Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 30

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It was only in mid-December that Suna started getting colder. (Ish.) Not particularly looking forward to the likely near-arctic temperatures in Konoha, Kiba and Shikamaru (and Akamaru, of course) nonetheless set off one morning for their long-delayed visit back home. Three weeks off, the longest either of them had ever taken, in retrospect.

Temari and Kankuro, being the horrible people that they were, saw them off with waving arms and exaggerated farewells, before commenting to each other that it was really cold, this year. Heartless monsters.

No matter, they were born and raised in the Leaf; they knew how to handle its winters. And when they finally saw the village's gates, it truly felt like coming back home, and the difficult – and cold – journey was all but forgotten.

Making their way to the Inuzuka clan grounds, since Hana and Aoba had once more invited them over in need of babysitters, they had to admit that finally being inside where it was warm and…warm, was truly fantastic.

And then Kiba's eyes widened as he really looked at his sister. "Ha—Hana! Your—you're!"

Hana just laughed in satisfaction as she placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her round stomach. "Surprise!"

Shikamaru chuckled at their antics but Kiba visibly wasn't done being shocked. "But—you—this—it's not…! That's not the kind of thing you keep a surprise for so long!" he said with a frown as he resisted the urge to pout. "What are you, seven months along?"

"Hey now, no need to be mean – just five!" she replied with a full-blown pout, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't keep that expression for long however as she grinned at her sulking brother. "I thought it would make a really nice surprise for when you'd get here! You're just finding out a couple of months later!" she reasoned easily.

Kiba mumbled something but eventually relented as his look softened. "Well…it is a nice surprise…" he was forced to admit as he moved to hug her.

Shikamaru shook his head fondly as he looked at them. "Now I get your desperate need of babysitters!" he teased her easily.

Hana feigned innocence and hurt at his words, but the grin on her face betrayed her. "Come along and get warmed up instead of teasing a defenseless pregnant woman!"

The shadow-nin followed her but grumbled under his breath that he'd never actually met a 'defenseless' woman in his life – and even if he had, she surely wouldn't have been an Inuzuka. "How did you get your mother to play along and not spill the beans?" he wondered instead of voicing up his opinion.

"She agreed it would be a fun surprise," was the simple response.

"And mine?"

"She did too."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this but didn't press the issue any further.

"Where're Kao and Aoba?" Kiba wondered as they followed her to the guest room.

"Kao's at mom's – they'll both come over for lunch later on," Hana said with a smile as she stretched her arms over head. "And Aoba's away on a mission – he should be back sometime during the night, and then he'll actually have some time off, so don't worry: we're not really going to exploit you!"

"Aw, don't mind him!" Kiba said happily as he wrapped an arm around Shikamaru's neck. "He complains a lot, but he actually loves being exploited!" he assured her.

"Probably only by you, Kiba," Hana replied easily, effectively cutting off Shikamaru as he'd opened his mouth to reply.

He didn't see a need to contradict her, either, because he'd actually been about to say something along those lines. Nor did he hold back from smirking when Kiba nuzzled his cheek in amusement.

Thankfully, they had enough time to shower and relax slightly before Kao and Tsume stormed through the front door and then literally dived on the couch as if racing each other – how telling was it that it was actually Kuromaru who'd closed the door behind them?

Tsume grinned happily when she saw the three visitors and laughed as she ruffled her son's hair and Akamaru's head before 'gently' punching Shikamaru's shoulder. "You can call me 'mom' now, if you'd like!" she offered modestly, seriously.

Naturally, she was only able to remain serious for two seconds before laughing loudly – that same old barking laugh – and clapping his shoulder fondly. "Oh, it never gets old teasing you!" she praised honestly.

Maybe a few years back, Shikamaru would've felt completely unsure how to react, but by then, he was used to her antics and simply punched her shoulder back – he'd put in some strength, too, but she was such a specimen that she barely felt it. Still, she grinned approvingly at this as he shared a look with Kiba – who also looked quite satisfied.

