Her Majesty's Kiba

(A/N: I have noticed two major typos that could throw off my readers in the previous chapters and I’m so sorry! Okay, the first typo is the time; Hinata was six when she met Kiba and it’s supposed to be six years later when all of the drama goes down. That would make her twelve about to be thirteen. I accidentally typed that she’d be sixteen. Okay? Hinata was twelve-going on-thirteen went she left home. Next one is the exams Hinata was training for; they were the CHUNIN exams, not the genin exams. Sorry about that!!! Anyway, on with the story! Thanks again for the reviews!)

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Once more, it was spring in Konoha; probably the most beautiful time of the year for the village hidden in the leaves. New shinobi and kunoichi were entering the academy, Tsunade’s face had been added to the great Hokage memorial and the cherry trees were in full bloom, sprinkling the ground with it’s pink petals. He stared up at the large cherry blossom tree in the forest, where an old friend was waiting for him. It never ceased to amaze him how Shino always wore glasses, year round. More over, it surprised him how Shino never seemed to die from heat exhaustion since he looked like he was always dressed for the winter.

“Yo, Shino!”

Shino looked up at the approaching shinobi, clothed in all black, with his enormous faithful ninken by his side. Shino had noticed great change in Kiba Inazuka, especially after the young Hyuuga heiress had left. Maybe it was only he who noticed it, but Shino knew Kiba was training for her and the day she would return. It had been three years since she’d left.

“Kiba, you look well today.”

“What, are you saying I look like hell on other days?”

Shino gave a small chuckle and remained standing against the large sakura tree while Kiba sat down. Akamaru proceeded to put his large head on Kiba’s lap.

”How is training with Hyuuga-Sama going?”

“Pretty good. It never gets any easier and I haven’t even beat him. Not once. Anyway, what’s up? Why so secretive?”

“There is something I think you should hear, Kiba.”

Shino lowered his voice to a decibel he knew only Kiba and Akamaru could hear. Kiba spun around to face his teammate, his eyes wide and full of dismay.

“What?!”

“Settle down, Kiba. It’s just a rumor.” Shino sighed, leaning against a nearby tree.

“How can you expect me to settle down? It’s been three years!”

”I did say it was just a rumor.” Shino reminded his friend.

Kiba sat there, shock evident in his eyes. He hadn’t heard any word on or about Hinata since she’d left home, almost three years ago, now there was a rumor that she’d eloped with Naruto? Is that what she’d been doing this entire time? Shino seemed all too calm given the current situation. It’d been almost two years since he’d been partnered with Kiba Inazuka, yet his attitude about Hinata was yet to change; he was still waiting for her to return, even three years after her departure from Konoha. Kiba heaved a great sigh before calmly looking up at the sky.

“Where did you hear this rumor, Shino?”

“From Yamanaka Ino, however, you know how she likes to gossip.”

“I wonder if Shikamaru would know anything about it…”

Shino shrugged and told his companion not to read too much into it. It wasn’t like this was the first rumor about Hinata or Naruto they’d heard. Amongst the ones that almost broke Kiba, it was the rumor that Hinata had been so distraught over losing to Neji, she committed suicide and with no word or sign of Hinata, Kiba was inconsolable for almost a month, before Shino finally confronted the signifying maid who’d started the rumor.

“Three years, huh…? She’d be…”

”Sixteen, Kiba. Hinata would be sixteen. Don’t forget, we are almost two years older than her.”

“Yeah. Sixteen, huh? I wonder how she’s doing…”

“Oi, Aburame-San! Inazuka-San!” a familiar voice yelled.

Kiba and Shino glanced up to see the jolly Chouji heading towards them, clad in red.

“Hey, Chouji, what’s up?”

Chouji stopped to catch his breath for a minute. Akamaru nuzzled his pocket and Chouji smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulled out what was left of a sweet bean bun. After feeding Akamaru the sweet, Chouji looked at the two shinobi.

“Guys, Shikamaru just….whew….Shikamaru just saw…Naruto!”

“Naruto’s back?” Kiba’s eyes widened.

”It certainly took him long enough.” Shino chuckled.

“It’s not even that, though! You wouldn’t believe who was with him! Hinata-Hime! Do you think that rumor about them getting married was true?”

If it hadn’t been for Shino, Kiba would have fallen completely over. Even Shino was a little stunned, Kiba never lost his cool like that yet this news was enough to almost send him into a faint. Once Kiba had regained his composure, he, Shino and Akamaru followed Chouji to where he’d last seen Shikamaru. He was taking in some light conversation with Ino, in front of the flower shop.

