Chapter Two
Conveniently Clumsy Ways
A familiar warmth was what woke him up, not the sounds of the forest. Kiba slowly opened his eyes and stared into the face of his best friend, Akamaru. A small whimper escaped Kiba's throat before he could stop it. Akamaru quickly laid down beside his companion, and licked the Inuzuka's face. Kiba's throat tightened at the gentle gesture, and it took all that he had not to cry. He couldn't take anymore crying, that's basically all that he had done last night after seeing the one person he couldn't stand, kiss the one person he loved the most. He didn't even have the will to go home after his breakdown in the forest. Hence him waking up in the very spot he stood last night.
Kiba slowly stood up, stretching his aching limbs, and working out the knots that were induced from sleeping on the hard forest ground. Akamaru stood up and motioned for Kiba to get on his back, the Inuzuka welcomed the invitation and allowed his canine friend to carry his sore body back to the village. On their way back, Kiba picked up a familiar scent, one he hadn't noticed before, and it was as fresh as his own; Hinata's. A lump grew in Kiba's stomach, he was consumed in fear. Did she follow him? If she did, how much did she witness? Sensing Kiba's unease, Akamaru let out a small, yet deep, bark, telling Kiba to relax. They both knew that Hinata either wouldn't clue in, or she just wouldn't question him about it. But that didn't erase the feeling that was welling up inside of the Inuzuka boy.
Hinata didn't know what to think. Was she the reason that Kiba was upset? No, she couldn't have been... Kiba and her were friends, that was all. Just friends. But she couldn't shake the feeling that those tears, that anger, all of it was caused by her. And then it hit her, literally.
"You should pay more attention, Hinata." her cousin's clear and crisp voice rang out. Hinata lifted herself up off the ground and arranged her body back into her gentle fist fighting stance.
"I-I'm sorry, Neji. I-it won't happen again." Hinata hoped that her mind would stay focused throughout this round. She didn't want to be knocked on her rear for the fifth time today, she had enough of it. But she just couldn't stop thinking about poor Kiba. Maybe she should give him some space, to allow him time to cool off, or just wait for him to come to her. She didn't know, and while she was pondering this, she was once again knocked on her ass.
"I think it's time we took a break, you cannot seem to concentrate today, Hinata." And with that, Neji briskly walked out of their training area and into the Hyūga residence. Hinata sighed, she wanted to train, but she just needed to iron out some minor details involving Kiba.
Hinata silently made her way back into her house, walking through the corridors and past servants. She was moving on just memory, and before he knew it she was back in her room, flopped on her bed, half expecting Kiba to appear at any given moment. But he didn't, and Hinata knew that he probably wouldn't for a while, not after he jumped out her window like that. Her mind flew back to last night, replaying the entire scenario. Yet the entire time, she kept going back to one moment; Kiba looking up to the sky, tears silently running down his face, his eyes full of anguish. Hinata couldn't help but think that he looked like a boy whose heart was just shattered.
Suddenly, Hinata was overwhelmed with panic. She realized that following Kiba had been one of the worst things she could have ever done. If he had come to his senses later that night, he would have smelled the distinct lavender scent that followed her everywhere. And speaking of that scent, it was probably all over the bush that she was standing behind in the forest last night.
All the heiress could think about, was that she had been caught invading Kiba's privacy. She had been a witness to something the boy wanted to be kept a secret.
Hinata suddenly didn't feel so well.
Kiba was walking the streets of Konoha, allowing all the scents to fill his nostrils and engulf him in bliss. He loved having a heightened sense of smell, it allowed him to experience things that no one else could, well, except for his clan of course. The familiar scent of roses and beautiful wildflowers from the Yamanaka flower shop, and the tantalizingly sweet smell of his favourite dumplings. Suddenly Kiba's stomach growled at him, yelling for food. That's when he realized that he hadn't eaten at all today, and headed towards his beloved and delicious dumplings, Akamaru trailing close behind.
As soon as Kiba sat down, he heard the annoying voice a dumb blond boy. Naruto was nearby, probably mooching some ramen off of some poor bloke. Kiba silently ate his dumplings, hoping that Naruto didn't come anywhere near him, or he might just loose it. Every muscle in Kiba's body tensed as he both heard and felt Naruto coming closer. His voice was loud as always, and more irritating than ever. Kiba didn't realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled a large amount of air and pent up rage as he heard the knucklehead's voice fall into the distance. The muscles in his body relaxed, and Akamaru rested his head on Kiba's lap.