Kao stood back slightly, and for a second they were worried that maybe she didn't remember them anymore – it had been almost a year and a half since they'd last seen her, after all, even though they'd talked on the phone. However more prodding revealed she was pouting because they'd missed her fourth birthday, horrible uncles that they were.

Kiba spent the time they had until lunch was ready assuring her that they hadn't wanted to miss said birthday, but it was only when they'd agreed to take her to the winter festival that evening that she mellowed and greeted them with hugs as though the previous meeting hadn't happened and she'd never sulked in the first place.

"She really wanted to go this evening, since her friends are going – but Aoba's out of town, I have the late shift at the hospital, and mom's also got a mission," Hana explained. "See? Exploiting you already despite what I said!" she added brightly.

"He doesn't mind," Kiba replied with a wide grin, ignoring Shikamaru's roll of his eyes. "I don't either, of course!"

After lunch, Kao asked them many questions on 'where they lived', and 'what kind of persons lived there', before demanding to know all about their marriage – although she visibly deflated in disappointment when she found out there hadn't been 'amazing' decorations all over the place and they'd just worn their uniforms. Magnanimously, she then let them rest for a while, even tagging along – not that she needed a nap herself, she wasn't tired at all and just did it to keep them company, of course, she repeatedly insisted.

Once the evening came however she was as usual a restless ball of energy, and she'd quickly let the festive atmosphere rile her up further, as soon as she met some friends along the way – notably Mirai, and Kurenai could only laugh at the cheerful children.

"Where is all that energy coming from?" Shikamaru wondered with a frown as Kao led them around another tour of the various stalls.

"Inner awesomeness," Kiba replied matter-of-factly. "It's an Inuzuka thing," he then added modestly, grinning as Shikamaru wordlessly bumped their shoulders together.

"Says the future Nara," Kurenai noted with a raised eyebrow.

"It's inner – you're born with it and it stays with you always," Kiba argued easily, resisting the urge to pout at his former teacher's 'if you say so'.

The shadow-nin didn't contradict him, only grinned lazily as they kept following the hyperactive little future-shinobi, keeping an eye on their niece even as they met with other friends who caught them up on the latest changes and rumors. He'd originally tensed upon seeing Ino, but soon relaxed as he realized she wouldn't kill him with so many witnesses – admittedly, her genuine smile and vocal reassurance she wouldn't kill him helped.

Eventually though, Kao ran back into Kiba's legs with tears brimming in her eyes.

"My tummy hurts," she complained as she looked up at them.

"What did you eat?" Kiba asked her knowingly as he scooped her up into his arms.

"Nothing," she lied with all the buoyancy of a child, clamping a hand over her mouth. Next to them, Mirai loyally and emphatically nodded her head, looking around innocently as her mother raised an eyebrow at her.

The tracker simply rolled his eyes fondly, sharing a look with the others. "Okay, let's get you home. I'll see you guys around," he said as he made to leave, smiling softly when Shikamaru followed him. "You could've stayed with them."

"They'll still be in the village tomorrow and the days after," Shikamaru replied easily as Akamaru trotted by him. "Plus I'm actually beat, she's a number to keep up with!" he added around a yawn.

Kiba chuckled in agreement as he gently pat his niece's back – and he was able to handle her rather well, even though his 'patient' refused to provide him with an accurate recounting of what really happened.

Half-way there, Kao got sick and barely had time to warn him before throwing up on the side of the road, but that actually seemed to help. She almost went a second time once they reached the house, and after washing her face he gave her an infusion to settle her stomach – which she really didn't want to drink at first, but he knew how to be persuasive enough when it mattered.

As the Inuzukas used their mouth as a weapon, they were used to ingesting all sorts of potentially disruptive things and knew how to take care of themselves in that aspect. They even had their own number of homemade remedies and it had been argued before that Inuzuka 'remedies' were stronger that the germs they were supposed to fight back and should therefore be considered just as dangerous – the unfazed Inuzukas just laughed at the detractors' decidedly weak and wimpy stomachs.

