A/N: Hi everyone! This is my fic for the secret Santa project, a game in which we're supposed to write a fan fiction for someone as a present. Its also my first time writing a oneshot. And the recipient of my fic is…SymCARDpathy! You asked for InoxKiba fluff. Well…I'm not so sure about fluffy but I tried. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't (sadly) don't own Naruto

"Talking"

'Thinking'

One Winter's Day

A Secret Santa Project fan fiction

She was unbelievable. That woman was absolutely unbelievable! Not to mention she was absolutely out of her mind. She'd made him walk all the way out here in a snow storm of all things. Why? Just because she couldn't get over her damn, irrational need to absolutely have flowers at the dining table. It was as if she'd die if that pretty little vase that was always sitting on the table top was left empty for even a day.

What the heck was it with women and flowers anyway? Their sickeningly sweet smell was a too much for him to handle, especially since his sense of smell was a little more profound that that of a regular human. Plus he was allergic to flowers…

Still, Inuzuka Kiba's sister had mercilessly thrown him out of the house, despite his pleas and cries for her to be reasonable, saying that if he didn't come back with the flowers she wanted, he could damn well freeze out in the snow for all she cared. There was no point in refusing. Kiba didn't doubt for a moment that she'd actually do it. She was a woman of her word

So here he was, braving the cold with the hood of his parka pulled up to protect his face from the blistering winter wind to make sure that his ears didn't freeze and fall off. If he died of hypothermia out here it was all his sisters' fault. Stupid, stupid sibling.

"We'll get those damn flowers and get home…" Kiba muttered with a scowl. "Right Akama-"

His voice died in his throat as he looked to his side and realized that his ever faithful canine companion wasn't with him. That's right. Akamaru had come down with a cold. Walking around in the cold wouldn't do much good for him. So for once Kiba walked the streets alone. It felt strange to be separated from his dog, his partner. Like a part of him had gone missing. Kiba comforted himself by concentrating on the fact that their separation was only for a short while.

The Yamanaka flower shop was just down the street after all.

X X X X X

It was late afternoon and Yamanaka Ino was just preparing to close the shop up for the night. In fact it seemed stupid to even have opened it at all today. She wouldn't have bothered at all if it hadn't been for her mother insisting that she do so. Ino didn't see the point. No one was going to come buy flowers of all things in such horrendous weather. No one in their right mind would cross the frozen streets of Konoha and brave the howling winds of a blizzard just to get some flowers.

Yeah. Totally stupid right? Ino almost burst our laughing just thinking about it.

The faint sound of chiming broke Ino from her thoughts as the front door creaked open. She shivered as she felt the frigid winter air blow into the room, making the hairs on her arms stand up on end and goosebumps pop up on her skin. It was freezing outside. For once she was grateful to actually be at home where she was nice and warm and out training…

Wait…did someone just open the door? Who in the name of….

"Kiba?!"

"Oh, hey Ino." The said Inuzuka said, taking a step into the warmth of the Yamanaka household-slash-flower-shop with a grateful sigh, shaking the snow out of his hair with a quick movement of his hair. For the first five seconds, despite the fact that he was getting snow all over her floor (Her mother would kill her if she saw that.) Ino couldn't do anything other than stare at him with her mouth agape.

"What are you doing here?!" She managed finally. There was a snowstorm out there for god's sake. A freaking snowstorm! Who in their right mind would come visit her in the middle of a snowstorm?!

"My sister threw me out of the house." He explained with a shrug. "And I can't go back until I get her some flowers." He was acting as if it were no big deal. As if he went walking around in snowstorms all the time.

Apparently she'd just been proved wrong. There were people who'd go to great lengths for flowers. Who'd have thought?

"I know." Kiba said with a scowl, managing accurately guessing Ino's thoughts from the expression she wore. "She's totally crazy."

"Are you kidding?" Ino exclaimed in disbelief once she'd gotten over her shock enough to regain her power of speech. "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe her! What kind of cold hearted sibling throws her little brother out in a blizzard to get flowers?!"

"Tell me about it." Kiba agreed with a weak smile. It seemed to her as if this wasn't the first time he was getting this kind of treatment. Being the little brother, he probably got it a lot. This is why Ino was glad she was an only child.

"Huh…So what can I get you?" she asked, leaning against the front desk and crossing her

"Um…Flowers?" He stared at her as if she'd just asked the dumbest question in the world. Ino was very much tempted to punch him, just for his idiocy.

