Kakashi seemed to sense my unwillingness to talk and thankfully let it be, for now. "Thank you." I said softly. The bad feeling from before had passed and we went back into the bar. Everyone was still on edge, but relaxed instantly when I smiled, a small but genuine smile, and the next four hours our group dominated the mike. Well everyone minus me, although we got continual free drinks. In the end, Iruka ended up driving us back to the dojo. Everyone began to set up bean bags and sleeping bags in the center. I looked up to the sky and took note of the moon. It was almost full. A cool breeze came through and swirled around me as I bathed in the moonlight. I took my glasses off and hooked them on my pants pocket and breathed in deeply, asking the breeze to tell me a story. It held only the smells of the city, taxi cabs, street lamps, strays, and night owl. I sighed softly as I began to feel restless. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Iruka, "Are you alright?" His brown eyes held legitimate concern as he questioned me. "I nodded and said softly, "I'm fine. I just don't know what to do. I've found a place where it almost feels like I could belong, but at the same time I worry. I'm not strong, I'm not super smart or witty, I don't have boundless amounts of optimism or experience, or anything of value to anyone. Since I was little I have been looking for a place I can just relax and not have to look over my shoulder constantly or be prepared to run away. I've been longing for a place to call home. I've been yearning for a sense of purpose. I've been needing something to stand for. Still it seems to be just out of my grasp and yet, this seems like it could be the place. It's like there something missing, something not quite right, something that needs to be done first. I'm sorry, you didn't ask for all that." I looked at Iruka and then away.
~~~Kakashi~~~
He found his mate standing outside talking to Kana and he waited, listening in. He heard the sadness in the girl's voice, the want, the hurt, and the fear. He looked over to his group of boys, yes, he and Iruka considered them theirs. They were all settling down for bed, all slightly more than buzzed and fading fast. Naruto and Sasuke cuddled together, Sasuke beside Naruto with Naruto using Sasuke as a pillow. Kiba sprawled in the middle of the makeshift fortress of bean bags, pillows mats and blankets while Shikamaru stretched out above Kiba's head. He looked to Iruka and Kana. She stood there bathed in moonlight, almost glowing, and yet she didn't seem to realize that she was home. The fact that the boys could act as they normally did around her was proof of that. Yet something was holding her back. Kakashi walked out and Kana turned to face Iruka and himself. "Kana," He began seriously, "I don't know what happened to you in your past, I'm sure one day you'll let someone know, because it's holding you back. Here, we are all alike. We have all experienced loss and trauma; we are all together and stronger as such because of this. I'm not belittling your experience, but you need to let go. We're family here, you can be too." Iruka looked at Kakashi, "I couldn't have said it better myself. Now, go lay down and get some rest. We'll watch over everything." The girl looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't. She nodded as she said quietly, "Thank you….I'll try." Kakashi and Iruka smiled as she walked to the group and picked a small corner and curled up, asleep almost instantly. "I don't think she realizes how powerful she is." Kakashi said to his mate. "She just needs to find something to stand for, and the boys will help with that I'm sure." Iruka finished. They walked off together and laid down on the pallet in Kakashi's office.