There was no doubt in his mind that Kao had tried to eat what she wasn't supposed to, probably a mushroom or something similar to impress the other children. He couldn't exactly fault her for that: he'd lost count of the number of times he'd eaten the wrong things on a dare as a kid, although now he understood what he'd put his mother through and almost felt like apologizing to her. Except she'd make fun of him and hold it over his head until the day she died, so he didn't.

Kao called for her parents, naturally, but he patiently told her that they were working, and would he and Shikamaru be okay for one night? It seemed okay for her, and so she fell asleep nestled in Kiba's arms, her favorite plush (a dog, of course) squeezed between them.

And as he watched them, Shikamaru found that he was willing to broach a subject he hadn't thought about in quite some time. He also felt that they should, because he wouldn't be surprised if the head of the Nara clan brought it up himself – but more than that, he realized that he actually wanted to. "Kiba?" he called quietly, so as not to wake up Kao.

"Mmh?" the tracker replied as he kept stroking his niece's hair soothingly.

"Would you want to have a kid?" Shikamaru asked him openly.

"You mean us? Have our own?" Kiba clarified as he half-turned to him with a frown, briefly looking down at his nod. "I thought you didn't really want to be a father?" he wondered honestly, thinking back on their first argument on this, right before they'd gotten together for good.

Shikamaru sighed at this, absently reaching to pull a strand of Kao's hair out of her mouth before she chewed it off – which had happened before, and more than once, actually. "I didn't, back when I couldn't picture anyone doing it with me. But now I've got you," he admitted honestly. "You'd be an amazing father, that much is obvious, watching you with her – or any kid," he whispered as he shifted closer. "And I think I'd like being a father – with you."

There was silence for a split-second before Kiba spoke. "You'll never stop surprising me, will you?" he wondered softly as he moved his free hand to stroke his face. "Just when I think I've finally got you figured, you pull something like that…"

"That's good though, right?" the Nara asked back with a lazy grin. "You hate monotony."

Kiba rolled his eyes fondly before huffing slightly. "Our list of things to take care of once we'll be back keeps getting longer!" he commented teasingly.

"That's good too," Shikamaru replied as he closed his eyes contentedly.

"Yeah, that's good – that way we won't get bored," Kiba confirmed quietly – as far as he was concerned, boredom was life's ultimate enemy after all, and Shikamaru knew how he felt about that.

Of course, in the morning, Kao – now all better – quite happily informed her mother that she'd be getting a cousin soon – because apparently even ill little girls pretend to be asleep so they can eavesdrop.

"Anything you want to tell me, you two?" Hana asked teasingly as she raised an eyebrow at them.

"It's just a thought for now," Kiba muttered with a blush.

"Hmm-hmm," Hana replied infuriatingly, grin entirely too smug to their liking as Kao beamed innocently.

"Kids are devious," Shikamaru noted with a frown.

Kiba and Akamaru could only nod back.

"What did I miss?" Aoba wondered around a yawn as he walked in wearing casual clothes.

"I'm going to have a cousin!" Kao relayed happily as she jumped into his arms.

The sensor automatically smiled at her as he caught her purely thanks to his reflexes and then looked at his brothers-in-law over her head with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know that was in the works!"

"It's not," Shikamaru replied self-consciously as he absently moved a hand to massage the back of his neck. "It's a thought."

"Kao's definitely getting a sister or a brother before a cousin anyway!" Kiba continued as he wiggled his eyebrows at them.

"Nice deflection," Hana praised teasingly as a hand automatically went to rest above her belly.

Kiba stuck out his tongue at her, sharing a quick happy look with his husband. "Besides, we actually need to get me into the Nara clan first!" he added with a huff.

"Shouldn't be very painful, should it?" Aoba wondered as he sat Kao down before moving to grab more fruit from the counter. His entry into the Inuzuka clan had been an ordeal, because of the amount of drinking involved and Tsume's idea of a welcoming speech, but effectively speaking, the official bit had been over in a flash.

"I have no idea, honestly – my father never bothered making me attend clan meetings since he knew I'd just sleep through them," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "We'll know soon enough anyway. Thanks for having us over once again, by the way," he added earnestly as they hadn't seen him yet because of work.

