Chapter Three: Training under Moonlight.

Taraka's eyes opened slightly, feeling the cold wash cloth still pressed upon her forehead, her hand reached up pulling it off, and she let it fall to the futon. Her head shifted beside her to see Kiba fast asleep in a chair with Akamaru curled up on the floor. She smirked lightly and sat up taking the washcloth off her head and placed a blanket on Kiba. Taraka moved out to the back porch where Arashi had lay, she pat his head gently. Arashi licked her face, and stood up tail wagging.

"Good boy, Arashi. Follow me."
Taraka led her partner to the center of the yard a distance away from the house so she wouldn't wake Kiba. It had beena breezy spring night,sakura petals fell from the trees gently blanketing the yard like snow.Taraka began to cast katas with her hands and Arashi transformed...however it failed again. Taraka and Arashi spent hours on end working under the moonlit sky to perfect Jujin Bushin the first skill of the Inuzuka clan. Four hours had passed as the moon rose to it's peak in the night, glistening over the backyard. Shadow's casted over the backyard from the tall sakura trees.

"Jujin Bushin!" She called out, and Arashi took his form again, finally creating a clone of Taraka. Arashi looked back at Taraka with a smile, and she looked back at Arashi impressed, they'd finally got down the skill without some sort of mess this time.
"Looks like you've finally managed to get it down, eh?" Called a male's voice. Taraka whirled around to see Kiba watching from the porch; his jacket unzipped and his hood off, an impressed smile on his face.

"Yeah!...er..I didn't wake you did I?" She asked almost guilty.
" No, I was never asleep."
Taraka stared at him then bluntly, "You weren't?"
Kiba rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger and gave a cocky smile. "Nope."
Taraka sighed and he came out to join her Akamaru prancing by his feet. "Well now that you have Jujin Bushin down, might as well teach you the next skill."
"Now?"
"Well you've been working haven't you? Let's move to the next."
"Alright,"Taraka smirked lightly and moved by his side allowing Arashi to drop the doppleganger. "Arashi go take a break."
Arashi whined gently and trotted slowly away.

Kiba smiled and began to explain the next jutsu to the already tired girl, "The next is called 'Shikyaku no Jutsu,' It's the ninja art of beast mimicry. You must equally balance your chakra to your legs and arms much like an animal. Watch me."
Kiba casted the kata, tora, his chakra emulating to equal parts of his body and he placed his hands on the ground, chakra binding his hands and feet to that of the ground.
"This is more with chakra focus and control. It will be much easier, give it a shot."
Taraka began to balance her chakra to all fours and pushed themto the grass."I've got it."
Kiba began to run around the yard's perimeter and richocheting off of the sakura trees and various other areas on all fours. "It's pretty easy, like I said."

Taraka smirked and gave the jutsu a shot nailing it on the first try, her chakra equally balanced,"I'll catch you."
Kiba glanced behind him, seeing as though she had got down the jutsu he ran faster away from her. She had been right at his tail, jumping where he had and running where he was, when finally after a good ten minutes into the chase she dove to get him.Attacking his side tackling him to the ground from a low dive up at him."Got you!" She yelled, then smiled, the first smile in years, pinning him to the ground.
Kiba raised his eyebrows and looked up at her and he began to laugh now.
"I guess you do." Kiba smiled looking up at her.
Taraka got up off of him dropping the jutsu and stood to her feet, and looked over to Akamaru and Arashi who had been sparring now. Akamaru however, seemed to be to small on his back and Arashi could not reach behind him to grab him off.

"Looks like they're training too..." She stated to Kiba, however heard no response, nor sound at all. Turning around she inspected the yard around her, Kiba was gone. "Kiba?...Kiba!"
Crash.
Kiba had jumped behind her and tackled her to the ground now and with a booming voice yelled,"BOO!"
Kiba began to burst into laughter now. Taraka freaked out from this surprise attack and started to scream falling under his grasp. Looking up to the laughing Inuzuka she glared at him.
"KIBA! YOU JERK!" She yelled, startled from his attack and she punched him in the shoulder with her free hand. Kiba still couldn't stop laughing holding her down on the grass, his sides almost hurting. After a moment or two, he started to quiet down and let go of her, rolling off of her and beside her on the sakura blossom littered ground.
He looked at her and smirked, "Looks like I got you"
Taraka shot him a glare but smirked just slightly. "Guess you did."

Taraka yawned and stretched looking up at the night's beautiful skylight above them,"Alright...let's call it quits for tonight..."
Kiba looked over at her putting his hand on his face, elbow leaning toward the ground and shifted to her direction, "Tired?"
Taraka glanced toward his direction and nodded slightly, "Yeah, it's been a long day...and evening..."
Kiba sat up and took off his jacket throwning it to the ground, put his headband along with it, and kicked off his tabi.
He looked beside him at the Uchiha, "So we're sleeping outside?"
She looked back at him raising an eyebrow, "We?"
Kiba nodded, "It's my job to make sure you don't leave. So yes, WE."
Taraka grew quiet and momentarily nodded, "It's nice out, we might as well." She too removed her headband, tabi, and her arm cuffs and placed them in a small pile.
"Goodnight" She muttered laying back beside Kiba gazing up at the stars, she soon fell asleep.
"Goodnight, Taraka." He whispered watching the moon.

A man not far off in the distance pushed his glasses up to his face with his index finger, a grin upon his pale face. "Orochimaru-Sama will be happy to finally know the whereabouts of her. Sleep well young Taraka...we have big plans for you."

A/N: Next chapter will be out next week or sometime this week.