Let the Music Do the Talking, a Naruto fanfiction
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
A/N: Thanks for your continued support! This will be a filler chapter while I work on the fallout of the previous chapters. For Kiba & Hinata fans, this is for you.
Chapter 10: Always
Earlier that week on Thursday…
Naruto and Kiba had just left Yamato's chemistry class ready to go for lunch.
"Are you joining me for lunch Kiba?" Naruto asked as they walked towards the cafeteria.
"No I'm afraid, I'm studying with Hinata."
"Studying eh?" Naruto grinned. "When did this happen?"
"Miss Yuhi's idea," Kiba grumbled thinking about his teacher. "But on the plus side, I'm spending more time with Hinata."
"Oh yeah, you were saying! What happened the other night when you went round there?"
"What besides finding out she had a butler and her dad is an over-bearing, over-protecting patriarch who doesn't like the middle-class? Dude, he called me riff-raff."
Naruto blinked. "I swear I haven't heard that before. Sounds like something my parents would have been called back in their day."
"Tell me about it," Kiba sighed, ruffling his own hair. "I had to stand my ground the best I could. But when that failed, Hinata and I agreed to meet in school instead."
"Okay. Sorry, what was that about a butler? Like we're talking Alfred Pennyworth from Batman or those weird English butlers you see on TV?" The blonde commented, wondering what kind of the family the Hyugas were.
"More like the latter. I mean I had to get used to being called 'young master Inuzuka' for crying out loud."
Naruto laughed. "Wow, entering the high life now, eh brother? Pretty soon you'll be eating caviar and sipping on champagne."
Kiba pulled a look of disgust. "Dude, do you even know what caviar is? It's fish eggs, which sounds horrible."
"Uh huh," came a surprised reaction from Naruto knowing more about that particular dish. "Now that you mention it…" He noticed the two of them were about to enter the cafeteria. "I'm gonna go join Shikamaru, have fun on your 'date'."
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever dude, I'll catch you in a bit."
He went down across the corridor to Miss Yuhi's room, opening the door to see to spot Hinata already waiting for him.
"Hey there," He greeted cheerfully, "Been waiting long?"
Hinata shook her head. "Nope, I just got here and thought I'd eat something, would you like to share some with me?" She offered, gesturing to her container of food. On closer inspection, she had a bento box,
Now she's offering to share her food with me? Is she really into me or what? He was surprised, noticing the impressive quality of food.
"Uh, sure," he replied. Hinata passed him some chopsticks, took a piece of chicken katsu and slowly took a bite. He savoured it for a moment or two before swallowing it with a satisfied look on his face.
"Wow, this is great!" He commented, "Did your butler make this?"
Hinata flushed red. "Um...no, I did. I've been cooking for a while and I thought I'd make something to share with you, that's all.."
Kiba smiled, taking another bite "You're fantastic at this Hinata! I haven't had that much homemade bento and this is amazing!"
"Thank you," her blush increased more. "I don't think it's that good personally, I've just been trying to improve and cook for myself ever since my mother-" She stopped herself, her eyes fell slightly as she began remembering her childhood.
The boy realised what was going on, slowly putting two and two together in his head.
So that's why her father is...
"I'm sorry," He said sadly, placing his hand across the table overlapping hers. "I'm sure she was an amazing woman."
"She must've been to have raised someone as nice as you."
Hinata swore that if she blushed anymore, she'd faint right there and then.
"Th-thank you, Kiba, that means a lot," she said, feeling a warm glow enveloping her.
"Sh-shall we get started?"
The two sat together eating lunch and began working through more math problems. Looking over the papers with her, the boy found himself completely lost when they had moved onto a section entitled 'Pythagoras' theorem'.
"Pythag-what now?" grumbled Kiba as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyelids. "Isn't that the greek dude who made all this math stuff in the first place?"
Hinata chuckled. "Not exactly, it's basically a formula used for calculating sides on right-angled triangles." She picked up her pencil and began drawing some shapes on a blank page. "You see? The longest side is called the hypotenuse, and when you draw a square on it, it's equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides."
Kiba's face produced a blank response. "So, what's an easier way? Hypotenuse sounds like it should be some kind of disease."
Hinata couldn't help but giggle at his response. "An easier way to remember is that the hypotenuse is side 'C', so the theorem states that 'a squared' plus 'b squared' equals 'c squared'." She wrote down the formula on the top of the page. "Does it make sense?"
