Tears of Crimson

Pairing(s): KibaNaru, SasuNaru
Rating: (PG-15) (eventually NC-17)
Genre: Romance, Tragedy, Angst/Drama, Action, Yaoi, WAFF
Warning: Vulgar Language, Violence, ect.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This contains strong adult material and is not suitable for people under the age of 16.
Description: Kiba tries to help Naruto forget Sasuke and move on with his life, but when Sasuke returns to Konoha, Naruto is faced with several tough decisions.
Beta: abnegation218

Chapter 03

Naruto sat up in his bed, stretching and yawning loudly. His dreams had taken a turn for the pleasing since his "date" with Kiba, and had to suppress the urge to take care of the morning wood now tenting his sheets.

He looked around at his old apartment. The small dwelling held unpleasant memories of his lonely childhood, but he still surveyed the dawn-lit room with a fond eye. The elderly fridge in the corner rattled away as it always did. The ninja memorabilia lay strewn over various surfaces, the toaster that burnt one side and didn't cook on the other still rested on the counter, beside which was the microwave that now permanently smelt of ramen. There was a small twelve-inch television on a T.V.-dinner tray in the corner, the moth-eaten hook rug collected dust beside his bed, a bed that was now too small for him as his feet hung over the edge. Various posters of famous ninjas, ramen advertisements and movie insignia were plastered over the walls, giving the otherwise plain room some life.

His nostalgic mood was replaced with that of depression when his gaze rested on his bedside table. The framed picture of his original team stared back at him, covered in the grime of a couple years aging. He pulled it off of the table and gave it a modest swipe with the cuff of his sleeve. Kakashi stood in the back, presumably smiling behind the mask that covered half of his face. Sakura was at the forefront, blushing and giddy at getting her picture taken. Then there was Naruto, his hair tussled by Kakashi's hand as he half-pouted, half-glared at …

He stopped examining the picture as his heart gave a painful throb and tears threatened to make themselves known. He replaced it on the nightstand, facing away from him as he got out of bed.

'Great, my good mood is ruined and now I have to meet Kakashi for whatever the hell he wants.' thought Naruto, grumbling lowly.

-

"Knock, knock, knock"

Kiba gave a mumbled snore as he turned over on the sofa.

"Knock, knock, knock"

Kiba's eyes fluttered open. He sniffed the air and groaned discontentedly. "Hmm, m'up."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Yeah, just a second, Hana!"

Kiba lazily hauled himself up and stood on the carpet in front of the loveseat, looking for his pants; he was currently only in his boxers. Finding his pants discarded over the television set and putting them on, he headed into the foyer and opened the large wooden door, allowing the person in.

Hana stepped over the entrance, her cheeks rosy from the cold as he crossed her arms for warmth. She took off the scarf wrapped around her face and gave her brother a disapproving glare.

"Kiba, I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Because you're insane …" said Kiba sleepily, stretching as he closed the door behind her to keep the heat in.

Hana gave him a warning growl. "You're still not too old for me to give you a good beating."

Kiba snorted and lead her into the living-room. He straightened out the cushions on the couch and motioned for her to take a seat. As Hana sat, Kiba went in search of something to cover his bare chest.

"I assume you are here about the clan rules for choosing a mate." said Kiba, walking into an adjacent room.

"Yes." replied Hana, annoyed that he wasn't giving her the common courtesy of a face-to-face conversation; it was, after all, some very important business. "I can tell by the smell of this place that you and another had quite a bit of physical attraction the other night."

She could also tell quite a few other things, but she really didn't want to think about what her brother did in his 'alone time'.

"Yeah, and …?" asked Kiba, his voice muffled slightly.

"And!? If you are intending to take this person as your mate, you need the approval of the current Alpha and the Inuzuka elder!" Hana all but yelled, trying to impress upon Kiba the seriousness of the situation. "If you don't, you will no longer be eligible to become Alpha and you will be disowned by the clan!"

Kiba strode back into the room, now fully clothed and wearing an exasperated expression.

"I know, Hana!" said Kiba, rolling his eyes. "We've only been on a single date. It's not like we're getting married any-time soon!"

