Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to update. I have just had so much to do that it got a little hectic here on my end. But the chapter is up and I hope to have another one up soon too. I finally have my muse back! I hope I haven't lost any readers. You know I love you guys. Read, and if you like it, fav or alert my story. Reviews are also appreciated, but not demanded. Though they make it so much easier to write faster!
Chapter Nine
Kiba watched as Ayame tackle hugged the man who entered the place. Until he felt it prudent to warn her that if anyone saw her (excluding said man she tackle hugged), she would be as good as dead. She reluctantly let go of her teacher and ran up the stairs.
"Beat Keshino up for me, please." She disappeared through the doorway. Kiba looked at the teacher as soon as she was out of site. His frown was more than prominent. Shikamaru also looked at the man with caution. The former sensei gave a small smile.
"It is nice to know that she is well protected. You don't look very smart," he said to Kiba, "but clearly you have a head on your shoulders. Konoha is very good at that." Kiba growled. Why must people always say that? Is it really shocking that Konoha has some amazing ninja?
"Is that supposed to be an insult or a complement in disguise?" The man smirked.
"You decide that one. Though, I must say it gets tiring to hear comments like that all the time."
"Try being Naruto…" Ino muttered. Chouji stifled a laugh.
"Naruto thrives on the element of surprise. We should all know that by now." Kiba just shook his head in annoyance. The man raised an eyebrow.
"Naruto…" he questioned. This time the whole group rolled their eyes. The village hero clearly was not known in this place.
"Uzumaki Naruto. You don't know who that is?" The man blinked few times before his eyes widened. Ino rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. He is that guy," Ino said, moving to sit on the stool at the island.
"You," the man said, pointing to him. Kiba frowned, his grip tightening in his weapons pouch as he gripped his kunai. His gaze never wavered from the man.
"What?" His voice was rough. He cleared his throat. "What?" he repeated, his voice clearer.
"Why are you so protective of her? You just barely met her the other day." Shikamaru spoke up at this.
"He is the one that rescued her. All of us are fairly attached." Ino looked at Shikamaru with a passing glance. He was calculating the man. She looked at him again, noting the scars on his face. The man was definitely experienced, much more so than the unconscious girl on the ground in front of them. His cornflower blue eyes were shadowed but clear and his tanned arms were covered by three quarter sleeves of a brown shirt. A thick scar, recent, lined his forearm, crossing with former scars, most contrasting with the dark skin.
"And thus the deep emotions are quickly grown. It is in my experience that ninja usually have a harder time making bonds."
"And your village does not have Naruto. The guy pretty much trusts anyone if they give off the right feel. We all learned from him that way. He is a curious guy. He could help this village greatly, when I think on it," Ino said, shifting her legs.
Shikamaru moved to the stool next to her and moved it behind her, messing with the ponytail Ino fastened after he brushed her hair moments previously. The man grinned knowingly, though at what, Shikamaru did not know.
"Hiyate Shimoku," he said, giving a hand to Kiba to shake. Shikamaru merely watched as Kiba hesitantly moved to shake hands with the man. When he did, they both released their hold quickly. Shikamaru stood and walked outside as Kiba and Hiyate talked. Eventually, though, Hiyate Shimoku decided he would take Keshino to the family place and allow her to recover there, while the remaining three, consisting of Kiba, Ino, and Chouji, volunteered themselves, including him, to move the remaining ninja that Keshino had brought with her. As soon as the man left the building, the three started.
"Shika!" Ino shouted, making Kiba cringe slightly. Does she always have to shout like that? He continued to carry the unconscious ninja toward the forest, dumping the body probably farther than really necessary, those three miles left and around the village, when he returned, he found all bodies had been removed, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ayame behind him. Kiba did a double take at Ayame.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, blinking in confusion.
"I figured the chore would be faster. What are we doing today?"
"Chouji, Ino, Shikamaru, and I are going to be spending time with the main family. You will be here keeping watch over the house."
Ayame merely stared at Kiba.
"What are we doing today?" she repeated, watching as Kiba glanced nervously behind her towards Ino and Shikamaru, whom she knew were behind her. Chouji, who stood next to her, sniggered.
"What are we doing today?" Emi asked from the doorway. Kiba turned and frowned, wishing desperately that he could scream for the two to stay home. It wasn't safe for Ayame, and it was clear that Emi wasn't well liked by the Keshino family, or at least the daughter.
"No one said you two were doing anything. Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino are coming with me to do whatever we are doing. You two," he said pointedly, "are going to stay here." Kiba stalked past both girls, hearing Ino behind him talking in a low voice to who he assumed was Ayame and went to finish making breakfast, though he eventually just put his portion of the food in the fridge, as he lost all appetite due to the encounter with Ayame outside. Why is the woman so determined to be involved? He went up the stairs and collected what he needed and came downstairs to a moody Ayame and not-so-comfortable Emi. He paused at the doorway and looked at the girls.
