Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long... I wanted to make sure that this scene was just right, so it took a bit longer than expected. Anyway, before I get to the chapter, I need to take a second, as usual, to thank my reviewers. There were six of you this time, I felt special... so, all of you get a digital candy bar of your choice: king-sized, naturally.

x.Nanako-chan.x- Glad you're enjoying it! Oh, and of course Kiba is a little bit of a pervert. Naruto must be brushing off on him a bit...

A Forgotten Fairy. .AKA- Fairy- Yeah, Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata are all pretty messed up going into this chapter. You'll just have to read on to see how those emotions play out.

Maki-Zushi- Hey, I'm always happy to hear that someone liked a chapter. Hope this one lives up to your expectations!

freshman007- Thanks for the compliment! I usually seem to struggle with the emotions, so I'm glad to hear that you liked it!

Rose Tiger- Well, I don't want to ruin anything, so I'll just say that you'll have to read and find out for yourself what happens!

Han-Ko - Yeah, Naruto's always a bit slow... but we love him for it, right? Anyway, thanks for the review!

Alright, now on to the chapter!

Chapter 6

Somewhere within the labyrinthine streets of Konoha, a young boy sat shivering on a curb as the rain poured down on his blonde head. His bare feet had grown numb from the frigid water rushing down to the sewers below, but the boy had long since cared about his comfort. He simply looked dejectedly at the ground, his eyes filled with a profound emptiness and his mind indifferent to the world around him.

Suddenly, he felt the rain stop, though he could still hear it splash on the ground around him. Looking up in surprise, the boy found a bright orange umbrella in the hand of a young, pale girl blocking the sky. For a moment, the blonde was not sure what to do, and just stared at the girl in confusion. The girl seemed to notice this and extended her hand to the boy, smiling shyly as she did so.

"Come, Naruto."

The boy was a little hesitant at first and eyed the offered hand suspiciously. Could he really trust this girl? It took him a moment, but soon the blonde clasped the hand and pulled himself off the ground. With that single action, the boy suddenly felt his eyes brighten as he stared into those of the girl. He was happy, and even though the cold rain continued to pour down around him, the blonde felt safe in that little world beneath the bright, orange umbrella.

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When Naruto awoke the next day, he found that the sun was just beginning to rise outside his window while the rest of the world retained that languid serenity of morning. It was very unusual for the blonde to awake so early, and yet he felt no desire to go back to sleep. He had slept surprisingly well, given the previous day's events, and it probably helped that for once his dreams weren't haunted by Kyuubi. Instead they were… pleasant, but when Naruto tried to recall just what happened in his dream, he found that it was a bit more difficult than he had anticipated.

Okay, there was rain. Yeah, it was raining, and it was nighttime. Cold too. Dark, wet, and cold. Then that girl showed up. Yeah, she… she had an umbrella. She was going to take me home, keep me dry. Who was that girl though?

It was this last detail that was giving Naruto the most trouble. For whatever reason, his mind could only remember how things felt in his dream, but the actual face of his savior was fuzzy at best. All the details he could recall were extremely vague, as if the girl could have been just about anyone.

Let's see, she had hair… yeah, that's helpful. Okay, what kind of hair… it was kind of short. And darker, almost purple. What else, what else… her skin! It was pale… not sickly, just whiter. Come on, Naruto! Think! There has to be something else… her eyes! They were… lavender, I guess? Okay, that should narrow it down a bit. Who fits that description…

It naturally took Naruto a few minutes to put all of the pieces together. Once the image finally clicked in his head, however, the blonde was struck with a sense of dread.

Hinata? No, it couldn't be… why would I be dreaming about Hinata unless… no, it must be some mistake. Yeah, maybe it was somebody else. Think, Naruto… Anko! Yeah, she has purple hair, why can't it be her? But why would I be dreaming about Anko… yeah, that wouldn't make sense… Wait, maybe it wasn't a girl at all? Pale skin, dark hair… it could be Sasuke! No, that's just stupid…

Calm down, Naruto… Hinata was taking care of you yesterday, so maybe she was just present in your mind. Just because you dreamed about her doesn't mean that there's some sort of deep meaning…

As much as he tried to convince himself of this, however, Naruto knew that Hinata's presence in his dream was significant. Something had happened the previous day when he told her about Kyuubi. Even if he was delirious, he had chosen to reveal his greatest secret to a girl he barely knew. She had done something to him, though he was not exactly sure just what it was.

