"Your paper should include why the Civil War was started, the events which led to the emancipation proclamation, and how the war ended. Don't spend all 30 pages on Grant and Jackson. I know that you know more people than that..."

The professor continue to lecture what he thought was his 10:30 class. But 75 of the 125 students that made up the lecture hall were not paying attention. Many were passing notes and planning end of the year parties. Kiba, however, had more important things on his mind. Things that he didn't want to think about, but felt like he had to. He did have to. It had kept him up the past two nights. It was what Naruto had said the previous weekend. The blond had refused to talk to Kiba ever since that night, and did his best to stay away from him. The silent treatment was childish, but it worked on Kiba. He loved hearing Naruto's voice for some reason. It soothed him, and made all the other problems in his life stop. But without it, the reality of the world was bearing down on the unarmored brunette. If it made Naruto talk to him again, then he had to tell his family. But, weren't their feelings important too? Someone's feelings are going to get hurt. He was between a rock and a sexier rock. He let his head fall on his desk. This was too much for him to handle. Maybe a summer in Rome would do him some good. After all, politics was about making hard decisions, when it wasn't about money of course.

-That Afternoon-

Kiba took the long way home, through the Quad. He put his hands behind his head and walked, staring at the clouds, trying his best to not think about anything. But that was the one thing that he couldn't do.

'How bad could it be?'

'How bad could what be?'

'Telling the family?'

'We're not supposed to be thinking about that you dunce.'

'Well we both are now, so you might as well answer the question.'

'Fine. I guess it couldn't be that bad'

'I think it would be like ripping off a band-aid.'

'So why not get it over with?'

'It's not my decision. We don't control what he does, that's Frank's job.'

'Who's Frank?'



'What are you talking about? You say hello to him every time you go get coffee.'

'I can't drink coffee.'

'We need some pills...'

He folded his arms behind his head and continued to his dorm. The spring sun shone down on his already tan face. If it weren't for the argument Naruto and he were having, Kiba would consider it the "perfect day." The only other day that came close was the one that he had in his dream only a month after discovering his sexuality. It was sunset on the beach. He and Naruto had made a fire on the sand and had started to undress each - he stopped thinking. He was starting to get an erection and was very aware of his surroundings. The school's Bible studies class walked past him, thankfully taking more interest in their book than in the openly homosexual student walking only a few feet away from them. Kiba continued down the quad a few more paces before he stopped mid-stride.

He could have sworn that amongst the short white boys he had seen a familiar face. He didn't know anyone taking any kind of religious class. He turned around slowly to see who it was. On of the taller boys had broken away from the rest of the group and was mimicking Kiba's movements. The two stared each other for a moment, each trying to figure out who the other was. It took them both a little while to figure out who the other was, but the boy figured it out before Kiba. He smiled and went to give him an unexpected hug. Kiba was in a mad rush to figure out who was touching him when, out of nowhere, the boy's name popped into his head.

"Neji! It's been a while."

"Yes, yes it has Kiba."

"Are you with those theology majors?"

"I am, I want to devote my life to our lord and savior."

Kiba mentally rolled his eyes before he spoke again. "That's great."

"What are you studying?"

"History..."

"Oh, well that's... interesting."

"No it's not. It's just lectures from stuffy old men." They both laughed.

"I was going to go eat with some of my classmates, but if you're up for it, we could catch up over lunch."


Kiba had mixed feelings about that. He did want to catch up with his friend, but he knew as well as anyone that homosexuals and priests got along as well as water and oil or black and white. Well, more like rainbows and white. He reluctantly accepted his friend's offer and headed off to the cafeteria.

-A Few Minutes Later-

Kiba had never actually been in the cafeteria. He and Naruto had always made their own food or gone to the campus diner. But the cafeteria was a titan compared to the small dining room in the diner. There were two floors. Two floors! That was a lot of food. Kiba just followed Neji who headed to a small Chinese booth tucked away between a Pizza Hut booth and a Subway. They got their food and went to find a seat. There was a table that was vacant, save for what looked like a glass of pink lemonade. The two sat down and began their trip down nostalgia avenue. Kiba recounted the events of the past 3 years of his life, conveniently leaving out the fact that he had a boyfriend of course. Neji told him how a few days after High School graduation, he was driving down the road just after it rained. His car began to skid and it stopped in a construction yard. The mud underneath the car then made it fall back several feet. Neji got out of the car to watch as several tons of steel fell on the exact spot where his car had been only seconds before. He said that it was at that point that he decided to devote his life to God. He claimed that since He had saved him, his life belonged to Him.

