Hinata was the unlucky recipient of all her mother's most demure qualities, which meant she was shy and submissive in most situations with one noticeable exception. Her teammates called it mom mode override for whenever Hinata would switch from being quiet and self denying to assertive or aggressive. Once while stuck in a waiting room after a mission Hinata had refused snacks from the young lord's serving maids several times, claiming she wasn't hungry or she didn't need any of the food. She refused to speak up or accept anything offered until Shino mentioned, in the most off hand casual conversation, that he liked pistachio nuts but never bought them for himself. Hinata had stood and gone out of her way to track down the serving maid and make that request for pistachio nuts so her friend could try some.

Hinata wasn't an assertive person, and her comfort zone was meager at best, but there was little she wouldn't do for the sake of her friends. When two friends needed help at the same time, Hinata felt like she could move heaven and earth.

"I'm an adult, I don't need to be babysat," Kiba chuckled as he watched his old teammate run through his place with a duster.

"This isn't for you, this is for Sakura. You both work really hard and she deserves to see your best side. I'm just helping things along."

"It's only for a few weeks of play pretend. You don't have to go all out," he said, coming up alongside her to take the duster out of her hand. Kiba flipped it over and then spotted a shelf she had been too short to reach and gave it a swipe. When he glanced down again Hinata was staring up at him with her widest, pitty-me eyes. Dusting the rest of his shelves was just the easiest way to avoid her visual manipulations.

"Please don't be so brash with my friend while she stays here. You're a sweet person and I wish you felt more comfortable sharing that side with others," Hinata sighed.

"I'm not sweet!" He protested, sounding offended.

"Kiba, that's a compliment."

"Can't you just call me good looking."

Hinata pinned him with her best deadpan expression. "You're a solid seven but Sasuke is a nine so we gotta make up the difference with personality."

"Wow, gotta appreciate the honesty. Why'd you even suggest me then if you knew Sakura needed someone to help with this plan?"

"I don't trust anyone more than you except maybe Shino, but do you think I should have swapped?" Hinata's brows furrowed as she considered her new thoughts. "Do you think Shino would be willing? I could talk to him about it."

"You needed a seven!"

"Let's not kid ourselves here, Kiba. Shino's a solid eight most days and could top out at nine if he did something better with his hair."

Now it was Kiba's turn to deadpan. The two friends shared a moment of silence before Kiba turned back to dusting. "Fine, that's fair."

No more than five minutes later the doorbell went off and Akamaru lifted his ears but didn't stir, meaning it was someone they knew. Kiba started to walk up before remembering the duster in his hand and panicked, running off to throw it into his closet and shut the door before Hinata could open the front door and greet his guest.

"Hey Sakura, glad you could make it."

Kiba could hear her voice from around the corner and slowed his steps. "Of course, I wouldn't be late when you're doing me a solid like this."

Hinata reached for both of Sakura's hands and pulled her friend in while Kiba finger combed back his hair and tried to discreetly check his b.o. levels. Passable .

"It's no imposition, trust me. Kiba needs a helping hand more than you need the confidence boost."

"Eh, don't be so sure of that."

Sakura laughed and Kiba almost faltered. She had moved in and was reaching back to close the door while Akamaru barked once and roused to get up and greet Sakura. She let the bags slid off her arms and greeted Akamaru with both hands, rubbing at his face and scratching him behind his ears. He heard her happy babble and found his feet unwilling to travel further.

When she looked up a loose strand of hair fell in front of her eyes and she had to push it back before straightening up with a bright smile. "Hey Kiba! Ready to play boyfriend?"

Destination weddings were a shit idea but if Hinata wanted to elope with Naruto to get out of the greater horror, (a Hyuga clan planned wedding weekend), Sakura wasn't going to blame her. She'd elope just to get away from such a stifling household, much less the family!

It needed to be small, they were sneaking out of the village and trying to avoid the notice of Hyuga sensors, so there weren't a lot of people Sakura didn't know in the party. Unfortunately, Naruto getting married meant Sasuke would be there. Sakura assured Naruto it would be fine since she and Sasuke were, while still friends, what Sakura would call 'roughly related companions' more than friends. It was hard not to be awkward around a guy who left you hanging on a confession, never wrote, never visited, and didn't bother to check in on you during the times he came back to the village to see Naruto.

Sakura had been upset for a while but now she was over it. She had a career and a busy life with her job at the hospital, she didn't need to be left hanging on someone who couldn't be bothered to do the bare minimum and turn her down instead of ghosting her. She didn't complain to Naruto about it because she knew the two of them were basically brothers, but she had let it slip to Hinata during girl's night and the next morning their plan unfolded.

