I do not own Naruto.
Promposal Please
Naruto knelt down dramatically on his knee in front of the big crowd that had slowly gathered. Love Story by Taylor Swift was being blasted over the speakers in the quad. Girls were gasping in excitement while boys kept their smirks, trying to look cool and unphased.
He was holding onto a mic, singing horribly to the lyrics. He had been following them accurately the entire time until he reached the last verse.
"Be my date, Hinata, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your friends, go pick out a nice dress
It's a prom story, baby just say yes!"
The crowd had erupted in applause, eagerly waiting for her to reply. Hinata had turned a furious shade of red with her hands covering her mouth from shock. She had remained in the same position as soon as he began singing. The more reserved, shy girl wasn't one to indulge in PDA.
"You think she's going to faint?" Sakura giggled to Tamaki.
Sakura's comment caused Tamaki to snap out of her daydream. She had been so absorbed into Naruto's promposal that she forgot she was still with her friends.
"God, could he get any stupider?" Ino groaned.
"Oh come on Ino-pig," Sakura frowned. "You're just jealous that Shikamaru's wasn't as public."
"Please," she rolled her eyes. "Although it wasn't extravagant, it was very classy. I still have the flowers sitting on my bedside table."
"And the earrings?" Tamaki raised her eyebrow.
The earrings that Shikamaru had gifted her when he had asked her to prom glitzed in the light. To be honest, Tamaki thought they looked a little too expensive to be from a high school student.
Ino raised her nose as if she were better than her friends. "They're not completely up to my standards, but they'll have to do until he's working and capable of supporting my lifestyle."
Tamaki rolled her eyes and reverted her attention back to the main act.
Hinata had somehow managed to say yes, and Naruto swooped her up in his arms. Everybody that had been watching the promposal were cheering loudly and taking pictures of the cute little scene.
Naruto and Hinata were probably the cutest couple at school. The two had been dating since freshman year and were rumored to be the next Prom King and Queen.
And if they were the cutest, Sakura and Sasuke were probably the hottest. Sakura was co-captain for the cheerleading squad while Sasuke had been quarterback for the football team, captain of the basketball team, and co-captain of the baseball team. They looked absolutely flawless together and had won Homecoming King and Queen without any real competition.
Tamaki couldn't help but feel disappointed as she took in the sight of Hinata and Naruto, hand-in-hand, walking back towards their friends. Where the hell was her love story? Seriously, Taylor Swift?
Even Shikamaru and Ino were perfect together. She chewed him out every now and then, but everybody on campus feared them. He was an absolute genius and Ino was the devil in disguise. How did Tamaki manage to be friends with the most popular couples in high school?
She groaned as she hit her head against the wall. Not to be dramatic, but was she going to die alone?
It was senior year. Everybody was preparing for prom season and slowly waiting for their college acceptance letters. She would be heading out to college without a single trace of romance in her life.
The closest thing she had was that time junior year when she was stupid and kissed Suigetsu at one of the football games. It ended horribly with her friends finding out and threatening to beat him up. Apparently the kid was known for getting around.
"What's wrong with her?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow.
"Probably worried about not getting a date for prom," Ino shrugged.
"Ino!" Sakura hissed at her best friend.
Tamaki heard their comments and dwelled in their pity. She allowed her back to rest against the wall as she slowly slid down into a crouching position.
"Why is my life so sad," she whispered. "I'm going to die alone. I'm going to have to go to college, and I won't know how to date, so I'll spend the rest of my years studying and working until I die with 20 cats."
"Uh…" Even Naruto remained speechless.
"Come on," Shikamaru grabbed him by the collar and started walking away. "This is a girl thing. Let's give them some space."
"Hn," Sasuke looked over at Sakura. "See you later?"
She nodded, "I'll see you after class."
"Girl, come on," Ino pulled Tamaki up by the arm. "Why are you suddenly wallowing in depression?"
"Because!" She huffed. "You guys all have cute boyfriends and you all have dates. You can't blame me for being a teeny tiny bit sad after watching that bomb ass promposal?"
"It wasn't that great," Hinata blushed.
Sakura chose not to comment on it, knowing very well that it was a quite extraordinary gesture. "You still have plenty of time to get a date. Prom's like, a month away."
"Yeah, maybe dog boy will come around," Ino teased.
Tamaki glared at her. "I'm going to snap your neck."
Before Ino could respond, the bell rang loudly, signaling the end of lunch. Students began scrambling towards their lockers and classes before the 5-minute passing period ended.
