(A/N): Ehehehehe... hi guys. ^^;. I'm really sorry. My updates have been so slow lately... and I really miss you guys! As the chapters get longer and the story gets deeper, it takes longer to write. Plus, I have my own life out of this story that requires some effort too. I know, shocking, right? So, please don't hate me too much! This is the longest chapter so far, and one of my favorites to write. Very much KibaxCam. ^^.
That all being said, I'm going to ask that you bear with me for these updates. I'm going to do so as much as possible, but I don't really know when the next one will be up. I hope this satisfies you all till then!
I really have to thank my editor, Ashley, for being amazing. She took it upon herself to help me out and she does a great job. All chapters up to chapter 7 are updated, and I will be fixing chapters eight and nine as soon as she's done looking over them. Just minor grammar mistakes and poor word choices, nothing major. Anyway, let's just move on to the disclaimer. I want you guys to be able to read this chapter! :D.

Disclaimer:
Kiba: Yahoooo! My turn! C-Wolf does NOT own Naruto or the original plot line. This is FAN MADE!
Akamaru: Arrrrooooof!
Me: Haha, thanks guys! Now, here we go! Enjoy!


It was a simple trap. The wire loop was hidden under a layer of dusty earth and was tied to the three I was sitting on. The voices came closer, and a smile crept onto my lips. This would be fun.

Not long after I had woken up, I heard a distant voice yelling, angry and gruff. I sniffed at the air and could smell dog, along with a hint of blood and felt a few chakra

signs heading my way. When a small black bug circled around my head and landed on my hand, I came to a very reassuring conclusion: my team was approaching.

I set up the trap knowing Kiba would be the one to step into it. If I was going to reunite with my team for the first time in a year, I was going to do it right.

The team casually strolled into my view. Hinata was on the left, looking down at her feet, obviously angry and blushing. Her hair was much longer from when I last saw her, reaching halfway down her back. Her chest was also larger, bouncing slightly as she walked. Next to Hinata was a large white dog that was up to her elbow in height. I recognized by the dog's brown ears that it was Akamaru. Akamaru licked Hinata's hand, snapping her out of her miserable cloud and she stroked his head. Kiba was next to the dog. He really didn't look much different, although he was taller and fitter. His black clothing added an extra sexy quality to his slim figure. I took a double take on the thought and shook my head, dismissing it. I studied Kiba as he concentrated on his hand. Now I know where the blood scent was coming form. To the far right of Hinata was Shino, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He was wearing a hooded jacket that covered more of his head than ever. His nose was all that showed on his face, and even that was almost hidden due to the shadow his hood cast and the sunglasses on his eyes. He looked up in my direction then, and the bug on my arm flew to him. I flashed him my signature smile. He looked away again and grunted.

"You okay, Shino?" Kiba asked the bug user.

"I'm fine. But I've been meaning to ask, how's the weather up there?"

"Up where?" Kiba asked before stepping into the trap. He yelped and thrashed as he was lifted off the ground and turned upside down. "What the hell! Who did this? Shino!"

I took this as my cue to jump down and join my team. Hinata squealed and hugged me, and Akamaru barked and licked my hands. I nodded to Shino, who shook my hand. Kiba, wondering what his teammates were so excited about, opened his eyes and ceased his thrashing.

"C-Camellia-chan?"

"Hello, Kiba," I turned towards him and offered a warm smile.

"Koinu! It's really you!" Kiba seemed to forget he was still hanging upside down until he attempted to run to me. He crossed his arms and scowled. "Get me down."

"Hinata giggled and Shino grunted. Shino whispered to Hinata something about an idea.

"Shino and I are going to walk ahead and find a tea shop. You two can catch up with us later. If that's okay," Hinata said. She seemed to lose her stutter and some of her shyness, but she was still not completely out of her shell by the way she fiddled with her fingers.

"Sure. It won't take me long to untie him. We'll be right behind you," I replied. The two nodded and began to walk off. Akamaru waited a few yards away from where Kiba and I were.

I proceeded to jump up to the branch where the wire was tied and let it go, laughing as Kiba yelled and hit the ground. He sat there rubbing his head and I leapt out of the tree, landing at his feet.

"What happened?" I pointed to his hand.

"Akamaru bit me. Guess I was too distracted by the blood to notice your trap," the dog-boy shrugged.

"Not exactly the sharpest fang in the set, huh?" I teased as I knelt down to untie my wire from his ankle.

"Koinu?" Kiba asked after a long silence.

"Nani?" I casually replied, not looking up from the wire.

"What happened to you? Where the hell did you go? You've been gone for a whole year. And where is that bastard of a brother of yours?"

