A/N: In which there seems to be an immense amount of fluff in this chapter. XoX And so the plot thickens! I don't own Naruto.
Hinata was sitting on her bed with an exhausted Hanabi in her arms. She ran her slender fingers through her brown hair at a slow pace, as if to calm her down, although she had done so quite a while earlier already. Maybe it was more for her own comfort, maybe she only wanted to keep her sister calm – even she wasn't sure.
She sighed, but jumped slightly when she heard a clamor outside in the form of a very unusual, loud voice of Neji's.
"Stop! You're not allowed to enter our property!"
Hinata immediately frowned and whispered a few words to Hanabi, letting her lie on her bed. She walked to the door and activated her Byakugan, which allowed her to see a form, presumably Neji, walking behind someone else. Curious about the person's identity, she moved the chair from her door and opened it slightly, and gasped quietly when she saw a rather furious Kiba walking away from her cousin.
"Where's the head of the clan?" his raspy voice was demanding and made Neji twitch in anger.
"You have no right to be here, you damn—"
"Neji, let it go." Everyone's heads turned to the direction of Hiashi's study, where the middle-aged Hyuga was standing with his arms crossed. "What is your business here?"
Kiba smirked – finally the person he wanted to meet. Although he was severely nervous and intimidated, he knew that he couldn't let it show too much; he had to remain strong and determined, for Hinata.
"I would like to talk about your daughter," the outsider said, attempting to sound more formal than he normally would. Hiashi's expression didn't change at all, as he only waited for the brunet to continue. "As much as I understand that this is your clan and your rules, I think you should re-consider your decision. She's a lovely girl, and the last thing I wish for is to see her freedom taken away."
Neji shook his head at the outrageousness of the situation, he was almost amused by it. Who did this guy think he was? Hiashi let out an amused, heavy exhale and took a few steps closer to the visitor, who gulped and raised his chin. He had to stay calm.
"So you, not a member of this clan, are here, in my property, asking for me, the head of this clan, to turn my decision around?" Hiashi summed up the situation in a questioning manner that was intentionally very regret-provoking. Kiba, however, was unaffected by that, and only nodded. "How has Tsume raised you for you to be so—"
Hiashi's words were cut as there was a loud thump when Hinata rapidly opened her door and ran to stand in the middle of Kiba and Hiashi, which shocked everyone. Kiba gawked, Neji's eyes widened, and Hiashi opened his mouth in surprise. His eyes, however, showed no surprise.
"Stop! Kiba-kun, this has nothing to do with you, and father—please show some respect to him and his mother! Before judging someone else's parenting skills, please take a look at your own!" the indigo-haired, enraged Hyuga cried out, not even bothering to think of the consequences of her outburst. What would happen would happen, there was nothing she could do about it. Kiba placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, and Hinata put her hand on top of his, breathing a bit heavily as she didn't stop talking for a second.
Hiashi stood silently, but when he saw the look in Kiba's and Hinata's eyes – the other ones depicted affection for the girl while the other ones showed anger and worry, it all clicked. He gave his daughter and Kiba a rather uncharacteristic, crooked smirk and uncrossed his arms.
"Very well, young Inuzuka. I suppose I can accept your request," he started and purposely held a pause, during which both of the youngsters looked relieved, yet also shocked. However, all that died fast as he continued, "with the condition that you two will cease your... relationship, if it can be called that."
Kiba couldn't do much else than gawk at Hiashi, whereas Hinata was quick to react as soon as she overcame the initial shock.
"You—you have no right to control my life to that extent! You've never cared, why start now?" The former heiress was visibly distraught as the words flew out of her mouth. The fact that her father seemed so indifferent to how she was feeling wasn't much of a comfort.
"Hinata, the second you were born to this clan was the second I gained control of the rest of your life. As a Hyuga there are several things you cannot do, and letting you fool around with this rascal would be a great threat to the clan," Hiashi's voice was awfully monotonous and lacked any kind of feeling; it was as if he wasn't even talking about anyone he knew, let alone his own daughter. Hinata was about to retort again, but Kiba stepped forward and put his arm before her as a sign to stop.
