Hey guys! I've FINALLY posted the next chapter lol. I'm so sorry I've pretty much been M.I.A recently, I've just been REALLY busy :/

Hopefully I won't not upload anything for that long again!

Anyways, not a very action filled chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same :)

PLEASE vote and comment for me! If you enjoyed it anyway. If you didn't then you can go shove........I mean, each to their own ;P

I decided to put up the pic of Ashley again :)  -->

Third Person’s POV

Chi yelps in pain, crashing head first into a tree, before tumbling to the ground in a heap.

“C’mon kid!” Kai snarls, stomping his paw on the ground with irritation. “We’ve been training you in Taijutsu for two years! You should be better than this by now!”

Chi shakes his head and pushes himself to his feet determinedly, turning and glaring at Kai through narrowed eyes.

He did like Kai, and he appreciated that Kai had been helping him train for the past couple of years, but right now……..All he wanted to do was catch Kai in a Genjutsu and teach the older Wolf a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.

Kai snorts and tosses his head, sending Chi a side long smirk.

“Don’t gimme that look kid” he advises smartly. “Not my fault you’re terrible at Taijutsu.”

Chi pouts, ears lying flat against his head.

“I’m not terrible Kai-chan” the young animal replies stubbornly. “I was born knowing how to use Genjutsu, not Taijutsu. It’s hard!”

Kai merely rolls his eyes.

“It’s not hard” he retorts. “You’re just physically weak- oof!”

Kai is suddenly slammed in the side by a massive weight, sending him sprawling across the ground, feeling slightly dizzy.

“The kid’s not weak” Jet rumbles deeply, shaking himself after tackling Kai. “He could beat you with his Genjutsu easily Kai-chan.”

Chi’s eyes light up and he begins skipping in place, tail wagging merrily.

“Jet-chan!” he cries gratefully. “Thank you for believing in me!”

As Jet opens his mouth to reply, an enraged Kai leaps to his feet and launches himself at the much larger black Wolf, jaws agape.

“Stop calling me chan!” he roars, slamming into Jet and somehow managing to knock the huge animal down.

“Jet-chan!” Chi cries again, eyes widening in alarm as the two older Wolves snap at each other.

Rei suddenly skids to a halt beside Chi, her electrified body slowly losing its spark.

“Ummm……I believe I was Jet’s sparring partner today...” she says awkwardly, before releasing a sigh. “But I guess I’m not anymore….”

The boys were always like this. If they weren’t getting on each others nerves, they were trying to kill each other……

Sometimes Rei felt like the only normal one in the Pack……

 “Don’t worry Aiti!” Chi exclaims, looking down at the pretty white Wolf he had dubbed as his Mother. “I’ll stop mean, old Kai-chan!”

That said, Chi bounds forwards, tongue lolling happily as he goes.

Suddenly turning serious, Chi pauses beside the two larger Wolves, focusing his gaze on Kai as he takes a swipe at Jet’s chest.

“Leave Jet-chan alone” Chi growls softly, eyes flashing yellow for a split second, before returning to their usual aqua colour.

Kai suddenly freezes in the middle of jumping for Jet’s throat, making his paralysed body fall over.

Jet tilts his head, before looking over at Chi.

“Good job kid” he praises the brown Wolf, making Chi bark with delight.

“Now to continue where we left off…..” Rei smirks cheekily, lowering her body to the ground. Focusing her chakra, electricity begins sparking around her body again, before she races towards Jet.

Aki opens one eye lazily, watching as Rei chases after a retreating Jet.

“Aki you lazy ass!” Tiez snaps irritably, glaring up at her best friend as he snoozes in a tree. “We’re supposed to be training!”

“I don’t need to train Tiez my dear” he replies coolly, before yawning and shaking his head. “We all know my Genjutsu is excellent as it is.”

Tiez head butts the tree with annoyance, releasing a low sigh.

“Doesn’t matter!” she barks up at the black and white Wolf as he lies his head back on his perfectly crossed paws. “There’s always room for improvement!”

Aki releases a silky laugh.

“You can’t improve on perfection Tiez” he replies with a wink, making the small purple Wolf blanch.

Shaking her head, she turns away from the tree and sits back on her haunches.

“Looks like I need a new target then” she mutters to herself, flicking her fluffy fringe from her eyes and glancing around at the others.

Her violet eyes land on Chi, as he sits back and watches Rei and Jet fight, ears flopping cutely.

