*for Renee*
There was a limit to everything.
In all honesty, Inuzuka Kiba was an easygoing guy. But even he had his limits.
No one messed with his dog, for one. No one picked on Hinata. No one challenged him to
a fight and then backed down. There were a lot more things, but those were the major
ones.
Still, those were the ones he could forgive. The forgiving process usually involved
a lot of beating the shit out of the offender, but he could let it go by once the punishment
had been dealt. Kiba was a nice guy like that. Didn't really hold grudges. Live and let
live, that was the rule. Enemies one minute, pals the next. That was how dogs lived, and
he'd always thought they had the right idea.
But there was one thing that Kiba could not forgive, and that was being ignored. It
drove him crazy. It was bad enough when someone ignored him for spite, just because
they knew it would tick him off. But then he at least knew that they were ignoring him by
will, as an active kind of thinking. They were forcing themselves to ignore him, and by
that not really ignoring him at all, so he could deal with that to a certain extent. He had
never met someone who could actually live their life as if he wasn't there, ignoring him
with no effort at all, just like a regular person would a dog whistle. It was just out of their
hearing range, after all- you weren't ignoring something if you couldn't detect it.
He never thought he'd meet a person who didn't notice him at all.
Aburame Shino was driving him batshit insane.
They were on the same team! It wasn't like Shino didn't see him every day, didn't
train with him and fight beside him on missions. But it was like he didn't exist. He
couldn't remember the other boy even once saying his name. Every day, they'd stand
around waiting for Kurenai-sensei who was usually a few minutes late, with all the guys
hitting on her and all, and Hinata would say good morning, and he would say hi back, and
Shino would stand there, and she'd say hello to him, and he would nod, and Kiba would
say something random and decently polite, and he would act like he didn't even hear him.
Like the frequency of his voice was too low for his damn bug ears.
Year after year, it was the same. They got promoted to Chuunin, it was the same.
They still even hung out every now and then, as a team. And sometimes Hinata would be
late, when they were gonna eat lunch together or something, and he would sit there with
Shino, and try to read what he could see of his face, behind those damn sunglasses and
the collar of the stupid grey coat. Of course he couldn't see anything, but he had figured
the first time that the staring alone would at least make him uncomfortable or something.
No such luck. He still did it though, just for spite.
Spite, and the vague hope that maybe, someday, Shino would look up and
acknowledge him.
It wasn't anything stupid, like wanting him to be his best friend or something.
Kiba was happy with Akamaru. Akamaru understood him better anyway, and was more
loyal than any human could ever be. Of course, he couldn't really hold a conversation
with the little dog… he could understand his barks sometimes, just the feeling behind
them, but it wasn't like they could sit down and talk about the weather. He had always
figured that he could just find somebody else, like Hinata or somebody, if he wanted to
talk about something. Not like that was a big deal to him or anything. None of this was a
big deal at all, really. Just something that pissed him off sometimes.
The only reason he was even waiting by Ichiraku to kick the crap out of Aburame
Shino was because he had nothing better to do. Akamaru was napping in the sunbeams at
home, like he did on weekends. Hinata was at home, doing whatever she did there. His
mother had kicked him out of the house for moping around being bored, and he was
forbidden to come back until dinner. So he didn't have anything better to do.
Just to wait here for bug boy to wander by. And make him notice.
Nobody ignored Inuzuka Kiba.
He could see him in the distance. Shuffling along, going who knows where, hands
in his pockets, sunglasses tilted towards the ground. People avoided Shino on the street;
not because of any actual dislike of him, since most people had never spoken to an
Aburame in their life, but from a certain amount of fear. Kiba couldn't blame them for
that- even if Shino was a decent person, which he had occasionally proven himself to be,
he was still crawling with bugs, and that was enough to turn someone off from being near
him. It had never honestly bothered Kiba that much, unless he thought about it. Shino
was Shino, no matter how much he pissed him off… they were a team, after all.
At least, he thought that way. It was pretty obvious that Shino didn't care one way
or the other. After all, you'd think he would be grateful to have a team that would accept
him. Hinata was the sweetest girl alive, and Kiba knew what it was like to identify so
close with animals… well, bugs weren't really animals, but it was close enough. So any
rational person would think the three of them would become fast friends.