"Hinata, it's okay. Hyuga-sama, I… understand. If that is all you demand in order for Hinata to remain free from the cursed seal, then I'm more than willing to comply." Hinata was shocked to hear Kiba's words and she could feel her heart sink. As much as she wanted to fight back, she couldn't force a single word out; instead, she felt like air had just been kicked out of her lungs.
Hiashi nodded and bowed. "It's settled, then. Now, please help yourself away from my home and daughter, and remain that way." With that, both Hiashi and a rather satisfied Neji left, leaving behind a very, very quiet couple.
Kiba turned to face Hinata, who had tears in her eyes, and her lips were trembling. "I—I don't want to be separated from you again, Kiba-kun. I-I can't."
The brunet gave her a pained smile and took her into a tight embrace, caressing her back and neck while kissing the top of her head. "You won't. I have a plan, Hinata. We'll have to be apart for a while, but I'll explain it to you eventually."
Hinata rested her cheek against Kiba's chest, letting her tears wet his shirt as she tried to find comfort in his heartbeat. On one hand she felt relieved that she would be able to avoid getting branded, but on the other hand she knew that her future looked very grim if her father would stick with his decision, and she knew he would.
"Promise me something," she said quietly and took some of Kiba's shirt into her fists. She felt the brunet nod, and swallowed her tears. "Don't forget about me."
He shook his head and raised her chin, smiling gently at her. "I would never forget about you. You must be crazy to think that I would, after all these years." He then pressed a soft kiss onto Hinata's tear-wetted lips, to which she eagerly replied and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn't have cared less about the fact that they were in the middle of the main yard of the Hyuga compound, not when she felt so defeated and empty inside.
Eventually Kiba broke the kiss and tried to smile encouragingly at Hinata. "I'll see you around." Hinata could only nod – her lips were trembling already, and she knew that if she'd open them in the least, she'd break down again. In silence, Kiba left her, his heart awfully heavy, as confident as he tried to stay in his plan.
It would work out, right?
Days passed, and neither Kiba nor Hinata was too happy with how things were. They missed each other, but seeing as breaking Hiashi's condition wouldn't have any positive consequences, they had to stay away. Hinata had met up with Sakura and Ino a lot in order to distract herself and to open up her heart, but she had also met up with Shikamaru and Temari a couple of times.
They had bumped to each other in the village center, as the two had been shopping while she was walking home from Ino's flower shop. Temari had been the one to recognize her first, and the couple had then approached her.
"Man, you look awful," had been Shikamaru's first, very thoughtful words that he let out when he saw the Hyuga. Hinata merely smiled and shrugged, and Temari couldn't help but frown. She had never seen her in such a condition – although her looks didn't scream that she was a mess inside, there was such a drastic change to the worse that it was still visible to anyone who knew her. And especially if you knew what had happened, it would be all the more obvious.
"How are you holding up?" the blonde asked worriedly, stroking Hinata's arm gently. She shrugged and looked into Temari's comforting blue orbs.
"I try to stay positive, but I don't think it's working too well," she said softly and chuckled by the end of her sentence, letting her gaze fall to the ground. Shikamaru sighed and put his free hand (the other was holding Temari's) to his hip.
"Try harder, Kiba'll work it out," he said sternly, and Hinata showed immediate alertness upon hearing Kiba's name. She looked so curious that Shikamaru couldn't help but snicker. "We saw him just a while ago, and he said that he had a plan together. I think he's still by Ichiraku, so if you're quick, you might catch him."
Temari squeezed his hand, but all Hinata was able to do was to stare at him, as if his words didn't register in her brain. Eventually Shikamaru frowned impatiently and shooed her with his hand. "What are you waiting for, go!"
Hinata shook her head to clear her mind and hugged the two tightly, much to Shikamaru's dismay – it was enough that Temari insisted on cuddling every now and then, he didn't need any other woman doing the same.
