#kibahina fic

[kiljoius-writes]

Plaything - Chapter 1

Ao3

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He had heard Hinata had returned.

And it pained him that he couldn’t go see her.

“I swear to god, if you even fucking think of going to that girls place," his mother scolded as she pulled on her sandals, “I will personally whoop your ass.”

Kiba was feeling the effects of what was essentially being in heat for his clan. It was something he had experienced every year for the past four or so years, but it was so much worse this year with Hinata’s naked image burned into his brain. It had been a few days, and he figured he probably had a few more left, and almost hoped she wouldn’t get home until after it had passed. But his sister teased him with the information, and he could have ripped her throat out for burdening him with it.

“Your plaything is back," she sang as she passed his door, "safe and sound. Perfect timing, huh?”

Damn her.

He knew it would be a mistake to see her right now. She had no idea what he was like in this state, and it wasn’t something he was ready for her to see. He wasn’t sure he would ever be ready for her to see.

Physically, he wasn’t much different. Just his dick was always fucking hard, and he almost never had relief. Masturbation was a joke in this state. He knew the only thing that could bring him any calm, even for a moment, would be the real thing. Especially with Hinata.

But that was selfish, and even in this state, he would control himself. He just needed to stay inside.

So in a rare moment when both his mother and sister had taken off and there was a knock at the door, Kiba debated whether it was a good idea to answer it. But her scent found his nose, and he groaned. "Of course."

“Kiba?”

His mind went cloudy. The door opened and Hinata peeked inside.

“Anyone home?”

“Fuck…” He whispered, balling fistfuls of his blanket. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” When he heard her silently activate her byakugan, he wanted to ram his head into a wall.

“Kiba, are you okay?”

“Yeah-“ he choked out, carefully opening his door to look out. She had climbed the stairs to meet him and her beautiful scent hit him. What he would give to snatch her right now and yank her into his bedroom and throw her down and- “you shouldn’t be here right now, Hinata.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her eyes lowered and she poked her fingers together. He let out a frustrated sigh at her sadness, feeling like a massive piece of shit.

“It’s not your fault-I just-I need some space.” Kiba had no idea how to get her out of the house without hurting her feelings.

“Oh…” Hinata’s voice raised in pitch and his heart was in his throat. She slowly turned around and made her way back downstairs.

FUCK.

“Hinata!”

He was going to regret this.

“Yes?” She stopped and looked up, blushing at his person in front of her now, simply covered with boxers. She gulped, folding her arms behind her. He sucked in a deep breath, painfully aware of how hard his cock was and trying to shield it behind one of the railings of the stairs.

“I want to see you, I really do-“ he stuttered, clenching the railing hard enough to hear the wood crack.

“But?” She questioned, eyebrows raising in concern.

“I’m-fuck-“ Kiba slammed his fist against the railing, causing a fracture. She gasped, stepping backwards. “I’m like-I’m in our clan’s version of heat, alright? And I didn’t want you to see me this way, and it’ll be over in a few days, so you should go and I’ll come see you later. Okay?”

Hinata’s eyes were wide as she stared up at his form, him resisting looking at her. His chest tightened as her scent morphed beneath his very nose. When she first arrived, he could smell her excitement and anticipation. Those were both still present, but now he could smell her arousal.

Oh no.

“Can I….help?” She slowly stepped up the stairs, one by one, and he let out an annoyed chuckle.

“Nope. Nope, nope, nope, Hinata-“ He held out his hand in a stop motion, but she continued on. He finally looked at her and she was really testing his control. Her eyelids hooded those beautiful orbs, her lip between her teeth, she even pushed one side of her hair back to expose her neck.

Holy shit, is she trying to make me lose it?

“Hina-“ his voice was strained “-it’s kind of-it’s kind of gross, but I’m like…really fertile right now, and-and if you keep this up-“ he stepped back from her, his entire body feeling like it was on fire “-I can’t promise I won’t-I’m just gonna cum in you like ten times in a row-seriously-Hina-“

“Maybe I…I’d like that.”

Oh no, no, no.

She had essentially backed him into the wall by his door, her chest barely rubbing against his. “I told you I’d come home to you, didn’t I?” His eyes widened, eyebrows raised in confusion.

“This is not like you, Hinata.” He choked out, hands tight behind his back as he stared down at her with wonder. The attitude change was testing him-goddamnit was it testing him. Her face reddened as she averted her eyes, stepping back slightly.

“I-I missed you, Kiba…” she whispered, twisting her hands together before looking back up at him. Her confidence was slowly leaving her, but she pushed. “I just didn’t want to be away from you.”

“Damnit.” He huffed out before quickly wrapping his fingers around her hips, flipping her around so they were switched, and she was against the wall. She gasped in surprise, but a smile formed against her cheeks despite it. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid his hands under her thighs, pulling her legs up around him and shoving her forcefully against the wall. He held off from kissing her, scanning her face. He was dead serious, and the lack of any happiness on his expression showed it. “Do you want this?” He needed to hear it.

“I want this.” She spoke confidently and he let out a frustrated growl, screwing his eyes shut.

“Fuck, Hinata-“ She cut him off by sliding her lips over his and he groaned into them. He urgently reached down and pushed her panties aside, sliding two digits inside forcefully, causing her to gasp as she pulled away. He quieted her by covering her lips with his and forcing his tongue passed them. As he pumped his fingers in and out of her, he desperately wanted to free his cock and shove himself inside of her, but knew she wasn't ready for it yet. He needed her to be wet, and his patience was wearing thin. With a sigh of frustration, he tore his mouth from hers and dropped her legs to the ground, then fell to his knees and pulled her panties to the ground.

"Kiba!" she gasped as he settled his hands between her knees, forcefully shoving them apart and got to work on her clit with his tongue, sliding his fingers back inside of her. He groaned against her when her fingers began threading in his hair, clutching for life. He could hear her sweet moans now, and he made him ache. He needed her, now. He could feel her slick starting to run down his fingers, and decided it was enough, because if he didn't get what he needed now, he would lose whatever control he had left. In a few swift motions, he was back on his feet and had his arms under her knees, urgently pulling his boxers down to free his aching cock.

"Needed you wet and ready," he mumbled against her jawline as he positioned himself against her before forcefully thrusting himself inside, eliciting a high pitched moan from her. It took every he had not to leave a dent in the wall with her body. His fingertips pushed into her ass cheeks as he shoved in and out, sliding his mouth over the area of her neck she had exposed for him. He sunk his teeth in, her load moans against his ear like ecstasy. “You have no idea what you’ve done,” he snarled into her neck before leaving another mark. When he felt her shoulder rise as if to push him off, he grabbed the back of her hair, tangling his fingers in her long locks, and yanked, hard. Whatever control he had left was gone as he felt himself getting closer. A gasp escaped him now when he felt her fingernails dig into his shoulders, and he lost himself in her. He gave a stifled moan as he felt himself cum inside, her scratching pushing him over the edge. He burrowedhis fingers deeper into her skin, making sure he was leaving marks on her as he pumped everything he had into her. She collapsed against him, her forehead resting on his collarbone as his breathing slowed, his head clearing just a bit.

“Kiba…” she panted, her fingernails releasing from his skin.

With a shuddered breath, he asked her, “are you okay?”

“Y-yes,” she sighed distantly.

“Good,” his voice lowered against her neck, “because I’m nowhere near done with you.” He loosened his grip just a bit before kicking his door open and dropping her on his bed. He slammed his door shut and bolted back to the bed, hastily pulling her her dress off. When he had her naked in front of him, a small whine escaped him.

Wait.

He rubbed the back of his head, managing to restrain himself as she propped herself up on her elbows, her knees together. He had to do his due diligence with her. “I’m serious, Hina. That was like, less than a tenth of what I have built up.” Her breathing was still trembled, and his cock twitched when he watched her slowly open her knees up in front of him. His eyebrows cinched together as his eyes dropped to her cunt, dripping white with his cum.

Good lord, this woman.

He instinctively wrapped his hand around his cock and bit the inside of his cheek in a poor attempt to restrain himself. He nearly ripped the flesh from it with his teeth when she reached a hand down to touch herself. He shook his head, breath catching in his throat as his eyes followed her hand, her sliding a finger over her opening and rubbing the cum over it. He gulped, then looked up at her eyes, and the pure lust emanating from her drove him over the edge.

He grabbed her hips and flipped her around to her knees, positioning himself against her. He leaned down, lips against her ear, “let’s hope you aren’t assigned a mission any time soon." He rubbed the tip of his cock against her lips, reveling in the little mewl she let out in response. "You’re not going to be able to walk for a fucking week.”

He thrust himself inside of her until the stubble of his cock met her lips. He groaned as she gave him a high-pitched moan, nearly a scream. He reached around and slid two fingers over her clit, rubbing in circles as he pumped in and out of her. With his other arm, he held her up just as her arms gave out, refusing to let her lay down. He trailed his fangs from the back of her neck up to her ear as she whined, cupping one of her breasts with his hand and tweaking at her nipple. His voice was low, she almost didn’t recognize it when he spoke, “you still want this?” He pumped faster and harder into her, eliciting louder, breathier moans every time. “Tell me you want this, Hinata,” he growled, slamming into her more and more urgently.

“Y-Yes Kiba-oh-I want this-“ she choked out as his hand glided from her breast up to her mouth, rubbing his forefinger against her lips. She parted them for him and let him slide his finger between her teeth. He groaned when she gently bit down, wrapping her lips around it, muffling her panting. He continued rubbing the nub of her clit, feeling himself getting close again.

“Bite me, sweetheart,” he breathed in her ear, almost a whine, as he begged, “please-“ He buried his nose into her neck as she obeyed, sinking her teeth into the skin of his finger. “Yes-fuck Hinata-“ now his pitch was raising as he felt her cunt tighten around him, milking him as he slid out and shoved back in one more time. He nearly collapsed onto her but managed to steady himself with the hand that had been working on her clit. When she fell forward, burying her face into her arms in the sheets below, he pulled his other hand around her hip, pulling her in to bury his cock inside of her. He felt his stomach tighten when he realized he was still painfully hard inside of her despite just cumming for nearly a minute, for the second time inside of her.

“K-Kiba-“ she stuttered, panting into the blankets below. He wrapped his arm around her stomach and pressed his chest into her back, laying kisses along her shoulder blades in a small moment of pure fondness.

“You’re so good, Hinata,” he whispered against her skin, massaging the area he had been clenching on her hip, “so fucking good…”

“Y-you’re not done, are you?” She raised her head to look back at him over her shoulder, offering an exhausted smile. He lifted his head to meet her lips and roughly grabbed her chin, locking his lips with hers and darting his tongue teasingly between her lips before pulling away.

“No where near.” In another swift motion, he let go of her, this time falling onto his back and pulling her on top of him. She let out a tired giggle as she grabbed his shoulders, allowing him to move her wherever he pleased. He positioned his cock under her opening and yanked her down, pulling her chest against his as he fucked into her, little gasps and whines escaping her as he did. He grabbed the back of her hair and yanked her head back, grabbing her bottom lip with his teeth and sucking. When she let out a choked moan, he chuckled and released her lip, moving his mouth over her ear and running his tongue over her lobe, growling, “you’re gonna take every last drop.”

[kiljoius]

Trapped In My Mind - Chapter 1

Ao3 | FFN

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Chapter 1: Don't Belong

Pairing: Kiba Inuzuka/Hinata Hyūga

Summary: “Hinata…” Naruto spoke quietly, scanning her face. He hesitantly moved forward before opening his arms. Her stomach did somersaults, her heart shot into her throat. It took everything she had, every ounce of will power not to pass out. No, her second instinct was to turn on her heel and bolt. Run far, far away…

A girl in love is a fool.

Word Count: 4.9k

Rating: M

It had been six years since the conclusion of the war. It had also been six years since Neji was killed. It had been two years since Naruto proposed to Sakura. It had also been two years since Hinata let her feet carry her wherever they may go. With the permission of Kakashi, she set out to forget, for as long as it would take. And now it was time to come home.

She stood in front of the gates of the Leaf, a sense of dread filling her chest. If she knew any better, she would turn on her heel and just run. Run and return to her travels. She had been to so many different lands, cities and towns, tiny villages and forests, deserts, and tundra. Looking for any sense of escape. She set out to forget, but never could. What a foolish endeavor she had set out on, thinking that worldly traveling could heal the ache in her heart.

A woman in love is a fool.

Her father told her as much. He promised her she would be happy with whoever he chose for her, and to quit dwelling on subjects beneath them. She knew if she could win over Naruto, her father would never be able to say no to being married to the Hero of the Leaf, of the entire war. Her heartbreak when she realized it would never happen was twofold. She lost her brother, then she was losing the love of her life, and finally, she was losing her freedom.

So she ran. As soon as she was granted permission, she ran as long as she could, outside the bounds of the Leaf, outside the bounds of the Land of Fire. Running, running, for hours. Until her feet were bloody when she found an inn on the outskirts of the Waterfall village, right before the official checkpoint for entering. There, she rested for a night, before going even farther. She knew she had to go far away to ensure her father wouldn’t find her. Years passed before she received a messenger hawk informing her of Hanabi’s impending wedding. Then she knew it was time to return.

Still, her feet were planted to the ground below her. Until she heard a familiar voice.

“Is that Hinata Hyūga?”

She swallowed thickly, willing her eyes to scan for the voice.

“It is! I’d recognize those eyes and that hair anywhere!”

She gasped as she felt herself become locked in the arms of another.

Whoa. It had been a long time since she had been touched by another human, beyond the simple exchange of currency and goods.

“Rock Lee,” Hinata breathed into his chest, not having the energy to pull away. He had a kind heart, so she let him embrace her. His crushing hug soon relented, and he stepped away, dipping his head to scan her face.

“You cut your hair! It looks very nice!” Lee bowed and Hinata couldn’t even muster a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Did you just get here? You must be tired! Would you like me to escort you to the Hyūga compound?” Lee’s questions and comments were lightning fast, it almost dizzied her.

“No, thank you. Would you please keep my arrival quiet, Lee?” she managed to force out, still not looking at him.

“Oh-of course! I’ll leave you be.” Lee bowed once more before tilting his head questioningly at the older Hyūga. She was…different. She was cold, her voice lower and gaze unforgiving. He frowned just a bit before leaping away.

Hinata was home. If she could call it that, anymore.

-

The moment she approached the Hyūga compound, all eyes were on her. Hushed whispers, eyes flittering back and forth over her. Her gaze was locked ahead, her destination known. She attempted to force thoughts of Neji down as she strolled through the turns of the compound until she found Hanabi’s room, a guard placed in front. She had to do this quickly, or she knew she would falter. The guard glanced at her and straightened immediately.

“L-Lady Hinata!” he gasped, clutching his hands behind his back, “what a pleasure to see you once more.”

“Is my sister in?” she questioned without looking at him, eyes locked on the door. He swallowed.

“Uhm-well-have you-have you spoken with your father, yet?” he stammered, bowing his head.

“I have not.”

“Perhaps you should.”

“Hm?” Hinata finally spared him a glance, a questioning brow.

“Lady Hanabi…is not here, right now. I cannot speak further on the matter, unfortunately.” He finally straightened his shoulders, speaking with confidence. “I am sure your father will explain. Please.”

“Very well…” Hinata let a small sigh escape as she turned.

Her father was not someone she wanted to confront at this time. He strongly opposed her retreat. He told her she would be disowned if she left. She dared him and did just that. She received no correspondence from the elder Hyūga. So, she carried on. She wondered if he would stick to that threat.

When she approached his office, the familiar ball of knots began forming in her gut. The two guards on either side of the sliding door stiffened at her approach. She raised her eyebrows at them, and they both nodded and bowed, one giving a light knock on the door. At the summons, the guard spoke shortly. “Lady Hinata is here to see you.”

Silence.

“Let her know I am busy now. She may try another time.”

“Father,” she sighed, too quiet. The guards clenched their hands behind their backs as the tension thickly rose. She cleared her throat and took one step forward. “Father.”

Silence. She hummed in annoyance, stepping once more.

“Father!” She finally found her voice, fists balling. She never had confidence like this in front of her father, but she was new and different. She heard shuffling from the other side of the door.

“Send her in.”

“Lady Hinata.” The guard opening the door bowed as she strolled past, locking milky eyes with milky eyes. The door shut quickly behind her as Hiashi glared up at her, jaw locked, fingers clasped in front of him.

“My eldest finally returns.”

“Your eldest?” she asked, frowning. “I am not your daughter, am I?”

“Hm.” Hiashi turned his head from her, unused to this level of backtalk from her.

“Where is Hanabi?”

“That is a Hyūga matter.”

“I am a Hyūga.”

Silence once more. It was now a staring competition, who would look away first. She held her ground, unmoving. Finally, she spoke once more.

“I am Hanabi’s elder sister. I demand to know where she is, and what you’ve put her up to.”

Hiashi considered her words. “She is in Kirigakure.”

