It was wrong.

This man was the embodiment of darkness.

But… There was something about him… It was in his scent. Something that smelled like home. Something that reminded the young six-year-old of the life he had once lived. A life with a mother, father, sister, and a whole litter of dogs around him. This man smelled safe even with the death that oozed from every pore on his person.

The cold bit at him and forced his small body to shiver. It was a miracle he had managed to survive for so long. Well… That and the ever watchful Kuromaru. But the large canine wasn't anywhere to be found- he'd left with promises of looking for food- and he was really hungry.

And that piece of meat the man was offering looked delicious…

"Well?" The masked man bit out tensely. "Are you going to take it or not?"

The piece of meat was bounced slightly by the man, as if to prompt the boy into action.

But his mother had drilled caution of odd smelling people into him since he had been old enough to crawl. And even though she had been gone for a while now, those lessons had stayed in the young boy's mind. And this stranger's scent was drenched in blood and death and he had been taught to stay away from people that smelled like that.

"You don't smell like a good guy."

It wasn't a question. He was merely pointing out an observation.

The man chuckled. It was a deep and cold sound, there didn't seem to be any warmth inside of him. "What would you say I smell like? A bad guy?" He asked in turn, voice sounding tickled but not humored.

The boy knew the man didn't want to hear an answer. But that didn't mean he was about to stay quiet.

"Like the men that killed my family. That's what you smell like."

The man quirked an eyebrow at the boy's answer. Then, after a moment in which neither of them spoke passed, asked, "An orphan, huh?" in a slight lilt, seemingly unfazed by the boy's indirect admittance to being one. But he didn't care for an answer and instead bounced the piece of chicken once more.

"So, what do you say? Stay in this village with a clan that has forsaken you? Or come with me and learn how to be a true hunter?"

At the mention of his clan, the boy lifted both his hands up to his cheeks. Up to the black fangs that had once been a vibrant red and marked him as a proud member of the Inuzuka Clan. They had been painted over.

He had been kicked out of his clan as soon as Kuromaru had brought him back, blood staining his skin and tears running down his cheeks. They had spared no chance in getting rid of him. He was the runt of Tsume's litter and had never even been considered for clan heir while his older sister had been around. Much less after he had fled from a battle like a coward just to survive.

The pack always came first… He just wasn't considered part of that pack anymore.

"You're not nice."

"You like pointing out the obvious, don't you?"

"And you smell like fish."

"Blame my heritage."

"… Why do you wear a mask?"

"I may just answer that question once you've proved yourself."

Taking a moment to think, the young boy breathed in and nodded shakily.

What else did he have to lose?

Kuromaru would take a few more hours to come back… If he came back. The dog could have also just gotten fed up with taking care of him and left him to the elements.

"O-Okay…" Then the boy blinked and shook his head softly, "Wait a minute, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. But you wouldn't be a stranger if I knew your name."

The man looked at him for a second, then the corners of his masked lips turned upwards and he let out a sound that was a cross between a scoff and a chuckle.

"Zabuza. Now come along, boy. I don't have all night."

The piece of meat was thrown at the boy and he caught it immediately, beginning to eat it hungrily, savagely. His stomach felt more hollow than those old, large vases his father used to keep around the house. It even felt as if it were trying to eat itself.

When he was halfway done eating the food, the boy looked up at the man- Zabuza was a rather odd name- and smiled softly.

"I'm Kiba."

So, three things can happen with this small blurb:

1) I could make a story about Kiba growing up as Zabuza's apprentice, although that is unlikely.

2) I could make a group of AU-ish one-shots dealing with a young Kiba interacting and meeting with rather interesting characters. Like how his meeting with Kisame might go, or with Deidara, or even with Misuki or Itachi.

or 3) I could just leave this as a one-shot.

Please review and tell me what you think the best idea would be.