~~~Kana~~~
I remembered laying down and falling asleep, but I didn't wake up until morning, which was unusual. It was then I realized that I had a source of warmth and comfort around me. I opened my eyes and realized I was curled into Sasuke's side and his arm was around me, and Naruto was using my one stretched leg as a pillow right on the fatty part of my thigh. Kiba was using Sasuke's leg as a pillow and cuddle buddy while Shikamaru was laying with his head on Kiba's back. I found I didn't really mind and I snuggled deeper into the warmth and fell back asleep, for a little bit. That is, until Iruka said, "Ok guys, it's time to wake up, breakfast at Waffle House." We all woke up and as we all opened our eyes we saw our positions. Naruto laughed as there was a little bit of drool on Kiba's back from Shikamaru. Shikamaru blushed a bit as he wiped it off apologizing. Even Sasuke cracked a smile. "You're really comfy Kana…" Naruto said and he turned a little pink as he realized where he was laying, "I'm sorry!" He apologized profusely. Still curled up into Sasuke, who hadn't moved his arm I said, "It's ok." I gave him a soft smile and he scratched the back of his head. Sasuke then moved to stand up and I pouted unconsciously at the lack of heat. Kiba and Naruto both made "awww" noises. I turned bright red and said, "Oh hush." We all began to clean up, wearing our same clothes from last night. "My treat at Waffle House, chop chop." Iruka said, "I have an hour and a half before my first class." We all nodded and walked two blocks to the diner. "Oh welcome guys, it's been a while." I waitress with Rose colored hair girl said with a smile. "Oh! It seems you have someone new, who is this one?" She asked cheerfully as she looked at me. She seemed wary, but still friendly. Iruka said, "This is Kana. She is our newest team member for our dojo. She transferred from our sister school. The same one you attended." She smiled brightly. "Oh welcome. How is the Masters there? Is Tsunade still hot tempered? Is Orochimaru still there?" She asked enthusiastically while setting up our booth. "Uhm, yes Tsunade-hime is still quite volatile. No, Orochimaru-san left a couple of weeks after I got there, he went to be the sole sensei at a competitor school." I frowned, but smiled at the Rosette.
As we ate we all got to know each other. For once, I was at peace. I knew this was where I belonged, but still something was missing. Oh yeah, a purpose. I mentally sighed but shrugged it off for now. After breakfast we all went to our respective houses, showered and changed. We went to our classes for college, thanking the heavens it was Friday. That meant weekend training, and we were going to be doing some traveling to a forest like setting. As we all rode in Shikamaru's van, heading for the training grounds in our Gi, I stared absently out of the window and fell into a very light doze. When they thought I was asleep, Iruka asked, "So what do you boys think of her? Kakashi you first." Kakashi, who was driving said, "I think she's great. She just needs to stand for something. At this point she is like a lost cub, but I'm sure once she realizes she belongs with us all she'll grow out of that." He said kept his eye on the road and Iruka then said, "Kiba." Kiba breathed, "I don't know what to think. I'm drawn to her, she has a wonderful voice, the fighting that I've seen her do is perfect, even if she is a level behind us. She just needs to be not so much of a push over. I think her fear is irrational. We've all gotten angry and lashed out, nobody has died. I think she just needs to be herself." Iruka nodded and said, "Shikamaru." Shikamaru sighed, "She's nice enough, I saw her report for English. She is almost as smart as me and is surprisingly creative. I actually would like to see her stories she typed that she likes to write in her free time. As for her over all, same as Kiba, she just needs to stand tall and not be so afraid all the time." Iruka nodded again, "Sasuke." Sasuke responded, "Other than being a wimp all the time she seems like she could be one of our stronger fighters. If she had confidence she'd probably be our level if not higher. She looks good so she has nothing lacking there. She's intelligent, she's nice, so she really does just need confidence." Nodding, Iruka looked to Naruto, "Naruto." Naruto stayed quiet for a moment, "I think she just needs to learn how to trust. You guys all say she needs more confidence, but don't seem to have though about why she may not have it. I think we need to prove to her she is much more than she thinks. She clearly has a beautiful soul, she is just caged by whatever happened to her. I think we need to let her heal." He said in one of his rare moments of insightful seriousness. I wanted to cry, but continued to doze.
