A/N: Happy boxing day! Here's a KibaHina ficlet that I spent about a week or so churning out and typing like a crazed maniac on my laptop. *w* I hope you guys will like this, truly. Please note the setting's AU, and I seemed to have conjured up a small town that employs Japanese and Western terms in one setting. Pardon the confusion, everyone. *w*)' I apologise in advance if you spot any errors (e.g. incomplete sentences) from this ficlet. *bows. Feel free to point them out!
Age guide for the confused:-
Kiba: 33
Shino: 33
Hinata: 30
Konohamaru, Moegi: 26
Kurenai: 53

Cover picture by: koknowha (tumblr)

Title: Heartburn
Fandom: Naruto, AU
Pairing: KibaHinata
Rating: M for mature scenes, complete with graphic and explicit descriptions of certain scenarios. Please heed rating.

Heartburn

"Um Sheriff? Your grandmother's missing."

Not the best way to greet the Sheriff of Wolfwater on a chilly Friday morning, but Sgt. Konohamaru Sarutobi had to do his job.

Christ, this was one of the sucky things you had to deal with as a rookie in the Wolfwater Police Department - getting bossed around occasionally with menial tasks like paperwork and telling the Sheriff his 93-year-old grandma, who had a case of dementia, was missing.

Konohamaru gave Sheriff Kiba Inuzuka a little grimace and scratched the side of his head as he watched the older man stare right back at him through bloodshot eyes. The younger cop had the vague impression that his words were sluggishly sinking into the Sheriff's head.

"Jesus." Kiba murmured, closing his eyes and leaning back in his swivel chair.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Anything I can help you with?" Konohamaru asked gingerly.

From the exhaustion lining Kiba's tanned face, the rumpled clothes and the dishevelled hair, he figured the boss had pulled an all-nighter with Deputy Sheriff Shino Aburame and a couple of inspectors. Konohamaru had heard from a fellow colleague that they had a series of vandalism cases two days ago that had yet to be solved and a break-in last night at the Mayor's house. The Sheriff himself probably had made a trip up to the classier neighbourhood yesterday night in order to pacify Mayor Hyuuga.

Konohamaru pulled a face when he realised the Sheriff had been on the graveyard shift two days ago and if his memory served him right, this was his third day. No wonder the man looked like hell. The extra shifts were already taking a toll on him, but the and the break-in at the Mayor's house had exacerbated the situation.

All the cops knew how uptight Hiashi Hyuuga was about security in Wolfwater. This was especially since the wealthy optometrist hadn't been in favour of Kiba being elected Sheriff when the previous Sheriff, Kurenai Yuuhi, stepped down. He had been one of the few people to object to the election of Kiba Inuzuka. Konohamaru had heard this on a grapevine and he was usually slow to make conclusions, but Hiashi Hyuuga seemed exactly the sort of man to do such a thing.

It wasn't surprising, since all the Sheriffs of Wolfwater had either been Hyuugas, Aburames or Inuzukas - the Hyuugas dominating the line-up more than the Aburames of Inuzukas. All three families were on cordial terms, but there was an underlying current of competitiveness that surfaced between the Hyuugas and Inuzukas even when the campaigns had yet to roll around. Perhaps it was because the Hyuugas prided themselves on their wealth, cold intelligence and shrewdness, whereas the Inuzukas were better known for their fierce instincts, physical stamina and ruggedness. Kurenai Yuuhi had been the only anomaly in the long line of Sheriffs. But she was damn good at what she did and one would have to be an idiot not to have the dark-haired woman as Sheriff.

"S'okay." Kiba told him, waving one hand and reaching for the telephone, his eyes bleary. The Inuzuka punched in several numbers while cradling the phone in the same hand and nodded at him. "I'm gonna call the mother and get on it. Just monitor the missing persons category for me, Kon."

Konohamaru grinned. "Sure Sheriff."

"Thanks." Kiba raised one hand lethargically and Konohamaru took it as a signal to leave the Sheriff's office.

