DISCLAIMER:
I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. NARUTO AND ALL RELATED PRODUCTS BELONG TO THEIR ORIGINAL OWNERS. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT, AND MY OWN CHARACTERS. PLEASE SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL RELEASE.
Howling at the moon, chapter four: The visit from death!
Hikari's POV:
After a discussion with the Hokage, my squad and I finally managed to have our mission accepted. Even though it took a whole three hours, it will be worth it. Not for Kiba's sake of course, I meant the village's sake. It just so happens we have to do this to help Kiba. If we kill him, I won't have anyone to fight with and it wouldn't be the same.
We just have to make sure that Kiba doesn't find out about this mission. We have to keep it top secret, like all great ninjas must. But… Hoshi really wants to tell Kiba where we are going. I told her that Kiba wouldn't like it if he found out about it. So she has promised to keep her mouth shut. Thank Kami…
We are going to be leaving in an hour, so we have time to prepare. The mission will probably take at least a few days. But, Kiba's older sister Hana is going to be looking after him as she is off work for a couple of days.
"So remember guys, we can't let Kiba even think that we are going out on this mission. If he spots you and asks questions, lie." I told them.
Nami and Hoshi nodded. "Right." They said in unison.
We all went our separate ways to pack the appropriate things for the mission. Well, Hoshi and I will, Nami will probably pack something of no importance. But, we have gotten used to it overtime…
I walked away from the guys with a sigh when I just realized I was walking past Kiba's house. Oh crap! I tried to run, but…
"Hey!"
Kiba came out of his house, limping with Akamaru trotting by his side.
"Where are you going? And what do you think you are doing around here if you're not going to stay?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't see how that's any of your business, Inuzuka." I replied with a scowl.
Kiba growled. "Look, I think we need to talk." He said seriously.
"And I think that I'm going to leave. I have chores to do at home." I replied. I tried to walk away from him, but he quickly grabbed my arm with his own good one. "Let go."
"No." He replied. "I want to know what you're really doing!"
"Why would you care? Why are you suddenly caring now?" I asked.
"Because-" He trailed off and let his arm go limp, my arm being set free. "Just go then! Don't tell me! Blame a guy for being concerned!"
"You have no right to yell at me like that! I need to get home; I don't have time to waste on you!" I yelled back at him and stormed off, leaving Kiba in the middle of the pathway.
The nerve Kiba has is unforgivable. I am trying to do everything I can here to stop the whole destruction thing from happening and he is just being unreasonable!
"What got you cranky, little sis?"
Cloud… As if my day couldn't get any worse…
"Noneya…" I replied. He raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"None ya business." I told him. "And I am not cranky!"
He rolled his eyes. "Where are you going?" He asked, changing the subject.
"On a mission." I answered.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your boyfriend?"
"He is not my boyfriend. Unlike you Cloud, I actually have class."
Cloud frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.
"You figure it out." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "I have got to get ready, so please stop annoying me. This is important."
"Could it be? The day my little sister gets an important mission? What's so important that you have to leave your Inuzuka boyfriend?" Cloud asked sarcastically.
"Speak for yourself. Who's the lucky girl this week?" I asked sarcastically.
"She's uh… Um… She's blond!" Cloud replied dumbly.
"Wow… You actually remembered this girl's hair colour." I said as I rolled my eyes.
"I'm kind of going through a phase at this moment." Cloud lied.
"My heart bleeds for you, you poor soul." And with that, I ran into my room, packed everything and ran back down to the front door.
"Tell mother that I'm going to be gone for a while." I told Cloud. I turned to face him. "Cloud! What are you doing to that watermelon?" I screamed.
"I'm cutting it, duh." Cloud replied.
"I did a better job on my birthday cake when I was three years old." I retorted.
"Didn't you say that you were going?" Cloud asked me with a pout.
"Yeah. See you later!" I said and without waiting for a reply, I walked out of the house, closing the door behind me.
I sighed as I walked along the pathway. This is going to be a long mission…
My eyes widened as I saw Hoshi – with Kiba! This might hurt the mission! After all, Hoshi is known for her big mouth. I quickly hid behind a wall near them.
Come on Hoshi… Whatever you do, do not tell him what we're doing!
