A/N:
It's been quite a long time for guys to wait. but here it is.
As you'll probably notice I'm doing something new here - sop tell me if you can see it and what you think of it, okay?

This time around I was really unsure at one point if the chapter plot would work, and I would really thank my fateful reader and feedback'er 'Fanwoman' for all the help she gave me in the process. Thanks you for helping me make the story better!

As always I wanna hear your opinions and thoughts - so fire away you guys^^

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Disclaimer:
«I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. I only own the story itself the main character and to the idea.»
Thanks a lot to Lightning Bee for betaing on this story.

Chapter 6 - Moment of the Day

The streets of Konoha were crowded with people. It was the time when many of the non-ninja inhabitants were making their way home. The two genins walked side by side down the street in quiet. Without warning, the boy halted and broke the silence.

"Hinata?"

The girl, not having noticed his sudden stop, turned around and looked at her friend. The boy she'd always associated with an edgy smile and a humanistic glint in his eye, was now wearing a serious expression.

"Yes, Kiba?" She asked. "Is anything wrong?"

"You should be asking yourself that. Are you alright? I mean, you're awfully quiet today."

She could hear the concern in his voice, and she understood her attempt to cover up her emotions wasn't as successful as she'd hoped. 'Or it could just be the fact that he knows you,' a small voice in her head whispered, reminding her yet again that her knowledge of him was lacking compared to his of her. Noticing the thoughts crawling out from where she'd buried them, Hinata gave a quick shake of her head to clear it.

"No, no, I'm good." Her voice came off a tad too high-pitched, and Kiba sent her a skeptical glance.

"You sure?"

"Really, I'm fine..." She reassured him.

The boy let out a deep breath and started walking down the street again, Hinata following close behind. Half a minute later they passed by a small café. It was one of the last buildings in the street.

"Ehm, Kiba? Where are we going?"

"Well, that's the thing..." A grin appeared on the boy's face as he lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head.

"The thing?" Uncertainty filled her voice before a sudden realization hit her: "Could it be that you don't know either?"

"Nope, no idea." His answer was blunt. He then lowered his arms again, waving them in front of him in an apologizing gesture. "Not that I didn't think of it!" He added. "I thought about it a lot, but I just didn't get the right idea, you know? None of the ideas seemed good enough, so I thought I'd improvise."

The dark haired girl let out a soft chuckle. It shouldn't have surprised her. Kiba had always been the improvising type. At first it had made her uneasy, thinking about the fact that the boy who never planned anything could come to be a problem but, as she'd soon experienced, Kiba never let his improvisation get the best of him.

"So..." the boy looked down, studying his scratching foot. "Anything you'd like to do?" He looked up at her, and Hinata fought to keep back another chuckle – afraid that if she did it might hurt her friend's feelings.

"Ehm... We could go to the park?" she suggested carefully.

"Nice, Hinata! That's a great idea!" Before she knew what was happening, the boy had gripped her hand and they were headed for the park. A heat filled her face and she was about to protest, but the boy seemed so enthusiastic. So she kept her mouth and let him lead her to the end of the street and into the park.

The day wasn't particularly sunny, but it still seemed to be a popular day to visit the park. Mothers were sitting on a bench, talking while watching their children play in the sandbox. Beside them, were a couple of teens being intimate. Hinata hurried to look away. She had never been comfortable in the presence of couples. It was one thing to watch the small kisses her parents gave each other on a daily basis, but it was something entirely different when two people both seemed to want to devour the other. Hinata felt her cheeks burn up, and she quickly got rid of the picture. No, that sort of behavior was something far beyond her understanding and comfort zone.

"...or what do you think?" Kiba's voice broke through to her.

She noticed that he they had stop and he was looking at her.

"Huh? What I think?" Her voice sounded confused, and the boy rolled his eyes.

"This place. Good enough for ya?" Spreading his arms he gestured towards a vacant bench a small distance from the main park. The girl looked it over and nodded in approval. The bench would be perfect for having a conversation of the more private sort. Once again she could feel a slight tug on her arm, and they walked up to the bench.

"So, what are you're not telling me?" Kiba asked as they sat down.

"It's nothing, really. I-" Hinata objected, but was cut off by a grunt.

"Oh, come on, I know you better than that. I know something's not right. I can tell when something's not right – you might as well shout it out."

