F A M I L I A R

The Market

"Ugh, I just want to be healed already!" I yelled as veins protruded out of my forehead. Kiba started laughing at me and I blew a stray hair out of my eyes in frustration.

"Don't laugh! You're not the one that has to hobble around everywhere," I said, crossing my arms in a huff and knitting my eyebrows together.

Kiba and I were discharged from the hospital two days after he woke up. Here it was a week later and I still had this god forsaken boot on my foot. They took my crutches and replaced my cast with a boot to keep my ankle straight as I started to put more weight on it, and right now it was the bane of my existence.

"If it bothers you that much, I can carry you," Kiba offered with a hint of laughter in his words. I thought about his offer for a moment, and shook my head.

"No way, did you forget that you just took a bunch of swords to the back?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Psh, I'm fine," he disagreed. I just rolled my eyes and continued to limp forward.

Currently, we were headed to the markets at the heart of the village. I needed to get groceries for my apartment and Kiba's mother needed him to pick up a few herbs, so he offered to accompany me. It was just the two of us, which I thought was kind of strange. Since we got out, Akamaru has been by his side everywhere he went. 

"Where's the furball?" I asked, referring to Akamaru.

"I left him at home," he replied, slowing down slightly to walk by my side. "I don't like to take him to the market. He usually gets into things, or tries to eat something, and makes me spend all my money fixing his mess."

"Oh, so he's a trouble maker just like you, huh?" I elbowed him and smirked.

"Hey, its not like he learned that from me or anything!" Kiba defended.

"Oh sure, like when you two were little you didn't try to sneak food from the market when mommy wasn't looking," I said, poking fun at him.

His cheeks started to turn pink and he looked away from me, which was confirmation enough. I let my vision linger on his face, tracing his clan's markings with my eyes. They seemed to accentuate his cheekbones and jawline, making the air catch in my throat. I looked away before he could notice my stare, and smiled to myself.

I enjoyed Kiba's company, especially when we were alone together. There was almost a palpable connection between us, as if we'd known each other our whole lives. We were comfortable in each other's presence. Maybe this is what friendship felt like, or maybe it was something more. I could never be too sure, especially since neither one of us had talked about the kiss we shared.

"It's just around this corner," Kiba said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

As we rounded the corner, I saw the street in front of us was teeming with people buying and selling goods. It reminded me of the first day Kiba brought me to Konoha.

"The best produce is over here," Kiba said, pointing to a little stand to our left. We made our way over and I started picking out the vegetables and fruits that I enjoyed the most.

"Ahh, Kiba! Haven't seen you around lately. Been busy on missions I'm guessing?"

A little old lady came out of the shadows behind the vegetable stand and greeted Kiba. He smiled politely and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, we just got back," he lied. I guess he didn't want to tell everyone that he was in the hospital, and I couldn't blame him.

"How much for these?" I interrupted, holding out several bags of fruits and veggies. The lady seemed to eye my Iwa headband for a moment, but then proceeded to check my produce out. I paid her what I owed and Kiba took my bags from me, claiming a limping woman should not have to carry heavy bags. Even though I was still worried about his condition, I allowed it. I mean, if he wants to carry my bags for me, who am I to judge?