Kiba's POV:
"So, you were planning on going to the hospital today?" Hoshi asked me with her head tilted to the side.
I nodded. "Yeah. As much as I hate admitting it, Neji was right. I should've had it removed earlier. It's beginning to get in the way." I replied with a small sigh.
"Well, I think that it's great that you made that choice!" Hoshi replied with a smile.
"You know, it seems that you're always happy about everything." I began.
Hoshi's eyes widened. "Yeah? I-Is there s-something wrong with the way I am? D-Do you want me to be more serious about things? Tell me and I'll do it!" She said quickly.
"No, no, it's nothing like that!" I quickly told her. "It's just that… Well, it's like you have no worries in the world. That must be nice…"
Hoshi blinked and stared at me for a moment. "So, you're worried that you and Hikari might not become friends like you used to be, right?"
My eyes widened. "No, no, no! T-That's not it at all!" I stammered. "It's just that I'm worried about not getting my dose of training! By the way I'm going, I'm never going to catch up to Naruto."
Hoshi sighed. "Well, I have to go." She told me as she began to turn around.
"Wait!" I called out to her as I grabbed onto her wrist. Her head turned to face me with pink cheeks.
"I need to know where you and your team are going. Hikari wouldn't tell me and I'm starting to get…" I trailed off. I couldn't tell her that!
"Concerned?" She finished for me. I glanced down at my feet. She chuckled. "Kiba, it's okay to say these things around me. I won't tell."
"Well, maybe…" I mumbled."But, I need to know! Can you please tell me…?"
"Kiba…" She began. I could tell that she was hiding something. Desperate times call for desperate measures… I gave her the trick that all of us Inuzuka's have used to get our way. The dog eyes.
Her face softened. "I can't Kiba…" She said to me and bit her lip. "Okay! Our team is going on a mission to get some herbs!"
I blinked and raised an eyebrow as my mouth dropped. "T-That's it?" I asked. "That was the big secret that you were keeping from me?"
"Sorry, Kiba!" She told me. "But I've really got to go! If we don't get those herbs, we won't be able to… Prevent sicknesses! Yeah! Sicknesses!" She managed to escape my grip. "See you later, Kiba!" She called out to me as she ran off.
My eyes narrowed. "Hikari and now Hoshi… They're both lying to me…" I curled my hand into a fist. "And here I thought that I could at least trust Hoshi…"
Next thing you know is that Nami's going to come out telling me that my mother is going to invite all the neighborhood kids over to trash the house without any consequences…
I sighed. Wait… That scent! Hikari…! I spun around and stared at the source of the scent. I clenched my teeth together in anger.
"What is it, huh?" I screamed, not caring if people were staring. "What is so important that you can't tell me about it? Have you got a problem with me?"
I turned around, not waiting for an answer. "Well, screw you too, Hikari! I knew I was wasting my time from the beginning! You go on your 'special mission' that is too good for me to hear!" And with that, I limped away with my crutches with a single stream of tears crawling out of my eye sockets, rolling down my cheeks slowly.
I should've known that she didn't care… She cares about Sasuke and everyone else…
Everyone except me…
Hikari's POV:
"What is it, huh?" I heard a familiar voice yell, causing me to jump. "What is so important that you can't tell me about it? Have you got a problem with me?"
Kiba? Damn. That sensitive nose of his… How could I forget about it?
"Well, screw you too, Hikari! I knew I was wasting my time from the beginning! You go on your 'special mission' that is too good for me to hear!"
I blinked and stared down at the ground beneath my feet. Kiba… Wait! Am I feeling… Guilty? Just because I didn't tell him? Well, that's a first.
I sighed as I folded my arms. Look what I've done… I've upset him… And this time, I feel guilty about it. And I hate it! Wait a second…
"So, you were planning on going to the hospital today?"
"Yeah. As much as I hate admitting it, Neji was right. I should've had it removed earlier. It's beginning to get in the way."
I smiled. Finally! He's doing it! He's removing the bullet! It only took him too long.
I stood up straight and began to walk away with my head resting on my hands. I blinked as I noticed a certain Uchiha walking my way with his hands in his pockets. My smile grew.
