Title: Lost 'Til Found

A/N: I wrote this one-shot for a club on another site. Not one of my best works. Short, simple and somewhat fluffy, but it could've been better. Thank God for Sango and her Beta-ing skills. She was able to make this somewhat readable. *Beta'd by SangoStar*

Warnings: Mild Yaoi, Fluff, ItaKiba

Kiba's feet hurt. The new flip-flops he had bought while he was at the store had torn through the skin between his toes and his ankles ached from running. "Akamaru!" He strained his neck to see down the many streets, his eyes darting from one road to the next in hopes of seeing that flash of white. His ears strained in hopes he would hear Akamaru's distinct yipping. It wasn't like Akamaru to run off like that and it had started to worry him that it was going on nearly an hour since he had seen him. "Akamaru! Where are ya buddy?" His throat was dry, his voice hoarse from shouting.

Two men on bicycles rode from the direction Kiba was walking. He ran toward them with an arm outstretched.

"Wait, please." He heaved heavy breaths as he doubled over, resting on his knees as they stopped in-front of him. "I'm sorry, excuse me. Have you seen my dog? He's really small, white with brown ears. Short haired," He lifted his hands and boxed them, demonstrating how small Akamaru was. "His name's Akamaru."

The men looked at each other, dressed as men of the church; the kind of people that went door to door spreading the word of God. They shook their heads and looked back at Kiba.

"No, sorry. We haven't seen any dog." The one on the left said in a sad tone, looking genuinely sorry. "If we see him anywhere, we'll come find you. Alright?"

Kiba shook his head, looking down at his feet and then nodded. "Alright, thank you." He turned around to check around the apartments one last time. He lived here too long for Akamaru to run too far out of the area. "Akamaru, come here boy!" He screamed as loud as he possible could. "Akamaru! Come he-!"

"Does this belong to you?" Kiba turned quickly, his eyes landing upon the familiar dark face of his friend's older brother. In his hands, Itachi held Akamaru by the scruff.

"Akamaru!" Kiba was overjoyed as Itachi dropped the dog to the ground. Akamaru sprung forward, yipping happily. Kiba scooped the dog into his arms, cradling the animal close. "Akamaru, I missed you buddy. What were you thinking running off like that?" He glared down at the small animal in his arms, Akamaru whining softly in reply.

Itachi turned away, heading for home. "Watch your dog better next time." Kiba looked after the taller man for a moment before hurrying to catch up with him.

"Hey," He fell into step beside him, staring up. Itachi was rather intimidating, if only by height alone. "Thank you for finding Akamaru for me." Kiba chuckled, scratching at his head. "It's not like him to run off like that, you know?"

"No, I don't know. I'm more a cat person myself. They come back without needing to be looked after." Itachi replied in a cool tone, looking ahead with his hands shoved in his pockets. "But I do understand the attachment to an animal and the worry of losing them. So you're welcome." He spoke before Kiba could snap at him for his short, emotionless reply.

Kiba stopped walking and stared after Itachi in mild surprise. He remembered thinking that in that moment, he knew Sasuke was wrong. Itachi wasn't a heartless devil; he had a warm side, too.

He ran forward and grabbed a hold of Itachi, hugging him from behind. Itachi stopped walking, taken by surprise by the sudden show of affection. He looked over his shoulder and raised a brow as Kiba snuggled into him, but said nothing. After a moment of awkward silence, Kiba released Itachi and stepped back, chuckling with embarrassment.

"Heh, sorry about that." A heavy hand was placed on his scalp and he turned up to see Itachi's calm smile.

"Come on, I'll make you some tea." Itachi offered and motioned for Kiba to follow him. After a moment, Kiba smiled and walked after him, Akamaru dancing around his feet, yipping excitedly.