Naruto One Shots

Cats and Dogs #3 (Kiba Inuzuka)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to rereren ren]

Requested by: Myself

Word Count: 4,200

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:
- [Reader] is a Neko (or as close as I could get with my rushed research and to go with the story line) per request
- Threats of Violence
- Name Calling: Mutt, Dog, Kitty

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I keep my eyes locked on the ground, a mix of emotions rolling around my head; pain still sizzling from Kiba's bite marks, nakedness from the lack of my headband, embarrassment from the collar - and once again, the bite marks - on my neck, and lastly, anger towards Kiba for making me feel all of this and for taking my headband with him. Dumb, stupid, smelly mutt.
Since Kiba still has my headband, I've spent the day trying to haunt him down. For my headband. I want my headband, and that's it. It's the only reason I'm wandering around the Inuzuka clan.
I - and most of my clan - usually avoid their territory for many reasons. Mostly the smell; their stomping grounds always smell like, well, dogs, and wet fur. Another part has to do with our clans' tension with each other. It's not 'war with each other' level but it's definitely 'jumping each other's members' and 'political fighting' level.
It's dumb that I'm here, especially by myself. I'm a cat prancing on the fence of a dog pound, and the dogs are catching wind of my scent. I should have shown up with a plan, I have no clue how to track Kiba down. I can't pick up on his scent, the smell of his clan overwhelming my nose. Unless he stumbles on my path or I ask someone, I'm going to be stuck wandering around.
I glance around the road, looking for someone who is somewhat not threatening looking. Everyone out here is either whispering or shooting me a dirty look so maybe it's not the best group of people to ask. I look around again, my eyes settling on a little pop-up store. That should work, I think.
I quickly scurry around the street, a few snapped jaws and growls shot my way as I pass people. I shove the door open, stumbling into the shop and making sure the door closes behind me. Not much of a line of defense but at least I can be certain no one will snatch me up from behind.
"Hello, welcome into - " the cashier starts, stopping when his eyes land on me. He blinks at me a few times, eyes rolling over my form before snagging on my ears. "What the hell is an Izuno doing on Inuzuka territory?"
"I - uh. I'm... looking for Kiba. Do you happen to know where he is?" I stumble out, my hands jumping up to cup my ears, suddenly feeling self-conscious about them. Maybe I should have taken them off.
"And what might a sneaky cat want with our Delta?"
"What?" I mutter, quickly blinking as I look over the man. Our two clans share a few traits; animalistic noises, collaring on occasion, heightened senses, and animal-based canines.
My clan however has a few things that Inuzuka's don't; Ears, bells, some even sport tails, and of course, elegance, grace, and balance that our dog counterparts don't have. I'm not sure what Inuzukas have that we don't but apparently, they have weird names. Rankings, maybe? Like Captain and such. Why the hell is Kiba called a delta? What the hell is a delta?
"I just... he has something of mine and I need it back," I shortly explain, glancing around the store. There's a stock-boy two aisles in front of me, squatting down, and poking his head around the shelves as he watches this play out. Two verses one; not terrible odds but not the best. I can take on two dogs.
"What might he have that you needed so bad that you're trespassing?" The clerk asks, teeth barred as he inches his way around the counter. He's bigger than the stock-boy; I should focus on taking him down first if it comes to that.
"He has my village headband. I can't go on missions without," I mutter, trying my best not to let my eyes slit; if I don't act like I feel threatened, they'll hopefully not feel threatened. Screw the village rules, screw the jounins for being the only ones allowed on missions without the headbands, and screw the Hokage for leaving my rank at chunin. "If it wasn't important, I wouldn't be trespassing. I just need the headband back and Kiba has it."
"Seems like something a sneak feline would lie about to incriminate our leader's son," the clerk growls, full around the counter now. The stock-boy has started inching forward too, fully out from behind the shelf but still low to the ground. "Do you know why us dogs are superior to you cats?"
"You're not," I hiss before I can stop myself, my eyes winning over and slitting. My vision slightly yellows, picking up every movement from the clerk's moving forward to the dust on the floor shifting because of the step. My canines and fingers ache too, prepared to rip something apart if a fight keeps brewing.
"Agree to disagree," Clerk grumbles, a soft wolf-whistle of agreement coming from the stock-boy. "Us dogs are better than you cats because we have our pack. We don't do anything alone, especially enter enemy territory."
"We're not enemies," I mutter, taking a step back. Would it be better or worse to stumble back onto the street? "Our clans have been in a truce for decades now."
"We all know that's fake," he cackles, taking another step forward. "It's a façade to keep the village leaders out of our business. Us dogs and you cats are still at each other's throats like we've always been. Personally, I haven't torn up an Izuno in a while. Boy," the clerk calls, flicking his eyes toward the stock-boy for a moment. "Have you ever ripped apart a cat?"
