Pairings: KibaIno?
Warnings: Tongue. LOL?
Author's Notes: I have been wanting to write for ages! You have no idea how it feels – or perhaps you do, but for the sake of argument I shall say you don't – to want to write and have all these ideas and yet to be so busy. Most of my ideas have been for another story that I haven't even posted yet, but I decided to write for this one instead, because it needs love and I am extremely looking forward to the later parts of it.
This is strange for me that I should have an ending actually planned as I write. I'm just so excited to get there I haven't been writing for the present! Shhh…but that's where we are now.
Shattering Shield
Diary-chan!
Good morning, this is your Princess speaking. After last night with Sasuke, I went to my room and instantly fell to sleep the moment I got in bed. I don't remember drawing the covers over myself, but someone did at night because I awoke feeling warm and with all my covers pulled snugly over me. I'll have to thank Hinata for watching over me so well.
I went to bed with all my clothes on. While I should think that is a horrid thing to do, I felt perfectly fine doing it. My dress was not as wrinkled as I feared it would be and my cloak was oddly dry and warm. Ahh! The sight of that red just makes my heart fill with glee. I just wished it was as gleeful outside. Not to mention everyone else.
I know what I did was probably wrong. Shikamaru must be upset with me…but I don't want to see him. I can't go on regretting everything that goes wrong. After all, my faults are a part of me. It's part of my charm and part of my character! A person's character can't just be tossed to the wind!
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A very thoughtful princess made her way to the downstairs. She was pondering on what made the people around her tick. What happened in the forest last night between her and the two boys? She passed by one of the lounges on her way to breakfast and completely missed the dejected creature that had been standing there waiting for her.
"Princess!"
"Yes?" Ino perked up and turned around. The miserable creature was her pet, Kiba. "Oh…I didn't see you there."
She wasn't sure if she was ready to see him yet after his strange confession the day before, but she knew she had little choice. Kiba was Kiba. When he wanted to speak, he did. She tensed as he walked over to her with an uncharacteristic shyness about him.
"Um…well. I wanted to say," Kiba said slowly, with his face gradually turning pink in a display of the way his heart was beating so rapidly. "About the other day…I think I messed things up a little bit."
"A little bit?" Ino said back softly, but with hostility. She tried to will herself to calm down, but that temper of hers was beginning to flare. This dog boy treated her like an object, he began a fight in her presence, and caused the ruin of her relationship. She would have rolled her eyes if her father had not told her it was an unprincess-like gesture, but her voice held the same sentiment. "Please. Do go on."
Kiba fidgeted. He suddenly felt like he might not be able to speak.
He couldn't even say what he had been thinking of saying for a long time, because he could feel the attitude coming off in waves from the princess. It was multiplied to his senses because he felt he was in a vulnerable position.
Ino's brow lifted in an expression that Kiba judged as mocking. With the flaming red cloak around her slim shoulders, she seemed more like a devil queen than a princess. Something about that made Kiba snap. Suddenly, the words came out bitterly, "You know what your problem is, Princess? You think everything is everyone else's fault! You never stop to think about what a bitch you are!"
"Don't DARE talk to me like that!" Ino's hard voice responded with the heat of anger. "Y-Yes…I might be that 'thing' you called me, but then why do you say you love me? What kind of person are you, then?"
Kiba's face flushed and an obvious confusion lit up in his stubborn face. He wasn't sure himself, but he thought he said what was true. He couldn't control his words around the princess. He wanted to slap her and protect her at the same time. Still, he was filled with horror at the prospect of loving someone so selfish. He tried to collect his thoughts into words that weren't angry, but he couldn't do it.
"You know what? You're interrupting my breakfast time. Yes, it's your fault I'm going to be late. I got up early for nothing because you felt like yelling at me for something you did wrong!" Ino retorted. "Why don't you come talk to me when you know what it is you want?"
She turned briskly and rushed down the hall in her pearl-colored dress, scarlet cloak fluttering behind her. As she walked, she could feel her cheeks burning distinctly.
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I don't know why I'm so cruel to him. Whenever I'm with him I get urges to tease him and do everything he doesn't like. I don't understand why Kiba would say such a thing about me. It makes me furious and it makes me blush like mad. He's become less of a cute pet and more of a nuisance. When he says things that are so serious, I can't help thinking that he's confused and wrong.
It's really not right, Diary-chan.
