Chapter 7: The Un-glorious After
Happy post-egg day lads. It's been hectic. Found out they're selling my house, so I've found a new spot but moving has been rough lol, we still aren't done. I'm working on it but it's slow sooo here's at least something… ta-da(?)
Consciousness came slowly. Even slower was the realization that yes, Kairi was in fact very hung over. The bedsheets crumpled beneath her as she shifted and her eyes creaked open. The ceiling was white. Not the gaudy, uncomfortable, white paint of the hospital ceiling, but it was still that awful color. That's a relief at least. Her bones groaned as she sat up in the bed, the comforter pooling in her lap. Soft streamers of morning sunshine bathed the room, and the headache began. Everything was still fuzzy. The clear map her mind produced on a regular basis was reduced to the smoldering mediocrity that was just her eyesight. The room reeked of Kiba in the worst way possible.
His scent careened around the room like a peacock on display, not including the awful menagerie of dog safe colognes he had on his desk. Kairi thought hard on how she had gotten here, in Kiba's room, in her cousin's massive shirt. Ah, the drunkards. The memories compiled themselves in a distinctly unorderly fashion. The Underground. Walking the two bumbling idiots to the main house, Hana's house. Hana throwing up on someone. A fuzzy recollection of a man; a man who was quite a good kisser if she remembered right. What was his name? Had she gotten his name at all? Fucking idiot. But she had invited him on a date. On Thursday. Kairi massaged her temples as her heartrate uncomfortably rose. Fucking idiot.
SMACK!
Kiba's door slammed open and a pack of hounds came hurtling into the room with the peacocking asshole himself. Several of them saw her and ran, until only two of the poor beasts remained.
"Wakey wakey sunshine!"
"Kiba I swear to GO—"
Akamaru pounced. The mass of white hair and brown ears crowded her vision and suddenly there was dog spit all over her face. Fucking wonderful. She patted the dog, scratching behind his ears as the pup excitedly greeted her. He was yapping at her happily and snuggling into her stomach, at least Akamaru had some sense. Kiba, on the other hand…
"C'mon dumbass, mom's out for the day already but breakfast is ready!" He pulled Akamaru off of her and gagged as he saw her in his t-shirt.
"Hey! Make sure you wash that shit before you come back to the house, don't want anyone thinking I actually like having you aroun—Hmrpph!" A pillow met Kiba's face with an audible slap. Kairi let a smug smile worm itself onto her face as the stupid man-child stumbled. Akamaru's laugh rumbled through her and she gently pushed the pup off of her.
"Likewise, heir-sama." Kairi loved how the look of absolute horror smashed into Kiba's face.
"Oh c'mon!" He whined. "You know I hate that."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be out in a sec. Is Hana up yet?" She waved him out of the room as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Not yet. Was just about to wake her now." A smirk spread on both of their faces at the thought of waking an extremely hung-over Hana.
"Well comrades, good luck and Godspeed." She saluted Kiba and Akamaru and groaned as she stood.
"I'll listen for the screams, just don't come crying to me if she beats your ass."
"Hah! Her? Beat me? HAH!" Kiba swaggered back down the hallway towards the kitchen and further towards the female side of the house, where Tsume and Hana's rooms were.
Kairi shook her head in disbelief. Every time he tried this shit, Hana ended up coming back for seconds and wrecking the moron later. It was always quite tragic, the cries of terror that same moron would let out as Hana bashed his ever-loving skull in. Still, quite funny. She could have breakfast and a show. Heh.
Kairi walked slowly down the hallway, measuring her steps. The sunlight from the massive windows along the hall leading to the kitchen, although beautiful, were particularly painful this morning. She hadn't been here in months. The familiar wood floors were warm under her feet. Nostalgia like a seance of unfortunate feelings rang steadily around her mind she reached the threshold of the kitchen and with it, the realization that she was not alone.
"Good morning Aburame-san." The quiet man nodded at her as he sat at their table.
"Good morning Inuzuka-san."
