Chapter 6: Part of Being a Genin

 

 

        “What!?” All four of you shouted simultaneously, as you all took a few steps away from Kakashi.

        “Woah woah woah hold on a minute.” You began.

        “Why are you letting someone like her on this team?” Sasuke growled out.

        “S-Sensei, our squad already has three people!”

        “This is awesome!!” Naruto randomly yelled.

        “You all heard me.”

        “You never told me I had to be part of a squad!”

        “What did you think was going to happen?”

        “Wait, you made a deal with her?” Sasuke asked angrily. You turned and glared at him, and he fully returned it.

        “I made an offer, and she accepted.”

        “Why would you even make an offer to her?”

        “Why is it any of your business?” The air around you two became thick and tense, as you two continued to be locked in a heated glare. Sakura wanted to say something about this whole situation, but she was simply too shocked and uncomfortable with this new atmosphere to break the awkward silence. Naruto was, of course, confused over what was happening, but he did see that spark of rivalry flash between you and Sasuke. It reminded him of his own dislike with Sasuke, which got him really excited, so he had no problem with saying what was on his mind, even if it wasn’t the best time to say anything at all.

        “Aw I think it’s cool that-” His words drifted off into thin air, as Sasuke cut him off.

        “It’s important if I have to work with an infamous, petty, thief.” He said thief in such disgust you began to growl under your breath.

        “Man, it’s bad enough that I have to be part of a squad, but now I have to work with such an infamous asshole.”

        “At least I’m not a dirty little rotten criminal.”

        “Says the stupid playboy with hair shaped like a duck’s ass!”

        “And how do you even know about me?”

        “I get around a lot.” No one could mistake the pure sarcasm laced within your voice.

        “You mean you scurry around with the rats like the rotten scum you are?” Naruto’s and Sakura’s eyes widened a considerable amount. Even when he was talking to Naruto, he had never been this harsh and cruel. Kakashi watched on with a seemingly emotionless face, not reacting at all to the raging argument in front of him.

        “If I actually did, at least the rats would be better company than you, you little piece of shit.”

        “If I’m a piece of shit, then what does that make you, thief.”

        “Still better than you, jackass.” He crossed his arms.

        “Hn. At least I’m not a greedy little girl who steals from people like a coward and thinks she’s something other than a lowlife street rat.” Your own eyes widened at this. He was really starting to piss you off. He didn’t know a thing about your life, he had no right to say this to you. “I don’t even know why it would be so hard to catch you in the first place. You know, I bet you’re a fraud, you’re not as powerful as everyone claims you to be. You’re fake, weak.” You took an angry step forward, and even though Sasuke was a few inches taller, you got dangerously close to his face, and balled your fists at your sides so hard your knuckles turned white.

        “You really wanna go pretty boy? I’ll take you on right now.” He leaned his head down as well so that both of you were only a couple inches apart. He uncrossed his arms and brought them down to his sides.

        “Bring it on, Shadow Fox.” Your dark (E/C) eyes continued to stare into his challenging onyx orbs for a couple more seconds, until Kakashi finally decided to interrupt your heated moment.

        “Excellent idea, (Y/N).” You and Sasuke broke your glare and turned your now less harsh looks to Kakashi. “A sparring match is exactly what you all need.” This got everyone else’s attentions. “Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke against (Y/N).” Immediately an excited grin spread across Naruto’s face.

        “Really!? I get to go against the Shadow Fox (Y/N)!! This is gonna rock, believe it!!!” He fist bumped the air in a burst of energy while Sakura stared at you with a slightly paled expression, and Sasuke just glared at Kakashi.

        “This is a good chance to show your teammates how you can best incorporate yourself into the squad by demonstrating your strengths and weaknesses and fighting style. Even something as simple as your chakra level, nature and control is useful information to know so you can best work with your team.” Naruto was still beaming with joy, and it appeared that he had ignored Kakashi the whole time, not caring about that. Sakura seemed to not like the idea of fighting since she still kept a very pale complexion. Sasuke stared at Kakashi with a glint of interest and something else in his eyes. Surprisingly, Sakura had finally been able to voice what was on her mind.

        “Kakashi Sensei, isn’t three against one completely unfair?” Kakashi just seemed to smile under his mask as he closed his eyes and tilted his head in an innocent kind of way.

        “Nonsense. (Y/N) here can handle herself just fine… you’ll see.” He said rather vaguely. You know, you haven’t actually seen me in action either… but you did say you talked to Guy, so I guess you do have some idea about my abilities. Sakura looked at your now smirking form in surprise, and Naruto did so with a newfound determination in his eyes. He brought his left fist up in front of his chest and grinned.

        “Oh yeah, I can’t wait!” He confidently cheered. You flashed him a very quick half smile, then turned back to Sasuke and devilishly smirked, just as he was turning back to you as well.

        “Now I’ll show you what a thief’s really made of.” He smirked as well, though it wasn’t like Naruto’s determined one or your playful one. It was threatening, and the fact that he was still glaring at you made his demeanor seem worse, but that didn’t affect you at all.

        “Like I said, bring it on, Shadow Fox.” Your smirk only widened in response. You closed your eyes and with a confident snort, you walked to the opposite side of the field. You started cracking your joints as you turned around and faced Squad 7. You cracked your knuckles, fingers, shoulders, back, and neck still flashing everyone a devious smirk. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stood across from you respectively, all of them, even Sakura, stood with some kind of determination and confidence. Kakashi stood off to the right of you, halfway between you and the other three, staring at you guys with an almost emotionless expression.

        “Alright, you all know the rules. Any weapons and jutsu are allowed. If you’re not prepared to kill, don’t expect to win.” This made your smirk widen considerably, and you swore Sasuke did the same thing. A light breeze blew through the field, your (H/L) (H/C) hair swaying with the wind along with everyone else’s. As the wind died down, silence once again filled the tense air around you. “BEGIN!” Kakashi yelled.

        Naruto immediately had his hands up in a clone seal, but Sasuke stepped forward and quickly made his own hand signs, beating him to the first attack.

        “Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!” He blew a huge breath of intense flame from his mouth heading straight for you, but you were far from worried. You remained motionless, and as his fireball appeared only a mere foot away, you acted. You stepped forward with your right leg while simultaneously putting your palms out in front of you and forcing out your hidden blades. Your right palm and blade were on top while your left was turned upside down and below your right. Sasuke’s fireball fit perfectly between your blades, and in the blink of an eye you sent your chakra into the fireball, spun around while moving your arms horizontally and rotating your palms, and then finally you faced forward again with your left palm and blade now on top and your right upside down on the bottom, and blasted Sasuke’s fireball right back at him and at the other two as well.

        Sasuke, as well as Naruto and Sakura, were blown back by the fireball, and they all collided with a loud thud into the trees behind them. A satisfied smirk dawned your lips as you retracted your blades back into your gauntlets. However, you felt bad that Naruto and Sakura were hit so hard, since they hadn’t done anything to you before, and you already forgave Naruto for punching you in the face the other day. But the reason you were still smirking so devilishly and you should no signs of regret, was because you were sure Sasuke had taken most of the hit. That should teach him not to underestimate me. Sakura was laying on her right side, and she was trying to prop herself up with her elbow, but she was shaking so much you were surprised that she was able to hold herself up. Naruto was leaning up against a tree, and he was turning his head to face you as best he could. Sasuke was sitting hunched up against his tree, coughing and trying to get more air into his system. Their surprised, wide eyed gazes finally fell on your smirking, completely unscathed one, and you could now clearly see a couple scratches, scrapes, and burn marks on their faces, arms, and legs, and it admittedly started making you feel more guilty, for Naruto and Sakura at least.

        “H-How did you do that?” Sasuke stuttered. “You couldn’t have possibly deflected that attack!” You deviously grinned, showing them your teeth.

        “A magician never reveals their secrets, or, at least, a shinobi never does in the middle of a fight, anyway.” You replied tauntingly. You saw Sasuke scowl as Naruto was the first to stand up, using the tree he was in front of as support.

        “Who cares what she did? She’s strong, really strong! So let’s work together and kick her butt!!” As Sasuke and Sakura slowly began to stand up, he made his famous clone seal. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Instantly, puffs of white clouds appeared all around you, and they all just as quickly poofed away to reveal many Narutos now surrounding you from all sides and angles. You couldn’t tell exactly how many there were, but there were a lot more than you certainly expected, which only made everything more interesting.

        You glanced from side to side at all the Narutos confidently grinning at you, but you knew that they won’t be so in a few seconds. You stopped looking around, as your eyes slowly drifted to your left, locking your gaze directly on the real Naruto. Just as you thought, the real Naruto changed from his cocky grin to a shocked face as you looked right at his now nervous blue eyes. Not wasting anymore time, you dashed to your left and sprinted towards the real Naruto at full speed. 

        His shadow clones immediately jumped on you from all around, and just before the first one was able to lay even a finger on you, you forced out your blades and swiped at every single one that crossed your path. The best part was even though shadow clones were real, unlike the usual clones, they were formed from the user’s shadow to create an exact copy of both form and power, so they took even less force to defeat than usual. You kept swiping, spinning, and slashing while still running directly ahead to the real Naruto. You didn’t run into too much trouble as you were getting closer and closer to your target, now becoming more clear as the number of clones dwindled down into only a few. You were almost there.

        All of a sudden, a kunai came flying right at your back and three shuriken headed to your left. But just as quickly as they had appeared, you swiftly held up your left wrist and deflected all of the shuriken with the metal of your gauntlet covered arm in three quick flashes, and as you stopped running, you turned to your right and caught the kunai with your right index and middle finger just as the pointed blade was a few centimeters away from your right cheek. Your eyes drifted to your right and revealed your unamused and concentrated expression to a shock filled Sasuke, who had thrown the kunai, as everyone else stared at you in disbelief. You then suddenly turned behind you and threw the kunai all the way towards the bushes where a certain girly, high pitched screech of surprise followed. 

        You admit that it was a clever plan they had. While Naruto was distracting you with his shadow clones, you wouldn’t notice Sasuke and Sakura slowly recovering and take positions to surround you. Sakura had hid in the bushes all the way across the field, while Sasuke stood a good safe distance behind you, and once the moment was right, they would strike you. Little did they know, your vision was very exceptional, and you never forgot about those two for a second. You had noticed right away that they had moved, and that was when you predicted their strategy. Plus, the fact that your reflexes and instincts were in top shape because of your lifestyle, or should you say old lifestyle, would’ve reacted to their attacks even if you hadn’t seen them at all.

        While everyone was still staring at you in their shocked trances, you managed to dash behind Naruto, who was so lost in thought that he had gotten rid of the rest of his clones, and hold him in place by grabbing his arms and waist with your left arm. You forced out both your blades and put your right one close to his neck, and the other on his stomach. You gave everyone a stern cold expression, as they had already come out of their trances and had started to make a run for you, but they had immediately stopped once they saw your blade close to Naruto’s neck. Poor Naruto was slightly shaking in your hold, due to the threat of possibly getting his neck, as well as his stomach, cut open with your blades if he moved too much. Although, you would really never allow that to happen.

        Sakura and Sasuke continued to stand in their far away positions, dumbfounded, and they made no move to try and rescue Naruto from your grasp. Even if they did, it would most definitely end in vain due to your threatening hold on him. Kakashi sighed.

        “It seems (Y/N) has won.” He tsked. “She didn’t even have to use any jutsu to do it.” He mumbled. As everyone stared at him in confusion, you cocked your head to the side in a mock innocence and concern.

        “Should I have?” He sighed again.

        “No, this actually perfect. Maybe now they won’t underestimate an opponent, even if they do have the upper advantage… in more ways than one.” He muttered the last part out so quietly only your ears could pick it up, and so you tried your hardest not to laugh. “Let that be a lesson to all of you, even you (Y/N).” Sasuke opened his mouth, about to speak, but his eyes landed on your blade that was still near Naruto’s neck, so he closed his mouth and stopped himself from saying anything. You raised a brow at his peculiar silent actions.

        “What? What are you looking at?” You followed Sasuke’s line of sight, and found that it was your blades he was eying. You looked back up to him to see that he was no longer looking at your blades, but was now making eye contact with you.

        “Shouldn’t you put the blade away?” He asked in an angered tone, yet you detected a hint of nervousness as well. That’s when you realized what had him in such a state.

        “Wait, do you think… that I’m gonna hurt Naruto?” You said with a bit of humor in your own voice. You then started laughing, forgetting about Naruto still being in your hold, and still keeping your blades near his flesh. You were still laughing pretty hard as you retracted your blades and finally let go of Naruto, completely ignoring the ‘thud’ that followed. “Damn Uchiha, you’re actually pretty funny. Who knew under all that ‘cold’, ‘brooding’, ‘bad boy’ act you actually have a sense of humor. Me hurt Naruto, HA! Hilarious! Come on, I’d never hurt him.” A sudden groan of pain pulled you out of your fit of laughter, and you looked down to see that Naruto was laying slumped, face down on the ground. You chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of your neck. “Eh heh, well, except now, but this totally doesn’t count, since it was an accident” Naruto had meanwhile picked himself up off the ground, and now sat on his butt. You looked down at him. “Heh, sorry Naruto.” You apologized sheepishly. You held out your hand for him to take, and with an ear-to-ear grin he cheerfully accepted your help. You swiftly pulled him back up to his feet, and flashed him an apologetic smile, while he still kept his usual close eyed grin and gave you a thumbs up.

        “It’s alright (Y/N).” At that moment, you felt something throbbing in your chest, and you realized that it was your heart. It wasn’t beating out of pain like you had always been used to, but rather, it was a feeling you had really never experienced before, except when you were with the sand trio. For the second time in your life, something was filling the empty void in your chest, and even though it was only a feeling you had felt recently, you knew exactly what it meant. Did I just form some kind of bond with Naruto? You and Naruto were still smiling at each other, until Kakashi decided to pipe in.

        “Not to ruin your moment you guys, but if (Y/N) really was an enemy, Naruto would be dead by now.” Naruto paled slightly at this realization, and your smile turned into a half smirk.

        “Well, really, no one else has these weapons but me, so you’d be fine.” Naruto blew a breath of relief. “So just imagine my blades as kunai, and that’s what it would actually be like, so yeah, you’d still be dead. But, I guess it wouldn’t be as painful.” You said so nonchalantly, you actually almost sounded cheerful at the prospect. Naruto paled even more at your statement, but you quickly tried to calm him down again. You leaned in, bringing your hand up to the side of your mouth, and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry, kunai would be much better to deal with anyway, since my blades are way sharper and flexible to use than even shuriken.” Naruto once again looked relieved. “But seriously, my blades are super deadly.” He shivered and gulped at remembering your blades close to his neck and stomach, which you mischievously chuckled at. You leaned back from his ear and flashed him an innocent smile, which he returned with a still nervous close eyed grin.

        “That was pretty awesome (Y/N), how’d you do it?” Naruto asked, recovering from your teasing. You shrugged your shoulders.

        “Just do.”

        “Well, I’ll tell you this.” He pointed a finger at you. “I’ll grow stronger, and one day, I’ll defeat you, and become Hokage!” You smirked.

        “And I definitely won’t back down anytime soon.” He confidently grinned, and you returned it with just as much emotion.

        “Sensei, maybe we should do one on one battles… so we don’t have to deal with someone reckless and impulsive like Naruto.” Sakura half grumbled. Said blonde boy sweatdropped, even as he still kept his finger pointed at you.

        “Hmm, maybe you’re right.” Kakashi replied. Naruto’s jaw dropped, and he turned his now annoyed and angered expression towards Kakashi.

        “Heeey!! What the hell is that supposed to mea-“

        “I’ll be her opponent.” Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked at Kakashi like he’d gone mad. An almost tense silence filled the field, but the white haired Jonin wasn’t affected at all by everyone’s gazes. You smirked, and cracked your knuckles in response.

        “Sure. I’ll take you on.” You said cockily. Everyone now averted their now even more shocked gazes to you, like you were even crazier than Kakashi was, but your confident smirk didn’t change one bit. Once again, a tense and suspenseful silence encompassed the area, while Kakashi gave you a close eyed smile.

        “Perfect.” Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura looked back and forth between Kakashi’s normal masked expression to your still confident grin. They took Kakashi’s word as a sign to move out of the way of the fight, but not before Naruto stayed behind and leaned in close to your ear.

        “Don’t be surprised when he pulls out his stupid pervy book and reads during the middle of the fight.” He whispered. You raised a brow, but you quickly shrugged it off as Naruto walked over to Sasuke and Sakura by the trees with his usual grin still plastered on his face.

        You and Kakashi faced each other as the other three stood at the sidelines by the trees, watching the both of you intently, waiting patiently for the oncoming battle, yet wanting desperately to know the outcome of it as soon as possible. After all, Kakashi wasn’t going to make the same mistakes they did, and he certainly wasn’t going to underestimate you, not after he’s seen what little you’ve already done. The Jonin hummed, the only thing heard in the silent, tense atmosphere.

        “This is going to be interesting.” He mumbled, but you could still pick it up due to your hearing. Your smirk widened, as you got into a fighting stance, and he positioned himself in one as well in response. Naruto eagerly looked back and forth between you and Kakashi, extremely excited for the ensuing battle. After another moment of you two unmoving, signaling that you two were about to start, Naruto’s grin turned into a frown as he realized something, and he stared Kakashi down.

        “Heeeeyy, I thought you were gonna read that pervy book like you always do Kakashi Sensei!”

        “That’s because (Y/N) here is more of a challenge, and so no matter how much I really do wanna read…” He paused as if not reading this ‘book’ was painful. “I’d lose against her for sure.” Naruto’s mouth hung agape for a few seconds before he crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks, pouting like a child, and grumbling a few curses directed at Kakashi under his breath. You lightly chuckled at Naruto’s childish behavior. 

        “Should I be honored now or something?” You asked sarcastically.

        “Perhaps. We’ll see.”

        “I guess we will.” You stood there another few moments, staring at each other with your confident smirk and his stoic poker faced one. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke gazed at the two of you intensely, waiting for the suspense to finally end. You suddenly moved your foot just a bit, and you were off at the speed of light.

        You rushed over to him, jumped in the air, and did a front flip axe kick, bringing your right foot down onto his head. The moment you made contact though, Kakashi’s form poofed into white clouds and revealed a log in his place. You landed a few feet away from where Kakashi just was, and halted your movements. You kept your head down low a little, concentrating on your surroundings, searching for wherever Kakashi was now. You didn’t sense anything in the trees, nothing in the bushes, you even looked above you. Nothing. Where is he? You happened to glance over at Sasuke, and saw that he was smirking like the devil himself, like he knew something you didn’t. Your gaze returned forward, as you closed your eyes in thought.

        You suddenly opened them back up, took a step back, forced your blades out, and plunged them into the earth. You sent your chakra into the ground and pushed. Shockwaves erupted, but they all traveled to one specific spot, the very one you stood on just a second ago. The earth split, and Kakashi was suddenly pushed up from underground and was flown back a yard or two as he skidded to a halt. He was panting, only a little, almost unnoticeably as he continued to stand there, shielding his face with his hands from the force of your enhanced chakra.

        “Not bad.” He called, actually sounding a little impressed by your abilities. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura stared at you in shock for what seemed like the billionth time that day.

        “How did you…” Sasuke mumbled, trailing off at the end, not believing that you had somehow figured out that Kakashi was below you, when he himself hadn’t been able to do so before, and then to top it off control the ground as you had. Your eyes glanced his way for just a second, and you sent him a small satisfied smirk at seeing the disbelief on his face. Your eyes then darted back to Kakashi, who had still thankfully not moved from his spot since he was still recovering from your blast.

        “Simple, Duckbutt Uchiha, I’m not blind.” Nostalgia rushed through you, as you remembered that these were almost the same exact words you had said to Kankuro when he had his chakra strings close to your neck in the siblings’ apartment, and you inwardly chuckled to yourself. Sasuke looked taken aback, not only by your answer, but your new nickname for him as well. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at you. At hearing Sasuke’s new nickname, Naruto doubled over with hysterical laughter, while Sakura was still half shocked yet half mad at how it offended Sasuke. As Naruto’s laughter died down, silence was all that was heard between the two of you. Then, both you and Kakashi charged once more.

        Your forms were merely blurs and swishes of black in mid air, as your blades kept colliding with a kunai that he had pulled out. Swipe after swipe, both yours and his blades kept clashing against each other’s, making the clinging sound of metal each and every time. You both landed several yards away from each other after the last hit, and you both immediately started running in a curve, reverse circling each other, and then clashing your blades as you met. The three genin on the sidelines watched your battle in awe, or at least in peaked interest. They couldn’t believe how skilled you really were to keep up with Kakashi, they had definitely been wrong to underestimate you before.

        You were already growing impatient as you two kept clashing your blades together, so this time, before your blades could crash you swiftly moved in mid air to face his right side, just like turning the corner of a house, which you had done so many times before in your old lifestyle, and tried to roundhouse kick him in the gut. He blocked it, but that didn’t stop you from trying to land a few more blows. He blocked them still, and you both landed on the ground, with Kakashi now going on the offense and trying to land some kicks on you. You and him were now locked in a bare handed taijutsu match, though your blades and his kunai would occasionally clash.

        You and Kakashi were a flurry of kicks, dodges, and punches, only making Naruto, Sakura, and even Sasuke admire you more. What could you say, your speed was just another consequence of your old lifestyle. You did a spin kick aimed at his face, which missed as he took a small step back, but before your foot even touched the ground, you swung it around and did a sweep kick. Kakashi was caught off guard, causing him to get hit and lose his balance. He stumbled back, and you used this opportunity to send chakra into the air around you, and when you had enough air at your control, you pushed your palms out in front of you and a burst of wind sent Kakashi flying backwards, his back quickly colliding with a tree.

        You didn’t give him a chance to get up, and rushed towards him, bringing your blade up, ready to swipe at him. However, he blocked your incoming attack with the kunai he had fought with earlier. He pushed you back only a few steps, and he took this time to jump away from the tree. Before he could get too far away, you stabbed your blades into the ground, sending chakra into the earth as fast as you could, and you had the ground rise up and smash Kakashi halfway underground. You retracted your blades and sprinted towards Kakashi, but he was faster than you, and quickly got out of your earth trap and dashed towards you. Your blades and his kunai clashed once again, and you two stood there, pushing against the others’ force, locked in an almost draw. Then something weird happened. He smiled.

        “I think that’s enough for today, don’t you think?” You rose a brow, skeptical if it was a trick or not, but as he lessoned the force of his kunai, you reluctantly did the same with your blades. When you saw that he made no move to attack you, you relaxed, and your suspicious glare turned into a smirk.

        “Aww, but I was just getting started.” You fake pouted. Kakashi chuckled in response.

        “Wow, that was amazing!” Naruto exclaimed while walking up to you.

        “You’re a really good fighter!” Sakura cheered, and Sasuke was behind the two with his arms crossed.

        “It wasn’t much. Besides, he wasn’t even fighting full on.”

        “What do you mean?”

        “You couldn’t tell?” Sakura and Naruto stared at you in confusion. 

        “Is that true Kakashi sensei?” Naruto asked. Kakashi hummed.

        “You’re very observant (Y/N).” 

        “How’d you know though?”

        “Psh. Everyone knows a Jonin,” And ex ANBU member, “has way more skill than that. Anyone could’ve figured that out. Come on guys, I thought you were supposed to be his students too. Yeesh.”

        “Those blades.” Sasuke said suddenly. You turned and looked at him. “That’s how you deflected my fireball jutsu somehow, isn’t it.” You sent a devious smirk his way.

        “Hm. You caught me red-handed Duckbutt.” Naruto quietly chuckled. “Though, I wouldn’t call it deflecting, more like, well… stealing I guess. Heh, get it?” Now it was your turn to chuckle, though Sasuke wasn’t amused with your little joke. “Wow, tough crowd. Well, okay, that’s the easiest way to explain it, sort of.” You rubbed your neck sheepishly.

        “So then, how do your blades work?” Sakura piped up. You stood there, thinking about whether or not to give away the secret which you had kept for so long. But you realized that, as Kakashi had said earlier, and much to your displeasure, you were now a part of Squad 7, and even you, the lone wolf, knew that in a squad, teamwork was the key to everything. If your teammates don’t know exactly what you can do, you might not be able to help everyone to the best of your abilities, even though you didn’t want to be a part of a squad in the first place. Taking in a deep breath, you sighed.

        “Well, it’s pretty simple, actually.” You forced out one of your hidden blades. “All I do is send as much as my chakra as I want into the blade, and send it through to, well, any of the four elements. For example.” You sent chakra through your blades and into the air, and let a small breeze blow around Sakura’s head, twirling it around and around and then swirling it around yourself. “Then, if I really need to, I can basically just suck some of my chakra back into my blades.” You demonstrated by allowing the breeze to flow to your blades and absorbed some of the chakra, dispersing the wind back to the air. “But usually I don’t, since I can’t get all of it back, and I never really needed to, but I guess it’s good to know that I can. Oh, I can’t take in other people’s chakra, so don’t ask.” You now turned to Sasuke. “And so with your fireball jutsu, Duckbutt, all I had to do was send my chakra into your flames, put some extra chakra into it to make it stronger, and then just send it right back at you to kick your ass. Not hard at all.” You ended with a confident smirk. Naruto looked confused, but soon his face lit up with a wide smile.

        “That is so COOL!” He cheered. Sakura still looked confused.

        “But, how do your weapons allow you to do that? I mean, they look like regular blades to me.”

        “Oh no, they don’t allow me to send out my chakra, they really only enhance my ability to do so. I don’t actually need them to control the elements.” Everyone looked surprised, and you shrugged your shoulders. “I think I just have some really good kind of chakra control or something. Honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself.”

        “Well, no matter what it is, it’s super AWESOME!!!” Naruto yelled, and even Sakura was smiling to herself, secretly admitting how marvelous your abilities really were. Sasuke just scoffed.

        “Yeah, so? You think some weapons are gonna make you seem ‘cool’ now, Shadow Fox?” You chuckled.

        “You jealous Duckbutt?”

        “Why would I be jealous of someone like you.” You stopped your chuckle fit and frowned.

        “What do you mean, ‘someone like me’?”

        “You know exactly what I mean, thief.” You scowled. “And that’s what you’ll always be, isn’t it? A lowlife criminal who steals, and for what?” You were about to answer him, but he already beat you to it. “You’re still nothing but cowardly scum who does nothing but take for your own greed.” You lowered your head, some of your (H/L) (H/C) strands shielding your eyes from view. You had finally had enough.

        “You know, I didn’t ask to become a thief.” You paused. “I had to, because of people like you.” You looked up at Sasuke with a harsh, yet pained look. You had barely tolerated his words before, but now he had gone too far. He had finally pushed you over your limits. “You think I like stealing? That I like taking from my own village?” You snorted. “You know nothing about me.” Again, you paused. “The only reason I became the ‘Shadow Fox’, which, by the way, I didn’t even know was my fucking ‘name’ until a few days ago, was because I had no other choice.” Once again, you paused. “It was either that… or die, one way or another.” Sasuke squinted his eyes.

        “What do you mean ‘one way or another’?” He questioned.

        “Nevermind that.” You slightly raised your voice. “I had to do what I had to do to survive… and I hated every single moment of it. And quite honestly, the only reason I’m here right now… is because I’m too cowardly to do anything about it, if you know what I mean.” You turned around and started walking away from them, your back now facing Sasuke, but you stopped when you reached the line of trees. “Next time, don’t be so arrogant and assume you know everything.” You jumped onto a higher branch and raced off into the distance.

        Kakashi made no move to stop you, in fact, he wasn’t very surprised about your outburst. He was actually expecting it sooner or later, as he stared up at the trees you had taken off on. It was quite the opposite with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. They had been extremely baffled at what you had told them, and they still were, as they did the same as Kakashi and stared at where you had just run off. They never expected you to say something so drastic, and so personal, even Sasuke was a little caught off guard by your statement. Naruto clenched his fists and grit his teeth out of sudden anger, and turned to Sasuke with a completely furious expression.

        “What the hell’s your problem!?” He yelled, while Sasuke snapped himself out of his slight trance and scoffed.

        “She’s the problem! She’s nothing but trouble.” Naruto grit his teeth.

        “She never did anything to you!” 

        “She’s a thief, a crook, she breaks the law all the time Naruto.”

        “Because she had to!”

        “Don’t tell me you actually believe all that crap.” 

        “Why wouldn’t I? She hasn’t lied to us yet, why would she do that now?”

        “People like her do that all the time, you shouldn’t expect anything less.”

        “I thought you of all people would understand.” Naruto turned away from Sasuke. “You know, you’re a real jerk.” Before Sasuke could respond, he jumped up into the trees just as you had, and went off after you.

        Sasuke rolled his eyes as he stood there and watched the spot you and Naruto had both disappeared from, extremely annoyed by everyone’s behavior, and secretly his own emotions conflicted with each other.

        “That was pretty harsh Sasuke, even for you.” Kakashi spoke, not breaking his eye contact from the trees. Sasuke glanced over at him.

        “Hn. Don’t tell me you believe her act too.”

        “Who said it was an act?” That shut Sasuke up. A long, almost tense moment of silence passed between the two of them. “You know, I read all the reports on the mission to capture her.” This caught Sasuke’s attention. “She fought multiple times with multiple squads, and yet… not a single injury was reported.” Now this really got Sasuke’s attention. “Not even a cut or a bruise.”

        “So? Maybe she couldn’t hit them.” Kakashi hummed.

        “That was one of my thoughts at first. But then I talked to a fellow Jonin, who sparred her one on one during the mission, with her blades might I add.” Sasuke’s onyx eyes were locked on Kakashi. “He said… that it was almost as if she was trying to miss him.” Sasuke’s eyes widened, then just as quickly lowered back down.

        “Are you sure that’s what this Jonin saw? And didn’t they fight in the middle of the night? Maybe the darkness clouded their vision somehow.” Kakashi chuckled, which Sasuke raised a slightly confused but mostly annoyed brow at.

        “They are a high ranking Jonin of the Leaf. Something like fighting during the night isn’t going heed them in the slightest, and they have enough experience by now to certainly tell whether an attack is made to miss or not.” Sasuke grunted and said nothing else. All there was, was silence. Kakashi sighed. “(Y/N) really does care about the village, so much so that she wouldn’t risk any harm on her fellow villagers, even if they were trying to harm her.” Again, a long silence followed, as Sasuke let Kakashi’s words sink in. “I listened to her interrogation with the ANBU too.” Sasuke said nothing, and continued to stare ahead of him, and Kakashi strangely chuckled. “You’re not the first to give her such a hard time, nor will you be the last.” Sasuke subconsciously gulped. “Did you ever think that maybe she went into hiding to get away from people? People who would treat her just as bad as you did?” He felt a pang in his chest. “Although, from what I overheard, she’s been treated much worse.” The pang only increased, as Kakashi paused for another moment of silence. “I think she’s just tired. A tired soul who only wants some long needed rest, from everything that’s happened to her for so long, but it is something she has unfortunately never experienced, or maybe will ever experience… She really is stronger than any of us will ever know.” It became incredibly clear what the pang in Sasuke’s chest was. Guilt.

        Sasuke didn’t want to admit it, but he actually felt guilty. Guilty for how he treated you, what he assumed about you, how you maybe weren’t such a heartless criminal, although it was only a little. He really didn’t know what you had been through, but it obviously wasn’t anything good. Although there were missing gaps in your story that Sasuke didn’t know, ones that he doubted Kakashi knew either, it was enough to keep him silent, to keep him thinking more and more about you, your past, and who you really were. It especially didn’t stop the guilt that was still flowing through him.

        Sakura had remained absolutely silent and unmoving through the whole conversation, only standing a few yards behind the males near the trees. Kakashi’s words hadn’t just shocked Sasuke, but Sakura as well. She honestly didn’t know what to think of you when she had found out that you were the Shadow Fox, but she never thought of you like Sasuke apparently did. She had actually been very impressed with your abilities and fighting prowess, and despite your infamous reputation, you didn’t seem that bad, even though you did insult Sasuke a few times, but she recognized that you were only defending yourself. Speaking of him, she had honestly been surprised that Sasuke had acted the way he did, she never expected so much hate to come from her one true love, he had never even acted like that with Naruto. And hearing Kakashi’s words had certainly frozen her in her place. What you had been through was unthinkable, horrible, and she didn’t even know the whole story, and yet you still held so much respect for the very village that despised you. It made her sad, you just seemed so strong for someone who had apparently gone through so much, and she didn’t even know the half of it. A breeze passed through the field, blowing her long pink hair through the wind, seeming to carry her one thought along with it.

        Stay strong, (Y/N).

 

        Naruto was dashing through the trees at top speed, trying to locate you as fast as he could. To say he was pissed off was an understatement. He was seething with rage. How could Sasuke be so hateful towards you, when he didn’t even know who you even were or what you had been through. As far as he could tell, you had never even met Sasuke before, you had done nothing to him, yet he had the gall to treat you worse than he did to even Naruto himself. It was absolutely infuriating, you didn’t deserve to be treated like that, even if you did steal before, but like you had said, you never wanted to, you were forced to. The moment you revealed that part of your past, it reminded him of himself. He knows what it’s like to be alone and treated poorly, just as you had. He was determined to help you, no matter what.

        He picked up his pace and continued to zip through the trees, frantically twisting his head from left to right, trying to find at least some indication that you had been here. Finally, his prayers were answered, when he spotted your form in a tree only some yards away, and he immediately took off in that direction.

        It hadn’t been long before you stopped by some random tree, and sat down on one of its branches. Your head hung low, with a frown gracing your features, a mix of emotions running through your head. Your legs dangled off the branch, and you set your left hand at the trunk of the tree to steady yourself and have some kind of support. You stared down at the ground with a pained look in your (E/C) eyes, though you would never admit that you were actually hurt. Your heart felt like it was throbbing, and though it started when Sasuke first insulted you, the pain was now unbearable. It hurt, your heart hurt. You placed your right hand over your chest, and you tightly clutched the material of your loose shirt.

        The pain hadn’t been this bad since before you went into hiding and became a thief, and though you had been treated much worse before, for some reason, it hurt just as bad as all the other times. It didn’t make any sense to you. Why had what Sasuke said made your heart ache this bad? It’s true that you hadn’t had any real contact with people for four years, but the way you had been treated for a whole year when you were just seven years old, that should’ve made Sasuke’s insults feel like child’s play. You were supposed to be used to it by now. Maybe it was the fact that you were supposed to work with him for what you assumed will be a very long time, and all he thought of you was filthy garbage. Or maybe it was because no matter what you did, people would always see you as nothing more than a worthless thief. It seemed that, no matter what you did… nothing would ever change. You couldn’t help but clutch your shirt tighter. as tears began to form.

        You suddenly heard footsteps rushing your way, and you turned your head to see Naruto heading straight towards you. Right before he could land on the branch you were sitting on, you quickly removed your hand from your chest and rubbed your tears away.
        
        “There you are (Y/N)! I’ve been looking all over for you! I thought you were running away!!” He exclaimed while landing on your right. You were about to say something, but he cut you off before you could even breathe. “I’m sorry Sasuke said all that stuff to you. I don’t know why he was so rude.” You turned your head to look up at Naruto.

        “Naruto, I just have a headache, it’s fine-” 

        “No, it’s NOT fine!!” He shouted, suddenly becoming furious. You stared at him, shocked. “He shouldn’t have said any of that to you!!”

        “But Naruto-“

        “NO!! It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you did, you don’t deserve to be treated like that!”

        “…” You turned your head back down and stared at the ground.

        “I don’t know WHY Sasuke was being such an asshole, saying all that bull crap, but don’t worry, I told him off!” He smirked and proudly crossed his arms. You were quiet for a few seconds.

        “I told you it’s fine Naruto.” You murmured and sighed, and you took his lack of response as a sign to keep going. “Honestly, I don’t know why I ran off. I should be used to it by now.”

        “What do you mean ‘used to it’?” He asked in a surprisingly soft voice. You sighed again.

        “Sasuke’s surely not the first to ‘treat me like that’, as you said.” You let out a fake chuckle. “In fact, what he said pales in comparison to what others have said… and done.” You tried your best to sound normal, but your voice came out hoarse and choked, as if you were about to cry. Naruto could do nothing but stare at you, saddened at what you were saying. What exactly had you been through for Sasuke to seem like nothing? Was it anything like he went through when he was younger? You turned and saw the confused expression on Naruto’s face, and you knew that he was curious to know more. You sighed and looked back down to the ground. “I can’t believe I’m actually telling someone this.” You muttered, which only made Naruto even more confused and curious. “Verbal abuse is not the only thing I’ve been through.” Naruto’s eyes widened. “I’ve literally had stuff thrown at me, and I’ve been, well… beaten up before too.” You mumbled the last part out. Now his jaw was agape. “I’d like to see Sasuke top that.” You added, while putting your chin in the palm of your hand. “So like I said before, I’m used to it. So don’t-“

        That’s when you felt two arms tightly wrap around your form. It was Naruto, he was hugging you, with his head buried into your shoulder. You immediately hugged him back. You couldn’t explain what you and him were both feeling at the moment, but you two had gone through something so similar. It was hard for Naruto to keep listening to you talk like that, like you were actually okay with being some kind of punching bag. He knew you didn’t deserve that, you didn’t deserve anything that you had been through. You and him pulled away, due to the embarrassment you felt, you averted your eyes to the ground again.

        “You say you’re used to it, but you look so upset, like it still bothers you.” It was silent for a moment.

        “Don’t get me wrong, it actually felt pretty good to finally be able to stand up to someone. It’s just that…” You paused. “I don’t know.” You didn’t know how to respond, you couldn’t explain it. You couldn’t explain why your heart felt so… soft. “But don’t worry, I’m coming back, if you’re even wondering about that. I think I just… needed a break is all.” You sighed. “It’s not like anybody cares about me anyway.” You muttered without thinking. He furrowed his brows.

        “Are you kidding me? Of course people care about you!”

        “Like who?”

        “I care about you! And so does Kakashi Sensei and Sakura, and even Sasuke! It may not seem like it, but I know deep down he has a soft spot! Trust me, believe it!” You sat there in an almost tense silence, until you finally broke it.

        “I’m sorry.” You mumbled.

        “What do you have to be sorry for?”

        “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly a social butterfly here. I’m not good at talking to people, so I’m sorry if this is… awkward I guess. I never had any friends before so…” You trailed off at the end. You didn’t know what the sand siblings were to you, but you didn’t want to mention them, you didn’t want them involved in any of this and risk them getting in trouble. But you still spoke the truth, you never had a friend once in your life, and it wasn’t like you talked much for all of those years either. Out of your peripheral vision, you saw a hand right by your head, and turned to see a sincerely smiling Naruto with his left hand outstretched right in front of your face.

        “I’ll be your friend.” He said with his usual happy close eyed grin. You stared at him with newly widened eyes for several moments, until you finally mustered up the strength to reply.

        “S-Sure?” It sounded more like a question, but you both knew what you were really trying to say. Hesitantly, you reached out a shaky hand, and grabbed his wrist. Naruto’s grin widened as he pulled you up to your feet, and you couldn’t help but let the smallest of smiles grace your features. You rubbed the back of your neck awkwardly. “We should probably get back now, right?” Naruto opened his eyes, and looked at you with concern.

        “You sure you’re okay?” As you stared at the look of worry in his eyes, you couldn’t help but let your smile curve upwards even more.

        “Yeah, after all, I said I just needed a break, and besides, my headache’s not so bad anymore.” You sent him one last tiny smirk, as you both turned and took off through the trees in the direction of the training field, ready to face the inevitable with a newfound confidence that you never knew was within you.

 

        Sasuke hadn’t moved from that spot the entire time. He still had his arms crossed over his chest, deep in thought, over you. Kakashi’s words still lingered in his mind, and the pang of guilt he felt hadn’t gone away. In fact, it may have even grown, and he was wondering why. He just couldn’t figure it out, and he would never admit this out loud.

        Sakura and Kakashi hadn’t moved either, and said silver haired sensei had kept his calm demeanor the entire time as well. He had no doubt in his mind that his words had gotten to his raven haired student, and that he would see you the way you were meant to be seen, someone who needs help, and someone who needs love. Sakura was starting to get worried, since it had been quite a while since Naruto went to find you. Finally, not being able to take it anymore, she decided to say something and break the silence that had been consuming the atmosphere.

        “Kakashi Sensei? Should we go after them? I mean, it’s been awhile and all, do you think…” Kakashi chuckled.

        “Oh, (Y/N) wouldn’t have gone too far, she would never run away. Besides, I have a feeling Naruto’s already found her. Trust me, they’ll be here soon.” Sakura didn’t bother to question her teacher, understanding that the weird Jonin had his ways of knowing this kind of stuff. She continued to stand in her spot, silence once again filling the field, with everyone being patient and awaiting for your return.

        A rustle in the trees drew everyone’s attention above. Suddenly, you and Naruto jumped out from the line of trees. The three swiftly turned around to see both your and Naruto’s smirking faces as you both turned in midair and landed all the way behind Kakashi and Sasuke and close to Sakura, both pairs of your feet and one of your hands hitting the ground and skidding to a stop. You both stood up and crossed your arms, standing side by side in a dramatic pose.

        “That was AWESOME!” Naruto shouted with a proud smirk.

        “Told you it would look cool.” Kakashi chuckled.

        “Welcome back you two.” Your smirk widened, showing your teeth, and you gave a thumbs up. You avoided eye contact with Sasuke, so you couldn’t see his cross armed figure staring at you, onyx eyes unmoving from your form for a single second. Sakura now stood next to Naruto, and observed the two of you. It was obvious to everyone who could see that you and Naruto had formed some kind of bond from whatever happened in those woods, it was clear on both of your faces and the vibes you both gave off. Kakashi chuckled once again. “Well, putting all dramatic entrances aside, I think we’re done for today.” You all nodded your heads, except Sasuke, who was still staring at you with his narrowed eyes. “Oh, and (Y/N), you’ll be staying with Naruto for the time being, of course.” Both your and Naruto’s eyes widened.

        “WHAT!?” You both yelled simultaneously.

        “What do you mean I have to live with Naruto?” You shouted. Naruto sent you a small frown, and you sent an apologetic smile back. 

        “Well, what did you expect? Did you think you were going to be on your own again?” You rubbed the back of your neck.

        “I honestly didn’t think about it.” You mumbled.

        “Isn’t it inappropriate for a girl to be sleeping alone with a boy!?” Sakura squealed from behind you.

        “Well, Naruto lives alone, so he doesn’t have to ask anybody for permission to let (Y/N) stay with him. Sakura, I don’t really think your parents will let (Y/N) live with you for… obvious reasons.” Ouch, but ultimately true. “And since this is Naruto we’re talking about, we wouldn’t have to worry about him ‘trying anything’.” Naruto stared at Kakashi, blushing and scowling fiercely in his direction, though he was confused on whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult. Sasuke stared at Kakashi as well, assuming that he wasn’t brought up because of you two not being on the best of terms. “And so, really, it’s either me or Naruto.” Your eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then lowered as you practically sweatdropped.

        “Uhhh, no offense, but I’d rather take Naruto than you.” Kakashi seemed to smile under his mask, while Naruto averted his questioning glare to you, wondering if you were insulting him, even if it wasn’t directly.

        “Then it’s officially settled.” Naruto seemed to forget you and Kakashi’s previous statements about him, as he grinned and started fist bumping the air in excitement.

        “Yay!!! Sleepover with (Y/N)!!! This is gonna be the best, believe it!!!” You sweatdropped again at his antics. You didn’t exactly like the idea of living with someone, or even sleeping inside a house, but at least it was with someone like Naruto, who claimed to be your new friend not moments ago. Plus it wasn’t in a Leaf Village prison cell too. You shuddered at the thought of living in jail. Sakura still looked a little uneasy with the idea of a girl and a boy sleeping in the same house alone, but she seemed to eventually accept the fact that Naruto wouldn’t ‘try anything’ as Kakashi had put it. “Come on!!! Let’s go get some ramen to celebrate!!!!” He cheered and snatched your wrist without even giving you a chance to voice your opinion. But before he could even take one step, you unlatched your hand from his grasp and stood there. When he realized he no longer had your hand, he turned around and stared at you in confusion.

        “Thanks, but I already ate today.” You said nonchalantly. Naruto’s confusion only grew, along with everyone else’s, except for Kakashi. He already knew what you meant.

        “So… you’re not hungry?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. You shrugged your shoulders, not sure how to answer the question. Naruto suddenly beamed. “Not a problem! There’s always room for Ichiraku’s ramen!! Come on!!” Once again he grabbed your wrist, and once again, you pulled away from his grasp.

        “Like I said, I already ate today.” Naruto raised a brow.

        “What did you eat?”

        “A dumpling.”

        “…And?” 

        “That’s it.”

        “…WHAT!?”

        “Yeah, what’s the problem?” 

        “It’s late afternoon!! How can you only eat a dumpling, then train, and then not want to eat something!?” You shrugged your shoulders.

        “Well, I usually only eat like once a day, so I mean, it’s not that big a deal for me.” Everyone but Kakashi looked at you with utter shock, even Sasuke’s eyes widened a bit at your statement. You didn’t understand how they didn’t catch on to that, since one look at your stomach spoke for you. You were very thin and even a little bony in some places, very easy to tell that you were malnourished. You were starting to feel uncomfortable under their stares, and you wondered if you should’ve mentioned your eating schedule at all. Maybe it was stupid to say that you only have one meal per day, but it was the truth. During your old lifestyle, you had never wanted to steal too much, and honestly, one meal had always been enough energy for you, and you just grew used to it overtime. But people like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura ate ‘normally’, since they never had to worry about what you had to worry about, so of course they would have this kind of reaction. Maybe you should’ve thought that through a little more. I wonder how they would react if I told them I’ve never had actual food like they eat before? Well, except that dumpling Kakashi got me, which was freaking delicious. Naruto suddenly threw his hands in the air.

        “WHAT!!? That’s even MORE a reason to get Ichiraku’s! Come on!!” Now, for the third time, Naruto grabbed your wrist and managed to start dragging you down the grassy path that lead back to the village. You sighed, and this time, you let him drag you away from the other three, knowing that whatever you said, you wouldn’t be able to persuade Naruto to let you go, he was simply too stubborn for you. I guess the third time really is the charm… for Naruto anyway.

        Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke stared at your and Naruto’s retreating forms, all with their own sets of emotions and thoughts about your revelation. That’s when Sakura thought of an idea. She started off after you two, but not before rushing out her goodbyes to her two remaining squad mates.

        “I just remembered that I have to meet someone! Bye Kakashi Sensei! Bye Sasuke~” She then started racing after you two. Sasuke continued to stare at the spot you and Naruto had disappeared, completely ignoring Sakura running off into the distance. He felt a hand on his shoulder, drawing him out of his trance-like state, and he turned his head over to see Kakashi smiling down at him.

        “You know, that’s not even half of what she’s had to live through. I don’t even know the half of it, and I don’t think I want to.” He mumbled the last part out, which Sasuke still heard, but nonetheless he continued to give Sasuke a close eyed smile. “Give (Y/N) a chance, and you’ll see she isn’t as bad as you think she is.” With one last pat on the shoulder, Kakashi jumped into the trees, and headed back to the village as well, leaving Sasuke the only one left in the field, still deep in thought. Finally, after a few more minutes of thinking, he slowly began to make his way along the grassy path himself.

 

        As Naruto and you approached the village pathways, with Naruto still dragging you there by force, you both heard a familiar high pitched yell behind you.

        “Naruto! (Y/N)! WAIT!!” Naruto came to an abrupt stop, causing your feet to lightly skid the ground. When you regained your footing, you and Naruto looked behind to see Sakura sprinting at full speed towards you guys. When she caught up, she bent over and placed her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

        “Man… you guys… are fast!” She continued to take in deep breaths for another moment or two, while Naruto beamed with joy at seeing his beloved crush, but it soon changed to curiosity.

        “What’s up Sakura?” When she regained her breath, she stood up straight and dusted herself off.

        “I wanted ask tell (Y/N) something.” Naruto looked slightly disappointed that he wasn’t the one she wanted to talk to, but again changed to curiosity. Your curiosity was peaked as well, but you were slightly fearful that what she had to say wasn’t something good. “Me and Ino were gonna head to the hot springs about now, you wanna join us?” You inwardly sighed in relief, glad that she hadn’t said anything bad, but when you processed her words, your relief turned into regret. Although, before you could respond, Naruto already began speaking.

        “I thought you and Ino didn’t like each other because you’re both obsessed with Sasuke.” He muttered childishly while crossing his arms and making a pouty face. You, however, were just confused, and interested. Yeah, now that he mentions it, I always heard you two arguing over who was ‘better for Sasuke’ and making fun of each other. Why would you hang out with each other at all? Sakura rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

        “Oh, well, we don’t know any other girls to go with, well except now (Y/N), and sometimes it’s just nice to relax and get a little clean after training, so we meet up once in awhile. Besides, we don’t talk to each other too much anyway.” She mumbled the last part out. “So, what do you say (Y/N)? Wanna join us?” Before you could answer, Naruto did so for you.

        “Wait! (Y/N)’s supposed to get Ichiraku’s ramen with me! That’s WAY more important than going to some stupid hot springs!” He started dragging you away again, but another force stopped him from moving any further. It was Sakura, who had grabbed your other wrist, and was now pulling you back towards her.

        “(Y/N) said so herself that she wasn’t hungry, and maybe she just wants to relax! So stop forcing her to go with you!” Naruto tugged you back towards him.

        “Who doesn’t have time for Ichiraku’s ramen!?” Sakura tugged you again.

        “You’re the one who always eats there, you don’t have to drag everyone else along with you!” Now it was just a game of tug-o-war, like two children fighting over a toy, with Naruto and Sakura pulling you back and forth and yelling at each other, and it started to make your head feel fuzzy. If they keep doing this I might collapse from dizziness. Hmmm, then I won’t have to actually go anywhere. Despite the very tempting thought of fainting and not having to deal with them, you knew who you wanted to go with and tried to get them to stop.

        “Guys.”

        “She’s coming with me!”

        “Guys?”

        “No, she’s coming with me!”

        “Guys!”

        “No, me!”

        “No, ME!”

        “GUYS!!!” That seemed to snap them out of their childish fits, as they stopped yelling and tugging at your arms. You pulled your wrists out of both of their hands, and after rubbing the soreness away, you told them your answer. “Uh… I’ll go with Sakura, sorry Naruto.” Even though it was just going to be you, Sakura, and Ino, two girly girls obsessed with Sasuke who had always sounded bratty to you, in the hot springs no less, it was better than eating at a place you had stolen from multiple times with Naruto, who didn’t have a problem announcing your presence to the whole world. Besides, this would be a good time to try and bond with the pinkette, since you’re already friends with Naruto. She is part of your squad, so you will need to be able to work together, and being friends and forming a closer bond would certainly help with that. I can’t believe I’m taking this ‘being a Genin’ thing this seriously. Man, what have I become?

        Naruto looked disappointed, which made you feel a little guilty, but hey, it was your choice, not his. On the other hand, Sakura was looking pretty triumphant, and wore a proud smile that expressed so. And to think just two seconds ago she seemed angry as all hell could be. As you were mentally sweatdropping, Naruto’s frown changed to his usual close eyed grin, which you had a feeling that meant he was up to something.

        “Alright then, see ya later (Y/N)! Bye Sakura!” He waved at you two before running off on one of the paths that went to the main part of the village. Probably still going to Ichiraku’s. You thought smugly. You were drawn out of your thoughts when you heard Sakura calling to you.

        “Come on (Y/N)!” She had already started walking ahead of you towards the hot springs. You wasted no more time and ran towards her. 

        Right as you caught up with Sakura, you felt eyes drilling holes in the back of your head, just like earlier today when you were waiting for Kakashi to come out of the shop. You were still walking as you twisted your head from side to side, looking for anyone who may be staring at you. However, there was no one. Besides you and Sakura, the path was completely deserted. This particular path was a kind of back way to the hot springs, away from the main village paths, so it didn’t surprise you that there was no one else here. It was also already night, something you only just realized now. The black sky shrouded everything in darkness, the only light sources being the few visible stars, the occasional lit up lanterns on the village streets, and the full moon; of course not many people would be out around here at this time. You were honestly thankful for the path being deserted, since it meant that you didn’t have to deal with other people, but now that meant only one thing. Whatever this feeling was, it definitely wasn’t just some passerby giving you a look. Someone was following you and Sakura, you knew it.

        You continued maintaining a normal pace as you now scanned the rooftops, the alleys, and practically anywhere a person could possibly hide. There was still no one. The feeling of holes being drilled into your head then seemed to disappear, which made you just uneasy and paranoid as before. If someone’s following us, they’re most likely focused on me… or they’re just a creepy girl stalker. Hmm… I wonder who it might be though. It’s not like me or Sakura have an arch nemesis that’s bent on destroying us or something. Maybe it’s possible that I’m being a little too paranoid. Yeah, it could’ve just been Sasuke walking home, and he just wanted to get a last glare in or something. Okay, now that I think about it, that’s very unlikely, since I would’ve completely noticed him, but hey. Maybe it’s a secret escort to make sure I don’t do anything? Could that be it?

        “(Y/N)? You OK?” That’s when you realized that you had completely stopped in the middle of the path without even noticing. Must’ve been too caught up thinking. Whoops. You rubbed the back of your neck and smiled sheepishly.

        “Heh, sorry. Must’ve zoned out.” She seemed a little suspicious, and there was concern present in her eyes, but thankfully she just shrugged it off.

        “Okay, if you say so, but come on!” Without another word, you complied and ran up to Sakura, still slightly wary of that feeling of being watched.

        It was silent the whole way there, although, it wasn’t awkward per se. It was actually very nice. Sakura was humming and jumping and skipping all the way there, expressing her cheery and bubbly mood as usual, and while she was doing that, you just watched on and admired the serenity of the seemingly abandoned village road. It was, for once, quite peaceful.

        When you finally arrived at the hot springs, the first thing you noticed was that the dressing rooms seemed brighter than the rest of the houses on the street, due to the fact there were a couple more lanterns around it. Plus, the hot springs gave off a natural glow in the back where the water and steam was. The building itself was a typical hot spring look, not too much different from other villages except for the color scheme. It was all very pretty, especially since you had never once took the time to study this particular building before. Why would you have needed to?

        “Oh, we’re here! And there’s Ino!” The said girl was, in fact, standing by the entrance to the girls’ changing room, which was only a few yards away. How did I not see her until now? Even if I wasn’t paying attention to anything, I should’ve picked up on another presence. Are my eyes going bad along with my powers now as well? What next, these two are actually gonna be nice to each other? When Ino heard Sakura’s voice, she turned around and saw you two heading her way. She smiled, and walked over to where you were standing, being as friendly looking as can be. Now I’m seriously freaked out. Since when does Ino smile at Sakura anymore? Even I know they’re ruthless enemies now, so what is this? How much of an act can they actually pull off?

        “Hey billboard brow- wait, who’s this?” Well, at least the insult is normal. You said nothing in response to Ino’s question, and remained silent as Sakura introduced you.

        “Well, this is, you know…” Ino cocked her head to the side, confused as to what she meant. “(Y/N), the newest member of Squad 7… and the Shadow Fox.” Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. You braced yourself for the worst, but, instead of the reaction you were expecting, the complete opposite happened. Ino’s smile seemed to widen as she took on a look of adoration and awe.

        “So you’re the one everyone’s been talking about! That is so cool!” She leaned in and whispered into your left ear. “And you’re way prettier than billboard brow here.” You ignored her compliment and sweatdropped. Yeah, this is definitely the Ino I’ve always heard about. Sakura, however, didn’t look too thrilled at her comment.

        “What was that, Ino pig!?”

        “Oh, nothing Billboard Brow.” She said in a fake innocent tone, as a devilish smirk crossed her countenance. Sakura glared at her, but said nothing back, since she remembered that you were there as well, and she was pretty sure you didn’t want to see any of their arguments. She sighed in frustration and forced a smile.

        “So, you ready for the hot springs (Y/N)?” You opened your mouth to say something, but Ino already began talking.

        “What is she saying? Of course you are! Come on, it’s hot spring time!” She grabbed your wrist before you could utter a single word, and started dragging you to the girl’s changing room, speed walking alongside Sakura, neither giving you a choice, or chance, to back out. I’m starting to think that maybe I should’ve gone with Naruto… Then again, he probably would’ve dragged me everywhere too. Ugh, I can’t catch a break today.

        Once inside, your face was instantly hit with a blast of warm, humid air, along with your whole body being engulfed in sweltering heat. The room was lit up by the glow you had seen coming from it earlier, though now the light surrounded you, and it was even brighter now that you were inside, showing all the details of the room, even with the steam seeping up everywhere. The walls were a light aqua, but they only covered some of the room, since the floor was made of dark brown wooden boards with even more going halfway up the walls. They ended at a long horizontal board that separated the aqua of the walls and brown of the rest of the boards with the same kind of board also separating the ceiling from the walls. Straight ahead of you were dark blue double sliding glass doors with a maroon carpet laying in front of it, thought it was almost hard to tell what the color of the doors were due to the steam smearing the four glass panes. There were thin wooden trims around them, with the right and left sides being long vertical wooden boards that went all the way up to the ceiling. There were shelves of baskets to put your clothes in near the doors and what could resemble lockers, where hangers with white towels were hung were next to the baskets, and you assumed that was where people change. Wow, so this is what a hot spring changing room looks like. Second building I’ve ever been in… interesting.

       “Come on girls! Hot spring time!” Sakura yelled, snapping you out of your thoughts.

        “Hey, I already said that billboard brow!”

        “No one cares what you say Ino Pig! And besides, who cares! Let’s do this!”

        “Whatever! Yeah! Let’s do it!” Ino added with just as much excitement. You stood there, suddenly feeling very self conscious as they went over to one of the towels and started undressing. You glanced at all of the other white towels, which almost seemed to mock you at this point.

        “(Y/N)?” Sakura’s voice made your attention focus on her and Ino, who were standing with towels wrapped around their forms and staring at you in onfusion. “Why didn’t you change yet?” You started rubbing the back of your neck.

        “Uh, well, um, I’ve never really… taken these clothes off before.” An awkward silence filled the humid room, which to you made the room even more stuffy than it already was. The girls just stared at you, dumbfounded, for a few moments. You thought it was obvious to tell, since your clothes were so dirty and old. Your outfit only consisted of a plain, stretched out loose T-shirt and plain stretched out shorts. Hell, you didn’t even wear a bra, you only wore wrapping around your chest, since a seven year old, which was how old you were when you went into hiding, didn’t need one, and you never once stole clothes, be it from a person or a store. You always thought you didn’t need to, plus you did NOT want to touch stuff that had been on other peoples’ bodies, or could’ve potentially. That was just gross, even to you.

        “H-How long have you been wearing them, then?” Sakura asked with a softer tone. You still kept your hand at the back of your neck, your embarrassment growing by the second. You couldn’t believe you were even telling them this. Why does this shit keep happening to me? Why do I have to suddenly be so revealing now? 

        “About… five years.” You mumbled the last part out quietly. You unintentionally gulped as the silence returned, and the air felt even thicker than before.

        “What did you do when you wanted to get cleaned?” Ino questioned gently. You bit your bottom lip.

        “Oh, I would kinda, just… stand out in the rain… when it did.” Sakura and Ino gasped quietly, and stared at you in surprise. You awaited the inevitable, them to be weirded or grossed out, but, all they did was smile. Okay, I’m officially confused. What the hell is going on?

        “That’s okay! That’s just even more of a reason to be doing this!” Ino exclaimed excitedly. You blinked your now wide open eyes.

        “W-What?” Your words came out as stutters and you became a quiet mess, unable to say anything else. You weren’t even sure you had heard her correctly, let alone be able to respond to it. Sakura cocked her head to the side and gave you a closed eyed smile.

        “Yeah, this’ll help you get more used to everything! Besides, we’re all girls here, there’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

        “And it means we’ll be here for your first time in the hot springs! Pretty memorable, huh?” They’re still on ‘first time for anything’ stuff? Actually… I’m not surprised. Despite this thought, you couldn’t believe that they were being so nice and supportive. You’ve never known what that was like, well, until now that is. I’m really losing myself, aren’t I ‘Shadow Fox’? But… I don’t think it’s entirely a bad thing. It was then that Sakura leaned in and whispered into your ear.

        “It’s not like you have anything to worry about anyway. You’re way prettier than that Ino Pig.” Said ‘pig’ glared at Sakura as she backed away from your ear with an almost devilish smirk.

        “What was that, Billboard Brow?” Even at the insult, Sakura’s smirk didn’t falter.

        “Oh, nothing Ino Pig.” She said with the most obviously sarcastic voice you had ever heard.

        “Why you little-” They both started going at each other’s throats, just like you’ve heard them do before in your old lifestyle. I must say, it’s so much funnier in person, especially since it’s not even about Sasuke this time. This actually reminds me of when me and Kankuro went at each other. You giggled at their childish behavior and your memories, which made them stop their bickering and look at you. You stopped your laughing fit quickly, and returned their curious looks with a smile.

        “Alright, alright, I’ll do it. I’ll change out of these clothes.” They both grinned and seemed to forget all about their bickering, going back to their usual bubbly and cheery selves and practically beaming with joy. You chuckled at their actions, and then, reluctantly, you started undressing yourself. You took off your hidden blades, which was probably the most uncomfortable to do since you’ve always had them on and relied on them for protection, untied your forehead protector, and started taking off your huge stretched out shirt. At the same time you tried striking up a conversation with the two girls to make the situation less awkward. “So, uh, how did you two become ‘rivals’ in the first place?” You asked while turning around and folding your shirt, not showing them your wrapped up chest. Ino and Sakura looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

        “Well, it started when we figured out that we both liked Sasuke. And… well, that’s it.” Sakura said. That’s really not surprising, why did I even ask that? You hummed, putting your folded shirt into a random bin you pulled out, and then you began to take off your shorts while you continued to talk. 

        “Hm. Well, there’s nothing wrong with a little rivalry, no matter what kind it is, I guess. It helps you get stronger, and not just physically too.” You folded your shorts, placed them in the bin, now leaving only one more article of clothing to take off, your only undergarment. “And, even though it may seem like the opposite of this, your bond with each other is growing. I can see it, believe it or not, and one day, who knows, maybe you’ll be better friends.” With all of your clothing finally in the bin, you reached for a towel and wrapped it around your form, although you had absolutely no idea how to properly do so. I think you’re supposed to fold the corner of it inside so it doesn’t slip?… Damn I suck at normal stuff. And when the hell did I start giving, and even knowing, emotional advice? I know it’s good and all, but seriously. What the hell is wrong with me today? Did I get infected with some kind of disease or something? Jeez. You turned around to see Sakura and Ino’s smiling faces while still holding up the towel with both your hands.

        “Alright! Hot spring time!” Ino cheered. She rushed over and swiftly snatched your wrist without warning, again, and unceremoniously dragged you out the double doors, Sakura following right behind you two, while you tried to frantically keep your towel still wrapped around you.

        Once the cool, yet humid, night air reached you three, Ino let go of your wrist and kept walking with Sakura to the large pool of hot water surrounded by rocks in front of you. You suddenly got that weird feeling again, like earlier at the shop with Kakashi, and when you were walking here with Sakura. Someone was still watching you. However, you only took a short glance from side to side, and brushed it off as a side effect of feeling more exposed than usual.

         You looked around at the steam filled atmosphere, and you were surprised that it wasn’t as thick as you thought it would be. Even normal people who had normal eyesight wouldn’t have much trouble seeing through it. You headed towards the left of the hot springs, just a little past Sakura and Ino, and stopped about halfway from the doors and the wooden wall that splits the boys’ and girls’ sides. You stepped on one of the huge rocks, and very slowly and carefully dipped, your big toe into the water. As soon as it hit the water’s surface, you immediately retracted your now burning toe, and started waving it around to cool it down. Damn!! I know it’s called a hot spring for a reason, but this is scalding!!! Ino, who was to your right, started chuckling along with Sakura, who was almost right across from you.

        “First timers always have to get used to it!” Ino called. You were still waving your toe around, trying to get it to stop burning.

        “I get that it’s supposed to be hot, but this feels like it’s burning my freaking skin off! Are they trying to set us on fire or something!?” Ino started full out snorting with laughter, ironically sounding like a pig, and Sakura was chuckling as well, but not at you.

        “This only proves you’re a pig, Ino!” The blonde immediately stopped laughing and glared at Sakura.

        “What was that Billboard Brow!?” Sakura smirked.

        “I said that snorting makes you sound more like a pig than you already are!”