"Well, considering the potential mate is another male, there are special circumstances that will have to be discussed during the courting process." she explained, as if this it were nothing but a normal conversation between siblings.

"What do you mean 'special circumstances'?" he asked, sitting beside Hana on the flannel couch.

"Well, you'd be the first Inuzuka Alpha to ever take another male as his mate. I'm sure that mom is perfectly fine with that, but the elder is going to be concerned about the continuation of the blood-line."

The Inuzuka elder was in fact their great-grandfather, Unari. Unari had, at best, a masochistic view of the world. Despite that however, he was fiercely loyal and was considered one of the wisest in Konoha. It would be a hard sell to get him to let Kiba, the future Alpha of the clan, be mated to another man.

"Seriously Hana, we've been on one date! If everyone started making these kinds of plans for the future after one date, then there'd be a lot of unhappy couples out there."

Hana pursed her lips, as though stealing herself from saying something.

"What?" asked Kiba, getting quite annoyed with his older sister.

"Well ... You see … the elder is trying to convince mom to invoke an old Inuzuka law that means you will have to get their consent to court him …" she said, glancing away.

Kiba stared at her for a moment, an unbelieving look on his face, before anger crept quickly over it.

"What!?" he yelled, livid.

This was his life! He'd been living under these stupid Inuzuka family traditions all his life, and if it was going to stretch as far as to tell him who he could or couldn't date, he had something to say about it!

"I can date who I want! I don't give a shit what they say!" he snarled, clenching his fists and mashing his teeth.

"I know how you feel Kiba, but this is a delicate situation. If they do decide to invoke the law, then you'll have to stick to their decision or face being ousted from the clan." she replied, a pleading note in her voice.

Kiba stood and began pacing furiously across the room. 'Who do they think they are? I'll court who I wish!'

"What does this law entail?" he asked.

Hana sighed lowly.

"Well, it would be a lot like the meeting before the Binding ceremony." she explained. "You and your mate need to meet with the Alpha and the elder, make your case for wanting to court your mate, and receive the final decision."

"Oh great! He's just going to love that!" said Kiba, smacking his forehead.

Hana sniffed the air and looked confusedly towards Kiba. "Kiba … Who is this mystery man anyway? It smells familiar, but I can't quite place it …'

Kiba's foul mood eased slightly.

"It's Naruto …" he said, sitting back on the couch.

Hana's eyes grew wide and a dazzling smile lit her features.

"It is!?" cried Hana, hugging her little brother.

Kiba reeled back at Hana's surprise embrace.

"Hana!" he yelled, falling off the couch along with his sister and half the cushions.

"That's so great! I didn't even know he was back! I thought you had gotten over Naruto since he left, but this is much better! I'm so happy for you!"

Kiba smiled softly. "Thanks Hana. I'm glad I've got your approval at least."

Hana removed her arms from around her brother's neck and beamed at him. "I'm sure if they decide to enforce this stupid rule that they'll approve too."

Kiba sighed and grimaced. "Here's hoping …"

-

Naruto drugged lethargically up Konoha's main market street, his shoulders slumped and stomach growling. His entire day had been spent training vigorously with his sensei, allowing Kakashi to judge his skill level after his two and a half year absence from the village. Kakashi had finally let him go and pronounced himself "satisfied with his improvement"; a high praise coming from Kakashi.

Naruto smiled nostalgically as he watched a few small children, wielding blunted kunai run, down the street, screaming at the top of their lungs in joy. One of the children that reminded Naruto slightly of himself, declared that he was the number one ninja in all the land and flung himself bodily, kunai raised, to clash with another boy. His rival countered the boy's attack and smiled sardonically at him.

Naruto found the boy's haughty persona and raven hair disconcertingly reminiscent of his own rival. The nostalgic smile slipped from his face to be replaced with a pained grimace as he passed the children, memories of a past that seemed a lifetime ago haunting him.

He sighed and kicked a rock in his path as he made his way to Ichiraku's Ramen stand, his foul mood simmering on the backburner of his mind. The dark thoughts of his former teammate's hatred and deceit filled his head with worries, regrets and fears.

"Naruto? Is there something wrong?"