Aoba immediately dismissed it with a shrug. "Please, what's family for? The house is big enough!" He didn't say it out loud that it was also repayment for using them as babysitters, but everyone understood that clearly anyway.

The Nara household would also have been big enough, but he didn't think his mother was ready to have them rooming there together despite the years and how she'd considerably mellowed. Although he should really visit her – today, preferably, before she yet again dramatically accused him of favoring his married family over his birth one – and hadn't that been a fun talk?

"Alright, I think I should go now before I get any more food into my system," Shikamaru stated after breakfast as he stood and stretched.

"Go where?" Aoba wondered with a frown.

"Say hello to my mother. Kiba said I should spend some time with her before she forces me to divorce him for keeping me away – since now we can actually get divorced!" he added jokingly.

Hana burst out laughing at this, though somehow not startling the dogs, and even Aoba laughed clearly.

"I didn't say it exactly like that…" Kiba muttered in embarrassment as he crossed his arms over his chest, however smiling despite himself as the other man leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Say hi for me."

"Will do. See you all later," he told the other Inuzukas with a wave.

The walk to his childhood home was relaxing to say the least, and it felt really nice to be back to such familiar sights, he had to admit as much – he'd never exactly felt homesick, but coming back always felt good. His mother rolled her eyes at him with a fond sigh as she opened the door, and he found himself smiling genuinely. "Hey mom."

"About time…" she grumbled for the principle as she pulled him in. "Did you eat yet?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Too much," he replied honestly with a pained groan. "Kao helped with breakfast, too, so she insisted we all have seconds."

Yoshino chuckled as she had no difficulty picturing the little Inuzuka 'forcing' her family to eat more food. "Children really slap you in the face with how fast the time flies, don't they?" she wondered rhetorically.

Shikamaru chuckled at this, having to concede the point. And for once, it didn't feel like she said it to hint that he should have kids. "They sure do…"

"Been up to anything exciting since you got back?" she wondered conversationally as she poured them both some tea.

"Hana and Aoba were on duty last night so we took Kao to the festival – it turned out to be the most exhausting thing I've ever done!" he let out with a sigh.

"Somehow, I don't doubt you!" Yoshino humored him, chuckling at his sorry state. As he reached for his cup and she noticed the ring on his left hand, she automatically raised an eyebrow.

Following her gaze, he shot her a quick smile. "Yeah, that part wasn't a joke."

"You're too lazy to joke about something like this – although I still say Suna doesn't count," she said back easily, frowning fondly and grinning when he held his hands up in surrender. "So what are your plans now?"

"Take it easy," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "We're meeting up with Shikato tomorrow though – we need his signature to finalize Kiba's entry into the clan," he added as he tentatively brought his mug to his lips to test the temperature, satisfied that it was drinkable.

Yoshino raised an eyebrow at this as she put her hands together and leaned on her forearms. "Shikamaru, can we speak frankly?" she asked him seriously as she looked up at him – but there was an amused glint in her eyes, so he didn't feel the urge to flee.

"Weren't we already?" he asked back with a raised eyebrow. As he saw her look, he sat up straighter and nodded, setting his mug back on the table. "Alright, I'm listening."

She seemed to hesitate for a second, not because she was having second thoughts, but because she was searching for the right way to word these thoughts. "Are you…happy? As you are now, with Kiba?"

"What are you asking me, exactly?" Shikamaru replied carefully, wondering where this was heading. "I married him – he's going to join our clan. I love him, and I want to spend my life with him. Of course I'm happy – we're happy."

"Do you ever fight?"

"Sure, we fight from time to time, we're still people!" he needlessly reminded her before raising an eyebrow at her line of questioning. "Just what are you trying to find out, exactly?"

"Indulge a worried mother, would you?" Yoshino asked back with a grin before huffing. "He's a good man, I know that, and he makes you happy, I see that. But I see you so rarely I can't help but worry every once in a while!" she said frankly. "Whenever I think about Kiba, I still picture that loud daredevil running around with a puppy perched on his head – the both of them splattered with mud from head to toe! Assimilating that image to a devoted husband feels surreal at times!"