        “Why you-!” You face palmed as they started another fight, and you just decided to tune them out. You stared down at the water and your reflection within it and sighed. You dropped your towel and let it lay messily on the rock you were standing on. You slowly placed your foot into the water, not noticing that Sakura and Ino had already stopped their arguing and were now crossing their arms and looking in the opposite directions of each other, much like little children. You resisted the urge to draw your foot back and continued to lower your body into the water until it stopped right above your chest. Your muscles tensed as they all became exposed to the stinging heat, and with one big shiver, your skin grew less hot and you started to get used to the heat. You sighed in content and propped your elbows back on the rock, letting your arms and hands hang loose. You leaned back, closed your eyes, and smiled in comfort as the warm water began to soothe your nerves. You didn’t even notice Sakura and Ino happily staring at you.

        “Looks like you like the hot spring after all.” Sakura said.

        “Judging by that smile of yours, you seem to be enjoying yourself.” Ino teased. You didn’t move at their comments. In fact, they only seemed to make you smile wider.

        “Never said I doubted you in the first place.” You lazily retorted. Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

        “You never said you didn’t doubt us either, so how were we supposed to know?” You tilted your head down while opening your eyes and smirked.

        “Wow, when did you become the smart ass one, Sakura?” Ino smirked 

        “Eh, she’s always like this.” Ino smirked. Sakura crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

        “Whatever.” You chuckled, and leaned your head against the rock, gazing up at the night sky through all the steam. That weird feeling of being watched had never left, but you still pushed it aside, still thinking it was just paranoia, and an after effect from everything that had happened today. You sighed, and tilted your head back down so you could listen to what the girls were talking about, and started small talking along with them, unaware of the presence right above you.
 

        Gaara sat on a rooftop overlooking the Leaf Village hot springs, specifically the girls’ side. He had his arms crossed, and his sea green eyes were locked in concentration on one thing in particular, or rather one girl in particular. He was, of course, spying on you, (Y/N), the Shadow Fox. The one person that made him feel so… different.

        As soon as he had sensed your presence this morning, he told Temari and Kankuro that he would be out for awhile and went straight for the Hokage building. To say that he had been surprised to see you outside was an understatement, he was suspicious. He didn’t expect you to be set free that quickly, he honestly didn’t expect you to be free at all. Nevertheless, he was all but anxious to begin his little ‘study’ of you. But his excitement vanished when he sensed someone else with you, a Jonin, and a powerful one at that. He had to keep his distance, a very long one at that, otherwise he would’ve been detected, which unfortunately meant that he couldn’t see you until whoever the Jonin was left. Normally he wouldn’t care if he was spotted, but if you knew that he was watching you, he wouldn’t be able to study you.

        He had gotten the break he wanted when the Jonin had gone into a shop, and he could finally observe you without the chance of being discovered. When he moved closer so that you were in his line of sight, he had immediately caught sight of the Leaf forehead protector on your head, which confused him even more than he already was. He didn’t have enough time to ponder it further since you had started to figure out that you were being watched, and not too long after, the Jonin had returned, which meant that he had to back off for the time being again. What made everything worse was that the Jonin had then taken you on some grassy path, which obviously lead to a training ground, and if he had followed you, it would be easier to find him. It would’ve been too risky, so he had no choice but to wait until you came back out, no matter how long it took. 

        He had waited by that path the whole day, and when the sun started to descend, you had finally showed your face. You were walking down that same path with two other people, a blonde boy, and a pink haired girl running right behind you, though he could care less about them. He was only focused on you, but he did know that those two people seemed rather close to you now, and he had never seen you around other people besides him, his siblings, and the Jonin. He knew they couldn’t be some kind of body guards, they looked like genin himself, so the only other explanation, which made your leaf forehead protector make sense, was that you were placed in a squad. He certainly hadn’t expected that.

        But in the end he was only concerned about following you, not what you had done to get yourself out of trouble, and that led him to where he was now, watching you relax in the hot springs. To anyone else, watching you with those two other girls like this would be considered extremely perverted and creepy, but trivial matters like girls and their bodies meant nothing to him. He loves himself and only himself, he didn’t care about most other things.

        Although, he did find himself staring at you more than he should’ve, taking in all of your features, at least all of the ones that were above the water anyway. The more he stared, the more he found his cheeks were warming up. He put his hand on his cheek and held it out in front of himself, only to see nothing. But that was impossible. The steam from the hot spring steam didn’t reach where he was sitting, he was in a clear spot with the moon shining down on him, and he couldn’t even feel much humidity, so there was no way anything could’ve burned him. Yet his cheek still felt warm, if not warmer than before.

        A thought suddenly occurred to him. He had heard of people blushing before, when they feel embarrassed or flustered, or when… but it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. But it made some sort of logical sense. He had only been staring at you when his cheeks ‘warmed up’, and this had only happened when he was staring at you. Could it be that you were actually affecting him so much that he would blush? 

        Gaara stared at his hand in disgust. He was pissed off as hell, and he growled quietly to himself. This shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be blushing, over a mere girl no less. He loves only himself, and you were just another girl among many other humans for him to kill, to give him purpose in life, you just so happen to be more interesting than the rest. Now he was more determined than anything to figure you out, to find out what made you so special, and why; to find out how you could make him blush. He crossed his arms again and went back to focusing on you, now more fiercely than before, ignoring the heat he felt on his cheeks, much to his discomfort. Luckily though, he tuned in at just the right moment, as something interesting in your conversation caught his attention.

 
        “So, (Y/N). Can I ask you something?” Sakura suddenly questioned. You raised a brow and gave her a look of confusion.

        “Sure, what is it?”

        “You know how you said you can control the elements?” You nodded, while Ino stared at you with a look of shock and disbelief.

        “YOU CAN DO WHA-!”

        “Yeah, why?” 

        “Well I’ve seen you control earth, air, and fire, so does that means you can control water too?” Ino’s jaw practically dropped, and she was about to say something when you smiled and spoke before she could.

        “Yeah, basically. Here.” You stuck your finger into the water and sent some of your chakra into it. A small stream of water rose above the surface, and you sent it swirling and twisting around Ino and Sakura, making them laugh and giggle, which made you smile more in return. Although, that watching feeling that made the hairs at the back of your head stand up seemed to grow stronger than before the more you messed around with the water. Maybe it was just you being self conscious about using your abilities, since you still had those instincts that told you to hide and keep everything a secret still, so this could just be in your mind. Not thinking too much about it, you pushed the thought aside and continued swirling the water around Sakura and Ino.
 

        Gaara watched in fascination as you controlled that stream of water. In a matter of two seconds you revealed the full extent of your powers, and he was quite intrigued by them to say the least. He had assumed what your potential was before just from the moments he watched you, but he didn’t realize you didn’t need your blades to control the elements. He didn’t know how it was even possible for someone not like him to have these abilities, but at the same time, the way you used yours, he couldn’t explain it. It was so… unique, and it had a sense of grace to it… and something else that he couldn’t put to words.

        He cocked his head to the side, still watching you swirl the water around, genuinely fascinated and intrigued about you. He almost looked like an innocent puppy, besides the fact that he was scowling per usual. It still bothered him that he didn’t know why you made him this interested in you, but he was so entranced at the moment that he didn’t care.

        While he was thinking, he saw you grow a devilish sort of smirk, and he wondered what you were up to. Suddenly, the water you were swirling around splashed the girls’ faces. As they jumped and became frantic when the hot water made contact with their skin, you started laughing at them so hard you had to clutch your stomach. Gaara huffed at your actions, though not in complete disapproval. A few descriptive words popped into his head.

        Childish

        Playful

        Mischievous

        They fit you perfectly. Quite perfectly. Even though he already knew these characteristics, he never saw them in this light, and it only made you more fascinating than before. He felt his cheeks become just a tad warmer, and he put his hand up and covered it, as if hoping the red would go away if he hid it. But your laughter was doing anything but helping. In fact, it was only making it worse, and he only got more frustrated by the second. He narrowed his eyes as he focused on what you guys were saying to try and distract himself.
 

        “(Y/N)!! What was that for!?” Sakura and Ino both yelled as they wiped the burning water from their faces. You were still laughing at their expressions.

        “What’s the big deal? It’s only a little water!” You teased. The girls playfully glared at you, and not two seconds later, they were smirking.

        “Then if it’s not such a ‘big deal’, why don’t you get your face wet?” Ino asked. You raised a brow, and smiled in return.

        “Alright then, I will.” You said proudly. You then suddenly sunk below the water’s surface, your head disappearing below the water. You didn’t need to worry about holding your breath, you already knew how to do it, even though this was your first time being underwater. It was something you had picked up on and figured out on your own, like another one of your many instincts. 
 

        Gaara watched as you resurfaced above the water with completely wet, and now darker, hair, and a smiling and laughing face that showed nothing but joy and playfulness. After looking at the two girls, you started shaking your head and hair around like a dog would, hot water droplets spraying everywhere. It was the first time he had seen you so happy. Once again, he found his cheeks flushing with heat, and again he raised his hand and covered his reddening cheek, not understanding why this was still happening. It was getting ridiculous, and he felt like his inner turmoil with himself was about to explode with rage. Yet, it only made him more curious about you by the second, and he was more determined than ever to study what made you so special.

        As you and the girls began laughing with each other and talking again, he noticed something peculiar. For some reason, you frowned and lifted your hand to your cheek, then held it out in front of you to see nothing, exactly like what he had been doing. Upon a closer look, he noticed the red on your cheeks, and his eyes widened at the sight. You were blushing, and what’s more was that had reacted the same way as him. Now he felt a tug at his chest, the same kind of feeling when he had seen you that night hunched up in that old blanket, waking up from your nightmares. He immediately clutched his shirt over where his heart was. Why does this keep happening? He started breathing really heavily, though not so loud as to alert you and the other two of his presence, and his arm holding his chest began to shake.

        Once he calmed down, and was sure that nothing you or the other two girls were saying anything of interest, he lifted his head up and stared at the moon. For now, he would just wait until you left the hot springs, and watch over you until then.
 

        A couple minutes later, you, Ino, and Sakura decided to get out before, according to them, you all got too ‘pruny’. With a sigh, you reluctantly pushed yourself out of the water and onto the huge rock behind you. That watching feeling seemed to increase full hand, and you quickly grabbed your towel and wrapped it around your body, albeit very poorly. You swiveled your head around, trying to look for the eyes that seemed to glare daggers into your head.

        “Come on (Y/N)! What’re you doing!?” Sakura hollered. You stopped your searching and answered back.

        “Coming!” You hesitantly turned your head back and started making your way to the changing room. Once inside, you hung your towel back on the rack and started dressing yourself along with Sakura and Ino. Just when you finished sliding your hidden blades on and tying your forehead protector around your head, you heard Ino gasp.

        “(Y/N)! Look at your hair! It looks so soft, and thicker than before!” You rose a brow at her declaration, while Sakura was now observing your head, and not too long after she gasped as well.

        “As much as I hate to admit it, Ino’s right! It looks so much prettier now!” You couldn’t really see your hair for yourself, so you had no idea what they were talking about, until Sakura directed you to a mirror. “Here, take a look!” You stared at your reflection, and saw that your (H/L) (H/C) hair was indeed much thicker and seemed softer, and it no longer looked as dirty and greasy as it had been. Damn, it does look nicer… imagine it after an actual shower, holy crap. 

        “Come on guys, as much as we would all love to admire (Y/N)’s hair, we should probably get going now.” Sakura advised. Ino sighed.

        “Yeah yeah, whatever you say Billboard Brows.”

        “Ino Pig!!” Here we go again… for the fifth time. And so you began to walk out of the changing rooms, with Sakura and Ino following behind you yelling at each other, and with you tuning them out as usual.

        As you stepped outside, the cool night air reached your form, a drastic change from the warm and humid air in the hot springs. The only sounds heard were the high pitched voices of the two fighting girls behind you, and the slight whoosh of a small nightly breeze passing through. Suddenly, your hand was snatched by someone, who moved so fast you couldn’t see who it was, and you were swiftly dragged away from Sakura and Ino, and down the path.

        Just when you were about to reach the more populated main roads of the village, you wrenched your hand away from whomever was dragging you. As you started rubbing your wrist, your ‘kidnapper’ stopped running after a few more steps and turned around, only to reveal a very familiar spiky blonde headed boy. You relaxed once you saw it was Naruto, but you still gave him an annoyed look.

        “What the hell was that about? I thought you were a kidnapper or something! And did you have to drag me away like that?” Naruto’s complexion paled, and he nervously smiled while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

        “Uh, I was just gonna take you to go and eat at Ichiraku’s… I think I got a little carried away.”

        “Yeah, you think?” You retorted.

        “Well, you wanna go eat Ichiraku’s anyways?”

        “I already said I ate.”

        “But-“

        “And I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

        “Please?” He stopped rubbing his neck, and gave you the biggest and cutest puppy dog eyes you had ever seen. You forcefully closed your eyes and tried to look away from his begging blue ones, trying to resist giving into the adorableness. You peeked one of your eyes open and stared at him again from the side. With a long, final sigh, you crossed your arms and half glared at him.

        “Fine.” You grumbled. Naruto instantly stopped his puppy dog eyes and gave you a close eyed smile. “But, on one condition.” You interrupted his happy fest. “We walk there. You don’t need to drag me anywhere.” He sighed a breath of relief, glad that it wasn’t anything bad, and smiled again.

        “Okay, sure! Now let’s go eat!” He exclaimed while fist bumping the air. You couldn’t help but smile at his childish behavior, his happiness was just too intoxicating. You and Naruto began walking to Ichiraku’s, with Naruto telling you all about the different kinds of ramen there were, which was unintentionally making you hungrier than before.

        The further you walked down the streets of the Leaf Village, the more you were starting to regret your decision. Like this morning, people stared at you and even whispered to each other, and again, you didn’t need your better hearing to know what they were saying. Some pairs of eyes seemed to glare straight into your soul, judging you with disgust and hatred, others had more cautious and careful looks, stalking your every movement to make sure you wouldn’t try anything. You dreaded the thought of what the owner of Ichiraku’s would think of you, since you recalled stealing from him quite a few times. In fact, those water bottles Naruto had found you with were from that very restaurant.

        Of course, Naruto was oblivious to all of this, he just kept walking and talking about ramen as cheerfully as he always was. You gulped as you continued down the street, every step you took only making you more and more anxious. You didn’t even notice that you arrived at Ichiraku’s until Naruto snapped you out of your small daze by waving his hand in front of your face.

        “(Y/N)? (Y/N)! You awake or something?” He asked with a hint of concern in his voice. You were fixated on your surroundings and the people around you, and when you looked back at Naruto there was a clear expression of worry on your face.

        “Are you sure this is a good idea Naruto? I don’t exactly think I’ll be, you know, welcome here all that much…” You trailed off nervously. He merely gave you his signature close eyed smile, as if nothing was wrong with the world.

        “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine! I’ve got your back.” He put a firm hand on your shoulder, making you face him completely. Although his words weren’t anything too special, you couldn’t help but let his comforting gesture calm you down some. As you stared into his happy and confident blue eyes with your own still slightly anxious (E/C) ones, your tense muscles relaxed, and once he saw that you were somewhat soothed, he removed his hand from your shoulder and proceeded to turn around and disappear inside the restaurant. With one final deep breath, you mustered up your courage and followed Naruto inside.

        Upon opening one of the flaps of the restaurant, you were immediately greeted with the smell of delicious ramen, meats, vegetables, and spices all mixed together. The smell was so strong, you were surprised you didn’t smell it before now, but you guessed that your nerves were so worked up that it must’ve affected your senses. The brightness greatly contrasted with the natural darkness outside, and it only made the interior of Ichiraku’s stand out more. A line of about five red cushioned stools was spread out evenly in front of a long wooden counter with a red countertop, and just behind that was a long silver stove that looked even bigger than the counter. Large wafts of steam emitted from it, and you figured that’s where the origin of the delicious smell was coming from. All in all, it was very nice. Pretty ironic that I robbed the place so many times yet never took the time to actually know what it looked like.

        Right in front of you, Naruto sat in the middle of the stools, his arms folded on the counter, waiting patiently to eat. You glanced the kitchen over, and found a doorway behind the stove on your left that must’ve lead to the kitchen. So that’s why there’s no one here. They must be in the back there. You looked back at Naruto, who was still sitting completely still, and instantly thoughts of doubt flowed through your head again, making you stay where you were.

        “I still don’t know about this Naruto.”

        “Ah don’t worry about it! Like I said, you’ll be fine! Now come on and sit, this is gonna be the best ramen you’ve ever tasted!” He patted the seat next to him and gave you a goofy grin. Well, it’s now or never. With this one final thought in mind, you complied to his invitation and sat on the seat to his left. You folded your arms down on the table and held your hands together in front of you, all the while keeping your head down to hide your face as best as possible.

        “So what are you gonna eat (Y/N)?”

        “Oh, uh I already said I ate. I’m fine. Besides, it’s not like I have money to pay for anything.” You mumbled the last part out, though it was unfortunately louder than you thought.

        “I can pay for whatever you get.” Your eyes widened, surprised that he heard you.

        “No Naruto, it’s fin-“

        “One more bowl of ramen isn’t gonna make much of a difference, trust me.” He was grinning so widely and so innocently, you didn’t think you could possibly refuse the blonde’s request.

        “… Fine, I’ll just get whatever you’re getting then I guess.” You grumbled. At hearing your compliance, his features seemed to brighten and he got more excited than before.

        “Great! Oh I know you’ll love it! Ichiraku’s ramen is the best in the world! No one else can come close to it!” I know, since you’ve said it so many freaking times.

        “I guess the only thing we have to do now is just wait for someone to come out.” You grumbled once more.

        As if on cue, a man and a woman came out of the side room you noticed earlier, both with happy smiles and wearing white cooking uniforms. The man was chubbier and seemed a little old, the grey hair that was visible on the side of his head that wasn’t covered by his cooking hat saying that much, and the woman seemed pretty young, maybe early twenties. She had a nice white complexion with long chocolate brown hair that was pulled back by a white bandanna. 

        “Naruto? Is that you? I thought I heard your voice out here!” The man stated enthusiastically. 

        “Hi Mr. Teuchi, hi Ayame!” And that’s when the man, Teuchi, noticed you sitting next to Naruto.

        “Hey Naruto, who’s your friend? I’ve never seen her around before.” Oh no, here we go.

        “This is (Y/N), and she just joined my squad today!” You smiled nervously and gave a tiny wave of your hand.

        “Heh, I don’t get out much.”

        “That’s alright. I’m Teuchi, and this is my daughter, Ayame.” Ayame gave you a sweet close eyed smile.

        “It’s really nice to meet you (Y/N).” You kept your shaky smile, as Teuchi thankfully turned his attention back to Naruto.

        “So the usual I assume, Naruto?” Said blonde boy energetically nodded his head.

        “Always!” Teuchi’s smile widened, and he turned and faced you.

        “And what about your friend?”

        “I’ll just have what he’s having.” You replied somewhat timidly, though no one seemed to notice it.

        “Good choice. Ayame! Can you prepare all the bowls please?”

        “Sure!” Teuchi and Ayame then went behind the long silver stove, leaving you and Naruto to sit there, lost in your thoughts. Wait, what does he mean by all the bowls? That makes it seem like there’s gonna be way more than two, even though it’s only us here. Unfortunately for your curious mind, you didn’t have the courage to ask what Teuchi meant, but you were soon distracted anyway by the cooking of various food items that were being laid out on the stove. You could smell and identify all of the particular ingredients there were because of your good sense of smell, and most of them were a very large quantity of, obviously, ramen, and pork. I think I have an idea on what Naruto ordered now. All of the delicious scents couldn’t help but bring a smile to your face, and you closed your eyes in bliss. Teuchi looked up from his work and noticed your now happy complexion, which made him chuckle lightly.

        “I see you already enjoy the smell (Y/N), wait until you taste it.” His words caused a small blush to appear on your cheeks, followed by your eyes opening and your smile to turn downwards once more into an embarrassed frown.

        “O-Oh, yeah.” Not fresh anyway. Naruto glanced your way almost suspiciously, since he did see you steal here before, he himself didn’t know if you stole here before. Teuchi, and even Ayame, chuckled at your current state.

        “Forgive me for asking, but are you two on a date?” Ayame suddenly inquired. An immediate surge of red rushed to your cheeks and your jaw dropped. Naruto had a similar reaction, though he seemed more shocked than embarrassed.

        “I was thinking the same thing Ayame.” Teuchi added, only causing more heat to run through your face, and you frantically waved your hands and replied before they could say anything else.

        “Woah woah woah! No! We’re not on a date! It’s not like that!! He’s just a friend, I’d never date him!!” Naruto, although glad that you spoke up, looked at you with a slightly hurt and pouty expression. You smiled sheepishly at him. “No offense.” He only frowned more.

        “Gee, I’m not that bad.”

        “Hey, at least I’d rather date you than scrooge mcduckbutt asshole jerk.” It took Naruto a few seconds to get the joke, and when he did, he was consumed with laughter. He found it so funny, he even fell off the back of the stool and was pounding the ground with his fist. You even made Teuchi laugh and Ayame giggle.

        “Wow, you certainly don’t like this person, whoever he is.” At Teuchi’s words your anxiousness returned, and your face paled, the red disappearing from your face.

        “She’s talking about Sasuke!” He managed to breathe out. Teuchi really started to bellow with laughter.

        “Ah, no wonder Naruto’s laughing so hard. Hey (Y/N), I think you’re the only girl in the village who doesn’t obsess over that boy.” Teuchi laughed at his own joke and it only made you grumble a few choice words about Sasuke and his fangirls. By now, Naruto managed to snap out of his own fit of laughter and sit back on his stool.

        “I know right? She’s SUPER amazing!!” A tint of red dashed across your cheeks and your eyes slightly widened at Naruto’s statement.

        “That reminds me, where’s the rest of your squad?” Teuchi questioned. Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

        “I don’t know, probably just went home or something.” More like you abandoned them for food.

        “You’re not doing a team dinner then?”

        “Nope, just me and (Y/N)!” He slung an arm around your shoulder and Ayame giggled.

        “That’s why we were thinking you two were on a date, since it’s just the two of you and all.” Her statement made you frown as Naruto instantly let go of your shoulder in response. 

        “Alright! Order up! Two bowls of miso ramen with extra pork, enjoy!” He set two silver bowls down in front of you and Naruto immediately grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started scarfing down his food.

        You had to say, this was the best bowl of ramen you had ever seen, especially since it was fresh for once. The steam emitting from the delicious noodles and pork and everything else in there smelled utterly amazing! You reached your hand out and was about to start digging in yourself, but you realized that using your hands to eat here would not be the wisest decision to make. You were lucky so far as to not give yourself away as to who you were so far, you didn’t want to do anything to make you seem out of place. But, I’ve never used chopsticks before. I don’t know how to hold them! You quickly decided to copy what Naruto was doing, though it was a bit hard to see his hands at the pace he was eating his food. Damn this kid can chow down! He might be as good at eating as Choji is!

        You slowly reached out for a pair of chopsticks and, as you saw Naruto do earlier, try to rip them apart. So, do they just peal off or something? The sound of wood splitting and the sight of two individual chopsticks successfully pulled apart made you inwardly sigh a breath of relief. Wew, step one complete. Now, for the hardest part. Holding them. You glanced over at Naruto one more time. You were thankful for your sharp eyesight, otherwise you would’ve never caught his hand position, since it was moving at the speed of light. Why do you have to eat so fast and make this more difficult for me Naruto? Whatever, I think I get it. So you put one there and then hold the other one there… I got it! Or, I think I do… eh, oh well. 

        Once you were holding your chopsticks, albeit a little awkwardly, you managed to grab some noodles with them and bring them up to your mouth. I think I got the hang of these things now. Yes! You sniffed the intoxicating smell once again before placing the morsel of food into your mouth. Your taste buds exploded with flavor as soon as the ramen made contact with your tongue. Holy SHIT this is good! Your eyes seemed to enlarge as you immediately began chewing the delicious sensation that was in your mouth, though you made sure not to lose too much of your self control in front of everyone. When you swallowed, you moved on to grabbing the next bite with your chopsticks without even thinking about using them right, almost like you had been using them your entire life, and your excited actions made Teuchi laugh.

        “Ha ha! I told you you’d like my cooking!” You paid no attention to Teuchi as you continued to eat your ramen. When you were about halfway through your bowl, you happened to glance over at Naruto to see that he was already on his third, and it had only been a few minutes at most. What!? How- 

        “How exactly is your stomach that big Naruto!?” He looked up from eating and flashed you a noodle filled grin.

        “I just love ramen! Especially Ichiraku’s!” You smiled in response and rolled your eyes at his excitement, and continued eating your own ramen. “So, did you ever eat this kind of food before?” You paused, your chopsticks hovering just in front of your open mouth, which you closed upon hearing Naruto’s question. You raised a quizzical brow at him.

        “What do you mean?” He shrugged his shoulders.

        “I mean, like what kind of food did you eat before?” You put the bite of noodles in your mouth.

        “Mmm whatever I felt like I guess.” You were intentionally vague.

        “That is SO cool.”

        “What do you mean before?” Teuchi interrupted. “Are you from another village or something?”

        “Oh, well (Y/N)’s the Shadow Fox.” You choked on your food and dropped your chopsticks at hearing those dreadful words. Teuchi and Ayame swiftly turned around to look at you. Somehow you were able to swallow the bite and glare at Naruto.

        “Naruto! You’re not supposed to go around saying that!!” He looked at you as if he realized what he had just done.

        “Wait, you’re the Shadow Fox?” You flinched at Teuchi’s words, and you sighed.

        “Yeah.” You grumbled. “It’s true.” You avoided their gazes, and lowered your head in shame, strands of your hair falling in front of your face, concealing it from everyone else’s sight. You were about to get up and leave to save yourself of what you knew was going to happen, what had always happened to you since you could remember, but you were stopped by a hand on your head. You peeked one of your eyes out from under your hair, only to see Teuchi smiling down at you with a sincere friendly smile.

        “It’s alright, me and Ayame forgive you.” This was surprising to you on a whole new level.

        “W-What?” He removed his hand from your head, and you stared up at him.

        “That’s all water under the bridge, am I right?”

        “B-But why-“

        “Well first off, you don’t exactly look like an evil mastermind criminal or anything.” You chuckled sheepishly.

        “And second, you don’t look too happy admitting this to us, like you’re not proud of it. Plus, it’s not like we suffered major losses or anything. It was never too bad.” Ayame added.

        “Besides, you’re friends with Naruto, and if he trusts you, then we trust you too.” Naruto pointed an energetic thumb to himself and grinned.

        “See, being friends with me has its benefits.” You laughed, and flashed everyone a huge smile.

        “Thank you.” You said in a soft tone. Everyone smiled right back at you, and Naruto grinned like usual.

        “Wait, I have one more question.” Naruto said. You turned and faced Naruto, with that nice smile still plastered onto your face.

        “Hm? What is it?”

        “Where’d you go to the bathroom?” As you processed his words, your expression turned to one of surprise and embarrassment, and your cheeks heated up to a very hot, bright scarlet red. What made it worse was that you could hear Ayame and Teuchi giggling in the background like school girls.

        “W-Wha-? W-Why-? Why do you wanna know that!?” He shrugged his shoulders.

        “I’m curious.” Your cheeks heated up more.

        “W-Wait, do you think that I? That I would-?”

        “Go anywhere? Well, did ya?” It was now safe to say that your whole face resembled a tomato at this point.

        “Ew no! Gross!! Even I have my limits!! And if you must know, there was a public bathroom near where I used to sleep that nobody ever went to!

        “Awe, that’s boring.” He put on a disappointed pouty face, and you frowned at him and rolled your eyes. You picked up your chopsticks that you had previously dropped, and took another bite of your ramen.

        “Naruto, you’re nasty.” You said with a mouthful of ramen. He put his hands on his hips and frowned.

        “Hey I’m not nasty! I’m just saying that would’ve been cool!” You swallowed your bite.

        “Yeah, you’re right. You’re not nasty.” You playfully punched his shoulder. “You’re nasty and weird.”

        “Heeeyy!”

        “But so am I, so I shouldn’t say anything.” That made both of you laugh, and then a thought came to mind. “Oh, I think I know something that’s pretty cool.”

        “Really? What is it!?” He looked at you like a child who was about to hear the greatest story in the world.

        “Remember how you asked if I ate anything like this awesome deliciousness in front of me before?” He enthusiastically nodded his head.

        “Yeah!”

        “Well, I never ate anything cooked before. It was all raw… even the meat.” His face lit up with amazement and admiration.

        “That is so COOL!!!” And thus, you and Naruto began a long conversation while sitting there and eating your ramen. Even though you felt at ease knowing Teuchi and Ayame didn’t mind you, and actually liked you, you still felt eyes glaring daggers at your back, but that didn’t stop you from having a good time with Naruto and the two chefs. But someone else wasn’t too happy about it.

 
        Gaara was sitting on yet another rooftop just behind Ichiraku’s, and he was pissed, more so than usual. First, this boy dragged you from the hot spring without warning, which made him think you were being kidnapped, and then he had to jump across all of those rooftops just to keep up with you to see where you were going. When you had finally stopped, he found it was the same boy you had been walking with out of that training area, which made him want to kill the blonde kid at that moment. Even after all that, you still went with him to this restaurant, and now you were eating and laughing and talking with this moron.

        Oh how he hated this boy so much. He didn’t care about his name, he didn’t care who he even was, all it seemed he could see was red. How dare he just drag her away out of my sight, and then act like nothing happened. How dare he get that close to her. How dare he make her smile and laugh like that. How dare he- Gaara had to stop his thoughts from progressing, because after all, he wasn’t really supposed to care about you, or at least not in the way his thoughts were leading him to. You were only a girl, a specimen for him to observe because you were intriguing, and he was curious. Yet, no matter how many times he repeated this thought in his head, he couldn’t get over the fact that there was something about you that made him think like this and feel new emotions. He wouldn’t usually be this mad at a mere boy because of his interactions with a girl, he wouldn’t care at all, plain and simple. But this time was different, all because it involved you. 

        His chest tightened, and as he placed his hand over his heart, he felt it start beating faster. That was when he heard heavy breathing, and he realized it was his. His breathing seemed to increase and his heartbeat quickened the more he heard both yours and the boy’s voices. His chest grew tighter, but it was different than at the hot spring. It was actually painful, and it felt like it was growing worse. But he didn’t know what this meant, he only knew that it had to do something with the boy, since these strange things all occurred whenever the boy said something that made you laugh or something that made you sound happy in general. He may not know what was happening with him, but one thing was certain, you only continued to pique his interest more and more.

        He took one deep breath to calm himself down enough so that he wouldn’t be heard by anyone, and continued to watch you finish eating and laugh at something one of those cooks he saw earlier say, which only made him roll his eyes in annoyance. Only a minute passed before he saw you both exit the restaurant. This would actually be interesting to watch, since he had wondered what kind of living arrangements they worked out with you and where you’d be staying, and if he knew where you were staying, it would work out to his advantage in more ways than one. Plus, you would finally be rid of that boy he hated so much. All he had to do, was wait.

 
        “Bye Teuchi! Bye Ayame!” You waved to the two cooks as you and Naruto made your way out of Ichiraku’s.

        “Good night you two! Stay safe!” Ayame called back.

        “See you next time!” Teuchi waved at you as well, and soon Ichiraku’s was out of sight as you and Naruto made your way down the main village road once again. This time you were in a much better mood, so you completely ignored the few people who seemed to give you certain looks.

        “I still say you shouldn’t have payed for my food.”

        “Awe I already said it’s no problem.”

        “Well I still feel bad about it.”

        “I don’t know why, it’s supposed to be manners or something anyway, so even if you did have money-“

        “Oh please, I know you well enough by now to know that if I had money you’d hope that I’d pay for most of it.”

        “I would not! And how would you know if I would anyway?”

        “I just spent the last 30 minutes sitting with you, and I have an excellent judgement of character.” Naruto angrily crossed his arms.

        “Says the one who hasn’t met many people… and I still wouldn’t.” He mumbled, but his pout soon turned into a smirk. “Hey, at least I’m still better than Sasuke, right?”

        “Psh, sure hell you are. Duckbutt is way more of a stuck up than you, and he’s more grumpy, and a jerk, and boring, and uuuugly!” This made Naruto laugh like he had never laughed before, and it caused a little chuckle to escape your lips.

 
        Gaara wasn’t that far behind you two. He was so close he could hear your conversation, which he could honestly care less about, and he was getting impatient. He knew this boy couldn’t possibly be an escort, so why haven’t you and him separated yet?

 
        “And speaking of our squad, won’t Sakura be pretty mad that you kinda kidnapped me from her and Ino without saying anything to them?” A look of worry crossed his face, and he started rubbing the back of his neck.

        “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.” But soon his worry turned into relief. “Ah, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” You smirked.

        “I bet you she clomps you tomorrow.”

        “No she won’t! It’s not even that big a deal!”

        “Uh huh, sure, whatever you say. Don’t blame me if you get a new shiner in the morning then.”

        “Whatever, I know I won’t. I’ll be fine!”

        “Suit yourself.”

        What is taking so long, why is he still walking with her.

        “So Naruto, where do you live anyway?”

        “It’s that building right over there.” He pointed to a tall apartment building that you actually recognized, what with having seen it quite a few times before. “I’m on the top floor.”

        “Oh nice!” Which is perfect, since I can just sleep on the roof. You smiled and started for the direction of Naruto’s apartment.

        This is ridiculous. Someone like him can’t be an escort for her, they should’ve separated by now. This boy is really getting on my nerves.

        “It might be a little messy, but I don’t remember, so…”

        “Aren’t people supposed to, I don’t know, remember what the inside of their house looks like?” You sent him a playful smile and raised one of your brows. He just shrugged his shoulders.

        “Eh.”

        “I swear sometimes.”

        Wait a minute.

        “This is it.”

        No.

        Naruto opened the door to the building, and you followed him up a flight of stairs all the way to a brown oak door.

        “Well here we are.”

        Don’t tell me that-

        “Home sweet home!”

        … You’ve got to be kidding me.

        He opened the door for you, and you entered the apartment.

        This did not go with Gaara at all. You were actually living with this boy. It had to be one of the most annoying things that he could possibly deal with right now. Oh well, at least he knew where you’d be staying. He decided to remain where he was, on a rooftop right next to one of the boy’s window, and watch you for the rest of the night.

 
        You stood in the entrance to Naruto’s bedroom and examined the interior. To the left was his bed with a leaf village poster above it and a nightstand to the right of it. To your right was some kind of dresser, and next to that looked to be a full body mirror. On the wall opposite from you, across from his bed, there was a doorway that lead to what seemed to be a small hallway. On the wooden floor there were a few scattered soda bottles and some pieces of clothing, but overall it was pretty clean. So this is what a house looks like on the inside.

        “Wow, it’s pretty nice, and it’s not that messy.” You remarked in awe. Naruto smiled.

        “Yeah, it’s nothing too special.” You walked over to the nightstand where you spotted a picture. Upon examination it was Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto together as a team. This must be the group picture. You picked it up and that’s when you really noticed the poses and faces they all were making, especially Naruto’s and Sasuke’s. This is hilarious!

        “Ha ha! Naruto, you and Sasuke look so funny in this!” He peeked over your shoulder and frowned, remembering the day the picture was taken.

        “I don’t look funny! I just didn’t wanna take a picture with Sasuke in it.”

        “Well, Duckbutt doesn’t look too happy about it either… and it’s just too hilarious! Ha!” Naruto’s frown twitched up to a small smile, and he began to chuckle.

        “Eh heh heh, Duckbutt.” That caused you to chuckle as well, and you two had a minute of a chuckle fest before you placed the picture back down on the nightstand and looked around the rest of his bedroom.

        “It’s getting pretty late, we should probably head to bed.”

        “It’s not that late.”

        “Yeah, but Kakashi Sensei makes us meet him at like 5:00 a.m.” 5:00 in the morning!? How are you always so freaking energetic!? You sighed. “Anyway, sorry I don’t have a spare bed or anything, since I didn’t exactly know you’d be staying, but you can take my bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

        “Uh actually, I can just sleep outside.” You said nervously. Naruto tilted his head.

        “Why?” You hesitated.

        “Well, I’m not, exactly, you know…” You trailed off, hoping he would figure it out, but his confusion remained. “… used to sleeping indoors.” Now Naruto understood, but he merely brushed it aside.

        “Ah there’s nothing to be shameful about. Don’t feel embarrassed or anything, and besides you’ll be fine! It’s like outside but, well, inside!”

        “Naruto, I really think I should sleep outside-” He cut you off by tightening his hold on your shoulder.

        “Come on, the inside isn’t so bad, it’s pretty toasty and warm! I promise it’s gonna be okay!” You bit the bottom of your lip, and cast your worried glance to the side.

        “That’s not the reason why I wanna sleep outside, but okay, suit yourself.” You mumbled quietly. Don’t blame me if I wake you up in the middle of the night then. Naruto didn’t seem to hear you, and you didn’t know whether that was fortunate, or unfortunate. “At least let me sleep on the floor then. I don’t want to take your bed or anything.”

        “Are you sure?”

        “Yeah, it’s the least I could do for you letting me stay here in the first place, and actually being my friend, and doing all these other things for me too.” Naruto smiled.

        “Oh that was no trouble. I was just looking out for a friend.”

        “And now I want to return the favor.”

        “Are you sure?” You nodded.

        “Yeah, I’m sure.” He slung an arm over your shoulder.

        “You know, you’re one cool friend.” He then led you out into the hallway. “Now let’s see, where did I put them?” He let go of your shoulder and walked over to a closet and began rummaging through it. You awkwardly rubbed your arm, and you turned your gaze to the window that was next to you. Your night terrors were the only thing on your mind at the moment, and they were the real reason you wanted to sleep outside on the roof. You knew that you’d only be a nuisance when you ‘woke up’, and you were afraid of what would happen afterwards. “Found them!” Naruto’s voice startled you out of your thoughts. He emerged from the closet with an orange sleeping bag, a light blue blanket, and a white pillow.

        “It’s okay, I don’t need the sleeping bag.”

        “You shouldn’t sleep on the floor without a mattress or something.” I’ve been sleeping on dirt my whole life, the floor itself is basically luxury for me.

        “I’ll be alright, I swear.” He frowned at your denial, but he realized that you would probably be stubborn and not give in. Besides, he was tired, and he didn’t want to force you use 

        “Whatever you say.” He tossed the sleeping bag back inside the closet. You smiled, and he walked over and handed you the blanket and pillow, yawning right after. “I’m gonna go change and then head to bed, okay?” He said, pointing a thumb to where you presumed the bathroom was. You nodded your head and watched as he made his way down the hallway and disappeared through a door. 

        You stood in the middle of the hallway and looked out the window once more. You became entranced by the glow of the full moon, which helped in calming you down some, as your anxiousness for your night terrors was still present. You pulled yourself out of your trance and peered down at the floor where you would be sleeping. Wow, this really does look like luxury. You sat down and placed your pillow on the floor so that you could still see the night sky out the window, which wasn’t too far up from the ground. You layed your head down on the pillow and closed your eyes. This feels freaking amazing! It’s so comfortable, my head feels like it’s floating on clouds! So this is what a pillow feels like. You then covered yourself with the blanket. It’s so soft, and warm. Way better than my old blanket. You sighed in bliss, and curled up into a ball.

        Even though you were completely immersed in your newfound comfort, you still heard the bathroom door open from down the hall and Naruto’s footsteps walking back to his room. Since you were faced towards the wall, you couldn’t see him, but judging by the heavy sounds and slow pace of his footsteps, he was definitely tired. Both of you were. After all, it had been one of the busiest and most exciting days you two had ever experienced. You heard him pass you and head straight for his room, and that’s when you heard him climb into his bed. 

        “Goodnight (Y/N).” He yawned as he called out to you.

        “Goodnight Naruto.” This time you yawned, and that’s when you heard snoring coming from the other room. That was quick. Luckily it wasn’t too loud, so the house was actually quite peaceful. In fact, it made you smile even more. Maybe this time, for once… I won’t have night terrors. That’s when you succumbed to the now seemingly graceful arms of sleep.

 
        Gaara watched your sleeping form with satisfaction. He was very pleased with this arrangement he saw. Not only were you right in front of the window he was across from, but from your angle, you couldn’t seem him at all, so he could continue watching you without the concern of being spotted. He still didn’t like the fact that you had to live with this idiot, but at least some benefits came out of it.

        The only problem was, he knew what was coming next. He knew what would happen during the night, he had seen it once before. He remembered the effects your night terrors had on you, and he figured those didn’t just occur once in a while. No, he knew all too well that you must suffer every night from these nightmares, and whatever they were, they took a huge toll on you, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. But he could do nothing to stop this. It was quite ironic though, how peaceful you seemed now. It was the most peaceful he had ever seen you, but how quickly that would change very soon. He could only continue to watch the steady rise and fall of your chest as you breathed, and wait.

        He sighed, and peered up at the moon. It was so luminous and beautiful this night. It added on to the already peaceful atmosphere perfectly. If only it would last.
 

         It was only several hours later when you awoke, shooting up from the floor with a loud scream and a cold sweat. How wrong you were to think that your night terrors would for once not follow you in your sleep, how foolish you had been to think that for once you would be free of your past.
 

        Gaara couldn’t stop the pang he felt in his chest at seeing you in this state once again. He had the strangest urge to help you again, just like that night only a couple days before. He still didn’t understand why you being in pain caused him to feel this way. Although he was used to feeling his heart clench, this was different, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it, though he wanted to. All he could do was watch on, and see how it all played out.

 
        You were panting heavily and your eyes were wide with terror as you heard short heavy footsteps stop right in front of your now trembling form. 

        “What’s wrong!? Are you okay (Y/N)?” Naruto stared down at you with worry.

        “I told you, I told you I should’ve slept outside. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Tears started pouring down your cheeks.

        “What? What are you talking about? What’s the matter?” He leaned down and you suddenly hugged him as if your life depended on it. He was shocked at first, but soon he wrapped his arms around you as well, and you buried your tear stained face deeper into his night shirt. It was silent besides your sobs, and Naruto had a feeling of what was going on. “D-Did you have a nightmare?” You sniffled and nodded your head. “…Does this happen every night?” You froze. “Was that why you were so worried earlier?” You hesitated before slowly nodding your head again. He sighed and hugged your trembling body tighter, knowing exactly what your night terrors were about. He understood how you felt, because after all, he went through the same pain you’re going through. He’s still going through that pain, but he could only imagine how much worse it is for you, someone who’s never had anyone to be there for them before. But that’s changed, and he had to show it to you. “It’s okay, they’re not real… not anymore.” Your body stopped trembling. “You have friends now, including me. I’ll make sure the nightmares won’t bother you anymore.” Your tense muscles relaxed and your breathing returned to a much slower, normal rate. His words were one of the most comforting things you had ever heard in your entire life, and they worked in calming you down. You were tired, and you wanted nothing more than some rest, and you finally found it. You leaned your right cheek against his shoulder, and sleepily closed your heavy lidded eyes.

        “Thank you.” You whispered before falling into a deep, and for once, peaceful slumber. Naruto smiled as he watched you soundly sleep, glad that he was able to help you in your time of need and end some of your suffering you felt for so long. He couldn’t help but lean his head against yours, and fall asleep right along with you.
 

        Gaara watched on with disdain at the two of you sleeping. It should’ve been him to be the one to help you, him to be there for you, him to comfort you, just like that night, not this moron whom he despises. Wait, what am I thinking. I don’t help anyone, and I especially don’t comfort anyone. Maybe he didn’t like that you were being treated with such kindness when he never was, but deep down, he knew that wasn’t entirely true. Maybe it really was the fact that he couldn’t do anything to help you, that he wasn’t the one who showed you this luxury. He grunted in annoyance, mainly with himself, and stared up at the moon once more, letting the silence of the night overtake his thoughts. One thing was for certain, as long as he could, he would watch over you for the rest of the night.
 
        Little did he know, he wasn’t the only one watching you. A pair of glaring red eyes stood at the bottom of the apartment building, staring up at the very same window as Gaara. They had been there for quite some time, even before you had woken up from your nightmares, and these eyes were no ordinary eyes. They had seen and heard everything. They only remained for a few moments more, making sure all was calm and nothing else would happen, before disappearing into the night.

 

Chapter 7: Welcome to Training

 

        “Wake up.” You felt someone’s hand shaking your shoulder and waking you from your dreamless sleep. Your body stirred ever so slightly, and your eyes opened just a smidge. Groaning, you tried to see who dared to disturb your slumber, but you couldn’t make out the culprit’s identity; all you saw were blurs and dots. Whoever it was shook you again, which made you groan even louder than before. You absolutely had no desire to get up.

        Once your vision became clearer, you were able to make out a face with disheveled red hair. Of course it’s Gaara. You uncurled your tail from around your body and slowly tried to prop yourself up on whatever you were lying on. Gaara reluctantly removed his hand from your shoulder and watched you with his usual stoic expression. After barely forcing yourself up, your shoulders were slumped and some of your now tangled (H/L) (H/C) hair covered part of your face. You yawned. 

        “What time is it?” Your voice came out soft, yet groggy, as you rubbed your heavy lidded eyes. Gaara watched your actions carefully, not saying a word for a few moments.

        “We’re leaving soon.” He slowly turned around, and through still tired eyes, you saw his feet move away from you and out of your line of sight. Ignoring his what would be annoying behavior, you started rubbing your eyes again to try and wake yourself up. You realized that you didn’t know where you were, your memory from last night hazy. You did, however, recognize the familiar details of the living room as well as the material of the couch. I must’ve fallen asleep without realizing it.

        You started stretching all of your limbs, including your tail, and once you felt the familiar cracks and pops, that’s when you noticed that there was something on your feet. Taking a closer look at the object, it appeared to be a soft fluffy blanket. But I don’t remember it being there before. Did one of the siblings put it here?

        You decided to ignore the blanket for now, as the scent of fresh food suddenly made it’s way to your nose. Smiling at the delicious scent, you sniffed the air some more to take it all in. Mmmm, smells like eggs and sausage. Temari poked her head out from the doorway.

        “Morning (Y/N). I made some breakfast, you want some?” 

        “Oh, sure.” You managed to stand up and made your way into the kitchen, where you found Temari by the stove and hovered over a big pan. “It smells really good.” She sent you a smile. 

        “Thanks. I made dippied eggs, toast, and sausage. Hope that’s alright.” 

        “Of course, I love eggs and sausage.”

        “Look at that, you’re already fitting in.” You turned around to see Kankuro sitting in the same seat he sat in last night. Gaara sat just next to him, but you payed him no mind. You cracked a small smile at Kankuro as he took something out of his pocket. “Here, catch.” He tossed the item to you, which you caught with ease. It was another one of those appetite brownies. “There’s your appetite medicine. Hurry up and take it, we already took ours.” You popped the brownie into your mouth.

        “You take them too?” You said while you were still chewing.

        “Oh yeah, without those things wooo! Let me tell ya, we’d all be on a monstrous rampage by now.” He gave you a close eyed smirk and crossed his arms. “Not to brag or anything, but we’re actually really good at controlling our stomachs. Just, ya know, we still need a little help.”

        “You know what Kankuro? You’re pretty funny.”

        “Ha! See Temari? Someone does think I’m funny.”

        “Are you sure it wasn’t sarcasm tufts-for-brains?” Temari retorted, which made you snicker.

        “Okay, I’m pretty sure Temari’s funnier now.”

        “She’s finally getting it.” Temari said while laughing. 

        “Awe what??” He hung his head in defeat. “Damn.” You continued to laugh with Temari as you sat down in your own seat.

        “You’re still not bad though, you seem pretty cool.” His prideful smirk returned.

        “Told you again Temari.”

        “Ah shut up and eat, ya big lug.” Temari handed out the plates and sat down herself. “You really shouldn’t boost his dumb ego (Y/N).” You and Temari laughed while you all began to eat. Wow, they’re already treating me so nicely. This morning hasn’t been as wkward as I thought it would be. Plus this food is really good. 

        When everyone was done with breakfast, you followed the three to their kitchen sink and you each set your plates in there. The three then grabbed their school things, and as you caught sight of your bag amongst theirs, you did the same thing. Before you could even reach the front door though, Gaara blocked your path. 

        “Wait.” He was staring down at something, and that’s when you realized your tails and ears were still showing. Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot about those. Gaara held something out to you, and you saw that it was a folded up black sweatshirt similar to his and his siblings’. “Here, put this on.”

        “Fine.” You grumbled, then took your sweatshirt off and slipped the new one on. When it was snug, you noticed that your ears and tail were no longer in sight, but you could feel their ghost like presence still on you. A whiff of something from the sweatshirt caught your nose. Ugh, it reeks of Gaara. You crinkled your nose in disgust. “Does it really have to smell like you?” 

        “It’s one of the reasons you’re wearing it.” 

        “What?”

        “Anyone who can smell it will know that you’re under my protection.”

        “That is one of the most ridiculously weird things you have ever said to me, and who in the hell at this school is going to smell this?”

        “There are others out there, so like it or not you’re wearing it.”

        “Ugh.” You rolled your eyes, but didn’t say another word, thinking it best not to get into another argument that would end up like the prior night. All four of you then exited the house and proceeded to head to school.

        The entire walk was silent. Like all the other times, it was uncomfortable, especially with Gaara making sure you were close to him, to the point where your shoulder almost touched his, as soon as you guys stepped out of the forest. It was clear that he still didn’t trust you to be an inch out of his sight, which annoyed you to no end. Unfortunately, you could do nothing about it.

        Students hanging out on the front lawn gawked at your little group as you made your way to the front doors. They backed away the closer you all approached, staring at you four with mixed looks of contempt, confusion, and fear. Their reactions didn’t surprise you. Nothing about this situation was normal, but their staring made you want to shrink away into your baggy clothes and disappear from the world altogether. After all, it wasn’t like you were unfamiliar with this situation; you had experienced it long before you even moved here. This was almost exactly like your old school, and you hated it.

        Inside was worse. There were way more people, and you felt as if you were a freak on display. Temari and Kankuro both left to go to their own homerooms, while Gaara led you to the office, stopping you just outside the doors. 

        “I need to check on something real quick. It won’t take long, so wait here and don’t move.” You rolled your eyes but nodded nevertheless as he turned and put his hand on the doorknob, your narrowed eyes following him. With one last lingering glance at you, he opened the doors and went inside, leaving you all alone. You crossed your arms and leaned against the wall, watching as people passed you by without a care in the world, and wishing you were one of them.

        A minute later, you thought you saw Naruto amongst the crowd of students. Squinting your eyes to get a better look, you confirmed that it was indeed him, and apparently,  he noticed you as well. He turned his head side to side, checking to see if the coast was clear, but just as he was about to make his way over, the doors opened. Naruto immediately stopped, his eyes widening in what you thought was fear as Gaara emerged, and he quickly disappeared back into the crowd. As you stared at the place Naruto had just been, you felt a nudge on your shoulder. (E/C) eyes locked with green ones, and he gestured for you to follow him. You sighed, and begrudgingly complied. 

        It didn’t take long to reach Kakashi’s classroom, but before you could proceed, Gaara placed a hand on your shoulder, stopping you from entering.

        “Let me make this absolutely clear, you will still not sit with those ‘friends’ of yours. And don’t even try to talk to them.” You frowned. Of course he would do this. 

        “Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?”

        “No.” Your nose twitched in anger. 

        “Why can’t you at least give me some freedom? What the hell is the big issue?” Gaara said nothing in response. Your eyes narrowed. “You still don’t trust me, do you?” 

        “Come on.” He ignored you and opened the door. You growled under your breath, beyond irritated, but you had no choice other than to stay quiet and follow him. As you passed your friends on the way to your desk, you had a moment of rebellion and sent them all an apologetic expression, but then so as not to upset Gaara quickly looked away. However, not without noticing one little detail: Naruto was actually in his seat today. Just yesterday he was late to every class, or not there at all. Now today he’s perfectly on time? Hm. Choosing to set that piece of information aside for now, you slumped down in your own seat, folded your arms over your desk, and rested your head in the crook of them, facing away from Gaara towards the front of the room. Class began not a minute later.

        First period was relatively normal; nothing really happened. As the bell rang, you saw your friends pack up and leave, none of them giving you so much as a side glance. You understood their reasons, but it’s not like it made you feel any better about it. You began to pack up your own things while staring at your friends’ backs longingly, wishing you could be with them. But as Gaara walked by your desk, you were reminded of the cruel reality you now had to face. Head down and shoulders slumped, you followed Gaara out the classroom and into the hallway, all the while glaring at the floor.

        You were so caught up in your irate thoughts that you didn’t realize you both had already arrived at Iruka’s classroom, that is, until you heard a gruff cough. Your head snapped up abruptly, eyes moving from Gaara to the door. Oh, we’re here. As you opened it and began to step inside, Gaara was doing the same thing. You stopped, turned around, and scoffed.

        “I can’t believe you were actually serious about the whole changing classes thing.” You murmured.

        “Of course I was.” You frowned. I bet that’s probably why you were in the office this morning, to make sure everything was in order. “Now, come.”

        Everyone seemed to be in complete shock when they saw Gaara, which didn’t surprise you, since he wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. As you walked by your friends, you only spared them a momentary glance, flashing them all an apologetic smile, before continuing to follow Gaara. You noticed that Naruto was again among those friends, which confused you even more. There’s something going on, I can feel it… and did he even try to make eye contact with me? You sighed, saddened at this, as you followed Gaara, who was heading to the other side of the room, the opposite side of where your friends were. When he sat down, he nodded his head to the seat next to him, which made you frown. You sat down without argument though; you had no energy to fight him on this.

        The period, besides Gaara’s unexpected presence, was otherwise normal. At the end of class, your friends left without a second to lose, and just like last period, you couldn’t follow them. You packed up your things with Gaara and walked with him out into the hall. Once outside the door, Gaara’s eyes traveled to your own.

        “You’ll be sitting with us today.” 

        “Wow, what a surprise.” You grumbled sarcastically. It was clear your tone didn’t amuse him, but he chose to ignore it anyway. You sighed. “Seriously, can’t I just have some leniency? Plus, I’ve already been working on my own project with my own friends for how long now. It’s way too inconvenient.”

        “It doesn’t matter. As I’ve said before, I need to keep a close eye on you, so you are sitting with us. That’s final.” His tone conveyed clear annoyance, so you didn’t pressure him any further on the subject. 

        When you entered Orochimaru’s room, you kept your head down the whole time, although you could feel your three friends’ gazes on you. Even though you couldn’t see, you knew it was Shino’s covered eyes that were the ones boring holes in the back of your head. You sat down in front of Temari and Kankuro, your back facing your friends, while Gaara took the seat on your left. The two siblings smiled at you.

        “Hey champ, how are ya?” Temari asked playfully. You managed a rather faux smile.

        “Fine.” 

        “You feel comfortable?” Kankuro asked. You nodded your head. “Ugh, long ass day, am I right?” 

        “Yeah, you have no idea.” You mumbled. Gaara’s eyes glanced towards you at that comment, and you swore if he had eyebrows, one would be raised. Temari chuckled.

        “Alright, well this is what we’ve been doing as our project-“

        “That no one in their right mind gives a damn about.” Kankuro mumbled. You stifled a laugh while Temari glared at Kankuro. 

       “Anywayyy, so, here’s what we got.” You zoned out as Temari began explaining everything, not really paying much attention to what she was saying. Instead, you stole quick glances at your friends, who were all working in complete silence. They would occasionally glance at you as well, Shino being the one to look at you the most whenever he got the chance, which unnerved you. His expressions were emotionless yet calculative, like he was observing your every action, and you couldn’t but wonder throughout the entire period if he knew more than you thought. 

 
        When class ended, you all immediately began to pack up your things. Once again, all three of your friends left without you, and before you could dwell on this, Temari and Kankuro drew your attention back to them, striking up a conversation. You hoped they didn’t notice your panged expression.

        Once you exited the classroom, the two older siblings departed, while you and Gaara made your way to fourth period, which today was study hall. When you arrived, you followed Gaara to the farthest side of the room. Normally you would greet Guy, but s you passed by his desk, you said nothing so as again not to upset Gaara. He said nothing to you in turn; he merely sat in his chair reading a book, not even making eye contact with you. That’s interesting. It’s like he’s not even concerned… The saddened gazes of Lee and Tenten caught your attention, and you were barely able to dismiss them, especially the scrutinizing gaze of Neji. It was much like Shino’s, only worse, and you gulped as his pale purple orbs followed your form. You noticed that Naruto was behind Neji, who unfortunately blocked the blonde’s face, and you had a feeling that Naruto did this on purpose. Again, that’s weird. You were almost relieved when you and Gaara finally sat down, and immediately began to work on homework, trying to ignore the lingering gazes on you. 

 
        It felt like an eternity had passed before the bell rang, and your friends of course left without giving you a second glance back, Naruto included. As you rose from your seat, you glanced at Guy from the corner of your eyes. He was still reading his book, and still ignoring you. Instead of sadness, you felt suspicion, but you didn’t have time to dwell on that as Gaara passed your desk, which was your signal to leave. You and Gaara then headed to the roof for lunch, and once up the three flights of stairs, he stopped in front of the door and did nothing. You frowned, realizing what he wanted. You pulled out your wolf pendent and proceeded to unlock the door, all the while holding back a snarl. Fresh air hit you dead on, and you took the moment to take in its scent as you did everyday, since this had been the closest thing to freedom you could get to for the past several days. Like yesterday, you both sat at the edge of the roof and ate your lunches in what felt like uncomfortable silence, although this time your appetite wasn’t as demanding.

        Gaara suddenly rose to his feet, and you did the same, knowing by now that it meant the end of the period. He then led you all the way to Iruka’s room and, even though this wasn’t his class, entered alongside you, which you sighed at. Immediately Sasuke’s eyes traveled to the two of you, and they narrowed considerably. However, his glare wasn’t necessarily directed at you, rather, it was entirely on Gaara. And this is the guy who lectured me against glaring at him. Sakura was staring at you from her seat as well, only her look was more sympathetic and pitying than anything. Naruto was also in his seat, but he paid you no attention at all, as you expected. You oh so wanted to join your friends, but one look from Gaara told you to keep moving, and you obeyed, taking a seat with your commander on the other side of the room.
 

        “Alright everybody, remember to do problems 11-36 in your textbook for tomorrow!” Iruka called as the bell rang. It was your signal to leave like everyone else, including Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, who had all already hurried out the door. When you and Gaara followed suit, you noticed something was off about the way he was walking. It was at a much slower pace than usual, and his steps were lighter. He appeared to be in deep thought about something, and you pondered what he was thinking about. Wait, next class is Deidara’s. That must be it. Although, why does he seem so stressed about it? He couldn’t possibly be afraid of him. He was in a pretty intense fight with him, but he technically won, so what reason would he have to be afraid? But… what if he’s not afraid, but something else? It was only when you noticed Gaara’s slightly curious gaze on you that you realized you had been staring at him. You quickly looked away with a blush forming on your cheeks. A moment passed before you felt his eyes leave your form, but it seemed he wasn’t letting you off the hook.

        “Something on your mind?” Your blush darkened and you frowned.

        “No…” He raised a nonexistent eyebrow, practically catching your bullshit right away. “I mean, it’s just that you seem off, and I was wondering if it’s because of Deidara.” For a moment he said nothing, an indifferent expression plastered on his face. Then he looked away and hummed, although you swore you heard a low growl reverberating from his chest.

        “You’ll see.” You rose an eyebrow. What is he planning? You both went silence.

        The bell was close to ringing when you arrived at Deidara’s room, and students were already starting to file in by the bunch. You and Gaara walked through the crowd of students and into the classroom where you saw Deidara sitting at his desk reading some pieces of paper, and drumming his fingers on wood in an impatient rhythm. After reassuring Gaara that you knew absolutely no one else in this class, you led him to your seat, and as you did so, Deidara’s eyes shifted instantly on Gaara. The blonde’s once playful light blue eyes now narrowed in absolute rage, and Gaara returned it. The tension nearly suffocated everyone in the room. Deidara’s eyes then slowly traveled to you, and his gaze softened. But then half of your form was blocked, as Gaara stepped in front of you. Deidara’s eyes shifted back and forth between you and him, and you swore he almost popped a vein. Is this what Gaara wanted? To mess with Deidara? 

        The sound of ringing jarred everyone from the tense atmosphere. Deidara rose from his seat slowly, his hardened gaze still on Gaara. Then, with one last angered glare directed your way, the animosity in his eyes vanished as if it was nothing, and replaced with his usual smirk. However, you saw how tightly he grit his teeth, how hard he clanched his fist around the edge of his desk, and heard how roughly he straightened the papers he had been reading, crinkling some in the process. Nevertheless, he proceeded to teach the class. To say the period had been uncomfortable was an understatement.

        When the period was over, Deidara went back to his desk and sat down, looking at the now crinkled papers he was holding earlier. You packed up your stuff and followed Gaara to the door. As you left, you felt Deidara’s eyes on you. Turning your head over your shoulder, you saw his intense glare directed at Gaara, who was staring back with his own look, and you didn’t need to guess what Deidara’s gaze meant. 

        This isn’t over. 

        You gulped as you exited the class. You had no idea what this all was going to lead to, only that this was just the beginning.

        By the time you and Gaara arrived at the front gate, Temari and Kankuro were already waiting for you. 

        “Hey guys, how are ya?” Temari asked with a small wave. You frowned. 

        “Peachy.” You answered sarcastically.

        “That’s good.” Kankuro said with a smile, completely ignoring your tone. You internally groaned.

        “Well, I guess we’ll meet you home later then.” Temari said. Wait, what does she mean by meet us there? I thought we were walking together.

        “What do you mean by that-?”

        “Bye guys!” Kankuro and Temari both exclaimed before starting down the path towards the house. Gaara remained next to you, watching them leave. When they were out of sight, he turned to face you, and you faced him as well with a questioning look.

        “Okay, what was that all about?” 

        “They were only waiting for us to make sure you were fine.” You raised a brow, but he didn’t allow you the chance to speak. “I’m allowing you to go into work today.”

        “Really?” You were practically glowing. Is he actually giving me freedom!?

        “Don’t get too excited. The only reason you’re going is because I need to take care of something with Temari and Kankuro, and you can’t be in the house for the moment.” Your gaping jaw closed to form a deep frown as you crossed your arms.

        “Of course that’s why.” You huffed. He turned around and began walking away from you, only he stopped after a few steps.

        “This is also a test to see how good you are at hiding yourself, and how much you can be trusted alone.”

        “You mean being two steps away from you?” He grunted. 

        “Come straight home when your shift is done.” You rolled your eyes, which thankfully he couldn’t see.

        “Yeah yeah I know.” You groaned. A minute of silence passed before he finally started off down the path to the house, and you headed to the café. 

        Teuchi was there to greet you when you arrived, and he did so by giving you a giant bear hug.

        “Hi (Y/N)! Glad you’re well again!”

        “Hey Teuchi. Yeah, I’m better now.” Not even close. 

        “Well that’s good. A fellow called in saying that you were finally feeling better and that you’d be coming in today, and I wanted to see how you were for myself.” That damn asshole, calling my boss without me knowing. One of these days Gaara I’ll- “I was actually surprised you didn’t call yourself.” He started scratching his head. “Say, who was that guy who called anyway? He wouldn’t tell me who he was.” Of course Gaara wouldn’t help me out with this.

        “Oh, uh, he’s… my cousin.” 

        “Really?”

        “Y-yeah. He’s just visiting me for a few weeks.” If only.

        “Ah, that explains it.” Sweat began to form on your brow as you scratched the back of your head. “So, does he live around here?

        “No, he’s from waaay outta town.”

        “Wow, he’s certainly dedicated to his family then. (Y/N)!” 

        “Yeah, you could say that.” You said through gritted teeth.

        “Oh and don’t worry, he already informed me about the whole sweatshirt thing.” 

        “What sweatshirt thing?” He rose a brow.

        “Just that you should wear a sweatshirt over your uniform, since it’s be better if you stay warm and stuff. Your cousin said even though you’re feeling better, it would be safer so you don’t become ill again.”

        “O-Oh yeah! That thing.” You rubbed the back of your neck. “Sorry about that by the way.”

        “It’s alright, and you can just wear what you have on now, since it at least matches the color scheme of the place. But make sure you still have the hat on.” You smiled.

        “Thanks Teuchi.” He gave you a thumbs up.

        “No problem kiddo.” He then opened the café door, and led you inside. As he went to his office, you went to the backroom to set your stuff down and grab your uniform’s hat, then started your shift.

