A/N: Thanks a million to everyone who's still reading, and if you have any character or event requests, feel free to ask!

And I'm doing my best to keep everyone in character. I always try to picture them doing/saying whatever I type as I'm writing it so that it seems legit.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, only my OCs and plotline.

The Strong and the Weak

Two long weeks, Luna stayed away. She couldn't sleep. She barely ate. She didn't want to face anyone. But the one thought that continuously occupied her mind, was that her family would be so disappointed in her.

Such weakness, her father would tut.

Such vulnerability, her mother would sigh.

Her brothers and sisters would roll their eyes, but choose not to comment.

Hell, she missed them though.

It was after these two miserable weeks that Luna finally shook some sense into herself. She needed to get out, distract herself. She would honour her family in the best way she knew how, by holding her head high and carrying on. They would want that for her.

This thought process is exactly how Luna found herself in her current situation.

Squeezing herself uncomfortably in between the Hyuga heiress and the one they called Tenten, Luna grit her teeth nervously. She had bumped into Hinata again that morning, who had suggested she come out with her friends for Barbeque that evening. So here she was.

Her discomfort must have been painfully obvious, since the female ninja were all doing their best to keep their facial expressions light and welcoming. Though she had her henge activation to hide her ears and tail, she still felt the scrutiny of their gazes.

The hybrid girl glanced to the side where Hinata was smiling warmly, and she felt herself relax slightly. There was just something about Hinata that made her instantly trustworthy in the she-wolf's eyes. Maybe it was the oddly calming scent of camomile tea and lavender that seemed to radiate from the girl, or maybe it was the softness her pale eyes added to her already gentle expression. Subconsciously, she shifted closer to Hinata.

'So, Luna, how do you like the village?' The girl who addressed her, Luna learned, was Ino Yamanaka. Her eyes held a similar pupil-less quality to Hinatas, though their crystal blue colour held a sharpness that had the she-wolf on edge. Her long, platinum blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, leaving a large portion at the front loose to shadow her right eye. She was very pretty, Luna decided, but she'd long since learned to never judge a book by its cover.

'It's very pleasant… I like the views at night.' She supplied, hoping her answer would satisfy the village in question's residents.

'Have you been up to the top of the Kage mountain?' The pinkette beside Ino asked, continuing when Luna shook her head, no. 'The view from up there is by far the best. Especially at night… You're nocturnal, right?'

'Sakura! You can't just throw out assumptions like that, it's rude.' The blonde interrupted, her almost transparent eyebrows pulling together.

'It's not an assumption, Ino-pig! I've read up on the Hangetsu clan–'

'Whatever, Forehead! You shouldn't be looking them up behind her back!'

'If you'd let me finish, I was about to say in the past! Before Luna even got here actually! I'm a medical ninja, I have to know about intricate clan details like that if ever I need to heal one!'

While Sakura and Ino bickered, Tenten chuckled, swilling her drink around in its glass as she spoke. 'Don't worry, they're always like this. That's pretty cool though, that you're nocturnal!'

Luna scrunched up her nose in disagreement, briefly noticing the brunette's earthy scent. 'Not really, it's just inconvenient for me at the moment.'

'Oh, I suppose that's true. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's normally asleep in the day before now…' She trailed off in thought, before her eyes snapped back to the hybrid's. 'Sakura's right though, the view is the prettiest from the mountain when all the lanterns are lit at night.'

Hinata nodded too. 'You should ask Kiba to take you one night. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, and I don't think our team has any upcoming missions.'

'Eh?' Ino chose this moment to re-join the conversation, eyebrows raising suggestively. 'So you and Kiba, huh?'

The she-wolf scoffed, but Hinata quickly jumped to her rescue. 'I-I only meant that, since she's living with his family and all, h-he's the most likely to have the time!'

Despite the insinuation, Luna grinned at the Hyuga. If it hadn't been for the nervous stuttering, her argument would have been almost convincing, but Ino didn't strike her as the type to let things slide easily.

'Oh, come on! I can't be the only one who sees the convenience here?' Icy blue eyes narrowed at her friend's confused expressions, but it was Sakura who finally questioned her.

