notes: thanks for the favorites/follows! can i get a review, tho. srsly pls. i have no idea what people think of this story. i'm gonna make these chapters short until someone tells me not to.
3. — to be breathless
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He felt something sink in his stomach.
For what felt like an eternity, his mind was empty. Kiba couldn't think or move or blink because it didn't make sense, nothing made sense; she jumped and she fell and he saw her.
And then he blinked, reminding himself to breathe, for his heart to beat, and for his limbs to respond.
Luckily, a distant common sense kicked in, and he realized he would have to find her either way. He began scaling down the side of the cliff, using the vines and ledges to lower himself a hundred feet to the ground. He stepped in the water immediately, wading out to the middle of the river to gain a better view.
He inhaled deeply, and recognized a scent.
Ino had been caught on the branch of a tree. She lied on the thickest branch, which was teetering this way and that way by the sway of the wind. There were marks and scratches all over her body, and her long dress had been torn up pretty badly. But in the face of that, it was a miracle. If Ino fell from that height, the river would catch her and it would not be fatal.
Still in a disbelieving state of white noise and silence, Kiba waded over, watching as the branch cracked and the unconscious Ino fell gracefully into the water. It was shallow enough to keep her afloat, so Kiba took a moment to stare and wonder if this was all still real.
Her face was half above the water, and her mascara was beginning to smear underneath her eyes. The rest of her face was clean, and her long hair formed a halo around her head in the water. He wondered why she possessed beauty even in the moments close to death.
She awoke, her first exhale creating a bubble in the water. Her eyes opened, and the first thing she saw was Kiba, who was crouching to look directly across from her. She noticed him more this time. She noticed red marks under his beady eyes, and an old bandage on the side of his neck. She noticed his grim, frowning expression.
"Agh," Ino breathed, pulling herself from the gravity of the water. She managed to get on all fours, but that in itself was a feat; she was breathing hard. Her eyes began stinging.
No. I held it back for this long.
She had come this far, only to be entrenched in the same fate. Kiba's face was now a constant, grim reminder of that. She bit her lip, barely keeping back the shuddering sobs.
Kiba's frown deepened. "Look, we're going. Quit crying."
"I'm not," Ino interjected shakily.
"I told you to quit crying," Kiba repeated, his malice matching hers. "Get up."
"You're pathetic; you're despicable. You brought me into something I had nothing to do with, you fucking asshole!"
The infamous amused grin rose on Kiba's face after that remark. "Incredible. These are empty words, coming from someone who clearly doesn't know anything." He laughed. "Hey, you stopped crying. Cursing, I can deal with – but I've never known what do around a crying woman."
Kiba stood, and offered a hand. Ino did not take it.
Ino walked for the first couple of minutes in silence. She was struggling to keep up with her torn dress, as it often caught in the rocks. She also just wasn't in a state to be walking, but something told Kiba she wouldn't accept his hand the second time.
"Wait," he told her. He ventured out to the side of the cliffs, stopping at the base of a tree. He snapped off a thick, four-foot-long branch and brought it back to her. "Hold it."
Ino seemed confused, but she grabbed hold of the other end. Kiba held the other end and began walking again. She didn't say anything, so neither did he. He led her with the branch, and they walked through rapids and rocks and tiny fish. When they reached the cliff-side, they started to climb. Ino struggled compared to Kiba, who effortlessly scaled his way up from years and years of experience and technique. She, on the other hand, tried not to cry when she slipped for the tenth time.'
When darkness approached, they took refuge in a cave. Kiba lit a fire, which Ino promptly hogged. By an act of kindness that surprised her, he left her alone with the warmth, deciding to keep watch from a distance. Ino didn't have much time to contemplate the decision; she was too preoccupied with trying to make her skin not feel numb. She shivered and huddled as close as she could to the orange-yellow flames, with Kiba glancing over every so often.
When it was morning, they began traveling again. Ino walked a small distance ahead of him, and Kiba let her. He was beginning to understand Ino more and more by the minute. Her long hair was loose, and still slightly damp from the night before. When the wind rushed by, her hair would brush his face. It smelled more like the rich mud of the earth than the artificial perfume it was when he first saw her. He almost smiled.
Ino told him she had to "you know" and Kiba let her. When she came back, she splashed her face with pond water and took deep shuttering breaths, trying to regain her strength. Kiba heard, and he was compelled to speak for the first time. He snapped his fingers to grasp her attention, and she flinched.
"My dog won't even look over the edge of that cliff. Why did you look and then jump?" Kiba inquired, torn between amusement and genuine curiosity.
Ino was clearly irritated, sensing the condescension in his tone. He was implying she was a reckless idiot. "Why did you save me?" she shot back. Her tone was sharp, but her lips quivered when she turned to face away from him.
Kiba smirked before shifting in front of her so he could see her face. She was still looking down. "I didn't," he said.
"Then why did you try to kill me."
"Because it was my destiny. At least, according to Neji. Then some idiot went and erased my prophecy."
Ino brought herself to laugh. It was an empty, half-crazed laughter. She couldn't believe him. "It was me, because I jumped. That idiot was me, and I'm rewriting it now: your death will be by my hands. And I'm not erasing that one."
When Kiba laughed that time, it was real. It made Ino feel disturbed.
"That actually sounds fantastic."
The next day, Kiba led the way. When Ino left for another "you know" (except she didn't say it this time, she just glared at him until he got it) and she was taking a while, he lit another fire. He had been bearing the cold for this long, but he swore his fingers were starting to freeze. He warmed himself quietly in the time that passed, only ceasing movement when Ino emerged from shrubs. He immediately up and left, and Ino gratefully took his spot.
Ino didn't remember falling asleep, but when she woke up her back was sore from sleeping on rock. Her eyes probed around frantically for a moment, and she wondered if – no, Kiba was still there. He slept across from her, motionless with his eyes gently shut.
Her eyes widened.
When Kiba woke up, she was gone.
Ino was running, frantically brushing her long hair out of her eyes every time she looked back. She ran and ran, barely managing to avoid stumbling and tripping at that pace with her pretty, long dress.
She stumbled upon a clearing, into the sunlight, and she breathed in relief. She stood, hands on her knees as she caught her breath, oblivious to the sound of footsteps treading on dirt.
Click-Click.
A chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps prickled her arms. She turned around, and she found his silhouette again. She was exposed by the sun, and he was obscured by shadows. He was pointing the gun towards her.
Ino felt hot tears run down her face. She had made a mistake.
Kiba shot the gun, but he wasn't aiming at her. It was skywards: once, twice, thrice.
Ino shrieked, flinching from the noise. Her arms were raised protectively, and it took her a moment to realize that no blood had been shed. When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by people.
"Kiba!" one of them shouted. "Why did it take so long?"
