Chapter 5

I bolted upright, tremors wracking my body and dreams were back and had been plaguing me the last five nights. I slept less than was good for me, but it wasn't showing too much yet, thank Kami.

They were dark nightmares though, haunted by faces of the dead or filled with memories of me reliving my time with Orochimaru. Sometimes it was the deceased enacting the experiments, cackling as they enacted their revenge. The worst were the pleadings. People begging me not to kill them and then asking me questions in broken, dead voices about why I'd done it. Often though, the details of everything began slipping away, leaving me with only a faint recollection of the happenings and the burden of the consequential terror. I was lucky my training kept me from outright screaming.

A glance at my clock revealed I had another hour before I needed to be up. Sighing, I rolled out of bed. I wouldn't be going back to sleep after this, so I might as well do some training before my teammates arrived.

I tugged on my clothes, ate breakfast, and then ran a brush through my blue locks before heading out to the training ground. In the few days I'd been with my team, I could tell they were starting to get restless; they were ready for a mission and truth be told, I was too. It had been a long time since I was able to use my skills on a mission. Of course I did run a higher risk of running into one of Orochimaru's goons. It'd be harder to dodge undesired questions too. But it was worth it.

I left my apartment, locking the door behind me and took to the rooftops, basking in the quiet solace of the last of the grey pre-dawn light. The sun would be up soon, but until then the streets would remain relatively empty. The past few days of nightmare interrupted sleep had shown me that. I almost wanted to stop and watch the village come alive. I'd done so the first time my chaotic dreams had sent sleep scurrying away and it had been strange to see. People left their homes, bidding goodbye to their families at times with an embrace or leaving and walking with a purpose to wherever they were headed. Shops opened and as I left to go meet with my team people were starting to fill the streets. The soft sounds of chatter and greetings followed me to the training fields. It was a novel experience and something I would like to watch again. For now though, I had work to do of my own.

I intended to work on fighting in the trees. I'd had minimal practice with it before as I'd spent a majority of my time underground. I could manage it, but I was far from proficient in the trees. There were plenty of them around the training area that were sizable enough to serve my purposes. I perched myself in one of them and thought through the best way to train myself. An opponent who was used to fighting in the forest would be helpful. I'd have to talk to my team about it later. For now I could try clones; I'd be doubling my experience that way. I dropped to the ground and created one from the dirt. Earth clones could take a couple hits before crumbling in combat and since it was just training I could split my chakra evenly between us and the clone would stick around usually until I dispelled it.

The clone spared me a nod before launching into the trees. I chased after her. The first thing I noticed was branches. They were easy enough to dodge now, but when all my attention was focused on my opponent that could become more difficult. What few forests I'd fought in before weren't quite so thick and rarely was it among the tree tops. The clone pulled up suddenly, whipping a kick toward me. I moved my arms to block, reaching out to catch her foot. The momentum from her movement threw me back and I slipped on the bark. Cursing, I readjusted my chakra levels in my feet. In the process my grip on the clone loosened and she pushed away landing on a further branch and nearly disbalancing herself with unnecessary propulsion. Tree fighting was a more delicate and cautious act than I'd realized. From there our spar improved. We both became more aware of our surroundings while we clashed. The sounds of others approaching signalled the end to my practice session and I released the jutsu, pausing briefly upon the incoming experience; I had improved no doubt, but there was still more to practice.

"Good morning Tenshi, " Kurenai greeted.

"Sensei," I returned with a nod.

My teammates appeared moments later, displaying varying degrees of awareness. The training session seemed to pass by quickly. I spoke to Kurenai about practicing combat in the trees, and she readily agreed. I faced each team member, excluding Kurenai, who observed the matches, and found that while I could hold my own, facing multiple opponents in the trees at once might be my downfall.

I jumped to the ground, tired after the exertion, but also...happy. Something I hadn't felt so clearly in a long time. It was wonderful to feel that way again. Maybe there really would be a place for me here.

"Oh Tenshi!" Kiba called out. I fixed my blue gaze on him, raising my eyebrows in acknowledgement.

"My mom wanted you to come over today so she could meet you."

And just like that wariness flooded my mind. Going to the Inuzuka compound. Alone. This seemed like a very bad idea. Refusal wasn't really an option though.

"Alright." I acquiesced, hoping I wouldn't regret this much as I thought I would.