“The mist? Why?”

“That is none of your business, girl,” he spoke coolly, turning his head from her.

“You’re wedding her off, aren’t you? To someone in the Mist? A diplomat, I’m sure.” Hinata felt her hands tremble as she spoke up against her father. His icy eyes shot into hers like an arrow and she felt herself recoil slightly.

“You’ve abandoned your family and you are privileged to even have this information at your disposal. You may leave.”

Hinata glared upon her father. He wed her off. He wed her off just like he wanted to wed herself off. Even if she was to be clan leader, with great power, she couldn’t even stop the clan from wedding her off. She knew Hanabi’s spirit was too fiery to let this happen. They must have done something.

“Good day, father.”

She stormed out of the office, shooting a glare at the two guards as they nervously looked on. She let out a frustrated sigh once she was out of the compound, pressing her fingers to her temples.

She needed to know more. Perhaps she knew where to start.

-

A single gasp was uttered when Hinata approached the desk of the assistant to the Hokage. No one sat behind it, but a certain pony-tailed individual sat on the windowsill with a cigarette in hand, eyeing her. She folded her arms and looked blankly at him as he dabbed it out.

“H-Hinata?” He clamored out of the sill, trying to right himself in front of her. He moved unsurely towards her. “It’s you, right?”

“It is me,” she sighed, averting her eyes. She hated the way everyone was so surprised to see her, but why shouldn’t she expect it? She had been gone for two years. If Kakashi were to be trusted, which she knew he was, no one would have known why or for what.

“Are you here to see Naruto?” He asked, tilting his head to look at her. She shot her eyes up, a visible grimace on her expression. Naruto? No… She clenched her teeth as she looked out the window he had been perched on, finding construction workers tapping away at the spot next to Kakashi’s face on the Hokage mountain. She hadn’t even noticed, really. He continued, a look of realization dawning on him, “right…you’ve been gone. You probably didn’t know…”

“Shikamaru.” She scoffed, looking him in the eye. “Please let our Hokage know I am here to speak with them.”

“Uhm-sure.” Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He slipped into the office quietly. The walls were well insulated, so she did not hear what they discussed. A few beats later, and he emerged, holding the door open for her. She sucked in a sharp breath, already knowing what awaited her. She counted to three in her head, then confidently walked in, locking eyes with those big, blue orbs.

“Hinata…” Naruto spoke quietly, scanning her face. He hesitantly moved forward before opening his arms. Her stomach did somersaults, her heart shot into her throat. It took everything she had, every ounce of will power not to pass out. No, her second instinct was to turn on her heel and bolt. Run far, far away…

She took a step backwards, averting her eyes in a way that betrayed her fake confidence. “Lord Hokage. I am here to discuss my sister,” Hinata managed to force out, all her confidence in one sentence, only to slowly leave her. His arms dropped. She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye and noted his shorter hair, his white robes, his hat sitting on the desk. He was the Hokage. A few moments passed as Naruto seemed to evaluate her as well, then nodded.

“Right, of course. Whatever you wanna know, I’ll tell ya.” Naruto’s boyish attitude hadn’t left him yet as he beamed down at her despite her cool demeanor. He circled back to his desk, plopping himself down into the chair behind it. “A lot’s been going on, so let me know what you need to know.”

“All of it.” She said quickly before eyeing him and he seemed to shrink under her gaze. She softened just a bit at his worried expression, clenching her fists in an attempt at keeping her fingers from poking together. Her gaze fell to the ground, the sight of him almost too much to bear. “Please. What is happening with the Hyūga? My sister.”

“Oh.” Naruto’s lips lifted, then twisted as he contemplated his words. “She’s marrying Konohamaru!”

“What?” Hinata froze, eyes locked on the ground. He nodded enthusiastically.

“I mean, it’s technically an arranged marriage almost, but they were dating before it happened.” Naruto looked up thoughtfully. “I’m not keen on every detail, but it was something like—your father didn’t want to see her dating around, so kinda arranged for them to get married. Worked out cause, well, he is grandson of old man third, right? Seemed suitable. They seem happy, though?”

“Why do you question that last sentence, Lord Hokage?”

Naruto audibly gulped. This was not the Hinata he once knew. “I-I dunno. You know, arranged marriages are kind of…sticky, silly. Stupid even. But I can’t argue with Hyūga.”

His words rolled around in her mind. She stopped to properly analyze them. Her sister was to take over, her father seemed to deem Konohamaru a good fit, and they seem happy, according to Naruto. He also said he can’t argue with Hyūga. Too bad he didn’t have that same view when she confessed her entire soul to him.

Suddenly, she felt tired. She fell into the chair across from him and Naruto frowned, eyebrows raised in concern. “Hinata?”

“Give me a minute, please.” She whispered, hand to her forehead as she leaned forward, studying the room and Naruto.

His hair was shorter. He was a bit taller, a bit less toned. She supposed it made sense with his transition to Hokage, mostly at his desk. Bags under his eyes, calloused hand, but still those bright eyes. Those bright eyes she melted into whenever she caught his gaze. Bright eyes that encouraged her, pushed her forward. Bright eyes that let her down as gently as he possibly could. Bright eyes that darkened hers. She tore hers away, suffering that sickly feeling in her gut.

None of that mattered now. What mattered was her sister, and her well-being. There was no time to worry about her former love. Still her love—but she was trying her best not to dwell on that fact. It was time to get the information she needed and leave. Immediately. Or else she probably would pass out.

“And do you know why she might be in the Mist?” She eventually spoke, not looking at him.

“Yeah, some diplomatic thing your dad sent her to in his place.” He nodded.

Finally, she stood. Naruto followed her lead and stood as well. “Thank you, Lord Hokage.”

“Anytime, Lady Hinata.” He teased, grinning at her. She glanced up at him and frowned before turning her eyes from him. She bowed, deeply, before turning.

“One more thing, if I may.” She whispered. He hummed at her to continue. “Where is Kakashi?”

“Vacation.” She grimaced at this, but nodded, moving to leave. He cleared his throat before calling after her, “hey! You wanna catch up sometime? At Ichiraku’s? I’m pretty busy but I could make time-“

“I can’t, unfortunately,” she whispered, looking at the ground. At one point in her life, the simple gesture would send her heart into the sky and her body into the ground. Now, all she could feel was overwhelming sadness, her heart full of lead. He let out a small whine at her forwardness. “But thank you. Goodbye.”

She marched through the door, avoiding Shikamaru’s gaze. She needed time to think about this.

-

As the sun shrunk under the earth, Hinata sucked in her teeth in front of Ichiraku’s. The mention of it made Hinata’s stomach growl, and she couldn’t deny that she missed it. Teuchi had greeted her with a warm smile and offered a bowl on the house, but she still paid for a few extra bowls. Now she was faced with deciding where she would go for the night. She huffed a sigh; she had thought about this on her journey here. There was one place she always knew she could go.

She carried herself through the village, thankful that she hadn’t stumbled into anyone else that might question her, until she met the Sarutobi clan symbol upon a large door. She took a deep breath as she clapped the knocker, unknowingly holding the breath in. Then those crimson eyes met hers and she finally released the breath.

“Oh-Hinata?!” She felt herself gathered into a hug by her former sensei and let her head rest on her chest. “Come in, please!”

She nodded as she was released, following Kurenai inside. Immediately, she was forced into a seat at the dining table next to an excited young girl, and hot tea was pushed in front of her. She controlled her breathing as she reached for the handle of the cup and brought it to her lips. Konoha tea. It had been a while. Finally, she turned to meet Mirai’s eyes and her breath hitched. When she had left, she was just barely beginning to form sentences. A little girl now sat in front of her, eyeing her with enthusiasm. “Do you remember big sister Hinata, Mirai?”

“No,” Mirai said honestly, but with a wide smile. “You have pretty hair.” Hinata managed a little smile at the girl. She looked nothing like the toddler she remembered, but her cheekbones reminded her of Asuma.

“You have pretty eyes,” Hinata whispered, her heart feeling a little lighter with the normalcy of the interaction. The girl giggled and turned away, back to her food.

“It’s been so long,” Kurenai started, pulling up the chair opposite her, breaking her from her thoughts, “two years is it? You never visit, the only reason we knew you weren’t dead was Kakashi’s assurance.”

“I apologize,” Hinata replied politely. Kurenai waved her hand with a smile.

“I’m just elated to see you, dear. How have you been?”

“Well.”

“Well?” She chuckled with amusement before pulling her shoulders back. “Alright then. What brings you back?”

“Mmm.” Hinata contemplated whether she wanted to share this information with Kurenai. “Just felt like a good time to come back for a bit.”

“I’m sure your father was…pleased to see you.” Kurenai gave a tight smile and Hinata couldn’t hold back a small chuckle.

“You know my father…he’s never pleased.” Hinata cleared her throat. “I was actually wondering if I may impose on you tonight.”

“Stay here? Of course.” Kurenai responded quickly, glancing at a far door. “Your room is mostly the same, except some of Mirai’s toys are in there.”

“It is?” Hinata’s voice was a little surprised. Kurenai nodded.

“Have you seen anybody else yet? Shino’s missed you.” She moved the conversation forward. Hinata bowed her head. Shino. Hinata sighed at the thought of her team. She deeply missed them, but was unsure of how to face them having up and taken off so quickly, no warning. While she wanted to see them, she hoped she could take care of her business and leave without doing so.

“Just my father and you…and Lord Hokage.”

“Oh.” Kurenai’s smile dropped, realizing this was news to Hinata. Thick silence fell over the room, all except Mirai’s noisy slurping of her soup.

“He seems well.” Hinata managed to force out, looking back up at Kurenai. Kurenai frowned at the girl in front of her, so different from the one she used to know. She seemed so far away despite being just a few feet from her. “I am happy he achieved his dream.”

“It was all he could talk about, wasn’t it?” Kurenai smiled sadly at her, reaching across the table for a hand that was not there. “Are you alright, Hinata?”

“Tired,” she responded simply, sipping the tea. “Thank you for the tea. Would it be alright if I retire for the night?”

“Oh, of course.” Kurenai nodded, getting to her feet. “I have no idea where you came from but it must’ve been pretty far for no one to have detected you for two years.”

“Hmm,” Hinata hummed once more, also standing. She followed Kurenai to the room where she quickly grabbed a few things for Mirai out of it.

“You know where everything is. If you need a shower or any food, feel free.” Kurenai smiled sweetly down at her former student, who stared blankly at the bed. “This is still your home, too.”

“Thank you, sensei,” Hinata whispered as Kurenai quietly exited, softly shutting the door behind her.

Hinata let out a much-needed breath as she turned to sit on her old bed. She looked around the room. It really was mostly the same, just some children’s items sporadically placed. Her book of pressed flowers was open to a violet, a nightlight sat next to it. She wondered if Kurenai was showing them to Mirai. A bin of toys next to her dresser. Some children’s books were scattered across her reading area, next to her history books.

She shut her eyes and crawled into her bed, fully clothed. She would seek out Konohamaru tomorrow. Sleep took her within moments.

-

She dreamed of Hanabi. She dreamed of a faceless man she was to marry. She dreamed of Hanabi and her father walking down an aisle together, surrounded by Hyūga. Hanabi’s face was in a painful smile, her father’s face completely stoic. The faceless man took her hand, and she recoiled as he bended down to kiss her, finalizing their matrimony. She dreamt of blood trickling out of his mouth as he pulls away from Hanabi, and Hinata’s palm is against his lower back. When she peers over his shoulder, Hanabi is no longer Hanabi. She sees herself, to be wed, while Hanabi smiles from the distance, hand in Konohamaru’s.

She awakened to chatter. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes, blinking away sleep as sunlight poured over her. She strained her ear to listen, recognizing Kurenai’s voice.

Right. She’s at Kurenai’s.

After stretching, she moved to the door. Then she heard a second voice, not one of a child, but of a man. She had company. Hinata frowned as she reluctantly opened the door, stepping out to find Shikamaru at the dining table, chatting with Kurenai. The chatter ceased with her presence, and Shikamaru raised his eyebrows up at her.

“Oh-sorry.” Shikamaru moved to stand, but Kurenai waved him down.

“It’s just Hinata, Shikamaru. It’s alright, isn’t it, Hinata?” Kurenai looked to Hinata with a warm smile.

“I was just about to leave, anyway.” Hinata nodded, trying to make way for the door. Shikamaru beckoning of her name stopped her.

“Hey…I know you’re probably gonna take off again soon.” Hinata spun around at his words, squinting her eyes at him in a glare. He recoiled slightly but continued. “But I really think you should stop by Shino’s to see him. He’s been pretty lonely lately, and he misses you guys.”

“You guys?” Hinata repeated, her face relaxing into one of mild confusion.

“Oh, yeah. Kiba’s been gone a few months on a mission,” Shikamaru clarified. Hinata frowned. Shino had been alone for at least a few months. One of the things that made her question leaving was her team. They had such a tight bond, she felt guilty breaking it. But at least Kiba and Shino had each other, so she could feel secure in that. But Shino, by far the most…needy, for lack of a better term, had been left on his own. She hoped he would have found other companionship by now. Shikamaru cleared his throat. “It would be really nice of you to check on him.”

“Mmm...” Hinata hummed with a frown. She glanced at Kurenai and realized she might be the best source of information on Konohamaru. “Do either of you happen to know where Konohamaru would be?”

Both perked eyebrows at her request, and Kurenai spoke up. “He’s usually at training ground 12 if he’s not on a mission. I don’t believe he’s on one today.” She nodded before making her leave.

As the door shut behind her, Hinata shook her head. She didn’t want to stay, but couldn’t deny Shikamaru’s request. She would go see Shino. But first, Konohamaru.

She meandered through the village until she reached the training grounds. She looked ahead at training ground 8 and swallowed with a frown. Many days were spent there with Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino. It was almost painful to recall such happy moments she felt she could never get back. As she continued, observing several genin and chuunin teams sparring together, she reached 12 and found, as Kurenai said, Konohamaru training by himself.

Decidedly, she stood in the distance to observe him. He was probably about 19 now, she figured, a little older than Hanabi. He had grown an immense amount since she last saw him, and his jutsu was impressive. Her eyes widened as he effortlessly summoned a rasengan with fire style applied to it, and obliterated the training body in front of him. The impact was forceful enough to blow her hair back. She had never seen Naruto do something like that. After impact, she watched as he clapped his hands and turned to the entrance of the grounds, spotting her. She pulled her shoulders back as he tilted his head at her, mouth agape.

“Lady Hinata?” he called, cautiously approaching. As they got closer, Hinata gave a short nod. He looked tremendously uncomfortable. “Wh-what are you doing here? I mean-what brings you? I mean-well-“

“I was told my sister is being wed,” she said, plainly. Once they were a few feet away, they stopped, toe to toe, and he couldn’t have looked more awkward if he tried. “To you?”

“I really wish she was here…” He chuckled, averting his eyes. “Out of all the times for you to come back, she’s gone!” A nervous hand rubbed the back of his neck, feeling those Hyūga eye’s bore a hole into him. Hinata was patient, and she intended on letting him do the talking. “I mean, yeah. We’re engaged, I guess. We were just dating, but your dad is…persuasive.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m happy about it, of course! I really love your sister.”

“Do you?” Hinata took a step forward, tilting her head at him. “Or are you just following along with my father’s will?”

“No!” Konohamaru waved his hands, finally looking at her. “I was thinking of proposing anyway! I’m really happy with her…”

Hinata let out a relieved puff of air. She couldn’t deny that Konohamaru wasn’t on her radar for potential grooms for her sister, but he was certainly one of the best she could have hoped for. “Well, alright…” She shifted on her feet, dropping her eyes to the ground. “As long as she’s happy.”

“I’m trying.” He stepped forward, feeling a little more confident in front of the elder Hyūga now. “We mission together a lot. She’s taught me a lot of new jutsus, and I’ve taught her a lot—or, well I’ve tried, but she’s…something else…” She watched as his eyes drifted upwards, something like admiration in them that she had to admit was sweet. “We’re actually really strong together.” He chuckled, dipping his head to see if he could catch her eyes. “Are you staying, Lady Hinata? Hanabi misses you, a lot.”

She pondered his words. He seemed so sincere, she couldn’t deny him. “You may address me as Hinata.” He grinned down at her as she raised to meet him. She turned away to begin her trek to Shino’s. “I will see you around, Honorable Grandson.”

“Call me Konohamaru!” He called back playfully as she quickly walked into the distance, satisfied for now.

-

The layout of the village still memorized after it’s rebuilding, she found her way to Shino’s within minutes. With effort, she knocked on the door to the Aburame household. She was greeted by Shibi, who, if he was surprised, did not show it. He simply welcomed her in and went to fetch Shino from his study. Hinata stood awkwardly in the middle of the living quarters she once knew so well. Many days were spent here with Shino and Kiba, planning missions, or just enjoying each other’s company. She felt like a foreigner now.