"We're talking about this later," Sakura chimed in. She grabbed Ino by the arm and dragged her away before she could do anymore damage.
"Please, please don't say anything," Tamaki pleaded towards Hinata as they began walking towards anatomy together.
"I really don't think you should be worrying," Hinata smiled encouragingly. "You still have time to get a date. I'm sure somebody will ask you."
"Yeah," she sighed. "But I can't help but feel a little jealous. Sometimes I just wish I had a special someone, you know?"
"Tamaki, trust me. Everything will fall into place eventually."
The two walked into the classroom and towards the back, splitting up as Hinata sat next to her lab partner. Tamaki braced herself as she sat down next to the cutest boy she knew.
"Yo," Kiba grinned at her. "Did you see the show during lunch?"
"Yeah," she laid out her notebooks and supplies. She didn't dare make eye contact with him. For some odd reason, her recent encounters with Kiba felt much more embarrassing than they actually were. She couldn't help but rethink everything she did in front of the boy.
In middle school, Tamaki had the biggest crush on Sasuke. However, as the years went by, she realized he was more of just a pretty face. His personality honestly stunk; no offense to him or Sakura, she was still good friends with him, it just would've never worked out.
Then, Kiba went through puberty the summer before high school. He grew taller, definitely filled out his t-shirts with ripping muscles, and his sense of humor matured. He was still a loud idiot like Naruto sometimes, but in Tamaki's eyes, he was just fucking cute.
She didn't realize her feelings for him until the beginning of junior year. The football team had a crazy Homecoming win and everybody in the bleachers had poured onto the field. Tamaki was running through the muddy grass, sheer happiness for her friends and from the moment. Everybody was hugging each other and congratulating the players; confetti was still flying through the cold air.
For some odd reason, the first person she reached was Kiba. He had turned around after hugging Naruto and Choji tightly. As soon as they made eye contact, she ran towards him, screaming with glee. He didn't even hesitate when he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up above him.
There was a moment where the crazy environment surrounding them no longer mattered. Kiba looked up at Tamaki, his eyes growing wide when he realized what he had done. Tamaki looked down at him. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. The tattoos on his tan face made him look exotic and his oddly sharp canines really appealed to her, but it was the look in his eyes that stole her heart.
He was sweaty and slightly covered in mud from the game. Tamaki's hair was frizzy from the rain and there was paint smeared on her cheeks in support of the school team. Neither of them were exactly at their best, but Tamaki couldn't believe the feeling that was growing in her chest.
Slowly, he let her back down on her feet. They were both breathless, unsure of what to say.
"Uh…" he grinned sheepishly, still looking deep into her eyes.
"Congrats," she spoke softly. She couldn't stop herself from smiling up at him.
The two continued their moment before Lee came running in, spilling Gatorade on everybody as he passed.
Tamaki couldn't help but replay that moment in her head every now and then. Since then, her feelings for him grew.
Kiba was pretty hot, but the fact that they had been friends so long really supported her decision. She knew that he was a good person; a really, really good person. Everybody in their little circle was a good person, no doubt about that.
But Kiba really did have a warm heart. He was so caring, and was an extremely motivated individual. He had a great sense of humor, always making her laugh.
Everything checked him as the perfect boy, but even though there had been several instances where she was unsure if he had feelings for her, she remembered how close the end was.
She'd been harboring feelings for him for the longest time, and he never spoke once to her about possibly liking her. Sure, he hadn't dated other girls, but that just wasn't enough.
In less than two months, they'd be graduating and heading their separate ways. Tamaki had been preparing for the moment where she'd have to say goodbye to her friends, and even more for the day she'd have to let go of her feelings.
"Alright guys, turn in your homework."
Tamaki snapped out of her thoughts for the second time that day. Iruka was walking in front of the class, patiently retrieving assignments from each row.
She sighed as she passed her assignment to the person in front her. Kiba glanced at her curiously, but she didn't seem to notice.
"This is going to be our last time doing this, EVER." Ino wailed loudly.
"Can you be any more dramatic?" Sakura rolled her eyes, her hands were busy putting bobby pins in Tamaki's hair.
"You know, you could always do this college," Tamaki suggested.
"But it won't be the same!" the blonde huffed as she sat down dejectedly onto the bench. The girls were all in the locker room, prepping for their last real performance as a cheer team.
