I glare through my purple bangs at the boy sitting across from me. He sticks his tongue out at me.
"Rini, the Hokage is ready to see you." I shoot up and stalk from the hallway of the Hokage's building, kicking the boy's foot as I cross his path. He tries to trip me up. I jump over his outstretched legs easily.
As I enter the room, my anger is quickly replaced with fear. The old man is staring at me with his eyes full of wisdom. I avert my blue eyes to the ground, sheepish now.
"Rini, when are you and Kiba going to start getting along?" The third Hokage points to a seat and makes me face him head on. This is the tenth time I've been in this office in two weeks. I can't even count how many times altogether.
"I hate that jerk, Hokage!" The tears burst forth suddenly and I wail out in anger, frustration, and hurt. The Hokage sighs and hands over a box of tissues. This is the result if every fight. I just refused to let Kiba see it.
I sniff and look up at our leader of Konoha. He is smiling sadly at me.
"What was it this time?" He takes off his hat and sits it in his lap, expecting a long, drawn out story.
That's what he got, too. I blubbered about my parents being missing and how Kiba teased me that they got bored with me and took off. I ranted about the foster parents I was stuck with and that none of the kids got along with me and it was the same at school, especially with Kiba around.
I got everything off my chest so that nothing was left to cry about. I sniff and huff myself better while the Hokage just listens. He smiles at me afterwards and pats my head. He knows that's all I need.
I leave the office smiling, forgetting all about my fight with Kiba until I see him again. He scowls at me, knowing he's about to get in trouble. I scowl back.
This was our relationship all growing up. It only got worse after the death of the Hokage, no longer having that peacekeeping barrier.
The schools tried to put us together on a team but we fought so much that the other teammates begged to have one if us replaced.
Now, fifteen years after initially meeting each other, at the age of 20, we were stuck together once more, whether we liked it or not. And we most definitely did not.
All the teams gathered together at the gates of Konoha. There was an emergency alert I. The middle of the night and now we are all here to find out what it was about.
"Listen up! We're under threat from another village! Hokage Uzumaki has received a threat from one of the distant villages in the mountains. He has issued us all a watch out post. Listen for your name when I call you," the head Anbu stands in front of us and calls out the list of names starting from the highest position. And of course, Kiba and I get stuck together. Our job was to patrol the front gates.
I glanced at the man standing away from me with his friends ah held in a shout if rage. What the hell was Lord Naruto thinking? Or whoever made the lists.
But it didn't matter. The first priority was to protect our home. I was fully prepared to do so, no matter what I got stuck with.
Akamaru bumped against my leg and looked up at me with those brown eyes. At least one of them liked me. I reached out and pet him. His head came up to my mid chest now.
Kiba sulked over, hands in pockets.
"Guess I'm stuck with you, huh?" He looked at me and for a very brief moment, I'm taken aback. I hadn't really looked at him unless I had to. I hadn't realized how handsome he became. In that moment my heart stuttered in my chest and my palms began to sweat.
"What?" Kiba knitted his brows together in confusion as I stared at him. I snapped out of it and rolled my eyes like nothing had gone on in my head.
"Yep. Guess you are, puppy lover." I walked towards the booth on the side of the road as the rest of our town got ready to go to their own patrol areas. Kiba followed slowly after.
It was ok for a few hours. No one talked, we just kept watch. The sun slowly rose above the horizon. It could have been considered romantic, if not for the man I stood beside. But we did both watch the sky light up in contented silence.
"So, who would threaten Konoha, do you think?" I eventually ask out of pure boredom.
"Someone stupid, that's for sure. They don't realize what they're in for," I saw Kiba shrug and a grin crept up onto my face. His eyes caught mine and he began to smile as well, his fang catching the outside of his lip.
"Cocky, are we?" I teased, bumping my shoulder against his as we leaned our bodies against the booth. I can't believe I'm actually getting along with the ruggedly handsome man. It seemed to be a surprise to us both.
"Only as much as I have to be, orphan girl." He bumped me back but my body turns rigid. Of course, getting along was only a matter of time. The nickname brings about harsh memories and then the recent discovery of the bodies of my parents. I scoot away and glare forward at the front gate.
"Hey, I'm sorr-" He followed me over but whatever he was about to say gets cut off by Acamaru's ferocious snarl. Suddenly a shadow appears at the top of our gate and quickly disappears again. I take off without a second thought, Kiba and Acamaru quick on my heels.
"Wait, Rini!" I use my chakra to throw myself over the wall with ease. I saw the shadow darting through the trees. I got out a kunai and placed an explosive scroll on it.
I took a few leaps into the trees and follow after the person. When I got close enough I threw the kunai.