It wasn't even that he told her about Kyuubi… it was more that she didn't even force it out of him. He practically volunteered that information, but without feeling any remorse whatsoever. In fact, he actually felt… happy that he told her. He wanted, no, needed her to understand his pain, to know his anguish. What do they call that, when you can't bear to keep any secrets from someone? When it's utter agony for her to be in pain, but ecstasy to see so much as a smile on her face?

Oh God… am I in… love?

No, you can't be in love with her, Naruto! She's Kiba's girl… well, I guess she's not actually his girlfriend or anything… but still! Kiba trusted you to play matchmaker here, you can't just take her for yourself! Dammit, what should I do… maybe I should just talk to her today. Set things straight and hook her up with Kiba. Oh, I can invite her to Ichiraku! Yeah, that would work. I'll tell her to meet us there around six or something. Kiba'll be back from practice by then; I can just get the two started and then slip out. Perfect.

It was right at this point that Naruto heard a familiar banging on his door, followed by a relatively gruff voice calling out, "Naruto! Wake up! You're gonna be late again!"

"I'm up, Kiba! I'm up!" Naruto yelled back as he rolled out of bed.

Yeah, I can't be in love. I just need to help Kiba out and then I can leave all of this Hinata business behind me.

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Hinata sat in her English class, gazing absently at the open book before her while Kakashi read his hentai novel, as usual. It had been a very awkward class for the Hyuuga up to that point, since she was so close to both Naruto and Kiba. All throughout Kakashi's lecture, Hinata could only wonder what the two boys could possibly think of her.

Did Naruto hate her for leaving? Did he even care? And what about Kiba? She had treated him like he had a disease or something… he didn't deserve that. He was just trying to help, but… she had to get away from Naruto. He had needed her, and she took advantage of that by putting her nose where it didn't belong. Why couldn't she have just been happy to be with the blonde? Why did she feel the need to pry into his business, to snoop around his apartment?

And to make things worse, he had told her about Kyuubi. Yes, she had wanted nothing more than to know about Naruto's past, to understand him and be able to comfort him, but she realized now that she was just being irresponsible. She was not worthy of that sort of trust… she just betrayed it by invading his privacy, his own personal bubble. Yes, she had popped that bubble, even if Naruto hadn't realized it yet. Then, of course, there was that other thing… she hadn't really given it much before, but after learning all about Kyuubi, she realized that she might actually hurt Naruto in the long run.

As much as it might hurt her, Hinata knew that she had to drop this thing with Naruto as soon as possible. But… how could she do that, exactly? She couldn't just tell him that she didn't want to see him… that would be too blunt. Maybe she could avoid him? Yeah, that might work; just stay away from him, and maybe he'd go back to ignoring her. Then again, he was the one who approached her. What if he didn't leave her alone? What if he kept talking to her?

Oh, what am I thinking? He probably doesn't even like me… at least not that way. He was just delirious when he told me about Kyuubi… Oh, I'm such a fool, to think that he actually… loved me.

While she sat pretending to read her poetry book, however, Hinata still could not shake that thought from her head. Glancing over to the side, the Hyuuga found both Naruto and Kiba doing their homework, an observation that she found to be quite shocking. Normally they were so talkative during Kakashi's class, but today they were fervently solving problems… or at least pretending to. It was hard to tell whether they actually were thinking about the work or something else. Hinata liked to think it was the latter, that somehow her presence was distracting to the blonde.

No, Hinata! You have to forget about him. You'll only hurt him in the end…

Thus, the Hyuuga turned her attention back to the book before her… well, tried to. Even though she constantly scolded herself, Hinata found herself stealing peeks at the blonde, trying to figure out just what was going through his head. By the time class had ended, though, she had managed to temporarily force him out of her head, allowing her to peacefully pack her belongings and start for her next class. Before she could reach the door, however, Hinata felt a hand fall gently on her shoulder, bringing her to an abrupt halt.

