Note: I'm really glad you guys like the continuation and I hope you keep reading and reviewing! This chapter is shorter and is kind of a filler, but it's supposed to show how Hinata's feelings are slightly changing. I didn't want to have it so she just fell in love with him instantly. I wanted it to be more gradual. On with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

Chapter Three: Painful Comprehension

"We're finally back!" Naruto threw his hands up into the air the minute his foot crossed the line into Kohona. It had been what seemed like ages since they had been home. Thankfully, the fighting between Kiba and Naruto had been kept to a minimum, "Well, I'm off to get some ramen!" Naruto announced. He gave the group a hasty goodbye before running off.

Sakura lowered her head and let out a sigh, "I guess I'll go check in with Tsunade-sama…"

Shino looked at Kiba, who was watching their retreating figures. He turned away before asking, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Kiba grinned, "Well…"

He arched his arm and his back so Shino could see behind him. Hinata had fallen asleep on the trip home. She was currently leaning against him, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Shino nodded and adjusted his glasses, "I see…"

Kiba repositioned himself and then continued, "I'm gonna drop her off. She's probably exhausted. See ya'."

Shino watched the fading figure of his comrades and shook his head. For his sake, he'd better get this sorted out.

Akamaru slowly strolled down the streets of Kohona, towards the Hyuuga mansion. He whimpered out of sympathy for his master. He could tell Kiba wasn't himself. Kiba chuckled and patted his companion's head, "It's okay, boy. I kinda saw this coming…"

He glanced back at the sleeping form behind him. She looked even more innocent, if that was possible, in her sleep. Her raven locks fell around her round, pink-tinged face perfectly. Kiba could feel his heart begin to thump against his chest, so he quickly looked away.

Damn it…what does she have to be so…so…-

Akamaru barked, signaling that they had arrived at the mansion. Kiba slid off of his dog and gently took Hinata in his arms. Akamaru nudged open the gates for him and Kiba entered. He glanced around and saw that there wasn't anybody training in the yard. That was a relief.

He hustled over to where he knew Hinata lived; it was where he and Shino had always picked her up for missions. Kiba tapped lightly on the paper-thin, sliding door. Nobody answered.

Sheesh. Where the hell is everyone?

Not that he was eager to run into and of the Hyuuga clan, but they didn't exactly get along. He managed to slide open the door using his foot and entered the house. He noticed a couch on the far side of the room, and gently placed her onto it, careful not to wake her up. Kiba gave one final glance at her sleeping form, before hurrying out the door.

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Wake up, already!

Hinata's eyes slowly opened upon hearing two, loud, shrill voices coming from above her. She could make out a head of blonde hair and cherry locks above her. The two figures were standing beside the couch with their hands on their hips, staring down at her.

Hinata sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Ino-chan? S-sakura-chan? Did I miss something?"

Ino grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, causing Hinata to yelp. Ino looked at her, her blue eyes twinkling, "No, but did we miss something?"

Hinata gave her two friends a quizzical look, "Um…I don't know?"

The two other girls exchanged glances before letting out a small sigh, "I guess she doesn't know what we're talking about…" Sakura said to Ino.

"Hinata, when were you going to tell us about you and Kiba?" Ino grinned, throwing her arm around the Hyuuga girl's shoulder. At the mention of Kiba's name, Hinata turned bright red, "M-me and Kiba-kun? W-well its r-really nothing…" She stammered, trying to come up with an argument.

Ino frowned and stepped away from her, "Of course it is, silly! Kiba's obviously one of the top five!"

Hinata looked confused again, "Top five?"

Sakura waved Ino off before turning back to Hinata, "Ino keeps a list of the guys she thinks are the hottest in the village."

Ino glared at her friend, "Hey! You helped me come up with it."

Sakura's cheeks tinged slightly, "I guess…but yeah, Kiba's on the list. First is-"

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino interrupted, her eyes going starry. Hinata wasn't surprised the Sasuke was number one. Ino then continued, "Then Sai because he looks like Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura mouthed "not my idea" to Hinata and the dark haired girl giggled. "Neji is third, then Kiba, and-" Ino stopped, cutting herself off.

"And Ino chose Shikamaru as the fifth!" Sakura snickered and Ino blushed protesting, "Well it was him or Naruto, and Naruto has a big enough ego as it is!"

