ACT 1: Girl meets dog
Who: Hinata and Kiba
What: Kiba accidentally 'runs into' a strange girl on a bike.
Where: On the way to the grocery
When: Last week
Warnings: A banged up knee...
((ooc: Hinata tag, please?? <3 *offers cookies*))
Waking up in the morning was never one of Kiba's favorite things to do, slapping the alarm clock off his nightstand, rolling to bury his face from the sunlight coming through the window, and waking up suddenly as he almost rolled off the bed. It was like hell warmed over behind his eyelids, and when he hoisted himself out from underneath the blankets, he looked it, too.
But after a quick shower, throwing on a clean, but half wrinkled t-shirt and a pair of black board shorts, he'd managed to wake up just long enough to drag his feet into the small kitchen attached to his dorm room, rummage through the cabinets for a few moments... and with a growl that was half under his breath, realize he'd forgotten to go shopping after soccer practice and dropping Akamaru off at his mom's. Again. Even the instant ramen he'd stashed under his computer desk had run out... not that Naruto constantly showing up unannounced had anything to do with that...
No, it wasn't the end of the world. Not even close. Though running errands first thing in the morning wasn't exactly the most exciting of activities, he still had a good 1,000 yen to his name after the weekend. The store was only a jog away and the sun wasn't yet high enough to hit with full force. Counting up his cash a second time, he grabbed the stairs instead of the elevator, and headed down the street.
Hinata liked getting up early. The world always seemed so fresh and peaceful when the sun was still hanging low in the sky and most of the people still in bed. Emerging from the dorm in a light hoodie and some capri pants she made her way to the bike rack to retrieve her bike. She had a few hours before she really needed to be anywhere, so she'd decided to take a short ride around the town to try and familiarize herself with the area. There was supposed to be a little store not to far from campus, not to mention a few other places that would probably be good to familiarize with. With the lock undone she climbed into the seat before pulling out the directions a nice girl on her floor had written up for her.
"Let's see..." she muttered to herself as she tried to get her bearings. The store was supposed to be just off the other side of campus. There was also the campus book store she needed to find, and she'd hoped to locate what buildings her classes were going to be in once school started up again. Since she was going to have to go past them anyways, Hinata decided to take the long way around. It made more sense anyways to do the sightseeing first, then come directly back once she had her groceries. Headphones in and ipod playing a little soft classical music she started off on her little exploration.
If he had been watching where he was going, perhaps ran a bit slower, or at least turned the corner a little wider... Kiba wouldn't have had to try skidding to a stop from a distance of a little over a meter, grinding the bottoms of his sandals against the unforgiving concrete as he tried with all his strength to simply stop in place without impacting the girl. He shouted outwardly. Cursed nearly atop his lungs. Teetered on his heels... and crashed.
The pale eyed girl wasn't paying much attention either. She'd been focusing on the large building to her left, trying to see if there was a name on it so she could determine if it was one of hers or not when there was some kind of noise on her other side. It startled Hinata enough that she swerved on the bike as she turned to look, horrified to catch sight of him just before he slammed into her. Shutting her eyes, she kept them that way through the jarring impact of strange boy and subsequently hard ground.
It took Kiba a moment to get up, shake out his head and rub the spot on his scalp where his head had impacted the concrete before he realized the girl and her bike had hit the ground as well, and that the girl had quite possibly gotten hurt. "Oh god, are you okay?!" Kiba almost shouted, pulling himself onto his knees and pulling the bike away so he could get to the raven haired girl on the ground. He'd hit his head and scraped up his palms and elbows, but nothing serious... however the girl hadn't gotten up yet. Kiba knelt over by her, trying to help her up and make sure she was still conscious.
The pain shooting through her knee and shoulder was almost blinding, causing her to lay still for a moment out of fear they were broken. But after a moment it faded to a dull throbbing ache that allowed her to roll over more onto her back. "I... I-I think so..." she muttered, blinking up not to the blue sky she expected, but a rather concerned looking face. His proximity made her extremely self conscious. She wondered where on earth he'd come from and why he was suddenly so close to her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run you over like that. I-I should have been-oww..." Hinata had tried to get up then, tried to put a little more distance between them. But her shoulder didn't want to cooperate once she started to put her weight on it. Holding onto the offending joint, she quietly berated herself. "Great. I've barely been here and already I'm causing problems."
