This is for those lovely ladies who make up YukiTenVianey Team. I decided to keep it light because angst needs a break. I hope everyone is pleased with my offering.
Enjoy!
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"I like you, Kiba-kun."
Kiba sat slouched on the bench, mouth ajar, and stared up at a pink-cheeked Hinata. He blinked for a moment, willing himself to swallow the lump in his throat, and sighed, hanging his head. "I hate you so much."
"Wh-what?" She fidgeted in place, pressing her thighs together and balling her hands to her chest. "B-but, Kiba-kun, I..." She stopped, giggling, before she poofed into a cloud of smoke.
Kiba looked up, emotionally exhausted. "Screw you."
"Ah, c'mon!" Naruto burst through the dissipating cloud and plopped down next to him. "You gotta admit, I'm getting really good at my Hinata."
"Tch. What an achievement."
"Heh. You seem to like it."
Kiba scowled, rolling his eyes.
"So, I've been thinking," Naruto said, scratching his inner ear. "How 'bout you say I help you with this whole Hinata thing?"
Kiba cringed. The fact that Naruto knew he had a 'Hinata thing' at all and tormented him with transformations was enough, but now he wanted to get more involved? "No thanks."
"Oh, come on." Naruto turned to him. "I think she'd give even a guy like you a chance."
"You might be right, considering she likes a guy like you." Kiba looked at him bitterly. "Or did you forget that? She likes you. Huh? You forget?"
"I didn't forget..." Naruto looked to the side awkwardly, blinking, before shaking it off. "It's just... It's kinda hard to ignore how much you want her now that I know you want her."
"Who told you to notice? And stop sayin' this stuff out loud." He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I don't have feelings for her, alright? Whatever you think is going on is all wrong."
"Yeah right! Do you even know how you look when you tease her all the time? Heck, it's not even just then! You look at her, and it's like you can't look away!"
"You're judging all this on looks now?" Kiba looked at him, raising a brow. "And what if I do like her, huh? Then what?"
"Then you can do something about it."
The brunette's shoulders went slack as he sighed. "Right. Because liking her means she'll forget all about you, right?"
Naruto pursed his lips, looking away. "Eh... Well..."
"And all I have to do is confess and she'll realize I was the one for her all along."
"I wouldn't...say it like that..."
"And we'll date, get married, have a family, and, despite years of her never looking at me the way she's been looking at you, she'll call me the greatest love of her life."
"Kiba, that-"
"Perfect, Naruto. I never knew it could be so simple." He groaned again, face falling back to his hands. "Just stop, alright? I'm fine with the way things are, so stop trying to make me want more."
"C'mon, Kiba, it's not that complicated. I don't even know if I can like her as much as you do, so I'd feel like I'm wasting her time just by trying to find out. You already like her so much. Why shouldn't she see that, too?"
"Because she doesn't want to see it from me."
Naruto snorted. "I never knew you to just give up."
Kiba groaned, rolling his eyes. "She likes you, alright? I'm not giving up—I'm just picking my battles."
Silence fell, and Kiba hoped the subject was dropped. He actually didn't think about his feelings, because he didn't have to. Nothing was wrong with the way things were between him and Hinata. At least he got to be around her.
There was a poof, prompting Kiba to look up.
"But, Kiba," Hinata said, leaning close to him, "don't you want to take a chance on me?"
Kiba grimaced, his cheeks tinting despite his annoyance. "Manipulative prick."
"So, it's settled then." The fake Hinata grinned. "We'll prepare for this like we would any other situation."
"Yeah? How's that?"
White eyes glimmered with mischief. "Training, of course."
He convinced himself he was only doing this to humor Naruto. Then again, part of him knew the blond was oddly skilled when it came to helping people, but he refused to admit whether or not he hoped Naruto would actually succeed this time around. If Hinata really wanted her feelings to change, then her feelings would change.
She knew Naruto, and she knew him.
She made her choice.