'What do you mean, 'the convenience'?'

'Well, she's part wolf right? And Kiba's… Well, you know! He has a soft spot for all things canine!'

'Are you calling me a dog?' Luna suddenly growled, startling the others enough to make them shrink away from her slightly.

Ino held her hands up quickly. 'No, that's not what I mean... Forehead! Help me out here!'

The pinkette flipped her shoulder length hair arrogantly, sending a strawberry flavoured draft in Luna's direction as she turned her nose up slightly. 'No way, Ino-pig. You got yourself into this one.'

After several quick glances around the table, Ino sighed, defeated. 'Alright, alright. I take it back… So, is there anyone who's caught your eye yet, Luna?'

'Ino!' They all chorused, making the blonde laugh before they all settled into a more casual conversation.

During a particularly heated discussion between Tenten and Ino, on a topic that was lost to the she-wolf, Luna found herself catching the final member of the table's scent. The Yamanaka girl honestly smelled like a flower shop, with a lingering trace of honey beneath the floral aroma.

She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so intent on gathering each of their scents, maybe it was all that time living with the Inuzuka's beginning to rub off on her? She shuddered at the thought.

They stayed another hour or so, with Luna polishing off the remnants of barbeque that had been long forgotten by the chattering friends, until finally, Hinata stood up.

'Well, I should be going now. It's getting kind of late.' She bowed her head in a polite goodbye, but must have seen the panicked look forming on Luna's face as she made her leave, and turned back to her. 'My home is kind of near the Inuzuka estate, if you want to walk back with me?'

Grateful for the excuse to leave, the hybrid nodded eagerly and leapt to her feet. 'Thank you for the evening! It was nice meeting you all.'

A series of goodbye's followed as she hurried out the door behind the Hyuga, shivering slightly as the cool air hit her skin.

'It's a nice night, don't you think?' Hinata smiled as she walked, holding out a hand into the air as though checking for rain.

'It's a little chilly.' Luna admitted, but other than that, it was a nice night.

The rest of the journey was made in relative silence, Hinata bidding her a soft goodnight at the gates of the Hyuga compound. 'Will you be able to find your way back from here, Luna?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks Hinata!' She gave her the friendliest smile she could muster along with a quick wave, before setting off for home.

Home. Is that what she was going to call it from now on? It wasn't exactly where she had pictured herself living in the future, but Luna was nothing if she wasn't adaptable. This was just the way her life had turned out, and she'd just have to make do with it. When life gets tough, the tough get going. She chuckled aloud at the quote she remembered one of her village elders telling her once as a whelp. Hell, she missed them all.

But, her days of moping were over. Her family would want her to be strong and to move forward, so that's what she was going to do. She lifted her head confidently as she rounded the last corner to her destination, determination setting in in her glossy red irises. She was vaguely surprised to find Akamaru waiting for her at the compound gates, his tail wagging briefly as she greeted him.

'Hey, Akamaru. What're you doing out here?'

'Waiting for you, of course!' The voice that followed she knew didn't belong to the animal before her, but a certain Inu nin that was usually found alongside said animal.

'What, were you worried I'd break curfew?' She raised an eyebrow sarcastically, stalking past them both and huffing when Kiba fell into step beside her.

'Actually I was worried you'd get lost again. You didn't offend anyone while you were out, did you?'

'No! Why would I have offended anyone?' She almost shouted, temper flaring.

'Well, you seem to make it your life's goal to offend me on a daily basis, so it's only natural I'd assume that.' The Inuzuka heir chuckled, unfazed by her curt tone as he strolled along casually. He matched her quick pace easily, still managing to seem relaxed, which only served to fuel her irritation. 'Are you tired?'

'Do I look tired?' Luna snapped, coming to an abrupt halt and slapping her hands to her hips. Henge released, her tail swished angrily and her ears flattened while she spoke.

Again, he chuckled. 'No. I was just wondering why you're home so early. Early for you, anyway.'

She blinked slowly. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Normally when you're out in the night, you don't come back till all hours of the morning. But it's only 10:30 right now!'

