Chapter 2

As I awoke, I could hear voices discussing something over my head. I recognized them to belong to Shikamaru and Tsunade-sama.

"She's welcome here," Shikamaru said, obviously denying something by the tone of his voice. "She could stay here until we've recovered her father. I think I'm the best person to be with her right now."

"Shikamaru, I know very well of the relationship between Teima and yourself." I opened one eye, and could see Shikamaru grinning slightly at the word 'relationship'. Tsunade eyed him curiously before continuing.

"But the Inuzaka family is probably the best place for her right now..and, besides that, Kiba beat you to the offer." At this, Shikamaru's eyes revealed his annoyance.

"Fine, whatever. You're the Hokage. I'm just saying, don't come whining to me if Teima becomes depressed or something." Tsunade smiled at this.

"Ah, but you'll be the one she runs to. Am I not mistaken?" Shikamaru huffed, his excuse for arguing blown to pieces by her comeback. He glanced down at me to find me laying there, confused, watching them talk above me.

"Teima! You're awake," He smiled, and pink flushed up to his cheeks as he probably wondered how much of that I heard. Tsunade looked down at me, not surprised.

"Have you heard enough?" She sounded hopeful, probably not wanting to repeat all that she's told Shikamaru.

"Enough, yes. I'm living with the Inuzakas?" I hoped I was wrong.

"Mmhm. Well, I better go. Good day, Teima... Shikamaru." She stood up and nodded before leaving the room. I sat up straight and yawned, stretching. He didn't say a word about what just happened, and that was fine with me.

"Tei, you can stay here if you want. I'm going to go train with Chouji and Ino." I wrinkled my nose at the mention of the pig. Her and I never really got along, thanks to the fact that I had befriended Uchiha. It's not exactly my fault that she's a fangirl and I'm not.

"Nah, it's fine, I'll go too." I really wanted to use this time to let out the anger I was bottling up, although the need for revenge wouldn't be soothed until Orochimaru and Kabuto were dead. I hopped out of his sleeping bag, realizing that Ekitai was on Shikamaru's lap, nearly purring as he stroked her head. Why didn't I notice that she was there earlier? I'm so slow. Shikamaru smirked at my surprise and handed her to me. He went out of the room to give me some privacy. I quickly changed into fresh clothes, and combed my hair until I got out every rat I could find. Shikamaru stuck his hands in his pockets as we left his house in the direction of Team 10's training grounds. I spotted his teammates quickly, and they didn't look to happy at the sight of me. Chouji sighed in disappointment, and Ino snorted. I glared at them in response, getting the obvious point that I wasn't wanted.

"Shikamaru, Ekitai and I will be...over...there," I declared, pointing to a clearing I found while I was talking to him. He looked from me to his teammates, then back to me and back to his teammates again, then his eyes rested on mine.

"Troublesome girl.." he muttered as he walked in the direction of his friends. I led Ekitai to the edge of the clearing. Today was a fine, fine day. Blue skies, white clouds, the usual. Sunny, though. I wished it would rain. I grinned, awaiting relief of the burden of anger. I hovered my hand over the small dog's head, and focused my chakra in that hand. I then allowed it to rush out of me, in strings through my fingers. As the chakra flowed into Ekitai, she grew, and when the gut feeling came that it was enough, I stopped, and removed my hand from the now-wolf's head.

"You ready?" I whispered to Ekitai, and then quickly made five hands signs, all of the water element, then lifted my hands after pausing on one hand sign, then moving out one arm to my right.

"Water art jutsu!" A vivid image of a wolf standing to my right appeared in my head, and a large blob of chakra took shape of that wolf. I looked expectantly at that spot. Sure enough, moisture collected from everything that contained it, and the water seemed to be magnetized to my chakra. It was a weird thing, nobody I knew of had it. My father is a genjutsu user, and he knew little ninjutsu or taijutsu, but I discovered this long, long ago when I was experimenting in school. After some of my own research, I realized that my chakra attracted the positive side of the water molecules, and thus is the reason I can use it for this particular jutsu. I couldn't explain how it attracted the other liquids though. The Water-wolf and Ekitai both looked at me in unified impatience, and I pointed to an entire row of trees along the outside of the clearing.

"Bare your teeth and sharpen your claws upon that victim!" I shouted, and they immediately obeyed. The command is kind of corny, I know, but it's the only one that will work for the Water-wolf. Someday, I'll be able to release more chakra so that I can have a Water-dragon for use, and still have the energy to fight. That's one of my main combat goals, because the dragon is the most powerful in my opinion. But for now, a wolf will do. They're not too shabby either. Within a matter of two minutes, Ekitai and the Water-wolf had shredded every tree in that row, and now where they once stood tall, only bark remained. I sprinted in the direction of the middle of the clearing, and licked a kunai I had pulled out. Applying chakra to it as I went, I threw the kunai in the direction of the blob. Dodging it was pointless, but it had no mind, so it didn't know better. My chakra would stick to any moisture, including saliva and blood. From then on I began working on the simpler of jutsus and expanding them for my convenient use, and tried a little bit of taijutsu.

