helloooo!! ahh, it's been so long since i updated! i've been so busy with works, and meetings and studies, that i almost felt like i want to give up writing this story! but i pushed myself forward and tadaa! chapter 12! haha.

anyway, i won't keep you long. enjoy reading!

-

-

Cat and Dog

-

-

Chapter 12

-

-

-

Tsubasa blinked her eyes in disbelief. No way…

Kiba looked up, wiping dirt off his clothes. "Oi," he called Tsubasa. "Did you hear me?

Tsubasa was still staring at him, unsure of what to say. Then the reality of what she had spoken to herself hit her and she grew red.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked in return, praying hard that he couldn't see her red face.

Her face felt so hot right then, her head spinning crazily.

Kiba frowned. Why was she asking the question when she didn't even answer him.

"What are you doing up there?" he asked back and smirked. "Scared to come down?"

Tsubasa narrowed her eyes. "I'm not scared." She replied back. "You're the coward who's afraid to climb up a tree."

"Hey," Kiba said and with a poof he disappeared and reappeared beside her on the tree branch. "I'm not scared."

Tsubasa's face felt hotter then, with him so close to her. She pretended to frown and looked away, rubbing her forehead.

The world seems to spin faster and the temperature seems to rise with him nearby.

"Are you okay?" Kiba asked. Tsubasa turned and met his face, a few centimeters away from her.

Kiba's eyebrows furrowed. "Your face is red." He stated.

"N-nothing," Tsubasa quickly said and looked away. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, trying to change the subject.

"Combat training, with Gai's team." He answered simply.

Tsubasa raised an eyebrow. "And why the hell aren't you training?"

Kiba shrugged. "Akamaru transformed into me and wanted me to leave him so he can train alone."

"And you let him?"

Kiba looked at the sky. "Didn't want to, but he kicked me here."

Tsubasa smiled at the thought of the big dog kicking its master away. Then she remembered something. "You do know Neji-san is out there."

"Yeah."

"And he has 360 degrees view from the Byakugan."

"Yeah," Kiba said simply. "I can smell him from here."

Tsubasa furrowed her eyebrows. "Then get out of here, idiot!" she said, pushing him off.

Kiba grabbed her hands before she could push him and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell was that for?"

Tsubasa glanced at her hands in his and felt her face getting hotter, her world spinning faster than ever.

Kiba noticed the Maneki's red face and felt the warmth from her hands. "Oi, are you okay?" he asked. He pulled her hands towards him, bringing her body closer to him. Then he reached out one hand to touch her forehead.

But before he could feel her forehead, Tsubasa quickly slapped his hand away.

"Go away Inuzuka,"

He smirked. "So it's not Kiba anymore?"

Tsubasa frowned. "Just go back to your training."

Kiba thought about it for a while and then shrugged. "Nah, they haven't found me. I need a break anyway."

Then he smirked. "Besides, it's been such a long time since I annoyed you,"

Tsubasa narrowed her eyes. "I'm not in the mood. Go find another tree."

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong with you?" Usually, she would shout back at him and then they would get back to their usual argument, and get stuck.

How long has it been since the last time they were glued together?

"Nothing's wrong." Tsubasa said, almost desperately.

The sight of you, your scent, and you alone is making me dizzy.

Tsubasa didn't dare to say it to Kiba. She hated the fact that he was doing this to her, without even him realizing it.

"You know, your hands are warm," Kiba stated, looking at the pair of hands he was still holding. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tsubasa nodded her head. "Yes," she said. Why does he even care? "Just go away"

Kiba frowned. He pulled her hands again, bringing her towards him. And in one quick move, he placed his palm on her forehead, his other hand holding her hands tightly, making her unable to move away.

Even if Tsubasa wanted to move away, she was glued to the spot. His skin on her forehead, his face so near to hers. She could feel his breath; see the fine lines of his jaw, his sharp nose, his lips…

Her brain felt like exploding. The pain that has been throbbing in her head since that morning seems to have amplified with the appearance of the small voice in her head.

Can't you feel how fast your heartbeat goes when he's this near? Are you still in denial?

Tsubasa doesn't know. She never experienced anything like this with any other guy. Not with Kenji or even Sho. Right now, she doesn't want to know what it is.

She just wants the pain to stop.

"You're burning." Kiba said as he felt Tsubasa's warm forehead. He looked up to her face, eyes widened when he saw Tsubasa's golden eyes blackened.

Surprised, Kiba let go of his hold on her and watched her body leaned forward and fell off the tree branch.

"Tsubasa!!" eyes widened, shocked, Kiba did the only thing he could think of.

He disappeared and reappeared a moment later on the ground, arms reached out as he watched Tsubasa's falling body.

He caught her a second later, her body felt lighter than he had expected. Then he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Kiba looked at the girl in his arms. He can feel her weak breathing and frowned. "Sheesh, you should've said you're sick." He said as he placed the unconscious girl on the ground.

