AN: And we've reached the end of this short, sweet little tale. I hope you enjoyed the story and feel free to look at my other stories, as well!

~Kara

Chapter 3

Kiba

Just when had she gotten so damn beautiful? Had her hair always been so shiny and soft? Had her eyes always held so much depth, like she could look into my soul and see the truth I kept inside? Was her embarrassment always that cute, the pink in her cheeks always so adorable? Or was it all in my head because now I was pretty sure I was in love with her?

Someone shoved me, and I fell from the realm of my thoughts so suddenly that I gasped.

"What the hell, Kiba?"

I looked around, my eyes wide and still confused, disoriented from the shove. "What?"

Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Shino Aburame all stared back at me, looking at me like I had grown another head. Naruto was the one who had spoken, eyebrow raised and arms crossed in a way that told me I had some explaining to do.

"You heard me," he said, tone disapproving.

The others looked to be in agreement.

"What the hell, what?" I honestly had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently the whole time they had been in conversation, I had been daydreaming about one Hinata Hyuga. I could picture her right now, smiling at me like I was the sunshine during dinner at Ichiraku a few nights ago…

I got shoved once more. "There you go again," Naruto's voice reprimanded behind me. "You just tune us out and start day dreaming."

"Dude, not cool," Chouji told me through a mouthful of barbecue potato chips.

Shikamaru stepped forward. "What's so important that you find us so troublesome?"

Jeez, why did they all have their panties in a bunch? Seriously, what was so important that when I didn't pay attention, they got all bent out of shape? As if they all have a perfect record for staying in the present. Every single one of them was known for getting lost in their own daydreams. Naruto's were usually about being Hokage or Sakura. Shikamaru's were either about sleeping or his secret thing for Ino. Chouji usually thought about food twenty-four seven. Even Shino got bored with everyone else and became lost in his own thoughts, though what they were about, I couldn't possibly say.

The hypocrites.

Suddenly, Naruto got the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen. Great. Now what was going on in that demented little brain of his?

"You were thinking about Hinata, weren't you?" he asked, poking me. "Admit it."

Oh.

One by one, they each started to adopt that same, stupid smile. Well, everyone except Shino, but that was a given. The expression was surprisingly creepy, especially coming from three different guys. My skin began to crawl, and I backed away from them.

"No way!" I exclaimed defensively.

But their grins only got wider.

"No wonder you're slobbering all over yourself like a dog," Shikamaru commented snidely.

I growled. "Like you're one to talk. Whenever you see Ino, you act like Christmas just came early."

Shikamaru's expression turned sour, and he quickly shut his mouth.

"Oh, he got you good, Shikamaru!" Naruto laughed in that obnoxious way of his, pointing at the pineapple-haired ninja and hopping from foot to foot.

"Shut up, Naruto. Like you're any better."

He stuck his tongue out at Shikamaru. "I don't know what you're talking about, because Sakura and I are happy and in love."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Yeah, right. I bet she just feels sorry for you. How pathetic."

Naruto's face turned red, and suddenly the two were going back and forth about the relationships they had with their female teammates, while Chouji stood laughing at them and Shino stood watching impassively. I was dumbfounded. Had the issue with me just been forgotten completely?

And I thought I got riled up easily.

Suddenly, Naruto and Shikamaru had gone silent, though they continued to stand there glaring each other. Apparently some kind of agreement had been made. They both turned to me, Naruto smiling once again, and Shikamaru with a determined look in his eye, and I knew that I was going to regret whatever was about to be said.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked suspiciously, afraid of the answer.

"Since I'm the only one of us that's got a girlfriend," Naruto began smugly, "and you two are both pansies, we're going to see who's man enough to admit his feelings to the girl they like."

Well, shit. Shikamaru didn't look too happy about these conditions, either.

Naruto continued. "If you don't, Chouji, Shino, and I get to make fun of you for being a coward."

I rolled my eyes. "So, what? You guys do that anyway."

Naruto's eyes held a wicked gleam, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "I almost forgot to mention, you guys have twenty-four hours to admit your feelings, or otherwise I get to tell them for you in whatever way I choose."

My mouth fell open. "What? That's bullshit! Why do you get to decide when I'm supposed to confess?" Why was Shikamaru just standing their glaring? Why didn't he do something about it?

"Weren't you paying attention when Shikamaru and I were yelling?" Naruto asked, looking at me like I was stupid.

