When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 53 -

Kiba was panicking – that much Naruto could tell as he entered the apartment when he heard the Inzuka call out to him. It was the first Friday after their winter break, and the blond was well aware of Kiba's impending date. As he turned the corner to the dog-boy's room, however, he was not prepared for the sight that awaited him.

There stood Kiba, wearing what appeared to be the top-half of a suit. It was a black jacket with a pink shirt, paired with a lime green tie – Naruto thought it looked like a pig vomiting. He held a pair of navy pants in one hand and a pair of pinstriped pants in the other, wearing neither. Below the waist, he wore only some red briefs and black socks, giving him quite a comical appearance. Naruto simply shook his head at the sight.

"What's the matter, Kiba?"

"I need help, Naruto," the Inuzuka said, holding up the two pairs of pants. "Which ones go better with this suit? I thought I had black pants, but I can't find them, and this is the only jacket I have and I don't want to look bad for this first date because she's from the Hyuuga family and they're used to class and..."

"Slow down, there! Where exactly are you two going, anyway?" Naruto said, waving a hand for his roommate's silence.

"Umm... she wanted to go somewhere simple..." Kiba replied, his cheeks coloring slightly.

"Where, Kiba?"

"Ichiraku..." the dog-boy admitted with a sigh.

"You're going to a ramen stand for a date, and you're planning on wearing a suit? Doesn't that seem a bit excessive?" the blond asked, shooting the other teen a skeptical look.

"Well... yeah... but what if this is just a test? Maybe she wants to see whether I'll dress up even if it's just a ramen stand, and if I don't do that then she'll dump me on the spot..."

"Look, Kiba, she's not going to dump you because of something like that. If anything it would be because you blinded her with your shirt there," Naruto said, pointing at the neon pink garment.

Kiba glanced down at his front and frowned. "Too much?"

"Definitely. You might want to pick out some tamer undies, too... just in case she gets the chance to see them..."

The Inuzuka's face turned almost as red as his briefs. "W-what? No! That's not gonna happen! Besides, these are my lucky undies..."

Naruto turned his head to the side to offer his friend some privacy as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "Well, whatever makes you more comfortable, I guess. I'll tell you one thing, she really won't want to go out with you again if you're a sweaty mess tonight."

Stripping off the shirt, Kiba tossed it to the side of the room, where it landed atop a startled Akamaru. "I can't help it! I haven't been this nervous before in my life! There are so many things that could go wrong... what if I say something stupid?"

"Like you almost certainly will," the blond said, scratching the back of his head. "You just have to take your time. Don't respond too quickly – think things through so you don't make any mistakes."

"That's easy for you to say – you're not the one going out on a date. You know what I'm like when I'm nervous... I just keep talking until I've shoved my foot so far into my mouth that it comes out the other end."

"Thanks for that mental image, there," Naruto replied, shuddering. He knew Kiba was right, though: he really did have a tendency to talk too much when he was nervous.

The blond could remember when their landlady had accused them of keeping a dog in the apartment, which was strictly against the rules. Kiba had pretended to hate dogs altogether, saying that they gave him allergies, despite the obvious dog hair clinging to his shirt. Fortunately, Naruto had been there to cover for him, claiming the hair had come from their friend's dog earlier that day.