Miraye finally came to after about an hour. Her pitch black eyes fluttered open to the bright sun. Her head was resting on something softer than the ground she had landed on. She squinted and saw Neji and Gaman sparring.

That was when she realized her sunglasses weren't on.

And that she was sitting in Inuzuka Karasu's lap.

A high-pitched wail was emitted from her throat. She closed her eyes and covered them up with her hands. She felt her kikaichuu rumbling more than usual. They were probably what brought her too. She could feel their worry radiate through her insides. Then their worry changed to a lecture. Did she not realize that they had warned her about the tree? They wanted to know.

A hand came down over hers, large and warm. It moved her hands, and Karasu delicately put her sunglasses back on. They were taped in the middle with black medical tape.

Oh, great. Now I look even more like a dork.

"They were broken." He muttered. It wasn't much like Karasu to speak so softly. He inherited his big mouth from his dog-nin father, as well as most of his other personality traits. Like the way her practically wagged his little doggy tail whenever he saw her or Gaman.

Except he didn't have a tail.

"Karasu-kun, you can move your hand now." She told him, his hand still lingering on hers.

He blushed. "Oh. Sorry."

She got to her feet, and the two of them stood together awkwardly. Miraye turned away from him and started to walk towards Neji-sensei and Gaman, but his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

Karasu must have had a death wish that day. Miraye turned on him. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my eyes. If anything is wrong, there is something wrong with your brain!" She howled angrily. There was a scowl that he couldn't see behind her mask, as well at the slight blush occupying her cheeks. "My eyes are normal for someone with Aburame descent!" She didn't know why she even bothered explaining. She turned on her heel and stalked over to her sensei and other teammate.

Gaman smiled, his green eyes glittering happily. "I'm glad you're better, Miraye-chan!" He chirped.

This brought the traces of a grin to her face, but she was still fuming at the stupid Inuzuka boy. Who did he think he was, assuming there was something wrong with her eyes?

Training passed quietly from them on. Karasu kept his mouth shut. Miraye would be happy if Karasu never spoke again.

And Miraye still didn't know why she was so angry.

When training was over, Neji-sensei had to dismiss himself to go home.



Gaman approached Miraye, who was sitting on the ground. Sweat was dripping down both of their faces. She was glaring across the meadow at Karasu and tearing tufts of grass out of the ground. The Inuzuka boy was too scared to approach.

"Miraye-chan, everyone's meeting at the ramen shop. Want to come?" He asked her. His green eyes were bright, as usual, but his voice didn't sound as comfortably happy as he usually did.

Miraye sighed. "Of course, Gaman-kun." A faint smile formed on her face, but nobody could see it.

"Karasu's coming too." He informed her. The unseen smile vanished. He looked at her pleadingly. "Please be nice to him, Mira-chan. He's a loudmouth, but he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I will treat him civilly." This, in her mind, was the cold shoulder.

The three walked in silence to the ramen shop. Gaman walked between his comrades, Miraye on his right and Karasu on his left. An awkward air hung over the three best friends. Karasu was watching the ground with his milky chocolate eyes, while Miraye and Gaman looked ahead.

A root sticking out of the sidewalk caught Karasu's foot, and his forward motion sent him face first into the pavement. He heard a crack as his nose hit the ground first. Stupid gravity. He cursed in his mind.

Miraye just looked at Karasu. Then she turned her gaze onto Gaman. She sighed. "Can you treat him?"

Gaman was already turning the Inuzuka boy over and examining the damage. Karasu was whining uncontrollably. The impact had shattered his nose. There was a scrape on his left cheek. "I haven't dealt with broken facial bones yet." Gaman muttered quietly, not wanting to anger his normally stoic teammate. Why were her emotions showing through so much today? It has to be puberty. He decided to himself.

Then, Miraye surprised the Uzumaki boy by kneeling down next to the wounded boy and slinging his arm over her shoulder. She stood, almost at tall as Karasu. "I'll take him to Sakura." She told him. "Go ahead and meet everyone. Tell them we're sorry we couldn't make it."

Gaman peered intently into her sunglasses, but couldn't see her eyes. He trusted her with his life, so he nodded. He turned and walked away, hoping that he hadn't condemned his friend to the young she-ninja.

Miraye walked with the larger ninja's weight on her shoulders. She had been rude. She wanted to make it up to him.

Suddenly, a nose was nuzzled against her ear. "Thanks, Mira-chan." Karasu whimpered to her.

This sent shivers down her spine. She smiled behind her mask. "Not a problem, Karasu-kun. I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier…"

"No." He said weakly, burying his face past the collar on her jacket and into the crook between her jaw and her shoulder. "I was the rude one. May I rephrase my question?"

He's just delirious. She told herself. He was not flirting, or displaying affection. He just wasn't thinking straight.



"Sure, Karasu-kun." She said in a friendly.

She felt she edges of his lips curl up against her skin.

He began speaking, warm breath touching the exposed skin on her neck a serious tone in his voice. "How can eyes be that beautiful?"

Miraye was especially glad for her mask that moment. A crimson blush was displayed on her face. Karasu-kun thought her eyes were beautiful. Her eyes were midnight black; there was no difference between the color of her pupil and the color of her iris. Same as her father's eyes, and her grandfather's. Along with the color, Miraye had also inherited the sensitivity of the eyes. This came with carrying the kikaichuu. At the moment, the bugs under her skin buzzed with excitement as her temperature rose drastically. Several destruction bugs exited through the holes near her wrists. They gathered around her and the boy, trying to figure out what was making their host uncomfortable.

Miraye scolded them privately. Akarui! Take your friends and get back inside. You're not needed at the moment. Yes, Miraye had named a few of her destruction bugs. The queen, who lived underneath her lungs and heart, and the more intelligent ones were the only ones she could speak to. They usually spread her messages to everyone else. Naming the smart ones was part of bonding with the whole hive.

The bugs flew back in at Akarui's command, but Akarui stayed and landed on Karasu's nose. Karasu opened his mouth to say something, but Miraye placed a finger over his mouth. What's wrong with this male? Akarui asked her host.

Broke his nose. Miraye told her.

Ah. Said the kikai bug. She examined his nose with her tiny legs. Is this the male you always think to us about?

Miraye nodded, and Akarui's thought-voice hummed in amusement.

You should take him as a mate. She teased before flying back into the hole in Miraye's jacket. Miraye's face flushed. This was the most she had ever blushed in one day.

When the bug was gone, Karasu looked up at Miraye. "What was that all about?"

"My kikai likes you." She informed him, voice even.

His eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"She told me." Miraye smirked.

When the two got to the healing office, they found Sakura sitting behind a desk, shuffling papers. Miraye hoped the healing-nin wasn't busy.

"Sakura?" She called to the pink-haired woman. "Karasu had an accident…"

Sakura looked up. "Oh my!" She squeaked as she stood and rushed over to Karasu's side. "Come with me to the examining room, I'll have you bandaged up in no time…"

Miraye watched Sakura tend to Karasu's nose wound with great precision from behind her sunglasses. Miraye couldn't help but notice the way his brown eyes glowed in gratitude, how his pale blonde hair fell into his face from time to time. The way the corners of his mouth tugged up into a 

grin, how his canine teeth were slightly pointed at the ends. When the healer was done, she dismissed the two genin with a smile and pat on the boy's head. "You be careful, Karasu."

Karasu grinned at the older ninja. "Of course, Sakura."

Karasu and Miraye walked out of the healing office in higher spirits. Karasu had a mended nose, and both had and a mended friendship.