Here you go…Strength…

"Please, let me see her before I go to bed. I have to see her!" Kiba implored, trying to find a way around Granny to get to Yuri's room at the end of the hall.

"I told you, dear, she needs her rest! She'll be fine, just let her be." Granny insisted, with her arms crossed firmly across her chest. There she stood, immutable, keeping Kiba from seeing Yuri.

"Please," Kiba said softly, looking pleadingly into Granny's eyes. He placed his hands softly on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Please."

Granny sighed heavily, letting her shoulders drop. "Oh child," she muttered, "I cannot refuse you. Go ahead." Kiba smiled brightly at her. "But," she added, holding Kiba back a second longer, "mind you be careful not to wake her. Like I said, she still needs her rest."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be careful," Kiba said, squeezing Granny's shoulders slightly. He moved to go past her, but before doing so, bent over her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Thank you for taking care of her," he said softly. "I don't know what would have happened to her if it weren't for you." With that, Kiba walked past her and quietly entered Yuri's room.

"What a remarkable child," Granny thought, putting her right hand to her cheek. "I daresay I must have blushed from that little peck," she chuckled. "How dearly he cares for her! I could not refuse that pained look in his beautiful eyes. Such eyes!" Granny smiled, and walked away.

Closing the door behind him, Kiba entered Yuri's room with caution. It was dimly lit, just as before and Kiba could just make out the image of Yuri's head peeking out from under the covers. He smiled inwardly at the serene expression on her face.

"Kiba?"

Kiba started at the soft groan, which apparently emanated from the bed in which Yuri lay.

"Kiba?"

There it was again! Kiba approached Yuri's bed slowly, looking for signs that she may be awake. "Yuri?" he asked. "Are you awake?"

Yuri slowly opened her eyes, smiling sheepishly at Kiba. "I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

Kiba sat on Yuri's bed, next to Yuri. "Yeah, I guess that answers my question," Kiba chuckled. He added, with a slight frown, "How are you doing?"

"Well considering I was shot, I'd say I'm pretty good," Yuri answered,wincing slightly as she tried to pull herself into a sitting position.

"Don't!" Kiba said. "You shouldn't strain yourself, you need to rest."

"Oh?" Yuri smiled, lifting her eyebrows, "I need my rest, huh? What are you, the in-house doctor or something? Well thanks for waking me up."

Kiba started. "You're right," he said, standing up. "You're right, I shouldn't have bothered you, I'll-I'll leave."

"No, no, wait!" Yuri laughed, grabbing Kiba's arm as he turned to leave. "I was joking, just joking. Please stay."

"But you're right, you—"

"I am perfectly fine," Yuri said firmly, pulling Kiba down to sit beside her again. "And I don't need you fawning over me like I was some sick baby or something." Glaring at Kiba to keep him at bay, Yuri slowly pulled herself up. "See?"

"Alright," Kiba sighed. "Just—"

"Stop it," Yuri said softly, looking at her feet.

"What? Stop what?" Kiba said, looking confused.

"Stop treating me like a child."

"What are you talking about?"

"The others, did they get injured too?" Yuri asked, tearing her eyes away from her feet and looking straight at Kiba.

"What does that matter? You're the one who—"

"Did they get injured too?" Yuri cut him off, her voice shaking with growing anger.

Kiba sighed. "Yes, they came off with some cuts and—"

"Then why," Yuri said firmly, her voice dangerously low. "Why aren't you with them?"

"If you want me to leave, just tell me."

"Don't change the subject, that's not what I asked. What aren't you with them? Don't you care about them?"

"Of course I do, but—"

"But? But what?"

"They haven't asked for my help."

"Oh, and I have?" Yuri scoffed.

"No, but you're—"

"What? What am I?"

"Nothing! Look, let's just talk about something else, please?" Kiba said.

"No, I want to talk about this. I want to talk about this double standard."

Kiba looked amazed. Double standard? What was she talking about? And where was she getting all of this energy?

"Double standard?" Kiba repeated.

"Yes."

"What are talking about?"

"I'm talking about why I can't get a scratch without you stopping everything just to put a band aide on it, while you and your friends can strut around with bullet holes up the yin yang without so much as a peep out of you."

"Are you getting mad at me because I care about you?" Kiba asked, looking incredulous.

"Ugh!" Yuri cried in frustration. "That's not what I meant!"

"The what do you mean, because I'm getting a little tire of this!" Kiba said, standing up.

"You're tired? You're tired? How do you think I feel?"