The boy shrugged, but when he took his pencil and tried it himself, he was honestly surprised at how it all worked out.
"Hey, you're right about that! Thanks a lot!"
Damn, she's really good at this! And here's me acting all smug like I have got it. He thought awkwardly, as his eyes scanned the pages again. Still, I guess this is pretty fun. Maybe I should reward her for all this?
"Hey Hinata…?"
"Yes, Kiba?"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was wondering if you'd like to hang out after school today? Maybe go to the park or something? I..er...kinda wanna say thanks for helping me out, y'know?"
Hinata couldn't help but turn beetroot. Was he asking her out on a date? Or was it just a little thing between friends? She looked away for a second, gently tapping her fingers together in a nervous twitch.
"Su-su-sure, Kiba," She answered quietly, "Th-that'd be great." He's being so modest and kind. I wonder what he has planned?
The bell rang signifying the end of the lunch hour.
Kiba grinned "Great, meet me out front at the end of the day?"
"Okay."
The school day ended as the two met up again in front of the building.
"So did I mention to you that Naruto and I are entering that talent competition in a few weeks' time?" He asked Hinata as they began walking away from school.
Hinata shook her head "No, you didn't. You said you play the drums right?"
"Yep, and Naruto does lead guitar. We've only just found a bass player too."
"Oh?" Hinata asked intrigued. "Who is that?"
"This is going to sound absurd, but…" He hesitated before continuing. "It's Ino."
Hinata's eyes widened upon hearing the name. "Wait, Ino? Ino Yamanaka? Since when did she-"
"-that's what I asked Naruto," He responded, still unsure himself of the previous day's events. "I found it a bit weird when she came in and played a couple of songs with us, but I think Naruto has a thing for her…"
Hinata, still surprised at this, didn't know what else to say. She herself wasn't close friends with Ino, but they had a mutual respect and understanding for one another, having worked together in Might Guy's gym class a number of times. But why would Ino be interested in someone like Naruto? As far as she knew, the two of them were polar opposites.
"Regardless," Kiba continued, "I think it's all going to work out. How about you? Are you going to enter the show?"
"Not me," She replied, "But my cousin Neji is. He's a gifted piano player. Probably one of the most talented individuals our family has."
"I heard something about that." Kiba acknowledged. "But I'm sure you have something special to share with the world, Hinata. Maybe you just need some time to find it."
The blue-haired girl blushed yet again. Was he flirting with her? She was not used to these kinds of compliments!
"I...I...maybe...I'll find it eventually…"
The two of them made their way to the park in town where they began their afternoon. They skipped stones across the lake, admired the flower beds where Hinata spoke of her interest in pressing different flowers and grabbed ice cream from a local vendor too.
The pair sat down on a bench with their sweet treats, until they heard what sounded like a whimpering from behind them.
"What is that?" Hinata inquired, the sound seemingly getting louder from a bush next to them.
"Hm, let me go have a look." Kiba stood up and pushed the bush apart to discover a small puppy laying on its side.
"Hey little guy, what's wrong with you?"
The puppy continued whimpering, its eyes full of sadness.
"Hey, hey it's okay, let me get you up." Using his free arm, the boy carefully picked it up and sat him on the bench next to them.
"Aww, poor little thing." Hinata said sadly, feeling sorry for it, "Do you think someone's lost it?"
"No collar or anything," he observed, looking at the puppy's head, "he must be a stray. But he's only a puppy, how did this happen?"
"What breed is it?" The girl wondered
"It's a beagle. See the dark patches going along his back?"
"I see," Hinata added, but she couldn't help but notice something a bit more horrific. One of the animal's paws looked very swollen and discoloured.
"Kiba, have a look there. That's not normal, is it? Do you think something attacked it?"
The boy looked at the injured limb. "You're right, that looks bad. I'm guessing another dog or a fox might have gotten it."
Hinata's eyes fell in sadness. "We should get him to a vet. Maybe your mum might know what's wrong?"
Kiba nodded in agreement. "You're right. Let's go and see what she says."
Carefully placing the beagle under his arm, he and Hinata set off across town towards his mothers clinic.
The Inuzuka Veterinary Clinic was run by Kiba's mother, Izume Inuzuka. In the city of Konoha, it was regarded as one of the most impressive and well-renowned businesses for its top quality treatment and care of animals.
Entering the building, Kiba noticed the waiting room. As with every day, it seemed to be busy, with most pet owners coming in to get treatment for injuries or regular check-ups.
