Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Heart of the Wolf
Chapter Nine: Reunion
Hinata sighed. Neji made this look so easy and effortless. She peeked an eye open at him. He was sitting completely still on the soft ground a small distance in front of her. His eyes were closed, hands on his lap, breathing deeply.
She sighed again.
Without even opening his eyes, Neji spoke to her. "What's wrong, Hinata?"
Hinata jumped in surprise. How could he tell something was wrong without even looking at her? "N-nothing."
Neji's pale eyes opened and she couldn't hide the guilty look on her face. "That's the fifth time you've sighed."
"I'm sorry." Hinata looked down. Neji had brought her to his team's training grounds, trying to teach her the art of meditation. It was suppose to improve her concentration and awareness. But, the only thing she was aware of was, how much she couldn't concentrate.
"Are you counting your breaths?"
"Yes."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I.. just can't seem to stay focused."
The corner of Neji's mouth curved down. "You are suppose to clear your mind of all thoughts. When a thought does come to mind, reflect upon it, then let it go. If it keeps happening, do it again."
Hinata bit her lip. "But what if a certain thought won't leave you alone? Then what do you do?"
This time Neji sighed. "Is this thought about a certain person?"
Hinata felt a blush creep into her cheeks and she averted her eyes. "Maybe," she said lowly, not really wanting to admit to it.
Neji stood up.
Hinata's eyes darted to her cousin. Was he frustrated with her? Was he going to say her heart wasn't in it and give up on her? She didn't want to disappoint him.
"Let's go then," he said with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.
Hinata slowly rose to her feet. She was failing him. She didn't really mean to. Though, Hinata was kind of surprised he was willing to throw the towel in so readily. This was her first time trying this after all. But when Neji started walking in the opposite direction of home, confusion hit her.
"Where are we going?" she asked, catching up to walk beside him.
"Somewhere to help you clear your mind, hopefully," he said simply. When Hinata's brow furrowed, Neji continued on. "You're probably unaware of this, but today is Kiba's birthday."
Shock filled Hinata's eyes for a moment and her heart skipped a beat. She missed Kiba so much, the mere mention of his name caused a slight pain in her chest.
"I thought you might want to see him." Neji glanced over at her. "It's been a while now, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has," Hinata said slowly, trying to sort through the flood of emotions that invaded her. Then, she looked over at her cousin, a grateful look on her face. "Thanks, Neji."
Neji focused straight ahead again, but gave her a small nod as they walked down the street.
They stopped in front of the Inuzuka residence. Hinata could hear the sounds of a party coming from the backyard.
When Neji remained still, she looked at him. "Aren't you going to come in?"
Neji scowled a little. "Birthdays aren't my thing. Have Kiba walk you home afterwards, okay?"
Hinata should have expected this. Neji was definitely not the social type. "Okay."
As Neji walked away, Hinata mustered up the courage to knock on the door. A tall girl with brown hair and eyes opened the door. She had red fang marks on her face just like Kiba. Hinata guessed it was his sister.
"Are you here for the party?" asked Hana.
"Y-yes," Hinata said timidly.
"Well, come on in." Hana waved her inside.
There was no turning back now. Hinata fought back her anxiety and walked in.
A few dogs that were sitting on the living room floor raised up. They walked over to her, wagging their tails.
"They seem to like you," the older girl said, closing the door. "I'm Hana, by the way."
Hinata lightly patted the dogs' heads. Then she followed Hana into the kitchen.
"What's your name?" Hana asked back over her shoulder. "I don't think we've met before."
Hinata squeezed her fingers together. "I.. I'm Hinata. K-kiba didn't know I was coming."
"Hinata?" Hana turned to face her, her eyes wide. "Not the girl my little brother can't stop talking about?" A smile played across her lips. "I thought you were made up or something."
Hinata smiled nervously.
"Well this is perfect!" Hana said excitedly. "I was just about to take the cake out to him."
Hana walked over to the counter and used several matches to light the seventeen candles. When she turned around with the cake in her hands, Hinata had to hold back another smile. The cake looked like it was on fire.
"Stay behind me okay?" Hana said hurriedly. "I want 'you' to be a surprise."
Hinata nodded her head and followed Hana out the back door, hiding behind her.
When the small crowd saw the cake coming, they all began to sing happy birthday.