"I know, this is pathetic. But I just can't help it, he stole her away from me," Kiba's voice trailed off and he rested his head in his hands. He no longer had an appetite. Akamaru let out an understanding whimper, and licked the boy's face. 'A dog really is a man's best friend.' Kiba scratched Akamaru behind his ears as a sign of thanks to his canine companion. If there was only one thing certain in this world, it was that Akamaru always seemed to manage to comfort Kiba, regardless of the situation. Their bond was unbreakable. 'If only every bond was like that...' Kiba wished silently to himself.
If only...
Hinata knew that if she asked Kiba about last night, he would be furious about the fact that she followed him. Yet the Hyūga heiress needed to know what was bothering the Inuzuka boy. She just needed to know! Hinata was pacing back and forth in her room, her two index fingers pushing against each other nervously. She needed to walk, she needed oxygen, and she needed the level headed Tenten.
Saying a quick goodbye to Neji and Hanabi, the heiress quickly jogged out of their compound. Once she reached the road, Hinata slowed to a casual walk, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She knew that Tenten would help her, and not just because she's dating Neji, but because she actually understands boys, where Hinata understood absolutely nothing. Hinata took the long way to Tenten's, trying to piece things together. Yet by the time she reached her friend's door, she was even more confused. It only took one look from her friend to know what was going on.
"Boy problems?" Tenten sighed, Hinata nodded. "Took long enough, I thought Kiba would never grow the balls to tell you that he is practically in love with you." Tenten didn't realize she said too much until Hinata's eyes widened and all the colour drained from her face. "Oh, shit. He didn't tell you, did he? Oh, shit. Oh, shit. That boy's going to kill me." The weapons expert ushered Hinata into her house and sat her down on a couch, a million scenarios of her own death running through her head while she went to get some tea for her faint looking friend.
Kiba would definitely not be happy when he found out that Tenten leaked his secret to the very person he didn't want to know. Hinata looked at Tenten with a pained look in her eyes, and only after she received a questioning from her friend did she explain everything, starting with when she got asked out by Naruto, all the way till this morning when she realized that Kiba would figure out she was watching him. Letting out a long sigh, the Hyūga finally relaxed for the first time. Tenten just stared at the girl, a puzzled look on her face. If she wasn't mistaken, she was pretty sure that just last week Naruto had been caught peeping through a whole at the hot spring at the girls. She just guessed that it proved that he was Jiraiya's pupil. But hearing about Naruto asking Hinata out on a date, she just didn't know what to think. Had the blond finally matured and realized Hinata's feelings for him? Tenten decided to stick with that theory and give the boy the benefit of the doubt.
"W-what do I do, I-I mean, I l-like Kiba, just... w-well, not l-like that... I-I think... I-I just don't kn-know. I'm s-so confused..." Hinata's voice was small and she seemed to be on the verge of tears, her beautiful lavender eyes seemed to plead with Tenten, she didn't want to lose Kiba, but she didn't want to lose Naruto either.
The Hyūga heiress needed help, and so finally Tenten shared her sage advice, "I would continue to see Naruto if I were you. Kiba may like you, but he hasn't come right out to say it, so that leads me to believe that he may not or he's just a coward with his tail between his legs. You obviously really like Naruto as well, again, making him the first choice, and as far as we know, this could be a once in a lifetime chance to date the blondie, so go for it." Tenten paused, allowing Hinata to absorb the advice that was being given to her. When it looked like she had grasped the gist of if, Tenten continued. "Kiba on the other hand, will eventually get over himself and move on, but you, you need to forget what you saw and act like you never followed him. Unless he asks. If he asks, then you are obligated to come right out and tell him that, yes, you did follow him, but it was out of concern." Hinata seemed to take her friend's words of wisdom to the heart, and nodded to herself.
After having some tea, and hearing the latest village gossip, Hinata started to head home. The wind had picked up while she was with in Tenten's house, and now the dust from the street was swirling in the air around Hinata. The Hyūga looked towards the sky and saw that a storm was brewing, and would probably arrive any minute. So with her hair billowing out around her head, Hinata started to run towards her home, only to realize, that much to her dismay, she was never going to beat the storm, for as soon as she reached the end of Tenten's road, it started to downpour. Hinata looked towards the sky, a scowl on her face and cursed aloud.
"Such foul language! I have to say, I'm pretty sure that was the first time I've ever heard you swear." Kiba's voice resonated through the young Hyūga's skull, startling her. As Hinata turned around, she saw that Kiba was riding on Akamaru's back, his clothing already drenched from the rain, and his hair was sticking to his face.