"It's kinda crazy," Sakura said out loud, standing next to Kiba in line for dango. They had enough time to practice one actual date before leaving for the venue, but planning made life hectic so she asked if he was okay with dessert stall food and he grabbed his wallet.

"What is?"

She waited till he looked down at her and shot him a wry smile. "Us. I've known you since we were kids."

When he grinned the edge of one of his canines poked through. "Not really, you just knew of me and that's different. We were always on the edges of each other's circles. I bet I can surprise you."

Sakura didn't doubt it.

"You already have in agreeing to this." Sakura took a half step closer so their shoulders were nearly touching as they waited in line, behind a handful of kids waiting while their parents ordered half the stall. Sakura lowered her voice so they wouldn't overhear. "I was being stupid and told Naruto that I was seeing someone when I wasn't without thinking of the consequences. Hinata really saved me but cause I would have never had the guts to set this up."

"You need guts to ask me out for fake dating shenanigans? Does that make me an intimidating Konoha hunk?" Kiba snickered and then struck a pose with his thumb and forefinger under his chin. "I'll take it as a compliment."

"Sure, sure, why wouldn't you?" Sakura laughed, feeling lighter around Kiba.

He was easy to get along with and made enough jokes to keep her giggling. She didn't remember him being so easy to talk to, much less get along with, but it felt like she had always been at his side after a day and a half of their fake romance.

Kiba's lips pulled back in a wide grin and this time his canines stood out. "This is what I meant about really getting to know me. Please don't inflate my ego, I'm delicate to the brushes of harsh reality."

The family in front of them moved away and Kiba stepped up to order three sticks of her favorite dango before Sakura could even point out what she wanted. He paid and passed along the boat of sweets on sticks to her while returning his hands to his pockets. Sakura felt a little left behind as she cradled the food in her boat. The gesture had been performed so casually but it was still reverberating in her head.

"How'd you know what I wanted? A-and I have money, I could have paid."

"Sakura, this is a date and I'm a gentleman. I wanted to treat you."

"Yeah but how'd you know?"

His face scrunched up in confusion. "Isn't it your favorite? I'm pretty sure you mentioned it or Hinata mentioned it. Did you want something else?"

"No, this was perfect. Thank you."

The pair walked along and sat on a nearby bench, filling in the time with enough made up stories to make it seem like they had been together longer than they had. They reinforced their 'get together' story and then got sidetracked somehow and ended up spending more than the anticipated two hours making jokes and forging connections.

Afternoon turned to early evening and Kiba was the one who noticed. He scratched at the side of his face where the stubble was trimmed back, watching the sky. Sakura almost didn't hear his words as she watched him from her lower vantage, enjoying the maturity of his face. Of most of the boys she had known from academy days, Kiba had filled out as a man more than most. He was tall with broad shoulders and a fit physique that spoke to his dedication as a shinobi.

"Did you have somewhere you needed to be today?" he asked.

"It's not pressing and I can get to it later," Sakura exhaled. "Actually, I don't need to do it at all. I already put in my leave time so they can figure it out without me for once."

"Does that mean you don't have dinner plans?" Kiba asked.

"You already treated me to dessert, if you want something I can treat you."

Kiba rubbed at his neck. "I actually wanted to cook for you, or more specifically grill. You said you wanted to try more and it's a hobby of mine. Would that be weird, to come over so I can grill you steak and veggies?"

Sakura's mouth was already salivating. "Would I mind?" She couldn't help but tease. "Hell no I wouldn't mind. But at least let me buy the ingredients if you're cooking for two."

"I have meat in the dead freezer but you can pick out vegetables you like at the market," he countered.

"Deal."

Departure came suddenly and Sakura felt like she was jumping through rings of fire to get everything done at the last minute and slip out. She met up with Kiba outside the venue and they were able to walk in together.

"You look great but I'm getting tired of the vibes." He touched her shoulder and when she didn't pull away he took the strap to her bag and slipped it over his shoulder then grabbed her hand to squeeze.

"You could just say I look tired."

"Nah, you look gorgeous."

Sakura couldn't help it, she ended up snorting then had to push her face against his shoulder to muffle her laughs while they walked.

They walked up to the Inn and recognized Shino outside, speaking with Naruto. Both turned as Sakura and Kiba approached but only Naruto reacted.