'What, are you stalking me? And geez you make me sound like I'm up drinking all night!' She took off again, rolling her eyes and growling under her breath when he caught her up. When the Inu nin didn't immediately respond, she decided to humour him. 'I came home because Hinata left, and I didn't really want to hang around without her there…'

'I can understand that – Ino and Sakura can be pretty intense. Tenten's more down to Earth though, I thought you'd get on with her?'

Luna let out another, calmer breath, her anger gradually subsiding. 'I did, but I don't really know them yet. I suppose they'll grow on me.'

Kiba nodded in agreement. His mouth pulled up into a half smile that seemed to say, give it time.

She honestly didn't know why her mood swings were so out-of-control around him, but it didn't sit well with her. The she-wolf was pretty sure it ran deeper than just a level of mistrust, though even she could admit her hot-headedness didn't help when it came to his teasing personality. Then again, that only confused her more. Normally, she could take a joke as well as the next person, but it always felt much more personal coming from him. Maybe it was the rivalry her clan had subconsciously felt about the Inuzukas?

'Luna?' Kiba barked suddenly, snapping her out of her reverie.

'Huh?'

'I said, if you're not tired, why don't we do something?'

She stared at the Inu nin momentarily, as though he'd just sprouted a second head, before answering. 'Like what?'

He shrugged nonchalantly. 'Anything. I don't really feel like sleeping yet either.'

A small voice murmured an idea in the back of the hybrids head, and she frowned at the suggestion. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it again quickly to debate with herself. Thinking about it, Luna was unlikely to go to bed for a few hours yet anyway. And if Kiba was offering… She supposed it couldn't hurt to suggest it, and after all, it wasn't technically her idea.

When she finally started to reply, she realised he was watching her oddly, as though wondering whether he'd upset her or not. 'Actually, there is something…'

If he'd had hybrid ears like her, she swore they'd have perked up right then. His eyes lit up in curiosity, tilting his head forward a fraction as he awaited her proposal.

'Erm… Well Sakura mentioned something earlier…' She mumbled, unsure as to why she was having such a hard time voicing the idea.

The Inuzuka leaned down slightly, head still slanted towards her as he strained to hear. 'You know, you may have super hearing, but I don't!'

She scowled, but the spark of anger ignited new found confidence. 'When I told the girls that I liked the village views, Sakura mentioned that the best view was from the top of the Kage mountain. Then Hinata suggested that you might be able to show me one night when the lanterns are lit…?'

'Oh~!' He said, leaning back and throwing her a grin that was just so Kiba. 'Alright then. Let's go!'

Luna let out a breath she'd been holding, realising with surprise that she had actually been worried that he'd refuse. Shaking her head at the strange apprehension, she scurried after the Inuzuka heir, who had already leapt up onto one of the rooftops and was waiting for her to join him.

She resisted rolling her eyes at his hesitation, figuring he was probably wondering if she was capable of making such a jump. Luna might not be able to do distinctive ninjutsu like an average ninja, but she still had access to her chakra. Besides, wolves had excellent agility.

To prove that fact, the she-wolf made an extra effort to spring as high and as far as she could, without flinging herself off the other side of the building, smirking slightly when she heard him chuckle lowly and sounding impressed. In reality, she realised he was probably just mocking her, but she didn't care. She'd made her point.

Kiba took the lead after that, and the pair hopped swiftly from rooftop to rooftop until they arrived at the bottom of the mountain wall.

'So, how do we climb this thing?' Luna wondered, eyes trailing across the five rock faces carved into the side.

'Climb it? Yeah~, or we could just use the stairwell over there?' Kiba pointed to a dark metal railing at the foot of the mountain, a little way off to the side of where they were standing. He was teasing her again, she knew that, but it still ticked her off.

'Well I didn't see that, did I?' She growled under her breath as she stomped past him.

'I thought you were supposed to have super night vision too!' He laughed, eyes glinting mischievously as he jogged after her, but her eyes suddenly fell serious.

'I'm not some superhero, you know.' She muttered lowly, but Kiba was just close enough to catch her words before they died on the breeze.

Her sudden solemn attitude seemed to sober his joking too, for as he climbed the steps beside her, he lowered his voice to match hers. 'I know.'

