What we're Interested in

Arg…who knows where this one came from…? Well, I don't have much to say…except that if you don't like the idea of two boys together as in *together* you better leave…ok, still there? Good, you may proceed! ^^

Oh and I'm not sure about the ninja class names, as they've been completely translated in my language…

"Come on, Akamaru." The boy lightly comforted, patting the pup that was in his jacket. "You'll see, things will turn out okay, don't be sad!"

Ino raised an eyebrow as team 10 walked next to them. "I'll never understand why you keep talking to your dog…" She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Some dogs are more intelligent than some humans, you know." He retorted.

"Kiba…" Hinata said softly, trying to avoid a fight between the two.

Finally Choji broke the stare contest that had started between them. "Ino, Shikamaru, what do you say we go and eat something? I'm hungry…"

"Fine." Shikamaru said in his same monotonous tone of voice.

Ino humpfed and walked off, following the two boys.

Shino shook his head at her behaviour. "Well, we'll see each other tomorrow." He said before leaving.

"I better go as well, Kiba. See you tomorrow. Bye Akamaru." Hinata said before she left, too.
Kiba sighed as he watched them leave. Life was indeed complicated these days. No one had expected an attack form the sand village, but especially, no one would have thought that they would lose their Hokage.

Sighing one last time, he made his way back home, trying not to think too much about all that had been and was going on.

000

"Alright, go Akamaru!" he exclaimed as he raced from tree to tree, closely followed by the pup. "Try and catch me if you can!" He called out before speeding up. He stopped and hid behind a tree, safe on the ground. He heard Akamaru getting closer and concentrated to hide his presence.

"Aowtch!"

He opened his eyes to see Shikamaru harbouring his expression of boredom, while Akamaru was holding on to his vest. Kiba laughed a little as he walked to them, calling his dog. "Sorry about that."

Shikamaru raised his head to him and shrugged. "S'okay."

"So…" Kiba started, "Where's the rest of your team?"

Another shrug. "Dunno. I was bored, so I decided to ditch practice today…we didn't have any missions anyway…"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Does anything not annoy you? Does anything even interest you?"

Yet another shrug. "Depends. Some days yes, and some, no."

Kiba rolled his eyes to the sky. /Really, Kiba…of all the people to have a crush on you had to go and pick Mr I'm-bored./

Akamaru growled as his master had forgotten about him. Gathering speed, he jumped on his master's back, causing him to stumble. Out of reflexes, Shikamaru moved to grab him, but miscalculated his move. He did end up supporting Kiba, but then he also ended up having their lips pressed together.

Kiba's eyes widened and he quickly scrambled back, blushing madly. He took Akamaru in his arms and muttered a brief apology before leaving. Shikamaru just stood there, not sure of what had exactly just happened, and what to think of it.

000

"I'm home!" Kiba shouted as he entered his house.

"Already?" Said his mother, entering the room. "Didn't you say the two of you were going to practise?"

"Yeah, we were. Not anymore."

"Did anything happen?" She asked. "Your face is all red."

He blushed even more and quickly dismissed it with a wave of his hand as he walked to his room.

Once in he quickly locked the door. He took off his vest and threw it on a chair before slumping on his bed, his head buried in his pillow. Akamaru growled softly, nuzzling his cheek, as if asking what was wrong.

Groaning deeply, Kiba turned around and took the pup in his hands. "You know, Akamaru," he started as the pup tried to lick his fingers. "Someone once said that it was sad that dogs didn't feel love between each other, that it was all hormones; but sometimes I wonder if in the end you're not the lucky ones. Loving someone, from what little I know, can be a real pain."

The puppy stopped his licking and looked at him with his head cocked to the side, not understanding what his master was sad about.

Kiba sighed again and let the dog rest on his chest. "But he does have soft lips…" He told him as if he were sharing his greatest secret.

000

Team 10 was walking down the streets, following Choji to a place to eat. It seemed that Ino, that day, ate for the first time in weeks.

"If you weren't on a diet, you wouldn't actually be that hungry." Shikamaru pointed out.

"And actually, eating that much in one time, or eating regularly, there's no difference for your body. It's even worse." Choji continued.

Ino stopped her eating to glare at them. "You could never understand what it means to a girl. Right, Hinata?" she asked.

The boys turned around to see team 8. Hinata nervously played with her fingers. "Hinata's on the clever side: she's understood that it's no use to go on a diet with the kind of training we're put trough." Kiba commented, doing his best not to look at Shikamaru.

Ino pointed an accusing finger at Choji. "Then how come he's still…you know." She said, almost letting slip through the forbidden word.

