I have some pretty epic depression going on atm which led to me sitting down and writing mindlessly for aaages so I'm a bit early with posting :) Convenient ne?

I wish you enjoy it (saw someone say that –probs not an English speaker- and thought it was so adorable X3)

After Hinata left the room and was down the hallway she slowed to a fast paced walk with her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying, because despite her heart wrenching embarrassment and shock making her need to run away, she was too shy to make a spectacle of herself in front of the nurses in doing so. She took the stairs slowly with one hand on the wall, her mind reeling. When she got to the point where the stairs turned she knelt down and hid her face in the corner of the wall. Emotion pressed dangerously against her eyes.

Naruto was... He had never... All this time...

She breathed in deep and shaky. How it must have looked to that man that Natsuki had called "Papa"; Hinata leaning over with her mouth pressed to Naruto's... She squeezed her eyes shut and fought the urge to release a strangled sob. She had made such a big mistake. And Kiba was there too. How stupid she must have looked to him. Why didn't he tell her? He knew right? He knew Naruto and came in with Sasuke, probably after calling him about what happened after she had the nurses call Kiba. He had let her lead herself on all this time? He had watched her with those eyes that always looked so open and known that Naruto would never look at her like that?

How cruel... Tears slipped past Hinata's eyelashes. This was the worst.

"Hinata? Where are you Hinata?" Kiba's voice rang out along the hallway and the slapping of shoe on clinical blue floor was heard fast and even. She heard him lift up his feet into small quick steps to come down the stairway. Hinata pressed herself further into the wall wishing to disappear. She didn't have the will to run anymore. She was so ashamed and angry at herself.

"Hinata? What are you doing? Are you alright?" Big hands covered her hunched shoulders as Kiba bounced down onto his haunches behind her. She tensed.

He had lied to her.

"Hinata?" His voice was concerned. "You're...Hey... It's ok..." Hinata realized she was crying, letting tiny noises of anguish past her lips.

"Hinata..." Kiba turned her around with his hands and she covered her face. She was angry at him and wanted to tell him, wanted to demand an explanation, but she couldn't face him; he who had seen and known... His fingers were around her wrists trying to gently pull her hands away from her face but she gripped the edge of her fringe and didn't let him. Kiba rubbed her shoulder uncertainly.

"Hinata... You've had time to get around this, why are you so upset? I get that it was embarrassing but Sasuke sem-"

"You knew! You knew!" Hinata wanted to be fierce and yell but all she could manage was a furious whisper against her palms. "I can't believe you knew!" Silence.

"What are you talking about, of course I knew, I always knew," said Kiba slowly. "You knew too."

"I didn't know!" Hinata shook her head in her hands. "I didn't know. I had no idea." She felt Kiba lean over her, his grip on her wrists tightening.

"What do you mean? We talked about it the first time you met me. I saw you liked him and said that it sucked and you said yes and I said so you know then and you said yes! What does "yes" mean if not "I understand"?" Hinata just shook her head, her anger for Kiba fading away. It was all her stupid fault...

"I didn't know... I thought that... I just... I didn't know." She was a mess. The tears just wouldn't stop. For someone like her, so shy and small, this was terrible and being seen in this state. Being seen all worked up over something so...

Kiba pulled her weak hands away with ease.

"Oh Hinata, you stupid girl," the man murmured as he hooked his arms under hers and lifted her against him, swallowing her with his body as she heaved out sobs. She didn't want to be touched but he insisted, his arms warm and strong. She tried to find the strength to struggle but he patted her head and rubbed her back and she just couldn't.

They stayed like that until Hinata was done and for several minutes after. Eventually Kiba held her back by her shoulders and looked her over, quirking his mouth into a wolfish half grin, his eyes soft.

"If you talked more we wouldn't have this problem," he said lightly. Hinata blushed and wiped her nose.

"I think we have to go back and have you thank Naruto sempai for dragging you halfway outta your burning house," he mused, watching Hinata's horrified face.

"I can't, I can't go back in there after..." Kiba got to his feet and offered her a hand up.

"It'll be fine. Honestly, Naruto sempai wasn't awake so it'll be all goods," he said taking a step into the lead, making her follow to hear what else he had to say.

"Oh and by the way." He stopped suddenly after only going halfway back up the stairs. "I know that you like Naruto sempai and everything and finding out he's not into girls must be a kick in the guts but..."Kiba looked over his shoulder and smiled. "When you're done crying over him, why not try looking at me?"

And then he carried on up the stairs.

...

When they got back to the room, Kiba walking all the way there in the lead and Hinata three steps behind, they found Natsuki sitting in a plastic chair outside the closed door. Hinata pressed her fingertips to her sore eyelids and wondered if her eyes were as red and puffy as they felt. She didn't really want Natsuki to see, even though she had seen Hinata run out.

