Hinata spent the night at Tsume's.
Tsume had always been the closest to a motherly figure Hinata could get, she made that quite clear during one of her visits when she was still a genin. It was a morning that Hinata was meeting Kiba to embark on a mission together, and Tsume very loudly demanded to know why she had bruises on her collarbone and ankles. When she revealed it wasn't out of the ordinary to be 'a little' bruised after training with her cousin, that's when Tsume officially took on that role. Even Hanabi knew it.
And that's why Hanabi was cuddling into Hinata's arms in the early morning in Tsume's house.
When Hinata roused, her face feeling puffy and her lungs phlegmy, she looked out. It was still dark. She took in a shaky sigh and carefully peeled herself away from her sister.
She got up and brushed at her pants.
"You know I'm a shinobi, right?"
Her teeth gritted together as she slowly turned to her sister. Hanabi was already propped up, rubbing sleep from her eye.
"A pretty damn good one, too."
Hinata let a smile slip at that.
"Where you goin'?"
Hinata sighed, looking away.
"Not to run away…?"
"No."
Again, quiet came over them. Hanabi didn't seem willing to dare her sister right now, and Hinata admired that restraint she never seemed to have in the past. She really was…grown, now.
"I…I know I shouldn't leave…and, Hanabi, I want…" Her voice went very quiet, making sure she wasn't waking any pups or irritable Inuzuka mamas. "I want to be here, for you. I do."
She peered up and was relieved to see a smile on Hanabi's face. So she relaxed, too. Hanabi cleared her throat, then sat up fully. "I…I was hoping you'd come back when you heard about the wedding."
Hinata paused, eyes still locked on her sister.
"Not that…that I did this for that!" Hanabi laughed, looking down at her lap. "Uhm, the whole thing with Kono…er—Konohamaru I mean."
Kono.
A nickname.
Hinata smiled.
"That was…I guess, organic? I don't know." Hanabi giggled softly, looking up to meet milky eyes to milky eyes. "Whatever, who cares about that, right? I just…yeah, I love him, but—yeah, I was hoping word of the wedding would reach you…and that maybe…"
Hinata wanted to keep smiling, she really did, but those words were heavy on her heart. So it dipped to a regretful look, and she stepped forward. "Hanabi…I will—"
"Always be here," Hanabi finished, smiling small as she clutched her fists. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Somethin' goes wrong, elder sisters there. I know that."
Hinata paused, biting her lips together. Hanabi reached her hands out and she couldn't help but take them.
"I just hope…that you know…" Hanabi sighed, deeply, peering away, "…how incredibly…difficult…" Hinata's chest tightened, "…it is…to be in this disgusting room."
Laughter burst out of her involuntarily.
Hanabi couldn't seem to help it either, and soon, both girls were in stitches. Painful stitches, but a good pain. Their giggles rang through the home, and then—Tsume burst into the room.
"Hina?!"
"Oh—"
Both girls immediately scrambled to their feet and bowed in respect.
Seemed they weren't so different after all.
Tsume stood and inhaled deeply. Then a little smile took over her lips, turned to a smirk as she crossed her arms. Kuromaru sat next to her, looking disapprovingly.
"What's the joke, then?" Tsume asked with amusement. "C'mon, can't wake me up without letting me in."
Hanabi couldn't seem to help the giggle bursting in her throat, and blurted it out: "It smells in here!"
With that, Tsume had her hands on her knees as she wheezed.
"Oh—goddamnit—" Tsume gasped out, "please tell my idiot boy that, little Hyūga!"
Now all three women were laughing, and wow—wow. It felt…
It felt good.
"His—his room—" Hinata gasped out, grabbing Hanabi's elbow. "I hated it!"
"You're not the only one!" Tsume laughed, wiping phantom tears from her eyes as Kuromaru lay on the ground, unamused.
"I can see why!" Hanabi burst out, rolling onto her back on the floor. "It's not that it smells like dog, I love dogs!" Kuromaru perked up. "It's that it smells like old gyoza and cabbage!"
All three looked up when Kuromaru let out a snicker, turning his head so his face was away on his paws.