"Damn, I wonder if she'll be available to help this little guy…" He looked around, and spotted his older sister, Hana at the front desk checking over some paperwork with another colleague. She was a tall woman with onyx eyes, long brunette hair tied up in a ponytail with two small strands of hair that framed her face, wearing a long white jacket, black trousers and black shoes.
"Hey Hana," He called out loudly, causing the older woman to snap her head up from what she was reading.
"Little brother, what are you doing here?" She wondered at his sudden appearance. Noticing the animal he had in his arms, she rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"Kiba, what have I said about bringing in strays like this? You know we can't cater for every lost animal in the city."
"But this one is hurt really bad!" Hinata cried out in anguish, "We found him in the park and he's practically limping. Surely you can check him out, right?"
Hana was surprised at the presence of the girl standing next to her brother. "Oh, and who might you be? Are you Kiba's girlfriend? Because he's never mentioned you before, that's for sure."
The young pair blushed while Kiba's eye twitched in annoyance. "Come on, sis! There's no time for that! Can you help him out or not?"
Looking at the injured puppy in question, coupled with a desperate look from both her brother and Hinata, Hana knew that she couldn't turn them away like this.
"Alright, follow me and let me have a look at him."
A wave of joy encompassed both their faces as Hana led them down the hallway to a small room. Entering, she grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the box on a small cabinet.
"Okay, okay, little dude, let's see what's up with you." She took the puppy from Kiba, and laid it down on the medical bed. She carefully checked over its body, paying close attention to its paws. The older woman clicked her tongue when she noticed that the back left paw looked very swollen and discoloured around the claws, the edges brittle and broken.
"That's not good," she mumbled.
"What's wrong with him?" Hinata questioned worriedly. "Is it bad?"
"Where did you say you found him?"
"In the park."
Hana's mouth became a straight line, her eyes falling slightly. "He's got a case of paronychia, a nail disorder; the claws on this leg have been infected by something causing inflammation on the whole paw."
"Can you do anything?" Hinata pleaded.
"Sure I can." Hana said as she turned over the other paws to check for other problems. "It'll take some time and I've got to prescribe the right treatment, but this little guy should pull through. Leave it to me."
"That's good," Hinata replied.
"Thanks sis," Kiba added.
"No worries. Come back in a few days or so, and if we can't find him a home, I guess one of you can adopt him?"
Hinata thought for a moment. Adopting an animal wouldn't be so bad, perhaps Getsumei would be able to help out. She looked up at the boy next to her. And if Kiba's with me, it would be like the puppy has parents. The thought of the idea tinged her cheeks pink. Oh my...perhaps I shouldn't think things like that so early and-
"Hinata was it?" Hana said, breaking the girl out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes."
"Thanks for stopping by. It's good to know I've got someone who's keeping my little brother in check now and again."
Kiba pouted. "Jeez sis, have you got anything better to do than embarrass me?"
The older Inuzuka chuckled. "Yeah, I do. I'll message you later when I finish treatment."
The young pair nodded in agreement and left the place. The afternoon had taken a different turn for what Kiba had had in mind; while it was fun to go to the park and spend time with her, he had no idea that he would end up rescuing an animal as well!
Perhaps the best kind of plans are the ones that don't really make much sense. He thought amusingly as the two of them walked side by side, heading towards a crossing. I hope she enjoyed it though, regardless.
Hinata couldn't help but smile in the boy's presence.
Kiba is really something. He's generous, thoughtful and who knew he had such a sweet side when it came to caring for animals? He's not like other guys, I feel I can trust him with anything.
The two teens approached a crossing and waited for the lights to change. Cars rumbled and roared as they passed by creating a dangerous sense of a concrete jungle. Five seconds passed and the pedestrian sign switched from 'stop' to 'go'.
Kiba started walking first and noticed a split second when Hinata had stopped.
"Hey Hinata, let's go!" He called out, getting her attention.
The girl had been lost in thought and shook her head. "Coming."
Unbeknownst to them, a cyclist had come round a nearby corner at blistering speed. Spotting the girl in front of him, he did his utmost best to slow down, doing everything in his power to do so.
"HINATA!"
But it was too late.
As quickly the cyclist wanted to stop, he couldn't. His brakes gave out, and he collided straight with Hinata. For Kiba, it was like watching it in slow motion. For Hinata, everything was at double speed to the point it felt like her life was flashing before her eyes.
