Sorry this took so long but I'm still settling into a new house and a new job. Double shifts are a killer. Not to mention I just moved across a few states. So be patient with me. :D I also just got WIFI finally put in. And unlike a lot of fanfic writers I don't actually write the next chapter until right before I publish it so it takes me a few days to publish a chapter.
I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.
Chapter 7: The First Attempt
The next day Kiba woke to a warm kiss, soft lips brushing tantalizingly against his own before Itachi's tongue touched his lips with a little push. Moaning quietly, Kiba opened his mouth, soft and submissive, welcoming Itachi to explore his mouth. Itachi's tongue stabbed into his mouth, aggressive and a little rough, just the way Kiba loved to be kissed. After a while Itachi pulled away, leaving Kiba gasping for breath. Opening his eyes Kiba smiled up at Itachi, who leaned over him with a blank face but soft eyes.
"What a way to wake up." Kiba said quietly, his sharp teeth flashing in a grin.
"Indeed." Itachi agreed, leaning down to give Kiba another kiss. This one was soft and quick, despite Kiba's effort to catch Itachi in another deep kiss.
With a sigh Kiba arched his back, rubbing his body temptingly against Itachi's. He grinned at Itachi's narrowed eyes. "So what are we doing today?" The invitation in his voice was quite clear.
Itachi's black eyes swept over Kiba's muscled body beneath his and was very tempted by the blatant offer but he wanted the brunette to be desperate when Itachi finally took him. No, he wouldn't be accepting Kiba's offer today but he thought it would be very soon. As passionate as Kiba was, despite his torture or maybe even because of it, he wouldn't last long before he was desperate. His delightful responsiveness pleased Itachi to no end and he knew he'd have fun with Kiba's sensitiveness very soon.
"Today we're….." Itachi purred, his voice a deep and soft. His black eyes met Kiba's expectant ones. "Going to go shopping."
"What?" Kiba muttered, his eyes narrowing at Itachi's amused expression. Disappointment clouded his eyes and his lips pouted just a little. "You don't want to fuck me?" He asked, arching his body up against Itachi's body again, feeling Itachi's arousal pressing into his hip. The offer was still in Kiba's eyes.
"Hmm." Itachi leaned down to Kiba's neck, pressing wet kisses up to the brunette's ear before drawing the lope between his teeth. "I'm going to fuck you." He promised, his voice rumbling in his chest. "But I'm going to wait, wait until you want me so bad you beg, want me so bad you're desperate." With that he rolled away, leaving an incredulous and red faced Kiba watching as he strolled leisurely into the bathroom.
Sighing explosively Kiba collapsed onto the bedding, rolling his eyes to meet Akamaru's eyes, who lay against the far wall, watching him with distinct amusement. The dog huffed a laugh, clearly finding Kiba's situation funny.
"Oh, shut up you stupid mutt." Kiba muttered in protest, one brow twitching as his cock twitched just a little in his pants. Then he cast annoyed eyes over at the dog, "Do you think a man can really die of frustration?" This seemed to only make the dog laugh harder.
/
By the end of the day Kiba wasn't feeling even a trace of amusement. He stood just behind Itachi in Tsunade's council room, Anbu mask firmly in place and looking decidedly menacing, Akamaru on Itachi's other side, teeth bared. In the room sat some of Konoha's most notable members; the head of every major shinobi clan, the council members, several important Anbu members and of course Naruto, who had access due to his training to be the Hokage after Tsunade. Not only that but several still root members stood around the room. The root members and the Anbu were the only ones masked in the room. The tension was almost visible in the large room.
"If you'd care to enlighten us as to our purpose here, Hokage-sama?" Danzo drawled, just a hint of insolence in his tone. His uncovered eye glittered just a little too knowingly for Kiba's sake. He'd never liked Danzo but if he was responsible for this fucking fiasco then Kiba was going to find a way to kill him, despite the root guard standing right behind the old man.
"Yes, I'm quite curious myself." Hiashi murmured, flicking a glance at the old council member. Kiba nearly grinned at the disapproval in the glance but couldn't quite manage it with anger still churning in his stomach. That and his chest was beginning to sting something fierce.