"Hey Sasuke!" I greeted without an answer as the two of us continued walking closer towards each other, but we both came to a sudden stop, so close to one another that we could easily kiss on the spot.
We both stared at each other for a long period of time. It was really awkward because of the silence and the fact that I have never realized how much taller he is than me.
"Oh, Sasuke!" I squealed in remembrance as I reached for an envelope in my pocket and handed it out in front of him. He just stared at it emotionlessly.
"My brother Cloud is having a birthday party coming up. He says that he knows you and wanted you along with all of the other rookies and Neji's team to come." I explained as Sasuke continued to stare. I wish that he would just say something… This is getting really uncomfortable…
"I'll pass." Sasuke replied bluntly. I frowned, but I quickly replaced it with a fake smile.
"Oh! That's fine, Sasuke! You are a busy guy after all! I guess that I'll just tell Cloud that you aren't coming!" I said as I walked past him with my head lowered. "Bye…"
I let out the breath that I was holding in and pouted. That was by far the toughest twenty seconds of my entire life!
I shrugged. I can't be worrying about Sasuke… I have to help Kiba…
…
That was something that I thought that I would never say… It felt so weird…
I turned back to see that Sasuke was slowly walking away. My eyes narrowed. Something seems off about Sasuke today… I groaned in frustration. Why is everyone acting this way? I took my eyes off of Sasuke and stared at the path in front of me.
Just then, I heard a scream coming closer and closer to me. Oh. This is happening again. Ino.
Ino ran up to me, panting hard.
"Hikari, can you please control your teammate?" She asked. "He won't stop following me, again! It's getting on my nerves!" She explained as she folded her arms.
Did I forget to mention that Nami has a crush on Ino? Yes. Well, there you have it.
Nami came rushing up to Ino's side. "Dude-"
"I'M NOT A 'DUDE'! STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Ino screamed into his ear.
I sighed. How do I keep running into these people?
"Nami, don't forget that we have a mission that we need to go on. NOW." I told him.
Nami blinked. "Can't I just-"
"Nope."
"But why-"
"Come on…!" I said as I grabbed the back of his collar and began to drag him.
"NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Nami screamed as he tried to reach for Ino.
"That would be a bad boy. Don't make me count." I replied.
"But-"
"One…"
"Okay!"
"Thanks, Hikari!" Ino called out to me.
"No problem…" I muttered.
~Later~
After a while, our team met up with each other, and the only person that we were waiting for was our sensei – Nisshoku.
"How long is it until Nisshoku Sensei gets here?" I asked impatiently.
"She did say that she was going to be at a meeting for a while…" Hoshi replied.
"By the way, I think that Kiba might be a little angry…" I told her.
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME NOT TO TELL HIM ABOUT THE MISSION!" Hoshi yelled at me.
"Well, would you rather him to think that he could destroy the entire village at any given moment?"
I asked as I folded my arms.
Hoshi remained quiet. So did Nami and I. It was quiet until Nisshoku finally appeared from a cloud of smoke.
"Good morning students." She greeted as she stretched her arms out in front of her.
"Good morning Nisshoku Sensei!" Hoshi and I chorused.
"Dude, good morning!" Nami greeted.
Nisshoku chuckled. "Well, it's good to see that you're all doing well. Anyway, are we all prepared? Have we got enough kunai, shuriken and paper bombs?" She asked.
"I have the shuriken." I said.
"I have the kunai." Hoshi added.
"I have the power bombs, dude!" Nami said.
"It's paper bombs…" I corrected him.
"Hey, you call them what you want to call them, and I'll call them what I want to." Nami replied. Nisshoku laughed again.
"Well, I hope that you've got all of your night gear ready, because those herbs are a long way away…" She told us. We all nodded. "Good." She said.
"I'm just wondering, Nisshoku Sensei," I began. "How far away are those herbs?"
"Well, if we leave right now and don't stop for any breaks, we should get there around midnight. But, unfortunately, it would be too risky if any other ninja were out there and ambushed us while we were out of energy." Nisshoku replied. "So, I guess we should get going."
We all nodded.
And so, we left out of the village, passing through the gates and into the forest.
We are going to save Kiba and the village for sure… That, I can promise you…
Kiba's POV:
I lay in the white hospital bed, staring up at the white ceiling with my eyes half closed. I gulped.
