I do not own Naruto nor make any profit from it.

A word of warning to new readers: I won't have time to complete my KibaSaku story. But reader I am Telgar requested that I re-post this story in spite of it's unfinished state. So I'll edit and post one chapter a day for ten days. Reviews are unnecessary. If you want to read, please enjoy guilt-free. :)

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For The Pleasure of Her Company

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Sakura's alarm clock went off at late in the afternoon. The insistent buzzing woke her from a sweet dream of hearts and fluffy clouds. She tapped the button then sat up in a bed of satin sheets and ruffles. Stretching arms and twisting to clear the kinks in her spine, Sakura smiled from the memories when lips pressed against her own and strong arms engulfed her in a tight embrace.

"Four o' clock. Only three hours to get ready," She hopped from her bed and rushed into the bathroom. Her good mood bubbled higher than the suds in her pink hair, so much so that she found herself singing in the shower. She stepped out of the shower, grabbed a hair brush, and belted with the radio at the top of her lungs. The new crack in the mirror didn't bother her one bit. She'll buy a new one tomorrow.

Sakura hummed a happy tune as she arranged the cosmetics on her bathroom counter. Surely, if her make-up went on with little difficulty, then her magical evening will be fantastic. Foundation, blush, and eyeshadow were brushed onto her skin. The black eyeliner glided across her lids on the first try. Then she lifted her new fake lashes ever so carefully and glued them in place without a hitch. After digging in her cosmetics drawer for fifteen minutes, Sakura found her go-to lipstick. A shade of seashell pink that highlighted the green in her eyes without making her pale skin look washed out. For twenty minutes she worked magic with a blow dryer and curler then clipped a little black bow in her hair. Several barrages of hairspray made sure not one pink strand was not going to move, even in hurricane force winds.

Satisfied with the hair helmet, she knelt next to her bed and pulled out the box that held tonight's special outfit. Sakura caught her breath as she revealed a beautiful halter dress of red silk chiffon laying within the paper tissues. Under the dress was a specially designed corset, matching lace garters, and sheer black stockings, all courtesy of the shop. After hitching the corset around her torso, she gleefully shook out each stocking and stretched the delicate fabric over her legs with absolute care. Then she made sure to use the clips in fastening the lace edges to her garters. Unable to resist testing the push-up corset, Sakura hopped like a kangaroo and giggled in delight to see her bigger cleavage jiggle in response.

When she got the giggling under control, Sakura slipped her feet into red heels then turned to the last piece, "Alright, time to don the dress!" Careful not to snag the fabric on her heels, she stepped into the middle and wiggled the dress up her legs, over the hips, and tied the halter straps behind her neck.

Smoothing down the skirt, she stood in front of the full length mirror then gave a quick twirl. The layered skirt flared open with every spin, showcasing her shapely legs and giving just a tiny peek of the garters. It was the perfect blend of sexy and sweet. With every pleat, stocking, and ribbon in place, that left one last touch. Sakura picked up a little blue bottle, unscrewed the top to release the powdery scent in the air, and swiped the applicator tip along the wrists.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and the woman sparkling before her definitely looked like a maiden in love, "I can't believe so much happened in so little time. Nothing and I mean NOTHING can knock me off my cloud!" Familiar barking from outside alerted Sakura that her date would soon be arriving. She rushed to the window, pushed the candy-striped petunias out of the way, and leaned over the sill.

Down the street came a huge tan and white colored dog with a young man dressed in a tux, riding on it's back. Kiba grinned with that trademark cocky grin of his and the light glinted off his left fang. He jumped off Akamaru's back and used chakra to climb the apartment wall to the window where his date waited. Sakura caught how his eye lingered on her fuller physique and she sent another silent thanks to the shopkeeper.

He handed the bouquet of red roses used their close proximity to sneak a kiss onto Sakura's cheek. "Ready for the most romantic evening of your life, baby?"