Five in the morning, about one or two hours before most would rise for the morning, lay Tsume, Hanabi, and Hinata, cracking up about how terrible Kiba's old room was. While Kuromaru acted as the intermediary. And Hinata realized this is what life was for.
Silly, idiotic moments like this.
Bizarre, out-of-character instances that brought her back to reality.
Feeling a sense of freedom. In the moment.
And Hinata willed herself to not start crying again.
As they calmed down from their individual fits, all three women rose, and Tsume, as the most mature, beckoned them. "C'mon little ladies, let's go make breakfast, huh?"
As Hinata and Hanabi calmed down, they fixed each other's outfits, so they would hang correctly, and their hair, so it wasn't so wild. They went downstairs to meet Tsume in the kitchen.
"I forced Hana and Kiba to learn to cook." Tsume's voice was full of pride. "So they'd knock the socks off their little partners."
Hinata felt a blush come on at the comment as she took a seat at the bar.
"You know, Ms. Tsume," Hanabi piped up, not taking a seat, and instead making herself comfortable by opening up various cabinets in search of a mug.
"Upper right," Tsume pointed out, nonchalantly.
"Thank you." Hanabi beamed, opening the cabinet in question and grabbing a mug. "You know, Hana used to sub for my sensei?"
"I know." Tsume grinned back as Hanabi lit a burner to boil some water.
"Honestly," Hanabi started as she picked through the tea selection, "she was one of the coolest kunoichi I've ever known. Shame she never became a sensei herself."
"Ah!" Tsume barked, stirring eggs in a pan. "Teaching's never been for my Hana. She loves the pups, all animals really."
Hinata watched with interest.
And shame.
Perhaps she…hadn't been paying as much attention to her sister as she should have. She'd never heard that her own dear teammate's sister had substituted as a sensei for her sister's team. Perhaps that's something she should have known…
"She was so cool," Hanabi sighed as she ripped open a tea packet, "I'd love to do what she's doing…"
Hinata eyed her sister with a little sadness, feeling the weight of those words.
"Ah, don't worry, pup." Tsume landed a heavy hand on Hanabi's head, despite her being taller. "You tell your old man Hiashi to stick it up his ass!"
At this, both Hanabi and Hinata faltered. Hanabi was the first one to crack a smile. "Ms. Tsume, I don't think—"
"Hey, hey—" Tsume interrupted with a waving hand. "Tsume is fine, little one."
"Okay, okay," Hanabi breathed, "Tsume! Tsume, listen to me." Hinata raised her eyebrows at her sister, wondering where this could go. Because the fact of the matter was, Tsume had never been a woman to trifle with. She was kind, she was gentle, but she could also be fierce. Hinata was never to ruffle feathers, so to keep out of Tsume's hair had always been in her nature. But… Hanabi was different. Always had been. And Hinata admired that.
"Oh?" Tsume's voice was light with amusement as she leaned an elbow on the counter, leaning forward. "Please, tell me."
"Okay." Hanabi gathered air in her lungs, braced herself on the counter and faced Tsume. "Alright, so—I don't give a shit about all this clan stuff, right?"
Tsume howled in laughter. A laughter Hinata wasn't sure she ever heard before. Then she composed herself, hitting her own chest as she nodded. "Yeah, okay, go on."
"Father wants me to be clan leader, and sure, fine, I'll do it." Tsume was grinning as she listened. "But! But, I want things to change. And if he's gonna make me take over, I'm gonna change them. And I'm so, so looking forward…to…"
"Him discovering you're the stick up his ass?"
And now Hinata was laughing with them.
And...
Hinata was realizing this, right here, is what she needed.
All that was missing…was…
"Kiba!" Hinata pushed her seat back, and it fell to the ground.
The two other women's laughter came to an abrupt halt as they looked up at the smaller one.
"Yeah, what about him?" Tsume chuckled, albeit with some curiosity.
"Wh-where do…do you think…"
"He went?" Hanabi finished, her expression falling. "He took the dogs and then…sort of…just left? Right?"
Tsume shook her head. "He came in to let me know he took a mission this earlier."
Hinata's heart clenched.
"He…did? He hasn't…"
Silence fell as the words abruptly halted there.