Turning a corner, he almost bumped into Moegi Shitaya, a rookie who'd graduated from police academy the same year as him. "Hey Konohamaru," She greeted, her eyebrows knit together in a worrying look. "Did you hear?"

Konohamaru squinted at her. "Seriously? You're asking me that? I'm usually the last to receive gossip, Moegs."

Moegi waved one hand, as though to bat his comment away. Biting the inside of her cheek, she crossed her arms over her chest, a folder dangling from her fingertips.

"Hinata's back," She murmured.

The both of them looked at each other. There was momentary silence, filled only by the ringing of the telephones and the sounds of keyboards being tapped on.

"Hinata, as in Hinata Hyuuga? The Sheriff's ex?"

"Yes."

"Does the Sheriff know?"

Moegi grimaced.

"To be honest? I'm not sure."

I.

Here we are.

Hinata Hyuuga stepped out of her cream Honda and glanced around her surroundings, marvelling at the beautiful winter wonderland her childhood home had become. It looked as though someone up in the heavens had dumped an entire bucket of sugar frosting over the entire town of Wolfwater and left it as it is. Even the tall pine trees were dusted with a generous heaping of snow, their needle branches groaning beneath the weight of the white power. Thick blankets of snow concealed the roofs of magnificent bungalows and houses throughout her neighbourhood, as though trying to bury the outward opulence outsiders would be treated to when they drove past this part of Wolfwater.

Hinata inhaled deeply, relishing the bite of the cold weather and the chilly wind that whipped her scarf across her face. She closed her eyes and tried to stem the sudden tide of nostalgia running through her.

She was well and truly back in Wolfwater.

Opening her eyes again, Hinata stared at her family home, soaking in the familiar turns, angles and colours beneath the snow. She wanted just one glimpse. Just one look at her former home, and she would be gone. In the midst of her looking however, she heard someone calling out to her feebly.

Turning around quickly, the Hyuuga blinked in surprise when she saw a dark haired woman with distinctive crimson tattoos on her cheeks. She was slowly walking down the wet, icy sidewalk with a walking cane, her steps slow and deliberate.

A small gasp escaped her lips.

Hinata immediately hurried forward to Ashi Inuzuka, fearing that the elderly lady would slip and fall on her feet. She was only wearing a thick woollen sweater, pajama pants, and a pair of rubber slippers that didn't seem to be capable of keeping her feet warm.

"Grandma Ashi," She greeted in stunned surprise, reaching the woman in two strides. A funny ache was worming its way in her heart at the sight of the messy, shoulder length dark hair and dark eyes. It was so reminiscent of one Inuzuka she loved.

Clasping the wrinkled hands in her gloved one, Hinata immediately wrapped one arm around the woman's small shoulders. She wondered why Grandma Ashi didn't seemed surprised to see her... This was her first time seeing her grandson's ex-girlfriend in seven years after all.

"Oh Grandma Ashi, what are you doing out here in this cold weather?" Hinata asked, her forehead creasing in bewilderment. Her voice caught on the woman's name as it escaped her lips. It sounded foreign on her tongue, yet oddly nostalgic. Afterall, it was a term she had once used so familiarly before. It truly had been such a long time since she saw Grandma Ashi and greeted her as such.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing Hinata? Taking a walk of course! I haven't been out in years and I haven't had my dinner mind you! I'm sure Tsume forgot to feed me," She said in that slightly miffed, no-nonsense tone Grandma Ashi had always been associated with.

The elderly woman paused and peered out at Hinata from rheumy brown eyes ringed in a faint blue, a sure sign of cataract. Hinata blinked and stared down at her, her surprise mounting. Why, Grandma Ashi was behaving as though she'd last seen her just yesterday.

"I'm hungry. Perhaps you can offer me some biscuits, Hinata dear? Or milk?" She asked hopefully, suddenly looking childlike.

"Oh of course." Hinata said, slinging her shoulder purse on her right shoulder. Despite her decision not to set foot into her father's house, she found herself compromising with her own arrangement. "Come on in. You really shouldn't be out here in this weather. Tsume-san must be worried sick."