To say I was uncomfortable upon entering the Inuzuka compound was putting it mildly. I was more at ease deep in enemy territory. At least there I knew what to do. I kept up with Kiba and Akamaru though, trying not to let my tension become apparent. The smell of canines was nearly overwhelming and the instinctive unease made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Come on. My place is just over there," Kiba gestured. He began walking a bit faster and I lengthened my own stride to keep pace. Akamaru let out a happy bark and raced ahead, bounding up to the door. It opened revealing a woman with wild brown hair and the same red tattoos as Kiba. A large, wolfish dog followed her. It was missing an ear and wore an eyepatch over its right eye.

"Hey mom!"

"Kiba. Is this her?" she asked tilting her chin in my direction.

"Yep."

She came toward me, taking me in. I held her gaze calmly, also gauging her.

"My son was right," she said, "you do smell like a cat."

I caught somewhat off guard by her brashness, but brushed it aside, "I'm Tenshi."

"Inuzuka Tsume. This is Kuromaru." The ninken placed himself beside Tsume and regarded me with its sole yellow eye.

"Well come on in and you can meet Hana," Tsume said motioning for me to follow. I wanted to protest, but she was already passing through the door. I met Kiba's eye and he simply shrugged before heading inside as well. We passed through a few rooms before Tsume opened another door and went through. Akamaru and Kuromaru didn't follow as we continued in.

The room was set up like a medical station. What surprised me is that I relaxed in its atmosphere rather than feeling the typical fear that accompanied anything faintly hospital-like.

A girl turned to face us. She looked to be four or five years older than me. She had a kind, open expression as well as the red tattoos on her cheeks. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail leaving a couple strands to hang in her face. Three grey and white dogs were settled around her.

"Hi Mom, Kiba. And…" she trailed off as her gaze landed on me.

"Tenshi," I replied. She smiled slightly.

"Kiba's new teammate. It's nice to meet you. I'm Hana. These are the Haimaru brothers," she said, indicating the dogs at her feet. One of them came up to me and sniffed me curiously. He let out a short yip and licked my hand. I fought the urge to wipe it on my pants.

"He likes you," Hana said with a small laugh. As if to prove her correct, the canine sat near me and leaned his head against me. It was unusual. Most animals left me alone because of the chakra. I had no idea how to respond to it.

"Hana using medical ninjutsu to treat animals," Kiba explained to me, "she's really good."

"I'm decent at it is what he means to say," Hana said back turning away from us to continue what she'd been engaged in before.

"I imagine you're invaluable to your clan," I told her, still struggling to join the small talk.

She shrugged noncommittally, but I didn't miss the small smile that lit her face. It was odd, I'd rarely made anyone smile before this. Cower in fear, sure, but smile…

Tsume spoke up next, "you'll stay for dinner, right Tenshi?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"Nonsense. Stay."

I decided not to argue further. The Inuzuka head was adamant and arguing with her didn't seem to be in my best interests right now. Besides it was a chance to learn more about my teammates and I'd never turned down a chance for information before.

"Alright."

Tsume nodded and left, presumably to check on dinner. Kiba followed shortly thereafter, saying something about taking care of Akamaru. I shifted uncomfortably and glanced toward Hana. She finished with what she was doing, then turned to face me.

"Sorry they all walked out. Kiba isn't exactly the most sensitive toward others most of the time. Neither is Mom. Guess it was hereditary," she smiled in amusement and I joined her hesitantly.

"You know," she said mildly, "I'm not going to bite. Feel free to relax."

"Sorry, I just...I'm not good with people," I admitted, my eye shifting around the room.

Her eyes softened in sympathy, "Kiba mentioned you didn't have the greatest childhood."

If only he knew the half of it.

"You could say that."

"Well," Hana began, straightening, "if you ever want someone to talk to I've been told I'm a good listener."

I blinked a few times, startled by her offer and touched by it. The last time I'd had someone to confide in...it had been years and he was dead now.

"Thanks," I nearly whispered, still shocked.

"Hana, Tenshi!" came Kiba's voice as he stuck his head around the doorway, "food's ready."

"We're coming," Hana answered. I stood, following her out of her clinic as through the house. The Haimaru brothers trailed along after us, weaving between our legs. The food smelled amazing; mostly meat with some fruit and vegetables. I was already happy I'd decided to stay. Nothing I ended up eating could compare to this. Especially with my minimal cooking skills.

I ended up next to Hana at the table. It was surprisingly large for the small family, but since Tsume was the clan head, I assumed other clan members would meet here to discuss whatever matters of importance they had.

The food was as amazing as it smelled, though I tried to moderate how much I ate. Tsume paused, gave me a look, then said, "Oh please. Don't hold back. There's plenty."