"He'll be back soon, I'm sure." Hanabi was clearly trying to sound nonchalant. "He RSVP'd to my wedding, if he's not back for that then, well, I mean…"
"He'll make an ass of himself." Tsume smirked, glancing from Hinata to Hanabi.
"Oh, Ms. Tsume—"
"Tsume! Tsume, for gods sake!"
"Tsume!" Hanabi barked laughter. "Gods I wish you were my mom!"
Quiet took over once more, and Hinata found that…she really, really hated it.
She didn't realize how much she hated it until she was with people she cared about.
Her sister. Kiba's mother.
People she…loved.
Silence.
Silence was never a thing when she was with Kiba.
She missed it.
"I…I'm going to go see if he'll be back, soon." Hinata's voice was quiet as she spoke, but, somehow, she managed to get that sentence out, and both Hanabi and Tsume looked up in surprise.
"You sure, hun?" Tsume inquired.
"I can go with," Hanabi offered, immediately.
"I…"
Hinata debated. She debated a million different scenarios in her head.
All of them ended with Kiba.
She was…a little caught off guard.
They usually ended with Naruto.
But this time…she thought of going to Naruto, and her mind instantly went to demanding when Kiba would be back.
Her Kiba.
When will he be back?
And she thought of…him. Walking through the front gates.
Burly arms. Leather jacket. Fangs.
The smirk. The way his sharp eyes would glow when they land on her. The way his arms automatically opened to her.
And now, guilt hit her like a truck.
"No…"
It's involuntary, a tiny whisper.
"No…what?" Hanabi inquired, quietly.
"I…I hurt him…" Hinata mumbled, head hung, eyes glaring down at her own lap.
"Hurt Kiba?" Hanabi asked.
"I'm…oh…" Hinata gasped, sucking her lips together. "I'm the…the…" Her gaze finally cast upwards and met Tsume's, who had an impossibly sympathetic expression on her face. And she spoke, "I'm the jerk."
"Oh, hun."
With that, Hanabi was holding her, again. Within moments, Tsume joined them, hugging the sisters.
How…nice.
As Hinata climbed to the top of the Hokage tower, she found her feet didn't feel like they were full of lead, anymore.
And as she walked through the doorway to Shikamaru's office to meet his surprised eyes, she found her stomach wasn't bubbling with anxiety, anymore.
So, when she walked into the Hokage's office to lock milky eyes with blue ones, and she found her heart and mind didn't feel so clouded, anymore…she was relieved.
"Hey," Naruto tilted his head curiously, "wasn't expecting you back already? One of the chunin hold you up or somethin'?"
Hinata shook her head, stepping forward. She cleared her throat. "I was just…wondering, do you know when Kiba will return?"
Naruto blinked at her, then his eyes grew just a centimeter. The corner of his lip upturned as he reached out for a stray paper, pulling it in front of him. His eyes scanned briefly.
"Looks like…he's just outside of the Leaf, maybe 60 kilometers north? Had him and Akamaru out there to track a missing package." Naruto set the paper down, looking back up at her.
60 kilometers…I can run that in maybe four hours…
"I'd be all right with it if you wanna go find him."
Hinata looked up, surprised, finding his grin growing. "O—oh?"
"Yeah!" Naruto kicked up his feet and leaned back, hands wrapped around his nape. "Why not? Hanabi's back and she'd probably track you down herself if you really left, y'know?"
Hinata's lips curled briefly at the thought. He was right, she would.
"Ah, go on. He was all pissy when he came in demanding a mission earlier, could use some cheering up from a pretty lady."
"Pretty—" Hinata caught herself falling back to her old ways, hands instinctively pulling together. She inhaled a shaky breath before looking back up. "Right, well…uhm, thank you, Lord Hokage."
"Hinata?"
She bit her lower lip as she raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"Can we go back to Naruto? Hinata and Naruto?"
She almost felt her upper lip tremble at that. Swallowing thickly, she nodded.
"Awesome." His grin fell to something more like a warm smile. "See you soon."
"Yes…" Hinata inhaled a shaky breath. "Yes, you will."
Slowly, she turned to leave as his feet came back to the ground, moving to get back to his paperwork. But she decided, this was part of moving on. So, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"Congratulations…Naruto." She watched him look up in surprise. "To you and Sakura, and your baby."
