Serenading Silence.
Me no owns. But I know someone who does. ;P
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He draws her hand to his lips. It is calloused in testament to the years she had spent on the training fields. The harshest feature is the long, thin, faded line that bisects her palm. He follows the trail of the line with tender kisses from one end to another and then onwards to the jagged, parallel line that cut her fingers midway. It is an old, old scar.
The lines are what twined their fates, he is convinced. Stronger than the red thread of destiny and far more tangible. What draws him to her is not the scar itself but the story behind it.
He smiles into the crinkling aquamarine gaze of Yamanaka Ino. A gentle smile curves her lips, rife with memories and the strength born of those memories.
He can't help but respond in kind and she receives a smile that curves around his fang-like canines.
#
Their relationship is not conventional. They clash as only two vivacious personalities can. They are bossy, determined and single minded. They are both dogged in their pursuits, never stepping back. Never giving less than their entire being to whatever they do.
They argue like eardrums are going out of fashion.
They are an exemplary example of The Perfect Konoha Shinobi.
If they had a motto, it would be- Duty, Passion, Freedom.
#
It is through this that they can understand the value of silence.
Which is also why they never say what they really want to.
They serenade in silence. Note by note, they sing in silence. They sing in every touch, every kiss, in every night they stay up worrying about each other, in the sweet tender moments of reunion.
In the warmth of a shared bedroll and silent sunrise coffees, basks the crux of their relationship.
And for them, it is enough.
#
Kiba looks at the bedrock of his life- the woman who serenely commanded his respect and his heart for the better part of two decades- as she slept. She looked peaceful as she slept, placid as only those who have lived their lives in full can.
The moonlight that had filtered in a little while ago is replaced by the luxurious scent of storm clouds and fragrant earth. Ino shifts in her sleep, restless as the rumble of thunder rolls in. A slit, predominantly aquamarine in color looks at him sleepily.
He smiles at her reassuringly and tightens his hold around her. She attempts to shift, makes a soft noise of dissent at failing to move and goes back to sleep.
The scent that pervades his nostril is a combination of storm, sandalwood and the faint aroma of acacia from Ino. As he succumbed to sleep, the scents coax the long forgotten memory from the depths of his conscious.
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It had been a summer's day, he remembered, as the memory took on a dreamlike quality. He loved being outdoors. He ran out after calling out to his mother that was going to train with Akamaru, reveling in the freedom of the wind blowing through his hair. It was early evening and for the lack of anything better to do, Akamaru was sleeping atop his head.
He ran to the hills outside of Konoha where the grass was softer, the air smelled so much better and best of all there was no Iruka Sensei to yell at him about skipping class or not doing his homework. Where his ma couldn't yell at him to clear out the kennels.
He supposed to be "training" with Akamaru after all. He grinned. He flopped down on a still sunny patch of grass. The sun had mellowed through the day into a gentle fireside warmth. It was about to set.
He let out a sigh of contentment. Akamaru dismounted from his perch on Kiba's head and crawled up on his chest. Kiba closed his eyes and rested. This brought his other senses to full focus. He smelled the far away scent of storm clouds. He smelled the shifting air currents. It would approach rather soon. He knew he should be wary and probably head home. But he felt too comfortable here to move.
There was another scent tugging the periphery of his attention- subtle, insistent and feminine. He recognized the scent from somewhere. It nagged at him without words, demanding recognition. HE gave up and opened his eyes and scouted the area. There was nothing out of place- trees, brush, flowers, Ino, grass.. He relaxed again.. no there was nothing at all.
Wait! what? Ino?
He sat up suddenly, earning a disapproving yip from Akamaru followed by a reproachful nip. He looked again and sure enough the Yamanaka girl was sitting cross legged as she balanced a notebook on one leg and the text on the other.
At Akamaru's interruption she looked up and then smiled with twinkling aquamarine eyes as she waved. Kiba found himself grinning and waving back.
She turned her attention back to the book on her lap. He lay back down. With nothing else to do, he drifted off.
The next thing he knew was his instincts were screaming danger at him. He jerked awake to find Akamaru growling, his hackles raised and fangs bared.
The sky was overrun by the dark, torrent dipped clouds. He felt the first warm drops of rain begin to pelt his cheek.
He looked in the direction of Ino to find her resting against the bark of the tree, her books stacked neatly into her pack.
Akamaru was still growling in low tones. Kiba knew realized it was not just the storm that had Akamaru in such straits. His sense of smell was not as acute as Akamaru's yet but he realized that they would be facing some serious trouble soon. He quickly made his way to Ino, waking her as he began to smell the faint scent of sandalwood.
She looked startled on seeing him loom over her. He knew they had to leave and soon. Just as he asked her to hurry, a voice stole through the wind, chilling them into immobility.
"Hello children," it spoke.
He recognized the cold timbre of the voice. It was the voice of a man who had sacrificed his morals at the altar of greed. He would stop at nothing. He would stoop to any level, to satisfy his needs.
They remained frozen as the man stepped out of the shadow of a copse of trees. The man wore a simple powder blue kimono. On all accounts, he was average looking. A little on the stocky, muscular side.