"Hey, Hinata… can I talk to you for a sec?"

The Hyuuga nearly dropped the books from her hands as she turned to face the familiar blonde, who looked down at her with that warming grin. "Oh… um, hello, Naruto. What is it?"

"Oh… god, how do I put this… are you doing anything after school today?" the blonde asked, a slight blush on his whisker-marked cheeks.

Is he serious? Wait, what do I do? Should I lie and say I'm busy? But what if he finds out? Okay, maybe I can just accept and see what he wants…

"Umm… no, actually, why do you ask?" Hinata said rather expectantly.

"Well, you see… I was just wondering if… well, you'd want to go to Ichiraku for dinner?" the blonde started, only to panic slightly at the sight of Hinata's stunned expression. "I mean, I just want to repay you for what you did yesterday.

Okay, calm down, Hinata. It's not a date. He's just grateful…

"Oh… w-well I'd love to," Hinata said with a genuine smile. "Umm, what time should I meet you?"

"I dunno, how about six?" Naruto offered hopefully.

"S-six is fine for me."

"Great! I'll see you later, then!" the blonde exclaimed as he took off running for his next class.

Hinata stood there for a moment, watching the vulpine boy disappear among the crowd of students before it finally dawned on her: she had just agreed to meet Naruto outside of class.

So much for avoiding him… sometimes, Hinata, I swear there must be something wrong with you…

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At five fifty-seven that evening, Naruto stood just outside Ichiraku Ramen, tapping his toe as he looked anxiously from side to side. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous; he was just going to talk to Hinata for a few minutes until Kiba showed up. He had left a note telling the dog-boy to come over once he got back, and unless Gai worked him to death, he wouldn't be at practice too much longer. In spite of this reassuring knowledge, though, Naruto could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.

It wasn't that he was meeting with Hinata. He had been preparing himself the entire day, repeating to himself that he was there for Kiba. Just get the two together and leave… easy. Nothing complicated. No awkward conversations about the previous day. Just some quick chitchat over a bowl of ramen and then he'd be heading for the door.

Apparently he had gotten a little lost in his thoughts, however, for as soon as he looked up again Naruto found himself face to face with an all-too familiar pale-skinned Hyuuga. Feeling somewhat startled by the girl's sudden appearance, the blonde jumped backwards slightly, his face reddening with building embarrassment.

"H-hi, Hinata," Naruto said slowly after a second as he tried to regain his composure. "Right on time, I see."

"Uh-huh," the Hyuuga responded cheerfully, "Shall we go inside, Naruto?"

"Sure, no sense waiting out here, I guess."

The duo was greeted by a spunky, young waitress upon entering the restaurant, who quickly escorted them to a small booth by the front window. After taking their beverage order, the waitress soon departed for the kitchen, leaving Naruto and the pale Hyuuga alone once again.

For a brief moment, Naruto completely panicked as he suddenly became aware of the situation he was in. Here he was… alone with Hinata… the girl who just the previous day had taken care of him, who he had told the dark secret of Kyuubi. What could he possibly say? He couldn't just ignore what had happened… but at the same time, he didn't want to give off the wrong impression. Yes, there had been a connection, but… this was Kiba's girl. He had trusted Naruto to hook the two of them up, and he… he just couldn't break that promise. He never went back on his word, after all.

Okay, suck it up, Naruto. You have to say something! Just… give her a compliment!

"You look beautiful tonight, Hinata," Naruto said abruptly, causing the Hyuuga to turn a deep shade of red.

Damn! Too strong…

"Oh, well, uh, thank you, Naruto," Hinata stuttered, placing a hand on her chest in astonishment. "Um, you look very nice yourself…"

Okay, back off a little bit. Chitchat. This isn't a date.

"So, uh, how are you liking Kakashi's class?" Naruto offered in an attempt to sound casual.

"Well, it's okay, I guess. I just wish he would spend more time actually teaching than reading that book of his."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," the blonde replied with a laugh. "I swear he must be some sort of pervert… bringing that stuff to school."

Much better, Naruto. Just stick to this simple stuff. Maybe she'll just pretend like yesterday never happened…

"Naruto… about yesterday," Hinata started, much to the blonde's chagrin.

