A/N: This fic is so fun to write! Comments as always are welcome!
I was with my favorite team in the Naruto verse and I could not be happier, on the inside at least. Being carried by Choza earned me a bunch of looks from the villagers; I tried to make myself smaller. Inoichi was on my right while Shikaku was on my left. They gave us a wide berth mostly, but every so often, we had someone come up to us.
"Hey Choza-san, who is your friend? I haven't seen her around before."
"Classified." Inoichi would kindly reply with a smile.
I stayed silent during these interactions, preferring to watch people. I didn't enjoy being out in the open, but I knew these three would protect me. Inoichi was due to have a daughter someday, right? I would make good practice for him. Still, my Hotaru self felt safer in the cover of trees. I flinched when people approached and clung tighter to the big teddy bear that was Choza.
"You don't have to be scared." Choza would whisper.
"I was always told to stay hidden," I mumbled back, sharing a piece of me with him.
"No one will hurt you here." Shikaku chimed in.
I snorted at that, biting down a sharp laugh. Men, they never change. The guys glanced at each other and looked at me. It was a thin balance between feeling happy, done with everything, and star-struck, and I still did not know how to juggle it all. I knew they wanted to ask questions, but out in the open was not possible. I sneezed as we passed a flower shop; I groaned and buried my head in Choza's shoulder. I'll take Choza's food scent over those weeds any day.
"You don't like flowers?" Inoichi asked.
"Some flowers are overpowering." I groaned.
"The restaurant is just ahead." Choza chimed in, changing the topic.
I wanted to run the rest of the way, but I also was too hungry to do it. That, and the flower smell was still wearing off. Now I know how Inuyasha felt, and I didn't know how to process it. I had a dog's sense of smell and that alone was a double-edged sword. I lifted my head and looked at Shikaku, thinking back to his earlier question. I remembered Shogi from my past, watching him and his son play on screen, but I never understood it.
Shikaku turned his head and raised a brow. "What, kid?"
"Can you tell me what Shogi is?"
"I can show you later." He replied with a smile.
"Kay!"
Being a kid has its advantages, I suppose. As we entered the restaurant, Choza gently let me down. I was still unsteady and clung to the nearest person, which was Shikaku. We followed Choza further into the restaurant. I took the time to look around, marveling at everything. This was the same place the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho would meet for team dinners with Asuma. The anime always made me wanna try to find one of these places in town in my old life. I never imagined I would actually be here to try everything. It didn't take long for us to find seats and for the questions to start.
"What would you like, Hotaru?" Inoichi asked. Hearing my name made me jump.
"Easy, kid, we're here," Shikaku reassured as he gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
Run.
That damn fear again. I gently raised my hand and pushed on his. He got the hint and removed it. The fear vanished and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It seemed like certain touches set me off which majorly sucked. I looked at Shikaku with an apologetic expression, to which he smiled and shook his head. I lowered my head and withdrew into myself, feeling down.
"Hotaru, it is ok. You just met us." Inoichi said with a gentle smile. "Now, what would you like to eat?"
"You pick," I mumbled while trying not to mentally drown.
Everyone ordered and all we could do was wait. The trio tried to include me, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to socialize. It felt awkward. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing; it's something I picked up from my past life thanks to anxiety attacks. I could hear people calling out orders in the back and the typical sounds you'd hear in a restaurant. However, something caught my attention. I focused and tried to pinpoint where it was, but there were too many distractions. With a mental sigh, I opened my eyes and slowly got up. The lack of use made me stumble; Inoichi caught me.
"Food will be here soon," Inoichi said.
"I don't enjoy staying in one place long," I mumbled before pushing against him and moved away.
"Relax, Hotaru." Choza encouraged me, but I was already leaving the table.
I could hear movement and soon enough, I could smell Shikaku behind me. Hanging with these three was the highlight of my day; however, I knew that, as a child, they were my babysitters and that didn't sit right with me. I couldn't help it. My memories told me they made me independent at a young age; They did not accustom me to people giving a shit, sans a few people. I stretched my legs, pleased they could somewhat support me now. I sniffed the air subtly, intrigued about the various scents besides the food. I raised a brow as a certain scent entered my nose. Without a word, I followed it with Shikaku in tow. I think I made it about fifteen feet before falling. I groaned as he helped me up and steadied me. I needed food, but something caught my attention and I just had to track it. I felt like a puppy. Speaking of puppies, why did I smell dogs? I headed straight and several feet to the left of me was a dog tail. Mkay, let's check it out.
"Come on, kid, let's head back." I could tell he didn't want to follow me over there, but I didn't care.
I picked up the pace and looked at members of the Inuzuka clan. They had the same markings as Kiba did in the series. Tsume was sitting down, also waiting on food. She turned to look at me, which caused everyone else to look as well. I heard Shikaku sigh from behind me as I backed into him. I didn't like the stares and did what any kid would do, retreat behind his legs and poke his head out. Well, any small kid from my world anyway. Yet, I wasn't so small….
"Hey Shikaku, who's the brat?" Tsume did always have a way with words.
I growled, and I swore she rose a brow and smirked. I tore my eyes from her and looked at the others. Kuromaru was here, but he didn't pay me any attention yet. There was an older man that I didn't know; then again, few of the clan were introduced in the anime. There was a boy next to the older man, and he was staring right at me. Shit, I didn't know of any Inuzuka clan member that had emerald green eyes as he did. He seemed to be confused.
"She's my assignment, Tsume-san."
The conversation jarred me from my thoughts. I felt him gently guide me out from behind him. I shot him a slight glare; he only frowned in return. Was he mad? I looked at him, tilting my head.
"It's not polite to stare, kid, or to barge in on others eating." He scolded.
"I only followed my nose, Shikaku." I protested with a huff, and I could feel the clan staring at me when I said that.
He sighed. "What a drag."
By his tone, it was clear he wasn't too upset about it, more annoyed than anything. I gave him a smile until I heard something move. I turned back to the clan, noticing Kuromaru was no longer sitting but in front of me. He had little screen time in the show and even less dialogue, to my knowledge. I didn't know what he wanted. I just stared at him with a confused expression while I side-eyed Shikaku, even he seemed unsure. I put my hands behind my back to resist the urge to pet the big fluff.
"You are not Inuzuka." The voice was deep, a mix of baritone and tenor which caught me off guard and had me on my ass.
Tsume and the others seemed invested, yet amused. It's not like we had talking canines in my world. I used Shikaku's pants leg to pull myself up while listening to him mutter about wanting to eat. I thought about my answer, carefully tilting my head as I considered my word choice. I honestly did not know how to answer, since tracking was entirely new to me. But, like any child, I blurted out shit in public places that should have been kept private.
"No, but this is just something I do. You smell like the mountains and rain."
"Alright, our food's here, time to go." Shikaku cut in, herding me away from the murder dog.