"Kiba, relax. Sasuke is no where near me. I escaped from Orochimaru and left him. As for what's been going on, let's wait until we meet up with Hinata and Shino so I can tell you all together."

"Answer me one thing," Kiba said seriously, holding my hands still so I would focus on his face. "Are you coming home with us for good?"

I stared at him for a minute, gathering my thoughts. I didn't know how to answer him. So instead, I smiled and got up, coiling my wire and running to Akamaru. The large dog hopped around my feet and ran with me. Kiba beamed and began to chase after us.

He didn't catch up to us until we met up with Hinata and Shino, who found a small tea shop near the outside wall of a small village. There, we ate and I began to share my story, leaving out my meetings with the Akatsuki. I let the team flip through my journals and see the gifts I had been given the day before. They asked me many questions, and grew more and more excited as I continued my story. Shino seemed uninterested in the chaos, so I asked him the question that made me feel sick.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I don't need visuals or evidence to be proven you are right. I believe you just by listening to you," I relaxed at his words. "But, I've been thinking about something. You said you don't know how exactly the experiment could have gone wrong. I think I know the answer."

"Really? What's the reason?" I almost was standing, completely focused on Shino.

"You've been claimed."

I stared at him, confused. I looked at Hinata who was just as confused as I was. Then I looked at Kiba. He was looking down at his empty plate and by the way his cheeks twitched, I figured he was trying not to laugh,

"I've been what?"

"You've been claimed," Shino repeated. "It's a mating method where the male send off, well, let's call it an essence of himself, and a willing female absorbs that essence. We call this process 'flirting.'" A blush highlighted Kiba's and my cheeks as we realized what he was implying. Shino continued, "Since you have absorbed Kiba's essence, and it happens to be partially canine as well as human, the chemicals Kabuto used reacted to the essence, therefore creating a canine based extension to your chakra, also known as a demon."

"So you're saying Kiba's and my flirting caused all of this?" My eyes were wide. I was so astonished by this discovery that I didn't even realize I had admitted to flirting with my teammate. I stared at Kiba, who stared back. The bill for our food had arrived and we departed from the small tea shop. I fiddled with the scroll in the sleeve of my dark blue kimono top. Akamaru licked the bit on my thigh that was right under my black shorts. I smiled and drew a small heart on his muzzle with my finger and he sneezed. I laughed, silently wishing I could join the giant canine in his furry, four-legged glory, but I still needed to talk to my teammates and I was not experienced enough yet to use telepathy with all of them at once.

"Hey, Kiba," I announced, suddenly having an idea. "Let's race; the first one to make it two miles wins a prize!"

"You're on, Koinu!" the dog-boy exclaimed and we bound away from the others. Hinata giggled and Akamaru sighed. Hinata looked to Shino.

"I guess there's only one kind of bug you can't handle," she said to him.

"And that would be?" the bug user asked suspiciously.

Hinata's giggles subsided into an easy smile. "Love bugs."

"We're here," Shino proclaimed, breaking the apprehensive silence that had previously fallen on my team. A wave of adrenaline washed over me and my legs bent slightly, anticipating me to burst through the gates of Konoha. A cold hand gripped my shoulder.

"Camellia, wait. You haven't been here since you and Sasuke disappeared a whole year ago. If you just suddenly burst in, things could be a bit chaotic. You don't know if anyone else will accept your return or not."

I pondered at this, and realized he was right. "So, what are we going to do?"

Hinata handed Kiba something. He then handed the object to me. It was a thin hair elastic.

"Tie up your hair and wear this," he unzipped his sweatshirt and shrugged it off. I used the hair elastic as an excuse not to look at the lean ab muscles under Kiba's thick fishnet shirt. When I was done tying up my considerably dirty crimson locks, I pulled the sweatshirt onto my shoulders, zipped it up, and adjusted my scabbard over it. Kiba yanked the hood over my eyebrows. I laughed, grabbing his hand, causing him to laugh too. He tipped up my chin with a lean, gentle finger. He examined the lower half of my face before speaking.

"You would look so pretty in red," he said mostly to himself.

"Nani?" My lips crunched into a puzzled pout.

"Oh, nothing. Here, you need to sit on Akamaru and act like a suspicious captive."

Before I could protest, Akamaru's head was between my legs and I was heaved onto his back. I pressed my knees right behind his shoulder blades and let my feet hang, my hands dug deep in the pockets of my disguise.

"Perfect. Let's go. Shino and Hinata are checking in at the gate. You alright, boy?" Kiba turned to his dog. Akamaru barked. He was saying how light I was compared to Kiba, much like Sakura. I was about to ask what the dog meant, feeling a slight pang of jealousy, but we started to walk to the gate. I was going to have to be silent until we reached Tsunade's office.