So, again, this was all to humor Naruto, but...he forgot just how rambunctious he actually was.
Kiba blinked slowly, exchanging confused stares with Akamaru before looking back at the curious scene before him. "How exactly is this training?" He stared at Sai and Naruto. The blond told him they would meet at the Training Grounds—and somehow Kiba thought sparring would be incorporated into this—but seeing the dark-haired boy was throwing him off.
Naruto shrugged. "Well, you wouldn't take me seriously if I transform into her, so that's why I asked Sai to help."
Kiba frowned, speaking though he was biting his tongue irritably, "What did you tell him he's helping us with?" Naruto blinked, questioning. Kiba stared at him, his fists clenching and unclenching. He looked to Sai, whose eerie smile widened.
"Don't worry, Kiba," Sai said. "Your backwater crush may be pointless, but, as a friend, I am willing to waste my time helping you build the courage to face Miss. Hyuuga."
Kiba looked at Naruto, who merely shrugged apologetically.
"Anyway!" Naruto exclaimed, determined. "If you can pass this line of training, Hinata will fall for you in no time!" He turned to Sai. "Do your stuff!"
Sai bent to the ground, rolling out a scroll, and began to feverishly paint. Kiba stood over him, grimacing at the abstract portrait coming into view.
"How, exactly, is this going to help me?" he asked Naruto.
"You need more experience with her, right? What better way to do that than to practice?"
"Naruto," Kiba said, miffed, "I've been on her team since we were twelve—I'm fine. There's nothing else I can gain through this."
"Ah, but you've never tried to talk or spend time with her in a romantic sense."
The Inuzuka grumbled, unable to dispute the blond's claim. Of course he never tried to go beyond friendship with Hinata. It wasn't just because she had feelings for someone else or the fact that he was afraid of rejection; he just didn't want to lose her by wanting more out of an already good relationship—no matter how platonic.
"Done." Sai stood, and a few seconds later, the painting began to lift from the page. Kiba frowned uncomfortably at the black and white, mildly disturbing, Hinata that stood before him.
He looked to Naruto, who merely gave him an all too convincing thumbs up. "No."
"Come on, Kiba!" the blond encouraged. "Girls are bound to have days when they don't look as good as usual, right? Well, she can never look worse than this!" He gestured to the...creature. "And once you have your fill with interacting with this, the real one will always love you for seeing her as pretty!"
Kiba groaned, wiping his face. "I've been on a team with her for years. I've seen her at her best and her worst, so I don't need this."
"Tch. Sounds like quitter talk to me."
"It's me being rational! Look, I don't need all the substitutes, okay? I'm not afraid to talk to her."
"This isn't about talking, it's about looking for that inner beauty girls like so much!"
"What inner beauty?!" He pointed to the creature in outrage, glaring at Naruto. "This Hinata is fucking ugly!"
Naruto's mouth dropped, eyes widening.
Sai smirked, scratching his neck.
Akamaru whined, ears and tails dropping.
Naruto blinked slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Oh...crap..."
Kiba realized their eyes were not looking directly at him. He turned to find the black and white Hinata gone, but directly in line with his pointing was Hinata and Sakura at the entrance of the field. Kiba went pale, his arm freezing as it was. Hinata stared at him, her brows knitted and her mouth down turned in a subtle, yet, disastrously painful frown. "W-wait..."
Her shoulders raised, her lips pressing into a fine line.
"Hinata, that wasn't-"
She spun on her heel, quickly walking back the way she came. Sakura looked after her, worried. She turned to Kiba briefly, raising her hands half-way and shrugging—saying "What the hell, Kiba?" without any words—before darting after the heiress and calling words of comfort.
The field was silent as Kiba processed what had just happened. His head ticked back to Sai, irritation sobering him up. "Sai...why'd you stop the jutsu?"
He stared at him blankly for a long moment. "My art isn't 'ugly'."
"What...is this?"