I'm finally doing it… I'm getting the bullet out of my leg…
I have never really liked being in the hospital. The only things that you can look at here are the white walls and ceiling. It's not that exciting. Plus, the food is horrible and the place stinks of sick people. That's an odor I don't enjoy smelling.
Akamaru whimpered next to me. I turned to face him and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, boy… The pain will be over and done with in no time… I'll be fine…" I told him.
'Are you okay from this morning?' Akamaru asked me.
I blinked. "Of course I am, Akamaru. Why wouldn't I be okay?" I asked him.
'You just looked upset…' Akamaru replied.
"I wasn't upset…" I replied. "It does sort of tick me off though… Everyone's keeping secrets from me…"
'I told you that you weren't fine. You are upset, aren't you?'
I sighed. "Well, maybe a little. I just don't understand what they're trying to hide from me. It's like everyone knows what's going on but me."
A knock on the door broke us out of our conversation.
"Kiba…" The nurse's voice came. "Your older sister has come to see you."
"Let her in!" I called out.
The door opened and my sister came through.
"Just to let you know, Kiba. We will be taking it out in an hour." The nurse said to me. I nodded.
"Okay. Thanks." I replied as she closed the door, leaving Hana, Akamaru and I alone together.
"Hey, Kiba. How are you feeling?" Hana asked me.
I sighed. "I'm doing fine…" I replied. "You know, other than the fact that I have a bullet in my leg."
Hana sat down in a chair beside the bed with a small sigh of her own. "Kiba, I know that it's difficult to go through a situation like this, but, it's going to be okay. If you just relax, it'll all be over before you know it." She told me.
"Yeah, I know that, sis. You don't have to tell me that…" I said. I paused for a moment. "Hana…" I began.
"What is it, Kiba?" She asked.
"If I told you something – a secret – would you promise to keep it for me?" I asked her.
"Of course, Kiba, you know that." Hana replied.
I took in a deep breath. Here it goes… "If I told you that in the night, something strange happens… Would you believe me?"
"Strange…?" Hana asked and pondered for a moment. "It depends what you mean when you say 'strange'."
"Well, would you be surprised if I told you about this problem I've been happening makes me change…?"
"…Change…?"
Hikari's POV:
We all walked through the forest together, not too far away from one another. I looked around my surroundings… And it's all trees… Of course that's the only thing that you would see in a forest!
"So…" Nisshoku said, starting a conversation. "Who was the man that told you that you need these herbs again…?" She asked.
"It was someone named Kodai." I replied. "Why is that…?"
"Kodai? Oh, so it's my younger brother that wanted your help…?" Nisshoku asked.
Hoshi and I looked at each other, shocked. "WHAT?" We both screamed. "HE'S YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER?"
"Of course, didn't you see the resemblance?" Nisshoku asked.
Hoshi and I thought about it. "Come to think of it, they do look familiar…" Hoshi said.
"They look so much alike… The blonde hair, their eyes, their… Unique sense of fashion…" I added.
We both nodded. "We knew it from the start!" We chorused.
Nisshoku sweat-dropped. "I'm sure, you two…" She said sarcastically.
"What are those dude's talking about?" Nami asked.
"The client is my younger brother. The reason we lived so far away though is because our parents divorced." Nisshoku explained.
"How old are you, Nisshoku dude?" Nami asked.
"NAMI!" Hoshi and I shouted, annoyed at his comment.
"I'm thirty two. Thanks for asking…" Nisshoku answered Nami's question.
"Did she really just answer that?" Hoshi asked me.
"Yes. Surprisingly…" I replied. Something popped into my head. "Nisshoku Sensei, does that mean you know about…?"
"Yeah, I do." Nisshoku answered, though she didn't sound that upset about it. "My father was abusive anyway… He was a lost cause to begin with… But, my brother still loved him for being his father. They had a strange relationship with each other."
"Oh. I see." I replied.
"But later, my mother went to visit them and never came back." Nisshoku continued.
"Weren't you upset though, Nisshoku Sensei…?" Hoshi asked.
"Hm. I was at first, but I had to forgive. I suppose that my little brother has told you the story?" Nisshoku asked. Hoshi and I nodded.
