Her Majesty's Kiba

Kiba watched with pride as Hinata trained in the large courtyard of the Hyuuga manor. The large Akamaru dodged her chakra filled attacks, but did not simply train with her on the defense, attacking her every so often. Her grace and her form were all products of beauty and her hard training. Kiba had to admit, as he watched her, she’d come so far in six years. In just those short, six years, she’d matured from a child into a blossoming young lady and would be making sixteen in less than a month. Normally, she would be training with Kurenai-Sensei, but on this warm Autumn day, she had other matters to attend to, leaving Kiba to monitor her training. Kiba was so lost in thought, he didn’t hear Hiashi behind him until he spoke.

“She’s a beautiful young woman, Kiba-San. You and Kurenai have done a fine job.”

Kiba stood at attention and bowed his head in the highest form of respect.

“I’m glad that you say that, Hiashi-Sama. Hinata-Hime has certainly gotten better.”

“I am glad. The exams are coming up and I am quite sure she will advance to the ranks of jounin in no time, but for now, let’s focus on getting her past the chunin exams.”

Kiba looked up at Hiashi with admiration; the kind man had a very strong fondness for his elder daughter and even himself, of which Kiba felt he was often not worthy to win the approval of the head of such an elite family. Hiashi put his hand on Kiba’s shoulder for a moment and nodded. Hiashi was more than happy to have Kiba train his daughter. Hiashi’s gaze turned intense and he released a small sigh.

“I’m worried, however.”

”Why so, Hiashi-Sama?”

“It is who Hinata is facing in the exams. I am…very worried. She made it through the genin exams with no real problem, but the lineup is different this year.”

Hiashi sighed once more and turned his attention to his daughter, training with the massive nin-dog.

“Neji is her opponent.”

”Neji, Hiashi-Sama?! But…! That’s a bit much, isn’t it?!”

“I tried to speak to Godaime about it, but that old witch isn’t hearing any more of it. Hinata will face her cousin in the genin exams and there is nothing we can do but pray.”

Kiba sighed. So that’s why Hinata had been so pensive these past couple of days; because she knew who her opponent was going to be. The exams were tomorrow, so he could only imagine how scared Hinata was. While Neji’s feelings for his cousin had lightened somewhat, Neji still believed Hinata was weakling and that would never change. Neji was also very determined to prove that it should be he who was the heir to the Hyuuga legacy, not Hinata. Kiba stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave a loud whistle. Akamaru hurried over to Kiba who pet his large companion.

“Good boy. Hinata! Let’s call it a day.”

”Hai…!”

Hinata hurried over to Kiba who handed her a towel. Kiba began rubbing the top of her head with a separate towel.

“Make sure you towel off properly so you don’t catch a cold.”

“Arigato, Kiba-San.”

“Kiba-San, Hinata-Chan, you should both rest early tonight. Let’s not forget Kiba-San, you have your own exam tomorrow.”

”I know, I’ll definitely get some sleep after I finish up here.”

“Will you be staying for dinner? We’ve missed your presence what with the preparations for the exams.” Hiashi smiled.

Kiba looked at Hinata who returned the look with hopefulness in her pale blue eyes.

“Sure, I’ll stay.”

”Very good. I’ll have the maids prepare extra and I’ll see to it Akamaru is well fed,”

Hiashi extended his head and gave Akamaru a well-deserved pet between the ears.

”Akamaru is very good dog and your greatest companion. He too should be well rested for your battle tomorrow, Kiba-San.”

”Arf!”

The four headed to the dining hall where Neji and the other members of the family were settling in to eat. Akamaru took his seat beside Kiba and began to eat. There was tension in the air and no one was immune to the reason as to why; Neji and Hinata were to face off tomorrow. So much hung in the balance, including the honor of the lower branch members Neji was representing and the main branch Hinata was representing. Kiba was more thankful when dinner finally ended. That stuffy atmosphere was too much for him. Hinata offered to walk him to home and while Kiba initially objected, saying she needed her rest, she insisted. Kiba was grateful for her presence. As they walked through the streets of Konoha painted with the rays of the dying sun, there was a small silence that stretched between the two.

“Kiba-San,”

”Yeah?”

Hinata stopped and turned to face him, looking down at her feet for a moment.

”I…I want…you to know something, Kiba-San…”

Kiba’s eyes widened and he suddenly felt his heart begin to beat a little faster. Was this actually…? Hinata looked around. She knew there were too many people around for her to say what she wanted to say to Kiba. Anyone could hear them. She took his hand and led him off to the road and near a back alley. Kiba’s mind raced at this point. What was Hinata doing? When she made sure they hadn’t been followed, not even by Akamaru, she turned to face Kiba who was looking slightly red in the face.

