He didn't know what to do. He was too shocked to stand, but he was too aware to fall to his knees. He was too upset to keep a straight face, but had too much dignity to cry. On the inside, he wasn't sure how he should react, but on the outside, he looked like a blank canvas. He slumped over, his face emotionless and his hands hanging limply at his side. After several minutes he had finally collected himself to react. He walked nonchalantly over to his car, he sat in the driver's seat, rolled up the windows, locked the door, and cried until he was dehydrated and gasping for breath. Were it not for the tears flooding his eyes, Kiba would have seen the coroner put his father's corpse in the back of his van and drive away.
-Earlier That Night-
Naruto never thought that he was very bright. It wasn't something that he was ashamed of, it was a simple fact of life. Some people came into the world gifted with brains, or with muscles, or with good looks. Naruto considered Kiba to be someone with all three of those characteristics. He, however, came into this world with only his playful spirit. So he was not surprised to find that he had misjudged his boyfriend. Naruto solemnly walked past the only person that he thought he could trust entirely. The one person in this god-forsaken world who loved him unconditionally. He had thought that Kiba didn't care what other people thought about him. But, he was wrong. Apparently everyone was influenced by what someone thought.
He walked past Kiba after telling him that he was staying at his friend's house. The brunette didn't say anything, and he didn't have to, Naruto knew him well enough to know how he was feeling, even when his face was blank. He walked downstairs and out of the dorm. His friend Shino was waiting outside in his car. Naruto threw his bags in the backseat and took his place in the passenger seat. The two rode in silence. Shino occasionally glanced at Naruto, but every time he did, the blonde was staring out the window at the scenery as it passed by. Shino was never one to pry, but he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened that made Kiba and Naruto so upset at each other that they were now living in separate apartments. Naruto didn't say. The two hadn't really talked. They had a class together the previous semester, and they saw each other on campus, but they were more acquaintances than they were friends. All he heard when he picked up the phone was Naruto's voice asking him to meet him outside of his dorm. Naruto had asked to stay at his apartment until the semester ended in two weeks. Were it not for the sadness in the boy's voice, Shino would have tried to weasel his way out of it. He wasn't very good at... sharing.
Naruto had been keeping his eye on Shino using the mirror mounted on the side of the car. As soon as his friend had his attention on the road again, the blonde let the single tear that he had been trying to suppress, slide down his cheek, and off his chin.
-Neil's Pub, 20 Minutes from Campus-
A half-depressed, half-infuriated Kiba walked through the front door, gaining an odd look or two. He made his way over to the bar, pulled up a stool, and stared straight ahead at a bottle of whiskey resting on the shelf behind the bar. The bartender made his way over to him and asked, "How old are you?"
Kiba took a second to respond, whether it was out of depression or hesitation he didn't know, nor did he care. "How old do I look," he asked, half trying to start a fight, just to get a chance to vent.
"You look like you're barely old enough for a big boy cup. Either let me see some I.D. or get back home."
The two both knew that the bartender had made a mistake instantly. Kiba shot his hand up, grabbing the bartender's collar and dragged him down to his level. He looked the man square in the eye and said, "I'm old enough to know when I'm pissed off enough to punch your fucking face down your own throat until you choke on it."
The man, even though obviously several years older than Kiba, knew that the brunette meant business, and he would rather get in trouble for serving alcohol to a kid that would be turning 21 in a few weeks, than getting in trouble for fighting a kid that was half of his age.
"Alright," the man said, pulling his face away from Kiba's. "I'll tell you what. You drove here, yeah?" Kiba nodded. "You look like you're down on your luck, so I'm gonna be a kind old man and let you have all you want in exchange for your car keys."
"You think that you're getting my car," Kiba asked through clenched teeth.
"No, I want your keys so I know that you won't go driving after you drink."
Kiba relaxed slightly and after several seconds and relinquished his keys.
"Now," the man said in his most professional voice, "what can I get for you?"
Kiba pointed to the bottle of whiskey, "that," he eyed some cigarettes next to the rack of liquor, pointed to them and said, "and a pack of those."
The man got a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and handed them to Kiba. As Kiba lit one of them, he took the bottle of whiskey off the shelf and poured some into a shot glass. He went to turn around to put it back on the shelf when Kiba lightly grabbed his arm. The bartender turned around to see the brunette taking a drag of his cigarette, and slowly shaking his head from left to right at the same time. The man put the bottle next to Kiba and went to attend his other customers.
