A/N: This part of the trilogy will be a bit different. First, there may or may not be more cursing in the dialogue in order to match up with everyone's maturity, but I haven't decided on that yet. Second, it will be in third person limited (to my OCs), so there will be no more point of view shifts. Third, I have hopes that I will be able to upload chapters on either Saturday or Sunday nights. Fourth, this story will be more from my own imagination and less cannon from the anime. And finally, I don't think I'll be having any sexual scenes (I was in a mood for the last one, sorry).
Also, I can not deal with the Akatsuki because it's too elaborate for me, so I just don't allow them to exist in my stories.
If you are just now stumbling on the Beast Saga, please go to my profile and read The Beast Inside, which is the first book, or at least the first chapter, "Background," so you can understand the protagonist a bit more.
This is the third and final part of the series. Thank you for following me on this journey. I could not have come this far without your unconditional support and enthusiasm. Enjoy.
(Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto. The opinions of my original characters do not reflect those of Masashi Kishimoto nor my own.)
((P.S. If you're expecting Ayame to forgive everything that's happened, you've got another thing coming))
(((P.P.S. I meant to upload this yesterday and forgot. Sorry.)))
. . .
It was high noon. The sun was shining boldly on the Earth, heating it with gentle rays of warmth. A person walked on a dirt path that was as familiar as her own heart beat. She walked with her chin up, back straight, and a twinkle in her grey, storm-cloud eyes.
Approaching a large, welcoming gate that was wide open, a smile with pointed canines spread across her face. Unknowingly, her steps turned to strides until she finally reached the gate of Konoha, the familiar sight filling her with joy and nostalgia that gave her brief butterflies in her stomach.
"Hey, who goes - " A guard began to call, but stopped himself when he realised who entered his home of a village. His professional countenance faded into a grin. "Oh, it's you. Back for another visit?"
"I'm home permanently," she replied in a rumbling, yet feminine voice. "Good to see you, Suge."
"Likewise," he returned. "You look so grown up."
"Thank you." She continued into the village. Suge was right, after all. Two long auburn braids hung over her shoulders in front of her, her ears looked more pointed, she strolled with grace and poise with her slightly taller and muscular stature. She even had tattoos, despite only being sixteen.
As she walked on the path, the dirt crunching beneath her sandals, she came across a building. With her heightened sense of hearing, she detected children playing behind the wall where she knew a courtyard was. The Konoha Ninja Academy was where she spent many days of her youth and where she learned how much she loved being a ninja.
She pushed past the overwhelming sensation of fondness she was feeling and furthered into the village. Soon, she was approaching the ever-busy shopping district. Lifting her nose, she could smell all the different foods being cooked in the kiosks of the street. Her mouth watered.
To her right was a flower shop, the scent of blooms flowing subtly around her. There were two girls in the front of the store: one with long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail and the other with short pink hair. They seemed to have been laughing about something when the other girl called over to them.
"Oi!" She shouted, making her way over to them. The girls stopped their conversation and turned to see the owner of the voice. The pinkette smiled broadly, jade eyes shimmering.
"Ayame!" She cried, hurrying over and embracing her friend with overwhelming strength.
"Sakura, good to see you," Ayame strained, hugging her back. When she was released, she hugged her other friend, who was more gentle in her welcome. "You, too, Ino."
"I was starting to wonder when you'd be coming back for a visit," Ino commented as she took a step back to admire her friend. Ayame's dress consisted of a violet tank top that revealed the curse mark on her shoulder she had learned to love and embrace. Her toned biceps, as well as the rest of her body under her clothes, were tanned as most of her time was spent outside. The moss-green, multi-pocketed pants she wore conformed to her muscular legs - they looked tight, though they must have been easy to move in for a ninja's utility. "You look great."
"Are you kidding? You two look gorgeous."
"How long are you staying this time?" Sakura asked, beginning to walk down the road with her gal pals after Ino excused herself from her shift at her mother's flower shop. Ayame, between them, hooked her arms around those of her friends, feeling comfort in their company.