Hinata brought Grandma Ashi into her father's house. It still looked the same after she had spent seven years away from home, but her perception of it had changed. Physically, it was still the three-storeyed, modern detached house with white, brown and grey trimmings, plenty of windows and white curtains. There was also the expansive backyard and front lawn with the same lush landscaping her father had always favoured and sought to stand out from his neighbours' lawns.

To Hinata, the house was a box which held bittersweet memories for her. Too much had happened here. All the restraints and expectations... the pressure and reminders of who she was or was not.

Brushing aside such heavy thoughts, Hinata and her housekeeper, Mrs Nobuko, settled Grandma Ashi on the couch and wrapped her up in blankets and warmers. A bowl of warm oatmeal was brought before her but Grandma Ashi refused them, saying she wanted biscuits. Hinata had to coax her into eating the oatmeal, for the elderly woman had no teeth and it was impossible for her to munch on biscuits.

Due to the unexpected presence of Grandma Ashi in her home, Hinata only managed to exchange warm hugs and proper greetings with Mrs Nobuko only after they made sure Grandma Ashi was comfortably seated on the couch and had not sustained any injuries. Hinata promised the gregarious, fifty-something housekeeper that she would tell her all that had happened in the city and what she had made of herself.

"Oh you must," Mrs Nobuko sighed, laying one hand upon the other as they talked in the kitchen. "Look at you. You look so beautiful, so grown-up. And running your own optical store at that!"

"Hinata!" Grandma Ashi called from the living room. "Where are you, my dear future daughter-in-law?"

"Oh dear," Mrs Nobuko said, startled. "I think it's best if you phoned Tsume-san and tell her to come here to pick Grandma Ashi up."

Hinata swallowed and nodded, feeling her cheeks heat up at Tsume's name.

While feeding Grandma Ashi the oatmeal, Hinata had been bombarded with questions such as when was she coming over to the Inuzukas' for dinner, and when would she agree to marry her grandson?

With every word about Kiba Inuzuka that escaped Ashi Inuzuka's mouth, Hinata felt her stomach twisting and looping horribly, mimicking the crazy curves of a rollercoaster ride in an amusement park. Mrs Nobuko had quickly filled Hinata in on Grandma Ashi's condition when she saw the troubled expression on her face and the persistent flow of questions.

"The dear old lady has dementia you see. She still thinks you're dating Kiba." Mrs Nobuko whispered into Hinata's ear. The housekeeper gave her an uncomfortable look.

Hinata quickly surmised then and there that it would be pointless to tell the elderly lady that she and Kiba were no longer an item. The young, dark-haired woman could only nod in response to Grandma Ashi's questions, or pacify her with falsities that didn't make herself feel any better.

Mrs Nobuko patted Hinata's hand softly. "Would you like me to make the call, Hinata dear?"

"No, that's alright Mrs Nobuko." She drew in a deep breath. "I will."

She had returned to Wolfwater with a sole purpose, and Grandma Ashi had provided her with the opportunity to fulfill her goal before the year ended and her regrets accumulated.

She had returned to find Kiba Inuzuka and she would do so, no matter how much trepidation and hopelessness filled her heart.

Picking up her smartphone, she found the number to the Inuzukas' residence and took the plunge.

Kiba pulled the Sheriff marked Dodge Challenger to a stop just outside the Hyuugas' residence for the second time in two days. He was out of the car and striding up the snow-covered lawn in three seconds before anyone could say Gramps. Barely registering that the woman who had once broken his heart now stood in its living room, he hit the doorbell with his finger and waited on the front porch, hands on his hips, body tensed, gaze expectant.

When his mother had called him on his phone with news of Grandma Ashi, the last thing he expected to hear was that Hinata Hyuuga had found her. He'd been dumbfounded. For seven years he'd gone by without seeing her. Then she had to pop up with his grandmother in Wolfwater just like that.

His only concern was Grandma Ashi. He could deal with facing a woman from his past. He was sure of that. There had been more than enough time to get over the break -

The door opened.