"I don't know what kind of rockin' thing is going on here, dude. Nothing is making sense." Nami said.
Nisshoku ignored him and went on with the story. "Well, how could I be mad at my own brother? He didn't mean it. I think that he would've been in a lot more pain then I was. But, we have been able to undo the curse. But, I think if his anger takes over, so will the beast." She said.
"So, even if we get these herbs, there's still a chance that Kiba could turn into the beast?" I asked, a little disappointed that this could all be for nothing.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I have been wrong before. So, maybe not. Besides, it's just a theory. It would only happen if he was extremely angry." Nisshoku replied with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry though. I'm positive that if my brother could control himself, then Kiba can too."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was a bit worried for a minute there…" I said out loud.
Hoshi bit her lip as she stared at me. Is she thinking… No, that can't be it… That's ridiculous… Impossible… Oh well, I know Hoshi well enough to know that she wouldn't be thinking that…
We walked in silence, which was a change as Nami has never stayed quiet for more than five minutes in his entire life, and yes, before you ask, he does sleep talk. No one has said a word for about… six and a half minutes… Hey, I keep track. This silence might not ever occur again!
Out of nowhere, a kunai knife flew across in front of my face. I squeaked as it flew quickly, cutting some of my hair off and it landed in front of a rock.
"WHAT THE PENGUINS?" I screamed. I slouched. Great… I'm turning into Nami… No one wants that…
"Other ninja…" Nisshoku whispered. "Be careful."
Nami, Hoshi and I nodded as I threw the three of them a kunai each, which they easily caught.
"It's time to blow some doors down!" Nami yelled. Never send him out on a stealth mission.
"Yeah… What he said…" Hoshi added, confused.
A rain of kunai and shuriken stormed down on us, but we all quickly deflected the ones coming in our direction. But they were still coming.
"We'll never get anywhere like this…!" I managed to say.
"DUDE!" Nami said excitedly. "I HAVE LIKE, A TOTALLY EXCELLENT IDEA! IT'LL GET RID OF THESE BOGUS STEEL WEAPONS!"
"Can you just do it…?" Hoshi asked.
"Yeah! I'm working on it, lady dude!" Nami replied. He jumped in the middle and made a hand sign.
"Water Style: Water Shield Jutsu!" A large shield was placed over the top of all four of us as Nami raised both of his arms in the air.
"Great." I said sarcastically. "Now what are we going to do, genius?"
"Well, I was thinking that this would work…" Nami admitted. "I guess we should just wing it…?"
"That is by far the most ridiculous idea that I have ever heard in my life. What happens when you run out of Chakra?" I asked.
"Um… Hold on, I know this one…" Nami replied. I slapped a hand against my head.
Nisshoku sighed. "I'll take care of this…" She clapped her hands together, creating a hand sign. "Earth Style: Earthquake!" Nami quickly expanded the shield, creating a giant ball of water around us. We heard rumbling for a moment and soon, the ground began shaking. The whole forest looked like it was going to fall upside down at any minute.
The kunai stopped falling down on us and three people fell out of the trees and onto the ground. Nisshoku Sensei noticed and immediately undid the Jutsu. Nami finally noticed and stopped his too, and the four of us ran over to the fallen men. My eyes widened as I folded my arms.
"Hm. I see. What do you three suppose we could do with these men?" Nisshoku asked.
"We can use the rope that I have in my bag to tie them up." Hoshi suggested.
"Why do you have rope in your bag?" I asked her, a little confused with a raised eyebrow.
"Why don't you have rope in your bag…?" She asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Touché." I replied.
After we tied the three men up, we sat down with them. "I see that you're trying to stop us from getting those herbs." I said with a glare.
"I guess that you do think that it is possible to stop your plan." Hoshi added as she folded her own arms.
The Mist Ninja Leader growled at us as Nami just stood there confused.
"Whoa…! Mist Ninja dudes are crazy… Attacking us like that… Why?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because they were trying to fricken' kill us, you idiot!" Hoshi yelled back.
I looked back at the Mist Leader.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked. "You may as well tell us everything now that you're tied up."
I could tell that the three ninja tried to escape by turning into mist, but they failed. Ha!
