Chapter 14: Intentions
"You shouldn't have come here."
Hinata keeps her voice barely above a whisper, face becoming a scarlet red under the growing stares towards them. She squeezes her eyes shut again, blinking back rising tears of frustration and embarrassment.
'How?'
These two lives weren't ever meant to blend…
And a sour taste burns at the back of her throat at the memory of the strange man who had called off and on weeks ago requesting her, the man who had known her real name and made her temporarily fear she was being stalked.
He and Kiba were one in the same.
Kiba doesn't budge.
Instead he steps forward, palms shaky against his faded dark blue jeans.
"Hinata…I just wanted to see for myself if it was true. That you're really a call-"
"Stop! Don't call me by real name here! I'm Lilac as soon as I step inside these doors." She hissed out quickly, holding up a hand to prevent him from saying any more.
Kiba paused, opening his mouth as if to purposely disobey her, only to shut it again soon after. His teeth sink into his bottom lip as a curse leaves his mouth, thin trail of red streaking down to his chin.
"This man bothering you?" Junichi questioned behind them, walking up to the scene to analyze the situation among the sea of gossiping women and muffled cries of danger or a fight breaking out. Despite his medium sized build, Tsunade had trained him well to take on the position as bodyguard of Jewel after Hours seriously.
And he cracked his knuckles in emphasis as he sent a hardened stare towards Kiba.
Hinata shook her head, smiling weakly towards him. "I-I'm okay, please just break up the crowd."
Junichi frowned, stormy grey eyes glancing from her to Kiba for a long moment before nodding.
"You know what to do if you need me." He states, turning back around to usher the other women back to phones ringing or finishing up a paid service call.
When it's truly just the two of them alone, Hinata breathes out a shaky sigh.
'Damn it, why won't the right words come to me?!' Kiba yelled at himself.
He had been so emboldened just hours ago when he had raced out of his apartment into another frigid night, desperate to see if these thoughts were real or pure fantasy.
And now looking at Hinata face to face like this he wishes the ideas that had spiraled in his head about her he had kept to himself as just figments of his imagination.
"Do you like being a call-girl?" Kiba blurts out.
Hinata blanches and he immediately wants to smack himself.
'Shit, out of all the things I could've said that had to be the one that popped up first!'
"No, of course not Kiba." She answers slowly.
Her gaze drifted slightly back towards the plush couches she had been sitting at only minutes ago before this, now occupied with 'Rose' and 'Begonia' giddily talking to each other with non-too discreet stares back towards her before erupting into laughter again.
Well, there was definitely no point in staying here now.
And Kiba is still rooted on the spot, beads of sweat forming from standing motionlessly under the heat of the lamps and candles surrounding the area.
It reminds her of when she helped him prepare a speech on the value of dogs when he had gotten in trouble for smuggling Akamaru into their high school freshman year. He froze up at every mention of having to present something worthwhile to the principal and administration team until she and Shino helped him create a response that luckily only gave him a few days of detention instead of getting a suspension on his record.
'The problems we had back then seem so miniscule in comparison to now.'
When was the last time she had opened up to him and Shino about her life? About her worries, struggles, accomplishments?
"I'm sorry." Hinata focuses back to him.
Kiba blinked, cocking his head in confusion.
"Huh?"
But Hinata shakes her head, gesturing for him to follow her.
"I've been a terrible friend and…and it's time we clear the air between us."
They walk side by side in silence down the red light district, the sound of glasses clinking and fast-paced music thrum through the air amid colorful flyers showcasing parties and shows going on.
'I'm finally alone with Hinata. No Naruto, no family, and no friends to interfere.' He gulped down the forming knot in his chest, rapid heartbeat making it difficult to think. To focus.
And he wonders if Hinata can hear the fast thumping of his heart too, this silly anxiety threatening to disrupt a moment he's been wanting for so long.
"So, err where are we going?" Kiba asked curiously.
Hinata shrugged, smiling half-heartedly. "I don't know. All I know is we needed to get away from the call center, from all those prying eyes and ears."
Kiba nodded, stuffing his jittery hands into his pockets. He can see from the corner of his eye Hinata is cold, goosebumps rising up on her pale skin. The thin jacket she had hastily put on while gathering her belongings would hardly keep her warm.