Ino and Sakura were both co-captains of the team, and had been since their sophomore year. Somehow, they had managed to scare everybody with their skill and expertise to allow them spots on the varsity team during their freshman year. The feat was unheard of and honestly bizarre to the history of the school.
Since it was their last year in high school, the two queens of Konoha High had somehow convinced Tamaki and Hinata to join. Unfortunately, they realized it wasn't the best idea for Hinata when she fainted at their first performance.
Tamaki had stuck with the decision. Although it wasn't exactly her ideal hobby, she had come to really appreciate the memories she received from it.
Getting to show off in a short skirt in front of Kiba was a pretty nice benefit, too.
"Come on girls," Sakura grinned. She looked confidently in the full size mirror. "If this is going to be our last performance, we should make the most of it and go out with a bang."
"With Ino's choreography, pretty sure we will be…" Tamaki said under her breath.
Ino didn't catch the negative tone and raised her nose in the air. "I don't know how this school is going to survive without me. Those stupid juniors have no idea how to put on a show."
The three stood in front of the mirror. They all understood each other and remained silent, reveling in the moment. With their last semester in high school, it seemed like these moments were growing to be more frequent.
"Ladies! People are entering the gym now. Get in place!" Kurenai called into the locker room.
"Coming!"
The bleachers inside the gym were packed with students and faculty. It was one week before Prom and everybody was excited. Not because the major event was so close, but also because it was the Spring Rally. Spring Rally was the last rally of the school year and was always chock full of tears.
The last school get together was the ultimate moment for the performing teams to do their last routines, and more importantly, to say goodbye to the seniors.
The cheerleading squad walked around the back, where the entire senior class was waiting for their big entrance. Students were carrying balloons, noisemakers, and any kind of obnoxious item they could think of to bring in with the stampede.
"Hey ladies," Kiba grinned at the girls. He was shirtless and holding an inflatable pool donut. A giant O was painted on his torso with red paint.
The younger girls on the squad blushed and giggled. It wasn't too often they got to speak to a senior, let alone, one of the most popular guys in school.
"This sure brings back memories," Ino smirked. "I thought you guys were done with the paint after that whole debacle freshman year."
"Being suspended was totally worth it!" Naruto butted in. He was shirtless as well, but his torso had a giant red K.
"Please tell me you guys won't get in trouble for this," Sakura frowned. "College decisions come out next week and I don't want to hear anything about you guys getting rescinded."
"Nah, don't worry!" Naruto grinned. "I warned Iruka ahead of time so he could slip in a word to Tsunade. They're gonna pretend to be angry to set an example to the other classes, but nothing'll happen."
Tamaki laughed as she crossed her arms. The boys were kicked out for doing the same thing during the Homecoming rally their first year. Her eyes lingered to Kiba. She forgot how sculpted his abs were.
Kiba sensed her wandering eyes and purposely flexed his muscles.
"You like what you see?" he teased.
"Yeah, right," Tamaki scoffed. She tried her best to hide her blush, but was failing horribly.
Kiba laughed loudly, gaining even more attention from the rest of the cheerleaders.
Sakura noticed the looks they were giving Kiba and Naruto and shooed them away.
"We'll see you guys in there!"
Ino and Sakura followed the rest of the squad to the smaller entrance. The girls chattered amongst themselves as they heard the rally begin. The screaming that emitted from the gym was massive.
The school principle, Tsunade, gave her introductions before handing the microphone to Shikamaru. He was Vice President of the Senior Class (thanks to Naruto's constant nagging) and would be introducing the Seniors for their final walk in.
"Uh… Normally our Class President, Naruto should be doing this… but he's being a pain in my neck and wanted to run in himself. So he's making me do this."
"HEY!"
"God, this is such a drag. Well, here we go guys. It's been a great, troublesome 4 years."
The lights shut off and everybody began hushing each other.
"I present to you, Konoha's graduating class of 2017!"
Move Bitch Get Out Da Way by Ludacris began blasting over the speakers. Tsunade and other faculty members looked like they were about to pop a blood vessel. This was NOT the song they had agreed to.
Hundreds of seniors began swarming in. Black lights were strobing and they formed a massive clump in the middle of the gym floor, screaming along to the lyrics. Freshmen looked horrified at the mini rave, while Sophomores and Juniors were laughing and cheering on the teenagers.
"Cut that vulgar music right now!" Tsunade screamed to other teachers as they scrambled hastily to the audio room.
"God, I don't get paid enough for this…"
"Oh my god," Ino laughed loudly. "How the hell did Naruto pull this off?"