She fell back a few feet, her head harshly colliding with the concrete road. The man on the bike fell off to his right side, the bike becoming twisted up between his legs.
As her head hit the curb that separated the pavement and road, her senses seemed to shut down one after the other, only after experiencing what she could describe as euphoric. The smell of petrol from cars nearby filled her nostrils, the afternoon sky enveloped her vision with blue as she felt her eyelids shut and the sounds of people's cries entered her ears.
"Damn it damn it damn it!" Kiba cursed hastily, running over to her side.
"Hinata!" He shouted in anguish. He gasped in horror as he saw crimson liquid start oozing from the back of her head.
"No, no, no!"
A small number of people gathered around the scene, with the biker in question lying a few feet away in a crumpled heap.
"Hey, I'm an off duty paramedic." Came the voice of a young blond woman with soft brown eyes. She immediately took off her jacket and placed it under the young girl's head. "Call an ambulance, I'll try and keep her stable until they get here. She's struck her head quite badly. I'll try and stop the bleeding."
He reached into his pocket for his phone and dialled the emergency services. His heartbeat was racing a million miles a second.
Moments later, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics got Hinata in on a stretcher. Kiba joined them in the back as his own worst fears began to escalate.
He then remembered something else; in his wallet, he pulled out a card. It was the same card that Getsumei had given to him a few days prior.
Why did he give me this? He must trust me enough to give me his number. I'd best let him know.
He dialled the number and waited for the dialing tone to pick up.
"Hello?" Came the response on the other end
"Hello Getsumei, it's Kiba Inuzuka, we met the other day?"
"Ah yes good afternoon young sir. Is everything alright?"
"No, it's Hinata, she's been in an accident. We're on our way to Konoha General now."
"Understood, thank you young Master Kiba. I'll be there as soon as I can and alert Lord Hiashi as well,"
The ambulance ride had him more scared than he could have ever imagined. Upon reaching the hospital, Kiba winced as he watched them wheel Hinata in through the main entrance and down the corridor.
He never really liked hospitals; the smell, the sadness when people were close to death, the sight of people being put on different machines. It was something about it all that made him feel uncomfortable whenever he entered one.
"Excuse me, young man?" Called over, a middle-aged woman with light green hair sat behind the main reception desk. "You came in with that girl, correct?" She looked at the paper in front of her "Hinata Hyuga right?"
"Yes, I'm her friend, Kiba Inuzuka." He replied
The receptionist noted it down. "Thank you Kiba. If you take a seat for me, the doctor in charge of the ward Hinata is on will see you shortly."
Kiba nodded as he sat within the collection of chairs in the reception. It was quite a large area with multiple doors leading up to different departments coupled with different coloured signs.
Every second that passed felt like an hour as his mind continued racing. What was going to happen to her?
Twenty minutes passed, and he was approached by a man with a doctor's uniform, short black hair and pale blue eyes.
"Mr Inuzuka?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Doctor Kazuma, one of the practitioners here, I look after the Hashirama Ward. You're a friend of Hinata Hyuga?"
"That's right. Is she alright? Can I see her?" He asked frantically.
"She's going to be okay, follow me." The two began walking and talking, heading down the main corridor towards the ward. "She's just suffering from a concussion and some bruising where she fell. It's a good thing the collision wasn't more severe otherwise…well...let's not think about that."
Kiba bit his lip when hearing the news. It sounded positive, but he was praying that there would be no long term effects from all this.
Kazuma led him to a small adjacent room on the right of the corridor. He opened the doors, and in the centre of the room laid Hinata, draped in a hospital gown, bandages around her head, and hooked up with several wires and tubes.
"As I said, she'll pull through. We just want to be sure she's not suffering from any kind of head trauma."
"Thank you, doctor," Kiba spoke, still in shock at seeing her in this state.
"I just need to grab some files, would you like anything?"
"I'll be fine." He replied flatly. He sat down on the chair next to her bed, his eyes not breaking contact even once. Time passed, and his thoughts and worries were interrupted by the most unlikely of sources.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" A loud, booming voice came from down the corridor. "TAKE ME TO HER!"
Oh shit! Why now of all places?
The doors to the room were kicked open and in came a very cross looking Hiashi, scanning the room for his child. His eyes locked with Kiba, and all his emotions turned towards him as he stepped over and grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck.
