Tai: Well, I finally got around to updating this. I'm not sure if anyone's actually reading it, but I've updated it and my mind is...not at rest. Just a little less distracted by things. In any case, I had to make a minor change to the first chapter for the rest of the story to work properly, but it's not a big thing. Since it's so minor, if you're already reading this I have no reason for you to have to read the first chapter again. Anyway, I just changed it so it's no longer required that Hinata be married for her to be unavailable to Kiba. Anyway, if Kiba's your favourite character then I'll apologise now...
Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.
By the time the Inuzuka opened his golden eyes in the morning, his clothes had begun to dry and the sun was warming his body. Blearily opening his eyes, the young male looked around for his team and large white canine, his mind well behind where his body was. 'Right, I left Akamaru back with Shino and Hinata, to keep them safe.' Sitting up, he let out a sigh and quickly pulled his clothes on, emerging from the tree. Sniffing the air, he could tell the sun hadn't been up for long, but his sensitive nose picked up another scent – fire.
Closing his eyes again, he focused on the smoky scent, narrowing his senses to the location before darting off to investigate. It was coming from behind him, further back than his team, leaving enough time to call Akamaru on his way past. Darting swiftly across the tree tops, he soon enough passed the others and gave a long whistle, the large white dog appearing from the tree's opening to look for his partner. Seeing the hurry in Kiba's movement, he soon enough ran off across the ground beneath the boy, his own nose picking up the scent.
The closer they got, the stronger the smell of burning wood became, nearing the source of the smell. Another scent soon met his nose, something...unusual that was well different from the scent of the fire. Akamaru must've caught it also, and both males slowed, stopping to sniff the air some more. "There must be someone near the source keeping an eye on it." the Inuzuka muttered, although his caution didn't falter. "We'll check it out anyway, just to make sure everything is all right."
His curiosity was piqued, and he had no idea why. Obviously his canine companion had the same curiosity dwelling inside, as they both proceeded at a slower rate towards the source. Just ahead a clearing was visible, where a young woman and a large black canine were crouched around a small fire. On the side closest to the two males, a set of clothes were laid out, clearly soaked with water. The other canine slowly rose to its feet, snarling at the bushes were Kiba and Akamaru stood.
The brunette female made no movement to even look at them, and the Inuzuka frowned slightly, before noticing why. The amount of skin visible was unusual, and it finally clicked in the boys mind that the clothes drying by the fire were likely to be the only ones the young woman had. Her long hair was providing most of the cover her body had. Moving from her current position would make her...probably more vulnerable than she'd like. The black canine was still advancing on them, and Akamaru had already taken his own defensive stance against the other.
Making his own decision, the Inuzuka removed his jacket, holding it out towards the darker dog, who sniffed it cautiously. The large canine paused for several moments, and none of the four moved until the darker animal grabbed the jacket and took it back to the girl, who slipped it on quickly. The Inuzuka blinked, frowning at the duo. Not a sound had passed between any of them, other than the two canines growling at one another, yet without glancing at the boy she'd had the wolf bring over the jacket and pulled it on.
"How did...?" "None of your business. But thanks for the jacket." she stated, turning to look at the tan male. "You two don't look like you've eaten. You're welcome to join us." The dark dog next to her made no more threatening moves towards the duo, allowing them to approach the fire. The girls dark amber eyes flickered over the protector resting against the Inuzuka's forehead. She made no mention of it, but carefully stood, the black jacket closed and managing to cover her upper body fairly well.
Cautiously, the tanned male sat down next to the fire, enjoying the warmth it radiated after he'd handed his jacket over to the young woman. She returned with a plastic bag, containing what looked like half a packet of sausages, and about the same amount of bacon. She removed a few pieces of meat, feeding it to the large canine. She removed a couple of long metal need from their place between rocks around the fire, skewering several pieces and replacing them in the warmth to cook. Having a quick look at the bag, she removed another sausage and tossed it to the darker dog, before tipping the remnants in front of Akamaru.
The white dog sniffed the meat cautiously, distrusting of the meat. Although, as he watched the other happily devour it, his better sense told him it was unlikely to be poisoned. As the meat crackled away in the fire, the Inuzuka watched her closely. He didn't get an uneasy feeling being around her, more one of familiarity but no clue as to why. The silence becoming slightly awkward, he finally asked the one question that had been on his mind.