He didn't know what to call what they had become, really. He trusted both Shino
and Hinata with his life… he had to, after all, and they had to trust him. And Hinata was
his friend… but Shino was just too distant. Too weird. And he'd be damned if he begged
for someone's friendship who should be grateful for his.
Kiba considered just falling into step with Shino as he passed by. Maybe he'd get
a nod, or something; enough to feel like he didn't have to have a vendetta against this
guy. Maybe he was stretching… but yeah, maybe he did want to be friends. Maybe it
would be nice to not have to grind his teeth in frustration every time Shino was around.
Maybe it would be nice to have more than one good friend…
Maybe it would be nice to like someone he trusted so utterly.
But that would be against his resolve, so Kiba instead took a big step out into the
road. Directly into Shino's path. He'd have to say something then, right? He'd have to at
least do something.
Or, he could just adjust his path and walk around him.
"Shino!" Kiba snarled, spinning around so fast he nearly staggered. "Hey! I'm
tryin' t' catch your attention, here!" The angry words bounced off the other boy's thin
back with not a trace of effect, practically choking him with frustration. How could he
just keep walking and pretending nothing had happened? How dare he?!
And yet he did. He just kept walking, sandals shuffling along the ground, eyes
cast to the dirt. Walking along, like Kiba didn't even exist. Like he wasn't even a bump
in the road. Like he had much more important things to do. Like someone who had risked
so much to protect him, someone he should rightly trust with everything, someone who
trusted him with everything and more, wasn't even worth a 'hello'.
It was more than he could take.
As he swung the fist at Shino's back, somewhere in the back of his mind Kiba
already knew it was a bad idea. No matter how strong he had become, Shino was… Shino
was too much of an enigma to beat. Not that he wasn't stronger than him, no way.
Inuzuka Kiba was unmatchable! But…
It was Shino.
Kiba managed to yank his hand away with only a few of the destruction bugs
crawling over his fingers, not bothering to mask a grimace as he shook them off to the
ground. A few years ago, he wouldn't have bothered to think about it, but experience had
taught him that those little critters weren't things to mess with. He glared venomously as
Shino took his time turning around; first one foot turned, then the other, then his eyes
rose from the ground, the sun glinting over the dark glasses as he stood there impassively.
"What does it take for you t' notice a guy, huh?" Kiba snarled, hands clenching at
his sides. "I was standing right there, couldn't ya even say hello?" Yeah, it was a little
overboard, but once Kiba got going, it was difficult to stop. "You have gotta be the
biggest asshole I have ever met! A guy works with you for years, saves your life how
many damn times, and you can't even wave? I think those bugs' a yours have finally
made a hole in your brain, if you can't even notice me, you creepy bastard!"
The pause that followed was almost too long to bear. Kiba glared at him as well
as he could while shifting around in discomfort, blinking to keep the sun out of his eyes,
and waving his hand about behind him to discourage the last of the destruction bugs from
romancing his thumb.
"I was never under the impression you needed my acknowledgment, Kiba."
It took Kiba a moment to register the soft, low voice, as he was so unaccustomed
to hearing it. The only other signal that Shino had spoken was a slight tilt of his head, as
though he had to shake the words off his tongue. As he was still dazed by the novelty of it
all, it took him a few moments to understand the words that came out of his own mouth
and the implications thereof.
"Well, I do, dammit!"
The hush that fell around them was palpable; he couldn't help but feel everyone in
the world was listening. What had he just said? He didn't need anything from Shino. He
was perfectly fine the way things were, with Akamaru to keep him company and Hinata
to talk to every now and then, parents to feed him, and Kurenai-sensei to teach him. He
didn't need a bit from Shino. He just-
He just…
He just wanted it. That was all.
In a moment so swift and unassuming most passerby never saw it, Aburame Shino
lifted a hand and pulled down his sunglasses, enough to reveal the almost inhuman glint
of the dark eyes he had so often shielded. Kiba, though he had intended to take those
words back as quickly as possible, found his mouth empty of any words.
"I see you, Kiba," Shino said softly, something that might have been amusement
playing in the darkness of his eyes. After the briefest of pauses, he reaffixed the glasses,
and turned his back again.
Kiba stared after his once-teammate as he shuffled away into the distance,
remaining there for minutes beyond his estimation. Almost like a reflex, he checked his
watch.
Time to go home.
Though, in some way… he had never really left it.