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Breakfast was awkward. Sasuke had come down to join Ino, acting as if he had never acted uncool in his entire life despite the occurrences of the night before.
"I-Is everything alright, Your Highness?" Hinata's soft voice reached Ino's ears.
Ino feared that she was still blushing after having met with Kiba. She took in a raggedy breath as if she was lacking in oxygen and replied with a nod of her blond head. Suddenly, she turned to Sasuke and spoke to try and establish a normal conversation.
"Sasuke-kun? Have you heard from you brother?" the princess asked. She didn't know why that was the first thing that came to her mind, but now that she thought about it, she was wildly curious.
"He was out with your father. I think they went to church," Sasuke gritted out curtly.
"Is it Saturday?" Ino asked with surprise. "How could I forget! Oh no! Why didn't you tell me, Hinata?"
Hinata turned bright red. "I-I…I…"
Ino continued to stare at the girl, waiting for an answer.
"I don't know! I saw Sasuke by himself and I t-thought…" Hinata mumbled.
"We still have time," Sasuke answered flatly after drinking a bit of his tea. Going to church while his brother was there was the last thing he wanted to do, but he respected Ino's devotion and would go if he had to.
"Thank you," Ino smiled softly.
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I forgot completely and so did Hinata. I can't blame her for forgetting when I did also, but I still wonder why. I thought about it and then realized I had been forgetting something else. My darling Neji. I have not seen him in so long. I attended service last week and the week before last, but I never saw a trace of him. I worry about something, but I don't know what it is.
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When they arrived, it had already begun. The priest was speaking to silent bodies before him. Two of the bodies were in the shape of Ino's mother and father. A third drew her special attention. Silky black hair tied with a ribbon gave off a slight glow. His Highness, Itachi, was listening with the same attentiveness of Ino's parents, but Ino could swear she saw a vile smirk on his lips. She blinked in her surprise and then smirk appeared to only be a sweet smile.
"Shall we take a seat?" Sasuke whispered to the princess.
The princess removed her eyes from his brother and hoped Sasuke had not noticed her observation. "Yes. Let's sit in the back, if you please."
Sasuke walked ahead and the princess followed, but she was drawn back by the worried soft cry of Hinata.
"Neji-niisan!" she cried as her cousin came towards her with worry etched on his beautiful face.
His white eyes briefly addressed her, but almost as if he knew exactly where Ino was, his intense gaze fixed on the princess so strongly that her knees shook. Neji looked not like himself. Ino ran to him, leaving Sasuke.
"Neji?" Ino softly said his name. She was sure he needed to talk to her, though she couldn't understand why. "I'm sorry. I've been forgetting about you. Please, I – "
"Hinata, could you please keep the Prince company?" Neji said quickly to his cousin, before gently taking Ino's hand and walking briskly away with her. "I apologize for my rudeness, but I must speak with you immediately."
Ino could not respond other than by giving a small nod. They reached their familiar place and Neji urged her to sit, while he paced. He went to stand in front of a few candles and said a silent prayer. Ino watched anxiously, but was slightly relieved when Neji sat next to her, appearing more calm.
"Last time we met, we were interrupted by the young prince," Neji said, looking at Ino with his pure eyes. "I saw you again only after the attack by the dragon. Since then I have been in a state…"
Ino watched him curiously, and when he stopped talking, she leaned forward to place a comforting hand on his knee. "What's the matter? Neji…"
Neji looked as if he might draw away from Ino's touch. He had paused while speaking because suddenly he had felt a horrible, painful energy. Surrounding Ino's oblivious frame were cries of the dead. Hostile words, and anger of intense power were visible to Neji even though nothing appeared to be there. Only he could almost visualize the dreadful faces of those souls.
His face was pale, "Do you still have the amulet I gave you?"
Ino smiled, "Of course! I never take it off, I have it right he – "
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"Here" was what I was going to say. I had never taken it off. I swear by everything good in this world that my hand had not moved that pendant because it was a special gift from Neji. Yet when I felt for it, the pendant was mysteriously gone. The chills that ran over my body were indescribable.
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Neji frowned deeply in a way that Ino did not like to see.
"I'm sorry. I don't know where it is," the princess apologized humbly, feeling as if she had spat in his face. "I didn't take it off, I swear, Neji."
"It's not you. It can't be you…" Neji said gently. "There are other forces at work. Without protection you may be in more danger than I imagined."
The princess startled.