Instantly, Naruto's face brightened, and it actually made her feel…warm, to see him happy.
It was all she had ever really wanted, anyway. Was to see him happy.
He won the war. He won the woman he was in love with. He won his position as Hokage.
He deserved it all, she realized.
So she finally smiled back, for the first time…in how long, she had no clue. But it felt very, very good to smile at him, and not feel forced. And he smiled back.
"Thanks, Hinata." His tone was low, and she nodded. "Now go! Before that idiot gets into trouble."
Her smile remained as she exited the office of the Hokage. She even looked at Shikamaru and offered him a smile as well, to his confused expression. He gave a little wave, and she was off.
Off to find Kiba.
Her Kiba.
"Fuckin' thing…"
Kiba kicked his foot at nothing, maybe a rock or some bug, but really, nothing. His mind was cloudy, and Akamaru whined at his clearly poor attitude. A small bark and Kiba shot him a glare.
"What?!" he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't lecture me right now."
A growl.
"Yeah, yeah," Kiba sighed, looking off into the distance, "I know."
Akamaru waltzed next to him, rubbing his side into his leg. Kiba's lips pressed together.
"It's hard," he mumbled, glancing away. Akamaru's persistence pushed him to fall on his butt, elbows resting on his knees as he sat in a lotus position. "I know I'm stupid."
Akamaru huffed quietly.
"Jerk," Kiba squinted at his old pup, offended. He ran his hand through his hair before setting it on Akamaru's furry back. "I can't control what happens with Naruto and Sakura. I'm trying, really hard to be there for her. Honestly…" He frowned. "It fuckin' hurts."
Akamaru responded with a tiny whine, resting his chin on Kiba's leg.
"I want her to be happy…" he muttered, gritting his teeth. "But I gotta be happy to make that happen, right?"
Silence.
Kiba groaned, falling onto his back.
"FUCK!"
A few birds flapped away from Kiba as he yelled into the sky, Akamaru growling quietly next to him to show his disapproval of the strong language and emotion. He lay on the earth, limbs splayed every which way, glaring at the clouds above him. Sometimes Kiba wished he could just be a cloud, and let the wind take him wherever.
It was tough being the strong one. He admitted he was brash and rude a lot of the time, like when he told Ino to suck it up after Sasuke left, or just recently when he (as he would be the first to admit, was uncalled for) told Hinata she needed to get over "some stupid crush." But it was because he cared, or at least, that's what he told himself. Kiba found himself surrounded by hurt women, and it was honestly a little tiring.
His mom scared away his dad, at least that's what his aunt had always told him. His sister was constantly dating assholes that never showed her any respect. His best friend was hopelessly in love with an idiot who was hopelessly in love with an idiot of his own (which Kiba still believed to this day was Sasuke, he was just lucky Sakura came around).
Kiba thought that maybe, he loved to a fault. It was how he was raised. His mom had always been a tough-loving parental figure, but she loved hard, and so he did, too. He loved his mom and sister. He loved Shino. He loved Kurenai and Mirai. He even loved that idiot, Naruto, and the rest of his old classmates. He really loved Hinata. Seeing her hurting, hurt him, too. And he kind of hated it.
So when he caught a whiff of her scent—that smelled like hibiscus and lavender, a scent he never thought he'd grow to know and love so much—he groaned. He pulled his hands over his face as Akamaru lifted his head, tilting it curiously out towards the south.
He really didn't want to do this. He was getting tired of being yanked around.
But for her, he'd try.
He wouldn't make it easy, though.
As her soft footsteps neared, he slung his arm over his eyes.
"Kiba…"
He especially hated the way his heart started to race when his name left her lips. It was almost like what he felt in battle, the adrenaline. It was an adrenaline he enjoyed, sometimes, especially when it came to her. But right now, it was making his mind fuzzy.
"Kiba…" she repeated, and he felt her kneel down next to him. She was alone. He was almost surprised she had the courage to come out here on her own. He wondered if Naruto granted her permission.
"Whadya want from me, Hina?" he exhaled shallowly as he said it, a breath he hadn't realized he was holding since he detected her scent.
He felt Akamaru leave his knee, shifting over to lay his head in Hinata's lap.
Traitor.
"To…listen."