"IF you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" he questioned, her eyes locking on to his for a moment. 'Something about her eyes...' the male thought, waiting for her reply, 'There's just something very familiar about them.' "Yuri." she stated after several moments, obviously debating whether or not he was a threat to her safety. "And that would be Kuroi." she stated, nodding towards the dark animal.
"I'm Kiba, Akamaru would be that huge dog I call a partner." the other replied, answering the unasked question. She nodded, removing two of the long needles from the fire and handing one to the Inuzuka. There didn't seem to be a single scar on either hand, and as he gently touched the needle before taking it, he noted it wasn't as hot as he'd expected. "What exactly would you be doing out here, Kiba?" she asked, taking a small bite out of her own meat after finishing the question.
Already with a mouthful, he quickly swallowed it and answered. "I'm on my way back to the village with my team. We were caught in the rain and had to stop for the night. I woke up early and could smell the smoke, so came to investigate." He was cautious in his answer, although the young woman still looked to her canine for confirmation. Not a sound passed between them, but she frowned at him still. "Why lie to me? You haven't been near another human since you were caught in the rain. So either you're on your way back alone, which I doubt from the lack of gear, or you're avoiding someone on your team."
Kiba let out a small growl, before thinking how to answer. "You tell me how you communicate with your dog without either one on you making a noise, I'll tell you the truth." he stated, taking another mouthful of meat. Both Inuzuka's waited patiently for an answer, the two females sitting silently, looking at one another for a few moments. Shrugging, she let it drop. "Your turn."
"Same question." he stated, still chewing away at a piece of food. "Why are you out here?" Mid chew, Yuri stopped, looking at the male. She hesitated in her own answer, obviously debating what kind of answer to give. He'd given her a fairly detailed one, so was likely to want the same in return. "I travel a lot. I've been to a lot of places, but Konoha is...one I've been meaning to check out. Although, with the way the weather's been I may skip it and head...home." The hesitations made him frown.
"Now who's the one lying." the Inuzuka smirked, baring his fangs. "The rain isn't why you're thinking of leaving, something else is." Yuri shrugged her reply, finishing off her meat. One remained in the fire, crisped nicely in the heat. Pausing briefly, she picked it up and offered it to Kiba. "I don't eat a hell of a lot, that meat was only going to last another day with or without another person eating it. You're welcome to it if you want it." The Inuzuka shook his head, his appetite somehow satisfied by the bacon and sausage he'd just eaten.
Easily removing the meat from the long needle, she split it in half and gave some to each of the two canines, who happily finished it off. Silence ensued, and Kiba finally looked back into the sky, his golden yellow eyes catching the light brightly. An hour had already passed, and it was likely his team mates would awaken soon. "I should probably head back to my team." He stood, stretching happily, barely remembering the young woman still had his jacket. Somewhat more swiftly than any kunoichi he'd seen, Yuri had moved around the fireplace, pulling on the dark pants that lay there.
A second later, she'd removed his jacket and pulled her own shirt on, the articles drier than they had been an hour earlier. Holding out his jacket, he pulled it on quickly, doing it up. "Thanks for breakfast. Maybe I'll see you around Konoha sometime." he stated, turning to look at the young woman. Akamaru was already at his side, Kuroi at hers. "Yea, maybe." she stated, dismissing the male with a shrug. Sighing, he and the white dog took off into the trees, heading back to Shino and Hinata.
The Inuzuka couldn't ignore the unusual feeling he got being around Yuri, it was...indescribable. He couldn't explain it, or understand it in the least, but whatever it was, it was there quite clearly. Shaking it from his mind, he landed a few meters from the tree opening he'd left his team mates in. Shino was already waiting outside, his back to the gap, making the tanned male reason it was likely the Hyuuga heiress was changing.
Moments later the pale-eyed female emerged, clothed in warm, dry clothing. Their bags were thoroughly soaked, although none of the team minded. "Lets head back." Shino stated, picking up his pack and slinging it onto his back. Hinata did the same and moved aside slightly, allowing Kiba to grab his. "Kiba, where were you last night? I woke up and you were gone." the woman stated, glancing at the tan male.
"Keeping watch." he stated calmly. He'd grown accustomed to lying to her about small things, it made it just that tiny bit easier. "We may be close to the boarder, but it doesn't mean we're entirely safe. Shino's insects aren't as useful in the rain, and my senses are only slightly dimmed in it, so it made me the obvious choice." The explanation was plausible, and as the trio headed in towards the gate, nothing more was said on the answer.
