Author: I'm very grateful for the moderate feedback I received! You might say I'm overly optimistic, but it's really better than nothing - after all, OC stories aren't very popular with the Naruto fanbase, from what I gather. (Though I'm a big OC story fan myself).
Special thanks to: MidnightCherryBlossoms, my lovely beta who did her job even though she's been busy with school!
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Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You're the reason why I strive to better my writing! Seriously, it makes me smile when I see the reviews people take their time to write and send to me.
Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters you recognize here. All of that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the ones that do not appear on Naru Wiki, and of course, the plot used in this fanfiction.
This story will probably veer off the course of the actual Naruto story, but that's to be expected, since this is a fanfiction, after all.
Warning: Coarse language because Kiba and Kyuushoneko are just like that.
Rude, crass and sarcastic were words that Kiba knew that he'd find in the dictionary with Kyuushoneko's picture.
Now, late was another word to add to that list, because he had already been at the training ground since seven with his friends and fifteen minutes had passed without seeing a trace of the girl.
The Inuzuka sat crossed-legged on a training stump in the same place he was in yesterday, chin resting unceremoniously against a palm as he started his habit of scratching something when he was bored. Hinata leaned against the stump, hands crossed behind her back demurely while Shino stood near them, stiff-backed and unmoving.
"I'm giving her ten more minutes, and if she doesn't show up, I'm gonna break into the Konoha Archives and steal her home address and barge into her house!" Kiba announced out of a sudden, patience finally having worn off. "She's definitely forgotten again!"
Shino's hand snaked up to push his sunglasses up his nose. "That is not advisable, Kiba," he said solemnly, "Why? Because that will be a crime, as you do not have the proper clearance to access such files,"
"Shino-kun is right," Hinata pensively added in her docile tones, "You might get into trouble,"
"Still-!"
"Am I late?" a voice asked breathlessly.
Kiba turned around; a forced smile on his face as a corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and his brows furrowed into a half-frown. Kyuushoneko, dressed in the same garb of sensible shinobi clothing as she had donned yesterday save for the change of colours, was panting softly as she slowed down her pace towards the three of them.
"Of course not! You're very early!" Kiba did nothing to mask the agitation in his voice; he was just about ready to tear down a tree at Kyuushoneko's very rhetorical question.
Kyuushoneko adopted a casual stance; one hand on her hip as a single red-gold eyebrow shot up cynically. "Kiba, you don't have to lie to me you know. You know what they say about dishonesty; start out a liar, and very soon you'll be a thief,"
"A hundred laps around the perimeter of the training ground," Kiba said shortly, grinding his teeth at yet another proverb being thrown at him. Were Shino and Kyuushoneko secretly conspiring together to make Kiba's life some sort of living book of proverbs?
He swore he saw a very, very slight nod of satisfaction coming from the phlegmatic Aburame.
Traitor.
Kyuushoneko's eyes widened in disbelief; her mouth hung open, ready to protest. The gold irises moved around, scanning Kiba with scrutiny that unnerved him as she thought of what to say.
"Cat got your tongue, Akemi?" Kiba decided to ignore the hard, searching look the girl was presenting him with.
"We'll see who gets the last laugh, Inuzuka-senpai," Kyuushoneko's eyes gleamed with a devilish glint that Kiba always saw in defiant children as she emphasised his name with heavy sarcasm, stepping towards the edge and stretching her legs before bursting into a sprint that promptly decelerated into a slow-paced jog.
Talk about anti-climactic.
The enigmatic warning seemed somewhat ominous, sending a shiver down the Inuzuka's back. "Hey! If you want to get in something other than stamina training by the end of the morning, you'd better start running properly!" he called out, a last-ditch attempt to sound like he knew what he was doing.
At the farthest end of the training ground, it was hard to hear Kyuushoneko's reply as she looked in the three members of Team Kurenai's direction, but her lips were moving.
Hinata, having excellent eyesight, reddened as she read the girl's lips, making Kiba and Shino peer at their teammate inquisitively. "What did she say?" Kiba asked for both their benefits.
"S-She s-said to s-stop b-being su-such a t-temperamental b-b-b- sorry I can't! and t-take th-the st-st-sti-stick o-out y-your a-a-a," Hinata failed to finish explaining what she had seen - her face had turned into a bright shade of cinnabar and her voice had silenced itself.
