Dog Breath

Chapter One: School = Sleep

Eri stood beside Tsume-sama and growled low under her breath. She had been forbidden to bring Sen and Kaja with her to the Academy and this would be the first time in her life that she would be away from her ninken family. She didn't understand why she needed to go to the Academy, she already did guard work for her new family and she had learnt to fight from Sen and Kaja. She already had a job that she enjoyed with helping the partnerless ninken to rehabilitate to fighting with new partners. However the clans Alpha had said it was a necessary part of her living with the clan, and so Eri would do what she needed to, for her new family.

"Behave today, listen to your teachers." Tsume-sama looked down at the young girl with a frown. She wasn't sure the child would be able to be civil with other children, the girl was a mutt and acted more like a dog than a human. She could get along with Hana, but she shied away from others. Eri bowed her head and shifted away from Tsume-sama when the older woman tried to hit her upside the head for her growling. "None of that!" Tsume-sama warned and Eri stopped growling. Eri took another look at the young children she would be with and sighed unhappily, today would not be a fun day.

Tsume-sama pushed her forward and Eri left her Clans leader and the only other person she knew in the crowd and followed the other children into the Academy building and towards the classroom she had been assigned.

Many of the children already knew each other and were sitting in their seats laughing, bright eyed and happy. Their high pitched voices hurt her ears and she snarled when one of the children came too close to her, the boy smelt like fire and she hated fire.

Looking around she found a seat right at the back by the window, the boy next to it had a thick coat on with a high collar, black glasses covering his eyes and a very pale face. When Eri sat down next to him she caught the scent of leaves, wind and life. It was a very pleasant smell. The other children quickly found their seats and the last one on their table was a thin boy with strange white hair that defied gravity and a mask, he smelt like dog and she grinned toothily. Her tablemates were good choices and she sat back comfortably in her seat to wait for their teacher.

Their teacher a chunin who had a scar across his nose and looked like a strong breeze would blow him away stood in front of them and introduced himself as Ken. Their first class ended up being as boring as she had thought it would be. They were to introduce themselves to each other, say their names, clans, interests and why they wanted to be a ninja. Eri ignored them all and looked out the window with longing. She was still learning to read and write and sometimes words were hard for her to form. She wanted to be home with Sen and Kaja, to play with the new pups and help Osokure who had returned from the war front without his partner and was still feral and angry.

Looking around the room she growled low in her throat at the high pitched noises the other children were making as they picked out training kunai and holsters. There was a test at the end of the day and Eri had looked at the words and turned the paper face down, put her head on it and went to sleep.

She found out later that the boy who smelled of life as called Aburame Muta, she called him Bug/ The white haired dog was called Hatake Kakashi and he was only five…and would be moving to a different class because he had tested high. She had stared at him for a moment when he had started to pack up his belongings.

"See you white dog." She said and the boy grunted, took a sniff in her direction and shrugged.

"Later mutt."

She put her head back onto the table and went to sleep, feeling safe next to the bug.

DBDBDBDB

Her first year at the Academy turned out to be the beginning of a very long and boring process of learning to read and write. She was good at taijutsu and weapons, but she preferred her hands. She met another boy who liked fighting and being green and loud. She didn't like his loud voice, but he was fun to wrestle with like the puppies. She called him Green.

Her Academy life after that was filled with lessons, writing, fighting with Green and silent lunches with the bug. She didn't get any better at talking to others, they were too irritating and loud. Bug was quiet, didn't mind that she would forget his name most of the time and he got used to Sen and Kaja when they were allowed to come with her to school. They agreed that the boy had a nice scent and they sometimes all three would lay in the sun under a tree with Bug and enjoy the quiet time together. Green would sometimes join them, but he had too much energy and would soon be off running around the fields and doing push ups.

DBDBDBDBDB

The next time she saw White Dog was when he was trailing after a bright blonde haired man who smiled a lot. They were both talking to Tsume-sama while Eri groomed Osokure, he had calmed down much since he had first been brought back.

"Eri." Tsume-Sama called her over and Eri patted the big ninken on the head before moving over to Tsume-sama's side.

"White Dog," Eri greeted.

"Mutt," Kakashi responded in kind, both children dodged the hands coming to hit them over the head from their respective carers.

"Namikaze and his brat need you to go with them. There's a wounded Ninken that wont leave his dead partner nor let anyone get close enough to help. Grab your things."

And so Eri spent the day in the company of White Dog, sunshine man and Sen who was allowed to accompany her. They travelled outside of Konoha and through the forest, Eri rode Sen and ignored the sunshine man's attempts to talk to her.

