Author's Notes: Quick update this time, ne? This is another request for Jaded Diamond, who wanted a Kiba/Hina with the keyword 'touch'. I have no idea if this was what was expected, but the following story sprang into my head almost immediately. I've never written Kiba before, so please let me know what you think, reviews mean the world to me. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine it would be less fun for me, no anticipation or angst between chapters! As it is, I can theorize to my heart's content.

Touch

Inuzuka Kiba sighed, digging his sandaled feet deeper into the loose dirt surrounding the fallen log he sat on. Next to him, Akamaru whined in a similar fashion, his fuzzy countenance the perfect mirror of his master's. Two pairs of eyes turned to watch Team 8's teacher struggle to explain the finer points of chakra etiquette to Aburame Shino.

"Just because the chakra is there for the taking doesn't mean you can just take it." Kurenai was repeating, "The bugs might want to, you might even think it's a good idea, but under no circumstances are you allowed to steal your teammates' chakra."

Shino muttered something that Kiba, even with his excellent hearing, couldn't catch. Kurenai's reaction was clue enough however, to the nature of what had been said. Rolling her eyes, she wagged a wary finger in her wayward pupil's face. "I don't care if it's reflex, this is something you have to train to control, Shino." A quick glance at the sky told her the day was not quite half over and with a nod she dragged Shino back over to the side of the training ground his classmates currently sat on. "Kiba, Hinata? Shino and I are going to have to train separately for an hour or so, do you think you two can entertain yourselves for a little while?"

Kiba heaved another huge sigh. When he'd decided to become a shinobi he'd been more than prepared for the fighting, ready for the strategy and study, hyped about the missions and practice. He'd just never expected there would be so much waiting involved. Less than a month had passed since he'd been assigned to Team 8, and though he was more than relieved that he and Akamaru would no longer be caged in that horrid smelling little classroom, this was not exactly what he'd had in mind.

Not that he was about to tell Kurenai sensei any of these thoughts. No, that would not be conducive to a pain-free practice. Instead he nodded, Akamaru mimicking him in a furry bob of ears and snout. "Yeah, sure." He drawled, wishing he had thought to bring one of Akamaru's chew toys with him. "Whatever."

Next to him, perched on the very end of the log, Hyuuga Hinata nodded as well. "Th…that's fine Kurenai sensei." Their teacher smiled at both of them, pleased by their compliance.

"Good, we shouldn't be gone too long." Giving Hinata an extra smile, Kurenai turned to Kiba, bending low so they were eye-to-eye. "Kiba?"

"Um, yes?" This close and he could smell the natto his teacher had eaten for breakfast that morning. She actually liked that stuff? Yuck. His teacher's red eyes bored into him, a distinctly unsettling feeling.

"Be nice to Hinata or you and Akamaru will find yourselves on garbage duty for a week, understand?"

Would she refuse to forget the prank he'd played on the girl their first week as a team? It had hardly been that bad. Privately, Kiba thought that the Hyuuga heir had vastly over-reacted to the worms he'd snuck down her collar. Honestly, how did she expect to become a kunoichi if she couldn't stand a few insects? Kurenai had not been of the same opinion unfortunately, and the ensuing punishment had nearly done him in.

Collecting Konoha's garbage was not a kind task for someone who had as sensitive a nose as Kiba did.

He'd tried to make it up to Hinata, he really had. But how exactly did one apologize to a girl who stuttered and blushed from mere eye contact? He'd be grateful if someone would explain the finer points of having a conversation with a person who offered no comprehensible response to him. Plus, the chick's dad was scary, there was no way Kiba wanted to risk upsetting a girl whose father could kill him with his little finger. Then again, he was hardly the most emotionally-sensitive of the boys in his year. Chouji would have been much better at maneuvering this situation.

It totally figured Kiba would get stuck on the genin team with a breakable princess type.

Thus it was with some trepidation that he watched the departure of his teacher and more robust teammate. Shino was cool. He and Kiba had been friends for ages, so long in fact, that Kiba couldn't remember ever being creeped out by the Aburame's bugs. And that was saying something since the boy had them leaking out of every pore.

Kiba felt bad for Shino and his current predicament. Sure, the boy had let his kikai mushi get a bit rowdy, and yes, they had attempted to drain Hinata's chakra. But it had all been in good fun, right? Weren't Hyuuga children supposed to be kick-ass ninjas? Look at that Neji guy from the year before, the kid was a frickin' genius. I mean, honestly, you would expect a girl who came from a family renowned for its one-on-one combat to be able to ward off a few bugs.

Maybe Hyuuga Hiashi hadn't covered that lesson yet.

Kurenai and Shino were out of sight by now and Akamaru shifted in the heavy silence that had fallen. Kiba stared at his dusty feet. Now what? Briefly he considered catching a nap in the warm sunshine, but reconsidered after visualizing Kurenai's inevitable reaction. No, knowing his teacher, she wanted him and Hinata to 'bond'. Put their differences aside and become hardy teammates in arms. But what to do?

Kiba doubted Hinata would want to chase rabbits with him and Akamaru.

Out of the corner of his eye, he observed the girl. She sat with her knees locked tightly together, so rigid in her pose she looked as if a slight breeze might topple her. Pale eyes were trained on clenched hands, not rising even once to catch his gaze. He shifted a bit and she flinched. Kiba frowned, was he really that scary?