“Hey, guys! Did you hear? Hinata’s back!” Ino smiled.

“Yeah, we heard, but what’s this rumor about her getting married to Naruto?”

“Don’t blame me, I heard it from Godaime-Sama.” Ino sighed, cutting a small bud.

Kiba took a few deep breaths. He didn’t want to see Hinata and be ready to tear her new husband’s head clear off his shoulders.

“Nara-San, where did you last see them?” Shino asked.

“They were going to report in with Godaime. You can probably still catch them if you hurry.”

Shino looked at Kiba who was staring at the ground, mentally debating what he should do. If he saw Hinata…It’d been three years. It was like she was back from the dead almost. Moreover, Naruto was back with her. What if the rumor had really been true?

“Kiba,” Shino said.

“Huh?”

”Let’s go.”

”Ri…right.”

Shino thanked the three for the information and headed off towards the Godaime’s office. Kiba looked visably shaken and who could blame him? Kiba had been training for this day his entire life. He’d thought of nothing but Hinata and now that it was time to see her again after so long, he was terrified. They were only a few feet from Godaime’s office when they heard a soft voice.

“K…Kiba-San? Shino-San?”

Kiba froze and all of time seemed to freeze with him. Slowly, he looked up and saw a young woman standing at the top of the stairs leading towards the Godaime’s office. Her long, raven-colored hair wafted gently in the wind, revealing two, small silver hoops in each ear, resembling Ino’s earrings. She wore a lavender colored jacket and a pair of black capris pants. Around her neck was her symbol of what village she belonged to.

“Hi…Hinata-Hime…”

“Kiba-Kun!”

She hurried down the stairs and Kiba slowly opened his arms. Gently launching herself off of the last step, Hinata leapt into Kiba’s arms, wrapping her own around his neck. Kiba closed his arms tightly around her, burying his head in her long, black hair. He wanted to cry, he wanted to smile; wanted show so many emotions and say so many things to her, but no words came. None were needed. As he stood there embracing Hinata, all he could think about was how beautiful she’d become. And now, at long last, she was finally home.

“Ahem…” Shino said, finally making his presence known.

Kiba and Hinata quickly pulled away from one another, blushes on their faces. Kiba nervously scratched the back of his head and Hinata twirled her hair around her fingers. Shino could only smile.

“Hinata-Hime-San, you look very well.”

”Arigato, Shino-San! You look good as well!”

“Hinata, I…”

It was then Kiba froze, staring at something Hinata definitely didn’t have the last time they’d met. With his eyes wide and a slight trickle of blood coming down from his nose, Kiba took notice of her…physical growth as well. Shino quickly slapped Kiba on the back of his head. Sure, her breasts were pretty big now, Shino sighed mentally, but the least he could have done was be subtle about his peeping. Kiba did his best to get rid of his nosebleed while Shino talked to Hinata.

“Sorry, the heat was starting to get to Kiba. Nonetheless, how are you?”

”I’m fine. You both have changed so much!”

“You as well. Did your training go well?”

”Hai, it did. Oh, I ran into Naruto-Kun as well!”

Kiba stiffened at hearing the name. Hinata looked almost nostalgic for a moment before looking at him.

“Kiba-San, may I have a moment with you?”

Kiba could only nod. Hinata excused herself from Shino’s presence and walked off with Kiba. They walked in silence until they found themselves in a more secluded part of the forest. Hinata sighed and sat down on an old stump. She looked up at Kiba who was standing stiff as if he were afraid of what she were about to say.

“I…just wanted to say…thank you, Kiba-Kun…”

“Huh?”

He looked up and saw the gentle smile on Hinata’s face. She had truly matured into quite the beautiful young woman. She stood up pushing her hair out of her face as a gentle wind caught it slightly. She looked away from Kiba and into the sky as if looking for something.

“…I met Naruto along the way during my journey. He gave me your message.”

“M…message?”

“Yes…’Come home soon’. That was your message, was it not?”

Kiba looked down at his feet for a minute, a blush staining his cheeks. Naruto…he actually did deliver his message to Hinata.

“It was almost two years ago when I saw Naruto-Kun. I hadn’t gotten very far, I was still wounded from my battle with my cousin. By the way, Kiba-San, how is Neji-Oniisan?”

”Uh…he’s good. He advanved to Jounin.”