Both looked suspicious as he watched them while Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji ambled down the stairs, ready to go.
"Where are you going?" Ayame asked innocently. Kiba cut Ino off.
"Nowhere in particular. Wherever Keshino gets the idea to go." With that, he shoved Team 10 out the door.
"Are you okay?" Ino asked as soon as Kiba was done shoving.
"Yeah. Why?" Ino blinked at his too controlled expression.
"Well…You…I…" she started. "Never mind." She turned and headed down the street. Shikamaru was in line with her, and Ino immediately flustered, accusing him of trying to keep up with her; Shikamaru did not bother trying to point out that being in step with her was a complete accident. Everyone stared and shook their heads.
"Really, they about as obvious as Hinata." Kiba smirked at that.
"More, I think." Ayame looked at him as he started to move along with Chouji. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned and stomped into the house, not knowing what she was bound to do with herself.
Ayame stood in front of the market stall, trying to understand what her instructions were. She regretted her eager offer to Emi to go through town and buy the groceries so the girl could clean the home the group was staying in. She didn't know what half the food items were on the list, and felt stupid several times each time the seller looked at her like she was not alright in the head.
"Sir, do you have any komatsuna or kabu?" The man looked at her sympathetically. Am I really that obvious? He picked up some celery like leaf plant and tied the bundle before handing it to her to place in her basket. He picked up the only bulbs and handed them to her, naming off a price. She handed over the money and moved on to the next stall Emi pointed out. This time it was a woman and Ayame wanted to bolt – right before she remembered that the woman wouldn't recognize her. It still didn't make it any less terrifying to try and use a normal voice with the woman who she terrorized as a child in her games of hide and seek with the other kids in the village.
"M-miss, do you have any satsumaimo or renkon?" The woman looked at her with a slight frown. Ayame tried not to look too guilty. She watched as the woman pointed to a white root and a purple vegetable. Ayame picked up two of the purple and one of the white and gave the woman her money. As she turned, she slammed into someone, barely keeping all of her purchases in the basket and catching the white root before it hit the ground. Her crashing partner, however, landed oh-so-delicately on his behind. She placed the vegetable in her basket before giving attention to the man on the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked. The man looked up and she froze for a second before smiling.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He gingerly stood, brushing of his bottom with care.
"What brings you to the market?" she asked, forgetting momentarily that she wasn't supposed to show that she knew him.
"Why do you ask?" he returned suspiciously. Ayame tensed before relaxing.
"Well, it had to be urgent for you to go crashing into someone who has been standing in the same spot for a while, and not to see them turn around." She felt her response was witty, seeing as it was covering her tracks. And it got out the question as to why her idiot half-brother was running around in front of the Ms. Matsuma. She had a reign of terror on little kids running through this area. He should know this.
"Nothing," he said, and Ayame didn't bother pressing. She wasn't too interested in Takumi's current terror causing ways. He started to walk away when Ayame called out to him.
"Do you know where the blueberries are?" Takumi turned around and smirked.
"Good luck finding those in the market. They haven't sold them since the Dog left town." Ayame's felt her face fall and looked down, upset. She knew there were some blueberries behind her current place of residence, but she was hungry, and nothing in her basket looked too appetizing.
"Do you know where I can find anything good to eat? Or even some blueberries anywhere in town in general?" Takumi looked at her and contemplated her question.
Then he held out his hand and smiled.
"Follow me." With that he took her hand and led her out of view of the villagers and whistled. A small puppy, not even adult yet, came bounding to him, tail wagging and jumping onto his legs, whining for attention. Ayame beat Takumi to giving attention to the dog. The boy looked at her in shock. He shook his head.
"What?" she asked, catching his disbelief.
"Nothing," he said too quickly. She gave him a look, not unlike the one she gave him when he was little, and first brought to the house, after his mom brought him to see dad. This unnerved him into speaking. He spoke hesitantly. "You remind me of my sister. Well, half-sister. I miss her. I used to try to follow her. She was so cool. I don't think she liked me trying to hang out with her all the time." She barely caught his last words and softened at them. Her baby brother missed her. Someone actually missed her. And she thought that he was just trying to annoy her like her baby cousin would. Now she felt horrible for pushing him away.
"What happened to her?" she asked, curious how much he knew.
"She was driven out of the village. I thought I saw her last year, when I was in the woods, with her nindog." Ayame studied him and tried to remember where she was last year and remembered being in a remote place that a lot of ninja liked to train sometimes when they needed to be alone. She looked at the puppy, now on its back enjoying the tummy rub she was giving him.
"You are from the Dog?" she asked. The fifteen year old eyes darted hostilely to her.
"What is it to you?" She smiled.
"Well, you will be the only person from this village who will have good taste in food." The boy softened, and sat down across from her, scratching the dog's soft ears.