Then, without a word, the Hyuga darted off, and "Shikamaru, I owe you!" started echoing for a few seconds in the streets. Shikamaru scratched the back of his head a bit embarrassedly and eyed Temari, who was glowing with a wide grin. She gently slapped his cheek a couple of times before pressing a kiss on it. "You're such a good guy." He groaned and aimed his attention elsewhere, but Temari kept hers intently on him. She was so happy to have him by her side - although she was one of the most independent women Shikamaru had ever met, she had her moments, too. Surprisingly often, actually.
Within a couple of minutes, Hinata had reached the Ichiraku Ramen shop, and as soon as she saw the familiar brunet with the white dog, she looked around herself, ran to him, took a hold of his arm and pulled him to a darker valley. Akamaru barked as Kiba scowled, but both went silent when they saw who it was. Hinata pressed him against the wall and tip-toed to kiss him with fervor, letting her hands tangle in his hair. Akamaru turned away and murmured, whereas Kiba placed his hands on Hinata's waist.
As soon as Hinata broke the kiss, Kiba pressed his warm hand to her cold cheek to caress it and gave her the fanged smile she so much loved. "Your hands are cold, and so is your cheek. Should I warm you up?" She let out a relieved laugh and smiled widely, pressing her cheek against his hand.
"Even you will never be able to do that, but this might do just fine," she said affectionately and looked up at him, treasuring every small detail of his facial features. Kiba pecked the tip of her nose, then forced his face to a more serious expression.
"Have you been alright?" he asked quietly and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She shook her head and pressed her body against his.
"But I'm good now," she sighed, closing her eyes. "Shikamaru said that you have a plan… care to share?" Kiba wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders and placed his chin on top of her head.
"Well, stating the obvious, we can't let your father, or any other relative of yours, see us." She nodded. "And continuing with that, we should therefore meet in secret. You'll have to lie about your whereabouts, but I don't think that'll be a problem? Thought so. So…"
Kiba went on to explain the vision he had, which included rarely visited places, longer, more complicated roads to his house and lots of other ideas on how Hinata could deceive her father. She took it all in eagerly, doing her best to comprehend it all. The plan didn't sound flawless, but she was willing to try if it meant seeing Kiba on a more or less regular basis like before. She was more than fed up with not seeing him, as she was not the least willing to go back to the years when they hadn't exchanged a word.
Now that she had gotten to get a taste of Kiba, she didn't want to let go, and she definitely wouldn't, if it was up to her.
Akamaru returned to the two and wagged his tail with his nose aimed up to Hinata. He licked her hand and finally got a pat on his head from her. She giggled and freed herself from Kiba's arms, squatting before the dog with a wide, happy smile on her lips. "I missed you too, Akamaru." Kiba crossed his arms before his chest and adored the sight of Hinata and Akamaru getting along – what more could he wish for? …Well, for a lot of things, but the sight was enough to satisfy him for the time being.
"Has your father truly given up on the plan?" Kiba asked, generally interested – he didn't trust the older Hyuga enough to blindly accept his change of heart. Hinata rubbed Akamaru behind his ears and nodded.
"Pretty much. He almost treats me normally by now, but it could still be better, as always," she explained and turned her face to her newly secret boyfriend. "How are your mother and sister?"
"They're fine, mom's surprisingly worried about you," Kiba said with a hint of amusement in his voice, and Hinata was startled by the words, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "She grew fond of you during the time you talked. I want to believe that it's her conscience's way of making up for the years of being wrong."
She smiled shyly and stood up, taking Kiba's hands into hers. "Tell her that I'm fine, and that I appreciate her worry. Also," Hinata quietened her voice and leaned closer to Kiba's ear, "I love you."
Kiba's eyes widened and he could feel blood rush to his cheeks, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards as he turned to a flushed Hinata, who was trying to hide her face in his shoulder, failing miserably. "Well, little one, I love you too."
Hinata was blushing harder than she thought was possible, but she was so immensely happy that she tried to discard the embarrassment. She was glad that she had finally managed to put the feelings into words, after all the years; she had come to the conclusion that she had, in fact, held the feelings for him for quite a while. Kiba had come a similar conclusion when he had been thinking about how it was possible that his feelings surfaced so fast, and it all made sense when he thought about their past, and how he was hurt on so many different levels when Hinata had started hanging out with Ino and Sakura. It was definitely more than a friend's hurt.