“I…I want to show you something Kiba-San…”

Kiba’s eyes widened when she began to unzip her beige coat. His mind flew apart.

“Uh…! Hi…Hinata-Chan! Wait a minute! Maybe we should go somewhere more…!”

Hinata reached into her coat and pulled out a scroll. Kiba couldn’t have been more embarrassed. Hesitantly, Hinata handed the scroll to Kiba and blushed.

“I…I want you to give that to Naruto-Kun.”

“Naruto? Why, what is it?”

Kiba went to open it…

“NO, DON’T!” Hinata screamed.

She snatched the scroll away from him and clenched it to her chest.

“I…if…if you’re going to look at it, please…I don’t want you to be the one to deliver it.”

Kiba was stunned. At first he thought she wanted to make out, now she was asking for his help to deliver a scroll? To Naruto? That she didn’t want him to see? He was beyond confused, but once he convinced her he wouldn’t look at it, Hinata handed him the scroll. Hinata thanked him and hurried out of the alleyway. Kiba only sighed and put the scroll inside of his own jacket before walking out of the alleyway. Kiba stopped for a minute to get his bearings and knew he wasn’t that far from the ichiraku stand. The nightlife was just beginning. Akamaru finally caught up with him, rewarded with a pet from Kiba. As they approached the ramen stand, Naruto was just paying his money and thanking the stand owner.

“Yo, Naruto!”

“Huh? Hey, Kiba-Kun! Akamaru! What are you guys doing out this late?”

“Just on a small mission. Here, this is for…”

The moment Kiba reached into his coat and wrapped his hand around the scroll, a disturbing thought plagued him. What if this was a love note? Kiba froze in the process of presenting the scroll, but grit his teeth, remembering the promise he made to Hinata. He handed the scroll to Naruto and sighed.

“This is from Hinata.”

“Oh, thanks. Oi, wait! You’re gonna be at the exams tomorrow, right?”

”Yeah, I’ve got my exam tomorrow as well. Anyway, it’s getting late and I…”

“Well, wait a second! Atleast lemme read it so I know if I need to reply or not…”

“Sorry, Naruto! I really gotta go!”

Kiba hurried off with Akamaru by his side. A lie; true, he didn’t need to be anywhere, but he didn’t want to see what was on that damned scroll. What if it really had been a love note? Kiba stopped to catch his breath and leaned against a nearby wall, staring up at the moon. Would have it really been a surprise if that’s what it had been? For these past few years, Hinata had always talked about Naruto in some form, always wishing to be strong just like him. Often, when he and Hinata went out to train, Kiba would always notice Hinata staring at him with admiration. Kiba slid his back down the length of the tree until he was in a sitting position and wrapped his arms around his legs. What if she really did like him? Kiba chuckled ruefully, saying to no one in particular,

“Yeah…like I can really expect her to remember she said she liked me in her sleep when she was six.”

Akamaru looked up at Kiba who placed a hand on his head. Kiba sighed. But even then, Hinata was dreaming. Who was to say that she wasn’t dreaming about Naruto? After thinking about it for a moment longer, Kiba headed home, falling into a deep sleep and escaping his feelings of what he prayed wasn’t unrequited love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“…And the winner is Inazuka Kiba!”

The crowd cheered as the battle-scarred Kiba exited the arena. His fight with that damn sound Ninja hadn’t been easy, but he’d managed. He took a deep breath. Finally, he was a chunin. Hiashi greeted him with a proud look that was reserved for a young man he’d come to see as his son.

“You did very well, Kiba.”

“Thanks! So, where’s…?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I believe the last I saw of her, she was talking to the Uzumaki boy.”

“Naruto…?!”

Kiba began to head off to find them, but was stopped by Hiashi.

“Your wounds aren’t that severe, but I believe you should still have a medical nin look at you.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I want to find Hinata-Chan first. Her battle is less than half an hour away.”

”Hmm, good point. Alright, I’m returning to my seat. I’ll leave finding Hinata to you.”

“Okay.”

Kiba released a small sigh. Hiashi was right, his wounds did hurt him a little, but he knew he wanted to find Hinata. Especially if she was with Naruto. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Naruto, it was just he didn’t trust himself to not believe Hinata’s note was romantic in it’s contents. When he did find them, they were standing beneath a tree at the entrance to the arena. Kiba concealed himself around the corner, watching the interaction between the two. Naruto looked very serious, Hinata, very nervous. Despite the distance between the twosome and himself, Kiba’s sharp hearing was able to pick up every word.

“So…what you said in the note…is it really true?”

“H…hai, N…Naruto-Kun. I…”

Hinata grit her teeth and quickly said,

“I’ve always liked you!”

Kiba’s heart broke. So…he’d been right after all. He watched as Naruto placed a hand on Hinata’s shoulder with a small smile and his own blush.