Hinata and Sakura burst out laughing, causing Ino to blush even more. Sakura's laughter died down as she pulled herself together, "I guess you're right, but now we have to add him anyways. Since Kiba's taken and all…"

Hinata was blushing again, waving her hands in protest, "N-no he's not! I…um…we're not together." She said, her voice was slightly sad. She didn't want to think about rejecting him anymore.

Sakura and Ino watched her shifting uncomfortably and decided that it was time to end the discussion. Sakura smiled awkwardly, and tried to break the silence, "Hey, how about we go get something to eat? You probably haven't eaten since we got back, ne?"

"Well…" Hinata looked down at her stomach as it let out a loud gurgle. She blushed and nodded. Then she did a double take at her stomach. Her favorite jacket and her pants were filthy. Patches of brown soot covered the white on her coat and her pants were soiled with grass stains, "Um… just give me a second to change. I haven't had a chance to yet."

With that, she disappeared into another room. The minute she was gone, Ino turned to Sakura, "I thought you said her and Kiba were an item?"

"I did!" Sakura huffed, "But I guess Hinata doesn't think so."

"But they would be cute…" Ino sighed. Maybe they weren't together yet. Maybe they were just to shy or something like that.

"Sorry it took so long," Hinata reappeared, her cheeks slightly flushed. She was wearing a basic navy, v-neck t-shirt and a pair of black Capri pants. She shuffled out the door after her two friends, who were looking quite disappointed over something. Hinata wondered what it could be as they walked towards the ramen stand.

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Kiba slowly made his way down the streets. He was on his way to get something to eat, because his sister had forced him out of the house. She said he needed to quit moping around about whatever and get out of the house. He tried to argue with her but he wasn't in the mood. Hana had then guessed what his problem was and told him to just try to act like it had never happened. It would be less awkward for the both of them.

As he made his way towards the ramen stand, he could hear Naruto's familiar, obnoxious voice, and Shikamaru's tired, annoyed complaining.

He approached the stand and sat down next to Shikamaru, who was quietly eating a bowl of ramen, occasionally glaring at Naruto. Kiba ordered himself a bowl of pork ramen and said nothing to his friends.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice called from behind them. Kiba whipped around to see who it was and immediately turned bright red. He wasn't expecting to see Hinata so soon. He quickly wheeled back around, feeling his heart thumping against his chest.

Sakura sat down next to Ino, who was sitting next to Shikamaru. Hinata just stood there, staring at Kiba's back. He hadn't even said hello to her. Was he mad?

"Oi, Hinata, sit next to me!" Naruto's voice jostled her out of her thoughts. He was patting the empty stool beside him. Hinata glanced at the empty seat beside Kiba and the one next to Naruto.

She shook her head and hastily sat down beside the blonde. Kiba sniffed audibly and continued to eat his ramen. "What are you going to have, Hinata?" Naruto suddenly asked, staring at the blushing girl.

"Oh! Um…pork ramen please?" She ordered quietly.

After that, Shikamaru started asking questions about their mission. Kiba and Naruto would occasionally argue, and Sakura and Ino would gossip. Hinata quietly ate her ramen. Kiba was hardly talking to her and when he did, it was just normal conversation. Nothing had changed. At all.

Things should be different between us, shouldn't they?

Was he doing this because he was mad? Or maybe there was another reason. Hinata tugged on her shirt, trying to listen to her friends' conversations. She wanted to join in, but she didn't know what to say.

"And that's how we completed the mission," Naruto finished proudly.

"All you did was distract the guards," Kiba mumbled. He wasn't going to have Naruto bragging on and on. His day sucked enough already, "At least we got the scrolls and Hinata back."

Hinata blushed, "Y-yes by Naruto-kun still helped. Kiba stared at her before frowning, "I guess, but the important thing is that you got back okay."

Hinata reddened and everyone stared at Kiba, who continued to eat his ramen. He blinked when he realized everyone's eyes were on him, "What?"

Yes, things were exactly the same. Kiba wasn't even embarrassed like he would have been yesterday. He was acting like nothing but her teammate again.

"Well, Sakura-chan and I did a great job of distracting," Naruto continued to brag anyway, "But that's cause we work great together, ne?"

Sakura sighed, trying to resist the urge to punch him. She knew he was trying to hint at something more than they were good teammates, "Whatever."

Naruto pouted, "You never give me a chance."