"This is Plan Two." Naruto nodded, eyes closed as though it would make him appear sound.
"But...why is...?" He couldn't get the words out because saying it was worse than looking at it—Choji.
The Akimichi must have been wearing makeup to make his skin paler, and there was a pale pink shine to his lips. His eyelashes were packed with thick layers of black mascara, and someone had done an awful job at applying what was supposed to be a natural blush to his cheeks. But the worst of all was the replica of Hinata's clothes he was wearing...in his size. Akamaru was sniffing the boy curiously.
He almost smelled like her, too.
"All part of the plan, Kiba," Naruto went on. "See, I thought, 'Hey, women gain a little weight when they have babies, and men may not be prepared for that,' so, this is training for the day Hinata puts on weight!"
"Due...to having children?"
"Or whatever other reason girls put on weight." Naruto shrugged. He rolled his eyes coyly. "But, ya know, it did cross my mind."
Kiba stumbled backwards, slouching. "Whoa... Now you're thinking too fa-" His head snapped up, eyes widening. "You told Choji?!"
Naruto opened his eyes, blinking. "Oh... Actually, I told him to just do this with no questions asked and I'd buy him some ramen, but...I guess I kinda did...just...tell him..." He laughed nervously, rubbing his head. "Eh... Well, Choji's a nice guy."
Kiba looked at the round boy, defensive.
"Hey, don't sweat it," the Akimichi assured. "I'm not gonna blab or anything. I always kinda thought you were sweet on her, anyway." He laughed, scratching his tinting cheeks. "Kinda sweet for a guy like you to like a girl like her. Thought for sure you'd like the stand-offish types."
Kiba groaned, looking away. "Is the whole damn village gonna know by the end of this...?" His gaze slid back to Choji, eying him. "How'd you find clothes like hers?"
"Oh, well..." He looked down at himself, pulling at the garments. "It's just a genjutsu, so don't go releasing it just yet. I want my ramen."
"Eh... I don't know if I can do this."
"Eh?" Naruto tilted his head. "What's wrong?"
"Looking at Hinata isn't the issue, so I can't take any of these fakes seriously."
"Don't you need to visualize so you can get the full effect?"
"I don't know how Kakashi has been training you guys, but I can see Kurenai-sensei does it way differently for us. Thanks, but...I just need to settle this my way." He turned, glancing at Choji, and quickly closed his eyes before he could laugh. "By the way, you make an excellent Hinata, Cho-"
Akamaru whined.
"Ah, fuck," Naruto hissed.
Kiba's eyes snapped open, his stomach dropping instantly. A few yards away, Shino stood with a red-faced, teary eyed Hinata.
No... No, not two times in a row.
"...Hinata, can you hear me from there?"
Her eyes squinted, tears slipping.
Kiba began to walk forward. "Hinata, no, really listen to me this ti-"
The Hyuuga pulled her hood over herself, wrapped her arms around her middle, and ran off. He called after her, his pace quickening, but soon came to a stop near Shino when it was clear she wanted to be distanced from him.
"Kiba," Shino's hand came on his shoulder, and he said something that could only convey his thoughts accurately for this one instance, "what the hell?"
Naruto fidgeted nervously in his spot; this wasn't good at all.
Choji looked between the blond and the remaining Team 8. He pouted, patting his stomach. "Do I still get that ramen?"
"Hey, Kiba!" Naruto knocked on his friend's bedroom door. "So, yesterday took sort of a bad turn. That's an easy fix."
Silence.
Naruto knocked again, softer this time. "Kiba...? You're not...upset, are you?"
"She won't talk to me," came the Inuzuka's low, menacing voice.
Naruto grinned, happy he wasn't dead or getting there. "Hey, man, cheer up! I took into consideration what you said, and, you're right. I mean, I've seen Sakura before she can even get ready for the day, so there's no side of her that can surprise me—even if she did get fat. That's why I've come up with something even I'm probably not prepared for."
