Catastrophic:
I.
Because sometimes all it took was one look.
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Ino disliked rain.
The gray pallor smudged across the sky, the inky wisps of flattened clouds. The way the droplets of water kissed the skin. The tangy, electric smell. The lingering clutch of angst. It bothered her to have to work when it rained, as well.
Which she currently had to do.
Who wanted to buy flowers when it wouldn't stop raining?
Purple fingernails tapped incessantly against the counter-top, cornflower blue eyes heavily lidded with boredom. One of her free hands swiped the blonde forelock on the right side of her face away.
Her life of a florist was less than thrilling, if she had to be honest with herself. She adored flowers. The sights, the smells, the brilliant flashes of color. But it became tedious just standing, waiting for someone to walk in. To buy a flower that would eventually wither away after a few days.
She sighed. She was so bored.
The rain continued to drizzle outside. The lone store-front window was slightly misted, flecks of raindrops staining the outer surface. Leaves careened towards the pavement, debris fluttering with the swoosh of the wind. A few passerby's briskly hovered past the flower shop, decked with bright umbrellas or rain jackets and boots. She scowled at them all.
Then blinked.
Standing in the rain without a care in the world was a tall man, his hands lazily hooked behind the back of his head. A small dog sat by his feet, just sitting there beside him.
This man was crazy.
Just standing there in the rain, getting drenched. She moved from where she lazily leaned against her counter to take a few steps towards the front door. Before she could even take a few steps however, the man suddenly turned to stare right into her shop.
She couldn't make his features out, just the upwards curve of his lips and his dark blue jacket with a fuzzy hood as he seemed to be staring straight at her.
Placing a hand on her hip, he blinked at her and then just suddenly took off. The dog fast on his heels.
Creep. She mused to herself.
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Returning home after her shift had felt glorious. She had taken a brief pit stop at a small cafe to have a steaming cup of hot cocoa before shaking the rain off her sky blue umbrella and placing it outside the entrance of her apartment door.
Releasing her wavy, long blonde hair from it's confinement she strutted inside, humming to herself as she discarded her heels in the small hallway that led to her one bedroom apartment. A small kitchen in the corner, a living room in the center. A bedroom off to the back with a bathroom. She flicked the lights on, illuminating the rooms with a dim yellow-white glow.
Making her way into her bedroom, she tossed her cream fleece jacket onto her pale lavender comforter. She frowned at the window she had left open, where outside it still continued to pour. Konoha had recently been raining for a long duration of days. It never seemed to stop.
Deciding to change into something more comfortable, she stepped over towards her walk-in closet, yanking out black leggings and a loose white sweater.
Stepping out of her closet, she began to peel off her black sweater only to toss it against a bare chest.
Freezing in place, Ino turned.
Cornflower blue eyes blinked before an ear-splitting scream shattered the silence.
Her eyes trailed to where she had thrown her sweater, her face turning a horrible shade of red as standing before her was a chiseled figure, having climbed through her window. Long legs, bare torso, triangle red tattooed cheeks, deep dark eyes, unruly brown hair, unkempt and falling into those tantalizing hues. Tall. Rugged. Handsome.
Arms flailing she covered her chest hastily, trying to hide her lace teal bra from view.
"What. The. Hell." She hissed vehemently. "Why are you in my apartment?!" She screeched, her eyes wide with fear.
The man grinned, white canines flashing, as he crossed his arms across his chest, cocking his head to one side to appraise her with his eyes. "Quit screamin' sweetheart." His muscles tenses as he crossed his arms. She noticed black ink plastered on his upper arms, but she couldn't make out what.
Confusion flickered across her features as it dawned on her that this was the man she had seen standing outside her shop. Except the jacket she had seen was draped across her windowsill.
"No, I will not! Who are you, crazy, creepy, stalker! Get out!" She stumbled gracelessly as she hastily pulled the white sweater over her head.
"Jus' hear me out, 'kay?" He murmured, staying in place at noticing the murderous intent lacing her wide, bright, eyes.
Her chest heaved with sudden panic, her fingers clutching tightly at her sweater as she backed up against her bedroom door. Her eyes kept flickering towards the window he had come through. Damn fire escape.
He must've taken her silence as a sign to continue for he began to speak, his cheek tattoo's glistening as the water droplets slid down his skin.
"'m not a stalker. I saw you. Earlier. Followed you home. Need to lay low for a bit."
"So instead of using the door like a normal human being, you climb through my window? How does this not make you a stalker?!" She gasped.
She found the curving of his lips irritating.
"Go change. Lemme explain myself after." Ino scowled at him, hoping her glare was throwing metaphorical daggers as she stepped backwards towards her bathroom, grabbing the leggings off her bed.
She slammed the door behind her to change.
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She had stayed in her bathroom for at least fifteen minutes, devising ways to escape. To call the police.
Stepping out, her eyes roamed around the empty room.
She exhaled a sigh of relief. Fantastic, he had left.
Relaxing her shoulders, she moved to toss the discarded clothes into the hamper by her bathroom door. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed movement in her living room. Standing up straight, she noticed he was still here.
His fingertips were gliding over the petal of the white peony on her coffee table. He had his back to her, slouched lazily on a cream sofa cushion. Her eyes darkened at his feet also pressed against her coffee table.
Walking towards him, her fingertips went to smack the back of his head but she froze as he tilted his head backwards, his dark gaze meeting her luminous, still slightly frazzled gaze.
Two seconds passed.
Five seconds passed.
One minute passed.
He blinked and she swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat. Ridiculous. She moved to sit on the couch, as far away as she could get from him.
His hand retracted from the flower and he closed his eyes as his head rested against the back of the sofa.
She was glad he had put his jacket back on.
The silence was starting to become suffocating.
"What is your name?" She asked.
"Kiba," He muttered. "Inuzuka."
"Why are you in my apartment?"
"I told ya'. I need a place to lay low." He peered over at her through half-lidded eyes.
"So you just decided to sneak into my window?"
"Was wide open." Ino found herself getting frustrated again. This man was an arrogant bastard. She wasn't dealing with this. She had had a long day, she just wanted to rest, and here this completely attractive stranger was intruding in on her home.
"Heh. Ya think I'm attractive, sweetheart?"
She froze.
What.
She swore she had been thinking this. She hadn't spoke out loud, right? Right. There was no way.
Her mouth open a smidgen, she just stared at him, at his lips pulled into a sly smirk.
"Did you read my mind?" She fumbled over her words. Suddenly as she was clearly staring at him, she noticed something off. His body seemed to be outlined with this fuzzy black shadowing. Almost like the swirl of smoke as it evaporated into the air, "What are you?"
"Your cataclysm, Ino." She didn't even bother asking how he knew her name as she slumped down towards the floor.
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"Y're awake."
Her eyelids flickered open to rest on Kiba. She noticed she had been moved, since she was tangled up in her covers. He was sitting on the edge of the desk in her bedroom, his dark eyes gleaming.
"Are you real?" She murmured, sinking under her covers, trying to hide him from view as if to make it all go away.
A faint breeze filtered through from her still open window.
His chuckle broke the quiet. "Sometimes."
"What are you?"
"That's a secret."
"You came here for a reason, didn't you?"
"Yep."
"You don't plan on leaving anytime soon, do you?" She could almost see the curve of his lips as he grinned at her.
"No."
Ino sighed, curling herself into a ball beneath her covers, shutting her eyes to allow the darkness of sleep to consume her. Maybe when she woke up, he would be gone. But she knew it was never that easy.
So.
Tried a new project.
Let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed.
I adore Kiba and Ino.
I don't own Naruto.