'I could offer her my jacket or hold her hand to warm it…no that would probably be too personal. Ah, or maybe-'
"Kiba, let's stop in at this Fall Moon Coffee Bar for some hot cocoa. It stays open 24-hours at this location." Hinata abruptly pointed out, breaking him from his rambling mess of thoughts.
The coffee shop is relatively busy despite it approaching the middle of the night, a waitress directs them to a quieter spot in the back as they order two medium sized hot cocoas with cream.
"It's not like you to be so quiet." Hinata notes as she settles her head back into the seat in an attempt to get comfy. White stuffing sticks out in certain spots and wood chipped on the table is littered with scratches and graffiti. Sakura was right when she said a lot of the shops around the call center could use renovating.
Kiba watches her as she stares outside, violet hair swishing in waves around her neck. Her cheeks are still pink from the brisk walk in the cold, pearl eyes bright despite the heavy sleepiness visible only if you looked close enough.
'She's so pretty…'
And he flusters as her gaze moves from the window to him.
"Look, the only reason I came to the call center was to see if it was actually true that you and Lilac were indeed the same person. It was never my plan to embarrass you like that in front of everyone." Kiba states.
"I know it wasn't. You and Shino have always looked out for me…I guess though it's getting a bit tiring always having to be protected; I'm an adult too." Hinata mused.
'I know. I know…but why him?' He wants to ask again, lips glued shut to not hurt her feelings again.
Their waitress returns with their drinks and Hinata takes her time stirring at the foam until the sweetness blends and turns her cocoa a light brown. "I met Naruto on my very first shift working there, I sort of had to drag it out of him why exactly he called."
Kiba takes a long sip of his drink, he knew this was coming.
How Hinata met Naruto.
A smile lights up her face simply talking about the man, from the dates they've been on to the little things Naruto did that somehow allowed him to weasel his way into Hinata's heart in a way he never could.
"Naruto becomes a fox monster when he loses control basically. Can you honestly say you'll be able to help him 'fix' this problem of his? What happens if he accidentally hurts you in a way you can't easily recover from?" Kiba scowled.
He'd never forgive the man if Hinata was injured in a way that was permanent.
"I trust him." Hinata breathed out gently.
Kiba arched a brow. "That easy, huh?"
"Yes, because he calms down when I hold him, when I whisper in his ear everything is fine he regresses back to normal." Hinata explained.
She can tell by his continued skeptical/annoyed look he doesn't believe her.
That's okay, she doesn't expect him too.
Not now or maybe even ever…
But they spend the rest of the night into the early hours talking, remembering, and forgiving the mistakes they've made over these past months since Naruto's arrival into her life.
"And I'll make you guys those sweet rolls like last year that you loved! Especially the sugar and cinnamon ones." Hinata beams, ready to plan a make-up party on the nearest weekend they're all available.
Kiba chuckled, didn't she mean the ones she loved? Hinata had made those cinnamon rolls last year for their annual New Year's Eve party and had taken most of it home with her as well.
"You don't have to do all that Hinata. Shino and I would be happy merely to be able to spend more time with you."
Her grin began to leave her face. "I know and I'm sorry-"
Kiba waved her off before she could finish. "Don't apologize."
Rays of yellow and red sunlight began to sweep across the sky and along the edges of buildings as they step out of the café. The boisterous activities of the red light district draw to a sleepy close while regular shops begin to start opening their doors. The morning air felt nice, warming his chilled skin.
'I guess going out of my way to see Hinata wasn't the worst decision I could've made.' He considered, studying her from the corner of his eye.
However…
"Ah Hinata, one more thing." He brought up hastily, getting her attention off of gazing at the sunrise and environment.
He felt the familiar churn in his stomach of bubbling up fear at seeing her gentle smile, innocent confusion marring her face. He pushes past it; he needed to say this, at least once so she knew…
"I love you."
Her eyes widened in surprise, reddish tinge crossing her face before a sad smile came over her.
It's the first time he's said those three words aloud. Not to himself like so many sleepless nights in front of his mirror or to Shino who had awkwardly heard him one drunken afternoon…
But to her.
"I know." She rasps out quietly.
And his heart painfully lurches as tears shimmer into her eyes.