Shikamaru chuckled at this, appreciating her honesty – and loving the mental image. Besides, he had to admit, he didn't entirely mind that she worried about him. "Well, he's both! He's still a loud daredevil running around with his nin-dog, and he's a devoted husband," he reasoned as he moved a hand to rub his neck.

Yoshino chuckled at this, having to admit that maybe that was exactly what her (un)usually lazy son needed: someone extra-lively to whip him into shape – and Kiba Inuzuka had quite certainly never been lacking on that front, that much couldn't be denied.

The conversation then picked up on much more general topics, as she filled him in on what he'd missed – the latest gossips, mainly, although she insisted she wasn't gossiping, merely informing him. After a few hours she let him go, but only when she noticed she'd almost be late to meet her friends for their card-playing afternoon.

At the door however, she absently dusted off his jacket and said, "Why don't the two of you come over after your meeting with Shikato tomorrow? I mean—if you can, naturally. And Akamaru can tag along as well," she added after a moment's hesitation.

Shikamaru was surprised but smiled warmly at her efforts. "We'd like that."

"Don't dally too long," Yoshino chided good-naturedly to hide her embarrassment as she pushed him out.

The shadow-nin chuckled but docilely did as he was instructed. When he got back to the Inuzuka household, he wasn't surprised to find Kiba playing a card game with Aoba and didn't delay long before joining them.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Kiba's face when he'd tell him about his mother's invitation; despite the years, he could count the number of times that had happened on the fingers of one hand – and still have fingers left. Akamaru automatically shifted closer to him, and Shikamaru grinned as he indulged him.

Honestly, at this point it was hard to remember a time when those two hadn't been a part of his life. And if Akamaru's drooling and Kiba's snoring hadn't changed that, he seriously doubted anything ever could.

"You're meeting with the head of the Nara clan?" Chouji repeated with wide eyes over dinner that evening. "Isn't that really serious?" he then asked them worriedly.

Ino raised an eyebrow at him, replying before either Shikamaru or Kiba could. "Joining a clan is usually regarded as serious," she needlessly reminded him teasingly.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Chouji insisted with the beginning of a pout. "I just meant it's…you know…I mean it's really…"

"Serious?" Karui helpfully provided, smirking in satisfaction as he pouted at her.

"I was about to say 'ominous'!" he informed her, mumbling to himself about having no support.

Kiba laughed at this, leaning back into his seat. "Come on, give the guy a break! He's right, it does sound ominous!" he remarked, grinning at Chouji's thankful nod.

"How so?" Sai asked with a blink, frowning in confusion. "It's my understanding that this is merely a formality – it isn't like they could actually deny your request, is it?" he questioned seriously.

Shikamaru hummed as he wondered about that himself, truth be told. "I can't see they'd have a valid reason to," he started with a shrug. "And if they do, then I'll just learn to speak to nin-dogs!"

Akamaru barked happily at this while Kiba wordlessly squeezed his hand.

"Formal meetings are always a drag anyway," Karui concluded with a snort. "Actually, any meeting where you have to behave is a drag," she added as an after-thought.

Ino chuckled as it occurred to her at that instant that if they'd gone for each other, Karui and Shikamaru would have likely been the less motivated couple in History. "Kiba Nara does have a nice ring to it," she said instead, to get the conversation away from listing all the things that could qualify as a 'drag' – or they'd never leave this table.

Shikamaru's eyes darted to her, as though he was surprised to hear someone else say that name aloud, but Kiba only grinned widely. "Yeah, Akamaru said the same thing!"

"Well, he is the smartest nin-dog in the world after all," the shadow-nin commented easily, smiling as said smartest nin-dog in the world moved to nuzzle his hand.

Karui rolled her eyes in amusement at their antics but didn't comment – even after all these years, she still didn't get why they fawned so much over an oversized pet, although she realized he was more than that. Curiously, she then asked, "Were there any issues in getting the papers recognized in Konoha?"