"Hi Hinata sensei and Kiba," she said smiling. "Are you alright now Sensei?" Hinata smiled somewhat tightly.

"Yes, thank you for asking Natsuki chan," replied Hinata quietly as she chanced a glance at Kiba who was watching her. She quickly flicked her gaze away.

"Why you run away when Papa came in Sensei?" asked Natsuki suddenly. Hinata opened her mouth and closed it nervously. Natsuki was still watching her innocently. Hinata didn't quite know what to say.

"Is it because you were jealous when you saw I have a Daddy and a Papa?" Hinata blinked.

"Uh..."

"Because if you're sad Sensei I'll share mine with you because I have two. Even though they are different, I have two so I can share. Do you have a Daddy Hinata sensei?"

"I do." Natsuki sat back in her chair a bit and for a moment Hinata thought she was going to ask why she ran away again but she looked back and said, "Papa wanted to talk to Daddy so I have to sit here." And left it there, looking back to the hem of her pajama shirt. Hinata suddenly realized she had no idea how Natsuki had gotten to the hospital if Sasuke was only just here, and was about to ask when Kiba tugged on the sleeve of her hospital borrowed shirt.

"Let's listen," he said pressing his ear to the door of Naruto's room and dragging her with him.

"W-we can't Kiba kun!" But he just shushed her and she blushed, guiltily leaning against the door too to listen to Naruto and Sasuke talking.

"...shouldn't be walking around at night, I've told you that a million times Naruto."

"And I've told you, I can't sleep sometimes. Walking is good for you!"

"Well you shouldn't be taking Natsuki round with you when you do, much less rushing into house fires." Hinata bit her lip. Just hearing Naruto talk so comfortably, so recklessly...

"She was asleep and I had her wrapped up in a blanket so it was fine. If I hadn't bought her she would have been at home by herself anyway. And of course I was going to run into there! Hinata was in there! As soon as I saw her name on the mailbox I ran in, she's a precious person so I had to!"

Sasuke muttered something incredulously that Hinata didn't catch but felt Kiba smile next to her. A moment of quiet followed.

"I couldn't just leave her in there."

"You could have called the fire department and waited."

"I did call but I wasn't gonna leave her. She's a precious person." Hinata remembered Natsuki saying that too; 'precious person'.

"A precious person who gives you kisses when you're asleep?" asked Sasuke and Hinata swore she heard a pout that absolutely didn't suit Uchiha Sasuke in the voice.

"She's shy, she was just thanking me! If you had saved her she would have given you a kiss too!" protested Naruto and Hinata drew in a breath. Kiba knocked his shoulder against hers in a 'told you he wouldn't get it' way. Hinata blushed at the contact. How could he just do that after saying what he did on the stairs?

"Dobe. You're so stupid. Don't worry me like that." Hinata felt a pang at the insult turned nickname.

"Teme... It's your fault you know. I was walking because you weren't home yet and I couldn't sleep... I always walk around when I can't sleep." There was the barely audible noise of air whooshing from the hospital mattress and Hinata assumed Sasuke had sat down on the edge of the bed. She tried not to imagine it; the man she had held such affection for watching Uchiha Sasuke as they sat together. She pulled away from the door.

Naruto san...

Kiba touched her back and she jumped and looked to him.

"Don't be so sad. It's not like you won't see him and he won't still be your friend. These things happen, you just gotta learn to deal. You may not know it, being your oblivious self, but it does happen; the person you like already being taken or likes someone else. But ya get over it. So don't be so sad," he said with his expression unusually kind for a face that Hinata had seen teasing or sarcastic so many times.

"I-I suppose."

"Let's go in?"

"Ok..."

"Ready?"

"Yeah..."

Hinata put on her best brave face and followed Kiba through the door, ignoring her possibly red eyes and nose, her possibly quivering lips, and her possibly blushing cheeks and stepped into the white room. She would face Naruto who she loved and Sasuke who knew and she would smile.

Naruto was untouchable. Someone who she felt would be around for a while, in her life, but she would never have him. She knew that now. But she would smile and be brave and drive through the embarrassment and meet her heartbreak head on. And like Kiba said, she would eventually get over it and 'learn to deal'. She couldn't embrace Naruto but he wasn't gone.

.

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FIN

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{"The wind can touch you but you can't hold onto it."-Marcab}

Didn't plan on this being the final chappie but it just sort of happened... I'll write an epilogue so please don't be mad at me for ending without warning! (I have a habit of doing this =_=)

That little quote sitting there was the reason for the title "The Wind" and ya know, Naruto's affinity ;P