AN: I know it's been a long time. I can only hope that some of you still want to know how this story ends.

~Kara

Chapter Two

Hinata

I wiggled my toes and glanced at my toenails, trimmed and squared, gleaming with glossy white polish. I never knew the joy of getting a pedicure before. Being a kunoichi, I always figured that taking time for my appearance was something that was frowned upon. But now that I was looking at my scrubbed-to-perfection feet, I began to wonder why I hadn't tried this a long time ago.

Sakura and Ino sure seemed to know a lot about this beauty stuff. Although I had never been particularly ritualistic about any sort of beauty regime, I definitely wasn't against it, I just was way out of my depth. Sakura had taken me to a nail salon, treating me to a foot massage and pedicure, though she did have to rush out early due to a prior engagement.

I would have to remember to thank her later, seeing as how I was trying to build a bridge of friendship between us.

After that little incident in the park, I worked hard to put the past behind me and move on. Kiba was right, as usual. Sometimes, I thought it would be easier for me to just ignore my feelings for Naruto and learn to live without the idea of the orange-clad ninja cluttering up my mind. The truth was, I'd never actually tried to stop loving him before, but now was as good a time as any, right? Besides, who ends up with their first love anyway? I tried to ignore the fact that Sakura was Naruto's first love, but a pinprick of pain squeezed my heart all the same.

To really try and cement this newfound decision, I had decided to spend more time with the pink-haired kunoichi in question. Because if she and I were close friends, then maybe I wouldn't feel so heartbroken over the fact that she had the full attention of Naruto Uzumaki, and I did not.

Well, it was worth a try, anyway.

"Hey, sorry I'm late."

I looked up, and all my worries seemed to fade. A slow smile crept over my face, and my heart gave an excited thump. Kiba stood in front of me, hands on his knees, obviously winded. Did he run all the way over here? His cheeks were slightly red and his hood fell back to reveal his disheveled hair.

He caught me looking at him and smirked, putting his hands behind his head, radiating an air of macho bravado. "If you see something you like, I'm sure we can arrange a trade."

I felt my face grow hot at his insinuation and playfully swatted his arm. "Kiba! I'm so embarrassed!" My hands flew to my face, trying to hide the color I felt staining my cheeks.

The smile suddenly faltered and reappeared so quickly, I thought I might have imagined it. Did I say the wrong thing? Was he upset? However, the expression was so fleeting that maybe I had imagined it after all. He turned his face away from me and ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. "Yeah, well, someday a girl just might take me up on my offer."

I stumbled over a protruding rock, barely managing to catch myself before falling. "W-what?"

He looked back at me, noticing the surprise on my face. His expression softened. "Never mind. Let's go get something to eat."

I nodded, looking down at my toes again. The white polish had smudged, and now there were bits of dirt embedded in the fresh coating. Disappointment clawed at my chest, but I wasn't so sure that the ruined pedicure was the entire cause.

Kiba didn't seem to notice my sudden lack of words, and if he did, he made no attempt to acknowledge it. Instead he turned toward Ichiraku, and I followed him inside as we sat on two stools at the counter. The smell of ramen permeated the air, and suddenly the awkward incident was all but forgotten. I smiled at the low chatter of the other customers. This place had grown very popular in recent years.

Kiba and I both ordered, and it wasn't long before we started up a conversation, both of us talking animatedly as he teased me, and I responded by laughing whole-heartedly for the first time in recent memory. We were both having a good time as the ramen was placed in front of us. We took a break in conversation as Kiba dove into his food like he hadn't eaten in days. I couldn't help but smile. Teenaged boys all seemed to have such an unending appetite. As our own voices became subdued, however, my thoughts were interrupted as I heard a familiar raucous laughter on the other side of the restaurant.

