So may I be damned, I lied about this. Sorry for being a horrible liar. I'm not going to stop it at the Epilogue (I need to change it on the last thing... man I need to wake up...) and I'm continuing on. Simply because, I love writing this! ^__^
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize... I own the dog though, and Kamio Naoko, and her family. THEIR MINE I TELL YOU!! MINE!! O_o Um... back to reality.
(Ah, quick note- most of the things in italics are Hinata's notes to Kiba. ^^;; This was inspired by Tidus and Yuna from Final Fantasy X and X-2.)
~&_&~
Acknowledgment
~%_%~
It wasn't abnormal to see Hyuuga Hinata running after a white dog anymore. The dog was 2 years old now, and kept Hinata on her toes constantly. To watch Hinata run across town was amusing, to some extent. Sometimes the villagers of Konoha would catch the pup, and hand him back to the girl. She would apologize, and thank the person sheepishly, and the villager would simply smile and say "No problem!"
Today wasn't any exception though. Although, today Hinata would have preferred to have stayed inside, but of course she couldn't. Rain or shine, the two did this exercise every morning. Although in this rain, Hinata would have preferred to stay home... at least she would have been dry before going to the academy.
"Kiba! Get back here!" Hinata called after the dog. It stopped for a few moments, before heading towards the forest. "Hey, where'd you go?" Hinata asked, climbing through the trees. "Kiba...? Where are you?" Hinata called out. She finally found a clearing, bursting from the trees, she saw her dog, sitting and staring up at a large stone monument...
'It's been 7 years since I've been here. I always found it sad coming here, even before you died. Being here makes memories come back, both happy and sad... But Hero's Monument can do that to you....'
The grass around the clearing was wet, and it greedily sucked up the water. The damp white, now almost transparent flag fluttered in the breeze, and yet this was not what the white-eyed girl concentrated on. Hinata picked up the dog and kneeled in front of the stone. Her hand brushed softly against every name on the monument. There were few she knew, but the ones she did know, had all died during or after the Chuunin Exam. She lost herself in her thoughts. Kiba stayed quiet and didn't fidget, knowing something was happening.
"Hinata-sensei!" Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and quickly removed her hand from the monument. She turned to see a younger girl, no older then 11, with long indigo hair with platinum blond streaks. Her hair was damp, and her black baseball shirt and black pants were soaked beyond belief. She was in one of the classes Hinata helped teach at the academy.
"Naoko-chan," Hinata said, recognizing the student. Kamio Naoko, younger sister to Kamio Mamiko and Mito. Twins that were 4 years older than their sister, and the "geniuses" of their generation. "What are you doing here?" Naoko kneeled beside her teacher and bowed her wet head.
"I come here every morning," Naoko began. "My okasan died when I was 6, and since then I've come here. I always felt I needed to... but today I've come for a specific reason..." Naoko's pastel eyes looked tired and worried. "Today is the day that we have to take the test to see if we can become genin... getting our hitai-ate. I'm worried that I won't pass, Hinata-sensei. Normally it wouldn't matter right? It would just mean I have to try again but with Mamiko-oneechan and Mito-aniki being already chuunin, and having both been amazing in school... it seems like so much to live up too..." Naoko sighed. Hinata nodded.
"I know how that feels," Hinata said, finally looking away from the younger girl. "It's a lot to live up to, neh?"
"Yeah..."
"But... at least you're not in a clan, then you have a lot more to live up to. I'm lucky to even be a Jounin now..." Hinata smiled. She had become a Jounin because of Naruto's encouragement, and training with Sakura and Ino.
"But you're an amazing ninja, Hinata-sensei!" Naoko exclaimed. Hinata laughed.
"Amazing am I?" Hinata asked, still not looking at the girl. "My cousin, who was part of the branch house of the Hyuuga, was supposedly supposed to be under me. Neji-Oniichan is way better than I can ever dream to be."
"Hyuuga Neji?" Naoko asked. She frowned. "But... his name is here..."
"Yes, and he probably would be better than me now, even my younger sister Hanabi is better than I am," Hinata explained.
"So? You're still amazing," Naoko protested.
"Hmm... true, but that's because," Hinata smiled. "I have friends who stand by me, and help me. And because I have precious people, I can be truly strong."
