught Hinata's eyes. They were an unusual purple-white color, just like...

"Hey, do you know a guy named Neji? A badger?"

"Neji?" Hinata pondered the name before shaking her head, "N-no, I don't."

"Really? You two have the exact same eyes, that's kinda weird." Naruto emphasized his point by pointing at Hinata's face.

Hinata frowned a bit, not really sure what to make of the comment.

Kiba smiled and elbowed Naruto roughly in the side.

"OW!" Naruto yelled and snarled at him, "Hey!"

"What he means to say is, your eyes are really pretty, Hinata, they're unique."

Naruto made a disbelieving face. "Do you even know what that means?"

Kiba spun around and punched him square in the jaw.

Hinata gasped and jumped back slightly. "A-are you alright Naruto?"

Kiba answered before Naruto could, "Oh Naruto, you're always falling down, maybe we should go." He grabbed the blond's arm and began dragging him away after saying goodbye to Hinata.

When they were out of the meadow and past the bushes, Naruto managed to struggle out of Kiba's hold and stand up with a slightly red cheek. "What the fuck was that for?!"

"You were embarrassing me right in front of her!"

"I was not!"

"No wonder you're banging male dogs! You expect to get a pretty girl by calling her weird?!"

"I never said she was weird," Naruto argued, before he paused and raised a brow, "But then again, why was she stuttering so much?"

"She's shy!" Kiba hollered defensively.

"Whatever, like you were so damn charming over there."

"What do you mean by that?"

Naruto looked up and held his hands up next to his face, fingers pointing outward as he began wiggling them. "Oh Hinata, you're so PRETTY! Oh Hinata, you're so UNIQUE! Teeheeheehee!" he said this with a high voice, mocking what Kiba had said.

Kiba blushed hard and jumped forward to shove the blond. "Go to hell! I do NOT sound like that!"

Naruto grinned and shoved him back. "Yup, like you had your balls cut off and everything."

Kiba kicked him.

Naruto kicked back, screaming, "You're it!" and dashed off.

Kiba stared at him, running off like an idiot. "Aren't we a little old for that?" he yelled.

Naruto turned around, running backwards. "Chicken shit!"

Oh.

Oh hell no.

Kiba ran after him.

As Naruto turned forward and continued his run, he found himself thinking about his first encounter with a female fox, and comparing it to Sasuke.

Hinata had been pretty, very pretty.

But so was Sasuke.

Hinata had smelled nice, like honey and earth.

But Sasuke's scent was addiction.

Hinata's eyes were light, safe, and warm.

Sasuke's drew you in, suffocated you like a black hole.

Under the right circumstance – had Kiba's like for Hinata not existed, or Naruto cared for her as something more – he wouldn't hesitate to love her in the most pleasurable of ways.

But it wouldn't compare to pleasuring, or being pleasured by Sasuke.

Naruto knew that if he had met someone, female or male, while Sasuke was gone, it wouldn't have mattered.

It wouldn't have changed anything at all.

x-X-0-X-x

Orochimaru kneeled down in front of the fox den. He examined it for a moment before looking at Sasuke. "Is it him?" he asked.

Sasuke got down beside him and closed his eyes, pressed his nose to the earth. He wasn't able to squeeze into the den, but Naruto's scent should be on the...

His eyes flew open.

Orochimaru leaned forward. "What? What is it?"

But Sasuke couldn't hear him.

His claws slowly began to dig into the dirt. Sasuke's tail was high in the air, ears erect and a deep, threatening growl emanated from his throat. His muscles tensed, fangs bared themselves as his growling grew in volume. Sasuke's body began to quake in fury.

Black bled to red.

Orochimaru moved back and cocked his gun, unsure of his dog's sudden behavior. "Sasuke," he ordered, "Is. It. Him."

"Yes," Sasuke whispered. "But...there's another one."

Golden eyes widened, "Another fox? With him?"

Sasuke nodded slowly, his teeth clenched, "Yeah."

His master smiled. "All the better, he can die with a friend. Come Sasuke, they have to go through that hollow in the ground if they want to come back to their den, we'll set the traps there."

He stood up and left, but Sasuke did not follow. He was frozen on the spot, consumed by disbelief...anger...jea...

Sasuke swallowed down a curse, tasting murder on his tongue.

x-X-0-X-x

Naruto's laughter echoed through the forest as Kiba finally managed to catch up and wrap his arms around the blond's stomach, taking them both to the ground.

They rolled through the dirt until Naruto shoved the fox off and sat up with a smile on his face. "Okay," he said through pants for breath, "you win."

Kiba grinned. "Damn straight."

Naruto chuckled softly and looked at where they had ended up.

His stomach froze, eyes catching a wooden fence not too far from where they were sitting.

Naruto's ears flattened. "Hey..." he said, "I know where we are."

Kiba cocked his head, trailing his gaze to where Naruto's lay on the fence. He frowned, "Far away from where we should be?"

Naruto continued to stare at the wood, not giving the other response.

"We should go back," Kiba suggested. "We're out of the preserve."