For an instant, I thought I had them. Then out of no where, my same kunai came back, aiming straight at my heart. I jumped away but then all turned red and white and sounds of explosion filled the air all around me.
I woke in my bed and my first thought was I just had the strangest dream. But when I moved, I realized it wasn't a dream after all because my whole body screamed in pain.
"Hey, you're awake," Of all people, Kiba came through my bedroom door with a jug of water and a few cups.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" I hiked my knees to my chest to cover any possible exposure from the under clothes I wore. I regretted the movement instantly and cried out in pain.
"Rini, are you ok? Lie down flat!" Kiba dropped the water jug onto the nightstand and came to my side. I did as he said just because being scrunched up was agony. "You need to take it easy. Your body took a pretty good beating. You've been out cold for two days straight!" As my arch enemy worried over me by getting me water and fixing the pillows and covers, a thought crossed my mind. How the hell did I get into my bed in my pajamas? I didn't ask, I was afraid of the answer. My face erupted into a blush and I looked away from the boy's attentive eyes and down to my bare arms. They were covered in bruises and cuts! That must have been one strong explosion.
"So why are you here, again?" I finally glanced up from my battered skin to the dark red triangles on the man's cheeks. He was so tanned and his face was so perfectly angled. It's such a shame such handsomeness is lost by that attitude of his.
"I-um... Well, I knew you didn't have... Anyone... To look after you. And you can't do much on your own in this condition..." The red triangles blended into Kiba's cheeks as he blushed.
"So this is charity work because I'm a poor orphan girl who can't do anything?" My anger flared up in indignance. He thought I was pathetic when I only had a few scratches!
"What? No! That's not what I mean-" the blush faded and the man's voice raised at my insinuation.
"Just get out! I can take care of myself! I don't need help from a cocky arrogant bully!" I shouted, sitting up enough to get close to Kiba's face. He blinked at me, anger apparent in his eyes.
"Fine! Suit yourself! you think I'm too cocky and arrogant to help you? Deal with your self righteous bitchiness on you're own! I'm through trying to be nice to you!" He jumped up from the side of the bed he'd sat down on and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.
My body relaxed when I was alone again but my mind didn't. How am I the self righteous bitch? He started it by offering charity work. It's not my fault if that angers me.
My eyes drift closed despite the immense amount of sleep I'd already gotten.
"Get up."
I jolted awake and winced at the pain. I cracked my eyes open and saw Kiba standing beside me. I groaned and closed my eyes. I would have rolled over if I could.
"Go away," I mumbled. I heard movement but it only got closer. I peaked my eyes open to see the man closer and he sat a tray of food down on the nightstand by the jug of water.
"I thought you were leaving." I finally opened my eyes and acknowledged him. He sat in a lounge chair beside me.
"I was. But then I changed my mind. You can be a grumpy bitch all you want, but you still need someone with you. So just shut up and eat." I didn't know what to make of his behavior. So I just ignored it and did as he said because my stomach was in knots from hunger.
This was the same for the next week as I gradually healed to the point of getting out of bed to shower and go to the bathroom. Kiba did not leave my side, much to our displeasure. Well, not really. I was beginning to like the man's presence. The fighting was the only thing keeping me from complete boredom. Especially after my body healed enough to where I could move around just fine. I was stuck confined to the bed for the next several weeks.
The fighting dwindled into normal conversations over those weeks.
"You gonna fold, raise, or call, Rini?" Kiba smirked at me with that sexy smile of his. It distracted me but not enough to lose my poker face. I raise. He calls and I get all the snacks in the center of the bed, looking like a fat bitch all the while but not caring in the least. I won, and that's what mattered. I rubbed it in his face by opening up one of the candy bars and stuffing my mouth with it.
"That's attractive." He rolls his eyes and collects the cards to try to hold back his smile but I still catch it.
"I know I am." I grin, my cheeks still full of chocolate and caramel. He bursts into laughter. Akamaru pops his head up from its resting place on the rug in the middle of the room. When he sees we're still not doing anything, he goes back to sleep with a huff.
"Now who's cocky?" He teases, flicking my nose before standing up. "I'm going to start dinner. What would you like tonight?" He brushes off crumbs from his pants—evidence that he'd been digging into the pile before anyone won the game. I raised an accusing eyebrow in his direction and he can only shrug his "innocence."
"Make your famous chicken korma!" He bows at my request and leaves the room, Akamaru at his heels. I watch him disappear behind the door and let out the breath I'd been holding back in a whoosh. All I could keep thinking about lately was how much that man was like a greek god. His cheeks, his hands, his body, had to have been chiseled by the angels! It was all I could do to act normal around him now. Nowhere in my mind was that old anger we had for each other over our teenage years.
