AN: Hello lovelies! It is time once again for another story involving my fabulous friends from Konoha. I have not yet written a story for these two, so let us see where this leads. I only expect this story to be about three chapters long, so the wait won't be too long.

Remember to visit my other fun stories. ;)

~Kara

Chapter One

Hinata

I watched as he pecked her on the lips before departing and leaving for yet another mission. I watched as she swayed slightly on her feet. I watched as he continued to shout and proclaim his love for her as he walked away backward, if only to keep her in his sight for a little longer.

I ran away as I told myself he would never want me for the millionth time.

"Hinata."

I looked up to see Kiba standing in front of me. His form was obscured by my tears. I hastily wiped my eyes so he wouldn't worry about why I was crying.

"Oh, K-K-Kiba!" I stuttered, a hiccup following my butchered words.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

I quickly tried to come up with an excuse that wouldn't let him know the real reason. I hated lying to him, but I couldn't bring myself to admit how pathetic I was acting after catching Naruto with Sakura. Just the thought brought fresh tears to my eyes, but I used all of my will-power to hold them back.

"Ah, well, I was, um, just watching a sad movie." I cringed. That sounded like a terrible excuse, even to me.

Kiba closed his eyes and lowered his head. He looked like he was exasperated. Well, it wasn't as if this same situation hadn't happened before.

"You're going to have to come up with a list of better excuses, Hinata."

I blushed and gave the tiniest of smiles through my cascade of endless tears. "How did you find me?"

Kiba gave me a look that said I should know better. "This is where you always come whenever you're upset and Ino said that she saw you run off in a hurry about a half hour ago. She said you were on the verge of tears." He kneeled down so he was level with me as I sat in my hunched form. "Looks like she was right."

I gave a rueful smile. "You caught me." I looked up at my surroundings. "I don't even remember coming here, though."

I was in an old, abandoned park in a shrub-enclosed alcove next to a cracked fountain featuring a cherub with a bow. Kiba was right. This was a place where I would come whenever I was feeling overwhelmed. I couldn't remember exactly why this place was so important or when I had discovered it, but I would bet that Kiba remembered. He remembered everything.

"You probably came here instinctively. Not like it hasn't happened before." He moved to sit next to me and of course I let him. He was one of my closest friends. "Do you want to talk, or should I just sit here quietly with you?"

I looked at him and felt my tears drying. Kiba always knew the right thing to say. "Will you just…stay with me?" I searched his eyes for any sign that he was fed up with the way I was acting. I just didn't understand how he could be so patient with me when I acted like a cry-baby all the time. "I'll tell you everything later. I just c-can't th-th-think about it n-now." As I began to recall the day's previous events, my stuttering took hold and impaired my speech.

Kiba gave the kindest most understanding look I could ever imagine. "Sure thing, Hinata," he murmured, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. "Whatever you want."

We stayed like that for a long time, Kiba holding me while I cried about my unrequited love. How could I have been so stupid? Of course Naruto wouldn't love me the way I loved him. Not when Sakura was finally returning his own love. I felt so out of place pining after him, but I just couldn't help it! He was an amazing person.

I sighed as I thought about Naruto, and Kiba rested his cheek on the top of my head, drawing circles on the back of my jacket with his index finger.

Even though everyone else in the village criticized him so easily, I saw past all of the traits they found so repugnant. So what if the nine-tailed fox was sealed within him? He saved our village from more destruction by caging the demon within in him. And even though he wasn't as book smart as other shinobi, he was a fantastic ninja. He was strong and quick-witted in battle. Everyone else saw his crazy antics as immaturity and idiocy, but what I saw was a lonely, sad boy craving attention from someone, anyone just so he could feel like human being.

I kicked myself mentally for not showing him more kindness as a child. He didn't have any friends or family, so no one could be there for him to teach him, love him, laugh with him, or just be with him. I wished I could be less timid and shy. I wanted to be more like Sakura, someone extremely outspoken and full of personality. Because he loved her. Maybe if I had been more like her, he would have loved me too, and that could have been me kissing him goodbye in town earlier.

I sucked in a shaky breath as I thought about how useless I was. Not only was I quiet and insignificant to Naruto, but those thoughts reminded me of how little I felt I contributed to my team. I wasn't sure how Kiba and Shino put up with me. I mean, even I was sick of me. So pathetic and weak. Neji had been helping to train me more lately, but I felt like he was growing impatient with how slowly I was making progress.

There were no more tears in my eyes, all of them having dried in crusty trails on my cheeks. I wasn't sad and weepy anymore, just useless and hollow.

Kiba seemed to notice my change and turned me by the shoulders to face him. "Hey, enough with the mopey face. You stopped crying so that should be a good thing."

I looked up at him with empty eyes. Did he know how badly I thought of myself? "Why?" I asked quietly.

"Why what?"

"Why do you put up with me?" I asked louder, looking at him with urgency in my eyes.

He looked as confused as I had ever seen him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I just stared at him, hoping I wouldn't break into a fresh round of tears.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. The spiky ends retained their mussed shape. "Listen, Hinata, if this is you feeling like your not contributing to the team again, I don't want to hear it."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Was I really that predictable? Or was it that Kiba just knew me better than anyone else in the world? "B-but I, I mean, I d-don't do anyth-th-thing."

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Hinata, we are not having this talk again. Remember what I said last time?"

I blushed in remembrance that we had had this conversation before. "You said that even though I wasn't as strong in some areas that I was exceptionally good at other techniques."

"Yes," Kiba replied, nodding in agreement with his previous statement. "How many times have we needed you to use your Byakugan to help us locate something or someone?"

I let out a breath and looked at my hands. "A lot."

"Yep, and how many times did you whoop my ass in training using your gentle fist technique?"

I looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Several."

"Yeah, how about a crap ton? And how many other girls can stay calm when Shino's insects start crawling on their faces?"

I laughed at that one and grinned at Kiba. "I'm the only one."

"Uh-huh," he answered, as if this should have been painfully obvious. He reached a hand down to me and gave me his roguish grin. Seeing him smile always cheered me up. "Now how about I take you out for something good to eat?"

I took his hand and he pulled me up on my feet. "Okay."

As we exited the small park, he continued to hold my hand. I didn't know where we were going or what would happen when we got there, but with Kiba, I knew everything would turn out okay. He took care of me and protected me. Maybe it was a good thing I saw Naruto and Sakura together and ran away.

So that way, Kiba could find me.

AN: Okay, chickadees! What did you think? Why aren't they together in canon yet? Jesus, Kishimoto, keep us hanging on or what? Anyway, tell me what you think because that's the only way I can get better!

A whole crapload of love,

~Kara