Rei turned and began to run, zigzagging from one end of the battlefield to the other. During this time, sharp, jagged rocks were emerging from the ground all around her, giving her protection from the kunai an shuriken that were flying at her from all directions. She reached the other end of the field, jumped over a short ditch and landed, smoothly, next to Kurenai Sensei.
"Good job, Rei. Nice use of Earth to block the kunai. Kiba, you are up now," said their dark haired, red eyed sensei. Kiba stepped up on to the start line on the other side of the field and took in a deep breath. He looked down at his dog, Akamaru and smiled at him.
"Ready boy," he asked. The dog gave a small approving bark and they began. Shino, Rei, and Kurenai began throwing kunai and shuriken from all the possible angles they could think of. Kiba jumped, weaved, dodged, rolled, and twisted himself around to avoid every single projectile. Two feet from the finish line he removed a kunai of his own and threw it in front of him to block the very last kunai that Rei had thrown straight at his face, she had aimed between the eyes. He crossed the finish line, landing like in a dog-like crouching position after jumping across the ditch. He looked up to Kurenai and smiled, then he looked to Rei who sneered and looked in the other direction. Rei and Kiba had been going at it for almost two weeks now, ever since Kiba said something rude to her.
o0o
It was a late afternoon and training had just ended. Rei was on her way back to her and Naruto's apartment when Kiba stopped her. "Want to go cool off in the river?" He had asked her. Rei turned to Shino as if wondering if she would feel guilty for not inviting him, but he had not heard and was already far enough away so that guilt would not be a problem if she accepted Kiba's offer. It had only been three days since the test that Kurenai had given them that they had passed with flying colors. The same test that made both Shino and Kiba realize how valuable and invulnerable Rei really was. It especially made Kiba realize how little he knew about her. He wanted to more about this intriguing, beautiful girl who had so much raw power. So he had decided on that day that we would ask her to go to the river and try to learn more about her. It was a hot day so he figured she would agree, which she did. On the way there, they were very silent for a while, Rei still smiling slightly to herself. Kiba decided that things needed to move along so he asked her something.
"What made you want to be a ninja?" Rei looked up and looked at Kiba for a moment as though he had six heads. Then she seemed to snap back to reality and consider the question before answering.
"My parents being killed. I don't want anyone else to have to go through that so I became a ninja to protect those that need protection, and so I would never need it myself." She said this last part with a type of sarcasm that Kiba knew was directed at the fact that he and Shino had vastly underestimated her abilities during the test three days earlier and Kiba had been trying profusely to protect Rei, when he was the one who needed protection in the end.
"Ha ha, you are so funny," He said, making a face at her and sticking out his tongue, she laughed at this, putting her hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter. "But seriously, I understand what you mean, if something like that had happened to me, I would probably have ended up the same way. So don't worry
about when the other people say you are incapable or stupid or got into the academy just because of Iruka Sensei. They are stupid and don't-" But he was cut-off by the look on Rei's face.
"People say that about me?" Her smile had completely faded and now she just looked crushed and upset. "People say that I don't deserve to be a ninja?"
"I didn't say…don't take it like that…Rei…" She began walking away; he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Rei, I didn't mean to upset you, I was trying to-"
"Did you ever say those things Kiba?" Her eyes were glossy like she was fighting back tears, but the rest of her face just looked distressed, like she had a big test that she needed to go home and study for right away. Kiba stuttered for a minute, choking on his words, not being able to get out what he was trying to say. I like you. That's what he wanted to say, but it would not fit into this conversation. I want to be friends.
"Please don't be like that, Rei, I wouldn't say something like that about you now."
"But you did…before you met me." He hesitated, he knew the answer to this question, but if he told the truth she would hate him and if he lied she would know he was lying.
