As much as I love Hikuro and his personality, I had to worry about how I was going to manage this for the next couple days. It was usually me who went out and got groceries for Hikuro. I was the one who usually cleaned his apartment, clean his clothes, make food for him, etc. How would he manage a doggy Ryume?

He started with giving me a bath and opening up all the windows to get some air. Air conditioning was something he couldn't afford. But it got to a point where it was still too hot and he brought out a fan and took off his damp shirt. My tail started to wag again as I sat in front of the tub, waiting patiently for him to dunk me in the cool water. He saw my tail wagging and I looked away as an automatic reaction. He grinned, sat down in front of me, and started to pet me, his abs bending and pounds of muscle moving under his arms.

My tail kept wagging and he laughed, his eyes shining and canine teeth showing. Ahh, the tooth, my weakness! I shook myself off and hopped in the tub, but failing because I was too short. I whined as I hung on the edge of the tub with my paws hanging off of both sides. I was stuck. More laughter from Hikuro while he picked me up, kissed me on the snout, and put me in the water.

"My silly little Ryume." He put his elbow on the edge of the tub and nestled his face in the palm of his hand, watching me soak myself in the cooling water. Ahh, man that felt so good. No wonder dogs liked getting sprayed by hoses or like water period. I will never question dogs' motives again.

I looked up at Hikuro and panted happily. Then I spotted the evil grin come out of him. And here comes the teasing. "You know, I don't think I ever expected to see you in a bathtub so soon, but this works just fine." He grinned and splashed me with water. Water got on my whiskers and ears and I shook myself while still in the water. I got Hikuro and wagged my tail when I saw him jump and laugh in surprise, trying to cover himself from the splashes of water.

After my bath, Hikuro got out the towels and I saw the perfect opportunity for 'revenge'. I ran around the apartment, still soaking wet, while Hikuro chased me with the towel. He cornered me and grabbed me. He'd given up on drying me long before and just gave me a big loving hug with me still wet. I liked his cheek, my tail wagging the whole time. He laughed again and kissed the top of my head. Wow, was Rynn and Risu having this much fun as I was?

--

Comes to find out, they were. Rynny was getting all her cuddles and pets and affection from Itazura (of course, being spoiled), while Risu was having her fun with Kinaga. We were all pretty happy with what was going on, even when we walked down the street with people staring at the boys talking to us animals. Then came nighttime… when Hikuro took off his shirt to go to sleep, grabbing me to cuddle in next to him. I was so tense for such a long time, scared of what to do next. It wasn't until he started to pet me and soothe me with his amazing voice did the tension ease out of me and did I end up falling asleep in his arms. Something both him and I have wanted to do for a long time.

Morning was like any other morning. I ended up sleeping in a little longer and Hikuro cooked breakfast. And, like always, I was awaken by the smell of food and the yelp of an 'ow!" from Hikuro. Probably burned himself again. I sighed mentally. That was my cutie for you. I yawned and stretched my whole body the way dogs do and jumped off his bed. Prancing towards the kitchen, which was right behind his couch (for his apartment is very small), I tugged at his loose shorts with my paws and panted happily up at him. He grinned his charming grin at me and bent down, kissing my muzzle. Even as a beast he still kisses me… Cute.

"Morning, Cupcake." Great, even my embarrassing nickname (if you've ever read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich). But either way, embarrassed or not, I still wagged my tail.

"Looks like I need some supplies… Wanna come? Of course you do." I smiled on the inside, my doggy teeth showing on the outside.

So off we went to the small market below his apartment. It didn't take too long because I was with him. I helped point out what we needed because he had no idea. If Hikuro went to get food and supplies by himself, he'd be there all day. It's happened before.

We went up to the cashier and he beamed a smile at us, always happy, he was. "Why hello there young Hikuro." he said then looked down at me over the counter. He patted my head, "Looks like you've got a new dog, huh? Finally got tired of just Ryume?" He laughed.

Hikuro raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah right. I'd never get tired of her. Now stop talking before you hurt yourself, gramps." He paused and hesitated on saying something else. "Hey, gramps, you know when Tsunade's gonna be back?"

"Ahh, yes, she just got back this morning actually."

Hikuro and I looked at each other. My tail swishing back and forth calmly as we walked out of the store. We dropped the groceries off at his apartment, put them away, and went back outside to sit in the fields, enjoying the soft sun compared to the day be fore's.

"Well you're happy, huh?" Hikuro said so suddenly. I looked at him and tilted my head, showing him I was confused.

He chuckled softly at my expression and leaned on his back, propping himself up on his elbows. "Will you still hang out at my place after you transform back? I enjoyed your company."

Watching him look off into the distance with his hair swaying slightly (the perfect scene and my ultimate weakness!), I couldn't help but crawl on his lap and lick his neck. He laughed and hugged me tightly.

