Tai: Happy birthday to me! Hehe, well I'm a happy girl; it's my birthday today in NZ (14th March for your future reference). I wrote this chapter a while ago; dug it up from on my external drive this morning. Think of it as a birthday present from me to everyone who might still be reading.
I editied it a little bit this morning and read it briefly, but you still must know that I don't fully remember what happened in it. Ah well, any major errors are a whips on my part, but you should let me away with it cos it's my birthday :P
Discliamer: Still don't own anything, despite the fact it is my birthday
Kiba awoke to find something warm pressed gently against him, the soft sounds of another's breathing reaching his highly sensitive ears. Glancing down briefly, his eyes widened at the sight of a young woman curled tightly against him. The majority of her clothing appeared to be gone, much like the Inuzuka's, although her hair seemed to provide more than adequate cover for her lightly tanned skin. Still able to feel both his pants and boxers beneath the blankets, he let out a small sigh. 'How much did I have to drink last night? I'm not complaining about having her here, but it'd be nice to be able to remember just what we'd talked about, if anything at all.' He reasoned quietly.
Managing to silently slip away from the young woman, the brunette headed towards the shower, intent on tidying himself up and having some time to think. Someone else, it seemed, had other ideas on the situation as a loud knock on the door echoed through the small building. Checking on the sleeping girl as he passed, Kiba found her awake, amber eyes darting around quickly in confusion before settling on the Inuzuka. Yuri appeared to visibly relax as she lay back down, cuddling into the blankets.
'I think I'd be an idiot to complain about having brought her home.' Kiba thought with a wolfish smirk, heading toward the front door. Another knock sounded, almost frantic, something that confused the canine like male. As he approached the door, the gentle sobs of a young woman were clearly audible to the dog-nin, something that did nothing to help the male's mind put some sense into the situation.
Pulling the door open, he had only a brief moment to register who was there before they clung to him suddenly, the sobs becoming louder and more depressing. "Hinata? What's wrong?" The girl seemed completely unable to talk as she attempted in vain to talk through the sobbing, only serving to stutter a couple of times before breaking down completely once again. Simultaneously confused and annoyed, Kiba let out a small growl. "Hinata, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."
"Naruto…" she whimpered, head resting gently against the Inuzuka's muscular chest, "he…he…Sakura…she…" Breaking down once more, she hugged the half naked male tightly, "I don't know what to do Kiba! I love him and she slept with him!" the Hyuuga heiress whined, burying her face into the tanned skin of the male's chest. Sighing, Kiba saw no other way to comfort the young woman as he hugged her gently, mind still racing.
"Why didn't you go to Neji and talk to him about it?" the dog-nin asked, confusion still reigning supreme in his mind. "Naruto…he said that…that…you…love me…" she mumbled silently, catching the Inuzuka by surprise. Looking down at the dark haired girl, he had no clue as to how he should react to the statement. His golden orbs swimming with confused thoughts, he found himself looking into the pearly white depths of the Hyuuga heiress' eyes.
Without another word she leant up and kissed him, arms snaking quickly around his neck to pull him down closer. His arms already locked around her in nothing more than a friendly hug, he realised too late just what was happening in the small entranceway of his apartment. After a moment of realisation, the Inuzuka pulled away quickly, stepping back from the Hyuuga. The confusion he found in her eyes seemed to mock the defiance in his as the Inuzuka stepped back, shaking his head.
"Hinata, I'm sorry, but you need to go." He stated softly, watching the Hyuuga. Her confusion seemed to double at the statement, as his mind finally clicked on to what it needed to say. After all the time he'd spent wanting her, the Inuzuka realised he didn't anymore. Stepping back further towards the bedroom, he let out a small sigh. "I do love you, Hinata, but only as a friend. Nothing more." Stunned silence ensued for several moments before the pale skinned girl ran out, tears once more streaming from her eyes.
Running a hand swiftly through his hair, he let out a small sigh and returned to his room, gaze landing on the bed. The brunette who'd seemed so content to curl up and sleep some more was nowhere to be seen, despite her dress still being in the hallway. Dropping to the ground, he let out a growl of frustration; he'd finally gotten over Hinata and found a new love, only to have things turned on their head.
A wave of panic shot through the Inuzuka heir as a cold breeze swept over him. Golden eyes darted around the room quickly, noting what had changed since he'd answered the door. A shirt and pair of pants that had earlier been lying on the floor were now gone, along with a window having been opened since he'd left the room. "Yuri…" he mumbled softly, eyes swimming with a mixture of confusion and hurt. It didn't take him long to figure out why she'd left, nor did it take much for the Inuzuka's mind to fill with rage.
