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Chapter 5

In The End, It was worth it

Kiba passed the butter to his sister and continued eating his meal.

"Kiba? That means you're on a girl named Hinata's team, right?" Rei took the advantage of a good conversation starter. Kiba nodded in response. "What do you think of her and your other team mate, Shino?" Kiba shrugged, swallowing a bite.

"Shino is kind of annoyingly like Sasuke when it comes to how much he thinks of himself. He actually does seem kind of smart, I'll give him that, but he thinks too importantly about himself. Oh, and he's a bug freak as far as I know," Kiba said, looking at Rei and Jin. Jin watched back at him.

"And Hinata?" Rei asked.

"WAY TOO DEMURE! I think she's kind of spoiled since she's in the Hyuuga main family, and even though she doesn't show it, and she seems so WEAK!" Kiba boasted, and burst laughing at his last comment. Rei could hear fire burn and her lungs hummed with a deep growl. She didn't really know how she did it; she was the only one she knew that could. Kiba looked at her with an expression that read what's-your-problem?

"How DARE you talk about Hinata that way! She's a really nice person!"

"That's how she was TAUGHT to be!" Kiba said, rolling his eyes and carelessly eating a little more chicken. Rei, on instincts, stood up and clenched her fists.

"She is NOT weak, and if so, she IS trying to become stronger! You'll be surprised at how much she trains each morning and what her family is like!" Kiba took this as an argument and stood up also, staring into Rei's eyes. He loomed over her by an inch or so, but that didn't shake Rei off.

"Oh yeah, I BET it's hard to command a servant on hand and foot!"

"SERVENTS? SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY SERVENTS! SHE'S TREATED MORE LIKE A SERVENT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!"

"TREATED LIKE A SERVENT? SHE SHOULD BE TREATED MORE LIKE DIRT IF YOU ASK ME!"

"DIRT?" Rei yelled at him. By now, Hana was worriedly looking at Rei giving an apology look. Hizume looked worried, Masura annoyed and rolling his eyes, and Jin cocking his head to the side: Jin didn't know who Hinata was.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME DUMB-ASS?" Kiba revolted. Dumb-ass? Rei thought. He called me a dumb-ass? Rei was surprised at how hurtful this sounded. She liked mentally arguing with mean insults, but dumb-ass never crossed her mind. In surprise, she didn't notice that she was looking very much hurt. And to think that I thought he was gonna be cool! She felt tears about to burst, but she forced them back. She could never cry. She'll prove how strong she was. Apparently, everyone else was affected by this outburst too. They all looked positively surprised and Hana furious. Even Kiba looked surprised. Either it was from his outburst or how Rei's defenses seem to crumble, or maybe both.

Rei's knees started shaking and she felt like she was going to bitch-slap him. Instead, she gathered herself together and looked straight into his eyes, giving a glare that was better than earlier that day. Instead of a bitch-slap, she punched him by the side of his face, causing Kiba off guard and fall down on his but. Rei was about to run upstairs into her room, but instead took off through the back door. The last she heard was, "Kiba! How could you?" "But she PUNCHED me! She didn't just SLAP!" "I think you deserved it!"

"Uh…who's Hin…?"

Rei ran, heading for the Academy for some reason. Maybe it was just because it was a big building with a nice roof. Where she could lay down and stare at the moon and stars. These thoughts calmed her down, and she slowed to a walk. As she came across two couple leaning on each other, obviously drunk, she felt very peaceful. She crossed the undisturbed lake; it's as if there was a complete loneliness inside of her. Instead of the academy, she picked that little lake shrouded in forest. She felt so at peace, sitting on the grass and staring into the lake with the reflection of a half moon in it. Here she could gather her thoughts and pull herself together.

Aaaaaahhhh, this feels so peaceful. That Kiba dude is so hurtful1! And to think… No, wait, he just argued with me and was actually the first one to hurt me mentally…or my heart. Now I can't remember which was which. She could feel her hair swaying in the wind. The grass under her was now flattened into a bed-ish like surface. She gently closed her eyes and faced the sky.

"Kami, if you can hear me, there is one question I'd like answered: Why of all times, must I feel so lonely now?" Almost as if on cue, she looked across the lake to see a dark blue figure across the lake. She could make out that it was probably an animal, probably a dog from the look and how she saw a tail swishing behind it.