"I'm taking that as a yes." And with that he picked me up and took us to Tsunade's office.

--

"Man, I was enjoying Ryume as a cute puppy." Hikuro pouted, his arms crossed and a childish look on his face.

Kinaga chuckled and Itazura looked away to hide what he was also feeling. He agreed with Hikuro, except, of course, with Rynny being a kitty. We all knew he was probably having the time of his life. It amused the hell out of Hikuro and he'd been teasing him about it ever since we entered the room and encountered Kinaga and Itazura. I found it funny as well, but I wouldn't have said anything to Itazura… Maybe Rynn, but not Itazura. I had a right to mess with Rynn!

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "How many times do all of you have to get into trouble? Didn't you listen to the man when he said the birds were an ancient species?"

Us team 11 blinked at her.

"Who told her about the birds?" I asked Rynn and Risu. They did their best to shrug.

Then, as if on cue, an enormous black and blue wolf entered the room. Also known as Kasaigaru, my guardian and all I have left to call 'family'. He glanced at us and immediately shook his head, automatically knowing the situations. "We received a letter from the kid's father and he wanted to ask if any of you had an…encounter," he used a little too much of an emphasis on that word…"with any of the birds."

"Yeah, we did, what of it?" I asked Kasaigaru, knowing he can understand me.

"What did they do?" He asked, his amazing emerald green eyes glittering with silent laughter.

"They farted in our freaking faces!" Rynn said and yowled in her cat form. Itazura stroked her fur and calmed her down, holding her closer to him. She calmed down almost immediately. Aw, so cute!

Kasaigaru then laughed. Team 12 looked at him with confused faces, even Itazura who usually wore a very well maintained mask of nothingness.

"It seems it is as we feared. The birds released their toxins at the girls and they turned into animals that very night." Kasaigaru said, using his formal but deep voice.

"How do you talk like that?" Hikuro asked, looking at him as if he grew another head.

One look from Kasaigaru made him shut up and turn his attention back to Tsunade. He was oh-so very good at that.

Tsunade sighed again and rubbed her temples, obviously aggravated. I whined and put my ears down, showing I was sorry. She shook her head again and went towards Rynn, Risu, and me. Doing the same exact thing she did with Team 12, she did a few hand signs, and put her palm on the floor with symbols coming out of her hand. The black symbols surrounded us in a closed circle and the circle glowed with us in it. It kept glowing until it was almost blinding and the boys had to take a step back from the light. Then the light went 'poof' and smoke appeared everywhere.

Oh shit!

Last time we did this with the boys, the same exact thing happened and right before they emerged from the smoke, they noticed they weren't wearing any clothes. A thanks to Itazura's quick thinking, they managed to get out of there before we saw anything we didn't need to see that very moment.

So it was happening all over again. I opened my eyes from the smoke and looked at myself. Shit, again. I wasn't wearing any clothes. And judging from Risu and Rynn, they weren't either. Next time, we're getting a pair of spare clothes with us… If this ever happens again, that is. I sure as hell hoped not. I had a feeling Tsunade wouldn't bother doing this again because she'd get tired of it.

The smoke was starting to clear and I started to panic. I did the only thing I could think of, I got the hell outta there!

--

A few minutes later, finally dressed and drinking hot tea in my kitchen, I heard a knock on my door and I had the whole party come in: Rynny, Risu, Kinaga, Itazura, and Hikuro. I grinned at the sight of everyone's expressions and we didn't need to say a thing to start laughing at each other. We all knew what we were thinking and even if we had to say it out loud, none of us would know how to put it into words.

"So, Ryume-Chan," Rynn teased. Oh boy. "How was your stay with Hikuro-Kun, Hmm?"

I smiled sweetly at her, "Oh, I had a great time. But I doubt I had as much fun as you did with Itazura."

Her grin faltered and her mouth twitched. Then she turned beet red and flung a pillow over her face, yelling through it, "RYUME THAT WASN'T FUNNY!"

Hikuro was laughing for all he was worth and gave me a high-five. "AWESOME! I love you, Cupcake!"

And the only person I felt bad for was Itazura. He had his hand covering his face, which was turned away, trying to hide his blushing. Risu and Kinaga snickered at Rynn and did a low-five with each other.

We ended up watching a movie at my place and having a bowl of steaming ramen. Our kind of party and/or hangout. And, of course, Rynn's missed opportunity to get me back went by unnoticed. With everyone focused on the screen and me reaching for my napkin to wipe extra juice off my chin, Hikuro saw his chance to lean over me and lick the ramen spill off my face, sneaking in a quick kiss after. He grinned at me, feeling accomplished. I felt my face turn red instead of a tail showing my feelings, and knew it was good to be me again.