Once we arrived to the training grounds Shikamaru tapped me gently, "We're here." I woke up and I smiled softly at him, "Thanks." Tonight would be a full moon and I decided to give them a chance. I knew they thought I was asleep as they spoke because they kept their voices low. Tonight they would see a new side to me. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and my senses expanded themselves. I left my glasses in the van and set my bag of gear on the ground. It was only noon and the day was still young. I felt a tag on my shoulder and saw Naruto grinning, "Bet you can't catch me!" He took off and I actually gave chase, keeping my eyes trained on the blond. He was quick, but not as fast as me. I jogged to catch up to him. Kiba called, "Naruto! You forgot to tell her no tag backs allowed!" Kiba looked at me and grinned. I rolled my eyes and turned quickly to chase him. He smirked and weaved in and out of the trees; little did I know this was a test already. Iruka then said, "You're going to have to find all of them. I'll be here making dinner." I nodded and I could feel a little tingle at the thrill of the hunt. We were in a secluded area so I let my senses go free. I closed my eyes and focused. My nails grew into fashionably sharp claws, my canines lengthened and sharpened and my senses all sharpened. I closed my feral yellow eyes and smelled the soft breeze. My eyes shot open and I darted after the smell of musk. It was human so I figured it was one of my "targets". I silently followed the scent and it proved that I was right. I found Kakashi, reading his newest porno. I tagged his shoulder, "Tag. You can go try that stuff with Iruka now; I'll find the others for dinner." I told him with a soft smile, well as soft as I could pull of in my current feral state. I was even hunched over a little bit. He smiled at me and said, "You just earned bonus points." I was confused as he darted off back towards camp. I took to my sense of smell again and found the smell of canine: Kiba. I silently stalked the smell. I climbed a tree with the slight breeze blowing toward me. Kiba had a good sense of smell without using his mutation so I was better safe than sorry. He was playing with a couple of wolf cubs whose pack mates were out hunting. I leaped from the tree branch and landed next to him, tagging him before he could respond. The wolf pups howled at me, alarmed until I looked at them and smiled. I made a playful growl emerge from my throat and they began to tug on my pants. I patted each of them and they let go. "Gotcha, Iruka is making dinner now." He nodded and said, "Thanks, not bad. However, Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru are going to be harder to find. They are used to people tracking them by smell." I nodded. "Thanks Kiba." I turned and swiftly climbed a tree. I smelled the air again. I scanned the area from the highest point on the tree and I saw a figure on a hill, way off in the distance. I jumped from the tree and raced toward it. Leaping over fallen logs and lunging through underbrush I got to the hill rather quickly. I slowed and crept up quietly. I heard soft snoring, but it was uneven, he knew I was here. I shrugged and lunged quickly. Shikamaru jumped up barely dodged out of the way. I landed where he was previously.
"Not bad Kana." Shikamaru said. I smiled, but said nothing. I circled him and cut him off anytime he was near the crest of the hill. He almost seemed to smile at the challenge. "You know, you're the only one besides Sasuke to provide a challenge at this part of the test. Who all have you found so far?" He asked, still circling me. I focused on him, not letting the idle chit chat distract me. "Kakashi, Kiba, and you." I answered. He looked confused for a moment as I lunged forward and tagged his shoulder. "Nicely done; I must admit I was not expecting that from you." He laughed and laid back down, presumably cloud watching.
I smelled cinnamon and citrus again and I began to salivate as I rushed towards it unexpectedly. I was swift and nearly as silent as a barn owl's flight. My predatory drive was in full swing, I could feel my eyes burning as well as my nose as I the mutation took over fully. I felt my head itch as well as my tail bone and I felt ears on top of my head, as well as a tail swish behind me, giving me increased balance. I growl rumbled in my throat as I silently approached the soft moans. I peered through the bushes and saw a scene similar to the shower. I watched for a minute as I tried to fight off the mutation, but I couldn't. Their scents were too strong out here in the open. I pounced. I tagged them both simultaneously. They looked at me shocked as I stared at them through hungry eyes. A bold, feral cat stood before them, a huntress of the night. They both smirked as they separated themselves and circled me. A series of growls emitted from all three of us. The wildlife in the clearing fell silent. Naruto's eyes began to burn a pure, deep crimson color while Sasuke's burned crimson and black. At this point we were no longer Naruto, Sasuke, and Kana, but three beasts greeting each other for the first time.