Kiba felt embarrassed. He wasn't a kid anymore, but his mom and sister insisted on him having a party. It was their way of showing how much they loved and cared for him. And he was getting older, meaning, only one more birthday left. They wanted to enjoy this time while they could. Plus, he really couldn't say 'no' to them without getting beat to a pulp.
Hana set the cake on the table in front of Kiba. When they were done singing, she stepped to the side, allowing Hinata to come into view.
Kiba looked at her, a stunned expression on his face. "H-Hinata?" After the shock wore off, Kiba's lips curled into a smile.
"Blow out the candles, Kiba!" his mother exclaimed. They were burning down into pools of wax onto the cake.
"Don't forget to make a wish," said Hana.
Kiba couldn't take his eyes off Hinata, who was now blushing. "My wish has already come true."
"Blow them out!" urged everyone else, which included his team, sensei, and a few other people Hinata had never met before.
Kiba reluctantly tore his gaze away from her to blow out the candles. The small crowd cheered.
Tsume walked over, removed the candles, and scraped the wax off the top of the cake. Then, she began slicing it and putting it out on plates.
Kiba quickly walked around the table and over to Hinata. "I've missed you."
Hinata could hear the sadness in his voice and it made her heart ache. "I've missed you too."
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, until plates were shoved at them. Kiba and Hinata smiled at each other and began to eat cake along with everyone else.
Kiba had introduced Hinata to everyone at the party. His mom and sister seemed to be particularly interested in her and had asked her several questions. Hinata tried her best to answer each one.
When the party was winding down to an end and most of the people had left, Kiba told Hinata to wait inside the house for him. He was more than happy to walk her home.
Hinata entered the kitchen. She didn't know anyone else was there, until she heard a female voice beside her. "Hinata."
She turned to see Miyuko standing near the window, a worried look on her pretty face.
"Yes?" Hinata could tell Miyuko had something important she wanted to ask her.
Miyuko walked over to her. "I think Kiba is hiding something from me. Do you know anything about it?"
Hinata almost panicked. She remembered that Kiba hadn't told Miyuko about his secret yet. "Um.. I don't know what you're talking about."
Unfortunately, Hinata was a bad liar and Miyuko could see right through her. "It's nice that you want to protect him. But surely you can understand my point of view. After all, Kiba and I are on the same team. It's not right that he's keeping secrets from me. As a matter of fact, I believe that I'm the only one whose been left in the dark."
Hinata fidgeted nervously. "If you're concerned, then you should talk to Kiba about it."
"I've tried that." Miyuko frowned. "I don't know what's going on with him. He refuses to tell me anything."
Kiba walked in on the last part. "What's going on here?" Kiba looked angrily at his teammate.
Miyuko looked down. "We were just talking."
"Sounds more like interrogating." Kiba glared at her. "Why can't you keep your nose out of anything, Miyuko?"
Hinata felt uncomfortable. She hated that they were fighting.
"I'm just worried about.."
"It's none of your business what's going on with me," Kiba cut Miyuko off. "I wish you would just stay out of it. But this is you we're talking about; the most selfish person I know."
Hinata gasped. She couldn't believe Kiba was being so mean.
"I think I should go." Miyuko looked like she was about to cry. "It was nice seeing you again, Hinata."
Kiba sighed as Miyuko practically fled out of the house. Then, he turned to Hinata, who looked upset. "I'm sorry about that. She had no right questioning you. I can't believe she would stoop so low."
"I can't believe you," Hinata said lowly. "Did you really have to belittle her like that?"
"What?" Kiba looked shocked.
"I'm sorry," said Hinata. "But one thing I can't stand is when someone treats others unkindly. It's always bothered me because.. it's happened to me so much."
"Hinata, I was just trying.."
"No." Hinata shook her head. "It was completely uncalled for. Miyuko was just worried about you." She looked down. "I don't want you to walk me home. I am quite capable of doing it myself."
The disappointed look on her face almost killed him. Kiba followed her into the living room. "Please, Hinata.."
But she had already left, slamming the door behind her. He stared at it in disbelief.
Frustrated more with himself than anyone, Kiba turned around and slammed his fist into the glass coffee table, breaking it into pieces. Breathing heavily and ignoring the blood dripping off his knuckles, Kiba looked down at the remains. It felt like his heart did right now. Shattered.
A/N: I know, I know. I get them together only to have them have their first fight. But it's essential to the story, as you will see in the next chapter.