Hinata raised her eyes when she heard soft footsteps, and met those of Shino’s shaded ones. He stopped in the doorway, seemingly frozen. For Shino, she would attempt to smile. She strained herself as she upturned her lips, glancing at his hands as they curled into fists.

“Hinata,” he choked out, relaxing his hands.

“Shino,” she responded, swallowing. The sight of him was actually the first welcome one so far. She loved Kurenai for everything she had done for her, but conversing with her was something she had dreaded. She knew her dear teammate wouldn’t question her, simply accept her. So she moved to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead on his buttoned jacket. She let a relieved sigh slip out when his arms returned the hug. They stood, embraced, for a few minutes. When she went to pull, she felt Shino resist a moment.

“It’s been two years, Hinata.” Shino’s voice sounded tense as he looked down at her, hands on her shoulders. She forced herself to look up at him, nodding.

“I…I have to go, again. I just wanted to see you before I left.” Hinata regretted the pained look on Shino’s face, eyebrows raising and drawing together, a hint of a frown underneath his collar. She pulled from his grasp, making for the exit. “I’m sorry.”

“Kiba’s due back in two days.”

Hinata sighed.

“I can’t stay, Shino.”

“Please.”

She paused, frowning.

“Whatever’s wrong, we can fix it…together. Why? Because we’re a team, Hinata…we always will be.”

Something felt tight in her chest at those words. Shino’s demeanor was always calm and collected, when he showed emotion, it touched her differently.

“You can stay here. The guest room is open.” His voice started to sound a tad frantic, uncharacteristic for Shino. “It’s just two days.” Her shoulders heaved with a large sigh.

Two more days, truly, she did not want to wait. But she couldn’t deny the sentiment. And she couldn’t deny that it actually felt good to be in Shino’s presence. And she couldn’t deny her desire to see Kiba.

Two days.

[neallo]

apropos nothing but what drives me rly crazy is when something is a rarepair that SHOULDN'T BE RARE!!! kibahina should be one of the top m/f naruto ships change my mind........

[tired-biscuit]

Twenty-three Minutes

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: hinata hyūga/kiba inuzuka

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: slightly suggestive content, but nothing too explicit. mutual pining, friends to lovers.

𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 6.8k+

𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: During a prolonged game of seven minutes in heaven, previously sheltered feelings come to light between two friends.

FOR a woman so passionate about clothes and all things fashionable, it comes to no surprise that Ino Yamanaka’s closet ends up being pretty cramped.

Filled with towers upon towers of shoeboxes and a seemingly never-ending row of hangers that all contain pricey jackets, thick sweaters and colourful skirts most of Konoha has yet to see her wear, the already tight space feels even more excruciatingly small when accommodated by a single person, much less two. 

Especially if one of those people is a rather tall and burly man, who cannot for the life of him keep still, and the other one is a woman whose anxiety – invoked by that very same man, albeit unintentionally – makes her fidget all over the place, no matter that she so desperately attempts to make herself seem smaller than she actually is.

To be fair, Hinata has good reason to be nervous. During a round of seven minutes of heaven she had never actually agreed to playing with her very, very intoxicated group of friends, the poor – and completely sober – Hyūga had somehow ended up shoved inside a closet with no one other than Kiba; her former teammate and friend. 

And much to her astonished surprise, he’s felt more than just that as of late. 

Hence the anxiety. And speaking of the dreadful thing, Hinata’s breathing is ragged now as she assesses the current situation she’s wound up in. 

Let’s see. She’s all alone in the dark with him – the man she has a mellow, albeit steadily growing crush on. His arm is touching her own with the close proximity. He’s been giving her fleeting glances the entire night. Smiling even more sweetly at her than usual, too; the signature feral grin growing larger and larger with every downed drink.

I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous?

Staring at the sheer, sparkly fabric, which she assumes belongs to a dress of some wicked style she’d never dare wear herself, Hinata attempts to calm down her wild heartbeat by channeling her focus on wondering how such an outrageous number of outfits can possibly belong to one single person.

All right, the person in question is Ino Yamanaka… but still. Surely even a woman like her would have some sort of limit? Right?

Judging by the slight crinkle of his nose when she reaches out to touch the shimmering dress as a failed attempt to seem busy, Kiba seems to be thinking the exact same thing.

“Damn, this place is fuckin’ drenched in perfume, huh,” his gruff voice reaches her ears all of a sudden, the familiar drawl to lace it even more prominent because of the fact that he’s ever so slightly tipsy. 

Hinata merely blinks at the curse, seemingly unfazed by it. Over time, she’s learned that all Inuzuka talk in the same crude way; sharp and straight to the point, despite the tendency of swallowing down most of the words as if they can’t be bothered to say them in their entirety. 

And yet, they still put in the extra effort to keep them as blunt as possible every chance they get. 

Back in the day when they had been mere Genin, Hinata had been shocked to hear what filthy vocabulary Kiba opted to use on the norm right there – amongst elders and other children alike. 

She remembers it quite clearly, actually. Being so, so worried about what his mother might think of it if she were to catch him using that kind of coarse language. However after meeting Tsume and spending a single afternoon inside her home with Shino, her worries proved to be entirely unnecessary. After all, the moment the clan leader had opened her mouth, it made sense where Kiba had picked up the habit from.

But now, after spending so many years in his company and going on missions, running errands with him and reporting to the Hokage, she’s grown used to it – somewhat. 

If she looks past the rudeness, the way he speaks is almost one of his more likeable features. Right next to his messy brown hair, of course. And his wide smile that he only brings forth whenever he feels like it, as well as the dimples in his cheeks, and the red fang markings that accompany the grin.

Looking at it now, his grin still remains boyish even if he’s no longer the ditzy boy she’s always known him as. After all, standing in that boy’s place is a grown man, now. A fully capable man; a Jōnin with experience underneath his belt – no, not in that way!

Christ. Where had all the years gone? Hadn’t she been participating in low-ranked missions with him and Shino just yesterday?

Speaking of years, it had taken Hinata plenty to acknowledge the change, to force herself to admit that he’s grown into a person she could admire in more ways than one. Especially now, as she turns to look at her former teammate from underneath her lashes, and realizes that the childish roundness of his face and the insolent upturn of his nose have long since disappeared. 

Because as far as appearance goes: Kiba has become all sharp and precise lines; all high cheekbones and an equally defined jaw. He’s got these piercing eyes that have the power to pin her down with just one look alone, and full lips that hide a rather dangerous set of teeth she’s never been afraid of – never. 

Where her body gently curves, his own cuts. His skin is also darker than hers; tan and sun-kissed, like the sun itself appreciates the fact that he’s willing to walk under it, while it turns her red in return, mocking her by making her look like a damned sea crab. 

But it’s not just his looks that have changed. He’s also become more attentive towards others, more easy-going with the passing years, too. The war had changed him, had turned him calmer and gotten rid of most of his immature foolishness, whilst it stirred and riled her up in return. 

It’s nothing to fret about, though – his sudden calmness. He’s still got that snarky attitude that always made the hair on the nape of her neck stand to attention, sometimes in a bad way, other times not as much – he’s got plenty of it, actually. However, the only difference is that he’s also got the whip to tame it into submission whenever the need calls for it, now.

Submission. 

The word lingers in her head for a tiny bit. Unlike her, Kiba had always been the exact opposite of it. More of the domineering sort. But now, standing in this tight space with him; sharing every single one of her breaths with him and feeling the warmth that just won’t stop radiating from his body, she can’t help but wonder if he’s also like that during… during…

Hinata’s pulse turns erratic once more as treacherous heat creeps up her pale neck and stains her equally as white cheeks with the sudden rush of blood to pool everywhere inside her body. Her thoughts run haywire for a second, and as if on cue, she feels Kiba move again. 

The sleeve of his forest green sweater brushes against her cream-coloured one with the movement. She swears that she can feel that wretched heat of him right through the thick layers of cotton they’ve both donned on to fight the unsuspecting cold autumn had brought upon the village. Swears that she can feel it scorch her skin.

“Hina?” As if he can sense the change within her, Kiba also turns to look at her, now. Unlike her, he moves with his entire body; all until the middle of his chest – his heart – is pointing right towards her. As if the call for help she’s silently emitting is too strong for him to ignore, he unknowingly offers her his undivided attention just from the way he stands now.

He has always been like that, ever since they were kids. Always so open and transparent with his thoughts and emotions, he had always been there – right by her side. Soap-sliver thin, translucent. Relentlessly urging her to grow stronger and strive for something big, something special; not once had Kiba turned his back on her, whilst so many others did. 

Like her father, for example. And Neji, back when the anger he’d felt for their entire clan had been unfortunately misplaced and aimed towards her instead. 

Neji. The bridge between her and her cousin had been repaired at some point, a kernel of hope starting to take root somewhere deep within her as they at long last met at the middle of it. She grew; prospered. But then the war had happened, and its cruel wrath had taken Neji from her for a second time – this time with no chances of ever binding back the ropes that held that bridge together. 

She’d cried a fucking river because of the loss; that already delicate bud of nearly blossoming hope withering right back to dust as if it had never even existed before. It had taken both Kiba and Shino literal years to piece her back together. To mend her back into what she once had been, what she has now become again – but this time stronger, and at long last willing to pick up the reins that held the power to control her life.

Hinata still remembers them both sleeping on the floor of her apartment that she’d moved into after the war as a means to isolate herself from her clan. Every single night they were there: Shino asleep on his back, those quirky sunglasses still sitting atop the bridge of his nose, while Kiba and Akamaru lay curled together into a mess of thrashing limbs, blankets and hefty paws.

She had never told Kiba that she heard him mumbling her name in his sleep on some nights, the furrow of his brow tight and his fingers twitching as if he was trying to reach out for the phantom version of her he’d conjured up in his dreams. Had never mentioned the look she’d exchanged with Shino when he caught her reaching over to run her hand through the Inuzuka’s hair in an attempt to calm him down on night number six.

It was easier to pretend, to feign blissful ignorance. After all, Kiba did just the same as he rose with the sun each morning and whisked those pesky late-night thoughts away for the day ahead. Shino did, too.

“Hina? Hey.” Kiba repeats the silly nickname the elders of her clan would never allow him to use, yanking her back from her thoughts with a snap of his fingers in front of her nose; pushing her back to this moment, to him. 

The inside of the closet is dark, but she knows that his peculiar eyes allow him to see just fine in it – much like she’s able to use her own to discern any movement hiding in the shadows. And because of them, she now sees him as clear and bright as day as he tilts his head, studying her intently before he asks, “You all right?”

“Yes,” Hinata croaks in answer almost immediately. Her rosy lips form a thin line as she presses them together before she swallows the saliva that’s gathered inside her mouth. The sound is loud in the small space, too loud. So she clears her throat, her tone slightly more even as she says, “I’m fine.”

“Mm. You don’t seem fine to me,” he retaliates immediately, tapping his nose with the tip of his index finger with a small, albeit signaturely arrogant grin. Hinata tries not to look at the glint of his fangs too much when he drawls, “I can smell how nervous you are, you know.”

Unbeknownst to her, Kiba doesn’t mention the fleeting whiff of sweetness he’s caught emitting from her amongst the bitter tang of nervosity. Doesn’t allow himself to get his hopes up, even if he’ll trust his keen sense of smell right to the day he dies and gets lowered into his grave.

So instead, he watches as her pretty eyes dart onto his hand that he still keeps lifted to his face. Her gaze slides across the scars that litter almost every one of his knuckles; rises upwards to acknowledge how blunt and short he prefers to keep his nails, even if he possesses the ability to form claws. 

Speaking of them, they’re all fully healed – the scars. Some are fading, others are thinning out, but Hinata still doubts they’ll ever completely go away. After all, the one that runs along the edge of his thumb in one clean, straight line, reaching down right to the upper side of his wrist, is still there even if it’s ages old. 

It had been a not-so-kind courtesy from her kunai during one especially intense sparring session when she’d still fought like a goddamn lioness to try and impress her father – her clan. Back when she thought that she actually stood a chance.

Even to this day, Hinata still thinks of Kiba as an idiot for never getting back at her for it. She had been seething with blind rage, not caring if she actually caused him any sort of hurt or injury whilst chasing her father’s approval during what was supposed to be just a simple day of training. 

The action had been so unlike her, had been a nearly polar opposite of her normally demure nature, and he had just… endured it. Had encouraged it even, and smiled that wide grin as she stepped back and dropped the kunai at the first sight of a droplet of blood dripping down her teammate’s hand.

He had never once winced as she cleaned up the rather deep gash only minutes later, her emergency medkit splayed wide open in the grass next to her. Had never once complained about it. Just told her that he was proud of her for sticking up for herself. That if she kept it up, she would be able to kick just about anybody’s ass real soon.

Hinata blinks. This closet – this closeness – is going to give her fucking whiplash. She doesn’t sound fully like herself as she says, “I-I’m not nervous.” Yeah, that oughta convince him.

“Aha, sure ya ain’t,” Kiba says, all sarcasm and blatant disbelief as if he can read her thoughts.

He ignores her characteristic stutter that she’s only now slowly ridding herself off - at the ripe age of twenty-five. Pauses to look at the faint tinge of pink on her round cheeks; at the thinnest layer of sweat that gathers on the column of her neck. Christ, she smells so sweet, so sugary. All he wants to do is bury his nose into the crook of her neck; inhale her fucking essence until–

“What?” she asks now, catching the way his pupils expand when he flicks his gaze up to look her in the eyes again. Her voice sounds so small, she hates it. He thinks it’s the cutest thing ever. Especially when she tries to give him a defiant glare.

Long seconds pass. Her heart is pounding like crazy inside her chest. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

“Nothin’,” Kiba finally mumbles, still staring at her. But instead of adding anything more to his answer, he rather sucks in a deep breath through his nose. As if trying to read her more thoroughly. Trying to pinpoint the exact emotions, the exact hormones that are altering her scent.

As if coming up with a plan.

Hinata swears that her nerves twitch with anticipation at how he quietly grunts after the inhale – twitch with whatever the hell it is that makes her feel like her pulse is thundering inside her ears. It just makes her sweat all the more. Makes her scent turn all the more prominent.

The tension in the small closet rises with inhumane speed when he tilts his head to the side and looks at her with a glint inside his eyes that she could only describe as purely predatory. He’s different now; his jaw clenched tight and his gaze so intense that it pins her down to the spot, making her breathing hitch in the back of her throat. 

Flames are beginning to lick up her legs at the heat of his stare that burns like a forge, now. She can feel its warmth nipping at the tips of her toes, her calves, her thighs as they continue to run their ember tongues along her now-flushed skin.

“I’m not nervous,” she repeats meekly, as if the denial can serve as a shield of some sort. Her upper lip quivers in the same way her whisper does. She says the words but doesn’t even believe them herself, how silly.

Kiba seems to notice it, too, because a dumb smirk is plastering itself onto his even dumber face as he takes a step towards her and taunts, “Not nervous ‘bout what? Being stuck in here with me? All alone, jus’ you and me?”

And despite her instincts telling her not to, Hinata pushes back when he leans in, towards one wall of Ino’s stupidly cramped closet. She guesses that he’s just toying with her like he always does; but fuck, he’s so close to her now that she can smell the cool scent of his nettle shampoo and the spearmint chewing gum that sits on top of his tongue.

For how long have they been stuck inside this closet? Surely longer than seven minutes? He wouldn’t just pounce at her this fast. This quickly. 

Right?

“C’mon, Hina,” he mutters, his voice deeper than usual; so raspy and warm that it reminds her of crackling wood in a fireplace she never got the chance to lounge in front of. “Just admit it. I can smell how you feel, you know damn well that you can’t hide that kind of stuff from me.”

“I-I–” she starts, heart suddenly hammering; jumping inside her ribcage from the surge of adrenaline to shoot throughout her. “I’m not... not–”

“Not nervous?” Kiba finishes for her, still advancing closer. “Yeah, you’ve already told me that. Now do me a favour and tell me what I wanna hear instead.” Dear god, has he always been this big? This demanding?

His intimidating presence fills the small space so rapidly that she feels like fainting. Even the previously pink blush that had lingered on her cheeks deepens into a furious shade of scarlet. It tingles across her entire face, the blush. Makes it prickle with heat.

Hinata blinks, her long eyelashes rapidly fluttering. It’s a struggle to form sentences from how fast her brain deteriorates to pathetic mush from being this flustered. “N-No, I–”

“You what, mm? Know that scent doesn’t lie?” He’s so close to her now that he’s towering over her in the dark, cornering her and caging her right between himself and the wall. 

His scent envelops her, overrides Ino’s perfume that surrounds them and makes her toes curl in her knee-high socks. He smells heavy; like the rain and the rich soil it hits, nothing like her dainty notes of lavender and vanilla. A forest, something ancient and powerful. It’s enough to turn her slightly dazed, if the nearly non-existent proximity hadn’t done that to her already.

