The Stray Cat
A Story of Leaf and Star
Kiba was with Akamaru in the forested area just outside of the walls of Konoha. He was sitting still and thinking, two things his friends seemed to think him incapable of doing, at least simultaneously. Kiba, now twenty, was fully capable of serene contemplation, especially when it concerned his love life or lack thereof. Man, even Shino had a fiancé now, despite being a creepy bug hive.
Many crashings through the underbrush had Kiba and his large canine companion instantly on the alert and ready to fight. A fiery colored cat, nearly Akamaru's size, leapt out of the bushes first, followed by a kunoichi in a ceramic cat mask, followed by eight murderous looking shinobi. Kiba's first thought was that the kunoichi was leading an attack on Konoha, but those notions were dispelled fairly quickly. After all, if the attack was meant for Konoha, why would all of the shinobi surround the kunoichi and commence attacking her when the only person in the crowd not wearing a three pointed star on their headband was Kiba?
The odds were eight to one. Eight men attacking one woman, no less, and though usually Kiba would have made bets on the kunoichi going down first, this particular kunoichi was changing his mind. Forget helping her out, he didn't have time to, as she and her huge feline did away with their eight attackers with minimal effort.
Abruptly, Kiba found that the fight had come to a close and the masked kunoichi's custom claws were at his throat. A brief glance to his side showed that Akamaru was already subdued by the cat.
"Uh, hi," said Kiba, doing his best not to look the strange kunoichi in the eyes. After all, looking someone from his clan in the eyes was generally construed as a challenge for dominance, and this was definitely not the time to be inadvertently picking a fight. "I was gonna help you out, but you seemed to have it all under control."
"How gentlemanly of you," the kunoichi replied, amusement brimming in her dark, melodious voice. To Kiba's sensitive ears, her voice was as smooth and alluring as a midnight new moon, tempting him to discover the mysteries that lie beyond and eliciting a shiver up his spine. The kunoichi took off her ceramic mask and shook out waves of deep, deep violet hair, a silken waterfall of plum wine cascading just past her shoulders, and Kiba figured that if ever there was a time or a place for one of Lee's 'vision of beauty' speeches, it would be in the here and now. "The name's Neko," the kunoichi continued. "Mayotta Neko. You?"
"I-Inuzuka Kiba," the Konoha shinobi stammered, almost forgetting how to speak. At his dog's indignant snort, he added, "Oh, and my friend's Akamaru. Don't worry, he won't hurt you if you don't give him a reason to."
"Tomoru, you may release Akamaru," Neko said, and though it was phrased as a request, it was clearly an order. Neko commanded respect without asking, and to say that Kiba was impressed would have been an understatement. The feline, Tomoru, relinquished her hold on Akamaru and stepped back warily. Considering Akamaru's relative size and the ease with which he had been restrained – by a cat no less – Kiba was rather glad that Neko and Tomoru seemed peaceful enough. It had been disconcerting to watch eight very obviously skilled and highly trained shinobi get so easily dispatched by a lone woman and her cat, barring the fact that Tomoru was only slightly smaller than Akamaru.
Being from Clan Inuzuka and a world where men were generally stronger and more devoted to fighting than women, it was safe to say that Kiba had acquired just a touch of a bias against women and cats. Well, not so much women as cats, really. He knew women could be strong – see Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, Hanabi, Hana, Ino, etc… - but not so strong when outnumbered eight to one. And he refused to believe that that cat could have beaten…anything.
Kiba, caught up in his thoughts that hovered between noticing that Neko was a very attractive woman and disbelief that Tomoru could have half of the shinobi skill of Akamaru, had completely forgotten to ask Neko what she and Tomoru were doing in Konoha in the first place. After mentally smacking himself, Kiba put the question to his aristocratic guest.
"Have you ever heard of the Hidden Village of Stars, Hoshigakure?" Neko asked him in lieu of an actual answer. Kiba shook his head, hoping that the odd question led up to an explanation. To his fortune, it did. "It's my native village. It's a place where corrupt power-hungry politicians reign supreme, really. You've never heard of it, and that doesn't surprise me. Hoshi tends to lay low and not attract attention to itself until there's an alliance to betray and big, powerful countries to overthrow. I got sick of it and left, and now they're hunting me down before I betray all of their precious secrets to Konoha."