Sasuke was the first to lunge, Naruto followed directly after. I leaped out of Sasuke's way and blocked Naruto's kick, then moved like liquid out of the way of Sasuke's rebound kick. They were both in front of me now and the volume of our growls increased. Sasuke was like a lion, proud and mighty as he growled and fixed me with his devilish eyes. Naruto, the nine tailed fox of lore, staring at me with blood tainted eyes. Then there's me, the Black Panther, sleek and powerful as I stand my ground against the two other beasts. We were so involved with out confrontation; we didn't notice we had an audience. Not until Kakashi's voice rang out, "So you two were caught because you were fooling around. Shikamaru was caught off guard. Kiba was distracted as was I. Brilliant Kana. Now, let's get your clothes on you two and let us all go eat." Our animal sides were tamed for now, but I could tell all of us couldn't wait to see what would have happened. I stretched as we headed for the camp site, but I stopped suddenly. Something was wrong and I growled softly as I looked around. My ears and tail perked. The ears rotated, taking in all the sounds. Heart beats that were calm and not ours came from the direction of the camp. Sasuke and Naruto, who were still mostly feral like me, seemed to notice the same feeling of danger. "Duck!" Sasuke and I both said at once. Everyone hit the ground and eleven people all cloaked and masked surrounded us. We circled up and everyone's mutation started to rise. That's when I saw Iruka bound to a tree and unmoving. Something inside began to break and the iron self control that I usually had let loose ever so slightly. A roar ripped from my chest and I lunged at the nearest member, a rather large man. All these people held familiar scents, but I was too far gone to remember what they were from. The man's grunt told me he was surprised at the ferocious attack. Naruto attacked the next closest member, a smaller target whose smell was male, but his body could almost pass for female. His roaring growl was nothing like what human vocal chords could make, as was my own. His was ear bleeding loud and mine was blood chilling. The two of us went berserk. The cloaked figures retreated back. I went to Iruka and stood between him and the cloaked figures. I was hunched over, standing like an animal. My eyes were almost glowing a venomous yellow.
Naruto was soon at my side as we guarded Iruka and two of the cloaked figures approached us while the others preoccupied themselves with the rest of the group. The cloaked figures were quick, but not quick enough. Naruto and I both seemed to be on the same page and we rotated on our hands and kicked out like bulls, sending the would be attackers flying through trees. As we faced the bigger group of cloaked figures, the closer threats currently neutralized for a bit, we growled and glared at the cloaks. We took an intimidating step forward and the cloaks decided to flee. Naruto and I began to give chase, our growling echoing through the forest, causing all wildlife to remain silent. "Ne, Naruto! Kana!" Sasuke called. We both stopped mid lunge and turned to him. Naruto reverted back to normal and began to untie Iruka, who was merely knocked out. I however began smelling the air for any remnants of the cloaked figures. I found one and I lunged, swiping the large man from before, gashing his face. His blood dripped to the ground as he growled and grunted at me, but he fled as well, leaving a brief trail. I began to chase once more…only to be tackled by everyone. A low growl rumbled in my chest again as I tried to drag them all, but I failed. Naruto then scratched my ear and the growl turned into a purr as I began to relax, but still tried pulling them, trying to give chase. Sasuke began rubbing the back of my neck, using his nails occasionally. The purr increased, but still I pulled, but not with anywhere near as much determination. Kiba went for my stomach, Kakashi for my back and Shikamaru for my throat. I flopped down and the purr was so loud it sounded like a motorboat. My eyes changed back to their normal hypnotic amber, my ears and tail disappeared, but my claws and fangs remained. They stopped. "Kana, are you alright." Kakashi asked, a purr was his only response as Naruto continued to play with my ears, as he had now moved to the human ears. They all laughed and at this very moment I couldn't care less.