She’s frozen to the spot as he twirls a strand of her silky midnight hair around his finger before tucking it behind her ear. And whilst doing so, he accidentally – or not – brushes the sensitive spot right where her jaw meets her neck. 

The immediate zing of electricity to surge through her makes Hinata’s knees wobble. Makes her thighs clench together and her vision spin. She sags against the wall, nearly going limp from how soft her legs turn.

But when he reaches out to catch her, her hand shakes as she suddenly slams it flat against his chest. Right where his heart is. Her fingers clutch his forest green sweater, pretty nails, clear of any sort of polish, digging into the cotton; desperately clawing.

“Stop it,” she blabbers, evident panic clear in her voice. “You can’t– No, no, n-no... Enough!”

Kiba stops at the jumble of words she throws at him. Looks at her. Really looks at her. At her wide eyes, at the blush that still sears her entire face, making her look like a ripe tomato. At the quick rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathes, and breathes, and breathes, as well as at the sweat that gleams on not just her neck now, but also her brow.

And then, he chuckles. This deep sort of rumble that’s pleasant to echo within his chest. That outright confuses her. Especially when that same chuckle turns into a snicker, that finally turns into full-blown laughter.

“Wh–...” Hinata starts, heart still thumping, thrill still coursing her veins. She still feels light-headed. “What’s so funny?”

“Ah, I’m so sorry, Hina,” Kiba manages to let out between boyish snickers, his eyes crinkling with guilty delight. He wipes at the corners of them, now, upper lip quivering, showing off one pointy fang. “I couldn’t resist, hah…! You should have seen the look on your face, ahah!”

The raven-haired Hyūga blinks, feeling the colour draw away from her face, tinting her cheeks back into a faint rosy shade of blush instead of the previously intense red. “What are you going on about?”

“I was just messing with ya,” he explains through a wheeze, nose scrunching when he grins again – all broad and wild. He takes a shuddering breath, tries to quiet down the little giggles that just won’t stop erupting from him before he scratches the back of his neck and looks at her again.

Her brows lift, hiding beneath her bangs as she waits for further explanation.

One corner of Kiba’s mouth kicks upward at how sternly she looks up at him this time. “Did you really think I’d believe you’d be nervous ‘cause of me? C’mon.” He pauses, and looks her directly in the eye as if to challenge her before flicking his wrist, dismissing her. “I know I’m dumb, but I’m not that dumb. Have some faith in me, please.”

Hinata’s stare continues to remain unmoving, even if her legs still feel like jelly. Christ, who knew he had such an impact on her? The entire thing lasted what, a mere minute? And here she is – mere putty in his hands already. 

She doesn’t comment on his level of intelligence, just asks, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

His smile falters slightly at the question, at the tone. Even his eyes seem to lose just a smidge of that mischievous glint as he simply shrugs and says, “Well, you’re still pining after Naruto, are you not?”

Silence stretches between the two friends despite the small space. The heavy, slightly uncomfortable kind.

“Everyone makes me nervous,” Hinata says finally. “Not just Naruto.”

Saying his name doesn’t bring the thrill it used to. Doesn’t make her heart clench, nor her tongue taste any sweeter. She cares about the future Hokage, of course she does, but not in that kind of way anymore. Not in that desperately, hopelessly infatuated kind of way that he never seemed to return.

He didn’t even see her, after all. At least not in any way Kiba did. Like he still does, actually, even to this day.

“Yeah, but he’s the only one that could… ya know,” Kiba finds himself running his mouth when she turns quiet again, attempting to fill the silence with words, words, words, “provoke you in that kind of way. ‘Cause of how madly in love with him you are, and all that lovey-dovey crap, hah.”

“Being in love is not ‘crap’,” she mumbles at his fake laugh, the curse tasting foreign on her modest tongue. Even he blinks in surprise at the fact that she used it.

But then he shakes his head. Loses the smile. 

“Yeah, it is,” he says.

“No, it isn’t,” she counters right back. “Why would it be?”

“‘Cause all it does is bring you pain,” he retaliates finally. He pauses, that short beat of silence skipping as his eyes suddenly start to avoid her. “I mean, I don’t know ‘bout you, but that seems like a pretty crappy thing to me.”

Hinata gets the feeling that he isn’t talking about her struggles concerning love when he says the words.

But instead of saying anything, she just watches as he pulls back from her then, giving her space to breathe; to calm down. His touch to her neck had left the skin there burning in its wake, but that’s not why she frowns now. No, the reason as to why she pouts, bottom lip just barely jutting out, is rather because of the lack of that exact physical connection.

Kiba looses a sigh at the sight of that freaking pout. Runs a frustrated hand through his chestnut hair. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“C’mon… Don’t be upset with me, it was just a joke.”

“Well, I am.”

“Ugh.”

She sits down next to him, still wearing that adorable pout on her face, when he motions her to join him by patting the warm floorboards right after he slides down the wall and plops down onto them himself. The closet is so small that their thighs are touching. His joggers rub against her bare skin, making her pleated skirt rustle.

Neither of them moves their leg away.

They stare at the dark for a moment, not focusing on anything in particular. The slits that are his pupils grow wider when she sighs herself and rests her head on his shoulder, they eat up the white space where his irises should have been. Meanwhile, Hinata’s own eyes serve as polar opposites to his own; the milky circles dilating with no visible pupils in sight.

Briefly, she wonders what the eyes of their children would look like. What abilities they’d possess. What kind of life that would be for her. If he’d be as much of a good husband to her as he is a friend.

“Hina?” His tone is careful when it reaches her again.

“Mm?” she mumbles, her soft cheek nudging his shoulder as she readjusts herself. She brings her knees closer to her chest, but makes sure her skirt stays in place.

“I’m sorry.” Genuine this time. Torn.

“Did you really mean what you said,” she utters after a brief pause of thought. “About love?”

He’s silent for a moment, too. As if contemplating. She’s just about to switch the subject to something a bit more ordinary, something a bit more safe, when he finally says, “No.”

Silence lingers once more. And then she says, “I’m not in love with Naruto anymore.”

She can feel him stiffen beside her. Can hear his breath ever so slightly shudder as he whispers, “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“How so?”

“I’ve found someone new.”

“Oh.”

He rests his head atop her own. Inhales the fruity scent of her shampoo and cherishes the sugar in it whilst he still can. “Not to overstep, but… You don’t need to love someone just to feel fulfilled, ya know.”

“I know,” she replies, his words making a rather delicate part of her heart glow, glow, glow. “But trust me when I say that even I was surprised by it… It happened so unexpectedly, even though it had kind of… Always been there. In a way.”

“Mm,” Kiba hums, deep in thought. “So, wanna tell me what the lucky bastard is like?”

Hinata chuckles at the question. At the fact he’s unknowingly called himself a bastard just now. She rests her hands atop her lap, fingers intertwining together. 

“Well… He’s rather annoying and stubborn. Loud… Like, so, so loud; you wouldn’t believe how loud he is.” Her insides warm up when he snickers at the attention she gives to the word. “But… He’s also genuine. Incredibly passionate and determined. Open, and supportive, and loving... Gosh, he’s so loving.”

“Okay, damn, don’t start drooling all over my shoulder ‘cause of this dude, now.” Kiba chuckles again as he mulls her descriptions over. Looks up at the ceiling. His toes wiggle as he thinks. “He sounds a lot like Naruto.”

“No, he’s different.” Firm, her answer. He’s his own person. Special in his own peculiar way.

“Is he nicer or somethin’?”

“Well…” The corners of her lips twitch. “Only when he wants to be, I suppose.”

“Towards you, I mean. Does he, like,” he mumbles, trying to find the right words, “see you? Treat you well?”

He’s the one. He really is. Maybe it’s time to admit it not just to herself, but to him as well.

Maybe.

Hinata stills at that; heart beginning to thunder again. Her fingers fidget, palms starting to feel clammy as she fiddles with the hem of her skirt. “I don’t know, Kiba,” she says, her voice so, so quiet that he can barely hear her despite the closeness and his sharp hearing. “You tell me?”

Kiba goes silent for a long moment, as if he’s attempting to paint the bigger picture inside his head. And then, at long fucking last, his breath hitches. His heart begins to race. Realization begins to dawn upon him and settles in, in, in.

“What?” He turns completely rigid, spine straightening, causing Hinata to lift her head from his shoulder. His face goes blank, eyes widening in the dark again. He swallows, not caring how stupid he may look as he repeats a meek, “What?”

“What?” she echoes innocently, the expression that lingers on her face completely coy. “What is it?”

“Are you saying– No,” he starts, cutting himself off with a wild shake of his head. As if he doesn’t dare believe the mere thought of her returning his feelings. As if he doesn’t dare say it. “You better not be fuckin’ with me right now as some sort of sick revenge… ‘Cause if you are, I swear to god I’ll–”

“I’m not messing with you, Kiba.”

His face flushes red now. This deep, crimson shade that almost matches the colour of the fang markings on his cheeks that tell everyone what clan he belongs to. “Stop messing with me. It’s not funny.”

“I’m not messing with you,” Hinata repeats sadly. She frowns at how lowly he actually thinks of himself. At how stubbornly he’s beaten it into his head that he doesn’t deserve to be admired by her, much less loved. For so long that he’s actually started to believe the denial.

He sucks in a deep breath. Through his mouth this time, to fill his lungs quicker with air because his chest feels way too tight all of a sudden. “But I’m not–” 

I’m not Naruto.

“I know that you aren’t,” she interrupts him gently, taking his bigger hand and clasping it with both of her smaller ones. His callouses scrape against her own, thick fingers curling around her daintier ones by pure instinct. She can’t help but smile at the affectionate touch he seems to execute without even thinking about it. He’s always known how to make her feel seen. “I never asked of you to be him.”

“But I’m not… special, like he is,” Kiba continues, his voice so low as if he’s ashamed to admit it. “I didn’t– I can’t do the stuff he does. I’ve tried, but I just… can’t.”

“So? You’re special to me,” she says and it’s true. She blinks. Runs her tongue along her front teeth. “Do you really think I’m that shallow to only fall in love with a man because he’s the strongest of them all?”

“No, but I do think that you need somebody like him,” he retaliates stubbornly. “You’re, like… royalty, or whatever. And he’s a war hero, a-a…”

“I don’t need anyone,” she cuts in again, looking up at him underneath her lashes with fire burning behind her pale eyes. “You’ve said it yourself; that I don’t need anyone to feel fulfilled… And yet, I want you.”

“Why?” He can’t understand it. How? Why? Why him?

“Because I see you,” she answers, frowning at the evident doubt that’s still present in his own eyes. “It took me a while, and I am sorry for that, but it’s true when I say that I finally see you; see the things you did and continue to do for me.”

Kiba’s teeth sink into his bottom lip. The prickle of one fang that the action invokes helps when it comes to grounding him, because if it didn’t, he’s sure as hell that he’d be floating up towards the clouds right now. Like a balloon – right through the ceiling of Ino Yamanaka’s closet. 

She wants him. Sees him. Him, him, him; nobody else. At long last, he can stop pretending. Can slowly rid himself of all the doubts and the insecurity he’s managed to hide deep underneath his thick skin. Can stop wondering if he’ll ever be good enough; ever be enough.

“Kiba?” Hinata whispers, and goddamn had his name always sounded so good, coming from her mouth like that? Always so pleasant?

“Yeah?” he whispers back. Her face is so close to his own now that he can smell her strawberry chapstick and see the subtle dip of her Cupid's bow. At how faintly it trembles as she reaches out to run her hand through his unruly hair before resting it atop his heaving chest.

She’s the one to take a deep breath this time around as she tries to calm down; to mentally prepare herself before she asks, “Do you want me, too?”

Does he want her? Does he fucking want her? What a stupid question. What a silly, foolish question.

“Yeah,” Kiba croaks out, heart pounding – hurting in the best way possible. His voice cracks; he hates it. “‘Course I want you, Hina. I-I’ve always wanted you. Ever since we were kids.” She’s so close. Goddammit, she’s so, so close. If he pushed forward by a mere inch, he could probably kiss her, oh, Christ.

Just the mere thought of her soft lips touching his own makes him feel dizzy. Makes his head spin; brain doing the same cartwheels his own heart executes in his ribcage. Thump, thump, fucking thump.

“Can I kiss you?” she asks. He can’t fathom the fact that she’s actually bolder than him for once.

“Yeah,” he repeats like a parrot, like a lovesick moron because he is one. “Mhm, yeah, yeah. Of course.”

Honestly, he’ll consider himself the luckiest man alive if he actually  manages to live for long enough to experience a kiss from her. This beautiful, kind-hearted, nurturing deity of a woman. Because judging by all the thrill that’s pumping through him right now, he doubts that he will.

And yet, he’s still around as Hinata leans in; cautiously, warily. Not because she’s scared of him and his brash nature, more so because she’s enticed by it – enticed by him. Her cheeks are so rosy, he wants to kiss them and touch them to feel their warmth. To squeeze them until her lips purse, and–

His jumbled train of thoughts diminishes and turns into pure silence when her mouth presses against his own gently and she at long last, after so many years of confusion, and lingering glances, and yearning touches and sleepless nights spent tossing and turning in separate beds, kisses him.

And fuck, the kiss is so soft. So sweet. His hand lifts to touch her cheek, feeling its warmth, her own two back to holding onto his other one that had never left her lap. Stroking his knuckles in a way that she can feel the scar she’d given him all those years ago and that he, unbeknownst to her, wears proudly today.

He melts completely into her. Melds himself with her very soul through every panting brush of lip. He calls himself an arrogant bastard, but he’s become as soft as a teddy bear that she gets to squeeze and play with to her heart's content. 

Every kiss they exchange continues to grow in intensity. Turns to subtle click of teeth and swipe of tongue. Their lips don’t touch in the usual needy, feral tempo he opts for, but it’s still one that he can appreciate just as deeply – even more so, now that he thinks about it. Like he’s wound up in an alley he’s not at all familiar with, but surprisingly enjoys the stay in nonetheless.

Kiba pushes into her more deeply, makes her release this shuddering gasp that lights his body on fire as he takes over. He wants to pull her into his lap – to ravage her, taste her all over because he’s been waiting for this day, for this moment, for so long. To cherish her, adore her in more sinful ways. Make her feel special with his hands, mouth, tongue.

And how couldn’t he wish for that? After all, Hinata, his Hinata, tastes like sugar and everything nice, countering the bitter taste of beer he possesses on his own tongue because of the little party they’ve still got going on.

Shit, the party–

The closet door slides open a mere moment after Hinata senses movement and Kiba catches another scent. They part swiftly; with a quiet, albeit slightly lewd pop! Thank god for being ninjas.

The two rapidly blink at the sliver of light to seep into the closet as the third member of the former Team 8, Shino Aburame, gives both Kiba and Hinata a pointed look through his tinted spectacles, now. Their respective heartbeats are still all over the place by the time he peers inside the darkness himself. 

They watch as he looks down, looks at their entwined fingers; at Kiba’s hand that still rests on Hinata’s cheek. At their panting chests. At how closely they sit together, how fucking red they’ve become.

“Hmm,” is everything Shino contributes to the conversation that’s yet to begin. Their friend merely quirks a dark brow as if he knows exactly what they’ve been up to. 

And perhaps he does, Kiba thinks. Hiding a tiny bug amongst so many clothes the wretched Yamanaka owns, would be a piece of cake for the nosy insect user. But alas, who on earth would believe him if he exposed Shino as the true gossiper he actually was?

Luckily for him, however, Hinata is the first one to stumble into movement out of the trio. Her eyelashes can’t stop fluttering as she stutters a tiny, “H-Hi, Shino.” 

Goodness, she’s so pink in the face; the blush blooming as furiously as ever now that they’ve been caught. So cute. Especially as she releases Kiba’s hand to run her fingers through her hair frantically, trying to smooth down the strands he’d managed to ruffle whilst kissing her like a madman.

“Hey, man,” Kiba plays along, seemingly unable to wipe off the dopey grin that remains plastered on his face, now. Still wearing the wild grin, he pushes from the floor and offers Hinata his hand to help her back up to her feet as soon as he stands up to his full height. 

Swiftly standing right next to him a moment later, Hinata never lets go of Kiba’s hand. Neither does he let go of hers. Of course he’ll hold her hand if she wishes for him to hold it. At this point, he’ll do just about anything for her.

His eyes are on Shino as he clears his throat, trying so hard to be casual when he says, “What’s up?”

Shino’s gaze dips to their entwined fingers once more. He stares at how Kiba strokes Hinata’s knuckles so tenderly that the action almost seems alien for a brute like him, and how she shyly lowers her head until that curtain of midnight hair almost entirely obscures her from the view of the two men. 

It doesn’t last long, however. After all, Kiba feels the need to tuck it behind her ear rather quickly. Feels the need to make her feel seen even quicker.

So after a silent couple of seconds, the poor Aburame finally looses an exasperated sigh at the new item to stand before him; at how their entire dynamic is surely bound to change, now. Gesturing them to follow, he merely utters, “Time’s up.”