Kiba however, noticing the way her shoulder protested, linked an arm around her waist and helped her to her feet, regardless of the fact her muscles seemed to tense up the moment he laid a hand on her. "Hey, hey don't think that. I was the one not looking where I was going!" Kiba flashed her a toothy grin, despite the stinging feeling in his hands and elbows, and the throbbing in the back of his skull. After all, he'd been through much worse and just shaken it off, this wouldn't be a problem at all. "You sure that shoulder's okay? You might've dislocated it..." Kiba gazed over at the offending shoulder, not quite able to tell through her clothes, but not about to just reach over and look...
...and then he took a second to glance down at the bike. "Didn't wreck your bike, did I?"
She wasn't really concerned about the bike at the moment. She was more worried about what Neji would say if he had to come retrieve her from the hospital. And of course what her father would say when he received the phone call confirming that he couldn't leave her alone without her coming into harm. No, the hospital would be a bad thing at this point. "I-I'm fine, I p-probably just landed on it too hard." Hinata knew he was only trying to be helpful, but his arm around her made her nervous. If it wasn't for the pain in her leg she would have tried to move away from him. Luckily there was a bench close by. If she could get over there he wouldn't have to hold onto her. Tugging him gently that direction, she hoped he would get the hint and move them over to sit down.
"It should be fine. A-are you alright? You're not bleeding are you?" Hinata risked a worried glance at him. She was a little surprised by the marks on his cheeks. Unsure if it was from the accident or if he always looked like this, she found it interesting that such a rough and scruffy looking person could have such kind eyes. They gave her the impression that he wasn't just trying to be polite, that he really was concerned for her safety. It also made her feel a little more guilty that he might have been injured because of her carelessness
Briefly checking his hand and elbow, Kiba hadn't thought he was bleeding... "No... doesn't look like it..." He then rubbed the back of his skull, just to be sure. "No, no blood. I'm fine." He walked the girl over to the bench, sitting her down and dropping his arm away. He smiled again, perhaps just from habit, and started picking the small pebbles out of the scrapes on his palms, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Sorry I wrecked your bike, I'll get it fixed if I messed anything up..." Kiba paused for a moment. "You... do live around here, right?"
It was only then that he noticed the strange color of the girl's eyes, cloudy and none too natural, though somehow vaguely familiar... but what were the odds she'd have the same freaky eyes as Neji? "Hey, you blind or somethin'?" He asked, a bit crudely, though it definitely hadn't been his intention to sound so. He was just bad with words... simple as that.
"No, though I suppose the way I ride one would think that I am." The red flush rose up in her cheeks at that, but she tried not to pay to much mind. She was already undoing the little tie around the bottom of her pants, rolling the material up to get a look at her knee. There was a large angry discoloration from where it had taken the brunt of her fall. Meaning there was going to be a good sized bruise there for the next week or so. Trying to remember her first aid skills, she poked and squeezed around the joint, wincing now and again as she tried to feel for any breaks or lumps that shouldn't be there. "I just moved out here to start classes in the fall. I don't really know my way around yet." Her voice was soft, distracted as she looked. Satisfied that it was just bruised and banged up a little, she turned her attention to him
"Are you sure you're alright? I mean, I got knocked off but, you must have landed right on top of the bike." The bike really didn't matter. Not that she could ride it with her leg like it was now. "Y-you should really clean out those scrapes. They might get infected."
"Eh, just scrapes." Kiba shrugged. "I'll wash them out once I get someplace." He looked over at the girl, eyeing her carefully. "I was just heading to the store, anyway. He glanced over at got a quick look at the girl's banged up knee. "You need help getting somewhere, maybe uh... back to your house or somethin'?" He didn't like the look of her knee, knowing that even if it wasn't broken that it would be very hard to walk on. He thought about what she'd said about school, and it suddenly clicked. "Hey, I live at the dorms just down the street, means you should live right down there, too... right? I could carry you back... it's not that far, and I'm stronger than I look."
Carrying was definitely much more contact that she was comfortable with. Her face practically burned as she blushed and tried to dissuade him from even thinking such a thing. "Oh n-no-no... I-I couldn't even think of that... It's so far a-and besides, we'd have to leave my bike behind." Never mind that she had her lock with her and they could easily tie it up to the bench and come back for it later. But what would the other girls in the dorm think if they saw her being carried in from the street by some guy she didn't even know his name and taking him back to her room? Oh god, and if word ever got back to her cousin... it could be bad. Very bad indeed.
