The Legendaries (Revisited): A Naruto Isekai (PART I)

by Rose1991

"Fred? Fred!" someone hissed in Winnifred's ear, poking her harshly in the shoulder. "What?" she grumbled, trying to go back to sleep. "The sun's up. And I don't think we're in Pennsylvania." Five girls from our world arrive on Konoha's doorstep with no clue how to return home. And when five dragons choose them as their masters, they begin to realize something bigger is at play.

9. Chapter 8

AN: I realized a little late that it's actually Meeko, not Nico. I am fixing that in the previous chapter.

Chapter Eight: Separate Ways

The soft morning sunlight of a clear day and the sound of birds chirping woke Fred. It was so peaceful, drifting between that moment where soul meets body as one wakes. She was warm under the sheets, her naked body snuggled tightly against another's on her small twin sized bed. Kankuro, she remembered. She could feel every part of his body pressed against her side, including his slightly stiff member poking her hips, which she didn't mind. His legs were entangled with hers. His arm draped over her torso as his hand rest on her left breast. His other arm under her pillow and around her shoulders, preventing her from falling off what little space left of the bed. Almost as if he'd slept in such a tight position before. His breath puffed on her shoulder and chest with his soft snores. Her right arm wrapped around his shoulders and back moved slowly up as her hand moved into his hair, rubbing his scalp softly as she turned to look at him sleeping. He looked innocent, almost boyish, and her heart fluttered at the thought. He began to smile, letting out a small groan, as her fingers traced circles in his scalp. She didn't want to wake him up, but at the same time she was tempted to push him for another round if possible. Through the walls next door in Rox's dorm, Fred could hear Rox getting up and starting her shower. Fred's gaze flicked to the tree outside her window where two finches chirped at each other, hopping from branch to branch. Yes, she thought, still twirling lazy circles in Kankuro's hair as she watched the birds, this is the perfect way to wake up.

The moment was immediately ruined by a loud knock on her door. She bolted upright as she cursed, flinging Kankuro off her, who yelped at the sudden movement, as she checked the clock. She frowned seeing it was only seven thirty.

"What the Hell, Fr—" Kankuro grumbled sitting up, only to be cut off as Fred slapped her hand over his mouth as another knock rang through the apartment. Kankuro looked at her as if she'd gone crazy, and lifted his hand to her wrist as he huffed.

Her fingers dug into his cheeks, refusing to move her hand away as a man on the other side of the door called, "Come on, Fred. Open up."

"Uh, just a minute!" she called back, trying to sound unfazed by the sudden intrusion. She glared at Kankuro, pointing to the small room at the foot of the bed, and hissed at him, "Get in the bathroom."

He raised an eyebrow at her, looking at her as if she'd truly gone insane. She dropped her hand from his mouth, grabbing him by the wrist with freakish strength as she heaved him from the bed to stand. He lifted his hands in surrender. "Are you always this feisty in the morning?" he asked.

Another knock sounded and she snapped back, "JUST A MINUTE!" She began pushing him, but Kankuro didn't move, finding this all very amusing. "Move your ass!" she hissed, shoving him toward the bathroom with her shoulder.

"OW!" he growled, as her shoulder connected with his side followed by an elbow, and shoved him hard. She finally got him in the bathroom, as he asked haughtily, "Can I at least get my clothes?"

"No," she snarled, swinging the door shut as she pulled her robe off the door. He grabbed the door with a loud, "Bap" to scowl at her before she could close it, and she slapped his hand away. She scowled back at him. "Look, be a good boytoy, and stay in there and shut the fuck up," she instructed, clearly already annoyed with him

"'Boytoy'?" he scoffed, clearly offended by her terminology, but she slammed the door without any further explanation.

She quickly threw her robe on and fastened it with a quick tie, calling out again more pleasantly this time, "Just a minute!" She located Kankuro's clothes and wadded them together, hiding them under her new plushie, Meeko, before padding to the front door. She took a calming breath before opening the door to see Shikamaru standing there. He peered into her apartment as if looking for something or someone, and she closed the door against her to block his view. "What's up?" she asked, popping her p.

He raised his eyebrow at her forced smile. He cleared his throat before saying, "Lord Hokage wanted to speak with you four this morning. Immediately."

"Oh," Fred breathed, licking her lips nervously. "Uhm, is that all?"

Shikamaru pursed his lips, then added, "And tell Kankuro that Gaara also wants to speak with him immediately."

"Wha- Kankuro?" Fred gasped wide-eyed as if she had no idea what he was talking about. But her blushing was enough to tell anyone otherwise. "Wh-why would you think I could tell Kankuro anything?"

Shikamaru frowned, clearly unimpressed with her lying capabilities, before sighing, "How troublesome." Shikamaru pursed his lips, then added, "You can cut the act. I know he's in there."

Fred shrugged, crossing her arms defensively as she huffed, "What act?"

Shikamaru blinked at her, his eyebrow raised, then pushed open her door slightly more as he pointed over to her desk. "I'm guessing those standard Suna issue male shinobi sandals are yours then?" he asked smartly, leaning on her doorjamb.

Fred turned to see the one article of clothing she forgot to hide, his fucking shoes. Her words dried up in her throat as she tried to think of a response, but only elicited a strange croak. Her bathroom door opened, revealing Kankuro completely naked except for the towel wrapped around his hips. Fred stared wide-eyed at him, which he returned with a withering smirk.

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Kankuro said curtly with a small wave, as if nothing was wrong with this scene.

Shikamaru's gaze flicked between the two with a slightly disappointed expression as he muttered, "Any time," before pushing himself off the doorjamb and walking towards the other two rooms.

Fred shut the door, angrily looking at the floorboards of her apartment. Kankuro pursed his lips, clearly a little disappointed as he said, "You aren't all that appreciative, are you?"

"I told you to stay in the bathroom," Fred snapped with a scowl, going to her dresser and pulling out some clothes for herself.

"Why? He knew I was here," Kankuro scoffed with a frown. His grip tightened on the towel as he settled into a laidback stance. He shrugged as he added, "You know, when a girl is fucked into a literally earth-quaking orgasm, she's usually nice to the guy who helped her achieve it the next day."

She grit her teeth, slamming her dresser shut as she looked at him, seething now. "I would have been nice if. You. Stayed. In. The. FUCKING. BATHROOM!" she howled at him.

Kankuro gave a bored sigh, tossing the towel on the bed. She knew him getting naked was a power move on his part, letting her see his toned legs, perfectly sculpted ass, and the V at his hips that led down to his decently sized, and surprisingly uncircumcised penis. His gaze caught hers, and he smirked. She blushed as she realized she was staring, and quickly looked away. "You're not ashamed of sleeping with me, are you?" he asked haughtily.

"No," she breathed, passing him as she laid her outfit for the day on the bed. She turned her back to him, and quickly took off her robe.

He stepped up behind her, trying to get her to look at him. "Because I remember us having a good time," he continued. He pursed his lips before he added, "I also remember you instigating things."

It worked. "Excuse me?"

He smirked. "You asked me to take you home last night, with the clear expectation that we were going to have sex," he clarified. "Especially after several comments about wanting to feel my butt."

She blushed, turning back away. "Look," she said with a sigh, "I do not regret having sex with you. I just don't like my sex life broadcasted, is all." She turned back to her clothes, fishing for her underwear as she huffed, "Which it was, because an orgasm for me means a natural disaster for everyone else so…" She sucked on her teeth and stepped into a new pair of underwear, quickly still feeling his eyes on her. "If having orgasms means causing more earthquakes, I can do without."

"That's a shame," he sighed, stepping over towards her. Even though she was doing her best not to look, she was innately aware of his closeness to her and nakedness. "Because I'm sure if given time, you'd figure out how to avoid the earthquakes while still enjoying yourself." He smirked as he added, "Plus, it gives me something big to brag about to my buddies. Seriously, how many men can claim to have started an earthquake by fucking?"

He laughed at his joke, but she shoved him away as she huffed, "Fuck off," before going back to her clothes. "And get dressed. Jeez," she added uncomfortably.

He smiled at her discomfort, not ashamed of his physique at all. He then looked around the room and asked blandly, "What did you do with my clothes?" noting they weren't strewn about like before.

"I hid them under Meeko," she huffed, pulling her shirt on.

He frowned, mouthing, "Meeko?" as he looked around the room, before his eyes settled on the Shukaku plushie. "Shukaku, right."

"No, Meeko," Fred corrected.

Kankuro dropped his clothes on the bed to get dressed next to her as he pointed back to her prize from the previous night and said, "That's actually a Shukaku plushie. Shukaku the sand spirit."

Fred pursed her lips as she pulled on her pants, shrugging in disagreement as she said, "Well, here his name is Meeko."

Kankuro scoffed as he pulled on his underwear. "Whatever you say."

She slid on her flats and went to brush her teeth and hair as he pulled his pants on, and then his sleeveless turtleneck. She stepped out of the bathroom, and stared at him sitting on her bed, making him pause as he put on his gloves. "What?" he asked.

She stepped over to him, and grabbing his head by the base of his skull planted a kiss on his mouth, licking his lips for entrance, which he granted. The kiss was quick, just a couple twists of their tongues against each other before she pulled away. He opened his eyes first, full of cloudy confusion. "Thank you," Fred said. "Last night was wonderful." She pursed her lips with a small bob of her head before retracting, "Well, minus the natural disaster." He did his best to hold back his knowing smile. She pulled away, grabbing her purse as she strode to her front door and grabbed the knob to open it. "Lock up when you leave."

"Hey," he coughed before she left. She paused turning to him. He licked his lips nervously, before offering, "If you're ever in Suna, let me know."

She pursed her lips, a cute blush coloring her cheeks as she said, "Sure. Same goes for you if you're ever back here." She quickly shut the door, and he heard her chatting with her friends outside as they left. He smirked to himself as he finished getting himself dressed. Winifred Buchanan, he mused, I'm sure that's not the last I'll see of her.

---

Cordi finished brushing her hair, and set out to head back to the Sand Siblings' hotel, and by extension her own. She'd spent the night with Lynne and Ronnie in Lynne's room. How they all fit on that twin bed was beyond her, but they had made it work. But she was stiff this morning from how cramped it was. They had all gone to bed sometime after the earthquake last night. They didn't know what caused it, but it did scare the bejeezus out of them when it happened. It was the first earthquake any of them had ever experienced. But it didn't kill the power, and nothing was broken afterwards. It was just really quick and strange, only lasting a few seconds.

She popped her neck as she stepped out of Lynne's room. Both she and Ronnie had already left a few minutes earlier, after Shikamaru said they had an urgent meeting with Kakashi. At first, she thought maybe her future son was wrong, and Kakashi had found out how to send them back. But when Shikamaru informed Cordi that Gaara needed to see here immediately, she began to worry.