"YOU!" He shouted directly in the boy's face. "I knew there was something about you I didn't like! What have you done to her!?"
"Mr Hyuga, please if you let me-!"
"SILENCE!" He roared, his anger completely blinding him from any rational thought. "If she doesn't make it out of this, you and your family are going to be paying for this with your lives! Your mother will be seeing my lawyers about paying for the hospital bills and-!"
"MR HYUGA!" Dr Kazuma bellowed, loud enough for the older man to turn round and see the professional, staring him back with a demanding look.
"I'll have you know that this young man saved your daughter's life! If it wasn't for him alerting the emergency services when he did, she might have been in an even worse state than she is now. The gentleman in question for causing her accident is in the lobby giving a statement to the receptionist and the police. Now, would you kindly cease this erratic behaviour or I will be forced to remove you."
His breath was harsh and deep as he looked back at Kiba. He slowly loosened his grip around his collar as he let go and stepped back.
"Thank you Mr Hyuga," The doctor said politely, himself pleased that the situation hadn't escalated any further, "As I said, the man responsible is in the lobby if you wish to speak to him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another patient to see. I'll be back shortly. Please do not make any more noise."
He left the two of them, with nothing but the sound of the ventilator humming in the room.
Hiashi sat down on one of the chairs to Hinata's left, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she lay there unconscious.
I can't lose her as well. His train of thought was a mess, as he remembered what had happened before. Losing her mother was bad enough, but if Hinata… His eyes turned back to Kiba, wanting answers.
"Boy," he muttered angrily "Care to explain to me what happened to my daughter?"
"It was a cyclist. He came pedalling too fast while we were on a crossing and his brakes gave out. I tried to pull her away, but I wasn't quick enough."
He took the time to respond. "A crossing? And where pray tell were you and Hinata when this happened? She usually comes straight home from school." His voice grew more and more anxious.
"What were you doing?" He repeated, wanting an answer from the teen.
Kiba sat with his hands together on his lap. "We were visiting my mother's clinic. I thought it would be a nice day to hang out together. She's been helping me a lot with my studies these last few days, and I thought I'd reward her."
"Reward her?" Hiashi repeated, the whole conversation seemed strange to him. "And your 'studies'?" He continued, his tone sounding doubtful. "What is it exactly that Hinata is helping you with?"
"Mathematics, sir," Kiba replied flatly. "It's not my strongest subject at the moment and Miss Yuhi suggested that she help me out. Believe me when I say this, but your daughter is amazing at this and-"
"-and now because of you, she is lying here injured!" He snapped. "If you would have been a bit more careful and probably a bit more sensible, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we!?"
"This is not my fault." Kiba shot back, "Seriously what do you have against me? All because I'm not from a prestigious background or have a rich family? Maybe I should be grateful that I'm not, otherwise, I'd probably end up like you."
"Watch your tone with me boy." The older man retorted. "Your kind is the reason why prestigious families like us become a laughing stock! Because we have to associate ourselves with people like you. Give me one good reason why I should even let you be friends with my daughter because at this rate you're not giving me much to go on; all I see is a rude, arrogant, selfish brat who doesn't know much of anything and should know his place!"
Kiba stood up, his face sharpened into anger. How dare this man tell him who or what he was?
"You think I'm going to stand here and take any more of this from you!? You might be this big shot clan head with all this money and influence, but what about manners? What gives you the right to judge others? Hinata means something to me, and I enjoy spending time with her."
"Say what you want," He said not wanting to lose this fight "But I'm staying by her side until I know she's awake."
Hiashi Hyuga did not expect this kind of reaction from a boy like this. This teenager was challenging him? He could snap his fingers and using his network could make the Inuzuka family crumble.
His mouth became a straight line, as he turned his head to his daughter, who remained in her unconscious state.
"Get out." He mumbled quietly. "I don't want to see you or around my daughter ever again."
"Forget it," Kiba replied, arms folded as he sat back down. "Tell me to jump off a cliff if you want to, I'm not moving until she wakes up and I know that she's alright. Maybe drop that attitude of yours and pay attention to what's in front of you for a change."
"I swear boy, one more word and I will make you regret we ever met-"
"-Ahem!"
Both looked over to see Dr Kazuma re-enter the room.
"I thought I said no more eccentrics, Mr Hyuga."
Hiashi took a deep breath and shook his head.