As he finished his story another student walked over to their table and sat in the seat in front of the glass of pink lemonade. Of all the people who could have sat there, Kiba thought, it had to be him. Sasuke didn't seem too happy to see Kiba either. Neji quickly caught on and asked if they knew each other. The two didn't bother to look at him, they just met the other's cold gaze.

"Are you really not over it yet?" Sasuke asked in the most annoyed voice he could muster.

"Am I not over what yet?" Kiba replied.

"You know damn well what."

Kiba just stared at him blankly. Then as Sasuke turned to Neji, his blood turned to ice. He tried to stop the bastard from telling his friend about his personal life, but he was too slow to react.

"Your friend over here is still pissed just because I slept with his boyfriend ten years ago."

Neji's face looked the same way that Kiba felt.

"Sasuke, why don't you just fuck off?"

"Whatever," he sighed. He picked up his tray and left to go sit at another table.



Neji's look of shock turned to one of sorrow, and then slowly to disgust.

"You're homosexual," he asked the food in front of him.

Kiba hesitantly replied. "Yes."

Neji looked him in the eye and began to talk. "Kiba, I'm your friend and nothing could ever change that. But I am also loyal to God, and nothing can ever change that either. This puts me in a difficult situation. I think that you need help. You need to stop this lifestyle before it destroys your life. If you don't, then God wil have to punish you for sinning."

As a homosexual, Kiba had heard that speech more times than he could remember, and they always fell on deaf ears, but hearing it from Neji changed it somehow. It scared him more than it ever had before. Neji hesitated a moment before standing up.

"You don't know who this may hurt. Our God is a benevolent one to his followers, but a viscious one to sinners. Kiba, you have to stop this before it hurts someone close to you."

-7:56 PM-

Neji's words still stung. Kiba had tried to clear his head all day, but he just couldn't stop thinking about what his friend had said. He walked up to his dorm, but before he could open the door, it opened on its own. It was Naruto, he was carrying a backpack and a small duffel bag. Kiba looked at him confusedly.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto looked at Kiba, then the floor. He lifted his head up, but still couldn't face the brunette. He stared at the wall to his left as he talked. "I don't think that I can live with someone who's embarrassed of me. I'm going to go live some friends in the city for a while. I'll come back for finals. Maybe by then I'll feel good enough to talk to you again."

He was obviously trying to look brave, but anyone could hear the regret and sadness in his voice. They stood in the hallway, neither looking at the other. After a few minutes, Naruto solemnly walked past Kiba, tears slowly making their way down his chin. Kiba stared at the end of the hallway for the longest time. He was trying to absorb everything that had happened. He had lost the love of his life. At that moment, Neji's words filled his ears. He had a chance to end his deviant lifestyle and live as a bachelor. Or he could go make up with Naruto.

Kiba clenched his fists. He knew what he had to do.

-Later That Night-



It was almost 10 when he got off the interstate. It was only a few more minutes until he would reach his parent's house. He had a million chances to stop, turn around, and forget this whole thing, but everytime he thought of Naruto and how happy he made him. He drove into the upper class neighborhood that his parents lived in. He could hear sirens in the distance. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, then relaxed as he thought about how nothing had happened to his parents. They were both fine. Some old lady probably lost one of her diamond earrings. He snickered to himself and continued down the tree-lined streets. The soft glow of the streetlights bounced off the hood of his car, making it look almost angelic. As he came closer to his parents' house, the sirens got louder. He tightened his grip again, but this time he couldn't relax. As he neared their driveway the soft glow of the lights was chased away by the red of one of the flashing lights on the ambulance.

Kiba stopped across the street. He found the courage to get out and find out what happened. There were two policemen in front of his house. He walked up to them.

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Those are my parents! Now tell me what happened!"

The officer sighed and explained what happened.

"Your father came home while someone was robbing his house. He tried to chase the burglar off, but in the scuffle your father must have removed his mask. In order to protect his identity, the thief... He shot your father..."