Kiba's eyes narrowed into a glare; of course he knew what Kyuushoneko had said from the way Hinata was reacting. The diffident Hyuuga was unable to complete her sentence, but Kiba knew exactly what his sister's apprentice meant to say.
He swore he saw a somewhat vindictive smirk underneath Shino's collar.
xxxx
"So, what's first on the agenda?" Kyuushoneko clamoured to know, gung-ho at the prospect of finally starting to relearn the basics of being a shinobi.
After a very loud scolding from Kiba, which had been as rude and coarse as Kyuushoneko's reply to him had been, the genin had decided to stop fooling around and complete her hundred laps, which took her five minutes, the basic time a shinobi would take. That, at the very least, had appeased a very disgruntled Kiba.
"Taijutsu," the three of them answered in unison.
"Hinata is going to be your opponent," Shino explained in his deep, even voice, "Why? Because she is easily the best in taijutsu amongst us all - her mastery of jyuken is incontestable."
At this quiet, unintentional praise, Hinata modestly bowed her head, her long locks of violet hair curtaining the red stains on her cheeks. Kyuushoneko clapped in appreciation for the Hyuuga. "I knew Hana-sensei had a knack for picking out the best teachers for me! I'll have to thank her later,"
"She probably asked Kurenai-sensei because I'm in her team," Kiba muttered unnecessarily, "That way, she can ask me about you if she's worried or something. Typical of my sister,"
"Don't toot your own horn, Kiba," Kyuushoneko scoffed, "As the saying tells us; pride goes before destruction, and once the porridge is boiled, there is not way to turn it back to rice,"
Kiba gaped at the proverbial statement, confused by what she was trying to insinuate."What the fu-,"
"Stop wasting time and start the sparring," Shino cut in, a slight tone of impatience edging his voice.
Kiba glared one last time at the smart-mouthed genin, who in return stuck out her tongue in a childish manner, before joining Hinata in the middle of the grounds.
"So, I'll tell you now, Hinata-senpai, that I got the worst marks in taijutsu in my graduating class," Kyuushoneko wanted to let the Hyuuga know, "So please don't try to go crazy on me, because I'll probably run away screaming into the woods,"
Kiba snorted; at least she was honest enough about that. Akamaru lifted its head sleepily from the ground at the sound of his master's derision.
"I'll try," Hinata promised with a smile, before adopting her familiar stance of jyuken.
Kyuushoneko shoved one foot behind the other, angling her legs so her steadily held her ground as she lifted her hands, fingers slightly curved inwards. For some reason, it disturbingly reminded Kiba of a cat with its claws. Shino, too, noted this, as he pointed it out to his friend as Hinata launched an attack in the other girl's direction.
"She carries herself like a cat would in battle," Shino stated, his dark glasses veiling his thoughts.
"Probably influenced by that cat of hers," Kiba murmured with slight distaste, more intrigued by the match unfolding before him.
Hinata was, as she had promised, definitely going easy on the girl, but a Hyuuga holding back on their jyuken only limited to blocking off the chakra they usually shot out of their palms and reducing the force of their blows. Kyuushoneko was more prone to defensive tactics, stepping backwards often and weaving out of the way with a strangely fluid but clumsy grace that Kiba could only guess was adapted from cats, too.
"It looks more like a one-sided battle to me. She doesn't even look like she's trying to attack back," Kiba decided to put in, unsatisfied by the display Kyuushoneko was showing. Was she really that bad in taijutsu like she vehemently claimed to be? Apparently so.
"Indeed," Shino agreed with a single nod, as a single bug crawled over his cheek, "Even my kikaichu are not reacting the way they usually do whenever there is some sort of combative action taking place,"
Kyuushoneko looked to be under some sort of strain, which was strange considering the fact that all she was doing was dodging and occasionally blocking Hinata's attacks. She hadn't dealt a single offensive blow in the course of three minutes, but yet she seemed to be in pain.
"Stop," Shino suddenly ordered, "Stop the sparring,"
Hinata instantly drew back, and Kyuushoneko relaxed from her defensive stance. A sheepish grin was all the girl had to offer, as she fervently apologized to Hinata for being a terrible opponent.
