It was hot. Really hot. Kiba could feel sweat trickling down almost every part of his body as he trudged back to his house, Akamaru walking behind him, about two feet behind him. It was too hot to even think of going near another person, let alone a dog that gave off heat like a portable oven. He shut his eyes, trying to convince himself that it was a nice cool day, with a breeze blowing….Only succeeding in making himself groan in acute longing. He hated Konoha's summers; well, not all the time. Only when it got this hot. So maybe all the time.

He breached the top of a huge hill and moaned again. Down below him he could see a glittering sapphire lake. He almost began to run towards it before remembering that it was Haruno property. How lucky were they? He was willing to bet anything that Sakura was swimming in it right now, nice and cool and…

…hot and sweaty and covered in grass and dirt because she was sitting on the hill right below him, under the sakura tree that dominated the hump of land. Her pink hair was spread out above her head, and she had apparently pulled off her shirt, because she was only wearing a sports bra and shorts. He felt himself blushing as his eyes (how untrustworthy they were!) attempted to wander along the creamy skin. She didn't burn in summer, he thought, amused. How interesting…

She was watching the clouds. Her emerald eyes were dark, reflecting the azure sky above her. Something made him want to follow her gaze, look at whatever she was looking at. How on earth could clouds be interesting?

"It's weird," he heard her say suddenly and jumped. "Ever since I saw Shikamaru that one day, I've sat here, on this hill, and watched the clouds. Pretty stupid, huh?" She moved her head slightly so that her neck was bent back to look at him. "I mean, what kind of person watches the clouds?"

For some reason, it was like her words were an invitation. He walked over and sat down next to her, Akamaru wriggling in between them. She giggled as the dog began to lick her face.

"He's sweet," she said, her voice slightly muffled as the animal settled himself on her shoulders. Kiba blushed, even though there was no reason to. It just seemed like the correct thing to do, although he didn't know why. "You know, I used to wish that I had a dog, but my parents would never buy me one. They said that it would be too much work and responsibility. I told them that I was a ninja, and was extremely responsible, but I think that they wouldn't buy me one just for that reason."

"What?" Kiba looked over at her. Why was she telling him, Inuzuka Kiba, all of this personal stuff? It made no sense to him whatsoever. But, being Kiba, and curious, he pursued the subject. "Why would they be mad?"

"My parents didn't want me to be a shinobi," she said with a sigh. "They wanted me to be perfect, to stay their little girl forever, instead of someone who got dirty with the ones spreading the dirt. It was selfish of them really, but they only wanted best.

"And, unfortunately, what they think is best and what I think is best is very, very different."

"But why did this affect your dog problem?"

"Because," she said, turning to look back at the sky, "getting a dog would be like a reward for becoming a kunoichi, and they certainly did not want to reward me. That would be against their taboo, practically." She laughed bitterly, then sighed. "But, it is way too hot to be angry, so I will live my life in silence, and try to forget the Puppy Incident. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll have a whole house full of dogs. Then they won't even be able to visit me, because it will be like an ugly scar on their perfect record. Our daughter got dogs when she became a kunoichi. They would hate me forever. All because I grew up with dogs at my aunt's house." She was laughing again, but this time with downright humor. And he found himself laughing right along with her at the irony of it.

Finally, they subsided, staring back up at the clouds again. The puffs of creamy white floated across the sky serenely, forming shapes in imitation of what went on below them. Suddenly, Sakura pointed upward.

"See that cloud right there? That's Ino shouting at Shikamaru for being lazy, even though it's way too hot." Kiba stared in disbelief. It was. He could pick out every detail, right down to Shikamaru's earring. He felt himself suddenly panic. What if the clouds reflected them up above Konoha for all to see? "But now they're making up and Shikamaru's…. Wow." They both stared up, in horror and amusement as the cloud floated past lazily, as if it was trying to flaunt it's picture. For a brief moment there was silence, then howls of laughter (and quite literally, in Akamaru's case) erupted from both of them.

"I don't believe it," Sakura finally gasped. "Who would have thought Shikamaru would do that? He's just too lazy!"

After that, they simply sat there, pointing out cloud shapes. Once Kiba found Hyuuga Neji, a scowl etched upon his "gorgeous" features as he sat meditating. Another time they caught Naruto eating ramen while Sasuke stared into oblivion, his eyes formed by two slightly darker clouds. And then they caught themselves, Sakura lying down and pointing up, Akamaru stretched lazily across her torso like liquid, and himself, eyes wide open. They forgot about the heat for a while; when watching clouds, heat is not important.

"Kiba?" Sakura asked suddenly. He had finally lain back in the grass, so as to see the sky better, he told himself. Turning his head, he looked over, and suddenly realized that she was very close.

"Yeah?" There was an awkward silence, then she turned her face back up to the heavens and sighed. "What do you think life is all about?"

"What?" He was shocked, and suddenly, for no reason, frightened. Why was she asking him this? "Life?"

"Yeah. I mean, why are we here right now, laughing at the images clouds make? Is there a reason?"

Take pleasure in the simple things, because in this world there aren't many. He had heard Sakura proclaiming that once, on the first day of their classes. She had said it quietly, only loud enough for her and someone right behind her to hear, but he had been right behind her. He could still see her sad little head bent forward, hair hanging mournfully over her face. Her shoulders were hunched up, as if to hide form the world, and he suddenly couldn't recognize the two. They seemed so different, the two Sakuras, even though they were one and the same.

"I think that there's a reason that we aren't meant to know," he said finally, stating his thoughts in the simplest fashion. "I don't think that we will find out until we die, because that would make sense."

There was another silence, but this one was just right. They both lay there, minds performing a wild dance around the thoughts and feelings that made up their lives. He closed his eyes, feeling the sun beat down on his sweaty skin. The heat suddenly hit him in a wave and he grinned, suddenly glad for the rush of feeling.

It was so realistic. That was what he wanted in life. Realism. Something tangible, he decided. Not just a gift from the sky that wasn't real.

But no. This was real. Everything that had just happened was real, but a different kind. The fantastic kind that only happened in stories. And it all happened on a hill.

"Thanks, Kiba…"The words trailed across the air with a liquid edge to them, and he was once again thrown into wonderful chaos. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and jumped. Sakura was staring at him from the air, Akamaru standing beside her.

"Hey, Kiba. Wanna go swimming?"

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It was odd, Shikamaru decided. Very odd. Sakura and Kiba had suddenly become friends. And another thing as well. Whenever they saw him and Ino, they burst out laughing. Could they know what had happened yesterday? No, the genius decided. The clouds would have had to tell them that.

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Author's Note:

I have had this in my head for a really long time, after someone asked me to do it. Sorry if Kiba's a little OOC, but I haven't ever written for him and it was a little awkward. I hope that you like it.

For the Ino/Shikamaru part, please, just use your imagination. I had some thoughts in my head that should not be written down in this story, although they are rather entertaining.