"I think he said something about paying the AV geeks," Sakura laughed with her.
Eventually, the lights turned back on and one of the teachers was able to turn off the music. Teachers escorted the seniors back to their respective section on the bleachers, and the rally continued.
"Well, now that, that's over, and everything's APPROPRIATE again," Tsunade glared at Naruto. He grinned sheepishly, ruffling the hair on the back of his head. "We can continue with the rally."
"Shit," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath.
"She's never seen Ino's new choreography, has she?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Nope," Kiba smirked to Naruto who responded back with a thumbs up.
"Please welcome, your Konoha varsity cheer squad!"
The girls entered in from the back door, smiles wide. The crowd settled down as the girls got into formation. Ino looked over at Naruto and gave the thumbs up for him to signal music.
When the music began, all hell broke loose. The routine had the usual spectacular lifts and flips, but the choreography this time was much more sexual and filled with slaps and body rolls. The crowd cheered and whistled at the mature dance moves. It didn't help that their usual cheer uniforms were replaced with thigh high socks, tennis skirts, and sleeveless crop tops. Each girl had decorated her top to have a glittery number on the back, with their name underneath.
Teachers appeared uncomfortable, and Tsunade, yet again, tried to find a way to turn off the music.
Fortunately, the routine was short enough that they were able to complete it without having any interruptions. The crowd erupted in applause. The girls laughed as they waved and separated to their respective classes.
Tamaki stole an open seat between Hinata and Kiba. Tsunade returned back in the middle, this time to announce the marching band.
"So, 12 huh?" Kiba smirked at her.
"Don't even start," Tamaki rolled her eyes. "And for the record, it's my birthday."
"Yeah, but it's also been my jersey number every single season, for the past four years." He pointed at himself with his thumb. "You know, if you wanted to match with me so badly, you should've at least asked first."
Tamaki glanced at him, then smiled coyly. "You know, you should be real grateful. I was actually going to be 22 since Karin wanted 12 so badly."
Kiba's face immediately turned to disgust.
"You're welcome."
"Yeah, whatever," Kiba grumbled.
They watched as the marching band changed formation to do a cover of Beat It by Michael Jackson.
"So, we still on for Sunday?"
"Huh?" Tamaki was too absorbed by the spit that was flying out of the brass instruments.
"Studying? You said you needed help with anatomy."
"Yeah, library right?" Tamaki turned towards him. "You can't make it anymore?"
"No, no, just wanted to make sure." His eyes shifted back towards the band.
"If you flake on me, I'm going to kill you," her eyes held a threatening look. "That's the only class I'm failing in."
"I said I got you, didn't I?" he flashed his fangs at her with a grin.
She eyed him questioningly.
"Aw, don't look at me like that," he reached around and rested his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer. "You know you can count on me."
Tamaki was surprised at the gesture. They were sitting in the front of the senior class, amidst all the other popular couples. She could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest. For some odd reason, she couldn't really pick up what he meant. Every now and then he would do something small like this to get her hopes up. It was almost as if his words meant so much more.
She decided it was best not to question him, especially when he didn't move his arm away.
Tamaki's head hit her textbook with a loud thud.
Kiba tore his sight away from his laptop to see her laying on her pile of notes and textbooks. Her hand was still gripping her pencil. It had left a trail of scribbles from the sentence she was in the middle of writing.
Raising an eyebrow, he waited to see how long she would stay in that position. After what seemed like a very heavy minute, he sighed and dropped his pencil to rest his chin on his hand.
"You dead?"
"I will be. Watch me get accepted to college, and then have it get taken away from me for failing this stupid class."
"Pretty sure you're overreacting. You sound like Ino," he snorted.
Tamaki's head shot up, her hair slightly covering her face with a rabid look.
"If I was smart like Ino, I wouldn't have taken this class! I would've taken some dumb elective like home economics or be a TA."
The librarian popped her head out from a corner to shush the two. Kiba nodded his head towards her way before turning back to the delusional girl in front of him.
"The study guide isn't that bad? You're already on number 23."
"Yeah, and you're almost done," she whined. "For every question I do, you finish three. You're supposed to be the one struggling, not me."
Kiba rolled his eyes, not even slightly affected by her insult. Sure, he and Naruto were known as the loud idiots, but there were definitely things they excelled in. Surprisingly, he was always the top of the class with Sakura when it came to science. If he really was going to be a vet, he needed to understand this stuff early before it got too deep.