"Not very talkative are you."

"No." she said.

"How did you and Kakashi-kun become friends?"

"We're not friends." Eri and Kakashi said at the same time.

Minato laughed and raised his eyebrows at his students, "Is that so?"

"We met at the Academy." Eri said as she patted Sen's head and looked around at the large trees around them.

"What year are you in Eri-chan?"

Eri shrugged, she wasn't sure how long she had been at the academy, it was just one long nap time to her.

"We started at the same time." Kakashi said.

"Ah…so how old are you Eri-chan? You look a little bit older than Kakashi-kun."

Eri shrugged again, she wasn't sure how old she was, Sen and Kaja also weren't sure how old she was either.

"Eri-chan?" Minato asked again, trying to get a good look at her face.

"I don't know." She said and then pointed in the direction they were headed. "I smell blood, we must be close. You never said who it was."

"Ah, it's Junsuke Inuzuka." Minato said. Eri turned to him and narrowed her golden eyes.

"The ninken's name?"

Scratching his head Minato felt a flush creep across his face as he realised he didn't remember the Ninkens name. Turning to Kakashi the young white haired ninja rolled his eyes.

"Shirodan."

Eri nodded her head and patted Sen again. She growled to Sen letting her mother figure know she would approach first, the war dog barked back at her and Eri turned her golden eyes onto the narrowed eyes of the White Dog. She wasn't sure if he could understand dogs well or if he just smelt like dog. She would have to learn more about it later.

They came upon the scene, two Anbu stood in the shadows and in the centre of a clearing lay the body of Junsuke and standing guard over him was his injured Ninken Shirodan.

Eri felt her heart fall and tears gather in her eyes. She slipped from Sens back and crouched down onto all fours. She pulled her jacket, gloves and shoes off, then her shirt and pants so that she crouched in her underwear. She ignored the spluttering sound of the White Dog, Shirodan needed to see that she was not a threat and the more her own scent came through the better.

She approached slowly making small whimpering sounds, she kept her head bowed and eyes off to the side and while the growling of the large ninken continued, the pitch and tone did not change. She waited close by with arm and fist outstretched and ignored the growls and hot breath of an angry, hurting ninken and waited for him to sniff her, to wait until it was safer to come close.

She crouched that way for hours, sweat ran down her face and she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing and did not move at all. Finally she felt the sniff on her fist, a gentle lick and the growls stopped. Looking up into dark sad eyes she moved forward carefully and placed a hand over the ninken's head and patted his mattered fur. She ignored the smell of the dead Inuzuka man she was half leaning over and pulled the ninken's large head towards her and hugged him. She stayed that way for another hour, calming the war dog and offering comfort in her scent and touch.

"You did well Shirodan, you kept guard." She praised the ninken. The war dog growled low in his throat.

"Not enough to keep him alive." He said back to her with such sorrow she cried into his neck.

"It was enough because I see how much you loved him and he loved you."

It was obvious to Eri that Junsuke had saved his ninken and killed the ninja who had attacked them to save his Ninken. Most of the ninja of the Inuzuka clan had the same conviction as their partners, theirs was a clan of loyalty, family and fierce love.

"Let us bring him back to the clan. Sen will carry him on her back."

Sen came over and together with Shirodan they retrieved Junsuke and started back to Konoha without a look or word at Minato or Kakashi.

That night the partnerless Ninken and Shirodan howled to the moon their sorrow and Eri joined her voice to theirs.

DBDBDBDBDB

The day Green's father died Eri and Muta found him under their tree, silent still and sad. They sat with him and watched the clouds go by, they didn't leave him until the stars had shone in the sky and Kaja came to find where she was. Muta and Eri took Green home and stayed with him that night with Kaja standing guard over the house.

Maito Gai needed his friends for months afterwards, he would hold their hands and follow them everywhere and not laugh or fight or train. Eri saw him as another partnerless dog and so would bundle him up with a still sad Osokure and Shirodan. The three would lay together and offer warmth and comfort.

Bug would sometimes come and take Gai from Eri when she was busy and ask for help in training. Slowly Green started to talk, and move about on his own. The day he woke up from the grey fog of despair was a strange day for all.

Eri had been leading Shirodan and Osokure around the streets of Konoha and talking to them both about getting back into patrols to keep the citizens safe. Gai was with her, holding her hand and staring blankly around at the streets when White Dog flew right into Eri and knocked her down.