"Ha!" I laughed. "Don't even try to escape. Nisshoku Sensei has blocked out your Chakra. Now spill or we kill." I said as I brought out a kunai from my ninja tools' pocket. "Let's start with your name."
The leader sighed. "Itami." He muttered.
"And who are you working for?" Hoshi asked.
"A woman named Shi." He replied.
"Where did you hide my pancakes?" Nami asked. Hoshi, Nisshoku and I just stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you sure that you haven't stuffed them in your ninja tools' pocket?" Itami asked.
Nami put a hand in his pocket and pulled out a moldy pancake. He took a bite. "I like this guy. We should tie him up more often."
We looked back at Itami. "Who's Shi?" I asked.
"Her name should say everything… Her name means death… And she was born with a natural talent – a gift." Itami explained.
"What's this talent she has?" Nisshoku asked.
"Killing." He answered, sending chills up our spines. Minus Nami who was still eating his pancake. I wish that he will just hurry up so then I don't have to look at that mold anymore.
"Shi has a temper on her and she has been given everything that she's ever wanted. Because if she didn't, we would all be dead."
"So basically, the leader that we're looking at here is a spoiled brat." I said with a raised eyebrow.
"We all know how spoiled brats are, though. They like to have new toys… And in this case, it's your friend. She wants him." Itami replied.
Hoshi's eye twitched in anger. "We can't let her get away with this!" She exclaimed dramatically. "Kiba is no lady's toy to play with!"
I rolled my eyes. Yeah right… She just wants him all to herself…
"So, what is Shi doing right now?" Nisshoku asked sternly.
"Well, by now, she should be nearing the Leaf Village…"
…
…
…
"WHAT?"
"Darn it…! So that means while we're here trying to save Kiba, she's getting closer and closer to him…!" I growled in frustration.
"Don't worry, Hikari." Nisshoku told me. "Even though our team is out here, there are many skilled Shinobi in the village."
"Pft. I doubt that even the dogs there will be able to smell the blood on her hands. She is an expert at disguising herself." Itami snickered.
Nisshoku stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "What is she doing?" She asked. Hoshi, Nami and I gulped. Nisshoku Sensei is usually a calm person, but if you tick her off, you know that you have pushed her buttons…
"Well, if you really must know, she is going to be helping Kiba with his leg troubles…" Itami replied. Hoshi gasped.
"We have no time to stay here! Kiba is going to get a bullet removal by some crazy chick who wants to use him to destroy everything in sight!" She said quickly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… Whoa. Slow down, Hoshi. I know that you want to prevent Kiba from being the guy who is responsible for destroying the entire village, but we've got a job too. Besides, if something happens, Akamaru is with Kiba all of the time. He'll be able to protect him. Not to mention that we've got the last of the Uchiha Clan in our village." I said to her.
Hoshi sighed. "I guess that you're right, but I still worry…" She said, sounding a little unsure.
Nisshoku faced us. "Okay, these fine gentlemen have agreed to help us look for the herbs." She said with a smirk.
"WHAT?" The three Mist Ninja screamed.
"Look, you just tried to kill us and you wasted a lot of our time in doing so. The least you can do is that you could help us prevent our entire village from being destroyed." Nisshoku told them with a harsh glare that could burn them to death.
Itami sighed. "Yes ma'am…" He said in defeat.
"Oh. And one more thing… If you try to run away or attack us again, I'll make you wish that you died." Nisshoku said with a smile. The three Mist Ninja shuddered.
"G-Got it…" They all replied, scared.
"Well, I'm glad that we got that out of the way. Because, like Nisshoku Sensei said, we wasted a lot of time on you guys. We need to get those herbs." I said. My teammates nodded in agreement.
Nisshoku grabbed the three enemies with her super strength as we all began to move forward towards the herbs.
After all, we do kind of have to save our village here…
Kiba's POV:
Hana left some time ago after I told her about my situation. She understood. She said that she had been hearing me in the night. So, that was kind of awkward… But at least she didn't laugh at me and tell me that I was being crazy. So, that's kind of a plus… I guess…
Right now, I'm waiting for a doctor to come in. I'm not really fond of doctors. Especially with their needles… Not that I'm scared of needles or anything, but they are pretty sharp…
Akamaru stared at me. 'Are you sure that you're going to be alright?'