She tossed the roses over her shoulder. "I am, if you are." She held out a hand for him to hold and they dropped out of the window, landing safely next to Akamaru. The huge dog lowered his body as Kiba lifted Sakura onto the dog's back then Kiba slipped behind her.

"Okay boy, onward to the first stop!" The dog barked before he took off running. They bounded along the pavement and when the streets became too crowded, Akamaru jumped over the people and onto the rooftops.

As curious citizens stared and red shingled roofs flew by them, Sakura asked Kiba, "Where are we going?"

He tightened his grip on her waist with a sly smile, "It's a surprise. But don't worry, we're almost there. Close your eyes now."

"Must I," she whined playfully.

"Humor me, babe."

Sakura kept her eyes shut until she felt Kiba's hands carry her from Akamaru then gently place her on the ground.

She fluttered her eyes open then stared at the sea of shimmering lights of the city below. "The top of the Hokage Monument? This is the secret romantic spot?"

A bit unsure himself, Kiba cleared his throat then swept his arm wide, "Not an original idea, but you must admit the view of Konoha from here is breathtaking and what better place for quality entertainment than Mother Nature herself. The night wind dances with the trees and the stars are shining like diamonds. They all beg for our attention tonight. Shall we indulge them?" He unwrapped a blanket hiding in a packet attached to Akamaru and spread it on the grass.

Sakura smiled at how smoothly he presented their hometown and she cooed, "My Kiba, you have the touch of a poet in your soul."

With an awkward laugh, he scratched the back of his neck and replied, "Er, thank you. How about them stars?" He directed her attention to a blanket spread out on the grass and they sat down to enjoy the view. The minutes ticked away and they watching the stars twinkle at them. Nice as the night sky was, Sakura nervously searched for someway to begin a deep conversation.

Sakura took a breath and blurted out, "Do another one. Only longer," Pressing palms together, she gazed at him with pleading green eyes.

His eyes widened then tried to covertly waved away the air behind him. "Another what?"

She giggled at his modesty and tapped him on the knee, "A poem, silly."

"Oh, I don't usually do stuff like that out of the blue. Inspiration's gotta hit me, you know." His arm swung out and pointed to a random star far left of Sakura's vision, "Wow, look at that star. It's really bright! That's gotta be an old super nova."

She searched the sky. "Where, where? Are you sure, 'cause I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Sakura looked back at her date only to find the spot next to her empty. "Kiba?"

"Where did he go?" She stood and circled the area. She even looked for Akamaru, who disappeared as well. "Are we all playing Hide-And-Seek now?" When five minutes passed, she crossed her arms and tapped one foot out of annoyance. Then Sakura realized that she should give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he needed some privacy in case he had to answer nature's call.

He returned with a grin wider than usual and opened his mouth to explain when Sakura stopped him by raising a hand.

"Not a big deal, Kiba." She gave him a smile, "When ya' gotta to go, you gotta to go."

His dark eyes rolled upwards and he shrugged his shoulders high. "Right, you got me! I had too much soda earlier."

"So now that is out of the way, we can relax and cuddle," She sat back on the blankets and patted the spot next to her. He obliged and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Sakura's cheeks turned a soft rose color and folded hands on her lap. "It's been a few days and we're finally alone. I thought now might be a discrete time to bring up that sensitive subject we've been avoiding for a while now."

Kiba tugged at his collar then lowered his voice to a soft growl. "Uh, we're not as alone as you might think." He gestured to some bushes that flashed a soft light before shaking. "Maybe we should wait until we get to the restaurant. It'll be so busy in there, we might have more privacy."

Also frustrated from the paparazzi intrusion, she leaned into Kiba. "You're right. Let's just enjoy the quiet while we can. We're due at The Butterfly Lounge in an hour."

Kiba cut his eyes side to side and grinned mischievously. "We don't have to be first in line and get bored to death waiting for everyone else."

Sakura drew closer. "I agree. Nothing like being fashionably late and making a grand entrance."

An hour later….