"Kiba? It was Kiba all this time? How could you?" Naruto theatrically wailed, pretending to go limp against Shino's shoulder. Shino nodded in greeting to both Sakura and Kiba but Sakura could see the edge of his smile from around his hood's obstruction.

"Quit your bellyaching. Do you have any idea what I had to pull off to get here on time? You're lucky I like Hinata," Sakura mocked back.

Naruto drew out Sakura's name on a whine and Kiba laughed while leading her inside to the check in desk with a gentle nudge. Sakura shot Naruto a threatening look over Kiba's shoulder in warning and he fake cried, the way a younger brother would from his older sister's threats.

When Sakura turned back around she was startled to see Sasuke already in the lobby. He had already seen her and pushed off the far counter, looking like he meant to greet her, but Kiba steered her to the counter first and blocked Sasuke's view with his body.

"Reservation for Inuzuka, a room for two please," he called out, maybe a bit louder than necessary.

"Ah yes, the couple suite, here," the innkeeper confirmed, pulling down a key with a cord on it. Kiba accepted the key and they passed it over to Sakura so he could sign the log in book as someone approached from behind.

"Sakura."

She was so tired from the mad dash she was almost numb to the emotional unrest his voice calling her name turned up in her.

"Hey Sasuke," Sakura greeted, half turned around while Kiba signed them in. As soon as Kiba was finished he turned back and reached for Sakura's free hand then nodded in greeting.

"Hey Uchiha, glad you could make it. We've been missing you in the village."

Sasuke was staring down at where their hands joined but addressed Kiba's comment. "I've been away on a mission and haven't…been back recently. Um, did you both get rooms yet?"

Sakura held up the room key and jingled it. "Yeah, just signed in. Why?"

"Isn't that Inuzuka's room?"

Sakura caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and leaned back to see Ino and Hinata both half hidden behind the far wall to the stairwell, watching the exchange with wide eyes. A little further back Sai watched on, looking uninterested.

"It's a double," Kiba answered. She felt him squeeze her hand. "We'll make it work."

Sasuke looked like he was struggling to understand what he was hearing. "I was told I would be bunking with Shino and thought that should have been your split. I can see I was mistaken in my assumptions."

"Shino's great, you'll have fun," Kiba said with a smile before turning to look down at Sakura. "Ready to get unpacked. You've worked hard and I could go for a shower myself."

"Forget showers, I wanna soak in a tub for two days," Sakura groaned while rolling her free shoulder. She then waved to Sasuke. "We'll see you tonight for the dinner, Sasuke."

The pair left the last Uchiha in the lobby, climbing the stairs behind a gaggle of gossiping friends who had to rush to get out of the way. They were all shinobi who knew how to peep without being spotted, yet couldn't help themselves for the latest rag of rumors.

Sakura tried to take some comfort in the antics of her friends but there was a heat at the base of her heart that itched.

"You okay?" Kiba whispered once they were at the top of the stairs.

Sakura squeezed his hand in response and that was answer enough.

"It's fine, I just need to finish this before makeup."

Kiba looked up and frowned at the dinky blowdryer she was unwrapping. The dinner was in little less than a couple of hours but Sakura was already getting ready.

"Let me help with that," he said.

"It's okay I got it. I just…need to find a plug outlet somewhere."

Kiba stood from the couch and crossed the room to where she stood, causing her to stop short. "Hey, just because you can do it yourself doesn't mean you have to, c'mere."

He had already taken the blow dryer out of her hand and was plugging it into the nearest outlet. Sakura obliged by falling onto the footstool next to him and leaning forward, elbows propped up on her knees. Kiba moved behind her, towering and tall with a presence she could feel even with both her eyes shut.

The dryer clicked on and she heard the hum and felt the heat. His fingers dug into her hair and combed through her tangles, flaring out lengths of strawberry pink to blow dry over his knuckles. The heat was soothing and the way his fingers tickled her scalp wasn't bad either. Sakura felt herself slipping into a state of lull under his hands.

"Your hair is nice," she mumbled tiredly. "You blow dry it too?"

"I have to know that it's so long."

Sakura hummed. "Almost as long as mine. I think I should cut it again, it's getting in the way."

"Let me braid it."

Sakura's hum peaked into a laugh. "You know how to braid hair?"

"I'm phenomenal at it, but I don't wanna ruin this bomb ass blow out for the dinner tonight. I'll braid it for the morning."

"Hell yeah," Sakura sleepily cheered. "I'll pay you back for this though, don't think you're the only one with magic hands. I give awesome messages."