She locked the door, and began walking down the deck towards the stairs when one of the other doors opened. She froze with wide eyes as she saw Kankuro, sans make-up, stepping out of Fred's room. "I fucking knew it," she laughed.

Kankuro whipped around, surprised to see her. "What?" he asked.

"I told Fred that you two were going to bang last night, and even though she said, 'No. I just want to dance and have a fun time without feeling guilty,'" she said in a mocking tone, "I still fucking knew it was going to happen."

Kankuro frowned, eyeing his family's newest roommate weirdly. "And how would you know that?" he asked. He and Fred had only met yesterday evening. It wasn't a bet anyone would have made.

"Because, you are exactly her type," Cordi scoffed, continuing towards the stairs, "and I have a sixth sense about this kind of stuff."

Kankuro fell in step with her, his eyebrows raised at her explanation. "A sixth sense?" he scoffed.

"Oh, yeah," Cordi nodded. "So far, three for three." He looked at her like that comment needed an explanation. "I predicted Ronnie losing her virginity two days before it happened. I predicted Lynne hooking up with some guy after being invited to a party. And now this." She smirked as she added, "And every time, they each said, 'No. We're just going to have a little bit of fun.'"

He smiled knowingly as he commented, "Well, we did have a bit of fun."

Cordi rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd say that. You're a guy," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Everybody knows guys have no clue if the girl actually enjoys herself."

He raised his eyebrows at that. She sounded just as cynical as Fred had last night before he proved her wrong. "And how many men have you slept with?"

She blushed, pursing her lips tightly.

He leaned in, putting his hand to his ear as he mocked, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." She just blushed more. He raised his eyebrows at her expression, slightly surprised. "My, my Ms. Turner. Are you a virgin?"

Her silence was deafening, and very telling.

He made an interested frown as he said, "Color me surprised."

She scowled. "What I don't dress prudishly enough for your presumptions?"

"In a word, yeah," he said with a shrug. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he looked her over curiously. "So, what's the hold up?"

She shrugged meaninglessly. "Haven't met the right guy." She glowered at him before adding, "Not that it's any of your business."

He put his hands up in surrender. She was right about that. It was none of his business. They kept walking along, keeping silent. Kankuro saw a street clock, and he noted the time. It was almost eight when they had left the dorms, and it was now eight o' five. He looked back, and saw they'd only walked three blocks, with ten left to go. "We should hurry up. Gaara's rather impatient."

Cordi looked at him pointedly, then gestured, "Well, you can go ahead and shunshin over there, leaving me by myself, and tell him I'll catch up in an hour."

He frowned. "Or you can shunshin with me," he countered.

Cordi made a strange expression as she laughed, "What part of, 'no chakra,' was lost on you?"

"The part where I can shunshin you with my puppet jutsu," Kankuro stated. He shrugged as he thought about it, then added, "Or carry you like some melodramatic hero, but that's not really my style."

Cordi paused, eyeing him carefully. Knowing him, she didn't want him carrying her either. But with the puppet jutsu… Chiyo had used it on Sakura, but Sakura was a chunin kunoichi at the time. "Is the puppet jutsu safe for non-ninjas."

"Only if you let me completely control your movements," he stated blandly. He lifted a hand, and said, "See?" He'd already attached his chakra strings, and began to make her jump in place higher than a normal human.

"FUCK! OK!" she shrieked fearfully. "Just put me down!"

He smirked as he replied, "Once we get there." He jumped to the roof of the nearest building, shunshining with Cordi screaming obscenities and calling him horrible names right next to him. He laughed as he continued over the rooftops, not believing the obscenities coming out of the girl's mouth. "Calm down, Cordi. And watch your language. There's children present."

"Oh JESUS! FUCK! Shut AH!" she yelped. Kankuro laughed at her. Eventually, she began to laugh through her tears as she said, "This wouldn't be so BAD if I wasn't FUCKing terrified of heights."

"Then don't look down," he called back to her.

"It's not that," she called back to him. "Oh, Fuck FUCK! Looking dOWN isn't an issue for me. JESUS! It's moving high up—CHRIST ALMIGHTY—without seeing where my feet are. SHIT SHIT! Looking up is the issue."

"That's oddly specific," Kankuro laughed.

"Most of my FEARS are," she half laughed, half cried back. They landed in front of the hotel, and Kankuro landed her carefully on the cobblestone road, and detached his chakra strings. As soon as control was given back to her, she collapsed in on herself, shaking like a leaf as she cried.

Kankuro frowned, placing his hand on his hip as he said, "Come on, it wasn't that terrifying was it?" She only answered with a sob. He knelt next to her, placing a hand on her back as he offered, "Why don't you tell me another oddly specific fear."

Her breathing was still shaky, but it began to calm slowly as she answered, "Sharks in videogames. I think it's rooted in my general fear of being eaten. But that's my weirdest one. Other than the other half of my fear of heights being the sky or ceiling is too close. Or clowns."

He rubbed her back as he said, "You're very weird, Cordelia Turner."

"I know," she breathed, having calmed back down.

He offered his hand, and she took it, hoisting herself up. They walked into the hotel together and up to the room. Kankuro opened the door, gesturing for her to walk in first, which she did. As they walked in, they saw Gaara sitting at the kitchenette table with his usual morning tea, a small scowl on his face as he took in both Kankuro and Cordi. Temari sat next to him, looking up at them blandly as she sipped her tea as well.

"Good morning," Kankuro said cheerily.

Temari held a plate of toast and her own tea as she remarked. "Oh, you're both back. I thought that colorful language sounded familiar."

Cordi laughed nervously, stating, "Yeah. Kankuro thought hurtling me over Konoha with his puppet jutsu was the best way to get us back in a timely manner, despite my informing him of my horrible fear of heights." Her gaze flicked over to Gaara, who looked unimpressed. She stepped over to the table and grabbed a piece of toast as she said cheerily, "Good morning, Gaara." When he didn't respond except to sip his tea, she moved over to the table and asked Temari, "Is there any tea left over?"

Temari nodded, pouring her a small cup. Cordi began to put a couple spoonfuls of sugar and stirring it in with a slight clinking, which Gaara looked at, the glimmer in his eyes a mix of annoyed and questioning. She stopped self-consciously, and took a sip. She cleared her throat as she said, "Sorry I didn't come back last night. Fred asked me to drop off the plushie she won last night, and when I got to the dorms, Lynne and Ronnie were watching some of our favorite movies, which weren't done until after midnight."

Kankuro eyed her surprised. "They already made up?"

Cordi nodded as she took another sip. She looked at her tea as she said, "Mmm. That's good. Is that mint?" Temari nodded. "Love mint tea," Cordi stated.

Kankuro eyed his siblings carefully. "Usually we save that for when we're traveling."

Temari looked up suspiciously, her gaze flicking between Gaara and Kankuro with pursed lips. Gaara only sipped more on his tea. "Well," she chirped, "I think I should go tell our genin the news about the finals." She grabbed her fan, and swiftly made her way around her middle brother and out the door.

Kankuro frowned pointing at her, then at Gaara. "What's going on?" he asked. Cordi also looked curiously at the young Kazekage.

Gaara pursed his lips, fingering his cup. "Due to the earthquake last night," Gaara started, his seafoam eyes settling on Kankuro pointedly, "Kakashi decreed the tournament would be postponed a day to 'assess damages.'" Kankuro laughed nervously, before Gaara added, "At least that's what he's told the other Kage."

Kankuro frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it quickly became clear what caused the earthquake when the sensory ninjas divined its starting point at the girls' dorms last night," Gaara stated, a disappointed glare settling on his brother.

"Oh," Kankuro laughed, blushing slightly with a smirk.

Cordi spun to look at the puppeteer with wide-eyed realization gasped, "That was you and Fred?" When Kankuro only proudly smiled as if remembering the previous night, Cordi annoyedly scoffed, "Wow." She turned to Gaara, jutting her thumb at Kankuro with a disappointed frown as she said, "You know there's no living with him after that. Guarantee you, it's his new prime source of bragging from now on."

Kankuro shrugged as he joked, "Well, I did literally rock her world."

Cordi only lifted her hand to Kankuro like a disappointed game show girl, with Kankuro's comment being a prime sample of what they were to expect from now on.

"Which brings me to my next point," Gaara segued stiffly, not looking at them as he did his best to stifle his blush. "The Suna Council wants Cordelia and her dragon in Suna early for testing." Cordi's smiling gaze on Gaara swiftly fell, her heart skipping a beat and then plummeting. What did he do? The first part of what he said suddenly rang clear to her. The sensory ninjas discovered the earthquake's location, and they were only called upon this morning. The only reason for that kind of delay was if Kakashi knew.

"Dragon?" Kankuro scoffed.

"Yes," Gaara replied stone-faced. "Dragon."

"What did you do?" Cordi asked horrified. If he told Kakashi about their powers was one thing, but mentioning the dragons was something else. His seafoam eyes were cold and unfeeling, and not even looking at her.

Gaara ignored her question as he continued, "The Council suggested I send either you or Temari back with her and her dragon, Aleera. After your involvement last night, I decided it should be you."

"Wait, you're sending me home early because of a one-night stand?" Kankuro scoffed.

"Except it wasn't just a one-night stand," Gaara countered. "It caused an earthquake that not only disrupted the festival and Chunin Exams, but might have exposed these women to the other three Kage, who in turn might start a war if the situation is not handled correctly." Gaara pursed his lips as he regarded his brother crossly. "Remember, Kakashi withheld their existence at the Summit. And after our meeting last night about the girls and their dragons, I understand why. But if the other Kage found out such powers existed, and suspected that Konoha was withholding information that might be crucial to the handling of the Otsutsuki clan, and that Suna knew about it and had claimed one set, the results would be disastrous. Especially for Suna, who does not have the resources for another war."

"Gaara," Kankuro tried.

"It's done," Gaara affirmed coolly. "You'll be traveling with a team of Suna jonin, who will be assisting Cordelia with getting Aleera drugged and on the train, which you both will be taking to Suna. The train leaves in an hour and a half, so I suggest you both get packing."

Cordi's jaw hung open at the redhead who blandly reached for his tea. He told everyone the girls were trying to protect their dragons from. Kakashi. The Suna Council. Why the fuck would he tell the Suna Council!? her brain howled. She knew from the show that the Suna Council was full of shady and selfish bureaucratic ninjas who had no qualms about the previous Kazekage issuing assassinations on his six-year-old son. Not to mention the data books mentioned the position of Kazekage was considered cursed, because all prior Kazekages had been murdered in coup attempts, most of which were orchestrated by the Council or Council members. Temari had even joked a couple times about Gaara and his siblings' strained relationship with the Suna Council, and how shady they were dealing with their own ninja. Now they wanted her and her dragon in Suna to run tests? He might as well have told Orochi-fucking-maru!