"Actually, I'm done with my training," she answered. "The contracts with the Hokage expire today and I'm staying home."
"That's great!" Ino said. She smirked and leaned towards Ayame. "I know someone will just love that news." The three of them giggled amongst themselves.
"Hey, Onee-chan," a familiar voice called from behind them. "Aren't you gonna welcome me home, too?" Ayame spun around on her heels to meet a pair of gorgeous blue eyes and sunshine yellow hair. His whiskered face was grinning and laughing at his bewildered, cheerful sister of a best friend.
"Naruto!" She sprinted over to him and collided her body to his, picking him up in a hug almost as tight as Sakura's. "You're back! I missed you, Onii-san!"
"O-Onee-chan, I can't breathe," Naruto squeaked. After setting him gently on the ground, the four of them walked on as to avoid causing any traffic in the shopping area. Ayame really began to examine her not-so-little brother, and she had to look up at him to do so.
"Oi, what's this?" She asked, groping her chin in thought. She flattened out her hand and reached from the top of her own head up to the top of Naruto's, drawing an invisible, diagonal line. "You've gotten taller."
"And you're stronger," he replied, a smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "A lot's changed, huh?"
"You said it."
They soon made their way out of the packed market and began to traipse on a side path. Naruto and Ayame began to describe their period of excursion. Sakura, who had been training under Lady Tsunade's medical ninjustu, explained her own feats as a ninja. Ino discussed her team's improvement as a unit.
"So, you came back to Konoha during training?" Naruto asked Ayame, who nodded.
"Yeah," she answered. "Since I was training with a bunch of wolves, the head of the pack thought it would be important to return home every once in a while so I could keep human mannerisms. I only came for a few days every couple months or so."
"I doubt it helped much," Ino snickered. "I remember when there was a cat and you ran on all fours to try to catch it." Ayame blushed as the others laughed.
"Yeah, well - " she stopped herself from continuing, stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes were closed as her friends looked back at her curiously. Those pointed ears on her head twitched as she listened hard to find that voice that only she had just heard.
"Onee-chan?" Naruto called to her, but she was already sprinting like the animal within her. Dust kicked up in clouds as she ran, leaving her friends behind her.
Skidding around the corner, Ayame saw the person she had heard and her heart felt as if it would explode. Though she could only see the back of his brunette head, his scent and chakra told her who he was. She was getting closer by the second, and he barely even had time to turn his head over his shoulder before Ayame pounced on his back, making him stagger forward dangerously. Despite the wind being knocked out of him, he managed to remained standing and laugh, making the triangles on his cheeks dance.
"Kiba-kun!" Ayame squealed into his shoulder, wrapping her arms and legs around him like a vice. Kiba supported her weight by holding up the backs of her knees.
"Ayame-chan," he returned, shifting to hold her more properly. "You're getting heavy." Ino, Sakura, and Naruto slowed their jogs to walks when they saw that there was no threat.
"I have a high-protein diet," she argued, resting her head on his right shoulder. "It's all muscle. Hi, Shino. Hi, Hinata. Hi, Akamaru."
"Hello, Ayame," Shino said in his low voice. A hooded, high-collar jacket and shades covered his entire face, but Ayame recognised her old schoolmate instantly. Hinata waved shyly before ducking behind a nearby tree.
"Where's Kage?" Kiba asked, craning his neck to nod at his enormous, loyal companion. "Akamaru's been itchin' to have a playdate." Akamaru, who must have at least tripled in size in the past three years, barked in agreement.
"Oh, he wanted to stay with the pack a little longer," Ayame explained with a sigh. "The trip here was lonely without him."
"Hey, Onee-chan," Naruto began, pointing at her and looking confused, "how come you're on Kiba like that?" He paused and looked at the white behemoth of a dog before jumping back in utter surprise. "And is that Akamaru!? He's huge!"
"Naruto," Shino said slowly. "It's nice to see you." Naruto arched an eyebrow.
"Huh? Who're you?" The blonde scratched his chin and squinted his blue eyes.
"Psst," Ayame whispered to him from Kiba's back. "That's Shino."
