Edit: Kiba's mother's name is Tsume. I changed that.

Rock Lee—15

Settle; verb—1. To conclude or resolve 2. To make stable; place in a permanent position or on a permanent basis

--Settled—

Thursday… (still)

School was boring as fuck without Anko. Maybe it was just me?

Kurenai was really cool—she always attempted to include me in the group whenever they were talking or something, but I didn't want to be a part of things.

What possessed me to kiss Anko this morning? Albeit, a kiss on the cheek, but a kiss nonetheless! I mean, it was really fucking nice of her to comfort me like she did and she made me breakfast…

The memory of the purplette's song and the meaning of its lyrics made me shudder.

I should have told her.

'Great idea. If you're lucky, she'll toss you onto the streets rather than turn you in to the police.'

She wouldn't.

'And how are you so sure of that?'

… I'm not.

UGH! What was it about the purplette that made me act differently? I swore less when she was around and I even treated her differently from the others (though it wasn't too noticeable unless you kept a vigilant watch); went against everything I had learned over the past few years and trusted, for Kami's sake!

What. The. Fuck?!

"Hey, Tayuya, you're really quiet," Kiba observed, stripping off his shirt.

Guy, our gym teacher, was yelling encouragingly at the other students who had yet to finish their laps. I was lying in the shade of the looming gymnasium building, pressed thankfully against the cool pavement; Kiba joined me. We had finished early along with a few other students.

"Just thinking."

"Ah, that would explain that smell." I cuffed him, chuckling. "Thinking about?"

"Anko." The name slipped out before I even considered it.

His gaze was knowing. "I see. I think about Anko too."

His tone and expression made me burst out laughing, drawing the attention of some of the other students. "I like you, Kiba. You make me laugh."

He grinned. "I like you to, Tayuya. So, what're these Anko-based thoughts? Anything dirty?"

Just then, a boy in a green jumpsuit came jogging up, sweat dripping from his bowl-cut into his eyes. Rock Lee was a mini-Guy despite the fact that they weren't related in any way. "I have just finished my twelfth lap!" he announced. "My youthful energy is indeed pumping!"

I rolled my eyes. Did I mention the fact that we were only required to do four laps?

"Hey, Lee. Umm… good for you."

"Thank you, comrade!" He saluted and then jogged off.

"Freakin' Freshmen," Kiba grunted. Gym was another class that was a mash of grade levels.

"I think it's just him. He takes the cake when it comes to weirdness." I was actually glad for the change in subject. My thoughts about Anko weren't dirty, but they filled my mind more and more frequently, it seemed.

"Mhmm. So, Anko?"

Damned males and their one-track minds.

"What about her?" I asked, turning my gaze back to the elliptical track. Rock Lee was just starting his thirteenth lap and Guy was practically crying with pride. Gawd the people here were strange.

"She's on your mind. In a friendly kind of way or a Temari kind of way?"

I laughed. "I'm straight, Kiba."

"Yeah, well, that's what Temari use to say. Then Ino got to 'er."

I snorted. "I don't give into peer pressure, first of all. Secondly: Anko is head-over-heels for Kurenai."

He shrugged. "So you haven't noticed?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Noticed what?"

Suddenly he was rising, offering a hand to help me up. I took it and his muscles flexed as he helped me to my feet—quite a view if I do say so myself. "Something that even Anko herself has yet to notice."

The resulting—abrupt—wave of annoyance mingled with my confusion and I frowned. "Care to be a little less cryptic?"

He shrugged. "Ask Ino. She was the first to notice."

I trotted after him as he strode away, curiosity gnawing at me. "C'mon, Kiba, tell me!"

He ignored me; as he passed by a water fountain, I hit the switch and splashed water on him. Iris-less eyes narrowed as Kiba turned on me, shaking water from his spiky brown hair. "Oh, it's on, Uta."

I swear I've never run faster in my life… And that's saying something—thievery was commonplace in the Otogakure so we were required to run like Hell pretty often.

