Title: Mistletoe and Snow
Characters/Pairings: One-sided NaruHina, implied KakaAnko and KibaHina
Author's Notes: I watch the English-dubbed Naruto anime only so I might make some errors with character portrayal. If you can find any blatant errors, please correct me.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the Naruto franchise. If I did I'd actually have money, I probably wouldn't spend my time writing fanfiction, and KibaHina would be canon.

Mistletoe and Snow

A thin layer of snow coated the grass in Konoha. Hinata gazed out the frosted window of Kurenai's house and marveled at the dancing flakes of snow falling from the sky. It wasn't often that it snowed in Konoha but when it did, it was something to remember. And Hinata was certain this night would be one to remember forever.

"Well, I think everything's ready for the party," a soft, familiar voice pulled Hinata out of her reverie. "Hinata, can you take Aiko for a minute?"

Hinata gave a start and found her sensei Kurenai standing next to her, bouncing her newly born baby on her hip. Aiko reached her arms out, eager to be held by Hinata. Although Aiko had inherited Asuma's brown eyes and pronounced jawline, she had Kurenai's personality. Aiko constantly wanted to be around others and never stopped smiling. In fact, since Aiko had been born, Hinata had never seen her cry.

"Hello, Aiko," Hinata whispered as she cradled the baby in her arms. She began to hum quietly, causing Aiko to yawn contently.

Kurenai was holding a party to celebrate Aiko's birth and, at the same time, the winter solstice. She hadn't had a true baby shower because she had been more concerned with rebuilding Konoha after the destruction that had been left from Pein's attack. Thankfully, only four months later, the village was almost completely rebuilt. The villagers had diligently returned to their way of life, determined to show the Akatsuki that it took a lot more to destroy the spirit of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Just one last thing," Kurenai said, her voice strained as she tried to reach the top of the doorframe. She stood on a kitchen chair and pinned some sort of berried plant to the frame.

"Be c-careful, Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata gasped in dismay as the chair wobbled.

Kurenai stepped down from the chair and grinned at Hinata, gesturing to the plant. "It's mistletoe. I've convinced Anko to try to catch Kakashi under it. I was only joking but I think she's taken it to heart. She said it'll be her most difficult mission yet," she said with a laugh.

"What's this about a mission? I thought we were having a party?" a voice interrupted.

It was Kiba, with Shino close behind. They let themselves into the house and greeted Kurenai. Realizing he was covered in snow, Kiba wildly shook his head and sent snow flying everywhere. Shino frowned at his comrade's behavior and carefully brushed the snow off his coat so that it fell on the mat inside the door instead of the carpet.

Kurenai smiled gently as she observed their antics, "Don't worry, there's no mission. I was just telling Hinata about the mistletoe."

Shino ignored this but Kiba froze, as if sensing the presence of an enemy. He glanced up slowly and spotted the mistletoe. Shooting Shino a withering glare, he quickly stepped out from under it and gave a sigh of relief. He made his way over to Hinata and grinned down at Aiko, who was now cooing and playing with the sleeve of Hinata's shirt.

"Yo, Hinata," he said in greeting. He glanced down at the baby and gave an uncommonly gentle smile, which took Hinata by surprise. His smiles were usually laden with sarcasm or smug confidence. "This is Aiko, huh? She's so small."

Aiko turned her large brown eyes to Kiba and reached up at him. Her small fingers closed around his thumb and she gave a burbling laugh as she swung his hand. Kiba smiled again and turned to Kurenai. "Aiko smells like baby powder, cooked carrots…and lavender."

Kurenai laughed lightly. She knew it sounded strange but coming from Kiba and his sensitive nose, it was a compliment. She was about to join them on the couch but the doorbell rang. Before long, the various shinobi and villagers of Konoha were blowing into the house along with drifts of snow.

It wasn't long until Hinata was sitting alone on the couch again. Aiko had been quickly snatched up by a group of elderly women who were amazed by how much the baby resembled Asuma. Shino had disappeared into the crowd and Kiba was at the snack table, sneaking bits of barbeque into a napkin to take home for Akamaru. Not sure who else to talk with, Hinata timidly scanned the crowd for a familiar face. She was surprised by who she found.

Naruto.

He had just walked into the house and was arguing with a disgruntled Sai, who he was attempting to drag through the doorway. Hinata felt the heat tinge her cheeks and tried desperately to calm down. She reminded herself that the hardest part was over. She had confessed to Naruto during Pein's invasion of Konoha. However, he had never told her how he felt.

Before she could even consider what to do, she realized she had stood up and was walking determinedly toward Naruto. She felt like she was sleepwalking. She couldn't see anyone else in the room, only Naruto. After what seemed like an eternity she finally came to a halt in front of him. He was still arguing with Sai and didn't notice her right away.

"Come on, you idiot," he muttered angrily. "I'm freezing my—"

"G-g-good evening, Naruto-kun," Hinata said breathlessly.

Naruto looked up in surprise and then grinned. "Oh, hey, Hinata. Guess what, apparently this idiot," he gestured to a struggling Sai, "read a book that said babies are needy and will cry when they're unhappy. He didn't get to the chapter on how to console a cranky baby so he's afraid to meet Aiko."