"No duh genius!" the blonde snorted, rolling her eyes. "This is a flower shop. I meant what kind? You know, like roses? Or camellias? Or lilies?"

"Oh. Kind." Kiba said, as if he'd just realized that there was more than one type of flower. Ino was tempted to roll her eyes again as he frowned as if he quite couldn't recall what kind of flowers he was supposed to be buying. Which knowing him, he probably couldn't.

"Um, some….I…Ir…Ir…"

"Irises?"

"Yeah that's the one!" He said, looking slightly sheepish, embarrassed at his sudden loss of memory.

Ino sighed as she walked towards the back of the shop, shaking her head in complete disbelief. Boys and flowers. They were absolutely hopeless.

"Just stay here for a second alright?" She instructed. "I'll be back with the flowers in just a second."

The back room was where they kept all the flowers. It served as both a storeroom for their equipment and a nursery for the plants. The Yamanaka's grew a great number of their flowers themselves, importing only those that could only grow in climates and conditions that a place like Konoha could not provide. Despite the fact that she detested it when her mother made her take over the shop in her place, Ino had to admit, the nursery was one of her favorite places to be.

She reached for the switch. Despite the fact that there were always lights on in the room to allow the plants to photosynthesize, it wasn't nearly enough for Ino to see clearly. And she didn't want to end up in a hospital bed because she'd tripped over some spade that someone had forgotten to put away properly. Her fingers brushed against the switch's cool plastic surface. She flicked it.

"AH!"

Ino pulled her hand back as sharp, shocking sensation hit her fingertips. She cried out in pain, taking an involuntary step back and tripping, landing on her behind. At the same moment, there was a loud 'BOOM' and a fizzling sound as all the lights in the Yamanaka household suddenly went out. There was a surprised cry from the front room as Kiba dashed over, nearly colliding into a wall in the process.

"Ino? You okay?" He called, searching franticly in the darkness for the fair haired kunoichi. "What happened?!"

"I'm fine." Ino's voice drifted out from the nursery as she emerged from it, cradling her hand and blowing on the now swollen tips of her fingers. "It's just a blackout. I must have blown a fuse when I flicked the switch…"

"Great. Just great." Kiba said with an exasperated sigh. Ino couldn't blame him. First he gets thrown into a blizzard and now this? His luck just wasn't that great today now was it? "Where's your fuse box?"

"In the basement, I think." She replied. "Yeah it's probably there…"

"Well then we gotta fix it right? Got a flashlight?"

X X X X X

"A-are you sure this is a good idea?" A hesitant voice called from behind him as Kiba peered around the doorway and into the seemingly endless dark abyss that waited at the bottom of those stairs. The fact that all the lights in the house were out didn't make it any easier for them to see. Even to a teenager, the basement was an ominous place, a strange world of the unknown. Kiba couldn't recall ever setting foot into his own basement even once in his fifteen years of life. He gulped, but put what was meant to be a confident smirk for Ino's sake.

"Are you kidding?" He said. "We're just going to change the fuse. What's so hard about that?"

Hi expression must not have come out the way he'd intended it to, because Ino looked far from reassured. 'W-well if you're sure about it…" was her doubtful answer as she flicked the switch on the flashlight they'd managed to find, pointing it into the endless darkness. It didn't seem to help much, merely illuminating four more steps. It wasn't a very good flashlight. Either that or the basement was just very good at being dark.

"Ready?" Kiba asked, trying not to sound too nervous. He was a ninja for gods sake! Ninja's should not be frightened of basements! No matter how dark and creepy they looked. Carefully he took one step down the stairs as Ino pointed the flashlight from behind.

"So where's the fuse box?" Kiba said once they were a good way down the steps, trying to sound unconcerned instead of half scared to death. He really wished Akamaru was here right now. At least his canine companion could have provided some sort of comfort in this situation.

"Honestly, I'm not that sure." Ino admitted as she treaded carefully over the creaky steps. "I don't come down here if I can help it." Kiba couldn't blame her. He was getting the creeps just being in there for a couple of minutes. "But I've heard my mom say its right at the bottom of the steps, to the left in the corner of the room. Oh and be careful. There's lots of old junk in there so you might bump into something."

Kiba scoffed with an arrogant look on his face, turning his head slightly to look at the other ninja. "Come on Ino. I'm not gonna do something as stupid as trip over some junk and fall flat on my face."

