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Kiba wandered across the market, Akamaru at his side, sniffing curiously.
“Now remember,” his mother had said, tugging at his ear to make sure she had his attention, “you’re still young and it can be overwhelming when you first find your mate especially. You may not even find her for years yet, but if you do. . . Control yourself.”
“Yes, Mom.” Kiba had agreed, still a little tingly from the removal of the seal that had blocked that part of his senses and any recognition.
Few clans used it, but with their stronger senses and animal nature, early recognitions had caused problems for too many Inuzuka in the past.
“At least we know she’s in the village.” Kiba said, scritching Akamaru’s head and drawing a deeper breath. There was something sweet and special and he probably knew her but the scent was all different with the new dimension to it and he didn’t know who she was, couldn’t place the familiar beneath the new.
She had been all over the market, too much to track, and too long ago for the scent to be very strong.
Kiba continued his largely aimless wandering, crossing paths with both of his teammates, though neither lingered for more than a few minutes. He found nothing but those same traces of his mate’s scent as he crossed and recrossed the village centre, and eventually headed out to the training grounds, thinking perhaps some exercise would clear his head, at least.
He froze, eyes wide. He breathed in deeply, fingers tightening in Akamaru’s fur. Akamaru whined as he began to pull, and Kiba stroked him apologetically. “Sorry, sorry, it- Mate.” he breathed, then burst into a run, tracking the heavenly scent right to its source.
First simply a scent - if he could say simply for such a wonderful, enchanting scent - as he grew closer the knowledge of his mate wound around every sense. Kiba kept moving until he was right at her side, pressing his nose to her shoulder and whining softly, deep in his throat, delight at finding her rising in his chest and-
“What the hell!” Kiba only sort of caught the shriek, his nose stinging and his head spinning from being knocked on his tail in the dirt, sent tumbling. Akamaru nosed at him, whining, and Kiba used his partner to help himself right way up, staring at his lovely mate.
“Sakura.” Kiba said thoughtlessly, scrambling to his feet.
“Yes?” Sakura replied shortly, scowling, eyes narrow and fixed on his face.
“Sakura!” Kiba said again, then tried to gather his brain together and remember what his mother had told him about how to handle this. It was hard to think with her sweet, strong scent in his nose and every pulse of his blood in his body demanding he go to her and claim her and protect her and never let her go. “You’re my-”
He broke off as his view of his mate was blocked by flak jacket green and- and another male in his path. Kiba barked angrily, looking up, and met a flat grey gaze. He barked again, shifting to one side to try and see Sakura behind Kakashi, coming nearer only to hear a low growl build in Kakashi’s throat. Kiba froze, eyes wide, as it built into a loud snarl that cut through even his distraction, and ducked his head.
Sakura’s scent, his mate’s scent was still thick in his nose, though, and something deep in his chest sparked angrily at another male blocking him from her, and worse, trying to warn him off her. “Sakura is my mate!” he barked, drawing himself up tall and looking up at Kakashi, matching his glare. Akamaru nipped his thigh but Kiba pushed at his partner’s head, ignoring him and his warning.
Kiba found himself on his ass in the dirt again a moment later. “Idiot puppy.” Kakashi growled.
“’m not a puppy!” Kiba snapped, scrambling to get up again.
“Really?” Kakashi said, tilting his head slowly, eye fixed on Kiba, who stilled, remaining where he was on the ground, something deep in the back of his brain shivering with a cold sensation that wasn’t quite memory, demanding he stay low and still. “A grown dog knows better than to press himself on someone who has not invited it, unless he’s a brainless mutt, worthy of nothing but being turned away and blocked out. A puppy that forgets his manners gets reminded. A dog. . .”
I am so a puppy, Kiba thought with a nauseating flutter of his stomach. “I- Erm. . .”
Sakura stepped around Kakashi, brushing his arm, and he held it out for her to tuck against his side. She leaned there, eyeing Kiba and snuggling into Kakashi’s body, then shook her head. Kiba whimpered as they walked away together, and Akamaru whined and licked his face comfortingly.
Kiba wrapped his arms around Akamaru’s shoulders. “I should have known better.” he agreed. “That was dumb.”
Sakura’s scent was still warm and tempting in his nose, and it called to him, but the swats and the . . . terrifying reminder of his place as he was dumped on his ass, twice, had finally cleared his head. He had . . . reacted very poorly, and it was no wonder his mate had withdrawn without acknowledging him, he thought, though he whined miserably at the thought. He had hardly shown himself worthy of better.
He sat there cuddling into Akamaru for a while longer before he finally got up to head home and face telling his mother what he’d done.
Kiba followed his nose to find his mate once more, but this time he was careful not to lose control as the wonderful scent filled his senses. He approached slowly, keeping his posture open and non-aggressive.
“Ah. . . Sakura?” Kiba said hopefully as he drew nearer to where his mate was perched atop the fence surrounding one of the wilder training grounds, feet propped on the beam before her and a book propped on her bent knees.