"You think you'd be nicer to me since I'm the one helping you."
Tamaki frowned and didn't answer. Instead, she thought it was best to resume her previous position and allowed gravity to take hold of her head. The thud this time sounded worse when her forehead fell onto the hard cover of the textbook.
Kiba's eyes remained fixated on her. Making up his mind, he began picking up his supplies and packing them away into his old, grey backpack. When he started zipping it up, Tamaki finally raised her head to look at him.
"You're leaving?"
He started picking up her things to shove into her purse.
"Nope, we're leaving."
"Eh?" Tamaki sat up straight in her chair. The perplexed look stayed on her face as he began tapping her notes into a stack before placing it hazardously into her bag. "I thought you said you were going to help me study."
After cleaning up, he threw on his backpack and shouldered her purse.
"Oh, I'm helping you all right," he offered his hand. "Come on, we're going on a break."
She looked into his eyes, unable to read his true intention. She already lost all will to study and be productive, so she took his hand and allowed him to lead her out towards the parking lot.
Tamaki woke up when the constant motion of the vehicle ceased. She rubbed the blurriness out of her eyes as Kiba exited the car the car without even glancing at her.
She frowned and quickly followed him. As soon as she slammed the door to the car shut, the sounds of waves crashing made her gasp.
They were at the beach. The sun was about to set and many of the families had already left. The sky bled orange and pink, a beautiful contrast to the blue sea.
"You coming?"
Tamaki looked up to see Kiba. He was carrying his sneakers and had his jeans already rolled up. She grinned and kicked off her sandals, swooping them up as she ran past him. He smirked as he watched her run all the way towards the shoreline, kicking up sand the entire way.
He sat down close by, stretching his legs forward to allow the waves to kiss his feet. She ran back and forth, splashing the water and jumping over waves. Her feet left a trail as she went, erased by the ebbing waters.
Finally paying attention to the boy, she grinned as she jogged breathless towards him.
"I can't believe you," she laughed. "Why did you take me here?"
He looked at her, squinting from the sunshine that was blaring out behind her.
"You needed a break," he shrugged.
She tried to catch her breath, and settled with sitting down next to him.
"Aren't we pretty far? That drive must've been over an hour."
She saw him shrug, but kept facing out towards the sea. He remained quiet when the sun set further down, no longer in sight but the red hues remained where the sky met the sea. They sat in silence and allowed the waves to crawl further up their legs.
"I heard you got into KU."
Tamaki's mouth felt dry, her head slowly turning towards him. She stared wide-eyed at him and opened her mouth to speak but wasn't able to form words.
He glanced sideways at her and smirked.
"Who told you that?" her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Nobody."
She thought long and hard at his discovery. Tamaki had just received the notification through the online portal that morning, and it wasn't like everybody had received the news yet. It seemed in recent years, the university released decisions based on what college you were in. As one of the only people in her friend group to have applied for the business program, she had gotten lucky to see her acceptance so early.
"Sasuke told you?"
Sasuke was the only other person who registered for the business school. When she saw the homepage for her portal change from black and white to red and gold with large cursive font, she knew the good news immediately. She texted Sasuke a simple question mark, and he replied back immediately with "Yeah."
"Nah, Sakura told me Sasuke got his acceptance. I knew without a doubt that you did, too."
Her eyes softened at his sweet remark. Tamaki was nowhere near as smart as Sasuke, yet Kiba was so sure of her abilities to get into KU. She had worked tirelessly throughout the years to catch up to her friends and it somehow paid off in the end.
He yawned and stretched his arms, allowing them to fold behind his head as he laid down on the sand. The waves were creeping even higher to their thighs now, but the two welcomed the comfort of the foamy water.
"Yep, looks like we'll still be going to the same school for the next 4 years."
Everything blanked out, even Tamaki's heart.
The smallest feeling began growing in her stomach, and she recognized the hope that led her to cling onto him even more. Kiba allowed his statement to settle in, trying to keep his smile from getting too wide.
Before Tamaki could speak, a large wave washed up towards to their chest. The sudden coldness woke her up from her reverie.
They stared at each other wide eyed before Tamaki began laughing loudly.
"Oh, my god," she laughed. "You're kidding, right?"
Kiba seemed hesitant. He knew she'd be happy but her reaction was slightly questionable. When Tamaki finally stopped her fit, she looked up to see that his eyes were dead serious.