Tiez grins wickedly to herself, slowly rising to her feet and stalking towards the oblivious brown Wolf.

Tiez and Chi didn’t often get along, and he was a favourite target of hers. Picking on him was always good fun. Well, until Jet got involved anyway.

Ashley leaps up and does a back flip in mid air, narrowly avoiding the large chunk of earth Ace had tossed at her, using his Katsuryoku.

Landing on the ground on all fours, Ashley grits her teeth, watching as Ace charges towards her, a ball of chakra forming in front of his open mouth.

Ignoring the familiar pain forming in her head, Ashley smirks and glances at the ground below Ace’s feet, causing small pillars of it to shoot up in the air.

Ace growls, skilfully evading each pillar and skidding to a halt when one almost hits him in the face.

Using his Katsuryoku, Ace bends right through the pillar and continues running towards his blonde partner, ready to shoot his Wolf Style Rasengan at her.

Ashley takes a few steps back, her vision blurring slightly for a moment. She places a hand against her head, feeling sort of dizzy and light headed.

Through her blurry vision, Ashley sees Ace snap his jaws closed, sending the powerful ball of chakra right at her.

She bites her lip, scrunching her eyes closed and shaking her head. What was going on?

“Milady!” a frantic Chi cries, making Ashley’s eyes fly open.

She gasps, seeing just how close Ace’s Jutsu is to her. Ace watches on in horror, realising that his beloved partner wouldn’t have enough time to evade his powerful attack.

Just as the Rasengan reaches Ashley, she is suddenly tackled out of the way, sending her sliding across the ground and crashing into a tree trunk.

Ashley groans, flinching when she hears Ace’s Rasengan collide with another tree and rip it to pieces, sending tiny splinters flying in all different directions.

“Milady?” a hesitant voice asks, making Ashley open her eyes and look up.

“Are you alright?” Chi asks worriedly, standing over Ashley and staring down at her with concern.

Ashley slowly sits up, placing one hand against her head and nodding.

“Yeah…..” she says stiffly, before giving the adorable young Wolf a tiny smile. “I’m fine, thanks Chi.”

Chi licks Ashley’s cheek, making her giggle, before stepping backwards and helping her to her feet.

“Milady!” Ace exclaims, skidding to a halt in front of Ashley and gazing at her in a panic. “What happened? Are you okay? Did my Jutsu hurt you at all? What did you-”

“Ace” Ashley interrupts softly, placing a hand on the navy Wolf’s head. “I’m fine…..”

Ace narrows his visible eye at his partner, having seen the strained look on her face before.

“Another headache Milady?” Ace asks suspiciously, the other Pack members all making their way over to listen in.

Ashley sends Ace a nasty look, before sighing and giving him a nod, her shoulders drooping in defeat.

“You’re getting these headaches more frequently Milady” Rei speaks up gently, stepping forwards and rubbing her head against Ashley’s hand. “It’s concerning me…..”

Ace nods wisely, sitting back on his haunches and studying Ashley carefully.

“It concerns me as well Milady” he admits, tilting his head to the side. “What if this happens in a real fight? Your opponent will take advantage of the opportunity and kill you.”

“No…” Chi whimpers, ears drooping.

Ashley frowns at the ground, feeling her hands slowly clenching into fists.

“Your sight went blurry again too did it not?” Ace asks smartly, making Ashley’s head snap up.

Her jaw sets tightly, glaring at Ace as he merely stares at her determinedly, knowing he’s right.

“It might have” Ashley mutters, lowering her gaze back down to the ground.

“I see……” she hears Ace sigh.

“You must stop taking those pills Milady” Jet speaks up, making Ashley pause, eyes widening in disbelief.

Why did they all keep telling her to stop taking the pills? Did they want her to fall asleep and let Hakuba out?

Ashley looks up, visible eye full of anger and frustration.

“And do what Jet?” she asks through gritted teeth. “Go to sleep and let Hakuba take over me? Is that what you all want?”

Rei shakes her head vigorously.

“No Milady” she says softly, worry evident in her kind eyes. “We’re just worried about your well being.”

“These pills seem to be doing more bad than good for you Darling” Aki states seriously, having slipped out of the tree he’d been resting in. “They’re not helping your body at all.”

Ashley switches her cold gaze to Aki, who flinches slightly.