Kiba tilted his head to the side as Shikamaru shrugged. "None. I'll even admit I hadn't expected it to be that easy."

"That's a by-product of our alliances," Chouji commented happily, unable not to sneak in a look at his lover. "Setting up the Allied Division probably helped speed things up too," he added as he turned back to them.

"We've certainly gotten used to seeing shinobi from other villages walking down our streets," Ino agreed as she leaned her chin in her hand. "We've even recently hired a shinobi from Kiri in the sensor division!"

"You mean under Konoha's authority?" Shikamaru clarified with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, like you in Suna," she confirmed with a smile. "He's a nice guy, and actually—"

"Ino," Chouji suddenly interrupted her somewhat nervously. "Why don't you tell them about the progress you and Sakura are making at the hospital?" he encouraged her.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at their exchanged looks at this – he knew his teammates well enough to realize a silent conversation was going on between them. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked knowingly.

"Nothing," Ino said quite credibly while Chouji blurted out a much less convincing, "Nothing!"

Sai and Karui shared a look and then he looked back ahead while she sighed. Visibly, they weren't going to go their usual way and untactfully blurt out what this was about, for once.

"You know they'll find out anyway, right? Shino and Hinata won't tiptoe around it like you do," Karui reminded them matter-of-factly anyway after a second, being unable to keep quiet.

"Oh, right…" Chouji said dejectedly.

Ino nodded and then let out a deep breath. "Guess we should tell you now?"

"Am I going to like what you're about to say?" Shikamaru questioned straightforwardly.

Chouji and Ino once more exchanged glances and shrugged. "Honestly not sure."

"Am I going to like what you're about to say?" Kiba asked with a grin, quite entertained.

"Honestly not sure," was yet again the joint reply.

"Wow, now I really want to know," the tracker commented seriously.

But Ino and Chouji were clearly pushing each other to be the one to break the news, a chorus of back-and-forth 'you do it'/'no, you do it' easily audible in hushed whispers.

"Kurenai has been dating that Kiri shinobi Ino mentioned for the past two months," Sai finally announced when it became obvious this could've gone on for long, looking really relieved that that was out – and not really understanding why it was even in in the first place. As his lover raised an eyebrow at him, he just shrugged innocently. "It was my impression that you and Chouji were uncertain how to go about it," he offered earnestly.

"I can't believe this!" Kiba said with a frown.

"You're telling me…!" Shikamaru muttered as he tried to wrap his mind around it.

"I cannot believe this!" Kiba repeated, sharing a look with Akamaru. "So Shino knows?"

"Yeah, why?" Chouji asked him with a frown.

"I've never kept a thing from him and he didn't even tell me our teacher wasn't alone anymore!" he replied with a frown as though that was obvious.

"I told you you broke his heart by getting married without him there," Ino reminded him airily. "This is payback!" Although admittedly, she really would've never guessed that Shino Aburame was the kind of person who believed in and enforced payback – this was an interesting piece of information, one worth keeping in mind for future reference.

"Wait, that's what you're bummed about? That Shino didn't tell you?" Shikamaru wondered in surprise.

Kiba blinked at him in confusion, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, what else? It was bound to happen someday right? I was actually hoping for it! I can't believe she managed to hide it from us the other day though! She's as good as ever!" he added fondly as indeed his professor had always been a master at being in control of both her words and body language.

Shikamaru's frown deepened and he sighed as he turned back to his teammates. "What kind of man is he?" he asked them seriously.

"Handsome," Ino said right away, enjoying Sai's frown at this – and reaching to squeeze his hand reassuringly. "He's a good guy, okay? Hard-working, open-minded…"

"Good with kids, too – Mirai loves him!" Chouji supplied brightly – little Mirai was their combined concern, after all.

"He sucks at Shinobi Conquest though," Karui added mercifully, like it was important.

"…So you like him?" Kiba clarified as he looked at her.

"Yeah," she confirmed with a shrug. Admittedly, she liked anyone she could beat the crap out of when playing board games.

They didn't say any more on the subject, but when they made their way back to the Inuzuka household, Kiba could tell Shikamaru was still mulling it over in his mind.