She slapped the table and jumped up, causing Gaara to pause as he regarded her coolly. "You," she growled, "are a heartless son of a bitch. Do you know that?"

He looked at her a little surprised at the insult, but not the least bit threatened. "Cordi," Kankuro breathed in warning.

"I fucking trusted you," she hissed, pointing to herself angrily. The oven eyes snapped to fiery life under her anger, and the table smoked a little under her hand. "I trusted you, and you just …" she shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

Gaara sighed, looking at her a little regretfully as he said, "I know you feel betrayed but …"

She balled her fists until her knuckles turned white and slammed it against the table as she howled, "No! Fuck you." She paused only to control her breathing before she clenched her fists tightly, and hissed, "You don't get to tell me how I feel when your knife is in my back!" Gaara looked a little disheartened by her dismissal. She pushed away from the table, huffing, "I have to go warn my friends."

"It's too late for that," Gaara stated plainly, causing her to pause. "Kakashi is handling the other girls and their dragons as we speak. They'll be tied up most of the day."

She balled her fist at his explanation, her arms and shoulders shaking with rage. "You weren't even going to let me say goodbye?" she hissed, her tone threatening.

"We need to get you out immediately," Gaara said, dodging the question. "I know you don't believe me when I say this, but it is for your own good. As well as your friends."

She spun around to glare at him. She could see he sincerely believed that, but she was too hurt to take him at his word again. She'd trusted him and he'd betrayed her. He made her feel foolish. She had been a fool. He'd only known her two weeks. What did she expect? He'd put her trust first? She was a complete and utter fool. She felt her lips quivering as her anger subsided to hurt betrayal. She had liked him. A lot. And he did this to her. The lump in her throat began to press as she felt her heart breaking. Her feelings for him had clouded her judgement, and now her friends were paying for it. She couldn't look at him, and retreated back to her room to hide. As soon as she slammed the door behind her, everything came crashing down around her. She collapsed against the door and sobbed into her hands, trying her best to muffle her cries.

Outside, Kankuro looked at the closed door with a pitiful expression. He frowned at his younger brother and said, "That was cold, Gaara."

Gaara gave a small pout at the closed door as well, listening to Cordi crying on the other side. He shook his head dismissively as he turned towards the suite door, and said, "I need to check in with the jonin who will be traveling back with you both. I'll handle her bags while you and Cordi meet up with the jonin at the Forest of Death. Once Aleera is drugged, you'll need to use your Salamander to get her on the train."

Kankuro made a weird face, then asked, "How big is it?" But Gaara was already gone. "Ok," Kankuro huffed as he rolled his eyes, because of course his little brother wasn't forthcoming with information. He walked into their shared room and began to pack. It wouldn't take him too long anyway.

---

Kakashi sat in his office, signing off the final paperwork for the Chunin Exam delays, which included reimbursing the Kage for their extra night in the hotels, as well as their genin. He handed the last scroll to the awaiting ninja, ordering, "Take this to the Tsuchikage." The ninja bowed, and shunshined on his way. Once he was gone, Kakashi rubbed his eyes, tired already from all the bureaucratic paperwork he was subjected to over the night, from drafting a primary assessment for the women from Gaara and Temari's descriptions of their powers, as well as Temari's training regimen for them, to actually sending out teams of ninja to assess property damages from the earthquake. There was some. Not much, but some that Kakashi would still have to pay for. A small monument had cracked. Many stores lost breakable goods, and some windows had cracked. The library was a shambles, and needed some genin to clean it up. The springs needed to be closed because a water line burst.

He had a fleeting notion to bill Gaara for these issues, given his brother's direct involvement with the earthquake, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it came. Given the cause, there was no way for Kankuro to know such actions would result in an earthquake. It was ridiculous to think that it would. And from how Gaara had been talking the night before, it seemed likely Kankuro would not have known the full extent of Winifred's powers. That and the poor young Kazekage had clearly been mortified by the knowledge of his brother's activities. Judging by his blushing to the point of looking monochromatic with his hair and clothes, Kakashi would wager the poor young man had probably never had the pleasure of being bedded in his whole life. Therefore, it would be mean of Kakashi to subject the Kazekage to pay for his brother's actions. Plus it was Kankuro's actions with one of Kakashi's subjects.

A knock on his door pulled him out of his reverie, and he called out, "Enter."

The door opened with a soft click, and in stepped Shizune, the Hokage's assistant since Tsunade ran the office. "You needed to see me, Lord Kakashi."

"You can dispense with the 'Lord,'" he sighed with a dismissive wave.

"Yes, Lord," she replied, only to earn a pointed glower. She cleared her throat as she asked, "What can I help you with?"

"Last night, Lord Kazekage gave me a lead I need you to start researching, which pertains to the new arrivals," Kakashi stated, his hands steepled as he leaned over his desk on his elbows. "All I have is a name, but I'm sure you've found more with less to go on." Shizune made an odd agreeing shrug, as if he wasn't entirely wrong. He grabbed a pen and paper, writing the name down as he said, "The name is Mr. Youshida. I was not told if he was dead or alive—"

He was interrupted with his phone ringing, a sound he wasn't used to yet. He usually kept the device in a drawer, since he rarely used it. The phones were recent installations in the last year in the Kages' offices. Phones had been in use the past decade predominantly only for the Daimyos and their upper officials, which only recently included the Kages after the Fourth Ninja War. The Daimyo's of each country agreed it was best that they be able to access their Kages at any given point, and the Kages agreed if anything came up with the Otsutsuki, a messenger eagle taking a day to deliver the news would incur too long a delay for any necessary response. Now they were in the process of outfitting all medical buildings, from hospitals to vets, with phones in case of emergency. This also included some new technology called the Internet, with new communication called email. It was all new to Kakashi, and difficult to learn, so he preferred to keep it hidden away. He slid open the drawer and picked up the receiver, holding it in his hand before answering as he ripped off the page and held it out to Shizune. She grabbed it and he pointed at the slip, mouthing, "Find him."

"Yes, My Lord," she said with a bow before disappearing.

He rolled his eyes at her formality, then put the receiver to his ear as he gruffly answered, "Hello."

"Lord Sixth," the familiar gravelly voice of the Kazekage intoned. Speak of the Devil, Kakashi mused. "I'm sorry if I caught you at an odd time."

"No, no," Kakashi huffed, resettling in his seat. "I'm just not used to these new phones yet."

"I understand," Gaara replied with a snicker, as if familiar with the problem himself. "I was just calling to inform you Cordelia Turner and Aleera have been loaded on the train, and are being escorted to Suna by Kankuro. And I've been asked to assure any research on the dragons on your end will be forwarded to us in Suna. Our findings will also be reciprocated."

"Yes, yes," Kakashi grumbled. "Thank you. I'll have my team get in position, and will send their primary assessment on."

"Thank you, Lord Kakashi."

"Sure thing, Lord Gaara."

He hung up, closing the drawer and rubbing his eyes again. It was a never-ending thing, this job. A constant balancing act to hold peace, as well as a constant battle against the never-ending, and gradually increasing tide of paperwork. Not to mention failing miserably at keeping up with the constant increasing pace of technology, which at the age of thirty-three seemed impossible to learn. And he really hated being called "Lord."

Another thing was becoming painfully certain to him about his job. If he did not schedule hour nap breaks for himself after lunch, he would not make it through the day. Especially on nights like last night, where new information turned a would be relaxing evening into serious all-nighter of bullshit preparation to keep this delicate balance of peace they strove so hard to achieve. He was already feeling the exhaustion, and he knew after his nap, he'd be busy looking over the new paperwork on the dragons, and forwarding those findings to Suna. Then final preperations for the Chunin Exam Finals, because they'd been moved a day. He honestly could not wait until Naruto took over the office. As long as the blonde knucklehead stuck to the planned regimen Kakashi, Iruka, and Shikamaru created, Naruto would take over in just a few years. That was Kakashi's one beacon of hope. Just a few more years, then he'd retire and live peacefully with his nin-dogs before forty with a handsome stipend for his work as Hokage, and never working another day in his life. That was his dream. And it was beautiful.

There was another knock on the door that pulled him away from his thoughts, and he called out, "Enter!" as he dropped his hand to his desk. It wouldn't do to look tired on duty. Especially at the hour of ten thirty in the morning.

In walked Shikamaru, followed by the four women in question that ruined his would have been relaxing evening. Kakashi smiled, even though no one could see it under his mask. "Good morning," he greeted, pulling himself up to stand.

"Good morning," they each greeting semi-simultaneously, but all with different intonations. Rox cleared her throat, speaking up for the group as she asked, "You needed to see us?"

"Yes," Kakashi breathed, meeting each woman's eyes once.

Once was all Lynne needed. "He knows!" the redhead hissed. Her gaze shot over to Shikamaru accusingly as she added, "They both know."

"What?" Rox gasped, looking between Lynne and Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked away a little guiltily, and Rox's heart dropped.

Kakashi smirked. "I can see Lord Gaara's information about your powers was accurate."

Fred frowned. "Gaara?" she growled. They had said he was trustworthy. Lynne had informed them of Cordi telling Gaara about Aleera and explaining their powers yesterday morning, citing it as her only course of action. Ronnie, Rox and Lynne all agreed Gaara was probably the most trustworthy person to tell. But he'd blabbed? And if so, how much?

"Now, there's no reason to get upset," Kakashi cut in, holding his hands up in a calming manner as Ronnie and Lynne began to speak up in anger. "I brought you all here to discuss what we know and what needs to be done. Are there any objections?" When the girls stayed quiet, he gave relieved sigh with a smile, "Alright. Last night, I had a meeting with the Kazekage, who informed me that each of you have gained abilities, each pertaining to a particular element, and also obtained dragons hiding in the Forest of Death."

"Dragons?" Shikamaru balked.

"Right," Kakashi grumbled, pointing to the shadow ninja, "I did not tell you that part."

Shikamaru placed his hands on his hips as he asked, "Why not?"

"Because I had to get to work on the earthquake last night," Kakashi excused, giving Fred a knowing look.

Lynne's eyes flew wide, turning to the eldest of the group as she gasped, "That was you!?" Fred shot her back a threatening glare, clearly mentally passing a promise of bodily harm if Lynne blabbed anymore. Lynne pursed her lips and turned back to the Hokage.

"What did she mean, 'That was you'?" Ronnie whined, clearly not liking not being in the loop

Rox held up an accusing finger as she said, "Oh my god! You had a gentleman caller last night! Didn't you!?"