She risked a glance at his expression, half expecting him to break out into a grin and say something stupid like, there's nothing super about you, Princess! But he didn't, he just held her gaze calmly.

Luna had only ever experienced the feeling of true sincerity once before in her life. She was just a pup when it had happened, too young for her to really grasp the full effect of it. The feeling had emanated from her mother, Tsukiyo, one night when their village had been threatened by a rogue band of hunters, who after their wolf pelts. Tsukiyo had hurried Luna, along with her brother and sisters, into the depths of their den and told them to keep silent.

Her mother was fiercely loyal and exceptionally protective, but that didn't stop her youngest brother, Mutsuki from whimpering quietly as a fire broke out in the courtyard of their home. They had expected their mother to turn and snap at the pup for potentially giving their position away, but she didn't. Instead, she had transformed silently into her pure white lupine form, and curled the five of them up in the arc of her body. The tips of her tail and muzzle almost touched as she hugged them to her, holding them protectively while they quivered in fear. Though the fear of the outside threat never left Luna's mind, she had never felt more safe or more loved than that moment right there. She almost wished they could have stayed like that together, forever.

The hybrid girl had long since thrown away any hope of ever even coming close to such a feeling again, and yet, there was something in the way Kiba had looked at her then that made her wonder. Wonder what exactly, she wasn't sure. It was just a prickle of a feeling, which had led her back to that particular memory.

By now, they'd almost reached the top, and she had to resist the urge to look around now and take in the view from here. But she didn't want to spoil it for herself when they were so close.

Kiba was being uncharacteristically quiet, and she found her gaze drawn towards his inquisitively. He grinned when their eyes met, breaking whatever trance-like state Luna had set herself in. She chuckled at his excitement, like he'd never seen this view before either. Was it really something so wonderful? She hoped it was.

Clambering up the last few steps, Luna silently congratulated herself for not having to pause for breath. Her eyes lit up eagerly as she began to face the view they had gone through so much effort to see, but Kiba suddenly pulled her back around by the wrist.

'What are you doing? You can't look now, we're not there yet!' He scolded, tugging her away from the staircase and further along the clifftop.

'Hey! How are we not there yet? Where are we going?' She whined, only mildly irritated. Patience was not one of her finer qualities.

'You'll see!' Kiba led her around a tall sandy coloured watch tower that stood atop the mountainside, chuckling at the pout she held firmly in place. He paused when they reached another staircase, located at the back of the building.

'Up here, follow me!' He grinned, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, before turning to climb the steps.

Luna huffed but did as he said, curiosity getting the better of her. When they reached the top, she was glad she had.

The rooftop was entirely covered with abandoned potted plants and hanging baskets, and despite the fact that the majority of the foliage were either dead or dying, it was strangely beautiful. Luna let out a breath. It was dark, but there was a visible glow coming from the village below, which illuminated the plants in varying and unusual shaped silhouettes. It may not look all that appealing to a day-dweller, but to a nocturnal being of the darkness with heightened night vision, it was perfect.

'What is this building?' She asked the Inu nin. She had thought it was an old watch tower, but now she wasn't sure.

'It used to be where the village elders spent most of their time, but they've recently moved into the village near the Hokage tower, so this place is pretty much empty.'

Luna couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for what could have been a lovely rooftop garden, now left alone to rot and die. Not wanting to continue that depressing thought, the she-wolf moved closer to the edge of the roof where Kiba was waiting, his legs dangling over the side as he beamed, almost proudly. She hadn't even realised she was holding her breath until the air escaped her lips in awe at the view she now faced. Okay, so it really was worth it, after all.

Every street was feathered with soft, golden lantern light, and the brightly coloured building tops seemed to shimmer in the glow. She had thought it odd that they would paint their buildings so brightly, but if this was their intention then Luna could completely buy it. It was breath-taking.

The Inuzuka beside her shifted so that, rather than watching her reaction with an expression like a child at Christmas, he too was gazing over the Leaf village. The fondness for his home was evident in his eyes, and Luna had to smile at the pure look of serenity on his face.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, each content to drink in the view in their own way without disturbing the other. The hybrid girl felt a wave of calm wash over her, so much so that she almost dared to believe she could be happy.