"I believe you're all aware of Uchiha-san's return?" Tsunade said lightly, her eyes narrowed and her mouth set in a sarcastic smile. The look always meant trouble.
"It's only been broadcast in every newspaper since he got back." Tsume snarked a little irritably, none of the usual respect in her tone. She sat several seats away from Itachi, arms folded over her chest and eyes settled on Akamaru.
"Shut up!" Tsunade snapped unexpectedly, causing several heads to turn to her in surprise at the viciousness in her tone. Tsume flushed but didn't reply, her face hard and her jaw clenched. "I don't want to hear it from you, Inuzuka."
The Anbu member behind Tsunade cleared his throat delicately. His mask was painted as a crane. Kiba knew that the crane was Neji's mask. Neji was one of the few people Kiba allowed himself to socialize with and one of the few that knew that Kiba acted as Akuma. "I believe all of us here know the particulars of Uchiha-san's return." He said smoothly, his voice mild. As another of Tsunade's inner circle he knew exactly how to deal with her infamous temper.
"Then you should all know that Itachi-san is a completely trustworthy ninja of Konoha and has performed his duties excellently." Her voice was hard and her eyes dared anyone to disagree with her. When no one said anything she continued. "Yet he was attacked today and could have been injured if not for the Anbu guard with him."
At this several eyes turned to the stoic Uchiha, who sat perfectly still and silent. He looked absolutely calm and unruffled, his dark eyes placid and serene. He sat relaxed in his chair, back straight and hands folded in his lap lightly. Although he portrayed complete calm Kiba knew better, he could smell the irritation and anger coming off the older made him angry all over again. Itachi was supposed to be able to feel welcome here in Konoha. After the life he'd been through Itachi should be able to relax and be happy for once, worrying for nothing but his personal life. Yet here he was, surrounded by the cities snobbiest and having to deal with this shit. It stirred Kiba's rage all over again. He clamped his teeth together and remained quite with great effort, wanting to yell at the pompous windbags but knowing it wasn't his place.
Itachi had expected this, he was actually a little surprised the attack hadn't come sooner. As it was Itachi would be dead now if it hadn't been for Kiba's insanely sensitive sense of smell and his fast animalistic reflexes. He was lucky Tsunade had decided to give him an Inuzuka body guard.
Whoever had commissioned the attack had decided to strike while Itachi was eating at a small restaurant around the corner from the compound. Kiba had been henged to look like a backpack sitting innocently at Itachi's feet. The waitress had flirted quite heavily with Itachi and if Itachi hadn't been preoccupied silently laughing at the furiously shaking backpack then he might have thought to check the miso ramen set in front of him. Instead, just as he was lifting a bite to his mouth, Kiba had caught the poisoned scent and lept up so fast Itachi hadn't even seen him shift. Kiba had knocked the spoon from Itachi's hand and turned barely in time to block an attack from a rogue ninja. The whole situation was disappointing and infuriating to Itachi. If he hadn't been distracted than Kiba wouldn't have been injured. It wasn't a mistake Itachi would be making again.
Even as Tsunade launched into a speech about obedience and dire consequences Itachi could smell the blood on Kiba. He wasn't sure where Kiba was injured but he knew it had to be bad enough to bleed quite a bit. He imagined the only thing that was keeping Tsunade from throwing a fit was the fact that Kiba's clothes were black and therefor the blood blended seamlessly with the cloth. Itachi wanted to check the wound, wanted to feel Kiba's skin, whole and healthy against his own but knew it would have to wait until they got home. He would have to trust Kiba's assessment of the wound for now.
The fact that Kiba had gotten injured in Itachi's defense was impossibly hard to take and Itachi was determined that it would never happen again. He'd been lax today, thinking he was relatively safe here in Konoha but that certainly wouldn't ever be happening again. He was going to be on full alert to keep Kiba from having to jump into the fray again. At his skill level Kiba shouldn't have even had to jump in today in Itachi's defense and the fact that he had was galling to the older shinobi.
"Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Tsunade growled, having delivered a very sharp and threatening speech to all those present. The glare on her face was fierce. When everyone murmured some form of consent her glare only relented slightly. "Good, now leave."
Itachi watched the others all slowly stand and exit the room, some looking dissatisfied, some angry and others pleased. It was a wide variety of reactions but Itachi filed them all away for later thought. He made a note of the significant look Tsume gave Kiba even though she didn't know who he was. It could very well be one of the people her who had hired the hit on Itachi and he planned on retaliating as soon as he had the chance.
When the room was empty with the exception of Tsunade, Naruto, Itachi and Kiba the blonde Hokage sighed gustily and turned her eyes to the tense Inuzuka. "Are you hurt, Akuma-kun?" She asked just the slightest hint of worry in her voice. Naruto seemed to finally realize the oddly familiar suffix Tsunade used with Kiba and his blonde brows raised slightly.
"Yeah, I'm good, prob'ly have some bruises but that's all." Kiba lied smoothly. Itachi didn't give away the lie even though he knew Kiba was bleeding somewhere. He wasn't sure why the boy was hiding the injury from Tsunade but Itachi assumed he must have a good reason.
"Good." She said on an exhale, leaning back in her chair. A line creased her forehead as she frowned pensively."I think I'm going to be changing your mission parameters. I want you in eye sight of Itachi at all times, in civilian clothing, but in shinobi capacity. I'll also be putting another Anbu on your tail too."
"One visible, one invisible." Naruto murmured with a quirky smile tipping his lips. His eyes were surprisingly shrewd as they traveled between Tsunade and Kiba.
"I'll be putting another Anbu on the two of you starting tomorrow afternoon." Tsunade told them, earning a slight nod from Kiba.
After a moment of silence Itachi stood gracefully, a slight smile quirking the corner of his lips. "If thats all, I believe Akuma and I would very much like to get some sleep. It's been a very long day."
"Sure, sure." Tsunade said, waving a hand dismissively. Now that she knew Kiba wasn't hurt she seemed to relax a little although a furrow still marred her brow. "Get some sleep and expect an Anbu tomorrow afternoon."
"I'll keep an eye out." Kiba replied, knowing she would be pulling Neji in. Neji was another of the few shinobi in Tsunade's inner circle. He was also one of the few Tsunade would trust with Kiba's safety.
"Oh!" Naruto perked up suddenly, his frown vanishing like it had never been there. He bounced to his feet before he continued. "Sasuke said he wanted to meet you over at your house after the meeting was finished."
Itachi paused, thinking of Kiba's injury before nodding slowly. "That will be acceptable."
"Great! I'll go tell Sasuke the meeting is over and we'll pick up some dinner before we head over to your house. I'm sure you guys are starving!." With that he practically bounced out of the room, his face covered in a broad grin. It seemed like the grim events of the day hadn't even touched him and Itachi found himself envying the trait.
"Idiot." Tsunade muttered affectionately, shaking her head. She crossed her arms and turned to the two of them. "Better get going before Naruto beats you home." A wry smile tipped her lips.
"I'll turn my report in tomorrow." Kiba told her as the two of them made their way to the door. Itachi thought he caught the slightest hint of tension in the brunette's voice. "Goodnight, Tsunade-san."
"Good evening, Hokage-sama." Itachi dipped his head lightly as the two of them slipped out of the council room.
They were quiet until they reached the Uchiha compound, a silent agreement keeping the two of them quite. Even Akamaru was silent as he trailed them back to the compund. Neither wanted to be overheard and Itachi knew as soon as he touched the brunette he wouldn't be able to stop himself from checking out Kiba's injury. So he thought it best to remain quite until they arrived home.
Even then he felt an urgent need to touch Kiba and make sure the younger boy was really okay. He hated the fact that Kiba had gotten injured in his defense. It'd been years since he'd felt so scared as he had in that moment. Not scared for himself but scared for the fragile connection the two of them had between them.