        An hour or two passed, and so far the café hadn’t gotten many customers. You were currently cleaning the register since there were only a few people who were sitting at tables and no one needed attended to. 

        “I didn’t know you worked here, (Y/N).” The sudden deep voice made you jump, but as you quickly looked around for the, you saw a pair of onyx orbs accompanied with matching long hair. You breathed a sigh of relief.

       “Oh, it’s you Itachi. Don’t scare me like that!” He was sitting at a table just a few feet from the counter, holding what looked to be a regular cup of coffee. He smirked at your still slightly startled expression and took a sip of his drink. Huh, I didn’t see him come in. “It’s been awhile. I didn’t know you even came here.” 

        “Hm, most afternoons.”

        “Really? I’ve worked here for three weeks and I don’t remember seeing you. And come to think of it, I don’t remember taking your order today either.”

        “I guess I have been busy for awhile, and you were probably in the bathroom.” You did recall taking a five minute bathroom break, and once that realization hit, your cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

        “Oh, right. Hehe.” You rubbed the back of your head. “So, why’ve you been so busy? Is it because you’re still working for your dad?” He nodded.

        “Yes.”

        “Ah.” He did nothing to further the conversation. “So, how’s that been going?”

        “Fine.” It was silent as he took another sip of his coffee. “You know, Sasuke’s told me how weird you’ve been acting lately. Care to explain?” You froze for a second, the hand you were using to wipe the register momentarily stopping, but you waved it off just as quickly.

        “It’s nothing really. I guess I just haven’t been feeling well for the last few days.”

        “Interesting. I believe he thinks it’s more than that, and by the looks of you, I’d agree.” Your hands started to tremble out of fear, and thankfully he couldn’t see that, or he would certainly know you were hiding something. From what you could tell from your encounter with him before, he was a very observant man, so showing obvious signs of fear was not something you wanted to do in front of him. Although, he must’ve only taken one glance at your fake smile to know something was amiss. You only hoped he wouldn’t press you for more answers.

        “Like I said, it’s nothing.” 

        “Hm.” He paused. “Then what about the rumors about your new relationship with Gaara?”

        “Some, uh, stuff came up with… our… families.” He nodded.

        “I see.” He took another long sip. “How is it working here?” You sighed out of relief, glad that he dropped the subject.

        “It’s good, nice pay, good atmosphere, not really any assholes or anything. And the manager, well, I guess temporary manager, is pretty nice.”

        “Temporary?”

        “Mhm. Teuchi’s daughter is the one who owns the place, but since she’s at college right now, he’s filling in for her.” He nodded in understanding. 

        “I see.”

        “He actually owns Ichiraku’s downtown, have you been there?”

        “Yes, I have. The food is very good. Have you been there as well?” You nodded.

        “Yeah, Naruto took me there Friday.” He made a gruff noise that almost sounded like a chuckle.

        “I’m not surprised it was him to show you that restaurant.” 

        “I take it you know him?” His lips turned upright into a slight, almost unnoticeable, smile.

        “He and Sasuke have been best friends since they were young. I could recognize him anywhere.” 

        “You mean you could hear him anywhere.” You mumbled, which he heard. 

        “Well put, although, what Sasuke tells me, you’re not too much different.” An angry blush coated your cheeks.

        “How much does king of the duckbutts tell you?” You grumbled. He took another sip.

        “A lot, actually. We’re very close as well.” You playfully smirked.

        “Then why does he always complain about how you tease him and stuff?” 

        “I’m his brother. It’s my job.”

        “You know, for someone so serious, you can be pretty childish.”

        “And for someone so childish you can be mature when you need to be.” 

        “I’m just gonna take that as a compliment.” Just then the bell on the front door rang, and a few customers entered. You stopped your cleaning and went around the counter, proceeding to take their orders. After you were done, you returned to chatting with your raven haired friend. “So what does Sasuke tell you about?”

        “Why do you want to know?” You smirked and cracked your knuckles.

        “In case I need to take revenge.” He hummed and took another sip.

        “You know, I saw you in school today.” You gulped. Then I know who else you saw too.

        “Really?” He nodded.

        “Mhm. It was in the hallway, with Gaara.” His onyx orbs, so much similar to Sasuke’s, pierced through your now anxious (E/C) ones. 

        “Oh…”

        “It’s going to be very hard to get revenge on Sasuke if you aren’t even allowed to get close to him.” You gulped. “That’s what Sasuke’s been telling me.” He took one long sip, his eyes never leaving yours. You averted your gaze to the floor, not wanting to look into his eyes any longer.

        “So that’s it, huh?” You whispered. “It’s all…. complicated. Like I said before, family stuff.” It was silent for a moment. Then you heard the sound of a chair being pushed out, and you looked up to see Itachi right in front of the counter. The look on his face was calm, definitely not as intense as before. 

        “I didn’t bring this up to pressure you or make you uncomfortable. I brought it up because it is concerning to us.” Us? “I bother because Sasuke considers you a friend, something he normally doesn’t do, so you must hold some importance. And that means I care as well.” You smiled. 

        “You seem cool too.” From out of nowhere, pain erupted in the middle of your forehead. Itachi had poked you, and it was hard enough to make you stumble back a bit. “Ow!” You rubbed your head, and as you looked up, you saw that his finger was still in the air.

        “Hang in there.” He put his hand by his side and started towards the doors, but he stopped a few steps away from the counter, his back still to you. “Just be careful (Y/N).” He turned his head over his shoulder, and looked directly at you. “Deception can lie within even the most generous motives. Do not so easily trust everything that you see, or what you think you know.” He turned his head back around and resumed walking to the door, with you staring at his back the whole way out of the café. What does that mean? Was he talking about Gaara? Considering Itachi probably knows his reputation, probably. But something about this statement seemed off to you, but you had no idea of what else he could’ve meant. 

        Regardless of his ominous message, it was still a relief to be able to talk to someone other than Gaara and the siblings for once. It was especially nice to know that he and Sasuke still cared so much. You set your elbow on the counter, resting your head in the palm of your hand, smiling.

        “(Y/N), do you have the hots for that guy??” One of your female coworkers asked.

        “No! He’s just a friend!” 

        “Oooo~ Is he your boyfriend??” Red blossomed on your cheeks.

        “WHA- NO!!” This is gonna be a long rest of my shift. 

 
        An hour and a half later, your shift ended. After grabbing your stuff and officially clocking out, you said your goodbyes to your coworkers and Teuchi. As you exited the café, you looked up at the sunset sky, which was almost completely dark, save for the line of fiery pink and purple on the horizon. Stars were already starting to glimmer, adding to the sky’s grand beauty. You managed to bring your attention back to in front of you so you wouldn’t run into anything,, only to see Gaara standing just across the street, and he seemed to be waiting for you. I should’ve known. You approached him, frowning. 

        “You seriously don’t trust me enough to walk home myself?” He grunted, and started walking in the direction of the house, you of course following behind him.

        “I’m here not because I don’t trust you. I’m here because it gets dangerous at night, and your senses aren’t developed enough yet to protect you from a possible attack.”

        “I’m more than capable of protecting myself.” 

        “That, I don’t trust.” You glared at him. “I’d rather play it safe. If someone sees me with you then they won’t as readily come after you.”

        “Who would possibly come after me?” 

        “We already told you who.” The memory of your discussion with the siblings last night popped into your head. That’s right, the Akatsuki. “…I know you’ve heard the rumors about us.” You huffed. Yeah, no kidding. “They’ve spread fast, and we have enemies that have surely heard them by now. They might try to attack you to get back at me or the Shinobi.” I guess that makes sense. “If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have let you go into work in the first place.” 

        “Which is none of your business to meddle with anyway.” 

        “It is, if I’m trying to protect our pack.”

        “From what? Me ‘slipping’ and shouting our secret out to everyone in the world?”

        “Like I said before, you’re inexperienced. You could do something accidentally, just like-“

        “Just like the other day ago.” He said nothing in return. “Of fucking course.” You averted your gaze to the sidewalk. His eyes, though, were still solely focused on you. You swore you heard a small sigh, but it was so quiet you passed it off as your imagination.

        The two of you walked on in silence, neither of you saying a word. It was one of your most awkward silences all day with him, which was ironic considering this wasn’t the worst thing he had done to you today. You were just so angry, and that anger had been building up for the last few days, that it felt like you were pushed to your absolute limits. Despite your raging thoughts, you suppressed the urge to shout your frustrations at him, and continued following him all the way home. When you both arrived at the front porch, Temari and Kankuro were already there to greet you.

        “Hey guys.” Kankuro waved.

        “You alright?” Gaara said nothing, and you managed a slight twitch of your lips.

        “Yeah.” You half grumbled. Temari pursed her lips in thought, but she didn’t ask about your mood, already assuming the cause of it. Kankuro elbowed Temari, and a look of recollection crossed her face.

        “Oh, (Y/N), we have something to show you.” Without giving you time to question what she was referring to, she grabbed your arm and dragged you into the house. The boys went to the living room, talking about something so quietly you couldn’t hear them, which seemed suspiciously purposeful to you. Temari dragged you to the end of the hall and stopped at a door on the right. “Well, you don’t have to sleep on the couch again.” You rose a brow. “We finally finished your room.”

        “Really? Thank you.” She opened the door and allowed you to step inside. You could barely contain your shock. Everything from your apartment was in here. Your bed, nightstand, lamp, dresser, and all your small personal items were all arranged, admittedly rather nicely, in the room before you. That son of a-

        “I-Is this really m-my-“

        “Yep. Eheh, sorry, it was Gaara’s orders. He figured that you wouldn’t necessarily agree to living here for… a while, so he took the liberty of doing, well this.” She gestured to all your belongings. You frowned, and you could feel your ears drooping.

        “No kidding.” 

        “At least you didn’t have to worry about unpacking.” Her attempt at lightening the mood unfortunately didn’t help at all.

        “Thanks.” You didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, to Temari anyway, but you couldn’t help the annoyance laced in your tone. She didn’t seemed to mind though, instead, she held a look of sympathy.

        “I know it must be hard to deal with everything that’s happened, but Gaara really is trying to look out for everyone, including you.” You huffed.

        “Well, he’s not doing a good job of it.” 

        “He has his ways, not the most agreeable sometimes, but they still work.” You took your hat off and set it on the nightstand. Your ears remained drooped, as you stared forlornly at piece of furniture that was no longer in your actual home.

        “Still.” You felt something on your shoulder, and you looked to see it was Temari’s hand.

        “Just, try to trust him, alright?” You sighed, and she removed her hand, smiling. “Now come on, let’s go get dinner. You’re gonna need a full stomach for later.” You turned around, confusion etched onto your face, as Temari started for the doorway.

        “What do you mean? What’s later?” Temari stopped, looked over her shoulder, and smirked.

        “You’ll see.” With that, she rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving a very confused you behind. Shaking your head out of your dumbfounded state, you raced off after her.

        “Hey, wait up!” You called out as you caught up to Temari in the kitchen. Before you could say anything though, Kankuro appeared in front of you wearing a pink cooking apron.

        “Hope you like chicken, ’cause I cooked us a big one tonight!” You rose a brow, completely forgetting what your original goal had been.

        “Wow, I didn’t know you could cook.” Kankuro put his hands on his hips.

        “And what is that supposed to mean, huh?”

        “You just don’t seem like that type of person, that’s all I’m saying.”

        “Uh huh. Well, someone’s gotta do it, and tonight’s my night.” He gave you a close eyed prideful smirk. “And not to brag or anything, but I’m actually pretty good with-“

        “Not burning down the kitchen at least.” Kankuro glared over his shoulder at Temari, who just snickered at him. You took this time to really take in the scent of the chicken, which sat on the oven just to the side of Kankuro.

        “Well, it does smell pretty good.” Kankuro looked back over at you and was now trying to hold back a laugh.

        “I can tell you already like it, your tail’s going a million miles an hour.” You quickly looked behind you, only to see that your tail was indeed wagging like no tomorrow. Blush erupted on your cheeks as you looked back at Kankuro, only to see something that made you laugh along with him.

        “Look who’s talking.” It was Kankuro’s turn to blush now, as he looked behind and saw his brown tail swishing almost as fast as yours. 

        “Hey, stop that you!” Fits of laughter escaped your mouth as Kankuro ran around in circles chasing his tail. Temari rolled her eyes and Gaara stared on with the same indifferent frown as ever. When Kankuro finally realized what he was doing, he stopped and crossed his arms. “W-Whatever, let’s just eat.” His cheeks were now puffed in a childlike pout, and he averted his gaze to the wall. You walked up to him and lightly punched him in the shoulder as a playful gesture, which he responded with sticking his tongue out at you.

        Once you, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara made your plates, you all sat down at the table and began to eat. Just as Kankuro promised, the chicken was certainly delicious. 

        “Kankuro, this is actually pretty good!”

        “Well what else did you expect?” 

        “Like I said, didn’t know you could cook, and cook well at that.” 

        “Well, at least you recognize my greatness, and this ain’t even my real talent.”

        “Ugh, please don’t start with the puppets again.” Temari groaned. You rose a brow.

        “Puppets?” Kankuro smirked while shoving a forkful of food in his mouth.

        “Yup. I design and make high class puppets. Pretty cool, huh?”

        “More like pretty creepy.” Temari mumbled. “Seriously, his whole room is filled with them. (Y/N), never go in there.”

        “Wasn’t planning on it.” 

        “Hey! I’m right here you know?” 

        “We’re just messing with you. I’m sure your puppets are cool.” You swore you saw Temari cringe. Kankuro seemed to ponder something.

        “Mhm. Well, if you wanna see them sometime I could certainly show you. But while we’re at it, let me tell you about-” 

        Dinner carried on with Kankuro rambling on about his puppets, Temari remarking about all of them, both of them going back and forth at each other, and sometimes you joining in. You were glad that you got along with the two older siblings, and you really enjoyed their company. It certainly relieved you of the stress you’ve had for the past couple days. On the other hand, Gaara ate silently the entire time, as you expected. You were still pretty mad at him for everything he had said earlier, especially with the addition of your new room, but at least, for the moment, he wasn’t doing or saying anything to provoke you. 

        When everyone was finished, you all got up and put your dishes in the sink. Gaara looked between Temari and Kankuro, then at you. His eyes lingered for a moment before he motioned his head over his shoulder.

        “Come on.” Temari and Kankuro looked at you and nodded, signifying that you should follow. Reluctantly you followed them out the front door, and as Temari stayed behind to lock the door, you followed the brothers. They were leading you to the right of the house, more specifically, to the forest. Temari quickly caught up to you and flashed you a smile, as if to say that everything was fine. You smiled back, letting her know that you trusted her. You didn’t bother to ask where you all were going, as you figured you’d find out soon enough. Plus, if Temari and Kankuro were calm about this, you only assumed the place wasn’t anything to be concerned about.

        When you entered the forest, you all continued on a straight path, winding through the trees, pushing past bushes, and stepping over branches and twigs. The only thing that you could clearly hear was everyone’s breathing and the crunching of leaves beneath your feet. At some point, all of you made a left, and that’s when you were truly curious about where they were taking you. By now you had traveled so far from the house, it seemed a little concerning. You glanced at Temari, who was still walking next to you, then to Kankuro, who was diagonal from you, and then finally to Gaara’s back in front of you, trying to figure out where on earth they could possibly take you.

        Eventually you emerged from the trees, and what you saw certainly peaked your curiosity. You all appeared to be in a small clearing, which was marked with different sections: a squared area with wooden dummies, a weapon shack next to it, another area off to the side lined with bullseye targets with what seemed to be knives already stuck in them, and finally another one that faintly resembled a fighting ring.

        “What is this place?” Temari smirked.

        “Welcome to training.”

        (A/N: Another chapter done ((finally)) yay! It’s been a long while since I updated this story, hasn’t it? Well, now we know why Gaara’s been “busy” this whole time, moving your apartment to your new room! And on top of that he’s being more controlling! But at least through all the craziness Temari and Kankuro seem to really like you. Anyway, it still might be a little bit again until I’m able to update. Seriously, Junior year sucks so much. Literally my only free days are Friday and Saturday. Every other day I have homework or something to do after school throughout the rest of the night. Plus there’s drama and other issues, but my teachers are actually pretty cool, so I’m not totally stressed out. School’s almost out, actually next Thursday, so hopefully I’ll have more time. These past 3 months have been brutal, mainly what I’ve been doing is homework, and because of that and other commitments and issues in my life, I’ve gotten little sleep. Luckily, most of my homework is done, one of my “issues” ((basically ex friend))  has been dealt with for now, and I’ve been getting more sleep. So, hopefully updates won’t be too slow now, but no promises. Sorry 😦 . Good news though, I was at my first wedding on Saturday, and it was beautiful! ((Originally I wasn’t supposed to be going because I had to babysit my brother, but my dad was sick that day, and since I actually was invited I went with my mom. It was freaking hot though, but it was still  lovely)) Well with that, I’ll see y’all laters! ~P~)

Chapter 6: Family of Secrets

 

 

     “What do you mean ‘what do I think I’m doing’!?” You yelled back at him. You had recovered from your previously stunned state, and was more than ready to fight Gaara if he didn’t let go of you.

        “Your tail.” He growled out in a low voice. You started trembling, and your heart started pounding in your chest, threatening to leap out of your throat at any second, as your whole body went pale with fear.

        “What?” You asked shakily in a quiet tone. You looked down in between your legs, only to see that your white tail had grown from being just down to your knees, to all the way down to your feet. The previously thin and short white fur was now thicker, longer, and more ‘mature’ looking, and it was sticking out of your pants, which weren’t falling down, almost as if you had cut a hole in the back of them for this new tail to fit through. What the hell is this. “How-?” Gaara suddenly grabbed your hat and flung it off to the side, revealing your bent back ears. “Hey!”

        “So you are full blooded.” He muttered quietly, which you didn’t hear, but at this point you didn’t care about what he had said. You just wanted to get out of his grip and run as far away from him as you could. You were completely scared out of your mind, and all that mattered was escaping his grasp. You didn’t know what he was going to do, now that he knew your secret, and you sure as hell you didn’t want to find out.

        “Get off of me!” You shouted, as you struggled against him. You tried grabbing his wrists, kicking him, anything to at least try and loosen his grip, but your moves were too frantic and not well thought out, for he had no trouble holding you in place, and he slammed you against the building again.

        “Stop it and be quiet. You don’t have the right to tell me that.” You stopped struggling, appalled by his words. Who was he to tell you what rights you have and didn’t have, especially since you were telling him to let go of you when he was literally holding you against your will.

        “What the hell makes you think you can tell me what to do anyway!?” You yelled out of blind anger.

        “Because your tail almost got us exposed!” Wait, did he say-

        “Us?”

        “Yes, us.” You were beyond confused now, and everything became dead silent. You were panting heavily, your heart still thumping loudly through your chest, your previous fear still fresh in your mind, and you stared at him with wide, terrified (E/C) eyes. He remained emotionless and unmoving, staring at you with his piercing sea green eyes, never once breaking eye contact with you. “How long have you had your ears and tail.” He asked, more like demanded.

        “Why should I have to answer your questions?” You asked in a firm, yet still slightly shaky voice. He tightened his grip.

        “Just answer me.”

        “Why?”

        “Because I’m going to help you.” You were still heavily breathing, confusion and shock still the predominant emotions running through your head, but anger was quick to take over them, as you began to struggle against his grip again.

        “Help? Help!? Why in the world do you want to ‘help’!?”

        “Because you’re just like me.” You stopped struggling in his grip once more, as you stared at him in utter shock. Before you could question him, you were completely still, paralyzed, as you watched what was happening in front of you. Gaara closed his eyes, and in just one second, his body morphed. Two rugged dark blue wolf ears with light tan colored insides were now on top of his head, bent back against the sides of his head like yours, clearly showing irritation. A long, thick, light tanned colored tail was to his left side, slowly swishing up and down, with the light breeze that blew through. His huge tail also had random points where big chunks of fur spiked/curled out and ended in black tips, which made the spikes of fur look like claws. His whole tail was also covered in many random dark blue stripes, which, at a second glance, almost resembled veins.

       You looked at Gaara’s new form in disbelief. You would’ve never guessed that he had been this, whatever this was, the entire time, and as he said, he was exactly like you. Who are you? Who are we?

        His ears and tail were gone as fast as they came. You remained dumbfounded, watching as his more human form returned, and he stared at you with serious green eyes.

        “What are we?” You asked softly. Gaara breathed a very light, almost inaudible, sigh, as he lessoned the force of his hands pressing against your shoulders.

        “How long have you had them.” He asked again. You were still shocked over Gaara’s transformation to be angry at the fact that he ignored your own question, and besides, maybe he really did want to help.

        “Since this morning, since I woke up.” You grumbled. He continued to silently stare at you, as he seemed to ponder something.

        “So I was right.” He muttered. You shot him a confused frown, which he ignored. “Is there anything else that seems ‘different’?” You stared at him for a moment, processing his question and recalling this morning’s events, though, you wished that he would tell you why he was asking about this stuff.

        “I’m hungrier, my balance is off, my eyes feel different, and my ears, tail, and teeth hurt like hell.” He stood there calmly, once again thinking about your answer, though this time taking longer than before.

        “They’ll stop hurting in the morning.”

        “Why are they hurting in the first place?”

        “The pain means they’re still growing.” He stood there for another moment. “That must’ve been why you didn’t notice your tail was showing.” He mumbled, as he slowly removed his hands from your shoulders, and took a few steps back from you, freeing you from his grasp and now allowing you to move. You took a couple steps away from the wall, and you glared at him as he placed his hands in his pocket. You looked down to the ground, avoiding Gaara’s stare as much as possible.

        “How did you know I was… like you?” You mumbled, hoping that he would answer your question this time. He paused.

        “I sensed something off this morning, which is why I was at school early. The moment you set foot in Kakashi’s classroom, I knew you… changed. But I wanted to be sure, so I started following you. You made it pretty obvious to tell right away.” You frowned. Well that explains his strange behavior and why I’ve felt more paranoid than usual. “I still followed you the rest of the day, to make sure you didn’t expose us, which you almost did a moment ago.” You snorted, annoyed that he was blaming you for something you didn’t know would, or could, happen, and scowled at him.

       “It’s not like I knew that my tail was gonna grow, okay? I don’t even know why I have it in the first place.” He stood there for another moment, not once taking his eyes off you.

        “Who are your parents?” You flinched at his sensitive question, and quickly averted your eyes to the ground, crossing your arms and taking on an annoyed look. You scoffed.

        “Whatever. Fine, don’t answer my other questions and ask stupid new ones.” You mumbled, trying to hide your discomfort as best as you could, though it wasn’t working as well as you hoped. “Why do you wanna know them anyway?” You asked with a very small hint of sorrow, that you yourself didn’t hear.

        “Who. Are. They.” You again winced at the question. You tilted your head down, letting some of your (H/L) (H/C) hair cover some of your face. You stayed silent, until you mustered up enough courage to tell him the truth.

        “I don’t know, okay?” You whispered sadly. You wished that he didn’t hear you, though, you knew it was far fetched, since his heightened senses must’ve heard you loud and clear, and you were right.

        “What do you mean.” His same stern tone never faltered as he demanded an answer. You felt your blood start to boil all throughout your body, and you had to grit your teeth to keep from exploding. He was doing this because he thought he could control you, make you say anything he wanted, no matter how personal or private it was. He was trying to control you, and you wouldn’t stand idly by and let him get away with it.

        “What do you think it means.” You spat out, still not making eye contact with him. Gaara clearly sensed your apprehension, and judging by the lack of response, you assumed he figured out that you wouldn’t be as cooperative as he thought.

        “Do you live with anyone.”

        “No.” You stated, anger still present in your tone. You gulped, and hesitated before continuing. “… I live alone.” You stood there, still refusing to look into his eyes as he in turn stared at your form, once again in thought.

        “That makes this easier then.” He muttered so you wouldn’t hear him, but your hearing wasn’t as dull as he thought it was. The only good thing about this transformation was that your senses were keener, including your hearing. You stared at him in utter disbelief, your rage increasing tenfold. You snarled, but quickly regained most of your composure as you decided that you just couldn’t take it anymore, you simply had enough. You were too emotionally and physically drained, and being around Gaara a second longer would make everything worse, you wanted to leave. You turned around, about to walk through the maze of alleys, since you couldn’t go out in public with your tail and ears showing, and you were too angry to bother taking the time to hide them. However, before you could leave, you were stopped by Gaara’s loud, threatening, animalistic growl.

        “Where do you think you’re going.” You turned and faced him with a glare and growl of your own, and a lash of your pure white tail, which only angered him more.

        “Home, idiot. Away from you.” You swerved back around, about to walk off again, but you were quickly stopped by a sudden tight grip on your wrist, forcing you to once again turn around and meet Gaara’s narrowed green eyes.

        “You are not leaving.” You glared back at him, not intimidated by his warning at all.

        “And what makes you the boss of me?”

        “The very moment you got these ears and tail.” He said in a raised, seething voice. Your eyes widened in shock and fury, but his piercing, threatening glare never left your form for a second, and it was one of the things keeping you locked in place. A moment of silence followed, neither of you moving or saying anything else. “Where do you live.” He asked in a lower tone. It snapped you out of your stunned trance, and your rage replaced your shock.

        “Let go of me!” You tried pulling your wrist out of his hand, but he only tightened his grip in response.

        “Where do you live.” He demanded in a more raised, stern tone. You paused your struggling, causing him to lower his guard just enough. You seized the opportunity, and yanked your wrist from his tight grasp. You continued to glare at him as you rubbed your now sore and bruised wrist, but after another moment of silently staring at each other, you turned your head away from him and sighed.

        “If you must know, I live in an apartment, which is where I was already going, until you came along.” You grumbled furiously, still averting your gaze from his, not wanting to look him in the eyes at this point.

        “Show me.” You snapped your head in his direction, and stared at him incredulously.

        “What!? Why would I show you where I live?”

        “Show me to your apartment.” He demanded. Your eyes narrowed, and you glared at him for a long silent, moment, not showing any signs of giving in to his demands, but you were honestly not sure what to do. There was something in the very back of your mind, something foreign and new, that actually wanted to listen to him, and to just give in and do as he says. It felt like some kind of instinct, and you didn’t know what it was or why it was there in your head, but you felt like it was messing with your mind somehow, and you didn’t like it. I don’t want to just give in to his commands, but really, what else is there to do? I don’t think I can handle this whole whatever this is, on my own. He’s obviously the same thing I am, whatever we are, so he’s the only one that I can trust at this point. Maybe he really is trying to help me, in his own way. And, now that I think about it, as much as I hate to admit this, but if it wasn’t for him, someone could’ve actually seen my tail if he didn’t drag me into this alleyway, and I could’ve been… Although, he didn’t have to be so extreme about it, and he also didn’t have to be so demanding either. But, still, although I’m kind of grateful for what he did, I won’t submit to him like I’m some weak little defenseless pup, wait child… Dammit now my mind is being affected by this ‘change’. Ugh! What do I do? …At this point, is there really any other choice? You sighed loudly, as you made your decision.

        “You’re not gonna leave me alone, even if I say no, are you?” You asked, though you already knew the answer. His stoic expression didn’t change, and his emotionless eyes remained locked with your (E/C) ones, as he continued to stare at you, silent. You sighed again. “Fine. I’ll show you to my house then.” You grumbled, almost too quietly for anyone normal to hear, but you and Gaara were far from normal. He gave a quiet grunt of approval, and took a few steps back, giving you enough room to lift up your shirt and sweatshirt to wrap your now bigger, thicker tail around your waist. You then walked over to where Gaara threw your hat, picked it up, and placed it back over your ears with a snort of annoyance at having to retrieve it in the first place. Then you went over and picked up your school bag, which had fallen off when Gaara had first slammed you against the wall. Finally, you shoved your hands in your sweatshirt pockets and started walking towards the alleyway entrance, not sparing Gaara a single glance his way. He, however, watched your every movement with slight curiosity, while at the same time making sure you didn’t try and leave his sight. As you passed by him, he followed after you, hands in his pockets as well, and you both stepped out from the shadows of the alleyway to the bright light of the city streets.

        The air between you two was cold and thick as ice. Neither of you said a word to each other, nor did you even glimpse the other’s way, as you both walked through the bustling streets of the city, making your way to your apartment. Weirdly, Gaara was supposed to be following you, but he was walking side by side with you as if he already knew where he was going. It was all completely awkward. What made it worse was that he was way closer to you than you would’ve liked. It was to the point where your black sweatshirts were very nearly touching, and it was almost as if he was making sure you wouldn’t leave his sight. In a way, he was acting almost overprotective, and it honestly pissed you off to no end.

        The two of you continued on, despite the different stares and looks of fear and surprise sent your way as people saw you and Gaara, well, mainly Gaara. Some actually went as far as to cross the street as soon as they laid eyes on the two of you. You ignored all of them, you didn’t care about other people, at least for the moment. You just wanted to get to your apartment as soon as possible so you could finally end and escape the day’s events, and nothing else mattered more than that. Besides, at least they didn’t bother you, nor Gaara for that matter. Although, you barely even noticed the weird and confused stares that directed at you.

        As you neared your apartment, the city seemed to disappear altogether, as this area was a place where no one was ever out, and there was even enough space for grass to grow and you and your neighbors to have decent sized yards. The stares you had been receiving earlier were no longer present in the serene environment, and it felt like some kind of weight was now removed from your shoulders. Still, your sour mood didn’t change one bit, not until you were alone in your apartment, away from Gaara.

        When you finally saw the door to your apartment, you swore you were never more relieved in your entire life. The tension between you and Gaara was really starting to make you uncomfortable, and you were more than happy to not have to endure it any longer.

        “We’re here.” You announced, as you and Gaara reached your door. You stepped in front of him and pulled out your keys, ready to escape this whole ordeal the very moment you unlocked the door. However, right before you could insert the key into the lock, you heard Gaara’s raspy monotone voice from behind you.

        “Do you plan on leaving your house at all tonight.” He asked. You halted your movements, the key hovering just a centimeter in front the keyhole. You still faced the door, refusing to look back at him, as you gave your answer.

        “What do you think. No.” Your tone was cold, but it didn’t matter to Gaara one bit. He could honestly care less about how angry you were, that wasn’t what he was concerned about.

        “Good.” You snorted. Of course that’s why he asked, he’s trying to be a glorified babysitter, who ‘has to keep an eye on me’ if I’m not inside my own home. Asshole. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw him turn around and start to head back to the streets without another word. He had finally left you alone. You wasted no more time and shoved the key into the lock, unlocked the door, and finally entered your silent apartment, quietly shutting the door behind you.

        You weren’t able to control your pent up emotions any longer. You threw your stuff all the way across the living room, not caring that you almost broke your window or that your phone was still in your bag. You leaned up against your door, and slowly slid down to the floor, the stress from today really starting to sink in. You tightened your tail, which was still underneath your shirt, around your waist, hugged your legs together, and buried your head in the crook of your knees. The events from earlier replayed in your mind nonstop, and your jumbled thoughts frantically rushed through your head.

        Stupid Gaara and his stupid controlling shit. I still don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what I am, what we are, and he won’t explain shit to me! He said that he would help, but he’s not helping at all! I don’t know what to do, what to think, I don’t know anything anymore! Are we even human? And I can’t believe he knows where I live now! God, what is wrong with me!? He knows everything while I know nothing, nothing about this, nothing about him, I don’t even really know why he’s trying to ‘help’ me! Does he have ulterior motives? Does he even care? Hell, the worst part about this is it’s not like I can go to anyone else and ask for help! It’s only him I can trust now, there’s no other choice! Dammit! What… what would James say? Could he help? Why am I even thinking this? He’s not even here, and it’s not like I can go back to that hellhole, even if I wanted to, especially since they finally wanted me out. But if he was here, would he still love me? Would he still see me as his little sister… or something else? You suddenly remembered that James’s wolf pendant was still in your pocket, and you took it out, and held it close to your chest. James… I need help. I’m all alone, please… I don’t know what to do… do you still love me?

*Flashback*

        The sound of a door slamming open resonated throughout the house, and it was followed by a loud bang and a crash coming from one of the upstairs room. Your six year old body was now sprawled up against the wooden bed and flooring of your and James’ shared room. Your adoptive mother stood at the doorway, having just thrown you into the room, which was the cause of all the loud noise. She now stared at your pitiful state with pure disgust and anger, and closed the door immediately, the loud slamming sound again echoing off the wooden walls of the house, leaving you alone in the somewhat dark, silent, empty room.

        You had just come back from a recent punishment, cuts and bruises scattered over your small and fragile body. Yet, despite being so badly injured, you didn’t cry or cower like any other six year old would. You had been through punishments like these so many times, you no longer showed much emotion, you wouldn’t even cry anymore, because when you did, it only made things worse. Compared to those moments, this was nothing.

        You tried to stand up from your awkward, sprawled out position, but you must’ve twisted your ankle when you hit the bed, since it gave out when you applied pressure on it. The door opened again, but this time much more quietly and slowly, to reveal a six year old James, who had arrived just in time to see you fail at an attempt to stand up, and hit the floor on your stomach with a thump and an ‘oof!’. He looked down at you with sorrow filled eyes, and quietly closed the door behind him, the small noise causing you to look up from the floor. You saw James walk over to you, and you managed to quickly sit yourself up as he now stood in front of you.

        “James? I thought you were supposed to be downstairs?” You asked in a worried, yet slightly saddened tone.

        “I heard it from all the way down there.”

        “But, they’ll-“

        “(Y/N).” He slowly drew out the syllables of your name. You said nothing else, knowing that when he said your name like that, there was no way you could change his mind on anything. He gave a disheartened sigh as he knelt down and carefully slipped his arms underneath you. He gently picked you up, making sure that your ankle and your other wounds didn’t hurt as he did so, and carried you to the other side of the room. He set you down next to a grey container full of water, where a rag hung on the side. He carefully slid your dirty plain shirt off of you, grabbed the rag, wet it, and started rubbing it on your back over your many wounds with ease.

        You and James would often clean each other’s wounds after either of you were punished to help them heal faster. The container of water and the rag was actually supposed to be used to wash your clothes, but you and James used it for remedial uses as well since your adoptive parents didn’t keep any medical supplies around, except for themselves and James’s heart medicine, which were of no use to you and James in terms of injury. Granted, the water wasn’t always clean because of this, but it was still better than leaving your wounds untreated. It was the best you both could do, and besides, the water always felt nice against your heated and damaged skin, like now for instance, and you knew James felt the same way.

        James studied all the cuts and bruises on your back as he rewet the rag, and he very gently glided his fingers across every one of them, careful that he didn’t cause any pain. He smiled sadly at your back, as he, now more slowly, rubbed the rag against your wounds.

        “You’re so strong.” He said in a soft, comforting tone. He sighed. “You really are my little dragon, my tough little dragon, aren’t you.” You looked over your shoulder and stared at him with wide (E/C) eyes, as he continued to work at your back and now sides. A light pink dusted your cheeks, as you swiftly turned your head away from him again. You knew what he was trying to say. You had only been living with your adoptive parents for a year, and you had already ‘grown accustomed’ to their harsh and cruel ways, including the punishments. You never cried, never made any noise of pain, and never gave them the satisfaction of seeing your true emotions. You always took the pain with the acceptance that you couldn’t do anything about it. But, despite all that, your sanity was still in tact, you had never once cracked under your adoptive parents’ tyranny, you never gave up. James always told you that it was a miracle you could even smile anymore, at least around him. To be honest, you were surprised that he could smile around you. He had lived with your adoptive parents, his real parents, five years longer than you had, yet he still found some way to be happy, at least when he was with you. Although, just like yourself, he should’ve still lost his happiness and sanity a long time ago, more so than you.

        James slipped your shirt back on while you were still lost in your thoughts, not noticing what he was doing until you had to put your arms through your sleeves. Making sure your shirt was smoothed out, he turned you around to face him.

        “There. Better, right?” He smiled, but soon curiously cocked his head to the side, as he saw your still disheartened expression. He had noticed that you had been less talkative and more down than usual the whole time he was with you, and he thought that maybe this certain punishment must’ve gotten to you more than the others. He smiled, trying to comfort you. “It’s okay (Y/N).” He raised his hand to your cheek to stroke it. “It’s over now. It’s-” He stopped talking, and his smile disappeared, as you winced when his fingers came into contact with your skin. You averted your gaze to the wooden floor, not wanting to look into his sad light chocolate brown eyes out of shame. His hand hovered over where he just touched you, and that’s when he noticed how red your cheek was, and he knew it wasn’t because you were just blushing. He lowered his hand back down to his side, and continued to stare at your crestfallen form, now knowing exactly what had happened to make you act this way. “(Y/N)? Did she slap you?” Your eyes darted up to his for a split second, then lowered back down to the floor out of embarrassment. Your reaction told him everything, and he sighed. Slapping was always something that seemed to impact you more than anything, and James knew this very well. You didn’t know why you were so terrified, you couldn’t remember a time before that would’ve caused this fear, but it still always made you feel weak to admit it. Nonetheless, James had always accepted this about you, that it was just the way you were, and he had always told you that it was okay, that there was nothing wrong with this, and that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, none of his comforting words could get rid of your fear, and you still had your moments every time one of your adoptive parents slapped you, just like this one.

        James placed his hand under your chin, and tilted your head up so your (E/C) eyes now gazed into his empathetic brown ones. He was smiling sweetly at you, and it only made you want to look away from him more. He leaned down, and placed a long, soft, gentle kiss on your still stinging cheek. “There, do you feel better now?” You nodded your head, as he wrapped his small arms around your tiny waist and pulled you into his lap for a hug. You hugged him back and nuzzled your head against his chest as he rested his chin on your head. You closed your eyes, and smiled against his shirt, as he shut his eyes as well. He sighed. “I love you (Y/N), my sister. I always will, no matter what happens my little dragon. I’ll always love you.”

*End of Flashback*

 

          You felt something wet dripping down your cheek, and you lifted your hand to see that a tear had escaped your eye. You quickly wiped the tear away, not leaving any trace of it behind. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t cry, not anymore. You promised that you would be strong, you had to be strong, for James. You put the metal chain of the pendant around your neck, locking it in place, and you shakily forced yourself up off the floor. You slowly trudged over to where you threw your stuff and picked it up. You may be dealing with ‘issues’, but you still had homework to do, even if you weren’t in the right state of mind to focus on school right now, you still had to do it nonetheless, though you still didn’t bother to check your phone. You took off your sweatshirt and hat, and threw those on your couch, but not without taking Kimchi out and setting her on the coffee table first. You let your tail and ears stretch out for the first time today, then turned your TV on for some background noise in your otherwise silent apartment, and begrudgingly started your homework.

          By the time you were done, it was already getting dark outside, and you were exhausted. You had been right, you couldn’t focus on your homework the entire time, and normally the work that was once easy to do now gave you a headache, only adding on to your still sore new wolf-like parts. Although, you at least felt that your work was… ‘adequate’ for someone going through the problems you had anyway.

        As you were putting your homework away, your stomach rumbled and growled from hunger. Oh yeah, big appetite. Almost forgot about that. You went to your kitchen, grabbed a lot of random, yet reasonable, food items from your fridge, and set them on your table. To your surprise, and slight horror, you wolfed everything down in only a couple minutes. Jeez! At this rate, I’ll have to go grocery shopping every other day. I really hope I can afford that. Honestly, after the day you’ve had, money was the least of your worries, at least for the time being.

        After cleaning everything up, you decided to watch whatever was on your TV to try and distract yourself from, not only your sore limbs and aching head, but everything else that had happened today. You flopped down on the couch, layed your tail off to your left, kept your hands by your sides, and just leaned back as much as you could into the softness of the cushions. The glow of the TV seemed to blind your eyes, since the rest of your apartment was completely dark, but you still sat there, trying to drown your mind in the world of television, and somehow calm your restless emotional nerves. But it didn’t work, your mind still wouldn’t let you focus on anything besides your own troubling thoughts, the sounds of the TV barely even being heard.

        When you realized that there was nothing you could do to try and ease your mind, you decided to go straight to bed, figuring that at least some rest would help you calm down. You turned off the TV, grabbed Kimchi, who was still sitting on the coffee table, and lazily ambled off to your room. You collapsed on your bed without getting under your blankets or even changing into more comfortable pajamas, you didn’t even take the pendant off from around your neck. You just lied there in your black shirt and sweatpants, curled up in a ball, with your white tail wrapped around your body hiding some of your face, and looking out the window to the beautiful scenery that sent you to sleep every night. Except for this one. This was the first night where it wasn’t the view of your window that lulled you into sleep, but your tired, overwhelmed mind that became too much, when your eyes eventually shut.

        The alarm woke you up at 6:00 am. like every other morning, though this one was obviously far from ordinary. Your tired eyes were forced opened at the annoying sound, wanting desperately to lower themselves again for just five more minutes. You had barely slept at all last night. You didn’t have any dreams or nightmares, there was nothing but restless darkness, and you often woke up during the middle of the night due to the stress that was constantly on your mind.

         You sluggishly hit the button on your alarm clock to stop its constant beeping, then you forcefully pushed yourself up with your arms and sat upright on the bed. You noticed that your ears, tail, and teeth were no longer sore, and upon closer examination, you saw that your tail had grown just a little more since last night, about another inch in length and a few more in width, and your white fur looked a little thicker and softer as well. You placed your hand on top of your head, and started caressing your ears, which had seemed to grow as well. You licked your teeth and found they had grown as well, about another centimeter, and they felt sharper than yesterday. So Gaara was right, they did grow more, and since the pain stopped they must be done now. Freaking finally.

        You rubbed your heavy lidded, drowsy eyes, and slowly placed your feet on the floor. You stood up, making sure that you didn’t lose your balance like you did yesterday and proceeded to get ready for school. You didn’t bother to shower or even change your clothes, as you really didn’t care if you and your clothes were dirty or not. Instead, you worried more about hiding your parts. You wrapped your tail around your waist as tight as you could, pulled your pants up to hide some of the thick white fur that stuck out from your tail, put your sweatshirt on to completely cover it, then grabbed Kimchi and put her on your shoulder, where she burrowed herself into your sweatshirt. Lastly, you grabbed your hat and slipped it over your ears, and since they were bigger and thicker than before, it was a tight fit, but you managed to make it comfortable for the time being.

        You walked into your bathroom and checked yourself in the mirror to see if you hid everything well. You definitely looked… exhausted. Maybe it was because your eyesight was better, but you could see huge bags under your eyes, your face was still paler than usual, and your stature itself seemed slouched, which caused you to try and straighten yourself up once you saw this. You were never a makeup person, it wasn’t like you had the money to buy it before or even cared about it anyway, so you had no way to cover up anything that made you look different than your usual self. You sighed, and your stomach growling drew you out of your thoughts, so you chose to ignore your appearance and made your way to the kitchen.

        When you arrived you made two pancakes with butter and syrup, sausage, bacon, and you also grabbed a big glass of orange juice. You set your breakfast on the table, sat down, and began to devour your breakfast. Not surprisingly, you were done in a matter of minutes, and you then proceeded to make and pack your lunch for today. You went into your living room and decided to watch TV until you had to leave, or at least until you started to fall asleep again. You were surprisingly fine for almost a whole hour, though your eyes still felt a little droopy, but you were sure you would be more awake once you got to school. That’s when shit seems to happen nowadays.

        You turned off the TV, grabbed all of your stuff, and opened the door to go outside. When you closed the door to your apartment, you turned to start heading out, only to see Gaara standing a mere few feet away, hands in his pockets and giving you his usual scowling expression. You jumped and stumbled back out of surprise, but luckily you steadied yourself by placing a hand on your door before you could trip and fall. You were breathing heavily due to your still shocked state, which Gaara watched with a faint hint of curiosity, and what you swore was the slightest bit amusement.

        “Jeez Gaara, don’t- wait. What the hell are you even doing here!?” You yelled as you came to your senses, your breathing now becoming more regular. He snorted.

        “What do you think.” You stared at him incredulously. Is he walking me everywhere now?

        “Oh come on!” You whined. “I didn’t exactly expect you to be here-“

        “Well you should have.”

        “What! How!? Wait, when did you even get here?”

        “Is that really important.” He asked, and if he had eyebrows, he would’ve raised one.

        “Uh let’s see, you were standing outside my apartment for who knows how long, YES it’s important!” He gave an annoyed grunt.

        “It doesn’t matter.” You let out a defeated groan. It was too early in the morning to get into a stupid argument with him. Besides, a headache was already starting to form, and you had no intention of making it worse. “You should’ve been able to sense me though.”

        “Well, I wasn’t exactly looking for you, or anyone else for that matter.” You mumbled. He quietly hummed in thought.

        “I guess we’ll work on that later then.”

        “Wait, what?” But before you had the chance to question him any further, he already started walking ahead of you. He checked to see if you were following, and with one long final sigh, you caught up to him. His followed you the entire time, and he turned his head back over his shoulder and started walking with you, side by side, just as you both had done yesterday.

        Neither of you said anything else to each other, not a single word. All that was there was the same silence and tension as before, only now, you felt more defeated, or really, trapped, since you felt that this time you were really following Gaara, and that he was leading you, even though you both were going to the same place. It made you feel more dependent for some reason, and you didn’t like it. You felt weak for allowing this to happen, but at this point, you couldn’t do anything about it.

        The day was ironically sunny, the exact opposite of your crappy mood. The heat was beating down on your black sweatshirt, and the only reason you weren’t sweating your ass off was because of the slight breeze that blew some refreshing cool air your way. At least the universe isn’t totally against me. You thought as you kept walking, hands in your pockets, actually liking something about this morning. Though it was short lived, as you were starting to come across people who began to stare at you and Gaara in frightened, confused, and questioning faces. What made it worse was you were getting more looks than you did before, more people surprised that you, another person, was seen even near Gaara, much less walking with him. It was uncomfortable, and it started to remind you of when you were at your old school: the stares, the whispers, the rumors, the teasing, the taunting, the beatings, all those memories started to come back to you. You shook your head, discarding those thoughts aside, for now.

        When you arrived at school, the stares of the students were worse than the ones of the people in the city. Some of the groups that were usually there on the front lawn gasped when they saw you and Gaara, and started to whisper to each other as you two passed by them. But, despite being able to clearly hear them, you ignored the groups of students, and continued to walk down the sidewalk path and eventually through the front door.

         As soon as they saw you two, they stopped talking and stared at you two, some whispering amongst themselves in a frantic manner. It wasn’t hard to figure out what they were saying, even without special hearing. You somehow ignored these people as well, or you tried as best as you could, as you walked through the familiar busy hallways.

          You and Gaara reached Kakashi’s classroom rather quickly, and when Gaara opened the door, he stepped inside with you following suit. As you entered the classroom, you saw the now pale faces of your friends, who were all sitting in their usual seats, sending you shaky smiles while at the same time quickly darting short glances Gaara’s way, except for Sasuke, who looked at the both of you questioningly. Even though she was nervous, Ino waved at you, and happily motioned for you to come and sit with the rest of them. You were about to go join them, that is, until you heard a very low, threatening growl from Gaara that only you could hear. You understood exactly what that growl meant, and you didn’t even need your new senses to figure it out. Don’t even think about going near them. You looked at Gaara, to see that he had stopped walking was now looking over his left shoulder, eyes narrowed, glaring directly at you. You looked back to your friends, gave them an apologetic, timid smile, and before any of them, especially Ino, could say anything, you turned and started off after Gaara, leaving all of them speechless. When Gaara saw that you were walking behind him again, he turned his head back over his shoulder, and resumed his path to his desk like nothing had happened. You shot one last glance at your friends, and noticed something different, or rather, missing. Naruto was no where to be seen. Pushing that thought aside for now, you quickly caught up to Gaara, angered at the fact that he had just made a scene in front of everyone.

        “What the hell do you want!?” You whisper yelled.

        “Just sit down first.” He said sternly. You growled under your breath in response. He had better explain something, or I’m seriously gonna kick his ass in front of the whole class, school, hell even the whole damned city! Despite your raging thoughts, and using all of your self-control to not ‘do anything rash’, you managed to suppress your anger and continued to follow Gaara to your seat, ignoring the whispers of your classmates that were obviously centered about what had just happened. When you made it to your seat, you placed your stuff at the side of your desk, and sat down. You instantly turned your head to Gaara, who was looking at the front of the class, not even paying attention to you, which only pissed you off more than you already were.

        “So what was that all about?” You whispered, trying to hold in the snarl that threatened to escape your throat. Without even looking at you, he gave a tiny snort as his answer. You scowled. “Fine, then if you actually need me for something, I’ll be over there with my friends-”          

        “Don’t even think about it.” He growled.

        “That’s what I thought, so what the hell is your problem?” Again, he growled.

        “You’re not going over there.”

        “Why not!? They’re my friends!”

        “I don’t care.”

        “I do.”

        “…I still don’t care.”

        “Then why do you care if I’m just going across the room to talk to people?”

        “Because you don’t need to.” You were utterly appalled. Who does he think he is! “Don’t forget about your mistake yesterday, the one that almost exposed us.” He said in a deeper, firmer voice. So that’s what this is about!?

        “So you don’t trust me to be five feet away from you because of something I didn’t even know would happen, happened?” You asked sarcastically.

        “Exactly. You’re new, there’s a lot of things you don’t know about.”

        “That you won’t even tell me!”

        “This isn’t the place to discuss everything, and neither was yesterday.” You were about to say something in response, but he cut you off. “Since you don’t know much, I have to keep an eye on you, so deal with it.” Your nose scrunched in anger, but you dared not say the string of curses that threatened to leave your mouth, for the tone in his voice warned you not to test him any further, and you wouldn’t, not too much, at least for now.

        “And how are you gonna ‘keep an eye on me’, when we don’t have all the same classes together?” You asked smugly, glad you finally caught him at his own game, or so you thought.

        “I’m taking care of that.” You grew quiet, staring at him in confusion.

        “What do you mean?” You asked worriedly.

        “You’re switching your classes to mine.” You were stunned, and your eyes widened a considerable amount.

        “Wha- no! I’m not changing classes!”

        “Yes, you are.”

        “No, I’m not. I picked them, I like them… relatively speaking, and I stay in them. Period.” He heaved a long heavy sigh, and closed his eyes in thought.

        “Fine.” You inwardly exhaled a breath of relief. Gaara then opened his eyes again. “I’ll switch mine.”

        “What!?” You stared at him again in utter shock. “N-No! No one’s switching classes!”

        “It’s either you switch yours, or I switch mine.” You continued to stare at him, anger beginning to rise once again.

        “Don’t you think that, I don’t know, you’re going a bit overboard?”

        “No.” His eyes finally met yours. They had a threatening gleam to them, daring you to speak further against him. You rolled your own eyes and scoffed.

        “Ugh, whatever.” You grumbled, as you crossed your arms on your desk and layed your head down on them, placing your right cheek in the crook of your arms so that your head faced away from Gaara. You were just too tired and too mad to deal with him any longer. He hummed.

        “That’s what I thought.” You snorted at his comment. There was a pause of silence, until Gaara spoke up again. “Although, unfortunately, the earliest I can switch them is tomorrow, so your classes will still be the same, only for today. That’s it.”

         “Well thank gosh for something good today then.” You mumbled as quietly as you could, but you knew he had heard you loud and clear, though he didn’t do anything about it.

         The bell rang, cutting into the tense silence between you and Gaara, and soon right after, you heard the door open. You wondered who it was, since no one ever came into the room once the bell rang. That can’t be Kakashi, he’s never on time. So… who is it? As you turned your head to the door, you thought you saw a familiar tuft of spiky blonde hair rush into the room. Naruto? But he’s usually never late to first period, he’s always at his seat when I get here. He’s also never sick, so he shouldn’t be feeling bad or anything. I wonder what’s up? Your thoughts were interrupted by the door opening once again, and you saw Kakashi standing in the doorway, looking and acting, well, normal, like nothing was wrong, which was strange. Okay, now I know something’s wrong. Technically he’s late, but only by a few seconds… which is still completely insane in every way possible for this man. Everyone in the class was silently staring at him, they as well were shocked to see that Kakashi was unusually on time. He noticed the dead silence of the entire class, and realizing the cause of it, he smiled sheepishly under his mask.

        “Morning class. I… actually made it on time today.” He muttered the last part out as he rubbed the back of his neck. Class had officially begun.

        When the bell rang at the end of the lesson, you looked to see if Naruto was still in the room, but you didn’t see him or his blonde hair like you had earlier. You stared across the room at Naruto’s empty seat curiously. Did he already leave? And so quickly? He usually waits for me. Is it because of Gaara, or something else? What’s going on- Your line of sight was suddenly blocked by Gaara’s black sweatshirt, interrupting your thoughts. You looked up to see his glaring green eyes focused straight ahead, and you figured that he was waiting, rather impatiently it seemed, for you to get out of your seat. You sighed, and started gathering your stuff up.

        “Let me guess, you’re walking me to my classes too.” He gave an annoyed grunt as his answer, which was all you needed to hear. “Of course you are.” You grumbled. “Do you even know my schedule?” You questioned angrily. He looked at you as if the answer was obvious. “You do then, somehow, and I’m guessing you won’t tell me how, either, right?” You asked sarcastically. He just continued to give you that same stoic look. “Of course you won’t.” With one last sigh, you begrudgingly stood up from your chair and followed Gaara down the aisle, out of the room, and into the hallway.

        As soon as you exited the room, you were bombarded with the all too familiar stares and whispers from the students around you. Only now, they were much worse. You could hear the harsh words that many of them said, and you really wish you couldn’t. Even though the distance to your next class wasn’t too far, it felt like the longest walk you ever trekked, and you dreaded the thought of it getting worse as the day grew on.

        When you and Gaara reached Iruka’s room, you subconsciously blew a breath of relief, glad that all of the noise finally stopped, for now. He stood there, watching you, and you realized that he was waiting for you to enter the classroom, he was making sure that you didn’t sneak off to anywhere else. You opened the door, and disappeared into the room without a single glance back, knowing that Gaara was already leaving. Right when you were about to turn away from the door and head to your seat, without warning, someone grabbed your left wrist. You were too startled to see who it was, as they hurriedly dragged you up the aisle of desks. They quickly, yet carefully, pushed you down in your seat, and you looked up to see Ino nervously staring down at you. You shot quick glances to the seats surrounding you to see Choji and Shikamaru giving you the same looks as Ino. You noticed that Naruto wasn’t here either, but you would worry about that later, since that wasn’t your main concern at the moment.

        “Ino, why’d you do that!?” You only half yelled so as not to draw attention to yourself. She shot a nervous glance to the door, sighed a breath of relief, and sat down in her own seat. You were giving her a confused look the entire time, but she seemed to ignore it.

        “Good. He’s not coming in here.” She whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. Oh, you were trying to get me away from the door, in case Gaara came in and made me avoid you guys again… like last period. She suddenly turned her now serious gaze to you, and you thought you saw concern in her wide, light blue eyes. “What was that all about last period!?” She whisper yelled at you. Oh no.

        “Calm down. It’s alright-“

        “It’s not all right! Not when all I’ve been hearing, and seeing, this morning that my friend is all of a sudden changed and is now hanging out with someone as dangerous as Gaara, when they, just the other day, hated each other. A-And, and…”

        “Ino. Calm down.” Shikamaru eased her. Ino started taking deep breaths, trying to relax as best as she could. “(Y/N), Ino just told us what happened last period.”

        “Yeah, and we’ve been hearing stuff all morning too.” Choji added. Ino finally seemed to come out of her scatterbrain state and was now able to speak.

        “And we wanna know what’s really going on, from you.” Ino said. When you stayed silent and didn’t answer, she sighed. “We just… wanna make sure you’re okay. You were acting weird yesterday, and then Gaara of all people is suddenly with you, and you’re following him, and… we just, you know…” You couldn’t help the slight twitch of your lips that formed a smile, just for a millisecond. They really care. You took on as calm a demeanor as you could pull, and tried to speak in that same kind of tone as well.

        “Guys, I’m fine. Really, it’s nothing to worry about.”

        “Well, it sure seems like something to worry about.” Choji said.

        “Yeah, it’s not like this is anywhere near normal, you know. Well, at least not for you.” Shikamaru agreed.

        “Trust me. It’s no big deal. Hey, where’s Naruto?” You tried to change the subject to avoid further conversation about you and Gaara, and at the same time you wanted to know what was wrong with Naruto, and you figured that they may have those answers.

        “Come on (Y/N), we know what you’re trying to-” Shikamaru was cut off by Choji.

        “Actually, he’s not here Shikamaru. Even you have to admit that it’s a little weird for Naruto to skip.”

        “Yes, but-“

        “Well, he was here this morning. He was late last period, but he was still here, and I thought I saw him take off right when the bell rang too. I don’t know why he looked like he was in such a rush though.” So I really did see him. Then why is he acting so strange? Hmmm. You started to zone out, lost in thought, until Shikamaru snapped you out of it.

        “Back to you (Y/N).” He said impatiently, while looking at you with a stern expression. He raised a brow, waiting for some kind of reaction from you, but most importantly, he wanted answers. You gave an apologetic, guilty smile. “Seriously. There’s obviously something going on. I know you were fine when we went cloud watching on Saturday, so something happened between when I left the park to the moment you stepped foot in the school yesterday to cause you to act as weird as you did. And to top that off, you then leave the school and then suddenly the next day you’re awfully close to Gaara. It’s not a coincidence that both of those things happened one right after the other in two very close time periods, so they must be tied together. Something big happened that’s now made you and Gaara close, just, what is it (Y/N)?” You gulped. Damn. I knew you, Neji, and Shino were already suspicious of me before Gaara even came into the picture, but this is just… wow. He’s acting like a full blown detective. If I don’t watch my back, they might figure it out. They were all staring at you,, waiting for your answer, with Shikamaru giving you the most questioning, yet concerned filled one out of all of them. You stayed silent as you sat there, trying to think of something that you could actually say, and that they’d actually believe. But eventually you sighed, failing to think of a good lie to tell them.

          “Look, I swear that I’m okay. It’s just, that, uh…” A loud ringing sound prevented you from finishing your sentence, and on instinct, you all sat forward and faced the front of the class, where Iruka was beginning to stand to start the class. You were literally just saved by the bell.

          As the lesson carried on, you would see Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru giving you anxious glances, with curiosity, though mainly worry, shown in their eyes. Shikamaru would sometimes stare for a longer period of time, observing you the best he could, trying to figure out what your secret might be. You realized then and there that you had to be more careful around Shikamaru, and the ones who were just as suspicious as he was.

        Naruto never showed up for the entire class. He was nowhere to be seen, you even checked the rest of the room to make sure he wasn’t sitting somewhere else. You didn’t hear the door open or close once, yet you still sent quick glances at Naruto’s seat, only to find it empty every time. This is so unlike him, he should be here… there’s definitely something wrong.

        When the bell rang again, signaling the end of class you grabbed your stuff as fast as you could, rushed out goodbyes, shot out of your seat, and shuffled down the aisle and out the classroom with all the other students before Ino, Choji, or Shikamaru could try and interrogate you more. As you entered the hallway, you were surprised to see Gaara leaned up against the wall to your right, already impatiently waiting for you. His eyes traveled to you, and that was your signal to start heading with him towards Orochimaru’s class. He pushed himself off the wall, and when he was walking next to you so quickly, you growled under your breath.

        “How’d you even get here so fast?” You muttered.

         “I’m not that far away from your class.”

        “Of course you’re not.” You muttered as quietly as you could. There was an awkward, tension filled silence for a few moments.

        “You’re still going to sit with those friends you usually sit with.” You snapped your head in his direction, not believing what you had just heard. You tried searching his face for any kind of emotion, a sign, something to tell you what he was thinking, but his emotionless eyes remained locked forward, nothing but his signature scowl was shown. After everything else that’s happened today, you didn’t exactly trust him, or at least not completely.

        “What’s the catch?” You asked suspiciously. From the way you’ve been acting this morning, I doubt that you’d just say that I can actually socialize with my friends, and then just leave it at that like it’s no longer a big deal for you.

        “Nothing.” You raised an eyebrow, wanting to know why he was being ‘generous’ all of a sudden. He noticed your puzzled expression, and glanced your way. “You’ll be working the whole time, so I doubt you’ll be able to talk much with them, and I can still keep an eye on you. There shouldn’t be any problems to worry about.” Of course you’d say something like that. But why do I have a feeling there’s another reason for this… “I thought you’d be happy about this little ‘freedom’.”

        “I am.” He grunted.

        “You don’t seem like it.”

        “It’s just… nevermind.” You turned your head away, not wanting to bother questioning him any further. It was the most information he told you all day, and you were at least somewhat happy with that, no matter what it was for, though you wished you could get more out of him. He hummed, and you continued on your way to class.

        When you reached Orochimaru’s room, Gaara opened the door for you and you both walked inside. You slightly quickened your pace, and walked over to Shino, Kiba, and Hinata, who were all sitting at your usual group table. Upon seeing you, Kiba looked up from his work and sent you a small smile and wave, which was quite unlike the usually overly energetic dog boy you’ve come to know so well. Shino and Hinata, noticing Kiba’s actions, looked up as well, with Shino giving a nod of his head as acknowledgement, and Hinata smiling her usual nervous smile, though something seemed different about them. Well, at least they’re acting… sort of normal. But that all changed when they saw Gaara walking behind you. They all seemed to tense up as he started to walk down the aisle, even Shino was awfully still. You ignored their anxious states, and sat down next to Hinata like you always did, which thankfully drew most of their attention back to you.

        “Hey (Y/N). Feeling better today?” Kiba asked with an unusual softness in his voice, the opposite of his usual loud and excited one.

        “Yeah, I feel fine Kiba.”

        “Y-You just s-seemed s-so, so… d-d-different y-yesterday. A-Are you s-sure y-you’re okay?” Hinata stuttered. The corners of your lips twitched up into a slight smile, knowing that they were trying to look out for you, just like Ino, Choji, and even suspicious Shikamaru had been doing.

        “I swear it.” You replied, surprised that you were able to have sincerity in your voice. However, not everyone bought it. Shino kept on staring at you through his sunglasses, which you couldn’t see through, but you could tell he was observing your behavior closely. After all, he was one of the ones who was already suspicious of you yesterday, and you were sure that he, and frankly everyone else, had heard something about you and Gaara that probably only made it worse.

        “Well, it’s good that you’re feeling better today then.” Shino said, seeming to be done with his examination of you. 

        “Yeah, it’s great that we’ve got our wolf girl back!” Kiba’s voice rose back to its normal excited self, but that only made what he just unintentionally did worse. Shit! How could I forget that Kiba’s nickname for me is wolf girl!? You felt eyes boring holes into the back of your head, and it wasn’t hard to figure out who’s they were. Aaaand I’m in trouble. Your face paled with fear, and you tried to keep a look of worry off your face as Gaara continued to glare daggers at you. The one time he lets me hang with my friends. Great. You felt his eyes eventually leave your form, and you inwardly sighed a breath of relief. Wew. That was a close one. You realized that Shino might’ve noticed your odd behavior, and you hoped he didn’t. With your luck, he probably did, but even if that was the case he refused to say anything about it, which was good enough for you at this point.

        You continued to talk with all three of them throughout the class. Thankfully they didn’t mention the rumors that you knew they all heard, probably because they were trying to not make you uncomfortable. You didn’t have to worry about Hinata at all, since she was too shy to say anything that could hurt you in any way, shape, or form, it was really just Shino and Kiba that you were worried about. You didn’t want to talk about Gaara, because for one thing, you didn’t even want to try and explain things. Then there was also the fact that he was sitting at the table directly behind you, and you knew that he could easily hear what you say with his better hearing, and that would not make your relationship with Gaara any better than it already was. But maybe that was why they didn’t talk about the rumors about you and him in the first place, since they knew Gaara was too close to your group for comfort. All in all they proceeded to act as if there was nothing unusual on their minds, even though you knew they were filled to the brim with questions.

        You, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba continued to work all throughout class, not having any more ‘problems’ like the whole ‘wolf girl thing’ earlier. You never thought you’d see the day where you were actually happy to do school work, but you couldn’t help it, it was just so distracting from everything else. Unfortunately, there were only a few days left to work on the project in class, so you would no longer have that distraction, and you’d have to deal with Gaara when the time came. But you didn’t think about it too much, as you wanted to enjoy your temporary break from everything.

          When the bell rang, you put away all of your stuff and started saying your goodbyes to the trio. You glanced over to where Gaara was sitting, but he wasn’t there. He was gone. Your eyes widened for a split second, then quickly lowered to their original height as you walked out of the classroom and into the hallways. You looked all around you, but you didn’t see a single trace of Gaara, so you just decided to start walking on your own without him.