"Precious people?" Naoko asked.
"People who are close to you, and accept you for who you are, and don't care about your family, or what you are," Hinata told the younger girl. Naoko nodded.
"Who are your precious people, Hinata-sensei?" Naoko asked shyly.
"My friends of course," Hinata smiled. "Their also the people I graduated with."
"The nine rookies to take the chuunin exam, with only one person passing because it was interrupted," Naoko said.
"Exactly right," Hinata nodded. "But, we're seven now."
"Oh... gomen," Naoko said.
"No need to be sorry. They died doing what was right," Hinata nodded. "Akimichi Chyouji, and..." Hinata paused and ran her hand over his name again, "Inuzuka Kiba..."
"Were they important to you?"
"Kiba-kun was very important to me, and still is, for he's sitting with us right now," Hinata smiled patting the almost-sleeping dogs head.
"Your dog is him?!" Naoko cried out.
"No, I believe that... this dog was brought to me, because he has part of Kiba in him," Hinata explained.
"Like being reincarnated," Hinata nodded. "That's so cool. He must have cared a lot for you too," Naoko clapped. Hinata sighed.
"He probably did... I just never noticed I suppose, until it was too late to say anything," Hinata bowed her head.
"Eh? What do you mean Hinata-sensei?" Naoko looked surprised at her teacher. She had never seen her so sad.
"I... didn't realize what he meant to me, or what I meant to him, until after he died," Hinata said quietly.
"Ah... that's so sad..." Naoko leaned back on her heels a bit. "I bet he's watching you now though. And I bet he would be happy to know that you realized how much you care for him." Hinata smiled at the girl.
"You think?"
"Oh yeah," Naoko nodded. "I bet he's watching you right now!" A comfortable silence fell between the two.
"Naoko-chan," the girl looked at Hinata. "Do you feel forgotten, or in the shadow of your siblings, because their better than you and are praised?"
"Yeah, it would be nice to be noticed and cared for once in awhile," Naoko admitted shyly.
"I did too, so did Uzumaki Naruto..." Hinata trailed off.
"Uzumaki Naruto? You mean the blond that looks like Yondaime?" Naoko blinked.
"Hai, that would be Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled.
"My Otousan said he was said to be the next Hokage, is that true, Hinata-sensei?" Naoko glanced at her teacher.
"It would be something he's always wanted... to be number one, better than Sasuke-kun, better then everyone, and to acknowledged by the villagers as someone other than just a trouble-maker," Hinata grinned. "He always said he would be Hokage, and I wouldn't doubt if he achieved his goal."
"Wow..." Naoko commented, blinking. "Hinata-sensei... that's inspiring..."
"Isn't it though? It proves that with hard-work, you can become better than the people who doubted you," Hinata stood up. "Well, Naoko-chan, its time for Kiba-kun and I to head home and get cleaned up before heading off to class to help Iruka-sensei get ready. You should get ready too."
"Ano... Hai Hinata-sensei," Naoko stood up too. Hinata smiled down at the girl.
"Naoko-chan, are you still worried?" Hinata asked.
"A little bit," Naoko said sheepishly.
"Well don't worry Naoko-chan," Hinata smiled softly. "You'll do fine, I promise. Well... Ja!" Hinata hoped into the nearest tree, holding onto Kiba, and headed home.
"Hai... Ja ne Hinata-sensei..." Naoko whispered to the wind. "Thank you..."
'Even though I didn't realize it at first, I found that I was being acknowledged just as Naruto-kun was being acknowledged without it being known. You acknowledged me, didn't you? You believed in me from the beginning. The way I believed in Naruto-kun. And for that I thank you...
...Kiba-kun.'
*~*~*~*~
Okay, I swear, I'm going to stop telling you I'm finished with this. I'm not... I just keep getting ideas and I'm WAY~ to lazy to start another one... I'm not sure if it was clear in the last chapter, but Seiken is the name I gave Kiba's sister... She needed a nice name, and Seiken obviously wasn't it ^^; Anyways, I'm insane, and don't think I made it quite clear in this but... Hinata is a teacher ^_^ I always saw her more as a Jounin-teacher... and maybe if I write another chapter, she'll be one... so yeah, my HinaKiba storyline continues! ^__^ Eh... there is a huge possibility that there will be another chapter after this.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize... I own the dog though, and Kamio Naoko, and her family. THEIR MINE I TELL YOU!! MINE!! O_o Um... back to reality.