The same time last week Itachi hadn't even thought it was possible having someone like Kiba come into his life. But now, even after knowing the boy for only a few days, he couldn't imagine living without him. Kiba made him feel normal and solid, not like the transparent ghost Itachi had become in the years he'd spent away from Konoha. Kiba made him feel like he actually had a chance at starting a new life. And Itachi was determined not to let anything take that away from him.
Kiba barely made it through the front door before Itachi was pushing him down on one of the living room cushions and tugging at him shirt. Vaguely he felt Akamaru settle down near by, the dog's brown eyes focused on his master. Feeling exhausted and spent Kiba let Itachi divest him of his mask, weapons, body armor and finally his black Anbu issue shirt. He shut his eyes as he felt Itachi tugging at him, letting the older shinobi do whatever he wanted with him.
"Kiba." Itachi murmured once he'd gotten Kiba's shirt over his head, prompting the brunette to open his eyes and look down at the slash crossing over his chest and nearly wrapping around his shoulder. It wasn't a life threatening injury but it was bad enough that it would probably scar. Just one of the many to add to his collection. He glanced back up into Itachi's charcoal eyes, his look slightly questioning. Instead of scolding him Itachi gave him a affectionate smile and squeezed Kiba's hand. "Let me go get some bandages." With that Itachi disappeared.
Kiba sighed leaning back against the living room table, letting his eyes close again. Akamaru shifted closer, digging his big muzzle underneath Kiba's limp hand. With a little smile Kiba scratched the big dog's nose while his thoughts whirled. He couldn't believe the rage he'd felt as he'd listened to those pompous idiots try to explain to Tsunade how it was perfectly reasonable for them to distrust Itachi. Not only was he angry on Tsunade's behalf but on Itachi's as well, having to listen to them try to discredit him.
Konoha had Kiba's loyalty but he knew he was more loyal to Tsunade than he was to the entire village. As wrong as that was he couldn't help but feel that way. Not only had she saved his life and more importantly his sanity but she was a compassionate leader whether she wanted to show it or not. He knew without a doubt that she would never endanger the village unless it was for a damn good reason. If she trusted Itachi than it should have been enough for everyone to at least give Itachi a chance to prove himself. Yet they'd spent nearly three hours trying to tell her how right their disrespect was. They made Kiba sick.
Not only that but the blatant suspicion they'd shown Itachi infuriated him. He knew how hard it was for Itachi to immerse himself back into the village yet the older Uchiha was trying his hardest. And to have those efforts thrown away made Kiba want to rip someone to shreds. As far as the brunette was concerned Itachi had more than paid his debt to the village and then some. They should be treating him like a hero not some fucking leper.
A touch to his knee brought his lids back up and he watched as Itachi settled himself between Kiba's spread legs, setting an assortment of medical supplies on the floor. As arousing as the position normally would have been he only gave the older shinobi a tender smile.
"Thanks." Kiba said softly, making the Uchiha pause to look up into Kiba's eyes. His black eyes warmed and Kiba felt warmth spread through his heart. Nothing had made him feel that way in a long time yet Itachi could do it with one look.
"I should be thanking you, Kiba." Itachi replied seriously, leaning closer so that his breath fanned across Kiba's lips. "So thank you."
The kiss was short and sweet. Itachi brushed his lips lightly over Kiba's, his black eyes staring into Kiba's own iced mocha. The two of them both felt the warm current that passed between them and both reveled in the rare moment of absolute peace. Kiba touched his hand to Itachi's cheek as he drew away, resting his forehead against the Uchiha's for a long moment, just staring into those midnight eyes for several long quiet moments.
"Your welcome." He murmured, leaning back against the table and dropping his hand back to Akamaru's head. The dog gave a happy huff and Kiba smiled just a little.
Itachi pulled away as well, his eyes smiling. The warmth faded however as he reached for the disinfectant. "You should perhaps have a medic look at this." The comment was neutral, not an order but not a question either. Despite that Kiba tensed.
"I-..."He paused for a long moment, swallowed then looked up at Itachi. "I can't stand the feelin'of medical chakra any more. My beast won't allow anyone but Tsunade to heal me anymore and I-I have to be pretty much unconscious to let her heal me." His face was ashamed as he made the confession, his eyes averted.