Then, just as if the universe was conspiring against him on that cold winters day, Kiba took a step forward, only to realize that there wasn't anything there. He panicked as his foot stabbed the air, looking for something solid. But there was nothing. He tried to balance himself, leaning back on other leg. In a last ditch attempt not to lose his balance, his hands failed out, grabbing for something, anything, that was within reach. Unfortunately that something just happened to be Ino's arm.

Ino shrieked as a hand suddenly shot out of the darkness, cold fingers wrapping around her arms. In her shock she dropped the flashlight. At that very moment Kiba lost his balance, tipping forwards and crashing headfirst into the steps, dragging a very frightening Ino along with him. There was a loud 'crash', an equally sickening cracking sound and a series of loud yells and shrieks before all finally became quiet.

Kiba groaned as he lay on the steps. His head felt as if it'd been smacked into a wall repeatedly…and considering the fact that he couldn't see where he was at all, it was as likely as not that that had actually happened. It so dark now that there was no difference if he closed his eyes or opened them. He was almost afraid to move, knowing that if he did, he'd probably fall right back down again.

Just great. Fantastic. Here was another incident to add to the ever-growing list of unfortunate events.

?

"Ino?" He called softly. "Ino…?"

No reply. Kiba's heartbeat seemed to get louder as it pounded against his ribcage with increasing ferocity. Where was she? She hadn't been knocked unconscious had she? Nah…Ino was a tough chick. She'd be alright…right

Very carefully, Kiba used his hands to feel around the ground, trying to get a sense of where he was. He was still on the basement steps. Carefully he ran his hands along the edge of the stairs until they hit the wall. Using the wall as a guide, he slowly stood up, taking a calculated step forward…

"OWCH! That was my leg you dumbass!"

"Ino?" Kiba could almost feel the relief flooding through him. Well at least she was alive…uh…unconscious. "Where's the flashlight?"

"I dropped it." She snapped. "You didn't think I was just sitting around out here in the dark for fun did you? And what was that you were saying about not tripping?" Ino finished, her voice dripping with malice. Kiba sighed grateful that she could see his face in the dark. It was probably crimson by now.

Curse him and his big mouth.

X X X X X

It'd taken them a long, long time to escape the basement, mostly thanks to the fact that since they'd lost the flashlight, they had absolutely no way of seeing what was in front of them. Their first attempt at climbing the steps had lead to them going the entirely wrong way, going down into the basement instead of up and out. Although it had been their original intention, trying to change a fuse in the dark was like telling Naruto to live without ramen. Impossible.

Their second attempt had resulted in them carefully walking up the stairs step by step, using the walls as guides. But somehow even being careful didn't prevent Kiba from falling through the broken step that had cause him to fall in the first place. They spent a full fifteen minutes trying to pry him out of there, while trying to make sure he didn't fall through the stairway.

Finally, tired, bruised and slightly splintered, the pair emerged from the darkness into the almost-as-dark-but-definitely-brighter front room, both collapsing in a heap on the floor as soon as they reached the top.

Apparently Kiba had had enough.

"Y-You're leaving?!" Ino stammered. Her voice sounded frantic, almost desperate for some reason as the Inuzuka started to walk off towards the door. "But it's freezing out there!"

"Big deal." Kiba snorted. "I came through a snowstorm and survived. I'll be just fine going back."

"But….but…."

"Ino…what's up with you?" Kiba said, raising an eyebrow as he turned around to face the blonde. Her eyes were wide and her expression was one of pure panic. She was acting unbelievably un-Ino-ish for some strange, unthinkable reason. Ino was a tough girl but right now she seemed fearful, even downright afraid. Come to think of it, he realized she'd been acting sort of hesitant earlier on when they'd been in the basement. Maybe…

Suddenly, everything seemed to click.

"You're afraid of the dark!" He exclaimed in realization, his face contorting into a grin. He was gonna get a kick outta this. She was afraid of the dark? What a laugh.

But Ino's reaction surprised him.

"Oh shut up!" Ino snapped, shoving him aside and averting her eyes. It sounded like she was close to tears. "Your cousin Sora didn't stuff you in the closet when you were five and leave you there for five whole hours in the dark." She hissed fiercely. "You didn't spend all that time cramped in a creep closet will images of all the horror movies you ever watched running through your head, alone in the dark…scary." Her voice died off and she shuddered, as if unwilling to recall those unpleasant memories.

