35. Two and a Half Years Later

Knock. Knock.

I moaned, face sunk into my pillow.

Knock. Knock.

Who was my door at this god forsaken hour?

Knock. Knock.

Probably one of Tsunade's aides sent to fetch me. I'd just gotten back from a mission a few days ago. What did she want from me? No rest for the weary apparently.

Grumbling, I turned my head and opened one eye to peer at the alarm clock beside my bed. I read the blurry red number. 11:45. I groaned as the knocking continued.

With a huff of aggravation, I threw back the covers. My foggy brain swayed as I abruptly sat up and I almost fell over. Another series of muttered complaints.

By the time I slipped out of bed and pulled on a long t-shirt that brushed against my thighs, dark brown hair hanging loose to my tailbone, and made my way through the living room, the knocking on my door was continuous and loud. A male voice was yelling through the door.

"Nakao! Nakao! Nak-" I threw the door open. "-ao…"

I squinted at the bright sunlight, feeling the pounding start in my head. Still, I crossed my arms as I leaned against the doorframe, staring at the boy standing before me. His fist was raised, poised to rap on my door. He stood taller than me and peered down at me with coffee-colored eyes. His mop of shaggy brown hair was pushed out of his eyes by his headband. His furry, white-haired companion stood just behind him, standing as tall as his master's waist.

"What, Kiba?" I asked, annoyed and unwilling to hide it.

"You're still sleeping?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. Quickly remembering this was not an uncommon occurrence, he continued, reverting to his previous demeanor, a sparkle glimmering in his eyes. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Why are you shouting?" I groaned, rubbing at my throbbing temples.

"I'm not?" he huffed a sigh. "Are you hungover again?"

"I don't tell you how to live your life," I countered flatly.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Just get dressed. I have something to show you."

"What?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

He grinned at me slyly, canines revealed. "Get dressed and I'll show you."

Throwing my hands up in exasperation, I turned, slamming the door in Kiba's face. I stomped up the stairs, throwing on an orchid-purple shirt under a black vest. Matching capri-length purple leggings went under a black skirt. I ran a brush through my long, curly hair and wrapped Keitaro's headband around my arm. Ten minutes later, I was once again standing before Kiba.

I gave him a pointed stare with my violet-shaded eyes before sliding past him, shutting the door behind me. "Let's go."

I could feel Kiba smirk at me behind my back.

Kiba led me through the village for a solid fifteen minutes. Long enough for the pain reliever to help with that pounding headache. As I lived on the far end of town, he led me down the streets leading towards the heart of the town. We traveled in silence and I brooded, arms crossed over my chest as I lamented over my vacant bed. Akamaru padded alongside Kiba.

"Are we almost there?" I finally asked, annoyed as I squeezed past villagers during the hustle of the afternoon market. Someone shouldered me as they passed and I shot a glare over my shoulder that was unseen in their haste.

Kiba did not respond. He was constantly looking about himself, as though looking for something. I eyed him suspiciously. Had he lost whatever it was he'd wanted to show me? Because if he dragged me out here for nothing, I was not going to be pleased. I was about to voice my thoughts when Kiba came to a sudden halt.

"Aha!" he grinned.

I gazed at him quizzically before following his line of sight. My reaction was not immediate, for it took my brain a moment to realize what I was seeing. At first I could only stare, lips parting slightly in surprise. My arms slowly untangled themselves to rest at my sides. I vaguely noted that Kiba was watching me with sly interest, but I hardly paid him any mind. As the initial shock finally wore off, my eyes lit up and a grin broke out across my face.

"Naruto!" I breathed in surprise.

After all this time, he stood ten feet from me, off on the side road. No villagers bustled down that road, and it was only occupied by a few people. Sakura was there, and Kakashi-sensei, though he stood in the background, his nose buried in a book. Jiraiya was there; it had been he who had taken Naruto away from Konoha to train these past couple of years.

Naruto still looked the same, just older. He was still wearing an orange track suit, I noticed wryly. The sound of his name attracted his attention and he turned his sky-blue eyes in my direction, but I was already rushing him. I flung my arms around his neck, giving him a squeeze. He'd gotten taller, though he was just of height with me. I pulled away, beaming.