Anatomy

Suna.

The word made me shudder; the Village Hidden in Sand was the location of the Otogakure's base of operations.

Of course a freak like Jiraiya would be talking about it.

"Suna's people, as shown by this skeleton, have different internal structures from us Konohagakurians." Beside him loomed—it was taller than him—a gruesome skeleton, its bones bleached white. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "This specimen is female—" big surprise there "—And, as you can see, she has a thicker skull, wrist bones and shin bones as well as longer fingers—" Why did that statement make me think of Anko stroking my hair? "—which leads me to think that they evolved in that way to better brace themselves against the vicious winds created by sandstorms."

Ah, Suna sandstorms. I remember being cooped up for three days waiting for one to blow over once. I had nearly killed the fat ass… Good times, good times.

As the white-haired man jabbered on I allowed my mind to wander.

I wonder what Anko's doing? I watched as Kurenai balled up a piece of paper and tossed it to me; I caught it without thinking and opened it up: 'Heads up: Temari's on warpath and Naruto's been trying to 'cheer her up'.'

From my left—where the aforementioned annoying blonde was sitting—came another balled up piece of paper only, this time, it sailed passed me to hit Temari straight in the center of her forehead.

The dirty blonde, kind of pissy without her Ino-fix, glared dangerously, blue-green eyes narrowed with irritation.

"Careful, Uzamaki," I muttered. "She'll rearrange your internal organs."

Kiba—smart boy that he was—adjusted his seat so that he wasn't quite as close to the danger zone.

"C'mon, Temari, you can't stay all sad and mopey forever! How're you going to survive the next ten days?"

Ten days? My chest constricted at the thought of ten Anko-less school days.

"Get off of my back, Naruto," she growled.

"No! Look at Tayuya: Anko's gone, but you don't see her sulking."

I twitched.

"Her situation is different!" It came out as an angry hiss. "Anko and Tayuya aren't a couple, now are they?"

"Yeah, well, what're you going to do when you two graduate? There are so many things that could split you up—school, your family—"

She was growling. "Naruto…"

"—You could have a fight—"

"Naruto."

Hinata was hiding behind Kiba as though he could shield her from the imminent explosion. I quirked an eyebrow—those two would make a cute couple.

"—Hell, how are you going to handle it when she finally breaks up with you?"

"MR. UZAMAKI! DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH THE CLASS?" Jiraiya snapped. At the same time, Temari surged to her feet.

Saved! I thought, quickly pulling her back down. She didn't resist, eyes locked on Naruto.

"Er, um…" the hapless blonde stuttered. "No sir."

"Then please be quiet."

"Yes sir."

As Jiraiya went back to lecturing, Naruto slumped in his seat, resting his chin on the table with a relieved sigh. He must have realized the hurt Jiraiya had just saved him from—maybe he wasn't as oblivious as he seemed.

"I hear you're looking for a job," Kiba said. Three o' clock had rolled around and he was walking with Kurenai and me to the parking lot.

"Mhmm."

"My parents own an animal clinic. Maybe you'd be inter—? "

I hugged him hard, stopping the rest of the sentence from leaving his lips. "Are you serious, Kiba? That'd be fucking awesome!"

He winced as I let go of him and made a show of checking for broken ribs. "All right. Come on by and you can talk with my parents. You mind, Kurenai?" The brunette shook her head. "It's settled, then! Hell, you two can stay for dinner too."

"Food too? Kiba, you're the greatest."

He grinned. "I know."

I ended up riding in Kiba's mom's Volkswagen Eos—a beautiful red machine with black racing stripes. Kurenai promised to follow on her bike.

Mrs. Inuzuka—"Please, call me Tsume!" she had insisted—was a beautiful woman with sculpted features and a friendly air about her. Kiba had the same dark brown hair as she did (hers was pulled back in a high ponytail), the same iris-less eyes and the same toothy grin. She was wearing a spaghetti strap and denim shorts. There was a tattoo on her upper arm as well, resembling a pitchfork minus the middle prong; the left and right prongs curving around a circle.