Kiba felt the eyes of every member of the bar on his neck. He turned around, and as soon as he did, everyone went back to their drinks. He turned back to fact the bar and took another drag. The taste of tobacco mixed with the burning of the whiskey hitting the back of his throat. It tasted exactly like he felt.
-12:32p.m. Kiba and Formerly Naruto's Dorm Room-
Kiba woke up on the bed that he and Naruto used to share. He had fallen asleep on top of the covers. He was still dressed in the clothes he wore the previous day. He hadn't even removed his
shoes. He slowly got up, but was immediately struck with a massive headache. He couldn't recall what he had done last night. He tried to remember, but even that hurt.
'Damn...'
'The fuck?'
'What happened?'
'I think that there was a car. Maybe there was an ugly guy. There was definitely beer.'
Kiba had a short coughing fit.
'And cigarettes.'
'Do you feel any better?'
'Oh yeah!'
'You feel like shit too, don't you.'
'Well... clean shit.'
'??'
'You know, like no corn or anything.'
'Ah, yes, of course.'
Kiba tried again to sit up. The headache was still there, but it was duller and more bearable. He tried to sit all the way up, and as soon as he did he got nauseous. "Oh shit," he exclaimed.
He ran to the bathroom and began to vomit as soon as he reached the toilet. NARUTO.
'"Tag, you're it," Choji yelled as he tapped Kiba's shoulder. He ran as the brunette began to chase after him. Choji ran to a tree where a boy was sitting on a swing. The chubby boy ran around and around the tree, confusing the poor child to no end. Kiba, being the intelligent kindergartener that he was, simply waited for Choji to wear himself out and then tag him, instead of chasing him around in a pointless circle.
"What is he doing," the boy on the swing asked.
"He's running away from me," replied Kiba.
"But, he's running in a circle," the boy replied, watching Choji getting dizzier every second.
"Hey, who are you," Kiba asked the boy.
"Who, me?"
"Of course, you."
"I'm Naruto. My parents just moved here."
"Well, that there is Choji. And I'm Kiba," the brunette offered a hand, which Naruto firmly grasped.
"Nice to meet you."
"Goddamit," Kiba yelled. That last thing he wanted to do was think about Naruto. He tried to get the memory of that day all those years ago out of his head, but he couldn't. He felt a small box in his pants. He pulled it out. It was the rest of his third, no fourth pack of cigarettes from the night before. he fumbled with the pack, trying to get one out. He got what he was after, put it in his mouth, and began searching his body for a lighter. He felt some matches in his back poket. There was half a book left. He tried to tear on off, but the harder he tried, the more he lost control of the book until eventually it fell into the toilet.
"Fuck! Fuck! God fucking dammit!" Kiba, punched the wall next to the toilet. Nothing in his life could go right. Nothing. There was a knock at the door. Kiba took a second to compose himself and flush the toilet. He got up and made his way over to the door. The person knocked again.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," he said, louder than he intended. He opened the door to find Shikamaru. Of all the people that Kiba would have guessed to be on the other side of the door, Shikamaru would have been at the bottom of the list. The kid barely got out of bed to go to class, so what would he be doing on Kiba's doorstep?
"Hey, Shika-" Kiba was cut off by a pair of keys being thrust into his face. He looked back at his friend, a confused look plastered on his face.
"They're yours," the boy explained.
Kiba thought back to the night before, trying to recall where he had left his keys. "Oh, right. I left those at the bar," he said out loud, grabbing the keys out of Shikamaru's outstretched hand. "Thanks."
Shikamaru shrugged and muttered what was probably "you're welcome," but Kiba couldn't make it out.
"So, why do you have my keys," Kiba asked
"My brother owns the bar you got smashed at," Shikamaru replied.
"Oh, that would explain it..."
"And since when do you smoke," Shikamaru asked.
Kiba realized that he had the cigarette from before still in his mouth. "Oh, uh, since last night I guess."
"Those are bad for your health, you know," Shikamaru said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But, I find it hard to care about anything since Naruto left."
"Well then the answer seems obvious. You have to get back together with him."
"Well, it's not that-" Shikamaru started walking away before Kiba could respond.
"Your health depends upon it, Kiba..."