Slamming his fist against the ground, he let out an animalistic growl, attention turning to the door. Naruto had taken one potential mate away from him, and now he was attempting to take the other. Clad in nothing but his pants (and boxers of course), Kiba stalked out the door and looked around quickly for any sight of the young woman. Unable to pick up neither sight nor scent of her, he let out a growl and headed for Shikamaru's. Come hell or high water, the Inuzuka decided, he was going to track the girl down and make her his.
And Naruto was not stopping him this time.
Letting out a content sigh as she cuddled into the warmth in front of her, Yuri released she'd never felt this relaxed or at ease before in her life. She felt a brief amount of movement as the source moved away, probably, the girl reasoned, to the bathroom to tidy up. A sudden pounding sound startled the young brunette into being fully awake, sitting bolt upright as she looked quickly around the room. Her eyes landed on the tanned male before her and she sighed, curling up into the bed once more.
'That's right, Kiba offered to let me stay with him for a while.' She thought drowsily, making a mental note of how well built a chest he seemed to have. She heard his steps walk slowly into the hallway, followed by another frantic knock on what Yuri could only assume to be the door. After several moments the gentle mumble of conversation hit her ears, and the girl's curiosity won over, the young brunette locating a discarded shirt on the floor to pull on before she ventured out into the hall.
Her blood stopped cold at the sight. The dark haired, pale skinned girl from last night was curled against Kiba rather tightly, and it appeared he was, for the moment at least, holding her close in a hug. She frowned slightly as she realised they were staring intently into one another's eyes before the girl kissed him, wrapping her arms around the Inuzuka tightly. He didn't move or react as the girl, Hinata, kissed him; his arms still around her. Confused and hurt, Yuri returned to the bedroom and located a pair of the male's pants, pulling them on quickly as tears started to drop from her eyes.
'Don't get attached to people, Yuri. They'll only hurt you...' her sensei's words seemed to be mocking her now, more so than they ever had before. Without another thought she opened the window and darted out, tears already streaming from her eyes as she took off at full speed. Wiping the droplets away, she could think of only one thing she wanted to do.
'Kuroi, we're leaving.' She stated mentally, keeping her inner voice as firm as possible.
"Yuri? What's wrong? Last night it seemed like you'd be more than happy to stay, you even said so yourself."
'Men are bastards. Nothing more; nothing less. Get rid of that mutt, we're leaving.' She mentally snarled, and she could hear the hesitation in the wolf's answer.
"Yuri…I…I don't want to leave. I'm happy here, it's nice. Why don't you give it another chance instead of going back to sensei?"
'All men are bastards.' Yuri snarled back, the tears finally stopping. 'I'd just prefer to be with a bastard I know rather than the bastard I don't.'
She refused to hear anymore from the wolf as she darted into the forest to gather her things and change. Kiba had done nothing more than use her to get the girl he truly wanted, and that had hurt more than any lie her sensei had ever told. Welcome in the village or not, she didn't want to stay, even if it had started to feel like home in the short while she'd been there.
"Kiba calm down; what happened?" Neji tried to reason with the half naked Inuzuka as Lee and Choji attempted to hold him back. "Naruto slept with Sakura." Kiba snarled, ripping his arms free of the males' grip. "Hinata caught him, he told her I love her. Hinata kissed me, I told her to leave and Yuri took off while all of that was happening. I don't know why she took off but I need to find her." He growled, glaring at the Hyuuga. "Are you going to help me or was it a waste of my time coming here?"
His speech was more snarling and growling than a proper conversing talk, making it clear to the others in the room the Inuzuka heir wasn't at all happy. "Naruto took my first possible mate away from me and now he's trying to take Yuri as well. I am not losing her!" he snarled, making his four companions jump. Stalking towards the door, he didn't bother to wait for the others to move as he took off, Neji following moments after with his Byakugan active.
Shino meanwhile had sent out his bugs, having them search everywhere and anywhere for the girl. With nothing they could do to help further, Choji, Lee and Shikamaru dropped to the ground with a sigh. "I'll kill that blonde bastard if Kiba loses her. Friend or not, he's hurt Kiba too much to get away with this." Choji stated, earning stiff nods from both of the other two. Shikamaru stood suddenly, heading towards the door.