        Where is he? I’m grateful for the small amount of freedom and all, but it’s strange for him to just disappear like this when he doesn’t trust me at all to even walk to my classes. I didn’t even hear or see him the leave room, though maybe I was just too focused on my work, or he’s very skilled at being stealthy, or both. I wonder where he is though, and why would he just vanish without a trace for no apparent reason. I hope this isn’t because of Kiba’s nickname, the last thing I wanna deal with is a pissed off Gaara. Although, it finally feels like I’m getting some space, and I don’t feel like I’m constantly being watched by him. But there’s still something that feels weird, like it’s not over yet. I guess I’ve gotta take advantage of this moment as best as I can, since this is probably the only chance I’ll get a break for a while now. Trying your best to push all of your troubling thoughts aside, you walked down the familiar halls and stairs, all the way to the gym, enjoying the ‘fresh air’ as much as you could.

        When you finally reached the gym, the first thing you did was look around to see if Naruto was anywhere nearby, since he was usually right in front of the locker rooms before you had to go and change for class with Tenten. Wait… oh no! I have to change! SHIT!! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!? Okay okay wait, calm down. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something, I’ll think of something. I just have to stay calm. You approached the locker rooms, pushing down your worry for now and going back to your original goal of trying to find Naruto. In the slight darkness of the hallway, just past the girls’ locker room, you saw a figure standing against the wall of the gym. Your enhanced vision identified the person as you got closer. It was Gaara, and he was looking straight at you. Surprisingly, it wasn’t in a threatening or angered way like you had expected. He nodded his head to the side, motioning you to come to him. You reluctantly complied, and walked to where he was standing, afraid that he was still mad at you for Kiba’s nickname.

        “You can put your stuff at the wall over there.” He motioned to the wall in front of him.

        “But don’t I have to worry about changing first?”

        “No. I took care of it.” You were now confused, and tilted your head to the side, staring at him. Is that where you were when class ended, to make sure I didn’t have to change? But… how?

        “What do you mean by that?” You asked suspiciously.

        “It means you don’t have to worry about changing.” Yeah, no duh dipshit. I wanna know how you got that to happen. You saw no point in trying to press for more answers, you knew he wouldn’t tell you what he did to get you out of changing, besides give you more vague answers that were of no use to you. You couldn’t believe you were already ‘growing used’ to his stubbornness. “Now come on… wolf girl.” He muttered the last part out. You instantly grew flustered, as he just continued to head towards the gym doors. I knew it!! You quickly pulled yourself together and glared at his back.

        “It’s a nickname he’s called me since we first met!” You yelled in a frustrated tone. He abruptly stopped, and kept his head forward.

        “I know.” He stated monotonously, and started for the doors again. You growled under your breath, but said nothing else, as you followed Gaara into the gym.

        When you entered, you saw the familiar faces of your gym class, and you immediately didn’t feel right at all. You felt like you stood out too much, and really, you did. You and Gaara were the only ones not in a proper uniform. You both wore all black clothing and you your red hat, quite the opposite of the gold and green on everyone else’s uniform. You were about to head to where the girls were lined up, but Gaara stopped you, one look from his eyes telling you to not even think about it. You guessed he didn’t want you wandering too far away from him and talking with Tenten, again keeping you away from your friends. You glared back at him, but nevertheless followed him to where the boys lined up, and stood against the bleachers with him.

        It was all highly uncomfortable. You could feel the stares coming from the other people in the room, and you didn’t even have to look to know. You imagined it must look weird, for a girl without a uniform on, standing with Gaara wearing the same kind of black clothes as he was, where only the boys were supposed to be. Great. One more thing to add to all the gossip around here.

        Oddly, Anko didn’t seem to even care about you and Gaara, since she continued on with her attendance, not once looking your way. Even Guy wasn’t concerned with you, not sparing you a glance as well, even though you were basically on the wrong side of the gym. That must be how you ‘took care of it’ then. You must’ve talked to Anko. That’s what you were doing after third period. But what did you say if no one can find out the reason why I can’t change, or you for that matter? Wait, is she… no. She can’t be like us too. I can’t sense anything about her like I can now with Gaara, plus she would’ve had ears like me and him do, and she obviously doesn’t, since she’s not covering her head, and her hair isn’t big or thick enough to hide something like wolf ears, so she couldn’t be like us. Did he blackmail or threaten her? Possibly, but Anko doesn’t seem like a person to get intimidated by someone like Gaara, or is she? Maybe he lied to her, or maybe there’s something else to this that I don’t know about. What I do know, is that there’s obviously some kind of ‘excuse’ that’s getting us out of changing, but what is it?

        Anko and Guy blew their whistles, signaling that everyone’s free minutes had now started. Usually, you and Tenten would walk over to the guys and talk with them, but you wouldn’t be able to do that today, not unless you wanted to deal with Gaara. You could only stare longingly at Tenten, as she made her way to the usual spot with Neji and Lee meeting her there. You saw Lee look over to you with the same sad, sorrowful expression you had, and you immediately turned your head away from him, averting your eyes to the floor next to you so you didn’t have to look into his big confused, saddened eyes. You shot a quick glance their way, seeing Tenten put a hand on Lee’s shoulder, and guide him away into a group huddle with Neji, who occasionally would send you suspicious and almost calculative looks, the same as Shikamaru and Shino had done.

        You saw them whispering to each other, and you wished you could be over there with them, but… it wasn’t just Gaara holding you back. Even if you could be with them, how would you be able to come up with a believable explanation for not having to change, as well as for the rumors that they, like everyone else by now, had heard about this morning? You sighed, and continued to watch them talk about things you couldn’t hear, when you suddenly realized that Naruto wasn’t there with them. There was absolutely no sign of him. He was late to first period, then sometime during class rushed off to somewhere, never showed up for second period, and now he’s not here for gym. Where the hell is he?

        You heard Anko and Guy blow their whistles again, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you saw the boys already start to run outside. You turned to see Gaara seemingly walking towards them, but he passed by the line of running boys and was now heading for a different direction than the usual exit doors. You curiously followed him, and found that he was walking towards a small side door near the corner of the gym. He opened it, and allowed you to go through first, and just like that, you were outside, a bit aways from the soccer field where the boys were and where the girls were starting up the concrete path that lead to the track. Not one group noticed yours and Gaara’s whereabouts.

         You heard the door close behind you, and you turned around and saw Gaara walking to your left along the building, and you followed suit. He turned the corner and leaned up against the stone wall, unmoving, and looking straight ahead.

         “Is this what you do every time we have gym?” He hummed, which you took as a ‘yes’. You sighed, and walked just a little further past him. You leaned against the building yourself, and slid down the wall until your bottom hit the cool hard pavement. You turned your whole body to your left, and let your left cheek rest against the wall. You wrapped your arms around your legs and moved your head to the crook of your knees, where your eyes began to lower. You were still tired, since you didn’t get much sleep last night, and the position you were in was actually very comfortable, too comfortable to not want to submit to slumber in your current exhausted state. Your head began to drop, and you jerked your head back up once you realized you were about to fall asleep. You had to repeat this action a few times, but it wasn’t enough, for you eventually closed your eyes all the way, and fell into a nice dreamless sleep.

        Gaara noticed you sitting there, weirdly not moving or trying to ask him any questions at all, which is what he was expecting you to. His eyes traveled to your form, and waited for something, anything that he was anticipating. When he received nothing, he fully turned his head to you.

        “What are you-” He stopped himself as he saw your back, rising and falling in a steady manner, signaling that you were fast asleep. He hummed, and turned his head away from you again. He would let you sleep, since he knew that you didn’t get much last night. He sensed your exhaustion ever since this morning, and it wasn’t hard to tell either just by looking at you. He would wake you up in a little bit, just before the rest of the students went inside, so you could get as much rest as you could. He sighed, as he shut his own eyes, the silence of nature, and knowing that you were peacefully sleeping, but most importantly safe, lulled him into a state of relaxation.

        You suddenly awoke to your head snapping up from your knees, your eyes a bit droopy from just waking up. The little time that you were asleep didn’t feel like much, as if only a few seconds had passed, and you still felt tired as hell. You yawned, which seemed to have drawn Gaara’s attention.

“Did you enjoy your nap?” He asked with a very small hint of sarcasm. You tiredly groaned and ignored his comment.

“How long was I out?” You asked, another smaller yawn escaping your lips.

“We have five minutes until we need to go back inside.” You rubbed your still drowsy eyes.

“Oh.”

“I was actually about to wake you up myself since we have to leave soon, so don’t fall back asleep.” You groaned again.

“Whatever.” You mumbled, too tired to come up with a good retort. You sat up straight, and leaned your head more against the wall, unfortunately with a headache starting to form, as you tried to keep yourself awake for the time being.

By the time five minutes passed, you had fully woken up, or as much as any person who didn’t get much sleep could, and Gaara said that it was time to leave. You slowly rose from your spot, and followed him back inside the school, noticing that both the boys and the girls had already gone back inside. You both then proceeded over to the wall where you had set your stuff, picked it up, and continued walking out into the main hallway. Only, instead of the usual bustling and crowding of students like there usually was, the hallways were deserted besides the two of you. “Did the bell ring yet?”

“No.”

“Then why are we here so early then.” When he didn’t answer, you glared and crossed your arms, deciding to move on. “So, we’re ‘allowed’ to be in the hallways, then?” You asked half sarcastically half seriously. He shot you a glance, which you took as ‘Are you dumb?’. You just rolled your eyes and continued walking in the unnaturally empty, silent halls.

Not long after, the bell rang, and almost instantly, the hallways were teeming with students pushing and shoving their way through to get to their next class. By now, you were nearing the staircase that lead to the roof, where you always ate lunch. Why would Gaara be heading this way? Wait… is he? You slowed your pace down so that you were now almost directly behind Gaara, letting him lead now rather than walking with him. Just as you predicted, when he reached the roof staircase, without hesitation, he turned and started heading up the steps. You kept your eyes glued to the back of his head, as he continued to walk up both flights of stairs to the third floor, up the extra set of steps, and finally stop in front of the roof door. He stared at the metal door in front of him, but did nothing to open it, and instead just stood there, silent and unmoving. He waited until you stood next to him, and when you did, you copied his actions, and stared straight ahead at the door, both of you not once looking away from it.

“Show me how you’ve been able to open the door for the past week.” He ordered. I knew it! It was you! You continued to stand there, keeping as calm a composure as you could, refusing to move a muscle. You were not about to show something as personal as James’s pendant to anyone, especially to Gaara.

“You have more experience, I’m sure you can open the door faster than I can.” He shot you a warning glare, but soon looked back at the door.

“Ladies first.” You smirked.

“Yeah, exactly. Be my guest.” He glared at you again.

“Just open the door.” He’s not good with patience, or comebacks, is he?

“Why can’t you do it?”

“Because I told you to open it.”

“So?” You heard a loud threatening growl.

“Open. The door.” The tone in his voice was dangerous, and there was something in the back of your mind that was warning you to just do as he says before you got into trouble, the instinct you had felt since yesterday. Your stubbornness was clashing against this foreign instinct in a heated battle, but after another moment of debating with your own mind, you sighed. It seemed instinct had triumphed over stubbornness.

“Fine.” You grumbled. You reached inside your shirt, grabbed your white wolf pendant that was still around your neck, and held it out in front of you. “Move.” You could tell Gaara wasn’t happy at all with your command, but nonetheless he took a step back and now stood to your left, which allowed you to crouch in front of the door to pick the lock. Gaara watched you intently as you inserted the pointed tail into the lock and fumbled with it like you did everyday. You heard a click in only a few seconds, your own personal best, and stood back up from your crouched position. You gave Gaara a nasty look as you pushed the door open with your right hand. “There. Happy?” He eyed your pendant, observing every detail of it. In fact, he almost looked suspicious about it.

“What is that?” He asked, still not taking his eyes off your pendant.

“What do you think it is?” You asked sarcastically. He glared at you, not at all amused by your answer. You rolled your eyes and sighed. “It’s nothing important. It’s just something that belongs to me. That’s it.” Though your words and tone made your lie sound true, you couldn’t help your eyes convey a different emotion. It felt wrong to say that your pendant was practically worth nothing, even though you were only trying to keep your past a secret. As if reading your mind, Gaara didn’t move, and just kept staring at you. He knew you were lying, and he wanted the truth. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get that answer, not from you anyway. You sighed. “Whatever. I’m going outside.”

You slipped your pendant back inside your shirt, with Gaara watching your hand it was wrapped in, and you pushed the door all the way open. As you made your way outside, you slid your hand off the door and let it start to close. You heard Gaara catch the door with his hand, signaling that he had finally snapped out of his trance, and he gently closed it shut behind him. You walked to the edge of the roof, sat down, and let your legs dangle off the side of the building as Gaara came over and sat next to you, crossing his legs and staring out at the view ahead. Much to your discomfort, he was close to you, so much so that his sweatshirt almost touched yours. You glared at him in annoyance. Why can’t you just go sit wherever you’ve been sitting the past week instead of being less than an inch away from me? I know you don’t wanna be here either, so why are you over here in the first place? Are you this serious about ‘keeping an eye on me’ when there is literally no one around except us? Ugh. Still shooting wary glances his way every once in a while, you grabbed your lunch, which was a sandwich, and started to, unintentionally, wolf it down.

“Don’t eat so fast.” You stopped in the middle of chewing a huge bite, and turned your head to him. “It’ll only make it worse.” You still kept the bite in your mouth, as you continued to stare at him. He was still looking straight ahead, not meeting your eyes. “Self control is very important. Trust me, I know.” You finally swallowed the bite of sandwich, though you were still shocked at what he had said. He wasn’t just giving you a command, it seemed like he was giving you advice, like he was trying to help. Your eyes soon lowered to a glare. There is no way you’re actually trying to help me this time, you’re still just trying to order me around, and I’m not gonna take it.

“What are you, my mom?” He finally made eye contact with you.

“I’m serious.” You rolled your eyes and huffed.

“Yeah, when are you not?” His eyes narrowed, and you could just barely hear a low growl ringing in your ears. You sighed. “Fine, I won’t eat so fast.” You muttered in a mocking tone. You were about to take another bite of your sandwich, until Gaara stopped you once again.

“Don’t take such huge bites either.” Your teeth were just starting to graze the sandwich, and when you removed your teeth from the bread, there were two huge bite marks present. You frowned.

“Couldn’t you have told me this, I don’t know, before I started eating?” You asked irritated. He didn’t respond, he just continued to stare at you with the same stoic expression. You sighed. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?” Again, he said nothing. “Finally.” You mumbled, as you began to eat once more, this time taking smaller bites and trying your best to eat slower, just as Gaara had ‘advised’ you to do. When you were done with everything, you set your trash aside and tried to relax as best as you could. Although, yesterday’s and today’s events kept running through your head, and Gaara’s presence next to you wasn’t helping, and only seemed to increase the stress. With a quiet sigh, you lied down on the concrete roof, using your arms as a makeshift pillow for your head. Gaara watched what you were doing, wondering why you were moving, but when he realized you were only lying down, he averted his eyes back to the view of the school lawn and distant city in front of him.

As your head lay against your arms, you gazed up at the blue sky and all the white clouds scattered about, and you remembered when you and Shikamaru went cloud watching just Saturday. Will I get to do that again without having to worry about Gaara being on my tail… literally and figuratively? Well, he won’t monitor me if he knows I’m in my own apartment, so I could always lie and say that I’m not doing anything, and then just wait until he’s far enough away and leave. But for all I know, he could live really close to me and I wouldn’t even know it, so maybe he might see me if I leave my apartment, and then he’d stop me from going anywhere. Plus, maybe he can sense and/or smell me if I’m out somewhere, somehow, but even then, it should be too much trouble for him to go on a wild goose chase around the city just to find me. Though, this is the same person who said he was gonna switch his classes to mine so that he could keep an eye on me and make me avoid my friends. Then there’s that stupid instinct thing I have that still wants to listen to him and not do anything that could get me in trouble with him, which is honestly getting on my nerves. I don’t take orders, and the only times I did were… You shook your head, not wanting to remember your adoptive parents at the moment, or the rest of your life for that matter. With a soft sigh, you focused on clearing your mind and trying to relax for the rest of lunch.

When you saw Gaara stand up, you took it as your signal to do the same, since the period was most likely about to end. He waited for you to get up and get your stuff, and when you did, the both of you walked over to the door. He opened it, and as you both stepped inside, you were greeted with the usual crowds of students in the hallways, not caring at all where you and Gaara just came from. You closed the door on your way inside, and followed Gaara all the way down the stairs and to the first floor. When you reached the last step, you tried searching for Naruto, since he usually waits for you by the cafeteria and pesters you about where you ate lunch everyday, but you couldn’t find any trace of the energetic blonde. With one last glance at the cafeteria doors, you turned away, disappointed that you couldn’t find Naruto again. You walked with Gaara all the way to Ebisu’s room, and when you reached the classroom door, he stood and watched as you entered the room, not leaving until you fully closed the door.

As you started for your seat, you noticed that none of Sasuke’s fangirls were crowded around him like usual, Sakura wasn’t even there yet. You glanced around the room and noticed that the corners were occupied with girls, who you recognized as the ones you told off on your first day here. They were whispering to each other, and you could just barely hear what they were saying, and thanks to your better eyesight, you saw them steal more than just a few glances at you. Deciding that they weren’t worth your time, you ignored them, and continued to make your way to your seat.

Sasuke was sitting with his eyes closed, elbows on his desk, and his fingers interlocked with each other and pressed to his lips, just like any other normal day. When he noticed you sitting down, he opened his eyes and set his hands down on his desk.

“I’ve gotta say, I’m enjoying the break.” You shot him a confused look.

“And what does that mean?” You asked with a raised brow. He smirked.

“Those girls who always stalk me are too afraid of you and Gaara to get near me, and since they obviously know you sit next to me, well, you do the math.” You looked back at the girls who were whispering, and now glaring, at you. When they saw you glaring at them yourself, they immediately turned around and continued their whispering, doing a horrible job at pretending that they didn’t just look at you. You scowled at them then turned back to Sasuke, who was trying to hold back his laughter at the sight of your intense glare. He knew you well enough to know exactly what you were thinking, or must be thinking, and it was hilarious to him. You huffed.

“They should be scared. Most of them don’t even look like they can lift two pounds without being a bitchy crybaby. I mean, they glare at me behind my back like they’re freaking queen bees, yet they can’t even look me in the eyes, and they can’t even think of good comebacks to throw at me. They just stand and whisper like the cowards they are.” Sasuke couldn’t hold it in any longer, and he loudly chuckled.

“So, I take it you’re feeling better today?” He asked through fits of chuckling. You snorted.

“I’m not sure if ‘better’ is the right word, but yeah, something like that.”

“So I’ve heard.” You sighed.

“Of course you have.” You mumbled.

“What’s up with that anyway? I thought you two hated each other.”

“I wouldn’t say hate, just… greatly very much completely dislike each other.”

“Most people would call that hate, (Y/N).”

“Like who, Duckbutt?”

“I’m just saying. Just yesterday you two ‘didn’t like’ each other, and then suddenly today he’s super close to you. Don’t you think that’s a little concerning, especially to your friends?” You smirked.

“Aw, you do care, and you admit that you’re my friend.” You chuckled.

“Hn. Yes, fine, okay I admit it. You’re my very good friend, whatever. Now back to you.” You smiled, but soon that changed into a frown, since you knew were still expected to answer his question. You sighed.

“It’s… complicated.” Sasuke kept looking at you with his stubborn onyx orbs, waiting for you to say something more. “Fine. Uh, let’s just say it’s a personal thing, okay? Happy? Now can we not talk about it anymore?” It took Sasuke another moment of staring to finally give up. He sighed, and turned his head away from you, looking at the front of the class, interlocking his fingers and bringing them to his lips once more. That usually meant he was thinking about something, and you didn’t know what it was.

“You know, Itachi hasn’t stopped calling me Duckbutt ever since you told him about that nickname.” You smirked and chuckled, glad that he had decided to change the subject.

“Good. You deserve it, Duckbutt.”

“Hn.”

“Hey, I told you to call him Raventail.”

“I do.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He’s still being super annoying.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’? There’s no ‘and’ to it.” You tsked.

“You don’t understand sibling rivalry, do you?”

“What do you mean?” He frowned.

“The reason he’s still being so annoying is because you two are basically in a war, a being annoying sibling war at that, and you’ve just gotten both of your weapons, those nicknames. Now you’ve gotta be just as annoying or, preferably for you, more annoying than Itachi, then you’ll eventually win.” He huffed.

“And this is part of the ‘sibling rivalry’ you were talking about?” He asked sarcastically, though you ignored his mocking tone.

“Of course! Haven’t you ever heard of the unspoken rules? It’s all written in the siblings handbook, duh. You should know this stuff Duckbutt.” He chuckled.

“You’re so weird.”

“Good or bad?”

“Both.”

“Aw, thanks.” You laughed.

“And how do you know so much about ‘sibling rivalry’ in the first place? Hm?” You flinched ever so slightly, which Sasuke noticed. You smiled shakily, accidentally giving away some of your nervousness, which Sasuke also took notice of.

“Heh, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” You rubbed your neck sheepishly. James may have only been your adoptive brother, but he was still your older brother, and you were still his little sister, and despite your horrible ‘living conditions’, like any other brother and sister, you behaved like them too.

“So, you have a sibling?”

“Well-”

“SASUKE!!! AND (Y/N)!!” Uh oh, cotton candy attack! You closed your eyes and braced yourself for what was about to come. You felt a familiar skinny arm snake around your neck and lock you into a choke hold. You opened your eyes to see Sakura’s arm in front of your face preventing you from breathing. You looked over to Sasuke, and saw that he was suffering the same fate, only, you were sure that he had it worse. I bet someone $100 that he’s gonna die by Sakura before he graduates high school. His eye twitched, and you were sure that if she didn’t let go of him soon, he would flip out. Make that sophomore year. Luckily, she let go of you two quickly, Sasuke more reluctantly of course, and you drew in a deep breath once you were finally able to breathe again. She went to her seat behind Sasuke, and happily sat her stuff down, acting as bubbly and cheerful as usual. “Sorry I’m late. I was looking for Naruto. He didn’t show up for lunch.” You turned and looked at Sakura, slightly surprised. “He’s actually been acting weird this whole day, too weird in fact, even for himself.” So I’m not the only one who’s noticed.

“What do you mean?” You asked. Sakura turned to you and blinked, and though she knew you were just as concerned with Naruto as everyone else was, she wasn’t expecting your question to sound so serious.

“Well, he didn’t really talk with anyone today, he was super late for first period this morning, and like I said before, he wasn’t at lunch.” He hasn’t talked to anyone? That doesn’t sound like Naruto at all. Is there something else I, we, don’t know about? “And I tried looking for him, which is why I wasn’t here earlier, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. It’s like he just disappeared.” Now I’m really worried for him. This whole thing just gets weirder and weirder. Maybe she knows more about this?

You didn’t have time to question Sakura any further, as you all heard the bell ring, and as everyone grew quiet, Ebisu started the class. During the middle of the lesson, you happened to glance over at Naruto’s seat, and what you found shocked you. Naruto was actually sitting at his desk, and even paying attention to Ebisu no less. Your eyes widened a considerable amount, but you immediately snapped yourself out of it and looked back at the front of the class so you wouldn’t get yelled at by Ebisu for being distracted and not focusing on the lesson. When did he even get here!? I didn’t hear him sit down, I didn’t hear the door open, I didn’t even see him until now! Did he open the door when the bell rang and then sneak around the desks when class started? But if he did, why would he go through all that trouble, and for what? Just to not be seen?… What is going on with you Naruto? You didn’t look back at Naruto for the rest of class, trying your best to focus on Ebisu and his lesson, but your mind kept wondering back to him. You just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, and the lesson was the last thing on your mind.

When the bell rang again, you grabbed your stuff as fast as you could to try and beat Naruto to the door so you could try and talk to him, but by the time you sat up, Naruto was already gone. How does he move so fast? Jeez! I didn’t even hear him move, or the door open at all! You weren’t the only one who was confused at Naruto’s behavior, Sasuke and Sakura were staring at the door just as you were.

“What was all that about?” Sakura asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” Sasuke mumbled.

“He just showed up without notice, then took off without even saying anything.” You stayed silent the whole conversation, too lost in your own thoughts to even try and ask them about what they saw. When you realized that Gaara was probably waiting for you, and most likely getting impatient, again, you shook your head out of your stupor.

“I’ve gotta go guys, bye.” You waved to them as you hurriedly sped walked to the door. Sasuke and Sakura simply stared at your fast retreating form, not completely out of their own daze to stop or question you about why you were in such a rush.

When you exited the classroom, you found Gaara leaned up against the wall to the left of the door, and not surprisingly, looking as impatient as ever. Once he saw you, he immediately pushed himself off the wall and started walking next to you. Both of you went down the hall, up the stairs, and eventually all the way to Deidara’s room. Although, before you had the chance to open the door and go inside, Gaara stepped in front of you and stopped, causing you to halt as well.

“I’m coming in with you for this one.” Your eyes lowered into an annoyed glare.

“Oh come on! For what?” He glanced at the door for a moment, like he was checking for something, then leaned in close to your head and whispered in your right ear.

“Because I don’t trust Deidara to leave you alone with him.” You stared at him incredulously as he leaned back up.

“Okay. This is where I draw the line.” His eyes narrowed, which just about pushed you over the edge. So you can tell me what to do, but I can’t even tell you to back off when you’re being ridiculous!? Seriously!!? Before you started cursing him out and let your short temper get ahead of yourself, you sighed, and calmed yourself down. “Look, I realize that you’ve got some kind of issues with him, but that doesn’t mean-”

“Why do you think I’ve ‘got issues’ with him?”

“A little birdy told me.” You stated nonchalantly, which took Gaara a little by surprise. He was about to say something else, but before he had the chance, you cut him off. “Look, it doesn’t matter. The point is, just because you have problems doesn’t mean I do. Nothing happened between us last week before any of this even started, and he didn’t find anything out about… ‘this’ yesterday either, so everything’s fine.”

“I still don’t trust him.”

“Well I do, and if nothing’s happened to me yet, then nothing’s gonna happen to me today.” You crossed your arms over your chest and waited for Gaara’s answer, hoping it would for once leave you be. He suddenly looked at the clock on top of the wall behind him, one of many other clocks randomly scattered around the school. He growled under his breath and turned his head back to you, but this time with a much more intense scowl.

“Fine, but the only reason you’re going in there alone is because I have to leave, or I’ll be late.” You heard him mumble a few curses about how Deidara’s class was so far away from everyone else’s, before he turned around, and started off back down the hall. “You’re lucky… this time.” He called back in an almost ominous tone. When he was a far enough distance away, you let out a breath of air you didn’t realize you were holding, and uncrossed your arms. I would’ve never thought I’d be able to convince him to leave, and that I’d actually be happy to be on the other side of the school at the end of the day. With one last, final, quiet sigh, you opened the door.

When you entered the classroom, you saw Deidara sitting on top of his desk, which was normal, except for one thing. He was glowering at you, or really, the door you were still standing by.

“So, I see that the rumors are true then, hm?” He asked rather angrily, still not entirely looking at you.

“Dammit.” You muttered. Deidara raised an eyebrow, and you knew he wanted you to speak up. “I mean, I forgot that you’d hear about…” You trailed off, Deidara already knowing exactly what you were talking about.

“First of all, that’s all anyone’s been talking about, ever since this morning. And second, I saw you two out there, having some kind of argument, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that was all about.” You were staring at him, a little concerned that he had seen you and Gaara through the door’s small window, but overall, you were worried about Deidara himself. His tone sounded completely infuriated, the opposite of his usual playful, teasing one you’ve grown used to. This new one didn’t sound like the Deidara you knew at all.

“Why do you sound so angry?” Now his glaring eyes focused completely on you, catching you a little bit off guard. You never thought he would look at you like that.

“Because the moment I step foot in this school, I hear you and Gaara of all people are suddenly ‘buddy-buddy’ when just the day before you guys hated each other, and you were downright sick too! You didn’t look well, you didn’t seem well, you weren’t acting like yourself, and then the next day boom! You and Gaara are close! And like that’s not concerning enough, I hear he’s practically controlling you, having you follow him around the school and making you outright avoid people. Hell, I thought you weren’t even gonna be here at one point, and I was almost right, after I saw you two out there in the hallway arguing! And to make matters worse, the things I’ve heard people call you all day, I just wanted to, to… UGH!!” He threw his hands in the air then grabbed the edge of the desk so hard his knuckles started turning pure white, while simultaneously turning his head away from you, too angry to even look you in the eyes. All you could see was his golden hair up in its usual high half ponytail, which was now a little disheveled, and his left shoulder and arm that was now facing towards you.

You were utterly silent, unable to say a single word. You’ve never seen Deidara lose his cool over anything, nor did he seem like the person to freak out in front of another person. Sure he had his ‘I’m serious’ moments like your second day of school last week, but it never went to the point where he was losing it, and trying to control his anger. All because he was worried about you.

“Hey, calm down.” You tried to sound as reassuring as you could. “I ignored those people the whole day too. Besides, I’m fine, you don’t need to be so overdramatic. It’s not a big deal.” He turned his head back to you, his serious sky blue eyes hadn’t changed in intensity.

“Are you kidding!? It is a big deal!” You didn’t say anything in response. “(Y/N), I’ve known you long enough to know that you’re not fine. I can see it in your eyes.”

“You’ve known me for a little over a week.”

“Exactly, hm!” Well, it sure sounds like he’s back to normal, for the most part anyway. You sighed.

“Deidara, I swear that I’m fine.” You tried to smile as best as you could, but Deidara saw right through it. He gave you a suspicious look and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Okay, if you swear you’re ‘fine’, then prove it.” You raised a brow.

“And how am I supposed to ‘prove’ to you that I’m fine?” He smirked in response, which to you wasn’t a good sign, but at least that meant that his usual self seemed to be back. He uncrossed his arms, and brought one of his hands up and stroked his chin. He playfully looked up at the ceiling, and hummed, pretending to think about it when you very well knew that he already had something in mind; he was just drawing out the suspense, mocking you. After another moment or two of this, his eyes landed back on you. He stopped stroking his chin and dropped his hand back down to his side. His smirked widened into a mischievous grin, revealing his pearly white teeth. They were all not good signs… for you at least.

“I want a hug.” He stated nonchalantly, as if what he said was no big deal. You stared at him in disbelief.

“What?” You asked, hoping that he didn’t say what you thought he just said. He finally pushed himself off his desk, faced you, and playfully crossed his arms over his chest.

“You heard me. I. Want. A. Hug.” You crossed your own arms over your own chest, though for you it was out of defiance, as you continued to stare at him now in slight annoyance.

“You really are a wuss, you know that.” He walked closer to you, standing only a foot in front of you now.

“I mean it (Y/N), hm.”

“No.” You asserted. You didn’t feel like giving Deidara a hug. Affection wasn’t really your ‘thing’, even with James you were always at least somewhat shy. Plus, what if he felt your big fluffy, furry tail underneath your sweatshirt, or your thick furry ears under your red hat? You couldn’t risk a hug at this time, but you couldn’t tell Deidara why of course, for both reasons.

“Well, then I guess you’re not fine then, hm.”

“Just because I won’t give you a hug doesn’t mean that I’m not fine.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say until you give me a hug.” You groaned, and while still crossing your arms, you turned to the side so that your right shoulder faced him, and closed your eyes. You huffed in defiance, and he chuckled, amused by your petty actions. “Fine, but I’m getting that hug one way or another.” He crouched down in front of you, and when you noticed this movement, you opened your right eye to see what he was doing. He was still smirking, his devious grin never faltering, and you were sure that you didn’t want to know what was going on inside his mischievous mind. Then, with one simple action, you regretfully understood what he was trying to do. He poked you, and kept poking you on your right shoulder, hard. You opened your other eye, and glared at the desks in front of you, refusing to look at Deidara, since he most likely found your annoyed reaction very amusing, and you did not want to see that smug expression of his. Another few seconds of him poking your shoulder passed, and you realized that he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. You groaned.

“Are you really gonna keep this up?”

“Yes, yes I am. I told you I want a hug.”

“No.”

“Alright, suit yourself then, hm.” He started poking your shoulder harder, and what was worse was that it was the same exact spot each time. “Come on.” Poke. “Give me a hug.” Another poke. “I want a hug.” Poke again. “I. Want. A. Hug.” He poked you with each word he spoke. “I-”

“You’re gonna get tired of this eventually. You know that, right?” From the corner of your eyes, you saw his smirk widen.

“A thing you should know about me, (Y/N), is that my stubbornness is as big as my huge ego.” You rolled your eyes, and continued to glare at the desks in front of you.

“Of course it is.” You muttered. He heard you, and chuckled, as he continued to poke your shoulder.

“Come on.”

“…”

“You know you want to.”

“…”

“I can tell you’re getting annoyed.”

“…”

“It’s only a matter of time.”

“…”

“I guarantee I’m more stubborn than you are.”

“…”

“Come on.”

“…”

“You. Know. You. Want. To-”

“Okay, okay! FINE! I’ll give you a damn hug, just KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!!” You shouted as you swatted his hand away. Deidara wasn’t affected by you hitting his hands, he only smiled triumphantly, since his plan worked. He had won. You hesitated, figuring that you could just suck it up and get it over with, and that maybe if you were fast enough, you wouldn’t risk exposing anything. With one last sigh and groan, you quickly wrapped your arms around Deidara’s form, but he didn’t even have time to respond before you pulled away from him just as quickly as you came.

“What the hell was that, hm?” He asked jokingly. “I said a hug, and that wasn’t even close-”

“You never said how long the hug had to be.” You smirked as he didn’t respond. You got him. “You weren’t expecting that one, were you?” He actually looked surprised that you had stumped him like that, something else you would’ve never guessed Deidara would show, but after another moment his expression faded into another widening smirk.

“Well, I know you weren’t expecting… THIS!” Without warning, he wrapped his arms around your waist and back, and pulled your form against his chest. He rested his left cheek on your head, and closed his eyes, smiling a big goofy smile. You were too shocked to react at first, but when you came back to your senses, you blushed, and quickly tried to push him away. It was no use though, he would only tighten his grip on you so that it was impossible to move from him. After another few failed attempts at escaping his hug, you knew that there was no getting out of this, and you slowly let your hands drop to your sides, finally giving up. You just embraced the warmth Deidara was radiating, which was actually very comforting. Your muscles became less tense, and before you knew what you were doing, you wrapped your arms around his own waist and hugged him back, and he immediately pulled you closer to him as a result. Your right cheek was pressed up against his chest, and since your ears were right next to his heart, you could hear it beating a fast, yet steady, thumping rhythm. It sounded… nice, and peaceful. The more you listened to it, the more soothing it felt, and from everything that’s happened so far, this was the first thing that actually made you feel relaxed. You sighed in content, and closed your eyes. Thump. Thump. Thump. His heart continued to beat its nice soothing and hypnotic rhythm, as you burrowed your head deeper into his shirt, and you swore you could feel Deidara’s smile widen.

Deidara shifted his head so that his chin rested on the middle of your scalp, thankfully right between where your ears were bent back, and he was now looking straight at the door. His grip on your form suddenly tightened, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell he was glaring at the door. His grip wasn’t uncomfortable, his arms just tensed and became more secure, almost in a protective way. You couldn’t sense anyone at the door, so you figured that he was just thinking about something, most likely Gaara, and he was. Gaara wasn’t at the door now, but Deidara still remembered him there, arguing with you about something, and it pissed him off to no end. He imagined Gaara there, outside the room, watching you two hug, and he couldn’t help but glare at the door because of this thought. It was his way of showing that he would protect you from him, even if Gaara wasn’t there to see this for himself.

Eventually, albeit very reluctantly, you both pulled away from each other. You looked up to see Deidara’s sincere smile, and your face instantly became a bright red, as you lightly pushed Deidara back from you. You turned away so that your back now faced him, and you crossed your arms over your chest, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

“Whatever.” You quickly and quietly mumbled. You were too flustered to come up with a better response, and you knew Deidara was smirking because of this, you could feel it. You knew him too well to know that he must find your current state very amusing, and he did.

“Aw, did someone enjoy themselves, hm?” He asked teasingly. You felt your blush darken, and you became even more flustered.

“Shut up.” You mumbled.

“Admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“That you enjoyed the hug, silly.” You immediately answered back.

“No.”

“Do it.”

“No.”

“I’ll start poking you again.”

“Okay okay!” You paused, then with a sigh, you uncrossed your arms and turned around to see his mischievous smirk, which only caused you to hesitate more. “I, maybe… needed, that hug. Thank you.” You mumbled. His smirk widened, and he cupped his hand behind his right ear, pretending that he didn’t hear you.

“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you.” He teased.

“I said I needed the hug and thank you, alright!?” You yelled, and turned away from him again. You closed your eyes and frowned in frustration, and Deidara just continued to smirk.

“See, was that so hard, hm?”

“Yes.” He chuckled, but when he saw that you were refusing to look at him, he sighed and walked around you. He stopped right in front of your face, and crouched down to your level. You opened your eyes to see what he was doing, and you saw the corner of his lips twitch up into a small smile.

“You know I’ll always be here for you, right?” You scoffed.

“You’re really annoying sometimes, you know that?” His smile changed into a smirk.

“But you still love me anyway.”

“Don’t be weird.”

“I’ll take that as a yes then, hm.” You snorted.

“Yeah, whatever.” He chuckled.

“And I guess you proved that you are indeed ‘fine’, hm?” Your frown lessened, and you looked at him with softer eyes, the frustration you felt earlier almost disappearing. After all, you couldn’t stay mad at Deidara forever, could you, especially when he smiled at you like that. However, his smile soon changed to a smirk, as he flicked your nose and then immediately stood up, walking back to his desk like nothing happened. You twitched your nose and looked at it, cross eyed, then you covered it with your hand.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“For being you, of course.” He mocked your tone of voice, poorly at that. You looked at him furiously, and although he couldn’t see since his back was facing you, he knew you were glaring at him, and he secretly found it hilarious.

“Hey, that’s my line!”

“You snooze you lose (Y/N), hm.” You glared at him, and you knew his smirk was probably widening at your increasing frustration.

“Asshole.” You muttered.

“Hm? What was that (Y/N)?” He turned his head a little so that you only saw the left side of his face.

“Nothing.” You called back instantly. He stared at you, smirking, then turned his head away from you.

“Mhm. If you say so.” You let out a silent breath of relief, glad that he decided to not be over annoying for once. As if on cue, the bell rang, and you headed for your seat while Deidara went to his desk as the usual people started filing into the room. When everyone sat down, class began as usual.

For most of class nothing worried you, nothing was on your mind, and nothing really happened either. Everything was pretty normal, relatively speaking, that is, until you remembered something important. Wait, I forgot that I have work today! I never called off sick! Will Gaara try to stop me from going? Knowing him, he most likely will. But, if he won’t let me go… what’ll happen then? You quietly sighed, not wanting to finish your thoughts. You decided that you would worry about work when the time came.

The bell rang, and you slowly gathered your things, with whether Gaara would let you go to work or not still the one thing on your mind. You reached the front of the class, when Deidara placed a hand on your shoulder, stopping you from leaving.

“Hey, you gonna be okay?” You looked into his concerned filled eyes, and nodded your head.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” You gave him the best smile you could muster, and he smiled back. You looked over your shoulder, and saw the last person from class close the door, leaving you and Deidara alone. Surprisingly, you didn’t see Gaara anywhere near the door, and now was the perfect opportunity to ask Deidara a question that’s been on your mind ever since you first met him. When he noticed that something seemed to be bothering you, he removed his hand from your shoulder, and stared at you in worry, yet in slight curiosity.

“(Y/N), what’s up? Are you worried about Gaara or something?” Your serious (E/C) eyes stared into his confused and worried sky blue ones.

“What exactly happened between you and Gaara?” He grew dead silent. He said nothing, as his worry disappeared, now replaced by solemnity. He bit the inside of his bottom lip, and slowly averted his eyes to the floor. You understood why he seemed uncomfortable, you knew that whatever the issues between him and Gaara were, they were pretty bad, he had almost gotten worked up by it before. You knew that it may be hard for him to talk about them, so you waited patiently for an answer, ready to accept whatever it was. After another silent,tense moment, he very slowly nodded his head, his eyes still avoiding yours and looking to the side as he answered.

“Okay. Okay, I guess you deserve to know what happened.” He stopped moving his head, and finally looked back to your awaiting (E/C) eyes. He sighed. “It was about a couple years ago. We never exactly saw… eye to eye before, but this was a little… different. We were in a ‘fight’ over… something. It was a big fight, one where it went beyond just hand-to-hand combat. We used actual weapons, and I mean weapons, if you know what I mean.” He sighed, like he wasn’t proud to admit it. “We fought near the city, down a little bit in an alleyway, so no one would ‘interrupt’ us.” You nodded, understanding his story so far, even though the details on why he was fighting were vague, but you had a feeling he didn’t want you to know that piece of information, at least not yet. “I was so confident that I could easily win against him, that he was just another kid who I could beat no problem. Hm. Well, I was wrong. During the middle of the fight, well… he almost… severed my arm.” Your eyes widened, and your jaw dropped. You weren’t expecting something as severe as that.

“What!?”

“Yeah, my left arm was almost completely ripped out of my shoulder. But somehow, I kept going, and I almost landed a fatal blow near his head. Well, it hit, but not in the way I expected. I didn’t want to actually kill him or anything, but… he had no problem trying to kill me.” You still stood aghast as he continued on. “The fight was mainly ‘a draw’. I landed more hits, but I was hurt worse than he was, though he was pretty injured too, hm. So, eventually, he left the alleyway, and I stood there, not able to follow him. The adrenaline from the fight wore off though, and the pain of my torn arm became excruciating. It was so bad, my friend, my man Sasori, had to help me walk out of the alley without further damaging it. I got it fixed, it was sewed all the way back on, and eventually, miraculously might I add, it healed very well. The only thing that’s different about it is my arm’s kinda off to the side, I guess you could say, and a huge scar formed around my shoulder where it got torn.” He paused again, and started to rub the back of his neck, like he was embarrassed about something. “It’s pretty ugly. I put concealer on it, so you couldn’t see it even if I showed you, hm. It’s not like I have to, it’s just in case anyone does see it or-”

“Why would you hide the scar?” You quietly blurted out, interrupting Deidara mid sentence. You didn’t realize that you had said your thoughts out loud until it was too late, though, you were too spaced out at this point to care. Deidara stared at you in utter shock, not expecting such a question from you. He stayed silent as you continued, your distant (E/C) eyes not completely meeting his. “It’s like trying to erase a part of you that makes you unique, like a signature to a work of art, just because it’s different than everybody else, or you’re trying to forget the past that will never go away. The scar will always be there, no matter what you do, so why bother hiding it when there’s really no point? You should actually be proud of it, it’s part of who you are. If anything, it makes you stronger. Who cares about what others think? Just because they may say it’s ugly, doesn’t mean it is. They just can’t see what real beauty is. You should accept the scar for what it is, because the sooner you do, the easier it gets. It’s better than trying to hide something that’s impossible to hide, something that’s a part of you, that you can’t change.” Your eyes began to slowly travel to the floor. “No matter what you do.” You finished with a soft, distant tone in your voice. The whole time you spoke, you felt as if you were partly talking to Deidara, and partly to yourself. After all… Deidara wasn’t the only one with ‘battle’ scars.

Your adoptive parents were brutal and harsh, especially when it came to punishments, and you of course had your fair share of them. The scars weren’t as big as Deidara’s must be, but they weren’t all small either, and they ‘healed’ enough to blend in with your skin a little at first glance, so no one like Tenten, who you had to change with for gym, would question them. You had a couple on your shoulders, a little more on your stomach and chest, and you knew you had some going down your back. You remembered how you got them too, and those memories were something you really did wished you could erase.

You were too distracted by your thoughts to see the look Deidara was giving you. What you said, the way you talked, you sounded like someone who knew exactly what they were talking about, someone who wasn’t just giving friendly advice, someone… with experience. He had a feeling that he wasn’t the only one with a scar, and that he wasn’t the only one who’s been through a rough time.

He put his right hand on your right shoulder, startling you out of your thoughts. You looked up, only to be met with Deidara’s sincere smile.

“You really are something special, aren’t you, hm?” You smiled back.

“Thanks, Dei.”

“I should be saying that to you.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“I don’t feel like it, hm.” You rolled your eyes, and punched him lightly in the chest.

“That’s for being you.” You mocked him, like the way he did to you earlier. He just smirked and chuckled in return, not affected by your punch at all. You turned around, and headed towards the door while waving behind you. “Bye Dei!” You called back to him, as you opened the door and exited the classroom, starting your long trek all the way to the front of the school. Deidara leaned against his desk, staring at the doorway where you had just disappeared.

“Dei, huh?” He closed his eyes and put his hand up to his chin, humming in thought. “I like it, hm.”

As you made your way to the front door, there was not one other student among the empty silent halls, which was worrying. You expected Gaara to be right outside the door when you exited Deidara’s room, angry that you were in there for so long, but he wasn’t. There was absolutely no sign of him in the hallways, stairs, inside other classrooms, or anywhere else in the school at all. Something’s not right. Sure, you liked the fact that you weren’t being watched and followed like a hawk, but from the day you’ve had so far, it was becoming unnatural at this point that Gaara would just leave you alone. The atmosphere was foreboding, as you continued to make your way to your destination.

When you reached the front doors of the school, you glanced from side to side, and you still didn’t see Gaara anywhere. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, though you knew you weren’t completely off the hook yet. You just knew that something was probably waiting for you, but you nevertheless began to slowly walk to the tall black gates. About halfway there, you felt someone roughly grab your wrist, and you were too shocked to say anything or see who your kidnapper was as you were quickly dragged off the path to the left. You almost tripped on the pavement as you and whoever was pulling you all of a sudden stopped at the side of the school and right next to the wall. They removed their hand from your wrist, releasing you from their tight grip, and as you shook your head out of your shocked state, you saw none other than Gaara standing in front of you, with his signature posture and scowl. Why am I not surprised?

“What the hell was that for!?” You shouted.

“Just come on.” As he turned around, he started walking away. You stared at his form for a moment, everything had  happened so fast you had trouble comprehending his words.

“Where are you going?” You asked suspiciously. He stopped, and turned his head over his right shoulder, one of his emotionless green eyes staring at you.

“The same place you’re going.”

“I don’t know if you know this, but I have a job after school, and I have to work today, so-”

“That’s taken care of.” That’s your favorite sentence, isn’t it. You were silent for a moment.

“What do you mean by that?” You asked, your anger starting to rise.

“It means you don’t have work today.” You little piece of bullshit- Despite the sudden uncontrollable urge to punch him in the face, you forced yourself to calm down, and instead tried to civilly talk with him.

“How’d you even know I had a job in the first place?”

“I’ve got resources, that’s all you need to know.” You sighed, still trying to control you temper as much as you could.

“Okay, if I’m not going to work, then my apartment’s still that way, and I’m going home.” He looked at you like you were one of the most oblivious, stupid people in the world.

“That’s taken care of as well.” Your eyes widened, then narrowed in anger, shock, and confusion.

“What happened to my house?” Still, his eyes showed no compassion or mercy, only irritation.

“Come on.” He said in annoyance. You clenched your fists in anger, your knuckles turning white, and you kept your feet firmly planted on the concrete ground.

“No.” If Gaara had any eyebrows, the side that was facing you would’ve been raised, and that’s how he was looking at you now. Nevertheless, you stood your ground, not budging under his intense glare, refusing to even be slightly intimidated by him. There was no way were you going to ignore the fact that he ‘took care of’ your work as well as your apartment, whatever that meant, and you were certainly not going to let him boss you around like this any longer. You had had enough.

“Yes, you will, or I’ll drag you there myself.” He snarled. You growled, just like an animal, and he instantly narrowed his eyes.

“I dare you.” You challenged. Gaara continued to glare at you, but then he snorted, his expression now rid of some of his previous anger, and you wondered what he was thinking, and what he was planning.

“There’s no point in going back to your apartment anyway, because like I said, I took care of it.” This only pissed you off more, and you were having a really hard time controlling your rage, you were literally on the verge of attacking him. You took short breaths in, trying to focus on calming down as best as you could.

“What did you even do?” You asked quietly. He snorted again, and turned his head away from you, looking straight ahead, obviously not going to answer you anytime soon. Of course. He never told me anything before, why would he do so now. You turned away from him, about to walk off and go to your apartment, despite his forceful orders, but his deep raspy voice cut into the tense silence.

“You’ll never get all the answers you want.” You stopped in your tracks. “What you are, what we are, you won’t know if you go back.” You were completely caught off guard by what he said. He was offering you answers, or rather, he was bribing you with them. You turned back around, and saw that his back was still facing you. You were dumbstruck to say the least.

“How do I know you’re going to tell me anyway?” You asked suspiciously. Answers were something you’ve wanted from the beginning, and he knew it. You weren’t sure if he was using this knowledge to trick you, or if he was actually telling you the truth, that he was actually willing to give you the answers you’ve wanted since this whole mess started.

“You won’t know unless you come with me.” He fully turned around and faced you, startling you a little. “And if you don’t, you’ll never know.” You didn’t move a muscle, really, you couldn’t. Although you didn’t want to admit it, he was right. On one hand, if you turned back and see what happened to your apartment, there was a chance he may never offer you answers again. But on the other hand, he may not tell you what he did to your apartment, but at least there was a chance where you could finally figure everything out. Though, you hated how he could have this kind of influence and control over you. It pissed you off to no end, but really, what other choice did you have? With a begrudging sigh, you grumbled your answer.

“Fine.” You paused. “But I better have those answers.” Gaara looked satisfied with your answer, and grunted, not seeming to care about your threatening tone. He waited impatiently for you to catch up to him, and when you did, you both started walking in awkward, tense silence, to wherever Gaara had in mind.

He led you past the side parking lot and to the trees near the back of the school, which continued in a line that eventually led to a forest that surrounded the school’s track and soccer field. There was a sidewalk that was next to the trees that led to part of the city behind the school, and you both now walked on this straightforward path. Next to it was a street, and across that street were some kind of city buildings, most likely small apartments, but despite their housing looks, Gaara wasn’t taking you to one of them.

You kept walking for about fifteen minutes, the line of trees never stopping, seemingly endless, until Gaara suddenly took a left turn off the sidewalk, and now headed towards a small opening between two slightly larger trees, which you would’ve never noticed if he wasn’t leading you through it now. When you entered the hidden tree entrance, and what you assumed was part of the forest, you were now walking on a small grassy path surrounded by all the shadows of the trees. You could see that it ended in another opening between two more trees not too far away from where you were, but you still couldn’t make out any details except for the sky over a green horizon in the distance past those two tress, which looked like the end of the path.

It only took you about a few minutes to get to the opening where the light seemed to shine the brightest. You stepped off of the dark grassy path and onto a huge, wide open field that was all surrounded by the forest. It was… beautiful, absolutely stunning. To you, fields like these represented freedom. You could run around for miles wherever you wanted, roll around on the grass and get as dirty as possible, or simply just lie down and waste the day away watching the sky, doing nothing else but relax, and no one could stop you or order you around. You always imagined something like this when you lived with your adoptive parents, since all you ever thought about was freedom, and how could you not, being treated as you were.

James had always talked about how you and him would someday be free, how you both just had to be patient and wait for the right time. You both had thought about running away many many times, but after careful thinking, you both had decided that no matter how bad your adoptive parents were, you would actually have a better chance of survival if you stayed with them. If you had run away, they would’ve tracked you both down if they found either of you missing, they couldn’t bother to not have their little slaves do everything for them. But even if you did manage to successfully escape, you both would’ve lived on the streets in the same crappy conditions you had always lived in, only you’d have no place to live, scavenging for food would be more difficult than just rummaging through your own trash, you wouldn’t have had money so you wouldn’t have finished school, which you both were dependent on to get a good job for you to move out, and treating James’s heart condition would’ve been pretty much impossible. Running away had always been too risky, and that was why you both decided to deal with your adoptive parents for as long as you had to Now you were starting to wish that James was here with you, seeing this beautiful field like you and him always dreamed of, and not back with your adoptive parents who were probably treating him worse than before.

You realized that in the middle of your thoughts you had stopped at the entrance to the field. You shook your head to clear your mind, and searched for Gaara. You found him walking off to your right, continuing on as if you were still with him. He wasn’t even looking at you, which meant he didn’t notice you had stopped, and judging by how far away he was, you hadn’t zoned out for too long. Not wanting him to actually see that you had stopped following him, you began speed walking across the field towards him, but not too fast as to draw attention.

When you caught up to him, thankfully without him noticing that you had not been with him before, you finally had the chance to see where he was taking you. In front of you, about one hundred yards away, was a small one story light tan house, although it looked two story. Maybe there was an attic, and/or a basement, but that was it. It had a dark brown roof and dark brown borders for the few windows you could see and the front door, which was a crème color. The house was near the back edge of the field, yet a little ways from the border of trees. There was no driveway, sidewalk, or path that led up to the house. Only grass surrounded it, and there was only a couple steps that led up to a very small wooden porch where the front door was.

In a few short minutes, you and Gaara reached the house, and headed up the stairs and on the porch. Gaara opened the door, and lightly shoved you inside the house and onto its crème colored carpeted flooring. He soon joined you and stood right behind you, but he didn’t close the door for some reason, he only stared straight ahead of him.

The first thing you noticed when you were fully inside was that you were in a living room. Across from you on the opposite wall was a doorway that lead to another room, most likely a kitchen/dining room, and to your left against a wall was a medium sized TV on a medium sized dark cherry TV stand. Between this wall and the doorway was an entrance to a hallway that led off to the left, so you couldn’t see where it went due to where you were standing. To your right was a brown couch in the middle of the room that faced the TV, and in front of it was a big wooden coffee table. There were end tables on each side of the couch, with a lamp on top of each one that illuminated the light yellow of the walls. They were the only light sources, it seemed, in the house, since the two windows on the wall to your right were covered by blinds. But none of that was what really caught your attention. What had you shocked, petrified, and deathly silent, were the two people in the living room along with you and Gaara. They were none other than Temari and Kankuro, Gaara’s older siblings… and you finally figured out what Gaara truly meant by us.

Kankuro was lazily sitting on the couch with his left leg crossed over his right, his arms hanging around the back of the cushion, and eyes closed, though he wasn’t sleeping. His black hood that usually covered his head was now lowered, and it revealed his dark brown wolf ears, only slightly darker than his hair, perked up on top of his head. But that wasn’t all. His tail, the same shade as his ears, was strewn about on the cushions, taking up most of the remaining space on the couch.

Temari was standing in a doorway directly in front of the armrest of the couch, on the same wall the other doorway was on, and it looked like it lead to the same room as well. She was leaning against the side of the doorway, arms crossed, and her sandy colored tail, only a little lighter than her hair, hung behind her legs. The same colored ears were perked up towards where you and Gaara were standing, probably because she had heard the sound of the door opening, and her ears must’ve turned on reflex. Her eyes were closed just like Kankuro’s, coolly and relaxed, not yet realizing that you were in their house. Oh my gosh, how could I forget about his siblings!? They’re even in Biology with me, and they sit at the same table as Gaara, how do I NOT remember that! But, actually, come to think of it, I didn’t see them this morning-

“Gaara, what took you so long?” Kankuro’s irritated voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, you’re usually never this late.” Temari and Kankuro both opened their eyes.

“We’ve been waiting here forev-” Kankuro stopped mid sentence, as he and Temari finally saw you. “-er.” They stared at you for a few awkward, tense moments, until their expressions changed to fear and anger. “What the HELL Gaara!”

“What is she doing here!?”

“She can’t be inside the house!”

“Why is she-”

“Show them.” Gaara’s commanding voice immediately stopped their panic. The room grew dead silent, as Kankuro and Temari stopped yelling, and they stared at you with a mix of shock, confusion, and curiosity. You subconsciously gulped, realizing that now all of the attention was on you. The tension in the air was thick, as you slowly took off your hat, revealing your bent back white wolf ears, and simultaneously uncurling your tail from around your waist, slipping it through your sweatshirt and letting it fall to your side. You perked your ears up, and started swishing your tail from side to side, the first time since this morning being able to stretch your limbs out, while staring at Kankuro’s and Temari’s dumbfounded expressions with your own surprised, confused, and a whole jumbled mass of emotions filled one. Temari was the first to come to her senses.

“Oh boy. Uh, here, I-I’m sure you’d want a shower by now, is that alright?” Not knowing what else to say or do, you nodded your head. She immediately walked over, grabbed your hand, lightly pulled you past the TV, and took a sharp left down the hallway you had not been able to see past earlier. You could already hear whispering from behind you, and it wasn’t hard to figure out what they were discussing. You quietly sighed so as not to alert Temari, and continued to let her lead you down the hallway.

Eventually, not too far from the living room, she stopped in front of a door on the right side of the hallway and let go of your hand. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, and averted her eyes to the carpeted floor.

“I guess I should properly introduce myself shouldn’t I, though, you probably already know my name, don’t you?” You nodded your head, and her lips twitched up to a small smile. “I guess I know yours too… but whatever. I’m Temari.” You weren’t sure if you should respond, but concerning the circumstances at hand, it would probably be worse if you didn’t. Besides, she was at least trying to be nice and make everything less awkward, so it wouldn’t hurt to be nice back. Reluctantly, you told her your name.

“(Y/N).” Temari flashed you a shaky smile, at least glad that you were talking to her, then opened the door, revealing a pure white bathroom. The floor was tiled in small smooth squares, which gave off a shiny glow, really giving away how clean and spotless the room was. Straight ahead on the wall opposite of you, was a rectangular bathtub with cream colored curtains that had a dark brown and maroon bottom. The wall on your right had a white toilet with two towels, one dark brown and the other red, on top of the tank. A silver towel rack, where another light yellow towel was hung, was between the toilet and tub. Opposite of that wall was a nice silver sink, with drawers and cabinets underneath, a square mirror above, and a silver medicine cabinet to the left of the mirror.

“Here’s the bathroom. Everything you need is already in the tub. You pull the knob thing on the faucet to turn the shower on, and you turn left for hot, right for cold. There’s special shampoo and conditioner for your ears and tail, but use the regular stuff for everything else. When you’re done, you can just use my towel. It’s the yellow one there.” She pointed to the towel on the towel rack. “And you can just put your clothes where the sink is, oh and here, let me take your school stuff for you.” She held out her hand, and you reluctantly gave her your bag. “Well I think that about covers everything, did you get all that?” You nodded, and she gave you another rushed and half shaky smile, though the sincerity in her eyes made you a little less uncomfortable.

“Thanks.” You tried your best to sound nice, but there was still a slight strain in your voice. Temari didn’t seem to care though, as she smiled and put a comforting hand on your shoulder, then stepped out into the hallway.

“Oh, and by the way, when you turn the water off, keep the curtains closed.” Wait, what? Why would I have to-? Before you could ask her about her strange advice, she had already closed the door, and her footsteps quickly faded from hearing.

You sighed, ignoring her comment for the time being; you just wanted to get this shower over with as soon as possible. It wasn’t like it was going to make your situation any better at this point, and the sooner you got it done the sooner you would finally get the answers Gaara had promised you. Plus, you still haven’t showered in a couple days from dealing with everything that had happened the past couple days, and washing away all the dirt and stress you’ve acquired wasn’t a bad idea. However, the fact that you were in Gaara’s house, in his bathroom, not able to be in your own, wasn’t helping to calm your unsettled mind. But still, some relaxing warm water sounded nice, and it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to calm your nerves down.

In the middle of your thoughts, you remembered that Kimchi was still in your sweatshirt, so before you did anything else, you had her crawl out onto your hand then set her down on top of the sink. She crawled around a bit, seemingly studying her surroundings, and when she finally got her bearings straight, she tilted her tiny head up, looking at you with her wide questioning eyes. You had honestly forgotten that she was there the entire day due to your mind being focused on ‘other events’, which felt a little guilty about.

“Sorry Kimchi, I forgot you were with me.” She chirped happily, which you smiled at. “Now let’s see, usually you’d just stay in my room while I take my showers, but you obviously can’t now, so where should I put you?” She only responded with a chirp and a squeak, which you took as an ‘I don’t know’. You put your hand up to your chin and hummed, thinking about what you could do. “You know what? Screw it. We’re both girls, you can just get in the shower with me.” She replied with an excited sounding squeak.

       With the decision having been made, you slowly began to undress, folded all of your clothes, and set them on top of the sink like Temari told you to do. You stretched your tired limbs, twitching your ears side to side and swishing your tail around, finally having the chance to be free and not constricted. Once you felt satisfied, you set your free hand down in front of Kimchi who then crawled onto your palm, and made your way over to the tub. You pulled the curtains back, carefully stepped in, and closed the curtains behind you. You searched for a good place to put Kimchi, and right away you found a big silver shower tray with body wash and two sets of shampoos and conditioners. One was just some regular brand, and the other was one you’ve never seen before. That must be the special stuff that Temari was talking about. You paid no more attention to the products as you set Kimchi down in the middle of the silver tray, where you thought she wouldn’t get drowned and battered by water. Then you turned the faucet and finally start.

When the warm water hit your still pale (S/C) skin, it felt… nice, and calming, especially on your ears and tail, which had been stiff the whole day from being stuck in one position. You couldn’t help but sigh in bliss as you felt all the dirt, grime, and sweat you’ve gathered over the past couple of days wash away. You finally started to relax, though it was only short lived, as the memories of just a few moments ago were still fresh in your mind, and you couldn’t help but think about how you were going to have to face whatever they had in store for you more sooner than later. Nevertheless you continued your shower, grabbing the regular shampoo bottle, and began to wash your now soaked (H/L) (H/C) hair. When you finished with the shampoo, you rinsed it out, and moved on to conditioning and combing. When you were done with that, you eyed the ‘special’ shampoo and conditioner for your ears and tail, studying it carefully. You hesitantly grabbed the bottle of shampoo, and slowly started working on your ears. It felt really nice, you could already feel your fur getting cleansed of any filth that was trapped in it. You then brought your tail around to your front, and started rubbing it with the shampoo as well which felt just as good. After all that was done, you saw a rag that was on the tray along with  body wash, and you grabbed those items and started washing your body.

Once you were done, you put everything back on the tray, and you were about to turn the water off, but stopped just before you could reach the faucet. You retracted your arm, and held your wrist against your chest with your other hand. The sound of the water hitting the tub’s floor seemed to surround your very being, and it pulled deeper into your thoughts the more you listened to it. You slowly slid down to the floor and wrapped your arms and tail around your legs, resting your head in the crook of your knees, as you thought about the situation you were in, as the anxiety and fear finally started to sink into your head. What was the point in bringing me to his house? Why can’t I just go back to my own home? He said that he ‘took care of my apartment’, but what did he really mean by that? What exactly did he do, and why? Why won’t he just let me go home? Why is this even happening to me in the first place? I don’t know who, or even what I am at this point, and even though there are obviously ‘people’ like me, I feel like there’s no one to help me, no one to turn to. I’m all alone. You heard a small chirp above you, and you looked up to see Kimchi, who was tilting her head to the side, peering down at you from up on the silver tray, almost in a concerned-like, curious manner. Of course, except you Kimchi. I still have you. You flashed a tiny smile at Kimchi to show that you were okay, and she happily turned her head back up with a small cheery approving squeak.

You slowly began to rise from the tub floor, and this time you actually turned the water off. Remembering Temari’s advice, you didn’t open the curtains yet, and waited for something, anything, to happen. Suddenly, you started shaking your head back and forth, followed by your neck, shoulders, body, legs, and finally your tail, flinging water all over the walls, curtains, and even some droplets on the ceiling in a matter of seconds. When you stopped shaking, you realized what you had just done. You just shook most of the water off of you like a dog would, a shake-off. So that’s why she said to keep the curtains closed. An annoyed squeak drew your attention to Kimchi who was completely drenched, with many tiny drops of water dripping from her body. Oops. You smiled sheepishly at her, and rubbed the back of your neck, feeling guilty under, or rather over, her gaze.

“Heh, sorry Kimchi.” You apologized. She blankly stared at you, then chirped, signaling that she was okay. You let out a breath of relief, as she herself started to shake most of the water off of her, with quite a few tiny drops landing on you. You let out a faint giggle. “I guess that’s revenge, huh?” This time she squeaked, which was a definite ‘yep’, and it made you let out another small giggle. After you wiped some of the water off your body, you held out your hand to let Kimchi crawl onto your palm, and then pulled the now slightly damp curtains open.