"Speak up," he said lightly as he bumped their shoulders together.

Shikamaru briefly glanced at him and then sighed, not sure how to voice his thoughts. "I don't think I need to tell you that I know how well your nose works by now. Did you honestly not smell this about her last night?" he wondered.

Kiba held his look and hummed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hypothetically, how would it be any business of mine to tell others about?" he asked back seriously.

Shikamaru snorted in amusement at this, raising an eyebrow. "I could give you a pretty extensive list of people whose sex life you've mentioned more than once, in their presence or not!"

"Yeah, friends, because teasing each other is what friends do – and they've more often than not returned the favor! But not…not her, you know?" Kiba asked rhetorically, shrugging slightly. "Besides, Kurenai knows a thing or two about throwing my nose off-balance, so I wasn't actually sure. Plus I don't really care," he added, because Kurenai was like family to him, and like most people he didn't really like to think about the sexual life (or lack thereof) of family members.

"You're…really not bothered at all that she'd be with someone else?" Shikamaru asked him honestly after a moment.

Kiba's eyes widened slightly as he finally understood what was troubling him. "It's not a betrayal, Shikamaru," he started, quickly raising a hand to gently place his index over his mouth as he saw he was about to protest. "It's not a betrayal," he repeated firmly.

"To me it feels like one," Shikamaru admitted quietly.

"It shouldn't. Asuma's been gone for almost eight years now – I know that hurts, and yeah, it sucks just as much now as it did back then. But Kurenai is still here. She's allowed another shot at happiness," the tracker reasoned, not mincing his words as usual. "Hey, you're the one who once told me that your happiness is linked to my being there, remember?" he reminded him as he grabbed his face in his hands.

"Yeah…so?"

"So, I sure hope that if for whatever reason one day I'm not there anymore—"

"Don't even joke about that," Shikamaru interrupted him seriously, reaching for his hands.

"But if it happens, you'd better not spend the rest of your life missing me all on your own!" Kiba finished nonetheless resolutely.

"Is that what you'd do?" the shadow-nin asked back, frowning as he held his look. "If anything happened to me, you'd just move on?"

"Eventually, I'd hope to – keeping in mind that moving on does not mean 'forgetting', or 'replacing'," Kiba replied, completely honest. "I love you like crazy, and you're everything to me. But if we're talking worst case scenario, then yes, I'd allow myself to move on, and I'd want you to do the same if our roles were reversed. And I'm happy Kurenai's found it in her to finally do it too," he finished earnestly.

There was silence for a beat and then he added: "According to Ino and Chouji, he's a good guy, he treats her right and Mirai likes him – what more could anyone ask for?"

Shikamaru stared at him quietly for a moment, trying to find a loophole in his logic, or a weakness in his beliefs, but finding none – as usual, when it was about people, Kiba was too damn good at understanding human nature. "I don't like it when you're completely right and I'm wrong," he finally said with a sigh.

"Bull," Kiba huffed before leaning in to steal a kiss. "You think I'm hot when I'm completely right."

"Yeah but not when I'm wrong," Shikamaru argued for the principle, letting him pull him closer as he wrapped his arms around his neck. "We're in the middle of the Inuzuka clan grounds," he needlessly reminded him – although he didn't do a thing to push him off.

"This is me not caring – you secretly think that's hot too," was Kiba's reply as he kissed him anyway.

Shikamaru reasonably couldn't deny that claim.

Of course though, someone interrupted them, and of course, it had to be Tsume.

"Well, well…still haven't gotten enough of each other yet I see – I guess that's a good sign, eh Kuromaru?" she asked her nin-dog slyly.

Kuromaru was the only one who replied to that comment.

Or the ones that followed, for that matter.

TBC

This chapter was one of the first I actually wrote - well, parts of it. I'm glad because it's proof I was able to keep the story as I originally envisioned it! Actually, not sure if I mentioned this before, but the entire story is already laid out and mostly written. I know exactly how I want to end it, so I won't leave it unfinished. :) I hope you'll stick with me! :)