A red haired loud mouthed teen stood at the end of the street and was laughing and hanging off of Minato, the sunshine man. Gai stood and stared down at his hand where Eri had let go as she went tumbling down. Shirodan and Osokure had both been startled by the sudden attack and were growling and getting ready to attack.

"Get off." Eri said and pushed up at Kakashi with an angry scowl on her face.

Kakashi equally angry glared down and her and pushed her back down to the ground while getting up.

Gai watched all of this with a steadily growing spark of something seeping into his heart and spreading through his numb body. He moved before his mind even knew what he was doing. Kakashi went flying back towards the red haired laughing teen girl and skidded down the street with dust flying. Gai struck a pose, one arm pointed to Kakashi and the other on his hip.

"That was most unyouthful. You should not push Eri-chan and scare ninken like that!"

"I didn't push her and it was not my fault." Kakashi stood back up, equally as angry and pointing right back at Gai.

The two young ninja ended up in a fight which Kakashi felt like he could have won if Minato hadn't interfered with the red haired girl grabbing at Gai to hold him back.

"This isn't over! I will keep fighting you until I win!" Gai vowed. He slipped out from the red haired girls arms and grabbed Eri's hand and pulled her away, Osokure and Shirodan following behind them and still twitching and growling.

"Green is back." Eri said with a smile. Gai smiled back, his smile glinting in the light.

DBDBDBDBDBDB

Green and White Dog had many fights during the years and Gai called the boy his Eternal Rival. Gai moved through the classes quickly and graduated before Muta and Eri. He hugged both Muta and Eri long and hard and had tears in his eyes as he passionately cried out what a great ninja he would be and that he would see them both on their graduation day. Eri had reminded him that they would see him around the village and Gai had cried and told Eri she was smart. Eri had looked over at Muta who was making suspicious noises and pulling the collar of his jacket up higher.

DBDBDBDBDBDB

During taijutsu training one day they had been pitted against another class of students of the same year level. She had been sitting lazily with the other students and watching Bug fight with a boy who had milky white eyes and fought strangley. It was only tiajutsu and Bug was fairly good at it. It was almost just like any other day in class when Muta cried out in pain and the boy he was fighting with had a hand that glowed and a terrible smile on his face.

"Told you I'd squish you like the bug you are." The boy had said.

Eri moved.

The white eyed boy was on the ground, her teeth in his neck and warm blood flowed into her mouth. There was shouting and screaming and Eri growled low in her throat.

She was hit on the head hard and pulled off of the boy quickly and Eri was surprised to see it was their slight chunin teacher Ken who held her up by the scruff of her shirt. Blood dripped down her chin and she was glad to see that the boy she had attacked would probably never speak again, she had bit him hard enough to almost crush his neck.

Muta was looking at her through his glasses and she stared back at him. She ignored her teacher who was asking her questions and questions to the ninja that were surrounding the white eyed boy.

"Why?" Muta asked.

"You're my bug." Eri said, "He's not allowed to squish you."

"He wouldn't of."

Eri shrugged, "Doesn't matter, he won't now."

She got in a lot of trouble, the Hyuuga Clan were not impressed and Tsuma-sama while angry at her in public had in private told her she had done a good thing. Her punishment was to clean then clan pens, but as this was something she already did, Eri didn't think anything of it.

DBDBDBDBDBDB

Eri had been sleeping in class again when their teacher Ken told them it was time for their final exams as Academy students to become Genin. She had sat up startled and looked over to Bug. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Four years." Muta said with a slight grin, his table partner was such a sleepy dog, not like the other Inuzuka clan members he had met and he had always enjoyed spending his days with her.

He had asked her once why she was always so sleepy.

"I patrol at night with Sen and Kaja and the other Ninken, I finish before class."

"Aren't you tired?" Muta had questioned.

"That is what sleep is for." Eri had replied.

"But you are supposed to pay attention in class."

"Why?"

"To learn to be a ninja."

"Oh…well, ok." Eri had gone straight back to sleep and Muta had watched her in bewilderment for a moment. Their teacher Ken had called for attention and Muta went back to paying attention to the lesson, he made sure to make his notes neat for Eri to read over later. He was never sure if she did read them.

Muta stood outside with his Konoha headband in one hand and his Kikaichu humming nervously in his chest, what if his friend did not pass? She was the only person in his class that he even remotely cared about and they had been friends for the last four years. He breathed a sigh of relief when she came loping out of the Academy with her own Hitait around her neck and a sleepy yawn.

They were both jumped on by a very happy and green Maito Gai.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Muta, Eri and the Hyuuga whose throat she had damaged were all on the same team, their teacher Choza Akimichi.

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TBC