Title: Jealous
Author: Vampiress22
Rating: PG ( K+ )
Challenge: Warm and Fuzzy
Pairing: KibaHina

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Because sometimes you're against love.

And sometimes you're all for it.

-

Strangled in the waters of deep blue and clear white, she stared at the shower curtain. Water seeped through her blue-black locks, her transparent eyes remembering, really remembering, as to when he had said he didn't care about her. He had said he wouldn't return her feelings, and her heart had been splintered through the skies.

The halo around the moon was what she saw through the window as she wrapped herself in one of the bleached towels, drying her hair with it vigorously as she thought to herself about the past, the present, and the future.

Dazed in dismay and disappointment, she reminisced about her crush on Naruto Uzumaki.

Her life had always been very secluded from the time she was born, to when she entered the Academy, the day she became a chunin, and now.

Now, what was her life now?

Shattered.

No, that was an overly used word.

Broken.

Nope, that was like her lavender sweater—boring.

Intricate.

Yes, her life weaved through a garden of lilacs and daisies. And she had done it all, risked every moment to hide behind that pink blush or that sufficient stutter for this—excruciating pain.

What for? What now? What was she doing here, all alone, on this Saturday, Valentine's Day, when she was supposed to be smiling, laughing even? She was moping around her room, throwing herself across the window just to stare at the fluffy snow banked on the grounds of the Hyuuga Compound instead of being out there, in the open, where she could have so much more fun.

He's better off with her, Hinata thought.

But she felt a hard weight still bearing over her. She couldn't find the words to explain what she felt. It was—jealously.

But she couldn't find the words . . .

Lying there on her bed, in a sweater, jeans, and her hair dripping constantly, she felt herself dream of what it would have been like. She only found herself in a perilous predicament with that blond stuck in her head. He said he didn't love her, nor did he really care about her. She was just . . . a friend. He only liked Sakura Haruno, only Sakura.

It was always about teammates, always about the way they acted, their few words, their silent yet glorifying smiles. And Hinata did like her teammates, she really did. She just never saw them outside of sparring or missions.

That reminded her . . . Kiba had asked if she wanted to go to a party tonight. All of Rookie Nine was attending, she recalled him discussing.

Where was it?

It took a moment for her mind to register, but he had said that they would be by the front gate of the village, right? Star gazing, or something, she remembered, vaguely, was part of the package.

I better go.

She grabbed her coat, which was as white as a Hyuuga. With that, she followed through her door, shutting off the luminous lights, and was engulfed in the sounds the darkness, the night. The single thing which kept her on track was that moon, same as ever, full and lavishing. Lovely, it was really lovely.

Painters painted the skies a deep blue, a dark red, but never black, never what it really was. It was because life would be too boring, and life was very uneventful in Konoha as Hinata noticed, walking down the paths, no lights flashing, no people among the streets. There was silence, pure, utter, impossible vacancy.

She watched her steps in the cold, her feet swishing against the white petals of ice.

Snow, it was snow.

Where is everyone?

Through, towards the gate, the entrance of the village, she went.

And there was no one in sight.

Her hands crawled up upon the sides of the large barrier as she looked up at the heavens, hoping he was happy with her tonight. She hoped Naruto was at the very least happy.

She hoped his heart was not freezing just as her hands were.

But why was it that no one was here?

I'm sure he said…

"Hinata?"

The girl turned, hands down now as she faced the one person she had suspected to be here. "Kiba-kun," she pronounced so slowly. "Why isn't anyone here? You said everyone was getting together tonight."

His hair was stained with blotches of transparent liquid, his lips lined in a smile, and no Akamaru present at the moment.

He shook his head. "Everyone had plans. How long have you been here?"

"Just a moment."

"Good. It's a little too cold to be out here."

They were silent for a moment as they watched the sky, the stars, and the moon.

"Don't you think it's beautiful?"

Kiba agreed, "Yes. We should go inside, though, Hinata."

Somehow, though they had only been standing there for about five minutes, the Hyuuga felt relived, somehow sure of herself, this time.

Because everything was always better when it was nighttime, when she was watching the stars, and when she was not thinking of that certain someone on Valentine's Day.

Anyway, she'd never noticed how the answers to her questions were pointless. It was obvious.

Kiba.

Kiba liked her . . . no maybe even loved her.

Jealous . . .

He became jealous, just as she did.

But, unlike her, he never gave up.

Well, maybe she wouldn't give up on Kiba.