"Of course I am. You know me well enough to know that Akamaru." I replied. "Now, you better get going back home. I don't want you to be missing lunch because of me. And don't forget to bring me back some."
Akamaru barked. 'Fine. But if I start to hear you scream, I'm coming back right away to check up on you.' He said.
I chuckled. "Okay then. Now go." I told him. He yipped and then jumped out of the window. He's just lucky that we weren't that high up…
I heard the door slide open and I woman came into the room, shutting the door behind her. I stared at her. She didn't seem like a normal doctor… She has a lot of powerful Chakra. But, I guess that an expert would need a lot in order to maintain their power for long.
The thing that really caught my eye was her golden eyes. All I could do was to stare at them. The eyes actually reminded me a lot of mine…
She tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay, Kiba Inuzuka?" She asked me with a small smile. I blinked.
"Ah. Y-Yeah… I'm fine… I-I-I'm just tired is all…" I replied.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. That it's nothing serious of course." She said as she fixed up her long blond hair. "Anyway, my name is Doctor Seikatsu. I'll need to ask you a few questions before the others get here." She said as she walked over to me with a pen and some paper.
"Um… Sure…?" I replied, feeling a little unsure.
"Now, how have you been feeling?" Seikatsu asked.
"Um… What do you mean…?" I asked.
"I was just wondering… Have you been feeling stressed?" She asked.
"Well, I guess a little…" I replied softly.
"I see." She said as she wrote down a few notes. "Would you mind telling me about it?"
I blinked. "Um… Well, I guess I've been this way ever since… I got this cut on my arm…" I said as I showed her my bandaged arm with blood seeping through.
"Hm. I see… This looks pretty serious indeed. Did you try to get this fixed up?" She asked as she gently held my arm.
I thought for a moment and sighed. "No. No I didn't actually… At first, I thought that it was just a cut… I didn't think that it was going to do that much…" I admitted.
She stared at it for a moment with an unreadable expression. I sighed.
"To be honest… I think that it might be infected…" I told her. She looked up to my face as she gently placed my arm back onto the bed.
"Kiba, I don't think that you will need to worry too much about it. It looks like you've been taking good care of it, so it shouldn't be infected. Now, is there anything else that's been troubling you?" She asked as she wrote some more things down.
"Well, I'm not sure if it's just me but… Is it weird to be seeing your own eyes as evil?" I asked, feeling a little dumb for asking.
"Of course not. Some people do when going through stress. Just wondering, did your eyes look like mine?" She asked.
"Um… W-Well yes. I guess that they did a little…" I replied uneasily.
She chuckled. "It's fine. I'm not offended at all. Well, Kiba, I'd say it would be from the amount of stress that you're going through. It's normal to hallucinate if under a lot of stress. Such as pain, break-ups, friendships… Anything of the sort."
An image of Hikari appeared into my head. I remained silent as I stared up at the ceiling again.
I wonder what she's doing right now…
"Kiba…" Seikatsu said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Is something the matter?" She asked.
I stared at her for a moment and I realized that there wasn't much sign of age on her. If I had to guess I'd say…
"Are you fifteen?" I asked in shock.
She blinked. "Well, that's a strange and unexpected question. But if you really must know, I'm fifteen and a half." She replied.
"And they let you become a doctor?" I asked.
"Well, not so much a 'doctor' doctor, but a psychiatrist – for kids around your age. Why do you ask? Don't you think that I've got what it takes?" She asked jokingly.
"No, no. But, I was just wondering is all. It just that… You looked a little young to take a bullet out of a twelve year olds' leg." I told her.
"I'll take the compliment of you calling me young out of that statement there." She told me. "So, I noticed that you looked a little upset earlier. Why is that exactly?"
I sighed and paused. "Well, I guess that I just miss a friend. She and I used to be the best of friends, but… I think that we just got a little too over competitive…" I replied.
"Oh. How unfortunate. But, don't worry. It's perfectly normal for kids like you to have problems with their own friends. By the way, I'm curious. What's her name?" She asked.
"Hikari… Hikari Sekai…" I replied slowly.
"A Sekai, you say?" She asked. I didn't reply.