Hinata's breath caught in her throat, she didn't know if it was the way his t-shirt was clinging to him, revealing his beautifully defined abs and showed off his muscular upper body, or if maybe she was still feeling the effects of seeing Kiba's breakdown in the forest, but suddenly her heart was pounding in her chest. She convinced her self it was because of what she saw last night, not how gorgeous he was at that very moment.
"H-Hi Kiba. I d-didn't hear you there..." Hinata trailed off, resorting to her nervous habit of putting her two index fingers together, and blushing up a storm. Kiba gave her a lopsided smile, and Akamaru let out a small bark. The canine warrior's fur was matted down from the rain, and mud was staining his paws and parts of his legs.
"Do you want a ride home, Hinata? It will probably be faster than walking, and that way your father wont kill me for leaving you out in the rain to catch a cold." Kiba's facial expression morphed into one that was both worried and questioning. Truth was, the Inuzuka was the one that was worried about the fragile girl getting a cold in the rain. Hinata gave a small nod and Kiba helped her climb onto Akamaru behind him. "Hold on tight, Hinata." Kiba advised her, and she nervously wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his back. Hinata could feel Kiba's muscular build underneath her, and blush instantly decorated her cheeks. He was radiating warmth, which was a nice difference from the cold rain that was pelting her back. With a loud bark, Akamaru started off towards the Hyūga compound.
The way she wrapped her arms around his waist sent shivers down his spine. His heart was pounding in his chest, aching with every beat. Akamaru let out a quick bark and started off towards the Hyūga household, bounding from rooftop to rooftop. The rain was coming down harder, and Kiba was soaked through, and he could feel Hinata shivering behind him, her arms wrapping even tighter around his waist. Hinata's touch was ice cold, and she obviously thought that he was a source of warmth, so Kiba let her cling to him. He only wished that she wasn't holding onto him just for warmth, but because she felt something for him, something more than what you would feel for a friend, something like how he felt about her.
Akamaru came to a halt and his bark seemed to hang in the air; they had arrived. Kiba felt Hinata's grip loosen, so he slid off Akamaru's back to help her. He outstretched his hand for her to hold on to for support, and Hinata gingerly accepted it. She attempted to climb off the large dog, and then she proceeded to slip and land right in Kiba's arms. On instinct, Kiba gabbed hold of Hinata and pull her into his own body to break the fall. The two of them stayed like that for a moment, he held her close, not wanting to let go, and Hinata, she was almost didn't want Kiba to let go either. Much to the Inuzuka's dismay, Hinata timidly pulled away, silently muttering a quick thank-you.
Kiba stood there, watching her go. He watched as the rain pelted down on her, forcing her hair to matte to her head, and her clothes to cling to her every curve. His heart sped up as he took in the sight that was Hyūga Hinata, and was she ever beautiful. She quickly turned around and awkwardly waved goodbye to Kiba, and then she hurried inside her house. He turned around, and jumped onto Akamaru's back in one swift and graceful movement. With that, the two headed home to the Inuzuka household. Little did the teenage boy know, was that he was being watched by a sopping wet teenage girl who wished that she never pulled away.
Hinata let out an exasperated sigh, she was cold, damp, and oh-so tired. She needed sleep, but as she laid there, waiting, staring at her ceiling, sleep never came. She tossed, and turned, and re-adjusted her pillows on multiple occasions, but nothing helped. He mind was running a marathon just in an attempt to process the feelings she felt earlier. She tried dividing them into yes and no categories, but it only turned things into something more complicated than what they were five minutes ago. Yes, she like Kiba. No, she did not like Kiba that way. Yes, she does like Naruto that way. No, she did not want to pull away from Kiba.
The rain pelted her window pane, but it seemed more like the rain was laughing at her, taunting her with every drop. The wind was howling outside her walls, screaming obscenities, telling her to get her act together. In the darkness of her room, the Hyūga heiress felt like tearing out her hair, no, tearing out her heart. That way, there was no possible way that she could feel the overflow of emotions and confusion that was brought on by her ever so convenient, yet clumsy ways.
Hinata let out a loud sigh and pulled her pillow over her face, letting out a muffled scream. 'What the hell is going on!'
End of Chapter Two
I'm sorry for the wait, but the combination of computer problems and writer's block just wasn't the awe-inspiring combination I needed. Again, I'm sorry. I wanted, and planned to get this out by Monday at the latest, but seeing as it's Thursday, I believe I botched that one. I wouldn't expect another chapter next week, I'm heading out for a last minute vacation before school starts up again, and I may not have access to my faulty yet much loved computer.
Thank you so much for reading my flawed working progress! But mostly, I hope you enjoyed reading it!