Confusion was written across his face as his eyes searched mine. But after a moment, his eyes lit up and he grinned. "Nakao!"

I chuckled. "Do I look that different?"

"You…uh…uh…" Naruto shook his head flustered, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"You've gotten taller," my eyes ranked him up and down, mercifully sparing him from responding. "I mean, barely, but still."

But Naruto was in such a good mood he didn't argue with me. Rather he smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Naruto!"

The sound of a new voice grabbed the attention of the group and we all glanced over.

"Sexy no jutsu!" there was a poof of smoke and a figure was replaced with a naked woman. Wisps of smoke covered her breasts and private areas. She brushed back her short, black hair and winked in Naruto's direction.

My eye twitched as Jiraiya's eyes widened, his eyes glimmering. But the woman quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke and was replaced by a laughing Konohamaru. "How was that!? I real drool of a jutsu, huh?"

"Konohamaru, I'm sorry but I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, you shouldn't use that jutsu either," Naruto said seriously.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura hold a hand to her heart. I, however, was skeptical and I raised an eyebrow.

"Such a jutsu is now mediocre, Konohamaru! Behold the new perverted ninjutsu I've been developing! Here we goooo!" Naruto yelled, moving to show off his new jutsu.

Aaaand there it was. I knew Naruto couldn't have changed that much. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved that Naruto's spirit had remained intact.

"You idiot!" Sakura hollered, punching Naruto across the face.

His head snapped back in response and a steady stream of blood flew from his nose. He quickly moved to pinch his nose closed as he stumbled, falling backwards onto the ground.

"I was wrong! You haven't changed one bit! I haven't seen you in two years and within two minutes, you jump straight into that!" Sakura berated the boy as he groaned from his new spot on the dirt ground.

I shot Sakura a glare and offered a hand to Naruto, pulling him to his feat. "Sakura hasn't change a bit either."

She's still a total bitch.

I had not voiced my thought, but Sakura still glared daggers at me. My tone had implied what I'd been thinking.

Despite the years that had passed, Sakura and I were no closer than we'd been before. In fact, with our team thoroughly disbanded, we saw no reason to even speak to one another. And we both preferred it that way. I'd never warmed to her and her attitude and she had added one more grudge to her list when I'd returned from my first mission as a Chuunin unsuccessful. We crossed paths occasionally, and as she was a constant fixture in Tsunade's office, she was often there when I received missions. But we never spoke, never bid each other hello. No one would ever guess that we had once faced life and death situations together.

The tension was clearly palpable. Naruto glanced between the two of us uncomfortably.

"None of you have changed," Kiba chimed in, standing a few feet away and rolling his eyes. Akamaru made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded an awful lot like an agreement.

I shot them both a sour glare.

"Makase Nakao!"

Blinking, I glanced over my shoulder at the sound of my name. A figure was running up to me, sporting a Chuunin vest. He was a bit scrawny and nervous, but I found him to be very bright. He was one of Tsunade's aides. And I was such a bad person I couldn't remember his name.

"Nakao, Tsunade-sama has summoned you to her office," the young man took in a deep breath, as though he'd sprinted the entire way here. "It sounds important."

"Woah, Nakao, are you a jounin!?" Naruto turned to me incredulously.

"Ehhh, more of an honorary jounin," I shrugged. I wasn't technically. But I did run a lot of solo missions, typically of higher rank. With my team dismantled, there hadn't been a lot of options for me. And since I tried to hide from my free time at every opportunity, I was usually glad to test my luck with whatever Tsunade-sama had. "We'll have to catch up later. Maybe a sparring match? I need to check you haven't gotten lazy these past two and a half years."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah!"

I smiled and turned away from him, following after the aide. "Let's go, Kiba."

"What? Why do I have to come?"

"Because I'm summoning you," I winked over my shoulder and Kiba muttered something under his breath before following me.

I knocked on the heavy wooden door, but proceeded without waiting for a response, shoving open the door to Tsunade's office and strolling inside. Kiba and Akamaru followed cautiously behind me. Kiba looking aghast at my brazen attitude.

As ever, Tsunade was seated behind her massive desk. Shizune stood at her usual post to Tsunade's right. Neither blinked an eye as I made my entrance and walked up to the desk. Shizune only glanced up to note my arrival.