"You couldn't recognise me?" Shino asked in a chilling voice, making Naruto shudder. "You recognised Kiba pretty easily."
"Well, how am I supposed to know who you are with your face all covered up!?"
"Ayame recognised me . . ." Naruto decided it would be best to shut up right then and took it upon himself to investigate a presence he felt behind the tree. After a moment, a red-faced Hinata scrambled away from the group, leaving behind a befuddled Naruto.
Ayame sniffed around Kiba's neck, which caused the boy to squrim. "Cut it out! That tickles!"
"But you smell so good," Ayame breathed.
"You know, I love this wild side and all, but knock it off!" Kiba whined. Ayame jumped off of his back and approached Akamaru. He was so large that even when he was sitting he was tall enough for Ayame to reach his head without crouching down.
"Fine," she said, scratching behind his soft, white ear. "Then I won't tell you the good news."
"Eh?" Kiba honked, turning back to Sakura and Ino. "What news?"
"Ayame's training is complete," Sakura informed him. "She's staying home for good." Kiba's mouth gaped open.
"Seriously?" He asked. Sakura nodded happily. He rotated back to Ayame, whose arms were now crossed over her ample chest as she pouted. Dashing up to her, he picked the girl up in his arms and spun her around. "That's great! Why didn't you tell me sooner!? We're totally celebrating!"
"Inuzuka Kiba," Ayame grinned as she was set on the ground. "Are you asking me on a date?"
"Ah, young love," Ino swooned, elbowing Sakura as Kiba flushed and floundered. "They're kinda cute together, ne?"
"Wait, I'm lost," Naruto said, deadpanning across the group. "What's going on here?"
"Still as clueless as ever," Sakura said, almost sadly. Ayame sensed it, but did not address it.
"Oi, Ino," she said instead, "how about you round up Shikamaru and Chouji, Shino can find Hinata, and we'll track down Neji's team for a proper reunion?"
"Perfect! I know just the place!" Sakura exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her briefly before hooking onto Naruto's arm. "Naruto, you help me find Team Gai, okay?"
"But I wanted to be with Onee-chan - "
"You'll have plenty of time at dinner!" Sakura interrupted, yanking him away before casting Ayame a glance over her shoulder. The red head mouthed a thank you.
Shino and Ino then vanished with ninja speed to search for their missing teammates. Kiba and Ayame were finally left alone - with Akamaru, of course. They walked closely next to each other with Akamaru trailing behind. The road they walked was quiet aside from their own conversation.
"So, that tattoo is new," Kiba noted, tapping the back of Ayame's exposed neck, which housed a life-lasting image of a grey wolf. It was slightly hidden by the tie from the handkerchief around her neck. On her left wrist was her brother's name, Akio, and on her right wrist sat her mother's name, Kitai, in black ink. Both of them were dead, but their memory remained immortal on her skin.
"Oh, yeah," she said, rubbing the back of her neck almost sheepishly. "I thought it was cool. I think I'll get more."
"My mom would kill me if I got a tattoo," Kiba said.
"So, what are those, then?" Ayame asked, smoothing her thumb over the red triangles on his tanned face.
"It's the mark of my clan," Kiba explained as she continued to touch his cheek. "Not a tattoo of my choice."
They walked quietly for a bit. Ayame decided to wait for Sakura to find and retrieve them for the dinner so they wouldn't worry. Being in the village again gave Ayame a warm feeling in her stomach. She felt like her goal of becoming stronger was complete, but the ghost of her heartaches still lingered within the walls of Konoha.
"I missed you," Ayame said abruptly. They had stumbled upon a residential neighbourhod and were passing by nice houses. Children played in yards and some stood in awe of the colossal dog following the teenagers. "I was gone for so long this time."
"Four months, three weeks, six days," Kiba said. Ayame stared up at him in amazement. "Last time I checked."
"Have you been watching my flat?"
"Every week."
Ayame smiled in spite of herself and looked towards the ground bashfully. The sound of children laughing brought back memories of her childhood. She imagined her younger self frolicking with her team to receive a mission. Kakashi, her sensei, Naruto, Sakura, and -
"Oh, yeah," Kiba suddenly remembered, digging into his pocket. He stuck out his tongue as he groped around and eventually pulled out a small metal object. "Your key."