"Yes, I did before I knew you, but Rei, now I-" He didn't have time to answer because when he looked up again from searching for the right words, she was gone. They hadn't talked since. Granted, Kiba had tried, and failed miserably. Rei just did not want to talk to him and he didn't know why she was taking this so hard. He tried to tell her that things were different now, that they were friends. But no matter what he said, she never listened, would disappear, or would begin carrying on a conversation with Shino. Shino had not been helping Kiba out at all, and from the looks of it, Shino was quite enjoying his time with Rei. They always seemed to walk home together, to be seen in the village together. If Kiba didn't know any better, he would think they were going out.
o0o
So two weeks had passed and nothing had changed, except for the one time that Rei had said something to Kiba and that one thing was "no", which she had said the one day when Kiba had tried the talk-till-the-person-has-to-respond technique. She immediately proceeded to raise a stone wall around him in an instant after the word "no". He had repeatedly asked her to say something, to be friends, to stop ignoring him, and "no" was the answer to them all. She had left him in the stone wall and walked away leaving Kiba to dig himself out using the fang over fang technique with Akamaru. When he emerged, she was long gone. And since that time she has not spoken one word, but she has not, however, ignored him. If she tries to speak, she merely stands and stares at him, listening but with that painful air of knowing that she will not respond. It is more painful to Kiba than to have her ignore him.
Shino passed in front of Kiba and brushed by Rei so closely that her hair flowed up from her shoulders. She turned and began following him, skipping in one instance to catch up and walk next to him back to the village. They began a conversation but Kiba couldn't hear anything since they were so far away by the time they started talking. Kiba stood there for a moment, bewilderd and confused as to why she was
refusing to speak to him for so long. What in the world could he do to make her forgive him? They could not possibly go on a mission in the state they were in, not working together, with two people not speaking, this was not the way a team should work together. Suddenly Kiba felt a slender hand on his shoulder and a voice started up in his right ear.
"If you want her to forgive you, you should leave her alone for a while." He turned to see Kurenai smiling down at him with her fiery red eyes curved up on the sides.
"How do you know about her being mad at me?" She smirked and laughed a bit.
"I am also a woman if you couldn't tell, and not only that, but I have never seen someone throw a kunai with such anger at someone that they were not angry at. So just heed my advice and let her simmer for a while. She needs to feel like you gave up. Just look really sad and don't try to talk to her and soon enough it will mend itself." She smiled and gave him a push. "Now go home and rest, we had a long practice today. Kiba began running off and Kurenai stood watching. Suddenly a figure dropped down beside Kurenai and laughed softly.
"You really don't know much about women do you?" Asuma asked. Kurenai did not turn but smiled.
"No, but I am sure Rei will have to forgive him eventually, they can't go on like this forever.
Asuma smiled as he and Kurenai began walking together towards the village, the sunset forming a beautiful backdrop for their walk home.
o0o
The next day at training Kurenai announced that they would be leaving immediately to go on a small, D-rank mission to the land of snow to help with a transport that would be bringing boxes of tea from the port to the main village through some iffy territory. It was all precaution for the land of snow, no guarantee of any action or fighting what-so-ever.
When they arrived in the land of snow after walking for almost the whole day, Kiba and Rei had still not said anything to each other. Kiba had taken Kurenai Sensei's advice and completely ignored Rei as she did the same to him. Although both took constant glances to make sure the other person wasn't looking at them. Kurenai smiled to herself, thinking about how stupid they were both being. Shino merely kept himself between the two of them based on a request from Rei to do so. He would sometimes turn his head slightly towards Rei while she whispered something to him. He would very rarely whisper something back, but when he did, Rei would always laugh or smile in response. Kiba could often be heard growling softly during these exchanges.
They met up with the people from the land of tea who were transferring the tea to the main village of the land of snow. They were all bundled up against the cold weather, they warned of some very cold temperatures that would occur later that night when it would get darker out. The sun was still up, but just starting to edge its way over the horizon. Rei spoke for the first time since they had left.
"Sensei, you didn't tell us that we were traveling through the mountains, or about the below freezing temperatures at night. I hardly think we are dressed for that." Kurenai turned from Rei to Shino to Kiba and turned back to answer Rei.
"No my dear, it is only you and I who are not dressed for this, the boys should be fine." She smiled and turned back to the transporters to discuss certain things. Shino turned to her and shrugged. Rei sighed, she would have to freeze to death in her outfit that was not at all made for below freezing temperatures. A gust of cold wind blew by, sending Rei's hair into disarray and causing her to shiver a bit. Kiba looked at her for a moment then turned just in time to miss Rei's glance.
A few hours later, they were sitting in a clearing around a fire while the transporters slept in their tents. Kurenai spoke up first. "Shino, I need you to come help me with something, your bugs will be useful for this." She turned back to Rei and Kiba as Shino got up from the spot on the ground. "You two stay here and guard the others." She smiled once more and then her and Shino were gone, leaving only the below freezing temperatures in their wake.
