Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: This is my first-ever fan fic. I reworked a lot of this story, so if you have been reading, much is all new. Also, for the record, I heart Kiba so much!

So please, read my story, and I hope you enjoy it!

It felt good to be coming home. Though the mission had not been a hard one, Kiba could feel the exhaustion wrapping it's way through his muscles. Unconsciously, he stretched his arms overhead and looked over at his teammate, Shino.

"Tsunade is sure to be proud of us for this!" Kiba and his teammates had worked so hard to ensure their client got to his destination that there was no way people wouldn't recognize the good job they had done.

"Hn." Shino was horrible at conversation, but the most reliable teammate Kiba could ask for. He thought about how often the quiet ninja was misjudged due to his weird looks and bug ninjitsu—and how the people who misjudged him quickly learned his extreme skill and talent.

The mission had sounded simple: escort the client to his destination. What the scroll and the client had failed to specify is that though there was eventually a final destination, he had many, many stops to make first. They had been walking for weeks, constantly alert. The miles and the mental sharpness had taken its toll and even Kurenai, who was no longer needed by the older team but liked to join them on occasional missions, looked like she would fall over from fatigue.

Kiba glanced over at Hinata, his other teammate, just as she stumbled and began to fall. Instinctively, he rushed to her side and caught her.

"Hinata, what good is your Byakugen if you can't even see a rock in the road?" But Hinata was too tired to even blush and stutter. Her eyes fluttered close and Kiba sighed and heaved her up over his shoulder. He would most definitely pay later for taxing his body this much, but Hinata was a teammate and more importantly, she was very tiny. He didn't mind looking good while helping out a teammate.

Finally, the entrance gates to Konoha were in front of the team. A wave of relief hit all of them so much that Kiba imagined he could see his companions shake with it. Or maybe they were just shaking because their muscles and minds were close to the breaking point, and the thought of their beds was enough for a last bolt of energy.

"Alright, Alright! HOME! Kurenai-sensei—let's go talk to Tsunade and complete the mission!" Kiba looked forward to the Hokage seeing him with Hinata and then hearing about his ability to keep his client safe. Well, with the help of his team, of course.

"Kiba, while I appreciate your willingness to come with me to the Hokage, I am perfectly able to turn in our mission alone—besides, you really need to get Hinata to her house." Kiba wanted to protest, but he did not even need his sensitive ears to hear Hinata snoring softly over his shoulder. If she was asleep with his bony shoulder poking into her, then he knew Kurenai-sensei was right. He would just have to trust that she would tell his side of the story well so the Hokage knew what an excellent ninja he had become.

The team parted ways and Kiba began to trudge toward the Hyuuga mansion. When he offered to carry his shy teammate when she was stumbling, he did not mind because he thought people would see how supportive he was and praise him. Of course he cared for Hinata—her shy disposition could get on anyone's nerves (especially when she was near that baka, Naruto…) and her stuttering drove him crazy, but he held a soft spot for the small girl. However, he was tired and small as the white-eyed girl was, she was beginning to feel like she weighed as much as the memorial boulder.

He turned an eye to his hand on his teammate's ass, using the last bit of chakra he had to hold her up and keep her steady. She was like him a bit, he thought. He saw in her things he felt other people ignored, such as her ability to completely kick ass! All the boys paid attention to Ino, with her long blond hair and her mental ninjitsus, and Sakura with her pink hair and her extensive knowledge of all things shinobi. While each of those girls was impressive, he knew from sparring with Hinata that if she were to fight either girl, she would completely dominate them with her chakra damaging techniques and byakugen.

He was like his teammate, he mused, in that he was much stronger than people gave him credit for. Thinking about Ino and Sakura only fueled his frustration. Sakura was teammates with that jackass, Naruto. Kiba could never think of Naruto's name without attaching an insult to it. How could he not, when the idiot constantly pulled pranks and messed up his missions? And yet it seemed the boy was always the center of attention—Iruka-sensei adored him, a Sannin was training him and he had even earned Sasuke's respect ever since Sasuke returned to the village. Hell, even though the village hated Naruto for some unknown reason, he still at least had recognition as something special, be it good or bad.

Sasuke. His very name made Kiba growl. There was a jerk who, no matter what he did, always seemed to be the topic of everyone's conversation. It killed Kiba that the Uchiha's family history and good looks made all of the girls love him regardless of the fact that he was an asshole. It had been a couple of years since Sasuke had returned. They all grew up, becoming chuunins—hell, Shikamaru had already become a jounin—and everyone had started to pair off romantically in one way or another. Kiba had gone on dates, had even slept with a couple of girls, until he slept with a girl who called out Sasuke's name in the bedroom, ending any potential relationships with females of the village for the time being. Remembering the girl moaning Sasuke's name under him caused Kiba's lip to curl and rage begin to accumulate in his gut. Damn Sasuke and his good looks.