“Wow…really, Hinata-Chan?”

”H…hai. I…I just wanted to tell you before my battle. I wanted you to know…that…that I’ve trained all these years to get you to n…notice me! I want to be strong just like you, Naruto-Kun!”

Naruto placed both hands on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. He hugged her and Kiba felt as if there was a hand tightly clenching around his heart. He didn’t want to listen a minute longer, but…

“Thank you, Hinata-Chan. That…makes me happy.”

“Really?” Hinata said, looking up at him, on the verge of tears.

“Really. When you defeat your cousin, I’ll give you an answer.”

Hinata’s eyes lit up with pure joy. She nodded quickly.

“H…hai! Then I’ll do my best to end the battle soon!”

Naruto chuckled and Hinata gave a small bow and hurried in the direction of the main arena, shouldering Kiba in the process.

“Oh! Kiba-Kun! What are you doing here?”

Kiba stared at her for a minute before lowering his head. He raised it, a big grin on his face.

“I just came to find you! Your battle is about to begin.”

“Oh, thank you, Kiba-Kun! Wish me luck!”

”Good luck, Hinata.” He smiled.

Hinata hurried into the arena, more than ready for her battle. Kiba took his seat beside the nervous, yet poker-faced Hiashi. Neji walked out and the battle began. The intensity of the battle made it’s onlookers nervous, well aware of the grudge that Neji held for his younger cousin. Hinata’s mind was clear and focused; she wanted to end this battle as soon as possible because she knew Naruto-Kun was waiting with a response, but Neji had other plans. Neji forced his hand deep into her stomach, chakra blasting clear through her. All of time seemed to slow down and then stop as a darkness settled over her mind. The last thing she heard were the mixed voices of her father, Naruto, and Kiba…

It would be three days later when Hinata finally came to. She looked around, aware of her surroundings; she was back in her room when it seemed like only momentarily, she was facing Neji. Her torso, her wrists and her neck were wrapped in bandages and it hurt to even breath. She looked at her hands, tears suddenly blurring her vision. She’d lost. She’d lost to Neji and she never even got a chance to hear what Naruto…She clenched her teeth and laid back down, tears spilling down her cheeks. If Naruto had been watching her, then he knew she’d lost and he probably didn’t even want to say how he felt about her. He was probably disgusted by her! What about Kiba? Her eyes widened and she sat up. Kiba was probably so disappointed in her…! All of their training…! Hinata stood up weakly, grabbing her stomach, which felt as if it were twisting in pain. She knew her wounds were far from healed, but...how could she face any of them? Her father, Kiba, Naruto-Kun…She couldn’t do it. She made her way over to her desk and pulled out a blank scroll….

Kiba heaved a heavy sigh as he entered Hiashi’s personal quarters. When he slid open the door, he was confronted by sight of Hiashi’s fist slamming hard into Neji’s face.

“Hiashi-Sama!”

It took Kiba and two other Hyuugas to restrain him from Neji whom was laying face down on the tatami mats that lined the room.

“You…! It’s YOUR fault! How dare you!” Hiashi yelled at his nephew.

“Hiashi-Sama! What’s wrong? Calm down!”

A scroll fell from Hiashi’s robe. Kiba picked it up, recognizing the calligraphy as Hinata’s own. Kiba’s eyes scanned over the scroll and he quickly looked up at Hiashi.

“Hinata’s gone?!”

Gathering his breath, Hiashi nodded.

“Yes…I found that scroll…”

Before waiting for Hiashi to finish, Kiba tore out of Hiashi’s room and towards Hinata’s room. He slammed the doors open and saw no sign of her, except for a small trail of blood that led out of the window. He almost threw himself out of the window trying to follow it, but looked down. Even as skilled as she was, he knew Hinata wouldn’t have survived the three-story fall, yet there was no sign of her on the ground below. Kiba’s mind raced and he hurried out of the room, calling Akamaru to him. For the next seven hours, a massive manhunt for Hinata began. By sunset, TenTen, Kurenai, Rock Lee and their other friends came back with no evidence to where she’d disappeared to. Not even Shino’s bugs could find her. Kiba found himself kneeling in front of Hiashi who sat kneeling opposite of him as he reported the news.

“I’m sorry, Hiashi-Sama…”

”If my daughter has covered her scent this well, maybe she does not wish to be found.”

“But…!”

“Kiba. I understand you are upset, but you read her note. She feels as if she’s disappointed us and she ‘needs time to heal her broken soul’.”

“But she’s injured, Hiashi-Sama!”

“That concerns me as well. More so than the fact she packed clothes.”

“A journey?! In her condition?!” Kiba growled.

“Kiba, please, respect my daughter’s wishes. Let her go.”