Kiba was greeted by two familiar voices near the gate. Kotetsu and Izumo asked about the mission, then about me.

"Who's the chick? Is she a threat to the village?" Izumo asked quietly.

"She's a rouge," Shino lied unctuously. "But we think she may be of interest to Tsunade-sama."

"As. Well then, have a nice day, guys," Kotetsu saluted the team and once again Akamaru lurched forward.

"Kiba," I said to him telepathically. "What was Akamaru saying about Sakura earlier?"

Kiba was the only person so far other than Itachi that I used my telepathy on. I had only used it on him once, and that was to scare the living crap out of him. It worked. Now though, he knew the power and kept his composure when I had asked him the question.

"She was injured on a mission, so Akamaru had to carry her home. I promise it was nothing more than that."

"Oh, okay." A lump of guilt formed in my stomach. I was hoping Kiba wouldn't sense that hint of jealousy in my question. But his response relaxed me. The defensiveness I had towards him was probably one of my lupine traits, which I couldn't seem to control on my own. I chanced looking up and saw the Kage tower in front of me. The lump in my stomach exploded into butterflies.

"Don't be nervous," Akamaru whined. "We're right here for you."

I smiled and stroked his fur. My team climbed the three flights of stairs in silence. At the door, Shino knocked.

"Come in," Tsunade called from the other side of the door. The door was opened and we entered. I slipped off of Akamaru so he could lie and rest. I stood next to Kiba and looked up at Tsunade. Her eyes locked onto mind coldly. I smirked, causing Tsunade to stiffen. Though she was looking at me, my eyes were still hidden by the hood's shadow. So, just slightly, I tipped my head. I knew she wouldn't recognize me, since a layer of amber took place in my irises between the blue and my pupils, but I decided to have a little fun with the Hokage until she figured out who I was.

"Will someone please explain to me why there is a ninja not of your team with you? Please don't tell me she's from the Sound," Tsunade had risen from her chair and sprawled her pale fingers on her desk.

"No, my lady, she's not one of them," Shino hissed. Otokagure must be a major problem these days for even Shino to respond the way he did.

"We found her on our way home, and she wanted to say hello," Kiba scratched the back of his head and gave off a toothy smile.

I took this as my cue to present myself. I unzipped the sweatshirt and slip the hood back. I handed the sweatshirt to Kiba and placed the point of my sword on the floor, leaning on the handle. Tsunade's jaw dropped. I nodded my head and saluted her, confirming she was really looking at who she thought she was.

"Get out! All of you! I need to talk to her privately," Tsunade barked.

Shino was first to the door, followed closely by Hinata. The Inuzukas didn't move, except for Akamaru's change from a lazy heap on the floor to a defensive crouch on his feet.

"Kiba, that means you too!"

"No," he replied curtly. "We stay."

Tsunade held a fierce gaze, then closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. I really don't feel like arguing with a stubborn punk like you right now."

"Good luck, you three," Hinata shyly added. Shino led her out of the doorway and shut the door.

Kiba leaned on a nearby wall and Akamaru resumed his lazy heap. Tsunade sighed again and sat.

"Uchiha Camellia," she said. "It's been a while. I don't suppose your brother is with you as well?"

"That bastard is not my brother anymore," I growled.

"I can see much has happened in the past year. I wish to be enlightened by you adventures. But first tell me, what are your intentions for returning to Konoha?"

"I hope to come back and start from where I left off. I also have a proposition for you, but I must explain before I can share it."

"And do you honestly expect to come home so easily and be accepted into this village after what you've done?"

"No. That's why I want to explain myself. If you don't believe me, you can very well kick my ass out of this office yourself."

Tsunade smirked. "Very well, proceed."

"I'm sure you know all about the battles fought against Sasuke and the Sound Four?"

"Yes," Tsunade looked at Kiba, who looked down at the floor grimly. "Many ninja suffered the battle with him and the Sound Ninja."

"Well, after the fight with Naruto, Sasuke and I left. We arrived at Orochimaru's shortly after. Orochimaru wanted to kill me at first, but when I agreed to be his servant, he let me stay. At the time, I wasted nothing more than to keep Sasuke safe. About two months after the arrival, against Sasuke's orders to keep me away from Orochimaru's experiments, Kabuto was ordered to do just the opposite."

"What did he do to you?"