“It’s the only alternative I have” she spits, sick of having to defend her decision not to sleep. “Without them, my body will collapse from exhaustion!”

“Looks like you’re already close to doing that anyway” Tiez says smartly, merely raising an eyebrow at the nasty look Ashley gives her. “You can either sleep, or keep taking the pills and crash and burn.”

“The young one is right Milady” Ace continues, stepping closer to his partner, an uncharacteristically soft tone to his voice. “These pills are not helping you any more. Please…..Stop taking them…..”

Ashley pauses at the imploring look on Ace’s face, the sharp retort she had ready dying in her mouth.

Her Pack was only worried about her…..And she had to admit, the pills weren’t working any more. It seemed like they’d worked wonders at first, but now……The side effects were beginning to take their toll.

Ashley’s headaches were indeed becoming more frequent, and on some occasions, her vision would grow blurry.

Ashley knew it wasn’t because of her Sharingan. She hadn’t used it enough to be experiencing any blindness or pain yet…..And hopefully she’d never get to that point either.

Ashley looks up and glances at each member of her Pack, before releasing a sigh and running a hand through her blonde hair.

“Okay” she says, feeling defeated. “You guys are right……The pills don’t really work anymore…….I’ll stop taking them.”

“Arf!” Chi barks happily, bouncing up and down as Jet sends Ashley a tiny, wolfish grin.

“Good for you Milady” Rei says warmly, giving her Pack Leader a closed eye smile.

Kai snorts and shakes his head, pretending to be uninterested in the whole ordeal. Inside however, he can’t help feeling relieved that Ashley was going to stop taking the pills. He could plainly see that they weren’t doing her body any favours.

Tiez blinks, watching Ashley’s blank face carefully, before Aki playfully pushes her with his hip, knocking her over.

“Oof!” she grunts, toppling to the ground and making Aki laugh.

A look of irritation crossing her face, Tiez pulls herself up from the dirt and whirls around to growl at Aki.

“That’s it Aki…” she says lowly. “You’re gonna pay for that!”

Aki pauses, staring at Tiez with wide sapphire eyes, before suddenly turning around and streaking away from her.

The young purple Wolf gives chase, slowly gaining on a slightly panicked Aki.

Ace sighs, gazing at his partner seriously.

“Do not fret Milady” he suddenly says, giving Ashley a fright. She blinks a few times, before looking at Ace as he moves to stand in front of her.

“There is an alternative to these wretched pills” Ace continues wisely.

“And what would that be?” Ashley asks warily, still feeling a tiny bit light headed.

Ace clears his throat, lowering his head slightly and looking up at Ashley.

“You are able to sleep when you are with that Inuzuka boy correct?” he asks cautiously, not sure how keen he is on the idea of his Ashley sleeping in the same room as Kiba.

“His name is Kiba” Ashley corrects automatically. “And yes, I can sleep when I’m with him. What’s your poi-”

Ashley cuts herself off, eyes widening as she catches on to Ace’s meaning.

“Hang on Ace!” she cries, waving her arms frantically and taking a step back, face turning bright red. “I can’t sleep with Kiba! I only just got back to the Village! It’d be so awkward!”

Ace shrugs, giving Ashley a strange look.

“So?” he challenges. “You have slept with him before, have you not?”

Ashley pauses, feeling her face burning even hotter than before.

“Y-Yeah, but we w-were only t-twelve then!” Ashley argues, her legs beginning to shake. “It’d be d-different now!”

Ace rolls his visible eye, a tiny smirk on his face.

“Perhaps I shall go and request that you stay with him myself then?” he teases, watching Ashley’s visible fuchsia eye widen in horror.

“No!” she exclaims, scrunching her eyes closed as another headache suddenly starts up.

Ashley takes another shaky step back, feeling like she’s about to fall over.

‘Why does this have to keep happening?’ Ashley wonders tiredly, eyes opening a crack as she thinks she hears someone calling her name. ‘Is this a side effect from the pills, or from my lack of sleep?’

“Milady?” Ace asks slowly, his joking mood suddenly vanishing as he studies his partner seriously.

She didn’t look like she was feeling well…….In fact, she was looking worse than usual.

“Perhaps we should hold off the training for now Milady” Ace suggests, feeling troubled. “It seems to aggravate your headaches and such.”

Ashley nods in agreement, one hand holding the side of her head in pain.

“Angel!” the voice Ashley thought she heard before calls.