"You don't have to pay me back for being nice."

"You don't want one of my top of the line, doctor certified massages?"

"No I want one of those, but not because you're paying me back for this. I'm helping you because I want to. Don't feel like you ever need to pay me back for anything."

Sakura was quiet for a while before looking up to the far end of the room where the queen sized bed was made up. Something about the heat and low hum of electrical fans made Sakura honest enough to open her mouth and speak. "Even for agreeing to do this boyfriend girlfriend thing with me?"

The hair dryer turned off. Kiba ran both hands through her hair and it fell in feathery soft strands around her face and over her shoulders. She touched a section and curled it between two fingers As Kiba rounded the footrest to stand in front of her. She felt the curl of his knuckle under her chin, gently coaxing it upwards.

"Believe me when I say it's only my pleasure. Sasuke was a fool."

"I've been pretty silly too," Sakura tried to dismiss, feeling a little too vulnerable for someone that was supposed to be fake.

"I don't mind silly." His knuckle traced up the side of her face, brushing against her cheek under her eye. "I don't mind it at all."

He pulled away and Sakura almost reached for him before remembering herself. He collected the hairdryer and brush, returning them to the bathroom while Sakura wrestled with the wants of her heart. When he emerged again she was standing with a towel halfway folded in hand. She didn't look up when addressing him. "I'm going to start getting ready. It's in a couple hours right?"

"Less than that," Kiba corrected. Didn't you promise to meet with Ino so you could go down together?"

Sakura cursed, recalling the aforementioned promise. "She wanted to make sure we were coordinating our outfits but I already told her what I was wearing. She doesn't need to check me."

"But you want to check on her, don't you?" Kiba guessed. He snapped his fingers in her direction like he just figured something out. Sakura was disappearing around the corner to the bedroom area but she doubled back quickly when she heard his comment.

"Of course, she's famous for pulling dress drama at the last minute and now she has Sai helping her so it's only going to be exasperated. You'd think she wouldn't with limited luggage but she owns more Fūinjutsu scrolls than Tenten. I told her we can't do traditional cause Hinata is tradition and this is her night, but if Ino goes traditional I have to go traditional and somehow rope Tenten into it too, but also keep it muted cause we can't overpower Hinata's presence."

"I thought this was just a dinner."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "It's the dinner before their wedding! How could you say that? You know how many photos we'll be in?"

"I know that, but is it more important than the wedding day?"

Sakura regarded kiba critically. "If you think we're bad now, you just stick around Kiba Inuzuka."

"You think you can scare me off just like that?" He scoffed, not-so-secretly delighted with Sakura's energy for something fun and silly.

Sakura's smile wobbled. "I really hope not." Then she dipped back behind the wall again to finish picking out her dress before doing up her makeup.

They left not too long after that and made their way down to Ino's shared room with Sai to check in on them.

"Why the hell are you wearing white, Ino pig?"

"What? Sai said I look good in white."

Sakura hissed, pushing her friend back into the room to head for the mess left behind the bedroom divider. "It's Sai, he says you look good in everything. Take that off."

The two went out of sight and reemerged a little while later with Ino a newer dark indigo colored wrap dress that had a generous v neckline. It was dark enough to complement Sakura's forest green, off the shoulder number with the long sleeves and an open back. Kiba found himself leaning back and looking for her soft flesh more than once before he realized what he was doing. Sakura thought it was cute when she caught him.

Outside the doors to the event room Ino meant to reach for Sakura and whisper last minute words of encouragement but Kiba had already beaten her to it. Ino was close enough to hear his low voice telling Sakura, ' You look amazing. Take it from me, you dodged a bullet with the Uchiha if he never showed his appreciation till now. Yesterday was too late. '

The rest of the night went…well. Sakura and Kiba were seated on Hinata's side of the long table, across from Naruto's guests. Kakashi and Iruka had made it, and Sai sat opposite Ino on Naruto's side while Ino was on Hinata's. Between Kiba and Hinata was only Shino since Kurenai sensei wasn't able to get away with her daughter in time. Sakura was surprised Kakashi had been able to get away but he claimed to have someone reliable filling in as Hokage for the next two days. The way he smiled while admitting that almost caused Sakura to worry.

It went by fast and Sakura didn't remember much of it. They stayed up late drinking after the food was gone and then collectively went for a walk through the inn's gardens. It was a nice retreat area that Sakura mentioned wanting to come back to. Ino mentioned she and Sai would join them and Sakura realized later on that Ino thought Sakura meant with Kiba. The idea warmed her face but she could blame that on the sake.