Sheriff Kiba Inuzuka felt as though he had been hurtled back violently into the past when he was young, wildly foolish and twenty-six, and madly in love with the Mayor's gentle and beautiful daughter.

His pulse tripled and he froze as the blood drained from his face as he stared down into Hinata Hyuuga's face.

Somewhere along the way, Hinata at thirty, had grown even more stunning. He could only watch, half mesmerised, half stupefied, as gorgeous white eyes appraised him in equal surprise, apprehension and shy pleasure. Instead of waist-length hair, soft, chin-length curls now brushed her cheeks gently in a feminine yet fresh haircut.

Hinata was slightly taller than she had been in her early twenties, but she was still nowhere near his height. Even beneath that dark dress and white Peter Pan collar, her curves were still as impressive as ever, ripe and glorious, clearly a woman at her peak.

God. Kiba itched to haul her into his arms, shake her, and then kiss her senseless all at the same time. It was fire and ice, balance and chaos, pain and pleasure all at once, in his body, mind and heart. Of course, it didn't help that he was having a hard-on mere minutes after seeing her, right on her father's doorstep, even though she had once dumped him.

Stamping his arousal ruthlessly with the heel of an imaginary boot, he cleared his throat and straightened his spine, trying to remind himself that he was a bloody Sheriff and not a cop who was wet behind the ears.

"Hi," She said softly. Hinata's gentle murmur immediately triggered memories of soft whispers, humid nights and heated kisses in his junk of a car.

Jesus, jesus.

"Hey." He rasped back. His entire body was tensed, his shoulders stiff and his feet frozen solid to the ground. "How you've been?"

"I'm fine," She replied, gazing into his eyes. "What about you?"

He lifted one shoulder and nodded. "I'm good."

"Good," She echoed, and it wasn't just silence and snowflakes that descended between them but the entire history of their relationship that hung over their heads and lingered like a spectre.

Grandma Ashi, he reminded himself.

"Grandma Ashi's in there?" He asked, gesturing past Hinata.

"Yes," Hinata said, blinking. "Yes." She repeated again, as though trying to remind herself what he was here for and what she was supposed to do. "Come on in please. I'm so sorry to keep you on the porch."

She was ever so apologetic.

Kiba followed Hinata into the Mayor's house, past a living room that reeked of sophistication and plenty of cream and white furniture that wouldn't have survived a month in the Inuzuka household. Funny how he had been here a mere eight hours ago for a completely different reason, when Mayor Hyuuga had reported a break-in. The burglar had slipped in through a backdoor, bypassing the security alarm and left with a few art pieces. He wondered if Hinata was aware of the break-in. Then again, there was a chance she wasn't, since she had probably just arrived from the city.

He nodded quickly to Mrs Noboku, who greeted him warmly.

"Gramps," Kiba groaned when he saw her sitting in the couch, her small feet swinging as she hummed softly.

He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at the sight. Instead, he felt his jaw go slack as he stared at her. Kneeling in front of his grandmother, Kiba realised Grandma Ashi was swaddled in several blankets and someone had clearly pulled on thick socks for her. She looked so small... and contented and comfortable as hell in Mayor Hyuuga's couch.

"Kiba," Grandma Ashi said in surprise her eyebrows rising into her forehead, looking for all the world as though she belonged right there in the Hyuugas' posh living room. "Are you here to see Hinata?"

"Gramps." Kiba took one of her hands in his, his larger hand curling around her soft, wrinkled one. He adopted a placating tone, the sort that one would use with a kid. "Come on. Time to go back. Mum's waiting for you and she's worried as hell."

"But I just got here," Grandma Ashi said stubbornly, in her gravelly voice. "Hinata and I are going to watch MASH. Don't you dare tell me I'll have to skip my favourite show!"

Kiba inhaled. "Gramps. Look, we don't wanna impose on Mayor Hyuuga and Hinata, do we? Hinata's tired. She's driven a long way from the city and she needs to rest. Look, she's dead on her feet."

Grandma Ashi glanced over her shoulder. "No she doesn't." Then she smacked Kiba's head.

"Ow! Gramps!"