"Do as you wish, but I swear if she doesn't make it out of this, you'll be sorry." He turned himself in the direction of the door. "Doctor, I'll be sending my aid later to stay and assist with her. Please send me a full report and how much this will cost." His eyes narrowed towards Kiba. "And make sure he doesn't try anything."
"Of course, Mr Hyuga."
Hiashi left the room quietly, with Kiba still annoyed at how he had been talked to.
"Kiba, was it?" The doctor asked the boy kindly once Hiashi was out of earshot.
"Yeah, what is it doc?" He asked curiously.
"Feel free to take a seat outside while we run some more tests and diagnostics. I'll let you know when you can come back in and sit with her."
Kiba smiled softly. "Thanks doc."
For the next hour or so, Kiba sat outside the room while Doctor Kazuma and his nurses looked over Hinata. What was Hiashi's problem? He practically saved Hinata's life and this is how he was being repaid? The confrontation had left him feeling exhausted, to say the least.
He brought out his phone, looking at the few photos he had taken with Hinata hours before. They had taken a selfie in front of a water fountain from their walk in the park earlier, and the blue-haired girl looked absolutely beautiful to him. The way her long hair contrasted her soft pearl eyes, her cute button nose and soft lips. How she laughed at his stupid jokes and enjoyed how he looked after the injured stray they had taken to his mum's clinic.
Kiba smiled to himself; Hinata was amazing, smart, kind and he would do anything for her. Right now, he was more concerned about her pulling through all this.
I wonder how Naruto's getting on, hopefully hanging out with Ino again.
A while later, he was allowed back in the room with Hinata, along with Getsumei, who showed up a few moments after.
"Young master Inuzuka," He greeted the boy as he entered. "I'm pleased to see you, thank you for notifying me of Lady Hinata's condition. Has Lord Hiashi been to see her?"
Kiba told the story of the confrontation between the two of them a few hours ago, with the butler quite stunned at how Hiashi had reacted.
"I must apologise for my Lord's behaviour. He hasn't been the same since Lady Hikari passed away many years ago." Getsumei looked to the floor, but his face remained completely stoic and straight-faced.
"I had a feeling about that. Hinata herself told me, and I can see why he would act the way he did." Kiba added.
Getsumei tilted his head slightly. "My Lord is only doing what he thinks is right for both Lady Hinata and young Lady Hanabi, her sister. Not only that, the other clan members have doubts about the future of the clan. His nephew, young Master Neji, is a prodigy as you probably have heard. However, they are doubting the progress of Hinata, as they believe she lacks the will and respect to take the clan into the next generation."
This family really has its issues huh? The brown-haired boy thought, shaking his head. But right now, the focus should be on Hinata's safety.
"Alas, I shall not drown you with family politics. A boy your age probably has other issues on his mind…"
"No, on the contrary," Kiba replied with a compassionate expression, "I understand, families can be...difficult."
"Indeed so, young master. I do however appreciate your honesty and your courage to stick by her until she is well again." The butler reached into his bag and brought out a container of food. "I thought you'd be hungry after waiting all this time. I would offer some to the young lady but I'll leave it for when she wakes up. "
Kiba's mouth parted slightly at the man's generous offer. "Thank you." He took the container; it was another bento box, exactly like the one Hinata had prepared for him earlier.
"You're welcome, young sir."
As much as the boy appreciated the politeness, the constant title was getting a bit frustrating. He pouted with his bottom lip.
"While I appreciate the formalities, 'Kiba' is fine, Getsumei, sir." He said casually as he began eating.
He nodded. "Of course, Kiba." He unpacked his own food and began eating with the teenager.
"So I hear from Lady Hinata you are a musician? I was one back in my day; a pianist mind you. I played at several well-known venues around the world. Would you like to hear my stories?"
The boy nodded in agreement as he swallowed another mouthful of food.
Kiba and Getsumei sat together for another few hours as the older gentleman recounted the stories of his youth. Kiba was gobsmacked when he found out Getsumei had been drafted into war at the age of sixteen and had even made it to the rank of Lieutenant.
The afternoon turned to evening as the sky darkened outside. Not wanting to leave her side, Kiba insisted on staying, despite Getsumei offering to escort him home. The gentleman left him with the still sleeping Hinata.
The next thing he noticed was his own eyes opening, his whole body feeling groggy as his vision adjusted to the lights above him. He also noticed a slight discomfort in his lower back, as he leaned forward, realising he had been in the chair all this time.
"Wha...what day is it?" He yawned and looked around him, to be greeted by the same doctor who he had seen the previous night.