Ashley turns her head slowly, brows furrowed as she tries to recognise the figures running towards her through her blurred vision.

“Ruff!” a voice that Ashley recognises as Akamaru barks.

Ashley leans her free hand against a tree for support, turning around to face the approaching figures.

“Hey Angel” Kiba greets happily, coming to stop in front of her and grinning cheekily. “I’m finally back from my mission!”

Ashley looks up tiredly, just able to make out Kiba’s face.

“K-Kiba?” she asks, before closing her eyes and suddenly collapsing.

“Milady!” Ace exclaims, jumping to his feet as Kiba swiftly lunges forwards and catches the blonde girl before she hits the ground.

“Angel?” Kiba asks softly, looking at her face with concern. “What’s wrong with her? What happened?”

“Milady!” Ace exclaims again, ignoring Kiba’s questions as stress quickly sets in, making him look around frantically. “Oh no, this is all my fault……”

“How is this your fault?” Kiba asks, feeling thoroughly confused. Looking down at Ashley, Kiba can’t help but feel slightly panicked.

He’d only just gotten back from his mission, and he was certain Ashley had been alright the day they’d run into each other. What could possibly make someone like Ashley collapse and fall unconscious like this?

The rest of the Pack, having heard Ace’s voice, come running over.

Rei gasps, eyes widening at the sight of her unconscious Pack Leader, before she swiftly moves to try and comfort a panicked Ace.

“Lady Ashley?” Chi asks in a whisper, ears drooping sadly. He sniffs her cautiously, before tears suddenly fills his aqua eyes.

“Jet-chan?” he whispers, turning to the large Wolf. “What’s wrong with Lady Ashley?........”

“Darling?” Aki asks softly, tilting his head as Jet shakes his head subtly at Chi’s question.

Tiez’s eyes widen as she sits on Kai’s back, surprised to find her tough Pack Leader out cold in the Inuzuka’s arms.

Kai stares at Kiba hard, not liking for the boy to be touching Ashley when she’s so vulnerable. One false move, and the boy would be dead.

Kiba studies Ashley quietly, as Akamaru whimpers beside him. What had happened to make her faint?

“Let’s take her to the hospital” he suddenly suggests, making all the Pack members’ ears prick up.

They stare at him seriously, before Jet nods his head.

“Good idea” he agrees, not bothering to ask the others what they think. “We should probably all leave as well. We don’t want to crowd Lady Ashley. She needs her rest.”

“I don’t wanna leave Jet-chaaaaaaan!” Chi whines, pouting cutely.

“No seon liianhuonopoika” Jet sighs. “Olet lähdössä.” (Well that’s too bad kid. You’re leaving)

Chi pauses, slowly scrunching up his nose.

“You know I don’t understand Susikiel Jet-chan!” Chi cries, giving the larger Wolf an exasperated look.

Rei approaches Kiba and places a paw softly on his knee.

“Please take good care of her” she implores softly, before gently rubbing her head against Kiba’s shoulder. “I know you will of course.”

Kiba smiles at the friendly Wolf and nods his promise. Rei turns to Ace and sighs.

“Ace dear, I have a feeling you won’t be leaving any time soon” she says with a tiny smile. “But please, don’t stress yourself out. Lady Ashley will be fine. She’s a fighter.”

Ace nods, closing his eyes and releasing a sigh as Rei gives his cheek a swift lick, before she disappears in a cloud of smoke, Chi and Jet right behind her.

“You’d better take good care of her…..” Kai reiterates, narrowing his red eyes at Kiba and baring his teeth. “Or there will be hell to pay kid….”

Kiba swallows nervously, not sure just how serious Kai is being. He never was the brown Wolf’s biggest fan.

“I will” he answers seriously, looking down at the unconscious girl in his arms. “I promise she’ll be okay.”

“Good!” Tiez barks, before grinning at the white Ninken beside Kiba. “Bye Akamaru!”

Akamaru flinches, turning his head away as Kai and Tiez disappear. He was quite wary of the purple Wolf. Despite the difference in their height now, he was willing to bet she was just as scary as before.

Kiba glances at a miserable looking Ace, before carefully rising to his feet, holding Ashley securely in his arms.

“We’d better get going” Kiba says quietly, brows furrowed in both confusion and concern.

“Wait” Ace mumbles, making Kiba pause and turn to look at the blue Wolf.

Ace looks to his left, feeling very uncomfortable with the situation he thinks he has caused for his beloved partner.