Naruto's bright spiky hair was visible several seats down from Kiba. My heart sank. I knew that he had gotten back from his mission, and I had purposefully been avoiding him and all of the places he visited frequently in the hopes of eliminating my feelings for him. How had I forgotten that when I came into Ichiraku with Kiba? My plan of keeping out of close contact with the blonde shinobi seemed to shatter like glass as soon as he spotted me glancing at him. He smiled and began to walk over.

Kiba had been slurping his noodles happily, enjoying my company as he wolfed down his food, and I picked at mine. He seemed to realize, though, when I stopped touching the bowl altogether. He paused between the bites he was shoveling into his mouth and looked at me in earnest.

"Hinata?" he asked, swallowing his food. "What's wro—"

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto chirped loudly, efficiently silencing Kiba's words.

At hearing the blonde ninja's voice, Kiba froze, every surviving bit of carefree happiness evaporating in one fell swoop. I could almost hear his teeth clench, jaw twitching with the effort.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Naruto continued, an enthusiastic smile enveloping his face. "How've you been?" For once I noticed how oblivious he seemed to be to social cues. The silence between me and Kiba was almost palpable, thick and full of churning emotions. I wished that Naruto would go away, if only to make things less uncomfortable between me and Kiba.

I took a deep breath. "I'm f-fine, Naruto," I managed to say, my stuttering at an all-time minimum. I smiled inwardly at the control I was displaying.

Before Naruto could ask me a question and the tension around us became any more unbearable, a head of pink hair popped up behind the blonde ninja, her face bright with recognition. "Oh, Hinata, you're here!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "I was wondering where this knucklehead had wandered off to!" Though her smile was good-natured, I could sense the malice in her words.

Naruto seemed to recognize the tone, too, knowing it was directed at him, because his smile froze and his eyes became panicked. "Oh, hey, Sakura," he smiled sheepishly. "I didn't see you there."

Sakura's forced smile twisted into a grimace. "Naruto, you asked me to meet you here for dinner, you idiot!" she growled, her hands finding a resting place on her hips. "We were just eating together two minutes ago."

So that was why Sakura had left the pedicure spa early. The thought didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

"Heh, heh," Naruto laughed anxiously, rubbing the back of his head.

I smiled uncomfortably, wishing they would both go away as I was somewhat forgotten anyway. My gaze locked with Kiba's for a moment, and I realized they hadn't yet noticed he was with me. Something about the look on my face must have triggered something inside of him, because a mischievous twinkle caught his eye, and he winked at me. I tried to suppress a surprised giggle, biting my lip, wondering how Kiba would react to this situation.

And for a moment, I was completely stunned. When had I ever been so eager to rid myself of Naruto's presence in any situation? When had I developed the ability to not cry when faced with the sight of him and Sakura together? And most of all, when on earth had I been excited for one of Kiba's scheming plots? I suddenly found myself enraptured by my dark-haired teammate.

When had he made me so strong?

"Well, look who it is?" Kiba began, his voice full of false enthusiasm, the most comical smile on his face as he turned to face Naruto.

Suddenly, I couldn't look away from him. Everything about him was all at once completely beguiling, so full of wonder, and I felt the urgent need to know more. He was an enigma to me, and everything from his unruly hair to his loaded questions, to the fact the Akamaru had been absent every time we'd been together lately had made me question everything about our friendship. Not in a way that meant we were growing apart, but in a way that hinted at something between the lines. My heart was hammering heavily against my chest, and I worried he might hear it.

He caught me staring and winked again.

My eyes went wide, and I felt my hands move to my face, trying to hide the blush that I knew was warming my cheeks. My toes curled in my shoes, and I looked down at my spoiled pedicure, trying to catch my breath.

What…

What was that?

I braved a peek at the others, trying to watch them through the cracks between my fingers.

"Oh, hey, Kiba!" Naruto replied.

My eyes suddenly snapped over to the orange-clad boy, confusion furrowing my eyebrows. Had it really been only a moment since Kiba had greeted him? It had felt like a lifetime that I had sat there watching Kiba, acting as if the world would implode if I didn't.