"If she's become as fast as Kakashi thinks she may have, even Neji and Kiba may be unable to catch her." The Nara explained, waiting briefly at the door. "We're going to need someone faster than them, and there's only one group I can think of that are definitely faster." Taking off towards the Hokage tower, he glanced around briefly for any sign of the ANBU squad, even the girl herself. Seeing nothing on his way to the tower he sighed, not bothering to knock as he entered.
"Shikamaru?" "Lady Tsunade, I need you to send out the ANBU squad to track down that girl Yuri." He stated firmly, receiving confused looks from both women present in the room. "Did something happen?" "Kiba's fallen for her and Naruto's causing problems. Yuri's taken off and we don't think Kiba or Neji will be able to catch her. If she's reached the potential Kakashi thinks she has…" Nara trailed off, earning a swift nod from the older woman.
"If she's reached that potential, even the ANBU squad may not catch her. Shizune send word, now!"
She didn't have to look to know someone was following her. Having slowed briefly to wait for Kuroi, she'd found someone else quite intent upon tailing her. It got past the point of amusing her and the girl stopped, turning to wait for the tracker. "Yuri, why are you trying to leave so suddenly? You seemed quite happy with Kiba last night." The snowy haired male stated, earning a growl of annoyance from the girl. "Don't even mention that bastard around me." The ice in her voice made the copy nin frown as he moved to the branch she was on, standing close to her.
"What happened, Yuri? Surely it's not so bad that going back to the bastard who took you is your best option." He asked quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. She didn't shrug it off, though as Kakashi watched her face closely he could tell she was hurt. "Hinata kissed him and he didn't do anything." She mumbled, her head dropping sharply. "He didn't pull away or anything…" Tears began to fall freely and she didn't resist as her old sensei pulled her into a gentle hug, hand against the back of her head as he kept her close. "Men are bastards…all of them…" she mumbled, earning a small sigh from the older man.
Kiba had, unbeknownst to the young woman, caught up with them and heard the quiet conversation, unsure what he wanted to do first. He wanted Kakashi to release her so he could have her back; his instincts reasoning that the older nin shouldn't even be touching her. He let out a growl as the copy nin started running his hand soothingly through her long brown hair, though the noise seemed enough to startle the woman and alert her to his presence.
Deciding there was no more reason for him to remain hidden in the trees above them, he jumped down and landed close to her. It seemed to work against him as Yuri moved back, Kakashi more than happy to occupy space between them. The Inuzuka let out a feral growl as he tried to warn the other male away, only serving to startle the woman further. "Kiba, calm down." Kakashi stated, his voice as mellow as it had ever been as he watched the younger nin. "You've already hurt her once, your growling isn't helping the situation any."
The aforementioned woman was holding herself close behind the ex-ANBU nin, leaning against him slightly for the tiniest bit of comfort in the situation. The white haired nin glanced back briefly, gaze softening as he looked at her. "She's been hurt enough for one day, Kiba, I know you heard what she said so either stop growling and explain yourself or leave. It's that simple."
The Inuzuka's glare didn't lessen in intensity any, though his growling ceased after several more moments. "Hinata came around; she'd caught Naruto sleeping with Sakura and he blurted out that I loved her. She kissed me; I was more than a little stunned at that," he explained softly, gaze finally dropping to the branch. "It took me longer than it should have to realise what she wanted and pull away. I…I don't want her, Yuri. I want you."
The Inuzuka dropped to sit on the branch, unable to even look up at the young woman. He felt guilty about what had happened, even if he had no control over it.
Kakashi turned to look at the young woman, tilting her chin so she was forced to look at him. Confusion and anger were all that remained in her eyes; the pain and sadness that had made them sparkle was gone. "How do I know you're not lying now?" she asked, her voice ice cold as she spoke. "Men have lied to me my entire life; why the hell should I trust them now." It wasn't a question; that much was clear, and as Kuroi and Akamaru arrived in the clearing, she glared down at the wolf.
"Yuri, they haven't lied to you! They've been trying to help you, Kiba's telling the truth; Akamaru's said he feels horrible that you think he betrayed you and doesn't want to lose you! Please, you need to give him a chance." Kuroi mentally pleaded with the girl, the large white canine at her side staying close.
"I've given people enough chances through my life." She stated coldly, something that made all present stare, and startled the black wolf greatly. Since forming their bond neither Yuri nor Kuroi had spoken aloud to one another, it seemed a waste of time to both. It was, after all, faster to think something than it was to say it.