"It's not that far... like a five minute jog, seven to ten minute walk... you don't look very heavy, so I bet I could support you on my back just fine and walk the bike with my free hand without a problem." But perhaps it was too forward of him to make such an offer. He noticed the way she stuttered and blushed, which meant she was shy or he was making her nervous... or quite possibly both.
Not like it was an unusual response. Even when he was as nice as he could possibly be people were often turned away by the tattoos on his face, which were... how do you put it? Weird. Standing up from his place on the bench. "Okay, if that's what you want... but I can't just leave you here all by yourself when it's my fault you got hurt in the first place. Do you have someone you could... call. Friend, relative?" Kiba paused for a moment, not at all planning on just leaving her there. "Wait... I could call my sister, she has a car and could drop you off, maybe?"
"A car might be a bit much, and I'd hate to be such a bother to your sister." It was sweet really, if not maybe a little odd how out of his way he was going to try and help her. She stood up slowly, testing her leg to see if it would protest her weight too much. It hurt, but would be bearable if she went slowly. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to let him at least head back with her. After all, if he left and she couldn't make it all the way she'd be in a bit of a jam. Especially since she'd left her cell phone back in the room and didn't really have anyone to call for help anyways. Groceries were just going to have to wait. If she didn't want her knee swelling up to the size of a melon she needed to get back and take care of it properly. "If... if you really insist, I suppose it would be alright if you walked back to the dorms with me."
That was an instant weight off of his shoulders, as was apparent by the way a wide smile spread across his lips, looking wolfish if not for the bright sincerity in his eyes. "Okay, I guess I'll settle for that." He said with a chuckle, waiting for her before he started walking back toward the school. He went slowly, knowing that with her knee messed up like that the girl could stumble or fall over at any moment, further injuring herself. He kept his hands out of his pockets, ready to catch her immediately if something like that were to happen. "You're going to school this fall, right? What are you going for?" Smalltalk. Kiba always felt uneasy in silence, and tended to wipe it away at any possible moment, even if that meant filling the silence with nothing but his own voice.
Hinata went over and carefully recovered her bike without managing to fall over on it. It appeared to be fine, the seat a little crooked but that could be easily fixed by tightening the bolt. Leaning somewhat on it for support she found she could keep up with him easily. "You're probably going to laugh at me," she said with a sheepish giggle. "I'm studying nursing, which as accident prone as I seem to be probably means I'll be taking care of myself more then others." She didn't mind silence. Actually found it easier to deal with then inane conversation. That and she never really knew what to say, and felt more like she was forcing people to talk to her then actually engaging in a friendly chat. "W-what about you?" Pale eyes wandered over to him again, still curious about those red marks on his cheeks. "What are you here for?"
"I'm gonna be a vet." One pronounced canine crept from his lip as he again smiled. Seemed like he was almost always smiling. "I can't really laugh at you for being a nurse, 'cause I'm pretty much doing the same thing. But for animals instead of people. My mom runs the animal clinic and adoption center two blocks from here, so I guess you can say it runs in the family." Diverting his gaze off into the distance, Kiba idly scratched at his cheek, right above one of the red triangles on the side of his face. He could practically feel the girl's eyes wandering to his tattoos, and for some reason that always made him want to scratch at them, that and if he was nervous. He wasn't quite that... though he'd smartly gotten in the habit of scratching above the tattoos rather than on them, knowing such a thing could cause them to fade or a bit of a hole could form there on the ink. "I guess that's 'cause I'm better with animals than people. Animals don't judge, ya know?"
She lowered her eyes back to the handle bars as he said that, wondering to herself if that comment was directed at her. Had she been staring? She hadn't meant to. "I know what you mean. I want to work with kids, maybe in a doctors office or a pediatric hospital. I haven't really decided yet." She grew quiet again, thinking about things. "I suppose though, in a way it does make us similar though." It also explained why he was so concerned about her. He probably just doesn't like seeing anyone hurt. "If your family is so close why bother to live in the dorms? Wouldn't you rather be home with them?"
Kiba simply shuffled for a few moments, trying to think up the words to properly answer such a question, staring down at his feet and knitting his brow. And then, the light bulb clicked on and he looked back up at the girl. "Because they drive me crazy. I love 'em, but they're nuts and seem to have the unyielding need to drive me off the deep end too. You know, that's what families do. If I had to deal with homework, and housework, and then working out of the house, and worrying about tests, and studying... a-and friends and parties and all that stuff with my mom and sister, never getting to be alone and all that I think my head might explode."