"Wait… What?" her mouth slightly agape. "You got into KU too?"
"Did you have that little faith in me?" he raised an eyebrow.
"No, but," she hesitated. "Sasuke told me that we were the only school that got their notifications today. We should be the first."
"Technically, yeah."
Tamaki sensed there was something behind his tone, like he was hiding something, and gave him a look. To her annoyance, he just smirked in response so she slapped his shoulder.
"So you didn't get into KU then, you're just making assumptions."
"Oh no, I definitely got in."
"Kiba!" She yelled and punched his arm. She was quite weak compared to him so the action didn't even sting.
He grinned at her, "I'm telling you, I got in!"
"You just agreed with me! Business students get their decisions first."
"Yeah, for regular admission," he shrugged. "Me and Sakura got our early admission in February. We've known for months."
Tamaki gaped at him.
"What?" she hissed. "You two have known for months? I didn't even know early admission existed. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
He ruffled his hair, looking down slightly. "We agreed to keep it a secret. Just thought it'd be better to wait for everybody, ya' know?
"I mean, I'm sure Sakura told Sasuke. But we knew it'd be kind of weird if we talked about our acceptances. Telling your friends you got into their dream school, through the fucking early honors program, can be a bit nerve wracking for them."
Tamaki bit her lip, knowing very well that she was one of them. Her finger traced the sand between them, creating swirly patterns.
"You mad?" he frowned. He assumed she would've been happy at the news, and was even hoping she'd be excited.
"No, I'm not mad…" her voice trailed off. She was still trying to process the idea that she'd get the chance to be with him for another four years. She had been mentally preparing for graduation and the upcoming summer. Preparing for the bittersweet goodbyes and the tears that she wouldn't be able to hold in, because while she knew she would have to be separated from some of her friends, the thought of losing her (maybe) first love hurt so much more.
She couldn't help but feel scared as well. They said that people changed a lot when they went to college. Would she have to see him change, too?
He reached over her shoulder, waking her from her thoughts. She looked up at him in surprise as he leaned in.
"Why do you seem so upset?"
This was it.
This was her chance to finally confront him.
All the little gestures and moments they shared would at last make sense. She wouldn't need to go another four years of wondering how he felt.
"I'm not."
Ok, so maybe closure wasn't part of her plan. Tamaki immediately felt the regret that was filling her chest. The prospect of getting turned down seemed much worse than going a measly couple of years with uncertainty.
Plus, what would happen to their friendship?
She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Imagine if he got the word out that she had feelings for him. He'd tease her forever and never let her live it down. It wasn't like his confidence needed to be boosted anymore.
"Shit," Kiba cursed as he quickly stood up. The waves were getting bigger and it was starting to get uncomfortable, soaking their clothes.
Tamaki followed him as they jogged a couple feet back. He turned around and looked past her. She followed his view and looked back to see that it was definitely darker now, and the ocean seemed much more threatening and ominous. The waves were crashing loudly, occasionally submersing their feet.
"Would it make you feel better if I told you I was considering Kumo, too?"
"What?" she instantly hissed. "Why would you go there?"
He shrugged, "Just wanted to see your reaction. Gotta make sure you want to go to the same school as me."
Her eyes softened a bit at him.
"Why wouldn't I?" she whispered.
It was quiet, but Kiba was able to pick up her tone. She was clearly holding something back from him. Her body language had changed; her feet were apart but pointed slightly inwards. Tamaki held onto her right wrist and looked at him with worried eyes.
He let out a small breath and looked down at the water.
"You know," he paused. "I knew this would happen eventually but I wasn't expecting it to be this serious."
Tamaki narrowed her eyes at him.
Even if it was only for a moment, she was beginning to regret it. She had allowed herself to be vulnerable to his news, and became way too emotional. This was probably the first time she had shown her feelings for him, since the football game when she realized she loved him.
And now just the smallest slip up would lead to her downfall.
She closed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm heading back to the car, it's too cold to be on the beach."
He looked up, surprised that she went back to sounding like her normal self.
Tamaki turned around, waving her hand. "I don't know what you were thinking. We have school tomorrow and now we have to drive all the way back."
She began walking away as he stood, shocked at her rude tone. She hadn't even gone that far when she felt something cold and wet land abruptly on the back of her head.
Tamaki shrieked loudly as some odd creature clung onto her, one of its arms had landed on her shoulder and fell down in front of her chest.
She grabbed the slippery wet monster and threw it down in front of her. The tangle of seaweed lay limply, no longer as threatening as it felt on her skin.