"I... Let's talk about something else," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Why?" he inquired. "Is it something that you can't talk to me about?"

"It's not that... It's just..." She drew in a breath. "Today is supposed to be fun... and I don't think that-"

"Well, I can see that it isn't gonna be that fun with you all down. Besides, it's not only about the fun; it's about getting to know and understand each other." A gentle squeeze of his hand reminded Hinata that hers was still being held by him and she had to fight to hide a new blush.

"I..." The girl stared, determined to keep insisting, but then stopped. It was clear that Kiba wouldn't be fooled. She might as well tell him. At least some of it. "It's my father."

The boy nodded. He knew quite a lot about the Hyuuga clan's head. He'd never spoken with the man himself, but seeing him talk with his daughter and also hearing Hinata talk of him had made the boy certain of some of his traits. He was a proud and strict man with big expectations of those around him – especially his successor: Hinata.

"His expectations of you?"

"Yes" The girl nodded. "He called me into his office the other day. There seem to be more family traditions and responsibilities than I knew of..." She lifted her, head and Kiba could see the hints of a sad smile on her face.

"Well, I know you'll handle it! Trust me, Hinata. Even though you might not see it yourself, you're a pretty awesome shinobi. You're great with people, and I have never seen you fail when it really counted. So trust me, you'll be fine."

The young girl felt her heart soften. He really knew just what to say to make it feel all better. He always had. Why hadn't she noticed sooner? Well, in a way she had, but hadn't she understood. If only... In her mind, Hinata fought herself. The reason that she was here today was to not hurt him by rejecting his offer. It wasn't because she liked him. Not in that way. Still, his whole being was generating so much warmth and love. She just couldn't take it. She... It wasn't something she deserved.

"Kiba, thank you, but I-" She tried to tell him. Tried to say what was on her mind. To come clean. She cleared her throat. "The dating. I think we should-"

A powerful rumble sounded and a shade of pink appeared in the Inuzuka boy's cheek.

"Eat! Yeah! Just what I was thinking!" He changed his grip on her hand, gently pulled her up with him from the bench. "I'm dying for some sweets. Let's go to that café we passed by earlier?" Without waiting for an answer, he headed that way, and Hinata was once again following close behind.

They entered the café and were soon after shown to a table beside one of the many windows. The establishment was one that had been put up only months ago, and as they walked to their seats, Hinata looked about, taking in all the impressions. The café wasn't a big one, but the placement of furniture made good use of the space. There weren't many visitors at this hour either. Most of them were probably in their homes and preparing dinner.

"So, what do you wanna eat?"

Hinata looked down at the menu, unsure what to pick.

"Come on, pick whatever you'd like. It's my treat."

The girl gave a small nod. She'd brought her own money, but she could hear it in his voice that this wasn't something he was going to back away from. She let her eyes skim trough the ice cream menu.

"Ehm… The vanilla ice cream with apricot sauce on it?"

The boy grinned back at her, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Don't ask me, Hinata. But yeah, that does sound good." He turned towards the counter and called out. "Waiter! Two- eh…" he glanced down at the menu again. "Two 'summer sun' ice creams if you'd please. Oh, and some extra apricot too." Behind the cashier, a tall blond girl nodded and turned towards the machine. Pleased with himself, Kiba turned back to his table. "So, what do you think, Hinata? Should we do this some other time too?"

The question was so direct, and it caught the Hyuuga girl totally off guard. To be asked something like that, and in this way too. There was no way to get around it either. "Ehm…" Her next words would be the definition of the relation between the two of them. It was now or never. "I-"

"Here's your order. 'Summer sun' times two and a bowl with more apricot." The blond woman put down their servings, one glass in front of each of them. "Would you like something more? Something to drink maybe? A nice cup of coffee or anything?" She looked at them in turn, but both of them gently shook their head. "Okay. I hope you'll enjoy the ice cream, and if there's anything else you'd want, you know where to find me." Giving them a wink she went back to the counter.

Hinata didn't miss the chance provided her by what her cousin would have called fate. As fast as she could, she dug her spoon into her ice cream and guided a big scoop into her mouth. Too late she realized her mistake.

"Auch!" Her hand flew up to her forehead as she whimpered.