"I was speaking of the dragon," He reminded her, "I was going to say that I found it unlikely for such a sudden attack to occur. The red dragons are not native of this land and I began to wonder why it had strayed so far. Due to my wondering, I have not been here as often as I would have liked, which may be why you have missed me when you visited these past few weeks."
"But, Neji! What kind of danger?" Ino's eyes widened with the desire to know. She was going to ask about the curse. The curse! She had almost forgotten. "Is this about the curse? Do you know what it is?"
"I'm sorry…" Neji answered. He was frustrated over something that perhaps he couldn't explain to the princess. Then, with frightening clarity, he looked up to the girl. "Someone else will help you. Go now."
"Now? But Neji!" Ino whined fearfully.
"This church has been tainted. I have been working on trying to solve this. This and the dragon…" Neji sighed, "Tomorrow go alone to the village and there someone will help you."
Hiding his hesitance, Neji reached for Ino's soft hands. The gesture made her fear melt slightly and brought a smile to her face.
"Do not worry, Ino. I will pray for you. There are other forms of protection, you will see," he said with a voice full of hope. "Keep those friends that you have been blessed with close. Closer than ever before. Please take care."
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I left with Hinata immediately and returned to the castle. Neji was a true friend and he was blessed with mystical talent. I knew I could trust what he said. Even if it was frightening, I would take everything he said to heart.
We returned and that entire afternoon, Hinata and I removed everything in my room to look for Neji's amulet. We never found it.
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Kiba was a shirtless, complaining mess.
"Remind me again why we're taking apart your room and putting it back together again?" he glared at the girl that had nearly broken his heart that morning. "And remind me why I'm the one doing it!"
"You don't think Hinata and I can lift things like that, do you?" Ino answered with her arms crossed. She was anxious, and in her anxiousness, she felt like snapping. But Neji said to keep friends close…Is that a kind of protection?
Hinata was standing behind Ino, looking very nervous, but also very sorry for Kiba. At that moment, Ino believed that Hinata really knew how to be truly close to her friends. Kiba and Hinata had met not that long ago, but Hinata could already look at him with a concern for everyday matters. Ino felt like a failure somehow.
She sat down on a chair, looking dejected. Slowly, a tear or two filled her eyes. "I…"
The two in her room stopped what they were doing and looked at the princess with surprise. Kiba drew closer to her and Hinata gave him even more worried glances.
"What's the matter, princess?" Kiba asked, wiping some sweat from his brow. "You're not really crying are you? Just because of my complaining?"
The princess sniffled and her eyes swelled with tears. How could she tell Kiba that her soul was almost positively doomed? She drew her knees to her chest. The princess felt hot wearing her cloak so she tore it off and threw it to the floor.
Hinata quickly picked it up and folded it neatly on the bed.
"The curse! It's all true! I think I'm going to die!" Ino said dramatically, but with surprising honesty.
"No. That's stupid," Kiba said bluntly, but then opted for sweeter words. "Hey, princess… You know that even though you're awful, we'll always keep you company. We wouldn't ever let you get cursed. Right, Hinata-chan?"
"T-That's right! We'd never let you die either!" Hinata answered firmly.
"That's right. So you're not gonna die, 'kay?" Kiba nodded.
"Really?"
"Of course!" He grinned.
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That was the sweetest thing I think I have ever heard. Kiba finished straightening up the room, and then the three of us spent a large part of the day together there. Even Akamaru joined us.
While we were together, I planned a party of sorts to invite all my friends! With many friends around me, I doubt it's possible for me to die at all. Just as Kiba said.
There was a doodle of Ino with Hinata and Kiba at her side. Sasuke, and even Naruto was there. "Human amulets" she wrote to the side with a big smiley face beside it.
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"Why don't we do the party tomorrow?" Ino suggested, with a smile.
"I-I think that's great!" Hinata beamed in a way that made her normally shy face seem lovely. She stood from the bed and said, "I'll go see what your father, His Majesty, says about it. T-That is…if you don't mind, Princess…"
"I think that's a good idea. Thanks, Hinata-chan," With Ino's unusually kind words, Hinata sprang off.
The shirtless boy that was stretched out on her bed was scratching Akamaru's head as he mused about something. The pleasant talk of the two girls made Kiba feel pretty good. He preferred Ino this way. The bed moved slightly as Ino stretched out beside Kiba. She looked at the dog with an innocent expression on her face.