"I'm not doing any more of your dumbass training because I'm not a dumbass. Besides, I gotta...think about how I'm going to apologize."
"That's good, too! And, ya know, this is my fault. I never expected all of this to backfire like it did, so let's do something way more practical. After Training: Part Three, you'll have killed two toads with one kunai."
"I said I'm not-"
"Hinata left with Shino just a little while ago. I think they're running some errands in a nearby village." There was silence, urging him to go on. "If you're anything like me, then you don't really wanna go through this alone."
More silence but then there was the rustling of fabric and the pushing aside of arbitrary items. Kiba opened the door, looking troubled. "You're really bad when it comes to girls."
Naruto grinned, a bit self-conscious. "My luck runs a little short sometimes, I guess."
Kiba suppressed a grin of his own. "I just want help on getting my words right," he clarified.
"Sure, fine." Naruto's eyes shined. "We'll do it your way."
o0o0o
Lee.
Lee, wearing a long black wig with who knows what kind of round things shoved in the front of his jumpsuit...
Why was he so surprised?
"Now, before you say anything," Naruto began, "Lee is here to help you get over your fear of hitting Hinata during sparring. Well, you know, that was the original plan, but things changed."
"It is still an honor, Kiba!" Lee exclaimed. "I have not had the luxury of sparring with you, and I find this the perfect time to do so! When dealing with your teammates, it is important to hold nothing back. It is only then that you acknowledge them as your equal so you both can become stronger!"
Kiba inhaled deeply, gathering his calm, and released. "And...you look like this because...?"
"Visualization is key!"
Naruto nodded approvingly.
"Naruto..." The brunette groaned. "I would have preferred you told him I have a crush."
"Ooooooh!" Lee brought a hand to his mouth, turning to the side. "I see. So it is that kind of practice you are looking for."
Kiba twitched. "When you say it like that, it sounds so-"
"Very well!" He extended his hand out to him valiantly. "Take my hand! We will do one hundred laps around the village in romantic glee!"
"Just what is your definition of 'romantic'?"
"No time for questions! We must build you for endurance!" He grabbed Kiba's hand and proceeded to dart around the village.
Naruto watched them, nodding. This plan had actually been able to commence. "Maybe I should use Bushy Brow more often..."
o0o0o
For one hundred laps exactly—not a foot more or less—Kiba was dragged around, his feet barely touching the ground. It was high noon when the taijutsu user finally stopped, and Kiba was more exhausted than Lee, for whatever reason.
"That was splendid!" Lee praised, wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead. "You are a most formidable partner!"
"Yeah..." Kiba panted. "What...ever..." He never took note of Lee's strength to such a degree, and, if he could run at full speed with him as dead-weight, it was a bit terrifying.
And he did it all in a wig and fake boobs.
Very terrifying.
Kiba looked up, highly uncomfortable in his jacket, and locked eyes with a blank faced Hinata.
"Hinata-chan!" Lee greeted. "What a coincidence to see you!"
"Ah..." She tried to find the right words, but...Lee was wearing a wig...
...and had fake breasts...
...and...was holding Kiba's hand...
She had no words, so she kindly bowed, turned, and walked away.
Two Days Later
Well, his emotions were coming across quite clearly.
Insults, insults, and more insults.
He groaned.
Did she even want to see him again?
Kiba didn't know the answer, and, honestly, he didn't want to know. It had only been five days, but he felt like he had managed to put such a rift between him and Hinata he wasn't ready to find out if they could recover from it.
He shouldn't have gotten greedy.
He didn't seriously think Naruto's help could land him a spot in Hinata's heart—at least not as more than a friend—but he had entertained the thought, and he was now being punished for wanting more than what he had. Hinata may have liked Naruto, but she didn't run to him when something was troubling her. It wasn't Naruto who had been with her when her self-confidence was non-existent. It wasn't Naruto who saw sides of her he was sure her family hadn't even seen. No, it was Kiba who had the luxury of getting to know her on an intimate level—even if it was split with Shino—so he should have walked away from the very beginning.
