"Well... when I was running away from my trainer.. I was knocked onto the ground by Sasuke and he frightens me until your father with his messy hair came to me with a flower... That's how I met him."
-
A FEW HOURS of running away from her annoying personal trainer, Ebisu, Ruka finally managed to calm herself down, catching her breath. She took a moment to observe her surroundings in Konoha, soaking in the sights and sounds of families enjoying themselves and kids her age playing around. Suddenly, without warning, she was knocked to the ground.
Her head hit the dirt hard, and her knee got scraped. Ruka pushed herself up, only to find an Uchiha glaring at her before walking away, leaving her stunned.
"Hey!" a loud voice yelled, and a boy with messy brown hair and a puppy on his head ran towards her. "Are you okay?"
Her blue eyes met his bright, determined gaze, and her lip started to quiver with fear as she remembered how the Uchiha had pushed and glared at her.
The boy panicked, urging her to stay while he dashed off to the Yamanaka Flowers shop. He quickly returned, ignoring the protests of the platinum blonde girl behind him, holding a stolen blue flower. "Here! A blue flower to cheer you up!"
Ruka stared at the flower in awe. "Beautiful," she whispered, taking it. "Thank you." A hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks, causing the boy to smile, revealing his fang. "My name is Kiba, and this is Akamaru!" The puppy on his head let out a cute bark.
"Hi," Ruka replied, finding herself blushing as she smiled back. "My name is Ruka."
---
AFTER THE INCIDENT, Ruka and Kiba began to hang out every day. Eventually, Kiba decided to take her somewhere special. He took her hand and led her into a room, and Ruka asked, "Where are we?"
Awe spread across Ruka's face as she saw ten puppies crowded together, playing around. "They're so cute," she exclaimed. Kiba, ruffling the fur of one of the puppies, told her, "These are the new cubs we are going to train to become Ninja dogs."
Ruka tilted her head curiously. "Kiba, why did you bring me here?"
"I know how much you love cats, and I don't like cats," Kiba huffed, annoyed. "So I wanted you to start liking dogs more, so we could get along better."
He watched as she played with the puppies, a small smile on his face. "One day, I'm going to be a Hokage, just like your grandfather. Maybe I will create a holiday for dogs."
Ruka's lips twitched upwards as she listened to him. "Why a Hokage?"
"Because..." he trailed off, averting his eyes. "Unlike your clan, mine isn't influential or noble. In order to be with you, I need to be on the same level as you. You deserve someone strong."
"And I want to be that someone."
Ruka's blue eyes softened as she absorbed his words. "I promise that I will always protect you," he told her, determination evident in his voice. "And when we're grown up, I'm going to marry you, so stay with me always, okay?"
"Okay, I'll be waiting," Ruka whispered, causing him to grin at her.
There was something about Kiba that drew Ruka in. Despite their opposite interests and personalities, they enjoyed each other's presence. Kiba Inuzuka was a loud and energetic boy, while Ruka Sarutobi was reserved and quiet. But those differences didn't bother them because they found joy in being together.