"I sucked! I know! I'm sorry!" Kyuushoneko had a harrowed expression on her face; her stark-gold eyes were glimmering with frustration that even made Akamaru whimper.
"It's fine, really," Hinata attempted to console the younger girl, "Kiba-kun and I will help you improve on your skills as we go along,"
Shino said nothing, as he and Kiba joined the two girls in their conversation. Even if the bug-user was not intent on saying anything, Kiba felt like he had the responsibility to say something.
"Every dog has its day," he attempted to wisely impart a proverb that he knew very well.
"This dog never had its day when it comes to taijutsu," Kyuushoneko bitterly replied, "Every garden may have some weeds, Kiba. I, for one, am a cornucopia of weeds,"
"Lovely picture," came Kiba's dry answer, "Poetic excuses,"
"Neither counsel nor salt 'till you're asked for it," Kyuushoneko retorted, before whipping around to face Shino. "Shino-senpai, you haven't said a thing. D'you have nothing to say in particular?"
Shino shook his head once, a deep frown still marring his pale, aristocratic Aburame features. A lone kikaichu crawled up his face, but the boy was unaffected by it as he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose once again. "Today was plenty enough to see your proficiency in taijutsu," he looked down slightly to meet Kyuushoneko's eyes, "You were terrible,"
Kiba had always found one thing about Shino to be extremely infuriating, and that was his bluntness. Kyuushoneko seemed to be unaffected by it, though, as she resignedly sighed and said, "The truth is the safest lie, isn't it? I know, Shino-senpai. That's why I told Hinata-senpai to go easy on me,"
"You used a lot of defensive tactics, Kyuushoneko-san," Hinata piped up softly, her brows creasing in worry that she had caused the girl some pain, "Were my attacks too forward?"
Kyuushoneko shook her head, "Nope. As we live, so we learn; I learnt that you're a very nice person. That could be your Achilles' heel in battle, you know,"
Kiba scoffed, making Kyuushoneko set an evil eye upon him. "If only I had some sort of stupid proverb for this," he returned her look with one of his pointed stares, "You have more weaknesses than Hinata, you know, though Hinata's a really strong fighter in her own right,"
"Obviously," Kyuushoneko made a face at her senior with great distaste, "So now you know. I'm hopeless at taijutsu, and you can bet that I'm no blooming genius in genjutsu either,"
xxxx
Kyuushoneko stretched her legs, happy to be finally released from the tutelage of the three chuunin members of Team Kurenai. Granted, they were all excellent teachers (Yes, even Kiba, albeit the fact he was a complete ass in Kyuushoneko's opinion.) but Kyuushoneko really hated it when it came down to stripping her bare of her defenses and leaving her naked with only her weaknesses. In today's lesson, it was taijutsu.
Kyuushoneko had the resolve to try to learn more offensive attacks, but a fretful Kinmaru always made her turn away from more practice in that area.
"Kinmaru?" Kyuushoneko decided to start looking for her friend in the forest of Training Ground Eight, because she knew Kinmaru liked hiding himself in the dense trees that populated the grounds. It wasn't as dangerous as the ones that the psychotic snake jounin that came to Hana's clinic to volunteer some snake venom as antidotes, liked; it was more mellow and relatively safer, populated by meek wildlife that ate only wild plants and insects.
"Here," came the languid answer of the male calico.
He slid down a tree with an easy grace that came naturally to all felines, pulling his head up as his almond eyes blinked at Kyuushoneko with anticipation. "Well? How was the training session?" he prompted as he allowed her to carry him into her arms as she settled herself against the base of an oak tree.
"Crap, Kinmaru," she deadpanned before sighing again, "Total, utter crap,"
The calico snuggled against the crook of the girl's elbow before looking up again with his large, unblinking eyes. "So, did you tell them, then?"
"When the apple is ripe, it will fall," Kyuushoneko decided it was the best proverb to explain her reasons, "I don't think I should mess with the pace of nature, Kinmaru. My mother always said that doing so could turn the world to shit,"
The tom flicked his tail idly, the tip ghosting across the girl's chin, tickling her skin softly. "You're so paranoid, Kyuusho," Kinmaru snorted, "Stop talking like some old fart - it's weird,"
"Isn't it?" Kyuushoneko grinned at her friend's complaint, "Maybe I should dye my hair white and get a few wrinkles drawn on or something,"
Kinmaru's topaz eyes widened at the girl's suggestion; his expression was scandalized. "No! That would be so ugly! I wouldn't want to be seen with you!"