"Aka-chan!" she said. "You should call him that! Itachi-sama says that you can call your pet a 'chan.'"
"Well, that's nice," Kiba said flippantly without even turning to look at the princess.
"Hey! Why the attitude?" Ino scowled. She was only trying to give him friendly advice.
"Akamaru isn't a pet. He's my best friend," Kiba said. Akamaru seemed to smile at the comment. The pup yawned cutely and rolled over to urge Kiba to scratch his belly.
Ino blushed because the sight of the two 'dogs' was almost surpassing acceptable cuteness. "Kiba…"
"Yeah, wench?"
Ino gritted her teeth to stop from responding to the insult. "Did you ever figure anything out?"
"About what?"
"About me."
"Oh…that," Kiba sat up. He sat crossed legged on the bed and rested his chin on his hand, looking down at the princess curiously. "I dunno."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'I DUNNO'?" Ino snapped and sat up herself, glaring viciously. There was only so much she could handle. If she gave him an inch, Kiba took a mile. Calling her wench and acting so flippantly as if saying 'I love you' was the same as saying 'hello.' She pouted and tried to cool her temper. "You better figure it out quick."
Before the princess's outburst and after, Kiba kept his sly grin. "Well, Princess! I think I know just the way to do that."
Suddenly, Ino regretted ever wanting to know anything more about what Kiba felt about anything. He was holding her in a very improper position that made her want to hide and not see him again for days, but unfortunately, she couldn't move.
"Kiba!" She hissed. "If you don't let go – "
"Your daddy will cut off my head. Yeah, I know. Shut up," Kiba grinned back, inching almost too close. His eyelids were lowered, giving him an expression Ino had never seen before. His lips were so close to hers that Ino tried not to breath in order to keep them from touching.
Still, Kiba didn't kiss her. He looked into her wide, frightful blue eyes. His hand gently moved from where it was placed to her cheek. The entire time Ino thought she should be pulling away, but her body was still with the excitement of what Kiba might do.
"It's weird, ya know…" Kiba said quietly, "At some point I started to think you were hot."
Idiot. Ino thought behind her madly blushing face. She swallowed and begged for the patience for whatever Kiba was planning.
"And then…" Kiba continued, "Akamaru said I might like you. Crazy, huh?"
"Crazy for you to talk to dogs! What are you getting at?" Ino squirmed and tried to pull away.
"If I kiss you I might be able to figure it out."
Ino was deadly still. She never thought about Kiba kissing anyone, let alone her, but slowly she nodded. With that, his lips covered hers in a warm kiss. She shivered at the feeling of what she never expected to feel and then slowly responded. It didn't feel exactly right, but it didn't feel wrong either. Her eyelids flipped open when she felt teeth on her lip.
"MMmoww!"
"Shaddup 'n open up!" Kiba mumbled into her lips.
Ino squeaked as her back hit the mattress and suddenly, her lips were too occupied to protest. She struggled slightly, but that only seemed to make Kiba's kiss more passionate. She yielded hesitantly and closed her eyes again. She couldn't believe it was Kiba!
Panic and excitement mixed together as she wondered how long this was going to last. She surprised herself because she was beginning to think this felt incredibly good. Her head rolled back slightly and her mouth eased open slightly more. Ino had never felt so much tongue in her life.
Kiba's body felt incredibly hot on top of her and it was then that she remembered he was shirtless. Daddy would kill me! The impropriety appealed to Ino's wicked side and she pulled Kiba closer to deepen the kiss. This was a wet, dirty Kiba kiss and Ino decided she might as well enjoy it. Her hands slipped over his tan shoulders and down his back, curious about how Kiba's skin felt.
She panted and touched her own lips when he had moved away after a good time of 'figuring out' his feelings for her. Ino couldn't stop thinking about how wild this was – how wild Kiba was.
"W-Well…?" Ino asked, looking up at the boy with a severely weakened expression on her face that was very unlike her. Her hair was tousled and her eyes showed uncertainty. Even her pink lips looked timid.
Kiba stared back at the blond, wondering how on earth she could manage to look like that. "YUP! I LOVE YOU!"
He descended on her lips again, mercilessly. Ino flailed and squirmed. Somehow, she wasn't convinced and Kiba's hands were starting to be a little too bold even for her wicked side.
"Kiba!" She said, after pushing his face away with her hand roughly.