Shino made no move to ask the Inuzuka about his whereabouts of the morning with Hinata around, although from the glance he gave the other male, he definitely would once they parted ways. Not far from the gate, Kiba's eyes narrowed and he stopped suddenly, suppressing a growl. The scent of a familiar blond was close, about the same distance away as the gate. Naruto was there waiting for them it seemed, although the Inuzuka felt he could sooner kill the blond than talk to him happily.
Noticing this sudden change, Shino also stopped, prompting the Hyuuga woman to stop also. The more he caught of the blond's scent, the more he realised the male wasn't alone there. The scent of another trio was slowly reaching him, and soon more and more became detectable. He frowned, somewhat confused. "Kiba, what's wrong?" Hinata asked, looking at the male. "Everyone's at the gate." he muttered, the frown still firmly in place.
He and Shino looked at one another, neither one knowing just what was going on. Hinata was just as clueless, and activated her byakugan, looking towards the gate. From where she was, it was easy to tell that Neji also had his own activated, and he, Tenten and Lee were headed towards them, the remainder of the group waiting behind. Picking this from the closeness of their scents, Kiba darted swiftly ahead of his team mates, Hinata moving to follow him.
Shino stopped her softly, looking after the other male. "If there's something seriously wrong, it might be best if he finds out what it is first. It could be nothing, he's just finding out." the Aburame reassured, a hand resting gently on her shoulder. She watched as Kiba encountered the other team, stopping to talk to them for a moment before darting back to his own. The older Jounin remained where they were, waiting for the younger group.
"Neji was waiting to escort you back to the Hyuuga compound last night. When we didn't arrive he got worried and talked to Tsunade about it. She agreed with his worry and he called on the rest of the group. If we weren't here by lunch they were coming out to search." The Inuzuka explained, grinning. His mood seemed slightly different, although it was such a tiny amount that only the ever-observant Aburame could detect it.
Nodding, the other two followed Kiba back to the older trio, who nodded and lead them back towards the gate. Soon enough all seven were dropping to the ground, Kiba falling back behind the rest of the group. Hinata's eyes lit up as she saw Naruto, smiling at him. This time, he seemed to notice, and it took Shino only moments to figure out just what was going on. They'd been gone a few weeks, and obviously the rest of the group had done something in the time away. As Naruto slowly walked towards Hinata, Neji remained at her side while the others moved away slightly.
"We'll go report into the Hokage." Shino stated, the tanned male already off into the town. Shikamau and Sakura had followed him, already concerned about his mindset. "You need to go home and warm up." Giving a quick glance to the older Hyuuga, the Aburame darted swiftly after his team mate. Only Neji, Lee, Tenten, Ino and Choji remained, along with Naruto and Hinata.
"Ah, Hinata...can I...talk to you about something?" The Hyuuga female was already blushing, but at the comment her heart began to race. Looking at Neji, the older Hyuuga gave a slight nod and stepped aside allowing the blonde to move slightly closer. "Can we go for a walk?" Nodding, the young woman followed him, well aware that her cousin would be within sight, but out of earshot. He was her protector, that was his job.
Kiba meanwhile was torn. He knew. He knew the second he detected everyone at the gate. They'd finally managed to get through to Naruto and make him open his eyes. They'd finally managed to tell him that Hinata was smitten with him, and he'd been blind to it for years. As much as the Inuzuka loved the Hyuuga and wanted her to be happy, the thought that she was with someone else was driving his canine side insane. His instincts told him to go and fight for her, his heart the same. Only his head stopped him from doing it.
His head screamed at him that now the blonde knew, he'd give the Hyuuga woman the attention she'd wanted for years. Finally stopping on the far side of town, he smashed one fist harshly into a tree. His heart was breaking, and he couldn't help but let himself break down. Crying, he dropped to the ground, soon enough hearing Shikamaru and Sakura land behind him.
They stood, watching him closely, both unsure of how to contact the Inuzuka. This was the easiest way for him to be free of his emotions towards his team mate, but at the same time it would hurt him more than anything. It was their only choice however, Hinata was taken with the blond, and it didn't seem likely those feelings would go away.
Solemnly, Shikamaru stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, Shino's resting on the other one moments later. "How long?" Shino muttered, looking down at the usually cheerful dog-boy. Both other witnesses understood the question, and waited for his answer quietly. "Maybe a week. A day. Depends how long it takes me to find someone else."
Tai: And now the story is predictable...or is it? Well it kind of is, but there's things you still don't know that will change EVERYTHING. Review please