"Who cares?" Kyuushoneko scoffed, trailing her fingers across Kinmaru's head, and she rolled her eyes sardonically, "You're talking to a cripple here,"
xxxx
A cold shiver went down Kiba's spine when he realized what he'd just heard Kyuushoneko say.
A cripple. Her?
Kiba hadn't meant to eavesdrop; he'd just been taking a walk to see which route was the best to bring Akamaru on for the day's walk. He had happened to pass by the tree that the girl had chosen as a resting spot; ears catching slivers of conversation as they echoed weakly only in the surrounding area. It was no wonder why Kyuushoneko was talking so freely for someone who seemed to cherish a low profile and privacy a lot, the echoes were faint, so only those a few steps away could hear what she was saying.
The Inuzuka let his impulsiveness take over his cautiousness, and within a second, he found himself stumbling out from behind a tree to confront the girl.
"Why didn't you tell us?" he blurted out to a very shell-shocked Kyuushoneko.
Her eyes had widened at the sight of him; her mouth parted in silent shock. "Y-You heard me?"
Kiba realized what he had done - the shocked expression on Kyuushoneko's face was slowly morphing into one of unadulterated rage. Her red-gold brows furrowed together into a frown; her mouth baring teeth with a menacing air. Kinmaru's hackles were raised, but the tom did nothing except watch.
Kiba was not afraid of most things, but if there was one thing he was most afraid of, it was the wrath of an angry female.
This female, currently, had an aura that almost matched with his mother, Tsume, when she was angry.
"You can't expect me to not hear it!" Kiba protested, desperate to shake off some of the blame Kyuushoneko was sure to push on him, "You were talking so loudly! It's not like you're the only one in here, you know!"
Eyes brimming with fury bore into Kiba with such intensity; it felt like there was a hole burning into his face. Kiba tried to match the glare, but found that the guilt ebbing at him interfered with his natural senses for retaliation.
"I would've expected a civilized person to quickly walk away in case they were intruding on a private conversation. But I suppose I shouldn't expect that from you, right?" came a sneer of disdain from the girl.
"It's not like I'm deaf! Obviously I was going to pass by, but after accidentally overhearing what you said, I had to ask you!"
"And why the fuck do you care? You're not even a bloody martyr,"
Kiba's eyes narrowed; he could tell that Kyuushoneko was even more wary of him than she'd originally been. She was a true cynic, the girl was. "Because Kyuushoneko, you are a Konoha shinobi, regardless of your skill, and that makes you my comrade," He wasn't a touchy-feely person, but at the moment, he was feeling very passionate, "And comrades help each other. That is what makes a shinobi was he is. Without companions, we are nothing. That's why we can feel!"
It was evident that Kiba's words had somehow affected the girl, because she backed down; visibly lowering most of her offenses. Her hard expression had softened somewhat, but still remained in a fixed glare. A cloudy, misty gaze could be momentarily seen in Kyuushoneko's eyes, but it soon passed.
Was she remembering something?
"Mother…" the word tumbled out from between her lips foreignly; obviously only meant for her ears, but Kiba heard her.
"Mother?" he echoed, confused. The boy now wished he'd brought Akamaru along with him - the dog always seemed to make him feel better, even if he was in trouble.
Kyuushoneko glared at him again - her jaw was set in a very grim line. "I suppose you'd like to hear about that too?" she asked in a snarky tone.
"Well, you were the one who brought it up!"
The girl backed down again; her frown seemed more like a childish sulk now. The air was silent for a while, save for the soft rustle of the leaves of the trees that surrounded the two, as both of them were unsure of what to do next - continue the useless argument or simply leave, pretending that nothing had happened?
"What you said about comraderie. My mother used to say that all the time,"
Kiba jumped slightly at the sudden words that came from Kyuushoneko. The girl was staring up at him; her eyes wide and earnest as she spoke. "She used to say it wasn't worth being a person if you could not love another,"
Used to?
Kiba now knew he had stumbled across a very sensitive subject, if the girl was using past tense to describe her mother.