There was a limit to everything.
In all honesty, Inuzuka Kiba was an easygoing guy. But even he had his limits.
No one messed with his dog, for one. No one picked on Hinata. No one challenged him to
a fight and then backed down. There were a lot more things, but those were the major
ones.
Still, those were the ones he could forgive. The forgiving process usually involved
a lot of beating the shit out of the offender, but he could let it go by once the punishment
had been dealt. Kiba was a nice guy like that. Didn't really hold grudges. Live and let
live, that was the rule. Enemies one minute, pals the next. That was how dogs lived, and
he'd always thought they had the right idea.
But there was one thing that Kiba could not forgive, and that was being ignored. It
drove him crazy. It was bad enough when someone ignored him for spite, just because
they knew it would tick him off. But then he at least knew that they were ignoring him by
will, as an active kind of thinking. They were forcing themselves to ignore him, and by
that not really ignoring him at all, so he could deal with that to a certain extent. He had
never met someone who could actually live their life as if he wasn't there, ignoring him
with no effort at all, just like a regular person would a dog whistle. It was just out of their
hearing range, after all- you weren't ignoring something if you couldn't detect it.
He never thought he'd meet a person who didn't notice him at all.
Aburame Shino was driving him batshit insane.
They were on the same team! It wasn't like Shino didn't see him every day, didn't
train with him and fight beside him on missions. But it was like he didn't exist. He
couldn't remember the other boy even once saying his name. Every day, they'd stand
around waiting for Kurenai-sensei who was usually a few minutes late, with all the guys
hitting on her and all, and Hinata would say good morning, and he would say hi back, and
Shino would stand there, and she'd say hello to him, and he would nod, and Kiba would
say something random and decently polite, and he would act like he didn't even hear him.
Like the frequency of his voice was too low for his damn bug ears.
Year after year, it was the same. They got promoted to Chuunin, it was the same.
They still even hung out every now and then, as a team. And sometimes Hinata would be
late, when they were gonna eat lunch together or something, and he would sit there with
Shino, and try to read what he could see of his face, behind those damn sunglasses and
the collar of the stupid grey coat. Of course he couldn't see anything, but he had figured
the first time that the staring alone would at least make him uncomfortable or something.
No such luck. He still did it though, just for spite.
Spite, and the vague hope that maybe, someday, Shino would look up and
acknowledge him.
It wasn't anything stupid, like wanting him to be his best friend or something.
Kiba was happy with Akamaru. Akamaru understood him better anyway, and was more
loyal than any human could ever be. Of course, he couldn't really hold a conversation
with the little dog… he could understand his barks sometimes, just the feeling behind
them, but it wasn't like they could sit down and talk about the weather. He had always
figured that he could just find somebody else, like Hinata or somebody, if he wanted to
talk about something. Not like that was a big deal to him or anything. None of this was a
big deal at all, really. Just something that pissed him off sometimes.
The only reason he was even waiting by Ichiraku to kick the crap out of Aburame
Shino was because he had nothing better to do. Akamaru was napping in the sunbeams at
home, like he did on weekends. Hinata was at home, doing whatever she did there. His
mother had kicked him out of the house for moping around being bored, and he was
forbidden to come back until dinner. So he didn't have anything better to do.
Just to wait here for bug boy to wander by. And make him notice.
Nobody ignored Inuzuka Kiba.
He could see him in the distance. Shuffling along, going who knows where, hands
in his pockets, sunglasses tilted towards the ground. People avoided Shino on the street;
not because of any actual dislike of him, since most people had never spoken to an
Aburame in their life, but from a certain amount of fear. Kiba couldn't blame them for
that- even if Shino was a decent person, which he had occasionally proven himself to be,
he was still crawling with bugs, and that was enough to turn someone off from being near
him. It had never honestly bothered Kiba that much, unless he thought about it. Shino
was Shino, no matter how much he pissed him off… they were a team, after all.
At least, he thought that way. It was pretty obvious that Shino didn't care one way
or the other. After all, you'd think he would be grateful to have a team that would accept
him. Hinata was the sweetest girl alive, and Kiba knew what it was like to identify so
close with animals… well, bugs weren't really animals, but it was close enough. So any
rational person would think the three of them would become fast friends.