Rei glanced at Kiba through the flames of the fire since they had skillfully positioned themselves on each side of the large fire, so as not to have to see each other very much. She noticed Kiba was also looking at her through the fire and both suddenly turned away, not wanting to let the other know they had been watching. After another six minutes of silence, Kiba decided it was now or never to renew their friendship.
"Look, Rei…I-"
"Don't." She replied, not giving him time to speak any more than he already had.
"But Rei, I really think they we need to-"
"No…we don't need to do anything." She said, cutting him off once more. Kiba growled deeply and got up off the ground with such speed that Rei gave a little jump when she could see him above the fire, orange, yellow and red lights flickering against his angry face. He walked around the fire, grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the clearing and into the cold, dark, woods, away from the warmth and light of the fire. Rei tried to pull away but Kiba's grip was too strong, she could feel his anger through the grip he kept on her left arm. She pulled out a Kunai and Kiba stopped and turned to her.
"Are you going to stab me or something, put it away Rei." He said, letting go of her arm and watching her, waiting for her to replace the kunai back to its pouch. She did, but very slowly.
"What did you drag me out here for Kiba?" She asked, crossing her arms and looking away from him.
"Because we need to talk, you can't keep ignoring me anymore, it's really frustrating." He said this as if he was very tired and could no longer stay awake. Rei turned back to him, looking almost sad that she had made him feel this way.
"And what exactly do we need to talk about?" She asked, going back to her scornful and pernicious tone of voice. He sighed and continued on.
"What I said that day, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I apologized, or at least I tried, many…many times. But I don't understand why you refuse to be friends again. I was stupid; I admit that, with all my heart, I admit that. But you really can't stay mad at me forever without giving me a reason."
"You told me that before you met me you and everyone else thought that I was stupid and was only a ninja because of Iruka sensei's influence. Am I really supposed to forgive you for that? Besides, what does it matter to you anyway if I speak to you or not, we were never really friends before anyway. So what, we talked a few times, that doesn't mean we are friends. I know who my friends are-"
"Who, Shino? You cant be serious, he hardly talks!"
"And? I should care what you think because…?"
"Because it makes me angry that you refuse to speak to me about anything but you go running off with Shino after every training session and you are even hanging out in town now. It looks like you two are going out and it makes me so…" he growled and turned away, throwing his arms up and gripping the side of his head. Rei stood there, was he really jealous?
He turned back around, his hood falling down because of the quick movement, and he reached out, grabbing her shoulders. She gasped and tried to speak.
"What are you-" She attempted to speak to him but was suddenly thrust back into a tree trunk, she shut her eyes at the sharp pain of being thrust against a tree trunk in the cold night. She let out a small gasp and opened her eyes to see Kiba in front of her, at arm's length, his eyes searching her face for something. He was thinking, about what she couldn't possibly know.
"Ki-ba" she managed to choke out.
"Just…don't talk for a minute alright?" He asked, with a tone of need, he needed her to not talk so he could think. She had no idea what was going on. Why was he pining her to a tree and looking at her so fiercely?
"What are you doing?" She asked again. Kiba growled in a low tone.
"This," he said as he moved forward, pressing his lips against hers. They felt soft and warm against her cold ones. The kiss seemed to last forever in the moment, but as soon as he pulled away it seemed like only a second. They looked at each other until Kiba suddenly blushed and turned away, releasing Rei, who slipped down the tree trunk a little ways before catching herself and standing up-right. "I-I am sorry" Kiba started. Rei looked up and signed.
"Kiba…" He turned and had barely any time to react before her lips were pressed firmly against his once more. This kiss was long an passionate, warm and inviting, she wanted more and so did he. When they broke off to breath, Rei smiled up at Kiba who looked very confused, before smiling back down at her.
She jumped up and he caught her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him once, very softly. Kiba growled longingly at her, she had no idea how much he wanted this to be happening and how much it had hurt when she ignored him. But little did he know, she wanted this even more. She growled back and they continued their long, passionate kissing.
Meanwhile Kurenai and Shino were sitting in the clearing, Shino saying and doing nothing out f the ordinary, but Kurenai sat there smiling into the fire and listening to the rustling in the snow not too far away. She smiled to know that her team was back to normal and would no longer have tension. And that she had been correct and could finally gloat to Asuma.