"What is your issue?" she screamed. The wind made her hair fly madly around her.
"YOU!"
Tamaki gaped at him. It was dark out but her face was changing to a furious shade of red.
"What? What are you talking about? I didn't even do anything!"
"Me? You're the one who's being aggravating!" Kiba paced towards her and loomed over her short stature. If it was anybody else, they'd probably be intimidated by the man. Anybody knew at their school that Kiba wasn't afraid to get into fights, and he generally won them, too.
"I am not!" she seethed. "You're the one who brought me out here. I didn't ask to go to the beach. This was your dumb idea."
"Oh, so now you think it's dumb?" he rolled his eyes. "You're the one who's always talking about how it's one of your favorite places in the entire fucking world. It's just a bunch of rocks and dirty water for crying out loud."
"Shut up," she seethed; her blood was boiling now. She covered her eyes with her hand, trying to compose herself.
Arguing with Kiba was probably one of the most irritating things ever. It could last for hours, with him eventually being too stubborn to compromise or even apologize if he was at fault. She knew better than to make it worse since they still needed to drive back to Konoha.
"Kiba, can we please just go?"
"No," he was standing his ground and looking down at her seriously. "You can't just leave. We're in the middle of talking."
"You mean arguing?" Tamaki couldn't help the sharpness in her voice. She crossed her arms and looked to the side, tired of the conversation already.
"I'm talking about earlier. We're doing this now, whether you like it or not."
Her head was turned towards the side, but she raised her eyebrows and looked at him with anticipation. She moved her chin as if signaling for him to continue.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," he sighed. "I know I should've told you that I got into KU, but it's not like I had to. We're close but we're not Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura told him because they're in a relationship."
His emphasis on the word made her eyes harden. Tamaki knew what he was implying and didn't want to agree. The two were close, but they weren't a couple; Kiba had no obligations to her.
"I get it," she rolled her eyes. "I forgive you, and I'm actually happy for you. I really didn't think you'd have any issues getting in. Can we go now?"
"Not until we clear us up."
She finally turned her head to face him and raised her eyebrows.
"We've been putting this off for too long," he furrowed his brows. "And now that we know we're not going to different schools, we might as well do it now."
Her eyes widened slowly, taking in his serious expression.
"Who told you?" she whispered lowly.
"Uh… What?"
"Who. Told. You." Her eyes were enormous as her mouth formed the words. Her expression resembled an antique porcelain doll.
"I told you, nobody told me. I just knew you'd get in!" Kiba waved his arms exasperated. "I don't know why you think you'd be too hopeless to get accepted."
"Not that," she snarled. She used both of her arms and pushed him back, causing him to trip over the sand and fall. "Who told you I had feelings for you?"
Kiba sat in the cold sand and looked up at her, thoroughly confused. "What? Nobody told me anything."
Tamaki looked down at him. Her mind registered what she had just done and the only thing she could muster was a small "oh." Her face was burning red with embarrassment. Although she was grateful that it was dark out, nothing would be able to save her now.
Kiba pushed himself back up and tried clapping the sand off of him. "Well, I definitely wasn't expecting it to be like this."
The gears in her mind finally started clicking. "Wait, you planned this?"
He kicked his legs around, "Well, yeah. I was hoping we'd do this at prom though. But when you started getting serious about wanting to go to the same school, I couldn't help it. Seemed a little too important to push off, ya' know?"
"At prom?"
He grinned at her, and pulled something out of his pocket. "Yeah, why'd you think I brought you here?"
Tamaki grabbed the little object he held out for her. It was a small, glass bottle with a scroll rolled up inside. She looked back at him curiously, holding the cool glass in her hands.
"Go ahead, open it."
She uncorked the bottle with ease and tilted it until the paper slipped out. The parchment felt thick, with the corners burnt to make it look old. She unraveled the paper and brought it closer to her face to read.
When I think of tomorrow
There you are
I can find happiness right-
Where you are
Prom?
"Seriously?" she giggled up at him. "You brought me all the way out here to ask me to prom?"
"Hey, I had to do something good." He shrugged, "You saw all the other guys and their methods. Sorry, I'm not as flashy as Naruto."
She held the bottle and paper close to her chest and beamed at him. "No, this is perfect. You know me too well, actually."
He smirked, "So you gonna answer or what?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, closing the gap between them.
"Yes," she smiled. She could feel her chest swell with happiness and was having the hardest time wiping off the look on her face. "I'll go with you."