"Thanks." Ayame accepted the item and stuffed it in her own pocket. "I should go home and get some money for dinner." Kiba waved his hand.
"I got it," he insisted, a fanged smile on his face. Ayame shook her head.
"I eat a lot," she admitted. "Let me pay."
"You're broke," Kiba teased. "You haven't been earning any money, have you? No? Didn't think so. It's my treat, really." Akamaru barked behind them. "Yeah, I'll get you something too, buddy."
They were coming to the end of the road, the sound of kids slowly faded as each step the pair took moved them further away. Soon, Sakura found them and led them to the restaurant that she had selected for the reunion.
Hours had passed since Ayame and Naruto had arrived to the village, and the sun had begun to get heavy as it strained toward the horizon. The air felt cooler, the streets were less busy. The lamp posts had yet to be lit before the darkness consumed the streets. Ayame recalled evenings like this from her childhood and lavished the sensation. She was glad to be home.
"Here we are," Sakura announced, gesturing to the structure before them. "It's got a big private room for all of us."
"It looks great, Sakura," Ayame said about the orange building with green trim.
Red lanterns illuminated the facade of the place, luring in curious eyes and hungry stomachs. They entered and Sakura continued to guide them past the dining people and to a back room. When they finally reached their reserved alcove, Sakura drew back the privacy curtain with expectant eyes.
"Ayame-san!" Rock Lee called in a mighty voice, standing up proudly among the other ninjas sat on the ground round the table. He looked the same as ever; his unforgettable bowl cut, thick eyebrows, and strong spirit still in tact. "Welcome home to the village!" Tenten rose to her feet as well, a less overwhelming welcome as she hugged Ayame.
"What he said," she agreed.
"Thanks, guys," Ayame said. Naruto waved her over to an open seat next to him and she hustled over. There was another empty seat on her other side when she sat, so Kiba took that as well. Akamaru simply plopped himself on the ground behind them. "Hey, Neji."
"Hello," he greeted briefly. Tenten nudged him as she took her seat to his right.
"Ignore him," she said. "He's not one for parties." Ayame nodded and scanned the table. She gasped when her eyes fell on a certain boy with spiky brown hair.
"Chouji? Is that you?" She asked incredulously, rubbing her eyes as if they were playing tricks on her. He laughed hardily, the red swirls on his once-round cheeks wiggling from his smile.
"Yep, that's me! Good to see you," he said. Ayame smiled back at him as she examined his red-clothed figured.
"You look really good," she complimented. "You've lost weight."
"He decided to stop eating so many potato crisps," Shikamaru said, whose arms were folded across his chest methodically. "It's made quite a difference."
"I'd say so."
All of her childhood friends were there, and they were there to welcome herself and her best friend home. Glasses clinked as they drank and low murmurs of discussion quickly overtook the table. Naruto started to laugh loudly at something Ayame didn't catch, but Kami, was it good to hear him again.
"Isn't this nice, Onii-san?" She asked quietly, snaking her arm around his shoulders and giving him a tight squeeze. "It's good to be home, ne?"
"Believe it, Onee-chan."
A waitress arrived to take everyone's order - Ayame ordered an extra cup of tea for herself - and disappeared again behind the curtain and into the kitchen. Ayame invited Akamaru to rest his head on her lap soon after and he accepted the offer, enjoying the praise of head rubs she was giving. Time passed and it was filled with conversation and memories. Until the mood became darkened, that is.
"So," Naruto began, glancing between Sakura and Ayame who were on either side of him, "now that Team Seven is almost complete again, we can start the search for Sasuke!"
The space they were in grew silent. Ayame's hand froze on top of the snow white dog's head, as if she were paralysed. Her grey eyes became dark. No one looked at anyone, instead they stared at the walls, the table, they stared through their drinks to the bottom of their glasses. Anything to avoid eye contact.