"It's not so un-usual to feel lonely, especially you right now. Your problem will soon be solved along with more happiness, but don't get too excited. Strange things come in strange ways" It was obviously a women's voice now. Her voice licked of amusement for some reason though, and she swore she heard a chuckle coming from it. Wait…when did animals talk? Before Rei could get another look at it, it disappeared as fast as it came. Whatever it was.

After some while, she declared that it was her imagination playing tricks on her. She guessed that's what happened when she got overly emotional. Sure that Hana and her wretched brother was gone, she steadily walked back to the house, still a bit in the dark of how she felt. She just felt a bit confused, and still very depressed. She skipped right past the anger and sadness stages.

Rei dragged her feet to the house as she went by houses, restaurants, ally ways, and shops. She was walking down the street from which Jin and her took earlier to get to the academy when she heard whimpering coming from an ally way. A very familiar ally way too. Rei turned her head, scared that it might be Kiba or just pissed off if it was anyone really. She couldn't handle people at the moment. She slowly took a kunai out on instincts and through one at the feet of whatever made the whimpering noise. Whimpering…wait…is it someone that needs help? Her emotions and attitude changed enormously as she cautiously talked into the darkness, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

All that replied was some rustling of cardboard and curious and excited yips. Rei took another kunai out-just in case. Her eyes softened as she saw what little creature had come out of the shadows. Putting back her kunai into her holster case, she reached out for the little fluff ball of a puppy and picked it up. This one looked like a Labrador, but was black. The puppy was very happy as it wagged its tail back and forth. When was the last time this dog has ever seen someone? Rei slowly and carefully took it into her left arm, and felt its ribs. Obviously, it hasn't eaten for days. With her other arm, she took out a flashlight from her back pouch and shined it into the darkness. There wasn't only one dog, but four others in a cardboard box! They were all looking up at her as if they were as lonely as her. No…I'm not lonely anymore,

Rei placed the black Labrador into the box and then lifted the whole box. For a moment, she couldn't see or walk because all the puppies were shuffling around in the box and some reached over and happily licked at her face.

"Stop! That tickles! And we have to get to my place so you guys can eat something! You all looked starved!" Rei managed between giggles. When they got into the house, Rei found out that carrying a box of five puppies half a mile was really tiring. She had a hassle on opening the door and more hassle getting them upstairs. When she finally did make them up there, she thanked Kami that Hizume made her pick up her room before Hana and mutt-boy came over. Rei set down her litter of puppies, and the puppies immediately started running around her room or crawling under her two story bed.

"Now don't run off while I'm gone, ok?" Rei said as she securely closed her door and went downstairs for bowls of milk and anything else she could find them to eat. She was relieved earlier to see that everyone decided to go to sleep and that everything was put back to normal. What am I gonna say in the morning? Should I act normal? When should I tell them about the pups? Rei thought as she stepped up the stairs and into the room. She had to run back down for a second carton of milk. After the puppies all ate, they were filled with milk and felt sleepy. Rei layed some extra pillows and pillows from the living room on the floor around the bottom bunk bed. She slowly hauled the sleepy dogs onto the bottom bunk. After she had, they all fell asleep quite peacefully and all looked very sweet sleeping there. Rei was over happy to have something to occupy herself besides becoming a genin. Now she was booked. She looked over at the battered box that said rather scribbled: Free puppies. Now she had a good chance to look at all of them.

The first one she saw was the black Labrador retriever. She wondered what kind of people could've been leaving five puppies in an ally way.The lab was a boy and seemed the youngest out of them. She thought that a nice green leather collar would make him look good. Sunao.

The next one was a, what looked like, German Shepard dog. She seemed like every other German Shepard she saw, but had a friendly look on her face. She looked like the oldest and Rei decided on a silk scarf with a flower pinned on it. Ankara.

The third dog was for sure a Dalmatian. The spots on him looked completely like him and couldn't be mistaken for any other kind. This one looked like the third youngest. Maybe a red collar with a medal in the front with spots of yellow dotted around it. Zehi

The fourth and fifth both looked like they were collies. Well, more pacifically Shetland Sheepdogs. The third oldest was the female twin. She was a pretty little dog with long black hair where brown would be on a collie. She would have a silk scarf, too. The male one was grey with dark bluish grey dots and brown around the back of his eyes like his sister. Great, another twin. Maybe a collar that had some Kanji on it. Fuyu and Natsu.

Great, that took care of all of them. Now, to sleep myself! It's already 1:00 a.m.? Rei rushed in bed and turned off the lights, blessing her family and finally dozing off. In the end, it was almost worth getting mad at Kiba to get to the dogs.