"Kiba-kun! He asked me out!"
Hyuga Hinata rushed up to a tall guy with rumpled hair.
"What'd you say?"
"Y-yes!" Hinata squeaked. She slapped her palms to her blushing cheeks, her eyes bright. "Now, what do I do?"
The guy placed his hand on her head and rubbed the top, mussing up her hair. "Baka. Why are you asking me? I'm not a girl."
"Oh!" Her eyes widened. Hinata pressed her forefingers together, fidgeting."Ano…m-maybe S-Sakura-chan can help me. What do you think Kiba-kun?" She looked imploringly at her teammate.
She was gifted with a wide smile from the rakish shinobi. "Well, go on. Go ask her."
"I'm so happy!" Whirling around she practically floated away in the direction of the hospital where Sakura would currently be ensconced.
A huge white dog loped up quietly beside him. Settling on its hunches, the dog looked up at the guy with what looked like a questioning look on its face. He absently patted the dog on its head. "Hey Akamaru."
His smile faded from his face. He looked at the young woman running ahead of him, her figure getting smaller until she disappeared from view. His shoulders slumped.
Another shinobi in a dark jacket with the collar pulled up high over his face and wearing sunglasses approached him from behind. He stood next to the suddenly withdrawn guy. "What are you doing? Are you okay with this?"
He didn't answer.
He lifted his arms and threaded his hands behind his neck.
He looked up at the sky.
A long silence passed.
Finally, he let out a loud sigh and turned his head to look at his teammate.
His eyes looked bleak, his lips twisted in a bittersweet smile. "She's happy."
"That's all that matters."