"Hinata?" The boy got on his feet, and in the next second he was right beside her. "Are you okay? What happened?" The girl's cheeks gained a pink shade as she noticed that not only were the eyes of her teammate on her, but also many of those present in the cafe.

"Ah! Oh, it-it's nothing. I just got a little too eager. A brain freeze, that's all." To her relief most of the eyes lost interest and turned away. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh, and as she opened them again she found that Kiba was still kneeling by her side, smiling at her. "Ehm, Kiba?"

The boy smiled for a few seconds more before getting on his feet. As he once again sat down on his seat, he snorted then quickly shook his head.

The girl sent him a questioning look.

"What?" the boy asked.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That snort," she pushed.

"Snort? What snort?"

"That snort you let out as you sat down. What were you thinking?"

"What-" The boy stopped himself mid-sentence. "Oh, fine. I was snorting, so what?" He leaned closer over the table. "And when did you get so aggressive? It's not like you, Hinata."

"I have my moments" the girl announced proudly. The boy sent her a skeptic look, and she broke down laughing. It felt so good. It had been ages since she'd let loose and just joked. Joked. The word sounded almost unfamiliar to her, and it was with that epiphany she realized it had been a very long time since she'd done or said something just as a joke.

"Wow. That was an unexpected sound." The Inuzuka boy teased. "I don't think I've heard a Hyuuga laugh in many years. I thought it was something genetic. I don't remember ever hearing you laugh since we became a team." With a frightful look on his face he pointed at himself. "Don't tell me it's me? That I'm so boring that I've killed your laugh for many years!" His 'acting face' was replaced with a big smile, and he joined Hinata in laughing.

From that moment the ice was broken. The two of them talked freely while eating, the words coming to them as easily as the wind.

"Kiba, your face." The girl let out a giggle. Curious, the boy lifted an eyebrow. Hinata covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep the laugh in. "Your face. It's- It's-"

"What? It's what, Hinata?" Kiba asked, giving a shake of his head as the girl once again lost a battle against the laughter. "Oh come on." He complained, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands.

A little smile appeared in the corner of the girl's mouth. As the heir to the Hyuuga clan, she'd be trained to restrain the strongest of emotions. Compared to some of the challenges her father had given her, Kiba's half-hearted sulking was no match for her. Still, the brunet was her closest friend, and she wouldn't leave him hanging.

"Ice cream," she pointed at him. "You have ice cream all over your face." The boy quickly lifted his sleeve to wipe his mouth. Then he looked at her for confirmation. "No, still some on your left." The boy repeated the motion. "No, not my left, your left. Ah, just..." With a chuckling sound she picked up her unused napkin and bent forward, and with her hand cupped underneath his chin, she used her thumb to wipe off the remaining food.

She couldn't help but smile. Though Kiba might seem like a 'big bad wolf' at times, he sure acted like a child whenever it was just the two of them. In a way he was just like a puppy, Hinata thought. He could bark and bite, but in the end he was eager and trusting with those closest to him, not that she could imagine him letting Shino wipe his face.

"I know my skin is soft and all, but I don't think this is the right place to feel it."

Puzzled, Hinata blinked before she realized she was still holding, and seemingly stroking, his cheek. With a muffled squeal she withdrew her hand in a quick jerk, her face glowing bright red.

"Oh, come on," The boy laughed at her. "You're just too cute aren't you?" He stood up and pushed the chair back under the table before walking over to Hinata. The girl showed no sign of noticing him – She was clearly too embarrassed, and Kiba had to poke her arm to get a reaction out of her.

"Ah! Oh, ehm… I…"

"I'm taking you home." He held out a hand towards her, offering to help her up. The girl looked at it for a moment, but then gripped it.

"You are? We're done for today?" Her voice sounded surprised. Was the date over? Not that it hadn't been enough. No, it had been quite enjoyable, all things considered. Still, she'd just thought there would be more activities.

"Yeah, I think you've been through more than enough for one day, or what?" Kiba sent her a teasing wink. "Nah, it's not really that. It's just that mom's being a pain and making me help her out at home. Not that I mind feeding the newborn puppies, not at all, I just wish it wasn't today." Letting out a sigh he pulled a few notes from his wallet to pay the bill. "Anyway, there is one more thing I wanna show you." He grinned at her, a playful glint in his eyes. "That is, if you're up for it."

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