"Kiba." Itachi's voice was gentle and utterly tender, completely different than his usual dry tone. His hand was gentle as he nudged Kiba's chin up so he had to meet his eyes. "I'm sure the wound will be fine without seeing a medic." Acceptance was in the older shinobi's black eyes and Kiba felt his eyes sting slightly.
"Thank you." Kiba whispered, eyes almost glowing. Then his shoulders tensed and he sighed dismally, eyebrow pulling up. "Naruto and Sasuke are here." Irritation was clear in his tone.
Itachi chuckled lightly, his face lighting up with his rare laughter. "My little brother always did have horrible timing." He commented, picking up the disinfectant again.
Kiba was in the process of swearing vilely when Naruto and Sasuke made it to the living room. Gritting his teeth he stiffened as Itachi poured more stinging disinfectant onto the wide slash. It burned like hell. Not the worst he'd ever been through but disinfecting a wound was always painful when you couldn't use chakra and you didn't have anything to numb the pain.
"Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed loudly with a frown, crouching at Kiba's side. His blue eyes were worried as they flickered over the wound. When he realized it wasn't life threatening his frown eased but didn't completely disappear. "You told Tsunade you were fine!"
"Of course I did." Kiba grumbled, relieved when Itachi set aside the disinfectant and began to swab the wound dry. "She's stressed enough as it is, don't need ta be worrin' her anymore."
Sasuke scowled, just the slightest bit confused. He'd never particularly gotten along with Kiba. He admitted to being just the slightest bit jealous of the attention Itachi was paying Kiba but at the same time he realized something. Itachi's eyes were warm when they looked at the brunette, that spark that Sasuke had thought died years ago was in Itachi's eyes again. And Kiba looked at Itachi like he thought the sun rose and set on Itachi. Not only that but he'd gotten a pretty nasty injury saving Itachi's life. Sasuke had to admit there were worse people his brother could love and Sasuke found he couldn't begrudge his brother something Sasuke had found in Naruto.
"That's going to need stitches." Sasuke said a little dryly, his charcoal eyes passing over the scars visible on the brunette's chest. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway as he watched his brother care for dog lover.
"Shut the fuck up." Kiba growled halfheartedly, knowing that the younger Uchiha was right despite not wanting him to be.
Itachi held up a curved needle he'd already prepared, a frown pulling at his lips. It was clear he didn't want to do it but he leaned forward to press the needle against the beginning of the wound. "Are you ready?" His eyes were intent as they met Kiba's.
"Shit." Kiba grumbled, looking away from the wound and nodding his head with clenched teeth. He knew it would be painful, he'd had plenty of stitches before. And he was right, it was painful. Once Itachi was finished bandaging his would completely Kiba breathed a sigh of relief, slumping against the table. He unclenched his fist from Akamaru's fir and rubbed a callused hand down the side of his neck.
He looked over to where Naruto and Sasuke had been having a quiet conversation, both politely ignoring Kiba's strained expression. "Hey, didn't you say you were bringin' some fuckin' food?" He demanded, raising a brow in question. Itachi squeezed his hand, a smile curling his thin lips and his eyes relieved.
Naruto lit up, a huge grin coming to his face as he bounded to his feet. He scooped up a large bag that had been sitting by the door and brought it to the table. "I brought ramen!" He exclaimed as he started taking the take out boxes from the bag.
Kiba groaned, a disgusted look coming to his face but turning to the table anyway. "I can't believe yer not fat yet, Naruto! This stuff is horrible for you." And of course that set Naruto off into his normal ramen rant, Kiba happily argueing back.
Itachi watched with an indulgent expression, feeling happy and amused for the first time in a long time. He couldn't believe how vibrant Kiba was even though he'd been through so much. It was unbelievable and Itachi couldn't have been any luckier. He didn't know what he would do without Kiba there to give him the support he needed. Meeting his brothers eyes they shared a silent message of understanding and Itachi realized that Naruto was to Sasuke exactly what Kiba was to Itachi. The realization made Itachi feel like everything was going to be okay for the first time in his entire life.