"Tsunade-sama," I greeted with an incline of my head as Kiba and I stopped before her.

Tsunade's head was bowed, gaze downcast at the scroll she was feverishly scribbling on. She did not look up as I greeted her, but gave a curt nod to acknowledge my presence. Her attention still diverted, Tsunade picked up a scroll next to her right elbow and held it out to me. I took a step forward and grabbed it. Tsunade immediately retracted her arm and used it to grab another document to sign.

Kiba leaned close to me as we scanned the scroll. She'd labeled it a B-ranked mission.

"There have been disturbances reported just a little outside of the gates. Dead animals laying about, each carved up. Markings on trees around the area," Tsunade said, finally setting down her pen and turning her attention on me and Kiba.

"From enemies?" I inquired, closing the scroll. "If so, it seems like they're trying to get our attention."

Tsunade nodded. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it's nothing. I want you to investigate it. If it is someone trying to get our attention, I want to know why."

"Why did I need to go on this mission?" I asked, wondering why she had bothered to track me down rather than give this out in her daily report ins.

Tsunade leveled her gaze with mine. "Because some of those markings look like 'N' and 'M'."

My initials. But I waved a hand. "That could mean anything. Or nothing."

"And some look like 'K' and 'M'."

Keitaro's initials. I felt a shiver run down my spine. It could be coincidental of course. But there was no doubt it raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

"And if we encounter any enemies?"

"I trust you to use your discretion. It is…strange, and I want to know exactly what's going on. But this could be a trap. They could be trying to lure us out, maybe distract us. If you can take them alive, that would be best. If you find it necessary to use lethal force, you have my permission."

"Understood," I nodded, handing her back the scroll.

Tsunade said nothing, not about the mission or about Kiba. She only took the scroll, tucking it away in a pile of other documents.

I glanced at Kiba. "Let's go."

I turned on my heel, striding towards the door, but I hadn't gotten very far when Tsunade's expectant voice stopped me in my tracks. "Nakao."

Ugh, so close. I stood still, hoping this was about something else while Kiba glanced over his shoulder in confusion.

"My records say you owe me money."

I groaned, turning to look at the blonde-haired woman. I held my hands out in exaggeration. "But I don't have any money."

"No problem," a sly smile slipped onto those pink lips. She grabbed a pen and jotted something down on a piece of paper. "I'll just deduct the money from this mission's fee."

I pouted, shooting the woman a glare. I turned on my heel once more, briskly leaving the room. Kiba scurried after me, closing the heavy doors behind him.

"You gambled away all your money again?" Kiba glanced sideways at me with a frown. Akamaru barked softly, as if also voicing his disappointment.

"Spare me the lecture," I grumbled.

Kiba sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Looks like the reports were accurate, come look at these marks," I indicated with my head.

It quickly became apparent that the reports were not exaggerating when Kiba and I exited the village. There was a dead animal every half mile or so, each looking like it was placed strategically. They follow the path of marred trees. And it was definitely a path, leading somewhere. And it made me all the more uneasy that we might be walking into a trap.

But I pushed down my concerns, stepping over to the one of the trees. A large X was carved into this one and I traced it with my finger. I studied it carefully. It was made by some kind of blade. It was not precise or artistically done. More so like someone had done it in a hurry and moved on. I moved to the next tree. This one had the 'N' and 'M' that Tsunade had mentioned. I studied this one, gazing at it long and hard, but could discern no clues from it.

I felt Kiba draw close to me, peering over my shoulder. "I don't like this, Nakao. What if whoever wrote this is targeting you? If their plan was to lure you out here, they succeeded. Why would Tsunade send you out here?"

"It's okay, Kiba," I stepped away from the tree, putting a comforting hand on his arm. He looked clearly disturbed. "Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with me. Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with, well, anything."

Kiba frowned skeptically, his eyes searching my face. "You don't believe that."

I sighed, following the trees again. "These marks were definitely intentional. Whether or not they were for me, I don't know. If they did, they must have known me well enough to use my brother's initials."

"What if it was Orochimaru?" Kiba asked quietly.

I didn't have an answer for that.