It didn't end with his good looks, either. Ever since Sasuke had been Konoha's number one rookie he had been every boy's envy. Even Kiba would admit to being jealous of Sasuke's skills. He was able to produce the chidori during the chuunin exam, an extremely advanced technique! Other than Naruto, Kiba couldn't think of one guy he knew that liked Sasuke as a friend, but he knew that each on of them wished they could be as good as him.

It didn't matter that Sasuke ran away with Orochimaru. It didn't matter that each member of team five had almost died trying to save him. It didn't matter that Sasuke slept with all the girls, only leaving them the next morning in a bed wet with tears. It didn't matter that Sasuke was the world's biggest asshole, period. No matter what he did, people still focused on him, drove him into this spotlight that was so big and so bright that no one, let alone Kiba, could ever hope to be there too. Damn Sasuke!

The Hyuuga Complex was always a strange place for Kiba to visit. It felt so secluded and solemn. Kiba liked Neji a lot though, and hoped he might run into the boy as he dropped Hinata off. He slowly drug his feet to the front door, very ready to get rid of his sleeping burden. After knocking, it took what felt like forever for someone to finally come to open the door.

Neji opened the door and his face immediately blanched.

"Hinata! Is she…"

"She's fine! She's just sleeping," Kiba laughed." The look of panic swiftly dropped from Neji's face and he breathed an audible sigh of relief. Once Kiba sensed the slowing of Neji's heartbeat to a more normal pace he shuffled his feet and began to shift Hinata's weight.

"Neji, uh, do you mind…" Kiba shifted his eyes to his teammate's rump and Neji immediately caught on.

"Of course!" Neji grabbed Hinata and held her, her head leaning on his shoulder. Kiba shook his head, surprised the normally alert Hinata slept through it all, but he could certainly understand it. He felt so tired he was amazed he had even made it to the Hyuuga homestead. The desire to be home hit him, and all he could picture was himself curled up in his bed with Akamaru. He had grudgingly sent his beloved dog home a few days early, both because Akamaru was about to be sick from fatigue and also to let his family know he was fine, just a little behind schedule. He hadn't felt the same since Aka left. His pet was his best friend, and instilled confidence and calm in his master. Perhaps all of his anger toward Sasuke was really coming from his tiredness and missing his dog.

Clapping Neji on the shoulder, Kiba said his goodbye and began the long walk home. The ache of the road was creeping into every muscle, weighing down every bone. Each step became a challenge, and he had quite a distance to go. Though he thought maybe he should stop and rest, he was sure if he sat down he would never get back up. Besides, the Inuzuka clan was known for their hardiness and he would not disappoint his family now by stopping.

He was about halfway home when Kiba heard something shift to the side of the road. He looked over and there was nothing there. Scratching his head, he was about to begin walking again when there was another shuffle of leaves in the trees behind him. He whipped around and looked up, only to see Sasuke sitting on a branch, glaring down at him.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Kiba was so pissed and was too tired to be putting up with any of Sasuke's attitude.

"Kiba, I thought your dog ears were supposed to have advanced hearing. I've been following you for the past mile to make sure you got home ok and you just notice my presence now? How did you ever become a chuunin, Kiba?" Sasuke gloated, twirling a kunai on his finger.

"Asshole, I became a chuunin because of my skills. I trained hard and earned it—I didn't need my teammates to save me and take me home. I didn't need my teacher to vouch for my abilities…unlike some." Kiba growled low. Sasuke was picking a fight and he knew it. Ever since the other boy had returned, he seemed to be on an unspoken probation by the Hokage. He was never trusted with very dangerous missions and was often even excluded, left to "train his sharingan" in the village. While Kiba could understand the frustration Sasuke might feel at not being trusted, he didn't need the bored jerk picking fights with him. At least not now, when he was just so tired. He also didn't want to look weak in front of Sasuke. He willed the other boy. Please, just leave him alone right now. Please, just let him go home.

Unfortunately, Kiba's response had pushed a button in the Uchiha and he stood up on the branch. Kiba couldn't tell if Sasuke was going to attack or run.

"Baka." Sasuke spit out the insult and disappeared, much to Kiba's relief. Any other time he would have taken that asshole. In reality, Sasuke and Kiba had never fought, never even sparred, and Kiba was interested in pitting his skills against the famed sharingan user. Interested, and scared. He had seen Sasuke when he got angry, and was not sure he and Akamaru could handle it.

Kiba shook off his fear. Not handle Sasuke? What was he thinking? This was the boy he had to go save, for ramen's sake! That was an awful night, when he and Akamaru had almost died. A pain shot through him from the scar where he had stabbed himself, reminding him to stay focused on just getting home.

Just. Have. To get. Home.

Kiba smiled and picked up his pace. Or, he thought he had picked up the pace, but all he could see was the ground speeding toward his face, and then blackness.