“Is it, now?” Kiba drawls in answer. The Inuzuka swears that he can still feel the tingle of Hinata’s lips on his own. When he pokes the tip of his tongue out, he tastes strawberries – sweet!

“Yes,” Shino replies, stepping out of the closet so the pair can do the same. With his back turned towards them, he adds somehow amusedly, “It’s been up sixteen minutes ago, actually.”

Hinata and Kiba exchange a look as they head back for the living room where loud chatter suddenly erupts; all of their friends most surely anticipating their return and the juicy story to follow. 

His grin grows, stretching even wider than usual when she gives him a single nod of her head. A silent approval.

Who knew that all it took was a cramped closet and twenty-three minutes to spare in the dark?

[punk-pandame]

Punky's Kinktober 2023 Day 12

Lactation/Latex/Love Potion

Hyuuga Hinata x Inuzuka Kiba

support the creator- bmac | patreon

[shukakumoodboard]

HELLO 👋 I would like to know about (in any order that excites youuuuu)

Love (As Told Through the Medium of Last- Minute Grocery Lists)

Mercury Retrograde

AND/OR

Thread of deepest scarlet, heart of shining pearl

And TGOD obvi if you're not burnt out by that one lol no pressure for replying about them ALL but I'm here for the excited yapping. 👉😎👉

*waiting menacingly*

omg hello winkwonk

i can do these in order -- under the cut because i'm about to Talk For Tew Damn Long

mercury retrograde

ok mercury retrograde is a fic based on a really goofy premise called "what if i shit on all the canon pairings at once?" via the medium of gaalee fanfic. it's essentially a story told from all of the other konoha 12 POVs where everyone on earth is having relationship (or pining) problems except, apparently, gaara and lee, who (in the POV of non-overlapping people, so no one makes the connection) seem to have secret paramours that are perfect for them hooHA. some start pairs include sasusaku, naruhina, and inosai, and end pairs being sns, inosaku, kibahina, etc. shikatema and chokarui stick the landing but. i like them well enough xo

basically a fix it fic for all the endgame pairs As According To Gospel Me

behold! a snippetteptpetptp

Damn it, not only was her love life awful, but the weather was, too, and she didn’t have an umbrella! What was up with this week? Mercury must be in retrograde or something, she mused, slouching against the bark of the tree at the edge of training field one. She’d have to ask Tenten, she was an astrology nut, she’d know for certain. “Ino-san, what are you doing out here by yourself, it is raining!” Ino looked off to the side to find her unexpected hero of the hour, one Rock Lee, clutching a scroll to his chest with an umbrella in hand. “Suffering,” she said. “Oh dear. Is there any way I can help?” “Actually,” Ino said, eyeing the umbrella, “are you heading towards town? I didn’t know it was going to rain.” “I am!” Lee said, and held out the umbrella. Ino slid out from under the tree and joined him. They started walking, Lee asking polite questions about her day while Ino scrounged for a more interesting topic. Maybe she could use this moment to answer the questions Sakura had posed a few days ago? Her eyes settled on the scroll Lee held, his grip tighter on the still-rolled paper than Choji’s grip on his beloved chip bags. “What’cha got there?” Lee turned a brilliant pink and smiled hugely. “It is a letter from my precious one!” “Oh, who!?” Ino cried, hamming it up, just a little bit. She was curious. “That,” he said very seriously, “is a secret.”

Love (As Told Through the Medium of Last- Minute Grocery Lists)

so this one is the fic i've started to create for my FTH 2024 bid winner @chinesefirethorn <3

it's a series of alternating POVs developing a gaalee relationship through unintentional dates which are actually just various gaalees having to run errands -> inspired, actually, by the fact my partner, the colloquially-christened-by-gaalee-discord mr. bread, tells me every time we have to do long distance that he misses going grocery shopping with me. which is like. how dare u make me feel romantic about feckin' woolies actually. no snippets for this one but here's the extant tag list:

clown-to-clown communication

Grocery Store (Romantic)

5+1 Things or similar

Food as a metaphor for love

Gardening also as a metaphor for love

Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and

scenes of domestic bliss

note: currently this one is on hold because reg has been offline for a while and i want to write this one for her when she's around again so it's tailored to her. reg come back i miss u

thread of deepest scarlet, heart of shining pearl

allow me to redirect you to this post where i unloaded about it

The Grapes of Debauchery

tgod my goode friend tgod, u are my brainchild and the bane of my existence rn. before i even begin to talk about tgod u must observe this hysterically funny advertisement post by @rkaln because i think about it every day

ok tgod. up next, thank thine lordt, is the long awaited sober winkwonk time chapter god Bless what has taken me so long it's the doctorate whyd i do that to myself we shall neber knwo

but i can tell you what i will deliver, and that is: Virgins Being Awkward In The Sack. none of this red face fanning self smut no this is pure cringefail shenanigans you're gonna get home grown baby not outsourced man directly from the kitchen table at my house you want it we got it guaranteed

gaara says "raw dog" out loud. the condoms are expired. lee nuts too early and panics about it. gaara's hungover. both of them WILL cry at some point. they've non-startered three times even im getting annoyed and im the author. just boink you clowns

here's a snippet from the next chapter, which is titled, to my absolute delight, Will You Two Please Just Drink Some F*cking Water:

Gaara stood and crowded into Lee’s space while he riffled through the drawer and yanked out a small, brightly coloured tube. “Lee, these are expired.” “Ex—huh?” Lee took the box and squinted at the date. Then he looked up, horrified. “I did not know they expired! I can um, go get—” “I don’t care,” Gaara said, taking the small bottle the lube Lee held from him. “I haven’t had sex with anyone, so unless you have some sort of genital illness—” “I do not!” Lee’s shout rattled the windows. Gaara winced.

truly i have achieved the pinnacle of yammertime, if ur still here holy sgat u are devoted and i lov u

[lavender-long-stories]

Not on the ask meme, but I have a question. What ships are you not interested in writing?

Oh, you are just trying to get me in trouble, aren't you? 🫣🫣🫣

All my answers will be Hinata-centric because that is what I write, and just because I won't write *it does not mean I hate the couple or the characters* I just personally am not interested in writing it.

NaruHina - From time to time, I have Naruto on the failing end of the love triangle, but as the main ship, I will never do it. It's cannon and that makes it a bit uninteresting. It can be cute, but it's not really the dynamic I like to write. I also just really struggle to write Naruto as a character. I am not really sure why. I think I like him better as a well-meaning friend or an unaware antagonist. Just a past crush, something to grow up from. - I need to write a fic were they group up really close friends. I haven't done something like that yet.

NejiHina - I know a lot of people like it. I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't hadn't made requests for it. I have a lot of cousins, ones I was raised closely with and ones I wasn't. I just can't get over the family aspect. It gives me the personal ick. I don't judge anyone for shipping it tho, it's a show not real people. I love them being close brother and sister vibes.

Any Teacher x Hinata - Same as NejiHina. I personally can't get over the teacher of a child growing up to a relationship with them. I can't turn off the real world ick off in my brain. It's possible I just watch too much true crime content. I tend to completely forget most of the teachers in my writing anyway.

KibaHina - I sometimes have Kiba have one-sided love toward Hinata, but it's the dynamic again. I like them better as friends.

ShinoHina - This is a maybe. For most of the chill vibes, my brain would just go to Shikamaru, but Shino could get a one-shot someday if someone requested something that I found interesting enough.

*One last reminder.* If you like any of these ships, I do not care. Do you. I know most people look at me sideways for mine. I mean KisaHina and HidaHina or weird as shit.

[maiikawriter]

Modern AU KakaRin Fics:

Title (rating)(***if incomplete)

ONESHOT:

Favourite Sweater by kyarajack (Gymnast Rin) (T)

Lesson Learned by Maiika (Yakuza) (M)

(Look.) by bluefisted (M)

Making the First Move by Maiika (College) (T)

Polar Hearts by Kazekage-Namikaze (Office) (w/SasuHina) (K)***

MULTICHAP:

Another High School Story by cg again (coalitiongirl) (w/NaruHina, SasuSaku, ShikaTema, JiraTsu, ShizGen, NejiTen, AsuKure) (T)***

Bruises by Valen_Pine (High School)

College Antics by Valen_Pine (College)

gLee by LilRamenLover (w/NaruSaku, AsuKure) (T)***

Love letters to the wrong address by OliviaStone (w/JiraTsu, ShikaTema, KibaHina, NaruSaku, SasuIno, AsuKure) (T)

Second Chances by enzhe (w/MinaKushi) (T) (Organized Crime)

BACK TO KAKARIN MASTERLIST

[lavender-blush]

answer these questions, then tag people you want to get to know better

thanks for tagging ♡: @alittleillusionmachinee @anelimjolie

3 ships: Fexi, KibaHina, KyoSaya

first ship: probably haruka x michiru/sailor uranus x sailor neptune

last movie: the twilight saga: breaking dawn – part 1

last song: needlework by casey

currently watching: i watched "that 90's show" in one sitting a few days ago, does that count?

currently reading: paradise kiss ♡

currently consuming: an overpriced protein bar

currently craving: being done with work so I can write fic

no pressure tags: @elenacarey @wyadts @divinefemininedreamer @birthdau

[black-eilla]

For the fanfiction/fandom questions or whatever it is.

7, 16, 28, 48, 51.

Thanks for asking immediately after I reblogged it!

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

Well, to be honest, I don't know if I can call these NoTPs but here you go. Naruto: For sure, SasuKarin will always be the biggest NoTP for me in fiction. I don't like their dynamic, because it's pretty eerie and creepy. SasuSaku is misunderstood to be like that by SK fans, but sorry it's the other way around. SasuKarin is nowhere near SasuSaku to me. And I quite don't like SasuHina too. Nothing compels me to ship them. I don't like KibaHina or even ShinoHina. I can't imagine Hinata with anybody besides Naruto. Beyblade: Well, for sure MaxxMariam is not my cup of tea, welp sorry. I can write something for them, but I can never ship them or imagine them as a couple. They have enough scenes, but their personality types together as a couple are not really my thing. Rick and Mariah's ship is something I never thought about. I am quite indifferent towards ReixSalima too. I mean their dynamic is good, but I guess their scenes are not pretty solid enough to ship them, given that Ray is one of the mainstream characters. But it's all just to my eyes only. KaixHilary is also a couple I show less interest in. Jujutsu Kaisen: SukunaxMegumi? SukunaXYuji? I don't like them. Gintama: GintokixKagura? Pedophilic.

I don't think I have NoTPs from other fandoms I've been in. Or I guess I can't think at the moment.

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike?

I guess my answer is the same as that of the above, excluding all the infamous ones.

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of?

I want somebody to draw a fanart for this story called "I care".

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not?

Yes, I do leave reviews for most of the fics I read, because the writers would be tempted to get reviews, and I would also feel the same when someone reads my fics too. So, I guess it would be hypocrisy if I don't leave them.

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

AAAHHH

Don't compel me to read fics that I don't want to! And why the heck the fewer reviews I get! T-T

I just wish I had more readers around, and the lack of readers made me not publish fics for longer go. I wish I could get back to writing but I'm not motivated enough. The sparse reviews kinda tick me tbh. Fics featuring my underrated faves don't get much recognition. Or I guess I should have joined earlier.

BTW I kinda ranted in the 7th question itself hahaha.

Anyhow thanks for the ask!

[sagemoderocklee]

Curious anon: what are you naruto ships?

my ships are as follows:

OTP: GaaLee Secondary OTPs: KakaGai, NejiTen, ShikaTema Other OTPs: InoSaku General Ships: SNS, NaruSai Circumstantial: KankuHina, KankuSaku, InoCho Other Ships: KibaHina, NaruSaku, OmoiSai

i think that's everything... there's obviously a lot of characters in the series, especially in shippuden, but this is i think the majority of it.

the OTP section of course is what I care about the most, and then everything else is more tertiary. the circumstantial means I joked about it or accidentally wrote it into a fic and now I like it, but it may be more dependent on the setting (like InoCho was what I wrote into Alliance, but I started that in 2010 and didn't really have as good a grasp on how i saw Ino back then, and now i'm like oh no she's a lesbian. but i still think the concept is at least cute)

i also don't usually do a lot of multi-shipping, but certain characters im like oh yeah okay i do see potential with more than one thing.

[kiljoius-writes]

Trapped In My Mind

Ao3 | FFN

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First Chapter

Chapter 4: Far Away From The Beginning

It was still dark out when Hinata roused. She nearly panicked when she didn’t recognize where she was, or who she was with. It took a few seconds to come to the realization she was still at the training ground, but with Kiba’s heavy body on top of her, as if keeping her trapped there in his own subconscious way. She blinked her eyes a few times to readjust to the light of the moon above before looking down at their conjoined bodies. She recognized the furry coat lining along her neck—seemed Kiba had draped his leather jacket over her torso at some point before falling asleep with her, as his heavy arm was on top of the jacket.

Carefully, she craned her neck to see if she could get a glimpse of him. She held her breath for a moment as he mindlessly readjusted his head so that his face was now turned towards hers and she couldn’t help but admire him. His fangs popped out from his top lip still, and his hair still glistened in the moonlight. Suddenly she was becoming very aware of just how…intermingled, their bodies were. Then, she was very conscious of just how hard his body was up against hers. And it was oddly comforting.

Where had the rambunctious young boy she once knew gone? He laid before her, unmistakably a grown man, snoozing away and gripping her as if she was his precious possession. She clenched her teeth slightly as thoughts of her teammate flooded her mind.

“It’s been over a year and you’re still so shy. How come? Oh—hiiii Naruto!!! HAHAHA! I’m just jokin’!”

“Listen to me, be smart. If they put you in with that guy from the Sand Village, you’ve got to forfeit the match. Same with Neji. Be smart, just walk away. Trust me. They’ll be merciless. They’ll destroy you.”

“If I kick enough asses, I might even end up Hokage!”

She cracked the tiniest smile at the last thought. She knew Kiba was never truly serious about becoming Hokage, it was more of a jab towards Naruto, or just something all young shinobi of the Leaf said to some extent.

She wondered why it was he seemed to care so much about her. Sure, she loved her teammates, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle them if they were acting like she was—a brat, she had to admit. She knew she was being unreasonable, so why did Kiba tolerate it, and in fact still push to keep her home? Push to help her move on, as he put it? How could he possibly help her move on when there’s nothing to move on from? It’s not like she had ever been with Naruto…and Neji was gone, forever. There was no ‘moving on’ from all that.

When she felt him stir, she glanced down to find his tired eyes peeling open to look at her. She sucked in both of her lips as she awaited his movement. As he blinked his eyes open, that smirk enveloped his lips once more. He glanced down at their bodies, then heaved a loud, obnoxious yawn.

“How’d ya sleep?” he asked, casually.

How did she sleep? She was surprised to find that she had slept wonderfully, actually. She hadn’t really dreamed, she didn’t think, and she couldn’t recall having any nightmares like she normally did. Hesitantly, she responded, “well.”

“S’good,” he mumbled, slowly pulling his arm off her torso, and propping himself up on his elbow. “You wanna keep impromptu camping, or we can go back to my place?” Her eyes widened at the proposition, and he chuckled. “Not like that, Hinata. My mom’s definitely asleep, so you can crash on my bed in my place.”

“Your place?” She blinked, tilting her head. “I didn’t realize you had your own place…”

“You thought I still lived with my mom?” He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. “Give me a little more credit, huh?”

“I…I guess I just didn’t…” She trailed off, glancing away from him. Finally, she nodded. “What time is it?”

“Eh…” Kiba looked up at the night sky, furrowing his brows a bit as he did. “About 4ish. Sun’ll be up soon. C’mon.” He lifted to his feet and extended his hand for hers, opting to wait for her to accept help instead of forcing it on her once more. Hinata nodded once more before grasping his hand, letting him pull her up. She handed him his jacket and they dusted themselves off, then fell into step alongside each other as she followed him back to the Inuzuka properties in silence. They passed his childhood home, which had all its lights off, then stopped in front of a smaller unit nearby. She watched as he unlocked the front door, then followed him in.

She was surprised to find a fairly clean and tastefully decorated living space. She stopped in front of the door to take it in as he shut it behind her and turned on the lights. It reminded her quite a bit of his mother’s home, but with his own personal touches. What looked like an animal skin rug, a Tanabata ornament she had gotten him at the festival several years ago for his birthday, the “Complete Guide to Kikaichu” book Shino had given him so many years ago sitting on top of a dresser. Surprisingly, a large variety of candles dotted the space, as well as several paintings. She couldn’t help but be impressed by it all.

“Don’t act so shocked,” he teased as he hung his jacket up by the door. She snapped up to look at him and shook her head.

“It’s just…your place is so…clean,” she said, honestly. He ran his hand through his hair as he averted his glance, in what seemed like an act of shyness. “I mean it as a compliment. It’s nice, Kiba.”