"Your mother is…?"
"Dead."
"Oh. Er, sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. That's what they all said when she died, but she never came back, did she?"
Another brief silence ensued; the air tense with awkwardness.
"What happened?" Kiba decided to gamble on her capriciousness and ask the question.
Kyuushoneko responded with an arched eyebrow, as if asking him, 'Really?'. She sighed and drew her legs up, hugging them close to her chest. "Landslide accident - that's how I broke my arms. They've never been the same since."
"But you can still use them, though," Kiba pointed out.
Kyuushoneko rolled her eyes at Kiba's statement of the obvious. "Of course I can. But having a pile of mountain rubble land on your arms? They healed, they're usable, but they're weak and not the same. I can still feel the old pain in them,"
Kiba nodded slowly - he remembered Lee having a similar problem during their first chuunin exams. Lee had to give up his dream of being shinobi for a while, but when Naruto had left saying he'd find a cure, he had returned with it in the form of their Hokage.
"Doesn't the Godaime know about it?"
"Do you think I can seriously trust anyone to fix them, even if it's the Hokage we're talking about?" Kyuushoneko shot him another glare; of course, she was a misanthropist. Why would she trust anyone? "Fuzzy-brows may have had his leg fixed, but that was because he was brave enough to go against the odds. Do you think I'm that courageous? I'm a coward,"
Kiba didn't know what to say to that. He wasn't familiar with the way to tread on sensitive topics - he was irritable and lacked sensitivity, but he knew that if he tried to encourage her, she would probably explode into another fit of rage and, well, Kiba really didn't want that to happen, as bloodthirsty as he was.
Kyuushoneko sighed loudly, and started to get up. Brushing off bits of earth and grass off her clothes, a hand rummaged through the weapons pouch strapped around her waist and pulled out a black book and a pen.
She flipped it open, and started scribbling into it, before handing it out to the taller teen. "Sign here, please," she muttered with a somewhat resentful tone.
Kiba's eyes fell to the open page of the book.
Promise between Akemi Kyuushoneko of Konoha and Inuzuka Kiba of Konoha.
Whether it may be torture, a question of a close friend or anything, Inuzuka Kiba shall not divulge any information pertaining Akemi Kyuushoneko's mother.
Do you solemnly swear?
"Honesty is the best policy, and the palest ink is better than the best memory," Kyuushoneko stated as she studied the confused expression on Kiba's face, "If you sign, you're not allowed to talk about what I told you about my mother. If you go back on that, I'll make sure Hell will rain down on you,"
"Right," Kiba debated whether or not to take the pen and sign it - after all, a crippled pair of arms was what held Kyuushoneko back in taijutsu. She had talked about kindness being Hinata's Achilles' heel; her own one was her old pain and reluctance to go against the odds.
As gold eyes bore into him, Kiba realized something as he reread the words written in the book. She had only bound the agreement pertaining to her mother - not her arms. Was it intentional or did she merely forget? No matter, because Kiba found his hand taking the pen and scribbling down his name in a messy script.
"Thank you," Kyuushoneko murmured almost begrudgingly, closing the book, pulling it back to her person.
Kiba caught a glimpse of the cover, and written across it in white letters was the word 'Promises'.
"Bye, then," Kyuushoneko gestured for Kinmaru to follow her, and left.
The Inuzuka wondered if the girl had a reason to keep a book like that. "I suppose she does. She's not exactly up for trusting people," were his thoughts as he contemplated on it.
Promises. They never meant anything much to Kiba until today.
FAQ Time!
Promise book? Really? Yes, really. It's a trait that I thought would be good for Kyuushoneko's personality when I first created her a few years back, just like her love for proverbs. Simply put, she's identifiable as the girl who keeps a book of promises.
What does 'Once the porridge is boiled, there is no way to turn it back' mean in the context Kyuushoneko used it in? Well, it's a Malay proverb that I learnt in my younger years, so I'm fairly certain I'll be able to expound it right. In Kyuushoneko's context, she was referring to Kiba's eventual destruction if he has too much pride, and the unfixable destruction is the 'porridge' we're talking about here.
Author: So, I do hope you all will continue to support me! Constructive criticism and feedback are greatly appreciated!
Luv, Pichuzilla