RMX: Simple one shot, no more, no less. Ino, read the disclaimer.

Ino: Am I even in this?

RMX: No, now read it.

Ino: RMX doesn't own Naruto, because if she did, Naruto wouldn't be such an idiot.

RMX: Start the story.

"I don't under stand it!" Kiba nearly yelled to himself and Akamaru as he trained. "How can she think I don't think she's strong, just because I'm worried?!"

"If you actually told her why you worry," Akamaru…um…barked (?) in response, "Maybe she would take it a little more seriously."

"But Hinata doesn't take this sort of stuff well," Kiba said, calming down a little and looking up. This happened every time he warned Hinata to judge before acting.

When he had warned her to quit if he got paired with Neji in the Chunin Exams she hadn't listened. When Kiba had woken up after the medical ninja had healed him, he had been scared to death when he saw her in a bed across from him, in worse condition than he had ever seen.

When he had told her not to come to the second round if she didn't feel up to it, she had gone any way, then wound up coughing up blood in the middle, and causing them both to miss the rest of the exam.

And now there was the mission she had just left on two days before. They were supposed to track down the worst murderer in Konoha (other than Orochimaru and the Akatsuki) and take him down. He had told her to be careful, and use good judgment, but instead, she had yelled at him.

Flashback

"Hinata," the maid said as she ushered Kiba into Hinata's room. "Mr. Inuzuka is here to see you."

Hinata looked up from her bag and smiled. "Hello Kiba!" she beamed.

"Hey Hinata," Kiba replied as the maid left. "I heard you're going on a mission, and wanted to stop by before you left."

"Well, I'm leaving in a few hours, so I'm glad you stopped by," Hinata smiled. "I'm already packed, so you want to take a walk?"

Kiba nodded. They were just taking a walk through the courtyard in the Hyuuga compound when Kiba decided to give the usual warning.

"Hinata," Kiba started. "You know how bad this guy is, right?"

"Of course Kiba," Hinata said. "But I've faced worse, so it's not that big a deal."

"Well be careful any ways," Kiba said. "And use good judgment, please?"

Hinata looked up and glared. "Kiba, I can take care of myself, why do you always worry like this any way?"

Kiba thought about it. "Well, I don't want you to get hurt, and maybe you'll listen to me this time, and won't get hurt like during the chunin exams."

"Why do you think I'll get hurt?!" Hinata spat. "I'm not the same weakling like I was back then."

"No one ever said you were!" Kiba spat back. "It's just this guy is really dangerous, and I don't know if you'll come back if he hurts you!"

"You never worry about any one but me!" Hinata nearly yelled. "Well what if I had told you to back down against Gaara?! Would you have done that?!"

"Of course I would!" Kiba said. "I saw him kill a guy that was twice his size and strength! But you knew Neji wouldn't hold back and tried any way!"

"I was doing that to prove you wrong!" Hinata yelled at him. "You always told me to back down if I thought some one was going to beat me! Naruto believed in me and thought I was strong enough, and I almost was! So until you sincerely think that I can't beat some one, don't say anything!" She stomped off to her room, and Kiba hadn't seen her since then.

End Flashback

"If she did know that I was worried for her, because I love her, she would never see it the same," Kiba said dourly. Ambulance sirens were heard at the hospital across from Kiba's training spot.

"We need the top medical ninjas out here!" Sakura yelled as she came out to get the person from the ambulance.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked as he ran over to them, not knowing what was going on.

"We just came back from our mission," Tenten said getting out. "She got hurt really badly, because she wouldn't give up against that guy. She killed him in the end, but she was still hurt badly."

"Who?!" Kiba asked. He looked over to the stretcher and saw a bloody and bruised Hinata. "Hina…"

(-:-)

Hinata woke up three hours later in a pure white hospital room. At first she didn't notice the dark blotch in the corner nearest her that was Kiba.

"K-Kiba?" Hinata asked weakly.

Kiba's head snapped up. "Hina?" he questioned desperately. He jumped from his seat and ran to her bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap…" Hinata said oddly. "You were right…I am weak."

"There you go again…" he said, restraining himself from yelling. "No one ever said you were weak!"

"But-then…"

"Hinata!" Kiba said interrupting again. "I was worried! I'm always worried about you. Not because I think you're weak, because I wouldn't be able to stand if you got hurt!" Before Hinata could speak he continued. "Every time you push your self to be better than you need to be, you get hurt! When you fought Neji in the chunin exams, you fought him, just so you could try to be better. Before the final rounds, you pushed your self before you made a recovery. When you went on this mission, you pushed yourself, and you-you almost died!"

Hinata looked at him, tears being fought back from his eyes, still trying to look macho. "K-Kiba…why are you so concerned?"

Kiba looked at her. "I-I have my reasons…" he said, not wanting her to find out.

"Do-Do you want to know the reason why I push myself so hard?" she said sullenly. Kiba looked at her as she looked away from him. "The truth is…I couldn't bare to think you thought I was weak…"

"I never did…" he interjected.

"I know that now," Hinata said. "But during the chunin exams, you constantly warned me, before and after, to be careful. And every time you told me that, the more I thought that you thought I was weak. And the more I thought that, the more I wanted to prove that I wasn't…not to boost my own moral, but so you would think better of me. At first I thought I was doing it to impress Naruto, but as time went on…I realized that it was you I was trying to impress. I don't know why…but I-I think…" She bit her lip and closed her eyes, turning red as she became nervous.

"Are you okay Hinata?" Kiba asked, feeling her forehead.

Hinata took a deep breathe. "Unless I don't say this soon, I won't be…" she mumbled. "I-I think…I think I'm in…in love with you…"

Kiba sat there awestruck. "Do you really mean that Hinata?" he asked, the shade of red his face was turning rivaling Hinata's.

"Um…yes…" whispered Hinata, thinking she knew what he would say. She looked away again and tried to hold back tears. "But…I don't just think…I know…"

"Hinata…" Kiba muttered, not knowing how to explain this, looking down. "I-I love you too. It's the reason I always worry, and I'm just sorry you had to hurt yourself to get it out of me…" They both turned back to each other, the red in their faces dying away.

Hinata gulped. "I-I don't know what to say…" she muttered.

Kiba grinned. "Then don't," he said. "Call me when you get out." He kissed her and waved as he walked out.

He walked back over to the training grounds where he had absentmindedly left Akamaru.

"There you are!" Akamaru yapped in dog language. "I was getting worried.

"Calm down…" Kiba said as he grinned and laid on the grass in a daze. "I think we should stop for the day…I wouldn't be able to concentrate any way…"

"You told her didn't you?" Akamaru asked.

"Yup…" Kiba said, grinning like a goof.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital, Neji came in to see his cousin just as Hinata left.

"Hi Hinata," Neji said. "You doing okay?"

As already stated, Kiba had just left, and Hinata was stunned. She passed out just as Neji walked in.

"…Um…Nurse?"

End story

RMX: I really like how this turned out!

Kiba: Me too!

Neji: Don't you dare do any thing to my cousin…

Kiba: (Backs away slowly)

RMX: Any ways, review!