He didn't know what to call what they had become, really. He trusted both Shino
and Hinata with his life… he had to, after all, and they had to trust him. And Hinata was
his friend… but Shino was just too distant. Too weird. And he'd be damned if he begged
for someone's friendship who should be grateful for his.
Kiba considered just falling into step with Shino as he passed by. Maybe he'd get
a nod, or something; enough to feel like he didn't have to have a vendetta against this
guy. Maybe he was stretching… but yeah, maybe he did want to be friends. Maybe it
would be nice to not have to grind his teeth in frustration every time Shino was around.
Maybe it would be nice to have more than one good friend…
Maybe it would be nice to like someone he trusted so utterly.
But that would be against his resolve, so Kiba instead took a big step out into the
road. Directly into Shino's path. He'd have to say something then, right? He'd have to at
least do something.
Or, he could just adjust his path and walk around him.
"Shino!" Kiba snarled, spinning around so fast he nearly staggered. "Hey! I'm
tryin' t' catch your attention, here!" The angry words bounced off the other boy's thin
back with not a trace of effect, practically choking him with frustration. How could he
just keep walking and pretending nothing had happened? How dare he?!
And yet he did. He just kept walking, sandals shuffling along the ground, eyes
cast to the dirt. Walking along, like Kiba didn't even exist. Like he wasn't even a bump
in the road. Like he had much more important things to do. Like someone who had risked
so much to protect him, someone he should rightly trust with everything, someone who
trusted him with everything and more, wasn't even worth a 'hello'.
It was more than he could take.
As he swung the fist at Shino's back, somewhere in the back of his mind Kiba
already knew it was a bad idea. No matter how strong he had become, Shino was… Shino
was too much of an enigma to beat. Not that he wasn't stronger than him, no way.
Inuzuka Kiba was unmatchable! But…
It was Shino.
Kiba managed to yank his hand away with only a few of the destruction bugs
crawling over his fingers, not bothering to mask a grimace as he shook them off to the
ground. A few years ago, he wouldn't have bothered to think about it, but experience had
taught him that those little critters weren't things to mess with. He glared venomously as
Shino took his time turning around; first one foot turned, then the other, then his eyes
rose from the ground, the sun glinting over the dark glasses as he stood there impassively.
"What does it take for you t' notice a guy, huh?" Kiba snarled, hands clenching at
his sides. "I was standing right there, couldn't ya even say hello?" Yeah, it was a little
overboard, but once Kiba got going, it was difficult to stop. "You have gotta be the
biggest asshole I have ever met! A guy works with you for years, saves your life how
many damn times, and you can't even wave? I think those bugs' a yours have finally
made a hole in your brain, if you can't even notice me, you creepy bastard!"
The pause that followed was almost too long to bear. Kiba glared at him as well
as he could while shifting around in discomfort, blinking to keep the sun out of his eyes,
and waving his hand about behind him to discourage the last of the destruction bugs from
romancing his thumb.
"I was never under the impression you needed my acknowledgment, Kiba."
It took Kiba a moment to register the soft, low voice, as he was so unaccustomed
to hearing it. The only other signal that Shino had spoken was a slight tilt of his head, as
though he had to shake the words off his tongue. As he was still dazed by the novelty of it
all, it took him a few moments to understand the words that came out of his own mouth
and the implications thereof.
"Well, I do, dammit!"
The hush that fell around them was palpable; he couldn't help but feel everyone in
the world was listening. What had he just said? He didn't need anything from Shino. He
was perfectly fine the way things were, with Akamaru to keep him company and Hinata
to talk to every now and then, parents to feed him, and Kurenai-sensei to teach him. He
didn't need a bit from Shino. He just-
He just…
He just wanted it. That was all.
In a moment so swift and unassuming most passerby never saw it, Aburame Shino
lifted a hand and pulled down his sunglasses, enough to reveal the almost inhuman glint
of the dark eyes he had so often shielded. Kiba, though he had intended to take those
words back as quickly as possible, found his mouth empty of any words.
"I see you, Kiba," Shino said softly, something that might have been amusement
playing in the darkness of his eyes. After the briefest of pauses, he reaffixed the glasses,
and turned his back again.
Kiba stared after his once-teammate as he shuffled away into the distance,
remaining there for minutes beyond his estimation. Almost like a reflex, he checked his
watch.
Time to go home.
Though, in some way… he had never really left it.