But before he could complain to himself even more, Kiba sensed Lee and Neji nearby.

"There he is!" he heard Lee shouted. Kiba's body tensed. Shit! He moved forward, away from Tsubasa and readied himself.

"Tenten, shuriken!" Lee shouted. Kiba turned and saw a shurinken flying out from nowhere and Lee caught it.

Neji was nearing them and Kiba saw that the older jounin had noticed Tsubasa. Neji raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Lee, give me that." He could hear Neji said. Lee frowned but agreed and Neji quickly threw the shurinken towards Kiba.

Kiba, who had readied himself watched the shurinken flew towards him. He was ready to defend himself when he noticed that the shurinken wasn't heading towards him.

But at Tsubasa.

Kiba felt Shino's and Hinata's presences then, but his mind was fixed on Tsubasa on the ground.

Lounging towards her, in order to protect her from the weapon, the shurinken hit him instead on his side.

"Kiba-kun!" he heard Hinata shouted as he tumbled down on the ground, wincing from the pain.

Xxx

"Kiba!!"

Tsubasa's eyelids fluttered open. She quickly sat up, her breathing heavy.

A 'thud' sound was heard on her right and she turned to see Inuzuka Kiba on the floor, a fallen chair beside him, rubbing the side of his head.

"What the hell you shouted my name for?!" he asked her as he stood up, pulling the chair up as well.

"Jeez…and I was only about to sleep..." he mumbled to himself, messing up his hair as he sat down on the chair.

Tsubasa blinked her eyes and then she looked around her. She was in a spacious room, it was as big as hers back home.

The walls were painted light blue, there were dirty laundry placed at a corner near the white door, a study desk beside the bed she was in, Kiba was leaning against it, and stacks of comic books on the desk.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"My room." Kiba answered.

Tsubasa's eyes widened and she quickly narrowed her eyes and pulled the blankets up to her chest. "What did you do to me?!!"

"Huh?" Kiba asked, face blank. After a few seconds he understood. His face turned red.

"No such thing! Who do you think I am?" he asked back, arms crossed over his chest.

He looked away, to the worn out poster of a band that he used to fancy and continued talking, "You fell unconscious," he explained. "You had a bad fever, my sister was around, so we took you back.

"Oh," Tsubasa said and kept quiet. She looked at the room again. She saw the poster of a rock band pasted on the wall behind her and saw a game console wedged in the gap between the bed and the wall beside it.

The room was just like him. Messy, boyish. Even have his scent.

Then Tsubasa remembered something. The dream that she had.

"I-I had a vision that you were hurt," she told Kiba. The latter looked up and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hurt from what?"

"A shurinken, from Neji-san," Tsubasa recalled. "It happened after I passed out right? I-I sensed it."

It was something they Maneki were able to do, but she didn't feel like mentioning that.

"Oh that," Kiba ruffled his hair. "It was nothing."

"So it did happen?"

"Um yeah, but—"

"Where?" Tsubasa asked hurriedly, worried.

Kiba blinked his eyes, surprised to see her reaction. "It was fake." He said. He pulled his t-shirt up a little, where the shurinken had hit him. There was no mark.

Tsubasa let out a sigh of relief. Kiba smirked.

"Worried for me?"

"No." She quickly replied.

He grinned. "You called me Kiba a few minutes ago."

Tsubasa's face turned red but she ignored it. "I recalled you were shouting my name too."

It was Kiba who turned red next. "Yeah well I can't call you stinkycat forever."

"Because you realize you're the stinky one in here," She smirked.

"Hey!"

"Even the room smells funky," she lied.

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows. She was returning the retorts he sent her. She was feeling better. He smirked.

"Well at least I know I'm lighter than you," he lied. "You weight a ton."

Tsubasa felt like she's been slapped. Her face turned red from embarrassment. "I didn't ask you to carry me, did I?"

"Sure, I could've leave you alone in the woods. And everyone would call me a responsible person!" he said sarcastically.

"So you brought me here to show off your kindness, is that it?!"

"Duh! I am kind, even to—" Kiba couldn't continue his sentence when he was pulled forward towards Tsubasa by an invisible source.

Tsubasa too, was pulled forward towards Kiba. And once their shoulder touched each other, they both fell to the floor, head first.

"Ouch," they both winced, rubbing their foreheads.

"Well I see that you're all better now." Another voice said.

Tsubasa looked up and saw Inuzuka Hana at the door, looking at them, amused.

"So this is the 'binder'," she said, raising an eyebrow. Then she grinned,

"Can't wait for Okaasan to see this."

Kiba frowned in return.

so please tell me what do you think of this chapter! personally i don't really think it is very good, rushed in fact. but i've tried my best with this little time that i have now.

anyway, reviews please! love you guys!