Listen, huh?
"Why should I?" The bitterness in his voice towards her was unfamiliar. It was a tone he'd use with Shikamaru or Ino. Fed up, tired of them. But he was fed up. He was tired. He didn't want to feel this way.
But his heart was hurting. As fucking cheesy as that sounded.
Her silence was an indication that his tone hurt her, but he needed her to do this on her own. No more kid gloves.
He heard her little sigh and could smell the faint scent of breakfast. A typical breakfast of eggs, rice, sausage that his mom would make. She must have stayed the entire night at his mother's and even stayed to eat. He had to wonder if his mom had any words of wisdom, as rough as she was. It was where his bluntness came from, after all.
"Because…you care for me."
Kiba pressed his lips together into a harsh line. He had a few snarky words for that but chose to keep them inside.
"So…please?"
It was quiet, almost begging. Her voice sounded…desperate.
He couldn't deny her. Never could, never will.
"Go on…" he grunted, arm still covering his eyes. Because he knew if he met her eyes, he wouldn't be able to resist her.
Never could.
Never will.
A harsh truth he had to accept about this damn woman.
Sweet, gentle Hinata. Always opposing him personality-wise, always complimenting him personality-wise.
Fuck, I love her.
That little shaky breath left her lips and he had to try his best to not absorb it into himself.
Fuck. Fuck I hate to love her, sometimes.
Patience wasn't Kiba's best quality. Probably the worst.
"Go on, Hinata."
"Okay," she responded quickly, and he heard the fabric of her pants ruffle, probably from her fisting it. "I…I'm sorry."
Kiba's jaw clenched.
"I'm sorry to Hanabi. I'm sorry that I made her face all of this alone."
He wanted to nod, but simply stayed still. Hanabi had always been in his peripheral. Since they were young, he had promised himself to look out for his teammate's little sister. She was always in trouble, and he'd covered her ass more times than he could count. Especially with Konohamaru, since Hinata left and hadn't been there to do it for her.
"I'm sorry…to Shino. For making him lonelier."
Kiba felt sadness well up in him. Shino had always held a soft spot within him. His best friend. He saw what Hinata's absence did to both of them. Shino…Shino had always been the 'strong one' in that regard. Kiba was always too loud, too open with his emotions. Shino was better at keeping it under wraps, but Kiba could always tell. Always had, and Hinata had, too.
"I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…to you."
He wasn't dumb. He knew he was next, but what would she say? What could she say?
"For…all of it."
All of it, huh? Kind of a cop out…
"For not realizing it was you."
His heart thrummed. He finally peeled his arm off his eyes so he could look at her. He nearly laughed when he did, too, because she looked like a wreck. Her hair was a mess, she had bags under her eyes, her shirt was hanging off one shoulder, and her feet looked black.
And it was then that he realized that he thought she was beautiful like this, too.
"Me, huh?" he whispered, raising his eyebrows at her. Despite the fact he wanted to just grab her and hold her and kiss her and not let go, he had to protect his heart, first. For as impatient as he was, he had to make sure this was real. He pulled himself up to sit, pulling one knee towards his chest to rest his forearm on it. "Sorry, Hinata. I just don't get what you mean. I don't know if you're—" His breath hitched at the look of pain slowly contorting her features. He cleared his throat and willed himself to keep going. "—if you're gonna run off on me again. You know I fuckin'—" he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he averted his eyes, "I hate talking about my emotions and crap. But damn if I'm not hurt."
"I know." Her response was quick and he looked up at her to find her on her knees now, crawling towards him. He lowered his eyes at her. Gently: "I know I hurt you, and I hate that I did."
His jaw flexed as she came up, close.
"I want to make it right," she whispered, and his eyes darted to her lips. "I want to be here, with you. I want…" He raised his eyebrows and blinked at her as her eyes came to rest on his.
He could practically hear his blood pumping in his ears, and hers.
"I want to love you, Kiba."
Hinata watched in anticipation as Kiba's demeanor went completely stiff.
Then, in a blur of limbs and lips, he was holding her face and she found herself locked in a passionate kiss with him. She breathed out a relieved sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sunk into him. His arm wrapped around her waist to bring her forward, and she found herself letting him.
