Caged

Chapter 12

Kai's Point of View

It had been a week since the incident in the forest. I felt...better after releasing the feelings I had kept bottled up inside me. Of course I was still sad about both my father's death and my mother's depression, but with the help of my family and teammates, I felt... happy. Our teamwork had improved greatly, especially with Kiba and I, since he had been the one to really comfort me, along with Hinata.

I was walking with Hinata, about to meet up with Shino and Kiba at the barbeque restaurant, Yakiniku Q. Too lazy to do my hair, I had let in loose, the dark brown hair that reached my mid-back making me look even more like my mother. We already looked pretty similar, as I had gained more of her facial features than my father's, but my hair could never look as beautiful as my mother's, at least in my opinion. I wore a casual outfit, different from my usual ninja attire. I wore a short sleeved light green shirt that was baggy and loose, making me feel comfortable, and a matching skirt that stopped just above my knees and a pair of grey leggings. Hinata and I laughed over childhood memories while we walked, my hair swaying slightly in the breeze. "Hinata-Nee," I started, a smile on my face as I recalled the memory, "Remember the time we spent the whole day in a meadow because you went through a rough day with your father and I wanted you to feel better?" Hinata nodded, smiling a smile that mirrored my own. "We should do that again, just for fun. Maybe we can invite Kiba and Shino too..." I trailed off, thinking of the possible adventures to come for our team.

Approaching Yakiniku Q, I glanced at Hinata before smirking mischievously. Hinata looked at me warily as I stopped walking, therefore making her stop too. "K-" She started, her voice cautious as she spoke, only to be cut off by my happy voice.

"Race you!" I yelled over my shoulder as I ran down the street toward the restaurant, "Loser has to do whatever the other wants. No matter what!" I let out a laugh as Hinata made a panicked face before she started running, getting closer and closer to me. Hinata-Nee knew that if I was the one that won, I would probably make her talk to Naruto, the boy that she 'admired' since we were very young. Looking behind me to see how close Hinata-Nee was, I accidentally bumped into someone, making me stumble back and fall behind. I looked up, seeing Neji-Nii's slightly annoyed face as I laughed sheepishly. "Oops," I laughed nervously.

Next to Neji, there was a pretty girl with brown hair in two buns, and a boy wearing a green jumpsuit with dark hair in a bowl-cut style and I couldn't help but notice how large his eyebrows were, but I didn't want to be rude so I stayed silent. Behind them was a man who I assumed was their Sensei, but he looked oddly similar to the boy in the jumpsuit. Hinata shot me a look a she was catching up, noticing that this was her chance to win. She increased her speed and I furrowed my brow before turning my attention back to Neji-Nii, "Well, it's great to see you Neji-Nii, but I've got to run! See you later Neji-Nii!" I shouted over my shoulder as I ran, trying to catch up with Hinata who was ahead of me and almost at the restaurant. I ran as fast as I could, but nonetheless, Hinata beat me, both of us panting from the exhaustion. We stood outside, and I ran a hand through my hair, laughing slightly, and putting a hand up in surrender.

We walked inside, approaching the table Shino and Kiba sat at. Kiba look uncomfortable as he tried making small talk with Shino, failing as Shino barely responded. Kiba's animalistic eyes glanced upward and I could see the faint look of relief in his eyes as Hinata and I sat down. Hinata sat next to Shino, since she didn't really mind his bugs that much while she knew I was terrified of them. I always hid it, but I had always feared any type of bug. They just made me extremely uncomfortable. I sat next to Kiba, across from Hinata-Nee who was calm now, unlike me who was still catching my breath. Both Shino and Kiba looked at me oddly as I caught my breath, relaxing when my breathing went back to normal. Kiba raised an eyebrow, "You alright Kai?" I blushed from embarrassment and laughed sheepishly, playing with my hair. Both Hinata and I had nervous habits. While she would put her two index fingers together, I would play with my hair, though it was mostly when it was loose as it was now. As I nervously played with my hair, Kiba seemed to just notice my change in appearance, "Wow Kai!" I saw a faint shade of pink spread across his cheeks as he looked at me.

I tilted my head to the side, confused as to why he was reacting like that, "Are you okay Kiba? You're red. Are you sick?"

Kiba's Point of View

"Are you okay Kiba? You're red. Are you sick?" Kai voiced innocently, her head tilted to the side as she looked at me with a mix of confusion and concern in her pale eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up more as she put her hand on my forehead, checking my temperature. With her hair loose and framing her face, she looked even more beautiful that she usually did. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to her; She was nice and kind, not to mention beautiful. She was a great fighter and her Byakugan made her look even stronger. I wasn't sure when I had become so infatuated with her, but something about Kai was interesting to me. I couldn't help but care for the girl, so when we found her in the forest, crying her eyes out, a foreign feeling spread throughout me.

I felt the need to protect her, to help her. I just wanted to see her happy again. When she looked so panicked, I let my instincts take over, hugging her as she cried. Seeing her so happy again made my heart swell and a pleasant, warm feeling spread in my chest.

Kai pulled her hand away, and my blush began to die down, my cheeks returning to their normal color. Akamaru looked up at me from inside my grey coat. Kai shrugged, her dark hair laying over her shoulders. Hinata had a look of slight understanding as she glanced between me and her oblivious cousin. Shino remained silent as ever, his dark glasses preventing us from seeing his emotion.

After a while Hinata shot Kai a look, and both of them stood up. "Sorry guys, but Hinata-Nee and I need to train. You guys can't really help since it's for the Byakugan. We left the money for both of us on the table, on Hinata's side. See you guys later!" Kai explained, ending with a smile. Hinata waved silently while her cousin hugged Shino slightly, making a slight possessive feeling go through me, but it quickly vanished as she kissed my cheek lightly, "Hope you don't get sick or something after what happened Kiba!" She lightly scratched Akamaru's head, bending down slightly to be face to face with him, and they walked away.

Third Person

Smiling, both Hyuga's walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand, leaving a blushing Inuzuka and his small white companion with the silent Aburame and his insects. The young ninja were happy with their lives, and they knew, that many obstacles would come at them, but they would deal with them when the time came. They would deal with them together. As a team.

Author's Note:

I hope no one seems OOC (Out Of Character) I didn't want to write another sad chapter, so this is a small filler. The Chunin Exams are coming up, so the first part will probably be in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!