"What is it, Princess?" Kiba asked with an eager canine look in his eyes.
The princess continued to hold his face away, just in case.
"Are you sure…?" She asked innocently. "Are you sure that you love me?"
"Yeah!" Kiba answered without hesitance.
"Really?" Ino said on a higher note, smiling warmly. Kiba looked kind of cute from his position now and if he really loved her then Ino had no choice but to like him back. Aside from their constant bickering and somewhat abusive relationship, they were what some people might consider 'friends.' As she thought, Ino realized that for a long time now she had thought Kiba was a little 'hot' himself.
"Then we should get married!" Ino said joyously, disregarding their class differences for the moment.
"…What?" Kiba's voice lost all eagerness. Completely. He went from eager, loving mutt to subzero temperature in under two seconds. Even Ino thought his voice was cold. Kiba glared as if Ino was ruining all his fun, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well…"
"Whoa…wait a minute. Hold up! Maybe I was a little confused. Marry you?" Kiba made it sound like it was a death sentence, and the hope gradually faded from Ino's eyes. Kiba leaned back and tried to reason with the princess.
"Listen, baby. Can't we love each other maybe like only a few times a week? If you're cool with it, that's enough for me. Marriage is like every damn day and - "
The fury was unleashed. Kiba was smacked at least five times in succession by Ino until he was no longer on the bed, but on the floor holding his arms up for protection.
"Ow ow! OW!" Kiba howled. "Ow… What was that for?"
Fuming, Ino stood, about to burst with rage, "You don't know anything, do you? When people are in love, they get married! MARRIED! And they stay married everyday! Not j-just on weekends or when they feel like it!"
Kiba shuddered. There was no way he would ever marry Ino. Ever.
"Shit! No one told me that!" He got up shakily on his feet and tried to pacify the princess. "Okay, Princess. Okay. So maybe I was wrong. I'm sorry. Now, come 'ere and let's have a kiss."
He gently made a move for her, but Ino's hand nearly smacked into his face to keep him at bay.
"NO!" Ino pouted and looked defiantly to the side.
Ever so slowly, her pout turned into a reluctant smile. Only Kiba could be like that. She knew she was the girl he had known longest in his life, so it wasn't surprising that he was confused. After a moment, she decided everything was okay.
"You animal."
Feeling that he was in the clear, Kiba grinned back and rolled back and forth on his heels. "They say pets take after their masters."
"Oh!" Ino laughed and tackled the boy. Maybe it was love in a way…
"You must promise never to say the L-word to me again and no more kisses."
"'Kay! You got it!" Kiba agreed readily. "Wait…no more kisses? DAMMIT!"
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I really can't believe I wrote about that in here. If anyone were ever to find this diary – especially Daddy – I would be in SO much trouble. So maybe I like him a little bit, but I would rather save my kisses for someone that truly loves me…
Unless it's Sasuke. I don't care if he loves me or not! Or Neji! He's a close second.
Oh Lord, I should be more worried about the curse and potential death rather than boys.
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To Ino's surprise, Hinata did not appear again. Kiba eventually went off with Akamaru, whistling to himself as if he had accomplished something great. Although he was generally a guiltless person, he suddenly remembered that only just yesterday he had (sort of) been the cause of Ino and Shikamaru's break up. Aside from Ino, Shikamaru was one of Kiba's only true friends. He told Ino he would be back the next day right before he left.
Because Ino had decided that the curse she would encounter would cause her death, she decided to stay in her room. She was utterly alone. During these moments, she doodled and flipped through her older journal entries. After a while, she decided she felt stupid doing that. She didn't really like to read her own writing most of the time.
Tomorrow is the day when someone will give me help. Tomorrow I must be alone and I must be brave.
Ino took her supper in her room and slept with the tranquility of someone that was certain to be saved the very next day.
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For the record, Diary, Kiba and I will never ever be together.
I love you! Good night!
Ino
END OF CHAPTER 12! Yay!
Geez, I hope you guys don't think Ino's too easy. Well, she is kind of easy, but I hope it comes off as in an innocent way. We are kind of drawing near to the end! This Kiba stuff came up when I was going to write something else, but I decided to save the something else for the next chapter.
Thank you so much for all the reviews. I am so happy to receive them. I am sorry for having taken so long with this. I hope if my writing streak continues, that I can finish this story before school starts. But that is a lofty goal for me!
Thanks for reading! ;D