"This," I replied, closing my eyes. Akamaru rose and barked at me and Kiba tensed. In mere moments, I was in my wolf form. I was Akamaru's size, but my figure was more sleek and slender, yet still fit. The blue in my eyes had now disappeared. Akamaru stalked over to me and sniffed at me suspiciously. In response, I lightly whacked his muzzle with a massive white paw. Telepathically, I reminded him it was still the same me, and he backed away, satisfied. As quickly as I turned wolf, I was human again.

"What in the world is that, an artificial demon?"

"It had twelve tails, thus being the Junibi. But I've tamed it so that I can transform into a miniature, single-tailed version of what it was meant to be. Since it's artificial, I have more power over it. In fact, I sealed nine of its tails when I learned this transformation jutsu. If I can seal two more, it will eventually become an extension to my soul, not my chakra. You can't do that with a real demon, like the Kyuubi."

"Incredible," Kiba whispered.

Tsunade was astonished. "Remarkable. Please, continue."

"Hai. My body did not handle the change well when it first happened, so Kabuto spent the next six months teaching me to keep stability. I spend those months withdrawn, only eating enough to survive. Orochimaru kept me busy, slaving over him hand and foot. I finally asked myself why I bothered to follow my power hungry so-called brother. So I confronted Orochimaru. He told me to pack my things and leave first thing in the morning.

"Just like that, he let you go? He didn't just refuse or try to kill you?"

"That's right. He and Sasuke were going on a trip, so I left right after them without Sasuke's knowing."

"That's only nine months. Why didn't you come back until three months later?" Tsunade inquired.

"You know, you never told us that part of the story, either," Kiba added.

"I wanted to wait until now to tell you, Kiba. I didn't yet want to come home. I was afraid that I wasn't ready to face Konoha yet after all that was happening. I came across this place called the Village of Artisans. Something about that place drew me in. That something was Uchiha Itachi."

The Hokage's jaw dropped. The Inuzukas growled. When no one spoke, I continued. "He actually treated me quite kindly. He and his partner, Hoshikagi Kisame, escorted me to one of the four Akatsuki bases. There, I met the whole of the organization, even the leader himself. Itachi took it upon himself to care for me during my stay. He helped me in my studies to tame and control my demon and trained with me. During these three months, I really got to know the group and learned much about their intentions. A few days ago was the day that marked my absence from the village a year ago. It was also my birthday. Coincidentally, I received gifts from the members of the group. That night, I left to come home."

"The Akatsuki, who would imagine? One brother dumps you, the other picks up the pieces. Messed up family, if you ask me," Kiba retorted.

Tsunade was about to speak, but I interrupted her. "There's something about Sasuke you should know. He plans to gain power from Orochimaru so he can kill Itachi. My guess is that he will come for Konoha next to destroy the place that haunts him so. He wants revenge. If he does this, he will come after me. The only reason Sasuke has been nice to me, the reason he made me go with him, was because he wants me to help him revive the clan. I'll be his prize, his tool, if he accomplishes his tasks. There's no point in sending out ninja to go after him like that last time, because his mind is made up. Itachi is the only one who can stop him now."

The Hokage contemplated this. She ran a hand through her pale blonde hair. "It can't be helped. I'm afraid you're right. I have one final question, though. You said you have a proposition for me. I would like to hear about it, if you're finished."

I nodded. "Kiba, you need to leave."

"Why? Koinu, I can't just leave you without-"

"Enough, Kiba. I can only share this information with Tsunade-sama. I'll be fine," I reassured the dog-boy. Defeated, he and Akamaru bid us farewell and left.

"I'm going to wait right outside the building," Kiba thought to me.

"If it will help you sleep tonight, then fine. I don't know why you can't let me be a big girl," I joked. My attention snapped back to Tsunade. It was time to do business.

"Pein, the leader of Akatsuki, told me to give you this. He has a plan, and explains it in this scroll. I will let you read it, then answer any questions you need clarified." I slid the small scroll out of my sleeve and into my hand, presenting it to Tsunade. She accepted it, broke the seal, and began to read. When she finished, she addressed me sharply.

"Do you know what this scroll says?"

"Yes, ma'am. It states Pein's plan and his request for alligence."

"You do know he plans to kill you if I reject? You're fully aware if I agree to this, you will heave to jump from one home to another in the snap of our fingers?"

"Pein made it clear to me beforehand. He figured you would accept, so he have me this as a present," I pulled my hair behind my ear, revealing my earring.

"Damn it," Tsunade pounded on the desk. "He didn't make this very easy. I guess I have no choice."

I walked over to the blonde woman, who was now on her feet again with her fists pressed hard into the cracked wood of the desk. I gripped one of her shoulders and she looked at me, her eyes filled with a loose fierceness and defeat.