He was her Guardian after all; he wasn’t supposed to rile her up and make her pass out….

“Milady does not need to go to the hospital” Ace informs Kiba, visible eye flicking up to the tall boy’s face. “They cannot help her. Only you can.”

Kiba blinks, before glancing down at Akamaru, who shrugs a shoulder.

“What does that even mean?” Kiba asks pointedly, looking back at Ace, really just wanting to hurry and get Ashley to the hospital.

“We will not take Milady to the hospital” Ace reiterates firmly, rising to his full height, the look in his eye just daring Kiba to say otherwise.

Kiba stares at Ace for a moment, before releasing a sigh.

“Okay fine” he says with a humourless chuckle. “Do you want to bring her to my house then?”

“A wonderful idea” Ace agrees blandly, following slowly as Kiba and Akamaru turn around, heading for their home.

The three walk in silence for a few minutes, ignoring the strange looks they receive from the Villagers around them.

It was times like this that Kiba was glad he didn’t live in the centre of the Village. It was always busy there, and he really didn’t have the time or the patience to be answering any questions right now.

“So……” Kiba begins awkwardly, not really sure how to go about having a conversation with Ashley’s gruff, overly protective Guardian. “What happened back there?”

Ace sighs as he trudges along on Kiba’s left, tilting his head and looking over at his sleeping partner.

“I do not know if Milady would want me telling you” Ace says roughly, looking back down at the gravel path beneath his feet. “But I suppose you could say that she has not been feeling well for some time now.”

Kiba’s neck wrenches around, unable to stop himself from glaring into Ace’s visible aqua eye.

“If she’s sick” he begins hotly, not caring as Ace narrows his eye irritatedly, “Then why aren’t we taking her to the hospital? Or to see Lady Tsunade?”

“She is not that sort of sick you silly little boy!” Ace snaps, not happy about being talked down to by the Inuzuka. “Lady Tsunade and the other Medical Ninja can do nothing for her, now keep walking!”

Kiba scowls at Ace, annoyed that he isn’t explaining the situation properly.

“Grrrr……” Akamaru growls softly, peeking around Kiba and giving Ace a hard look. The young Ninken may be smaller than Ace, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t defend Kiba from Ace’s blunt rudeness.

Ace chooses to ignore Akamaru, opting for walking behind him and Kiba in silence instead.

Ace’s POV

I cautiously enter the house behind the Inuzuka boy, sniffing the air and rolling my eyes as the front door creaks slightly.

“Looks like Mom and Sis are away at the moment” the boy comments, nose twitching as he also sniffs the air.

I give the back of his head a distasteful glare as I use one of my hind paws to kick the door shut behind me.

The white Canine jumps at the noise, sending me an irritated look over his shoulder.

‘Ignore him Ace’ I tell myself. ‘Attacking the young creature will not make the situation any better……’

I cannot help my lip curling back slightly, as the scent of more Ninken hits my nose like a powerful wave. These people definitely liked their Dogs……

“My room’s this way” the Inuzuka boy interrupts my thoughts, making my head snap up in time to see him disappear around a corner.

With a sigh, I follow after him, still not very keen on the idea of my young Lady sleeping in the same room as this boy.

What if he took advantage of her while she was weakened? I would tear him limb from limb…….But he hardly seems like the type to do such a thing. I have never witnessed him doing anything untoward with Milady before, so I suppose now should be no different…..Yet I still cannot help worrying for her. She means the world to me, so it is only natural for me to have concerns for her well being.

I pause in a doorway, watching as the Inuzuka boy leans down and carefully places Milady on a bed.

Her face seems paler than normal, but she is still a very beautiful human, just as her Mother was. I suppose I can see why this boy is so infatuated with her, but then, I am no expert on what humans consider to be beautiful.

I sit back on my haunches as the Inuzuka boy gently brushes Milady’s long fringe from her face and pulls a thick blanket over her small, yet sturdy frame.

My head tilts to the side as the boy then kneels beside the bed, folding his arms across its edge and rests his chin on them, watching Milady intently.

The boy’s Ninken pads over to him, settling down on the ground beside him and leaning his head against the boy’s leg.

I see the serious look on the Inuzuka’s face as he gazes at Milady, seemingly trying to work something out.

“What happened to her?” he suddenly asks softly, almost giving me a fright.