Fred blushed at the archaic turn of phrase. "No," she tried to say, but Ronnie cut her off, also pointing an accusing fingers as she said, "You did! You had a boy over to bump uglies!" Fred clammed up under her friends' declarations.

"I thought I heard a man through the walls this morning when I got out of the shower," Rox laughed. "So, who was it?"

"Yeah, who was it!?" Ronnie chimed in. Lynne stood quietly with her hand over her mouth. When Fred didn't answer, Ronnie jutted her thumb over to the Nara clan head, and said, "Shikamaru woke us all up this morning. I bet you he saw him!"

Rox looked over at the man she'd been on three dates with eagerly as she asked, "Who was it?"

"Uh," Shikamaru croaked, seeing all four women looking at him. Rox and Ronnie both looked eager for their answer, while Lynne only looked curiously at him, as if internally debating if he would tell them or not. Clearly, she'd already figured out who it was, likely by reading Fred's mind. His gaze caught Fred's and she looked back at him pleadingly, mouthing, "Please don't say it." Usually, he didn't care to get in the middle of such things. He cleared his throat as he said, "I – uh, I didn't see."

Ronnie frowned disappointedly. "Liar." She swiveled back to her sister swiftly as she pestered, "You have to tell us, Fred!"

"Ladies!" Kakashi interrupted, his voice calm, but booming. The girls' tittering stopped immediately as they faced forward. "Let us return to the matter at hand." When he saw that they were steady and quiet, he smiled. "Now, I've asked for the Inuzukas to meet you at the Forest of Death, and for the rest of the day, you will help them with your dragons as they do their examinations. Being the village's expert on animals and veterinary practices, I figured they would be best for that."

"And by examinations, you mean what?" Fred asked.

Kakashi frowned, not liking her suspicious tone. "Nothing unnecessary, if that's what you're afraid of," he assured her, his eyes narrowed on her as if daring her to suggest otherwise. He bobbed his head as he added, "But they are a new species, and therefore must be studied for their own health."

Fred turned to Lynne as if mentally asking if she believed him, and Lynne nodded. She turned back to Kakashi. "Alright," she acquiesced, consenting for the group.

"Good," Kakashi grinned under his mask. He did like when people didn't fight him on things. "I've postponed the Chunin exams a day, so the day after next, Shikamaru, you and Hinata will take over training these four in the afternoons after they are let out of school."

"But, Lord Kakashi," Shikamaru started to protest.

"And I am naming you in charge of their group," Kakashi added, ignoring the shadow ninja. "You are responsible for them, as well as keeping their abilities hidden, especially while the other Kage are in Konoha."

Shikamaru licked his lips, wanting to protest the wisdom of such an order, but it was clear Kakashi picked him for multiple reasons, and he wouldn't be swayed. "Yes sir," he huffed, then looked over to Rox with a frown and mumbling under his breath, "How troublesome."

"What about Cordi?" Rox asked worriedly. When Kakashi gestured for her to point out which one that was, she reiterated, "My sister. The one going to Suna."

Kakashi frowned, then asked with an unbothered shrug, "What about her?"

Rox set her jaw, not liking his careless attitude. "With Gaara and his siblings staying here an extra day, is she going to meet us with the Inuzukas?"

Kakashi shook his head blandly. "I'd say no. Lord Kazekage just called before you all arrived, stating both Cordi and her dragon are already on their way to Suna with an escort." Rox was immediately crestfallen with his answer.

"What?" Ronnie gasped. "Without saying goodbye?"

"She wouldn't do that," Lynne assured her.

"I doubt she had much say in the matter," Kakashi stated. "It was my understanding Gaara made the arrangements last night per his Council's orders."

"She would still try to say goodbye," Ronnie huffed, quickly diving her hand into her purse, digging through it, before pulling out her phone. She frowned disappointedly as she looked at the screen. "She tried to call," Ronnie told them.

Rox froze as her phone began to ring out, "YO' SIS! Pick up your phone! I'm calling you! Bitch better pick up her phone! Taking a long time to answer, Rox. If you don't, better call me back." Rox immediately recognized her sister's ringtone, which Cordi recorded after too much eggnog at the family Christmas party, and pulled her phone out of her pocket as she swiftly exited Kakashi's office, her friends following close behind as she answered. "Cordi?"

---

"Guess what!? You've reached Ronnie Buchanan's voicemail. Leave a message at the beep."

"Ronnie. It's Cordi. Gaara … I was sent to Suna before I could say goodbye. So this is me saying goodbye. I don't know the next time I'll be in Konoha. So I just wanted to say I love you all and I'll miss you. Bye."

"We're sorry. Lynne Belfoco is not available right now. Please leave a brief message at the tone."

"Lynne. It's Cordi. I was sent to Suna early, and I didn't get to say goodbye. So I love you and I'll miss you lots. And I promise to stay in touch. Bye."

"You've reached Winifred Buchanan's voicemail. Here comes the beep. Let's hope you know what to do with it."

"Fred. It's Cordi. Kankuro and I were sent back to Suna early, which by the way, Called It! I saw him coming out of your room this morning, so don't try to deny it either! Anyway, we left before I could say goodbye to everyone, so I just wanted to tell you all I love you and already miss you dearly. Goodbye."

Cordi paced along the lounge section of the first-class car, or as everyone here called it, the Daimyo's Car, as she searched through her cellphone contacts, just trying to reach one of her friends. None of her other friends answered, and Rox was at the bottom of her contacts list. The train was speeding at a brisk pace of roughly thirty miles an hour, and Kankuro relaxed on one of the sofas, watching Cordi move back and forth as she walked her little lap around the lounge. He had found time to repaint his face somewhere between packing and capturing Aleera.

"Will you stop?" he asked, his brow furrowed as his dark eyes followed her movements. "The train is moving. And with your shit balance, you could hurt yourself."

She frowned, "I do not have shit balance."

Kankuro made a face as he replied, "I thought you said that's why you were afraid of heights."

She shook her head with a scoff. "No, I said I didn't like being high up without knowing where my feet are. Big difference." She found her sister's number, then hit dial. "Plus, I've had a lot of practice walking on faster moving vehicles with buses and subways. Hell even planes," she dismissed, putting her phone to her ear as she listened to it ring. Kankuro frowned at her dismissal, not understanding what she could mean by that as she whispered into her phone, "Please pick-up. Please pick-up. Please pick-up."

"Cordi?"

"Rox!" she exclaimed, practically jumping she reached one of them. "Oh, thank God I got you."

"Kakashi told us you've already left for Suna. What happened?"

Cordi set her jaw, feeling the lump in her throat. "Gaara, that's what!" she spat, crossing her arms as if to hold herself together. "I'm sorry you guys. I thought I could trust him with the dragons—"

"Told you all that was a dumb idea!" one of the other girls barked so loud Cordi had to pull the phone away from her ear momentarily. It sounded like Fred. Apparently, Rox had her on speakerphone.

"Hush!" Rox hissed at whoever made the outburst.

"Well, with us traveling the desert, I figured it was my only option," Cordi explained to Fred defensively. She began pacing again as she continued, "Y'know, there isn't really any place to hide her in the desert. And I figured from the show, since the whole Naruto thing, Gaara was supposed to be trustworthy and honorable, but…"

"He is trustworthy and honorable," Kankuro cut in.

Cordi reeled on him, sneering as she snapped, "Today begs to differ!" Kankuro rolled his eyes with a shrug as he shrank back into his couch. She let out a sigh as she began to pace again. "Anyway, he told Kakashi about us, and the dragons. As well as the Suna Council, which I'm very pissed about, knowing how shady they are."

"Which, again, is part of his job," Kankuro added, picking at the dirt in his fingernails.

Cordi shot him a scathing look, as she continued, "The Council told him they wanted me and Aleera in Suna immediately. And he sent us on our way as soon as I got back to the hotel, like the Council's obedient lap dog."

"Hey," Kankuro barked, glaring tiredly at her. She stopped short, swallowing a small gulp under his tight scowl. "I know you're upset with Gaara, but you do not talk about it him like that."

Cordi pursed her lips and sucked on her teeth as she scowled back at the puppeteer. She looked away, feeling her eyes stinging with tears again. She was upset with Gaara. She was more upset with herself for trusting him, but it was easier to take her anger and hurt out on the absent Kazekage. She needed her anger directed at someone else, because her friends weren't there to calm her down like always. She needed them. To back her up in her anger. Not dismiss her hurt as a menial problem to suck up, like Kankuro was trying to do. It was better for her to have someone remind her she's above it. Someone to hug her and tell her "We'll get through this together."

Kankuro was as comforting as a wet blanket in winter in this regard. She needed her friends. She hated feeling like this. Alone. Heading to a city where no one would understand her like her friends in Konoha. Where she'd have no one to lean on. No one to trust. She thought she'd have that in Gaara, but, clearly, she was mistaken.

She stuffed her hurt feelings down. She couldn't cry here. "He could have at least let me say goodbye," she huffed around the lump in her throat.

Kankuro nodded with that, licking his lips as he muttered, "Yes. He could have done that."

"I'm sorry, Sis," Rox sighed over the line. "I can't believe he'd betray you like that." Cordi snorted bitterly at her sister's remark. Rox did tell Cordi that this wasn't some Beauty and the Beast scenario. That Gaara now was probably as good a person he was going to be, and she shouldn't expect more from him. It was Cordi's fault she didn't take the advice to heart.

"You want me to string him up by his toes?" Fred asked, Ronnie cheering behind her to second the motion. Cordi laughed at that. "You know I could do it. Easily! We all could."

"No, that's not necessary," Cordi laughed, rubbing her eye gently. "I can fight my own battles."

"Still," Fred grumbled.

"Are you going to be ok?" Rox asked, her voice earnest.

Cordi sighed. Wasn't that a good question? It was a question she'd been asking herself since she stepped on the train and saw it pull away from the station. But she didn't want her sister to worry. It wouldn't do any good. "I'll be fine. You know me. I always land on my feet." She looked up, pausing from her pacing, and faced the door to the luggage car. She sighed as she thought about Aleera in the luggage car, drugged and tied down. She felt guilt gnawing at her from that too. She cleared her throat as she added, "I just wish I got to warn you all, and say goodbye before I left."

"Well, I read Kakashi and Shikamaru's minds earlier, and I believe their intentions are good and clear. Kakashi is planning on keeping his research on us in house and close to the chest," Lynne stated.

"Yeah, I think we'll be fine, Cordi," Rox assured her. "He's got the Inuzuka's doing the research on the … uhm … Smaugs in their own habitat. So, they aren't being shipped off, and it doesn't look like we're being separated like we feared."

