Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Heart of the Wolf
Chapter Three: Fireworks
Neji, Hinata, Tenten, and Lee made their way back to the Hyuga compound. As they were walking, Hinata couldn't get the teenaged boy's face out of her head. He seemed so familiar to her and she felt so safe in his arms. Just thinking about it caused her to blush again.
"Um.. cousin." Hinata's small voice broke the silence.
Neji looked at her. "What is it, Hinata?"
Hinata had a hard time trying to communicate, but she finally managed to get the words out. "Who was that person earlier?"
"His name is Kiba Inuzuka." A look of concern crossed Neji's face. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"N-no." Hinata tried to hide her blush. "I was wondering.. could you tell me more about him?"
Neji grimaced. "Why do you.."
"If you don't mind, Hinata," Lee interjected, raising his index finger. "Gai-sensei made me learn about every ninja in the village. I could tell you about him." Lee got a sour look from Neji, but he didn't see it. "The red fang marks on his face indicate that Kiba is from the Inuzuka Clan. They use either dogs or wolves as fighting companions and often travel together. Although, now that I think about it, I didn't see Akamaru anywhere."
"Akamaru?" Hinata questioned.
"He is Kiba's dog." Tenten included herself in the conversation, leaving Neji the only one to remain silent. "Akamaru is one monster of a pet, though. He's so big, Kiba can actually ride on his back. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Oh, yeah," said Lee remembering something else. "They have an incredible sense of smell and can track scents. And um.."
"Don't forget," Tenten threw in. "They can also change into each other's forms. Akamaru can turn into Kiba or together they can turn into a double-headed wolf."
Hinata tried to process all the information. Kiba's clan was obviously linked to wolves. She remembered the white wolf and her dream. Could this be the connection she was looking for?
Tenten smiled at her. "Why are you so interested, Hinata? Do you think Kiba is cute?"
Hinata's blush darkened. "Oh.. I.."
Neji saved her from having to answer the question. "I think that's about enough. Let's leave Hinata alone, shall we? She's been through enough today."
Tenten and Lee obeyed Neji and reluctantly dropped the subject. The group remained silent for the rest of the journey.
When they got to their destination, Hinata put on a brave face and turned to them. "I want you all to go back to the festival."
"Are you sure?" asked Tenten.
Hinata nodded her head. "I don't want you to miss it on my account."
"What about you, Hinata?" Lee looked concerned. "Will you be all right?"
"Yes, Lee. Thank you." Hinata looked at Neji. "I didn't get much sleep last night so I'll probably just take a nap."
"If that's what you want." Neji didn't lead on that he knew all too well what she was talking about. He wondered if Hinata got any sleep at all last night.
Tenten grabbed Hinata's hand. "It was nice meeting you, Hinata. We should hang out more, okay?"
Hinata nodded at the brown eyed girl before they released hands.
"Goodbye, Hinata." Lee looked sad, but he said his next words with great enthusiasm. "Let's do something again sometime!"
Hinata smiled at Lee. He was unlike anyone she'd ever met before, and she was slowly getting used to him.
Tenten and Lee waved at her as they left with Neji. Hinata waved back and watched them go.
As she entered the house, Hinata thought about the afternoon events. Even though it was a bit of a disaster, she was glad she got to go.
Hinata was alone in a small clearing of the forest. It was nighttime and she could see the full moon peeking through the passing clouds.
An ice cold breeze emerged, rustling the leaves. Hinata quickly crossed her arms, feeling the chill clear down to the bone. She was wearing a thin white dress completely unsuitable for this kind of weather. Hinata could see her own breath as she stood there shivering. Suddenly, she noticed a pair of eyes glowing in the midst of the trees in front of her. Then, another set appeared. Soon, there was enough to completely encircle her.
Hinata felt like her life was in danger as she frantically spun around and looked at each set. She thought that, whatever they were, they would all jump out at once and pounce on her.
The frigid wind picked up, howling loudly in her ears. The coldness took precedent over her fear and Hinata dropped down, desperately hugging her legs for warmth. Shaking uncontrollably, she began to cry.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" asked Hinata, though she had no idea who she was talking to.
The tears that fell froze on her cheeks. Hinata felt herself slowly slipping into the darkness.
In an instant, the howling wind ceased. There was complete silence for a moment. Then, the white wolf appeared, jumping out of the trees and into the clearing. Hinata's head jerked up and she looked at the creature. Feeling hopeful, she slowly unwrapped her trembling body and raised up.
The wolf stared into her unsteady eyes. Hinata, unsure of what to do, remained still.
