2) Song of the Pack
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Hana Inuzuka takes some time off to heal after a near fatal injury while
grieving over the loss of her dogs. She wanders into Hidden Rock, and comes upon a mother wolf and her cubs in need.
Hana Inuzuka stared miserably at the still forms of her friends. They had all died in battle, and Hana herself had just barely pulled through. She sat in a wheelchair as they buried the triplets in the family graveyard. Tears ran down the famous Konoha vet's face, she would miss them deeply
Hana Inuzuka stared down at the nursing pups, one a plump gray female toddled over to her, licking her hand and wagging her tiny tail feebly. The pup took to Hana instantly. With a sigh, she picked up the confused pup and placed her back with her mother. Tsume and Kiba shooting worried glances at one another, surprised that she had rejected the little pup. Hana Inuzuka still worked as a vet, tending not only to the Inuzuka dogs, but to the other pets in Konoha. However it would be weeks before she could go on missions again, and frankly after what happened to her pack, she was seriously considering resigning for good. She accepted that it was a cold, hard fact of ninja life to lose loved ones, just as she accepted that she could not save every animal that needed her help. But that did not make it any easier, especially since she had not been able to save the lives of her own. Hana swore she would never train another dog for battle.
They had swarmed around an enemy when she had been out cold from too much bloodless, the enemy had set up a mine field and they were dead before any other vet could get to them. So she walked, limping heavily on her left leg, a scar cut deeply into her thigh, a reminder that she had failed to protect those dearest to her. Hana wiped her tears away, the wide beauty of canyons and dusty trails telling her she was nearing Hidden Rock.
Suddenly she tensed angrily, there were three Akatsuki headed towards a small outpost village. She suddenly wished that she had accepted Kiba's offer to come with her. In perfect health, she might have had a decent chance against one Akatsuki, but she was still badly injured, her skills at the moment were limited to basic Genin level, and there were three of them. She scented the wind, one smelled of death and blood and psychosis. One smelled of muscle and money and dust, the third smelled like smoke and fire. Suddenly she sensed their presence behind her and she whipped around angrily. Quivering lips drawn back over her sharp teeth, a sharp snarl shot out of her throat. Shit! She was surrounded!
"What do you want Leaf?" The blonde asked, eyeing her with distaste.
"I'm on vacation Akatsuki!" She growled.
He snorted, "A likely story un!" The bomber said hands at the ready. Deidara was in a foul mood, he never liked going back to his home village, none of the Akatsuki did, whether they showed it or not, it was the most dangerous place in the world for them to return too, and he had come to deliver orders to Kakuzu and Hidan
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hidan asked. "What are you? The fucking werewolf of Konoha?!" The silver-haired priest asked, cackling loudly at his own joke. Hana though clearly stung, kept her temper in check. A fight over pride was more likely to get you killed then anything else, something Kiba had never understood!
The tall masked beside him sighed in irritation. "You idiot! She's from the Inuzuka clan."
Hana repeated herself, her voice more like a rough growl then a regular human's. "I told you Akatsuki, I'm on vacation! Piss off!" She stood in the middle of the half-circle when suddenly she sniffed audibly, causing confusion and amusement between Deidara and Hidan.
Hana's ears pricked and what the wind and the terrified howls told her made the Inuzuka vet see red. "I don't have time to waste on you three, I've got more important business to attend too." She informed them and suddenly dashed through the group, and she did it so quickly that it took a moment for the other's too comprehend. They took off after her, it wasn't a ninja village, though plenty of Shinobi past through, they surrounded her again in a wide half circle, and watched.
A group of men were in a high fenced corral, they were kicking and jabbing a wolf and two cubs, laughing and jeering at them. The mother wolf snarled through her muzzle, trying in vain to protect her frightened cubs, as they whimpered and yelped and called for her.
Hana made hand signs, her teeth grew into fangs, and her nails into claws, her long hair whipped behind her like a tail, she leaped over the fence and snarled warningly. Her Konoha headband flashing brightly in the bright sun. "Only cowards would pick on the defenseless and the weak!" She said warningly, Hidan was peering down at her in interest; he liked the feral look on her face.
"You wanna dispute that lady?" A man asked angrily. No woman called him a coward! She needed to be taught to respect a man! "That aint no lady that's a bitch!" A fat woman said laughing at her. Hana said nothing; she moved swiftly, though she was down to half her normal speed and ripped out the man's throat with her own fangs. The fat woman screamed and tried to hit her with the sharp stick, but Hana's claws disemboweled her, she ripped out the other people's throats, and looked towards the wolf and her cubs speaking softly to them, she opened the gate and looking gratefully at her the wolves began running as fast as they could, towards the pack that Hana smelled not too far off in the distance. A warning look made the other villagers step aside for them.
Kakuzu glanced at his spellbound partner, interesting. Hidan was seldom attracted to a woman, though his partner's lusty eyes, he realized it was due to the fact that blood sprayed her face and chest. She walked away, limping proudly out of the town.
She was sitting on the mesa, staring up at the night sky and listening to the songs of the wolves when Kakuzu approached her, he was being sent to spy on her activities, since his Hidan was too loud, and Deidara had left.
Hana listened, it was a song about loss of loved ones, and it tugged at her aching heart cruelly, though she was sure that the wolves were not doing it to be cruel. Then the pitch of the howls changed, and Hana felt happiness bubbling inside her, she began to laugh out loud, not caring who was around, or what other's thought of her, just letting her happiness spill over her.
Kakuzu frowned at her strange behavior, deciding that Inuzukas' must be insane. True, he wasn't the most sane person either, but some people were loonier then others! "What are they saying Inuzuka?" He wondered quietly.
The wolves were now singing of loved ones returning, and how they would always be together, even in death, they sang of the joys of welcoming new life, they sang of family, of hunting together, living together, dying together, and being together, the song had begun to work its magic and heal Hana's shattered heart. Hana stood up; it was time to go home.