Thank gods…
Akamaru whined next to him, and she gasped as Kiba tore himself from her for a brief moment to nod his head, dismissing the pup who gladly tore through the forest.
"K-Kib-"
"I fucking love you, Hinata."
Her chest tightened with the air locked in it. He threaded his fingers into her hair and held her head firmly, not allowing her to turn away as she felt herself go red from the neck to the tips of her ears. He looked so, so serious, and wow—yes, his hands were definitely bigger.
"I might be an idiot, but sometimes, I wonder if you're the bigger idiot."
She gasped, eyes going wide as a smirk tugged at his lips. Her gaze fell on them, that fang popping out and she suddenly wondered how that fang would feel on her bottom lip. So she leaned in and pressed her lips against his again, hoping maybe he could read her mind.
Kiba had always been fairly intuitive to her feelings, so she shouldn't have been surprised when she felt her bottom lip being teased by his teeth. She shuddered slightly as she grabbed at his coat, grabbed the lapels, and pulled them towards her. Then, he was falling onto his back as she pressed herself into him, and surprised even herself with how boldly she was moving to him. He tugged her over him and she felt one of those large, rough hands slide under her shirt to rest on her back.
Kissing was sloppier than she imagined, but maybe that was just Kiba. She found she really enjoyed the way he kissed her back, urgent and passionate, as if they had no time left. To be fair, she definitely didn't feel like she had any time left, she had been running nonstop for a few hours now, dead set on getting here before the sun would set. It was almost perfect timing, actually, because the sun was low and cast a romantic-type sheen upon them.
She even opened her eyes, something she wasn't sure was typical when locked in a passionate kiss, to see the glint of his red fang markings from the sun. Now she was sure she wanted to see those red fang markings every day, under the setting sun, in the moonlight, or in the glow of day. Whenever, wherever.
When her mind began going cloudy with more than just passion, but the need for oxygen is when she finally pulled her lips from his. He still had her locked in embrace, seemingly unwilling to let her go in any capacity but relented to her need for air. She took the moment to properly examine his face, eyes landing on the scar. She felt compelled to reach out for it, so she did, brushing her fingertips over it as his eyes followed her hand.
Quietly, she finally asked, "where did you get this…?"
Kiba scoffed, reaching up to grasp her wrist to pull it to his lips. She watched with wide eyes as he kissed the backs of her knuckles, then whispered, "not for you to worry about, sweetheart."
Sweetheart. Oh.
She ran her tongue over the spot he had bitten on her lower lip before shaking her head. "Please? I want to know."
He rolled his eyes briefly before releasing her wrist, then reached up to rub at the scar. "Mission with Shino. Got pinned and the bastard damn near sunk a kunai into my skull. Shino's beetles knocked the kunai from his hands, leaving a scar."
Hinata frowned. A mission with Shino. A mission she was sure she would have been on, too, if she hadn't left. His eyes dipped to her lips, and he shook his head as if he already knew she was blaming herself. She wondered if he knew how devastated she would be if he had actually succumbed to injury while she was gone. The thought was heavy on her, and she was realizing she couldn't leave again. Not when those she cared about needed her. She sighed, quietly. "I should have been there…" she whispered, sliding a hand over his cheek, "to protect you."
He smiled at that and rested his hand on her waist so both of his palms held her. She nearly shivered at the way his splayed hands almost covered her entire back. His eyes were warm on hers as he responded, "you're here now, aren't ya? Not planning on leaving me again, even with this ugly ass scar?"
She smiled, now, too. "I think the scar makes you more handsome."
As his cheekbones turned pink, slowly blending in with his fang markings, she beamed at him. She actually quite liked the way he looked when he blushed, and she wanted to make it happen more often. His eyes shifted as the praise sat between them, before shaking his head. "You're just full of surprises, Hina."
She bit her lips together, briefly. "Is that so bad?"
"Sometimes." His lopsided smile came back as he lifted his head off the ground to brush his lips against hers. "But I like it."
"Oh—" she gasped quietly, feeling heat pooling in her stomach as he brought her back in for a kiss.
Hinata wasn't sure if there was ever really a right time for these things to happen. But at the moment, this felt like the right time, the right place.
Whenever, wherever.