We traveled a bit further, studying the trees, peering at a dead rabbit, but I didn't see any answers. There was no clue as to who had done this and why. And then, the trail stopped. There was no cave, no shelter where an enemy might be hiding. The markings simply stopped on one tree and didn't appear on any others as I scanned the forestry.

This was all incredibly strange. I supposed we could scout the area, see if we saw anything. If not, we'd return to Tsunade and tell her to post a few more guards and remain vigilant. I turned to voice my thoughts to Kiba, but stopped short.

Kiba was standing before the last tree with markings, just staring at it. Or perhaps he wasn't really seeing it. Because as I drew closer, there was a distant look in Kiba's eyes, as though he wasn't in the present.

"Kiba? Hey, what's up?" I asked, eyebrows crinkling as I touched his arm.

This seemed to bring him back to the present and he blinked, moving his head to peer at me. I tilted my head in question.

"Everything okay?" I asked aloud.

Kiba gave a jerky nod, glancing away for a long moment as he answered. "It's just…seeing Naruto today…it's just got me thinking."

I blinked in surprise. Why had that got him thinking? Thinking about what? And why was he thinking about it now? Kiba sighed and glanced back to me.

"Nakao, you're constantly running off into danger," he gestured at our surroundings as if to emphasize his point. "And I understand why but, I worry. I have a hard time sleeping until you come back home. I'm sick of seeing you so…so unhappy. And seeing Naruto today, it made me realize, well…that's nothing really changed in the last two and half years."

I watched him, confused. "What are you talking about? Plenty of things have changed."

But he was already shaking his head. "No. I mean…between you and me."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Kiba sighed, running a hand through his brown hair in frustration; I could see it written plainly on his face.

"Kiba…if you want to talk about this later…" I said gently. I was beginning to grow concerned. Was I being a crappy friend again? Was there something I was doing wrong? Something I was failing at? Because I wouldn't be surprised.

More shaking of his head. "No. I just need to say it. I've already started…"

He took a deep breath, like he was preparing for something. I was about to place a hand on his shoulder, assure him we could speak when he was ready, when he suddenly blurted it out.

"I love you!"

Silence.

I was frozen. I blinked once. Then again. My ears had heard the words, but my head was having a hard time wrapping itself around their meaning.

Having taken the plunge, Kiba seemed to be able to continue. His shoulders slumped, his face growing soft. He looked vulnerable and open, his eyes looking at me in…endearment?

"I love you, Nakao," he repeated softly. "I've always loved you. And one of these days, it might be too late to tell you. And I…I want to make you happy. The way you deserve to be."

"Uh…helloooo!?"

I jumped, blinking rapidly. I turned my gaze back to Kiba, who was sitting beside me and watching me skeptically. His round, ten-year-old face was scrunched into a pout.

"What?" I asked, feeling heat flush in my cheeks.

"You haven't heard a word I've said the last five minutes."

I scoffed. "That's not true."

Kiba rolled his eyes and followed the direction I'd been staring in. Two aisles down, Kiba's eyes found the head of raven-black hair.

"Were you staring at Sasuke?" he accused, his nose wrinkling.

"No!" I blurted out, my face a flashing beacon of red.

Kiba crossed his arm, flopping back into his seat. He shook his head. "You don't have to lie to me, Nakao. All the girls like Sasuke."

I crossed my arms indignantly and hmphed. "All the girls except me."

Kiba's eyes judged me carefully before shrugging. "Why do all the girls like him anyway?"

I sighed heavily, as though Kiba had asked me the purpose of life.

"I don't know. He doesn't even have blonde hair."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Doesn't Prince Charming have to have blonde hair?"

Kiba watched me strangely. "Uhhh…no. I don't have blonde hair."

I stifled a giggle. "Since when are you Prince Charming?"

Kiba scoffed. "Since forever."

"Where's your white horse?" I challenged playfully.

"I have Akamaru!" Kiba responded happily, scratching beneath the puppy's chin. He yipped.

I laughed. "Well alright then, Prince Charming. Should I go wait in my tower?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, staring. Part of my brain was still trying to comprehend, the other part was already panicking. I didn't understand. When did this happen? Was it something I had overlooked all these years? Nausea began rolling in my gut. Because what was I going to say!?