"Ah, don't cry Hinata! I know you don't love me that way. I just had to tell you; I couldn't keep bottling it up…" He mutters, trailing off.
'So maybe now my heart can finally properly move on from this rejection.'
She reaches forth to him for a hug and he holds her close for that long minute before she pulls back, murmuring that she needs to get some sleep and finish up some assignments.
Their first and last date is over.
Naruto's light snores fill the apartment when Hinata gets home, asleep at the table with two lukewarm cups of coffee. A scribbled out note sits next to her cup that she reads over before smiling.
'Hope the rest of the night wasn't too terrible! Set out your favorite lotion and shampoo by the bathroom sink for whenever you take your shower.' –Naruto.
Its small things like this that Kiba never gets to see.
-X-
'When are you going to tell him?'
"I don't know. When he gets back from class!" Hinata muttered to herself.
It was the same question she had been asking herself since waking up from returning home. Naruto had gone off to his morning classes soon after she had ate his half-burnt breakfast and showered back at 6 am.
He wouldn't be back until at least around 3:00 pm.
She glanced once more over to the clock. It was a little past 1:20 now.
Even though she had scrubbed herself thoroughly, would Kiba's scent still be on her?
Nausea veered back through her and she shivered, wrapping an arm loosely around her stomach.
Naruto would know if she was lying.
"Oh, what's the worse that he'll do Hinata?" Sakura asked jokingly as they reviewed over their cardiovascular and gastrointestinal notes for an adult health exam coming up.
"Possibly some broken bones, hopefully no more than his arms." Hinata replied morbidly.
Sakura scrunched up her face, jade eyes glancing to her with more curiosity. "Naruto's jealousy doesn't get that bad, does it? I mean I know he's possessive of you, but that sounds extreme even for him."
But this is coming from Sakura, Sakura who doesn't believe her when she says Naruto becomes like an angry fox when frustrated or upset, hair bristling up and eyes turning a haunting blood red with growls and hisses to boot.
Maybe if she and Ino finally saw Naruto's ears and tails they would believe her and not think she was just exaggerating.
Though she absolutely has no plans for that to happen any time soon!
It's a miracle she's managed to get all of her schoolwork done after leaving Sakura in the library, hitting the send button to finally submit the last of assignments due by Tuesday. Her body moves robotically, going through the motions of cleaning up growing murky stains in the kitchen and bedroom to distract her mind before settling down to rest her head against the pillows on her side of the bed.
Sleep teasingly played with her off and on, it was a good thing she had asked Tsunade to take her off of tonight's schedule.
She shut her eyes once more, turning over against the sheets when a sharp clicking noise pierced through the air.
"Hinata, I'm home!" Naruto yelled out.
Her heart leaps into her throat.
Through blurry eyes she looks back to the alarm clock; it's barely past 2:15.
'He's back early.'
And she listens as his footsteps patter closer, wrenching open their bedroom door.
"Oh, you're still sleeping." He notes, lowering his voice down instantly. He takes off his shoes in a quieter fashion, weight sinking into the bed as he leans over to her.
His breathe is warm against her neck and she prays a blush isn't rising up on her face.
"Sorry, I sometimes forget we operate on day and night schedules whenever you work. Hopefully the rest of your night afterwards hadn't been too bad, I had texted you though you never responded." He murmured.
She purses her lips carefully out of his view.
He had most likely sent it when she had been with Kiba.
Naruto shakes her shoulder gently and she feigns the motions of just waking up, gazing into loving sea blue eyes and a surge of queasiness returns.
'I have to tell him…'
"Afternoon sleepyhead." Naruto grinned, kissing her forehead lightly as he tussled up strands of her indigo hair through his hands.
"M-Morning, or err afternoon. I heard you come in, but I just wanted to lie my head down a bit longer." Hinata stammered.
Naruto furrowed a brow at her stutter, brushing the hand that had been in her hair to along her face. His eyes began to quickly sharpen, gazing around the room for anything out of place.
The presence of danger.
"What's wrong? Tell me." He urged.
Hinata clenched her teeth, making Naruto pull her up into a hug. No, she couldn't cry or be weak over this, squeezing him until he loosened his hold enough for her to peer up at him.
"Last night, after we got off the phone. I had a client come to the door."