Unexpectedly, the animal bared it's teeth and growled at her. Hinata flinched and took a few steps back. The wolf acted like it was going to attack her as it prowled closer. She couldn't understand what was going on. Why did the wolf want to harm her?
Hinata nervously stepped backwards, until she slipped on a twig and fell into a seated position. She yelped as the wolf leapt on her shoulders, knocking her back with it's two front paws. Terrified, Hinata whimpered and turned her face away from it's razor sharp fangs. Then, the wolf lunged at her, biting into her left shoulder.
She screamed out in agony, feeling it's teeth ripping into her flesh. Her blood flowed out, staining the white dress.
Hinata woke up screaming. She clutched her left shoulder and fell out of bed. Hinata hit the wood floor so hard, it knocked the wind right out of her. Unable to move, she fought through the pain and tried to catch her breath.
Finally regaining control of her body, she shakily got to her feet. Hinata realized she must have slept most of the day away, because a slight darkness filled her bedroom windows. Seeing an array of light, her quivering legs made their way over to one of the windows.
Fireworks flew into the sky, exploding into a beautiful array of colors. Hinata smiled weakly at the sight.
The view would be much better up on the mountain, she thought. She needed a distraction anyway from her terrible dream.
After preparing herself, Hinata snuck out of the compound. She was escaping earlier than usual, but most of the villagers were at the festival, leaving the streets virtually empty.
She climbed up the steep mountain, keeping an eye on her footing. When Hinata reached the top, she walked over to the cliff edge where she always stood.
Hinata was right. The view from here was spectacular. She watched in awe as the last of the fireworks filled the sky.
Out of nowhere, she heard a male voice. "It's a great view from up here, isn't it?"
Alarmed, Hinata quickly turned around, but, before she could find out who had spoken, she began to lose her balance. Hinata shrieked and waved her arms in circles in a desperate attempt not to fall off the cliff.
When she was right about to go over, a hand reached out and grabbed her kimono sash. Hinata's body was forcefully pulled into the person and they both flew back towards the rocky ground.
To her dismay, Hinata fell right on top of the man. She could feel him let out a breath and grunt in pain.
"I.. I am so sorry." Hinata's voice sounded sympathetic. She didn't know who he was, but she owed him her life. "Th-thank you for saving me."
"No problem."
Hinata's eyes widened. She'd heard those words before from the same voice. Hinata focused in on his face. She could barely see the red fang marks on his cheeks, and the warmth from his body was unbelievable. Quickly, she rolled off of him and stood up, facing away from him.
Kiba stood as well. He brushed off his clothing and looked at Hinata's back. "Are you okay?"
Hinata nodded her head. She tried to hide the blush that instantly appeared on her face.
Unsatisfied with her response, Kiba pressed on. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Kiba," Hinata answered, then covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve.
"So, you know who I am." Kiba sounded happy. He walked over and stood beside her. "Your name's Hinata Hyuga, right? I think we've met before."
Hinata didn't speak. She had most of her face covered with her sleeve.
"Saving someone twice in one day is a record for me," Kiba said proudly.
Again silence.
He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Guess you can call me your guardian angel." When he still didn't get a response, Kiba continued on. "You don't talk much, do ya? That's okay. I have a teammate who talks nonstop, mainly about herself. She doesn't know when to shut up. Now, Shino, on the other hand, he's pretty laid back."
Curiosity got the better of her and Hinata dropped her sleeve. "Shino?"
"Yeah, Shino Aburame. He's an insect handler. People find him odd, but he's actually pretty cool. You should meet him sometime. He's quite a character."
"I'd like that," said Hinata. She wanted to get to know as many people as possible.
"Let's have a double date then." Kiba wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulder, acting like they'd been friends forever. "That way you could meet both of my teammates."
She could feel the side of his muscular body pressing into her and Hinata's cheeks burned. She tapped her index fingers together, a habit she picked up as a child. "I.. I don't think it's a..."
"Good idea?" finished Kiba, squeezing her. "I think it's a great idea. Your cousin can come along too, if he has to. Neji can be a fifth wheel or he can bring Tenten. I think they have a thing for each other."
He winked at Hinata, who looked extremely nervous. Kiba dropped his arm and gently turned her to look at him.
"Don't worry about it, Hinata," Kiba reassured her, his brown eyes gazing into her pale ones. "I'll set the whole thing up. Now, let me walk you home, okay?"
Hinata didn't know what to say as they made their way down the mountain. This was going to be interesting to say the least.