Next chapters up, but be warned all of what the characters say come from their hearts, and from things I've learned about cutting from my friends who do it.

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Kiba nodded and went up to the loft with Ayame behind, unlike him however, she stopped to lean against a pole at the edge. Kiba looked back and she nodded for him to continue, Naruto was sitting upright and patting Nala when he approached. Naruto looked up his eyes going from cheer and joy from being at his friends and away from this step father to dread as they looked warily at Ayame. She did not move or give any indication of doing so, she only watched with steady eyes as predator approached prey in a peaceful manor for the first time. Kiba sat down as Naruto shivered for a moment losing his nerve.

"I'm sorry…" he started. " I never meant to make your life miserable, and I know this is kind of weird and I know that you probably don't really like me, but for my own state of mind could you tell me why you cut?"Naruto stared at the boy in shock that was then replaced by apprehension and pain. He ran his hands over the scars and scabs on his wrists.

"Who wants to know?" she stated bluntly.

"I do, not as something to use against you but as my own clarification." He said softly.

"Why should I trust you?!" Naruto said raising his voice. "All you and everyone else do is torture me day in and day out, I get enough of that at home!"

"What?" Kiba asked confused, but it wasn't until that statement that Naruto truly grasped what he had just blurted out. He looked away and though of how he was going to get himself out of this.

"That man isn't my real father." He finally said. "And he does things to me that a normal, blood father wouldn't do." He said motioning to the numerous scars. "Cutting for me is just a way to be able to control the pain; it puts me in control of what happens to my body and not him."

"Naruto and I both know the path of the abused all too well." Ayame said walking over and sitting in front of them. Then to Kiba's surprise she took off the opened button up long sleeve shirt she always wore revealing scars that mimicked her friends but in greater amounts. They were over her chest, arms, shoulders, and probably continued on to under her clothes. He broke his staring gaze just long enough to look over to Naruto who was looking the other direction. He always hated seeing Ayame's scars, it reminded him two much of what they had gone through and made him empathize the fact that she had suffered so much. An unnerving aura filled the loft as no one spoke but allowed their minds to buzz with unasked questions.

"I suggest you leave now." Kiba jumped when he heard the voice of an intruder in his mind. It was female, and while it was soft it was also backed with authority and a sense of unease. Kiba wanted to figure out what the voice in his head was, but decided to humor it and headed toward the edge of the loft.

"I'm sorry if I reopened any old wounds." He said without looking back. "I'll see you both at school."

And with that he jumped over the edge and walked out of the barn. Ayame, after waiting for the click of the door, sighed.

"Life gets more complicated by the day…" Naruto remarked winning a small grin from Ayame.

"I'm sorry I got you involved with Kiba." She said. "I hope my openness doesn't come back to bit us."

"It's alright." Naruto replied. "I knew word was going to get out sooner or later."

A calming blue and purple scenery flashed in to the minds of the two troubled minors as Nala, who had been resting next to Naruto, lifted her head up.

"It's been a long day for both of you," she said thrusting her conscious into scene. "Why don't the both of you get some rest for a while."

Both teens smiled at the thought of sleep and made themselves comfortable on the scattered hay and using Nala's warm body as a pillow. Before long both had drifted off to Nala's rhythmic heart beat and steady breathing.

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Okay, shorter chapter than I'm used to but I think I got in all I wanted to say. I happy with it although it was a little sad…