Akamaru dropped off Kiba and Sakura at the restaurant where a good-sized crowd gathered at the entrance. They fell in line with the other guests and stood behind a Hyuuga couple dressed in traditional kimonos. Sakura was surprised when she recognized the couple.

"Good evening, Kou-san," Sakura nodded to her friends and lightly touched the intricate embroidery on Hinata's kimono. "And how lovely you look, Hinata. Pardon my asking, but where is Shino? Aren't you supposed to be on the date with him?"

Hinata stuck out her lower lip in a pout and threw a hateful glare toward Kou. "My father decided that Kou will be my chaperone."

Sakura slumped in disappointment for her friend. "Good grief! I don't understand why your father won't let Shino honor his obligation to you. It's so unfair."

In a strangely calm mood, Hinata titled her head and said, "That may be, but with patience, one can find the path to peace and contentment. Specifically, in five... four... three... two-". Hinata activated her byakugan then gave Kou's sleeve a tug. "Kou-san, didn't you say that Samui-san was supposed to be at her hotel packing to leave?"

Wary of his cousin, Kou nodded.

Hinata turned to the north. "Strange, I see her heading this way."

Activating his kekkei genkai, Kou looked to the north then gasped. "Oh no, how did she know I'd be here?" Sure enough, he saw Samui- that cool, calculating kunoichi, who could stop a man's heart with her curves and icy blue eyes. She marched down the street, rocking a skin-tight dress with sky-high heels.

Hinata gaped and tapped her own cheek, "Dear me! Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned to Omoi-san that you would be accompanying me to the Akimichi restaurant. Looks like I'll need to find another date tonight." She bowed politely to her friends. "Kiba, Sakura, if you would excuse me."

Kou wailed after his young cousin as she tottered away to find Shino, "Hinata-sama, don't leave me with that man-eater!" But it was too late. The crowd parted and let the Kumo kunoichi though. The blond locked her sights on the frightened man and stalked toward her prey.

Samui held out her arm, pushed Kou into the brick wall, and grabbed him by the collar. "There will be no more running, no hiding, and no hunting you down, Kou. Tonight, you will eat a sumptuous meal with me. I will laugh at your sparkling conversation. Then we'll head back to my hotel for earth-shattering, mind blowing sex until every last bit of our energy is spent. Understood, Hyuuga?"

Caught by the intense heat in her eyes, he nodded mutely then let himself be dragged by the kunoichi to the head of the line. They passed through the velvet rope without any resistance from the concierge.

Kiba blew out a long whistle and laughed, ""That was rather aggressive of her. I don't think I've ever heard so much as a peep out of that woman the entire time she's been in Konoha."

Sakura shrugged and muttered, "I suppose when your biological clock is ticking, it helps to cut through the crap."

When they reached the head of the line, the concierge held out his palm. "Welcome to the Butterfly Lounge. Invitation, please."

Kiba smiled, reached into his coat pocket, and gave the waiting concierge a white envelope. The man opened the envelope and slid out the little card. Sakura wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a glimpse of some money. But the entire envelope was secreted into the concierge's jacket before she could confirm it.

"Go on then," sighed the concierge. "Good thing for you tips are slow tonight." He unhooked the velvet rope and waved them through.

"What did he mean by that," asked Sakura.

Kiba patted his date's hand, "Ignore him. He's just jealous that he has to cater for this exclusive party instead of being invited."

A hostess appeared, bowed before the couple, then redirected them through a hall filled with candles and roses with strategic advertisements for local florists. At the end of the hall was a heavy velvet curtain. The hostess pressed a button which made the curtain pull away, revealing a ballroom filled with music and food. Soft candlelight and a mirror ball high offered the romantic lighting that made the ugliest duckling shine like a swan. Couples mingled about the restaurant, having a good time eating, dancing, and enjoying intimate romantic moments.

The conductor from the band held up a hand to halt the music then redirected the audience's attention, "And here they are. Our star couple of the night, folks! Please welcome Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura to the Butterfly Lounge." A bright spotlight flashed onto Sakura and Kiba's position and they plastered forced smiles on their faces.