"Hey, mom, Tayuya here needs a job," Kiba said once we had pulled out of the traffic dismissal always caused.

"Does she now?" The older woman accelerated, going over the speed limit by at least thirty miles. "And you're telling me this, why?"

He socked her in the arm. "C'mon, mom, quit messing around. We needed another set of hands, right?"

Unperturbed, she hit him back. It sounded like it hurt. "I suppose we did." She looked at me via the rearview mirror. "Do you like animals, Tayuya?"

"Depends on the animal."

"Dogs, mainly." Kiba piped up.

"Dogs I can handle."

She grinned. "Good answer. There's one more thing I need to know before we talk about hours and your pay."

Holy shit, was she serious? My disbelief must have showed on my face because she glanced up at the mirror again and laughed (Kiba even laughed like his mother. It was warm, infectious and, above all, loud.). "Don't you worry; this next part is the hardest."

Well, that was comforting.

We pulled onto a gravel driveway; this was the first time I had glanced out the window and I realized we had left the city behind.

Kiba's house was quaint: its walls were sturdy red brick, the wide windows framed with strips of dark wood. What really stood out, however, was the property—the Inuzukas owned acres of land that housed a pond, maple trees, and yards upon yards of rich green grass.

"You like?" Kiba asked. His mother was already striding passed the house, towards a squat wooden building near the pond I had spotted.

"It's really nice."

"C'mon, I'll give you a tour."

Kiba showed me the house first: it was lofty, the ceiling looming a few feet above my head, with wooden furniture; there were five bedrooms (two for guests, one for his parents, one for himself, and one for his older sister) a vast kitchen and a family room with leather furniture. Then, he lead me all around the property, showing me a rope-swing that hung from one of the bigger trees, the vegetable garden that grew out back, and the trout in the pond.

"Phew… I always get plenty of exercise when I go to your place Kiba," Kurenai panted, appearing out of nowhere. "I've finally found you two."

Kiba's response was cut off by a low rumbling; we all snapped to attention to see the door to the nearby building slide upwards unleashing dozens of small, furry bodies. The male let out a whoop as a pale ball of fur catapulted at him. "Akamaru!"

I was on the ground seconds later, falling prey to the crush of canines.

"Down!" The command from the elder Inuzuka cause the yipping mass to scramble into neat rows and I was helped to my feet by Kurenai who had somehow escaped the chaos.

"This is our latest batch of puppies," Tsume said, shooting the aforementioned mammals a stern look. "Puppies, meet Tayuya."

I looked at her incredulously, wondering if she was off her rocker, but to my total surprise, the mutts all flopped onto their bellies as a unit and wagged their tails.

Tsume was grinning. "Well, then. I guess you're in."

"Just like that??"

"Mhmm. They're a good judge of character—if they like you, then there shouldn't be a problem."

Was she joking? I studied her, but the woman seemed one hundred percent serious. How could she trust the judgment of animals to decide who she was hiring? They hadn't even been very accurate; I was not a good person—I use to kill people for a living!

"Welcome to the team!"

"You're awfully quiet." Geez, what was this, observe-Tayuya's-unusual-silence day!?

I shrugged, hopped off of Kurenai's bike. I was stuffed (Kiba's mother had cooked enough for an army—just watching the two of them tuck away food made my stomach hurt) and feeling sleepy. Part of me didn't want to go to sleep for fear of my dreams reoccurring. The other part…

"I'm fine. Thanks for the ride, Kurenai."

Crimson eyes probed me intently as though she was trying to read me. Ha, good luck. "Ok… See you at school tomorrow." She started up the engine and was gone.

Why are these people being so nice to me? Anko's not even around and they act like… like they genuinely like me.

'Hmph. They probably want something.'

I trudged up the stairs of the apartment building, hoping I'd make it before I passed out—today had been eventful and, due to my dreams, I hadn't been getting a lot of sleep. I located the extra key clipped to my school bag and opened the door, dropping my crap on the floor the moment I stepped through the doorway. "Mom?"