"Look, the reason I take more care of you than I do of my friend is because they don't need me take care of them. They can take care of themselves."

"Oh." Yuri sighed, smiling. So he finally said it. She'd known it all along; she just wanted to hear if from his mouth. "I see. And I can't take care of myself?"

"That's not what I said."

"Do you think I can't take care of myself? You think I need you to do it for me? Why? Is it because I'm not a wolf? What, do you think I'm too weak to care for myself? Is that why you think I need you? Because I'm too weak?" Yuri said, her hands squeezing into fists.

"I didn't say that."

"But that's what you meant!" She shot at him, her eyes shining. "Am I wrong?"

Kiba stood in front of her, motionless, his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the floor. Yuri didn't take her eyes off his face. His silence said everything. Everything she had been dreading. Everything she had wanted to deny. But there he stood, confirming it.

Feeling the uncomfortable heat of Yuri's scrutinizing gaze, Kiba turned away so she couldn't see his face. Yuri sighed.

"I see, so that's it, huh? You just think I'm too weak. Well let me tell you something, Kiba. I don't need you."

Kiba turned slowly to face her again, uncrossing his arms.

"That's right," Yuri continued, glad she had gotten his attention. "I don't need you, not at all. I don't need you to fight for me and I don't need you to care about me. I'm a lot stronger than you think I am. Just remember that. I can take care of myself."

Kiba muttered something inaudible.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Kiba said, not regretting he hadn't kept his mouth shut.

"What-did-you-say?" Yuri said, her fists shaking.

Kiba let out a frustrated sigh. "I said, 'Yeah, right.'"

"You don't believe me?"

"Oh no, I believe you alright." Kiba said, standing right beside Yuri and bending do that their faces were leveled.

"Because I really can take care of myself," Yuri said, her voice not nearly as firm as before. He still didn't take her seriously? Her confidence waned.

"Yeah, I can see that," Kiba said mockingly, putting his hand on Yuri's shoulder and softly stroking her wound.

Yuri's eyes filled with tears of indignation. How could he mock her? Her shoulders dropped limply.

Thinking Yuri had finally fallen into submission, Kiba smiled softly, still stroking Yuri's shoulder. He leaned his face toward hers, intending to kiss her forehead as he always did before he left.

Yuri saw him. She saw the tender, almost fatherly expression in his eyes. No, no, not father. She had a father! She wanted Kiba to have affection for her, but not like this. She wanted Kiba to love her differently—she wanted something else from him.

"No!" She cried, slapping his hand from her shoulder and pushing him away.

"What's wrong with you?" Kiba cried, stumbling backward.

"Why? Why do you deny my strength?"

"Your strength?" Kiba retorted, finally losing his temper. "What strength, the same strength that got you in this sickbed? Oh yes, I can see it now. The future looks very bright with the Great Yuri to take of all of us!"

"Don't patronize me!" Yuri yelled.

"Well you deserve it! For getting mad at me for caring about your well-being! You can take care of yourself? Look at you!"

"Get out," Yuri muttered softly. Kiba didn't hear her.

"See what happens when you try to deny your limitations?"

"GET OUT!" Yuri yelled, throwing at pillow at Kiba's face, tears streaming down her cheeks. She glared at him, pointing at the door.

Kiba let the pillow hit his face, catching it as it slid to the floor. He glared back at Yuri.

"Gladly," he said growled, squeezing the pillow with both hands before throwing it to the floor and stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Yuri stared after him, listening to the muffled sounds of voices behind the door, then Kiba's angry barks, yelling them into silence.

Yuri took another pillow and hugged it, burying her face in its soft embrace and sobbing silently. Why couldn't he understand? "Why does he undermine me?" she thought. Why was she so weak?

All she wanted was to be strong. Strong enough so she wasn't a nuisance. But even after she had saved him, Kiba still didn't think she was strong enough. He still looked at her with those eyes—with that expression, she hated that expression! It told her that he could never think of her the way she thought of him. He would only ever think of her as a little sister—someone forever tagging along behind him, always needing his protection. But damn it, that's not what she wanted! She wanted him to love her the way she loved him! But how could he ever feel that way about someone so inferior to him? That's why she had tried to hard to be strong, to be brave, to be good enough for him.

She wanted him to love her, as his equal.

Ok, that's all for now. Hope you guys like this one. I know that not much happens, but this chapter was mostly for character development and stuff. I like writing conversations. Lol. Ok, thanks for reading and please review!