His jaw tightened for a heartbeat, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully between his fingers. “How’d you know?”
“Because Kiba...Sensei,” she smiled, the title rolling off her tongue with a hint of amusement. “You don’t strike me as a cruel man. You care about your responsibility. And you care about these Tanshi. Yourtestwas a lie. A team-building exercise was the only logical outcome.”
“Just like that?”
“It’s not like I haven’t been around the block.”
“No, I suppose it’s not.” His voice dropped an octave, sending a flutter of heavy butterflies through her stomach.Damn him.
But then he snapped back, shaking his head. “That crossed a line.”
“Did it now?” she asked, caught between feeling turned on and mildly irritated.
“Yeah, yes,” he repeated, standing abruptly. “There’s a line now, Aimee, and we can’t cross it. I can’t cross it. It would be wrong.”
“Well, that’s no fun.” She pursed her lips in mock frustration.
“I’m serious.” His hand went up to the back of his head, fingers digging into the hair there like he could scratch the words loose. “I tried to get the lineups changed. I even told the Hi Seisho what… happened.”
“You did?” Aimee pushed herself upright, surprise flickering across her face.
“Yes.” His throat bobbed beneath the mask, voice rough. “But he didn’t—” He faltered, searching.
“Care.” Her brow arched, sharp as a blade. “He didn’t care that you’d fucked one of your underage students.”
Of course, he hadn’t. She wasn’t actually sixteen, but the wrinkled old bastard didn’t know that. He treated shinobi like tools, and Aimee had always been an outsider anyway.
Kiba shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I care.” His gaze locked on hers, steady, unflinching. “It was wrong. I was wrong. And it won’t happen again. Is that understood?”
She swallowed, throat tight, eyes tracing the hard lines of his face as something in her shifted—small, dangerous.
“Fine.” She lifted both hands in mock surrender. “You’re the boss.”
“Aimee…”
“What!? I didn’t mean anything! I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” She raised her hand over her chest. “Cross my heart.”
He cast her a measured look, clearly expecting another snarky or flirty comment, but when she didn’t offer one, he gave a slight nod. “At least try to look like you’re after a shuriken, or they’ll think you don’t care.”
Her eyes drifted to the three sharp-edged weapons now tied to his belt, lingering just a second too long. When she glanced back up, she caught the faint flush of red coloring his cheeks beneath the mask.
“Here, I’ll move them,” he mumbled, reaching for the discs, presumably to put them somewhere 'safer.'
“Too late, old man!” She darted forward, extending a hand. She’d play by his rules for now, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun while she was at it.
With a flicker of motion so fast she barely registered it, Kiba vanished, his fumbling retreat melting into a seamless, fluid escape. One moment, he was within her reach; the next, he was halfway across the clearing, already tying the shuriken to the pocket of his shirt.
“As if I’d fall for that twice, Tanshi,” he said as he pulled out his book again, eyes lowering to the page as though nothing had happened.
Ohhhh, I’m going to get you, asshole, Aimee thought with a grin, and without another word, she darted after him.
She struck out with a palm, aiming for his midsection, but he sidestepped in a blur, his book still open in one hand. She pivoted, launching another kick, only to feel the rush of air as he ducked under it. His book never wavered.
You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought, her smile stretched further across her face. She could see the small adjustments in his stance, the way his weight subtly transferred from one foot to the other, ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Aimee pressed forward again, launching a barrage of quick jabs and feints, forcing him to abandon the book as the attacks came faster. When he finally snapped it shut and tucked it away, his full attention on her, she smirked, satisfied.
Got you, Sensei.