"You're lying, you naughty boy. And why are you wearing the Sheriff's badge? I must say, that's a very convincing uniform. Did you steal it from that wonderful ball-buster, Kurenai Yuuhi? She's our Sheriff, and you bloody well listen to the woman, Kiba." She shook her head, and gave him the evil eye as she arranged her blankets comfortably around her, her nose in the air. "Ohh, you mother will be furious!"

There was an odd choking sound from behind him. When Kiba turned to see where it had come from, he realised Hinata had been trying to muffle her laughter.

Holy cow, this was turning out to be one helluva day. He shot her a help-me look and she immediately came forward with a shy, apologetic smile.

"Gramps," He said exasperatedly. "I am the Sheriff. Come on, let's go. Akamaru misses you. He's been pining for you y'know? Don't you wanna see him?"

After much coaxing from Hinata, Kiba and Mrs Noboku, they finally managed to bundle Grandma Ashi in the front seat of Kiba's Dodge Challenger with a combination of cajoling and threats. Kiba doubted a hostage negotiator would have an easy time with his kick-ass gramps. Then again, she was an Inuzuka, so there were no surprises there.

"Thanks," Kiba said, standing in the middle of the driveway. He gazed down into Hinata's face.

"You're most welcome."

"I'm sorry about that, Hinata. I hope she didn't give you much trouble."

"Oh no, not at all." Hinata said at once, twisting her fingers nervously.

His eyes darted to them. Whenever she got nervous, Hinata tended to twist her fingers into all sorts of pretzels. He remembered how he'd grabbed the both of them and kissed her cold fingers, then warmed them up with his own hands one romantic winter they'd spent together.

His jaw clenched tightly. Kiba forced himself to glance away but it was too late.

She followed his line of sight and the atmosphere became charged with the turbulence of past memories and intimacies they had shared.

"I gotta go." He said, unable to recognise his low, dark voice. He cleared his throat and reached for the door to the driver's seat. "Thanks once again, Hinata."

"Wait Kiba-" She began suddenly.

He wondered if he had imagined that slightly panicked tone in her voice, but dismissed it as wishful thinking on his part.

Calmly, Kiba turned back to her. He had deliberately wiped his face free of expression. He would be damned if he showed her just how much he was affected by her very presence.

"I - I -" She paused and swallowed hard, as though trying to rearrange the words mentally in her head. "I would like to catch-up with you s-sometime soon," She stammered. Her cheeks were flushed red and there was a vulnerable sheen in her eyes, as though she knew the battle was lost even before she had begun her fight for it.

He didn't understand why she was doing this. He didn't understand why she had to break up with him when they had created something so wonderful and meaningful, something that few couples could seize. She had loved him. He knew that in the littlest of ways, when he caught her staring at him whenever she thought he wasn't looking, or the way she fought for them when her father had told her he disapproved of her relationship with him.

But, he reminded himself, she had initiated the breakup. To say that he had been devastated was an understatement.

Get out of your mind shit, Inuzuka.

His throat tightened and he swallowed, but stared ahead unseeingly. He was his own man. He no longer needed to seek the approval of Hiashi Hyuuga to date his daughter, or to be elected Wolfwater County's Sheriff. He had stood firm against the stern, white-eyed mayor and his objections to his personal life and career and had incredibly, ridden out the storm.

The worst was over. Hinata nor Hiashi couldn't touch him now.

"Sorry." He said, shoving his hands into the deep trouser pockets. "I'm down for the count. There are just too many things going on right now, Hina." The nickname slipped out even before he realised what he had done.

They stared at each other, small white puffs of breaths exploding between them as the endearment lingered between them like an unwanted phantom.

"Yes." She said softly, with quiet resignation. Her eyes were thinly veiled with a sheen of tears, which she blinked away quickly. "Of course."

He tucked in his chin. "Goodbye."

"G-goodbye, Kiba."

Kiba wrenched open the Challenger's door. He paused just before he got into the driver's seat.

"Welcome back to Wolfwater, Hinata." He murmured quietly.

Thank you ;)