Ha! That would be the pot calling the kettle black. But I didn't dare say so when Naruto had the upper hand here.

He grumbled impatiently, and Shikamaru stepped in. "I bet Naruto that we would admit our feelings to the girls in the next twenty-four hours. The terms were that if we didn't, Naruto got bragging rights and that he would be the one to tell her whenever and wherever he pleased."

Why was I involved in this? Those assholes. "What about if we do admit our feelings?" I asked.

And that was when a sinister smile split Shikamaru's face, one so frightening that I actually cowered away from him. "If we win, Naruto has to walk up to Sakura, and shout that he's in love with her so the whole world can hear."

That was his punishment? That was so stupid! "Everyone already knows that!" I argued. "No one cares."

Shikamaru still had that look on his face, and the fear renewed inside of me. "Naked," he finally said.

Oh. Well, that changed things.

We all finally dismissed ourselves, saying that the bet ended at nine in the morning tomorrow. I had my mission set out before me: either tell Hinata how I felt before the deadline, or Naruto of all people would do so for me at whatever time or situation he chose. And there was no way in hell I was going to leave it up that moron.

There was only one thing to do, now. I would find a way to tell Hinata about my feelings in a way that she would hopefully not freak out about.

Because I knew my Hinata, and if there was one thing she would freak out about, it would probably be her best friend telling her that he loves her.

Oh, God.

I tried to stop thinking about what her reaction would be like, but that was near impossible, so I tried to distract myself from the image by thinking about Shikamaru's task instead.

He might've had it worse off than me, knowing Ino's tendency toward anger and violence. Well, that was one silver lining to this whole ordeal, the thought of that hilarious confrontation. I wished I could be there to watch that situation take place. I could hold that over him forever.

As if my thoughts had manifested in the real world, I caught sight of Shikamaru entering the Yamanaka flower shop. Wait. Was he doing this now? A few minutes later, he emerged with a bouquet of purple irises. Oh, he was good. He was going to get this out of the way now, before he lost his nerve.

And I was going to watch it blow up in his face.

He walked through town, toward the park by the field. I followed him sneakily. Though, knowing Shikamaru, he knew I'd been following him before I even spotted him going into the flower shop. As we neared the park, I noticed Sakura and Ino sitting in the swings, gossiping and laughing together like the good friends they were. That wasn't the most surprising part, though.

Hinata stood in front of them, smiling along with them, her face lit up like she was the sun itself.

Shit.

Shikamaru was still walking swiftly onward, his trajectory clearly aimed at Ino. As the girls noticed his approach, they all fell silent one by one. Ino looked a bit annoyed at first, like she didn't appreciate being interrupted. This was going to get interesting. But as he neared even closer, she seemed to notice the purple bundle in his hands and the determined look on his face. Her expression changed to one of surprise, and suddenly I didn't know how this would turn out.

Shikamaru stopped once he stood directly in front of her. The other girls watched with wide, interested eyes. The air was completely silent. And I felt my own heart racing in anticipation of this moment.

He knelt down on one knee so he was looking up at Ino, his face still showing no sign of fear. Lifting up the bouquet of her favorite flowers, he opened his mouth to speak, and I noticed the sweat dewed on his forehead. So he was freaking out after all.

"Ino," he began, voice hard, I guessed to keep from breaking. "I love—"

She flew off the swing and tackled him to the ground and suddenly I was afraid she would kill him.

"—you?" he finished, seeming unsure of whether or not he was going to die right then.

He lay on the ground, Ino straddling his waist, looking down at him with fire in her eyes. "Well," she started, her voice full of irritation.

Poor Shikamaru.

"It's about goddamn time!" she finished, leaning down and kissing him right there, in the middle of everyone, for the whole world to see.

Oh, my God.

I heard clapping, and looked over to see Sakura applauding them, happy tears in her eyes as she watched the couple. And as I looked to see whether or not Hinata was watching them, I almost had a heart attack.

She was looking directly at me, a question in her glowing white eyes, her lips parted slightly like she was about to speak.

And then I was running so quickly away from the park that I could feel my legs burning with the effort, my breath coming in erratic spurts, leaving me wheezing as I finally neared my own house. I leaned over, hands on my knees, as I tried to find a normal rhythm again. Once I was sure that I wasn't in any more danger of passing out from oxygen deprivation, I thought back to what just happened.