I realized I'd been silent for too long. But I was flustered, my mouth not quite able to form words, my face heating to an uncomfortable degree. "Kiba, I-"

But Kiba was already moving closer. He only had to take a step and he was right there, staring down at me. His brown eyes searched my face. "I just want to make you happy."

There was such longing in his eyes I felt like someone had shot me through the heart. Pain flashed through me when I realized I was going to hurt him. I was going to cause my best friend pain; and I'd been too stupid, too blind to see this, to head it off early.

He was sudden, but gentle. His hand, palm rough with callouses, grasped my cheek in a display of tenderness I've never experienced. He stroked my cheek with his thumb gently before he lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes had widened in shock, and I saw his eyelids flutter closed, eyelashes brushing his skin. His lips were soft. He tasted like spearmint. His kiss was sweet and tender and loving. Like he had to prove everything to me with this one display of passion. That he wanted to show me he would give me the world if I would let him. And I knew he would.

But it was all wrong.

His lips weren't the right shape. They didn't fit perfectly against mine, the way I knew someone else's did. Kiba smelled of sunshine and grass and a faint trace of some sort of spice. He smelled like comfort. But it did transport me to the proper place. It wasn't transporting me home, like I had once experienced. My stomach was fluttering, my heart wasn't pounding, the world didn't suddenly feel like it righted itself.

No; my stomach was churning. Dangerously, uncomfortably, like I might vomit from distress. My heart was sinking in my chest as my mind began to run through all the possible scenarios this would cause. None of them were good.

The kiss felt like it went on forever while my mind conjured tortuous images about what was going to happen next. But, finally, Kiba pulled away. He was breathing a little heavier, his cheeks tinged pink. His eyes were bright, brighter than I'd ever seen them; and they were searching my face relentlessly.

I, too, was breathless, but for very different reasons. My lips remained in the positioned he'd placed them in as I stood rigid and still as stone. I was trying to wipe my face of any horrified facial expression, or shock, or concern. But it was too late. Kiba had seen something.

The bright light in his eyes was already dying. His eyebrows scrunched in concern, his eyes softening in worry and fear. "Nakao…?"

I don't know what made me do it, but I stepped away. I put a gloved hand to my head. I felt lightheaded.

"Nakao…"

I desperately glanced back to his face and it almost killed me. I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and stabbed through the heart simultaneously. His face was filled with raw grief at the denial in my eyes.

I was angry at myself. This boy before me, almost a man, I loved him dearly, I loved him infinitely. But…not like that. And I didn't know why. Because he was wonderful in every way. Funny, bold, motivated. He would find a way to pluck the stars from the sky if I asked. He had held me and stroked my hair while I cried. He had held me in his arms when I had needed comfort. He had been there through everything. He was always there. He had never left me.

And yet, my suddenly dry throat tried to push a word out of my mouth. "Kiba…"

But what could I say? My brain was suddenly blank, like it had forgotten how to speak. I wanted to take away the hurt so plainly splashed across his face. I wanted to take it back. I wanted that light to come back into his eyes. I wanted to see him smile.

But suddenly, his facial expression did change; to one of alarm. His eyes grew wide and Akamaru growled. "Nakao!"

Kiba was reaching for a weapon as I whirled around. I'd been so caught up in the moment I hadn't sensed someone approach. I didn't know who to expect when I faced the new arrival. I should have expected the unexpected.

A pair of crimson-shaded eyes infiltrated my vision. My eyes widened but they were all I could see. There were black commas in those eyes instead of pupils, and they were spinning in circles. I couldn't look away, even though my brain screamed at me to look away, run, fight.

But it didn't last long. That voice in my head was fading, replaced by a delicate fog that seemed to settle over my thoughts. I felt my knees buckling and I felt myself sway. And those crimson eyes were the last thing I was before my vision was completely overtaken by darkness.

Author's Note:

Woah. SO. It seems many were not pleased by the last chapter. And while I hate to disappoint my readers, I stand by my writing and I am not willing to ignore 33 chapters of plot development for wish fulfillment. But quite a few of you came to my defense and I want to thank you. One of you took the words right out of my mouth as to what I might have said. So thank you to those reviewers because I really needed to hear some positive thoughts after getting email after emailing telling me I am "lame". And thank you to everyone who is continuing to read! You're who I write for! And by all means, feel free at any time to leave suggestions! Love you all!