"So…" Kiba began, his expression disguised with a mask of innocence. "Are you guys on a date or something?"

Naruto and Sakura both immediately seized up and went quiet, their faces turning pink as they tried to look anywhere but at Kiba or each other. Clearly they were both still getting used to the idea of themselves as a public couple. I could understand that. My own feelings for Naruto had felt so private and precious, like they would fracture or shatter if I let anybody look at them too closely. Sympathy washed through me for the pair, but oddly, the dull ache that had replaced the searing pain I used to feel at the thought of them together was not present. I put a trembling hand to my chest, curious to see if it would still beat the same way even if it didn't seem to be actively breaking.

A soft double-thump rhythm was my reply. My eyes grew wide with wonder.

Neither Naruto nor Sakura ended up offering an answer to Kiba's question, and Kiba's smile spread over his face.

"Wow, you guys, that's so exciting!" The glee in his voice was enough to make me cover my mouth to keep a giggle from slipping through. "Good luck!" Kiba gave Naruto a hard slap on the shoulder. "I'm rooting for you, two! And don't worry, I'll be right here watching everything, so I won't let you guys do anything stupid." His eyes lit up. "Just wait until everyone hears about this!"

Sakura's face went slack, and I could almost swear that the temperature in the room had dropped. An eerie tension unlike the one before filled the small area, and I tried to make myself as small as possible as I sat on my seat.

Naruto glanced at her with worry, rubbing the shoulder that Kiba had smacked. "Uh, Sakura?"

Suddenly, her head snapped up, and a look of fiery determination filled her eyes. She grabbed Naruto by the arm and dragged him out of Ichiraku. "Come on, Naruto, let's find somewhere more…private to have dinner tonight."

Naruto struggled a bit, looking at the counter and his ramen longingly, but soon gave up against Sakura's superior will, letting her drag him away from our prying eyes and Kiba's questioning respect for privacy. I watched with wide eyes, my gaping mouth covered by my hands as the dust finally settled in their wake.

The small building was extremely quiet for a moment.

And then Kiba was laughing, a sound somewhere between a wild, howling wind and the explosion of thunder as lightning strikes the ground. It was such a natural sound, something that I felt should always be there, but in a way it was also awe-inspiring, a rush of endorphins flooding my blood as though I was gazing at one of the earth's great majesties.

Then I was laughing, too, joining in his joy, relishing the feel of the unrestrained sound escaping my lips and the vibrations tickling my stomach. I was so happy! Kiba had driven them out of here just for me. There was no doubting the glint in his eye when he had winked at me. He knew I was uncomfortable with them both there, and I never had to say a word. He knew my heart and mind so well, able to see right through to my soul and knowing what I wanted before I could even ask.

He had done that for me.

We both stood there laughing, gaining the stares of many confused passersby in the process. But we didn't care. Though my old instinct would have told me to try and quiet Kiba, I just couldn't let that part of myself interrupt this one perfect moment. There was something so raw and liberating about laughing that way, as though the world can't touch you for a moment as you partake in the bliss of pure freedom. And even though it seemed this joy was based in the embarrassment of others, it couldn't be farther from the truth. Because as Kiba and I peeked at each other with tear-filled eyes, both nearly crying from the peals of laughter wracking our bodies, I knew that we were just celebrating that fact that we could communicate without speaking, could understand each other's hearts without having to say a word, and just being alone in one another's company.

Because really, right at that instant, that was the only place in the world that I wanted to be, the place I felt I had always belonged, even when I didn't know it.

Right at Kiba's side.

AN: Okay, guys! I hope you enjoyed this update I FINALLY put up! :P I wanted to deal with more of the changes in Hinata's heart when she realizes that she is strong enough to move on from Naruto. I also wanted to explore how her feelings are slowly starting to change for Kiba, as well, how love can be just a gradual thing, too.

Anyway, tell me what you think!

~Kara