Ah, so that was why Neko abandoned her village, and it also nicely explained why her own kinsmen were tracking her. Did Kiba trust this answer? Not really, no. Contrary to popular belief, Kiba wouldn't just roll over because Neko was a pretty woman. Would he give Neko a chance? Yes, actually. He didn't believe so much in second chances, but everyone needed a first chance. As to verifying the truth in what Neko was saying, he knew of several people that had an uncanny ability to peel the truth out of anyone. One of whom being his ANBU captain, Hyuga Neji. But, before 'introducing' Neko to Neji for a 'friendly conversation', Kiba was going to play the clueless doggy act a little longer.
"Perhaps you would allow me to escort you on a tour around the lovely village of Konoha?" offered Kiba, hoping that the refined dialogue would pass as a man trying to impress a woman and not as a shinobi luring a kunoichi into what could be a mind scarring confrontation.
"Why, that sounds just lovely, Kiba," Neko answered, and Kiba suddenly understood how Hinata felt around Naruto. Despite his suspicions and purely professional intensions, Kiba felt too warm and lightheaded, and almost like he was going to faint. He also almost missed Neko's next statement. "But, Kiba, don't you have to take me to a higher authority to have my story verified?"
Ah, Neko wasn't stupid. He'd forgotten that little detail in his plan to 'lure the unsuspecting foreign kunoichi to interrogation'.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot I'd have to take you to Captain Hyuga," Kiba replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "If you don't mind, then I guess we should go. Don't worry, Captain's a real sweet guy. I'm sure he'll let you off the hook real quick." Sure it was a lie, but it would be easier if he had the element of surprise in hand.
"I'm sorry," Neko said as Kiba led her through the gates of the village. Akamaru and Tomoru trailed behind. "Did you just put the words 'Hyuga' and 'sweet' in the same sentence? Pardon if I can hardly believe that."
Neko: 2 Kiba:0
"Oh, sorry, I was thinking of his cousin. No, no, Hinata is a sweetheart. Neji, well, he's nice enough…to certain people…" Certain people meant his cousin and his wife. No one else was allowed the privilege of having Neji be nice to them, and even the privileged ones could hardly call him 'nice'. Once again, he was going for the element of surprise here. It was still clear that whoever had filled Neko's gene pool had not sacrificed her intellect when they made her beautiful beyond all reason. She was still giving him dubious looks, looks that said, 'I don't believe you but I'll play along'.
They found Neji in the training room down the hall from his office. He was meditating, apparently recuperating from a sparring match with his wife Tenten, if the scattered weapons all over the room were any indication.
"Oi Captain, got a minute?" Kiba called to Neji through the doorway. "We've got a visitor from a place called Hoshigakure, needs a talking to and then maybe a pass to see the Hokage."
"Why did you come to me?" Neji replied, answering with another question. The chill in his voice was unmistakable, but Kiba had grown somewhat used to it. The degree of frost was fairly low, only enough to drop the temperature in the room a few degrees. It was when Neji's voice became cold enough to freeze acid that Kiba knew he should worry.
"Uh, sir? You're my next in command. I have to come to you," Kiba answered, knowing that Neji knew the answer before he asked the question. But, Neji did like to know that his subordinates knew what they were doing. "Besides, you're one of the best when it comes to verifying if someone's telling the truth or not."
"Why not Ibiki or Kaome?"
Okay, Kiba was getting annoyed now. Why was Neji testing him in front of a potential enemy? Questioning his logic? Challenging him, and not even looking him in the eye? Kiba told himself to cool down, because losing his temper could earn him a sparring match with Neji, and the only person who seemed to enjoy getting hurt like that was Tenten. Besides, Neji didn't have to look him in the eye to see him or exert dominance.
"Captain, Ibiki is out of town and so is Kaome. Besides, we don't need someone to torture Neko, as Neko could very well be telling the truth and be coming in peace."
"Oh, Neji, give the poor guy a break," sighed a tired and exasperated female voice from the other side of the room. Tenten looked up from the weapons she was polishing to glare at her husband. "Kiba, just bring your new friend in here while I beat some sense into Neji."