It wasn't that Luna had experienced a lot of sadness or grief in her life, in fact until recently, she'd led an absolutely ordinary life for someone of her kind. But her world had changed so drastically in the past two months, that she just wasn't sure what she wanted out of life anymore. Everyone she had loved and trusted was gone, and it seemed her family's teachings of mistrust to anyone outside her clan had been drilled into her so deeply, that she wondered if she'd ever be able trust again. She hoped she would. She could get used to this view.

'I'm really sorry about your family, by the way. I never got to tell you before.' Her companion murmured softly, as though reading her mind. Their eyes met and her lip quivered, caught off guard by the sudden broach of topic. Kiba watched as she fought back the sadness, forcing a small nod and chewing her lip.

'It's not weak to cry, you know.' He dropped her gaze as he spoke, staring out over the view and focusing on somewhere along the horizon beyond the village. 'I know it's not the same, but my dad left when I was just a pup. I thought if I let anyone see how much it affected me, everyone would laugh or think I was just being pathetic. But that's not true.'

Luna sniffed as she listened, not wanting to interrupt him for once. Guilt welled up inside her as she realised she'd been too wrapped up in her own inner turmoil to even wonder about his situation. To hear that he'd grown up without a father hit her hard. Kiba was right, it wasn't the same, but it was still important.

'Then one day, I was kicking a ball around alone in our backyard, when Lord Third passed by our estate. He asked me why I wasn't playing with the other kids, and I told him it was 'cause I didn't have anything to say to them because they were all annoying. I still remember that face he gave me when I said that, like I'd just told him the most offensive joke on the planet. He burst into some long-winded lecture about giving people a chance and getting to know them even if you don't think they're worth it, because at the end of the day everyone's equal. I don't know what it was he said, but the next thing I knew I just broke down, tears and snot everywhere.' The Inu nin paused to laugh at the memory, but his eyes remained trained on the same spot on the horizon.

'I guess the way he was talking to me reminded me of how a father would teach his kid life lessons like that. Lord Third was always like a father-figure to me after that. I really looked up to him… Anyway, my point is, you don't have to go through things alone. People won't judge you the way you think they will. Crying just shows that you're human anyway. Well, mostly.' He threw her a wink at this, breaking the seriousness that had begun to form in the atmosphere.

Luna was quiet for a long while after he finished. She thought hard about what he'd said, and wondered if that was why everyone was being so nice to her. If the teachings of their Third Hokage was treat everyone equally, even if you don't think they're worth the time, then was that why they had taken her in? Her eyebrows pulled together as she pondered this. Maybe Kiba was right. Maybe she wasn't alone, after all.

But then, did that mean that underneath it all, they didn't think she was worth it? I mean really, what have I ever done for them to deserve this sort of kindness. She doubted that was true of everyone in the Leaf, like Hinata. The Hyuga was just too nice to ever think so lowly of people, Luna was sure. But what about the other girls? Had they only made an effort with her to honour their deceased leader?

And what about the Inuzuka's, the first ones in the village to show such hospitality? Thinking about it, they hadn't even intentionally welcomed her into their home in the first place. She had been in her wolf form when they met. Had she backed them into a corner and now they were just too polite to refuse her welcome? Did they secretly want rid of her? Did Kiba?

The realisation made her fists clench, breath catching in her throat as she felt the familiar unwanted prickle of panic in her chest. She stared straight ahead of her, all traces of security and confidence that had built up during her time in the Leaf plummeting in an instant. Was she just a nuisance?

Beside her, Kiba shifted closer, sensing her rising stress and trying to calm her back down. But that only served to fuel her theory greater. He was just following those teachings. No one actually wanted her there…

'I-I should go…' She spoke so low that her voice was a mere whisper on the wind, but he still heard her.

'What are you talking about?' He shifted again, this time to face Luna, confusion etched onto his features. But she stubbornly refused to mirror the action.

