Hinata could feel the blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. Trying as she might, she couldn't hold it down. Kiba's hands were gently working their way over her shoulders and she could already feel herself relaxing. This was a side of Kiba that she wanted to see more often. Gentle, caring, careful. Usually he ran into the thick of things, Akamaru at his side. She worried about him at times like that. Both of them.
Seeing them rush into battle, that feral grin on his face, the light in his eyes….as soon as he took that four legs stance his clan used, she knew he was lost to blood – lust, the heat of battle. Hinata couldn't help but worry for Kiba, Akamaru and Shino but – deep down, she worried just a tiny bit more about Kiba. If he were to die, fall in battle, then would she be able to move on? He was the glue that kept their team together, the joke in the dark times and the fire that kept her awake during patrols.
A stab of pain lanced her heart when she thought back to the day her father told her about the clan's situation. He'd sat her down and told her about the internal war with the Branch House. Her own clan had thought her weak. Too timid, too shy, too….everything. They had given her many chances, her father said. Many chances to prove herself, beat her sister. The fact that she lost the fight to Neji in the exams and continuously lost to Hinabi in sparing….no more chances, no more start overs. She was no longer the heir to the Hyuga clan. And that was fine with her! Except for one thing…
A list of names was written and dropped into a bowl, then picked out. It was going to decide her fate. If they were unable to figure out a man in Kanohagakure, she would be wed to an ambassador from Suna. When her father told her that, she was terrified….she didn't want to leave the village she grew up in! she didn't want to leave Shino, Akamaru, Kiba, Kurenai…..her academy mates….Naruto….
Just thinking about that piece….her heart skipped a beat and she could feel herself frown, tears stinging her eyes. She'd told Naruto about her clan's decision as to wed her off if a man wasn't found. He was considered, as was Saskue…both of them turned down. When she'd told him that he was turned down, he smiled that smile of his she once loved so much. When he grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye, she was sure that Naruto would come up with an idea to save her…to get her away from all of this…until he spoke the next words…
It's alright Hinata! You'll be able to find a man you actually love!
It was like lightening shooting through her heart, his words. In that one short sentence, meant to be encouraging, tore her heart to shreds. It was then that her father's messenger came and found her, calling her to the Hokage's office. In the whirlwind that happened after…the contract…her father's confession…Kiba being the chosen man…the whole of it, she'd forgotten how to feel about the whole of it…but with Kiba, she felt….safe. She felt protected and nurtured, encouraged and loved. Thinking back on it, even in the thick of battle he would always be there. If she was injured, it was Kiba's hands that held her close, Kiba that she woke to in the hospital, Kiba that got her out of danger when she was unable to fight. Even in the exams…it was Kiba that cheered the loudest….celebrated the hardest. Most of her memories consisted of her team mates…the core of them being Kiba and Akamaru.
"Hinata? You okay?"
Kiba's voice right next to her ear spooked her and she jolted back. Immediately, she felt his arms hold her protectively close. At her nod and shy smile, he settled down back into the mud in front of her. As she followed the woman's instructions, she could feel his broad shoulders loosen and sag, like a weight fell off of them. Spur of the moment, she leaned forward and lay her cheek between his shoulder blade. What she heard next caused her to giggle, a grin spreading over his face. One of his fangs stuck out and she gently tapped it with her finger, causing him to blink in surprise.
"Hinata?"
"Kiba, you're….humming!"
Grinning again, he was about to speak when Sai and Sakura burst out laughing beside her. Ashamed at causing him embarrassment, she bowed and was about to apologize when he gently righted her and held her chin in his hand. Hinata could feel her blush darkening at his touch. During battle, his hands on her hips, arms, shoulders, anywhere was the norm. If she had to be tugged away from a flying kunai, it didn't matter where he grabbed as long as she was still alive at the end of it. But here and now, in such an intimate setting, this simple touch…
"Hinata….you can laugh with me! You're safe!"
A grin passed his features and she could feel his hands ghosting over her shoulders and sides. A giggle escaped past her lips as his fingers danced and tickled her sides through the towel. She couldn't help it, laughter burst out passed her lips. When he smiled, she couldn't help but smile back. A soft gasp escaped her when he scooped her in his arms and spun her in a circle, falling to the mud, her in his lap. A laugh escaped him again at her surprised look and she found herself smiling right back at him.
"Thank you…Kiba!"
Relaxing against him, Hinata let the mud and presence of her friends and soon to be mate, calm her. Her heart was pounding, and she was certain Kiba could hear it! When he wrapped his arms around her and gently lay his head on her shoulder, growling softly….Hinata could've sworn, in her excitement, her heart skipped a beat…
