The sun poured through the window in Anko's room, forcing her out of her slumber. It felt like all she did lately was sleep; it didn't help that she didn't feel like doing anything else. She could just lie here for the rest of her life for all she cared.

Suddenly she bolted upright and looked around her room. She hadn't opened her blinds before going to sleep. Someone had been in here while she was asleep. She jumped out of bed and threw open the door to her bedroom. She gazed out at her apartment with her still bleary eyes.

What she saw shocked her. Anko tried rubbing her eyes, assuming that her eyes was just deceiving her. The main room and kitchen area looked completely different than how she had left it. The place was clean and organized; the table was no longer on the floor and everything looked neat.

Under the table lay the large dog that belonged to the Inuzuka. It starred at her before grunting at his owner. The man leaned over the counter from the kitchen, staring at Anko in the same manner that the dog did. She had to admit that he was a bit too much like his dog, even by Inuzuka standards.

"Oh good, you're awake. I'm making breakfast. Go ahead and shower; the food will be ready by the time you're done."

Anko's eye twitched. The nerve of this guy! He was in her home, going through her things, and now he was telling her what to do! This was going to be remedied right now. She trudged up to him, eyes enflamed in fury. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

Kiba didn't even bother to turn and look at her, he just kept making breakfast. Strangely enough, it seemed like eggs and beef, neither of which Anko had kept in her home. "I'm making breakfast for us."

"Us? What us? You're in my home! You went through my belongings!"

"I cleaned up your home, since you left it in such shambles. Also, you were almost out of food so I went shopping this morning. Are you going to shower or not? You smell like you haven't bathed in days..."

The nerve of this guy! "Now you listen to me; this is my home and I'm not going to let you start telling me what to do!"

Kiba finally stopped and looked at Anko. "Look. Kurenai assigned me to make sure things get back into order. It's not like you're taking care of yourself. So, when you start taking care of yourself, I'll stop telling you what to do. Have you even smelled yourself lately?" He seemed genuinely annoyed, but then again, so was she.

Anko was just about to respond, but then she decided to sniff herself. Immediately she recoiled; how could she have not noticed this? She was never this unobservant. Still, she couldn't let Kiba think he had won. "This isn't over."

Before he could answer she turned and moved into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She didn't think he'd be daring enough to barge in on her, but she wasn't planning on taking any chances.

Slowly she removed her clothes and turned on the water, just letting it fall upon her as she stood under it. She let out a deep sigh, the feelings she was trying to avoid coming on strong. She leaned forward and placed her forehead against the shower wall, closing her eyes and just trying to relax. What on earth was Kurenai thinking? Anko wasn't someone who couldn't take care of herself. She always had before, and that wasn't going to change. It was bad enough that Kurenai probably thought she was incapable of doing anything on her own right now; now she had to deal with her student and his desire to fulfill her wishes. All she wanted was to be alone. There was nothing wrong with that.

Eventually Anko finished her shower, and looked herself over in the mirror. The woman who stared back at her was a shadow of the woman who everyone knew her as. She looked tired and worn down instead of being the bombastic and passionate kunoichi that Anko normally was.

By the time she left the bathroom, Kiba was already eating and a plate was set out for her. The man and his dog both regarded her with an expression that made it look like they were expecting something. Anko wasn't sure what that might be; she had already showered and was at least clothed this time.

The two of them ate in silence, Anko occasionally looking up at Kiba to see if he was watching her. Surprisingly enough, he seemed completely disinterested in her; his food consumed all of his attention. When he finished, he grabbed his plate and began cleaning up the dishes without saying a word to her.

The silence ate away at her; her slammed her fist down on the table, glowering at it to avoid the urge to attack him and force him out of her home. "Enough!"

Behind her, Kiba sighed. He walked back over to the table, sat down at his chair, and leaned back. He was just looking at her with that unamused and unimpressed expression. He didn't say anything. He just stared at her.

"What? What do you want?" Anko was almost screaming at him without even meaning to; this whole situation was awful. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?

"I want to figure out what's bothering you so I can help you get past this."

"There's nothing to get past! I'm fine! Why do you even care! What goes on in my life is none of your business."

"Kurenai-sensei cares. That's good enough for me. Besides, you're not fine. From what it looks like, you're coming apart at the seams. How long have you been holed up in here anyway?"

"None of your business." Anko frowned and him and folded her arms over her chest. This guy was annoying.

Kiba sighed and leaned forward over the table. "Listen. You can sit here and say that you're fine and that you don't need any help, but I know when something isn't right. Your home was a mess, you answered the door without any pants on, you look exhausted, and you hadn't bathed for days. I'm not going to ask you to tell me all about it, but I do think it's time to admit you have a problem that needs to be addressed."

"I already told you, I don't have a problem."

"Which explains why you seem so worn down and unhappy." The clear sarcastic tone was grating on Anko's nerves. She just wanted to slug him one, prove that she was fine.

But then her anger subsided. Who was she really trying to prove that to? Did she even believe it herself? It was certainly getting harder and harder to convince herself she was alright. Right now, she needed to think. Anko stood up, and began making her way towards her bedroom.

Before she could get there though, two strong wrapped themselves around her shoulders. For the briefest of moments, she considered resisting them. But she just stood there in silence. Minutes went by in silence, and neither of them moved.

Finally, Anko simply couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't keep lying to herself like this, trying to pretend that things were fine when they weren't. Her body shook before she simply collapsed to the ground with tears forming in her eyes. She felt even worse that she was acting so weak around anyone. She had never needed anyone before, so why was she doing this?

Kiba got down with her and moved to pull her head into his chest. Something about this made Anko feeling slightly better, but she couldn't help but let tears fall. She wasn't even really crying; tears were just falling while she shook slightly in his arms on the floor of her home. She felt his dog move to the other side of her, forming a sort of circle around her. In some strange way it made her better, and on another level it made her feel worse. But Anko was in no position to do anything about it right now. Maybe he had been right. Maybe she did need to face facts.

For the moment at least, she had someone who seemed willing to help her through it.