My body was betraying me. I collected myself and gingerly stood from the bed. My body was not nearly as sore as the beginning but there were still a few healing ribs that I was working on. I stretched my arms over my head and attempted to stand. I did it on the first try! I gathered some clothes and went to get a quick shower before dinner and to calm my nervous thoughts.
I hummed some tunes as I shampooed and just enjoyed my freedom while I had it. I didn't mind Kiba at all anymore, but it really was nice to have time on my own without him watching my every move. It was like he felt guilty and was trying to make up for it.
I reached up to scrub my hair but a sharp pain pierced through my side and I cried out. The pain only stayed for a second and was gone again. I sighed but the relief was short coming as shampoo ran into my eyes.
"Ow, motherfucker!" I cried out again and rubbed at my sore eyes. I stepped out of the shower and went to get a towel but the bathroom door splintered open.
"Rini, are you ok?! I heard-" My sore eyes widened just as his did when he noticed my lack of attire and soaking wet body.
"Get out, you idiot!" I scream at him, throwing whatever I could reach, which was the shampoo bottle. It hit him in the shoulder.
"But… you screamed! Are you hurt?" He asked with a hand over his eyes.
"I'm fine!" I grab a towel and cover myself quickly so I can push him from the room and wedge the door closed. Great, the lock was broken. I would have to get that fixed.
When I came out of the bathroom, squeaky clean and in no more pain, Kiba was sitting on my bed, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly. His eyes spotted me but he refused to look up, a fierce blush obvious on his cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry, Rini! I just thought you were in trouble…" He twiddled his thumbs more. My brain was a riot of thoughts and feelings for this poor embarrassed man. I could no longer picture the sneering face of that mean kid version of Kiba. He grew up and changed completely. And all I wanted to do was be with him day in and day out. Good grief, I must be losing my mind.
"Kiba, why are you trying to care so much?" I sat at the corner of my bed, trying not to be too close to the tanned man.
"You don't get it, do you, Rini?" He turned to me with dark eyes. I was startled into silence as I waited for him to explain what I didn't get. "I- jeez, nevermind!" He jumped to his feet in anger and stormed from the room so suddenly that I was left in total confusion. What did I do?
I felt enraged. This was ridiculous! He couldn't seriously be mad at me for all of this—stuck in bed and him having to take care of me, the shower, my not understanding. I pushed myself up off the bed and stalked after him.
"What exactly don't I understand, Kiba? That for so long you hated me and tortured me, and now all of a sudden you're trying to be nice?" I caught up with him in the hallway and pushed him slightly from behind to get his attention. He swiveled around and his black eyes stared hard at my blue ones for a moment.
"I never hated you." He stated simply.
"I don't believe that. As far back as I can remember, you were making fun of me about my parents. You pulled my hair, and threw mud at me, and-" I couldn't finish my sentence because Kiba bent down and captured my lips. My body lighted up with sparks and flames at the touch of his lips on mine. His hands framed my face, fingers running through my purple locks to dominate the demanding kiss. My knees grew weak and my heart pumped heavy and fast.
"I was just a stupid boy trying to get the attention of a pretty girl. I'm still a stupid man trying to get your attention…" He broke the kiss to whisper, his lips still close enough to graze mine with every word. I couldn't say anything. My brain shut down, but my body didn't. I clenched the front of Kiba's shirt and pulled his lips back to mine and gave him a heart-melting kiss of my own.
"You are stupid. Next time, tell a girl how you really feel." I grinned as I pulled away and spoke.
"There won't be a next time. Because I love you, Rini. And I'm sorry for everything I said about your parents…" Kiba rubbed his thumb against my pale cheek, his eyes not leaving mine. My heart soared at his words. I hadn't realized that all my anger from these years had turned into love for the man too. But that's exactly what I felt in my heart.
"I love you too, Kiba. But can I still hate you sometimes, too?" I winked at him before he kissed my eager lips again with a quirk of a smile.
"If I deserve it, then certainly. Just, don't go crying to the Hokage anymore. I'm sure Lady Tsunade is much scarier than the Third…" he shuddered and I laughed out uncontrollably.
"I'll try not to!" I wiped the tears from my eyes and gave a poke to the man's shoulder. He tackled me into a warm embrace. I sighed in contentment and laid my head on his shoulder. All those years, it was all just a misunderstanding. And now, I had everything I could possibly ask for hugging me to him at this very moment.
"I couldn't ask for anything more." I whispered into Kiba's shoulder and he pulled me even closer to him, melding me into his heart.