(Ah, quick note- most of the things in italics are Hinata's notes to Kiba. ^^;; This was inspired by Tidus and Yuna from Final Fantasy X and X-2.)
~&_&~
Acknowledgment
~%_%~
It wasn't abnormal to see Hyuuga Hinata running after a white dog anymore. The dog was 2 years old now, and kept Hinata on her toes constantly. To watch Hinata run across town was amusing, to some extent. Sometimes the villagers of Konoha would catch the pup, and hand him back to the girl. She would apologize, and thank the person sheepishly, and the villager would simply smile and say "No problem!"
Today wasn't any exception though. Although, today Hinata would have preferred to have stayed inside, but of course she couldn't. Rain or shine, the two did this exercise every morning. Although in this rain, Hinata would have preferred to stay home... at least she would have been dry before going to the academy.
"Kiba! Get back here!" Hinata called after the dog. It stopped for a few moments, before heading towards the forest. "Hey, where'd you go?" Hinata asked, climbing through the trees. "Kiba...? Where are you?" Hinata called out. She finally found a clearing, bursting from the trees, she saw her dog, sitting and staring up at a large stone monument...
'It's been 7 years since I've been here. I always found it sad coming here, even before you died. Being here makes memories come back, both happy and sad... But Hero's Monument can do that to you....'
The grass around the clearing was wet, and it greedily sucked up the water. The damp white, now almost transparent flag fluttered in the breeze, and yet this was not what the white-eyed girl concentrated on. Hinata picked up the dog and kneeled in front of the stone. Her hand brushed softly against every name on the monument. There were few she knew, but the ones she did know, had all died during or after the Chuunin Exam. She lost herself in her thoughts. Kiba stayed quiet and didn't fidget, knowing something was happening.
"Hinata-sensei!" Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and quickly removed her hand from the monument. She turned to see a younger girl, no older then 11, with long indigo hair with platinum blond streaks. Her hair was damp, and her black baseball shirt and black pants were soaked beyond belief. She was in one of the classes Hinata helped teach at the academy.
"Naoko-chan," Hinata said, recognizing the student. Kamio Naoko, younger sister to Kamio Mamiko and Mito. Twins that were 4 years older than their sister, and the "geniuses" of their generation. "What are you doing here?" Naoko kneeled beside her teacher and bowed her wet head.
"I come here every morning," Naoko began. "My okasan died when I was 6, and since then I've come here. I always felt I needed to... but today I've come for a specific reason..." Naoko's pastel eyes looked tired and worried. "Today is the day that we have to take the test to see if we can become genin... getting our hitai-ate. I'm worried that I won't pass, Hinata-sensei. Normally it wouldn't matter right? It would just mean I have to try again but with Mamiko-oneechan and Mito-aniki being already chuunin, and having both been amazing in school... it seems like so much to live up too..." Naoko sighed. Hinata nodded.
"I know how that feels," Hinata said, finally looking away from the younger girl. "It's a lot to live up to, neh?"
"Yeah..."
"But... at least you're not in a clan, then you have a lot more to live up to. I'm lucky to even be a Jounin now..." Hinata smiled. She had become a Jounin because of Naruto's encouragement, and training with Sakura and Ino.
"But you're an amazing ninja, Hinata-sensei!" Naoko exclaimed. Hinata laughed.
"Amazing am I?" Hinata asked, still not looking at the girl. "My cousin, who was part of the branch house of the Hyuuga, was supposedly supposed to be under me. Neji-Oniichan is way better than I can ever dream to be."
"Hyuuga Neji?" Naoko asked. She frowned. "But... his name is here..."
"Yes, and he probably would be better than me now, even my younger sister Hanabi is better than I am," Hinata explained.
"So? You're still amazing," Naoko protested.
"Hmm... true, but that's because," Hinata smiled. "I have friends who stand by me, and help me. And because I have precious people, I can be truly strong."
"Precious people?" Naoko asked.