And what a big, fat coward I was.

I'd left Hinata there looking after me. Who knew what she was going to say? But I knew what I was afraid it would be. What if she asked me if I was going to confess next? What if she told me not to?

What if she wanted me to?

Damn it!

She probably hated my guts right now. What if she was upset? Crying? How the hell was I going to try and confess something so personal, now?

I spent the rest of the day degrading myself for being a coward, trying to talk myself into going back to find her and confess my own feelings, and then picturing her reaction afterward. Usually it wasn't a good one.

By the time nightfall had arrived, I'd stood to leave the house and go do the deed. I was dreading it, but the thought of Naruto, the guy she'd loved since we were children, telling her for me was almost physically painful. No, I couldn't let him do that to her, especially if he did it in front of a lot of people. Hinata got so flustered around many people, so a confession from a previous flame about her best friend who apparently had feelings for her would not be an ideal situation.

I had to do this myself.

I took a deep breath and left my house, walking under the night sky toward the Hyuga estate. The moon shone down like a spotlight in the cloudless evening, the stars twinkling and winking like they were in on my secret, as well. The air was slightly chilled, but I could hardly feel it for the distraction of the nerves eating away at my stomach.

The streets were oddly quiet, and I was thankful for that under these circumstances. Usually it would be a little creepy, but right now, the lack of others was a godsend.

I neared the home, walking toward the back of the building with building anxiety clawing at my stomach. What if she hated me and never wanted to see me again? Worse, what if she just laughed it off and pretended like nothing happened?

But what if she felt the same way?

I was directly under her window and decided to get her attention by throwing pebbles. Yes, it was pretty cliché, but I had no other brilliant ideas at the moment. Just standing there and breathing were difficult enough as it was.

The first pebble ricocheted off of the glass.

Nothing. My heart sank.

I tried another.

This, time a light switched on, but no other movement. I took a deep breath.

I threw the third pebble.

I could hear someone walking around, and suddenly, the window was opening.

Hinata's beautiful face peered down at me, her long dark hair swaying slightly in the breeze. Her eyes grew wide, her face pink. "Kiba?" she asked in quiet astonishment.

I couldn't speak for a moment, knowing what I was going to have to do.

I remembered that last time I had found her crying by the fountain, heartbroken once again because of that idiot Naruto. If he couldn't see what a wonderful girl she was, then he didn't deserve her at all. I'd cheered her up, and afterward, the look she gave me was agonizingly wonderful, like I was the only person in the world who would ever see a smile from her that was so grateful and rewarding.

I knew I liked her then. A lot.

But I realized I loved her a few days ago when we ate together at Ichiraku. The way she had handled herself so bravely in front of the boy she used to love, how she had been so flustered when I'd winked at her, face tomato red and small smile gracing her lips. The best part was when she joined in my laughter, sounding so carefree and released of her inhibitions.

The look she gave me at that moment would've made me think she felt the same way I did.

But I hadn't talked to her since, and now I was worried she might have developed some sort of negative feelings toward me.

As she stood there, now, looking down at me with anticipation, I felt my own face heat up, eyes wide with fear.

"Kiba?" she repeated. "Is everything alright?"

And at that moment, the concern in her voice gave me the strength I needed. If nothing else, it demonstrated that she still cared for me, at least as a friend, if nothing else.

"Hinata." I took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something."

She bit her lip, her eyes suddenly alight with an emotion I couldn't quite place. She put one hand over her chest, grasping at the material of her nightgown.

I took her silence as sign to continue. "Hinata, I'm…I'm in love with you."

Everything became still around us, as if the only things in existence were me and her. After those words were finally out, an unknown weight lifted from my chest, and my heart beat with vigor.

"I've loved you for a while, now," I continued. "And I had to tell you. Because if there's any chance that you feel the same way, I need to know."

I felt bare all of the sudden, transparent, as though she could see right through me.

Hinata's face froze. She didn't move, didn't make a sound. Before I could say anything else, she moved away from the window, leaving me alone in the cold night.

And I was utterly heartbroken. Not only had she rejected my feelings for her, this would probably affect our friendship as well. What would I do? Sure, I had completed my task from the guys, but how would they react when they found out that she had completely shut me down? Would they pity me, or make fun of me indefinitely?