Sakura looked up.
“Have you any business here?”
Kiba jumped; he hadn’t seen, heard, or scented Kakashi before he spoke. He cringed. “I- I’m here to apologise.” he said, head low, swallowing a whine.
Kakashi huffed.
“Sensei. . .” Sakura whined poutily, and Kakashi’s posture softened as he turned and moved to her side. Kiba curled in on himself and forced himself not to react. It wasn’t his place and he knew it, had known it even before the first time he approached his mate, he had just . . . not quite been able to help himself. “Let Kiba-kun talk. It’s fine.” Sakura leaned into Kakashi’s side without sliding off the fence, resting her cheek on his shoulder, and Kiba sank a little lower, sorrowfully.
Kakashi huffed and nosed her hair indulgently. “As you wish, pup.” He turned to look at Kiba. “As her jounin-sensei, I’m telling you that harassing my student is unacceptable.”
Kiba nodded hurriedly.
“As a Hatake,” Kakashi said, his eye glinting, “I’m telling you that if you do or try anything my pup disapproves of, and she doesn’t smash you for it, I will remove your trachea with my teeth.”
He grinned behind his mask, eye ice cold, and Kiba was hard-pressed not to drop to the dirt entirely on his own as he shuddered, eyes wide.
“Sensei!” Sakura whined again, careless and pouty, tugging at Kakashi’s flak jacket. “Go away!”
Kakashi dipped his head and nudged his nose against her brow once more, then leapt up onto the fence she sat atop and sauntered away behind her, tucking his hands in his pockets.
It took Kiba several minutes after he was out of earshot even to move again.
“Kiba-kun?” Sakura called, her voice soft, and that Kiba couldn’t have ignored even if Kakashi had still been here as well, glaring at him.
He pulled himself up a bit and moved closer, though he kept his head low, slinking. “I am deeply ashamed of myself for being so- so rude.” he said, mouth twisting. “I was . . . overcome but there is no excuse for ignoring your boundaries and your wishes. My mother was furious.” he added more quietly, huffing. Hana had also reminded him what an idiot he had been, and been disappointed in him, knowing that he knew better, was better than that.
Sakura hummed low in her throat, cocking her head to one side, inspecting him.
Kiba remained carefully still. He winced when Akamaru did not, moving closer to Sakura himself, and growled softly, trying to call his partner back. Akamaru ignored him, snuffling along Sakura’s thigh.
“You’re my soulmate.” Sakura said even as she offered her hand to Akamaru, scratching under his jaw when he leaned closer. Kiba’s heart leapt at her words, though he knew that was no promise, barely even an acknowledgement, plenty of people rejected their soulmates or didn’t suit each other or. . . “I’m not rejecting you, Kiba.” she said softly, her lips curving and her bright eyes sparkling. He watched her, still holding back, breath catching. “Don’t try to bark or growl at my sensei again.” she scowled suddenly, bright eyes narrowed and briefly just as cold as Kakashi’s had been.
“I won’t.” Kiba promised immediately. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your, erm. . .”
Sakura tilted her head, grinning. “He’s my Kakashi-sensei.” she said simply, and turned to face Kiba, putting her book on the post beside her and letting her legs drop down as Akamaru moved out of her way. She beckoned, and Kiba couldn’t have held back if he wanted to, not when his mate invited, wanted him closer.
He did hold back from what he wished he could do when he reached her, though he breathed in deeply, savouring the sweetness of her scent thick around him.
Sakura slid off the fence, her body almost dragging against his chest along the way, and Kiba twitched. Sakura rubbed their noses together and hummed. “You’re my soulmate. We’ve known each other for years, and I want to get to know you better now, but Kiba . . . I’m happy to have you.”
Kiba shivered happily, nudging hopefully a little nearer with a soft whine and grinning when Sakura laughed at him, light and pleased. Sakura tugged at him by one shoulder, bringing him in closer and meeting him with a soft, fleeting kiss that made his toes curl as he wrapped his arms around her. He was careful not to cling too tight, to squeeze her to himself the way he really wanted to, but he held on anyway.
Sakura laughed again, leaning back a little in his arms, and then pushed at his shoulders. “Kiba. . .”
Kiba swallowed and released her hurriedly, pressing his hands against his sides, focusing absently on the feel of the fabric under his palms to distract himself.
“You can be close,” Sakura said, stepping closer again herself even as she turned away, looking back over her shoulder at him, “just talk to me . . . and listen to me.” She trailed her fingers lightly along the front of his jacket, then smiled as she dropped her hand and turned her back, collecting her book from the fencepost and starting to walk away. Kiba watched her go longingly but with more hope now, at least.
“Coming?” Sakura asked after she had taken a few steps, and Kiba bolted after her eagerly, coming up tentatively to walk at her left side.
Sakura wound their arms together, her body a warm and solid pressure along his side, and Kiba whined happily, clasping her hand in his as Akamaru caught up at his other side.