Their conversation stopped there. It always did. The awkward silence spanned across the distance between them and suddenly Kairi longed for the screaming that the Inuzuka household was known for. Kairi dimly pulled a coffee cup out of the cupboard, tracing her fingers over the engraved vinework as she went. For a clan house, the Inuzuka main house was quite homey. The warm wood accents, large windows, and calming green walls created a particularly welcoming space reminiscent of the very forest the house was nestled within. It was nothing like the wolf's den that many Konoha shinobi thought it to be. The butcher's block countertop that she was so fond of as a child felt worn under her fingertips this morning. She could hear the faint buzzing from Shino, the bugs whirring about within his body. Kairi used to find the sound unsettling, an overwhelming undertone in an already busy world, and yet it was almost a comfort compared to the burgeoning silence. She let the coffee pool inside her cup slowly and began to fill a plate with the sausage, eggs, and toast left for them. That is when the screaming truly did begin. Kiba came screeching from the other side of the house, the hallway connected to the open family room becoming a battleground as pillows and shoes went flying from Hana's room.
"I swear to God Kiba, if I catch you, you're DEAD!"
"Wa— WAIT! Let's talk about this okay? I mean c'mon it wasn't that bad!"
The shoe met his face with an audible smack and the idiot went flying into the backside of Tsume's comfortable grey sofa. The screeching was almost as bad as the silence and the snot running down Kiba's face was anything but a delight. Kairi set down her coffee.
"Now, now girls you're both pretty. Now can we eat breakfast before the pup gets reamed?"
"No!" Both voices screamed as more ammo, AKA pillows, went flying.
Shino sipped his water quietly as Kairi failed to hold her laughter. She carefully maneuvered her plate to the table and sat with the quiet man, positioning herself as if to watch a play instead of a sibling tussle. The pack of dogs sat languidly outside, also ignoring the quite unfortunate scene in front of them. The black pelt of her favorite ninken came into view outside as Kairi started her meal. She smiled at him as he flopped tiredly onto the porch.
"That is your ninken is it not?" Shino's observation set her on edge for some reason.
"Yes, he is." She eyed the man, suddenly wary of where this conversation might lead. Shino had burnt her before in a conversation that seemed unassumingly like small talk. She waited for him to speak, the awkward pause a painful addition to the conversation.
"He is quite beautiful."
"Thank you?"
"I meant no offense. It is just fortunate that you found a partner who is well suited to you."
What the fuck did that mean? Knowing her cousin's teammate it was meant as a compliment but Kairi did not have the faculties this morning to conjure up an explanation for him.
"He is more than a partner. Kaiyo is the only immediate family I have left."
His silence felt like pity and she hated it.
"But thank you." She added quickly.
"There is no need to thank me, it was merely an observation."
This was the most they had talked in years and Kairi was painfully aware of how awkward this was. Please god, kill me now.
"Oi! Shove over you ass!"
"No, you shove over!"
"Get your own sausage shit-breath"
"Wait till I tell Mom you're stealing sausages you stupid bitch!" Kairi flinched at the deafening voices that had migrated to the table. They were doing nothing now but becoming incessantly annoying. Her eye began to twitch under the stress, each syllable they spoke rattled around like loose balloons in her brain. Shino sat as still as a statue as the two loudmouths got ever closer to their position.
"OhoHO wait until I tell Mom where you've hidden your secret stash of magazines, pervert!"
Kiba gasped.
"You WOULDN'T."
"I WOULD" A hand met eggs and the squelching of fingers meeting scrambles sent Kairi over the edge.
Her fist met the dark walnut table with a heavy thud and the growl that followed promised certain pain as both Hana and Kiba prepared for a food fight. Kairi did her best imitation of Tsume and glared down at the two of them as she slowly stood, the growl resonating through the house. The message was clear, Enough. Kairi stared down her cousins, they had played this game before, and Kairi still had the longest running streak of dominance to date. Hana broke first, she knew her place. That left Kiba. Her stupidly stubborn cousin with a knack for being a pain in the ass. Kiba's stomach growled, and ten seconds later he broke.
"Eat." Kairi ordered.
She had won so she had ordering rights for the next ten minutes, those were the parameters of the game. Hana snorted and Kiba rolled his eyes as they ate as silently as any Inuzuka could. Kairi sighed. Nevermind, I don't miss the screaming at all. More silence for me, please. She finished her coffee and moved to rinse her plate and leave.
"Hey, where are you going? Your ten minutes aren't up!" Kiba growled.