'I need to leave this place. I need to go, now…' She leapt to her feet suddenly, all but sprinting down the building stairwell and towards the mountain steps without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

'W-what… Hey, wait!' It took the Inuzuka heir longer to react than he cared to admit, completely bewildered by her strange outburst. Kiba wondered what he'd said that could make her reach that conclusion. The story had been his way of trying to convince her that she could stay and move on with her life here, not that she should leave!

'Luna, just wait a sec! Damn it.' He growled in frustration as he darted after the she-wolf, skipping each set of steps on the cliff-face and just leaping from platform to platform. It was mildly impressive that Luna was so far managing to outrun him, but she'd had a head start, so his pride wasn't wounded too badly.

Her tail swished behind her violently as she raced through the lantern-laced streets, slowing down only to whip around tight corners. Using his knowledge of the village layout to his advantage, Kiba broke away from following her momentarily to take a short cut. The detour brought him out just two steps behind her, but that was all he needed to close the final distance and catch up.

'Just hold up a second!' He made several attempts to grab her arm, but ended up yanking her tail by mistake, making her yelp in slight pain and shock.

It did the trick though. Luna spun around abruptly, coming to a perfect halt, her face a mixture of angry tears and fear. He almost barrelled straight into her at the suddenness of her standstill, but managed to compose himself at the last second.

'What do you want?! I'm leaving, okay?' She snarled, backing up two steps.

He raised his arms in the air, elbows bent and palms forward. 'Just take it easy, I just want to help you.'

'No, you don't. You feel like you have to!' She shouted, ignoring the strange looks some passers-by were giving them.

'What are you talking about?' He frowned, utterly confused.

'I'm relieving you of your duty to treat me the same as everyone else. I know I'm not worth it, so you don't have to bother anymore!' She tried to run again, but he caught her forearm just in time, dragging her along to somewhere they'd cause less of a scene. For some reason, she barely protested, simply allowing him to lead her along until they arrived at a dimly lit park. There were still a few people milling about in the nearby streets that could be seen from the playground, but other than that it was quiet.

The dog trainer released her arm as he shoved her towards a bench, relieved to see Luna actually slump onto the seat as he'd intended her to, looking pitiful and defeated.

He stayed standing, rubbing his thumb and forefinger over his eyes as he cursed the situation. What a mess.

'Alright, now tell me what the hell you're talking about.'

The hybrid dropped her head into her hands, ears flattening sideways as she mumbled through her fingers, 'I don't want to be a burden anymore. That's why I said I should go.'

'Whoever said you were a burden?'

'You did! When you said that, that Lord Third taught you to get to know people even if they aren't worth it!'

'Oh~. Now I get it! This is one of those women things where you think you're saying one thing, but they hear something entirely different, right?' He scoffed, both hands on his hips as he continued to stand in front of her. 'I only told you that story 'cause I figured you'd appreciate the familiarity of the situation.'

She spread her fingers slightly to peep up at him through the gaps, her voice still sounding very small. '…What?'

He groaned and threw his hands up in the air, pacing a little before moving to sit beside her on the bench. 'I was trying to say that there's always someone out there that's willing to listen, a shoulder to cry on, blah, blah. I wasn't hinting at you to leave!'

'…You weren't?' She sniffed, twisting her body briefly to face him better.

'No. You don't have to feel like you're so unwelcome all the time. You have friends here.'

'Friends…' She whispered the word, more to herself really. Friends outside her clan? Unheard of! Her father would be furious, and her mother would sigh and frown. 'Outsiders can't be trusted, Luna. Never forget that.' And yet…

'Look, er, I know I said crying's great and all, but people are gonna think I'm breaking up with you or something if you keep it up right now!' Despite everything, she let out a small laugh at this, snuffling as she wiped her eyes.

'Let's just go home, you can plan your great escape when we're not getting funny looks from civilians, 'kay?'

She nodded, still smiling lightly as she allowed herself to be directed back home. Home. Kiba had used that word, and she found herself wanting more than anything to believe him.

Maybe Luna could have learned a few things from the Third Hokage. If she wanted the Leaf ninja to give her an equal chance, then she needed to do the same. They weren't all bad once you got to know them, and it turned out they really had been making an effort.

And also, Luna was growing quite fond of some of them in particular…

A/N: N'aww yay for fluff, right?

Hope you liked it!