The night wasn't young when they all returned to their rooms but thankfully the morning was empty on purpose. Hinata started getting ready before anyone but the wedding was in the afternoon and then the honeymoon was planned to start with the arrival of a traditional oxen cart like the kind the feudal lords packed their princesses up in. Once the bride and groom were away, the weekend was free for the guests to do as they pleased.

Sakura was slipping back into her room to grab some hair pins for Hinata, having taken up her role as hair support for the big day, only to be caught by Sasuke of all people in the hallway. She tried to pass him by with a wave and a smile but he caught her wrist and forced her to slow.

"Sakura, wait, I thought you wanted to talk?"

His confused tone made her pause enough to forget her annoyance at being touched without consent. "No, I don't know what I could have wanted to talk about. Don't you mean Naruto?"

"Is that what you're mad about? That I didn't come to see you when I came to give reports to Naruto."

"Naruto isn't hokage yet, he's just your old teammate, you were visiting your friend, I get it. I don't need to but in on that." Sakura tried to pull away but he refused to let go and even took a step, following her.

"You're angry with me but you're not willing to listen to me explain it. You gave me a lot to think about and I didn't know how to say it. I've been thinking about it all this time."

"Thinking about what?" Sakura slowly articulated, trying not to grow any more pissed off at how he was holding onto her. She could break his wrist and heal him in time for the wedding but she didn't want to cause drama on Hinata's big day.

"…About your confession."

"Sasuke that was over two years ago."

"But I never gave you my answer."

Sakura wanted to laugh but it came out sounding too cynical to call it such. "Yeah, I know ."

"I wanted to answer you."

"Ship's already sailed on that opportunity, Uchiha. I'm not an object you can leave on a shelf or a park bench and expect to come back to. I changed. I grew up."

"You haven't even heard what my answer would be. I've been considering your request carefully, but it's been dangerous and to involve you in my life when it's so chaotic would have been selfish, but I can answer you now. Sakura I-"

A rough hand snapped out and knocked Sasuke's hand off Sakura's wrist. Kiba stepped in, blocking Sasuke's view and shielding Sakura with his body.

"Oh no you don't," Kiba warned, eyes wide in warning. "You don't get to insult one of the strongest shinobi I've ever known as an excuse for your emotional incompetence. Get the fuck out of here if you're only going to talk shit to my girl."

"I wasn't finished speaking."

"No, but I was." Sasuke hesitated when he saw the dark look Sakura sent him. "See you at the wedding, Uchiha."

Sakura took Kiba's arm and turned away. Without speaking, Kiba walked with her and the two of them slipped into Hinata's room, unsurprised to hear the group inside scrambling away from the door. Ino looked near giddy and Hinata had to cover her mouth to hide her painted smile. Even Sai looked smug.

"Here are those pins you wanted, Hinata," Sakura said.

"I'll take it from here, go sit with your boy," Ino said, cutting in and pushing Sakura off to the side.

She didn't have the heart to argue so she sat next to Kiba by the door and held his hand. Throughout the ceremony and afterparty celebration Sakura found herself holding onto his hand or his arm more than not. She tried not to think about what that meant but as her friends took their vows and became husband and wife, pledging to one another their lives, Sakura started to fear the realization of what the heat in her heart meant.

"You okay?" He asked at one point after the ceremony. She felt his hand squeeze hers like a punctuation to the question. At the end of the room Hinata's hands were in Naruto's and the two of them only had eyes for each other. After so long they were finally cementing their love in a bond that meant something heavier, something that weighed them against the storm of life. Less adrift, they were with each other and anyone looking at them could see it.

Sakura inhaled and nodded, ignoring the heat in the base of her heart. "I think so, but I'll let you know in a couple days."

His brows drew together but he nodded and squeezed her hand again. This time it meant understanding.

Sakura watched with the rest of the crowd as the final vows were spoken and the ceremony concluded with a kiss for the ages. The room erupted into cheers and whoops. Sakura and others threw rice as Hinata ducked into Naruto's arms and raced through the arches of celebration, laughing louder than her husband.

Nearly a week later Sakura was still thinking about that laugh and how it made her feel inside. It sounded like solid joy.

The return trip came upon her in a flash and before she knew it Sakura was back in the village, making up her time off at the hospital and pulling double shifts that turned into triple shifts that left her barely human.

Ever the treasure, Ino came by on one of her lunch breaks with food to make sure Sakura ate and had some gossip to be distracted with. Unfortunately, it was hard to destress with gossip when one was the subject of trending rumors.