Kiba was about to tell he to get a grip, but somehow he just couldn't seem to manage it. He came to realize that Ino was actually, genuinely afraid. It came as somewhat of a surprise. He hadn't expected Ino of all people to be acting this way. He had always seen her as a strong person. She always put on a tough front, acting like she was afraid of nothing and no one. To think she'd actually been hiding her fears…

"I know. I sound totally stupid right?" Ino mumbled, sniffing and crossing her arms, collapsing onto the couch at the corner of the room. "But even though it happened so many years ago I still cant get over it! How can a ninja be afraid of the dark?! Unbelievable right?! Its okay you can laugh. I know you want to"

There was a long moment of silence between them…then….

"…I'm…afraid of…marshmallows."

Ino looked up in disbelief. "Excuse me? Can you say that again?"

Kiba's face went bright red, from his cheeks all the way up to the tips of his ears. "I said I'm afraid of marshmallows alright!" He snapped finally.

There was another long moment of silence. It was so quiet Kiba almost though he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat. Then….

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"Thanks Ino. Thanks a lot." Kiba said grumpily as the blonde broke into hysterics, laughing so hard that she was practically rolling all over the sofa.

"Marsh…mallows…" She said breathlessly. "That's….ridiculous!"

"Well you don't have a sister who liked to shove em' down your throat every Halloween just for kicks." Kiba barked, almost regretting his decision to try and make her feel better. Ino weakly raised a hand in apology, trying in vain to suppress her laughter. "Anyway I didn't laugh at your fear!"

"Every kid's afraid of the dark at some point." She managed between giggles. "It's totally normal. You on the other hand…being afraid of marshmallows? That's hilarious!"

"Oh shut up." He said, picking up a pillow and throwing it at her head, although now he was now grinning instead of being all pouty about being made fun of. At least she wasn't crying now. It hit with a dull thump but didn't do anything to make her cease her laugher. Eventually the giggles died out by themselves, leaving the pair with a comfortable silence.

"Kiba?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks."

X X X X X

So there he was, still at the Yamanaka house. After that little episode he'd agreed to stay over until someone came back and fixed the fuse, for fear that Ino would start crying again, or at least freak out at the thought of being left alone in the dark.

The pair now sat on opposite ends of the sofa, huddled up in blankets trying to keep themselves warm. It had started out fine but as they soon realized, the cold had started seeping in from outside, through the cracks and the windows in the house. Usually this wouldn't have been much of a problem thanks to the heating system. But now…

"The thermostat got fried along with the rest of this place." Had been Ino's exact words.

So there they were. The both of them, shuddering under blankets that were hardly even thick enough to keep the heat in. Although with his parka on and hood pulled up over his head, Kiba felt as if the cold was slightly manageable. But only slightly.

A soft whimper came from the other end of the sofa, as Ino, who had her hands wrapped around her knees. "K-Kiba?"

"Hm?"

"I-its c-cold."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"No you idiot!" Ino snapped, chucking a cushion at him. It missed by inches. The blonde kunoichi redirected her gaze to the ground, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I meant…it's really cold so…c-can I…?"

She didn't complete her sentence, leaving Kiba wondering just what exactly she was trying to say. It didn't take him too long to figure out. He sighed. Really…was it that hard to ask? He extended his left arm and flexed his fingers, making a 'come here motion. Ino hastily complied, shuffling over to his side, sighing with relief as they touched, warmth flowing over her body. She cuddled up against his side with his arm draped around her.

For a moment, Kiba was stunned by their closeness. Ino was snuggled up in her blanket beside him, her head on her shoulder. Her expression looked so peaceful…she really did look so much prettier with that tiny smile of satisfaction on her face.

It was a cold, stormy winters day. The power was out and they were covered with a wide array of bruises from their earlier trip to the basement. But none of that seemed to matter at that very moment. Everything, all the unfortunate incidents of today lay forgotten in a distant part of his memory as he settled down beside her…

…One winter's day.

X X X X X X X X X X

A/N: So there you have it. *collapses* The ending seemed rather abrupt to me. I wanted to write a little further but the ending I had in mind seemed to spoil the mood somewhat. I doubt I'll write InoxKiba again. But it was fun doing something different for once! Anyway I hope you all enjoy reading it, especially SymCARDpathy. Remember, faves are awesome and reviews are love!

P.S: Please check out the other Secret Santa fan fictions. I'll be creating a community for them.

Merry Christmas everyone!

~ShadowKyra