He remembered what high school was like with a shudder down the back of his spine. Be damned if he ever wanted to go through that again. Not like he had a male figure to look up to anymore, someone who would understand a damn thing... or even better JUST NOT ASK AT ALL. Briskly ruffling the back of his hair, Kiba let out a loud sigh, remembering when his hair felt like sandpaper on his palms that his hands weren't in the best condition at the moment. They were already getting close to the school, in fact, Kiba could already see the dormitories peeking out from behind the other campus buildings. "Which one is you?" He asked, motioning out toward the buildings that came more and more into view with each step.
"I'm in the girls dorm, second floor." Hinata was relieved to see the buildings just up ahead. Her leg was hurting more with each step, and her shoulder was starting to throb again. She was hoping there was ice in the refrigerator at least. If there wasn't, it was going to be a long wait till her roommate got back from... wherever she went during the day. With her mind wondering more on the contents of her ice box and first aid kit she grew quiet again before remembering he had been speaking before.
"Still, even if they drive you crazy it must be nice to have something or someone familiar nearby." Other then Neji she really didn't have anything here. There were one or two of his friends that she knew about, but otherwise she was stranger in this town. It made her nervous and wonder why she had fought so hard with her father to come here. She really hoped that was only temporary though. If she couldn't learn to make it on her own... well, that wasn't really an option. She had to, somehow.
"You'll get used to it. It's not so bad." He commented, rather confidently as the finally approached the girls' dormitory, which was not all that far from his own. Looking up at the tall building, Kiba sighed and peered down at the girl from the corner of his eye. "Need help getting to your room? I'll walk ya all the way in if you want." Of course Kiba wasn't afraid in the slightest of the faculty or campus police trying to get him in trouble in the chance there was a narc in the building. He'd been inside the girls' dormitory before, and be damned if he wasn't going to do it again.
Bending kneeling down awkwardly to try and lock her bike back up to the rack again, she tried to hide the blush that had crept back over her cheeks at his offer. "Y-you really don't have to... unless you'd like me to take a look at your hands. I mean, I-I have a kit upstairs. It's no bother... really." She'd never had anyone else in her dorm before, other then her roommate of course and whatever friends she had. Hinata really sort of hoped he wouldn't come up. Not because she didn't like him, but it would just be horribly uncomfortable. Besides, she didn't know anything about this person. Not even his...
"Um... I'm sorry but, I don't even know who you are." She looked up at that, a mixture of embarrassment and confusion over how they could have been talking all this time and neither one of them bothered to introduce themselves.
"Oh..." Kiba said simply, though on the inside he was mentally slapping himself on the forehead and calling himself a gigantic idiot. His head dropped, eyes wandered uncertainly as if he'd lost his train of thought somewhere along the way, but had no idea where. "Gawd... sorry... th' name's Kiba." He said, raking a hand through his hair and lifting his eyes toward the girl. "Inuzuka Kiba. Such an idiot, I shoulda thought about introducing myself instead a' just being an ass like that."
It wasn't quite that, it was his habit of treating people as if they were friends, regardless of the fact it was their first time meeting one another. "What's your name, then?"
"Hinata." Stated simply before she pulled herself upright with a soft groan. Her knee was beginning to swell, and she needed to get inside and elevate it with some ice. She fidgeted there for a moment with her sleeve, not sure what to say to him now. Kiba hadn't said one way or the other if he was coming up. And she certainly didn't want to be rude and shove him away after his kindness to her. But once again she was stuck in a social situation that she wasn't sure what to do with. So Hinata did the only thing she could really think of... smile shyly and fidget.
"Okay. Hinata it is, then." Kiba turned lifting up a hand as he did so, now that she was safely back to her dormitory, he was planning to head back to his room, clean up his hands, and try for the store again. Quit while he was ahead, he figured. If the two of them kept talking, and if he did in fact help her up to her room, odds are he'd say or do something to make him seem like a complete asshole, and as far as he was concerned, he'd made far too many bad first impressions as of late, and he was feeling compelled to break that streak. He... figured this impression was neutral, if not slightly on the upside, despite the shy way she acted and the way she shirked away from him. On second thought, maybe it wasn't that great of an impression. Whatever. He'd take what he could get. "Maybe I'll see you around campus."