"I know this will work out. I will not fail you, Tsunade. I will keep the peace until my last breath. I will protect the people that need me, that is my nindo."

Tsunade turned to face me and help me square in the shoulders. "I may not know very much about you, since I only met you in that short time between my arrival and your leaving, but I can tell you are an amazing shinobi. You have had your fair share of troubles in the past, yet you've stayed strong. You came home, proving your loyalty, and have to deal with both a village with a team and an organization that most other villages do not respect, which shows bravery. You are intelligent in your decisions and may even match Shikamaru in strategy. You are a valuable kunoichi, and I would hate to lose you. I will accept Pein's proposal. You've gone through so much; to end your life now would be unfair. I know you will not fail me, the village, or your duty. I will send a message back to Pein as soon as possible. Camellia, welcome back to Konoha."

My eyes began to water. Everything had worked out. A huge burden was lifted off my shoulders and I felt more free than I have been in a long time.

"Arigato gozaimasu, Tsunade-sama. The only problem is that Pein does not wish to share his location. If you like, I can deliver the letter myself, or I can signal one of the members to come retrieve it."

"Signal? How?"

"One of my gifts is a bell. The frequency of the bell sends a signal to the person holding the receiver. The bell is infused in chakra, so range and distance are not a problem."

"I see. They're quite the clever group," Tsunade said, her previous display of emotion disappearing. "I don't want to deal with them in person quite yet, so I will send you to bring the response letter. When you return, I expect you to supply files on each member of the Akatsuki. Understood?"

"Hai. May I bring a partner?" I asked, excitement pouring from my very being.

Tsunade smirked. "Bring him in with you tomorrow morning to retrieve your scroll. Dismissed!"

I held up a hand sign and poofed out of the room and up on the roof. You could see everything from that point; the bustling marketplace, the thriving shops, and people making their way here and there through the streets. Iruka was out in the Academy training field, training the little children in weapon throwing. Ino was arranging flowers on the outer wall of the flower shop. Kakashi was in a tree reading his usual orange book.

Below the tower, Kiba was kicking stones near the door, waiting for me. I leaped off the roof, transformed into in wolf in midair, and landed directly in front of him. He smiled and patted my head. Akamaru yipped and we ran circles, chasing each other and playfully nipping at each other's tails. Kiba watched us with an expression on his face similar to the way a parent would use when watching its child making a new friend. When Akamaru bent down onto his front legs and wagged his bottom in the air, I perked up, looked at Kiba, and ran to him.

"Go get him, tiger," Akamaru encouraged me as I ran. I pretended not to hear him, but his words made me smile. He had known from the very beginning that his master loved me, and he was happy I finally realized it, too.

Kiba crouched down to my level and held out his arms. When I reached him, I accidentally bumped his nose with my own. I held it there an extra second, my wolf instinct telling this was a sign of affection. The Inuzuka looked at me dumbstruck. I curled my lips into a smile and sneezed in his face, breaking his trance, and scampered off again. He laughed and followed me. Akamaru and I ran a few circles around him before finally calming down. We each took a side next to Kiba and began to walk. He patted us both on our heads.

"Whataya say, Koinu, want to stay for dinner? My kaa-san and nee-san would love to meet you. Human, of course," Kiba said.

I barked happily and turned human. The sun was setting fast, and the tangerine light extended our shadows across the cobblestone path. Akamaru lightly shoved Kiba so his hand would bump mine. Both of us locked fingers from the contact and blushed.

But we didn't let go.


(A/N): Soooooooooo! How was it? Was it worth the wait? I write all my chapters in a notebook before I type them up so I can work on them in school and stuff, and this chapter took 16 pages in that notebook! Phew!
Some kid in my math class asked me who I would bang from the Naruto series. Hands down, I chose Kiba. Sorry, Itachi! I still love you!
So, I decided to do a Word Count on this story in Word Doc, and it told me there were 4,442 words. On here, before I started the author notes, it said 4,558. Confused much? But I am proud to say I now have a chapter that broke the 4,000 work mark. Woo hoo! I think I'm going to write little previews at the end of my author notes like they do in the anime. Here's the first one. Don't forget to send me oodles of wonderful feedback! I want to hear what you all think, what I can improve on, so on and so forth.

The story continues, and Camellia is back home! With the help of Akamaru, Camellia and Kiba finally realize they are in love with each other and begin to show it! Also, Tsunade accepts Pein's proposal and Camellia is now off to deliver the news! Who does she plan to bring with her? What does this simple, delivery mission have in store for our hero? Find out next time!
Until then, ja ne, my wonderful readers!