Cordi laughed at Rox's codename. Since the fourth day after their arrival, they realized they couldn't just outright say "dragon" in public or in general mixed company. So they'd substitute it for famous pop-culture dragons, like Mushu or Puff. The only time Cordi had been a little lost by the substitution was when Lynne called them "Falkors."

She was happy they weren't being so adversely affected. Yes, they'd be studied, but they'd be together. Not isolated like Cordi suspected she might be. Maybe Gaara hadn't completely misspoken. This might just be the best option for her friends, but Cordi's outlooks still remained to be seen. "Then I guess just the goodbye," Cordi sighed, again crossing her arms around her tightly.

"We're hugging you through the phone!" Lynne called over her friends. "I hope you can feel it!"

Cordi tightened her hand at her side, squeezing her arm into her, almost simulating the hug for herself. "I miss you all already," she sniffled, losing her battle to not cry.

"We miss you too!" Ronnie said.

"I expect a phone call once a week. Just like when I was at school," Rox said quickly, her voice slightly broken as if she was holding back tears herself. "And if one week you don't call, I will march down to Suna myself to make sure you're alright. Do you hear me?"

Cordi laughed. "Yes."

"She won't be alone, either!" Lynne added. Fred and Ronnie concurred behind her.

Cordi laughed again. This was exactly what she needed.

"So, just to count," Rox added with a bitter chuckle, "that will be four very angry Smaug ladies bearing down on Suna if you need us."

Cordi smiled as she said, "Yes. I got it."

"Well, make sure the Sand siblings know too," Rox added. "I'd hate for them to think they're safe from us being a couple thousand miles away."

"Yeah. Tell whichever one of them is traveling with you that if there's any more fuckery afoot, their ass is grass," Fred declared.

Cordi let out a snort, garnering Kankuro's attention as she said, "You know it's Kankuro, Fred."

"Well you tell him what I said!" she declared indignantly.

"What about me?" Kankuro asked.

Cordi gave him a bitter smile as she said, "Fred wanted me to tell you, and I am quoting, that if there's any more fuckery afoot, in regards to me, you and your siblings' collective ass is grass, according to her."

Kankuro rolled his eyes with a smirk. "I'll keep that in mind."

Cordi repeated what he said, and Fred scoffed, "He better."

"Look, Cordi, we gotta' run. We have to meet up with the Inuzukas to help with the Smaugs," Rox explained.

"I get it," Cordi sighed. "I'll talk to you all later. I love you guys."

"We love you too!" they all called back.

"Bye…"

"BYE!"

Cordi hung up, tucking her phone back in her pocket. She kind of flopped onto the couch opposite Kankuro, twisting herself around and propping her head on the back of the sofa with her arms under her chin, watching the scenery go by. They'd been on the train not even an hour, and it was surrounded by predominately forests with the occasional stretch of fields or meadows. When they first got on and had their tickets taken, the conductor had stated the ride was two and a half days. She wasn't sure how long it was after her phone call that the silence was interrupted by one of the train's attendants saying, "Lunch is ready in the dining car."

"Thanks," Kankuro replied, standing up. When Cordi didn't move, Kankuro nodded for the other ninjas to go get their lunches while he stood behind her. "Cordi. It's time to go eat."

"I'm not hungry," Cordi replied.

"You need your strength," Kankuro reasoned. "This is a very long journey."

"I said I'm not hungry," Cordi insisted.

"And I'm saying that's bullshit," Kankuro countered. He huffed as he said, "Look, I agree. Gaara could have handled this a whole lot better." She turned slightly toward him. "But he is the Kazekage. And being the Kazekage means he can't just turn a blind eye to something big like this." She set her jaw and looked down as she fingered the hem of her jeans. "Kakashi wasn't forthcoming about you girls to the other Kage at the Summit, which Gaara respected. But dragons that might rival the size of the tailed beasts? Mysterious powers that seem to be limitless and not chakra-based? Of course he told Kakashi what was going on. They're Konoha citizens for the time-being. And being Hokage, Kakashi should be aware of what's going on in his own village, especially with his own ninja, which they are training to be."

Cordi still didn't answer.

Kankuro sighed. "As for the Suna Council, yes they are shady in more levels than I think you know. But Gaara still reports to them, as well as the Wind Daimyo, who is also just as shady. As well as more clueless, but that's besides the point." He stepped over to try and get her to look at him, leaning on the column between the lounge's sofas. "I don't think it's the same in Konoha, but the Kazekage cannot make big decisions like adding someone to the Kazekage quarters without their blessing." She looked at Kankuro confused as he nodded curtly saying, "So yes. He had to tell them you were coming. As for Aleera, you cannot expect that he would put the safety of his own citizens behind something as unknown as a dragon."

"He could've trusted me with her," Cordi stated.

"Cordi," he laughed, gesturing to the luggage car where Aleera was currently in a drug induced coma, "it's a dragon." He crossed his arms as he scoffed, "The fact he's arranged with the Council for you to keep her in the village's walls means he trusts you. More than I would, if I'm to be honest." She shot another scowl at him, but he continued, "Just think about it. That dragon might rival a tailed beast in size once it's full grown, and he's letting you keep it in Suna's walls. That is a lot of trust he's giving you for only having known you for two weeks." He pursed his lips, then added with a shrug, "Not to mention, the fact you have a dragon might have been a good convincing factor to getting the Council to agree to letting you live with us without expectations of romantic entanglements."

Cord frowned. "Why would the Council expect romantic entanglements?" She remembered the first night them arguing about if Gaara had invited her to live with them with the expectation of Kankuro bedding her, but she didn't understand why.

He winced before stating, "The answer's a little involved to explain fully."

"We're on a train for two days, so…" Cordi countered, gesturing for him to explain away.

He rolled his eyes, then answered with a huff, "Because the Council made it clear that they felt Gaara or I needed to get married and have some kids, which neither of us is remotely ready for. All to keep the succession of Kazekage line intact and prevent a war between Konoha and Suna, since Temari was going to marry Shikamaru, meaning their children would be the sole heir to the Kazekage title as well as Nara clan leader." Kankuro finished his explanation with a curt nod.

Cordi made a face, turning to him completely. "Lynne mentioned Temari mentally ranting about a hypothetical baby peace treaty. I thought that was the extent of it."

Kankuro shook his head with a laugh. "No, they arranged for Gaara to get married a couple months ago, which blew up spectacularly." He smirked as he said, "Tried to get me first but, I was able to finesse my way out of it."

Cordi gawked at him. "Are you telling me Gaara was engaged?"

Kankuro licked his lips and nodded as he mumbled, "Kind of." He crossed his arms as he clarified, "It was an arranged betrothal, which imploded at the marriage meeting when the girl in question used the cover of a coup to run away with her lover." Cordi steepled her hands over her mouth to cover her shocked gaping. Kankuro pointed an accusing finger at her as he said, "You are not to say a word to Gaara that you know about this. Understood?"

Cordi nodded blankly as she breathed, "Absolutely. I-I'm just shocked." She blinked as she tried to fit this new information to what she already knew about the Kazekage. "I didn't think he was the type to get pushed into that type of position."

Kankuro shrugged as he said, "Well, the Council did blindside him with it. Which is probably why when they brought it up again, he invented his girlfriend story."

Cordi pursed her lips, wanting to say, "It's not a story. She's real, and her name is Matsuri." But she couldn't bring herself to tell Kankuro he'd been schtupping his brother's secret girlfriend. Kankuro, despite his sexual habits, was a good man who loved his brother. If he knew the reality, he would probably never be able to talk to his brother again from the shame or guilt. She couldn't do that to him. Matsuri was the one tricking them both, and therefore should be the one to tell them. So, Cordi stayed silent, looking away from Kankuro to resist her urge to blab.

Kankuro sighed and added, "Honestly, I feel for him. I don't think he's as averse to the idea of marriage as I am, but he's clearly clueless when it comes to romantic relationships. He didn't even notice Temari being in love with Shikamaru until they announced their engagement." He scoffed at the last addition, then frowned as if realizing he'd said more than his brother would ever admit, and he asked, "Why were we talking about this again?"

Cordi pursed her lips, then replied, "Something about the Council needing to ok me staying with you all without expecting romantic entanglements. Also about how the Council kind of decides all the minutia of Gaara's life, since he's the Kazekage."

"Right," Kankuro huffed, shaking his head. "Being the Kazekage means every decision he makes must be verified by the Council before there can be any follow through. Especially when it comes to situations like your own."

Cordi looked at him skeptically. "What do you mean, 'like my own'?" she scoffed. "Do ya'll have otherworldly people show up regularly on your doorstep?"

"No," Kankuro replied, rolling his eyes. "But, like any other immigrant ninja coming to Suna, there is protocol and paperwork both Gaara and the Council have to jump through to make them full-fledged Suna ninja. Your unique situation only adds to that, because you are not a native to any country in this world, and whether you can be a ninja or not remains to be seen." Kankuro sighed, rubbing his forehead as he grumbled, "Look, if you still want to be mad at Gaara, fine. Just come eat lunch. We skipped breakfast because we were packing, so you have to be hungry. It's also better for you to keep your strength up, because when we arrive in Suna, I guarantee some Council members are going to seek you out to assess you. And the opinions they make of you then will seriously impact what happens to you once Gaara comes back."

Cordi chewed on the inside of her cheek, thinking it over. Kankuro had made some good points, she'd admit. Gaara's position did mean he couldn't just be a normal friend for her. In some capacity, he'll likely be her boss, or maybe even seen as some sort of quasi guardian, since she still wasn't technically an adult. It was still too early to forgive what he did, but she was beginning to understand why he did it. She didn't like tricking Aleera, and drugging her for the ride, but to prevent the other Kage from catching on, there wasn't really another way to get Aleera through Konoha and loaded on a train. And if Gaara really did have to run everything by the Council first, then the fact he hadn't mentioned her to them until she showed him Aleera had to mean something, right? That he didn't just throw her to the wolves without careful consideration of everything she had told him. That if she didn't have powers and a dragon, it was possible he wouldn't have said anything to the Council, and just allowed her to stay with him and his siblings until it was time to return to her home world. It was foolish to think those two things wouldn't affect his position or responsibilities.

Finally, she stood in silent agreement to follow Kankuro to the dining car. Kankuro sat them at a table with two other jonin, while the table across the walkway had the rest of their escort. One was a medical ninja, a woman named Ameno, who was monitoring Aleera's vitals, even though the dragon was a little out of her element. She had dark brown hair and caramel colored eyes, and a figure similar to Cordi's except two inches shorter, and wore a white kimono style dress that ended at her mid-thigh, tied closed at her waist with a red obi, and black spandex capris underneath.