But he stopped after a death glare and slurped down the rest of his ramen. Hinata felt her heart throb, watching the two. Sure, Sakura wasn't returning his feelings, but Naruto obviously was head over heels. She shouldn't have been offended though, because Naruto didn't even know about her feelings.

Maybe Kiba-kun was right…but who knows? He's not even acting like he was before.

She finished off the last of her ramen and hopped off her stool, "I-I should be going." They all watched as she scurried off down the street. Kiba noticed that something wasn't right. Her legs were wobbling as she ran. She was upset.

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Hinata's feet pounded against the dirt roads. Once she was out of their sights, she had started to run. She had no idea where she was going, but she wanted to get away. The smell of freshness and water assaulted her nose as she left the village. She was in the woods, near the training grounds.

The familiar sights of the wooden posts jutting from the grounds and the sound of the river flowing nearby calmed her. She slowly made her way over to the posts, her legs still shaking slightly.

Training should help me forget…

She struck her fighting stance and forced charka into her palms. She propelled her right arm forward, towards the beam, and struck it. Then she pushed her left hand into it, causing the pole to shake. She continued to hit it, right then left, beads of sweat pouring down her cheeks.

But it wasn't helping.

He's no different. It's like what he said yesterday meant absolutely nothing. Could it have been…a joke?

Her palm smacked against the post and then slowly slid down, her body following. She sank to her knees, sucking in a deep breath.

Kiba-kun could have been teasing me? B-but he's not like that…

Her fingertips began to shake and she started breathing even harder. Her fingers dug into the soft material of her pants.

He wouldn't…but he…never loved me?

Hinata tried her hardest to fight back the oncoming tears, but couldn't. Hot tears began streaming down her pale cheeks. She started hiccupping, trying to convince herself that she was wrong.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of large hands on her slim shoulders. She was tugged backwards, her body pushing up against someone else's. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Hinata noticed the black sleeves and the claws at the end of tan fingers.

"K-kiba-kun?" She gasped. Hinata wished she could quickly wipe her tears away but her arms were squished to her sides.

Hinata felt her body being twisted around so she was facing him. Kiba frowned when he saw her tear-stained cheeks. He gently wiped her face with his thumbs, "Why are you crying?"

Hinata averted her eyes and tried to calm her pounding heart. Why was she so embarrassed and nervous?

"Well…" She closed her eyes and felt him pull her closer. Her head fell against his broad chest and he rested his chin on her head.

"Is it because of Naruto and Sakura?" He asked quietly and gently stroked the back her head.

Hinata shook her head and pulled away. This was a little uncomfortable for her, "It wasn't that. It was…"

She looked up him, her pale eyes focusing on his dark ones, "Do you love me?"

Kiba's eyebrows shot up. He stared down at her, taken aback by her question. He tried to read her face and she looked completely serious. Her eyes were soft but her delicate mouth had formed a thin line.

"Didn't we have this discussion already?" Kiba stammered, his cheeks flushing. Hinata twiddled her thumbs, "I-I know…but the way you were acting at the ramen stand…."

Kiba's eyebrows went up again, "How was I acting?"

"That's the thing, you were acting normal. I was just…confused. I thought things were going to be different between us." Hinata explained, fiddling with the hemline of her shirt.

Kiba was thoroughly confused now. Yesterday, she had been telling him she couldn't love him because she loved Naruto. Well, not in those words but that had been the idea, she just wasn't mean enough to say it. And now, she was sitting in his lap wishing things were different between them. Didn't she want things to go back to normal?

"I was just trying to make things less awkward," Kiba answered, giving her one of his trademark lop-sided grins. Hinata responded with a slightly relieved smile.

"But if you want things to be different…" Kiba started but the look in her eyes told him that she was unsure.

"I just wasn't sure if you were teasing me," Hinata whispered, standing up and dusting herself off.

Kiba jumped to his feet and shook his head, "Why would I make something like that up? Nah, I was completely serious, and I still am."

Hinata blushed as he grabbed her hand, "Come on. Let's go back, Hinata."

Hinata followed him, her eyes on his back as they made their way back to the village. She was sort of happy to know that his offer still stood. But she had rejected him and didn't want to lead him on. She was just really happy that he hadn't been toying with her feelings.

One thing she couldn't figure out was this: Why had she been so upset over thinking it had been a joke?