"That won't be necessary," Neji interjected, noting that Tenten's glare had turned murderous. At her present state of being, he knew she was fully capable of beating him into next week. He was fatigued, and she was a temperamental pregnant woman. Even Neji knew when not to push his limits. He turned to Neko, and gave her a relatively low-intensity glare that could also be interpreted as a speculative stare. "Explain," was all he had to say. Neko related her entire story, slightly more extensive than the briefing she'd previously given Kiba, and Neji's white eyes pinned down her every movement, daring her to lie and promising pain if he caught her at it.
Unlike most people, Neko seemed un-intimidated. She met Neji's gaze full on with her pale lavender eyes, daring him to call her a liar. Neji's glare got deeper, and Neko stood taller and prouder, more confident in her stance. She had correctly interpreted Neji's annoyance as being his inability to call her a liar and be honest about it.
"Quite a story," Tenten remarked when Neko finished. One hand rested lightly over her still-flat abdomen, the other tossed and caught a kunai lazily. "So, you turned out to be the one kunoichi with morals, and they couldn't take it, huh? Good for you."
"It is an honor to be complimented by the famous Falcon of Konoha," Neko replied. At Tenten's look of surprise at the title, Neko grinned. "You are Tenten, I presume? You have earned the name 'Falcon' in the Hoshi bingo books for your incredible attack speed, ranged skill, and ability to stoop out of nowhere onto your enemies. Many Hoshi shinobi have attempted to copy your style because they respect it."
"That's new," spoke Kiba, forgotten where he stood. "Around here, she's always been just Tenten, a trusted friend and valuable comrade, but not idolized."
"That's because I'm ordinary," Tenten snorted. "On my old genin team, I was the mediating lump between the genius and the dropout. Now, I'm just a lump who happens to like pointy objects and likes to throw sharp things. Which I still need to clean up…"
Neji was on his feet in a flash, collecting the weapons that lay scattered around the room before gently handing them over to their rightful owner. Kiba restrained a howl of laughter; he'd never thought he'd see the day when Hyuga Neji was at someone's beck and call, playing the sweet, loving husband role. Kiba had to bite his lower lip until he tasted blood to keep from giving away his amusement at Neji's situation. The older man was still quite dangerous after all.
"At any rate," Neji snapped gruffly, and now Kiba knew he had to worry. There was that cold-enough-to-freeze-fire tone of voice that spoke of Neji's annoyance and served as the meter reading how close Neji was to snapping the head off of his nearest potential victim. Kiba realized that that potential victim was him, and decided to tread a touch more carefully. "At any rate," Neji continued, calmer now. A stranger would say he'd been calm in the first place, but people who knew him knew better. "Neko, I would recommend you go to the Hokage and speak with her. Tsunade can give you a more extensive briefing on your options. I find no fault in your tale."
Recognizing it as a dismissal, Neko bowed to Tenten, Kiba saluted Neji, and then both left. Kiba waited until they were a safe distance down the hall before speaking. "Eh, no hard feelings, right?"
"Why should there be? I recognize professional requirements when I see them," Neko answered coolly. Not a distant or annoyed cool, but a professionally disinterested cool that sent a sinking feeling into the pit of Kiba's stomach for some reason. Ah, the 'disinterested' part would be the reason for his light despair.
"Oh, sorry I had to lie to you earlier. It's just that it's easier to get a candid answer from someone when they're off guard. Seeing as my attempt was tactless and probably offensive, as it may have looked like I was insulting your intelligence, I formally apologize."
Neko smirked at him, knowing that the sophisticated words were a pair of gloves that fit too tight and a pair of shoes that fit too loose. She could read Kiba's type. He was the open, honest, candid type, who generally put little to no stock by formal words despite being respectful and intelligent. He was the boisterous type with nothing to hide except perhaps power on the battlefield, but that was a generic trait amongst shinobi globally there.