She sat with her teammates, Koji and Shishio, who Cordi learned were her genin teammates as well. Shishio looked odd with the other two, with his long greasy almost purple hair, sunken cheeks and permanent scowl. Apparently, he was a formidable sensory and barrier ninja, but his waif-like stature would not give that away. He was only a couple inches taller than Cordi, and his body build was wirey, and through his black eyes Cordi could tell he was shrewd in nature, which was also apparent in his standard Suna flak jacket uniform, shoulder pads and all. Koji on the other hand was his exact opposite. He had classic heartthrob looks with lavender eyes and messy dark blond hair. His flak jacket was only half zipped up with a black t-shirt underneath, black pants tucked into his black ninja boots, and gloves. At full height, he probably easily reached six feet, being the second tallest of the group with Kankuro coming in close third.

The other team traveling with them was led by a woman named Maki, whose light brown hair peeked out from under her head wrap, and greenish hazel eyes reflected her smiling demeanor. Her subordinates were both men, Ketteimaru and Yamishi. Ketteimaru looked rather similar to Maki that Cordi assumed they were related somehow. Maybe not brother and sister, but likely at least cousins. He didn't have the purple markings on his face like she did, but his hair was a similar color and texture, also peeking out from under his head wrap, and his eyes, although dark brown, were the same shape as hers, as was his bone structure. He was only slightly taller than Maki, which was still a couple inches taller than Cordi herself. Yamishi was the tallest in their group, easily towering in at well over six feet. He was also the most intimidating, with his bald head covered with what looked like a do-rag with his forehead protector attached to it, as well as large reflective sunglasses preventing Cordi from getting a good look at his eyes. He was also bulky in the muscles department, and his general look reminded Cordi a lot of a less cheerful, more angrily stoic Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. When she saw him, she laughed and said to herself, "Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?" only to earn several confused glances, which she waved off with a small, "Don't mind me. Just a joke my friends would get."

Out of all of them, Maki was the most welcoming. She sat with Kankuro and Cordi, and gently tried to prod Cordi into opening up about herself. Cordi indulged her a little, telling her that she'd never been to the deserts back home in her own country, which spawned an interesting discussion. She also talked about her small hometown in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She mentioned her brother, sister and parents, and her schooling. She explained she had been planning to study law, but had taken several classes like psychology, genetics, and anatomy, which wouldn't have helped her that much in her final degree.

After a while, Ameno excused herself as the waiter took her empty plate. "I need to check on the dragon's vitals," she murmured as she dabbed a napkin along the corner of her mouth.

Cordi shot up at that. "Can I go with you?" Kankuro grumbled she should finish her half-eaten BLT, but Cordi ignored him, already maneuvering out of the booth to join the medical ninja.

Ameno frowned as if she preferred to work alone, but gave a curt nod, and Cordi joined her. Cordi followed her back to the luggage car and took in Aleera strapped down with her paws underneath her, and her wings pressed against her body. A couple IVs were attached to her front left leg, filling her not only with necessary fluids and nutrients, but also drugs to keep her sedated for the ride. Cordi could hear her make the occasional snore as Ameno stepped around the large creature and picked up a laptop. She clacked away at some stuff, Cordi was sure she was just making notes of Aleera's vitals shown on the computer. A sensor was attached to Aleera's neck that kept track of her breathing, heartrate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure.

They remained in silence for a while as Ameno did her work, and Cordi worried about her dragon, wondering if Aleera would hate her when she woke. She remembered vividly how that morning, Cordi stood in a clearing next to a gate at the Forest of Death, and mentally called Aleera to her. She petted her head as she told her it was time for them to go, and to be still. Ameno and her team had then shot Aleera with several sedatives, and the dragon collapsed as Cordi cried her apologies over her. She knelt by her head, rubbing her forehead along her scales. They were surprisingly silky if rubbed the right way. She felt guilt gnaw at her heart seeing Aleera in such a state. While she could understand the necessity of drugging Aleera, she still didn't like it. "How's she doing?" Cordi asked.

Ameno looked at the fire user with an appraising frown, before stating, "Honestly, I'm not sure. Almost nothing is known about dragons. So anything I could tell you could only be estimates at best." She sighed, scratching the base of her skull, where her hairline met her neck as she added, "Not to mention, I'm a doctor, not a veterinarian."

Cordi pursed her lips, understanding the kunoichi's frustration. Dragons were completely out of this woman's element. She understood that. But Cordi also got a sense that Ameno was also a bit suspicious of her. Since getting Aleera on the train, Ameno had only regarded Cordi with slightly concealed contempt. Cordi could also understand this. She was a strange woman the Kazekage seemed to trust, even though it didn't feel like it to Cordi. It was especially strange since nothing was known about her, with her strange powers and a strange beast. She was a complete unknown to them.

But as the guardian of the medical ninja's current patient, the distancing Ameno put between them was annoying. "Still," Cordi huffed, chewing on her bottom lip, "What can you tell me?"

Ameno crossed her arms, not looking at Cordi as she grumbled something along the lines of, "No point in telling you."

"What?" Cordi asked, acting like she didn't hear the medical kunoichi clearly.

Ameno cleared her throat, then stated, "Her heart rate is steady, at forty-five beats per minute, which according to the Kyoshi family, who I am recording this for and reporting it to in Suna, is standard for a non-aquatic lizard this size. Her oxygen levels are also stable it seems like. And she doesn't seem to be having any adverse reactions to the drugs." She shrugged as she went back to her laptop. "Generally speaking, she seems healthy, but given she's only been under three hours and dragons haven't been studied before, that could change. I'm scheduled to check on her once an hour for the first six hours, then the rest of the day once every three hours. Tomorrow every twelve."

Cordi quietly nodded her understanding, placing her hand on Aleera's brow and petting along her scales as she replied, "Thank you."

Ameno scoffed, setting her jaw as she took in Cordi petting her dragon. "I should be clear," Ameno started, stepping towards her and crossing her arms, "I don't trust you."

"I gathered," Cordi half smirked, half sneered. Her remark took Ameno by surprise, and Cordi laughed inwardly. Apparently, she thought she was being discreet.

Thrown off by the comment, Ameno dropped her arms awkwardly, then said, "Well, uhm …" clearly having lost the speech she'd planned.

"I don't care," Cordi stated, her dark eyes landing on Ameno's and piercing into her as if she were staring deep into her soul. "As long as you abide by the same ethical standard doctors are held to in my world, which is that any patient under your care receives the best treatment you can provide. Your patient in this case being Aleera."

Ameno was taken aback again. "Are you insinuating I would purposefully harm her?"

Cordi stood, her expression candid, "Isn't that where you were going? You did start out by telling me you don't trust me."

Ameno frowned, "It wasn't exactly."

"Ah," Cordi grunted, shifting her stance as she looked away. But it was close, she filled in.

"What I meant to say is I don't trust you. But Lord Kazekage has given me an order to be the medical ninja of this envoy, and I will follow it to the letter," Ameno corrected, standing straighter as she said it, puffing her chest a little as well. "And even though I do not understand or yet agree with it, I acknowledge that you have earned Lord Gaara's trust, and I will honor that."

Cordi laughed. Trust. First Kankuro, now Ameno declared Gaara's trust in her. It seemed laughable.

"And if you prove to have manipulated Lord Gaara, I will be the first volunteer to take you down," Ameno finished. She frowned as Cordi's mirthful smile and chuckles escaped her lips. "What?" Ameno asked, confused by Cordi's chuckle.

"Nothing," Cordi replied. "Just first Kankuro, and now you, mentioned Gaara putting his trust in me." She shook her head as she said, "It just seems funny, because it doesn't feel like trust to me. And from what I know of Gaara, it's near impossible to manipulate him."

She raised an eyebrow at that, then stated, "Clearly it is trust, as there's no other basis for letting you into our village. It's especially odd since you clearly don't give him the respect of calling Lord Gaara by his title." She shrugged as she stepped closer, then said, "That would suggest you are close to him. Close enough to cloud his judgement." Ameno brushed past her muttering, "Closer than any foreign woman should be." The way she said "woman" sounded eerily like the word "whore." Ameno sneered as she finished, "Maybe that's something the Council would be interested in."

Cordi gawked at that as Ameno left the car, shutting the door behind her. She wanted to snap back that it wasn't friendship that stopped her from using his title as Lord, but habit. That where she was from, all men were created equal under God, and Lords weren't much of a thing there. But it wouldn't do any good. She'd long learned people make their judgements, and despite any arguments to the contrary, people would believe what they wanted. And if Ameno wanted to see the Kazekage giving someone special treatment, she would if it fit with the plausible narrative she created.

She set her teeth as she sat back down next to her dragon. No, it was perfectly clear. Suna was not going to welcome her with open arms, but with fake smiles and hidden daggers.

---

"Thank you for arriving so promptly," Lord Kakashi stated as the Inuzuka's made their way to Gate twelve of the Forest of Death. The Hokage frowned as he counted two extra among them, and asked, "You've brought Shippo and Mimiko? I thought I'd made it clear this was top secret."

Shippo was two years younger than Kiba's mother, and married a Senju woman when Kiba was a toddler. Their marriage had been the only happy marriage he'd observed in the Inuzuka clan, which his mother attributed to Shippo being a complete beta male without any backbone. He was a man who doted on his wife. Shippo had occasionally helped out at the vet, but Kiba's mom didn't appreciate his help all that much. He didn't have the stomach for it, she said. He was much more into breeding and training. He worked with the police force on occasion, but wasn't a regular officer. In his off time, he ran an obedience school. Kiba had seen Mimiko helping out at the obedience school, and she was usually the one to bring in their dogs if any of them had been injured. She always seemed interested in what went on at the vet, but was always sheepish when Tsume talked to her.

Each Inuzuka brought their dogs. Hana had her three ninken. Tsume had her wolfish Kuromaru running next to her. Kiba had Akamaru galloping along with him. Shippo and Mimiko had their dogs, Hanten and Gine. Hanten was a beagle collie mix with short white fur and large black spots. Gine was a white and gold husky mix with silvery blue eyes.

Tsume crossed her arms as she growled challengingly, "You asked me to bring the tracking devices we put in our ninja dogs." She jutted her thumb at Kiba's Uncle Shippo as she stated, "Shippo handles that."

Kakashi waved her off, muttering, "I guess it doesn't matter. They're here now. So it can't be helped."

"What exactly is so sensitive in the Forest of Death, Kakashi?" Kiba asked, annoyed his mom woke him up early to help pack all the vet tools, which he then was ordered to cart down here. If he was frank, the Forest of Death was the only place in Konoha he was still uncomfortable being around. It stirred memories of his first Chunin Exam he felt were better left forgotten.

Kakashi's gaze flicked to him as he said, "I'll get to that." He cleared his throat as he turned to the forest and stated, "Two weeks ago, we had some new arrivals from another world enter Konoha."