So much for that…

"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto said in a vain attempt to sound innocent.

"Well, I just wanted to ask you…"

Before Hinata could so much as finish her question, however, she was interrupted by the sugary-sweet voice of the waitress as she returned to their little booth. Naruto sighed inwardly in relief, hoping that the Hyuuga might drop the subject after the sudden break in conversation.

"Hi, again. Are you two ready to order?"

"Sure, I'll have the ramen with roast pork," the blonde offered eagerly.

"And I'll have the same as him."

"Alright, two bowls of ramen with roast pork," the waitress repeated as she scribbled down some notes. "It'll be just a few minutes, okay?"

Naruto watched the waitress walk off for a moment, hoping to delay the conversation with Hinata a bit longer. It was not long, however, before she disappeared into the kitchen, forcing the blonde to face the Hyuuga once again.

"Naruto… I-I have to know," Hinata continued, almost as if the interruption had not happened at all. "About yesterday… why did you tell me? You know, about… him."

Damn, she doesn't beat around the bush, does she? Okay, just calm down. Play ignorant. You were delirious, no real reason…

"Geez, I don't know," the blonde said, scratching his head in an exaggerated manner. "I guess I just felt like it. I don't really remember it all that well."

"Don't lie to me, Naruto!" Hinata snapped before catching herself with a profound blush. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean that… it's just, I need to know where we stand, Naruto, and if you're hiding something…"

Hurry up, Kiba…

"Oh… uh… what're you talking about, Hinata?" Naruto said, glancing out the window anxiously. "I just needed to tell someone, that's all."

"I know, Naruto, I know," Hinata said, her eyes tearing up in desperation. "But why did you need to tell someone? And why me? Why didn't you tell Iruka or Kiba or something?"

Naruto knew he was in a pickle. He couldn't possibly avoid this question for much longer, and Kiba was nowhere to be found. It was six-thirty already, why wasn't he there yet? Something was wrong…

Oh shit, today was Kiba's track meet! He's all the way in Suna… he probably won't be back 'til nine at the earliest… Dammit all! What am I supposed to do now?

Naturally, just when the blonde had resigned himself to come clean, he was saved once again by the waitress bearing two steaming bowls of ramen. Naruto eagerly took his bowl and began to shovel down the savory noodles, forcing the Hyuuga start her meal as well.

They ate in silence for quite a while, save for the occasional slurp from Naruto, and yet throughout their dinner the vulpine boy's mind was racing. How could he possibly tell Hinata the truth? That he was in love with her, that he wanted them to know everything about each other? That whenever he saw her he felt the pain of his past just fade away, and if ever she cried that pain came back tenfold?

Then again, she liked him too. That's what Kiba had said, at least… and he wouldn't just lie about something like that. So, why couldn't the two of them just be together? All's fair in love and war, right?

What are you thinking, Naruto?! No, Kiba's been too good of a friend. Think up a lie or something… anything other than the truth.

Before Naruto knew it, though, his bowl of ramen had been scraped clean, and he still hadn't come up with the perfect lie. Glancing over the rim of his raised bowl, the blonde noticed that Hinata was staring right at him with those big, pale eyes, a look of concern still on her face. He knew that he would have to face her eventually and thus, with a deep breath, he lowered his bowl and locked eyes with the Hyuuga.

"Okay, what were you saying again, Hinata?" Naruto asked, hoping that she might have forgotten during the meal.

"You know what, Naruto," the Hyuuga responded, sounding somewhat hurt by the question. "I want you to tell me exactly why you told me about Kyuubi yesterday."

Okay, Naruto. Moment of truth…

"Alright, I'll tell you," the blonde conceded as he rose from his seat. "Lemme just pay the bill real quick and I'll explain it outside."

"No! No more excuses, Naruto!" Hinata said with unusual determination. "I need to know! Just tell me why!"

Naruto looked at the Hyuuga in shock for a moment before sitting back down with a sigh. "Okay, Hinata; here it is. The reason I told you about Kyuubi yesterday is… well… how do I put this? When I was with you yesterday, I suddenly felt like Kyuubi didn't even matter any more. I mean, he did, but at the same time I realized there were more important things in my life. It's like, all my life I had been so focused on that one pain that I never saw any of the good things I had going for me."

