Glass Wall | Neji x OC (ON HOLD)

Chapter 3: 愛してる

              BACK AT IZUMI'S house, things went back to normal. Kiba and Izumi were watching a movie, and Akamaru was lying outside in the grass, sick after eating all of the popcorn, most likely.

Kiba glanced over at Izumi, a soft expression on his face. "Izumi," he whispered. Izumi looked at him. "I-I...," he started hesitantly, "I'm glad y-you asked me to be your boyfriend." He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit as he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

Kiba was genuinely infatuated with her. After Hinata started dating Naruto, his eyes moved to Izumi after some time. As his crush on her grew, he began to notice little things about her that he loved. He loved how strong and fearless she looked whenever she played the violin, he loved her style of clothing and how much it complimented her personality, and most of all, he loved the spark in her eyes that appeared whenever someone she loved dearly told her they were were having a good day. He still wasn't sure if what he felt was love or not, but all he knew was that he felt truly lucky to be with Izumi.

Izumi almost flinched at his words. "Uh," she said, unsure of what to do, "I am glad that I asked you too." Kiba smiled, causing Izumi to smile back. Her smile was another thing Kiba loved about her. It was beautiful, soft, elegant, and benevolent. Then, Kiba finally decided to say the words that had been on his mind since they first started dating, which was only three weeks ago.

He mustered up all his courage to say four words: "I love you, Izumi."

Silence. That was her response. Izumi's eyes slowly widened as she processed his words. She glanced at his crimson cheeks, and then his eyes. Just when she was about to be honest with herself, someone slammed the front door wide open, ruining the moment.

"Izumi!" cried Ino Yamanaka. Izumi sighed, and a tinge of relief in the sigh didn't go unnoticed by Kiba. "I'm not that far away, Ino," she muttered as she turned her head to face her sister. When Izumi saw Ino, she noticed her tear-stained cheeks and watery eyes and immediately rushed to comfort her sister. "What's wrong?" Izumi asked worriedly as she pulled her sister into a tight embrace.

Kiba rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before standing up and heading towards the front door. "I should probably head back home," he said. "I hope you feel better soon, Ino." Then, he exited, again not getting any reply.

Ino felt tears roll down her cheek as she wept. "Izumi," she mumbled, hugging her sister back. "Yes, Ino?" replied Izumi. Ino took a deep breath and Izumi let her sister go so that she could wipe her nose with a nearby tissue. After a minute of uncontrollable tears, Ino finally explained what happened.

"So," she started, "Sakura was dropping me off at Shikamaru's house after school because I wanted to visit him since I heard he was sick..."

*Flashback*

Ino walked up to Shikamaru Nara's door with a cheerful smile on her face as she held a small box in her hands. Inside the tiny box was a silver ring with a heart carved into it. It was simple, but she knew he liked simple anyways. She wanted to get him something special to show how much she loves him.

After she knocked on the door, she heard an almost inaudible groan coming from the living. Yeah, the author knows what you're thinking. Now stop it because it wasn't that. "I'm coming," she heard Shikamaru sigh out in a somewhat annoyed tone. When he opened the door, he saw Ino standing there with a kind smile and a tiny box in her hand.

"Oh, hey," he said casually before letting out a yawn. Ino chuckled. "Here you go, Shika!" she said cheerfully as she held out the box for him to take. "It's a get well soon present!"

Shikamaru was about to reply, but just as he opened his mouth, a feminine voice could be heard from inside. "Shika! I'm ready!"

'That sounded like...,' Ino's mind trailed off. 'Well, she could just be here to work on a school assignment. Yeah, that's all.'