How could I ever face Hinata again? I loved her so much, I could barely contain myself. How was I supposed to go on now that I knew how she felt? I clutched at my own chest, feeling the pain echo inside like someone was strangling my heart. This was the worst pain I'd ever experienced in my life.

I was so distracted by these thoughts, that I never even noticed the soft sound of footsteps approaching. Only when a small hand rested on my shoulder did I raise my head in surprise.

I turned around to find the woman I loved standing there, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, an extra one held out to me by her other hand. I stared at her in surprise, watching as she giggled and wrapped the additional blanket around me when I didn't take it for myself.

"You'll catch your death out here," she said to me, adjusting the new layer against my chest. Her hands lingered there for a while.

I continued to stare at her silently, no words forming in my mind that I could possibly try to translate into a recognizable sentence.

Hinata's face turned pink at my lack of response, and a small smile touched her lips as she looked down at her feet.

"What you said surprised me," she whispered. "Only because I've never expected them from anyone, before. Not even…well, you know." Her face grew an even deeper shade of red, though I wasn't sure why. "So when I heard it coming from the person I trust most in this whole entire world," she looked up at me suddenly, her eyes full of wonder, "I thought I must've been delusional, for anybody to care about someone like me."

I didn't know if her words were supposed to make me feel better or not, but so far, I just felt stupid. What was she trying to do down here, anyway? Lessen the blow? Because right now, I was preparing myself for something even worse than her unresponsive silence.

Her blatant rejection.

She looked at me suddenly in surprise, and I realized that I was shaking. Her eyes filled with concern. "Kiba, did you mean what you said?" she asked, no fear or anger in her words.

I suddenly found my voice, hearing it chuckle sadly. "Hinata, do you even know how jealous I've been every time you mentioned Naruto's name?"

Her lips parted in shock.

I continued, suddenly feeling a little braver when she was close by. As though the lack of distance made the humiliation less. "I love everything about you, Hinata. How determined you are to be noticed by someone you care about. How brave you are for standing up to your enemies to save a friend. How kind you are when you give smiles to people who need them. How powerful you are when you're in the middle of a battle." There were so very many things, how could I possibly list them all?

Her eyes were wide open, frozen in astonishment at my blunt description of the way I saw her. She was so close, and she was looking at me with those eyes.

I continued quietly, "How beautiful you are when you smile at me like I'm the only person on earth who is watching."

Her eyes became wet, and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

I sighed. "I guess I'm not the person you wanted to hear all that from, though, right?" I gave her a quick smile before turning and stepping toward the street to make my way home in heartbroken silence.

Before I could get too far, however, I felt her hand on my shoulder again, pulling me to a stop and trying to get me to face her. I looked down at her wet face with sadness, but before I could say anything, she spoke.

"Kiba," she said softly through her tears, an incredulous smile on her face, "you're the only person I want to hear that from."

And then she kissed me.

The next morning, we all met at the same spot as the previous day, all ready to reap the benefits of our courage. We all brought our female counterparts, partly as evidence, partly because they wanted to come and see what all the commotion was about.

I'd told Hinata about the bet, but luckily she hadn't been upset. Actually, she was thrilled that it gave me the courage to confess myself. I guessed that Ino felt the same way, as she and Shikamaru had arrived hand in hand, both smiling goofily at each other. I couldn't blame them, though. Hinata and I probably had the exact same expressions on our faces.

Naruto and Sakura were the last to arrive. He seemed to understand the implications of the girls being there, because he looked panicked as he met up with us.

"So, looks like it's time to pay up," I commented, trying to hide my laughter.

Shikamaru also wore a smug smile.

"Pay what up?" Sakura asked. "What is he talking about? And why am I here?" She sounded a bit irritated, and it seemed as if Naruto had neglected to explain the bet to his girlfriend.

So imagine her surprise when he stripped down to his birthday suit and shouted that he was in love with her?

That kick must have hurt without any clothing in the way.

I wasn't focused so much on him, though, as I was on Hinata, her face turning crimson as she averted her eyes, catching my gaze in the process. And then everything slowed down, and we were the only two people in the world. She smiled at me, squeezing my hand, and I put my arm around her.

As she settled against my side, nuzzling my shoulder softly, and I couldn't think of a better way to begin my day than with the girl I loved right beside me.

END

AN: Well, we've reached the end of this tale! I hope it was satisfactory in the end! Thanks for reading!

~Kara