Mayou walked in the early morning after yet another night in Konoha hospital. After she almost fainted the day before, Lee had immediately brought her to the medical ninjas, even though he wasn't even assigned as her supervisor. Mayou secretly hoped Kiba didn't get in trouble for failing to do his duty, even if it was Lee who intervened out of hand. Before she left the hospital, she told one of the nurses she would take a break off of training today. She also instructed the hospital staff to let any visitors know that she wanted time alone for the day. Mayou intended on retreating to the forest. She missed the contact with nature, after being in the city for longer than she was accustomed to. As she passed Konoha's gate, the ninja guarding it nodded, indicating to her that they were aware of her plans. At least I don't need a babysitter to walk around, she thought.

Even though she wasn't going to train, Mayou headed towards her favourite place in the forest. As soon as she stepped into the clearing, she felt a feeling of grief. The once open and cozy area was completely ruined. A fallen tree was in the middle, taking up all the space, and the whole surface of the ground was covered in twigs. Mayou felt a breeze blow through her loose layered hair, and a bunch of leaves fell from the trees above. She watched the inspiration for Konoha's logo slowly fall to the ground around her. At that moment, something fluttering in the wind caught her eye. She went towards it and saw a white bandage strip caught under a branch. She reached for it and observed it in the palm of her hand, smiling.

This clearing and all the feelings that came with it felt like a distant memory, even if she was training there only a few weeks ago. Her life was much simpler before she entered Konoha. She didn't have any pressure on her to make big decisions, such as training to be a ninja. She didn't even know she had chakra potential. Her simple lifestyle had been ripped away from her, and she could never go back. She sighed at that thought. Her new friends in Konoha were all ninja, and they all seemed happy. Each one of them had a purpose, but she was just lost. What am I going to do?, she questioned herself.

She sat on the stump she used to train with, the same way she did the day she waited for Lee and punched him. She laughed at the memory. She never thought at the time that the strange boy would become her friend. Her feelings were so messed up though. She could tell how much he cared about her, and she wasn't indifferent to that. Still, she had some sort of internal blockage that stopped her from being attached to people. The loss of her parents at a young age, and the resentment from her village when she had become a burden had prevented her from developing any feeling of care towards others. She wanted to, but was scared to lose any person she felt emotionally involved with.

Lost in her thoughts, Mayou didn't sense that she was no longer alone. She heard a bark and looked towards it, startled. Emerging from bushes, Akamaru leaped into the clearing. He kept his distance, but didn't look menacing. Mayou expected to see his owner coming after him, but after a minute they were still alone.

‟Akamaru? ˮ, Mayou exclaimed, not sure how to communicate with a dog. She held out her hand, hoping that the animal would take it as a sign of friendliness. The dog walked towards her, sniffed her palm and licked her hand. Mayou giggled. Akamaru barked and jumped on her lap.

‟Ok then ˮ, Mayou said, surprised. She started petting Akamaru, even if she wasn't perfectly comfortable around animals. She was wondering where the hell Kiba was. It was under her impression that the two were inseparable. Akamaru didn't look one bit worried, so Mayou figured that everything was fine.

A few minutes later, the Inuzuka came in the same way his dog had.

‟I found you Akamaru, you can't fool my sense of smell ˮ, he called out, but stopped when he spotted Mayou with the dog on her lap.

‟Mayou-san? ˮ, he declared, confused. The girl had expressed the fact that she disliked animals the day before, and there she was petting a dog. The situation didn't seem right. Mayou realised that she was compromised, and let go of Akamaru. The dog ran to his owner.

‟Hey, Kiba. What's up? ˮ, she said casually, trying to get out of the awkward situation.

‟What's up with you? ˮ, he asked her, putting Akamaru in his jacket.

‟I decided to take a walk, since yesterday's training was… well, you know what happened. And then Akamaru just came in here and then you came and that's all I guess. ˮ The usually confident girl couldn't put two thoughts together. Kuso!, she thought to herself. What is wrong with me?!

‟Ah ok ˮ, said Kiba, sounding skeptical. ‟Akamaru and I were just training and decided to do a hide and seek game to work on our sense of smell. It helps track down enemies and allies in battle ˮ, he explained. He started approaching her, and Mayou suddenly felt very tense. Her hands became sweaty and her heart was beating faster. He stopped right in front of her. Since she was sitting, she had to look up at him.

‟I can actually hear your heart beating really fast ˮ, said the Inuzuka. He kneeled down so he was no longer towering over Mayou.

‟What are you talking about? ˮ, she said trying to sound indifferent. ‟I'm perfectly fine ˮ.

In an instant, Kiba's face was centimeters away from Mayou's face. She backed away instantly, wide eyed.

‟I knew it! ˮ, Kiba exclaimed. ‟It's me that is making you act this way ˮ.

Mayou clenched her fists. Even if she was attracted to Kiba, his little stunt got her fuming. She restrained herself from punching out a third Konoha Genin and resorted to laughing instead.

‟Stop being so full of yourself. I told you I disliked animals. Akamaru jumped on my lap, so it got me tense. I wasn't going to throw him off. ˮ, she said hoping her lie was convincing enough. Thankfully, Kiba seemed to buy into her act.

‟You should get back to training. Unlike me who is just a guest in Konoha, you're an actual ninja ˮ, she smirked. Akamaru barked and Kiba retreated.

Kuso! I sure dodged a kunai, thought Mayou. She headed back to Konoha before she could get in any other uncomfortable situation.