Sai unwillingly stepped into the house and closed the door, rubbing his arm where Naruto had hit him earlier. "I'm not afraid," he said in his low, almost unemotional voice. Still rubbing his sore arm he entered the crowd, hoping to find a remote place where he could finish reading about how to console babies.

"Anyway, how have you been Hinata? I haven't seen you much lately," Naruto said, smiling at her.

That smile took her by surprise. Could it mean…?

Forcing herself not to blush in front of him, Hinata said, "I-I've been helping Kurenai-sensei with Aiko."

Naruto nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's great. I'm glad Kurenai-sensei has someone like you to help her. It can't be easy for her." He glanced around suddenly. "Where is Aiko? I heard she looks just like Asuma-sensei."

"Mmhmm," Hinata quietly murmured her agreement, losing her nerve with each passing second. She was sure of it; she was either going to blush or faint. Then Naruto would never acknowledge her. "N-Naruto-kun…can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you…like me?" Hinata whispered.

Naruto was silent for a moment. At first she thought he hadn't heard her. She was about to repeat herself when he gently squeezed her shoulder and let his hand drop to his side once again. "Hinata, you were amazing when you fought Pein. I can't believe I never saw that strength in you before."

Hinata felt her spirits soar at his words. She wanted to throw her arms around him and shout to the world how much she loved him. She found herself taking a step toward him but stopped when she looked up at his face. What she saw confused her.

"You're my friend, Hinata. You're a comrade, someone I can look up to and count on," he finished, guilt weighing on his words.

"Oh!" Hinata felt all the hope and happiness that had welled up inside her moments before melt away. "Oh. Of course, we're friends." She somehow found the courage to summon a false smile to her face.

"I like you. Just not…uh, I'm sorry," Naruto began awkwardly.

Hinata laughed, desperately trying to keep it together. She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "W-what's there to be sorry about? It's okay."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to handle the situation. He caught sight of Kurenai holding Aiko and made a step toward them. "Well, I should go meet Aiko," he said clumsily. Without waiting for her reply, he placed his hand on her shoulder once more and then made his way into the crowd.

For once, Hinata was glad he hadn't looked directly at her. If he had he would have seen the tears silently streaming down her face. Placing her hand against the frame of the door to steady herself, she slowly raised her eyes to the window across the room and watched as the snowflakes drifted lazily on the wind. She thought the snow had been a sign that tonight would be a night to remember but she had been wrong.

Suddenly she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Thinking it was Naruto again, she looked up hastily but instead found Kiba standing next to her. "Hey, do you want me to walk you home? I was going to leave now before it gets too cold out." He stopped talking as soon as he saw her tearstained face.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" he asked, concern instantly lighting his eyes.

She shook her head, not trusting her voice. Her fingers trembled as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face and she tried to avoid Kiba's eyes. She didn't want him to know what had happened and she didn't want him to know how she felt. She had been rejected. Even though she was sad she couldn't help the stomach-churning shame that also rose in her throat.

Why had he rejected her? Did he really have no feelings for her? Was she unappealing to him? Was she worthless? All her life she had been told she was worthless but Naruto had inspired her to try. She had strived to have others acknowledge her, to have him acknowledge her. It hadn't worked. Perhaps she would always be worthless despite her efforts.

"Hinata?" Kiba asked again, bending his knees slightly so he was looking into her eyes.

Her voice trembled when she finally answered, "After everything, Naruto-kun doesn't…h-he doesn't…" she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. She couldn't finalize the proof of her worthlessness.

She didn't need to finish the sentence. Kiba could already guess what had happened. He glanced around the room and finally spotted Naruto standing next to Sakura. Sakura was holding Aiko while Naruto made funny faces. Kiba frowned, suppressing the sudden urge to go over and slam his fist into his face. Naruto was his friend but sometimes he could be an insensitive idiot.

He was further enraged when he heard Hinata whisper, "I'm worthless."

Placing both hands on her shoulders he shook her gently and said heatedly, "You're not worthless, Hinata. Just because he…just because he can't see you for who you are doesn't mean you're worthless."

She shook her head, refusing to even look at him. Kiba looked down at her for a moment, trying to understand why Naruto meant so much to her. He gently lifted her chin until she was forced to look at him. Her violet eyes were glossy with tears and her lips trembled slightly as she tried not to sob.

Choosing his words carefully, he said quietly, "I don't think you're worthless. You kept trying to achieve your dream to become a shinobi even after your father lost faith in you. You never stopped trying. After every mission, I watched you train endlessly to prove your father wrong, to prove your worth. You never let Shino or I take it easy on you during training. I always thought you were strong. Stronger than me, stronger than Shino."

With his thumb, he gently wiped the tears off her face. He smiled down at her and Hinata was surprised that it was the same smile she had witnessed earlier today. It was tender and loving. Loving. She closed her eyes briefly as this realization washed over her. When she opened them again, Kiba had moved closer to her.

"You're worth everything to me," Kiba murmured.

Hinata stared at him in shock, not sure how to react. No one had ever said that to her before. No one had made her feel like she was important. A grin flashed across Kiba's face and he looked up. "There's that mistletoe again."

She was surprised when he pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her into a hug. He held her close until she stopped trembling. When he finally drew away, he touched her cheek with his hand. "You're blushing," he observed with a grin.

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata faltered, her blush deepening, "thank you…for acknowledging me."