"Whew," he breathed. His smirk grew wider, and the look in his eyes changed. "Well now that we have that out of the way, what were you saying earlier?"
Tamaki's smile faded as she noticed his confident leer. She tried stepping back but his hands were locked behind her, stopping her from getting away.
"Oh god…" she spoke under her breath.
"What was that? You know, that part where you asked me who told me? Something about…" he paused and looked up as it he was trying hard to recollect a memory. "You have feelings?"
Every ounce of emotion was now lost. Her eyes somehow adopted the bored look that Shikamaru always wore. She remained silent as Kiba rambled on to mock her. 'Why the hell do I have feelings for this idiot?'
He shook her lightly in his arms, laughing loudly, knowing well that he had won the conversation. Tamaki didn't even try fighting back or denying her previous statement.
He moved his arms up so that his forearms rested on her shoulders, slouching so that he was closer to her eye level.
"Since when?"
"What?"
"Since when did you start liking me?"
She blushed and cast her eyes down, trying to ignore his close proximity.
"That time you held me. After winning the Homecoming game junior year."
He raised his eyebrows and stood up straighter.
"Huh, that's pretty embarrassing."
Her head shot up to stare at him. The idea of him turning her down began swarming in her mind.
"And here I thought we were always on the same page. Guess I lost to you first," he smiled sheepishly, bringing his right hand behind his head.
"Wait, what?" Her mouth dropped. "What are you talking about?"
"Freshman year? The Sadie Hawkins dance?" he frowned. "You asked me, remember?"
She gaped at him; that was practically 3 years ago!
"Yeah, of course I asked you. It was girls' choice! All the girls asked somebody. Sakura went with Sai and Ino went with Choji! Nobody had the guts to go with somebody they liked. Hinata asked Lee for crying out loud."
He wrinkled his nose and shoved his hands into his pockets as he stepped back.
"Alright, geez. I get it. The girls decided to play a game of 'let's ask our dorkiest friends.'"
Tamaki suddenly felt guilty for being so blunt. "Ok, I didn't think you were disgusting. I actually thought you were hot. We just decided that we wanted to do something different and have fun."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You know," she looked exasperated. "We didn't want to ask our crushes that never really noticed us."
"This isn't exactly helping." He crossed his arms and gave her a look. "Although it's good to know that you lost your feelings for Sasuke."
She groaned and jammed her hands into her hair, tangling the brown muss.
"You know what I mean! And I really did have a lot of fun with you that night. It was actually nice being with a guy that paid attention to me. I just never really looked at you that way until…"
"Until junior year," he smirked. "Should've just kissed you on that field when I had the chance."
"Yeah…" She blushed at the memory, wishing that he had. "So, freshman year then? Sadie Hawkins?"
"Yep," he looked down at her. "Not gonna forget you dancing up on me to Rack City."
"Oh my god," she slapped his arm repeatedly. "You've got to be kidding me!"
He laughed, "Ok, fine, not that."
He grabbed ahold of her wrists to stop her movement and pulled her closer. "Remember when they started playing that stupid slow song?"
"Yeah, and I said let's get out of here?"
"Yeah," he breathed. "And we snuck out and climbed the fence to chill at the pool."
She smiled, "We were there until the dance was over. We sat there talking about how worried we were, because high school just started."
He nodded, his eyes held a distant look. "We were worried that we'd lose our friends to all the stupid rumors about cliques and shit. That we'd end up as nobodys, and waste 4 years of our lives. Not being able to get into college and make our parents proud."
"Crazy to think how everything turned out just right, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Not everything…" he leaned in closer. "Not yet."
Her heart picked up as she leaned in, meeting him halfway. His lips were much softer than she expected, and the butterflies in her stomach melted into warmth. His hand extended up, running his fingers through her hair and deepening the kiss.
When they parted, Kiba remained close and rested his forehead against hers, locking eyes.
"Damn, I really wish I did this sooner," he grinned.
She giggled as his arms engulfed her, resting his chin on top of her head. She breathed in the smell of his deodorant mixed in with his faded cologne. So different compared to the day at the field when he smelled of grass clippings.
His hands fell down and he grabbed hers, lacing their fingers.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah," she smiled, feeling content.
Considering adding onto this story… Not 100% sure yet. Might add some cute side story of the girls shopping, or maybe showing what happens at prom. Not sure about you guys but my prom was definitely a shit show LOL
