Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"Akamaru really likes you, Tenten."
It was spring in the park. Soft sunlight filtered through the trees as cherry blossoms swayed softly in their fragile trees.
It had been sheer luck that both of them had had the day off at the same time; shinobi got leave so rarely enough that it was strange for two in years near each other to have leave at the same time.
Capitalizing on the exceptionally good weather, Kiba decided he and Akamaru were going to spend the day in the park; the last mission had taken a lot out of both of them, and Kiba didn't think it was a good idea to be training just yet.
Tenten had been in the park too, sitting on a bench and, it seemed, she had absolutely nothing to do.
She was wearing a pale lavender top that day. Kiba never would have admitted it, but she looked nice in the color.
Kiba's nin hound did indeed like Tenten. A lot. Akamaru was well-behaved enough not to jump on her in greeting, but he greeted her with enthusiastic hand and face licking, which Tenten—a lover of dogs almost on the scale of the Inuzuka—accepted with good grace.
Neither one of them had anything better to do, so they decided to walk together through the park as the cherry blossoms fell. They now sat beneath a tall, skinny pine tree at the dip of a shallow hill, watching children on the riverbank push little paper boats back and forth with sticks.
Kiba felt his face color slightly as he stroked Akamaru's broad, pale back; secretly, he thanked God for his dog.
"Hey, Tenten?"
"Yeah?"
"Akamaru's not the only one who likes you."
Tenten smiled.