He blinked before nodding slowly, silently asking her to continue. Part of him already knows he isn't going to like the answer, but curiosity drives him to pursue what he shouldn't…
"Kiba had requested me."
And that's all Naruto needs to hear.
His breathing grows heavy, flares of ominous red taking away the blue of his eyes instantly as newly sharpening nails pierce into her sides. Heat radiates off of him in rising waves, fox ears sprouting up in alert.
"Naruto, please. Just listen to me and relax." Hinata muffles out from being squished back into his chest, struggling not to push him back from the pain.
A low growl emits from deep within in him in reply and she counts 4 tails beginning to coil around her like a snake.
She winces as his teeth move to scrape along her neck, finally shoving him back gently to force him to gaze at her.
"Naruto, it's only you and I here. You're letting your anger take over."
Her fingers reach and brush against his cheeks affectionately, moving to rub behind his furry ears until he lets a low yip of pleasure escape as he nuzzles their foreheads together.
And he trembles when he stares down to truly assess the damage he's done to her such a short period of time. Drops of blood create mini puddles around them, his own angry tears building to it all.
'It's no wonder Kiba is so pissed at me.'
He would be afraid of himself too.
"I'm sorry…it's, well I guess I freaked out. I mean; you know he loves you, right?" Naruto hissed, dragging a hand through his sweaty blonde locks as he leaned his head back.
Brooding red eyes stare back at him from his fleeting glance to the mirror, tails swerving around him. This is the monster Kiba sees whenever he looks at him, the beast ready to attack…
To kill.
"Yes, I'm aware of how he feels." Hinata whispers, voice crackling.
The urge to curl into the ball of sheets surrounding them and sleep until tomorrow to forget any of this was becoming highly tempting once more.
"It okay Hinata, I know you don't love me that way…" Kiba laughed hollowly, shuddering as the wind carried his failing chuckle into a subdued quiet.
But nothing was okay.
She had broken his heart.
Naruto moves to stand from the bed, fixing her with a soft smile before heading for the closet to grab his jacket.
Her eyes widen a fraction, shifting to stand up too.
'He's leaving already?'
Her body disagrees with moving so soon, legs turning to jelly from her hasten movements to follow after him to the bathroom.
Any other time he would question her panicky behavior, but Naruto's eyes haven't returned back to their usual crystal blue…
And his fangs/nails are still very much visible from just a short glance to him.
"I tried to talk to Kiba before he probably thought of even confessing his feelings to you. Always ignored me though and even slammed his door on me that one time." Naruto laughed sourly at the memory.
He stared back over to Hinata's concerned look, gathering her face close until their lips were able to brush, marking her his with a bruising kiss.
Ruby meets lavender as he pulls away.
"This time, he won't have a choice in hearing me out."
-X-
All the lights in Kiba's house are off.
But Kiba is lurking somewhere inside, having staked out his house for the past 30 minutes waiting for him to arrive from his last veterinary classes of the day. His knees hurt from crouching, having hidden himself in some shrubs to avoid creeping out his neighbors or any other passerby until he saw all too familiar brown locks padding up the steps to his apartment.
Naruto waits another good 5 minutes before following after him.
And one look through the peephole sends him cutting off every electrical appliance in his home.
'What? He can't just pretend he isn't home!'
He knocks again with increased vigor, doing his best to keep the rage inside him from coming into his voice.
"Kiba, come on! I know you're in there! You can't just turn off your lights and expect me to believe you've suddenly disappeared!" Naruto snapped, pounding on the door.
He's greeted with silence in return.
The door begins to crack and groan off its supporting hinges and screws, about to give way if he continues…
"Damn it, I'm going to end up breaking this door down if I don't stop." He grumbled, ceasing with his thudding to think.
Because the last thing he needed was Kiba sending him notices for trespassing and damaging of property.
He pressed his head against the coolness of the door, ignoring the speed of his heart and breathing.
This adrenaline rush would soon die if he didn't talk things out.
'Time for Plan B…'
"Kiba, there are two ways we can do this. One, you open the door and we talk to each other civilly like grown men. Or two, I break it down and force you to talk to me." Naruto hissed.
Still, the door remained shut.
Okay, so Plan B of threatening him wasn't going to work in his favor after all!