“Well, thanks.” He coughed into his hand as he led her to his bedroom. He flicked on the light and raised his arm towards the bed. “Go ahead and get some rest. I’ll be out here.”

“Oh, I’m alright with the couch…” She attempted to protest, shaking her hands in front of her face.

“Nah, go ahead. I won’t be able to go back to sleep anyway. See you in a couple hours.” He patted her lightly on the top of the head before stepping backwards out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. She turned around to face the now closed door and twisted her lips. She might as well get the rest while she could.

-

Unfortunately for Hinata, the nightmares returned. There were a few that she would cycle through. One was of Neji’s death. It would replay, scene for scene, in her dreams, where she would try everything possible to prevent it, only to fail every single time. Another was of the day Naruto let her down gently. There was the faceless man and arranged marriage nightmare. But in the last few days, she had been having a new nightmare, one that involved Kiba. She dreamed of his face, coming closer and closer to hers. She could feel heat in her stomach as he closed the distance, she almost wanted to reach out and…then he would start whispering hurtful words.

“No one cares about you. You’re not strong, you’re just weak. Stupid, little Hinata.”

She would cry in her dreams. She would try to argue back, to say something, anything, question why he would say these things to her. But she could never get any words out, and he would just laugh. And then she’d wake up.

“Why…” she whispered to herself as she propped herself up on her elbows, glancing around the room of the man she was just having nightmares about. “Why Kiba?”

“You awake?” She flinched at his calling for her, realizing he must have been able to sense her rousing. She looked at the window to find the sun now fully up. Heaving a large sigh, she swung her legs over the bedside and quietly made her way for her door, gently opening it and peeking out to find him in his kitchen. He glimpsed over his shoulder when he heard her and offered a genuine smile. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Good morning.” She willed herself to come out, standing awkwardly next to the entrance of his bedroom.

“You were having some weird dreams.” He chuckled, looking back down at the food he was making at the stove. She pursed her lips together at the remark, wondering what she might have done to give him that impression. “Yeah, I came in like three times ‘cause I swore you were callin’ me.”

“What?” She gasped, taking a step back. He didn’t look back at her.

“S’alright. Just wanted to make you were okay.” He shrugged before turning towards her with a plate in hand. “Sit. I made you breakfast.”

“Oh…” she whispered, eyeing the plate. She sighed through her nose before pulling up a seat at the bar, letting him place the food in front of her. She couldn’t deny the growl coming from her stomach. She had been stubbornly protesting eating for the past few days. “Thank you for the food.”

“Been a while since I got to cook for you.” He grinned, leaning over the counter on his elbows towards her. She nodded agreement as she picked up her utensils and picked at the food. “I missed it.”

She paused as she contemplated admitting that she had also missed it because she had. After taking a bite, she let out a sigh of approval. “I…missed it, too.”

“Knew it,” he teased, shoving himself off the counter. “Bet you haven’t had food this good since before you left!”

She willed herself to loosen up despite the urge to freeze at his comment. She nodded a bit as she continued eating, and he went about cleaning up dishes. Once more, she glanced around the unit with interest. Not only had he matured physically, but he also seemed to have matured in general. The home didn’t resemble his room at his mothers at all, where you could find clothes and kunai and dishes scattered all about. No, his home was truly fitting of a full-grown adult. She couldn’t help but smile at that fact.

“What’s got you smiling?” he inquired after glancing back at her, pulling her from her lingering stare. She hadn’t realized her eyes were resting on him now. “Like what you see?”

“Stop it, Kiba,” she sighed, carefully pushing the plate from her now. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I really should be going…”

“Where?” he asked, innocently enough. She frowned as she climbed out of the seat.

“I…I’m not sure,” she said as she shook her head, making for the front door.

“Hey!” he called before she could finish pulling on her sandals, causing her to stop and look at him questioningly. She was surprised to find him glancing at his feet as he rubbed at the back of his head, seemingly stalling.

“Yes?”

“Uhm…” He paused, stepping towards her. “Well-uh. Let me take you to your sister’s wedding, yeah?”

“Take me?” she asked in a bit of a higher pitched tone than she intended. He shrugged, looking up with sincerity in his eyes. He wasn’t smirking, didn’t seem to be trying to ruffle her feather like usual.

“Yeah, I mean. You should have someone to go with, right? I’ll take you.”

“Hmm…” she hummed, tilting her head at him. She felt a bit guilty about the fact she hadn’t been thinking too much about Hanabi or her wedding. She hadn’t even considered taking a ‘date’, especially not Kiba. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before responding. “I…suppose that would be fine…if I’m even allowed to attend.”

“Tch,” he scoffed, waving a hand in front of his face dismissively. “No way Hanabi’s gonna let your old man keep you out.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit at the remark before nodding. She turned again to leave, only for him to interrupt again. “Come back, okay?”

“…Here?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah. Might as well, right?”

She paused a moment before nodding and finally making her leave definitively, trying to ignore his wanting stare.

-

For over two weeks, Hinata would wander aimlessly throughout the village then return to Kiba’s apartment when the sun began to set. He would always have dinner for her and seemed to take the hint to give her space during the day. She hated to admit that she was finding the routine somewhat comforting. While she had tried to argue for him to have his bed and her take the futon, she eventually stopped trying after so many days of unsuccessful attempts.

But she was beginning to realize a hard truth. Wandering through the village only left her with her own thoughts to weigh her down. The only time she felt truly free of her darkest thoughts was when she was with Kiba, and that frightened her. Further, her nightmares continued despite her one peaceful night sleeping on the training grounds with Kiba. She began to seriously consider if Kiba was right—that being around him would help her move on. Something in her resisted that thought.

Since Hinata came back, Kiba hadn’t gone on any missions. She didn’t know if he had taken himself off the roster, or if there just weren’t any missions for him to take. And she wasn’t sure what he was up to during the day. All she knew is he had been home consistently every night, and he was becoming a constant.

One day, he suggested they go see Shino. Hinata had, admittedly, been avoiding seeing others. When people stopped to engage in conversation, usually surprised to see her back, she did her best to evade and escape. Kiba likely knew this, and as always, was trying to get her out of the carefully constructed shell she had made around herself. She really wasn’t much of a match for his pushy nature. So, a few weeks before the wedding, they met with Shino in a quiet sushi bar. Hinata had frozen when she spotted her teammate with someone she didn’t recognize sitting directly next to him, engaging in chatter.

“Oh, right.” Kiba snickered, setting a hand on her back in an attempt at comfort. “That’s Shino’s fiancée, Kuri. She’s from the Aburame clan.”

“Fiancée?” Hinata’s jaw dropped as she stared at the pair. Kiba nudged her and she gulped audibly, nodding. She hesitantly made her way towards them, Kiba slapping Shino on the back. The two looked up and Hinata couldn’t help but feel amusement at the fact the woman was also wearing sunglasses. Immediately, Kuri stood up and gave Hinata a deep bow.

“Lady Hinata, it’s a pleasure.” Hinata once again felt paralyzed. It had been a long time since she had met a new person that was beyond a hotel clerk or shop keep. Once more, Kiba nudged her.

“Don’t be rude, Lady Hinata,” he whispered teasingly as he poked her side. She blinked up at him before shaking her head.

“Uhm—yes. Likewise, Kuri.” Hinata bowed as well.

Hinata and Kiba took the seats next to Shino, and the two engaged in chatter. Hinata felt a sense of discomfort at the idea that this absolutely looked like a double date. She couldn’t help but glance around the restaurant, wondering if anyone they knew was there. Then she glanced over Kiba’s shoulder as Kuri was reaching up with a napkin to wipe at something under Shino’s chin. She smiled faintly at the tiny sign of affection, and guilt panged at her heart. Maybe if she had been more receptive when she returned, been more open and willing to chat with Shino, she would have already known about his engagement.

Guilt was becoming second nature at this point.

The gathering went as quickly as it came, and Hinata couldn’t help but feel guilty at the fact that she couldn’t seem to get herself to engage in any conversation with Kuri. When the group rose to leave, she was surprised to find Kuri grasp her elbow and lead her out of the restaurant with a smile on her lips. “Please, would you walk with me, Lady Hinata?”

“Oh—of course.” Hinata felt her mouth go dry as she nodded, allowing herself to be led by the Aburame. She glanced back to see Shino and Kiba eyeing her, a playful smirk on his lips as usual. He nodded forward in her direction to encourage her along before turning back to Shino. She looked ahead again. “I—uhm—I apologize for my…lack of…social skills, I suppose. I’m not the best in social situations, as you can probably tell—”

“Do not apologize, my lady.” Kuri gave a genuine smile and Hinata shook her head.

“Please, just Hinata.”

“Of course.” Kuri nodded. “I just wanted to let you know that your return has been quite impactful.”

“Oh?” Hinata swallowed, looking at the woman from the corner of her eye. She wondered where this conversation would go.

“Yes, since your return, Shino has become far less tense.” She smiled down at Hinata, who raised her eyebrows at this. “It may be difficult for you to understand, La—Hinata. But Shino and Kiba care for you a great deal. Not a day went by when they didn’t wonder where you were. But now that you’ve returned, they both seem so much…happier.”

It dawned on Hinata that she couldn’t have known how much her leave had affected her teammates. Perhaps it was selfish of her to never wonder what kind of damage she had inflicted by her abrupt escape. She wondered if Kuri resented her? “I…I am glad to hear that, Kuri.”

“As am I.” Kuri nodded along, stopping with the her in front of the Aburame household. Kuri chuckled as they looked behind them, finding her teammates quite a bit behind them. “Seems the men have slowed their pace.”

Hinata nodded hesitantly, crossing her arms behind her as silence fell over them. She glanced up at Kuri before continuing, “how long have you and Shino been…together?”

“A year and two months,” she responded immediately. “It was arranged by our fathers.” Hinata’s face fell at this, but Kuri shook her head. “But I quite like him, and I’m keen to think he enjoys my company.”

“Well, that’s what’s important, I suppose.” Hinata sighed, looking at the two as they came into earshot. All she could hear was Kiba’s boisterous voice. Once they were close enough to stop, Kiba patted Shino on the back before turning to the women.

“Sorry ‘bout that, got carried away.” He grinned down at Hinata before draping an arm around her. She tensed under his touch momentarily but chose not to push him away. Shino eyed the two before chiming in.

“Will we see you at Hanabi’s wedding, Hinata?” Shino asked gently, glancing between her and Kiba.

“Yep, even if I have to drag her,” Kiba interjected on her behalf. She rolled her eyes briefly before nodding.

“Of course, I will be there for my sister…” Hinata sighed, looking down at her feet as she twisted her hands together.

“I look forward to it.” Kuri nodded, a small smile. “Goodnight Hinata and Kiba.”

“Yes, goodnight.” Shino raised an eyebrow at Kiba before turning away.

“Night!” Kiba waved, steering Hinata away. She flinched when he grabbed at her hands, pulling them away from their dance. “No need to be nervous.”

“I’m not!” Hinata clenched her fists, shrugging at his arm over her shoulders. He chuckled as he dropped the arm to his side, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I just—I wish you had given me some sort of warning about who I was about to meet.”

“She’s nice, huh?” Kiba deflected, not meeting her glare. She sighed before nodding. “Not jealous, are ya?”

“Wh—no!” Hinata huffed, growing increasingly frustrated. “I wish you would stop teasing me, Kiba.”

“Why?” he asked, and the question sounded genuine as he tilted his head down at her. She raised her eyebrows, surprised.

“Because I don’t like it.”

“Why not?”

“B…because! It’s rude.”

“But you like it.”

“I just said I didn’t!”

She stopped when she looked up at him to find him grinning mischievously at her. Why did he think he could treat her like this? She huffed with frustration before stomping ahead, knowing he was reveling in the fact that despite her anger with him, she was still heading straight for his home. So, when she passed his childhood home and saw the lights on inside, she decided to stop. She jogged up the porch to knock on the door, looking over her shoulder with a glare at Kiba. She couldn’t hold back a small smile of satisfaction at his shocked expression, frozen at the foot of the steps. Tsume answered and looked down at her with raised eyebrows.

“Well, hello Hina.” She set her hands on her hips, looking over the top of the girl’s head at Kiba. She squinted her eyes suspiciously.

“Would you mind if I stayed here, tonight, Tsume?” Hinata bowed with her hands clasped. Tsume snorted at the question.

“My boy pissin’ you off, huh?” Tsume held out her arm, grabbing her by the shoulder to pull her in. “’Course you can.” Hinata glanced over her shoulder once more and uncharacteristically decided to gloat by poking out her tongue before Tsume shut the door on her son.

“Thank you,” Hinata said, genuinely as she pulled off her sandals.

“Anytime.” Tsume smirked down at her. “I’m just doing paperwork in the other room. You know where everything is.”

Hinata nodded, allowing Tsume to disappear into the diagonal office. She sighed as she pulled off her coat and hung it up, glancing around the house for a moment. She hadn’t really had much of a chance to take in the old Inuzuka household, as Kiba had carried her in unconscious initially, and Hanabi had rushed her out the door when she left. She took a moment to inhale deeply before making her way to the kitchen to make tea. She would enjoy the peace and quiet as much as she could, for now.

-

The next day, Hinata sat at the dining table with Tsume, having prepared breakfast for the older Inuzuka as a show of gratitude. They engaged in idle chatter about Hanabi’s wedding and the going-on’s of the Inuzuka clan until Tsume directed the conversation to Kiba.

“So. What’d my boy do to get you so worked up?” Tsume asked, pushing her plate and utensils away as they finished the meal. Hinata bit her lower lip, averting her gaze.

“It’s really nothing…Kiba is my best friend, but he can be…”

“Too much.” Tsume finished for her, chuckling. She hesitantly nodded. “Oh, I know it. It’s all out of love though.”

“I know.” Hinata nodded in agreement, feeling slightly guilty. She shouldn’t be here speaking ill of the son of the woman who allowed her to stay in her home. “I love Kiba, but I feel he doesn’t know when to give it a rest.”

“Can you blame him, though, hun?” Tsume’s voice softened, causing Hinata to look up in some surprise. “You did take off without a word. He never said it, but once he had you back, he wasn’t going to let go.”

Guilt washed over Hinata in crashing waves. She knew deep down that Tsume was right. She had been selfish. She was constantly reminded of it. For some reason, hearing it from Tsume was an entirely new level of guilt inducing. She pursed her lips as she contemplated her words. Tsume reached over to comfortingly pat her hand, still holding her chopsticks.

“Talk to him.” Tsume offered, willing Hinata to look up at her. “I’ll ask you be patient with him, but he should be patient with you, too.”

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded. As if on cue, the front door burst open to reveal the Inuzuka in question. He stretched his arms as he looked at his mother and Hinata, frowning. “None for me, huh?”

“None for boys who make asses out of themselves,” Tsume shot back, picking up the dishes from the table. Kiba snickered as he wiped at the bottom of his nose. He reached out his hand to beckon Hinata.

“C’mon. We’re going to the nursery.” He all but demanded, thumbing behind him. Tsume sighed impatiently.

“Why don’t you ask if she wants to go, boy?” she snapped, hands on her hips. Kiba recoiled slightly from the scolding before glancing at Hinata, who was awkwardly avoiding both of their eyes.

“Ah—right. Sorry, Hinata. Come with me to the nursery?” Kiba’s voice tempered and Tsume gave a contented smirk, clasping her arms. Hinata finally looked up and nodded, lifting from her seat.

“I think I’d like that,” she said, truthfully. It had been a long time since she had been to the Inuzuka nursery, but the sheer number of excitable pups was always a surefire way to cheer her up.

Kiba grinned as she joined his side, glancing back at his mother and mouthing a quick “thank you” as they left. Tsume waved him away, shaking her head.

The pair walked in silence for a few moments before Kiba started, “hey.” Hinata looked up at him with expectantly raised eyebrows. She found him looking a bit fidgety, one hand rubbing the back of his head. “I—uh—I’m sorry for teasing you so much. I’ll let up.” She looked back down at the ground in front of them, feeling red overcome her cheeks. Kiba wasn’t normally one for apologizing, so she knew he meant it. Admittedly, it made her feel better.

“Thank you, Kiba,” she whispered, pulling her hands behind her back to join. “I’m sorry for…everything. I know what you do comes from a good place. So…I’m sorry.”

“Tch,” Kiba puffed, waving a hand in front of his face. “Don’t be. Here.” Upon approaching the nursery, he grabbed the door for her, allowing her to go in before closing the door behind himself. They went through the second set of doors and Hinata felt that sense of joy immediately fill her heart upon the sight of tens of puppies all scrambling towards her. Finally, a genuine look of happiness overtook her face as she fell to her knees, holding her arms out for whatever puppies might tackle her.

Kiba stood back and leaned against a wall, arms folded as he watched her erupt into giggles and babytalk. It was the happiest he’d seen her in…gods, he didn’t even know how long, truth be told. “Well, hello! And hello to you! And you, oh my-your fur is so—and you!”