Akamaru was growing restless from the tension between the two humans, and abruptly stood, trotting his furry self over to sit at the girl's feet. Kiba sent his dog an appraising glance which the canine returned. Giving in, the boy shrugged, perhaps Akamaru had a better idea of what to do that he did. Sensing his master's approval, the pup gave a small bark, jumping up into Hinata's lap in a friendly manner.

"Ah!" Hinata became, if anything, more frozen. She drew her hands up to her face, keeping them well out of the way of Akamaru's fuzzy body. "Ah! I…I…your dog!"

"No, no don't worry!" Kiba hastened to explain, leaning forward a bit. "He's just being friendly, he wants you to pet him."

"H..he what?!" Hinata was nearly trembling, Kiba was amused to see, maybe she thought this was another trick. No matter how many cute looks Akamaru was trying on her, she refused to melt to his charms. Resigning himself to doing this the hard way, Kiba scooted over until he was next to the girl.

"Akamaru wants you to pet him. You know, pet his fur?" Her expression remained one of mild confusion colored by fear. Just how sheltered was this girl? "Haven't you ever petted a dog before?"

"I, um, no…that is, w…we don't have pets at the Hyuuga compound."

The concept was so utterly alien to him, Kiba could hardly process it. "Seriously?!" He asked, the energy in his voice making her flinch again. "That's so weird! My family's place has plenty of dogs, there're probably more dogs than humans."

"R…really?" Now it was her turn to look incredulous. "How…strange…"

Kiba colored a bit, she hadn't meant to comment to be mean, he knew, but he was a bit sensitive about the topic. "It's not strange." He muttered, "Not like that cold old prison you live in." He regretted the words the instant they were out, but could do nothing to take them back. "Er, sorry about that…I didn't mean."

"N…no, it's fine." She swallowed, "I'm sure you…you're not the only one wh…who thinks that."

He'd hurt her feelings, he could tell. Cursing under his breath, he wracked his brains for something, anything to say. If his sister Hana ever found out what he'd said she'd beat him to within an inch of his life. What could he say to make it right though? Darn it, why was he so inept at this?

"S…so how do I p...pet him?"

Kiba was so startled that Hinata hadn't clammed up completely after his blunder it took him a few seconds to process her question. "How do you pet him? Well, geez, it's simple, just stroke your hand over his fur like this." He demonstrated, giving the dog a quick rub under the chin. "See? Not hard at all."

"Oh." Tentatively, Hinata reached out, her hand making several quick darting movements across the canine's back. Akamaru shifted uncomfortably and Kiba was quick to shake his head.

"No, that's not right. You have to pet him in the same direction his fur grows, see? Otherwise it hurts him." Grabbing one of her hands he showed her how, running her small palm over his dog's ears in quick sure sweeps. "See? Just like this." Akamaru wagged his tail in encouragement.

"He…he likes it?"

"Well, yeah. Dogs love being petted." Kiba realized he was still holding her hand and dropped it quickly, fighting a blush. Good thing there was no one else on the training ground. Who knew what hell they'd give him for holding hands with a girl. Sheesh, that had been close.

"Why?" Hinata's cheeks were flushed a bit too, and he wondered if it was for the same reason his were. Shaking his head to clear it, Kiba focused on her question.

"Why do they like being petted?" She nodded, her hand moving in ever more confident strokes over Akamaru's back. The dog was reveling in the attention, the little manipulative git. "Well, why not? I mean, everyone likes being touched, don't they? It's comforting. Like when your mom hugs you or something." He looked up and found no comprehension in her face. Too late he remembered her mother was dead, killed in an encounter with Rice country when they'd been toddlers. "I…I'm sorry…" He fumbled, "I didn't think…"

"It's okay." She said, her voice strong and for once not fragmented. "I agree."

"Agree?"

"It's nice." She said, and the color rose higher in her cheeks. Her eyes, he noticed, were focused on the hand he had so recently clasped. "T…to be touched by s…someone."

"I…um…okay." Where in the world, he wondered as he watched her continue to pet his dog, had Kurenai and Shino gone?

By the time their sensei and teammate arrived back at the training ground, Kiba and Hinata were playing a lively game of fetch with Akamaru. Seeing the return of the rest of their team, they stopped, trotting over to greet them. Kurenai smiled as they ran up.

"Looks like you three found a good way to pass the time."

"Yeah, it was alright." Kiba shoved his hands into his pockets after positioning Akamaru in his familiar position on his head.

"K...Kiba taught me how to pet Akamaru!" Hinata told Kurenai. "He..he's a really nice dog."

"Yes, he is isn't he?" The two began to chat. Much more easily, Kiba noted, than anything he had managed.

"Taught her how to pet your dog, did you?" He looked up into the impenetrable stare of Shino. The raised eyebrow behind the sunglasses was innuendo enough. "Interesting."

"Shut the hell up Shino." Kiba growled. "I know what you're thinking and that is not what happened."

"Didn't say anything." Shino interposed, the sun providing an appropriate twinkle off his lenses.

"Okay, that's it!"

Despite his good behavior around Hinata, Kurenai assigned Kiba garbage duty anyway for slugging Shino in the mouth.