Kiba cupped Hinata's cheeks and pulled her into a soft, sweet kiss that neither wanted to ever end. Akamaru turned away once again, utterly embarrassed to see his partner kissing, well, anyone. Hinata let herself melt into the kiss, and hesitantly deepened it just a bit, pulling him closer and smiling against his lips. The two had truly missed each other, and were more than eager to make up for it to the best of their ability.
However, all good things come to an end, and so did their meeting. Slowly, Hinata pulled away, and took a step backwards.
"I should go, my father will get suspicious if I stay much longer…" she muttered in disappointment, and Kiba nodded in understanding.
"Better safe than sorry, huh. Um, how about we meet at Ichiraku on Saturday, let's say, at five o'clock, and if there's no one around, go to my place?" Kiba's suggestion was a bit tentative, but Hinata had no reason to decline. Any opportunity to see him, and she would take it in a heartbeat.
"Don't be late," she said and grinned, brushing her hand against his body as she began walking away backwards. She waved cheerfully. "I'll see you on Saturday."
Kiba nodded with a smile and waved back at her, thoughts immediately set on the mentioned day. Akamaru poked his leg with his nose, signaling that they should get going, too.
"Right, you must be hungry," the brunet realized and got on the dog's back. The two were fast to reach the Inuzuka house, and met Tsume by the door. She was zipping up her vest when her son reached her, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Took you quite long to eat ramen with Naruto," she said, clearly suggesting that he'd done something else in the process. Kiba nodded with a serious face, hopped down from Akamaru's back and walked closer to his mother.
"I saw Hinata," he said and observed the look in his mother's eyes shift from speculation to curiosity. "She's doing well, and appreciates your worry. So… you know, she's good."
Tsume blinked, then gave her son a slightly worried glance. "You're planning on something, aren't you?"
Kiba sighed and opened the door the their house, turning around upon entering. "Don't worry, we won't get caught." Akamaru went in, and Kiba gave his mother a small smile. "Good night."
She muttered the words back at him, and soon went off to her mission with Kuromaru by her side. She couldn't help the nagging feeling at the back of her head that her son was about to get in some serious trouble.
When Hinata got home, she made sure to avoid any and all contact with her clan members, which in all honesty wasn't too difficult, as she was usually not approached by anyone else than her father or, on occasion, Hanabi. Usually the contact was more indirect, like talking behind her back, which she didn't pay much attention to anymore.
Days passed, and soon the fateful Wednesday had turned to Saturday, and Hinata was eating at Ichiraku Ramen. Knowing that she would spend the day with Kiba, she had put on a rare, lavender-colored dress of hers and a thin black cardigan over it, seeing as September had come with a wind too cold for her. She had just finished her first portion when someone sat next to her, and from the corner of her eye she could see that it was Kiba, with Akamaru sitting between him and her.
She smiled warmly to herself. "Good to see you," she said, and Kiba nodded with a smile, and the two ordered ramen – Hinata's appetite was as good as ever. The two didn't dare to talk about too personal things, so they kept their conversation on a general level, talking about what they had done during the past days and if they had any missions coming up. Both had something coming up – Hinata would have a shorter mission starting on Monday and Kiba was to have a challenging, a bit longer mission starting the very next day.
The two finished eating after a while, and after a quick check around themselves, started walking to Kiba's house with Akamaru guiding them. His and Kiba's noses were alert to any scents of a Hyuga, which proved to be a great help, as the three were able to avoid Neji and Kou on their way. When they were closer to the house and knew that there was no one around, Hinata stepped closer to him and took his hand into hers.
"This is surprisingly stressful," she said, slightly amused, and observed the profile of Kiba's concentrated face. He nodded and Hinata caught a glimpse of his fang as he smirked.