I listened and for the first time in a while felt as though I'd eaten enough to meet my metabolic needs. I'd been skimping more than was probably good for me lately and had been subsisting on the minimal amount I needed to function. My income was not enough for me to be able to maintain a fulfilling diet. Although I was getting more than I had after nearly two years of experimentation. My body had lost the faint gaunt and malnourished look finally.

The family talked around me and I was content to listen to each of them relating events of their day. I wasn't used to this casual recounting of seemingly unimportant events. It was nothing like mission reports, the closest comparison I had. The free exchange of information, particularly among shinobi, was a practice I'd never participated in. I still regarded it with some degree of disdain. Why would anyone so openly share such things about themself? Trust like the Inuzuka family had would have spelled my death back among Orochimaru's people.

But even families don't ensure this trust, I mused, recalling some of my fellow experiments and others who worked for Orochimaru. They had had no qualms with throwing family members to the wolves for their own sake.

"So Tenshi, what do you think of our team so far?" Kiba asked, trying once again to pull me into the conversation.

I met his gaze, considering his question.

"You want my honest opinion?"

He nodded.

"Well, it's a solid team, and I can tell you guys are close, which in precarious situations could be the difference between success and failure, life and death. All teams need something to bind them together, if they want to be successful."

Though there are motives which are stronger than others.

"But bonds aren't everything though," I continued, "the team has to be strong and that strength is determined by the weakest link. Fortunately you three have learned to play off one another's strengths as well as cover one another's weaknesses.

"And yet," I cautioned, "even that's not always enough. You may not always be in a team situation and on your own, the stakes become incredibly more dangerous. I think that's where the team's greatest weaknesses lie."

Kiba blinked a couple times, surprised. Realizing what exactly I said I was startled. I hadn't meant to share these observations with my teammates. At least not yet. I may have Kurenai as she was the sensei but not the other three.

"Wow...now that you mention it..." Kiba began.

"Well, sounds like you're going to need to work harder kid," Tsume interrupted throwing her son a sharp look.

"Mom!"

Hana snorted with laughter and Tsume and Kiba soon joined in. I smiled, reveling in the acceptance.

I went home shortly afterward, nearly having to fight my way out, as Tsume insisted I stay longer or spar with her. Finally I managed to convince her I was tired from training and to take a rain check on the spar.

The truth was that I was starting to get jittery. Two weeks had done little to cure me of my discomfort around many of the people here in Konoha. Life was so different here and it showed in the village's denizens. I was good at pretending to fit in, but truly acclimating to this was going to take a great deal more time.

After a quick shower I made my way to bed, dropping onto the mattress rather carelessly. Despite feeling the pull of sleep, my mind fought against it, leaving me tossing and turning for what felt like hours. I didn't want to go back to the nightmares. As far as I could tell, the only way to avoid them was to train myself into the ground so that when I slept, my mind lacked the energy to conjure up dreams.

Finally slipping into sleep I resolved to do just that.

My eyes shot open and a strangled cry caught in my throat. I sat up, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes.

I'd gone nearly a week without any nightmares, pushing my body to the brink everyday. Finally Kurenai had told me to stop, worried that I'd injure myself. I couldn't tell her about my nightmares, so I'd nodded and slowed down, respecting my sensei's orders. The consequence was hardly worth it though. The nightmare last night had been the worst yet, vivid and terrifying. Even now the ghosts of it brushed against my memory, setting to shaking again.

I tossed aside my blankets and rolled out of bed. A glance at the mirror showed that I was still pale and wide-eyed. I needed to find a balance between training myself to death and not training enough that would exhaust me enough to sleep without dreams. Maybe I would have to talk to Kurenai…

I took my time today, deciding to arrive at the training fields only a few minutes before my teammates would be there. Shino, Hinata, and Kiba arrived soon after, but Kurenai was late. It was odd for her not to be on time. I cast questioningly looks at each of my teammates but none of them seemed to have answers either.

As I was about to suggest we start some exercises on our own, a swirl of pink petals announced Kurenai's arrival.

"Alright team. We're to report to Tsunade's office. She has a mission assignment for you."

Hey guys! So it's been what...seven months? *nervous laugh* Sorry bout that. School and exams hit me in the face and then my AP physics teacher got in a car wreck so all her classes were in disarray. Oh and I was in my school's first ever musical! All the homework and studying and practice caught up to me though and I was drained. But I'm already starting work on the next chapter and hope to have it up soon! Please review!