"People who are close to you, and accept you for who you are, and don't care about your family, or what you are," Hinata told the younger girl. Naoko nodded.
"Who are your precious people, Hinata-sensei?" Naoko asked shyly.
"My friends of course," Hinata smiled. "Their also the people I graduated with."
"The nine rookies to take the chuunin exam, with only one person passing because it was interrupted," Naoko said.
"Exactly right," Hinata nodded. "But, we're seven now."
"Oh... gomen," Naoko said.
"No need to be sorry. They died doing what was right," Hinata nodded. "Akimichi Chyouji, and..." Hinata paused and ran her hand over his name again, "Inuzuka Kiba..."
"Were they important to you?"
"Kiba-kun was very important to me, and still is, for he's sitting with us right now," Hinata smiled patting the almost-sleeping dogs head.
"Your dog is him?!" Naoko cried out.
"No, I believe that... this dog was brought to me, because he has part of Kiba in him," Hinata explained.
"Like being reincarnated," Hinata nodded. "That's so cool. He must have cared a lot for you too," Naoko clapped. Hinata sighed.
"He probably did... I just never noticed I suppose, until it was too late to say anything," Hinata bowed her head.
"Eh? What do you mean Hinata-sensei?" Naoko looked surprised at her teacher. She had never seen her so sad.
"I... didn't realize what he meant to me, or what I meant to him, until after he died," Hinata said quietly.
"Ah... that's so sad..." Naoko leaned back on her heels a bit. "I bet he's watching you now though. And I bet he would be happy to know that you realized how much you care for him." Hinata smiled at the girl.
"You think?"
"Oh yeah," Naoko nodded. "I bet he's watching you right now!" A comfortable silence fell between the two.
"Naoko-chan," the girl looked at Hinata. "Do you feel forgotten, or in the shadow of your siblings, because their better than you and are praised?"
"Yeah, it would be nice to be noticed and cared for once in awhile," Naoko admitted shyly.
"I did too, so did Uzumaki Naruto..." Hinata trailed off.
"Uzumaki Naruto? You mean the blond that looks like Yondaime?" Naoko blinked.
"Hai, that would be Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled.
"My Otousan said he was said to be the next Hokage, is that true, Hinata-sensei?" Naoko glanced at her teacher.
"It would be something he's always wanted... to be number one, better than Sasuke-kun, better then everyone, and to acknowledged by the villagers as someone other than just a trouble-maker," Hinata grinned. "He always said he would be Hokage, and I wouldn't doubt if he achieved his goal."
"Wow..." Naoko commented, blinking. "Hinata-sensei... that's inspiring..."
"Isn't it though? It proves that with hard-work, you can become better than the people who doubted you," Hinata stood up. "Well, Naoko-chan, its time for Kiba-kun and I to head home and get cleaned up before heading off to class to help Iruka-sensei get ready. You should get ready too."
"Ano... Hai Hinata-sensei," Naoko stood up too. Hinata smiled down at the girl.
"Naoko-chan, are you still worried?" Hinata asked.
"A little bit," Naoko said sheepishly.
"Well don't worry Naoko-chan," Hinata smiled softly. "You'll do fine, I promise. Well... Ja!" Hinata hoped into the nearest tree, holding onto Kiba, and headed home.
"Hai... Ja ne Hinata-sensei..." Naoko whispered to the wind. "Thank you..."
'Even though I didn't realize it at first, I found that I was being acknowledged just as Naruto-kun was being acknowledged without it being known. You acknowledged me, didn't you? You believed in me from the beginning. The way I believed in Naruto-kun. And for that I thank you...
...Kiba-kun.'
*~*~*~*~
Okay, I swear, I'm going to stop telling you I'm finished with this. I'm not... I just keep getting ideas and I'm WAY~ to lazy to start another one... I'm not sure if it was clear in the last chapter, but Seiken is the name I gave Kiba's sister... She needed a nice name, and Seiken obviously wasn't it ^^; Anyways, I'm insane, and don't think I made it quite clear in this but... Hinata is a teacher ^_^ I always saw her more as a Jounin-teacher... and maybe if I write another chapter, she'll be one... so yeah, my HinaKiba storyline continues! ^__^ Eh... there is a huge possibility that there will be another chapter after this.
