Chapter Four
Warning. The following chapter may cause you to want to brutally murder me in every way possible. I'm not sorry.
Kiba
It'd been several weeks after I'd last spoken to Saya. Naruto had long since left to go on his training journey, and so Team Kurenai consisted of Hinata, Shino, and me. Hinata I didn't mind because she was quiet, but it was painstakingly obvious she was a replacement for Saya.
We were on a D rank chore helping some elderly couple with their potato digging. Kurenai-sensei was sitting under a tree, laying in the shade and being extremely lazy. I growled as I shoved the shovel into the dirt. The hot sun was beating on my back, and Hinata had nearly passed out from the dizzying heat already. After a refreshing break, she was handed her shovel again and told to dig.
Why the hell did these old farts have a farm if they couldn't dig their own potatoes?! Seriously! Their granddaughter was visiting, but from what I had heard they didn't want her to over-exert herself. How lucky she must be, not being a shinobi and not doing any work for herself. I grumbled more as I dug up more offending potatoes.
Akamaru barked out to me from his nice shady spot under the tree. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I looked to see what he told me to look at.
The granddaughter had tied a handkerchief to protect her head from the heat. She was in shorts and a tank top, and she carried a shovel. A frown was prominent on her lips. As she grew nearer, I could her complaints stringing from her mouth.
Was she being forced to work? That's what a lazy bitch deserves.
She stopped near a row without a single stalk of potato. We skipped over that row because we thought they hadn't planted that row. The girl's eyes flicked up as she scowled. The dry dirt crunched as she dug into it and revealed a plethora of potatoes. Potatoes we missed. I looked a little closer at the row of seemingly nonexistent potato plants.
"The stalks have just dried off," the girl spoke. Her dark green eyes were in a squint from the sun. Hinata didn't speak as she scurried over to that row and began shoveling. I didn't see Shino, though. Where the hell was Bug Boy?! That bastard probably thought he was too cool to dig potatoes.
I sighed and focused on my task. I would be fourteen soon, and I missed Saya so much. Seeing her with that rogue ninja had once again made me so sad, and I couldn't help but give her an impossible promise.
"You know, burying your feelings into work won't change anything," the girl suddenly spoke. My eyes flicked to hers.
"What the hell would you know?" I retorted. I wasn't being fair, I know, but my thoughts weren't really bursting with happiness.
"I know some things, and I don't know others," she answered cryptically. I scowled at this girl.
"My name is Inoue Reika, but my friends insist on giving me weird and random nicknames," she told me.
"I don't care," I replied.
"First off, these potatoes aren't digging themselves. Second off, I don't care that you don't care. Third, you're being rude to a girl. It's only natural to introduce yourself right about now," she snorted at my attitude. I ignored her and dug out potatoes. She sighed.
"Whatever girl left you probably isn't worth it," she began again, followed by crunching of dirt. I growled at her as my fingers itched to throw a kunai.
"You don't know anything about Saya," I replied angrily, preventing myself from yelling.
"That Hyuuga girl there is her replacement," she observed. "She's kinda cute, don't you think?"
"I don't see her that way. She's Saya's best friend," I mumbled. What was this girl getting at?
"Saya this, Saya that, but what about you? If you keep clinging onto her, what'll happen to your happiness? She's not coming back anytime soon, and she's hurt you so much. Not to mention, you're what? Thirteen?"
"Almost fourteen," I murmured, not wanting to admit how right she was sounding.
"Right, thirteen. What do you know of love? You're too young to understand things like that. Enjoy your childhood, even if you are a ninja. Everyone deserves happiness," she smiled. My digging slowed as I mulled over her words.
I hated how right she was.
What do I know of love? Why do I keep clinging to Saya like this? Love is so much more complicated than what Saya and I had. Not to mention, she obviously didn't think enough of me to stay in Konoha even though I had begged.
I knew what she was to me, but what was I to her?
At that moment, even though I needed Saya's comfort and crazy personality near me so much, I gave up on her.
After all, why not?
That day, I began to see Hyuuga Hinata in a new light.
"Thanks... Reika," I said grudgingly.
She grinned at me. "Any time,"
"My name is Inuzuka Kiba," I finally stated. Her dark green eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I know." I glared at her with a lighter heart. My eyes went to Hinata.
Why not?