Yeah. This was a good idea.

“Hey you two!” Both looked up, though Hinata only did momentarily before turning her attention back to the pups as Hana emerged from a side room, pulling surgical gloves off.

“Hello!” Hinata’s voice was light and energetic as she hugged puppies to herself. Kiba grinned down at his sister as she approached him.

“Good idea, bringing her here.” Hana chuckled, tossing the gloves in a waste bin. “Lot of Inuzuka have been put out on tracking missions, poor pups are barely getting any attention these last few days.”

“Oh yeah?” Kiba perked an eyebrow, tilting his head at her.

“You’ve been so busy with your…” Hana glanced over at Hinata before lowering her voice, teasing, “princess.” Kiba rolled his eyes, stealing a look at Hinata as well to make sure she hadn’t heard, and Hana brought her voice back to normal volume. “Plus, you were gone for what, six months? You haven’t been keeping up with what’s going on in the clan!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kiba swiped at his nose before shoving his hands in his pockets. “It was three months,” he corrected before shrugging. “Sorry, alright?”

“It’s fine.” Hana shrugged, propping herself up against the wall next to him. “How’s she been?”

“Getting better.” He nodded, eyes fixed on Hinata as she diligently made her way through every pup, no pup going without some love. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hey, they really like you!” Hana called, causing Hinata to look up with a smile. “You ever wanna volunteer to walk ‘em, just come let me know! They’d love you.”

“Really?” Hinata asked, genuinely as she paused. Hana nodded and Kiba raised his eyebrows at the act of kindness from his sister.

“That’s nice of you,” Kiba offered as Hinata went back to playing with the puppies. Hana shrugged.

“Free labor.” She chuckled, pushing herself from her leaning position. “Gotta get back to my next appointment.”

Kiba nodded as she took leave, looking back at Hinata. Meanwhile, Hinata was making her way through the last of the pups, attentively making sure each one got head scratches and belly rubs.

She hadn’t felt this kind of peace in a while. Peace that wasn’t really peaceful per se but was simple. Paying attention to something so sweet and innocent with so much energy was good for the mind, she figured. She couldn’t help but contemplate Hana’s offer. She was still technically bound to the village, so she couldn’t leave to walk them farther without explicit permission…permission she would have to obtain from Naruto. She pushed the thought out of her mind, choosing to focus her attention on the pups.

Later, Kiba joined her as she decided to head to the market. Strangely, he was quiet for most of their journey. She found it somewhat unsettling, he seemed fairly out of it. He didn’t normally join her on her walks around the village, but perhaps he was today because they had started the day together. But the fact he was being so silent was odd.

“Kiba?” She decided to instigate conversation now as she looked over the selection of meat. He snapped from his trance to look at her, then the meat. “Uhm…I noticed you were running low on proteins. Would you like to pick some?”

“Oh.” Kiba blinked as if coming out of a fog, then tilted his head thoughtfully at her before nodding. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

After more shopping, she decided it was time to head home.

Home.

Where was home? For now, she supposed it was Kiba’s home. She figured that was alright with her.

When they returned and finished putting away what Hinata had picked out, Kiba pulled his jacket back on, earning an inquisitive look from Hinata. He glanced at her before patting her gently on the head. “I’m going out for a bit tonight. Sorry about dinner.”

“Oh.” Hinata shook her head, then nodded in an odd movement. “Of course. I’ll be alright.”

“Okay.” Kiba nodded back before eyeing her warily. “You won’t take off, will you?”

Hinata paused at the question, before shaking her head once more. “I won’t.” Kiba nodded with what seemed like a somewhat forced smile before taking his leave. Hinata watched as the door closed behind him and couldn’t make out what she was feeling. Sadness? Loneliness? She hadn’t been alone for the night since she returned.

Sorry about dinner…

It all felt so…domestic. She was trying to figure out when she stopped minding it. Now she was trying to figure out what this tightening in her gut was, at the realization he was leaving her alone for the night.

She went about what was a somewhat normal routine, making herself dinner and getting ready for bed. For some reason, she felt empty as she shut the door to Kiba’s room without seeing him lounging on the couch. She shook off the feeling and put herself to bed, knowing she would have an especially hard time sleeping tonight.

[kiljoius]

Trapped In My Mind

AO3 | FFN

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First Chapter

Chapter 2: Did Your Ego Slow?

Two days passed in relative silence and peace. Shino was a quiet companion every day. The Aburame provided her meals and showers, and were respectful of her privacy, as they always had been. Shino never pressed her for information, simply greeted her every day and engaged in idle chatter about bugs and flowers, nothing about the village and her excursions. She didn’t realize how much she missed these normal interactions. It was nice. She was even beginning to miss Kiba’s brass nature interrupting their peace with his loud voice, large movements, boyish laughter. When the day came for him to return, Shino and Hinata patiently waited at the front gates, sitting together in the grass.

“How have you two been?” Hinata finally asked, the first personal conversation she had initiated her entire time there. Shino perked an eyebrow at her, then looked away, clearly conflicted on how to answer, but not to just anyone. Shino was a master at indifference, but the way he looked away to her was so obvious.

“Well. Busy,” he answered simply. She nodded, deciding it was better to leave it at that.. Then they heard a bark, and Hinata found herself shooting to her feet. If she had more time to think on it, she'd even say she was...excited. Her heart lifted a bit at the thought of seeing Kiba. She hadn’t felt excited about anything in a very long time. Being back with Shino was making her nostalgic. She was trying to fight that feeling. She controlled her breathing as she activated her byakugan, scanning for him. His familiar chakra caught her eye, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s him?”

“Yes, yes it's him,"  she whispered as Shino also got to his feet. Their voices carried through the forest to their ears for a few moments until they were within eyesight. She tilted her head when both Kiba and Akamaru froze in their tracks. They were still too far away for her to make them out very well, but she saw the glint of red from Kiba’s cheeks and certainly saw the large white mass next to him. Then, suddenly, the boy and dog pair bolted forward. Within seconds, she had them completely in view, a blur, and not a second later, she was being picked up and swung around.

“I knew I could smell you!”

The boy…?

His voice was different. Deep.

She let herself be carried, and couldn’t help but notice how much bigger his arms felt. And how high up she was. He grew while she was gone. She felt the softness of Akamaru’s fur against her leg as well, and she let a smile slip. When he finally put her down, she looked up at him properly. That trademark toothy grin, fangs and all. But everything else about him was different. His hair was longer, almost brushing his shoulders and a little tamer than it used to be. Shadow on his jaw. Her eyes trailed, his chest was bigger, arms bigger, everything was…bigger. It threw her for a loop, and she didn’t realize until then she was gaping at him.

“Oi, Hinata!” She shook her head as he snapped his fingers in her face, unaware that he had been talking. She returned her eyes to his face, which was now frowning and leaning very close to hers. “Where the hell have you been?!”

“Oh…” Hinata sighed, looking away. While Shino wouldn’t question her, of course Kiba would, relentlessly. She tried to let her hair curtain her face, suddenly missing her longer hair.

“Shino and I have been worried out of our minds that you were dead. You never responded to our messages!” Kiba grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “I’ve been looking for you, you know that? We both have. When we have free time, we’re out there.”

“You have?” Hinata grimaced, looking from Kiba to Shino, who was looking away. They had wasted their time looking for her, she had done everything possible to ensure no one would find her, especially Hyūga. She felt guilty. She should have known, and maybe she did, and that was why she didn’t tell them. They would look for her, and persuade her to come back, and that was the last thing she wanted when she left. She returned her eyes to Kiba’s, and he looked increasingly frustrated.

“You took off without a word.” Kiba’s voice went lower, and she suddenly felt heat in her cheeks, a habit she thought she had kicked. “It’s fucked up, Hinata.”

“I-I’m sorry,” she choked out, her voice slightly wet. Kiba scrunched his nose up, sniffing out the tears emerging. He softened as they began to well at the bottoms of her eyes. She hadn’t cried in a while.

“Come here.” He didn’t ask, he demanded as he pulled her into a hug. She sighed against his jacket as he reached out his other arm for Shino, and they huddled as a trio. Both men enveloped her, and she hadn’t felt this sense of security in a very, very long time.

-

Shino and Hinata returned silently to the Aburame compound, Kiba having taken off momentarily to drop Akamaru off at his home and get changed. It gave Hinata time to think passed Kiba’s rowdy gestures. She knew he was going to pry it out of her, so she had to prepare herself.

She left to find her place in life. She left to find something more. She returned because her sister was getting married. Kakashi was the only one who had contact with her for the past two years. Nothing to get riled up over.

She sat at the dining table as Shino quietly prepared tea for Kiba’s arrival. Within moments, Kiba was bursting into the house, looking cleaner. He darted his eyes until they found his team, and he smiled, lazily kicking off his sandals before taking a seat next to Hinata. She forced a return smile. She would take it over being berated.

“You know you can’t keep secrets from me, right?” Kiba immediately launched in as he draped a long arm over the back of the sofa. She sighed, shaking her head. She couldn’t. “Out with it. Naruto proposed to Sakura, and you left.”

“Wh-no! That’s not the reason I left!” She immediately raised her hands in defense as Shino laid out cups of tea. Shino raised his eyebrows at the interaction, knowing full well this was Kiba’s time to shine.

“Bullshit,” he seethed, turning in his seat to face her directly. His glare made her shrink. “You can’t lie to me. You ran. And that was fine, you had to go through your process. But then you didn’t come back.”

“I…” She paused, staring down at their feet. She couldn’t respond. He was right, but she couldn’t stand to admit it out loud. It would make it too real.

“Why didn’t you come back? Why now?” Kiba pressed, leaning closer to her. Heat creeped over her cheeks once more as his strong features bore into her, and she suddenly felt exhausted. He placed his index finger and thumb on her chin and forced her to look at him. “We love you. You left us.”

Suddenly, everything went back.

With a blink, she found herself staring up at Kiba and Shino’s faces. She furrowed her eyebrows, pursed her lips. Kiba shook his head at her.

“Alright, I get it. Too forward.”

“Did I pass out?” Hinata whispered, slowly sitting up. Shino nodded.

“Same ol’ Hinata. But it was for me this time.” He chuckled, folding his arms as he turned away from her. She swallowed, willing herself to take deep breaths as she looked on him. She couldn’t help but notice how broad his shoulders were from the back. “Guess she likes what she sees, huh Shino?”

“Stop it!” Hinata breathed, shaking her head. Another chuckle as he fell back on the couch next to her, and Shino took the other side. She sucked in a deep breath as they leaned in to look at her. They always had a way of prying things out of her, especially when they tag teamed.

“You’re not leaving again.” Kiba finally broke the silence, his features dead serious. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“That’s not-that’s not your decision to make, Kiba!” She spoke indignantly, turning her nose at him. His expression didn’t budge. She leaned in, eyebrows furrowing, trying to give off the air that he didn’t intimidate her. She had become so skilled at not letting others intimidate her over the years, she wasn’t going to let Kiba of all people break her. “No! I’m not staying! I-I can’t-“

“Why?” Shino pulled her attention to himself, and her eyes went wide, darting them his way.

“Shino-“

“I’ve been quiet the last two days, Hinata…” Shino sighed. “But Kiba’s right. You caused panic. Why? Because you left in the dead of night. All we had was Kakashi reassuring us you were out there, alive.” Hinata’s heart began thumping against her chest as they both questioned her.

“We can’t let you go, again, Hinata.” Kiba pulled her attention now. “It’s not healthy, what you’re doing.”

“You do not look well.” Shino added, causing her to look back.

“You’re thin.” Kiba dipped his eyes at her figure briefly. “Sickly. Whatever you’re up to, it’s not good for you, or the people who love you.”

She felt her hands begin to shake as she dropped her eyes into her lap, neck tired from whipping her gaze back and forth between her teammates. “You don’t know-“

“I do know,” Kiba retorted, closing the distance between them. His serious expression remained. “Stay and make things right, Hinata.”

“I can’t-I can’t do this.”

She leapt from the couch before they had a chance to realize what was happening. She bolted from the house, not bothering to grab her sandals or shut the door behind her, simply snatching her pack and running as hard as her heels could handle.

They would come after her, this she knew. So, she had to be quicker, and unpredictable. She made a sharp left into the old Uchiha district and hopped as high as she could, until she made it over the fencing around it. Then she made for the East. Maybe she could make it to the Mist and speak with her sister before they could catch her. She just knew she couldn’t stay.

-

Almost 50 kilometers out, she finally stopped running.

“Byakugan.”

She let out a sigh of relief at the lack of chakra signatures around her. Kiba and Shino had trailed her for almost 20 kilometers before their signatures began disappearing. So, she went 30 more. She could finally relax. She had been running and leaping, leaping and running for nearly three hours, and desperately needed a break. She fell to her knees on top of a thick tree branch and fumbled with her pack. Hands shaky, breathing unsteady, she managed to construct her sloppy tent.

She should have known. She should have known.

“There was no way he was going to let you leave like that…” Hinata whispered to the wind as she crawled into the mangled tent, sighing as she rested her head. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Waiting for Kiba was foolish. Going to see Shino was foolish. She had gotten the answers she sought; she should have left straight after her conversation with Konohamaru. Her pattern of weakness caught up with her, Shikamaru’s innocent request for her to go to see Shino breaking the walls she had built for the last two years. Her teammates meant the world to her, but she couldn’t stay in the Leaf. Kiba would never let her leave without a fight, she should have waited until night and snuck out. But she panicked and took off in the most dramatic way possible.

While Shino could be convinced to leave her and attempt to forget about her, Kiba could not. He made that much clear on many occasions. He was possessive of his friends, much like a pack leader. It was in his nature to be loyal, loyal to a fault. She loved him dearly, but he couldn’t begin to understand what she was going through. The constant ache in her heart, the dark thoughts. Milky eyes looking sadly on her as the life extinguishes behind them. Big blue orbs, scrunched into a smile at her. Pink hair falling over those blue orbs as he spins her around, laying kisses over her as she says “yes.”

Her nightmares, every night. She hadn’t had a restful night sleep in so long, she couldn’t even remember. It was certainly before the war. Sometimes she dreamt of Naruto and Sakura. Sometimes she dreamt of Hanabi. Sometimes she dreamt of an ugly old man her father would surely marry her off to. Sometimes she dreamt of Neji. Neji…another reason it was so painful to remain in the Leaf. Everything about the Hyūga compound brought memories of Neji. Everything outside of the Hyūga compound brought thoughts of Naruto. She felt trapped. When Naruto and Sakura began seeing each other, she gave a brave face and acted unaffected. It was okay, he deserved to be happy. Maybe it wouldn’t turn into anything serious. She still had a chance.

Then, while attending the after party to Ino and Sai’s wedding, while everyone was dancing and happy, she was dancing and happy, it happened. Naruto got down on one knee and the room fell silent as they watched him propose to Sakura.

“Sakura Haruno, I’ve loved you since I set eyes on you.” Sakura had rolled her eyes, an uncharacteristic blush on her cheeks as she looked down at her teammate. “I want to spend every moment together, forever. Marry me.”

As her mouth opened and the beginning of “yes” escaped her, Naruto already had her in his arms, spinning her and assaulting her with kisses. To anyone else, it was a beautiful moment. The Hero of the Leaf, finally winning his sweetheart over, displaying his love in a grand gesture. Everyone clapped, everyone hooted, everyone converged on them to congratulate them.

Except Hinata. And Kiba. Before Hinata could hit the floor, Kiba was already quietly whisking her away, and within seconds, they were in the forest, and Hinata was a mess of tears and sobs on the ground in front of him. She couldn’t remember how he looked, she just remembered him giving an exasperated sigh before getting to his knees to envelope her in his embrace. She barely remembered the rest of the night, she didn’t remember what he said to her, or what she said. She just remembered pain. Then meeting with Kakashi. Then placing a flower on Neji’s grave. Then gathering her things from her room and leaving the Hyūga compound, her father stopping her before she could reach the gates to threaten her. Then running, then numbness.

The smell of smoke woke her up.

No.

She ripped her blanket off her and tore open the flap of the tent to find Kiba casually roasting something over a flame. She darted her eyes around in a panic as he looked up at her, that charismatic smirk on his lips. “Morning, princess.” She pursed her lips at the nickname, planning her best method of escape. Before she could get too far in planning, he interrupted her. “I wouldn’t run if I was you. Anbu are all over this place. Naruto agreed it wasn’t the best idea to let you get too far again. You no longer have the Hokage’s permission.”

“What?!” She gasped, eyebrow cinching together. “I-I have explicit permission from Kakashi!”

“Kakashi isn’t Hokage anymore.” He spoke flatly, looking away from her. “And he’s on vacation. You’re not getting out of this. I convinced Naruto to let me bring you home.”

“Kiba, please.” Suddenly she felt weak. She crawled out of the tent towards him, eyes wide towards him as he looked down at her, a cool expression on his face. “Please don’t do this. Please let me go. I can’t go back.”

