Thank for the fic! Hah! Shino is going to drag Kiba back? I can totally see Kiba allowing that when it's time to come home, and just allowing him to have that satisfaction. Right up until the whole thing is revealed.
Oops I drabbled? Possible future, most likely not what will happen in fic!canon, but enjoy some feels nevertheless.
Lack of chakra is the firstthing that registers, a slippery, lightheaded sort of vertigo that Kiba's becomeall too familiar with. Practice faking sleep keeps every muscle lax, hisbreathing sleep-deep and steady, but he takes stock before he’s even fullyconscious. Wrists bound, chakra almost nonexistent, no weapons that he can feelexcept the explosive charm Deidara gave him in his ear. His ankles are bound aswell, but even though the bonds are ninja wire they aren’t tight enough to dodamage.
Definitely one of the nicer waysKiba's woken up after being captured, all told.
He takes a careful breath,because lack of chakra doesn’t affect his sense of smell, and—that’s familiar. Desperately familiar, in a way Kiba doesn’tusually allow himself to think about. Subtly, carefully, he tries to wrigglehis fingers and check if the wires have give to them.
Somehow, it’s less thansurprising to find that he can't move them at all.
“You're paralyzed,” anunimpressed voice informs him. “Or mostly so. Why, you ask? Because I have beenpreparing for our encounter since the last time you escaped from me.”
For a long moment, Kiba can't evenmake himself breathe. He lies where Shino must have left him, sprawled on hisside on a particularly lush patch of grass, with Shino's warm leaf-scent in hisnose, and it’s all he can do to just close his eyes, smiling helplessly.
“Shino,” he says, and it comesout rough and warm. There's no flicker of panic in his chest, no surge ofhorror at his friends accidentally putting all of his work at risk. Just—peace,maybe, though it’s been almost six years since Kiba really felt it last.
Akatsuki is disbanded, though,its members scattered or dead. There are plans for the survivors to gather in Konohawhen enough time has passed for Kiba to get them welcomes from Tsunade. He’dplanned to, had already been working on a way to get into the villageunnoticed, but—
He hadn’t thought of this. Hadn’tthought of letting his old teammate drag him home like a prize side of venison.After everything he’s put Shino through, though, if anyone has a right to Kiba'scapture it’s him.
Kiba curls forward as much as hecan with his arms bound and unresponsive behind him, buries his face in thesoft new grass and takes a shaky breath. There's tension he hadn’t even realizedhe was carrying sliding out of him, washing away under a tide of sheer relief,fierce and desperate joy that everything is over.
“Kiba?” Shino asks quietly. There'sa few light steps before sandals enter his field of vision, and Shino crouchesdown in front of him, expression cautious but also faintly worried. He lookslike he did when they were kids, but then, Kiba can see the changes in him,too. they’ve all changed, over the years.
He manages a smile, one hereally means, turns his head enough that Shino can see it too. “Suits you,” hesays roughly. “The bandana. Never got a chance to tell you before.”
Shino pauses like he’s waiting forthe trap to spring, bracing himself for whatever bit of venom Kiba is going tothrow at him next. For the first time in six years, though, Kiba doesn’t have to, and the relief of it isdizzying.
When Kiba doesn’t add anything,just keeps looking at his best friend the way he hasn’t allowed himself inyears, Shino reaches up, carefully runs a hand over his hitai-ate where it’stied over his hair. “The hair used to add to my height,” he admits. “I don’t needit anymore.”
“You sure don’t,” Kiba says, andlaughs a little, closing his eyes again. He wants to keep lying here for alittle while longer, warm with sunlight and joy in equal measure, but he alsowants to go home. Back to Konoha, theway he always promised himself he would.
A calloused hand brushes acrossthe scar bisecting his clan marking, lingering for a moment. “Are you allright?” Shino asks, and there's a thread of concern in it that Kiba doesn’t deserveat all. “The toxin is largely untested. Why, you ask? Because it’s a newspecies I created specifically to stop you.”
Kiba snorts, shifting enough toroll back onto one arm so he can look at up Shino. “A new species, huh? Now I definitelyfeel special. Congrats on the success, though.”
Shino doesn’t answer, justraises one brow at him in a gesture that’s so familiar Kiba kind of wants tocry. He feels his smile falter, closes his eyes again. The darkness makes thetruth come easier, somehow.
“I'm tired,” he admits, and hisvoice cracks. “I'm just—really fucking tired, Shino.”
There's a moment of silence, andthen Shino shifts, sitting on the ground next to him. Not quite touching,but—close. Warm.
“We can stay here for a few morehours,” Shino says, tone as blunt as ever, but Kiba can feel the gaze on him,and it’s not even close to hostile. “But then we need to go home.”
“Home,” Kiba repeats, and itaches somewhere deep in his chest. Not in a bad way, though; more like a musclerelearning what was once a familiar motion. “Yeah, that—home sounds good.”
Shino doesn’t say anything, buthe doesn’t move, and Kiba turns his head, presses his temple against the muscleof Shino's thigh, and lets himself breathe in the scent of warm leaves andfamily.