“Ah, that’s wonderful!” Hinata nodded.

Kiba was still stuck on her first few words; she hadn’t been far away from Konoha when they first began to look for her. How did she manage that…?

”Hinata-Hime…”

“It was Naruto-Kun and Jiraiya-Sensei who’d found me. I traveled with them for only a few weeks, then, set out on my own. It would be only once more before now that I encountered them. It was last year, in another village. Finally…”

Hinata let out a small sigh and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Naruto-Kun gave me an answer.”

Kiba couldn’t keep his fists from balling up tightly.

“And…?”

“I realized that my feelings for him had changed.”

Kiba’s eyes widened and Hinata took a seat back down on the stump, smiling.

“It’s…almost humorous…but when he turned me down, I wasn’t sad. I cried a little, I wasn’t sad. I was actually relieved. Relieved that after all this time, he didn’t see me as weak or anything. I’m more than content being his friend…I don’t even stutter anymore!”

“Hinata…”

”Then, Naruto told me something else…That he couldn’t love me the way a ‘certain someone waiting on me back home could’.”

When Kiba’s cheeks reddened, Hinata knew that she was correct in believing it was Kiba who’d been the ‘certain someone’. But did he still feel the same way Naruto said he did? She’d had an entire two years to ponder her feelings for Kiba. She didn’t need to wonder any longer and she’d even felt foolish at one point. But…all of the training she’d done, all of the traveling she’d done…was so she could prove herself a worthy kunoichi to not Naruto…but Kiba. She was certain that is when she intensified her training. Because she knew that Kiba was waiting for her back home.

“If…If I’d never come back, would you still have been waiting for me, Kiba-Kun?”

Kiba neared her and kneeled down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Of course I would wait for you! It would take me all I had not to come and find you!”

Hinata smiled, putting her hand to the side of his face. Kiba’s eyes widened, just a little.

“Thank you, Kiba-Kun. I have missed you as well. I hope you can forgive me…”

Hinata closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, Kiba saw silver tears rolling down her delicate cheeks.

“I hope you can forgive me for leaving you like that. I know you and everyone must have been so worried…”

Kiba stood up, helping Hinata stand. He brushed her tears away before wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I…am just happy you’re back, Hinata-Chan.”

“Kiba…”

Hinata looked down for a minute before looking him square in the eye, tears still rolling down her face.

“Kiba-Kun…! I’ve missed you so much!”

Without warning, Kiba wrapped his arms around her so tightly, she felt all of the air leave her body. As best as she could, Hinata wrapped her arms around him and embraced him back.

“Hinata-Chan,” she barely heard.

“H…hai?”

He released her, but not completely. He looked at her before placing a small kiss on her forehead.

“I…I…feel the…same way. I’ve wanted you to come back for so long! I didn’t know what to think when I’d heard that rumor that you and Naruto had eloped…!”

Hinata’s eyes widened before she broke out into a smile, which resulted in her having a small fit of the giggles, much to his chagrin.

“Kiba-Kun! Wherever did you hear that?”

He released her and shoved his hands into his pocket. He turned around and she knew he was pouting.

“Hey, gimme a break! I didn’t know what to think!”

Hinata continued to giggle, going so far as to even wipe a tear away from her eye. The crowing of the ravens and the orange of the sky indicated that sunset was upon them. Hinata took Kiba’s hand and smiled at him. Kiba could only smile back at her.

“Will you still train with me…Kiba-Kun?”

He nodded, releasing her hand in favor of putting the his hands on the back of his head and walking out of the forest with Hinata in tow.

“Well, duh. Let’s get home, I know your father will be happy to see you.”

“Hai. Kiba-Kun?”

”Hmm…?”

Hinata leaned over, kissing his cheek and whispered,

“Arigato, Kiba-Kun.”

“Hi…Hi…Hinata…!” he blushed.

She giggled and hurried ahead of him. She turned, waving at him with the biggest smile he’d ever seen on Hinata’s face.

“Race you home, Kiba-Kun!”

Kiba stood there with his hand on his cheek. He broke into a smile and gave chase after home. At last, Hinata was finally home.

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(A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews!!!! I really appreciate them and I’m glad you like the story! Hinata is finally home, hurray! There’s one more chapter left and that one will be the much anticipated lemony chapter between Hinata and Kiba! Whoo! Lol. Thank you very much and I’ll see you the next (and last) chappy! Love, Sho-Chan)