I stopped for a break, breathless, and running low on my chakra, when I glanced at Team 10 to find them staring. Shouldn't they have been training too? Ugh! Only Shikamaru of the three was working at all, trying out some new shadow-thing that his father had shown him earlier.

"What're you looking at?!" I shouted, and I caught Shikamaru's attention, for I already had the rest of the teams'. He nudged them, and they all sprinted over. Ino was staring as she approached me and Ekitai. The wolf sat next to me, growling at the strangers. Chouji and Ino. Shikamaru was pretty much a friend of hers, and harmless as far as she was concerned. Chouji stopped eating for once in his life to stare at my dog. Ino was glaring at her, and stuck out her tongue childishly. Ekitai made a move as though to harm Ino, and I immediately threw a hand in front of her body. Ekitai got the message, and lay down, ears flattened. Ino then resumed her staring at me.

"Teima.. I never realized you had such..well..." She didn't want to admit it, and Shikamaru boredly finished for her.

"Skill?" He then grinned as he gazed at me thoughtfully. "That's Teima for you, always finding some new tricks up her sleeve. Pain that it is..." His eyes wandered to Ekitai, who was still glaring defiantly at the pig. He looked down at her with awe, then reached down to scratch her behind the ears. She immediately perked up and lifted her head so he wouldn't have to reach as far. He chuckled.

"So...you...really...got...her...to..get huge, huh?" Chouji spoke between mouthfuls of chips. I nodded, then decided to explain.

"All I need to do is give her some of my chakra. Must be the reason why she was given to me... her body reacts to it." Shikamaru nodded, straightening up to comment.

"Troublesome as that sounds, it seems worth it. You really have improved since you became Chunin, Tei," He smiled. Him and I were the only Genin in Konoha to be promoted to Chunin after our first exam.

"I suppose your anger has finally left you?" He guessed right. How'd he know that I was still angry this morning? Maybe my stiffness gave it away...

"Yeah, I suppose." I took out three kunais, aimed, and threw. Chink. Chink. Chink. They all hit their marks on the trees, smack dab in the middle as I randomly planned.

"So. Teima. Have you seen Naruto? He's back, I hear." She smiled awkwardly, glancing at the kunai I just threw. This was strange... Ino was trying to be friendly? Nah. Can't be. She knows of my old crush on Naruto that's disappeared now. I nodded.

"I haven't seen him, but yeah, I've heard he's back too." I tried to keep the conversation light, I'm not in the mood for an argument right now. Woops. Nevermind. Scratch that. I could argue if she wants. She winked at me, and at that moment there was a rustle in the trees, and a "Woosh," and Rock Lee came on the scene.

"Teima-chan! Were you train--" I thought he was an enemy ninja, but I guess not. Woops, again. He dodged the weapon with inhumane speed.

"Hey, I wont hurt you, Teima-chan! I wouldn't do anything like that!" I shrugged.

"Hey, Lee." He sighed with relief, and tried again.

"Were you training just now? You're amazing!" I thought he was going a little over the top with 'amazing,' but I nodded. Ino winked at me again, obviously wanting to start up the conversation that was making me pissed. I glared at her, my eyes turning into a faint crimson now, and hissed. Lee took a step back, surprised.

"..Uhm...Teima-chan...You can hiss?" Forgetting to lift up the glare, I just shifted so that I was facing him. He cringed. I burst out laughing. Him? Afraid of me? Hah!

"Sorry, Sorry...Lee, why would you be scared of me?" I chuckled once more. "You could probably kick my ass any day. I'm no good what-so-ever at hand-to-hand combat...Although, it'd be interesting to see how you'd fight my jutsu." I scratched my chin in thought, then shrugged. Maybe we'd fight one day. I'll find out then. Lee just shook his head.

"You're getting better! I mean, you're not as good as me, but I've been watching y--" He stopped there, and his face turned as red as a cherry. Shikamaru grinned in amusement at the obviousness that he had a thing for me, and Ino suppressed a laugh. I cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. My stomach growled.

"Guys, I better go. I'm starving here." I smiled crookedly, and patted my stomach. Perfect coincidence, I needed an excuse to escape. I placed my hand on Ekitai's head again, and her size quickly reduced as I absorbed what little chakra was left. Ekitai leaped on to my shoulders and hitched a ride on my head, copying what Akamaru used to do a few years back with Kiba, before he became huge. They all waved their goodbyes and I gave them one simple one as I walked to the direction of the ramen shop.