It’s been a year since I got to draw this for the Naruto: Way of Friendship zine, but was only allowed to post now because you know, global pandemics tend to slow down production and shipping :D everyone made an awesome job! Thanks for the opportunity mods^^
The latest chapter for the Soulmate Collection came out not at all how I pictured it. Felt a little awkward the whole time I was writing it. That’s what happens when you spend half your time writing for pairings you don’t even ship I guess xD
Like always, under the cut or on AO3.
Pairing: KibaNaruto
Soulmate au: The one where you can choose to take your soulmate’s pain away
“You’re always such a reckless idiot, do you know that?” Kiba growled, anger and worry equally obvious in his voice. Naruto winced, half for the scolding and half for the pain, and did his best to look at least sort of sorry. It was hard when he had a hole through his sternum doing its best to leak out all the blood in his idiotic body before Kurama could heal him.
“Better me than you, ‘ttebayo,” he managed to mumble.
Kiba gave him a flat look before going back to his task of trying to staunch the flow of blood. Sakura was somewhere out of sight. He had called for her a half dozen times already and could only hope that she would show up soon. He was no medic, no matter how much he wished he was at the moment. Naruto coughed, bringing up a thick red froth, and Kiba swallowed harshly.
“Come on, man. You can’t bite it on a stupid mission like this. Just hold on a little longer okay?”
“You didn’t get hurt did you?”
“Are you kidding me?” Kiba shouted. “You jumped in front of that last attack like an idiot. I’ve got a couple of broken ribs maybe but you…you’re such a reckless idiot!”
“You already said that.” Naruto gave him a weak grin, his eyes half lidded and sleepy looking.
Kiba scanned the clearing for any sign of Sakura again. Things were looking worse and worse by the minute and he was starting to think that not even the fox inside his friend would be able to save him this time. Life without this stupid ball of sunshine was not a thought he was willing to entertain. He was in the middle of vowing to himself that he would do whatever it took to keep that from happening when the strangest sense of euphoria came over him, forcing him to stillness.
He fought with the sensation for a moment, struggling to clear his mind. He was distantly aware that something important was happening and that it was rather urgent but the sense of that urgency escaped him. It was like he had become detached from his body, floating in perfect contentedness where pain and worry did not exist.
Though it took a minute or two he finally managed to shake the lassitude away just in time to see Naruto’s eyes sliding shut, a satisfied smile just barely lingering on his lips. Kiba snarled and leaned down over the other teen, pressing his hands to that gaping wound and forcing raw chakra in to him in the hopes that it would help.
“Oh no you don’t,” he growled. “Naruto! What did you do?”
“I thought…I just thought…” Naruto’s voice sounded weak and thready, so unlike himself. “I wished I could take your pain away…you know…?” Kiba stared at him with wide eyes, feeling himself start to tremble. There was no way, right? Naruto sighed, breathing only two more words as he slipped out of consciousness, “Like soulmates…”
Kiba’s heart stuttered in his chest as a scream choked his throat, a half-born noise of terror and rage. Because it was just like Naruto to accidentally find his soulmate while bleeding out from a chest wound and not even really realize it. His chakra flared wildly, waxing and waning as he tried to pour more and more of it into his friend – his soulmate. There was no way he was letting the idiot die here, not when he had just realized they’d been right in front of each other this whole time. Naruto was going to live to get his ass kicked for being so stupid.
So wrapped up in his fear and anxiety and rapidly increasing temper, Kiba never even felt someone approaching until suddenly Sakura was there, kneeling on the opposite side of Naruto’s prone form and pushing his hands away. Her own were already glowing with healing chakra while her voice snapped out rapid instructions for him. He listened instinctively, moved to obey without thought.
“Kiba.”
He looked up to see Sakura staring at him. Only then did he realize that tears were streaming from his eyes, raining down on his shaking hands as he handed over a roll of bandages.
“He’s going to be okay, Kiba,” she said softly.
The bandages fell from his hand, landing softly in her lap and he dropped back on his heels and simply sat there. She gave him a small smile before turning back to her task, seeming as unconcerned by it as a mountain by a breeze.
Kiba scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, fighting with his body to remember how to breathe properly. With Naruto unconscious the pain in his ribs had returned but he couldn’t find it in him to be bothered. The pain was good. It was a sharp contrast to the euphoric state that Naruto’s touch had given him before, a reminder of what he had discovered.
Sakura had said he would be okay and Kiba trusted she was telling him the truth. Naruto would heal as he always did, bounce right back like usual.
Then Kiba was going to shove his head up his own ass for making him worry. Maybe afterwards he would point out that they were soulmates. If he was feeling generous.