The first thing you noticed when you stepped out of the tub was that there was something ‘off’ about your clothes. They looked cleaner, smelled fresh, were facing a different way than you had originally put them, and suspiciously, your hat was missing as well. Did someone come in here while I was in the shower and clean them? I didn’t hear the door open or close, much less someone walking into the bathroom. Plus, that was pretty damn fast for them to clean all of my stuff, and why is my hat missing? …Please tell me it was at least Temari.

You sighed, not wanting to worry about your mysteriously washed clothes any longer, and quickly set Kimchi down on the sink next to your now clean clothes. You then went over and grabbed Temari’s towel off the towel rack to dry off whatever remaining water was left on you. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take that long to fully dry yourself, and you hung the still mostly dried towel back on the towel rack and went back over to put your fresh clothes on. When you reached the sink, you didn’t see Kimchi anywhere, and you were about to start panicking until you heard a chirp of excitement coming from somewhere in the pile of clothes. You frantically searched for her, and she popped her head out of the shoulder of your sweatshirt, her usual spot when you had it on. She let out another little peppy and excited chirp, then burrowed herself back into the black fabric, and purred in comfort. You wondered what got her in such a good mood, so you curiously slipped your clothes on, looking, and smelling, for anything else different that you may have missed. As you finally finished putting your sweatshirt on, your eyes widened in amazement, as you realized why Kimchi was acting the way she was. Holy shit this is warm! Your clothes felt so soft and warm, very comfortable and soothing, and you found yourself snuggling into your sweatshirt more.

You shook your head, realizing that you had been distracted for too long already. No matter how warm and nice your clothes felt, you had to go out and talk to the three siblings at some point, even though you really weren’t looking forward to the upcoming conversation. However, you needed answers, and they were the only ones that could give them to you. You just had to find out what you are. Gathering up your courage, not even bothering to hide your tail and ears, you sighed, and exited the bathroom. You gently closed the door behind you, and took a left down the hallway, where the siblings were surely waiting for you at the end.

As you neared the living room, you could hear whispering, alternating between high pitched and frantic to calm and deep. It wasn’t coming from the living room, but the room next to it, where the open doorway you saw earlier led to. The closer you got, the easier it was to understand what they were saying, though it was still only a few words at a time, so you slowed your pace to try and hear as much of their conversation as you could. You weren’t going to ‘eavesdrop’ per se, but you knew that they weren’t going to tell you everything, so why not see if you could catch at least a few of their secrets. If you were going to full out eavesdrop, you were sure you would get caught, and that would only make this whole situation you were in with them worse. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t try and hear some of their conversation, and that’s why you were still slowly making your way down the hall, now being able to hear more of what they were saying, listening very closely.

“I already understand the circumstances.” You recognized the feminine voice as Temari’s. “But how could we not know? We’re supposed to be able to sense this stuff, yet none of us did. That’s my problem with all of this.” More lower, rougher sounding whispering followed, and judging by the sound of the deep and raspy voice, you assumed it was Gaara, though he was still too quiet to hear.

“Well there’s gotta be some kind of explanation.” You recognized this sarcastic sounding voice as Kankuro’s. “This stuff just doesn’t happen, in fact, it’s never happened. I’m surprised they didn’t get to her first.” ‘They’? Who’s ‘they’? And what would ‘they’ want from me? Again, that same low, rough whispering followed. You were now close enough to see that they were sitting at a round dining room table fit for four people: Temari was on the right, Kankuro on the left, and Gaara, who, unlike Temari and Kankuro, wasn’t showing his ears and tail, was sitting so that he faced you, but was currently turned towards Temari as he seemed to be whispering to her. A fourth chair sat across from Gaara, which you assumed was where you were going to sit in just a few seconds.

“Are you sure she’s not-” Temari stopped mid sentence, as Gaara suddenly averted his intense green eyes to the entrance of the hallway, where you now stood. Kankuro and Temari followed Gaara’s line of sight, and their eyes landed on yours. You stared back at them, feeling small under their observing gazes. Sensing your discomfort, Temari sent you a small smile, trying to somewhat lighten the awkward mood. “Hey (Y/N). Come in, have a seat.” She patted the chair next to her, the very one that you had predicted you were going to sit in. Unfortunately, that also meant that you were sitting across from Gaara, which was going to make things even more awkward. Hesitantly, you started to step through the doorway, and you slowly approached the table, with Gaara’s eyes never once leaving your form, even as you sat down in the chair. It only made you more uncomfortable. An awkward silence followed, as no one really knew what to say, and the tension from Gaara still staring you down wasn’t helping in the slightest. Temari was the one to eventually break that silence. “We need to, of course, talk about, well… everything.” You now looked at Temari, and Gaara still didn’t take his eyes off of you. “We should start from the beginning.”

“Well, obviously you’re not human.” Kankuro started. “That much you should already know.” He sounded sarcastic, and maybe he was, but from the way you’ve heard him talk before, you were pretty sure that it was his normal voice, at least, you were kind of hoping it was. At least he’s talking ‘normally’ to me.

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out already.” You retorted with your own sarcasm. He raised a brow, surprised that you were even talking to him at all, and you saw his lips twitch up into a slight smirk, probably amused by your tone.

“Well, you don’t know what you are, do you?” He asked in an almost teasing voice.

“No, because no one’s told me.” You flashed a glare Gaara’s way, but he didn’t react to it. Kankuro and Temari briefly glanced at one another, giving the other knowing looks, and turned back to you.

“Well, uh, let me tell you then. You, we, are called Jinchurikans. It’s essentially like the concept of werewolves, but not exactly. We are actually only the tiniest bit human, but we’re mainly wolf. So we’re all basically in human form, thanks to our human gene, which is the only reason we have it in the first place, but since it’s so small, we don’t completely change into humans… as you can already tell.” You were listening intently to every word Temari was saying. At this point you weren’t surprised to hear that you were just barely human, but actually hearing it out of the mouth of someone who was the same as you, and who knew what they were talking about, was like a blow to your head. After all, you always thought you were human, purely human, and never believed that such creatures, like you now, existed outside of fairytales. However, this was still the first answer you had actually received since your ‘confrontation’ with Gaara yesterday. It was at the same time both troubling and yet, to an extent, a form of closure.

“So since we’re basically wolves, we behave and act like them too.” Kankuro broke your train of thoughts. “Part of that means we’re a pack.”

“And Gaara is the Alpha, the leader, of this pack.” Temari added. Right after she said those words, Gaara raised his head just a tiny bit, and you almost didn’t notice this action at first. It was a subtle act to show that he was more superior, that he has more power than you. You didn’t even flinch, refusing to seem weak in front of him, and this was your way to show that you didn’t care if he was ‘Alpha’, to you he was still just an asshole. That actually explains a lot though. For one, it’s probably why I have that stupid instinct that wants to listen to him. It also explains why he always expected me to follow his orders, and why he wouldn’t listen to anything I said, because he’s used to people following him and not being questioned. But, I still don’t care what he is, he was, and still is, an asshole. And… wait a minute… if he’s Alpha, then what the fuck does that make me-

“That’s not even the strangest part.” Kankuro interrupted your thoughts. “This is.” He paused. “The reason we’re not like ‘regular werewolves’ per se, is because well, first of all, we don’t look anywhere near how they’re usually thought of, our true forms are not ugly two legged beasts, we look like giant more powerful, and might I add intelligent, wolves.” Temari rolled her eyes. “Second, we have a certain control of… ‘magic’ I guess you could call it.”

“Well, it’s not really anything big, I would barely even call it ‘magic’, just certain powers that all Jinchurikans have. We can do small stuff like conceal our ears and tails, or even increase our strength, but even that’s limited.”

“It’s why we wear these hoodies all day.” Kankuro pinched and held up the sleeve of his sweatshirt, then let the fabric fling back to his arm. “Think of it almost like enchanted clothing… sort of.” That must be why my tail was showing yesterday without me even knowing. It was because I didn’t even know I had these powers, or whatever they’re supposed to be, so I couldn’t have controlled it. That’s also why my tail just slipped through my pants without them falling down, it wasn’t just because my tail was growing. Why didn’t Gaara just tell me this sooner?

“Plus they’re pretty comfy.”

“And black goes good with anything.” They continued their conversation about their clothing, while you just spaced out. You were still able to hear their conversation clearly, but you were more reflecting on what those two had already explained, trying to take in all of the information you were given so far. “How come you didn’t know any of this until now?” Temari’s question startled you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, didn’t your parents tell you anything?” You unintentionally gulped, and before you could say anything, Gaara decided to speak for the first time during this whole explanation.

“Remember that she just moved here, alone.” Your eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed into a furious glare directed at Gaara. He already knew that you didn’t know who your parents were, you told him so yesterday, but he was trying to get you to admit it to Kankuro and Temari on your own, and he wanted to get more information out of you than before, you were sure of it. You asshole son of a- 

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Kankuro said slowly, as if starting to feel guilty that he might’ve touched a sensitive topic.

“Uh, I just, kinda wanted to be more independent, you know, start getting experience and-”

“Don’t. Lie to us.” Gaara interrupted before you could finish. You glared at him again, and crossed your arms, becoming more furious by the second.

“And how would you know if I was lying about that?”

“Tell us. The truth.” You didn’t even flinch at his demanding tone, only maintaining your glare, and refusing to give him the satisfaction of submitting to him. Gaara glared right back at you, no mercy in his stoic sea green eyes, and it only made you even more infuriated. Kankuro and Temari remained silent the entire time, showing no emotion, waiting patiently for this stare-off to end, though they already knew what the outcome was going to be. You proved them right when you sighed and leaned back into the chair.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you the whole truth.” You paused, looking at Gaara for some kind of response. His glare lessoned, seemingly satisfied, at least for the moment. “I don’t, actually… know my parents.” You mumbled. “I just know their last name, my last name, and that’s it.”

“Do you know what happened to them?” Temari questioned in a light tone.

“… I was told they died, but I don’t know how.”

“And who told you this?” Kankuro suspiciously questioned. You stared at him for a moment, memories of how your adoptive parents would constantly say that your ‘stupid’ and ‘pathetic’ parents’ deaths actually made the world a better place, filled your mind. You wondered if you should try and lie to them again, since there was no way you were going to tell them about your adoptive parents, and even if you really wanted to, your mind, your sanity, wasn’t ready to relive all of those memories, not yet anyway. However, you realized that another attempt at lying would most likely not work, so with this in mind, you gave them an answer.

“No one really important.” You calmly stated. Technically, it was the truth. You couldn’t care less about your adoptive parents, the only reason you still even gave a shit was because James still lived there, and he depended on them, at least for the time being. Otherwise, for all you cared, they could go rot in the pits of Hell for the way they treated you and James. While you were still lost in your thoughts, Gaara was staring at you suspiciously, deciding whether or not he was satisfied with your answer. Luckily, he didn’t question you any further, seeming to sense the great discomfort you felt on this topic, and you inwardly sighed a breath of relief. Thank goodness.

“I guess that explains it.” Kankuro mumbled, still a little suspicious of your answer as well, but he didn’t say anything else about it.

“Even so, you should’ve figured it out before now, even if no one told you.” Temari started. Before you could question about what she meant, she was already speaking again. “Hmm, can I ask you something?” You slowly nodded your head. “You didn’t discover that you were a Jinchurikan until yesterday, and your ears and tail kept growing until this morning, right?” You nodded your head again. It didn’t surprise you that Gaara probably already told them just about everything he knew. “So that means, physically, you went from a child to a teenager in only a day.” You raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” You asked concerned. She paused, as a tense moment of silence passed, before she spoke in a serious tone.

“That’s not supposed to happen.” Wait, what?

“Then… what should’ve happened?” Again, she paused before answering.

“A Jinchurikan is always born in their true forms, so even when we’re in human form we still have our ears and tails, and they’re supposed to stay and grow like any other normal body part. The only time they wouldn’t be seen is when we hide them properly, but that’s it. For you, it was the complete opposite, they didn’t even begin to show until years later.” You were silent. You didn’t know what to say, or even what to think. Then, why am I different? “Plus, we should’ve been able to sense what you are, but you always seemed like a normal human, until now that is.”

“Are you sure she’s full blooded Gaara?” Kankuro asked.

“Yes. I’m positive, there’s no mistaking it.” Wait, Gaara called me that yesterday in the alley, when he threw my hat and saw my ears.

“Full blooded?”

“There are those who are full blooded Jinchurikans, full blooded, and those who are half human half Jinchurikan, half blooded. Usually they’re not born with ears or a tail like us, they can even live their whole lives without even knowing that they’re not entirely human.” So that’s what Gaara meant. “But sometimes there are oddities among them, and they have some kind of property of a full blooded Jinchurikan. The thing is, though, they usually only have one, so for example, they may only have a tail, or ears, or certain powers, never more than one.”

“At first, me and Temari were thinking that you may be some super rare half blood or something, but Gaara obviously knows otherwise, and trust me, he can tell, so we don’t know why you went from everyone thinking you were human to now suddenly you’re a full blooded Jinchurikan. And no, it’s not like you can be ‘turned’. You’re either born a Jinchurikan or you’re not, it’s that simple, so don’t ask.”

“I wasn’t going to.” You mumbled. I really am full blooded, aren’t I. Gaara’s right, even I can tell by now, or… at least I think I can. Maybe I’m just going crazy. I can’t believe all of this was kept hidden from me all my life, and there’s something that prevented me from knowing what I even am, and no one knows what that was. That’s when something clicked in your mind. Did my assoholic parents know about what I was?… And if they did, was that why they treated me so badly? No, that’s not why, because James was treated just as bad as me, and he’s definitely not a Jinchurikan. I know he’s not, since my adoptive parents are his real parents, and that means even if James was a Jinchurikan, then they’d be too, and they wouldn’t treat their own son badly because of something they are as well. But, maybe they still knew somehow, and they just added that on to the list of reasons to hate me and treat me bad. But if they did, how would they have known? That was when you realized something, something that made you forget about your adoptive parents all together, something you wished you realized earlier. If I’m full blooded, that would mean that… both my actual parents were Jinchurikans as well. …Who exactly were my parents?

“Well, at this point, it doesn’t matter that we don’t know why.” The sound of Temari’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. “The important thing is that you are full blooded, no matter what. So, that makes you part of the pack.”

“Welcome to the pack, pack sister.” Kankuro said with a smirk. You cocked your head to the side, confused.

“Huh?”

“Well, like I said, you’re part of the pack, and anyone who’s in the pack is basically close as family, pack sister.” Temari explained. That’s kinda weird, since we all only really just met right now, but I guess… it, doesn’t feel ‘wrong’ or anything.

“Oh. Then, does that make you…”

“Yup, your pack sister.”

“And pack brothers.” Kankuro slung an arm around Gaara, who looked very unamused by the action, and smirked, pointing to the both of them. You laughed a little at this, and Gaara directed his heated glare towards you, which only fueled your laughter more.

“Oh, and since we’re on that topic, there’s something else you should be aware of.” Temari started, stopping your fit of merriment, as your attention was now on her. “The pack’s not all you’re a part of now.” What else could there possibly be? “Don’t freak out about this, but uh, how do I put this? Well, um, you know… Gaara’s not just the leader of a pack. He’s also the leader of a very powerful gang, the Fire Shinobi.” Your eyes widened for a brief moment.

“What!?”

“But don’t worry. We’re not ‘bad’, we don’t do crimes or anything.” Uhhh, should I still be concerned? “We have a territory though, which is basically the whole city. We actually protect it from other gangs.”

“Oh, uh, o-okay. Well, I guess that’s not ‘bad’.”

“And being part of the pack, well, and living in the city, obviously, means you’re automatically in.” Wait, what? What the hell! So not only am I in basically a freaking WOLF pack, I’m in a gang too now?… What the actual fuck happened to my life? 

“Oh, and you should know that there’s a hierarchy to the Fire Shinobi. Usually, any Jinchurikan is at the top, or the Inner Ring, but since technically you’re not an ‘official’ member of the pack, yet, you’re at the very bottom.” You cocked your head to the side.

“Wait, I thought you said I was already ‘part of the pack’?”

“Well, you are, being the same species of course, but you have to be initiated to be a full member. Usually that’s done when you’re younger, but we’re pretty sure that didn’t happen, otherwise you would’ve been old enough to remember it and we would’ve been able to sense you better.” Oh great. Another thing I have to worry about.

“We have a meeting once a month when the full moon is at its brightest.” Gaara finally spoke again, which slightly startled you. “That is when we do initiations, for the gang, and the pack.”

“You obviously don’t have to do it for the gang, since you’re already in.” Temari quickly added.

“Wait, didn’t the full moon just pass?”

“Yes. In exactly one month we will have another meeting. That is when you will become a full member of the pack.” Gaara explained.

       “I have to wait a whole month!?”

“Yes, and during that time, you will also be training to be a part of not only the Fire Shinobi, but also the pack. I will be keeping a close eye on you, which is why there are going to be rules set in place for you.” You glared at him.

“Rules?? What kind of ru-”

“And furthermore, you’ll be living here, with us.”

“For a whole month!?”

“No. More than that.”

“Woah, woah, wait… what!? Why do I need live here in the first place? I already live in my own apartment.”

“I will say it again. I took care of it.” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“What did you do.” You asked in a low tone.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s my apartment, my house, that I pay for, and I live in. Yes it does matter.”

“Not anymore.” Your eyes widened in utter disbelief.

“And what does that mean.” You said through gritted teeth, and you clenched your fists so hard your nails, or rather claws, almost cut into your skin.

“You live here now, and you don’t need to worry about that place anymore.” You felt your rage boiling up, ready to explode at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Kankuro and Temari remained silent and unmoving in their seats during your whole argument with Gaara. They knew they shouldn’t get in the way, it would just make everything worse. Plus, they already knew who was going to win, no matter what anyone did.

“Why do I even have to live here.” You half snarled, keeping your glare locked on Gaara’s unmerciful eyes.

“You’re not trained, you barely know anything about being a Jinchurikan, you can’t even control your own powers, and you are not under the full protection of the pack yet. If something happens to you, we’re completely on our own. It’s safer if you stay here and live with us, so I can watch over you better.” Oh come on!

“What could possibly happen to me that would require that much protection?” The two eldest siblings stole glances at each other, knowing exactly what the answer to your question was, and that they couldn’t be silent any longer.

“Remember how I said that we protect the city from other gangs?” Temari spoke up, coming in between you and Gaara’s heated ‘discussion’. You momentarily diverted your gaze to her.

“Yes.” You said more calmly now, as you slowly nodded your head, already getting an idea on what she was getting at.

“Well, we’ve recently been dealing with another powerful gang that’s been causing a lot of trouble for us.”

“They call themselves the Akatsuki. They’re pretty dangerous, and they deal with very high ranking crimes, their most notable trait being their uniforms, a black cloak with red clouds. They’re NOT someone you should mess with.” Kankuro informed.

“They’re our number one enemies at the moment, and they’ve been attacking us more and more lately. They may not know that you’re part of the Fire Shinobi yet, but we can’t take any risks. You never know what they might have up their sleeves to find out.” Temari warned.

“And since you’re part of the pack, well… let’s just say we don’t take it ‘well’ when someone from our pack is in danger.”

“That is the reason why you will live here, and that is why I will be keeping an eye on you. Do you understand.” Gaara firmly stated. You glared at him, but this time, the intensity you had before was gone. All that was left was defeat, as you gave Gaara your answer.

“Fine, okay. I get it. I understand.” While you spoke, your glare didn’t move from Gaara’s form one bit, and even when you finished your sentence, your furious (E/C) eyes remained locked on his own annoyed sea-green ones. This doesn’t excuse the fact that you were isolating me from my friends, you’ve done something to my job and my apartment, and you forced me into this whole living with you situation. I will find out what you did, and I will never forget what you’ve done. 

Kankuro and Temari merely watched as you and Gaara continued to glare at each other, thinking about what you had said. They had already known your answer before you even gave it. They knew the moment you and Gaara starting going at each other that you would eventually give in. After all, Gaara is the Alpha, and no Jinchurikan, or any pack animal for that matter, can say no to the alpha. Gaara knew this as well. No matter what he said or what he did, you would’ve given in despite all that. After all, it was in your nature, your blood, to follow the Alpha’s commands, his commands, and no matter how much you could deny this fact, it was true. He just had to be patient, no matter how obnoxious you were, and it eventually worked out in his favor, just like he always knew it would.

Everything was dead silent, the air became thick and suffocating as you and Gaara became locked in a heated glare between each other. The two elder siblings were beginning to feel awkward, being practically caught in the middle of all the tension between you and him. Temari, feeling almost unbearably uncomfortable, averted her eyes away from the two of you, trying to find something more interesting than focusing on the awkward situation in front of her. Her eyes drifted to the window that was over the kitchen sink, and she saw that it was already starting to get dark outside, which gave her an idea. She gestured for Kankuro to look out the window himself, and as he glanced over his shoulder to see the approaching night sky, he knew what Temari was trying to say. She and Kankuro stood up from their chairs and Kankuro headed for the fridge that was a few feet behind you. Temari stood there looking at you, which got you to break your glare with Gaara and move your now curious gaze to her.

“It’s getting a little late, and we didn’t eat yet. We were just gonna eat leftovers from yesterday, is that okay?” You slowly nodded your head.

“Sure, thank you.” Temari smiled, and walked over to the cabinets that were to the right of the fridge.

“You don’t need to say thank you.” Kankuro called from behind you, opening the fridge as he spoke, the sound of the cold air rushing out was loud and clear to your keen ears. “You live here now, remember?” You frowned at his comment.

“Yeah, I remember.” You mumbled angrily, as Temari came back over to the table. She set something down in front of you, then sat back down in her seat. You stared at the item curiously, which looked like a bite sized brownie. The thing was, it didn’t smell like a brownie at all, it smelled like there was some kind of medicinal something in it, but what, you couldn’t tell. You wondered why she set it down in front of you, and why she was looking as if she was studying your confused reaction. You looked at Temari for some kind of explanation, which made her chuckle.

      “Eat it. It helps your appetite, which I know must be out of hand already. I remember how mine was when I was younger.” She sighed, and looked up at the ceiling as if remembering something. “Good times.” You nodded your head, showing that you understood, and looked back at the ‘brownie’ in front of you. “It also helps with fleas too.” You heard her mumble something, but it took you a minute to realize what she had actually said. Did she just say-

“Wait, what?”

“Nothing.” She quickly answered, which only increased your worry. You honestly hadn’t heard what she said the first time, you were only assuming what you thought you heard her say. By the way she was acting, you still didn’t know exactly what it was, but she had definitely said something she regretted telling you. “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine.” You still gave her a concerned look, and she just ‘innocently’ smiled in return. You heard Kankuro turn on the microwave in the background, and you figured he must be heating up whatever the leftovers Temari had mentioned were. You turned your gaze back to the ‘brownie’, carefully picked it up, and sniffed it for a second time. You studied it for a moment, then you placed the whole thing in your mouth, and starting chewing it. It’s kind of bland, but all in all… it’s not bad. You only had to chew it three times before you swallowed it, and instantly you felt something in your stomach area change. It felt more ‘normal’. “There, now you won’t feel like you’re starving to death anymore.” Right then, Kankuro came back to the table with four disposable plastic containers, and set them down in front of all of you. You opened yours up, and saw about one pint of ramen inside. Kankuro handed you all chopsticks, and you four began to eat.

Once you all finished your meals, Kankuro took the four containers and went to throw them out. Temari motioned for you to stand up and follow her, and you willingly obliged. You saw Gaara stand up from the table as well and walk over to Kankuro, where he began a conversation with him that you couldn’t hear. Meanwhile, Temari lead you into the living room and sat you down on the couch.

“Stay here while I take care of something real quick, kay?” You nodded in understanding, and she smiled in return. She then started off down the hallway, disappearing into the darkness so you couldn’t see her anymore. You looked away from where Temari once stood to your left where the two living room windows were. You immediately noticed that the sun had already set, and now you were aware of the obvious fact that the living room was shrouded in darkness, the only light source being from the kitchen lights. Where did the freaking time go, out the window? Jeez! You turned away from the windows and peered behind the couch to the other half of the living room, which you didn’t pay much attention to when you first entered the house.

There was another larger, wider TV at the back wall standing on a huge mahogany TV stand with cabinets and slots filled with stuff you couldn’t quite see. In the middle of the other two walls, the ones next to the TV, were dark wooden tables with two identical lamps on top of them. Finally, there was a second identical couch that was pressed up against the one you were currently sitting on, and you were surprised that you didn’t notice it until just now. Why do they have two living rooms in one room? …Oh well. I guess I’ll ask about it later.

You decided to stop focusing on the ‘second living room’ for now and turned around to stare at the other TV you had first seen when you entered the house. A yawn escaped your mouth, and that’s when you realized how tired you still were. Even though you had a nap during gym, it didn’t make up for the fact that you still didn’t get that much sleep the previous night. Your eyes, and ears, began to droop, and your head started to lean forward. It got lower and lower, until you jerked yourself back up, your eyes still lowered halfway shut, trying to stay awake as best you could. You started to lean your head on your left shoulder, your whole body following suit, until you were laying on your left side on the couch, which suddenly seemed more comfortable than before. You curled up into a ball, let your ears lower down to the sides of your head, and wrapped your tail around yourself so your face was almost covered. You couldn’t help but, after possibly the two longest days of your life, close your tired eyes shut, and let sleep consume you.

Temari was now walking back down the hallway towards you, a blanket in her hands, and calling out to you, not yet realizing that you were asleep.

“Your room’s not exactly ready yet, so you gotta sleep on the couch for tonight. Is that okay-.” She stopped as she reached the end of the hallway, now seeing your unconscious form on the couch. She smiled, and watched your sleeping form with a sense of peace.

As she continued to stare at you, Gaara came out of the kitchen, and noticed that Temari was standing in the middle of the living room. He came up and stood beside her, curious at what she was looking at, when he saw that you had fallen asleep on the couch. He didn’t say a word, and just continued to stare as your chest kept rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Temari finally noticed Gaara standing beside her and sighed. “Man, I bet she’s really exhausted from today. I mean, that was a lot of information to take in, especially when she just found out that she wasn’t human the day before. That must be hard on her.” Gaara made no comment, as Temari cocked her head to the side, and studied you a bit closer. “Huh. You know, she actually looks kinda cute, like an adorable pup, don’t you think?” Gaara snorted, an obvious ‘no’ to her question, as he continued to stare at your passed out form.

There was something about you in this state that made him feel… different. He just couldn’t look away from the sight of you sleeping. Sure, he had seen you sleep earlier during gym, but he never took the time to notice what you actually looked like. You just looked so, so… peaceful. You looked calm, and your features had softened from any anger or annoyance that he was used to seeing, to almost innocent, and maybe something else just as enlightening. But, it certainly wasn’t what Temari was saying, that you looked… cute. Or, was that really the right word? He didn’t know. It’s not like he ever found something, no less someone, ‘cute’ before. Maybe it was because he had actually never seen you in such a relaxed state; all he had ever seen was pure ire and rage directed at him. Even when he saw you messing around with your friends from time to time, he had never really seen your face, although he knew you must’ve been smiling and happy. All he did know was that he liked how you seemed peaceful, and the rhythm your chest rose and fell at was nice. It gave him a sense of ease, to know that you were safe.

He wondered what you would look like if the moon was shining on you; if your pure white fur would shine, or become even whiter than before in the glistening moonlight, and how your pale (S/C) skin might glow brighter, especially if it was under a full moon. Also, would your features be more illuminated than before? He even wondered what your fur felt like, if it was soft and luscious, or thick and fuzzy, or a mixture of both. He started to really focus on what your (E/C) eyes would look like under the bright full moon, or even… what your smile looked like.

Temari noticed that Gaara hadn’t moved for an unusually long time, staring at you along with her. “Gaara, you okay?” She asked concernedly. Gaara heard Temari’s voice, and managed to, albeit slowly, pry his eyes away from your form, and move them to Temari questioningly. He snorted, which was him saying he was obviously fine, and then immediately moved his eyes back to you. Temari knew that, despite his ‘answer’, this was not normal behavior for Gaara at all. And now, the more she watched him continue to stare at you, the more suspicious she became. He even seemed to space out once again, without even noticing Temari’s questioning stare directed at him.

By now, Kankuro had finally finished his business in the kitchen, turned off the lights, which now shrouded the rest of the house in darkness, and walked out into the living room. He saw Temari and Gaara standing in the middle of the hallway for some reason, and as he came up and stood next to Temari, he realized what that reason was. He cracked a small smirk at the sight of you passed out on the couch.

“Hm. It’s gonna be a long first month, isn’t it?” He asked almost sarcastically. Temari and Gaara both looked at Kankuro, a smirk still plastered on his face. Temari cracked a small smirk as well, while Gaara remained stoic, as they all returned their stares to you. Silence filled the room, and for once, it was actually comfortable.

“Do you think she still needs this blanket?” Temari asked, breaking the once nice silence, and holding up the blanket that was still in her arms. “I mean, she still has that sweatshirt on, and not to brag or anything, but I’m pretty damn good at washing clothes, just saying, so they must still be warm. But, I mean-” She stopped when she saw Kankuro giving her a look, and she returned it. “What?” She scoffed. Gaara ignored Temari’s comments, and continued to stare at you.

“Put it next to her then, just in case.” He told Temari, still not breaking his eye contact with your form. She stopped giving Kankuro looks, and turned away from him. She slowly, and quietly, walked up to your sleeping form and set the blanket down by your feet. She then, just as carefully, made her way back to her original spot between Gaara and Kankuro. Another moment of comfortable silence passed, all three of them still admiring their new pack sister’s relaxed state, until Kankuro spoke up.

“Maybe we should leave her alone, and let her sleep in peace.” Temari nodded with a smile while Gaara said nothing, though he silently agreed. The two eldest siblings both took one last glimpse at you, then at Gaara, and finally started down the hallway to their rooms. Gaara was the last one left, and he found it hard to move his eyes off of you. Hesitantly, he turned around, and started walking to his room as well. Although he never slept, even he needed some kind of rest, because he very well knew that it was going to be another long day tomorrow, dealing with you and teaching you how to be a proper Jinchurikan. But for now, he would let you sleep in peace, and rest, for Kankuro was right. It was going to be a long first month.

 

*Meanwhile*

        The alleyways were just as dark as any other night in the city, maybe even darker this night. The same figure walked the same path, to go to the same meeting spot, and to meet the same person as last time. Their footsteps echoed off the walls, just as before, though, this night they seemed even louder. The figure as well seemed different this night. They appeared more serious, more enraged, marching onwards like a rigid soldier, different from their normal calm composure.

As the figure approached the meeting spot, another familiar, shadowed person was already standing there, their back facing the figure, waiting impatiently for them to arrive. Closer and closer the figure got, and the shadowed person finally turned around, their outline and eyes the only things visible in the darkness of the night. That same, familiar, deep voice from before resonated off the walls, as the shadowed person began to speak.

“Report. What is going on with our target.” The approaching figure finally stopped, flinching when the voice said ‘our target’, and hesitant on giving an answer.

“The mission will be harder than expected. He’s gotten to her first.” The owner of the deep voice stood there, contemplating what the figure had just told them.

“That should not be too much of a problem… but there is now a time limit. The mission must commence before the end of the month.”

“The problem with that is now he is always with her. Getting close to her now will be nearly impossible.” The figure clenched their fists, their knuckles turning whiter the longer they spoke, and the owner of the voice noticed this, as well as the venom in the figure’s voice. They very well knew it wasn’t just because the mission was merely more difficult now.

“You sound as if something else is bothering you besides this hindrance. What is it.” The voice demanded. The figure merely clenched their fists harder in response, refusing to say a single word. But this was not a problem for the voice, they needed nothing more than the figure’s reaction to know exactly what they were thinking… and what they were feeling. “As I told you before, do not let your emotions compromise this mission.” The figure unclenched their fists, almost in a defeated manner, but it was something else. It was more along the lines of calm rage.

“You shouldn’t be talking. After all, you’ve met her before too, and already knowing her, you know exactly how I feel, don’t you?” The figure accused. The owner of the voice said nothing in return, and stared at the figure in front of them. A few minutes of silence passed, until the voice finally gave a response.

“The mission will continue as planned. We will not let anything get in the way of it. Do you understand.” The figure smirked at the voice’s response, knowing that they had been right, she had gotten to them as well. The figure turned around and started off into the alleyways, with a triumphant smirk still plastered on their face. The owner of the voice did nothing in response to the figure’s actions, for even if they did, what was the point, they could not deny the simple facts of the truth, no matter what they did. The still shadowed person stood there, watching the retreating form of the figure, knowing that their mission was now going to be harder than they thought, in more ways than one… or three.

 

 

Chapter 3: Suspicions 

 

 

      Gaara kept getting closer and closer. You kept your eyes closed though, still only slightly wary of him after this morning. One thing was for sure, you did not feel like getting into another glaring contest with him. You didn’t feel like making anything worse with someone who probably considered you an enemy for ‘standing up to him’, according to Ino. It wouldn’t be worth it.

        There was one thing on your mind though, something you dreaded. What if he was your new partner? It surely made sense. It sure didn’t look like his siblings would be sitting with him, since they were going to a different desk altogether. After what happened this morning, you would only feel annoyed with having to deal with him as a partner, for the rest of the year no less. You really didn’t want the possibility of some form of argument or fight to break out, but no matter what happened, you would not let him stomp on you like some sort of insect. Ever. So, if a fight had to happen, it would.

        Footsteps were heard approaching your desk, louder and louder as they came closer. You half opened your eyes in a careless and slightly cold manner, and looked at the scene before you. Gaara, still walking, was now at the front of your desk, and your expression never changed. Then, it happened.

        He was walking past you and the desk, to your slight relief.

        About halfway from passing you, he made eye contact, and lowered his eyes somewhat at seeing your form. You had made eye contact with him and lowered your eyes a little as well, equally annoyed to see him here just as he must’ve been you. Both your stares were not full on glares like the last time, only irritation showed through them, not too strong yet not too calm. After a couple seconds, you both looked away at the same time, with you turning your head back to the window and resting it on your right palm, and him just looking forward again and continuing to walk past your desk. You didn’t want to keep the contact too long because it would show over confidence, or too short because that would show submission. It could make you seem afraid to look him in the eyes, which was the opposite of what you wanted. You would show this guy that you would not be easy to mess with, no matter how many glares he directed your way, and no matter what way you had to do it. Even with the simplest of things.

        However, you wondered why he didn’t keep contact with you for too long, or why it wasn’t as cold as before like this morning. It felt more like an irritated observation. Maybe he’s already figured out my stubbornness and gave up. Or he doesn’t care, which would be so awesome. You smirked at the thought, but that quickly changed into a frown. No, that’s probably not it. Something tells me he doesn’t seem like one to just give up over something as small as a glare contest. But one can still dream.

        The sound of a chair being pulled out dragged you out of your questioning thoughts. It was from the desk directly behind you. You knew who it was without even looking. It was Gaara. Apparently, he didn’t sit with you, but behind you. You couldn’t tell if he was staring at you or not, but you didn’t care that much at the moment. If he is staring at me, let him. I’m already used to stuff like that from my old school, and my stupid ‘parents’. Why would Gaara be any different, or worse for that matter. Your train of thoughts continued as you looked out the window, thinking just about anything that came to mind.

        The day was actually very nice outside. Nice bright blue sky, white clouds scattered about, and the sun shining brilliantly down on the glass, reflecting its rays across the landscape perfectly. These were the days you thought were the most beautiful. You loved sunny days, and longed to be outside to relax and embrace the sun’s warmth. You stared out the window with a saddened look, wishing to be outside and free, sprinting through the bright green grass and rolling down massive hills into piles of leaves. It was the child within you who yearned for these kinds of dreams, the one who was never let out before. It all made you think of poor James, and you wondered how he was doing with those slobs he and you called ‘parents’. Was he doing good without you? The same? Or worse?

        Before you could delve too deep in your memories, the class door was loudly opened once again. You ignored it, since you knew you wouldn’t recognize any one of the students who entered, so you could care less. It was then, a few moments later, you heard footsteps stop next to your desk. You turned your head away from the window only to see a girl standing next to you. Could she be my partner?

        The girl had strange big pale purple eyes, which made it look as if she was blind at a mere first glance. It was easy to tell that she wasn’t, though, since she wouldn’t be frantically moving her eyes around like she was doing now, obviously trying to avoid looking at you as much as possible. I’ve never seen eyes like hers before. Is it some rare trait or condition? You didn’t want to question her about it though, since you may only make her embarrassed or even more nervous than she already was. Along with her unique eyes, she had long navy blue hair with straight cut bangs covering her forehead, a streak of light blue circling her head where said bangs were. She wore a purple shirt, over it a thicker tan sweatshirt with light purple trimmings along the zipper and sleeves with a pyro symbol on the left shoulder, blue knee length jean shorts, and navy blue shoes that matched her hair color.

        She looked very fidgety and shy, which you empathized with, since you felt the exact same way in social situations. You honestly felt bad for her. At least you could hide your emotions, but this girl was literally radiating anxiousness. She might be a little too nervous. I have to try and be careful, and more sensitive, and maybe I could calm her down. It puzzled you why you cared so much. Maybe it was because you knew how she felt, meeting new people and all, and you pitied her, or maybe you were getting soft and were being more open, what after meeting Naruto and the others. Maybe it was a combination of both, creating an inner conflict with yourself on what you should do. You shook yourself out of your thoughts and once again focused on her.

        The girl was still looking around frantically, still trying to avoid eye contact at all costs. She was blushing from, what you guessed, embarrassment, while twiddling her thumbs and occasionally messing with the straps of her small purple school bag. You realized that your careless and almost emotionless expression was probably not helping at all, so you tried to appear more innocent by trying to soften your eyes a bit, and slightly tilting your head in a curious matter, almost like a puppy’s. Apparently, that only made it worse, since her fidgeting increased, and she started stuttering.

        “U-um… mmm.. u-uhh…” You knew she wasn’t going to be saying a single word anytime soon, so you knew you were the one that had to say the first word. You had an idea of what she might want, but you didn’t want to upset her, since it would only make her feel bad and you regretful and guilty. You were still nervous and suspicious yourself, but nevertheless, you raised the corner of your lips into a slightly gentle smile. You would put her to the test.

        “Do you want the window seat?” You tried to ask in a kind way, but it sounded too much like your usual cold tone of voice, which was unfortunately the opposite of what you wanted. As soon as you asked the question, she looked taken aback. You hoped you didn’t accidentally make it worse. It took her a few moments to regain herself, until she finally shook her head side to side as a ‘no’.

        “I-I-it’s fine. I-I’ll sit here. N-no worries. I-It’s not w-what I w-wanted to say anyways. ” Her voice was so quiet and genuine, she sounded like a squeaky mouse.

        “You avoided the question.” She froze at your reply. You swore you could see her sweat, just a bit. You raised the corner of your lip up into a more friendly smile, and quickly tried to comfort her. “I can move if you’re more comfortable by the window. I mean, the seat’s right here next to me. It’s not a bother.” You raised both your hands in a reassuring matter. “I swear.” To your relief, she finally seemed to relax at what you were saying.  She blushed a bit more, and calmly replied while twiddling her thumbs once again.

        “N-no. I-I-I mean it. Y-you c-c-can have it.” She still didn’t answer your question, and instead avoided it, again. Maybe it’s just that she actually would like to sit in my seat, she just didn’t want to make me angry or anything like that. So instead of saying anything else, you put your fingers on your chin to ponder over what to do, since you could tell she was too afraid to admit anything. The girl just stood there, getting curious and more nervous by the second, looking at you and waiting for a response. It didn’t take long to think of a solution though, and you removed your hands from your chin and once again raised the corner of your lips into a soft smile.

        “I have an idea. How about we take turns. I sit in this seat one day, and you the next day. We both get what we want, making it a win-win. How does that sound?” She blushed a little at the kind gesture, and nodded her head.

        “T-that’s fine. I-If you’re o-okay with it.” You lowered your smile.

        “But I didn’t ask if I was okay with it, I asked if you were okay with it. Don’t just go with what others do because they like it, go with it because you like it. Alright?” Although she seemed more tense, she nodded her head ‘yes’ and shakily smiled at you.

        “I-It really is okay with me.” To prove her point, she sat down in the seat next to you. “See?” She reassured.

        “Whatever you say.” You widened your smile some more. The girl blushed a little, and finally started to relax. “By the way, I just realized, I never asked your name. What is it?” She hesitantly replied.

        “H-Hinata. Hinata H-Hyuuga.”

        “Well, mine’s (Y/N) (L/N). Your name is way prettier than mine, you know.” More blood rushed to Hinata’s cheeks.

        “N-no, it’s not as pretty as yours!” She hastily added. Is it me, or is she stuttering less than when just a minute ago? You chuckled at the thought. She looked at you, a tiny bit perplexed at your action. It only made you chuckle harder.

        “It’s nothing. It’s just that you’re stuttering less now.” Her blush remained, and you both giggled.

        “I-It’s just that, I-I can be r-really nervous around new people. I-I’m sorry!” You flashed her an understanding grin.

        “No need to apologize. I am too.” She looked at you surprised.

        “How is that? I-I mean, y-you don’t look or act like how I do at all!” Your smile curved downwards to a small frown.

        “If you say I don’t look afraid, then I’m doing a good job so far.” You closed your eyes and sighed. You couldn’t see Hinata’s expression, but you somehow knew she was slightly confused. “Let’s just say…” You sighed once again. “It’s complicated.” She furrowed her eyebrows, secretly pleading for more of an explanation. You saw the expression she was giving you, and you were extremely surprised by it. She showed worry and concern, and you only recognized these emotions because of Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and… James. No! Don’t have flashbacks here! It’ll just get you worked up again. Just calm down. You soothed yourself.

        Before you could think about your old memories anymore, you forced all of your attention on Hinata, and quickly waved off what you said earlier. You gave a close eyed, and half-fake, smile. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Trust me. It’s just, uhh, well…-” Hinata stopped you before you could continue. She smiled, held up her hand, and placed it on your shoulder, like a mother assuring her child.

        “I-If you don’t want to talk about it, y-you don’t have to. I-I understand. You don’t have to tell me anything i-if you don’t want to, o-okay?” You were sure shock was the most prevalent feature you showed. You couldn’t believe that she wasn’t at least a little uncomfortable with the awkwardness you suddenly created. Instead, Hinata only showed kindness and sympathy towards you. You wanted to act like a child and giddily squeal at the emotions you were being shown only today, but you held yourself back and instead happily smiled at her.

        “T-Thanks Hinata.”

        “N-No problem (Y/N).” Your eyes shone with a newfound gleam in them. You were sure of it. You felt it. You didn’t think anything besides Naruto and then meeting his new friends could make you feel such joy, but you were proven utterly wrong. Kindness was only given to you by James and your old principal, no one else, until today. Nothing could be any better. “H-Hey? (Y-Y/N)? I-I have a q-question to a-ask you.” Hinata’s quiet voice drew you out of your thoughts. You blinked, and you lowered your temporary smile to your usual poker-like face.

        “Yeah? What’s up?” She started twiddling her thumbs.

        “D-Do you think, th-that w-we could be… f-f-fr-” Before she could finish her question, the bell rang. Both your heads shot to the front of the class. Was she about to ask to…

        You shook your head to clear your mind and then got your Biology stuff out of your bag. You were now prepared like everyone else in the class, which you just realized was now full of people. You didn’t have time to observe anyone in particular, when Orochimaru stood up from his desk, ready to give everyone the lesson for today. He flashed everyone a snake-like smirk as he greeted the class.

        “Good morning, everyone.” The whole class responded at once, albeit slowly.

        “Good morning Sensei.”

        “Today, I have something ‘special’ planned.” For some reason, you didn’t like the way he said ‘special’. It sounded as if he was about to put the whole class through torture. I’m sure it would amuse him too. “You will all be doing a group project.” Yep. I damn well knew it. Torture. It wasn’t just you who thought the same thing, since almost everyone groaned when he said ‘group project’. “You and your lab partner will work with one other pair to complete an assignment I will personally give you.” UGH! Don’t feel like it. “This will be the start of our next unit, the cycles of organisms. I have already picked the groups, so come up here and look at my list to see who you’ll be working with.” Orochimaru sat back down at his desk and took out a piece of paper, which presumably held the list of groups. Sounds of people pushing their chairs out and walking up to the front of the class were heard, signaling you to do the same. But before you could get up, Hinata beat you to it, and already shot out of her chair before you could move.

        “D-Don’t worry (Y/N)! I’ve got it!” You went to hold up your hand to stop her and offer to do it yourself, but she already started skippingoff down the aisle to Orochimaru’s desk before you could utter a single breath.

        “…O-Okay, I guess.” You lowered your hand back down to your side and looked around at your classmates to see if anyone looked nice to work with, while also checking to see if Gaara was staring at you. You were slightly worried about possibly being in a group with him, since Orochimaru said you, your partner, and another pair would be working together. Honestly, right now you were more worried about poor Hinata, and how she wouldn’t be able to take the ‘tension’ between you and him if you guys were paired. You sat there with your head in the palm of your hands, again thinking about the worst possible scenarios, but was soon interrupted by Hinata returning to the table.

        “(Y/N). I-I’ve got good news!” You turned your head see Hinata holding a piece of paper in her hand.

        “What is it Hinata?”

        “We get to work with two of my closest friends! D-Don’t worry. I-I know you’ll like them. They’re the next table over, c-come on!” Before you could voice your opinion on yet again meeting new people you were not so thrilled on meeting, Hinata grabbed your wrist and pulled you up on your feet. 

        Before she pulled you to the table next to yours, you took a quick and unnoticed glimpse of Gaara, to see his siblings and him at the one right behind the table Hinata was dragging you to. Despite being behind you, you knew they wouldn’t bother you, since you all would be busy with the project, or so you hoped. Hinata pulled you into the left seat of the desk next to her, with your back facing Gaara and your front facing Orochimaru’s desk, where two others sat across from you. You still kept your usual careless poker-like face on, and observed them.

        Directly across from you was a messy haired brunette boy with tanned skin, two red markings on his cheeks that looked like claws, visible sharpened canine teeth protruding from the top of his mouth, and black slit like eyes that reminded you of a dog’s. Huh. Dog-boy. That’s actually really cool, since I love dogs too. Lucky, for both of us. He wore a light grey sweatshirt with brown fur on the sleeves and hood, dark grey-ish brown pants, and black shoes. I think it’s obvious that he’s an animal, or at least, dog lover.

        The other one was also a brunette boy, who sat in the seat across from Hinata. His hair was more spiky and frizzy than the other one, it looked like a spiky brown bush was placed on his head. He had black circle-lensed sunglasses that covered his eyes, and black furrowed eyebrows that surprisingly didn’t look angry, but more poker faced like yours. He wore a grey coat like the other boy as well, only it was more silver looking, and there was no fur on it. Other than his coat, he wore dark brown pants that stopped midway down his calves, and dark blue shoes. There was something else about him, something that you were missing, that made you wonder. It was like there was another presence, or rather, presences there.

        You still kept your stoic face trained on them, waiting to see if they would say anything, because you certainly didn’t want to. An almost awkward silence arose, since no one wanted to say anything. Finally, Hinata timidly spoke up.

        “(Y-Y/N), uh, th-these are my friends. Kiba Inuzuka,” She pointed to the dog boy, “and Shino Aburame.” She pointed to the other one. “U-Uh, Kiba and Shino, th-this is m-my n-new partner, (Y-Y/N) (L-L/N).” Hinata introduced you. They both greeted you in return.

        “Sup (Y/N)? Nice to meet ya!” Kiba smirked, which showed more of his abnormally sharpened canines.

        “Hello. Nice to meet you as well.” Shino said with a monotone and somewhat raspy voice.

        “Uhh, nice to meet you guys too…” You were slow and hesitant with your words, since you still didn’t fully trust these people, even if they were close friends with Hinata.

        “You’re new here, right?” Kiba excitedly asked. You nodded your head ‘yes’. “Well, welcome then! Hope Hinata hasn’t been too stuttery with you. She can be EXTREMELY shy. I’m surprised that you’ve made friends with her so fast. Hinata’s usually nervous around people, especially ones she doesn’t know. So, tell me. How’d you guys become friends so fast?” Hinata blushed extremely red the more Kiba described her shyness. You felt bad for her since, from what you’ve seen, everything he said was true. The same went for you too, but at least you hid your fears. Before you could answer Kiba’s question, Shino stopped you all from continuing.

        “Let’s save the questions for later. We need to get started on this project.” You looked over to Shino.

        “Well, I can tell someone’s very efficient. I actually agree with you on this, even though I don’t wanna do it. Sorry Kiba.” You said. Shino seemed to approve of your answer.

        “Thank you.” He said it as if you were the most logical person he’s ever met, no hint of sarcasm whatsoever. Maybe he doesn’t mind me that much now, or he’s just trying to be nice? Yeah, that’s probably it. You subconsciously nodded your head at your thoughts, and glanced over at Kiba, who finally remembered that you all had a project to do. He rubbed the back his neck sheepishly. 

        “Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Sorry.” Kiba apologized. Shino nodded in agreement at him now, and turned to Hinata.

        “Hinata, can you hand me that paper you have?” Hinata quickly handed the paper she had gotten from Orochimaru to Shino, who then skimmed over the typed writing. Kiba tried to lean over and read the paper, but he couldn’t due to Shino’s big hood blocking his view of the paper. He scowled and leaned back in his seat, folding his arms and growling in irritation. You bit your lip, trying to hold back your laughter at the amusing show, and Kiba noticed.

        “And what’s so funny to you?” He sounded and acted like a little kid, and you couldn’t take him seriously because of it.

        “Nothing.” You replied with a smirk. He rolled his eyes, and smirked at your attempts to not laugh. Finally, Shino looked up from the paper and explained the assignment.

        “We have to make a presentation about a certain animal’s life cycle.” Kiba excitedly looked up.

        “GREAT! I know what animal we can do then! A-” Shino stopped him before he could continue.

        “We are not doing dogs for a project… again. Lets try something new, like one of my kikaichu beetles.” He held up his hand, and showed everyone a big blackish beetle with six legs and turquoise eyes that seemed to come out of nowhere. Was that the thing I thought I sensed on him earlier? What is he, a bug man? “I already know everything about them, so a big part of the project is already done, research. We wouldn’t have to do as much, and we would get this over with sooner. Plus-“

        “I don’t care about your stupid reasons for wanting to use your stupid beetles, bug boy.”

        “Kiba. Watch it.” Shino said through gritted teeth.

        “Don’t tell me what to do!”

        “Calm down. Lets discuss this, like gentlemen.”

        “Ah SHUT UP!” Kiba yelled. Hinata sighed.

        “Oh no.” You looked at Hinata with concern. She had a pleading ‘please someone help us’ face, which you shrugged at. You turned back to the arguing boys, well, Kiba was yelling and Shino was grumpily trying to calm him down and talk things out. You softly sighed like Hinata.

        While the boys were ‘arguing’, you and Hinata sat in your seats, silently listening to and bearing with the conflict before you. You both didn’t say a word, you didn’t need to, since Kiba and Shino weren’t causing trouble for the other groups, except for yours. It was clear that both of you thought it was best to let the boys work everything out on their own, since you didn’t feel like getting in the middle of all that. Although, after a few minutes of thinking, an idea popped in your head, and you interrupted their bickering.

        “How about a wolf?” You asked, interrupting their ‘conversation’. They both went silent, and turned their heads in your direction. There was a pause, until you finally explained your reasoning. “It’s a mix of your different likes. Kiba, wolves are the ancestors of dogs, and therefore are very similar to them.Shino, your beetles, I know that they move and act like a pack. I see a bunch of them up your sleeves. It’s obvious that they stick together, so you know more about packs and how they function, and wolves move in packs too.” Shino showed some kind of emotion for once, a little shock. You don’t think he thought you were that observant, which you usually weren’t. You only just happened to notice the squirming bumps on his clothing where his sleeves were, which you assumed were more bugs and insects. “Plus, wolves lead way different lives than dogs, in behavioral and lifestyle terms. They’re completely wild and way more primal. For me, they just happen to be one of my favorite animals, so I actually know a lot about them. And now, with all of our knowledge, most of the research is done.” There was a few seconds more of silence.

        “That… actually sounds perfect.” Shino admitted.

        “Yeah, wolves are pretty cool.” Kiba seemed to ponder more about the idea, and soon became excited. “Yeah, we could totally do wolves!” He kept enthusiastically nodding his head to show his immense approval. You swore that if he had a tail, he would be whacking everyone with it with the force of his wagging. Those two are on board, and have stopped arguing, so now there’s one more thing that needs to be taken care of.

        “And Hinata.” At the sound of her name, Hinata looked at you questioningly. “What do you think?” She looked taken aback that you had asked for her opinion, which is what you were expecting, and you waited patiently for her to answer. After a minute or two, she finally responded.

        “S-Sure. Wolves are okay to do. I-It’s fine b-by me.” You weren’t convinced that she meant it.

        “If you don’t like it, we can always do something else. It’s no big deal. You know that, right?”

        “N-No. I mean it. I-I actually love the night, and nocturnal animals and such, s-so I would love to do wolves for the project.” You detected no lies in her words, she was sincere with her answer. You smiled reassuringly, and turned to face the whole group.

        “Wolves it is then.” You declared. Kiba gave a closed eyed grin and fist bumped the air, Shino just lowered his head, where you thought you saw him smirk, and Hinata smiled knowing everyone came to an agreement with not as much fighting as usual. When everyone started to calm down and regain their senses again, you decided to get straight to work. “Hey Shino.” You heard a quiet ‘hm’ to show that he was listening. “When does it say this thing’s due?” Shino brought the paper up to his face again and skimmed for a due date.

        “It says it’s due by the end of the month.” This made you confused.

        “How come we get a whole month to do this, when it doesn’t sound so hard to begin with?” Shino handed you the paper.

        “Here, read it yourself.” You raised a questioning brow, but took the paper nonetheless. You found the section with the instructions and read it. When you finished, your eyes widened and you shut your mouth tight. Holy shit! You’ve gotta be kidding me! Kiba and Hinata watched your reaction worriedly, and Kiba furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity.

        “Hey I wanna see!” Kiba frustratingly yelled. 

        “You really don’t wanna know, but since you insist, here.” You shoved the paper into Kiba’s hands, and he took it with a frown. He skimmed it over, and practically almost fainted; he looked dead stricken. You mumbled a quiet ‘told you so’, while Hinata took the paper and read it herself. She didn’t look too happy with it either, paling a tiny bit as she skimmed it over. She gave the paper back to you, and you cleared your throat to regain your composure. “We can do it, don’t worry. We have to start working on it soon though, so how about we hit the library, say, Friday after school? We can all do some research and use the computers there for putting together the actual project. Everyone free that day?”

        “Mhm.” Shino mumbled.

        “Yeah, I think I can make time!” Kiba gave his signature toothy smirk.

        “S-Sure.” Hinata nodded her head.

        “Then sounds like a plan everyone. In the meantime, we can start drafting and outlining everything today.”

        “Alright! Let’s get started!” Kiba exclaimed with his canine smile. Shino then started asking the group to start getting certain supplies and different materials. You were about to pull some paper out of your bag yourself, when something caught your ear.

        “(Y/N)? So that’s her name.” A male voice sounded. You froze at the mention of your name, which came from directly behind you. Gaara’s table. “Well-.” Before he could continue, a female voice cut him off.

        “SSHH! We don’t want her to hear, idiot!” The voice whisper yelled. You realized that they might look over and see your stiff form, so you quickly tried to act normal again, getting some paper and putting it on the table, while you still trying to hear their conversation. Why are they talking about me? Is it about this morning? Did Gaara tell them what happened? What are they saying? You tilted your head to your left, so your right ear was lifted up more to try and pick up what they were whispering to each other. However, you unfortunately could no longer hear any words, only more unclear whisper yelling. You grew worried. You didn’t like it when people talked about you behind your back, because from experience, it was never a good thing. You tried to listen more for a moment or two, until Kiba started calling your name.

        “(Y/N)? (Y/N)!” You were jolted out of your concentration, and you quickly sat up straight and stared into Kiba’s suspicious eyes. You noticed that Hinata and Shino were also staring at you, but your main focus was on Kiba, since he was the one who called your name.

        “Y-Yeah?” You hoped Gaara and the others couldn’t hear your conversation, or they’d know you’d overheard them. Although, you couldn’t for sure if they really did know, since it’s not like you could just turn around and take a quick peek at them to see if they were watching you.

        “Are you okay?” Kiba raised his eyebrows quizzically, and his eyes stared right back at your (E/C) ones with what looked like concern. He probably just thinks I’m weird now. Great. 

        “Y-Yeah. I-I’m fine.” 

        “Then why do you sound like Hinata, stuttering and all?” Dammit. I did sound like Hinata.

        “It’s alright Kiba. I’m fine, I swear.” You tried to sound normal, your kind of normal, as best as you could. They sneaked a few glances at each other, and thankfully, Kiba and the others seemed to buy it.

        “…Alright, if you say so.” Unfortunately, you knew that he may still keep an eye on you if he wasn’t fully convinced, so you couldn’t go back to try and figure out what the siblings were saying about you. I’ll worry about it after class. Right now, I need to lower any lingering suspicion about me so Kiba and the others don’t suspect anything. “Anyway, we all wanted to ask you something.” They all looked at each other and nodded their heads, all the while smiling widely. Well, Shino may have been smirking, you couldn’t see. Even so, it creeped you out a bit, since you didn’t know what they were planning.

        “Why are you guys smiling like that?” You asked slowly. Their smiles only increased in length in what looked like excitement.

        “We just wanted to ask, well… if you would be our friend!” Kiba asked excitedly. You were shocked, once again, by this question that had been thrown your way now three times today. Your mouth was slightly agape, and your eyes widened more than usual. Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had accepted you the moment they saw you, and somehow it had happened again with these three. Why is everyone asking to be my friend, and showing so much kindness? What did I do to deserve it? You gulped.

        “U-Uh uh, w-w-well… uh… um…” You were at a loss for words.

        “Hey, you’re stuttering like Hinata again! Oh come on, say yes! I know we’re not that bad. Even Shino’s pretty cool! Although, he can be a little weird, but aren’t we all?” You chuckled at Kiba’s comment, and at Shino’s reaction to it. At first he seemed a little irritated, but he seemed to calm down again at the very last part.

        “Why do you guys wanna be my friends anyway?” You didn’t mean for it to sound so rude like it had, but you didn’t regret it either way. You braced yourself for something along the lines of pure annoyance, but the complete opposite happened. Kiba started laughing. Not a sneer, snicker, nothing mocking, or even a sense of belittling you at all. There was nothing negative about it. He laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Even Hinata was giggling and Shino was chuckling. Finally, after everyone settled down, Kiba spoke.

        “Why would you ask something like that? Why wouldn’t we want to be your friends!?” His words stunned you. You couldn’t say a single word. Hinata giggled again.

        “U-Um, w-what Kiba really means is that, w-we think you’re a wonderful person, s-so we d-don’t understand why you t-think we wouldn’t want to be friends with you. I-I was a-actually about to ask you earlier, b-but the bell rang, and…” So I was right. She did want to ask me that? Why do these people keep being nice to me?

        “You seem surprised by our question. Is there something wrong?” Shino asked, still with his usual monotone voice. Although it was faint, you detected a hint of concern. You stumbled over your words in response.

        “U-Uh, well…” You didn’t  know what to say. You knew you couldn’t tell them about why you were acting like this, since you still didn’t want people to know your shy side and your past as much as you’d like. But still you had to say something, and quick. “T-There’s nothing wrong.” You shook your head to clear your mind, and smiled gratefully. “I would love to be you guys’ friend.” They ignored your jumbled self from just seconds ago and smiled in their own way: Kiba his toothy smirk, Hinata her blushing bubbly smile, and Shino his head lowered in approval. Kiba was apparently really excited, since he started hollering and fist bumping the air after you gave your answer.

        “Yes! Alright! This is the start of something special! WOO HOO!” You just playfully rolled your eyes at his enthusiasm, ignoring the very loud volume of his voice. He’s actually similar to Naruto. You smirked at the thought.

        You folded your arms on the table and rested your chin in the crook of them. Your eyes stayed open and softened. Your strong walls, for the first time since you really arrived in this town, completely crumbled to the gushing feelings of new yet now familiar warmth, that now engulfed you like flames swaying across a forest fire. For just one moment, you reflected on your whole day here so far, and smiled to yourself on all the good things that had happened to you, and it’s only been three periods no less. You felt relaxed and calm for once, more emotions you don’t usually feel, and embraced the idea of more than just one true friend.

        “Uh (Y/N)? (Y/N)!” You immediately sprung up from your resting position, your smiling face then returning back into your usual one with a raised eyebrow to show that you were listening, and a little annoyed from being interrupted from your relaxing thoughts. 

        “Not to ruin whatever moment you were just having there, but we should really start getting ideas.” Shino said. Kiba smiled, while reaching his hand across the table and ruffling your hair.

        “We’ll worry about that later.” You gave him a warning glare, you didn’t like your hair being touched. James had been the only one allowed to, but even then it could still get you mad. Kiba smirked. “That’s what you get for dozing off.” You scoffed.

        “I wasn’t dozing off.” He smirked even more.

        “Sure ya weren’t.” He said sarcastically. “Come on, Dozer, lets get to work.” You chose to mostly ignore his new nickname for you, and merely rolled your eyes. He chuckled at your reaction and got to work just like everyone else had. Maybe I’ll get him back later. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. You thought devilishly, already thinking of revenge pranks.

        When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, your group had actually gotten a lot done. You had a great idea for how to present your project and were all ready to put it in motion. You just needed more research than the notes you and Kiba had already written down, and you would be finished in no time. You put all of your stuff back into your bag and quickly exchanged numbers with everyone, then proceeded to exit the now almost empty classroom, even Gaara and his siblings had left.

        “Yo (Y/N). What class do you have next period?” Kiba asked. By now you were all in the hallway, and had formed a circle near the classroom door.

        “I got gym. Why, what do you have?” He looked sad at your answer.

        “Awwww we don’t have gym! UGH! Maaan I was hoping we’d have the same class together again. Dammit.” He changed from sad to cranky in a second. You evilly smirked at him.

        “Maybe that’s what you get for messing with my hair, bad juju.” 

        “You mean like this?” Now it was his turn to smirk, as he once again ruffled your hair.

        “Yes, like that now get off!” You pouted your lips and swatted his hands away. As you fixed your hair and frowned at Kiba, he was chuckling at you like a madman, or mad dog, since he is the dog boy.

        “Haha! I swear, sometimes you act like Naruto. Oh wait, sorry, you probably don’t know who he is.” You giggled, which caught him off guard.

        “Oh please. Even though I only just met him, I could recognize his loud mouth anywhere.” He made a shocked ‘o’ face.

        “You do know him then?” You nodded, and Shino agreed.

        “You shouldn’t be surprised Kiba. Naruto is an… ‘outgoing’ person by nature.”

        “Yeah, I guess you’re right. He is pretty loud too. Heh.” Kiba chuckled at his own logic, and you laughed back.

        “It doesn’t surprise me that you know him too, I guess. He actually has gym with me next period… which means I have to go or he’s gonna worry. Hmmm, you know what? He can learn to be patient.” Shino shook his head ‘no’.

        “I don’t think patience is a word in his vocabulary. Or the word learn for that matter.” You all laughed.

        “Good one Shino.” You said through little fits of laughter.

        “It’s funny ’cause it’s true!” Kiba exclaimed. After you three had calmed down, you noticed Hinata’s face had taken on an extremely red color, more so than usual. You instantly went up to her and inspected her forehead.

        “Hinata, you’re BURNING hot! Are you okay?” You asked with concern. Shino and Kiba stared at Hinata for a second, then they started chuckling. You looked at them in slight anger and curiosity. “And just what is so funny about this?” You asked in irritation. When Kiba and Shino stopped their chuckle fits, you were still glaring at them, but Kiba quickly waved it off.

        “I think Naruto rubbed off on you more than you know.” He smirked. 

        “And what does that mean?”

        “Never mind. Hinata’s fine, trust me.” He winked. You stared at him confusedly, not understanding what he was trying to say.

        “Her face burns up whenever you say Naruto’s name…” Shino trailed off, trying to lead you on, and just as Shino said, Hinata’s face tremendously blushed when he said Naruto. Your eyes widened, as you instantly knew what was going on. You weren’t oblivious to that stuff, after all. You devilishly smirked and started elbowing Hinata in the side.

        “So Naruto eh? Hm hm?” You wiggled your eyebrows. She started becoming more and more flustered, and her face took on the darkest shade of red you had ever seen. You leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell. But if you need ‘alone time’, I’ll help you out.” She looked like she was about to faint, and you were surprised that she hadn’t already, but she kept her head straight and fiercely shook her head no. You were actually serious though about setting her up. You may not have experience with that kind of love, but you could still try. She seemed to calm down after a moment or two, so you stepped away. 