"Oh, eat a bag of dicks Kiba." Kairi flipped him off as she stole clothing from the front closet. There was always a set of gear here for her. Or at least there had been since her mother disappeared. The garment smelt of detergent and starch, the type Aunty Tsume used. The same detergent her mom used to use. A feeling like guilt pooled in her stomach. She'd have to leave before the tears hit and the teasing started. She shook it off, no use crying over lost people today. Stupid hangovers.
And just like that, she was dressed and calling Kaiyo to leave with her. A high-pitched whistle tone tore from her lips. They had developed a whistle system early on, each one a unique message only the two of them understood. This one meant let's get outta here before someone blows this place to hell. It worked like a charm. Kaiyo came bounding up to the front door as Kairi stepped out, waving off the shouting from the dining room and saying a polite goodbye to Shino. She was free once again, ignoring her cousins and in turn the embarrassment that were her actions last night.
She really shouldn't have had that much to drink. Regret tasted like black coffee on her tongue, bitter and missing something sweet. But he had been there. That wonderful man that had shown up without her say so and stolen into her life with kisses and a dance. Somehow, in the midst of her bitter regret, hope bloomed and turned that dark feeling into a sweet confection that smoothed along her tongue like honey. He had been there. What was his name again? What had he looked like? She remembered long brown hair, pale skin, and a toned body. She was considering now that he may have been too toned for a civilian. The way his back rippled under her fingertips and the slight scent of kunai oil underneath his cologne screamed shinobi. Or the way his arms felt when he picked her up. Oi, stop thinking about it! She considered that they might share something more than their one-night wonder. A profession, or rather a passion, perhaps? She loved being a ninja just as much as she hated it, and that was quite a bit.
She massaged the back of her neck, letting the pressure building in her skull dissipate slowly. Kairi felt more than heard Kaiyo's displeasure at her distracted thoughts, the canine nipping her hip with a warning growl. She admired him for that constant dedication to the present, even if it wasn't quite human. She flashed him a small smile as she shoved the mass of black fur to the side. The look of annoyance morphed as Kaiyo's green eyes curved into a wicked grin. Oooh it's on now.
"Race you to the training field, whoever wins gets to eat first tonight."
Kairi took off before she finished speaking, kicking up a cloud of dust twirling with chakra as she fled forward. She heard him squawk behind her as he scrambled to follow. Her laughter trailed behind her like petals in the wind. They wound down the forest trail to the training grounds. The lethargy that sunk between her cells was slowly evaporating in the morning sun as they tumbled into the open grass field of the training ground.
"Hah! Take that you mangy mutt!"
"Stupid girl, you cheat!"
"There is no honor in a foot race amongst shinobi." Kairi nodded at her own sage words. Kaiyo grunted in reply but still bowed his head.
"So, you admit your defeat."
He growled.
"Oh, c'mon you fluff bucket. You know you lost that race." The stupid mutt was pouting, his lips pursed like a toddler's after they were told they wouldn't get any dango.
"Don't pout. You must be really off your game if you can't beat me in a foot race. Even if I did cheat."
He shook out his coat violently, throwing leaves into the air around them.
"Hey! Keep your fleas to yourself!" She swatted some of the leaves out of the sky before Kaiyo's massive body slammed into her. They rolled into the grass and his teeth nipped and grabbed at her clothes as they wrestled.
"Oi! These clothes are clean you dick!" He bit her hand and she yelped as they continued to wrestle in the dirt, kicking up patches of grass. His massive body flopped on top of her. The several hundred pounds of hound flesh left her wheezing as he rolled over her.
"Okay, okay, okay! I give up!"
Kiayo's tongue lolled from his mouth as disgustingly thick slobber slid onto her face.
"KAIYO!"
He rolled off of her. Kairi sputtered in indignation as she wiped the spit off her face with the hem of her shirt. It was childish, but she stuck her tongue out at the dog. He always seemed to inspire that side of her, the side she buried in front of others. That's why they shared a soul, the white markings on his face the evidence of how deep their bond went. He chose her as a pup and they had been as close as siblings since. Kaiyo's wavy fur had grass and tufts stuck in it, he looked like an absolute goof. She smoothed the fur out and combed it through with her fingers, finding herself languidly sat against him.
They curled together on the grass of the training ground, the morning sunshine streaming across the open field. The shade from the trees behind them made the breeze that swept through even sweeter. This, she thought, this is what peace feels like. Kairi lay back and rested on the torso of Kaiyo, letting his steady breathing lull her into a quiet sleep.