title: vanilla and coconut
style: oneshot
pairing: kibaino
summary: to him, actions speak louder than words, and maybe the action kind of helps those words come out! so ino waits.
Winter was coming.
The warm autumn weather changed as leaves of gold, brown and orange fell from the trees into soft piles. Today's sky was bright and clear; the sun shining from on high, creating small patches of warmth throughout the forest.
This was where Kiba was resting, against the base of a tree bathed in sunlight whilst Akamaru was trying to catch the falling leaves. It was one of those rare days on which he didn't have anything to do, and with his hyper acute sense of smell it did him good to get away from the market that came to town each month.
Although there were other things that plagued his mind, and had been for a while. Kiba wasn't exactly sure of when it started, or why it was happening but he had begun to see somebody in a different light.
No matter how hard he tried, how busy he tried to keep himself; his mind would always wander back there. There was the possibility of asking for advice but he wanted to keep this to himself.
Frustrated, he growled, causing Akamaru to look over from his pursuit of a rather persistent leaf that was being carried by the breeze. Plodding over he nudged Kiba who ruffled his fur and hoisted himself onto Akamaru's back.
"I dunno what to do. When I'm not thinking about her, I want to be thinking about her. I find excuses to go the hospital if she's working or to the shop to buy flowers which Mother keeps complaining about, something about too many different scents in the house now."
Ino was brilliant, incredibly so. She wasn't just some girl who liked to pick flowers and dress up, she was tough and Kiba respected that. They both worked incredibly hard to get to the level they were now, even training together sometimes and that's what Kiba liked; her determination to become stronger, her loyalty to the village and her friends. She could also stand her own against his mother which was an impressive feat for anyone.
"How do I tell her? My words never come out right and I end up making some stupid joke." Akamaru barked in agreement. "Yeah, thanks buddy. I know, I'll get her a gift! Girls love that junk! C'mon, let's get to the market."
Ino had always been oddly perceptive of others, usually knowing how they felt before they could figure it out themselves. Which lead her to the conclusion that Kiba had more than just a friendship in mind but every time he tried to say something, some ridiculous boyish joke would be told.
There was no point in rushing him to say something; otherwise he would never do it. He had to do it on his own terms, in his own time and she knew this.
Kiba had this scruffy but handsome look about him, especially now that his hair was shorter and just added to the boyish charm and that smile. That thousand megawatt smile that was flashed in her direction could always make her blush.
So she would wait, something told her that it would be worth it.
The noise and hustle of the market was starting to grate on Kiba's senses, yet he wasn't going to leave until he found something. Akamaru was waiting outside, it was too crammed for a dog his size to fit amongst the people.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered in a new direction, watching his feet as he walked along. Suddenly he picked up on a scent he knew all too well; pinpointing the direction it was coming from he broke into a run.
After a few minutes, he reached his destination. It was a small stall in a clearing, a few feet away from the market. All he could see was fabric, different colours, shapes, sizes and patterns.
Hesitantly he looked around to try and find the source of what brought him here; reaching up he plucked a purple scarf from its stand. It was made from some kind of cotton, soft but strong, lifting it to his nose he drank in the scent.
"Ah, what a good choice." The old lady spoke.
How could he have not noticed her?! Sure she was obscured by a rack of fabric but still. Kiba figured it must be because of the smell, the scarf was infused with the scent of vanilla and coconut which always reminded him of Ino.
It was because of the shampoo she used; whenever she would walk by he would catch that scent and spot her in the crowd.
"Yeah, it erh, reminds me of someone."
The old lady smiled and hobbled closer with her walking stick "The cotton is specially woven with scented chakra, in some cases you can choose whatever smell you want."
"How much is this?"
"Oh no dear, I can see it in your eyes that it's for someone you care deeply about. Take it child, a gift."
"Really?!" he smiled. "Thanks lady!"
After the old woman had carefully wrapped the scarf up, Kiba thanked her again before sprinting off to find Akamaru and then Ino.
And to finally tell her, all the things he had been dying to.
a/n: this was written for me by my lovely and oh-so brilliant friend back on tumblr, pan (imyourdestinymotherfucker/tumblr). and OF COURSE i fangirled the hell out of it, and just wanted to share it with all the lovely kibaino fans (or just curious readers) here!