He groaned again, leaning his head back on the bench he occupied. He advised Akamaru to leave him be for a few hours, and it had resulted in the Inuzuka sulking on a public bench just because...he didn't want to be alone right now. He did need time to himself, but he could get the best of both worlds by looking unappealing as the rest of the world carefully passed him by.
"Kiba..."
He looked up to see Hinata. Well, Naruto transformed as Hinata. He probably did this so Kiba wouldn't hastily rush him off, and it was probably working. He sighed, relaxing once again. "Hey."
"Can we talk?"
"Yeah... Yeah, sure."
Naruto sat down, looking down at his lap. "It's been a...weird...few days."
"Very weird." He ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "I kinda just want to forget about it all."
"Me, too... Maybe I got too...worked up. B-but if there's anything you want to say to me, I think I should hear it."
Kiba looked at him. He really hated when he transformed into her. There was a whole lot he did want to say, but it wasn't to him. When Naruto looked at him with her eyes and talked to him with her voice...it made him wonder just how okay he was. Naruto could take Hinata's emotions and make it so they were all aimed at him, but Kiba understood far too well how ironic that was. It wasn't Kiba who actually got these looks. It wasn't Kiba those eyes longed to look at...
So, maybe he wasn't okay.
No, he really wasn't okay with the fact that someone he cared for chose to waste her efforts and emotions on a guy who didn't feel the same. He wasn't okay that he himself was better qualified to be her crush, but she would never look at him that way. He wasn't okay that he had to choose between taking a chance and keeping a friend...
Because, surely, Hinata wouldn't stop liking Naruto even if she knew how Kiba felt...and she'd probably distance herself as a way to not hurt him.
And it was the mere possibility that hurt the most.
He huffed, shaking his head. "Just don't regret anything."
Naruto tilted his head—her head. "How do you mean?"
He shook his head. That wasn't meant for him anyway. "Wanna do something later?"
"Hm? Like what?"
"Heck, I dunno. Just something like a...a way to say sorry. Ya know, hang out so things don't feel awkward between us."
He giggled, which sounded a lot less creepy through Hinata's mouth. "Like a date?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever you-" Kiba's eyes locked on to movement coming from his right. He stared lamely, everything about him stopping.
o0o0o
He was really upset...
Of course, he had every right to be upset.
Maybe he had been too selfish in his desire to help Kiba, but he hadn't planned for any of the mishaps that occurred. Naruto cursed to himself, feeling more guilty about this than anything before. He wasn't just playing a prank that would be forgotten, or impulsively declaring things that held no initial weight.
He was messing with emotions.
Kiba's emotions.
The brunette had obviously been content with his life, so it was completely out of line for Naruto to mess it all up. And for what? Because he was so used to imposing his help on other people? Because it had worked so many times before? Because he was so sure he knew what was best?
"You can't just drag people down with you," he muttered.
But he had really wanted to help. Hinata's confession did have an impact on him, but then he found out how Kiba felt. The Inuzuka knew how she felt, but he had stuck by her anyway; Naruto saw a lot of himself in him when it came to that. He wondered if things would be different if she knew how Kiba felt, but it wasn't his place to just tell her. Then again...maybe it also wasn't his place to force Kiba to tell her either...
And he had to make up for it.
So, Naruto set out for Kiba's house to truly apologize and maybe suggest they hang out to forget this all happened. He had been tempted to approach him in Hinata's form, but he settled with buying a bouquet of flowers. Hopefully, it would be funny enough to lighten the mood with just a touch of genuine understanding between the two.
Naruto looked up from his walk and was relieved to see Kiba sitting on a bench. Oddly enough, his friend was already staring at him...in such a peculiar way. He wasn't really moving either... Was he not in the mood to be bothered? Maybe that eerie gaze was a testament to how truly pissed he was this time. Naruto was about to make a quick decision when he noticed Hinata was next to him.