Though Kiba probably doesn't count on him to stick around as he stops talking, pretending to stomp down the steps before moving out of view to the side to wait again.
He's waited this long, what's another few minutes?
And sure enough, Kiba falls for it.
As soon as he hears the click of his door opening just a peek, he returns to keep it open.
"Oh, there you are Kiba! Huh, and to think I was just about to leave!" Naruto chirped, prying said door wide open and letting himself inside.
Akamaru barks and growls at his intrusion with every step he takes, part of him wonders if he'll keel over any second from all the excitement at seeing strands of gray fur and the outline of his bones in certain spots.
Kiba blinked, gaping at his behavior.
"You…you tricked me?" He scowled, turning back to face him.
Naruto nodded, unfazed by his anger as he plopped down on one of the chairs in the kitchen.
He reminds himself to stay calm despite the nastiness of his tone, anger festering back up at just seeing him though.
'This man loves Hinata too…'
"Did you trick Hinata into going on that pity date with you?" He sneered out.
A spike of guilt pricks him at seeing the flash of hurt in his eyes before he puts on a mask of cool indifference.
"No…however I could ask you the same thing considering you met her through that same call service as well." He spits back.
Naruto paused in giving a harsh retort searing on the tip of his tongue, shaking his head.
'I didn't come here to make things even worse between us.'
"Kiba, I'm sorry. My point in coming wasn't to fight with you, destroy your door, or give your dog over there a possible heart attack from overexertion." He notes, lowering his voice down.
Kiba frowned, glancing over to Akamaru who looked ready to attack at his master's order.
Of course Naruto too appeared ready to strike in return if Akamaru indeed tried to bite at him.
He sighed, signaling to Akamaru to stand down. He whined lowly in confusion, unsure what to make of his decision before trailing slowly into the darkness of his room.
"Why did you come here then? To rub it in my face that Hinata loves you for whatever reason and not me? Or do you want to kill me so you're truly rid of your competition forever? He scowled.
Naruto wrinkled his nose, fighting down the urge to smile and not upset him even more at his somewhat ridiculous notions. (Seriously, he thought he came here to murder him?!)The way he sputtered out those words, the bitter emptiness underlying his tone…
Maybe he and Kiba were more alike than he thought.
"No, contrary to what you may think or have heard; I'm not some cold-hearted bastard! That's Sasuke!" He announced.
Kiba rolled his eyes with a snort, leaning back against his countertop. "Could've fooled me with those 'cold-hearted' devil eyes you have there."
'Crap, are my eyes still red?!' Naruto worried.
His emotions were still running high, not all his fox qualities were gone yet.
"I don't have any intentions of hurting you. I came here…well because I wanted to get to know you better and apologize for how I've acted in the past. Your one of Hinata's dearest and oldest friends and 'm sorry for the secrets I and Hinata have kept from you and for my own past behavior; it would be nice to be peaceful with you."
'If possible.' He added mentally.
He didn't know what to make of his continued bored expression after all.
"Fine, explain to me those fox ears and tail. I know I wasn't going crazy the first time I saw them."
"It's hereditary from my Mother's side of the family." Naruto replied.
And most of Kiba's inquiries were similar in nature and easy enough to answer for the most part. He divulged to him his anxiety at not being able to properly control himself and that he always strained himself with pain in some fashion whenever he got too rough with Hinata.
It's getting dark by the time he finishes answering his questions (and giving him some questions himself), streetlights buzzing on against the backdrop of fading orange and violet hues.
"Well, I guess I can see why Hinata wanted to keep it under wraps so badly, it's a touchy subject." Kiba noted, chuckling gently before stopping himself.
Naruto had taken to staring at old photos lining the walls, smiling at a particular photo of a younger Hinata grinning as she held up a basket of assorted flowers and glittering rocks to the camera. Everyone nearby in the photo had on the same light blue T-shirts with KMS in big, bubbly font.
"That's from our end of the year middle school field trip. We went on a nature walk then to one of Konoha's old wonderland amusement parks." He mused, and Naruto can hear the nostalgia in his voice for days long since pass.
He coughed, getting his attention off the picture.
"I don't want you or Shino to be awkward around me whenever I'm with Hinata or to feel uncomfortable. You're her friends and I hope that we can be friends as well." Naruto brought up, smiling hesitantly as he stuck his hand out.