The house was dark. And still.

"Anko?"

Hmm, I guess she's out.

I didn't bother changing into nightclothes; I just collapsed onto the bed and shut my eyes.

The other part…

I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling without seeing it.

The other part of me is glad for them because of the resulting cuddle fest with Anko. Who would have thought she could be so caring and gentle...

I scowled—I really didn't need these thoughts right now. Still… it was nice to have someone sleeping in the room with me; I was accustomed to it and, as an added bonus, Anko didn't snore like Kidomaru did.

Well, that and she's comfortable.

All of a sudden, I missed my flute—playing the instrument always made me feel calmer. I shut my eyes again, willed myself to stop thinking and sleep.

--x--

'Thud'

"Did you really think you could get away?"

'Thud. Thud.'

I tried to move. I couldn't. My throat hurt from the razor sharp scream that was caught in it.

"Stupid girl. You are MINE."

The next blow caught me in the ribs and I doubled over, trying to breathe through white-hot pain.

"Please, Orochimaru…"

'Shik' The sound of metal on metal made my chest constrict. "It's too late now—"

"—Tayuya…" This voice was gentle.

The pain lessened and Orochimaru howled with anger. As his form began to dissolve, I let out a sob of relief…/

--x--

"Tayuya!"

I was being cradled, my body nestled in the space between Anko's stretched out legs, slim fingers stroking through my hair. Shame, bitter and heavy, settled over me and I tried to wriggle away.

Her grip tightened. "It's me. It's Anko."

Anko… "H-hey, Ko. Funny meeting you here." The playfulness sounded forced even to my ears.

"The same dream?" I didn't answer.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Still no answer.

The older girl began humming, rocking me back and forth like a parent with a small child. I swallowed hard. Here was my chance to spill my guts. Naturally, I didn't. "Why are you doing this?"

Her humming stopped. "Hmm?"

Being so damn wonderful. "Holding me."

"Do you want me to stop?" She sounded amused.

"No…"

"If you must know, I don't like seeing you suffer. This seems to calm you, so…"

Calm me it did. Why? I'm not big on physical contact, but Anko's mere presence soothed me.

"… Thank you."

"Mhmm." The humming resumed and I shifted, burying my face in the hollow of her throat. I felt her stiffen.

"Is this ok?"

There was a pause. "Yeah, it's cool."

What was this feeling? It was deeper than comfort—it possessed the same warmth and feeling of safety and, yet…

"Where've you been all day, Ko?" I asked, partially to distract myself from my thoughts, partially because I was genuinely curious.

"Amegakure with Ino."

"Birds of a feather flock together, eh? You criminals were out shopping?"

I could feel the chuckle vibrate up the slender column of her throat. "Criminals?"

I enjoyed this light, playful atmosphere; my body was already settling back into sleep.

"Mhmm. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Hrm. You'd better not."

"Was that a threat?"

"Well, it seems to me that you're in a vulnerable position at the moment. I could easily overpower you." Something about her tone made me blink.

Whoa, was Anko being… flirty? With me?

That new development had me so floored that I, Tayuya Uta, didn't have an instantaneous comeback. At last, I said, "I see… My lips are sealed, mom."

My assumption couldn't be right—I was probably reading too far into it.

She growled. "I wish you'd stop calling me that."

I chuckled, once again on top of things. "That's why I do it. Oh, I almost forgot: I got a job today."

Her eyebrows rose. "Really? Where?"

"Kiba. I work Wednesday through Friday after school to 8pm and Saturday from noon to 5pm."

"Oh, the clinic? That's cool. You met his parents?"

"Well, his mom. His dad was out. She's really nice."

"Like her son," Anko agreed. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." I stifled a yawn.

"It's late; you should get some sleep." She released me and, reluctantly, I settled back under the covers. "Good night, Tayuya."

"'Night, mom."

… Sleep well.

--End Chapter--

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