Naruto's gaze snapped up from the ground and found its self resting on Kiba's smart features, worry creasing his face as he stared at Naruto, concern palpable in his auburn eyes.

Naruto could feel his fetid disposition brighten at the mere sight of the chocolate haired boy. He tried to suppress his frustration as his cheeks warmed and he thought himself as stupid as a giddy school-girl.

"K-Kiba! Umm … No, nothing is wrong."

Naruto mentally slapped himself; he was ever stuttering!

Kiba gave Naruto his favorite fanged smile, causing his spirit to soar and to become further flustered.

"That's good …" said Kiba, the enticing husky tenor rolling seductively out of his mouth.

Naruto stifled the impulse to moan as the pleasurable sound sent goose-bumps up his skin and his stomach fluttering.

Kiba took Naruto by the hand and lead him into the alley beside Ichiraku's. Naruto's flesh seared with desire at the modest touch and his face turned a brighter red. They entered the alleyway and Kiba pulled Naruto by the hand so that he was against a large brick wall.

"W-what are we doing here?" asked Naruto anxiously, looking up at Kiba.

Kiba smiled and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Unraveling the beaten up page, he revealed a flier depicting a fariswheel and several happy passengers, announcing Konoha's annual Summer Festival to be taking place the following week.

"I want you to go with me." said Kiba, smiling with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Oh, umm, the Summer Festival…?" said Naruto, his spirit wilting slightly.

Naruto had never gone to the Summer Festival in his entire life. All the inhabitants of the village looked forward to the festival but one. The day was there to celebrate family and friendship, a notion that made him scoff and silently grieve for the family he never had, the normal life that was never to be.

"Oh … I guess you don't want to go … or you're going with someone else …"

Naruto looked back up at Kiba and saw a gloomy, disappointed expression marring his features.

Kiba sighed, his voice low and downcast. "That's ok … I just thought it might be fun if we-"

"No, no, Kiba, I'll go with you!" said Naruto, panicking that the request might be withdrawn.

Kiba looked up in mild shock before the bright, fanged smile returned to his face and Naruto's stomach did flips in his gut.

"That's great, Naruto!" cried Kiba, leaning forwards to capture the blond's lips.

Naruto's body reacted automatically, sending blood to his head and a more southern region as he deepened the kiss eagerly.

Kiba looked surprised for a moment at Naruto's enthusiasm, but quickly took advantage of it by pressing his body to Naruto's and raising him off the alley floor to pin him against the brick wall and kiss him more fully.

Warning bells sounded in Naruto's mind as Kiba slipped his tongue into Naruto's mouth. He tried to ignore them and concentrate on battling Kiba for dominance of the kiss, the passion in his abdomen burning him up and screaming for him to continue against the authority of self control that was his brain.

Naruto's reason finally won out and he pushed Kiba away, a little more roughly and suddenly than he would have liked, but it got the message across.

Kiba looked taken aback for a moment at the abrupt ending to their kiss before crossing his arms and pouting slightly. "You can be really frustrating sometimes …"

Naruto laughed and kissed Kiba on the cheek, trying to convey that he had enjoyed it but needed some space. Kiba's face reddened and the disgruntled expression slipped off his face.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok Kiba?"

"Yeah, ok …" he replied, his gaze wandering longingly over Naruto's form.

Naruto saw him and chuckled, kissing him on the cheek once more before heading out of the alley.

Kiba sighed and headed in the opposite direction to the other exit, his mind reeling with the events that had just taken place. Despite his cool, swavy exterior appearance, he was more nervous than one could imagine. His bright smile and smooth, confident movements were nothing short of hours of practice and planning. The entire time he had been talking to the blond, his abdomen had been doing summersaults and a thin sheen of sweat had crept onto his brow.

He whipped his forehead and grinned gleefully. 'I've got another date with Naruto!'

Kiba felt like dancing until he turned the corner into the busy street and thought better of it. Instead he chose to rush home and tell Akamaru and his sister of the good news, unbeknownst to him was what waited there for him.

A/N: Hey everyone, long time since my last submission, sorry about that, I've been rather busy. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Comments are appreciated!