(A/N: I'm eternally grateful for the reviews. Thanks for all the uplifting comments! I checked out the profiles of all my reviewers, and I was like, WOAH. WRITERS. GOOD WRITERS. REVIEWING MY STORY. o.o)
Italics will now be used to stress the importance of something.
Chapter 3: Realization and Truth
Kiba P.O.V.
It is a nice day today. The sun is shining brightly, but its rays aren't too hot. The wind is blowing gently and the clouds are floating lazily in the sky. A perfect day of cloud watching for Shikamaru.
Me and Tenten were chatting and eating ice cream mochi while walking to my house. We're going to look up plants to make poisons for her weapons in some of my sister's books. Akamaru is walking by my side, enjoying the cool breeze through his fur. We had just finished training and the wind was welcome as I bit my peach flavored treat.
"What next?" she asked, amused.
"Hah! Well, the bug was just about to hatch, and the retard Naruto dropped Sasuke's forehead protector in a hole near some roots in a tree! So we were all telling him to hurry up and he can't reach the stupid thing. He almost has it, so he bends forward some more, and guess what he does!"
"What?"
"He FARTS."
"He FARTS?!"
"He farts. Smack dab where Shino and I are standing with the bug. And talk about ironic! The bug hatches a second after he farts, so now, the bug has been exposed to the smell of his fart! So it buzzes over, and lands on his butt!" She erupted into peals of laughter. "So then, we went back to the Fifth and we had to tell her the mission failed and all, and Sakura hears about it. Boy, was she MAD. Naruto practically fled for his life. He used Henge no Jutsu so she wouldn't recognize him, but then, the dobe farts AGAIN! And the bug was right in the area, so it smells it, and buzzes over and lands right on his ass again! Sakura saw the bug and did he get a beating." I cheerily explained.
Tenten grinned. "Poor Naruto. He had the best intentions." She said as she licked the powder off of her fingers from her green tea mochi.
"Hey! Kiba! Tenten!"
We turned around and saw the waving figure of... Naruto. And surprise, surprise. The rest of our teammates were following him.
"Speak of the devil," I muttered.
"Tell me about it," she replied.
"HI GUYS!" he yelled as he jogged to catch up with us. "What are you doing?!"
I shrugged. "Not much. What are all of you guys doing?"
"Just hanging out."
Tenten's eyes traveled over to the group heading toward them. Her lips twitched as she glanced at non-talkative Shino and Neji, fidgeting Hinata, and...err, youthful Lee . "I see. What fun."
"Hey!" Lee cheerfully greeted us.
"Ah...h-hello Kiba-kun. Tenten-san..." Hinata stuttered out. Is it suddenly really hot in here? It looks like my mochi isn't settling too well with my stomach either.
"Hey guys," Tenten said and I forced a smile on my face and nodded.
"Where are you headed?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.
"My house," I replied. "We're just going to do a little research."
"Oh."
"Well, err. Have fun then." Naruto said and he awkwardly rubbed his neck. "See you!"
"Okay." And we were about to turn around when Naruto abruptly blurted out, "Oy, hold up! I have an idea! Let's have a gigantic group training session! After all, it's been awhile since we've all spent time together!" Naruto exclaimed. "What do you think Lee, Neji?"
"Yosh! This is most YOUTHFUL!" Lee crowed.
"Okay," Neji said dully.
Naruto faced my teammates. "Shino? Hinata?"
Shino merely nodded, while Hinata turned a crimson red from being addressed directly and stuttered,"H-hai, N-naruto-kun!"
"It's settled then! We'll see you soon then you guys?" Naruto exclaimed and a mischievous grin was plastered on his face.
"Kay," I said flatly. "Come on Ten. Let's go. We have work to do."
She gave my retreating back an annoyed look at the nickname and said, "Later, guys!" Then, she ran to catch up with me.
"Well, this plant looks pretty hard to get, but I like the results they give when they enter the bloodstream."
"Yeah. But this'll be hell to get. Look, it's found in deep gorges and on the sides of steep cliffs!"