“I won’t stand for it!”

Kiba stood up, balling up his fist.

“It’s my duty to protect her! I promised I’d protect her…!”

Hiashi stood up, putting his hand on Kiba’s shoulder. He could feel the tremors beneath his hand; the young boy was very close to crying, but like a true shinobi, he wouldn’t let his tears be seen. Not yet.

“Kiba, you trained Hinata to be strong. Let her take the time to heal her soul like she asks. When she is ready, she will return to us.”

”How…? How can you be so confident?” Kiba asked, looking up at Hiashi.

Hiashi could only chuckle with a small sigh.

“It is because I have faith in my daughter. Rest, Kiba. Tomorrow, I will begin training with you.”

Kiba’s blinked a few times as if he’d heard wrong. Hiashi gave a small nod.

“In Hinata’s absence, you must train your body and soul. Prove to her you can be strong…Show her you can be stronger than Naruto.”

Kiba couldn’t stop a blush from forming across his cheeks. Were his feelings for Hinata that transparent?

“Kiba, I understand my daughter’s feelings for the Uzumaki boy and I have nothing against them, however, if it is Hinata’s heart you desire, you must train it as well to prove to her how much you care for her. When she returns, she will see how you are training, but you must never reveal your motives as to why. Just as Hinata trained hard to gain the attention of Naruto…”

”I’m sorry, Hiashi-Sama, but those will not be my motives for training.”

Kiba took a step backwards and sighed, raising his head.

“I will train to become stronger so that I can protect her. Even if my feelings mean nothing to her. I promised I’d protect her.”

Hiashi stood in awe of the youth in front of him. Hiashi gave a small nod and Kiba promised to meet Hiashi early the next morning. As Kiba walked home, Akamaru by his side, he saw Naruto in the distance, staring up at the Hokage memorial. Kiba’s first instinct was to avoid him, but…

“Yo, Naruto.” Kiba sighed.

“Kiba. Hey.”

The two boys stood staring up at the memorial bathing in the pure white moonlight. For a long time, no words were exchanged. When the silence was broken, it was Naruto’s voice that cut through it.

“Hinata…she’s gone?”

”Yeah.”

”I see. Kiba, I want to tell you something…”

As much as Kiba didn’t want to hear it, Naruto was in fact his friend, no matter what his feelings for Hinata were.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Hinata told me she liked me, which came as a shock, because I thought she really liked you.”

Kiba gave a small shrug, accompanied by a small smile.

“Nah, not Hinata…”

“I…was going to tell her I couldn’t return her feelings.”

Kiba’s eyes widened and for a minute, he had to resist the urge to punch Naruto clear out.

“Why?”

“Because…I’m going off to train with Jiraiya for a while. I want to bring Sasuke back.”

”I know that, but…!”

“If Hinata is waiting here for me, I’d have something to come home to, but…It wouldn’t be fair. If something were to happen to me when I was out training, she’d be left to mourn. I wouldn’t want that.”

“Don’t say that, you idiot! You’re stronger than that! Sasuke is…!”

”Going to come home because I am going to bring him home. The problem is, I know I’m not strong enough to do that. I’m going off to train. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but to be honest…even if I did come back…”

Naruto gave a small, rueful smile up at the white moon.

“I’d never be able to care for Hinata the way you do.”

Kiba’s eyes widened and he quickly turned his head to the side to avoid Naruto seeing his blush.

“I…”

”I see the way you look at Hinata. Heh, I’m not that stupid, you know. I could never see Hinata the way you do. Besides,”

Naruto put his hand on Kiba’s shoulder and gave him a comforting smile.

“I already have someone I like.”

“Someone you…?”

Naruto gave Kiba a minute to think about it before it finally dawned on the Inazuka boy. Kiba could only give him a small smile.

“So, when do you leave?”

“Tomorrow. If I should encounter Hinata, what do you want me to say to her?”

Kiba looked up at the moon with a smile.

“Tell her I’m waiting for her to come home.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

(A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I’m glad you all like this story thus far and it’s not even over yet! Lol! Okay, there’s something I want my readers to know; there is a song I have fitted into my mind for Kiba and describing his feelings for Hinata. The song is actually the ending theme song for ‘Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny’. It’s called ‘Garasu No Hana’ which means ‘Flower of glass’. For those familiar with Ikki Tousen (aka Battle Vixens) you already know what the series is about, however, this is the cover song for Kan-U and how she truly feels about the girl she protects; Ryuubi. Here’s a link to the song. I think it fits Kiba perfectly. Anyway, until the next time, I’ll see you all later! I’ll post hopefully soon!

Here’s the link to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64qPwifGE0g

Enjoy, and I’ll update soon! Thanks for all the reviews!)