As polite applause erupted from around and below, Kiba proudly held out the crook of his arm and Sakura dutifully wrapped a hand around it. They walked down the middle of the staircase as the spotlight followed them to the dance floor. There was another hostess waiting for them and led them to their table, where they had a fabulous view of the dance floor. They moved their chairs from opposite sides of the small table to side by side, sitting a hand's width apart.

Sakura looked around the room and searched for familiar faces. Kakashi was busy planting kisses on Kurenai's bare shoulder in their little corner. Hinata had found Shino and they were walking for the ballroom floor where Neji and Tenten enjoyed their slow dance. In a dark corner, Kou fought his baser instinct as Samui made his life very, very hard. Sai drew portrait after portrait of the luscious Mizukage as she posed for the intense artist.

Sakura did a double-take when she saw Naruto and Kauri sitting within each other's personal space that didn't involve fighting fists. A quick shake of her head and Kauri flipped a portion of her red hair over the shoulder, revealing that she was embroiled in an arm wrestling match with Naruto.

Sakura tapped Kiba and pointed out her teammate. "How about that!"

Just as amazed, Kiba grinned at the sight, "At least they stopped competing with each other for the night."

As happy as she was to see so many people, there was someone missing. Sakura couldn't put her finger on who until Chouji walked in with Sabuku Temari. Yamanaka Ino! That's who was not here. Sakura searched the shadows, but her best friend was nowhere to be found.

'Damn you, Ino-pig.' Sakura crossed arms and seethed in her seat. 'She's late on purpose. Just so she could upstage our grand entrance.'

"Something bothering you, Sakura-chan?" Kiba reached over to his date and cupped her cheek with his warm palm. He easily captured her attention to him by gazing into her eyes. Sakura felt like melting into his arms.

She leaned her shoulder into his and sighed, "Nothing's bothering me anymore, Kiba-kun."

"That's good." Kiba laced his fingers with hers. "Because I really wanted to ask you something important."

As their foreheads drew closer together, Kiba murmured, "Would you go on another date with me, Sakura? A real one, after all this craziness has died down. I like what we have and I want to take it more seriously."

She nodded. "I have to admit, it's difficult to have a real relationship with so many people sticking their noses in your business. I'm willing to take this to the next level, Kiba-kun."

Kiba lifted her fingertip and gave it a light kiss. As they drew closer, their hands became further entwined. She heard her own breath quicken from the anticipation of tasting Kiba's lips again.

They moved at the same time, pressing their mouths together with abandon in a long smoldering kiss. His lips felt firm and confident against her own, making her want more. In turn, she encouraged Kiba further by caressing her tongue over his sharp canines and she felt the feral growl rumble within his throat.

There was some commotion from the a corner of the restaurant, but none that mattered to the kissing couple. The world could be on fire and they would remain lip-locked until they decided it was necessary to move. Sakura heard an annoyed female voice try to get her attention in the distance. But as long as Kiba's tongue was doing such wonderful things, no way Sakura was gonna stop.

"Fine then, Forehead," quipped Ino then held up her camera and snapped a photo. "I'll just head back to my date and suck face for an hour too. Hmph!" The blond woman swirled around, stuck her nose the air, and sashayed over to the stoic redhead waiting in one of the VIP booths.

When they finally broke their kiss, Kiba murmured while dragging his lips along Sakura's chin and ear. "Did you hear something?"

"Just Ino's bitching again." Sakura drew in a sharp breath from the shivers Kiba sent down her spine then whimpered when his fangs dragged lightly along the skin.

"Did you know that you make the cutest sounds when I kiss you."

She opened half-lidded eyes to look straight into Kiba's brown eyes, "Do I?"

He nodded, "Very delicate, very sweet."

She smiled and whispered for only him to hear, "You know what else sounds really sweet?"