"Well, we have enough practice getting around those," she grimly said. Then, she looked at the clock. "I'd better get going. I have to get started on patching up my weapons. They're a bit worse for wear."
As she made for the door, my sister emerged out of the next room.
"Leaving?" she asked. Tenten had come over so much that my family treats her like a family member more than a guest. Even my mom had become extremely comfortable around her, and they could sometimes be seen arguing about one stupid thing or another. Their squabbles could be as serious as their opinions on the low amount of money given to the academy or as pointless as their favorite type of cranberry juice.
"Yup. I've got to go."
"Well, come back soon. I've got to get to work myself." she said as she put on her veterinary coat. "Kiba, be nice and walk her home. It's getting late out. Besides, the last time you stayed home by yourself, you and Akamaru ate all the steak in the house."
"Your concern for me is flattering," Tenten said and my sister laughed.
I marked the page we had been looking at, closed it shut, and got up off my chair. She waited for me at the door and opened it once I got my shoes on. Then, we walked across my backyard and into the open.
"Do you want me to come when you get that plant?" I turned toward her.
"Sure," she said. "The Hotiro Root doesn't look THAT hard to get. It'll probably take some time though, because I want to get enough to last me for awhile."
"Alright. I shouldn't bring Akamaru though. He wouldn't fit into all the cracks and crevasses. Remember the journey about one and a half years ago?" I reminiscised.
"Yeah. We had to travel an extra fifty miles around the mountain because there wasn't enough space for him to navigate though it."
"We were so tired after that trek. I remember. My old jacket was totally trashed. I had to throw it away." I climbed up the stairs leading to her apartment and went to her door. "It didn't help that we caught all of our fish with it."
She giggled and said, "Well, looks like we're here!" She got her key and shoved it in the lock. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked as she stepped inside.
"Yea. Ja ne," I said with a smile. I gave a little wave and jumped down onto the pavement. I guess I'll go kill some time in town.
I strolled leisurely into the market area and decided to get a fresh stock of bandages and food for the hike. Looks like I won't have to worry about weapons. Oh joy.
I went into a market first and bought some non-perishable food. Then, I stopped at the pharmacy and bought two fresh rolls of gauze.
After I purchased all the things I needed, plus some rope, I went on my way home. My mom is still out on her mission and my sister is doing an all-nighter at the clinic, so it would be just me and Akamaru in the house. I wonder if we have any steak.
"Ah, hello Kiba!"
I looked up to see the cheery face of Sakura striding toward me.
I beamed at her. "HEY, Sakura! How have you been? Good, I hope!"
She looked at me a little funny. "Fine, thanks! Have you seen Naruto? Tsunade-sama wants to see him."
"Sorry, not recently. But, I saw him a couple hours ago. He was walking with Neji, Lee, and the rest of my team." I answered and I apologetically scratched my head.
"Oh, that's alright. Well, I'll find him eventually." She chucked. "I should check Ichiraku's. Bye!"
"Okay! See you!" I called as she walked away and after she had gone, my cheesy smile slid off my face. I turned around and headed home, but now with uncooperative feet and a heavy mind.
I can't help being so damn cheerful to Sakura. This tends to happen a lot to Ino too, and I know they notice because last week Naruto was telling me about how Sakura said that I was just about as optimistic these days as Kakashi was perverted. Ouch.
I should really stop putting on that false facade around her, but it's hard.
I pity her.
I remember about three years ago. We were on the Sasuke Retrieval mission and she had come to us crying and saying about how she couldn't stop him and she was relying on us. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the heartbroken girl because I knew no matter how much she fought against it and denied it, Uchiha would never love her back.
'Why do I feel so bad for her?' As soon as I thought this, the earlier scene of Hinata blushing as Naruto addressed her flashed into my head. And suddenly, it all became crystal clear.
I'm in love with Hinata. And no matter how hard I try...
She'll never love me back.
(A/N: This fic is getting a little more angstier than I had planned. Sorry this one took so long! I was busy with a damn frustrating research report on riptides, District Writing Sample, multiple tests and quizzes, and to top it all off, loads of homework. And...oh, I'm all out of excuses. xD And people, please review!)