“Hinata…” He sighed, pressing his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose. She grabbed his forearm, tightening her grip around it.

“Please! I’m begging you! I can’t go back, it’s too painful.” Her voice was pleading. “I can’t be there. I don’t want to go back!”

“You’ve had two years, Hinata,” he snapped, eyebrows lowering angrily, causing her to recoil. “Don’t you think that’s enough to get over a stupid crush?”

The smack against his cheek rang through the forest, the position of his freshly hit cheek frozen. Suddenly, she gasped and threw her hands over her mouth, shocked by herself. She watched as his jaw flexed. She had never hit him in anger before. Suddenly, he snatched one of her wrists, pulling it from her mouth and clenched it to the point of pain, forcing her eyes up at his.

“That’s all you’re getting.” Kiba growled, eyes boring into her. She tugged at her wrist, her other hand attempting to pry it from him with a frightened look on her face.

“I-I’m sorry, Kiba-“

“Don’t,” he whispered, suddenly releasing her as his eyes refocused on the fire. “Just be quiet.”

Hinata fell on her bottom, staring at the red handprint on his marked cheek. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them, and proceeded to sob. She couldn’t escape this. She felt like she was losing her mind. And she probably was.

-

She was being a brat. Kiba was becoming increasingly frustrated with her slow pace, knowing full well she could go faster. She outran him by a long shot yesterday, and here she was, dragging her feet like a child being forced to go to school.

“Pick up the pace, Hina,” he grumbled, nudging at her elbow. She recoiled and refused to meet his eyes. “Hey!” He stopped, grabbing her shoulders. He shook her lightly until she finally looked up, anger in her eyes. “You can be pissy if you want, but I’m not making a day’s trip into three days because you’re pouting!”

“I’m not pouting...” she murmured, looking away from him. He shook her once more, but she refused to meet his gaze. Then he let go of her, glaring down at her.

Fine. If she was going to act like a child, he would treat her like one.

In one swift motion, he had her slung over his shoulder. Her gasp and yelp did not deter him as he began running forward.

“Put me down, Kiba! Now!” she protested, banging her fists on his back. He ignored her. “Kiba!”

“No use fighting,” he finally responded. “I’m not letting you go.”

“Put me down!” she repeated, still wailing on him. “This is completely uncalled for!”

When he felt her hands begin to move with intention, he scoffed once more. “I wouldn’t try any ninjutsu.”

“You’re horrible!” she continued, her hands falling. “Horrible. You hate me. That’s the only way I can explain it, you must despise me.” He ignored her once more, and after a few minutes of wasting her voice and energy, she finally quieted and slumped over. He frowned at the familiar feeling of her shaking against him began. She was crying again. He let out a frustrated sigh but continued on.

After a few hours, the gates of the Leaf glimmered in the distance. He stopped suddenly, and gently set her down on her feet. “I’ll let you walk in with dignity if you quit being a brat.”

“When did you become so cruel?” Hinata whispered, eyes on the ground. He rolled his eyes.

“Enough drama, Hina. I’m not being cruel, I’m being your friend, and doing what a best friend should do.” He bent downward to force her to look at him. She violently turned her head so he couldn’t catch her. He frowned, another frustrated sigh, and snatched her wrist, practically dragging her. “It’s no skin off my ass if you look like a fool being dragged in by me by the whole village.”

“FINE!” He skidded on his feet at her thundering, shooting her a look over his shoulder. She ripped her wrist away from him and began stomping towards the gate. He’d take it. He jogged after her, keeping pace next to her, looking down at her anxiously. She was so, so different.

No longer the lovely, quiet, kindhearted girl that used to be his teammate. She was cold, sullen, and aggressive. Like some sort of wounded animal. He was concerned of what the future held for her; he knew he had to keep her home.

Over the past two years, Kiba felt like he was slowly losing his mind looking for her and saw the same in Shino. They would spend countless nights together after a day of splitting up to cover ground. She was sneaky, they always knew that. But they didn’t know she would be able to cover her tracks that well. He supposed it made sense. As the tracking team, it would be logical that she would know how to hide herself from sensory types, especially her own team. Frankly, he was proud. But he cursed her for it.

After that night when Naruto had proposed to Sakura in front of everyone, he knew she would need some space. That’s why he didn’t try to find her right away. He figured she would need some time to clear her head, then come back, fresh and new, or at least ready to deal with it. But weeks turned into months, and he and Shino began to panic. They sought permission from Kakashi to go over the borders to try to find her, only to be told that she was granted explicit permission by him to travel. He warned it would not be easy to find her, and that he was in communication with her to ensure her safety.

Then he did the unthinkable. He went to Hiashi.

He pleaded the clan leader to put more effort into finding his daughter. But months had passed, and Hiashi appeared indifferent to her fleeing, if not a bit spiteful. He had told Kiba that he cared not for her return, and when she did return, she would not be welcomed back to the Hyūga. He almost launched at the elder at those words, but Shino was there to reign him in. He left feeling angrier than he had since the conclusion of the war.

The night Naruto proposed to Sakura, he immediately covered her ears and took her to the forest. As soon as Naruto got down on one knee, he planned their escape. He already knew how Hinata would react. He held her, for hours as she sobbed. He whispered comfort to her, as much as it pained him to see her in such a state of disarray. He stroked her hair, locked her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and let her soak his robes in tears until she finally passed out from exhaustion.

It was a terrible night. He remembered carrying her to the spare bedroom in his house. He tucked her into bed, gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead, and told her he loved her, even though she was asleep. The next morning, he got up bright and early to visit the bakery to pick up fresh cinnamon rolls to bring back to her, but she was already gone. He didn’t know that the night before would be the last time he would see her for two entire years.

Every day, he woke up thinking of her. He had begun to lose hope, and hesitantly accepted a mission that would take him from the village for three months. Of course, she would return while he was gone, he was just thankful it was towards the end and Shino managed to convince her to stick around for his sake. But now, he felt further from her than ever before.

They walked quietly next to each other until they reached the Hokage’s tower. They stood in silence in front of the doors to the advisor’s office. Finally, she looked up at Kiba one last time as a final plea, her face contorted with misery and pain. His lips downturned, but he slid his hand into hers, and briefly, she allowed him to squeeze. Then she yanked it back, features morphing into anger before she shoved her way in, Kiba following after. Shikamaru hopped up from his desk and immediately entered the Hokage’s office before returning for her. When Kiba tried to follow, she stopped shortly and glared up at him.

“That will be all, Kiba,” she spoke clearly, obviously catching the look of hurt flashing over his eyes before his features relaxed. He nodded and turned on his heel, letting her leave freely. When the door shut, he let his shoulders slump with a shaky breath.

What happened to her?

Dutifully, Kiba waited with Shikamaru while Hinata met with Naruto. With crossed arms, he drummed his fingers on his bicep, staring intently at the door.

“Glaring it down won’t make it open sooner,” Shikamaru chided, looking up from the paperwork he was sorting through. Kiba shot him a quick glare before returning his eyes to the door. “Might as well sit down. You just ran, what, 50 kilometers, then another 50?”

“I’m fine,” Kiba said, quickly, brushing him off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he looked back down at his paperwork.

“Any clue why she’s so intent on getting out of here?” he asked without raising his eyes. Kiba looked at him incredulously.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the genius Nara of our generation?” he spat back, lowering his eyebrows at him. Shikamaru let out a low chuckle.

“Just wondered what it was from your perspective.” He shrugged, looking back up with idle eyes.

“Naruto and Sakura of course,” he replied quickly, shaking his head. Shikamaru tilted his.

“Think that’s it?” he asked, innocently. Kiba glowered down at his old schoolmate, wondering what he was trying to force out of him. He paused to rake over his own thoughts.

“Well, I mean…I know it hurts her to think of Neji, I guess.” He looked up in thought. “Being at the Hyūga compound doesn’t help with that, I know. She’s also scared of her father, and what plans he might have for her. Plus, just the overall trauma of the war weighs down on all of us, I guess.”

Shikamaru smirked at Kiba’s thoughtfulness. Once a rambunctious, loud mouthed idiot with little regard for others was really a full grown, perceptive adult now. He nodded. “So, if you know all that, maybe you should be a little…I dunno, kinder to her? More understanding?” Kiba lowered his eyes at him, lips pressing into a thin line. “I saw you approach the gates, carrying her. You seemed pretty frustrated out there, big guy.”

Kiba stopped to consider his words. Indeed, he had been incredibly frustrated with her because she had hurt him. And then when he finally got her back, she proceeded to shove what felt like a knife through his heart once more. He wasn’t going to let her go so easily again. But in his fury, his haste to get her back, he hadn’t stopped to consider that it was really for selfish reasons he had gone after her. And his selfish reasons drove him to act in anger with her.

Damnit, now he was feeling guilty.

“Just a thought.” Shikamaru snapped him from his own thoughts as he stretched with a yawn. Kiba crinkled his nose as he caught the yawn, imitating him as he fell back into one of the seats provided.

Hinata had been through a tremendous amount, he knew. And he knew he couldn’t understand the extent of her pain. Through their years, he learned a considerable amount about her past. Her humiliating defeat by Hanabi, the physical and verbal abuse from both her father and Neji before Neji came around. Which of course only made his death all the more tragic. She had spent much of her childhood wishing for him to be her friend once more, her brother.

Finally, she had a spark of happiness in her life when Neji slowly warmed back up. Kiba saw how happy it made her to have him back, even the smallest kindnesses she would gush about. He never really liked the guy, in fact hated him for a good portion of their genin days for his treatment of her and nearly killing her during the chunnin exams. But he had to respect him for the powerhouse and tactician he was. And he couldn’t deny it made him happy to see her happy, so he begrudgingly accepted Neji as a ‘good person.’

When she finally felt she was getting to be on equal footing with him, and felt closer to him than ever, he was killed. In the heat of battle, not too many people saw it happen, and even the people who did had little time to mourn him, including Hinata. The effects didn’t really sink in until they returned home and laid all who fell to rest. Kiba and Shino, along with others who suffered the least losses, were assigned to retrieve bodies. It was one of the worst missions he had to endure in his life. It felt worse than the actual battling itself. It was Kiba who found Neji. Bodies had piled so high, they didn’t have the time or energy to retrieve him when they initially returned home.

It was a gruesome sight. His eye sockets were empty, the caged bird seal activated. But he made getting Neji back his number one priority. When he finally got him to the Hyūga compound and she laid eyes on him, she immediately fell to her knees. Her sobs still haunted him. Hiashi’s cold gaze chilled him as he carefully took the branch Hyūga from his arms. Immediately, he had fallen next to Hinata and held her. It was a position he was unfortunately becoming all too familiar with.

He just wanted to protect her. He wanted to hold her and shield her from the problems of the outside world. Put her in a bubble and never let anything wrong her again.

After a few months of mourning from the entire village, as well as rebuilding, regular missions picked up again. And Hinata began cheering up. She held a strong façade for everyone and resumed missions as team 8. Asuma and Kurenai’s baby was born, and they had a blissful moment as a team to dote on the newest Sarutobi. It really felt like things were getting back to normal. Hinata impressed Kiba beyond his imagination when she heard the news of Sakura and Naruto’s budding romance. She took it in stride, despite a small look of pain flashing over her face when they were mentioned. He really felt like he had his teammate back.

Then Ino and Sai’s wedding happened, and all of her progress came undone.

His initial understanding of her feelings turned to frustration when she didn’t return for some months. Now here he was, having to be told by Shikamaru of all people to consider her feelings.

Love made people stupid, that much was clear.

-

Hinata sat silently in the chair across from Naruto, hands clasped in her lap and staring blankly out the window to her right. Naruto sat at his desk, chin resting on his intertwined hands as he looked on her, debating the best way to start. He had hoped she would come in, ready to talk, ready to say anything, but she simply walked in, bowed, and took a seat, devoid of sound or emotion. The negative energy she was radiating was poisonous. He sighed and finally leaned back in his chair.

He started. “Hinata…I’m sorry it had to be like this.” He paused to see if she would respond, and when there was none, he continued. “I think two years is enough time to wander. Don’t you think you should come home—to the Leaf?” More silence. “Everyone misses you, and team 8 has been lacking-“

“Team 8 disbanded years ago.” Hinata finally spoke bitterly but did not look at him. He frowned at her forwardness.

“But you still function like your team 8—our investigative missions haven’t been the same without you. Your byakugan is the farthest reaching of any Hyūga—” Hinata scoffed at the compliment, Neji had the farthest reaching, “—well. Anyway. Everyone wants you to stay, Hinata. And I really think your sister could use your support right now.”

“What do you know of my sister?” Hinata whispered to her lap. Naruto sighed.

“I know she misses you. I know she talks about you all the time. I know she’s nervous about taking over your clan. I know she’s anxious about the marriage. I know she needs her big sister.”

“And how would you know that?”

“Konohamaru.”

Quiet overtook the room for a few tense minutes before Naruto stood up, rounding his desk to lean back on it.

“Did you find meaning out there?” Naruto finally asked. “Out there, outside the Land of Fire? Did you find what you were looking for?”

Hinata’s breath caught in her throat at the question. In barely a breath, she said, “no.”

“Then don’t you think what you’re looking for…is here?”

No.

No, no, no.

“I have to go.” Hinata stood up abruptly and slammed the door of his office open, trying to escape. Suddenly, she found herself paralyzed, only able to shift her eyes to her left to find Shikamaru with his hands clasped.

“Trying to escape again?” Kiba was to the right, arms folded disapprovingly. She swallowed the lump in her throat before relaxing, realizing she couldn’t escape Shikamaru’s shadow possession jutsu. It was something she had never experienced, and it was terrifying, to be honest. Complete lack of control. Shikamaru sighed as he turned towards Naruto’s form in the frame of the door, forcing her to face him as well. She lowered her eyes to avoid his sympathetic gaze.

“Look Hinata—” Naruto let out a tired sigh as he leaned against the doorframe to his office, “—just stay a few weeks, please? Until after the wedding, sort stuff out. If you still really want to leave…then I’ll grant it to you.”

Hinata jaw clenched. “So, you’re keeping me hostage?”

“You’re a citizen of the Leaf. There are rules, Hinata.” Shikamaru lowered his eyes at her.

“Sorry, Hinata. But I think it’s best you stay a while and cool off. Your sister will be back soon.” Naruto’s voice sounded so…mature and even. She frowned.

“What happened to not being able to argue with Hyūga?” she whispered, pain etched in her voice and tears threatening to fall, causing Naruto to wince. Kiba’s eyes shifted between the three uncomfortably before he stepped towards Hinata.

“Let her go, Shikamaru.” His voice was low. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto who nodded him along. As he released the jutsu, Hinata’s knees buckled, but Kiba was ready to snatch her up.

“I…I can’t go home…” she whispered against his jacket, barely audible. “I don’t have a home.”

“She can’t go back to the Hyūga compound.” Kiba frowned, looking up at Naruto who nodded solemnly.

“I can put her up somewhere…” Naruto offered, but Kiba shook his head.

“I’ll take her for now.” Naruto tilted his head, glancing between the two before nodding once more.

Suddenly, exhaustion took her as the men around her took control of her future. She was helpless. Like always. Black consumed her vision.

[bearfoottruck]

FANFIC UPDATE 6-16-2023:

OK, so I was wrong. This week isn't the final chapter for Russian Winter, Broken Hearts. It is, however, the final battle of Deku and co. vs. the Russian scum who have been terrorizing Japan.

Aside from that, I posted a KibaHina fic titled Kiba's Loss (Fanfiction, AO3). I don't usually do KibaHina fics, but my girlfriend gave me that prompt, so I figured I'd try it out. I also have another Father's Day-themed update for Gonna Kiss You On the Boulevard, plus a new chapter for Motorhead.

[tired-biscuit]

Hi Biscuit 😁

I was wondering if you had any Kiba blog recommendations. I love all of your works so many times and I absolutely adore them, but I can’t seem to find many fics outside of your blog. Thank you in advance, and I hope you’re doing well 😁🩵

hi babes, thank you so much!! here are just a couple of blogs off the top of my head that i know have written multiple kiba fics:

@kiljoius — she mostly writes character x character fics so if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll find many amazing stories. i’m a huge fan of her kibahina fics, they’re so sweet.

@delirious-donna — my lovely friend who has to endure so MUCH kiba thirsting from me on discord… she writes him so good; i want to eat him up every single time because of her writing.

@azurelyy — i requested a kiba fic for her event once and got a fucking MASTERPIECE in return. definitely check it out.

@saigethearies — mostly a hq blog now, but you can still find plenty of chef’s kiss worthy kiba stories!!

also user silentexplorer18 on ao3! amazing kiba writer!!

[punk-pandame]

Punky's Kinktober Day 25 Y: Yiffing/Yoni Egg

Hyuuga Hinata x Inuzuka Kiba

Rated Explicit

TW for alcohol

check caard in pinned post for info on comms + memberships!