"What are you saying, Naruto?" Hinata asked, her eyes fixed on the blonde.

"I don't know, Hinata," Naruto responded in frustration. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that yesterday you… changed me. You made it okay for me to talk about Kyuubi… to come to terms with my past. When you asked me to tell you about Kyuubi, I knew that I couldn't keep it a secret from you. There was just something about you that made me want to tell you, to share that part of my life that I had kept to myself for so many years…"

"Naruto, are you saying…" Hinata started, only to put a hand to her mouth as the truth dawned on her.

What are you doing?! Shut up, shut up, shut up!

"Yes, Hinata," the blonde said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't know why I never noticed it before, but every moment I spend with you I feel at peace, like all's right with the world! Hinata… I love you!"

Suddenly, the blonde shot up from his chair and rushed over to the other side of the table, staring down at Hinata with an extended hand. The Hyuuga examined at the offering for a moment, her mind unable to keep up with what was going on. Once she had snapped out of her temporary daze, however, Hinata grasped the hand tentatively and was pulled to her feet.

"Naruto, w-what are you…"

"Shh, don't talk," the blonde whispered, that warm smile upon his face, "I want this to be perfect."

Hinata nodded obediently as she gazed into Naruto's deep blue eyes and instantly knew what he wanted. As she saw the vulpine boy lean in, however, the Hyuuga merely closed her eyes, her mind racing in the anticipation of what was to come.

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Kiba stormed home from school that evening in disappointment. The Konoha track team had driven all the way to Suna for their meet, only for it to be cancelled due to severe thunderstorms. He had been looking forward to the meet all day, if only to make all those grueling hours with Gai worthwhile. As things were, however, the Inuzuka was forced to trudge home without a single victory, making the entire trek feel like a march of shame.

When he actually arrived at his apartment, though, Kiba's disappointment was replaced with surprise, as Naruto was nowhere to be found. After walking around the empty apartment, calling out the blonde's name, the dog-boy finally stumbled into the kitchen, where he found a note lying on the table.

"What's this?" Kiba asked aloud as he picked the piece of paper off the table. "'Kiba, meet me at Ichiraku. My treat – Naruto."

That idiot… didn't I tell him that I had a meet today?

For a moment Kiba considered rejecting the invitation, just to teach the blonde a lesson about forgetting such things. Just as he tossed the note into the trash, however, the Inuzuka remembered his growling stomach and knew that he couldn't turn down a free meal.

"I wonder if he'd still be there," Kiba murmured as he glanced at the nearby clock. "Hmm, it's only a quarter to seven. If I hurry I might catch him."

Thus, in one fluid motion the dog-boy threw on his jacket and rushed out the front door, letting it slam shut behind him. As he made his way down the stairs of the apartment complex, Kiba felt a few drops of rain, very likely the remnants of the storm in Suna. By the time he had crossed the street to Ichiraku, it was practically pouring, forcing Kiba to put his hood up.

It was then that he saw it, just as he ran by the front of the restaurant. There, in the window, were Naruto and Hinata, locked in an intimate embrace.

Kiba stopped in his tracks, the rain pouring down on his head as he looked on in disbelief. Were they… kissing?

It must be some mistake… Hinata must've forced herself on him. Yeah, any minute now Naruto will push her away… any minute now…

Of course, Kiba knew that this was a lie. The moment he saw the two of them in the window, he knew without a doubt that he had been right. Naruto was stealing Hinata from him. It had probably been his plan all along… pretend to help his buddy out, and then make his move.

Naruto… you bastard… how could you…

Kiba felt a bit of blood run down his palms as he clenched his fists, his teeth clenched as he restrained himself. He couldn't do anything now… not without making a scene. As painful as it was to watch the two of them slobbering over one another… Kiba would have to act later. Thus, with a mixture of tears and rain running down his face, the dog-boy headed back to his apartment with one thing on his mind: revenge.

Oh no! What does Kiba have planned for Naruto, and how will Hinata handle all of these sudden changes? Find out in the next installment of The Fox and the Hound and remember... review!