"Yuri…" the wolf stated quietly, whatever she planned to say was interrupted as the girl was quickly surrounded by the Konoha ANBU squad. She didn't move or even flinch at their presence, something that seemed to worry both the black wolf and copy ninja. "Tsunade asked us to capture her and ensure she doesn't leave the village." One of the squad members stated, turning to the white haired male. "She didn't explain why."
"One would think the death of some of her ANBU members would suffice as reason enough." The ice in the girls voice made Kakashi and Kiba both jump, though the black-ops members didn't even flinch at the statement. "Yuri, don't do it!" Kuroi pleaded from the ground, as it took Kiba and Kakashi only a moment more understand what the wolf was saying. "This is your home; we could be happy and safe here! We could have a more normal life!"
"And what, live happily ever after with a lying bastard who wants more than one woman in his bed?" she stated, turning her gaze onto the ninja that had spoken. They remained in a tight formation around her; unmoving at her threat. "Yuri please, I'm happy here; we're safe and Kiba loves you. What more do you need?" the wolf pleaded, looking up at the Inuzuka.
"I need to be able to trust those around me." She stated firmly, though her voice seemed to go quiet. "How can I trust an entire village when the first person I try to trust from here betrays me?" her voice was barely above a whimper and Kiba felt a wave of guilt go through him.
"I'm sorry…" he mumbled softly, looking up at the girl. "I'm sorry I didn't react to her kissing me sooner. Then maybe…" he let out a sigh, glancing down to his faithful canine, and the dog's new dark furred lover.
"…maybe we could've been as happy as Kuroi and Akamaru are." He finished softly, looking up into the amber eyes of the annoyed woman. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Yuri. I'm sorry that you want to leave the village…" Kakashi could sense what the Inuzuka was about to say and decided to move from between the two, allowing Kiba to look Yuri in the eye more directly, despite the height difference.
"But most of all I'm sorry that, once you leave I won't be able to help but follow you. I don't want anyone else, and I don't care if following you kills me. Yuri, I'm not going to give up and risk losing you to someone else. I won't and nothing you say will change my mind." His voice was void of emotion but still extremely firm, something that seemed to startle the young woman, if only slightly. "I don't care what I have to do, Yuri. I'm not going to lose you to anyone. I love you."
Kuroi jumped up onto the branch next to the young woman, startling some of the surrounding ANBU squad as she did so. "I know you Yuri; you don't want to run anymore, you don't want to fight or kill or hurt people anymore." She brushed against the young woman, leaning her head against her thigh. "You want to stay, we both know that." Kuroi looked at Kiba, silently asking him to stand and come over to them. He obliged, stopping less than half a metre away from the girl.
"Yuri, please…I'll do anything, just don't leave me." He mumbled, looking down at the brunette. She didn't look at him, though the dark wolf next to her and the white canine on the ground could both see the confusion in her amber eyes. Taking a step forward Kiba heard a growl emanate from the girl, who took off a moment later.
Kiba moved to go after her, only for the large wolf to stop him. "She needs to make this decision on her own."
"So all I can do is wait?" he received a small nod from the wolf, making him sigh. "Fine, I'll wait. No matter how long it takes."
ANBU had no such luxury of letting the girl get away, following instantly, although they were kind enough to give the girl some space. Following her to a highly secluded area, they realised only once they spotted the rock exactly where they were – the very same area she'd been taken from so long ago.
Settling to sit on the ground, Yuri began to silently meditate; blocking out everything in her surroundings as she concentrated inwards to find what she truly wanted. It didn't matter in the end what everyone else wanted, it was her life and she could make her own decisions; even if it was the first time she'd get the chance to.
"Tsunade ordered us to capture her so she doesn't leave the village; do we wait until she's running again or do we grab her now and restrain her somewhere she can't escape?" One of the officers questioned, glancing over at their leader.
"Tsunade believes that if she tries to escape the village and outrun us, we'll be unable to catch her."
"I wouldn't be surprised on that; if she's close to the potential she had all those years ago, no one in this village will catch her. Not even me." Kakashi stated, watching the girl. The white haired male hesitated before continuing. "It pains me to say this but, sedate her and have her locked in one of the secure holding cells. She can finish thinking there."
It only took a moment for the squad to act on Kakashi's suggestion, firing a dart into the girls neck and the captain throwing her over one shoulder. "Depsite what she may decide we have orders to keep her here; we will follow them to the death if that's what's required."
Tai: Well, review pleasums!