Naruto shook his head. "No." He stood up, "Let's peep inside."

Brown eyes widened, "Are you crazy? What if it's a hunter?"

"It is."

"Again, are you crazy?"

"He's not here," the blond assured, pointing to the empty lot in front of the house. "The truck is gone."

"I'm not going near there, what if he has dogs?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but stopped, words catching in his throat. His eyes narrowed at a sliver of wood peeking out from behind Orochimaru's house.

He squinted into the dusky afternoon. "What is...that?" he questioned to no one in particular, the small structure not clicking any recognition in his mind.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that we need to leave before – hey!" Kiba cried out as Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the hidden shed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled through a harsh whisper. "That's towards the danger Naruto!"

Naruto put a finger to his lips and pulled Kiba onward. "I've never seen that before, " he said, "I just wanna see what's inside."

"But Naruto-" Kiba stopped, both his and Naruto's ears shooting up to an alert stance.

A look of panic crossed their features, and within seconds, they ducked underneath the porch and hid themselves as the screen door swung open and footsteps pounded down the wood.

Kiba shot Naruto a look. "I thought you said no one was home!"

"SHH!" Naruto pressed close and pulled them further into the darkness, then looked out at the man standing just in front of them.

He had long white hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, a pair of glasses that rested on his nose. The glare from the setting sun hid his eyes behind the shining lenses, and a black robe covered his body as he glanced from left to right.

Naruto's brow crumpled. What was this person doing at Sasuke's house? Naruto had never seen him before.

The man sniffed lightly and pushed his glasses up with a bent middle finger. "Could have sworn I heard something," he mumbled thoughtfully as he turned and headed back inside the house.

When they heard the door slam shut, both foxes let out a relieved sigh and crawled out from beneath the porch.

Naruto quickly re-took hold of Kiba's hand and pulled them behind the house and in front of the wooden shed.

"Who was that guy?" Kiba asked. "A hunter?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know...I don't think so. Only one hunter and his two dogs live here, Orochimaru and Itachi and my...and Sasuke."

Kiba's eyes brightened at the pause. "Is that...you know, is that him?"

Naruto's lips parted in hesitation, but he closed them and nodded. "Yeah." He smiled crookedly, "My little dog adventure was with Sasuke."

Kiba frowned but didn't push the matter further and allowed Naruto to pull him in past the door that swung open without resistance.

Neither of them expected what they would find inside.

Kiba felt his eyes grow wide, and his hand slipped away from Naruto's, who stood just as still and motionless beside him.

Naruto's mouth let out a pathetic whimper and Kiba shook his head before quickly snapping his gaze to the floor, not able to continue staring at the walls.

Almost every inch of them was covered in fur. Small animals like squirrels and mice were all piled into a barrel sitting in the corner of a wall. There were antlers and chopped ears pinned to different slabs, a gold label shining beneath them.

Naruto's body was quivering from the sight. His stomach churned and he suddenly fell to his knees before coughing and spitting up some of the fish he'd eaten yesterday.

There couldn't have been a more perfect reaction. Because that's exactly what this place was, sickening.

Kiba's fists clenched at his sides, his ears flat as he stared sadly at Naruto. "Maybe," he whispered, "we should go, Naruto."

The blond didn't hear him. His tail slowly curled between his legs as he sat back on his heels.

Kiba made an unsure noise and cautiously dropped beside him. "We should get out of here," he said.

Naruto still wasn't listening; his mind was too busy placing the pieces together.

This...this was a trophy room. For hunting. Orochimaru was a hunter. Sasuke was a hunting dog.

Hunters and their dogs work together to bring down prey, then hang them like a lifeless prize once they're through. Trophy room was such a fitting term.

All this...Sasuke helped build it.

Blue eyes watered.

Sasuke truly was a monster.

"Kiba..." he whispered.

Kiba flinched and shifted closer to the other, making sure to keep his gaze on him, "Yeah?"

"I haven't told you why...why Sasuke and I...aren't how we used to be, have I?"

The fox listened intently before shaking his head, "No."

Naruto stared at the floor, not moving. "His brother was trying to kill me. And I really hurt him while I was trying to defend myself...I tried to help him too, but...I tried."

Tried, tried, tried, what else could he have done?

"Sasuke...hasn't forgiven me, and he won't...he's out to kill me now too, for revenge. I don't think he'll ever forgive me..."

He yelped suddenly when Kiba's clawed fingers bit into his arm and yanked him closer. "He shouldn't have too! You didn't do anything wrong! Why should you care if he forgives you or not?! If anything he should be asking for your forgiveness!" He sounded so angry, as if it the injustice affected him more than Naruto himself.

"I care...I care because...I loved him Kiba."

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes."

Kiba scowled and leaned down, pressing his forehead against Naruto's and pushing his head up so their eyes locked.

The brunet stared at him sternly, and tightened the grip he had on the other's arm. He licked his lips and opened his mouth. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Naruto's body tightened quickly before slackening, his eyes held Kiba's for a moment then slowly trailed down to the floor. "...No..."

He felt the claws loosen from his skin.