"It's Friday, and it is currently ten o'clock. You fell asleep here, Mr Inuzuka. I tried waking you, but your girlfriend here said to leave you until you woke up."
"Gi-girlfriend?" He spluttered, turning his head sharply to see Hinata sitting up in bed with a soft smile on her face.
"Hi-Hinata?" He said surprised, "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"A lit-little shook but I'm okay, ouch-!" She cried, clutching the side of her head which was now wrapped with a bandage.
"It's okay Ms Hyuga," Doctor Kazuma said, checking over his notes. "You'll need a few days here to recover and we'll try and discharge you by the end of the weekend. We need to make sure that you have no head trauma from that collision, in addition to seeing if you need any medication."
"Thanks, doc," Kiba replied, relieved that the situation hadn't gotten worse.
"You're welcome. The nurse will be around shortly to take requests for lunch, I'll pass her a note to make sure that this room has two orders prepared."
"Thank you, doctor." Hinata beamed.
The doctor pulled the curtain and left the two teens on their own.
"So…" Kiba scratched the back of his head, wanting to fill the awkward silence between the two. "Your father was here and-"
"He was!?" Hinata exclaimed, "What happened here? Did he say anything to you?"
"We argued," Kiba said firmly. but his response saw her face fall sadly. "But it was all for a reason!" He added, hoping to keep her mind at ease. "I said to him no matter what I wasn't going to leave your side! He even tried blaming me for the accident but thankfully the doc was here to help."
"Oh…"
"I mean I had to tell Getsumei first as he gave his number from before, so I guess he must've alerted your father and-"
"-Kiba," She interrupted him, leaning over slightly to touch his hand. "You stayed with me the whole time, despite my father wanting to push you away. That is the most generous thing I've ever seen." A small blush encompassed her cheeks. "That's so sweet of you."
Kiba himself became pretty bashful. "It was no problem, I just...wanted to make sure you woke up is all." His own face becoming red as hers.
"Well I'm very grateful." She leaned a bit further and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much, and thank you for yesterday too."
Kiba felt like he was on cloud nine right now. Sure, things had turned quite bad in the last 24 hours but to receive a kiss from the girl he liked? That was something else.
"Hehe…" Kiba chuckled, still in disbelief from the kiss he received.
He then remembered something else. Over twelve hours had passed and he hadn't spoken to anyone else since he left school with Hinata. He hastily checked his phone to read the following;
Mum: 20 missed calls
Hana: 10 missed calls
Mum: Kiba, seriously where are you!? I tried ringing your friends and no one has seen you, please get back to me ASAP!
Hana: Lil' bro where the hell are you!? It's practically gone midnight and mum is worried sick! Please call one of us!
"Oh crap…" he said quietly. Looks like I'm getting the third degree when I'm getting in later.
He texted back quickly;
Kiba: Hi Mum, apologies for making you worry. Will be home in a few hours, and will explain all.
Hinata turned her head slightly, noticing the worried look on his face. "Something wrong?"
He finished texting frantically, and let out a hefty sigh. "I left my phone on Do Not Disturb and now I've got people worrying about me…"
Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Hey, if you want, I can head over to school later on and pick up any work for you that you've missed? Did you leave anything in your locker as well?"
Hinata's face lit up in happiness as her heart started beating faster. He's so generous and caring, and he's doing all this for me?
"Sure, that would be great of you Kiba. I'll text you my locker combination." Looking at the clock on the bedside next to her, she noticed it was only quarter past ten.
"Hey, I have some playing cards in my bag. Do you want to play?" Kiba asked her, pulling her attention away from the clock.
The girl nodded. "Sure."
Kiba and Hinata sat together for the next few hours playing cards with each other as well as him sharing some videos on his phone with her. It was weird how things had transpired in the last half a day, but all he cared about now was her safety.
Lunch came by and the two shared what was on Hinata's plate, as well as making use of the extra bento box provided to them by Getsumei to create a little indoor picnic for the two of them. Not the most romantic setting for them, but it was fun for the pair.
At around three pm, Hinata looked up from reading her book that Getsumei had left next to her bedside table and right at the clock, while Kiba sat in the chair next to her resting his eyes.
"Kiba?" She asked quietly.
"Hm?" He lazily opened one eye.
"It's almost the end of the school day," she said softly. "You should head there and pick up those things before it closes. Don't worry about me, Getsumei should be back shortly."
