Title: Animal Instincts
Meaning: N/A
Pairing: KibaNaru (hinted and actual)
Type: Drabbles
Rating: PG
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Drabble Eight - Word Count: 694
Kiba gave a pained cry and went down. Naruto whipped around in time to see the dog lover fall to his knees, clutching his shoulder, a dark stain spreading from under his hand. Akamaru barked angrily, hackles rising, and leapt at the suddenly scared shinobi. A second jumped in and knocked the dog to the side, tackling him.
Naruto saw red. He could feel his nails grow longer and harder, forming claws. He didn't have to see to know that the scars on his cheeks had become elongated and more whisker-like. The seal was bold against his tanned skin. The shinobi who had wounded Kiba was preparing to deal the killing blow - and everything in the blonde's being screamed PROTECT.
Naruto charged the foolish shinobi, enraged, the pretty forest scenery fading into the background. His palm extended to allow a purple ball of chakra to gather, swirling angrily.
"Rasengan!"
He didn't feel a thing as his palm thrust through the man's stomach, leaving a gaping hole where organs and intestines should have been. The rapid swirling and heat of his chakra cauterized the wound even as it left it, preventing a spray of blood that would have drenched the blonde. He stood over Kiba, eyes bright red and teeth bared, daring any of the remaining three shinobi to venture closer.
Unfortunately for them, they did.
Naruto leapt into action, kunai and claws ready. Leaping and ducking between their attackers, the blonde plunged his kunai into the throat of one, and tearing out the eye of another. Soon enough there was nothing left of the ninja but blood and corpses. Naruto stood over the last body, breathing harshly, his red chakra whipping around him in visible pulses - like the lashing of a tail.
"Nobody hurts what's mine," he growled, voice murderously soft, stepping away form the forming blood puddles distastefully.
Movement from the direction of his wounded mate caused Naruto to snap to attention once more, and he relaxed only when he saw it was just Akamaru checking on Kiba. The dog lover was petting his dog absently, but his eyes were fixed on the blonde. As quickly as it had come, Naruto felt the rage draining out of him, and his features returned to normal.
Kiba let out a short sigh of relief and offered the blonde a tired smile, "You ever considered that as an intimidation technique?"
"Huh?
"The red eyes and tail. Use it more often and you could just frighten enemies into submission."
Naruto laughed shortly, closing the distance between himself and Kiba quickly, though hesitantly. He relaxed more when Kiba didn't immediately move away from him. He kneeled by the dark haired boy and tugged at the sweatshirt. "It only works when I'm feeling worried about someone, or about to die. Get this off, let me check your wound."
Kiba snorted, "You just want me naked." But he reached up to unzip the sweatshirt anyway.
The blonde snorted right back, examining the wound and prodding it gently. When the other boy hissed he immediately recoiled. He did lean in closer, however, to examine it, and, though later he blamed it on heightened Kyuubi instincts, licked it, clearing away the blood. Kiba didn't say anything about it, and Naruto thought maybe Kiba did that to himself when there was no one to help him, because he was a dog and that was what dogs did.
"It looks fine to me. I don't think it'll infect," the blonde said, pulling out some bandages anyway.
"That's good," the taller boy murmured. He let silence reign for a while Naruto bandaged him gently, shooting him a glance from the corner of his eye, "You were worried about me?"
Naruto blushed, but continued his task, "No, moron. I was worried about me. Be glad you're injured or I'd injure you myself. Of course I was worried."
Kiba smiled and relaxed into his mate's touch. He lifted his free hand and tangled his fingers in the soft hair behind Naruto's ears - the boy's biggest weakness - and scratched lightly.
"I worry about you, too," he whispered and brought the blonde boy's head down so their lips met.