"I quite like the thrill, actually. It really gets the adrenaline going," Kiba said and turned his head to face Hinata for a moment, "and also brings out the feeling of wanting to protect you."
Hinata blushed slightly and punched Kiba's shoulder lightly. "You're getting all sappy, Inuzuka." The male laughed and ruffled Hinata's hair, messing the previously neat locks.
"Nah, you like it anyway," he said smugly and stole a kiss from the embarrassed Hyuga, grinning afterwards. "Now let's hurry up, the house is a lot safer than the streets."
So the three ran uphill to the house, and Hinata closed the door behind them. Akamaru went to eat, and Hana poked her head out of her study, greeting the two cheerfully.
"Good to see that you're okay, Hinata-chan," she said, and gave Kiba a more stern look. "And you better keep it that way, little brother."
The male couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I've had that talk several times with mom by now, and yes, we will be careful. Don't worry, nee-chan." Hinata chuckled at the siblings, and wished that she had a similar relationship with Hanabi, but the reality was that the Hyuga sisters were painfully distant, although they had grown a bit closer during the past few weeks, ever since Hiashi had decided to brand Hinata. But still, it was nothing compared to the relationship between Hana and Kiba.
"You better, the record of what has happened after you've said 'don't worry' isn't too bright, Kiba."
"I've matured since then," the brunet said and began dragging Hinata upstairs. "Now if you would excuse us." Hinata, out of habit, waved at the older Inuzuka with an apologetic expression, but Hana only shook her head in amusement, mouthing 'That's just the way he is.'
The couple reached Kiba's room and settled comfortably on his bed. He rested his back to the wall and pulled Hinata to his lap sideways, wrapped his arms around her and locked his hands by her hip. Hinata took her arm behind Kiba's neck and stared deep into his brown eyes, opening her lips a tiny bit. The male sighed contently and rested his head on her chest, inhaling her scent greedily. Her breath hitched, and she was trying to understand how the situation suddenly got so... intimate.
"You still use the same perfume," he stated, and Hinata nodded, biting her lower lip. He was so close to her that it was speeding up her heartbeat, and she quite liked the feeling. What if he was even closer…
Hinata shifted on Kiba's lap so that she was sitting astride, took her hands to his hair and played with the brown strands of hair. Kiba looked at her quizzically but smirked as he took his hands to her behind, pulling her even closer. She gasped and could feel her heart beating wildly, and her body grew warmer by the second. He looked irresistible, he smelled irresistible; he was irresistible.
So she crashed their lips together hungrily, her eyes shut tightly and her hands fisting his hair. Kiba frowned at the new sensation, but soon his expression softened as he let the kiss take him with it. He took his other hand to the back of Hinata's head, deepening the kiss with his tongue, while his other hand was at her lower back. Hinata whimpered quietly into the kiss, causing Kiba to smirk and pull away.
"Well, that was cute," he said teasingly, circling his thumb around her lower back. Hinata shook her head in embarrassment and hid her face in Kiba's neck He laughed and patted her head. "Now, now, don't take it like that."
Just as he was about to push Hinata's head away from his shoulder, both of them jumped when they heard Tsume clear her throat by the door.
"Sorry to disturb you, but we have things to talk through. Both of you."
Hinata wanted to hide under a rock, whereas Kiba only nodded and comforted Hinata when Tsume had left the two, telling them to come downstairs as soon as possible.
"You might want to get used to this, Hinata," Kiba laughed and hit Hinata's back when the two had stood up. She yelped and nodded, giving Kiba a glare.
"And you might want to get a lock on your door." Kiba shrugged and took his right arm around Hinata's shoulders as the two began to go down the stairs. Both had their own speculations about what Tsume wanted to talk about, but only the woman herself knew the truth.
They reached the doorway to the living room, where Tsume was sitting on a three-seat couch. She urged them to take a seat beside her, as she was sitting in the middle, and cleared her throat.
"So, what I want to talk to you about…"
A/N: Although it's slowly forming in my mind, I've got no clear idea of where exactly this fic is going... ;A; I hope that you've enjoyed the fic so far though, and reviews would be appreciated!