Opening both his eyes, he stretched and gave out a massive yawn. "Are you sure?"
Nodding with happiness she added, "Positive. Thank you for looking after me, you're such an amazing person."
"No worries." He smirked with pride.
The two leaned into each other and embraced in a long hug. Adding an extra token of playfulness, the boy kissed her gently on the forehead, which prompted a small giggle to escape her lips.
"Go on, I'll be fine. You can always come back tomorrow since it's the weekend."
Kiba tilted his head slightly. "Definitely. See you."
As he walked away from her room and headed to the reception, his phone vibrated with another message.
Shikamaru: Kiba, something big's gone down, where are you?
What the hell's going on now? He left the entrance of the hospital, knowing it would be about another half an hour before he would even make it back to the school.
Friday, Present Time
"...and that's pretty much that."
Naruto and Kiba had arrived at the Bare Brew Cafe after leaving school and were enjoying a couple of light refreshments while KIba had explained everything to Naruto on where he had been the last day and a half.
"You sure Hinata's going to be alright?" Naruto wondered after hearing about the accident.
"Positive," Kiba responded optimistically, "I just wish that father of hers would lighten up. I mean, I practically saved her life and even for that I got berated for it." He took a sip of his drink. "Hey, sorry, I wasn't there back at school, but you mind telling me what the hell happened there?"
"Karin lost her shit, tried to strangle Kabuto to death and then I got in trouble and pretty much expelled for trying to stop her from carrying on. Then after time in the principal's office, her trash talking and ego get more and more infuriating, Ino suddenly starts crying and slaps me round the face."
"Dude, she slapped you?"
"Not just me, Karin as well. I can't tell whether she meant it, or if she just did it out of spite for the two of us."
Kiba blinked at his statement "She slapped her best friend as well? Strange."
"Ino then storms off and after saying, 'I'm done here'."
His friend presented him with a bamboozled look. "That is weird. I don't know what else to say. But what Karin did...that was too far. Why did she attack him like that?"
"It turns out the poor guy was blackmailed into following me when I went on my date with Ino. Apparently, Karin was suspicious of her own friend dating someone, and she wanted information. After that, he found out that me and her…" Naruto hesitated for the next part. "Well, believe it or not, that we are cousins. So that's when she lost it and tried to kill him."
Kiba could not believe what he was hearing. "First off, how are you two related? I'm not even sure I want to know. But whatever Kabuto went through, it sounds like he's going to need all the help he can get. Also, expelled for stepping in?" He added, realising the other thing his friend mentioned. "How long?"
"One week. God, I'm going to get the third degree talking when I get in."
"A whole week? Damn. What are you going to do about our practice then?"
"I'll think it over," Naruto answered pessimistically. "I'll think it over, and I'll message you. I'm going to need some time to sort this all out."
"Ino though, I can't believe it. Didn't I say this was going to happen?" Kiba was replaying the information around in his mind. "Did she even know that Kabuto was involved in this?"
"No, she couldn't have had. Kabuto made it clear."
"Damn," Kiba grumbled as he noticed the clock on the wall. "Hey, I'm going to head home, my mum's probably going to wonder where the hell I've been all this time. Let me know how you get on and anything you want to talk about, you know where to find me."
The two fist-bumped one another. "Thanks, brother," Naruto said. "I'll see you later."
As Kiba left the establishment, Naruto began replaying the day's events in his mind.
Had Ino really said she was done with him? Or was it just out of frustration?
He didn't know.
He got up, paid for the drinks and headed for home.
To be continued...
Song Title: Always - Killswitch Engage - Disarm the Descent (2013)
A/N: Hey all, we've made it to the 10th Chapter! Hope you enjoyed the KibaHina fluff on show here. I had an idea in mind for these two but wasn't too sure how to do it. Hopefully, I did well.
And yes, Hiashi is being a dick, but can you blame him?
Many thanks again to Sommernacht for beta work and general housekeeping to make sure everything was neat and tidy.
The next chapter will pick up the main action two weeks later with Naruto, Ino and everyone else. Alongside this, I plan on going back to the last ten chapters to edit and clean up everything such as grammar, dialogue, punctuation and expand on a few extra bits and pieces to make some scenes a bit tighter.
So basically, when I post Chapter 11, I'll have all the other re-edits done too, so keep an eye out in the next few days. Hopefully on July 30th. Thank you again and I'll see you all very soon.