And Kiba sighed, Naruto made it hard to stay completely mad at him…
But his mind flashes him with the images of the bruises that had lined Hinata's neck, scratches she constantly explained away with one made up story after another.
How could he believe it wouldn't get worse?
He slowly balled up his fists, glancing away from Naruto's outstretched hand.
No, he didn't want to give up this easily and pretend everything was fine.
Not without enough evidence, enough reason to believe Hinata would be fine…
"I can't trust you fully yet; I'm sorry. And to be honest; I somewhat still hate you."
He doesn't expect Naruto to snicker, gleam in his crimson eyes making a cold shiver rush through him as he returned his hand into his pocket.
"Oh, good thing then I suppose. That feeling of distrust and hate you have lingering towards me…it's mutual."
-X-
"I think this is best we're going to find Uncle." Neji stated, swiping off the dust of the thick collector's item.
History of Konoha Clans and Alliances during the Founding and Warring States Era Volume 1 shown back at him in worn golden cursive upon the top of the book.
It had indeed been a hard item for them to obtain, scouring through auctions and various collectors until they came upon the rare edition.
And Hiashi had given up quite a hefty sum of money for the said object, it had to be worth it.
"The Uzumaki family line was quite prominent during those years, I'm sure we'll find something of use." Hiashi noted, sliding the book away from Neji before he moved to open it.
The pages had long since turned an ugly faded brown, if they weren't careful they could easily tear apart the pages from only a simple touch.
"Oh, read at this section under the Uzumaki line. It says here that often upon coming of age, many Uzumaki men and women alike experienced increased signs of aggression, frustration, and behavioral/physical transformations to what many witnesses described as "like a fox." Neji read aloud.
Hiashi looked over his shoulder to read with him, nodding for him to continue.
"It says that most of the time during scuffles or battles over land, the Uzumaki would be difficult to work with, especially the younger ones who had just came of age and were noticing the opposite sex and what not. Eventually, the strength/power became too overwhelming to be seen as a positive with so many causalities on both ends that the decision was made to…exterminate any leftover members. Survivors who heard of the news immediately went into hiding using different methods to cover their lineage." He grimaced, voice dropping off.
Hiashi arched a brow, shaking his head. "Surely they must have examples of how they learned to control or manage the behavior, right?"
Neji skimmed more of the article carefully, picking up speaking again when he found more information.
"It says here that often the best way to subdue an Uzumaki member losing control was for their loved one (usually their lover or a trusted friend/family member) to scratch behind their fox ears or touch them in an intimate action that would make them relax. If said loved one wasn't within close range, then it states they usually resorted to using poisons, smokes or killing them to stop a rampage from occurring." He finished, shutting back the book slowly.
This was no help to him, his mind wouldn't be able to handle Hinata doing a repeat of what she did before during their last lunch outing…
And resorting to illegal methods like poisoning was taking it too far.
No, they needed something different.
"Uncle, what do you think? The information provided doesn't help us much in finding out how to regulate Naruto's transformations. Surely it would still be a bad idea to have him at high-society events knowing how easy he could be triggered." Neji explained.
A slow grin rose on Hiashi's face though, pushing himself away from the table.
"True, the methods used back then are too outdated to be applied to today's standards for living. However, I've gotten an idea from them."
At Neji's puzzled stare, he went on.
"We'll put Naruto to a test. One that will compel him to truly learn how to reign in on these fox features of his." He concluded.
Neji hummed thoughtfully, leaning his head against his palm. "I'm not so sure Uncle. Would Hinata even agree to such a thing?"
'Especially knowing how bad your past actions could be towards her?'
Hiashi frowns briefly for a moment, stern façade crumbling at the mention of his eldest child and ruining their already shaky relationship. His gaze focused toward anywhere but at him as he swallowed carefully.
"She doesn't have to know."
-x-
Hello, dear readers! Happy New Year! Hope you all had a safe, warm, and happy holidays! I've been so eager to pick up writing this story again after taking that mini-break. I have many new goals for writing and life to hopefully complete before 2018 ends. Let me know your thoughts on Kiba and Naruto's confrontation and what Hiashi's test will be!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!