        “Anyway, do you know where the gym is (Y/N)?” Kiba asked. You nodded your head.

        “Yeah I’m fine.”

        “Then don’t get lost.” Shino warned.

        “I-I think (Y/N) is m-more than capable of f-finding it.”

        “Guys, I saw it this morning, I know where it is. It’s to the right when you come into the school. See, I’m fine. I swear.” Kiba make a ‘psh’ noise.

        “Don’t lie to us, and don’t blame me when you’re late.” You playfully rolled your eyes.

        “Don’t blame me when you’re wrong.”

        “I’ll blame myself when I’m right.” You snorted. You looked at the time, and hurriedly said your goodbyes.

        “Bye guys! I’ll see you tomorrow!” You called as you started speed walking down the hallway.

        “Bye (Y/N)!” They all called back. You waved to each other and then went your separate ways.

        It wasn’t too hard to find the gym, just like you thought. Thankfully you remembered the ways Naruto had taken you through the hallways this morning, so all you had to do was simply retrace your steps. You had even discovered a more direct route on the way once you were on the first floor. You saw earlier that the locker rooms were in a separate hallway along the right side of the gym, which would be towards the left side of the hallway you were in right now, so that’s where you headed. When you finally arrived at the girls’ locker room, Naruto was standing by the door, and looked up as soon as he heard you coming. He grinned from ear to ear and started running up to you while waving.

        “HEY! (Y/N)! OVER HERE!!” You chuckled at his excitement as he met you halfway between the locker room and the main hallway you came down from.

        “Hey Naruto.”

        “I was getting worried there for a second. What took ya so long?” He asked with some weird tone to his voice, as if he was about to prove something right. You knew what he was thinking.

        “No, Naruto. Unfortunately for you, I didn’t get lost.” You said smugly. He pouted his lips and muttered a ‘dangit’. “I’m late because I was just talking to my newest friends, who you should know: Kiba, Hinata, and Shino.” Naruto looked shocked, which then turned to happiness.

        “Yay! I’m glad you met them! They can be a bit weird though.” You playfully punched his shoulder.

        “Look who’s talking.” You both started laughing at your little joke, despite it being an insult to Naruto.

        “So, do you have all your stuff? Your change of clothes? Your locker number? You know where to go after you change? And what about-” You stopped him before he could ramble on anymore.

        “First, you’re not my dad. Second, yes, yes, yes, and yes. I can take care of myself just fine.” You smiled reassuringly at him. “Now, the responsible one says we should probably go get changed.” He pouted his lips again.

        “Hey, I’m responsible too! I was literally just making sure you were okay with everything!!” You only smirked in response, knowing full well that he wasn’t exactly responsible. He sighed, not bothering to argue with that triumphant look on your face. “Alright then. Let’s go change.” He started walking off to the boys’ locker room and waved back to you. “Bye bye (Y/N)! Be careful with Anko Sensei, okay!?” 

        “Okay! Wait, what do you mean by-” It was too late. Naruto was already inside the boys’ locker room. “-that? Hmmm.” Who’s Anko? And what does he mean by ‘be careful’? I guess I can assume that she’s the gym teacher, but is she strict, or something to that nature? Before you could ponder more over it, the bell rang. Thank goodness we get a couple extra minutes to change before class. With that last thought, you entered the girls’ locker room.

        The inside looked like any other school’s would. White tiled walls and floors contained different sections of small grey lockers, with the back of the lockers separating each of the different sections. You pulled out your schedule, which had your locker number, and examined it. 777. Hm. I think the sections are divided by hundreds, so I can assume I’m in section 7 then. It was pretty easy to find your locker, and when you did, you set your bag down next to you and proceeded to change into your gym uniform, which was a green t-shirt with a golden leaf symbol in the center and matching gold knee-length shorts.

        As you were changing, a girl walked up to the locker next to you, and she immediately took note of your presence. She smiled, and you stopped what you were doing and turned towards her way. She was a girl who had fairly tanned skin, dark brown eyes, matching brown hair that was styled into two Chinese style buns on the sides of her head, and two sets of short fringe bangs that framed both sides of her face. She wore a pink vest-like t-shirt with red trimmings and yellow fastening buttons at the front, a cropped jean jacket over top, aqua blue pants with the ends rolled up, and red colored converse.

        “Oh, hey there. You must be new here. I’m Tenten, nice to meetcha! What’s your name?” It was probably the most formal greeting you’d received the whole day, which unnerved you in a way, since you were now more used to people like Naruto so far. You were a little hesitant to give her your name.

        “(Y/N). Nice to meet you too, I guess.” Tenten gave you a closed eyed smile.

        “So, (Y/N), you enjoying it here so far?” You shrugged. Tenten waited for you to say something else, but no such thing happened. She put her hands on her hips and raised her lips into a smirk. “You don’t talk much do you?” You shrugged again, which made her chuckle. “I think you’re something special, am I right?” You looked at her confused, wondering what she found so ‘special’ about you, since so far you hadn’t even spoken more than one sentence to her.

        “How am I ‘special’?” You questioned suspiciously. She giggled.

        “I can just tell.” You raised your brows in more confusion. By now, you had both changed into your own uniforms.

        “How?” She shrugged her shoulders just like you did, in a mimicking way, and giggled once again. You glared, being impatient and wanting more answers than this girl’s forms of jokes. When she noticed your expression, she put her hands up in mock surrender.

        “Okay okay, I’m only joking!” She waved her arms around sheepishly. You relaxed a little, now only forming a little frown. “Well, I don’t know to be honest. I guess I just feel like there’s something more to you than meets the eye, you know? Call it a sixth sense if you want.” You sighed. 

        “Is that the only answer you can give?” You asked sarcastically. She smiled in response, which you took as a yes. You snorted, and she grinned.

        The lights in the room suddenly flashed off and on. Tenten’s smile changed into an ‘o’ shape, as she looked up at the ceiling in response. She waved to you with her right hand, signaling for you to follow.

        “That means we’ve gotta go to the gym. Come on!” You didn’t want to be late, so you walked over to Tenten, even though you really didn’t want to, and exited the locker room. You went to the closest side door of the huge gymnasium, but before you went inside, Tenten stopped you. “Just as a warning, Anko Sensei can be a little… tough, I guess that’s how you’d put it. But, don’t worry about it too much… right now. I’m sure you’ll survive.” You raised an eyebrow at her. Survive? She makes it sound like we’re at boot camp. She said no more on the topic, and you both opened the doors that lead inside.

        The gym was the usual rectangular shape with the longer sides having folded up bleachers, which is where the girls were lined up on the left, while the short sides had the main entrance doors on one end and back doors on the other, which is where the boys stood.

        Immediately you recognized Gaara, to your misfortune. Well, at least this isn’t co-ed. For some reason, he wasn’t in a gym uniform, but the attire he’s had on since this morning, and he was leaning against the corner of the right side bleachers right next to the boys, thankfully on the opposite side you were on. You noticed that he was glowering at you, so you flashed a glare of your own at him, then turned your gaze back to Tenten, who you followed to the line of girls with. You could still feel his lingering stare on you though, which thankfully stopped after a few seconds. Your attention was now on a dark purple haired woman who was standing in front of the girls with a clipboard in hand, assumedly doing attendance. So she must be Anko, the gym teacher, the one Naruto, and now Tenten, warned me about. 

        Who you assumed was Anko had slightly tanned white skin with light, tan-ish brown eyes glancing down at her list of names. Most of her purple hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, which made it look like purple flames were dancing across the back of her head. The rest of her hair was either at the sides of her head, or a part of her bangs. She wore a cropped, long sleeved eggplant-purple workout jacket with white trimming that showed her stomach, matching purple knee length shorts, and white sneakers. A silver necklace with a grey whistle was strung around her neck, and somehow you got a bad feeling that she uses it a lot. 

        As you and Tenten reached the line of girls, Anko had looked at her clipboard confusedly, and started glancing from side to side, as if looking for someone. When her eyes landed on the two of you, she instantly looked relieved, and walked over to the both of you. 

        “There you are Tenten. You’re la-… oh! You must be the new one, right?” She said in a low alto voice. You nodded at her question. “I’m the girls’ gym teacher, Anko Mitarashi, but you can just call me Anko, I don’t care much about formalities. So, what’s your name again?”

        “(Y/N) (L/N).” At the sound of your last name, Tenten looked offended.

        “How come you told Anko Sensei your last name but not me!?” You gave her a close eyed smirk, and did what you thought was right, which was give her an honest answer.

        “You never asked.” Tenten pouted her lips in a childish manner.

        “You never told me I needed to ask that! Plus, Anko Sensei didn’t have to ask, so why do I!?” Your smirk increased. Her reaction is priceless. Anko apparently thought so too, since she started chuckling along with you.

        “Alright girls alright. You can go argue over there in line. I’m still doing attendance, then you guys can… ‘talk’ during your free minutes. Got it?” She chuckled again, and motioned you to the big line of girls who were all talking to each other. Although, you wondered what these ‘free minutes’ she mentioned were, but before you could ask, Tenten had already grabbed your wrist and pulled you to where you needed to stand. When she stopped, you decided to ask her about it.

        “What are free minutes?” She turned to you and smirked.

        “Well, you didn’t ask nicely sooo…-” Your lips turned into a childish frown, then lightly punched her shoulder.

        “That was nicely.” She didn’t get mad at you like you expected, but instead smirked and playfully hit you back.

        “There, now we’re even. And, I guess I’ll take it.” She said. You smirked triumphantly, knowing that you hit her harder than she hit you. She must’ve noticed, because she started giggling at your expression. “Yeah yeah, I know you hit me harder and stuff. I’m just being nice today.” She winked.

        “You’re only being ‘nice’ huh?” You made air quotes around the word ‘nice’.

        “Yes, I am only being ‘nice’ now, so you’re lucky.” Tenten had also put air quotes around ‘nice’, mocking you. She then stuck her tongue out at you in a playful manner. You couldn’t help but chuckle at her childish sense of humor. You had to admit, this girl was ‘kind of’ okay in your book now. “Well anyway, moving on. To answer your question, Anko Sensei and Guy Sensei, the boy’s gym teacher, have to talk to each other at the beginning of every class for reports and workout plans and ideas and stuff like that. So, they let us have that time to talk with whoever we want. The only rules are: we can’t fight and we have to immediately go back to our own class when they blow their whistles.” You hummed in response, saying you understood.

        “That’s… kinda weird. But, I guess that’s cool. Wait… that means I can talk to Naruto then!” Tenten gasped when you said Naruto.

        “Wait, you know Naruto!?” You nodded your head.

        “You know him too?” Does this kid seriously know everyone in the world or something?

        “Please, I would know that loud mouth anywhere.” Apparently yes, he does. Or everyone just knows his loud mouth, like Tenten said.

        “Funny, I said the exact same thing earlier. Naruto must be famous for his big loud mouth.” You said with sarcasm. Tenten giggled and nodded her head in a firm ‘yes’.

        “He is. And hey, at least you already know one of my friends who I’m gonna show ya!” You froze.

        “Wait what do you mean by-” As you were trying to finish your sentence, an ear piercing whistle echoed off the gym walls, which you found was Anko blowing her whistle. As soon as she walked off, Tenten wasted no time in grabbing your wrist and dragging you to where the boys were.

        “Just a warning, my friends can be a bit… different.” She warned. Different? Before you could voice your opinion, you heard Naruto calling out to the both of you.

        “(Y/N)! Tenten!” He was laughing and waving at you guys. When you were finally dragged all the way over to Naruto, which didn’t take long, you noticed two others who were behind him, wearing the same uniforms as you. These must be Tenten’s other friends she was talking about.

        One was a boy who looked like Hinata, with his most distinct features being his pale white skin and pale purple eyes, just like hers. Is he related to her? Hmm, I’ll have to ask. His chocolate brown hair was held behind him by a candy red headband, with a few long strands of loose hair on the sides of his face. The only other difference in his attire was that he had brown sneakers that were a lighter shade than his hair. He was frowning as he made eye contact with you, seemingly observing you as you were him. He almost looked disgusted with you, but you ignored it, since you were already used to things like that.

        The other boy, who stood next to him, seemed much more jumpy and chipper, the complete opposite of the other one. He seems more similar to Naruto. He had such a happy and excited grin plastered on his face, his big black orbs glowed like clear sunshine, and his big bushy black eyebrows were furrowed in great determination. He had short black hair styled in a bowl shaped haircut with a white stripe across the middle of his bangs. His arms had white bandages wrapped all around them, leaving only his hands and shoulders exposed. Long puffy orange socks were pulled all the way up to his knees and he had dark green sneakers on his feet.

        “Hey (Y/N), these are my friends I was talking about.” Tenten stated cheerfully. The boy who looked like Hinata glared daggers at the both of you.

        “And who gave you permission to talk about me with a… lowly heathen.” He spat. You shot him a death glare and clenched your hands into fists, just daring him to try and call you something again. Who does he think he is? Th emperor of Rome or something?

        “Neji!” Tenten glared along with you. ‘Neji’ merely rolled his eyes and continued to glare at you. However, you didn’t miss the look of pain in his eyes that flashed for just a second, and then as quickly as it was there, it disappeared; you almost thought it was your eyes playing tricks on you. Your arm was pulled at by Tenten, drawing your attention away from Neji. She leaned in and whispered in your ear. “Sorry about Neji. He can be a little harsh, at times.” You didn’t answer back, and the other boy jumped in front of you.

        “And I am Rock Lee!!! It is so nice to meet you! Will you be my girlfriend?” It took you a moment to realize what he just asked you. Wait… what!? You looked at ‘Rock Lee’ like he was crazy. 

        “No.” You said sternly. He quickly slouched in defeat and took on a saddened expression, which made you feel guilty, since he reminded you so much of Naruto. You went over to him and pat his back, albeit rather awkwardly. “Umm, sorry? Uhh… h-how about we just be… friends?” You asked unsurely. You really didn’t know what to do in this kind of situation, you doubted anyone did. You looked over at Tenten and Naruto to see if you had done the right thing, but they both shrugged their shoulders, unsure just like you. Suddenly, Lee jumped up and fist bumped the air.

        “Alright! It is decided!! We will be the best of friends then!!! YAY!!!” You raised your eyebrows in confusion, but eventually just shrugged your shoulders to say that you were… ‘okay’ with all of this. You leaned in next to Tenten.

        “Does Naruto have some kind of contagious disease that spreads through the air? Cause it sure looks like it.” You whispered. Tenten busted out laughing, and apparently, Naruto had overheard.

        “Heeeeyy! What the heck does that mean!!!?” You shrugged your shoulders and laughed with Tenten, while Naruto was grumbling and pouting like a child the whole time. Neji turned to the wall and closed his eyes. He mumbled something under his breath along the lines of ‘foolish mongrel’, which you decided to ignore, while Lee looked over at you guys, confused at why you and Tenten were laughing and Naruto was acting grouchy.

        “I don’t understand. What is so funny?” Lee asked. Tenten replied through fits of laughter.

        “N-Nothing Lee!” He was still confused and looked over to Neji for an explanation, who merely snorted and mumbled a reply.

        “It was something she said.” He said ‘she’ with pure disgust. You sent a hateful glare his way, but looked back at Lee when he started speaking to you.

        “Never mind that. Please forgive us for not asking earlier, but what is your name?” You hesitated a bit, before replying.

        “(Y/N).”

        “(L/N).” Tenten quickly added. You crossed your arms and looked her way. She smirked at you. “What? It’s not like you were gonna tell them. They didn’t ask.” You rolled your eyes at her and laughed at the inside joke. That’s when you heard Neji mumble something again.

        “If you don’t have the decency to tell someone your last name, why bother introducing your worthless self at all.” That made you snap. What bothered you the most about it was that he didn’t even have the decency himself to say it to your face. 

        “Okay, that’s IT!” You marched right over towards Neji, not caring about or paying attention to anyone was watching. You were tired of hearing him say these things about you, tired of people like him who treated you like complete crap. You finally had enough of people walking over you like this, who didn’t care what they said and had fun tormenting you. You had promised yourself that it would never happen again, and you were determined to keep that promise. You were determined to stand up for yourself.

        At the sound of your stomping feet, he finally looked your way in abhorrence. Your lips curled up in a snarl. “If you’re gonna talk bad about me, at least have the freaking dignity to say it to my face! And what the hell did I EVER do to you to make you say all this shit! You have no right to talk about me or call me names or ANYTHING when you don’t even KNOW me! So how about it, asshole!? Do you have anything ELSE to say!? HUH!?” You seethed through gritted teeth. You made sure that you didn’t yell too loud to attract unwanted attention from any of the teachers so you wouldn’t get in trouble, you at least at that much control left. It looked like he was about to say something else snarky and hurtful, but once he looked at your eyes, his widened in return. He looked away from you and closed his eyes, seeming to be in deep thought about something. Naruto tried to break the bitter cold tension in the air.

        “(Y-Y/N)? H-How about we just-” You and Neji didn’t hear him, as Neji spoke once more interrupting him.

        “Nothing.” He said it so calmly and guiltily, as if he wanted to deny it, but couldn’t. “Absolutely… nothing.” You were stunned, but your ire only rose. 

        “Then what the HELL is your freaking PROBLEM!!” You breathed heavily, pure rage seeping through your veins. He looked at you with slightly saddened eyes, but that didn’t change anything for you. Silence followed, and all that you were thinking of was how this was exactly like your past. Then, he said merely two words.

        “Your eyes.” 

        “What the hell is wrong with my eyes?” You pressed on, still enraged. He sighed.

        “Your eyes… reminded me of something. Something long ago.”

        “What in the hell is something.” He turned away again, not wanting to meet your intense gaze.

        “Myself.” He muttered. Your expression softened just a bit, and you waited for him to explain what he meant. He sighed as he noticed this. “The look in your eyes. That hidden and bottled up pain, looked so much like me before, that I couldn’t take it. It reminded me too much of past memories that I must’ve…” He paused. “I regrettably took my anger out on you.” You stared at him more questionably, and your cold gaze turned into an understanding one. Then, you mumbled something that you didn’t intend to say out loud.

        “I knew I saw pain in your eyes.” Neji looked at you in shock, since it was unfortunately loud enough for him to hear. 

        “…What was that?” He asked quietly. Your eyes widened for a split second as you realized he had heard you.

        “Nothing. Whatever.” You shook your head out of your shocked state and resumed your cold glare. “But just because something like that bothers you, doesn’t mean you can take it out on people who don’t deserve it. Learn to at least talk it out, instead of just being a stupid jerk about it, freaking bastard.” He snorted at your rudeness, but quickly reclaimed his saddened composure, lowering his head in shame. He opened his mouth a few times to talk, but closed it just as quickly, as if he couldn’t say the words he so needed to say. But then, something you never expected was uttered.

        “I’m… sorry.” You heard the other three gasp, like Neji apologizing was impossible. “It… was uncalled for.” He finished. His eyes finally looked up from the ground and he stared at you, and you back into them, looking for any lies, treachery, or anything else of the sort. There was none, only genuine regret.

        “What’s gotten into you Neji? You’re never like this with other people.” Naruto stated quietly and in confusion.  You smirked, as you got an idea.

        “This is just what happens when guys are on their man-periods Naruto.” You stated smugly. Naruto snickered and tried to hold back his laughter. Neji started to glare but it quickly changed once he saw your playful expression. “And now we’re even.” His eyes softened with a light glow to them, and his lips curved up into a little smirk.

        “Well, I guess I deserved that, didn’t I.” He uncrossed his arms and held one hand out to you, and grabbed it with your own hand.

        “Friends?” You asked. He shook your hand, and you did the same.

        “Friends.” He replied. You both let go of each others’ hands and you smirked. 

        “Just next time, warn me before one of your man-period fits start again.” You lightly chuckled, and he smirked.

        “Well, if mine are bad, I’d hate to see you on yours then.” You laughed.

        “Ain’t that the truth.” You mumbled and he hummed in agreement, which you chuckled at. You turned around to face the group, when out of the corner of your eye, you saw Gaara watching, still in the same place when you entered the gym. You didn’t get a chance to glare at him back or wonder what such an intense look was for, since no one else seemed to notice you and Neiji’s argument, because two piercing loud whistles basically destroyed your eardrums. Immediately, Tenten pulled you away, and you felt Gaara’s gaze leave you. What is wrong with him? Does he have to keep looking at me like that?

        “I’ve never seen Neji act like that before. How’d you do it? I wanna know your secret!” Tenten whisper yelled at you so Anko wouldn’t hear you guys talking. You smirked.

        “Let’s just say that it was an… understanding, and like I’ve said before, his raging man-period hormones.”  Tenten giggled as you both lined up with where the girls had originally been. They looked to be standing as straight and stiff as if this was a military salute, which even though you thought was odd, you copied it nonetheless. Anko’s yell cut through the air like a sharp knife.

        “Alright, maggots. Lets get started! Outside, NOW!” She demanded in an army general like tone and then blew her whistle. Everyone started jogging to the exit that lead outside, which you followed suit. What amazed you was that the boys had already left, and it was only a few seconds ago when you lined up with the girls. I’m starting to see what Naruto and Tenten meant by their warnings about these teachers.

        Once outside, you saw a football field in the center of a large track with silver bleachers on the right side of it. A huge soccer field was to the left of the track, where the boys were already running laps. You and the other girls went to the track, where Anko worked you all to the bone, making you guys run six laps, do fifty pushups, fifty sit ups, sprints, bleachers, and others just as rough. Every exercise she made you do you always finished it first by a long shot, even beating the physically fit Tenten, who always came in second. Anko seemed impressed with you, since no one was exactly ‘as fit’ as you were, except for Tenten.

        “Impressive (L/N). You’re a tough maggot, aren’t you? How’d you get to be so strong?” You shrugged your shoulders.

        “I guess… experience is what you’d call it?” You didn’t lie. All of that stuff your step parents made you do did make you strong, stronger than most. It gave the ability to push past pain, since you had had to, less you face much more severe punishments. This class was nothing compared to the torture you had to go through. Even still, Anko smirked, not knowing the answer to her question.

        “Well, keep up the good work maggot.” She slapped you on the back, and then sent you and the rest of the girls into the locker rooms. When you and Tenten finally reached your lockers, you both started changing, and she started a conversation.

        “Hey, you were pretty good out there. You always finished first. How did you get so strong?” You shrugged your shoulders, just like you did with Anko, and you gave the same reply as well.

        “Experience.” Tenten smiled.

        “Well then, maybe you could tell me your secret sometime.” This secret isn’t a good one. It’s not something you want to go through, it’s something no one should have to go through. With this thought in your head, you shakenly replied.

        “Maybe. We’ll see.” You both smiled at each other, with yours being more fake than real, as immediately after the bell rang. Tenten and you quickly exchanged numbers, and then you both walked out of the locker room and into the main hallway. 

        “Bye (Y/N)! See you tomorrow!” You waved bye as well, and went your separate ways, since she had to go to another class than you. 

        There was something lingering in the back of your mind though, something that had been bothering you ever since you came back inside. Throughout the whole time you and the girls had been exercising, you had a distinct feeling that something was wrong. That feeling had sent shivers down your spine and made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It felt like someone was watching you, observing you, taking note of every action you made. You had originally thought it was Gaara, however, this was different. It wasn’t like one of Gaara’s looks, it was almost as if it was an entirely different person, the vibes you were getting from this was much creepier. Unfortunately, you couldn’t look around to find out who it really was, or you would have gotten yelled at by Anko for not focusing, like a couple other girls earlier had. You hadn’t wanted to get in trouble on your first day, so you had just kept going. So that left one question remaining in your mind, as you now walked down the main hallway to where the classrooms were.

        Who had been watching you, and why?

Overview:

You are (Y/N) (L/N), a freshman in Leaf Village High, who lives alone in an apartment working at a small café to make the money to pay for your new expenses. Escaped from a rather harsh and unfair life, you are moved to a new city to live on your own for the first time in your life. Everything becomes normal to you, until your first day of school, where you meet one of the most infamous students whom everyone is afraid of, except for you, and that bothers him, but he never takes action. A silent hatred flares between the two of you, and you both try to avoid each other as best you can. But what happens when one secret forces you two into each others’ paths, and you both must cope with the fact that you can’t escape each other anymore.

Disclaimer: I Do NOT own any characters, names, plotlines, etc. pertaining to Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto, or pics and music that I use unless I say so

WARNING: cussing throughout story, I will say when there’s a little excessive

 

Chapter 1: New Student

 

 

Chapter 2: Wrong Person at the Right Time

 

         Currently you were bored out of your mind. You hadn’t heard any commotion for the past few hours, so you’ve just been at your ‘house’, waiting and keeping a lookout for the ‘detectives’ as you now like to call them. Thankfully there was no sign of them thus far. You were also waiting for the Chunin exam travelers to arrive, but you never got a sense or scent of new people and food yet, and it was annoying you to no ends. How long does it take you guys to travel here? It’s already 4:00 in the afternoon! Sheesh!!

        A loud growl from your stomach got your attention, so you decided to get up and find some food, despite there being no travelers yet. Your stomach wouldn’t necessarily bother you too much than you were already used to or hinder you, but with people on the look out for you, you had to be careful that you were completely quiet at all costs. You walked down your target alleys, but there was nothing to steal, so you tried looking for the four that were trying to find you, and they seemed to be doing normal things. Shikamaru was lazily walking around the main streets; Choji was, not surprisingly, eating; Ino was tending her flower shop; and Naruto… was horribly trying to not act like he was sneaking around. Naruto, you have got to be the worst person at stealth I’ve ever seen. Even though none of what they were doing, even Naruto, was alarming, you still remained vigilant.

        Just as you stopped following Naruto into a building by the front gates, you saw the most miraculous sight you had ever seen. There stood travelers, lots of them, with big heavy packs on their backs. All kinds of different people from different villages were entering the Leaf Village, some in groups and some alone. They all had food on them, and you were literally drooling at the sight and smell of it all. These Chunin exams are AWESOME!! You realized were getting a little too excited, and tried to calm yourself down. You would target one of the groups later, in a less populated area of course, so you walked back down your target alley to waited.

 

        Concealed and walking along on the roofs, you passed a group of three sand ninja walking to the right of the roofs you were on. Grass lay a little over to the sides of the path they walked, there was nothing much else but a small tree or two. There was no one else in sight. Perfect. 

      There were two boys and one girl. One boy had black pajama looking clothing on with his hood, which had two black ear tufts on it, up over his head. A sand forehead protector was stitched on the forehead of the cloth. He also had weird purple markings on his face and lip, and you could faintly make out some dark brown hair on the sides of his head. Something was wrapped in white on his back, and, because of your enhanced eyesight, you saw chakra strings connecting whatever it was and the boy, which you assumed meant that he was a puppet master. 

        The girl had spiky sandy hair that was put up in four ponytails in the order of a square. She had teal eyes and wore a light purple colored garment that extended halfway down her thighs. She wore fishnet over her shoulders, right leg, and left thigh with a scarlet sash around her waist. She had her sand forehead protector tied around her neck, and she carried a large black object that looked like a giant folded up fan. She was clearly a wind user. 

        The last one, the other boy, who seemed to be the leader, unnerved you just the slightest. He reeked of blood, and a dark aura around him. There was also something else there, almost like another presence, that you couldn’t recognize, which sent a few shivers down your spine. He had straight spiky red hair, no eyebrows, a candy red kanji symbol that read ‘love’ above his left eye on the left side of his forehead, and thick black eyeliner around both of his eyes. Wait, that’s not eyeliner. It’s not black enough, it’s actually more purple than anything. Then… are those are bags around his eyes?! When was the last time he slept!? But, he seems perfectly awake. Hmm… this may actually be interesting. He wore a black body suit with an open neck t-shirt and black leggings, and fishnet where the sleeves of his t-shirt ended about where his biceps were. A long white cloth was wrapped across his right shoulder and down to his left hip to his left leg. He also wore a big leather band from his left shoulder to his right hip, where his forehead protector was wrapped. He carried a gourd on his back as well that smelled of sand and… blood. That must be his weapon. 

        The boy with the purple markings was carrying a backpack around his arm, and you smelled food coming from there. You figured that it would hold you for at least one week if you rationed it right. You were about to make your move, but the red head glanced your way, and you immediately jumped off to the side of the house not facing the sand genin and pressed your back up against the wall, hoping he didn’t actually see you. Damn! They’re probably going to be more cautious now. He must be pretty powerful for a genin to sense me like that. It seems I underestimated them. 

        You sensed the group stop exactly where you were hiding, making your whole body tense. After a few minutes of staying still and hearing inaudible whispering you heard  footsteps moving away. You popped your head above the roof enough so you could see if they all left. They were indeed were moving ahead of you, but it wasn’t too far ahead. Although you would have to strike soon, otherwise they would disappear into a crowd, and you would lose your meal. You hopped onto the roof and as fast as you could, jumped down, and went for the back pack. Only, you never reached it. 

       You found yourself tightly wrapped in something rough and grainy. Sand. You didn’t bother to struggle, as you were brought inches away from the red head who saw you earlier. You glared at him and made a snarling face, as he seemed to study you with a blank, unmoving and scowling expression. You cocked your head slightly while still keeping your glare, inviting him to make a move.

        The sand suddenly tightened more, but instead of showing pain, you smirked. You had already thought of a plan. You released your hidden blades, the metal against metal clinging reverberating off the walls,, and you sent your chakra through them and into the sand. You had another ability of yours besides using the shadows. This one let you control the elements around you if you infused chakra into them, including sand.

        Due to your restricted movements, you could only move the sand so much so that you could raise your arms, which was all you needed. You spun around so that the sand dispersed, and as you flew backwards you retracted your blades so you could land properly. You landed in a three legged crouch a good ten feet away from the red head, using your left fingers to scrape the ground to stop yourself from flying back anymore. Your left hand was outstretched in front of you, fingers still embedded into the ground, and your right hand was pulled back with your fingers outstretched like an animal’s claws, ready to attack. You slowly looked up at the red head, and you glanced from your left where the brunette was to the right where the blonde was, noticing that all three of them now surrounded you.

        You smirked while glancing at the blonde again, who looked like she was going attack first. You knew this was going to be a breeze, literally, since all you had to do was send chakra to the air and deflect her wind back at her. And that’s exactly what you did. As she pulled out her fan and attacked, you formed an x-shape with your arms and released your blades once more. You swiftly turned and deflected the wind attack back at the blonde, surprising her as she was hit with her own attack.

        The brown haired boy had, meanwhile, snuck chakra strings behind you, but you not once neglected to forget him. He was the real target after all, since he had the backpack full of food at his side. Turning around, you immediately saw the chakra strings trying to snake around you. You severed them with one cut from your blades, and ran towards the brunette, preparing to stun him. However, before you could reach him a wave of sand stopped your advance, and you jumped back to doge it. You dodged more incoming sand bashes and deflected another of the blonde’s wind attacks, all the while circling back around to your target without any of them even realizing. Thankfully from all the sand and wind attacks, a cloud of those two elements created a shield of fog that prevented them from seeing you. With this to your advantage, you swiped at the brunette boy, fazing him, and cut the bag where the food was. You took as much as you could hide without any of them seeing you, which was unfortunately less than you wanted. 

        As the cloud of wind and picked up sand disappeared, you stopped your movements and smirked, having succeeded in obtaining your target. Once they all saw you still form, they stopped as well, waiting for your next move that would never come. You closed your eyes and turned around, casually walking away as if nothing had happened between you and the trio. You could feel their confused glares on you as you strolled over to a turn into an alleyway. You turned around, facing them, and tilted your satisfied smile towards the group. 

        “Gaara?” You heard the blonde whisper in a worrying voice. Gaara, huh? Nice name red head. I’ll remember it. Immediately after, Gaara’s sand flew at you once more, and you dashed through the alleyway out of the three’s sight. You were a little surprised that you still had to lead the sand on a wild goose chase to finally lose it, and you only did so when you were close to your ‘home’. He must have good tracking skills. I hope that won’t be a problem in the future.

        Despite all the trouble you had just gone through, that was the most fun you had in ages. You should probably feel worried that they clearly saw your face and now had huge lead to tracking you down or reporting you, but you didn’t care at the moment. You sat down on your blanket, tired from the rush and thrill of fighting in a long time, and began eating your newly acquired meal with glee. You mentally noted to now avoid those three, since they had seen you and your abilities and could potentially try and track you down. At least it was fun. You laid down to rest, the first time you’ve done so in a while, and closed your eyes in piece, ignoring the fact that this new ‘Gaara’ person was not so easily forgiving as you thought, or the feeling that something was off.

 
Gaara POV

        Who. Was. She. She manipulated and escaped my sand, deflected Temari’s fan attack as if it was nothing, and located and severed Kankuro’s chakra strings instantly, which should all be nearly impossible. She took on all three of us at once as if it was barely worth a sweat, all with weapons I’ve never even seen before. Why did she stop the fight after attacking Kankuro the second time and leave with that little annoying satisfied grin on her face? What did she do, and what did she want? My sand couldn’t even track her anymore. She disappeared into that dark alleyway as if she were the shadows themselves. 

        When I saw her glare, her eyes held so much meaning. They were intriguing, nearly intoxicating. There wasn’t just anger, annoyance, or a little surprise, which was the illusion she tried to portray. They held something so much deeper, something that no one has probably ever seen before, hidden from the rest of mankind. It looks like we’ll be doing some research on this girl.

        “Gaara.” My gaze directed to Kankuro, who now stood over the supply bag. “It’s ripped, and there’s food missing.” When, and how did she? I didn’t even see her do it. Why would she take just the food and nothing else, and how did she know where it was to begin with? The cut is exactly where the food was, she was specifically aiming for that spot.

        “What are we gonna do Gaara?” Temari asked me.

        “We’re leaving.”

        “But Gaara? Are we really gonna let her get away like that? I mean-“

        “I said, move.” I was going to figure out who she was, no matter what.

 
Your POV

        You had been sitting and relaxing for a few hours, when you started getting thirsty. You reached for a water bottle that you hid under your box, only to feel cold air and dirt. Where’s the water!? You searched all around the area, but you couldn’t find anything. There was only one explanation; someone had been at your ‘house’ while you were away fighting Gaara and his squad, and they took the water bottles without you knowing. You didn’t hear or see any evidence of anyone being there when you returned hours ago. Someone was here while I was fighting those three! If I hadn’t been busy, and I came straight ‘home’, would I have been caught by whoever was here? Getting spotted by the trio may have actually helped you, something you never expected. Although, someone knows where you ‘live’ now.

        You don’t want to move your ‘house’ just yet since you didn’t know who was after you or how much they knew. I’ve been watching my back for everyone these days. I guess it’ll die down if I be more careful. But then again… I need to figure out who it was that discovered my ‘house’. All you could do was keep a sharp eye out for anyone who went snooping around.

        You decided that the best thing to do was to see if anyone was talking about you in the village. Plus, if someone had really discovered your ‘house’, then they’ll come back, so you had to avoid your ‘house’ more often or they’ll catch you too. Right now, you still needed to see if anyone was looking for you, so with that in mind, you made your way down your talking alley a second time that day, and soon the voices started. One conversation eventually caught your attention, and you stopped and began to eavesdrop.

        “Boy, I wouldn’t go lookin’ for trouble now, with those kinds of questions comin’ out of yer mouth.” It sounded like an old man’s. Possible thief?

        “I want answers.” This voice sounded like an older boy’s, not much older than you.

        “Don’t blame me if these answers get ya killed then.” This is really starting to get serious. What answers does this kid want? “What ya ‘ave described to me, we call ‘er… the Shadow Fox.” He whispered the name. He’s asking about me? Was this boy the one who was at my ‘house’? He doesn’t sound familiar to me though. Ugh! He might not even be from the Leaf what with all these travelers around. Dammit! “She’s a master thief, who steals just food and drink. Strikes only a few days a week now. She is said to be like a shadow with the strength and cunnin’ of a fox, which is where she gets the name from. She’s so fast, that no one’s e’er seen ‘er face, just a barely visible black figure of a short girl.” Seriously? Short? Asshole.

        “Is that it? Nothing else? Not even why she steals the food in the first place?”

        “No one knows boy. But there’s somethin’ else though. There are tales of ‘ow she is the night protector of the village, because she stops other thieves from stealing precious valuables whenever they attack others.”

        “Sounds like she’s just trying to get rid of the competition.”

        “The thing is, she doesn’t take anythin’ from the victims. She strikes from out of nowhere, and where no one can see her, and knocks the thieves out, always leaving a note in the dirt just sayin’ greedy thief in front of ’em.”

        “Still sounds like she’s trying to stop people from coming after her for these ‘good deeds’.”

        “Boy, I ‘onestly don’t know myself. All I know is that you’ve gotta be on guard of yer food if you don’t want anythin’ stolen. Oh! Wait, there’s still somethin’ else that just might help with the ‘problem’, but you didn’t hear it from me.” Help? You gulped.

        “Just tell me what it is old man!”

        “SSHHH!! Not so loud, boy.” Being quiet isn’t gonna help you now.

        “Just spit it out.”

        “Someone told me that lately, the amount of food in the village has been decreasin’ ’cause of issues outside of the village. I ‘eard that the Shadow Fox ‘as been gettin’ desperate lately, so she’s been strikin’ more people and bein’ more careless.” It was silent for a few moments, not even you had moved, you couldn’t. What the old man said was true.

        “Thanks. That’s perfect.” 

        “Watch yer back boy. She could be anywhere in this village, even in plain sight. Apparently, that’s ‘ow she knows what everything that happens in this village.” You smirked. You don’t know how right you are. Only, you weren’t in plain sight.

        “I’ll keep that in mind.” You went to try and peek your head up over the roof to see who was asking about you, but a nearby voice prevented you from doing so. You quickly hid behind the wall of a house, and waited for the voice’s owner to appear. It was Shikamaru, who seemed to be talking to himself.

        “Hope this shortcut is worth it. If you lied to me I swear Naruto. Ugh, I need a snack first. I can’t deal with his antics on an empty stomach. Maybe I’ll go to Ichiraku’s for some ramen when I meet him. Wait, I forgot I had this in my pocket.” He pulled out an apple and took a big, very noisy bite out of it, which was clearly to draw attention to him. It had to be the most pathetic attempt to try and capture you that you’ve ever seen. Looks like I’m not the only one that’s desperate. Although, I’ve heard this kid is pretty smart, a genius in fact, he couldn’t be doing something this stupid. He may have something else up his sleeve. Suddenly, a realization popped into your head, and you now understood his game. He’s trying to lead me back to my ‘house’!

        You snuck your way around the village and back to your ‘house’, making sure to purposefully take longer detours. It took you about an hour, but you finally arrived about a good distance away from your ‘house’, and stood deathly still. You tried to sense a presence nearby, and luckily, there were none. Your plan must’ve worked. Heh. Losers. Just in case there was even a remote chance of a trap, you walked around the village some more, cautious and wary of the people on the streets.

        Half an hour later you were walking down a small alleyway, when you felt a senbon needle embed itself into your shoulder. Immediately you removed it to see that some of your blood was on it. For once, you started to panic. You quickly chucked the needle a garbage can and dashed away, not wanting to remain any longer in case someone was there.

        You didn’t stop running until you reached your ‘home’, when you finally realized that no one was following you. You didn’t even notice that it was night until now, as you could now see the black sky littered with gold speckled stars and the bright full moon. Now you were definitely safe, since no one could find you at night. The shadows were everywhere, making you invisible because of your ‘special ability’. Unfortunately, it was now time to sleep, something you dreaded. You only ever dreamed of nightmares about your memories, the things that drove you into the lifestyle you lived now in the first place. You slowly made your way to your blanket and laid down, wrapping yourself up as best as you could, and curled into a fetal position. You slowly drifted off to sleep, admiring how the moonlight glowed bright tonight.

 
Gaara POV

        I sensed the blood. She had walked into one of our traps, and her blood was near. This ‘Shadow Fox’ girl Kankuro found out about, will pay for stealing from me. I stopped suddenly, stopping my siblings with me. I knew they were looking at me expectantly, almost as equally excited as I was. We all wanted to catch this so-called ‘master thief’. After all, we already saw her face, something apparently no one else has seen but us. I followed the direction from where the blood was coming from, which lead me to one of the smaller alleyways we had set a trap in.

        There it was, a senbon needle with her blood. I could smell the intoxicating red liquid so clearly. It had to be hers, I haven’t seen anyone else go through these dark passages at all besides us. It was over by a garbage can, probably a weak attempt to mask the scent. As I expected, she must’ve run out of here for fear of being caught. Little did she know that this simple rash mistake, would be her demise.

        I released my sand to wrap around the needle, and when it did, I wanted bloodshed. I could smell her blood more clearly. It smelled powerful, just as I predicted it would. Now I could track her down with her blood now mixed in my sand. I knew exactly where she was, and I turned my head in the direction she was in. It’s about time we paid the Shadow Fox… a little nightly visit.

 

Overview:

No one. You have no one, and no one ever knew, or wants to know, you. You’re a lonely, starving, and homeless girl barely clinging to life in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You survive by stealing any food and drink you can at almost any cost, and you’re a master of stealing. But what happens when you underestimate and steal from the wrong person, and you get caught for the first time in your life? You must now pay the consequences of your crimes, but with what? More pain and torture, or something else that’s just as bad?  

Disclaimer: don’t own any pictures unless I say I do, and I don’t own Naruto or its characters or the original plot (those all belong to Masashi Kishimoto)

WARNING: Cussing throughout story, not too excessive but still

 

Chapter 1: Master Thief

 

 

        The smell. The sweet intoxicating scent of life wafted through the air, drawing any hungry gaze towards it. The filling aroma was currently coming from around the corner of a house, closer and closer to where it will be delivered. Or should be delivered.

        It was exactly ten seconds away from its destination. Right on time. You stood atop a roof of a random house you could care less about near where the target would soon arrive, (H/L) (H/C) hair flowing through a slight breeze that blew across your form. The scent was approaching more and more. Come on. Just a little closer… NOW!!

        The target was here. You jumped off the roof swiftly yet silently, and gracefully tackled the box of delicious cooked ramen noodles out of the delivery person’s hands. You held the food to your chest like it was your very life, which it was, and disappeared around a corner close to where you were. You ran straight to your ‘home’, a corner of a wall of stairs that led up to another housing area, with an old small blanket and a small box as your only utilities.

        This is how you lived everyday of your life. You stole to survive on a daily basis, always leaving your ‘victims’ dazed and confused so as they wouldn’t know what happened to them or what you had done. You were a master thief who has never been caught before, not even the ANBU black ops could track you down, and you planned to keep it that way. This was how it had always been since you could remember, which was when you were seven years old.

        You had no real home, friends, family, or anyone that would even glance your way without a look of disgust or hate. Those people cut you so deep that you always woke up from the nightmares reminiscing on your horrible and wretched life, crying, with no one to help or comfort you. And no one ever will.

        You’ve never had contact with people, so there was no need to even speak, but you weren’t mute, and you could read and write as well. The only one who had actual contact with you was the 3rd Hokage, who you just called Old Man, one time at the age of eight. He was the only one to show some kind of generosity in your life. He gave you hope of one day having a life just like any other, and he gave you your most valuable weapons and treasure, your hidden blades, metal bracers that are around your wrist and lower arm at all times. If forced out, secret blades, inches longer than your middle finger, will slide down and be locked in place, allowing you to attack with an extension of your arms. An unusual weapon for a ninja of this time, but Old Man told you that assassin ninja of long ago had used, and that you had the potential to master them.

        It took you many years of secret practice behind the academy the other children attend to use and master your ancient weapon. You also practiced ninja training there too, because you are, in fact, a ninja. Since you didn’t, and couldn’t, attend the academy, you would stand outside a window of a certain teacher, apparently named Iruka, everyday. You had heightened senses due to your rather harsh life, which included hearing, so you were able to listen and see different lessons he taught to the children. You may have even considered yourself equal to the students who had graduated about a few weeks or a month ago, who have now become exceptional genin. Now that they’ve graduated, you don’t need to stand outside of the academy anymore since there was nothing more to learn, which disappointed you some. It was the one thing you did to pass the time, plus it was always fun to watch them be normal, or as normal as possible, kids. Even on days where they only took a test, they were still funny to watch. You even got to know the names and some of the traits of the students.

        Getting your thoughts together, you sat down and began to slowly, and with much self control, eat the warm ramen noodles. All that you needed to do was to get a drink to wash the food down later, and your ‘meal’ will be done. Suddenly you heard and sensed a certain presence, easily identifying a petty thief that was about to strike. Not like you, of course. A thief that stole for money out of greed, and not need. Although tired and a little exhausted from hunger and thirst, you went to deal with the problem.

        Just because you were a thief yourself, didn’t mean that you didn’t have a heart. Although very rare, petty thieves were a nuisance, and you swore to help those victims of pitiful want, even if they were the same people who had tormented you long ago.

        You reached a darkened alleyway, and there stood a brunette man trying to steal a blonde woman’s froggy pouch purse. How cliché. You rushed into the alley and separated the man’s hand away from the woman almost inhumanly fast. You knocked him out and immediately pushed the woman out of the alleyway and into the clear street among the crowd while she was still in a state of confusion. Then you tied up the man while he was still dazed as well and left a note in the dirt that read: Greedy Thief. You left quickly to avoid being seen. You could’ve easily stolen that woman’s money, but you had a good heart. It wasn’t right to take what others earned, or seemingly earned, because of something petty. It  was your Thief’s Honor, as you liked to call it.

        As a bonus, along the way back you found some bottles of water left unattended in the mini alley right next to a restaurant, Ichiraku’s. Jackpot!! Food and drink were becoming more scarce to steal lately, meaning you’ve been growing more desperate, so much so in fact that you were about to steal something that was close plain sight. To find a whole pack of water bottles was the biggest miracle out there, and you were not going pass on the opportunity. You reached a hand down to the waters.

        “HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? THAT’S NOT YOURS!!” A high pitched boy’s voice yelled, stopping you in your tracks. No one had ever caught you before. You looked up to see an angry spiky haired blonde with a blue genin band around his forehead. It was that Naruto kid who had the Nine Tailed Fox sealed inside of him. You had seen him being picked on by everyone else, just like you, and had always wanted to talk to him, but you had always too shy and scared of getting hurt again. Fat chance of that ever happening now. Only hesitating for a second longer, you snatched the waters and sprinted into the maze of alleys. “HEY!! COME BACK HERE!!” You glanced quickly over your shoulder to see Naruto on your tail, and you in turn increased your speed.

        He seemed like an enraged bull charging at its target, with the temper of one too. “SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!” You heard him yell his signature move. You knew this jutsu well. After all, you had mastered it as well. Exactly how many clones did he just summon? The next thing you knew, there were Narutos everywhere, zipping overhead from the rooftops all over the place in hot pursuit of you. It was like a Naruto air strike. Is he seriously this mad about me stealing water bottles? You stopped as you reached a dark corner of a house and turned around so that your back now faced the street. You had a special ability of blending in with the shadows that no one could see past. You just had to be patient, and wait for him to calm down and give up.

        Suddenly, you felt a grip on your shoulder that turned you around, and was met with punch to your left cheek. You were pushed back a little by the impact towards the wall, giving Naruto a clear view of your face. You stood there, stunned, with a visibly shocked expression, and Naruto also seemed to be surprised that he just punched someone like you: a skinny and probably weak-looking girl that was around his age, only wearing raggedy clothes consisting of a baggy t-shirt and shorts. Truth-be-told, the punch didn’t affect you that much, because even though you seemed scrawny from your lifestyle, you were very strong due to the many hours spent training. It was the fact that he actually saw which caught you off guard. No one could ever find you once you blended in with the dark, at least, no one was supposed to.

        You felt something warm run down your nose and lips. You raised your left hand up to feel it, then held it out in front of your face, where you saw your blood staining your (S/C) skin. A few more seconds passed, and you smirked. This was turning out to be pretty fun. You realized that you would have to use your most valuable weapons, for once on something other than an inanimate object. You dropped the bottles, raised your hands, and snapped your hands and arms down, forcing the hidden blades out. The sound of metal scraping metal ringed as the blades were revealed. You made fists, crossed your arms, and swiped both blades at his cheeks. You purposefully missed so he would only be stunned and not harmed in any way. You only wanted to make it so he wouldn’t be able to follow you, you had no desire to hurt him. Your plan worked, as he backed away and froze out of shock, and you seized the opportunity to grab some of the waters and flee.

        Naruto didn’t follow you as you arrived back at your ‘home’. You settled down on the old blanket, and finally began to eat your ‘meal’. The noodles were a little cold now, but beggars can’t be choosers, although you weren’t necessarily a beggar. Though, it didn’t bother you too much. This had been your whole life, except getting caught by Naruto concerned you. He was not supposed to see you, your special ability with darkness shouldn’t have allowed it. You had no idea what went wrong, but unfortunately, you could do nothing to change it or what had happened, and continued eating.

        After you finished your ‘meal’, you decided to walk around the village to gather any information about anything. You hid the spare water bottles under the blanket, making it look less suspicious as possible. It was a precaution in case someone happened to pass by while you were out, since. You enjoyed hearing news and gossip, it passed the time, especially since there was no more academy to go to. You had even labeled specific alleyways for such activities. You walked away into your main gossip alleyway, and started listening by tilting your head up to better hear any conversation that was happening. Not too much later, voices came into play.

        “Did you hear, Choji? The Chunin exams are here! People from all the different villages are coming today!” Oh geez, it was Ino. She was someone that sounded bratty and too uptight, to say, for your tastes, along with that Sakura girl too. You usually avoided listening to Ino, but these Chunin exams peaked your curiosity, so you kept your ears pinned on her voice.

        “I know! I heard! I can’t wait to talk about it, after we get some more chips and maybe lunch-“

        “WE JUST HAD LUNCH! THERE’S NO WAY YOU CAN STILL BE THAT HUNGRY! Shikamaru, help me out here!” This is exactly what you meant.

        “Ino, calm down. If Choji’s hungry, Choji’s hungry. We can’t help that.”

        “HMPH!”

        “Anyway, these Chunin exams sound like a total drag, and now we have to deal with more idiots in this village that are probably as worked up as Naruto. I hope we don’t have to meet them or anything. That would be worse than a drag.”

        “Shoosh Shikamaru. It’ll be fun!! We get to meet all KINDS of different people now!” This actually sounds good. You could easily pickpocket these people for food and they definitely wouldn’t even know it. The people of the Leaf Village were on their best guard now because of your past stealings, which is part of the reason it’s become harder to steal. Now that new people are coming, you can have a little fun, and have a feast. Travelers have to have food somewhere on their backs from the journey here. This is just too good. Today will be so much fun!

        You smirked at the thought of a major raid, but it was quickly wiped off your face as you heard Naruto’s screaming voice, thankfully not running towards you, but to Ino’s squad.

        “Guys! Guys! You’ll never believe what just happened to me!”

        “Let me guess, you pranked Sasuke again?”

        “If you touched him so help me Naruto!” That was another thing you hated about Ino, and Sakura as well. They were the most annoying fan girls of Sasuke Uchiha ever. You’ve seen the boy before and couldn’t see why they fell for him. Rude, a snarky attitude, and acting like he’s the best at everything, honestly. But, you knew why he was like this, you knew of the Uchiha incident like everyone else, especially since you had seen a glimpse of it, and you couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards him too.

        “WAIT! NO! NO! I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO SASUKE! DON’T HURT ME!”

        “This is such a drag. What do you want, Naruto?”

        “I almost caught someone stealing water bottles!” Shit.

        “Almost, caught?” Choji questioned.

        “She got away.”

        “NARUTO YOU IDIOT!” You heard a loud clomp, which made you giggle. Ino must have hit Naruto pretty hard. I heard it from here!

        “OW! I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!”

        “She? It was a girl.” Shikamaru suddenly questioned. He seemed to be a little sexist from what you had heard before, but really? This? There was actually a weird tone in his voice, like a detector that was solving a case, and that made you anxious. This is not good.

        “Yeah, but that wasn’t the strangest part. She looked like our age, and she was SUPER fast and quick and, and-“

        “Calm down Naruto. What did she look like?” Does Shikamaru know who I am? Does he know what I look like? Have I made more mistakes than I realized? Oh no.

        “She was shorter than me by a little bit, had (S/C) skin, (H/L) (H/C) hair, and she had (E/C) eyes. And she could blend easily with shadows. It was AWESOME! I could barely even SEE her when I was chasing her, except when she stopped at a corner of a house right by us. I didn’t know she was a girl or that she was our age, so I kinda punched her in the face, but that’s when I could really see her face. She was super skinny, and was super dirty and super old clothes on. Oh, and when she saw blood on her hand she smirked, and I was so scared. She had these things on her arms and she raised them up like this, and these two blade thingies came out! She came at me with them so damn fast, and then she ran away… But there was something strange about her attack.” 

        “Which was?”

        “It seemed like she didn’t want to hit, like she missed on purpose.” I can’t believe he noticed that! How? There may actually be something wrong with me after all! This is not good. It was silent for a few moments.

        “Naruto.” Shikamaru finally answered.

        “Yeah?…”

        “You just did something right for once.”

        “I did- HEY WAIT A MINUTE! WHO SAYS I DID STUFF WRONG BEFORE?”

        “Just shut up and let me explain. Do you realize who you saw earlier, Naruto?”

        “No…”

        “You have just seen, and no less punched, the Shadow Fox.” You heard Choji and Ino gasp, but more so Choji. What the hell- Shadow Fox? I have a name then? Huh, I kinda like it, sounds cool. Wait, that means someone’s seen me before! Oh no no no no no this is not good! I need to find out what people know about me.

        “Who’s the Shadow Fox?”

        “I’ll explain this one.” It was Choji this time, and his tone sounded so dark and angry. It was weird, it wasn’t his style. “She is the most despicable, stealthiest, and worst master thief out there. She’s been stealing food in our village for a long time now. She moves like a fox, and strikes like a shadow. It’s rumored that she was born from the night itself, that she was descended from a great and powerful fox entity. She can use a powerful weapon from a time long forgotten, a time when assassins roamed the streets unseen, called the hidden blades, which Naruto just proved after he described those weapons. She’s also rumored to be a force of good as well. She supposedly takes care of the little thievery around here, as people have claimed. They don’t know for sure, though, but what the victims described as their savior matches the Shadow Fox perfectly.” What the- how did I become a freaking urban legend!? What the shit! I’m a high rank thief, not some super hero or villain! “Honestly, I don’t believe that she helps anyone. I despise her. No one should steal food like that, for any reason!” Wow, someone else hates me now. Great. I do it to survive, asshole. Don’t judge until you know the whole story, which obviously you don’t. And I don’t think the ‘night sky’ gave birth to me, nor am I descended from a fox. Or, I don’t think so. I’m human I’m pretty sure. 

        “Not many people have seen her, let alone get close enough to attack.” Ino added.

        “Wait, what are these hidden blade things?”

        “Those are the weapons you saw her use. The bracer has a blade underneath it that when forced, it slides out and acts as an extension of the arms. It was used by assassins who existed long ago, because no one could see the blades hidden in the bracers, that is, until you became a victim.” Shikamaru explained.

        “Oh.” Was all Naruto said.

        “If what you say is true Naruto, then you just helped out a lot.” Shikamaru butt-in before Choji could continue his demeaning speech about you

        “But, I didn’t catch her.”

        “That’s true, but at least you saw her, and since you’re not supposed to, like Choji said, that means she is in a weakened state, or a mere fraud. It’s the perfect time to catch her.” NO! I’m not a fraud and you shouldn’t try and capture me! You wanted to scream out your frustrations, but you had to keep silent.
        
        “What are we waiting for! We have to tell the Hokage then!” Ino shouted. You were panicking now. If they reported you, what if the Hokage hated you and took your precious weapons away?

        “No. She’ll be alerted to that and possibly move her base. We need to catch her through stealth and through her own game, so she still thinks that she has the upper hand. We just need to be on the lookout from now on. We’ll discuss a better plan later. If somehow any of you see her, follow her and see where she goes. We will catch her one way or another, and Naruto.”

        “Yeah?”

        “Don’t be a drag and mess this up.”

        “HEY I WON’T MESS THE PL-“

        “SSHHH! This is what I mean by mess it up. She could hear your loud mouth a mile away, like everybody else does. Just keep quiet and stick to the current plan. Keep it only between us, don’t tell anyone about this, got it everyone?” Shikamaru whisper yelled.

        “Yes.” All of them whispered in unison. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, probably to split up and search ‘secretively’ for you. You smirked. If only they knew that you were listening the entire time. You would have to keep an eye out for those four, in case they go snooping around where they shouldn’t. 

        You decided to just keep walking down your talking alleyway and continue to listen for more information concerning the Chunin exam travelers, as well as if anyone else could provide more information of what people knew about you. You only received disappointment, only hearing the same stuff as before. You decided to go back to your ‘home’ in case anyone  accidentally found it by now. Thank heavens you had special reserves to help with those situations, and luckily you’ve never used them, and hopefully you never will.

        You turned around and headed back down your talking alley, not realizing that something was about to change your life forever, and it just arrived at the front gate.

*Meanwhile*

Unknown POV

        “We’ve finally arrived at this stupid village. I can’t wait to get this over with.”

        “Yeah, I can’t wait to deal with the brats that live here.” I sensed something faint.

        “Shut up.” 

        “Oh sorry sorry! I didn’t mean deal with deal with, just, you know…”

        “I said, shut up.” There was something different in the air, but what was it? It feels like something is inside this village that’s… interesting. There better be some entertainment here then.

        “We’re sorry, we just-“

        “I told you to shut up for a reason.” They looked at me in confusion. Of course they don’t know. “I sense something in here. Something… different.”

        “Something fun?” I hope so.

        “Just get inside.” I’ll figure out what it is… eventually. 

        I pushed these thoughts aside as we passed the front gate and entered the Leaf Village.
        (A/N: Hello everyone! If you’re from Quotev welcome back I guess? XD It’s been forever since I’ve been able to write again since my Quotev was disabled! Anyways, I’m re-uploading everything on here but I’m taking the time to edit everything before I post it again ((which is gonna take forever but I actually have time this week)). If I’m able to get another Quotev account I’ll let everybody here know and these stories will be back on there then as well. Yes I still want to go back to Quotev even though everything, including my stories and favorites… there were so many O_O, was deleted because hey, I got attached and I still love Quotev. By the way, if my account wasn’t disabled in October my Quoteversary was on January 19th!! ((That means I’ve been on Quotev for a whole year 😀 )) So with that, I’ll see y’all laters ^-^)

 

 

Chapter 12: The Red Deadline Approaches

 

 

        You were still sitting in Schrödinger’s lap, quietly resting your head against his chest, when Rip burst in through the door, startling both you and the cat boy. From your peripheral vision, you could see Rip smirking at your snuggling forms.

        “What do we have here? I didn’t walk in on anything, did I?” She teased. You blushed and tried getting out of Schrödinger’s hold, but his grip on you only tightened. When you looked up, you saw Schrödinger smirking as well.

        “Nothing much. I was just holding my little pet here, Rip. See?” He pulled your now red face closer to him, smothering your blushing cheek to his collarbone. You tried pushing against him, even extending your wings a bit, but you stopped when he leaned in close to your ear. “Stop struggling against your master, Fräulein.” He whispered huskily, his surprisingly warm breaths on your ear sending shivers down your spine. You didn’t want Schrödinger to do anything to you while Rip was there, so you obeyed him. You felt him lick your ear and it, along with the rest of your face and head, burned in embarrassment. Schrödinger looked at Rip with his head leaned against yours in an almost mocking way, as if he was trying to make her jealous that he was the one holding you and not her. You looked to Rip with a pleading expression, hoping she would get the message and help you out. She merely chuckled.

        “As much as this is amusing, Major needs you for something Schrödinger. So tut tut, move along. Give my Lil’ Sis some room.” She smirked, which only made Schrödinger frown and huff.

        “Fine.” He crossed his arms and vanished, leaving you and Rip alone. With him gone, you finally took notice of something behind Rip’s back. You tried leaning around to catch a glimpse of what it was, but you couldn’t see anything.

        “Hey, Big Sis? What’s that behind your back?” She grinned.

        “A surprise.” You looked curiously.

        “What kind of surprise?”

        “The one where you close your eyes. Now.” You sighed, and wanting to see whatever she had as fast as possible, you did as she asked. You felt her sit down next to you on the bed. “Now you can open them.” You slowly opened your eyes, and there before you in Rip’s lap, was what you recognized as Doctor’s laptop which you had seen before in his lab. Rip laughed at your surprised reaction.

        “How’d you get it?” You asked.

        “Remember when I said stealing was bad?”

        “Yeah.”

        “Rules were made to be broken.” You laughed, and she opened the laptop. “And now, you can show me your favorite music, like you wanted to!” You looked at her with an excited grin.

        “Yes! Well come on! Give me the computer already!” You snatched the laptop out of Rip’s hands, which earned a chuckle from her, and immediately searched up all of your favorite songs.

        That was all you two did the rest of the night, listening to your favorite songs, laughing, and having a good time with your Big Sis. As you went through each song, surprisingly, Rip actually liked them. She said that they were different than what she usually listens to, but they were catchy nonetheless. 

        “This one always makes me really tired for some reason, but who cares now. Here.” You clicked the ‘play’ button, and began to sing and hum along with the song.

Noble Maiden Fair: (By Patrick Doyle, performed by Emma Thompsan and Peigi Barker)
A naoidhean bhig
Cluinn mo ghuth
Mise ri d’ thaobh
O mhaighdean bhan
Ar righinn og
Fas as faic
Do thir, dileas fhein
A ghrian a’s a ghealaich
Stuir sinn
Gu uair ar cliu’s ar gloire
Naoidhean bhig
Ar righinn og
Mhaighdean uashaill bhan

Little baby
Hear my voice
I’m beside you
O maiden fair
Our young lady
Grow and see
Your land, your own faithful land
Sun and moon
Guide us
To the hour of our glory and honor
Little baby
Our young lady
Noble maiden fair

        As you finished the song, your eyes began to droop, and you rested your head on Rip’s shoulder. A little yawn escaped your mouth, and you felt Rip chuckle.

        “This really does make you tired, huh?”

        “Really, haven’t noticed.” You mumbled sarcastically, as your eyes closed, and you let sleep take over your exhausted form.

 
3rd Person POV

        As your chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, Rip smiled to herself. She wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer to her, making sure that you wouldn’t fall off of the bed anytime soon.

        “Sleep tight, Lil Sis.” She whispered so as not to wake you up. Suddenly, she felt another presence in the room.

        “I believe you have what is rightfully mine.” Rip turned her head to the sound of the new voice and smirked.

        “Schrödinger. I was wondering when you’d get here. You’re a little late.” Said cat boy was sitting on top of his dresser, returning Rip’s smirk with his usual devilish one.

        “I got here when my Fräulein began her beautiful singing.” He paused. “But yes, preparations did take longer than expected, with someone not there like she should have been.” Rip chuckled.

        “Well, I was a bit… busy, as you can see.” She said, gesturing to you. Schrödinger suddenly appeared behind your form, and as gently and fast as he could, lifted you away from Rip’s shoulder, and appeared back in front of her.

        “And now you’re not.” She snorted.

        “Jealous, much?” Just as he was about to counter back, Doctor burst through the door, and he wasn’t happy in the slightest at seeing his laptop in Rip’s hands.

        “I knew it! I knew one of you took it!! You little-!” 

        “SHHH!!” Schrödinger and Rip shushed him simultaneously. “She’s sleeping!” They both whisper yelled.

        “I don’t ca-“

        “SHHH!!” They both looked at you to see if you were still asleep, and luckily, you were. Doctor only groaned in displeasure at their behavior.

        “Fine. Why did you take my laptop Winkle!?” He whisper yelled through clenched teeth. As he did this, Rip started to discreetly delete the evidence that you and her were listening to music. She still made eye contact with Doctor, to make sure that he wouldn’t get suspicious. However, Doctor was not so easily fooled. “What are you doing?”

        “Nothing.” Rip quickened her pace as Doctor walked over and snatched the laptop out of her hands. He scanned the screen for anything, but found no evidence that you nor Rip did anything with it. She had succeeded.

        “You seem puzzled, Doctor. Is there something wrong?” Rip asked in a faux voice. Doctor looked at his laptop furiously, getting angrier by the minute.

        “I know you and that girl were messing around with this!” Schrödinger smirked.

        “Doctor, I believe they say, prove it.” Doctor growled and turned around, walking out of the room.