Kiba frowned, his stomach unsettled by Kakashi's tone. "You mean Ronnie Buchanan and her friends?"

Kakashi shot him a discerning look as he asked, "You've met them?"

"Ronnie got a job at our vet a little over a week ago," Tsume explained, shooting her son a rueful expression. Kiba blushed under his mother's knowing gaze. "But she was fired two days ago for …" she cleared her throat before finishing, "unprofessional behavior."

Kakashi shot a curious expression at Tsume, then chanced a quick look at Kiba, who was blushing hard and looking towards the treeline. "Oh," Kakashi grunted. He pursed his lips under his mask, filing Kiba's reaction to his mother's statement away. "Well, since their arrival," the Hokage continued, "they manifested powers and have come into possession of some animals that will need to be studied."

Tsume frowned. "What kind of animals? Dogs? Cats?"

"Dragons," Kakashi answered blandly.

Kiba balked at the Hokage's blunt answer, his jaw hanging open in disbelief. He looked at his sister and saw Hana also had a similar expression, and their mother's eyebrows were raised to her hairline. "I'm sorry. Did you say dragons?" Shippo asked, his hand raised and the only one who could clearly put thought into words.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, dragons," Kakashi clarified. "Hence the status of this mission being top secret." Kakashi then began to explain that all five girls received dragons, and that one was already headed to Suna from Kakashi and Gaara's agreement upon the girls' arrival. He explained that Gaara and his council had already arranged for the fifth dragon to be examined there, with the research they make from studying it being shared directly with the Hokage and the Inuzukas, who were now being tasked with studying the remaining four. "Shikamaru should be arriving shortly with the young women who will take you to their dragons. This mission does not have a set end, as I'll need you to find and document all you can about this new species. It is also to remain top secret until further notice. No one outside of those designated is to know of their existence. Is that understood?"

Tsume gave a respectful nod first, then Hana, Shippo and Mimiko. Kiba could only manage a vague head bobble of understanding, but was still so confused. Dragons. They were real? And how had Ronnie and her friends kept them hidden from the whole village? He looked at the Forest of Death, realizing how brave they were for sneaking the dragons in there to begin with. Brave or stupid.

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Inuzukas to discuss amongst themselves if they were ready for such a mission or what they thought of the situation. Kiba remained silent, just trying to wrestle his thoughts on how Ronnie could just keep quiet about such a thing with how often they had talked the past week. This was huge. His heart plummeted when he realized this indefinite mission meant he was supposed to be working with Ronnie forever now. He didn't know if he should feel elated or sick. Is this what it was like whenever Hinata saw Naruto? he mused.

Ever since that day, he couldn't look at her without feeling some shame. He was an idiot. It was something he reminded himself of everyday when he thought about how things went down. He almost fucked her in a kennel. Where his mom was working, to boot. What was wrong with him? He should have just asked her out. Why didn't he do that instead? Well, the answer was simple as well as stupid, he realized later. He didn't want Tamaki hurt seeing him so soon with another girl. It stupid because she would be hurt regardless. He knew she loved him way more than he did her. And it wasn't right to string her along, knowing one day she wanted to get married and start a family, and he never saw that in the cards for them.

But then, after he blew it with Ronnie, he went and slept with Tamaki, regretting everything. It was another spectacularly bonehead move on his part. He knew it was wrong. He was keeping her on the hook when he knew he needed to let her go. Holding her back as his safety net to bolster him against any hatred Ronnie might harbor for him. But while having sex with Tamaki, he realized he'd rather be heart-brokenly and idiotically pining for a woman who probably hated him than ever settle for Tamaki's embrace again.

The problem was, whenever he saw Ronnie, he just couldn't shove down his pride enough to apologize for how he wronged her. And he needed to. He knew he had to apologize for his behavior and his role in getting her fired. But he could never bring himself to say those two simple words when he saw her. He was starting suspect that the reason why he couldn't was because deep down, he wasn't truly sorry. He was in love with an angel he didn't deserve, and he couldn't bring himself to regret that taste of happiness.

With every passing minute waiting to for the girls to arrive, waiting to see Ronnie again, his stomach twisted, and his heart pounded as his mind swirled. It was torture. Even when Shikamaru came into view, escorting the four otherworldly girls to the gate, before they led them on a hike into the forest. Kiba felt his heart seize when he saw her. He did his best to stay focused on the task at hand, staying as far as possible from her until he could get his thoughts in order. Until he could think of something to say to her. Not just anything to say to her, but the right thing. Whatever would erase the horrible guilt he felt without damning anything they could have further.

Deep in the Forest of Death, not too far from gate twelve at the south eastern border of the forest, where the river forked two to three miles in, the girls greeted their dragons, introducing them to the ninjas. The feathered dragon with iridescent lavender and silver plumage was the first in the clearing. His wings were large, and his feet were scaled. The edge of his tail fanned out with large feathers, likely to help him fly better, if Kiba had to guess. On his head were silver horns just starting to twist up. He belonged to Roxanne, the girl Kiba had heard Shikamaru had recently gone on a couple dates with. Shikamaru stared in resolute awe as she introduced her dragon to him, patting her dragon's neck as his feathers bristled. "This is Gryffin," she offered to the ninjas.

At first, Gryffin growled at the intrusive ninjas until Rox said, "Hush. Be nice to our friends here."

"They took Aleera away," he growled, his claws digging into the dirt menacingly.

"Cordi was leaving for Suna," Rox corrected, petting his feathered neck calmingly. "Aleera had to go with her."

"When will we see her again?" another dragon asked as it made its way into the clearing, her voice more effeminate compared to Gryffin. This one looked like a standard western dragon, with small brown antlers, large leathery wings and iridescent scales. She had a cream-white belly, but was predominantly greenish brown with black markings on her face and down her spine and body that were reminiscent of a python, ending at the tip of her tail where what looked like a large bludgeoning type weapon formed, which was painted in blood. Her coloring was perfect to blend into a forest. If she hadn't spoken, they wouldn't have known she was there until she was standing inches from them in the clearing. Her eyes were yellowy green and piercing as the light shined one her, glittering against her scales. Blood dripped from her sharp teeth and chin from this morning's kill.

Fred stepped forward, reaching her hand out, which the dragon pressed its nose against. "We aren't sure. But we will," Fred answered, scratching at her dragon's nose gently. "I promise." She cleared her throat, turning to the group as she offered, "Everyone, this is Cherokee. Cherokee, these people are going to help us make sure you all are healthy."

Kiba couldn't help himself as the dragon's gaze roved over them. He gestured to his chin and asked, "Excuse me, but what is that?"

Cherokee's tongue flicked out for a second, tasting the blood on her chin. She grunted contentedly as she plopped down comfortably, licking at her claws as she replied, "A rather large snake thought I'd make a good breakfast. He was sorely mistaken."

"Good to know," Kiba chirped.

Gryffin perked up at Cherokee's mention of breakfast, and asked, "There was breakfast?"

"Yes," another dragon chimed, his voice deep and gravelly, sounding ancient and wise. A white dragon's head dipped down beneath the leafy ceiling. His eyes were silver, matching his whiskers lining his upper lip and jaw-line. His scales shimmered as his body dipped further down, showing his long snake-like body, four small legs that reached for the ground as he stretched down. Silver hair stretched from his brow down to his tail along his spine. "You would have gotten some had you not sprinted off as soon as Aleera left."

Gryffin bristled. "I did not sprint!"

"Uh-huh," Cherokee laughed, turning to the feathered dragon with a toothy grin, "Like some love-sick hatchling in spring."

"I am not love-sick," Gryffin hissed, stepping toward her menacingly as his wings flapped a little, puffing himself up. "We were in the middle of a fight that she picked when she just flew off. I can't abide someone leaving in the middle of a fight."

"Denial is not becoming, Gryf," the new dragon laughed.

Gryffin scowled at the other white dragon. "Y'know, Saryu," he growled, "when you use big words, you don't sound smarter. You just sound like a pompous jerk." Rox petted Gryffin's feathers to calm him, and he began to settle. The newer dragon scoffed at the Gryffin's sour tone as his body spiraled around itself comfortably, resting his head on his shoulder.

Hana stepped towards Saryu, her gaze appraising, as if measuring the dragon with her eyes. "Their vocabulary is astounding. Lord Hokage said they are two weeks old?"

"They hatched talking," Rox clarified, still petting Gryffin's feathers along his chest. "Within a few hours, they could speak full sentences without issue."

"They're really smart," Lynne filled in.

"Fascinating," Hana breathed. She reached out, offering her hand as if to an unsteady horse. Saryu puffed air, his eyes boring into hers. It was a look the girls recognized from Lynne when she read their minds. Saryu was doing the same. He closed his eyes, then nudged his nose forward, connecting with her proffered hand. Hana smiled, and rubbed his nose.

"Alright!" Tsume barked, shifting her weight. "Kiba, Shippo, pick a dragon. We need to get started. Mimiko, prep the trackers."

Shippo gave a resolute nod, and stepped towards the dragon closest to him, Gryffin. Hana already got to work on the long white dragon Gryffin called Saryu, with Lynne stepping close to her. Tsume stepped over towards Cherokee and Fred, a smirk on her face as if looking at a kindred spirit. That left one for Kiba. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, realizing he'd be settled with Ronnie's dragon who was yet to appear. He turned to order Akamaru to his heel, only to realize Akamaru was already belly up at Ronnie's feet. Kiba gawked at his dog realizing that was likely why his family took the other dragons. His gaze scanned back to his family. His mother was focused on looking over Cherokee. His gaze caught Hana's briefly, and he remembered the previous evening.

Once Hana returned from her mission last night only to be greeted with their mother's sour mood, Kiba told her about Ronnie's short stint at the vet. Then his awkward dismissal yesterday, because Tamaki was running a kitten adoption booth at the fair, and he didn't want to hurt the cat trainer's feelings showing up with a new girl two days after sleeping with her. Hana listened generously and without judgement, and reserved her questions until the end, of which there were only two: "Does Akamaru like her?" and "Is pursuing her worth the wrath he might incur from their mother?" He answered yes to both, and clarified he'd never felt so strongly for someone before. When Hana looked skeptical, he told her that despite Hinata's claims of falling in love with Naruto at first sight, he always thought it was bullshit. But after meeting Ronnie he understood. That Akamaru's dislike of Tamaki made it clear to him that they'd never be anything serious. But with Ronnie, Akamaru acted like he liked her better than Kiba himself. Hana shrugged and said, "Well, maybe Akamaru knows your heart better than you do." The comment was wise, and he realized he should have noticed that sooner.

"I've made a mess of things, haven't I?" he laughed self-depricatingly.