"Yes and no." Ayame looked at him strangely.
"What do you mean?" he continued to look at the puppy and Ayame was hit by the revelation that her baby brother had no one.
"I am the son of the clan leader, but not legitimate. So they don't try to kill me, and I am not accepted by anyone in the Shiinume clan." Ayame felt her heart break at what he said next. "But I am not accepted by the village either."
"I think you wrong." He looked up. Ayame felt like sticking her foot in her mouth. Bu she knew she had to explain. His eyes demanded it. "I think your dad wanted you. Maybe your sister, too. If you ever get the chance to, you should talk to them." Takumi looked like he didn't want to get his hopes up.
"I won't." He looked angrily at the village. "They made sure of that. What is so cool about Keshino Miyuki anyway? She is so stupid."
"No one cares about your little opinion, you little mutt," a voice said and both looked up. The puppy had hidden itself in the bushes a moment earlier. Ayame figured it was because of a passerby. She had a feeling the dog knew the routine due to experience. Keshino stood above them, glaring at Takumi with hatred that showed that she wished he wasn't untouchable for the clan crimes. Ayame was suddenly glad that the clan never liked her illegitimate baby brother. It was saving him right now.
"I thought that was a reference to animals or dirty people." Ayame knew that Keshino didn't recognize her. She chose the appearance of a girl she saw in Konoha. It was a really good disguise. "And he seems decent to me. Why do you have to pick on him?" Keshino stiffened and turned, stomping off in anger when she couldn't fight the words Ayame just said. The boy looked at her in awe. She stood and brushed off her pants. He stood as well, and the dog poked his nose out but remained hidden, though she heard the little guy following them from behind the bushes, coming out the join them when he really wouldn't get in trouble. Takumi picked him up and started to lead again, leading her to the back yard of the apartment she was currently staying with.
"Konoha ninja are staying here right now, but I am sure they won't mind if you pick some of the blueberries Kima-san grew. They are still just as good as when I used to sneak them from the bushes when she was engaged to my half-brother. I didn't like him that much. But only because he always tried to get me kicked out of the house. He died a few years ago, when I was twelve. Some whack-job murdered him in Crucifix Meadow, actually just a few miles out of the village." Takumi snorted. But before he could continue, a kunai pierced his arm. Ayame shrieked and turned, Kiba and Shikamaru were both eyeing Takumi with suspicion.
Shikamaru spoke to the boy, who was locked in his shadow.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ayame saw the boy was trying not to cry. By some instinct, she moved and slowly removed the kunai, taking a cloth out of the basket she carried and pressed it against the wound, glaring at the boys. Takumi started to cry right then.
"Release him!" she demanded and both boys, shocked at her anger, dropped their stances and watched as she patched up his arm. She heard Emi in the kitchen asking what happened. She gasped and tumbled out of the house to Takumi.
"Takumi-kun! Your arm!" The boy was in the valiant process of stopping the tears from falling and thus did not answer Emi.
"Those idiots thought he was trying to kill me, if I am not mistaken. Ayame heard a gasp.
"Nee-chan!"
Kiba felt his eyes widen. Ayame had dropped the jutsu, and the little boy, who looked around thirteen, happened to clear up his tears by then to recognize her, thus attacking her with a hug!
"Mi-chan!" she grunted, clearly not enjoying the hug her little brother was demanding. He glanced at Shikamaru and the two were suddenly guilty about attacking the poor boy. Ino stepped out into the yard and helped the girl get the boy off of her, healing his arm in the process. The boy looked at Ino curiously, particularly the green glow her chakra emitted as it healed his arm.
"My name is Ino," the blonde said gently. She pointed to Shikamaru and Kiba. "And the idiot with the ponytail is Shikamaru. The one with dog poo for brains is Kiba." Takumi looked at Kiba curiously. He eyed the dog standing next to the boy and whistled. The dog perked its head, but the puppy bound out of the bush and sniffed at the boy's arm, crawling all over him, and licking the arm sympathetically.
Ayame smirked as Kiba melted on the spot, a mixture of guilt and desire to cuddle attack the dog.
"Feel bad about acting before thinking now?" Both boys looked at the floor and made circles, Kiba with his foot and Shikamaru with his finger. Chouji watched the two ashamed boys with humor. Ayame walked up to them and stepped onto the porch. She patted Kiba on the shoulder and walked past him.
Chouji watched as Ayame walked up the stairs and smirked. Kiba was stupid sometimes, but so was Shikamaru. Ayame wasn't stupid enough to reveal herself or lead someone to her residence in the event that they might hurt her. She had to trust them. And she clearly trusted – and obviously knew – the little boy in front of them all, whom Ino was dotting over and Emi was fretting upon. Chouji shook his head a second time. They were both besotted fools to think the boy was a threat.