"Please don't ask me to try and explain it, I never understood him in the first place," Sakura sighed.

"It's hilarious though, you have to admit. Did he think you were like his dibs that no one else could move in on? It was what, three years, two years, and he never made contact?"

"I'm older and better off, don't make me feel twelve again." Sakura rubbed at her eyes and then cursed softly under her breath as her chakra beat back the budding migraine. "Talking about Sasuke tires me out."

Ino snorted. "It was one of the funniest things to see how pissed off Hinata was getting on your behalf."

"I feel bad that was something she had to be distracted with. It was supposed to only be about her and Naruto for the wedding."

"Trust me, she needed the distraction. She worried about too much, considering how well it went. Your drama with Sasuke was like television." Ino pouted cutely over at Sakura. "Plus you made an adorable couple with the wolf man himself. I didn't know Kiba could clean up so well."

At the mention of Kiba Sakura felt her chest pinch again as the hurt settled in her heart. "It was just for the week, you knew it was just to help me save face."

"You look like I killed your patient. Why? You don't want me mentioning Kiba? I thought you both made it back amicably." Ino's eyes went wide. "Was he a jerk? What did he do?"

The knee-jerk reaction of her friend was something Sakura would never get tired of, even if it sometimes got them into trouble. It was hard to not love a ride-or-die friend. "No, Kiba was perfect. I don't think I've ever felt so respected by a partner before. Hinata was a lifesaver for helping to set it up."

Ino watched Sakura, squinting. "Have you spoken with him recently?"

Sakura felt something akin to a drop in her heart. "Kiba?"

"Yeah," Ino confirmed. "You got along so well I figured you must have been secret best friends or something. You tricked more than just Sasuke into believing your love story. I figured you'd wanna hang out with the guy some more."

Sakura tried to heal her heart with chakra, the same way she had pushed back a migraine in her brain, but this soft ache didn't budge. Her heart throbbed again when she thought of Kiba. "Sasuke isn't in the village, there's no need to do that, besides…he's busy with Akamaru being so old and the vet business thing."

"You guys have more in common now that I think about it. He's not a medic but he's one of the best damn vets in the land of fire."

"The best," Sakura hurried to echo. "He really works so hard and does a phenomenal job, but so do I. We're both busy. There hasn't been a time that works to see him."

"You sure you're not just saying that?"

Sakura frowned. "I need to get back to the floor. I can't be off for much longer but thanks for lunch. This will keep me going until the end of my shift."

"Fine, forehead, be a brick wall," Ino groaned. "I've planted my brain seeds, I'm content to let them take root in your thoughts all on their own."

Sakura bid her friend farewell and returned to the floor, managing to finish her shift just as the evening began to paint the sky in shades of pink and lavender. When Sakura looked up she recognized shades of red behind the clouds and felt that pang in her heart again.

Oh fuck it.

She wasn't fifteen again, she wasn't going to be stupid.

Sakura turned around and headed in a different direction, away from home. By the time she made it the sunset was nearly over. From outside she could smell grilling meat and wood smoke. A few sharp knock later she heard a bark and then the door was swinging open.

"Oh-Sakura! I didn't expect it to be you," Kiba exclaimed. "What can I help you with?"

He smiled wide and she could see the peek of his canine over the edge of his bottom lip. He smelled like woodsmoke and spices she couldn't name, stirring her hunger. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"Yeah, I need your help with something. I think I fell in love with you and want to date for real this time, so will you go out with me?" Silence followed and she found herself flexing her sweaty palms and whispering one last, 'please.'

Sakura didn't know what she was supposed to expect after her confession but it wasn't tears. Big fat silent tears collected along the bottom half of his eyes. He sniffed and tears streaked down his cheeks.

"Kiba?"

"I was going to ask you first," you blubbered, rubbing at his face and smearing streaks. He inhaled deeply and swallowed the lump in his throat, wiping his hands on his shirt, leaving behind sauce stains. "Shit, I look like crap. I wasn't-I was supposed to-"

Sakura reached up for his face, cupping both sides between her hands and pulling down. She hesitated with his lips inches from hers and breathed in, invitation implied. Her eyes were almost as wide as his until they weren't. She wasn't sure who moved first but she tasted him and didn't resist when she was pulled up into his arms and swung around.

The weight in her heart had burst into butterflies and she felt as light as a cloud.

"So is that a yes?" Sakura teased.

AN: It's been a million years since I was last here but I wanted to try something.