He turned to nuzzle the tip of his nose with hers, "Hmmm?"

"A thousand ryo." Sakura drew backwards in her chair and she opened a palm that expected to be filled. It was supposed to be a simple business transaction, but she couldn't stop a smile from breaking through.

She went into a fit of giggles and tried to stop a blush, "I'm sorry. Very unprofessional of me to giggle like a silly little girl, but A THOUSAND! That amount of money still sends me to the moon. To think that anyone would shell out that kind of cash for me is amazing! It's done wonders for my self-esteem, I can tell you. Anyways, you said earlier that you would pay me once we were at the restaurant and here we are."

"Ah, yes. Here we are." He fumbled with a napkin and looked ready to drop a smoke bomb. Sakura wondered why all the noise around them died down and she felt the entire room go still. She looked around at the people pretending not to be listening then returned to Kiba, who looked at his teammates in the distance. Sakura wondered what kind of advice the rest of Team Eight relayed to him. But when she glanced over her shoulder, Shino and Hinata returned to slow dancing. Hinata gave Sakura a reassuring smile and continued swaying in Shino's arms.

Getting that troubled feeling in the pit of her stomach, Sakura looked to her date for reassurance and asked. "Is everything alright, Kiba?"

He slouched then looked her in the eye. "The truth is, Sakura. I don't have the money. My whole paycheck was spent the moment I got it and I'm broke for the next two weeks. I can't even cover for this dinner."

Sakura laughed at the absurdity of Inuzuka Kiba being broke then stopped when the expression on his face was serious. "You're not joking. There's no money? I don't understand. What about that envelope to the concierge? How could this have happened?"

He dropped his head into both hands and moaned, "It wasn't supposed to happen at all and I certainly didn't mean for our date to go this far. Somehow things got carried away and I felt sorry for you-"

"You felt sorry for me," squeaked Sakura. Kiba's words faded as blood rushed hot and furious through her entire body. Her fists tighten and began to glow with chakra.

Kiba paled with fear, making his red clan marks stand out further, and held his hands up in pleading. "Wait! That came out wrong. It's just that you looked so pitiful after you tripped on stage and everyone knew that you'd be upset if you were bought as cheaply as Anko."

"Hey," came a shout from the other side of the restaurant.

His words came faster as Kiba defended himself. "You see, all I wanted to do was get the ball rolling. But then Shino's bugs kept messing around in my pants."

Tilting her head, Sakura went slack jawed from the image and questions filled her mind. 'How the hell does Shino fit in this? Or anyone else for that matter. Oh my god, everyone I know is here and they're watching!'

She gripped the table's edge in horror. 'INO! INO IS HERE!' A quick glance to the left revealed her best friend with a devil's grin that grew bigger than what should be physically possible. Sakura felt the room spin like some sadistic merry-go-round. At the same time, humiliation heaped onto her shoulders in waves as neighboring faces mirrored her own shock and confusion.

'If he couldn't even cover tonight's dinner, what was gonna happen? Was he gonna stick me with the check. Was I gonna spend the rest of my magical night washing dishes? How dare he do this to me and in public!' Sakura felt her temper rise higher and quicker than ever before. The rush of adrenalin pushed Sakura to a boiling point and she struggled to keep a tight lid on her emotions.

'It's okay. I'm in control and I will let the anger roll off my back.' She will keep her composure as long as Kiba didn't do or say one more stupid thing.

"...Everyone assumed that Lee would have more than enough money and then I wouldn't have to pay-"

Blind rage took over. Sakura sprang from her chair and her fist smashed into Kiba's nose. He flew backwards through tables and chairs to crash into the wall. When the dust cloud cleared, Sakura's fist was in the air and she heaved from the strain of reigning back her temper.

Kiba lay under a pile of rubble with the kitchen staff gawking at what used to be the dessert station.

A waitress peered at Kiba's twitching foot and whispered everyone's thoughts. "Is he dead?"

…...

Author's Note: Did you see 'Underneath the underneath'?