There was a moment of silence. Neither one of us talked. I swallowed hard and sighed.
"Look, I just need some sleep right now before they take it out…" I said to her as I stared at my hands.
"I understand." Seikatsu replied as she turned around. "Remember Kiba, if you need anything, just call me." And with that, she left the room. I blinked in utter confusion.
That was too weird… I sighed as I rolled over and stared out of the window. Everyone's probably having the time of their life right now out in the sun. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in this dumb hospital bed.
Suddenly, I felt my head pounding hard. Over and over again. I bit my lip as I gripped my head in pain. I can't scream… I don't want anyone to see me like this… In pain…
I breathed deeply and my head began to hurt less and less. I stood up out of the bed and limped my way to the sink. As terrible as tap water tastes, I am not calling for someone to bring it to me. Because, I don't beg! And that moment with me and Hikari does not count either!
I filled a cup up with water and drank it in no time. I stared at the now empty cup and sighed as I filled it up again. I wonder what Hikari is up to…
No! I don't care! She obviously doesn't care about me and what I do, so why should I care about her? She makes me so MAD!
I stared at the broken glass near my feet, water travelling everywhere. "Oops…" I said, ashamed of my anger getting the best of me. I sighed as I banged my head on the wall. I even felt tears welling in my eyes.
"Why…?" I asked myself as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Why me…?" I stared at the wall. "…I thought that this would be a good way to learn what Hikari thinks of me… But, I'm not liking this at all… Everything is so wrong…"
…Kiba, you can come with me… I can make the pain go away…
My eyes widened as I looked around. No scent… What's going on here…? Am I hearing things…?
…I can make sure that your emotions will not get in your way…. I will make all of those pains and regrets disappear…
"Who are you…?" I asked, growling in anger and confusion. Where is this voice coming from…?
…Only the person who could make you stronger…
A laugh.
I growled. "Stop playing these games with me! Tell me who you are right now or I'll wring your neck and crush your spine!" I shouted.
…Oh Kiba, you are such a furious one… I like that… How would you like to be my little toy…?
"You're what…?" I asked as I removed my head from the wall.
…A toy… Think of it as when you're role-playing with a toy… You improvise and find new ways to make it better than the rest… For all eternity…
"…"
…You've always laughed at that blonde kid… You thought that you were always going to be better than him… But, you lost to him… You lost and now you're starting to think that you'll never catch up… The only way to defeat him is to get more power… And I have that power… I'll even let you have it…
"You're so sick! Why would I ever want to-?"
A bloody image of a beast with blood on the ground around it and across its face flashed into my mind, making me fall to my knees and soon on my side screaming as my head pounded even more, harder. I clenched my head again and my eyes were shut tight, I was unable to open them no matter how hard I tried.
Before I knew it, blood was pouring out of my mouth. I was in a pool of my own blood. The tears began again. I couldn't stop them. I couldn't be as tough as I made myself out to be.
"Kiba!"
"Is he okay?"
"Quick! We need to stop the blood!"
…Maybe she was right…
…Maybe I'm just not meant to be a ninja… I'm not meant to have the life I wanted…
…I'm just a failure…
"Hurry!"
Author's Notes:
Well, I feel so sorry for Kiba right now. I wasn't planning on ending it here. But I thought that it would be a perfect cliffhanger to really cheese you guys off.
Now, I know that some of you didn't want the chapter to be like this, but it is really important.
Anyway, I was wondering if you thought that the last part was dark enough. My family was just singing love songs from musicals and I didn't want to put this off anymore. I just want to say that musicals don't really click my buttons. Unless it was a singing Kiba. That would be interesting.
Anyway, here's some stuff about what the characters names mean in Japanese. They're the ones that I know and I just want to share:
Sakura – Cherry Blossom
Kiba – Fang
Inuzuka – Dog Small Hill
Ino – Pork
Hikari – Light
Sekai – World
Nami – Wave
Hoshi – Star
Nisshoku – Eclipse
I forget what Itami was even though I looked it up today. But if you know what any of the other characters names are, please tell me. I'm pretty sure Uchiha has something to do with a fan. I forget…
Review! More chapters will come if you do! Also, Kiba will give you a hug! And a cookie!