"You know, if you're going to try to trick a girl into interrogation, the least you can do is buy her dinner afterwards," Neko purred, her half-lidded eyes transmitting very suggestive signals towards Kiba, who lightly blushed while grinning and nodding. Neko took in his appearance then, scruffy brown hair, reddish facial markings and all. People would say he wasn't her type right off the bat, with his rough edges to her clear-cut lines, his mountain-man tendencies to her aristocratic upbringing, his brute strength to her savvy, but Neko wanted to see for herself. There was an old saying, something about books and covers…and judges…or something like that
So the Ichiraku Ramen Stand was a bit of a surprise to Neko when Kiba took her there. Not that Neko was disappointed in the least. The Ichiraku made excellent ramen, and there was the ever-appreciated service with a smile that made for incentive for Neko to leave bigger tips.
"So, welcome to Konoha. We'll be seeing the Hokage after this, so enjoy your food while you can," Kiba announced when they were halfway through their food.
"What do you mean? Is the Hokage especially dangerous to outsiders?" Neko asked, curious as to why this meal might just be her last.
"No, no, nothing like that. But if she's in the state I think she's in, when you see her you'll die laughing," Kiba replied, smirking.
"And this is the village leader we're talking about?"
"Oh, she's up and at 'em when she needs to be, and she's like the inventor of the medic-nin, so, we really don't complain much," Kiba chuckled, amused at the alarmed expression on Neko's face. "Just don't gamble with her or Konoha will be in debt for years. There's a reason she's called the 'Legendary Sucker'."
"Tsunade is the Hokage still? Wow, the grapevine up in Hoshi's out of date," Neko murmured. "It was said that someone had taken over and let her retire."
"Oh, that's next year," Kiba snorted. "Your grapevine's not out of date, it's a whole year ahead of its time. But the next guy, I'm pretty sure he's just a seat warmer for Naruto. Naruto's the unpredictable master of surprises, that's for sure. From the academy to our chunin years, he was always saying he was going to be the Hokage someday, but now that it's within his grasp, he's delaying."
"With age comes wisdom," Neko said as she took a piece of shrimp in her chopsticks and fed it to Tomoru, who took it daintily. "Hokage is probably still his dream, but he realizes just how much responsibility comes with being the protector of an entire country, and he's probably just making sure he's definitely ready for it without question."
"I'd agree with you, except that this is Uzumaki we're talking about. Then again, he might have grown a brain since the last time we had an actual conversation. Speaking of Naruto, if you'd like to meet him, he's two seats to your left, behind the nineteen empty bowls. Blonde hair, orange jacket, you can't miss him," Kiba described, nodding his head towards the origination of many slurping sounds.
Curious as, well, as a cat, Neko stood from her mostly empty dish and carefully stepped over Tomoru to take a look at this Naruto person Kiba was telling her about. Sure enough, behind the mountain of emptied bowls sat a blonde man, about Kiba's age, working in on what looked to be his twenty third bowl.
"Hi," Naruto said between mouthfuls. "I haven't seen you before."
"Oh, I'm new here," Neko replied. "My friend tells me you plan to be Hokage someday."
"I am going to be Hokage someday. Believe it! I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing first," Naruto explained, grinning sheepishly at her before returning to inhaling his food.
"Ah, I see. Good day," Neko said, and then returned to her seat beside Kiba. "Oh, he's going to be Hokage someday, believe it, he just wants to make sure he knows what he's doing first."
"No need to rub it in," Kiba growled, polishing off the rest of his bowl of beef ramen.
"On the contrary, I have to rub it in," Neko smirked. "It is the nature of a feline to rub their opponent's nose into a loss, and gloat over a victory." She gulped the last of the broth to her shrimp ramen, stretched, and stood. "But I suppose we should be seeing the Hokage now."
Author's Note: Yes, a romance between Kiba and an original character. BloodHeron hopes you enjoy, and if you don't, you're perfectly welcome to flame, or merely display your displeasure via reviews or the emails links in BloodHeron's profile. BloodHeron's first attempt at a multi-chapter posting, so, she has no idea what she's doing. Please bear with her. She may update on a regular basis when she figures out what she's doing, but until then, updates will be when they are. Despite Neko's seeming perfection now, you'll find she has more flaws later on, she just hasn't shown them yet. Neko's character is initially based off of BloodHeron's aunt, who is rather annoyingly perfect and flawless when you first get to know her, and even when you get to know her. Don't get BloodHeron wrong, her aunt is very nice, it's just that BloodHeron has a touch of an inferiority complex.