Authoress' Note: Woo-hoo! I'm back with more Kiba/Hinata love! The title of my story should look familiar to those true Naruto fans who log in way too much time on Ultimate Ninja 3 for Playstation 2! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I (Random Mongoose), along with my secret identity, do not own Naruto.
"YAHOOOOO!"
A joyous, confident howl burst through the silence of the previously still forest. The leaves shook as the sound vibrations coursed across the area and rebounded into echoes in the deep woods.
Splash
Shino Aburame straightened from his crouched position near the tree trunk and bitterly wiped the pungent dog urine from his jacket. His teeth grit together in annoyance as his eyebrows furrowed, making his mysterious appearance look sinister.
"Blast it, Kiba."
The aforementioned shinobi either didn't hear his Aburame teammate, or chose to ignore him. He and Akamaru were already several kilometers farther into the forest.
The parasitic insect user muttered under his breath as he looked back at the base of the tree, where the insect he was inspecting used to be at rest.
Yep. Gone.
The sound of light footsteps fell through the air as Hinata pranced into the tiny clearing a few moments later. Her medium-length blue hair bounced upon her shoulders and her shocking white orbs glittered with delight as she withheld the beauty of the sunbathed woods. Splashes of color flooded her vision everywhere, brightening her outlook of the warm summer day.
"Oh, Shino! Have you ever seen a more calm and peaceful place? It's so beautiful!" The Hyuga heiress twirled around a bit, running her hands across a few soft leaves as she did so. A huge smile lit up her features as she let the natural beauty consume her thoughts.
The Aburame looked at his female teammate out of the corner of his eye with a raised brow; not that she noticed because of his dark glasses.
"As a matter of fact…"
His irritated grumble was interrupted by none other than the source of his frustration: the loud and rather obnoxious Inuzuka.
Kiba crashed through the branches of the closely-knit trees and pounced down in the clearing with a thud, an adolescent Akamaru on his heels.
"Hinata! Come and train with us!" He grasped Hinata's hands in his and gently tugged her towards the deeper part of the woods. He had thrown off his heavy fur jacket in the summer heat, his mesh undershirt being much better suited for the weather. His dark eyes glinted with excitement as his body practically trembled with hyperactivity.
Hinata giggled, "In a little bit, Kiba" The Inuzuka let loose a small whine of impatience, but then immediately shot back into the trees with his faithful dog companion, the volume level increasing as he went. "Well hurry up!" The shout resounded from somewhere beyond the thicket of trees.
Shino snorted, "We could do without the raucous distractions". This time Hinata caught the annoyance in the Aburame's tone. She became quiet, a thoughtful look settling on her features. Shino turned and started looking for the bug specimen he was examining earlier. "If he can't exert control, I'll just have to restrain him myself," he grumbled.
"Oh, don't worry about it Shino," The parasitic insect user glanced towards his teammate in surprise; the Hyuga heiress sounded unusually confident and resolved. She flashed him a brilliant smile.
"I'll take care of it," she promised, and then she turned and sauntered through the trees in Kiba's general direction, humming merrily as she went.
The Aburame stared after her for several moments, but eventually turned his back and resumed his search. "Teammates," he muttered.
The next day was just as bright and cheery as the first. Inevitably, the late morning peace was abruptly interrupted with Kiba's joyful commotion, which then integrated into team conflict in record time.
Hinata had just arrived on scene when reprimands and insults had begun to fly. The Aburame and the Inuzuka were standing nose to nose, with Shino's eyebrows furrowed and Kiba's teeth bared
"Are you accusing me of noise pollution?!?!"
"It is possible to train without impairing others' hearing."
"It's a free village! You don't own the woods!"
"It's called respect, Kiba. Maybe if you were capable of it, you would actually be a decent comrade."
Kiba snapped his teeth together and growled through them, "It only goes to show that you're the one with no respect Shino! It's time for you to realize that I'm top dog around here! I'm the leader and you
will listen to what I say!"
"I'll be dead before I disgrace the Aburame clan by bowing to an obnoxious, filthy mutt!"
"Why, you-" Kiba threw his arm back in preparation for a jaw-breaking punch.
"Stop!"
All motion ceased in a matter of seconds as Hinata shoved herself between the two males. Quick as a flash, she grasped Kiba's head between her palms and pulled him down to smash their lips together.
There was a deadbeat of silence. And then another. And another.
Kiba's arm had fallen uselessly to his side in shock. Shino slowly took a few steps back, the emotion of surprise apparent on his features for the first time.
Whoa
Slowly, Hinata gently pulled away from Kiba's face. The Inuzuka's expression was painted with incredulity, with his mouth hanging open and his eyes glazed over. The Hyuga heiress gave him a meek, delightful smile and turned to head deeper into the woods. As she passed Shino, she gave him a knowing wink.
The male shinobi of team eight stood stock still in the small, sunbathed clearing. Only birds broke the tranquil silence now.