        “Just don’t touch my stuff again!” He yelled as he stomped through the hallway, biting his finger in anger. Schrödinger and Rip chuckled, but not too loudly to disturb you.

        “I should be going. I think that we’re all… tired, right Schrödinger?” She smirked, and Schrödinger returned it.

        “I guess we are.” Rip nodded her head, and walked out the door, leaving Schrödinger and you alone in his room, still in his arms. He admired your form for a few moments, then lifted you up higher and nuzzled into your neck. “You have a beautiful voice, my pet.” He whispered. He could smell your familiar and unique scent of watermelon and sweet forestry clearly. He carried you over to the bed and gently layed you down. He appeared on his own side of the bed, and continued to marvel at your peaceful face as you softly breathed in and out. He eventually couldn’t help himself, and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to his body and resting his forehead against your own. Being snuggled up so close to your warm body immediately pulled Schrödinger into a deep peaceful sleep, and he subconsciously pulled you closer to him.

 
Your POV

        As you felt yourself start to wake up from a dreamless sleep, you detected some kind of warm pressure on your head. Your eyes slowly lifted themselves open only to see and feel Schrödinger’s face lightly on top of yours. Your eyes instantly opened all the way, and you tried to move away from him, but something kept you in place. You looked down to see Schrödinger’s arms holding your waist, pressing your body to his. You blushed and tried to struggle your way out of his grip as quietly and as slowly as you could so as not to wake him, but despite your efforts, you had woken him up without realizing it. He opened his eyes to see what had disturbed him, and found that you were trying to wiggle away from him. He closed his eyes again and smiled. He hugged you tighter against him so you couldn’t escape, and layed his head on your cheek to lessen your movements.

        Your blush only increased, as you thought that he was doing all of this in his sleep. You tried to escape a bit more, but he would always tighten his grip the more you moved, so you eventually gave up and lay there motionless, hoping that he would wake up soon and let you go. You heard chuckling, and your face paled, as you realized he had already been awake for probably the whole time.

        “Good evening to you too Fräulein.” He purred. You blushed even more, and he must’ve felt the heat on your cheek, as he chuckled again and licked the flushed spot. You cringed a little at the surprising touch, which only amused Schrödinger more. He moved his head over yours so that his nose reached your hair, and he took in as much of your intoxicating scent as he could. “Just a few more minutes.” He sighed, his warm exhales of breath hitting your neck. You didn’t flinch or struggle this time. Instead, liking the sound of more relaxation time, you rested your eyes and pressed your head up against his shoulder. 

        For once, you could smell his unique scent, and it was nice, although almost indescribable. His cat fur had a strong scent to it, while his human skin was light, and you detected a hint of strawberry, grape, and, weirdly, hickory. It was comforting nonetheless, and you snuggled up more against him. You heard a purr rumble from his chest, and before long, you felt his head press down more on your face, signaling that he had fallen asleep. So much for just a few minutes.

        You sighed, and accepted the fact that you were going to be laying there now for longer than you hoped. Schrödinger was oddly comfortable though, and you found that you were growing tired yourself. Your eyelids lowered, until sleep overtook you once more.

 

        You eventually woke up to being scratched behind your ears. With a tired groan, you forced your eyes open to see what was disturbing you from a nice sleep. You felt like you were sitting up for some reason, with your head leaned against something hard and your arms down at your sides. You didn’t know how you got this way, but you were more concerned with your ears being scratched, which was the source of your rude awakening.

        The more you opened your eyes and groaned, the more you could hear chuckling, and feel something vibrating behind you. As your vision cleared, you stared up at piercing, mischievous pink eyes, and instantly realized that your head was on Schrödinger’s chest.

        You tried to push yourself off of him, but his arms held you securely against him. You blushed and whimpered, which made Schrödinger laugh.

        “And where do you think you’re going, Fräulein?” You glared at him, and he smirked. “Aw, what’s wrong? Something bothering you?” He asked sarcastically.

        “What do you think.” You grumbled tiredly. However, Schrödinger didn’t miss the embarrassment you let slip through your voice.

        “You’re staying right here, whether you like it or not.” He purred. You rolled your eyes.

        “Whatever.” You breathed out as your eyes started to close. He quickly, and repeatedly, tapped your cheeks and head, which kept you from falling asleep. 

        “No no no Fräulein. You can’t fall asleep.” You groaned.

        “Why the hell not?” You asked as your eyelids lowered, which earned you another annoying tap on the cheek. Schrödinger chuckled at your grumpy state.

        “First, you haven’t eaten in a while.” At the thought of food, your stomach growled, which you blushed at. He smirked triumphantly. “And, we both have work today.” You raised a tired eyebrow.

        “What kind of ‘work’ do I have?”

        “Easy work.” You snorted.

        “Thanks for elaborating.” You said sarcastically, while accidentally closing your eyes. He flicked your forehead with his gloved hand, which surprisingly hurt more than you expected. “Ow!”

        “I said that you can’t fall asleep.”

        “It would’ve helped if I’d have woken up on my own in the first place, plus the fact that I’m leaning against you isn’t helping either.” He suddenly smirked, and going over what you said in your mind, you realized you made a horrible mistake.

        “Oh, are you saying I’m comfortable, my pet?” He asked mischievously. You scoffed.

        “You know what I mean.”

        “Yes, you’re right. I do.” He purred. You sighed in annoyance, not in the mood to play one of his games. With another smirk, he started to sit up from the headboard, while pushing you up along with him so that you weren’t leaning on him anymore. Right when he had sat you up straight, you collapsed onto his chest from your tiredness. He pushed you back up right away and shook your shoulders a little to wake up, which made you a bit dizzy.

        “Can’t I just sleep for a little longer?” You whined.

        “Like I said already, we have work tonight, and you need to eat.”

        “What if I refuse to ‘work’ tonight.” You asked confidently. His smirk widened, and he leaned in close to your ear, where he purposefully made sure you felt his warm yet chilling breaths on your neck.

        “I suggest you do what your master tells you to do. And right now, I say you stay awake and cooperate.” You growled softly, but no matter how rebellious you felt, you didn’t want to deal with another ‘punishment’ from him, so you kept your mouth shut otherwise. You still needed to gain more of his trust as well in order for you to escape, which that day was coming up soon.  You could see his smirk widen next to your ear. “Good girl.” He cooed.

        You turned your head away from him, feeling too embarrassed to face him. Schrödinger grabbed your chin and forced you to look into his eyes. He chuckled at seeing your hardened gaze. “I know what can help keep you awake.” You gave him a confused look, wondering what was going on through his head. He smirked deviously, and all of a sudden, you felt a jab to your sides. He was… tickling you.

        You were pinned to the bed with your hips being straddled so you couldn’t kick him off, which your legs were desperately trying to do. Your wings automatically tried to unfold, but the weight of him pushing on your back kept your wings from stretching out all the way. You closed your eyes as you laughed hysterically. You tried to block his hands as best as you could, desperately trying to stop his torture, but your attempts were fruitless as he kept tickling you all over. Finally you couldn’t take it anymore, and you pleaded for him to stop.

        “STOP STOP! HAHA!! I’M UP I’M UP!! HAHAHA!! I WON’T FALL ASLEEP I SWEAR JUST- HAHA- STOP!! PLEASE!!” He ignored your pleading at first, but a few moments later he stopped and set his hands on your shoulders. You panted heavily, and Schrödinger laughed to himself at your hysteric and exhausted state. Your blissful smile slowly lowered into a tired frown, and your eyes began to open as well. “Don’t…do that… again.” You managed to say through gasps of breaths. Schrödinger devil smirked and lowered his head down to yours.

        “Last time I checked, you don’t tell me what to do, my pet. I’ll do whatever I want.” You quietly growled. “Plus, watching you squirm and writhe beneath me, it was very… amusing.” He purred huskily. You blushed and looked away from him. He could be so infuriating, and it sucked that you couldn’t do anything about it, less risk your plans for escape. Despite this he giggled at something. “I never realized that you were so ticklish though, Fräulein. Maybe I can use that to my advantage again.” He teased. Your muscles tensed at the thought of being tickled again.

        “Please don’t.” You begged.

        “What’s that? You’re begging me now?” He looked at you with mock surprise. You twitched your lip in annoyance, and remained silent. He glanced down at your embarrassed form and smiled. “I guess you just need to behave, then, Fräulein, and I won’t tickle you again.” You turned your now annoyed gaze back to him. He chuckled, leaned down, and gave you an Eskimo kiss. You blushed and scrunched your nose in response. That, you were not expecting, and you were sure he knew it. He smiled, and lifted you up into his lap, where he leaned you against his chest and pet your hair. At first you tried to get away, but he kept holding you tighter the more you moved, so you gave up, and obediently rested your head against his chest, waiting for whatever ‘work’ you would be forced to do.

        A couple hours passed, and you still had not left for whatever they had planned for you. You and Schrödinger had been laying down and relaxing the whole time, and somehow you kept ending up in different positions, since apparently a certain cat boy got uncomfortable very easily. That, or he was just trying to annoy you At one point your head was on his lap as he was up against the headboard, another time he was laying across your stomach, another you were both hanging off the edge of the bed, and now you were just sitting next to him shoulder to shoulder.

        “You comfortable yet?” You mumbled sarcastically.

        “I was always comfortable, Fräulein.” He replied nonchalantly.

        “Then why do you keep moving me around?” He shrugged.

        “I was bored, of course.” He stated, as if it was obvious.

        “I thought you said I had some kind of ‘work’ today.”

        “You do.” 

        “Then why haven’t I done it yet?”

        “I might’ve, accidentally… woken us up too early.” You scoffed.

        “You think?” You grumbled sarcastically.

        “No, I don’t just think. I know.” You groaned, and now hung yourself off the edge of the bed.

        “It’s called sarcasm, and we’ve just been laying here for two freaking hours not doing anything!” He popped his head over the edge of the bed and smirked down at you.

        “And what’s so bad about spending time alone with your master?” He asked in a mockingly hurt tone.

        “When you’re doing nothing for two hours.” His smirk widened, and you dreaded what he was about to say next.

        “So you’re saying if we were doing something else, you’d like it? That you’d like being with me?” I knew it.

        “Ugh. I don’t feel like dealing with this.”

        “Dealing with what?” He asked teasingly. You groaned again, and he looked like he was about to say something, but he suddenly looked serious. His ears twitched to the side, almost like he heard something. You tilted your own ears to see if you could hear anything, but you heard nothing in particular that seemed out of place. All of a sudden, you were lifted up by your tail, now dangling from Schrödinger’s hand in the air.

        “Now we get to go to your ‘work’.” He smirked.

        “Why did you pick me up by my tail!? This hurts!!”

        “How else was I going to get you off the side of the bed?”

        “You could’ve just asked!” He playfully grinned, and let go of your tail, causing you to fall headfirst onto the floor.

        “Oopsies.” He said with a fake apologetic tone. He hopped off the bed and looked down at you. “You’re not hurt are you, Fräulein?” He asked with taunting voice. You clutched your now sore ears.

        “What do you think?” He smirked.

        “Well, consider this as a punishment then.”

        “For what!?” You asked while rubbing your head. He walked over to where your leash was tied on the bedpost, and untied it.

        “For trying to tell me what to do earlier.” You glared at him, but saw the leash in his hand, and you realized what he was doing.

        “Are you going to walk me there on the leash?” You asked worriedly. He smirked deviously.

        “Well, you are my pet. Why wouldn’t I walk you on a leash?” He teased. You looked at him with pleading puppy eyes, practically begging him to not embarrass you like this. “You know, if you prefer, I could…” You looked up at him expectantly, hoping that he would offer you some kind of deal. “Carry you there.” Your face fell as he finished his sentence, and you backed up against the bed.

        “I choose neither.” He ‘tsked’.

        “That’s not a choice Fräulein.”

        “Please?”

        “Come on. Up.” He pulled on your leash, which forced you to stand up. You crossed your arms and looked away from him.

        “This is so embarrassing.” You mumbled. He walked up to you and grabbed your chin, forcing you to look into his eyes.

        “You’re going with the leash on, or I’m going to carry you. Your choice.” You snorted.

        “You’re not carrying me.” He smirked and let go of your chin.

        “Aww, I was hoping you’d want me to.”  You scoffed.

        “As if.” Schrödinger playfully shrugged his shoulders.

        “Oh well then.” He tugged on the leash, which pulled you forward and choked you a bit, making him smirk. “I guess this is just as good.” He said as if he was only mildly disappointed.

        “Can we just get this over with already?” You grumbled, while Schrödinger started to walk towards the door, pulling you with him.

        “Yes, we can.” You rolled your eyes, and walked behind Schrodinger.

        You hadn’t been outside of the room in days, and the only other places you had been to on the zeppelin were your old cell and Doctor’s lab. You didn’t even know the way to those two rooms, since you had been drugged when Schrödinger carried you through the hallways before. This was possibly your only chance to memorize at least some of the layout of the zeppelin so you could plan your escape route.

        You stared at plain dark green walls that split off into two paths, right and left. You headed down the right one, where you could see a single left turn in the middle of it, which, from what you could see, looked the same as the hallway you were in now. This whole zeppelin is gonna be like a maze! You cursed internally. Navigating through this ship is gonna be harder than I thought.

        You both made the left turn and, just as you predicted, this hallway looked the same as the last. You were trying to make a mental map of the hallways, when you barely missed the figure approaching you and Schrödinger. However, you finally saw the familiar concealed uniform, grey hair, and red eyes. It was the other man, besides Major, who you saw in your room the night you were kidnapped. But something seemed different about him, and you kept sensing it the closer you and him approached each other.

 
Schrödinger POV

        Oh no. Was all I could think as Captain continued to approach us. If she finds out that she’s a… then we’re… My thoughts were going a million miles an hour as his footsteps got closer and closer. Please don’t please don’t please don’t.

 
Your POV 

        The strange man kept getting closer and closer. Something in the back of your head felt like it was trying to tell you something, but you couldn’t figure out what. Strangely, it felt almost like something that was lost to you was trying to return in a sense, but you couldn’t exactly describe it. As you two were passing each other, the man stopped right next to you, and you stopped as well, keeping your eyes trained forward, just as he was doing. Pure silence was all that followed.

 
Schrödinger POV

        This was exactly what Major didn’t want happening. A confrontation between them could ruin our plans. They picked the worst time to call us down. Captain looked like he was trying to restrain himself from telling her the best he could, but the fact that he was now standing next to her meant that he couldn’t keep himself together anymore. As I was about to pull her away from him, something extraordinary happened…

 
Your POV

        You saw out of the corner of your eyes that the man was now gazing down at you. You would’ve glared at him, but his eyes stopped you from doing so. They held a soft look to them, and you couldn’t help but simply stare back at them.

        You both stayed like that for a few silent moments, only looking into each others’ eyes. His were interesting. They seemed to be holding back some kind of strong emotion or action, like he was keeping some kind of secret, but you couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe that’s why his eyes drew you in, the mystery behind them was making you curious the more you looked at them.

        He suddenly turned and faced you, with you following suit, not knowing what else to do. He slowly kneeled down, put one hand on the floor and the other on his bent knee, and lowered his head, closing his eyes. He was bowing to you. You tilted your head out of confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. The thing that bothered you was that he was bowing like a knight would to their king, or rather in this instance, queen. It was slightly unsettling, and you didn’t know why he was doing this.

        You still didn’t know what to make of this situation, and continued to stand there, motionless. Finally, that nagging feeling at the back of your head came back, and you suddenly knew what to do. You stepped forward, so that you were about a half an arm’s length away, and got down on both of your knees. You cupped both of his cheeks with your hands, slowly brought both of your foreheads together, and closed your eyes.

        He was a werewolf. That was what you saw, or rather, sensed. He was sending some kind of signals to you that you could sense, just from the light touch you two were sharing. You didn’t exactly know how, but you weren’t too concerned with it at the moment. In addition to knowing what he was, you also sensed his emotions. He felt happy to see you… again, and wished that he was there for you more when he discovered you still existed. It was like he knew you even before you had met. But that wasn’t the most surprising thing. He felt inferior to you, and he accepted it. He wouldn’t let you sense why, or delve deeper into his mind. It was like there was a wall that blocked you off from certain points, and he was sorry for it. You didn’t try to press any further, since that would be like a forceful invasion to his mind, which you found immoral and wrong to do. You did get a name though, or at least, the one he wanted you to know. Captain.

        You opened your eyes in an instant, all of that information flashed before you overwhelmingly fast. You were greeted with red eyes already staring back at you, full of what looked like some kind of satisfaction and… hope. There was a new understanding between you two, and it felt like you had some kind of connection.

        You stared at each other for awhile, drowning in the other’s thoughts and feelings, until something told you that it was time to move. You slowly rose to your feet, with Captain following not too far behind, and the whole time it was like he wouldn’t move until you did. He stared down at you, still full of the same strange new emotions he had shown you, which you returned with a confused and amazed stare of your own. Eventually, he bowed his head to you once more, and you did as well. He blinked, and reluctantly turned away from you. Your eyes followed him in a trance-like state, as he made his way down the direction you had just been walking from.

        Schrödinger, who you had forgotten was there the whole time, watched, observing both of your movements with a seemingly stoic expression. Though you swore you saw a bit of shock present in his eyes. As Captain passed by him, they both glanced at each other with narrowed eyes, but the both of them instantly looked away after a couple seconds. You watched as Captain’s form got smaller the farther he continued down the hallway, leaving you to your still shocked and confused thoughts.

 
Schrödinger POV

        I couldn’t believe what I saw. I never thought that would happen if they met. Her powers are unbelievable. Their connection was plain to see, even though neither said a word to each other. Wait… does she know who she is now? No. I don’t think so. It doesn’t feel like it, but still. My first priority was getting her to Major and Doctor first. I have to tell one of them when we got there.

        When Captain finally walked away from her and came towards me I didn’t spare him a glance, until he narrowed his eyes at me, which I returned with a quick glare of my own. I knew exactly what he meant by that little look, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to take it. There is no way that I would hurt her, so shove it up your ass flea bag. I wouldn’t deal with him in front of her, though. Not right now. There were more pressing matters at hand that I needed to take care of. I started walking towards my Fräulein’s still form.
 

Your POV

        You were so focused on Captain’s retreating form that you didn’t see Schrödinger walking towards you, nor did you realize that you were being picked up, until it was too late. When you noticed that your feet weren’t touching the ground, you saw that Schrödinger had lifted you up bridal style, and you immediately tried to escape from his hold.

        “What the hell!? Put me down!”

        “We have to get to Major as fast as we can now, since that little… delay happened.” He said monotonously.

        “I thought we agreed that I could walk!” You felt his chest vibrate from a slight chuckle.

        “Plans change.” He leaned in close to your ear. “Besides, I prefer it this way~” He purred, and you saw him crack a smirk. You blushed and continued to struggle out of his hold, but knowing from earlier that you wouldn’t be able to escape him, you stopped, and let him carry you. His smirk widened at your obedience.

 

        When he carried you all the way to a door bigger than all the others you’ve seen so far, you took the opportunity to slip out of his arms, which you were successful at. You huffed, showing that you were glad that you had gotten away from him, which only earned a smirk from Schrödinger.

        “We’re here anyways, Fräulein. Don’t act so victorious.”

        “I’m already embarrassed enough as it is with this stupid leash on. I don’t need you carrying me to wherever the hell we are.” He walked up to you and ruffled your hair, which you growled at.

        “Trust me. You have nothing to lose.” He whispered into your ear. You rolled your eyes.

        “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” He grinned, and pushed the giant door open. You could see in the large room that Major, Doctor, Zorin, and Rip were talking to each other. I didn’t think Big Sis or Zorin would be here. Wait, why is she here? I thought she hated me… At the sound of the door closing, everyone looked at you and Schrödinger entering. Major, Doctor, and Zorin smirked at seeing you on a leash, while Rip just smiled and rushed over to where you were. She suddenly engulfed you in a bear hug and squeezed the life out of you.

        “Hello Lil’ Sis! It’s so wonderful to see you again!” She was so cheery and bubbly that she didn’t realize you were being choked under her hold.

        “Can’t–breathe–” You managed to gasp through short breathes of air. When she realized that she was squeezing you too hard, she quickly let you go with a sheepish grin, and you panted for much needed air. “What were you trying to do?” You panted some more. “Kill me?”

        “Whoopsies, I forgot you still need to breathe.” You rolled your eyes.

        “Yeah, thanks.” You said sarcastically.

        “Ah Fräulein. What a pleasure it is to see you again.” Oh no, just great. You knew that high pitched voice anywhere. You internally groaned. I hate this shitty place.

        “And it’s not a pleasure to see you, Major.” You growled out. You felt a little tug on your collar, and you sent a warning glare behind you to a smirking Schrödinger. Major chuckled.

        “I see your pet is quite secured, Warrant Officer.” You moved your hateful glare from Schrödinger to Major’s ever smirking form and growled softly, earning another, slightly harsher tug on your collar. Not wanting the choking to escalate any further, you just glared back at Schrödinger and crossed your arms over your chest, silently waiting for whatever they had planned for you to start. You heard Zorin trying to contain her laughter as she watched your helpless state, which started to tick you off. “Already disciplined as well, hm? Interesting.” That was what made you snap. You were about to charge at Major and attack him, but two arms snaked around your waist and just above your chest.

        “I would settle down if I were you, Fräulein .” Schrödinger purred into your ear, stopping you from your almost outburst. “Unless you want a punishment later, that is.” Zorin, Doctor, and Major were smirking at this, and you blushed at the embarrassing situation. Rip made it worse by doing a terrible job at hiding her amused giggles. You squirmed a little in Schrödinger’s arms, trying to tell him to let you go and that you’d behave. After realizing that you wouldn’t try anything again, he slowly removed his arms from you, leaving cold tingling spots of where his hands had been, to your discomfort.

        “Doctor, you may begin your experiments now.” You glared at Doctor and Major, but tensed at the word ‘experiments’. Your mind immediately conjured up images dissection and other kinds of scientific torture. You were too distracted by your thoughts that you didn’t notice Doctor approach you and take the leash from Schrödinger, until you felt a huge pull on your neck that dragged you over towards where Doctor was now walking to.

        “Come on, girl. I don’t have all night.” You huffed, but nevertheless followed Doctor as he led you to a side room you hadn’t noticed until now. From what you could see, it looked almost like an interrogation room you’d see on TV, just that it was empty, besides the light yellow walls and floor, and a big glass window. 

        As you were about to enter, you overheard whispers coming from across the room. You saw Schrödinger talking to Major about something, and they were both glancing at you while they were whispering to each other. Whatever they were talking about, you wanted to know, since it was most likely about you, but you were too quickly pulled into the bright room by Doctor to try and figure out what they were saying.
 

Schrödinger POV

        “Major, we may have a problem.” 

        “Oh, and what would that be?” He asked with amusement lingering in his voice.

        “We had a little ‘run in’ with Captain on the way here.” He looked at me with curiosity.

        “And what happened?”

        “I don’t honestly know. Captain started bowing to her, and then she got on her knees and touched their foreheads. They didn’t say anything to each other, but something happened. I can’t exactly explain it.” He chuckled.

        “And what did she find out?” I glanced at her, only to see a glimpse of her curious (E/C) eyes before she disappeared into the room with Doctor.

        “I don’t know.” Major hummed for a second.

        “She still hasn’t got a clue. Silly girl. Captain didn’t let her see anything, and she won’t question why. Warrant Officer Schrödinger, the only one who knew what happened was Captain himself. No, I say we don’t have a problem at all.” I wouldn’t underestimate her though. I wanted to tell him that so badly, but I somehow had a feeling that Major already knew this. He proceeded to walk over to the glass to observe her, and I followed.

 
Your POV

        Doctor tied your leash to a hook that was on the wall when you entered the room, most likely to keep you at bay for whatever he was going to do, and then crossed over to the other side of the room. Smart. Real smart. Lucky that I can’t reach you. He pulled out a clipboard and pen from behind his back, and started to speak.

        “Now, girl. I want to see if you can transform again. So go ahead, and let’s see if you can.” Wait, what? You shot him a confused look. What does he mean by ‘transform again’?

        “What’re you talking about?”

        “You don’t remember?”

        “Remember what?” He tapped the pen he was holding on his chin.

        “Interesting.” He muttered while writing something down on the clipboard. “What do you remember when you… woke up, the previous night?” You mean, that? Uhh. You felt a headache creeping up the back of your head, and you reached your hand up to cover it.

        “I remember feeling ‘different’, I guess?” You rubbed your head, trying to remember more, but the headache instantly became worse the more you tried, and you winced at the pain. Doctor seemed to notice, and wrote something down.

        “Then try feeling that way again.” The problem you had with that was, you weren’t sure if you could. You couldn’t even remember past a certain number of things that night without your new headache hurting worse. I don’t even know what I ‘transformed’ into, much less how I apparently did it. How does he expect me to turn into something I can barely even remember?

        “Girl. Pay attention.” You blinked your eyes at Doctor’s voice, which snapped you back to reality. You must’ve spaced out, but you were slightly ticked that he was just calling you ‘girl’. You crossed your arms over your chest.

        “I have a name, you know.” You mumbled.

        “Just do it, girl.” Doctor groaned, and you growled, but quickly stopped. Remember, the sooner I try, the sooner I leave, I think… I hope. With this in mind, you closed your eyes and thought of when you felt ‘different’ that night, and concentrated only on that. Suddenly, you saw a flash of red through your closed eyelids, and just as quickly, you fell onto all fours. You immediately opened your eyes to see that you had transformed, just like Doctor said.

        The first thing you saw was a snout extending out from where your mouth used to be. You ran your now abnormally long tongue across your new sharp canines and moist nose. You looked down to see your furry black and red paws with real claws instead of mere sharpened nails. You turned your head around to see that your tail and wings had gotten bigger, and that your new body was now covered in black fur. You looked back at Doctor, who you could now smell more strongly, and see new minor details of him with your eyes that you had missed before.

        You didn’t know whether to feel amazed or scared. On one hand, you could transform into a winged wolf. On the other, you don’t know how you could do this or why. Just what the hell am I?

        “So you can, good.” You pointed your now bigger ears to the sound of Doctor’s voice on reflex. As Doctor wrote something on his clipboard, you realized something that was important. You felt stronger in this form than you were in your human form. I can use this form to escape! If I’m stronger now, then leaving here will be so much easier than in ‘human’ form. I can’t believe I just thought that. And wow, they’re basically helping me escape! Hmph, they won’t know what hit them. You stopped yourself from smirking, as you remembered that Major and the others were probably watching you, and seeing you smirk would let them know that you were planning something. “Now, can you change back?” Doctor snapped you out of your thoughts.

        Once again you closed your eyes and concentrated on ‘feeling different’, only this time you focused on your human form. You saw another flash of red, and you felt yourself standing on two legs again. You looked down to see that you were human again, or at least, in human form. Doctor, satisfied, tossed you something. You caught the object, and saw that it was a water bottle.

        “Drink it. It’s for the next test.” You rose an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless opened the bottle and drank it. The ice cold water sliding down your dry throat felt wonderful, and you instantly started taking bigger gulps. You finished the water in a matter of seconds, and you squeezed the plastic bottle and let it drop to the floor. Doctor then hit a button on the wall which made an opening in the floor. A platform rose, revealing a plate with something huge and red. From where you were, you could smell that it was some kind of meat. But it wasn’t just any meat. It was raw.

        “What is that?”

        “Transform again and eat it.” You stood there dumbfounded. You were NOT going to eat meat that you had never seen before. Plus, you didn’t know if he put anything ‘special’ in it, so to say.

        “What’d you put in it?”

        “Nothing. Just eat it.”

        “What type of meat is it?”

        “The one you’re going to eat.” You crossed your arms.

        “Why do I have to ‘transform’ again?”

        “Because I said so, and because the sooner you do, the sooner you and me get out of here.” He said impatiently. As much as he was annoying, he had a point, which you hated. Begrudgingly, you obeyed his orders and concentrated on transforming into a full wolf again. You tried it without closing your eyes this time, and surprisingly it worked, but this time you didn’t see any flash of red, which was weird. Not thinking about it too much, you walked up to the plate of raw meat, sniffed it for anything suspicious to be safe, and hesitantly took a bite out of the meat.

        It tasted… different, but it was still good. In fact, it was really good. You felt your stomach rumble, and for the first time in a few days, you realized how hungry you actually were. You were starving. Suddenly, you looked at the meat with a newfound hunger, and the next thing you knew, you lost control.

 
Schrödinger POV

        I was watching my pet, along with Rip, Major, and Zorin, when all of the sudden, she started to get a crazy look in her eyes as she took a bite out of the meat. She looked at the meat a second time, and started to not just eat it, but devour it. She was tearing at the flesh like a real wild animal, with blood splattering the floor and walls. The more she consumed the shreds of meat, the more blood dripped from her mouth, and the more it stained her black fur around her muzzle and sharp teeth red. Her eyes grew bloodshot, and she gave a viscous look at anything she saw. The sight was simply beautiful. She was beautiful.

        I just stood there, watching her intently. I could hear my barely working heart thumping a little faster than it usually did, and I felt like I was drooling over the sight of her. It wasn’t until Rip closed my mouth shut that I snapped out of my trance. She snickered.

        “Close your mouth. You’ll catch flies.” She winked.

        “I don’t care about silly flies. They don’t bother me at all.” I said smugly.

        “They’ll eventually build nests in your mouth, though, if you keep staring at my Lil’ Sis like that.” She smirked, but I returned it.

        “And how was I ‘looking’ at her?”

        “Like you wanna pounce on her and eat her up!” She giggled like a child, and I crossed my arms.

        “I can look at my pet however I want.” She giggled again.

        “So you’re not denying it?” I looked at her questioningly.

        “Denying what?”

        “That you like her.”

        “Of course I like her! She’s not Doctor, you know.”

        “I mean like like her.” I huffed.

        “What are we? Silly little human children again? I don’t ‘like like’ her like that.”

        “Look! She’s bathing in Doctor’s blood right now!” I grinned.

        “Really!? Let me see!” I turned around eagerly, only to sadly see Doctor still alive. However, my pet was still biting at the chunk of meat that was now almost gone, and even more blood dripped from her mouth than before. It was so beautiful I couldn’t help but stare-

        “Ha! I knew it! You knew I lied but you kept looking at her anyway!” I blinked, and glared at Rip.

        “That doesn’t mean anything!”

        “You like like her!” She said in a sing song voice.

        “I don’t like her like that.”

        “Do so.”

        “Do not.”

        “Do so.”

        “Do not.”

        “Do. So!”

        “Do. Not!”

        “Will the both of you knock it off already? You’re behaving like stupid children.” We both turned to see Zorin with her arms folded, and a somewhat annoyed glare directed at the both of us. She turned and looked back at the glass to observe my Fräulein, which confused me, and probably Rip too. 

        “And why are you looking at her like that?” Rip asked. I was right. I’m not the only one who noticed. Zorin hummed, but eventually answered us in a quiet voice.

        “Maybe I underestimated her, just a bit.” I looked at Rip, and we both smirked, knowing what we were both thinking. We turned back to Zorin with smug faces.

        “So, you admit she’s not weak now?” Rip asked her. Zorin scowled in response.

        “I never said that. I meant that maybe she’s a little stronger than she looks.” I chuckled.

        “Do you think you can beat my Fräulein in a fight then?” Zorin scoffed.

        “Of course I could. I don’t even need my scythe to do it.” 

        “OK then. How about a match between you and her. Tomorrow night.” She gave me a hard stare.

        “Fine, if you’ll shut up for once.”

        “If we win,” Rip interjected, “then we get to brag about it for a whole week.”

        “If I win, then you two leave me alone after I say I told you so at the end of it.” I looked at Rip, and we both nodded.

        “Deal.” I said. A loud growl drew us back to the glass, where my Fräulein was in an attack stance, her wings outstretched, ready to strike. She stared at Doctor, who didn’t look afraid at all, with a dangerous glint in her rage filled wild eyes. Wow. That was all I could think as I stared at her beautiful form. A few drops of saliva dripped from her muzzle, and her fur and even feathers were starting to frizz. Major chuckled.

        “And this is why, you do not starve a wolf you can not control, you three.” He chuckled again. “I wonder if this time, the wolf will get her sheep.” Just as he said that, she started to wobble, and her eyes started to lose their rage and regain their more natural (E/C) color. She managed to stand up straight from her previous stance, and started to transform back into her human form. “Hm. Maybe not.”

 
Your POV

        You felt like you had just woken up from a dreamless sleep, only you now had a splitting headache even worse than the one you had earlier. You knew you were back in your human form, since you could feel your tense and shaky knees and your arm that instinctively clutched your hurting head. You closed your eyes and tried to focus on anything but the pain, but it didn’t work.

        “Do you remember what just happened a minute ago?” You heard Doctor ask you. Of course you remembered what happened, even though it was a little vague. You still had some control over your body, it’s just that the more you tried to remember, the worse your headache got.

        “A little, but it hurts to think about it too much.” Your headache started to fade away, which allowed you to hear Doctor scribbling with his pen.

        “Next test.” You groaned, not wanting to do anything until your headache was gone, but you didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

        You stayed in the room for another hour or two, just doing more simple experiments, like how fast it took you to transform and back, how many times you could do it in a minute, how stronger you were in your new form, etc. It was funny, how it was all basically training for you to escape, and no one even realized it. Repeatedly turning into your new stronger wolf form was good practice, and the other tests told you the extent of your new powers, which was very good knowledge to have for your escape. The only thing you really needed to work on was flight, which you would still have to do in secret.

        When you were finally done, Schrödinger took you back to his room, but not without a goodbye from Rip, which was another bear hug that, again, practically squeezed the life out of you. When you were back in Schrödinger’s room you were again tied to the bedpost like you had been before, leaving you trapped in there once again.

        “I have to go back with Major, so be good while I’m away. OK my pet?” He purred while rubbing his head up against yours. You flinched uncomfortably from the contact. You still never grew used to his affectionate cat self, and you were too tired after all of those tests to struggle against him. You nodded a ‘yes’ to his question, and he chuckled at your obedient state. “Good girl.” He cooed before he disappearing. You still wondered about his powers and how they worked, but that could wait. Right now, you were left alone, which meant only one thing: flight practice.

        You got off the bed, made sure no one was around, and started to flap your wings. You didn’t want to transform because you didn’t know if anyone could sense you changing or not, especially since you don’t know the extent of anyone’s power here. Also, if Schrödinger suddenly appeared back in the room, you wouldn’t be able to transform back into your human form fast enough. 

        After an hour, you were too tired to continue trying to fly anymore. Plus, you were starting to sweat, and you needed to clean up before anyone saw you like this. Thank goodness your leash was long enough to let you use the bathroom. After you splashed some water on your face and wings, you dried yourself off and walked back to the bed. You sat on the edge of it and waited patiently for something to happen, while also working out the details of your escape plan.

        The big problem was that you weren’t sure if you would be able to fly by the time you would have to leave. You struggled on your power strokes alone, so actually flying was definitely going to be nearly impossible. You would have to put everything you had on your new form’s strength and instincts if you wanted to escape, and that was what worried you. It was just the way it was going to be, and stressing about it would do you no good, so you decided to just relax for the time being.

        About a half hour later, after patiently laying around, Schrödinger came back with a wide smirk plastered on his face and holding something behind his back. What are you planning this time?

        “Guess what I have, Fräulein?” You yawned and looked at him with curious and suspicious eyes.

        “Uh, I don’t know, my soul?” He innocently smiled and strolled up to you, patting your head.

        “Silly Fräulein. No.. well in a way yes, but try again.” You groaned.

        “Do I have to?”

        “Yes. Come on!” Whatever he had behind his back, he seemed really excited about it, so you decided to play along.

        “Uhh, a cat?”

        “Nope. I already have an adorable pet.” He grinned and ruffled your hair. You ignored his comment, and tried to guess again.

        “Did you steal something from Doctor?”

        “No… maybe I’ll try that later, but one more try!” But what else could it be?

        “Can I give up?”

        “You can. But… there are consequences.” He purred, and smirked mischievously. You crossed your arms.

        “Fine, I’ll try and think of something. Hmmm…” Maybe he’s just pranking me, and there’s actually nothing. “What about nothing?” The unsatisfied stare he sent you told you otherwise.

        “Hmm, I guess that counts as a guess, but nope!” He giggled like a child, and you were more than just a little suspicious by now. He slowly pulled his hand out from behind his back, and handed you a rectangular object. Upon closer inspection, you saw that it was (Favorite Childhood Movie). You stared at it, surprised that Schrödinger had this. Your now agape mouth turned into a smile the more you looked at it, and you could feel your tail start to wag excitedly. You looked at Schrödinger with pure excitement.

        “Where did you get this?” You asked, pure happiness seeping through your form. He smiled.

        “I have my ways, Fräulein, I have my ways.” You didn’t care too much about his vague answer, just about the DVD currently in your hands.

        “How did you know this was my favorite childhood movie?” His smirk widened.

        “Have you forgotten already? I saw you watch it before, remember?” He teased. You blushed, remembering that he had technically spied on you the night you were kidnapped. He chuckled. “Glad to see you still remember that.” Your blush darkened, and he giggled. “What are you waiting for? Go put it in already!” Your face beamed with excitement.

        “Really!?”

        “Mhm. Go on.” Without thinking, you gave him a quick hug and whispered a ‘thank you’. You let go, completely missing Schrödinger’s shocked expression, and rushed over to the TV in front of the bed where the DVD player stood underneath it. You put the DVD in, and immediately flopped down on the floor at the edge of the bed. The TV sat low enough so you could easily see it, so you didn’t have much of a problem there. 

        You were too busy watching the screen to notice Schrödinger had gotten up and turned off the lights, shrouding the room in complete darkness, except for the light coming from the TV. He then came over and sat down next to you, wrapping a blanket around the two of you in the process. You finally noticed when you felt Schrödinger’s body so close to yours, due to the blanket being wrapped around you two. You gave him a confused look, which he chuckled at.

        “I’m watching it with you of course, and the blanket’s so we can keep warm, since we’ll be here for awhile.” You gave him a sincere smile and allowed him to finish wrapping the blanket around you, which pulled you so close to him that your shoulders touched. You liked the warmth you received from him, as you continued to watch the screen.

        Throughout the whole movie, Schrödinger paid attention to it, but he paid a lot more attention to you. He loved to see all of your emotions gushing out at the movie. He saw you smile, laugh, giggle for once, he even saw you crying at one point. Sometimes you mouthed the lines as the characters said them or you would glare intensely at the characters you hated, which he found quite amusing. During the middle of the movie, he had snaked his arm around your waist and brought you closer to him, which you didn’t seem to mind at all, and that made him… actually happy. 

        When the ending was almost done, you had leaned your head on Schrödinger’s shoulder and your tired eyes started to droop shut. You wanted to enjoy this peaceful moment as much as it lasted, however, you couldn’t help but feel tired and wanting sleep. Though, watching the movie with Schrödinger was the nicest thing that’s happened between you two. Too bad that this kind of thing would never happen again, after you escape.

        You had to admit, you would miss some things here on this zeppelin. However, your mind had already been made up. They would never see it coming, and you’d be gone by the red full moon, out of their lives, and them out of yours. You would miss Rip, and possibly the good moments you had with Schrödinger, and would hate to see their reactions for when you left. But for now, you enjoyed the moment while it lasted. Your tired eyes soon closed, and you peacefully fell asleep on Schrödinger’s shoulder.

        Schrödinger happily studied your sleeping form resting on him as the movie’s credits began to play. He remembered when he was still in the room with the others, after you had changed back to your human form and after you recovered from your ‘eating spree’, how his barely working heart beat, relatively, fast and loud. That same thing was happening again, and it grew the more he observed you. He took more notice of how your smooth (S/C) skin glowed from the light of the TV, your soft (H/L) (H/C) hair still was put up, and your happy expression stayed with you even in unconsciousness. He never felt these feelings before, and he didn’t like to admit having them in the first place. However, he knew that he liked them, and he liked how you made him feel, even if he didn’t completely understand what was happening with him.

        He leaned over, and gently pressed a kiss to your forehead. He layed his head on top of yours and whispered one final phrase, more to himself than to your sleeping form, before he fell into a peaceful sleep along with you.

        “Rip was right. I think I like like you, (Y/N).”

Chapter 11: Phase One- Complete

 

 

        “Hello, Lieutenant Zorin. So nice of you to finally join us all here.” Major smirked.

        “What are all of you, well almost all of you, doing here? And seriously, what is that smell?” She asked, then took notice of your condition and smirked. She didn’t like you, at all. She didn’t see why you were chosen to be so important to their plans. To her, you were just another maggot under her boot, and she enjoyed seeing you in pain. But she had to admit, that smell was too intoxicating to stand. She was almost drooling at the sight of blood dripping from your shoulder, like everyone else was in the room.

        “If you would be so kind as to restrain yourself from sucking our poor Fräulein dry, that would be most appreciated.” Major politely asked. Zorin tried to restrain herself from a certainly delicious meal, but she obediently obeyed his orders. It wouldn’t be wise to cross him at this time. She shook her head to clear her mind of any tempting thoughts and regained her composure.

        “What did you even do to her? She looks like a puny trembling human stuck in the middle of a forest during a cold winter.” She replied evilly.

        “We did nothing. In fact nothing in this world did this to her.” She gave him a questioning look. Major chuckled at this. “Remember that little ‘talk’ we had earlier??” Zorin nodded, then finally realized what happened to you. “Well, it happened earlier than expected. Hehe.”

        “Ah, so this is the point where she dies and I say, ‘I told you so’.” Schrödinger and Rip immediately glared at Zorin. She gave them a layed back evil smirk, like she hadn’t done them any wrong. “What? You know it’s the truth.” Schrödinger felt his body start to shake more, out of fear that you would die, and out of anger. He then lowered his head, trying to hide his glare from the prying eyes of Zorin.

        “Shut the fuck up.” He said darkly.

        “What was that, Schrödinger? Would you like to say that a little louder?” Zorin taunted with a sneer.

        “I said.” He replied calmly, in fact, too calm. “Shut. The fuck. Up!” He growled, and his surprising aggressiveness pissed Zorin off to no end. She didn’t like his attitude one bit. The scent of your blood was still driving her and Schrödinger mad, which was only driving their anger more. Zorin growled, but before she could do anything else, Major stopped them.

        “Now, now you two. As much as I’d LOVE to see a fight, we shouldn’t add to our current… ‘problem’. It would only make it worse, and we simply can’t have her dying on us when we’ve come so far.” They both knew what he meant. Your blood’s smell was beginning to really intoxicate almost everyone in the room, only getting stronger as more dripped from your wound. It was getting harder to use all of their strength to restrain themselves, and a fight would crack everyone’s little self control they had left, and it would not end well for anyone.

        Schrödinger and Zorin scowled at each other one last time before looking away to whatever else they found interesting at the moment. For Zorin, it was a wall, and for Schrödinger, it was you. That’s when he noticed you weren’t shaking as you were before, and immediately put his gloved hand on your heart to see if it was beating. He felt a natural ‘thump thump’, signaling that you were still alive. You had a steady, relaxing, and most importantly normal heartbeat. He let out a breath of relief, which didn’t escape Major’s ears.

        “And what was that for Schrödinger?” He looked at Major.

        “What are you talking about?” He asked rather quickly, evading the obvious answer to his question. Major chuckled. Schrödinger was, for once in his life, not too happy with Major, and he didn’t want to play any of his games at the moment. Plus, he was still trying to think about why he was so worked up in the first place. “I noticed that she stopped shaking so much. I think… that she beat it.” Major looked at you and noticed the same thing Schrödinger did. He appeared satisfied.

        “She has met our expectations then. Although, if it was all there was to her fears, she would be ‘awake’ by now.” To Schrödinger, there was something off about the way Major said ‘awake’. He was about to question it, but Zorin spoke before he could.

        “What does he mean by ‘it’, Major? Why would ‘it’ be so hard to defeat?” Major smirked.

        “Let Doctor explain it for you. I’m sure he could summarize it well for you.” Doctor groaned, annoyed that he had to explain everything. She walked over to his computer, and Doctor showed her everything. Meanwhile, Schrödinger and Major were having their own discussion.

        “What other fears does she have, Major?” Said man leaned  more into the back of the chair he was sitting on.

        “How should I know?” He answered playfully and shrugged. Schrödinger was not happy with this answer, but before he could inquire anything further, he felt something start to burn him, and he quickly realized it was you. Your body was heating up, and fast. Unfortunately for Schrödinger, he had to let you go, otherwise he would’ve burned with you. He stood up next to Rip, which confused her until she saw you. Major had already stood up and backed away against the wall.

        “I’d suggest you all do the same. She will most likely be waking up at any second, and we wouldn’t want to… get in the way.” Rip and Schrödinger backed up against the door, while Zorin and Doctor looked at you and backed up against the closest wall near them as well. They all stood attentive, and ready for whatever was about to happen. Major chuckled maliciously.

        “Let the show begin.”

 

Your POV

        Your whole body felt engulfed in searing pain and burning heat. It hurt a damn lot, like you had been stabbed by thousands of fresh fire pokers. But that wasn’t all. You saw nothing but bright white light, as if you suddenly went blind. You felt like something was changing, your entire body, even inside you. You felt like you were growing bigger, your shoulder where the battle wound was, was clenching shut. Your wings felt taller, wider, and stronger, your eyes felt like they were becoming slits, and your ears were bigger and more sensitive to sounds. You couldn’t hear much besides your own heavy panting and occasional whimpers that managed to escape your lips. It was all you could focus on, and you could hear nothing else but yourself.

        You tried to move around, but it only made everything worse. Your eyes twitched, your knuckles cracked, and your new sharpened teeth grit. Time seemed to slow, making your agony worse. You gulped, but it felt weird. There was just something different. It felt like you weren’t in your own skin. You couldn’t even complete your own thoughts without being disrupted by different bursts of pain.

        For the second time in your life, you felt horribly terrified. Here you were, writhing in complete agony, blinded, and not just moments ago you were suffering your worst nightmares. You were completely helpless, vulnerable, and weak. It was something you loathed, and it angered you more knowing that you couldn’t do a thing about it. Unfortunately, that anger was washed away from the excruciating pain still coursing through you. You let out a loud whimper, asking someone, anyone to help you.

        Your eyes felt like they were glowing, and you lost control of your body as you stood up, weirdly as if you were on all fours. Your head was lowered, and your jaw was hanging open like a ravenous dog. You growled in a deep voice, and rose your wings slightly. You expanded your bigger wings to their new full wingspan, then raised your head and howled.

        Then, in the blink of an eye, everything disappeared, and you regained control of your body. You kept your wings mostly outstretched, with white still clouding your vision. The pain then completely vanished. You still felt warm, but not burning, and your eyes closed and shot open again.

        Just as quickly as the pain vanished, your memories of the burning house and the beam about to fall on you flashed through your mind. Your eyes widened, and thinking you were still going to get crushed and burnt, you flung yourself to your left. You fell off of something and landed on a hardwood floor, and was choked by something around your neck that pulled you back into whatever you fell off of. You were about to start trying to get whatever was around your neck off you to escape the fire that you still thought would consume you, but you realized you felt no more heat on your skin, there were no flames surrounding you at all. You weren’t in the burning house anymore.

        Relief overtook your senses, and you were frozen wherever it was you lay. Your wings stretched over your body, your breathing was no more than quiet shallow panting, and a new swirling of colors surrounded you. Your ears picked up unrecognizable and undistinguished voices, and you couldn’t make out what they were saying. Though, you didn’t even want to try. You had no energy.

        Footsteps were heard leaving the room, but one pair of boots was headed towards you. Whoever they belonged to had a peculiar scent to them, and it strangely drew you in. The scent somewhat calmed you, made the random moving colors in your vision less crazy, and lessened the tension you felt throughout your body.

        The footsteps stopped, and you felt a somewhat familiar presence next to you. A gloved hand was placed on your belly, and your muscles instantly tightened up, but just as soon relaxed into the welcoming touch, as it started to comfortingly stroke your stomach. For some reason, it sent blissful sensations up your spine, and it calmed you. Although for some reason, your skin felt like hair or fur, but you paid no heed to it, as you were more focused on the strange yet comforting touch.

        Even with your new now calm state, you were still frozen in place. You couldn’t, and didn’t want to, due to your exhaustion from earlier. The gloved hand continued to rub your belly, until at one point it stopped. Loneliness immediately evaded your senses, which caused you to feel worried again. A moment later, that same presence was back, and something was being nudged to your mouth. It felt like plastic, and you didn’t know what it was. But nevertheless, you slightly lowered your bottom jaw open where the plastic like object was placed on your tongue. The next thing you knew, water was sliding down your throat, which you didn’t realize was so dry, leading you to quickly gulp more of the clear cool liquid down your parched throat.

        When there was no more water, the plastic object was removed from your mouth, and your senses fell drastically more into place after all of the water began to settle into your system. A voice then called to you, trying to calmly, lull you out of your daze. You felt the presence nudge your head, and somehow an instinct rushed through your body that caused it to start to change again. You thought you heard a purr, but it could’ve just been your imagination. The transformation started to make you tired, and your eyes became heavy. You wanted to stay awake, afraid that you would encounter more nightmares. Plus, you wanted to still feel the comforting presence next to you. It just felt somehow… nice. The voice continued to call out to you, though you still couldn’t make out any words. Just before you blacked out, you couldn’t help a thought that ran through your head the more you heard the voice. It’s… beautiful. 

 
Schrödinger POV

        She woke up! My God she woke up! That was all I thought as I saw her transform. Her whole body shifted into that of a giant wolf’s, so fast you could almost barely see it. Her once (H/L) (H/C) hair and clothes formed into black and candy red fur, her wolf parts that were already there grew bigger, especially her wings, her already half sharpened nails grew to full on claws, her mouth grew to a muzzle, her half sharpened teeth all grew to gleaming canines that could rip anything into shreds, and her eyes changed to match her head’s shape. Her new fur was messy and frizzy, and her wing feathers were ruffled, her whole form looked deranged, yet alluring.

        Her eyes started to glow an intense bright red that matched some of her fur, and she rose on all four with her new huge paws. Her wings were slightly lifted, and her head was bent over as her jaw hung open, and she heavily panted like a ravenous dog about to attack. With a low growl, she outstretched her wings as far as they could go, and her body began to glow a little lighter red than her eyes. She raised her head with a loud and powerful howl. It was majestic to say the least, and it was beautiful to watch. When her voice ran out and she lowered her head, her eyes snapped open to reveal her still brilliant, but now glossy, (E/C) eyes.

        She let out a gruff pant of breath as she snapped her newly formed head from side to side. She let out another gasping yelp and flung herself off the bed, but the leash that was still attached to her collar pulled her back to the side of the bed on the floor, choking her in the process. Heavy breathing and a rapidly beating heartbeat was all that came next. I let out an astonished, silent breath, and I noticed the smell of her blood was gone too. Her wound must’ve healed then, just like Major said.

        “Hmm, that wasn’t as… interesting as I’d hoped. But, C ‘est la vie.” Major sarcastically shrugged, and I shot him a small glare. What more did you want?

        “What the hell was all that about?” Zorin muttered. Doctor adjusted his glasses.

        “She needs to be brought to my lab for testing immediately.” Major chuckled.

        “Settle yourself, Doctor. I don’t think she is in any condition to go through anything in this state. Subjects are usually best kept… sane, at least for the time being.” He chuckled again. Me and Rip didn’t dare say a word. We were too focused on the slumped form at the side of my bed, while Doctor and Major carried on their conversation.

        “Yes, I suppose. But will you seriously leave all of her care this furball?”

        “He is more than capable than anyone else here. I can assure you that.” I looked at Major suspiciously. That tone he used in his voice sounded like he knew something. But, what does he know that I don’t? I shook my head to clear these thoughts, as I’d have to think about that later, since Major was right. I have to take care of my Fräulein. That was my top priority. 

        “You never specified what she actually is. Will you finally tell me now, Major?” Zorin suddenly asked, to which Major merely snorted.

        “Of course of course First Lieutenant.” He turned around and lifted his hand up as a signal for Zorin to follow. “Come come everyone. Let’s give Schrödinger and our little Fräulein here some alone time, shall we?” Doctor picked up his laptop and walked over to Zorin and Major by the door. Major stopped in the doorway. “That includes you, Lieutenant Winkle.” At the sound of her name, Rip reluctantly turned her head away from her ‘sister’s’ new form and nodded her head. “I need to… have a chat with you too, so come come. We certainly aren’t getting any younger just sitting around here all night.”  They all left the room without a second glance back, and shut the door. It was just me and my Fräulein now.

        I sighed, and walked over to her trembling form. She was lying on her left side with her completely ruffled wings outstretched over all of her frizzy fur covered body. She looked so shaken up, and it didn’t sit right with me. I put my hand on her belly, and felt her instantly tense up, but it just as soon faded as she relaxed, and she let me stroke her fur some more. If dogs liked belly rubs, I assumed she would too, given her… current form.

        She looked so tired and almost forlorn, it was pitiful. I then remembered that she got dehydrated easily, and thought that some water might bring her more to her senses. I lifted my palm from her body and got some water. When I came back with a pouch, she was trembling again, but worse, so I quickly gave her the water before something bad happened. Thankfully, she drank all of it, and I removed the nozzle from her mouth, as she returned to a more normal state.

        Her breathing was more shallow, her chest barely rose with each breath, and her eyes were already half closed and glossed over. Of course, I wasn’t just going to let her sleep on the floor, she had to sleep with me on the bed. She just needed to change back into her humanoid form so I can lift her up easier. I knelt down to her head level, and gently called out to her.

        “Fräulein. Fräulein, don’t fall asleep just yet. I need you to do something before you close your beautiful little eyes, okay?” I whispered softly to her. I couldn’t tell if she heard me, but she seemed to know I was there, as she was looking straight at me. Her eyes still held that glossy look, so I assumed her senses must not have fully returned. I leaned in closer to her ear. “Can you hear me, Fräulein? C’mon my little pet. You have to change back to a human now, if you want to sleep somewhere other than the floor, that is.” I nudged her head with mine and kept it there, and I felt her start to change back to her original form. I closed my eyes and purred in satisfaction, telling her to keep shifting. “Good girl. That’s my Fräulein.” When I opened my eyes, I saw she had fallen asleep and changed back to her original self. Her ears were bent back, her now slightly sweaty (H/L) (H/C) hair stuck to her neck, her (S/C) skin was paler than usual, and the clothes she still had on appeared baggier than they were before.

        I slipped my arms under her and lifted her up bridal-style, with her frizzy tail hanging limply from her body. I climbed onto the bed and sat down with my back pressed against the backboard. I set her down so the back of her head was resting on my lap. I gently stroked her hair and occasionally scratched behind her ears, which I was always rewarded with a soft purr from her. She curled the tip of her still ruffled and messy tail over her legs to her lower stomach. It was adorable. You’ve been through a lot today, my Fräulein. I’m impressed. You’ve definitely earned this rest. I smiled, and continued to stroke her hair as I waited for her to open her eyes once more.

 
Rip POV

        “Wait, you mean that Schrödinger and-?” 

        “Yes. Though it is just a theory, that is, until we attain more evidence, of course.” Major answered my unfinished question. We were walking towards the main control room, and he was explaining what my Lil’ Sis was, and his little ‘theory’ on her and Schrödinger, to me and Zorin.

        “So what. I don’t care what she is or whatever, she’s still a weak little girl who doesn’t know her place.” This angered me.

        “If you truly believe what she is, then you’re in no position to be saying that she’s beneath you, Zorin.”

        “Watch your mouth, Rip. You’re only talking that way because you’ve gone soft and got attached to her. Her purpose here wasn’t for you to get all dolled up with.” We stopped and turned to face each other so that our foreheads were touching. With her being taller, I was looking up and she had her head bent down to look at me. I pointed an accusing finger at her chest.

        “You can’t even admit that she’s stronger than you!” She pressed her forehead more against mine.

        “That girl isn’t stronger than me by a long shot!” This time, I pressed my forehead more into hers.

        “Then why did she best you when we were at her human house, and how did she kick your sorry ass to the point where me and Schrödinger had to step in!?” She looked appalled.

        “Why you little-“

        “Lieutenants! As much as it is amusing to watch you squabble like silly little children, you shouldn’t just stop in the middle of the hallway like you are now.” We both sent one more glare towards each other and turned around, walking with Major again. “Shoving each other down each other’s throats. And for what? Some little girl now ranked no more than a pet who doesn’t even know who she is. Quite a show.” Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could tell he was smirking. We walked in silence, with me and Zorin sneaking quick glares at each other the whole way down to the control room.

        Once we got to the platform, we saw many different commanders and some soldiers of different ranks busying themselves with whatever tasks they had to do. Out of the top soldiers present, it was just me, Doctor, Zorin, and of course Major. Only one was missing. 

        “Major. Where is Captain? Shouldn’t he be here with us?” He hummed in response.

        “He is not able to… attend… at the moment. I’ve ordered him to avoid us, so he can’t meet the girl. It would give herself away, and we would be at such a disadvantage then if she knew what she really was. She already knows the name Luna, so we can’t allow her to hear anymore clues.” I still didn’t fully understand. If anything, I thought Captain would be glad to meet her. But, Major did have a point. “Didn’t you want to go ‘take care of something’, Lieutenant Winkle?” I perked up. He was right. I can’t believe I almost forgot! I looked over at Doctor to see that he was currently occupied. Perfect.

        “Thank you Major for, reminding me.” I smirked. I heard him chuckle, and he waved a hand for my dismissal. I turned and stalked off out of the room, putting my plan into action.

 
Your POV

        Your eyelids began to open ever so slightly. You were still laying on your side, but you somehow felt more comfortable. You could strangely the soft material of clothes on your head. You snuggled deeper into whatever your head was on with a sigh of satisfaction. You heard chuckling, and felt something vibrate behind you, and you let out a long soft exhale of irritation for being woken up. You felt a hand stroke your hair, and you started opening your eyes more. With each passing second, all of your senses began to come back.

        You blinked, your eyes now fully open, and you noticed that you were laying on someone’s lap. You started to panic a little, and turned your head over your shoulder. You saw a smirking Schrödinger staring down at you with his all too familiar violet pink eyes. You blushed, as you realized your head was resting on his lap. Plus, the last time you saw him, you pushed him out of the way of a flaming beam, after he had said some nasty words to you. You didn’t know what happened when you were in that world, and since you could get hurt there, you thought it was all real somehow. After everything that had happened, you were not all too comfortable being in Schrödinger’s presence. You bent your ears back as you looked forward again, and went pale as you tried moving away from him. He only gripped your shoulders and held you in place.

        “Calm down Fräulein.” He started teasingly. “There’s no need to-” You tensed more under his touch, and he seemed to notice this, as his hands froze in place on your shoulders.

 
Schrödinger POV

        Something was wrong. She was so tense, over panicking at everything, and looked as if she was sick. It was almost as if… if. As if she was afraid of me. I didn’t understand why she would be afraid of me. She wasn’t before, so why is she now? I didn’t have a single clue to what was happening.

        It hurt me. Somehow it did, to know that she was afraid felt more awful than I would’ve expected. I stared at her back that was still facing me with a sorrowful look, trying to figure out what the problem was. Wait, she only started acting like this after she woke up from this phase thing of hers. Maybe… was I in there? And if I was, did I do something to her? That was it. I knew what was wrong with my Fräulein.

 
Your POV 

        You layed there on your side for a few moments of silence, wondering what Schrödinger was doing, or thinking. You flinched when you felt arms snaking around you and lift you up, where you were pressed against a surprisingly strong chest. Schrödinger’s left arm was wrapped around your waist, and his right was around your head, which was what was pressing you against his chest. He placed his chin on the top of your head, and you blushed at all of the contact, which you never experienced before. You could even hear his heart beat. It’s so slow, almost non existent. How come I’ve never noticed this before?

        “Was I in your nightmares, Fräulein?” You froze. Your eyes widened, and you hung your head in guilt, not wanting to admit what had happened. You awaited Schrödinger’s next action.

 
Schrödinger POV 

        Her silence told me everything. So that was it. I wonder what actually happened in there to make her act like this. I hugged her rigid form closer to me. She hung her head to hide her face more.

        “What did I do in your nightmares?” I asked in a gently tone. She cringed, and curled her body more, telling me that she didn’t want to talk about it. I let out a quiet breath of air, and rubbed my left cheek against her head to calm her. “You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to.” I felt her raise her head, just a little. “Just know, that those were only your fears. I would never do anything that would cause you to act like this. I promise, my Fräulein.”
 

Your POV

        You were shocked at Schrödinger’s words. You didn’t think he was capable of saying such emotion. He kept a firm grip on you, and he held you even closer to him. To your surprise, you didn’t struggle or protest one bit. He’s right. He wouldn’t say any of that to me. But I wonder what he meant by ‘those were just my fears’. I’ll ask him later. For now, I’ll just… You sighed and snuggled in deeper to Schrödinger’s chest, to which he purred in reply. You smiled in content, and closed your eyes as you let Schrödinger’s now increasing, yet still slow, heartbeat lull you into a sense of comfort.

 

 

*Meanwhile*

        A dark, red cloaked figure stalked through a hallway of a beautiful mansion. Huge, arched windows lined all across the wall beside them, showing the almost full moon. It shone brightly through the translucent glass, breaking the shadows in the hallway just a bit. The figure’s boots made a loud thump with each step as they walked across the old wooden floor of the mansion. Suddenly, the figure came to a halt, and they turned their gaze to the direction of the moon.

        The figure sensed something rather important to them, something that they were expecting for quite a bit. They raised their lips to a purely smug smirk, showing off their unnaturally sharpened canine teeth.

        “Phase One: Complete.”

Chapter 10: True Pain of Fears: Phase One

 

(A/N: Warning: My nerdiness shows in this chapter, but I couldn’t think of a more interesting antagonist which later on in about a chapter or 2 I’ve got comedic AND story plans for >;), so just bear with it and just look stuff up if you need to get visuals. Thanks! ^_~.)

 

Schrödinger POV

        I fluttered my eyes open. I was still lying in bed with my head pressed against my cute little pet’s head. My mental clock was telling me it was 3:00 in the afternoon, pretty early to be up since the sun must still be out. But something’s not right, and this feeling I had was what must’ve woken me up.

        I felt a shaking motion on my head and wondered what it was. My half asleep form registered that it wasn’t me that was causing it, it was my Fräulein’s head tremendously vibrating against my forehead. I sat up on my side and looked at a sight that stopped my every movement. It wasn’t just her head shaking, her whole body was trembling, her face scrunching like she was in pain. She didn’t even look awake, because I couldn’t see her (E/C) eyes staring at me. Her ears were bent back across her head and her tail was curled tightly around her chest, too tightly than normal. The top of her folded wings were scrunched to her chin. The rest of her body looked as if she were freezing to death from all the shivering, but all of her muscles were tensing, with sweat flowing down her face from her (H/L) (H/C) hair, and her breathing was rough. I could barely even hear her heartbeat. It was a very unnaturally slow tempo that only echoed every once in a while, and it caused my almost non existent one to beat more drastically. I was suddenly filled with a terrifying sense of dread, something I don’t ever feel.

        I sat her up and leaned her against the head board and tried to shake her awake. “Fräulein! Fräulein, wake up!! Wake up!!! Snap out of it!!!!” No response, not even the slightest. I pressed the back of my gloved hand on her forehead to feel for a possible fever. My suspicions were right, because she was burning up hot and was starting to sweat more than before. I disappeared into the bathroom and wet a rag with cold water to cool her off. I appeared back and started rubbing her face with the wet rag. It worked a little as her breathing became more fluid and less sweat was seen on her face. It must’ve calmed her down a little. It didn’t last long though, as she returned to her previous state. That’s when a horrible thought occurred to me. Is she dying!?

        I was terrified. Nothing was working. Not cold water, shaking her, ice, nothing. What made it worse was she started whimpering. It broke me, somehow it broke me. I did the only thing I could do. I lay next to her on the headboard on my right side and pulled her close to me. I put her head on my chest and put mine on her left shoulder, and began drawing comforting circles on her back with my hand, trying to calm her new state down more. Then some newfound animal instinct kicked in, and I immediately pulled my head from her cheek and started licking her forehead and face to try and cool her down, and maybe even miraculously wake her up.

        “Wake up Fräulein, please. Please, wake up. Fräulein! FRÄULEIN! Please…. (Y/N).” I pleaded. I even called her by her real name. Nothing. I continued licking her face, trying to comfort her. I felt her slow her shuddering, and I was washed with a sense of relief. But it still wasn’t enough. No matter what I did, her body would return back to its original state. I couldn’t even teleport into a dream or nightmare she must be having, but it’s as if where her mind is doesn’t even exist. I could only hold her in my arms and lick her forehead to try and comfort her.