The waitress re-entered with colleagues to set everyone's dish in front of them. Each person murmured a thank you as they were served their steaming meal, mixed scents filled the space. It was as if the appetite slowly vanished from the room, like air leaking out of a balloon.
"Thank you for the food . . ." Chouji muttered before breaking apart his chopsticks. He seemed to refill that craving of food as his friends slowly followed his action.
"We don't have to talk about Sasuke-kun right now, Naruto," Sakura said sadly before chewing on some vegetables. Naruto looked confused as he paused drinking the broth of his ramen.
"But shouldn't we go looking as soon as possible? The three of us?" He turned to Ayame. "Ne, Onee-chan?"
"If you go looking for him," Ayame said slowly, staring at the nearly bloody beef sitting before her, "you're going without me." She picked up her utensils. "Thank you for the food."
. . .
The atmosphere eventually lightened as Kiba began to tell a tale of a particular mission his team completed, which prompted the others to explain what they have done as well. Ayame had finished her meaty meal (after sneaking a bite or two to Akamaru) and eased her digestion by drinking some hot tea and waiting for the others to finish.
"So, Ayame-chan," Kiba began to ask after swallowing a hunk of food, "are you officially part of the pack or something?"
"Funny thing about that," she started to reply, unknowingly having the attention of everyone else. "There was a type of initiation I had to go through since I'm a human and all - part of it included being fully naked for three days straight - " As most of the table began to laugh at the prospect, Ayame paused and arched her eyebrow.
"And? What happened?" Kiba asked, taking a drink and watching her. Her eyelids closed over her orbs as her head tilted slightly. Akamaru's head lifted from her leg, looking up at her. He whined once.
"Excuse me," she said suddenly, jumping to her feet and rushing from the room, throwing the curtain aside. She dashed through the restaurant as confused patrons stared after her and bolted out the front door. Hn. She heard the grunt from her right before sprinting in that direction, a kunai drawn from her weapons' pouch.
Turning the corner, she skittered to a stop. She saw him. Light from the nearby lampposts cast an eerie glow on his pale, neutral face; his black eyes looked sinister. A long, black sword was clinging to his back, his hip was tilted confidently, as if he had been waiting for her. The thick rope tied around his waist looked like a serpent. And there they stood, five feet apart. Ayame heard the shuffling of footsteps from behind her and could smell their familiar scents. Her friends behind her halted and hesitated, just like she had.
"Sasuke," it was Naruto who uttered his name after a pause. Ayame could tell there was a smile on his face, but his words felt unsure. Sasuke's shift in posture was the only indication that he had heard Naruto. His onyx eyes remained fixated on Ayame. It felt as if she were in a trance. Though her posture was confident, she was unknowingly taking shallow breaths.
"S-Sasuke-kun," Sakura stammered, taking a step towards him. She was the only one who dared to move closer, though the others were fanned out behind Ayame. When he spoke, the matured lull of his voice seemed to only increase the hypnotic spell.
"Naruto," he said. "Sakura."
"I knew you would come back," Naruto said, sounding less cautious as he followed Sakura to get closer to the Uchiha that had abandoned Konoha years ago. Sasuke walked past them as if they were not there and took long stride towards Ayame.
"I couldn't stay away," he said as he closed in on the girl. His white cloak swayed around him, almost encasing Ayame as he closed the space between them.
Everything felt in slow motion for her as he cupped her cheek. Ayame snapped out of her trance of astonishment when his skin connected with hers. She couldn't recognise his scent from before as he leaned into her. He smelled of dirt and it turned her stomach.
Grabbing his wrist before his lips connected with hers, she shoved him back. A look of surprise replaced the confidence on his face as Ayame kicked him in the stomach. Naruto quickly pulled Sakura out of the way to avoid colliding with Sasuke.
"Shikamaru, now!"
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" The Nara boy called, sending forth his shadow to paralyse Sasuke and make him immobile. Sasuke did not attempt to struggle as he was familiar with this jutsu. He simply continued to stare at Ayame.
"Don't you dare touch me," Ayame growled at him, Kiba now at her side protectively, "you filthy traitor."