Oh.
Oh...
Did he say something stupid thinking she was him? If that was the case, then Naruto just screwed up again by over-using his Transformations. There was no way to recover if he had talked to her like he usually talked to him.
Naruto looked around him, trying to find a place to leap to, when his eyes fell on the flowers.
o0o0o
He was standing right there...
Meaning...he wasn't right here.
Naruto was there, meaning Hinata was...here...?
He looked to the heiress, who was now looking at him with large, curious eyes due to his sudden, rigid state. He suddenly became jittery. His walls weren't in place, so his emotions for her were running too freely with her around while he was experiencing them.
He felt exposed...
What if she could sense it? What if it was plainly displayed in his eyes—on his face? Would she be repulsed because he wasn't looking at her like he normally did? Would she tense up and run from him but not care to return? The thoughts made him distressed, his body heating uncomfortably.
"Kiba?" Her lips moved, and he suddenly placed them on the same enticing level as any other covered part of her body. "You don't look well."
His face exploded in heat, his heart thumping wildly. He didn't want to be in this situation anymore.
"Hey, Kiba!" The Inuzuka stiffly looked over; Naruto was sprinting their way. "Sorry I'm late!" the blond huffed, stopping in front of the two. He shoved a bouquet of flowers in his face. "Here. I brought them. I hope Hinata-chan likes them."
"Me?" Hinata squeaked.
"Ah! H-Hinata! I...uh... You see..." He sighed, shoulders slumping, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry... Kiba was going to surprise you with these."
"Ah... R...Really?" She looked at Kiba for confirmation.
Kiba took the flowers, finding that the only thing he could do. "Uh... Uh..."
"Damn, did I ruin it?" Naruto grinned. "Well, he's embarrassed now that I'm here, but I'll just spoil it for you, Hinata-chan. See, with all the craziness that's happened, Kiba had planned to take you to that new cafe in town. I was supposed to bring these before you got here, but I was running a little behind schedule."
She blinked, looking between the two boys. "I... I didn't-"
"Well, don't let me interrupt! Pretend I was never here!" Naruto laughed, running off.
Kiba's mind couldn't process much. All that really processed with him was...Hinata had really been Hinata... He looked at her, then at the flowers, then back at her. With his mind still trying to reboot, he handed them to her.
She took them, looking them over carefully. She peeked up at him. "I don't think...I got your invitation to meet you here." She paused, thinking. "I'm kind of confused, to be honest."
Kiba didn't respond. He was afraid of what would happen next.
Hinata stared at the bouquet, a small smile curving her lips. "These are...really beautiful."
He blinked, surprised. "Y...yeah?"
"And these are...for me...?"
"Y...yeah?"
Her cheeks tinted, staring at the bundle in a state of mild confusion. This was...different for their friendship. She supposed she had never gotten mad at Kiba before—and she really hadn't been this time—but flowers weren't...what friends did to apologize, was it? And...he wanted to take her to the new cafe—something she had excitedly waited for until completion?
Did that mean something?
Flowers...
Cafe...
Just the two of them...?
Hinata stood awkwardly, turning away from him. Kiba opened his mouth to say something—clear things up maybe—but Hinata looked back at him, a blush crossing over her nose. "You're really sweet, Kiba." She smiled bashfully. "And...I can't wait for our 'date'."
His mouth parted. "...Yeah?"
She laughed. "Yeah." And she walked off.
Kiba was numb. What just happened? Did she...? Did... Did she just agree to a...a... "Date?" he mumbled.
"HE DID IT!"
Before Kiba could react, he was surrounded by Lee, a dozen Narutos, Choji, and (an emotionless) Sai. They hoisted him up in the air, rejoicing and congratulating him.
Kiba could only smile vaguely, still trying to wrap his mind around a date with Hinata.