        “What the hell is all the noise coming from here Schrödinger? It sounds like you’re throwing a freaking tant-” A tired Rip opened the door and took one look at her, and she stared wide-eyed with a worried expression on her face. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE!” She shouted in panic.

        “I don’t know.” I whispered sorrowfully. I looked at her pleadingly, begging her to help somehow someway. Rip walked over to the bed, and lay her hand on her side to try and wake her. She growled, but it didn’t sound pained, more like a warning, as if she was telling Rip to not to touch her again. What is becoming of you Fräulein?

        “I’m getting Major. Now.” Rip said seriously. I shook my head no. He would make this worse for all of us, including my Fräulein.

        “No. He’s not going to make this any better. He’ll-“

        “Know what’s going on and may know how to stop this.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she already ran out of the room, and I didn’t try to stop her. She had a point. Major knows more about her origins than anyone here. I shut my mouth and closed my eyes, then nuzzled my right cheek against hers.

        Please. Please wake up… (Y/N).

Your POV 

        Blackness. Nothing. Silence. They surrounded you. You could still see around you in this black void, but only a certain area. Darkness covered everywhere else. You couldn’t see much past certain points, even above you was nothing. A slight cramping pain was felt all throughout your body. It hurt pretty bad, but not enough for you to not be able to move. You started walking around, trying to figure out where you were. It almost felt like a dream, but at the same time pretty real. This is all confusing. Where am I? Is it Mr. Mysterious again? What would he want though? Something else? But, why does it feel like there’s something else going on here? You had nothing better to do but to ignore the bad vibes you were receiving and start walking faster. Soon, you’ll wish you never did.

Schrödinger POV

        I was in the middle of moving back and forth between whispering comforting words into her ear and still licking her forehead, when Rip finally returned with Major. He wore a pleased expression on his face, which irritated me instantly. It made me want to hiss. Why does he look like this when there is obviously something wrong with her? What the hell are you planning? He walked around to the opposite side of the bed I was on. “So it’s already begun.” Before I could start yelling for him to start explaining the shit that’s going on, Rip already cut in.

        “Do you know what’s wrong with her Major?” She asked in all seriousness. He lightly chuckled in relief, as if everything happening was nothing more than a simple scrape on the knee.

        “It is merely a sort of ‘cycle’ her kind go through at a certain age, almost like a human going through puberty. Only for her, it’s without the more hormonal parts.” He chuckled at his own joke.

        “First, Schrödinger, get off of her.” I didn’t believe the words that came out of his big fat mouth. I was about to deeply protest when he cut me off. “Before you start arguing with me, she needs space. Unless, you want to get in the way of her moving around and possibly trying to ‘kill’ you. Wouldn’t it be a little too much work?” I still wasn’t fully convinced. She would suffer more if I didn’t hold onto her. I wouldn’t get off her no matter what. I know I can’t be killed. “Oh Schrödinger, if only you could see how you look right now, like a spoiled little child clinging onto their favorite toy, never wanting to let go. When in reality, that toy will be the end of him once it breaks. Don’t you agree, Schrödinger?” I didn’t want to take anymore shit from him. The way he was pissing me off, I had to obey him, or I and my dear Fräulein will end up in trouble. I know how he thinks, and I didn’t want to think about the possibilities of punishment for the both of us.

        Very reluctantly, I let go of her and in the blink of an eye stood next to Rip, who was looking as pale stricken as I was. But the wince of pain that flashed through my Fräulein’s body as I let go didn’t escape my vision, and I almost wished it had. I didn’t want to see her in pain. It didn’t look like I was the only one who saw it either, judging from Rip’s new expression. Major just chuckled at our actions, although he seemed more amused about mine.

        “Schrödinger. I’m surprised you didn’t share your little embrace with Lieutenant Winkle here. Don’t you see her caring face? Don’t you care that she wants to help as much as you do?” For once this evening, I could counter him.

        “Rip did try and help. It’s just that my little Fräulein would not let her.”

        “Then why could you hold her?” Come to think of it, I’ve so far been the only one that can touch her in this state. But, why me?

        “I don’t know Major. I thought you knew everything there was about her kind. Not me. You explain it.” I tried to return to my old mocking and playful self to try and distract myself from the trembling figure that plagued my every thought. Major actually stopped and seemed to be in thought about something. Then coming out of it, he snapped his head to Rip, who noticed his behavior the whole time, just as I had.

        “Lieutenant Winkle. Would you please place your hand on her shoulder.” We both looked at him, trying to figure out his plan. What the hell is going through that insane skull of yours Major? Rip nor I questioned him, as Rip walked to the right side of the bed. She reached out her hand, and gently layed it on her shoulder. A loud growl erupted shortly after, just like before. Major acknowledged this, and turned to my direction. “Your turn, Schrödinger.” I did the exact same thing as Rip, only no growl erupted from her. Instead, I continued to rub my hand along her shoulder, and she seemed to calm down. Major got a twinkle in his eye at her different reactions to me and Rip’s touch, the twinkle that said that he figured out something fascinating. “Interesting. I was right.”

        “Right about what Major? What did you figure out? I know you found something.” I stared at him with a neutral expression. He was only silent for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not to tell me or not.

        “You’ll find out soon enough Schrödinger. You’ll find out soon enough.”

        “And what the hell does that mean?” He only chuckled, offering no further explanation. It didn’t satisfy me at all. I wanted to know what he knew. Curiosity did kill the cat though. I snapped my attention back to my Fräulein, who was all I cared about at the moment, which confused me. I still didn’t know why I was feeling this way, so depressed and so afraid for her. Why I wanted to see her gleaming (E/C) eyes stare at me, her cheeks flushed red, and a smile gracing her face. Just thinking about these things made me grow too worried again. Silence filled the room while I was deep in thought and memory, and I finally broke the silence.
        
        “Can we do anything to stop this?”

        “It is nothing that we can stop or prevent, this was bound to happen soon enough. Although she may be in her current state because we sped up her aging process this far. Usually it would only look as if she was in a coma. If she was at the actual age this stage happens at, it probably wouldn’t look this bad.”

        “Then why did we change her in the first place?! If we didn’t she wouldn’t be in this much pain!!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I. Was. Pissed. I understood that she was still a young teenager and it was just the serum we inserted to stimulate things that would happen at a later age. It got me mad, thinking we should’ve done the surgery later.

        “You know we don’t have that kind of time Schrödinger. The age this would have happened at is 1,000 years. Our plans may be over 50 years old, but we certainly can not wait 950 more for this. Then, we still have to wait after that for phase two. We can’t have our rightful revenge when our target of rage is already dead, now can we?” He had a point, but I could live that long. I would’ve waited that long, just to see her not in as much pain as now. At this moment, she was more important than revenge. So I have to know more about this ‘cycle’ to find something. I gave a defeated sigh, knowing I couldn’t do much to help.

        “What, exactly, is going on with her then. What is this ‘cycle’ she’s going through. Explain it more.” I don’t think he heard me or cared what I was asking, because he kept rambling on from before.

        “She actually shouldn’t be in as much pain as you think, since her mind is somewhere else. This is just her body reacting to the change. The cycle is more about the trial than anything else, to be honest.” Trial? “There are two phases she will go through, one for each of her full blooded parents. This is phase one. Right now she is somewhere where not even you, Schrödinger, can enter. It’s like she’s in another dimension, just inside her mind, that no one else but our dear little Fräulein here can enter. If she succeeds in making the right choices, her body will undergo the change to one of her true forms.”

        “So until she completes this trial, she’ll remain like this?” Rip asked with worry.

        “Yes. But if she makes the wrong choices and fails, she will disappear from the universe all together, as if she never existed.” My heart clenched tightly at the thought. No. Stop. Calm down. She’ll make it. She has to…

        “What’s going on in this trial world then? What exactly is happening?” I asked once more, hoping he would hear me this time.

        “I don’t know everything to it but right now at least, if this is the one I’m thinking of, the world she is in is creating her greatest fears, one by one. They aren’t just any fears though. They have to be bone-chilling fears, ones that would make her paralyzed with fear and terror.” I started thinking about what could be inside that world. Then a memory flashed through my mind like lightning. My face paled at the one thing I remembered could make her scared so much. “I’m surprised she’s been in there for so long actually. I only thought her greatest fear would be losing the ‘precious’ friends she had. It usually wouldn’t take too long to solve that problem. Oh. Schrödinger, you look so pale. Do you know something else that she would be afraid of?” He was taunting me, trying to get me to confess, to shout out the answer to his implied question and ask for help. However, I could do nothing even if I wanted to. My eyes widened, as I fully realized what she was facing.

        “Oh God.”

Your POV

        You continued on walking aimlessly forward, trying to find something of interest in this weird world. It’s only a few minutes since when you first found yourself here. That’s when you heard it. A crackling squishy noise that sounded so familiar, that you didn’t believe it at first, resonated throughout the void. It was a painful hiss to your delicate ears. You were getting terrified, and not even looking up knowing what might be up there, you started to run. Goosebumps ran all along your skin, as you knew what was about to happen. The noise you heard earlier grew twice as loud, as you heard something big start to fall where you were walking moments ago. The ground you were now running on shook as the huge figure landed behind you. You turned around to confirm your suspicions, and your face turned moon pale at the sight, and you let out a high pitched scream that you weren’t proud of.

*Outside*

3rd Person POV

        “Schrödinger, what’s the matter? Do you know something about what she’s facing right now?” Rip asked. Schrödinger just gulped in reply. “Schrödinger. You need to tell us. Now!” She asserted herself. By this time Schrödinger was back on the bed, hugging your increasingly trembled body close to him.

        “I’ve only seen it once before, at her human house. And it wasn’t even… Shit! She’s gonna die!!!”

        “Warrant Officer Schrödinger. I think everyone in the room would like you to actually finish your sentence and explain yourself.” Major playfully stated.

        “Yes, and there’s a reason I never told you, Major, of what this is because it’s not even… UGH! YOU WON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND!! She could barely handle it before, and she definitely won’t be able to handle it now.” Rip was angered beyond belief by this point.

        “Maybe if you used that stupid little cat brain of yours and I don’t know FUCKING EXPLAIN it we could figure something out!” 

        “Not exactly Lieutenant, not exactly.”

        “And what the hell does that mean!?”

        “It means that she’s on her own. We can’t do anything about it. It’s what her kind have to go through. Nothing can wake her up from the outside, only her own choices will save her now.” With each passing word, Schrödinger pulled your body closer to his. That’s when you started shivering like a madman stuck in Antarctica, which made Schrödinger want to hyperventilate.

        “This proves it. She’s facing it. She only shivered like this at it. It’s gonna KILL HER!!”

        “Alright, THAT’S IT! Schrödinger, you need to calm the FUCK down, man the FUCK up, and tell us what the FUCK IT IS!!” Everyone, even Major, was surprised by Rip’s outburst. She usually never goes that far as to yell like that, especially in anger. It only showed how much she cared for you as well.

        “I think you need to calm down as well Lieutenant. I’ve never seen you this mad before now. As the young people say nowadays ‘take a chill pill’ Lieutenant. And Schrödinger, now you’re referring to her mysterious fear as it? How cute.” Schrödinger just kept trying to soothe your trembling body, not even bothering to glare at Major for his little comment. It didn’t help. Unearthly silence was the only thing that filled the room, even a pin could be loudly heard if one chose to drop one.

        “Schrödinger, just tell us. Please. What could she be possibly facing in there? We need to know everything we can. Just, please.” Rip was cooled down, and now began begging at this point. She wanted to know what was causing her new sister so much pain. Schrödinger sighed.

        “Alright. I’ll tell you.”

*Inside*

Your POV

         You could hear it a mile away, catching up to you. You were hyperventilating, taking sharp breathes every time your feet touched the ground. Tears pricked the ends of your eyes, and all the sounds you heard were your heavy breathing and it’s hiss piercing your ears. But not matter what you heard, you never looked back. You were too afraid to look at it. It was too much. It was coming closer by the second. It was really fast, but even though your legs wanted to give up from the extreme pain you felt, you kept running. And running. And running. Until…

*Outside*

3rd Person POV

        “Say what now? I’ve never heard of something like that before.” Rip was baffled at the moment.

        “To be honest, it was pretty creepy when I first saw it.”

        “Wait! Major! Can’t Doctor look this kind of stuff up?!” Rip was curious about her sister’s fear, and wanted to know how strong it was. Major waved her off.

        “Be my guest Lieutenant. I have to say, I’m quite curious about it as well.” With that Rip sprinted off to find Doctor and learn the information she needed to know, not bothering to listen to anything else Major had to say. Schrödinger, meanwhile, felt your body tighten and shiver tenfold. He knew that you were facing it right now. And it terrified him to think about you suffering so much. He clenched his teeth together, and began to shiver himself. All he wanted was for Rip and Doctor to get back really soon, or he was gonna flip out. Major just took a seat in Schrödinger’s chair, finding it amusing that Rip and Schrödinger thought that finding out more about one of your greatest fears was really gonna help anything in the end.

*Inside*

Your POV
        

        You were hit, hit by something slimy and dangerous. It weakened you greatly, and it was designed to slowly kill you. That means you would be slower now, and it would certainly catch up to you soon. You wiped the sticky substance off in disgust as you heard it closing in on you. You waited, knowing you had to face it sooner or later, and held the urge to start gagging. You needed to see it. You only saw a figure before, but you had to see it fully to really help you grasp your situation. So, you turned your head over your shoulder, and as you unfortunately knew, it was there. There behind you was your most silliest, most embarrassing, yet terrifying fear of all. A giant red frostbite spider, the ones that creeped you out the most, stood there with its legs moving at lightning speed towards you. What the living Hell did I do for this?! It was about four feet taller and five feet wider than you, yet still as fast as an Olympic runner. You froze from fear, one thought running through your mind. I’m fucking dead.

*Outside*

 3rd Person POV

        “Lieutenant- AH! For everyone’s sake CALM DOWN!! You don’t have to DRAG me there!!”

        “No time to waste Doctor!!!”

        “AAAAHH!!” Sounds of struggling were heard coming from the hallway. Major and Schrödinger stared at the door, where all of the noises and yelling was sounding to. Just as they expected, Doctor was literally thrown into the room with a loud thud and stomps of him trying to regain his balance. He turned and glared at Rip, prepared to yell, but noticed your quivering form curled next to Schrödinger first. He smirked. “Aaahhh, so it has begun. Perfect. Now, what did you guys need me for? I certainly can’t do anything.” Rip hesitated at that before actually yelling her reasons for dragging the ‘poor’ Doctor down to Schrödinger’s room.

        “We need you to get as much information on something as you can!” Rip shouted.

        “Is it something to do with her?” He gestured to you.

        “Just do it.”

        “Nothing will help her, you know that, right?” Rip and Schrödinger glared at him then turned their attention to you.

        “If I may, Doctor. Schrödinger said that she was terribly afraid of something else we knew nothing about. Wouldn’t you like to know what that is?” Doctor pondered over Major’s statement. He was actually kind of curious as to what could make you look as you are now. He knew you were facing something in there, judging by the amount of shivering you were doing. He finally decided to agree to Rip’s wishes, as his curiosity got the best of him. He grabbed his laptop from Rip, who carried it with her so it wouldn’t get damaged, and logged in.

        “So what is it?”

        “It’s something called a frostbite spider.” Doctor gave an ‘are-you-seriously-kidding-me’ look.

        “What the hell kind of-“

        “JUST DO IT!” Doctor rolled his eyes and typed away. After about a minute, he motioned everyone over. 

        “So this is what I found. I must say, this is an interesting creature. Although I’m not familiar with some of the terms.”

        “Don’t even try Doctor. It’s from a video game that someone like you could never understand. But when Fräulein here wakes up, she can dumb it down for you.” Schrödinger smirked at Doctor, who mumbled an ‘if she wakes up’ low enough for no one to hear. He didn’t need another migraine from two of the most annoying people on this aircraft yelling at him.

        “Didn’t you say before that you spent three hours watching her play that dumb thing? Don’t you know what the hell of what some of this thing is talking about?”

        “First, don’t call it ‘dumb’ when she wakes up. Second, it’s not just an ordinary game. I could barely even keep up with a fourth of what was going on in there. It’s very complex, and confusing. I think the citizens were in some kind of ‘civil war’ and the main thing was that everyone was at war against this one big dragon thing, or something. Then there were other dragons and giants and this weird language thing-“

        “We don’t have time for this! Doctor, is there anything that could be useful on there? Weaknesses perhaps?” Rip interrupted. Doctor merely rolled his eyes and skimmed the info one more time, turning into his curious ‘more-science-less-arrogant’ self.

        “Well, I’m assuming they can’t swim, are vulnerable to their own poison, and weaker in warmer areas. Not much on their actual weaknesses or anything else. Schrödinger, which one of these would she be more likely to encounter? There are apparently different subtypes of colors and sizes. Which one would?-“

        “Now how am I supposed to know that!?”

        “Is there anyway you can stop them without having to kill them?” Rip questioned.

        “Absolutely not. They are apparently extremely hostile. Like I already said, nothing you can do about it. I guess she could try and sneak by it if she stays out of eyesight… if its on the ground that is.”

        “I think we’re way past that option.” Schrödinger worriedly said.

        “And why’s that?” He looked to your form and noticed the increase of trembling. “Ah, I see. So she’s already seen it. As I kept trying to tell you guys, nothing can help her.” Only silence followed, as you became worse and worse.

*Inside*

Your POV
        

        It stopped just a few yards away from you and raised its attack claws, firing more of its life-weakening slimy green poison at you. You dodged it this time and began sprinting down the darkness once more, slower than before since you got hit earlier. Since it was a giant spider, it moved just as fast as a normal person running. It could almost catch up to you, but there was no way you could face this thing. You could barely face it in a video game, let alone in some weird nightmare or whatever this was. You were doomed. You just knew it.

        
        As it got closer to you, you turned your head and immediately regretted it. It raised its whole body, spread its mouth apart, and leapt right at you. It was the most sickening thing you’ve ever seen. You were sure that this was the fastest you’ve ever sprinted before, as you tried to avoid the big creature trying to kill you. You didn’t dare try to fly. You knew you wouldn’t be able to yet an attempt would slow you down too much.

        You tried looking around for anything useful, like a large body of water where it couldn’t swim, or at least a weapon to help kill and not touch this thing. Seriously, you wanted this nightmare gone. Sadly, there was nothing. It was you, the spider, and your bare hands. Well, now more claws than just nails. It sickened you, but you knew you had to kill this thing with no weapons or any advantages whatsoever. But the problem was, could you work up enough courage to fight the thing you were most afraid of? 

        You realized you had been slowing down due to being tired, so you stopped and decided to dodge its attacks to conserve energy. It stopped as well, and raised its claws in the air to bring them down on you. You rolled out of the way as it kept on attacking. At one point, it caught your right shoulder and you felt its hairy nasty claw pierce skin. One thing confused you, though. You felt pain, which caused you to hiss. You even saw blood running down your wound. Sure you felt that cramping pain before, but it was all over you. You thought it was just part of not being, or completely, being human. I thought this was a nightmare!? How is this real!? That’s when you realized that this was no nightmare. This was real. Somehow, you were in a real place, and the chances of you surviving this was probably the only thing not real at the moment.

*Outside*

3rd Person POV

        Everyone in the room was in their own world at the moment, focusing on the situation at hand. They were all thinking about how long they had to wait for you to wake up, if you woke up at all, and if you did, would you be changed from all of this. Until they were jarred from their thoughts from a sudden hiss of pain, and the smell of blood. They turned their heads to you, and noticed your unconscious self was clutching your right shoulder, blood pouring from it like a waterfall. Rip and Schrödinger dropped their jaws, Doctor wrote something down in his notepad, and Major just shrugged it off as if it was no big deal.

        The two surprised beings just turned their head to Major, looking for an explanation for this with Rip trying to not to lose control over the smell of your blood. Your kind has some of the sweetest and most powerful blood there is, and it’s hard for a vampire to not lose control over it. Major saw this and chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised you two. What are you worrying about?” They only continued to stare at him wide eyed not satisfied with his answer. “It’s only a cut. She’ll be fine. She must’ve got hit by the spider in there.”

        “Her injuries from there,” Rip pointed to your head while practically drooling, “show up there AND here!? Do they heal at all?” Her crazed look didn’t escape Major’s eyes. In fact, your blood’s scent was about to drive everyone mad.

        “The wound will heal if she survives, yes. Until then, try to control yourself Lieutenant. Her blood can be too sweet for some, and deadly for others.” He gave an insane grin, looking as if he was trying to control himself as well by trying to be worse than he already was. Rip just started to silently breathe in deeply, trying to distract herself as well. The only one who didn’t want to suck all the blood you had was Schrödinger. It was driving him mad as well, but a different kind of mad. Something that he didn’t understand himself. He wanted something from your blood, but it wasn’t food, it was something else entirely. The only thing that kept him in check was the constant reminder that you were afraid and in pain.

        “What the hell is that smell? And what is all the ruckus in here?” Every head, once again, turned towards the door to see an all too familiar figure standing there, frowning at all of them, and hating most.

*Inside*

Your POV

        You were still trying to get over the pain while the spider kept on relentlessly attacking with poison, claws, and lunging at you. You rolled around, dodging as best as you could. Why is this happening to me? I’m getting beat by a fucking SPIDER for Pete’s sake!! Hell, I shouldn’t be on the floor like a coward when I know this thing’s weaknesses! I can’t sit here and run away. I’m not weak. I can’t be weak. Somehow this is real, and I have no choice but to kill it with my bare han- claws!!
        
        Those thoughts ran through your head as you felt that you came to your senses. That was the last straw. This is humiliating! I can’t take this anymore! I’ve had enough! Your eyes grew red and your teeth and claws grew longer. Anger seethed throughout your whole being as you unfolded your wings, and lost control of your body. Hatred was all that you felt.

        You roared an animalistic growl. Your big beautiful wings spread to their full wingspan, trying to at least intimidate the spider. It only flinched slightly and raised its claws in anger, to appear bigger as well. It lunged at you once more, but you attacked just in time. You plunged your now fully extended claws right to it’s center thorax, and it stopped paralyzed almost right on top of you. You retracted your claws and jumped back instantly, wanting to watch it suffer for all the nightmares and terror these things have caused you. You faced it and saw its form freeze and slump to the floor, legs spreading out wide with its eyes still mad looking and open. Yeah, it’s dead. Dead dead dead. Wew! Wait…

        …

        …I JUST PLUNGED MY HAND INTO A FUCKING GIANT FROSTBITE SPIDER!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!! You got goosebumps all over and quickly waved your hand you touched the spider with around in the air, as if thinking that it would magically get rid of the feeling of touching it. But on the bright side for you, it was dead. Creepy as hell, but dead. 

        After you stopped your almost panic attack. It felt like minutes passed by, as you stared at the now lifeless corpse. You slowly felt more excited and proud for doing something you’d never thought you could do. It felt euphoric, something that you thought would most certainly kill you, you overcame! You smiled, and released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You knew you had to calm down though. You weren’t back in the airship, so there was still something else.

        You did eventually calm down, and tried walking away to somewhere else, but an invisible wall blocked your path a few feet from where you were. Not wanting to pass the thing you just killed, you remained in place. What am I supposed to do? As if to answer your question, you heard a thump to your left. When you looked in the direction it came from, there was a tiny little end table a few feet away from you. What really peeked your curiosity though, was the little brown bottle resting on the center of the table. You shot one last glance at the corpse, shivered, and walked towards the strange bottle. You picked it up, and shook it to see if there was anything in it. Strangely, there was nothing. Why is there a little empty bottle in the middle of a dark place like this? And speaking of which, where am I in the first place? How did I get here? I know this isn’t a nightmare because of this injury. But…hm. Maybe it’s one of Doctor’s experiments? Yeah, that makes the most sense. I swear when I get out of here, I’m going to fucking kill his sorry little ass, and give him a shit ton of my mind!!!! You clenched your fist and grit your teeth, but you calmed yourself down, and thought that you could escape if you do whatever is in store for you.

        The more you stared at the bottle, the more it started to look familiar, you just couldn’t figure out where you’ve seen it before. That’s when you remembered something. It was some kind of potions or poison bottle from Skyrim. But which potion, or poison, could it be? And why is it empty? This puzzled you to no end. There should be some kind of hint somewhere about what this is supposed to mean, usually there was. You looked back at the spider corpse, which you forgot was there for a second. You kept looking back and forth between the corpse and the potions bottle, wondering if there may be a connection since the spider was still there and you couldn’t go forward. Then it suddenly hit you like a brick. You were supposed to harvest the frostbite poison.

        “FUCKING BASTARDS!!!!” You vented out your frustrations to the world by cursing non stop. You stopped screaming, and then gagged at the thought of touching the spider again. But you had to do what you had to do to get out of this place, no matter what. Sucking it up, you inched ever so slightly to the creepy carcass with the bottle in hand. You had to fight down the huge urge to gag again. You were right in front of its face now, in between its unmoving attacking claws. You stopped yourself from screeching and moving as far away as possible from this, your usual reaction when seeing the spider, knowing it would only delay the inevitable, you kept moving forward and stopped directly in front of its mouth. 

        After about another 10 minutes of constantly resisting the urge to touch the thing and vomiting, you harvested the deadly poison that rested in the now full poisons bottle. The body turned to dust, and you felt like a weight was just lifted from your shoulders, along with a strange calming sensation throughout your body. You stuffed the poison bottle into your pocket and walked to where the invisible wall was. You placed your hand on it, only to find nothing there but thin air. You proceeded forward to see what else was in store for you, still very cautious from the spider incident, looking at the ceiling and perking your ears up to catch any kind of sound every once in a while.

        That slight cramping pain you felt ever since you got here, which you had forgotten about due to your adrenaline from the fight earlier, had slightly gotten worse after the calmness ran throughout your body. Maybe it was just that you got hurt somehow, since you were distracted by other ‘things’, you didn’t feel it until later. But now it felt more like a slight burning sensation, which caused you to worry and wince from certain movements every once in a while. 

        After a few more minutes of walking you came upon a huge vibrant two-story house with a long gorgeous kept lawn with people standing on it in different groups. As you came closer, you noticed that all of these people… were your friends. Your closest friends you missed so much. You smiled and yelled out to your friends, completely forgetting that this was not reality.

        “HEY! GUYS! IT’S ME, (Y/N)!!! OVER HERE!!!!” All eyes averted to you, and immediately whispering broke out.

        “Why the hell does she look like a freak?”

        “Was she always part animal, or demon?”

        “She looks so weird. What the hell is wrong with her? She looks like a monster!” You heard all of them. Those words shocked you. They hurt a little, but it could possibly be that they were only surprised by the fact that their friend came back with black and candy red wolf ears, a tail, and owl wings. That had to be it. They may just be confused. You continued to walk while trying to wear the best smile you could muster.

        “Guys, it’s OK. There’s no such thing as monsters. But, don’t these things look pretty cool? Just look!” You spread your wings to show your friends. They seemed to ignore or scowl at you as you strode forward.

        “Well, it’s not like we actually liked her in the first place.” That caused you to stop dead in your tracks. You had by now reached the front of the lawn, and that’s when you realized they stopped listening to you altogether.

        “She thought I was her older sister. She even called me ‘Big Sis’. Ha! Can you believe it!?” You recognized that voice as the only good tie you had on the zeppelin. Rip Van Winkle, your supposed ‘big sister’. She continued to laugh while you stared at her with shocked, hurt filled eyes. What made it worse was no one cared, some even just laughed at your expression. You heard another familiar voice chuckling from the rooftop. It was Schrödinger.

        “She actually thought I said she was pretty!! I mean, just look at her! She’s a disgrace! HA!!” He had his trademark evil smirk on and was laughing at what he said. “And she thought I actually care about her, a freaking pet! A freak of nature we’re only using! She’s such an idiot for believing anyone cared!” He again laughed at what he said. The worst part  was that somehow it hurt more than Rip’s comment, and it was the worst pain in your heart that you’ve ever felt. You couldn’t explain it though. It confused you, but more talking snapped you out of your thoughts.

        “She’s really ugly.”

        “Freak.”

        “Monster.”

        “Bitch.” Insult after insult after insult was flung at you. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Your best friend, (B/F/N), had now stepped forward. You looked up with hopeful eyes, at least you still had your best friend, right? They would never betray you like this. They were your last hope. But it was soon crushed with what came out of their mouth next.

“You were always so annoying to be around, did you know that (Y/N)?” They smirked, exactly like a bully on a playground, bullies you knew all too well. A lump formed in your throat and your mouth was completely dry. This can’t really be happening! “You were the last person, wait I’m sorry, freak, anyone wanted to be around. The only reason we kept around, was because it was so hilarious for you to think that you could have any friends that actually had fun with you!  It was always absolutely priceless!!!” You were so shocked, and now depressed, that you weren’t able to defend yourself, to show them that you weren’t weak. You just stood there, completely heartbroken and still.

        “You were such a fucking loser. A bitch, a damn tramp, a useless nobody. You never fit in. Didn’t you ever notice? How stupid can you be? You’re pathetic and weak. Completely useless. Worthless. You’re not even worth the mud beneath our feet.”

        “B-but… I-I-I thought… that-that we w-w-were-” You finally brought yourself to speak.

        “Awwwwww. You thought that I was your best friend, right?” They said it with the most mocking tone you never thought would be directed at you. You stood silent once more.
        
        “Well news flash.. We were never, and ever will be, friends. Let alone best friends. And you know what else?” They walked right up to you, and did the unthinkable. They punched you right in the face, so hard in fact, that it knocked you down to the ground. You were utterly speechless. You raised your left hand to your left cheek where you got hit. You felt the soreness of bruising appearing, and winced at the contact.

        It was nothing new. The bruising, and the betrayal. You just never expected it from your ‘good friends’, especially your ‘best friend’ now ex friend. Only one word was able to escape your lips.

        “Why?”

        You continued to gape at the ground while your once closest friends laughed and threw a couple more insults at you, which you didn’t hear through your newfound pain in your heart. They all eventually left you, all entering the huge house in front of you. You continued to lie there, when you again reached your hand up to your new bruise again, when you came in contact with a salty warm liquid running down your face. You hadn’t even realized you were crying.

        As you have always been used to, you were left alone to your agonizing thoughts of loneliness and despair, trying to fully process what just happened. No pity, no sympathy, and no empathy from anyone. However, something soon caught your nose. It smelled like something was burning. You heard a sizzling sound coming from the house as well, and you felt overwhelming heat and humidity rushing your way . You looked up to see that the house that was full of your ex friends, was engulfed in flames. You yelled out for them, screamed their names, anything that any survivors could hear. You didn’t hear any noises of reply, just the fire dancing upon the wood.

        You looked around to see if anyone escaped, but you only saw a white figure off to the side. Upon a quick closer inspection, it was the same white wolf from your last dream. She was staring at you, seemingly waiting patiently for something. You didn’t have time to think about it any longer, the only thoughts were of your ex friends, as you rushed towards the burning house wanting to save all of the people in it, not caring that they just treated you like a piece of rotten garbage. No matter what they said, they didn’t deserve to die.

        You kicked down the door and raced across anywhere the flames wouldn’t consume you. Nothing was recognizable except walls, the floor, and flames. The stench of burnt wood and death surrounded you. It was putrid. Nevertheless, you followed the scent of decay to its worst, hoping to find something of flesh, hopefully alive. But there were none of your friends, or even their bodies. Beams of wood kept falling around you, making it difficult to dodge and continue your search. That’s when you saw an unconscious yet still alive (B/F/N) and Schrödinger, the ones who treated you the worst, about to get crushed by another big beam that would kill them on impact. Without thinking, you dodged more fallen flames and tackled them out of the way of certain and immediate death, which resulted in you switching places with (B/F/N) and Schrödinger. You wouldn’t be able to react in time to save yourself, but you felt as if you could accept this fate, dying to save those two felt like the best way to go for you. Schrödinger especially, which you still couldn’t explain why or what this strange new feeling was. Maybe you would find the answer in the afterlife.

        Suddenly, white fur crossed your view, and you received a nose touch from the white wolf from outside, the same one who had been in your last dream. Well done, my child, was heard in your mind. You couldn’t think about it much, as the beam finally reached you, but a bright light clouded your vision, and your whole body hurt and burned, but surprisingly not from the fire you almost died under. It felt like a different pain, almost like everything inside of you was moving. It continued to hurt as you opened your eyes to pure white light.

 

(A/N: Warning: My nerdiness shows in this chapter, but I couldn’t think of a more interesting antagonist which later on in about a chapter or 2 I’ve got comedic AND story plans for >;), so just bear with it and just look stuff up if you need to get visuals. Thanks! ^_~.)

 

Schrödinger POV

        My eyes fluttered open from my usual dreamless sleep. I was still lying in bed with my head pressed against my cute little pet’s head. My mental clock was telling me it was 3:00 in the afternoon, which was pretty early since the sun must’ve still been out. But something’s not right, and I had a feeling that this is what must’ve woken me up.

        I felt a shaking motion on my head and wondered what it was. My half asleep form registered that it wasn’t me that was causing it, it was my Fräulein’s head tremendously vibrating against my forehead. I sat up on my side and looked at a sight that stopped my every movement. It wasn’t just her head shaking, her whole body was trembling, with her face scrunching up as if she was in pain. She didn’t even look awake, because I couldn’t see her (E/C) eyes staring at me. Her ears were bent back across her head and her tail was curled tightly around her chest. The top of her folded wings were pulled up to her chin. The rest of her body looked as if she were freezing to death from all the shivering, but all of her muscles were tensing with sweat flowing down her face from her (H/L) (H/C) hair, and her breathing was rough. I could barely even hear her heartbeat. It was a very unnaturally slow tempo that only echoed every once in a while, and it caused my almost non existent one to beat more drastically. I was suddenly filled with a terrifying sense of dread, something I don’t ever feel.

        I sat her up and leaned her against the head board and tried to shake her awake. “Fräulein! Fräulein, wake up!! Wake up!!! Snap out of it!!!!” No response, not even the slightest. I pressed the back of my gloved hand on her forehead to feel for a possible fever. She was absolutely burning and was now starting to sweat more than before. I disappeared into the bathroom and wet a rag with cold water to cool, then I appeared back and started rubbing her face with the rag. It worked just a little, since her breathing became more fluid and less sweat was pouring out. But it didn’t last long though, as she returned to her previous state. That’s when a horrible thought occurred to me. Is she dying!?

        I was terrified. Nothing was able to snap her out of whatever was going on. What made it worse was she started whimpering, and it sounded pained. It broke me, somehow it broke me. I did the only thing I could do. I layed next to her on the headboard on my right side and pulled her close to me. I put her head on my chest and put mine on her left shoulder. I began drawing comforting circles on her back with my hand, the last thing I could do to try and calm her down. Then, it felt like an animal instinct kicked in. I immediately pulled my head from her cheek and started licking her forehead and face to try and cool her down, and maybe even miraculously wake her up.

        “Wake up Fräulein, please. Please, wake up. Fräulein! FRÄULEIN! Please…. (Y/N).” I pleaded. Nothing. I continued licking her face, trying to comfort her. I felt her slow her shuddering, and I was wash over with a sense of relief. But it still wasn’t enough. I couldn’t even teleport into a dream or nightmare she must be having, but it’s as if where her mind is doesn’t even exist. I could only hold her in my arms and lick her forehead to try and comfort her.

        “What the hell is all the noise coming from Schrödinger? It sounds like you’re throwing a freaking tant-” A tired Rip opened the door. She took one look at my poor pet, and immediately became frantic, as her face contorted to worry. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE!”

        “I don’t know.” I whispered sorrowfully. I looked at her pleadingly, begging her to help somehow, someway. Rip walked over to the bed, and lay her hand on my pet’s side to try and wake her. She growled, but it didn’t sound pained, more like a warning, as if she was telling Rip to not to touch her again. What is becoming of you Fräulein?

        “I’m getting Major. Now.” I shook my head no. He would make this worse for all of us, including my Fräulein.

        “No. He’s not going to make this any better. He’ll-“

        “Know what’s going on and may know how to stop this.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she already ran out of the room, and I didn’t try to stop her. She had a point. Major knows more about her origins than anyone here. I shut my mouth and closed my eyes, then nuzzled my right cheek against hers.

        Please. Please wake up… (Y/N).

 

Your POV 

        Darkness. Nothing. Silence. They surrounded you. You could barely see much besides a floor with a little light shined on it. A slight cramping pain was felt all throughout your body. It hurt pretty bad, but not enough for you to not be able to move. You started walking around, trying to figure out where you were. It almost felt like a dream, but at the same time very real. This is all confusing. Where am I? Is it Mr. Mysterious again? What would he want though? Something else? But, why does it feel like there’s something else going on here? You had nothing better to do but to ignore the bad vibes you were receiving and start walking faster. But soon, you’ll wish you never did.

 

Schrödinger POV

        I was in the middle of moving back and forth between whispering comforting words into her ear and still licking her forehead, when Rip finally returned with Major. He wore a pleased expression on his face, which irritated me instantly. It made me want to hiss. Why does he seem so content when there is obviously something wrong with her? What the hell are you planning? He walked around to the opposite side of the bed I was on. “So it’s already begun.” Before I could start yelling for him to start explaining the shit that was going on, Rip already started speaking.

        “Do you know what’s wrong with her Major?” She asked in all seriousness. He lightly chuckled in relief, as if everything happening was nothing more than a simple scrape on the knee.

        “It is merely a sort of ‘cycle’ her kind go through at a certain age, almost like a human going through puberty. Only for her, it’s without the more… hormonal parts.” He chuckled at his own joke.

        “First, Schrödinger, get off of her.” I didn’t believe the words that came out of his big fat mouth. I was about to deeply protest when he cut me off. “Before you start arguing with me, she needs space. Unless, you want to get in the way of her moving around like that. She might possibly try to ‘kill’ you. Wouldn’t that be a little too much work to handle?” I still wasn’t fully convinced. She would suffer more if I didn’t hold onto her. I wouldn’t get off her no matter what. I know I can’t be killed. “Oh Schrödinger, if only you could see how you look right now, like a spoiled little child clinging onto their favorite toy, never wanting to let go. When in reality, that toy will be the end of him once it breaks.” I didn’t want to take anymore shit from him. The way he was pissing me off, I had to obey him, or I and my dear Fräulein will end up in trouble. I know how he thinks, and I didn’t want to think about the possibilities of punishment for the both of us.

        Very reluctantly, I let go of her and in the blink of an eye stood next to Rip, who was looking as pale stricken as I was. But the wince of pain that flashed through my Fräulein’s body as I let go didn’t escape my vision, and I almost wished it had. I didn’t want to see her in pain. It didn’t look like I was the only one who saw it either, judging from Rip’s new expression. Major just chuckled at our actions, although he seemed more amused about mine.

        “Schrödinger. I’m surprised you didn’t share your little embrace with Lieutenant Winkle here. Don’t you see her caring face? Don’t you care that she wants to help as much as you do?” For once this evening, I could counter him.

        “Rip did try and help. It’s just that my little Fräulein would not let her.”

        “Then why could you hold her?” Come to think of it, so far, I’ve been the only one that can touch her in this state. But, why me?

        “I don’t know Major. I thought you knew everything there was about her kind. Not me. You explain it.” Major actually stopped and seemed to be in thought about something. Then coming out of it, he snapped his head to Rip, who noticed his behavior the whole time, just as I had.

        “Lieutenant Winkle. Would you please place your hand on her shoulder.” We both looked at him, trying to figure out his plan. What the hell is going through that insane skull of yours Major? Rip nor I questioned him, as Rip walked to the right side of the bed. She reached out her hand, and gently layed it on her shoulder. A loud growl erupted shortly after, just like before. Major acknowledged this, and turned to my direction. “Your turn, Schrödinger.” I did the exact same thing as Rip, only no growl erupted from her. Instead, I continued to rub my hand along her shoulder, and her body seemed to calm down. Major got a twinkle, the twinkle that said that he figured out something fascinating. “Interesting. I was right.”

        “Right about what Major? What did you figure out? I know you found something.” I stared at him with a neutral expression. He was only silent for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not to tell me.

        “You’ll find out soon enough Schrödinger. You’ll find out soon enough.”

        “And what the hell does that mean?” He only chuckled, offering no further explanation. It didn’t satisfy me at all. I wanted to know what he knew. Curiosity did kill the cat though. I snapped my attention back to my Fräulein, who was all I cared about at the moment, which confused me. I still didn’t know why I was feeling this way, so depressed and so afraid for her. Why I wanted to see her gleaming (E/C) eyes stare at me, her cheeks flushed red, and a smile gracing her face. Just thinking about these things made me grow too worried again that I’d never see them again. Silence filled the room while I was deep in thought and memory, but I finally broke the silence.
        
        “Can we do anything to stop this?”

        “It is nothing that we can stop or prevent, this was bound to happen soon enough. Although she may be in her current state because we sped up her aging process this far. Usually it would only look as if she was in a coma. If she was at the actual age this stage happens at, it probably wouldn’t be this bad.”

        “Then why did we change her in the first place?! If we didn’t she wouldn’t be in this much pain!!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I. Was. Pissed. We should’ve done the surgery later.

        “You know we don’t have that kind of time Schrödinger. The age this would have happened at is 1,000 years. Our plans may be over 50 years old, but we certainly can not wait 950 more. Then, we still have to wait after that for phase two. We can’t have our rightful revenge when our target of rage is already dead, now can we?” He had a point, but I could live that long. I would’ve waited that long, just to see her not in as much pain as now. At this moment, she was more important than revenge. So I have to know more about this ‘cycle’ to find something. I gave a defeated sigh, knowing I couldn’t do much to help.

        “What exactly is going on with her then? What is this ‘cycle’ she’s going through? Explain it more.” 

        “She herself shouldn’t be in as much pain as you think, since her mind is somewhere else. This is just her body reacting to the change. The cycle is more about the trial than anything else.” Trial? “There are two phases she will go through, one for each of her full blooded parents. This is phase one. Right now she is somewhere where not even you, Schrödinger, can enter. It is like she’s in another dimension, just inside her mind, that no one else but our dear little Fräulein here can enter. If she succeeds in making the right choices, her body will undergo the change to one of her true forms.”

        “So until she completes this trial, she’ll remain like this?” Rip asked with worry.

        “Yes. But if she makes the wrong choices and fails, she will disappear from the universe all together, as if she never existed.” My heart clenched tightly at the thought. No. Stop. Calm down. She’ll make it. She has to…

        “What’s going on in this trial world then? What exactly is happening?” I asked.

        “I don’t know everything to it but right now at least, if this is the one I’m thinking of, the world she is in is creating her greatest fears, one by one. They aren’t just any fears though. They have to be bone-chilling fears, ones that would make her paralyzed with fear and terror.” I started thinking about what could be inside that world. Then a memory flashed through my mind at lightning speed. My face paled at the one thing I remembered could make her scared so much. “I’m surprised she’s been in there for so long actually. I only thought her greatest fear would be losing the ‘precious’ friends she had. It usually wouldn’t take too long to solve that problem. Oh. Schrödinger, you look so pale. Do you know something else that she would be afraid of?” He was taunting me, trying to get me to confess, to shout out the answer to his implied question and ask for help. However, I could do nothing even if I wanted to. My eyes widened, as I now fully realized what she was facing.

        “Oh God.”

 

Your POV

        You continued walking aimlessly forward, trying to find something of interest in this weird world. It’s only been a few minutes since when you first found yourself here. But that’s when you heard it. A crackling, hissing noise that sounded so familiar, resonated throughout the void, painful to your delicate ears. It sounded so familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it, but then it hit you. You knew exactly what it was. You were terrified, and not even searching for its source, you started to run. Goosebumps ran all along your skin, as you knew what was about to happen. The noise you heard earlier grew twice as loud, and you heard something big start to fall where you had been mere moments ago. The ground shook as the huge figure landed behind you. You turned around to confirm your suspicions, and your face turned as pale as the moon at the sight.

 

3rd Person POV

        “Schrödinger, what’s the matter? Do you know something about what she’s facing right now?” Rip asked. Schrödinger just gulped in reply. “Schrödinger. You need to tell us. Now!” She asserted herself. The cat boy was back on the bed, having done not long ago, hugging your increasingly trembled body close to him.

        “I’ve only seen it once before, at her human house. And it wasn’t even… Shit! She’s gonna die!!!”

        “Warrant Officer Schrödinger. I think everyone in the room would like you to actually finish your sentence and explain yourself.” Major playfully stated.

        “Yes, and there’s a reason I never told you, Major, of what this is because it’s not even… UGH! YOU WON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND!! She could barely handle it before, and she definitely won’t be able to handle it now.” Rip was angered beyond belief by this point.

        “Maybe if you used that stupid little cat brain of yours and I don’t know FUCKING EXPLAIN it we could figure something out!” 

        “Not exactly Lieutenant, not exactly.”

        “And what the hell does that mean!?”

        “It means that she’s on her own. We can’t do anything about it. It’s what her kind have to go through. Nothing can wake her up from the outside, only her own choices will save her now.” With each passing word, Schrödinger pulled your body closer to his. That’s when you started shivering like a madman stuck in Antarctica, which made Schrödinger close to hyperventilating, even though he didn’t need to breathe.

        “This proves it. She’s facing it. She only shivered like this at it…. Oh, it’s gonna KILL HER!!”

        “Alright, THAT’S IT! Schrödinger, you need to calm the FUCK down, man the FUCK up, and tell us what the FUCK IT IS!!” Everyone, even Major, was surprised by Rip’s outburst. She usually never goes that far as to yell like that, especially in anger. It only showed how much she cared for you as well.

        “I think you need to calm down as well Lieutenant. I’ve never seen you this mad before now. As the young people say nowadays ‘take a chill pill’. And Schrödinger, now you’re referring to her mysterious fear as it? How cute.” Schrödinger just kept trying to soothe your trembling body, not even bothering to glare at Major for his little comment. It didn’t help. Unearthly silence was the only thing that filled the room.

        “Schrödinger, just tell us. Please. What could she possibly be facing in there? We need to know everything we can. Just, please.” Rip was settled down, and was now only concerned for your safety. Schrödinger sighed.

        “Alright… I’ll tell you.”

 

Your POV

         You could hear it a mile away, catching up to you. You were hyperventilating, taking sharp breathes every time your feet touched the ground. Tears pricked the ends of your eyes, and all the sounds you heard were your heavy breathing and it’s hiss piercing your ears. But no matter what you heard, you never looked back. You were too afraid to look at it. It was too much. It was coming closer by the second. It was really fast, but even though your legs wanted to give up from the extreme pain you felt, you kept running. And running. And running. Until…

 

3rd Person POV

        “Say what now? I’ve never heard of something like that before.” Rip was baffled at the moment.

        “To be honest, it was pretty creepy when I first saw it.”

        “Wait! Major! Can’t Doctor look this kind of stuff up?!” Rip questioned. Major waved this off.

        “Be my guest Lieutenant. I have to say, I’m quite curious about it as well.” With that, Rip sprinted off to find Doctor and learn the information she needed to know. Meanwhile, Schrödinger felt your body tense and shiver tenfold. He knew that you were facing it right now. And it terrified him to think about you suffering so much. He clenched his teeth together, and began to shiver himself. All he wanted was for Rip and Doctor to get back really soon, or he was going to flip out. Major just took a seat in Schrödinger’s chair, finding it amusing that his lieutenants thought that discovering more about one of your greatest fears was going to help anything.

 

Your POV
        
        You were hit by something slimy and dangerous. It weakened you greatly, as it was designed to slowly kill you. That means you would be slower now, and it would certainly catch up to you soon. You wiped the sticky substance off in disgust as you heard it closing in on you. You waited, knowing you had to face it sooner or later, and held the urge to start gagging. You needed to see it. You turned your head over your shoulder, and as you unfortunately knew, it was there. There behind you was your most silliest, most embarrassing, yet terrifying fear of all. A giant red frostbite spider, the ones that creeped you out the most, stood there with its legs moving at lightning speed towards you. It was about four feet taller and five feet wider than you, making its way towards you as fast as an Olympic runner. You froze from fear, one thought running through your mind. I’m fucking dead.

 

 3rd Person POV

        “Lieuten- AH! For everyone’s sake CALM DOWN!! You don’t have to DRAG me there!!”

        “No time to waste Doctor!!!”

        “AAAAHH!!” Sounds of struggling were heard coming from the hallway. Major and Schrödinger stared at the door, the source of the noises and yelling. Then suddenly, Doctor was literally thrown into the room, hitting the floor with a loud thud. He stood up and glared at Rip, prepared to yell, but then noticed your quivering form curled next to Schrödinger. He smirked. “Aaahhh, so it has begun. Perfect.”

        “We need you to get as much information on something as you can!” Rip shouted.

        “What for?”

        “Just do it.”

        “Nothing will help her, you know that, right?” Rip and Schrödinger glared at him then turned their attention to you.

        “If I may, Doctor. Schrödinger said that she was terribly afraid of something else we knew nothing about. Wouldn’t you like to know what that is?” Doctor pondered over Major’s statement. He actually was curious, and finally decided to agree to Rip’s wishes, as his curiosity got the best of him. He grabbed his laptop from Rip, who had carried it with her so it wouldn’t get damaged, and logged in.

        “So what is it?”

        “It’s something called a frostbite spider.” Doctor gave an ‘are-you-seriously-kidding-me’ look.

        “What the hell kind of-“

        “JUST DO IT!” Schrödinger and Rip shouted simultaneously. Doctor rolled his eyes and typed away. After about a minute, he motioned everyone over. 

        “So this is what I found. I must say, this is an interesting creature. Although, I’m not familiar with some of the terms.”

        “Don’t even try Doctor. It’s from a video game that someone like you could never understand. But when Fräulein here wakes up, she can dumb it down for you.” Schrödinger smirked at Doctor, who mumbled an ‘if she wakes up’ low enough so no one could hear.

        “Didn’t you say before that you spent three hours watching her play that dumb thing? Don’t you know what the hell some of this is?”

        “First, don’t call it ‘dumb’ when she wakes up. Second, it’s not just an ordinary game. I could barely even keep up with a fourth of what was going on in there. It’s very complex, and confusing. I think there was some kind of ‘civil war’ and the main thing was that everyone was at war against this one big dragon thingy, er, or something. Then there were other dragons, and giants, and elves, and orcs, and this weird language. Oh, there cat people in there too! And they-“

        “We don’t have time for this! Doctor, is there anything that could be useful on there? Weaknesses perhaps?” Rip interrupted. Doctor merely rolled his eyes and skimmed the info one more time, turning into his curious ‘more-science-less-arrogant’ self.

        “Well, I’m assuming they can’t swim, are vulnerable to their own poison, and weaker in warmer areas. Not much on their actual weaknesses or anything else. Schrödinger, which one of these would she be more likely to encounter? There are apparently different subtypes of colors and sizes.”

        “Now how am I supposed to know that!?”

        “Is there anyway you can stop them without having to kill them?” Rip questioned.

        “Absolutely not. They are apparently extremely hostile. Like I already said, nothing you can do about it. I guess she could try and sneak by it if she stays out of eyesight… if it’s not above her, that us.”

        “I think we’re way past that option.” Schrödinger worriedly said.

        “And why’s that?” He looked to your form and noticed the increase of trembling. “Ah, I see. So she’s already seen it. As I kept trying to tell you guys, nothing can help her.”

 

Your POV
        
        It stopped just a few yards away from you and raised its attack claws, firing more of its life-weakening slimy green poison at you. You dodged it this time and began sprinting down the darkness once more, slower than before since you got hit earlier. It was right on your tail, but there was no way you could face this thing. You could barely face it in a video game, let alone in some weird nightmare or whatever this was. You were doomed, you just knew it.
        
        As it got closer to you, you turned your head and immediately regretted it. It raised its whole body, spread its mouth apart, and leapt right at you. It was the most sickening thing you’ve ever seen. You were sure that this was the fastest you’ve ever sprinted before, as you tried to avoid the big creature trying to kill you. You didn’t dare try to fly. You knew you wouldn’t be able to yet, and an attempt would just slow you down more.

        You tried looking around for anything useful, and since you assumed there was no large body of water in this place, your main target was a weapon to help kill it. Sadly, there was nothing. It was just you, the spider, and your bare hands. It sickened you, but you knew you had to kill this thing with no weapons or any advantages whatsoever. But the problem was, could you work up enough courage to fight the thing you were most afraid of? 

        You realized you had been slowing down due to exhaustion, and soon you stopped, your stamina drained. It stopped as well, and raised its claws in the air, bringing them down on you. You rolled out of the way right on time, but it kept on attacking. At one point, it caught your right shoulder and you felt its, hairy nasty claw pierce skin. One thing confused you, though. You felt pain, which caused you to hiss. You even saw blood running down your wound. Sure you felt that cramping pain before, but you thought it was just part of not being, or completely, being human. That’s when you realized that this was no nightmare. This was real. Somehow, you were in a real place, and the chances of you surviving this was probably the only thing not real at the moment.

 

3rd Person POV

        Everyone in the room was in their own world at the moment, focusing on the situation at hand. They were all thinking about how long they had to wait for you to wake up, if you woke up at all. Until they were jarred from their thoughts from a sudden hiss of pain, and the smell of blood. They turned their heads to you, and noticed your unconscious self was clutching your right shoulder, blood pouring from it like a waterfall. Rip and Schrödinger’s jaws dropped, Doctor wrote something down in his notepad, and Major just shrugged it off as if it was no big deal.

        The two surprised beings turned their heads to Major, seeking for some kind of explanation. All the while, Rip tried to not to lose control over the smell of your blood. Your kind had some of the sweetest and most powerful blood there is, and it was hard for a vampire to not lose control over it. Major saw this and chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised you two. What are you worrying about?” They only continued to stare at him, wide eyed and not satisfied with his answer. “It’s only a cut. She’ll be fine. She must’ve gotten hit by the spider.”

        “Her injuries from there,” Rip pointed to your head while practically drooling, “show up in that world AND here!? Can they heal at all?” Her crazed look didn’t escape Major’s eyes. In fact, your blood’s scent was driving everyone mad.

        “The wound will heal if she survives, yes. Until then, try to control yourself Lieutenant. Her blood can be sweet for some, and deadly for others.” He flashed an insane grin. Rip just started to silently breathe, trying to distract herself as well. The only one who didn’t want to suck all the blood you had was Schrödinger. It was driving him mad as well, but a different kind of mad, something that he didn’t understand himself. He wanted something from your blood, but he didn’t understand what. The only thing that kept him in check was the constant reminder that you were afraid and in pain.

        “What the hell is that smell? And what is all the ruckus in here?” Every head, once again, turned towards the door to see an all too familiar figure standing there, frowning at all of them.

 

Your POV

        You were still trying to get over the pain while the spider kept on relentlessly attacking with poison, claws, and lunging at you. You rolled around, dodging as best as you could. Why is this happening to me? I’m getting beat by a fucking SPIDER for Pete’s sake!! Hell, I shouldn’t be on the floor like a coward when I know this thing’s weaknesses! I can’t sit here and run away. I’m not weak. I can’t be weak. Somehow this is real, and I have no choice but to kill it with my bare han- claws!!
        
        Those thoughts ran through your head as you felt something come over you. This is humiliating! I can’t take this anymore! I’ve had enough! Your eyes grew red and your teeth and claws grew longer. Anger seethed throughout your whole being as you unfolded your wings, and lost control of your body. Hatred was all that you felt.

        You roared as you spread your big beautiful wings to their full wingspan. The spider only flinched slightly and raised its claws in anger. It lunged at you once more, but you attacked just in time. You plunged your now fully extended claws right to it’s center thorax, and it stopped, paralyzed, almost right on top of you. You retracted your claws and jumped back instantly. Its form froze and slumped to the floor, legs spreading out wide with its enraged eyes still open. Yeah, it’s dead. Wew! Wait…

        …

        …I JUST PLUNGED MY HAND INTO A FUCKING GIANT FROSTBITE SPIDER!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!! Goosebumps appeared all over your body and quickly shook the hand you touched the spider with around in the air, as if thinking that it would magically get rid of the feeling of touching it.

        When your disgust and panic passed, you remained frozen in place. It felt like hours passed, as you stared at the now lifeless corpse. You slowly felt more excited and proud for doing something you never thought you could do. It felt euphoric. You smiled, and released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You knew you had to calm down though. You weren’t off the hook yet.

        You decided that you need to keep moving and escape whatever hellhole you were in, and tried walking away to somewhere else, but an invisible wall blocked your path. What am I supposed to do now? As if to answer your question, you heard a thump. When you looked in the direction it came from, there was a tiny little end table a few feet away from you. What really peeked your curiosity though, was the little brown bottle resting on the center of the table. You shot one last glance at the corpse, shivered, and walked towards the strange bottle. You picked it up, and shook it to see if there was anything in it. Strangely, there was nothing. Why is there a random little empty bottle?

        The more you stared at the object, the more it started to look familiar, you just couldn’t figure out where you’ve seen it before. That’s when you remembered something. It was some kind of potions or poison bottle from Skyrim. But which potion, or poison, could it be? And why is it empty? This puzzled you to no end. There should be some kind of hint somewhere about what this is supposed to mean, usually there was. You looked back at the spider corpse, which you forgot was there for a second. You kept looking back and forth between the corpse and the potions bottle, wondering if there may be a connection. Then suddenly hit you. You were supposed to harvest the frostbite poison.

        “FUCKING BASTARDS!!!!” You vented out your frustrations to the world by cursing non stop. You stopped screaming, and then gagged at the thought of touching the spider again. But you had to do what you had to do to get out of this place, no matter what. Sucking it up, you inched ever so slightly to the creepy carcass, bottle in hand. You had to fight down the huge urge to gag again. You were right in front of its face now, in between its unmoving attacking claws. You willed yourself to keep moving forward, and eventually stopped directly in front of its mouth. 

        After about another 10 minutes of constantly resisting the urge to touch the thing, you harvested the deadly poison that rested in the now full poisons bottle. The body turned to dust, and you felt like a weight was just lifted from your shoulders, along with a strange calming sensation throughout your body. You stuffed the poison bottle into your pocket and walked to where the invisible wall was. You placed your hand on it, only to find nothing there but thin air. You proceeded forward to see what else was in store for you.

        That slight cramping pain you felt ever since you got here, which you had forgotten about due to your adrenaline from the fight earlier, had slightly gotten worse after that strange feeling of calmness ran throughout your body. Maybe it was just that you got hurt somehow, and since you were distracted by other ‘things’, you didn’t feel it until later. But now it felt more like a slight burning sensation, which caused you to worry and wince from certain movements every once in a while. 

        After a few more minutes of walking you came upon a huge vibrant two-story house with a long gorgeous well-kept lawn, As you came closer, you noticed people standing on it in different groups, and you realized that all of these people… were your friends. You smiled and yelled out to your friends, completely forgetting that this was not reality.

        “HEY! GUYS! IT’S ME, (Y/N)!!! OVER HERE!!!!” All eyes averted to you, and immediately whispering broke out.

        “Why the hell does she look like a freak?”

        “Was she always part animal, or demon?”

        “She looks so weird. What the hell is wrong with her? She looks like a monster!” You heard every single one of those comments. It shocked you. Those words hurt a little, but it could possibly be that they were only surprised by the fact that their friend came back with wolf ears, a tail, and owl wings. That had to be it. They may just be confused. You continued to walk while trying to wear the best smile you could muster.

        “Guys, it’s OK. There’s no such thing as monsters. But, don’t these things look pretty cool? Just look!” You spread your wings to show your friends. More seemed to scowl at you as you got closer to them.

        “Well, it’s not like we actually liked her in the first place.” That caused you to stop dead in your tracks.

        “She thought I was her older sister. She even called me ‘Big Sis’. Ha! Can you believe it!?” You recognized that voice as the only good tie you had on the zeppelin. Rip Van Winkle, your supposed ‘big sister’. She continued to laugh while you stared at her with shocked, hurt filled eyes. What made it worse was no one cared, some even just laughed at your expression. You heard another familiar voice chuckling from the rooftop. It was Schrödinger.

        “She actually thought I said she was pretty!! I mean, just look at her! She’s a disgrace! HA!!” He had his trademark evil smirk on and was laughing. “And she thought I actually cared about her, a freaking pet! A freak of nature we’re only using! She’s such an idiot for believing anyone cared!” He again laughed. The worst part  was that somehow it hurt more than Rip’s comment, and it was the worst pain in your heart that you’ve ever felt. You couldn’t explain it though. It confused you, but more voices snapped you out of your thoughts.

        “She’s really ugly.”

        “Freak.”

        “Monster.”

        “Bitch.” Insult after insult after insult was flung at you. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Your best friend, (B/F/N), had now stepped forward. You looked up with hopeful eyes, at least you still had your best friend, right? They would never betray you like this. They were your last hope. But it was soon crushed with what came out of their mouth next.

        “You were always so annoying to be around, did you know that (Y/N)?” They smirked, exactly like a bully on a playground, bullies you knew all too well. A lump formed in your throat and your mouth was completely dry. This can’t really be happening! “You were the last person, wait, I’m sorry, freak, anyone wanted to be around. The only reason we kept you around was because it was so hilarious for you to think that you could have any friends that actually had fun with you! It was always absolutely priceless!!!” You just stood there, completely heartbroken and still, not able to utter a single word.

        “You were such a fucking loser. A bitch, a damn tramp, a useless nobody. You never fit in. Didn’t you ever notice? How stupid can you be? You’re pathetic and weak. Completely useless. Worthless. You’re not even worth the mud beneath our feet.”

        “B-but… I-I-I thought… that-that we w-w-were-” You were on the verge of tears.

        “Awwwwww. You thought that I was your best friend, right?” They said it with the most vile tone you never thought would be directed at you. 
        
        “Well news flash.. We were never, and ever will be, friends. Let alone best friends. And you know what else?” They walked right up to you, and did the unthinkable. They punched you right in the face, so hard in fact, that it knocked you down to the ground. You raised your left hand to your left cheek where you got hit, and felt the soreness of bruising appearing, wincing at the contact.

        It was nothing new. The bruising, and the betrayal. You just never expected it from your ‘good friends’, especially your supposed ‘best friend’. Only one word was able to escape your lips.

        “Why?”

        You continued to gape at the ground while your once closest friends laughed and threw a couple more insults at you, which you shut out. They all eventually left the lawn and entered the huge house in front of you. You continued to lie there, when you again touched your new bruise, and came into contact with a salty warm liquid running down your face. You hadn’t even realized you were crying.

        As you have always been used to, you were left alone to your agonizing thoughts of loneliness and despair, trying to fully process what just happened. No pity, sympathy, or empathy from anyone. However, something soon caught your nose. It smelled like something was burning. You heard sizzling and crackling as well, and you felt overwhelming heat and humidity rushing your way. You looked up to see that the house that was full of your ex friends, was engulfed in flames. You yelled out for them, screamed their names, anything that any survivors could hear. You didn’t hear any noises of reply, just the fire dancing upon the wood.

        You looked around to see if anyone escaped, but you only saw a white figure off to the side. Upon a quick closer inspection, it was the same white wolf from your dream. She was staring at you, seemingly waiting for something. You didn’t have time to think about it any longer as you rushed towards the burning house, wanting to save all of the people in it, not caring that they just treated you like a piece of rotten garbage. No matter what they said, they didn’t deserve to die.

        You kicked down the door and raced across anywhere the flames wouldn’t consume you. Nothing was recognizable except walls, the floor, and flames. The stench of burnt wood and death surrounded you. It was putrid. Nevertheless, you followed the scent of decay to its worst, hoping to find something of flesh, hopefully alive. But there were none of your friends, or even their bodies. Beams of wood kept falling around you, making it difficult to dodge and continue your search. That’s when you saw an unconscious yet still alive (B/F/N) and Schrödinger, the ones who treated you the worst, about to get crushed by another big beam that would kill them on impact. Without thinking, you dodged more fallen flames and tackled them out of the way of certain death, which resulted in you switching places with (B/F/N) and Schrödinger. You wouldn’t be able to react in time to save yourself, but you felt as if you could accept this fate, dying to save those two felt like the best way to go for you. Schrödinger especially, which you still couldn’t explain why or what this strange new feeling was. Maybe you would find the answer in the afterlife.

        Suddenly, white fur crossed your view, and you received a nose touch from the white wolf from outside, the same one who had been in your last dream. A voice was then heard in your head. Well done, my child. You couldn’t think about it much, as the beam finally reached you, but a bright light clouded your vision, and your whole body hurt and burned, but surprisingly not from the fire you almost died under. It felt like a different pain, almost like everything inside of you was moving. It continued to hurt as you opened your eyes to pure white light.