"He's not eating, he's stuffing himself. Besides, it's his jutsu." Shikamaru reminded her.

Ino grumbled and went back to eating as team 8 sat down, Shikamaru and Kiba ending up being next to each other. But the meal went on actually fine, though in uncomfortable silence.

When they were finished, Kiba excused himself. Shikamaru followed him. "Kiba!" he called out.

The other boy stopped dead and took a deep breath before the other fell in step with him. They walked in silence for some time in the deserted streets. Finally Shikamaru broke it. "Eh, you know…bout the other day…well, sorry bout that."

Kiba frowned and looked sideways. "Yeah…well…" He clenched his hand in a fist. "…I'm not."

Shikamaru looked at him surprised.

"…forget I ever said that. Bye!" He said but before he could leave Shikamaru grabbed his arm.

"There is something I'm interested in, Kiba. Or rather, someone." He simply said.

000

Ino squeaked in delight as she spotted Sasuke. Immediately her eyes were burning with determination. "Shikamaru!" she called.

"Yeah?" he replied with a big sigh of annoyance.

"We're gonna sneak on him and then you're going to use your shadow jutsu to immobilize him, got that?" she asked pointing to the poor Sasuke who was currently in a verbal fight with Naruto.

But Shikamaru wasn't listening. He felt something pulling at his trousers and looked down to see Akamaru nibbling at the tissue. He looked up again and spotted Kiba next to a tree. After sending a careful glance to Ino, he made his way to him.

"Okay?" Ino asked. She frowned as she noticed he wasn't there anymore. She growled and stomped her foot on the ground. "Where is he? Now my plan's screwed!"

"Hey." He said as he came next to him.

"Hey yourself."

"So…what's up?"

Kiba looked sideways and shrugged, "Nothing much…just figured I'd 'rescue' you from the infamous Ino and her plans to get Sasuke…"

Shikamaru for once smiled, "And I thank you for that."

They didn't say anything more. Akamaru looked between the two, not really understanding his master's reactions this time. He barked playfully while turning around them and pulled again on Shikamaru's trousers, then on Kiba's, before trotting a bit further into the woods, stopping not far to wait for them.

The boys exchanged glances and followed him, walking slowly, taking their time.

Eventually, Shikamaru pulled a hand out of his pocket and reached to grab Kiba's in it. The other boy's heart skipped a beat and he turned to look at his friend. Just as he might've expected, Shikamaru was looking straightforward, doing his best to act like all was normal. Smiling, Kiba looked up again and gave a light squeeze at their linked hands.

Akamaru was merrily leaping about before them, completely unaware of what was going on behind him.

After some walking, they came to a hill from which they could see the whole village. It was night time already, and the houses were lit by lamps, positioned about everywhere. They let go of each other's hand as they sat, Akamaru happily nestled in Kiba's lap.

"What is it like…?" the boy asked after some time. "Being a chuunin, I mean. And I swear I'll make you regret it if you say 'boring'." He added as the other was about to answer.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and looked at the city, as if thinking about the question. "I'd say so far…it hasn't been very…different. I thought it'd be more interesting, but I'm still stuck with the same people." He thought a little more. "That was unfair…they're not that bad…even Ino's fine when she's not in her Sasuke-hunting mode." He reached a hand to pet Akamaru's head, earning a contented noise from the puppy.

Kiba smiled as his hand scratched the pup's ears. "He likes you."

Shikamaru smiled and their gazes met. From then, neither did move, nor speak. Only after some time did Shikamaru slowly lean it, until his lips met Kiba's. The boy closed his eyes instantly and kissed back. It was very awkward, for the both of them. But all things considered it went relatively well…

"You don't cease to amaze me tonight." Kiba commented softly as they pulled back.

"Going to complain? That's my part." The other teased back.

"Wouldn't dream of stealing it." He assured before leaning in again.

000

It was a day much like any other; team 10 was training in the forest, practising new jutsus they had to study.

Shikamaru sighed and turned to Asuma. "Ne, sensei, when will we be finished?"

Asuma turned to him and puffed his cigarette. /Bored, as always./ he thought. "You're gonna practise a little more with those techniques and then I suppose you can leave."

The boy shrugged. "As long as we're finished by six." And he walked off to his team mates.

Asuma Sarutobi was a jounin class ninja. Of course, that meant he was capable of taking in practically anything and was able to deal with it efficiently. But Asuma wasn't capable of dealing with a Shikamaru Nara that accepted to do what he was told without complaining. Asuma nearly fainted. "Something big must be up with that kid…" he muttered.

End

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