"No," the younger boy growls, his eyes glowing a soft green in the dim lighting of the store, causing my hair to feel like it's standing on end. "And - "
" - he's not going to," a voice cuts in, a hand landing on my shoulder. "We're at peace with the Izuno, don't go ruining that peace because you're an old-time racist."
The two men bow their heads a bit, the glow of their eyes snapping off. "Not liking cats doesn't make me a racist," the clerk says when he lifts his head, a glare still locked on me. "Even if the cat is an Izuno. The truce is as fake as the boy's hair color and you know it."
The stock-boy grumbles about his boss calling out his dye job, turning away to go back to work. "I don't think the truce is fake," the guy behind me mutters, moving closer so his arm rests on my shoulder, his hand dangling by my side.
The scent of Kiba envelopes me, tipping off who it is before I tilt my head back. Yep, definitely Kiba. His usual smirk isn't anywhere to be seen, his jaw is locked like I remember it being while he was chewing his way through my skin, his face as hard as stone and his eyes having a flicker of glow to them as he looks at the clerk. Unlike the stock-boy, his eyes glow a hazel color.
"Of course, you don't," the clerk mutters, sliding back behind the counter. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Mom placed an order, I'm here to pick it up."
"Yes, yes. Alph's order is all packed up and in the back for you. Feel free to use the side door," Clerk mutters, waving his hand toward one of the doors, his full attention still on the magazine he's reading.
Kiba nods, dropping his arm down to my hips before pushing me forward. I'm shoved across the store and through the door beside her releases me. "You know," he starts, leaving me be to peek through the different boxed orders. "When I said I would see you again today, I meant it as me running into you around the village. Not as you sneaking around my clan and almost getting yourself into a fight."
"I wasn't sneaking," I huff, rubbing my nose to lessen the smell of the room. It smells overbearingly like bleach.
"Whatever you want to call it, Kitty. Still, you shouldn't have come around alone. You should have asked Lee or Tenten or even Neji to come with. Shino would have been the best, the clan is accustomed to him being around and actually like him, surprisingly."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"So next time you come around you don't almost get bitten. Well, bite by someone other than me of course," Kiba shoots me one of his grins, closing the lid of the box he checked before picking it off the floor. "Come on, Kitten. I'll walk you home after I drop this off to Mom."
"I'm not coming around again and I don't need you to walk me home," I grumble, jumping forward to stand next to him when the door we just walked through opens. I cling to Kiba's arm, trying to ignore the feeling of it flexed from holding the box in his hands.
"Do you mind letting Alpha know I need her order a day early this week? The Mrs and I are going out of the village next week and I haven't trained the new guy on ordering yet."
"Sure," Kiba mutters, his tone rough and slathered in anger again. "Come on, Kitty," he grumbles, shifting his hips to push into mine. I reluctantly let go of his arm, scurrying forward to open the only other door for him.
Once we're out of the street, alone in the alleyway of the building, the anger leaves Kiba and he relaxes a bit. "Scaredy Cat," he teases, gently bumping into me before he heads down the alley.
"I'm not a scaredy cat," I scold, staying close to him when he leads me out of the alley and the safety blanket of darkness it offers.
"Ya? Why'd you grip my arm so hard then?"
"I was worried your wimpy arms were going to give out," I hiss, accidentally bumping into him, my attention focused on his clan members who are whispering and staring at us. The accidental bump paints a grin on his face again. "I have a question."
"I have a question too. A question for a question?" He chuckles, the sound cutting short when a member walks a little too close for my liking. Kiba notices right away, jaw locked as he stares down the teenager until he gives us some space. "Ask your question first."
"Why did the clerk call you a delta and your mom alpha?"
"They're a sort of pack ranking thing. My mom is the chief so she's alpha, my sister is her right hand so she's the beta, and I'm ranked after that so I'm a delta. Everyone else in the clan is called an omega."
"Like the writing thing?"
Kiba lets out an annoyed sigh, glancing at me for a moment before looking ahead again. "Ya, like the writing thing," he grumbles, shifting the box in his hands. "My turn," he adds, his smile back on his face. "Are the rumors about my dick great enough for you to walk into a wolf's den for it?"
He really knows how to burn through his brownie points and then some. "One, I came for my headband. Two, all the rumors about your dick start with 'five seconds' and 'three inches'. Three, you are descendants of dogs, not wolves."
"One, I forgot I had your headband. I meant to give it back before I left. Two, I can last for about fifteen minutes and go for quite a few rounds. Plus, my dick is nine inches. Just measured it this morning and everything. Three, dogs descended from wolves, so technically I did too," he teases, making sure to add in his penis brags.
"Of course, you're obsessed with your dick."
"Obsessed with putting it in you, ya," Kiba answers instantly, with no shame and not even a hint of teasing in his sentence.
"What?"
"You heard me."