Hana smiled, giving him a small shrug. "Yes," she said, "but if it's meant to be, it will work itself out." She stood from the table, pausing at the door in the kitchen and told him, "Whatever you choose, I'll back you up. Mom will come around too."

Now, Hana petted Saryu as she gave him a reassuring smile, mouthing, "Go for it."

He chanced a look over to the young woman, feeling sheepish. "If it's meant to be, it will work itself out," he heard his sister echo from last night. She smiled back at him, but it was clear there was some hurt glimmering in her eyes. He cleared his throat as he stepped over towards her. "Uhm, hey," he grunted, scratching the back of his head.

"Hey," she replied, equally unsteady.

They stayed quiet for moment before simultaneously apologizing, only to stop together to listen to what the other had to say. She let out a small chuckle as he blushed and looked away. "You go first," she offered, fiddling with her middle finger.

"No, you," he insisted, shaking his head. "I'm still trying to figure out how to say what I need to say." Ronnie gave him a pained sorry expression, and he felt his heart sink.

"Ok," she breathed, crossing her arms and chewing on the inside of her lip. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I think I came on too strongly and pressured you into an uncomfortable position …"

"No," Kiba interrupted, stepping closer to her. "You came on just right." He blushed as he realized what he said, and cursed himself. "What I mean is …" he paused as he licked his lips, finally settling on, "I like you. Like a lot." He winced as he said it, knowing blunt was probably not the best route to take but he didn't know what would be better. He awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away with a blush. "I didn't handle it well. Part of that was timing. Part of it was … I don't know, I guess I never felt as connected to someone like I did you, and it scared me a little."

She was blushed and averted her eyes. He thought that was a good sign. He hoped it was at least.

"Can you forgive my idiocy?" he asked.

She licked her lips, then answered, "Only if you can forgive mine." He frowned at her answer, and she blushed more as she said, "I need to be honest with you. When I came into the vet that day, I did have an ulterior motive for being there other than working for a vet." He felt his heart skip a beat at her confession. "You were my favorite character from the show. At the time, we thought our stay here was a temporary thing, and I had one goal for while I was here. To have at least one magical evening with you." Now he was confused. What was she apologizing for? She shook her head as she said, "It wasn't until talking with Cordi last night on how different things were going to be for her in Suna than she expected did it hit that this is real, and you aren't just some character from a show. You have a life that I just crashed into and expected everything to go my way."

Kiba shook his head, still confused. "And?"

She frowned, "And I shouldn't have pursued you like a piece of meat. I should have gotten to know you beyond what was in the show, you know, as a person, because you're worth it."

Kiba stepped closer eying her carefully. He could appreciate what she was saying, but something from her explanation stuck in him. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he asked, "So, when you say you had an ulterior motive, you mean you didn't want the job at the vet?"

Ronnie looked down slightly ashamed as she answered, "I wanted a reason to talk to you on a daily basis, with the plan of seducing you."

"So, you aren't mad about the kiss?" he asked. It was the one thing he'd been dreading since that day.

She looked over his shoulder towards his family and her friends looking over the other dragons. "If it was just us here, I'd be having my way with you right here right now," she answered in a quiet tone only he could hear. He raised a curious eyebrow at the statement and she added, "Honestly, I would. And that's the problem. I'm so physically attracted to you, my gut instinct is to grope you first and ask questions later." She winced as she said in a slight after thought, "I should note, I've never felt like that with anyone. Usually it takes me a little while before I feel comfortable with someone new enough to feel like that. But you, it was immediate."

Kiba smiled at that, showing off his fangs with a toothy grin. "Me too," he chuckled quietly. "I've never had a girl occupy my thoughts as much as you have since I saw you walk into our lobby the first time." He chewed his lower lip as he chanced to reach out for her hand, then thought better off it, scratching his head as he stepped closer to her. This was his chance, he realized. "Then maybe we shouldn't fight it."

She frowned her shock before a weird, nervous smile came to her face. "Right here?"

"Not right now," Kiba laughed. "Tomorrow. After the first two rounds of the exams. Let me take you to dinner, and let's see where the night goes."

She licked her lips with a small blush as she looked at her feet. "I'd like that," she answered. She reached for his hand as she said, "I'd like that a lot."

He could barely keep his heart contained at the contact. He beamed at her, and she smiled back. They smiled at each other for a long moment before Kiba remembered where they were, and why they were there. He cleared his throat, dropping her hand. "So," he trawled, putting his hand on his hip as he grabbed a notepad from his pouch, "your dragon?"

She pointed to a large swell in the river, stating, "She's over here." She led him over, as she continued, "Her name is Nessie."

"Nessie?" Kiba asked.

Ronnie nodded vaguely as she explained, "Yeah. When she hatched, she kind of looked like the Loch Ness monster from my world, which is nicknamed Nessie. But now, she's looking more like a leviathan." She knelt by the water's edge, splashing in is as she called, "Come on, Nessie."

The water rippled a little before a large dragon head popped out of the water. This dragon was greenish blue with navy coloring down her neck and spine. She had pectoral fins lining her jaw, flexing over her gills, and a dorsal fin on her head, with webbed spinning along her back. She flexed her wings before spreading them over the water. Kiba noticed with their shape, they were ideal for swimming or short flights with a more rotational joint than the others, meaning she could use the wings as additional fins to increase swim speed and make tighter turns. He made a quick note as Nessie looked him and Akamaru over carefully. "So, is this the dog boy?" Nessie asked as she beached herself on the river shore. Akamaru walked over and sniffed her, and Nessie did the same before flicking water at him with her tail. Akamaru yelped and jumped back, causing the dragon to chuckle.

"Be nice," Ronnie scolded her, finishing rolling up her jeans and wading into the water. She splashed Nessie's chest and petted her neck scales, earning a contented grumble as she found Nessie's favorite scratching spot.

Ronnie steadily moved on, pulling water from the river and keeping Nessie's back splashed to keep her from drying out.

Nessie watched Akamaru as he came back to the river's edge, sniffing at the water, jumping a little every time she shifted under the water. Her camouflage was pretty good for a water dragon. "He's not afraid of a little water, is he?" Nessie chuckled, her eyes holding a mischievous glimmer in them as she looked at the older dog.

"No," Kiba answered, making more notes on his preliminary observations of her. "He loves to swim and take baths."

"Then can he play?" Nessie asked, inching closer to the dog.

Kiba pursed his lips looking at the dragon, then at Akamaru who wagged his tail excitedly at the water, but jumped when Nessie moved a webbed paw under the water. Akamaru clearly wanted a dip, and was watching Nessie wave her tail playfully before slapping the water. "Only if you don't eat him."

"Nessie only eats fish," Ronnie stated with a smile, still splashing her dragon.

Kiba looked at the dragon appraisingly, then nodded. "Go on, Akamaru," he allowed with a small wave. The dog barked happily then dove into the water, chasing Nessie's large whale-finned tail as she splashed him. He'd duck back to land and shake off for a minute before running around to try and get her tail from another angle. How Nessie positioned her body and tail cut off a decent amount of current to create a small pool for Akamaru to play with her in. Kiba chuckled at his dog's puppy-like playfulness with the dragon. His gaze drifted to Ronnie, who was also laughing and shooting a steady stream of water at Akamaru that he tried to catch with his mouth. She caught him staring, and smiled back at him. Tomorrow, he thought excitedly.

---

Across the field, Rox stepped away from Gryffin for a moment, seeing Shikamaru smoking a cigarette. She knew that since Asuma's death he picked up smoking, but it was still weird to see it, and made her a little uneasy. "You know that's unhealthy for you, right?"

Shikamaru looked at her with dismayed earnest, still holding his cigarette to his lips as he sucked in the smoke and nicotine. He pulled his cigarette away, flicking his ash on the ground before blowing the smoke downwards from his mouth. "Yeah," he replied, flicking the filtered side to knock some ashes off the end. He flicked it again as he frowned, and said, "I tried quitting when I was with Temari." He shrugged absently before adding as he lifted the cigarette back to his lips, "Picked it up again when we broke up, so…"

Rox looked down sadly, then said, "I know you originally started because of Asuma." His gaze narrowed on her considerably, as if daring her to bring him up in a negative light. "And that you did it, in manga at least, when you felt like you needed his guidance or to emulate him."

Shikamaru pulled the cigarette away, breathing out the smoke again, nodding. She was right. That was why he started. In the year before he and Temari began dating, it became somewhat of a habit. He had pretty much kicked it before they broke up, and now only occasionally needed a drag. He'd taken it down from his half-pack a day habit to just one or two. Usually with his morning coffee and after dinner. But this was his second one today, and he knew he'd probably need another two before he called it a day. And it was for the exact reason she'd just mentioned. He needed guidance.

Rox smiled sheepishly, "Do you think we'll ever get serious enough where you'd quit it for me?"

He let out a small huff through his nose, realizing that was her flirty way of telling him she didn't approve. It was fine. No one did. Sometimes he didn't either. His heart sank as he realized exactly what he'd have to tell her. He was her teacher and team leader now. It wasn't appropriate. "Rox," he grumbled, "Given Kakashi's assigned me as your group's sensei, I don't think we can keep seeing each other, anymore."

She looked up at him with wide, hurt eyes. She hadn't been expecting that answer. He saw the tears lining her eyes, and looked away quickly. In his periphery, he saw her lips tremble, and heard a small sniffle escape her as she mumbled a small, "Oh."

He cleared his throat, stepping away from her as he said, "I'm sorry." He walked away from her, putting the cigarette back to his lips to deaden the pain of his heart ripping itself apart. It was a shame. He really liked her.

Across the field, Fred watched Shikamaru walking away from Rox with a scowl, wondering what he said that made her friend cry. "So," she heard Lynne drawl next to her, who had apparently just snuck up to stand beside her, "are we just going to pretend you and Kankuro aren't a thing?"

Fred scowled at her for a second before turning away, and walking over to Rox, who clearly needed a shoulder to cry on for a minute. When she grabbed the wind user's hand, Rox jolted a little, only to turn and see Fred's sympathetic smile. Fred pulled Rox into the tree line, and sat her down on a rock. "What happened?" she asked, running her hands through her friend's raven locks.

Rox shook her head in disbelief, pulling at the amethyst claddagh ring Mr. and Mrs. Turner had gotten her a few years ago. "I don't know. We just broke up." Her voice broke and a tear dripped down her cheek as she huffed, "Dammit," brushing the tear away quickly. "First Cordi, and now …" Her lips trembled hard and she dropped her head in her hands, "I thought he was the one."

Fred pulled her close, and Rox let her as she cried, hugging Fred for dear life as she sobbed. Fred continued to silently run her fingers through Rox's hair, letting her oldest friend cry into her chest. It's what friends were for.

AN: Please remember to like and review!