Unless you happened to be looking at his face. His face seemed to be carved in the likeness of a mask- hard, expressionless with hollow eyes that reflected nothing but the blankness that spelled a death sentence for any who met it.
Kiba was nine and he was terrified. A small, warm hand found its way around his, suffusing him with the profusion of strength he needed.
A small sideways glance revealed the grimly composed features of Ino. She was scared too, his nose told him. His eyes told him an entirely different story. Her back was up, her chin jutted in defiance as she still held on to his hand. Her other hand searched for the kunai her father insisted she carry, she was glad of the advice now.
"My, my, what naughty little children you must be to stray so far from home," he said.
"We aren't really," spoke Ino trying to be cheerful, "Our parents will be coming to pick us up in a bit."
The unpleasant smile widened. "Is that so little one," sibilance shadowed the words "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind me waiting with you" he spoke as he drew closer.
Kiba made the mistake of flinching and the Ino's grip on his hands suddenly felt crushing.
There was a glint at the corner of his eye that caught his attention. A kunai.
He couldn't hear past the adrenaline roaring in his ears.
He took a step closer once again and this time, the kunai was thrust in front of their faces.
He could hear the sudden spike in Ino's heartbeats. He could smell the torrential fear flooding her veins.
"Run," she whispered as she stood before him, protective in a way no one else had been before.
Kiba felt the fear take second place to this new feeling. It was indefinable but clamoring for blood within his mind.
Without warning, the man charged. Ino held her ground even as a fresh flood of fear infused her scent.
The man was aiming for her artery. It would be an easy kill. He stood back up as he noticed Akamaru slink behind the man. He noticed the glimmer of Ino's kunai from the bottom of her pack. He looked at Akamaru, who understood perfectly.
As the man was charging, Akamaru caught him mid-step in a viciously deep bite. He ripped a sizable chunk of the man's leg. The man stumbled and fell, cursing fluently.
Kiba raced out from behind Ino to jab the falling man in the stomach with as much force as he could muster from both his hands on the kunai.
The man, already half mad from the pain in his leg, roared as the kunai parted the skin of his stomach easily. In retaliation, he grabbed Kiba's leg as Kiba sought to escape, he stumbled and fell.
Madness glimmered in the man's eyes as he brought the kunai down on Kiba's thigh with enough force to skewer him. He waited for an impact.. that never came..
He looked up as a droplet, heavier than rain fell on his cheek, to see Ino holding the knife back. Her right held the knife back as her left supported her right. There was a glimmer of determination in her eyes, in the set of her lips holding back her pain.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream as the knife was jerked back.
Kiba heard the faint sounds of a dog in the distance, the voice sounded older than Akamaru's. Kuromaru.. he smiled, relieved.
The man who was on his knees fell forward suddenly, the impact of the fall crushed the air from his lungs and put a strain on his leg, causing it to sprain.
Kiba, numb from the pain and the shock, blinked as the blank, lifeless eyes of his captor became more so as the handle of a kunai jutted out. His mother stood before him, breath in time to the steady pitter-patter of the pouring rain.
The rest of the dream was filled with flickering images, disembodied voices. His mother's face, tense with worry and Hana's holding a quivering Akamaru (who was still sprayed with blood). There was also a blond haired man who patted his hair gently. But the only solid thing in the haze was the warmth that clung to him, a warmth that smelled faintly of acacia even beneath all the blood.
Ino..
#
The next clear memory was of him in a hospital.
He tried to get up but the room began to spin. He slumped back. There was a sudden warmth that rubbed soothing circles in his hair.
He looked at the source and found Ino. She was worriedly chewing her bottom lip and suddenly turned to go back to her chair.
He opened his mouth to say something but found it too dry. He reached for the water can and poured himself a glass. He drank slowly, wincing at the sand papery feel of his throat. He noticed the heavily bandaged hand Ino was trying to keep out of sight.
He cleared his throat, immediately wincing at the feeling.
She turned back to him as she sat on the chair. She was looking as intent and solemn an owl. A blonde owl.
He grinned brightly.
"Thank you, Ino," he said.
She started for a bit before she nodded at him, smiling tentatively.
#
The incident did not mark the beginning of the 'Glorious Power of Youthful Love!' as Lee would have phrased it. They did not fall instantly and magically in love or hold hands or say mushy sweet things to each other. Ino was still in love with Sasuke, but her love was tempered by reason. Kiba still hung out with Naruto, but he did pay more attention to his training.
Then what was born of this incident was the deep seated trust between the two shinobi. One that would one day, if nurtured by them both, would bloom into a tree that would bear sweeter fruits than either could have imagined.
#
He twitched restlessly in his sleep, as bothered by thunderstorm as she. She turned in his embrace so that they faced each other and put her arms around him in comfort. He stilled then, lulled into sweeter dreams by the combination of warmth and the sweet undertone of acacia.
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I'm sorry. I'm sorry.. I was hijacked by a random KibaIno fluff bunny… And what a scary bunny it was… *cowers in fears*
"I will be back for moar!" says IT.
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On a much more serious note, have you had an experience when a single sight or sound or smell brought down a hail of other memories? That was the original premise of the story... :)
Anyway, If so inclined- do review. :)
-Aurora