I release a low sigh, turning my eye onto the boy as he slowly looks over at me, regarding me with an almost pleading look.

‘I do not suppose Milady would mind if I told the Inuzuka boy……’ I decide, rising to my feet and sauntering over to Milady’s side.

“She merely needs to sleep” I inform the Inuzuka, making him blink in confusion.

“Huh?” he asks, his stupidity nearly making me cringe. Was it really that hard to understand?

“You know of Milady’s insomnia correct?” I ask roughly, earning a nod from the boy. “Then I am sure you can understand me when I tell you that she has not slept once since she left this Village two and a half years ago.”

“What?!” the boy hisses in a strained whisper, eyes widening considerably. “She hasn’t slept once?”

“That’s what I just said boy” I growl. “Milady is only able to escape her night terrors when you are with her. As you were not with her for those two and a half years, she has not slept. It is not hard to understand, even for someone with your questionable intelligence.”

The boy blinks at me again, most likely wondering if I had just insulted him or not.

“That doesn’t explain why she suddenly collapsed though” he mumbles, sounding deep in thought.

I growl again, making the boy and his Ninken look up at me.

“To compensate for not sleeping, Milady thought it wise to begin taking supplementary pills” I begin explaining, unable to keep the distaste from my voice. I hear the Inuzuka inhale a sharp breath, his hands holding the blanket tightly.

“Every so often, Milady comes down with very painful headaches” I continue with a sigh. “And when she exerts herself too much, her vision may turn blurry, rendering her unable to see properly. The blurry vision does not happen often, but the headaches have been becoming more and more frequent however……”

“Side effects of the pills?” the Inuzuka asks me, sadness flashing through his eyes as he turns and looks at my sleeping partner.

“I, as well as the rest of the Pack, all think so” I agree, satisfied that I did not have to spell it out for the boy. “Humans are not meant to stay awake for so long, no matter how many miracle pills and medicines they ingest. Milady merely needs sleep so her body can recover-”

I am cut of by a soft whimpering sound, making all of us look over at Lady Ashley.

She begins fidgeting slightly, a pained expression on her face.

I feel myself stiffen. There is not a doubt in my mind that the beast inside of Milady is stirring, trying to torment her as she sleeps, so as to free himself from his prison.

“Please look after Milady” I say to the Inuzuka, gazing at him through a narrowed eye. “I am trusting you to keep her safe while she sleeps, for I am unable to, as much as it pains me to say so. I do not believe I have much choice rather than to leave her in your care.”

The Inuzuka turns his head, a questioning look on his face. I lower my head slightly and bare my teeth.

“If you harm her in any way, shape or form” I snarl quietly, “I promise you that I and the other Pack members will hunt you down and tear you to shreds.”

The brown haired boy gives me an incredulous look, before jumping to his feet and scurrying around to the other side of the bed.

He leaps up onto it and settles himself down beside Milady, who has begun to tremble quite violently.

“Angel” he whispers softly, gently pulling her towards him and tucking her into his side, his cheek resting against the top of her head.

I see his animal like eyes staring straight at me, making me quirk an eyebrow.

“I would never hurt her” the boy tells me seriously, a firm and determined tone to his voice. “I’d die before letting anything bad happen to her. I’ll stay with her as long as she needs me to.”

I feel a small weight lift from my chest and shoulders, the sight of Milady’s trembling beginning to cease leaving me feeling rather relieved.

I normally do not trust anyone with Milady’s well being, but there’s something about this Inuzuka boy that makes me believe that he will help her along.

I only wish she would find the courage to tell this boy about her Demon. I have the strangest feeling that it will not make his feelings for her change.

Though I will never say it out loud, I can see that this boy loves Milady, and that she loves him back. Seeing Milady with someone that makes her feel happy and safe is all I have ever wanted for her.

I give the Inuzuka boy a Wolfish smirk, revealing my large pointed teeth once more.

“I suppose I will just have to take your word for it boy” I sneer, turning on my heel and heading for the door, a slight swagger to my step. “Just remember what I said before. It was not a threat. I will most certainly follow through with it.”

With a snort of laughter, I disappear in a puff of smoke, returning back to Inu Zoku Mountain, and my own loving mate.

Ashley’s POV

I subconsciously snuggle further into the pillows, pulling the warm, thick blanket tighter around me and sighing contentedly.

I feel something tickling my face, as my hair is somehow brushed back from my face. A sleepy smile crosses my face as I shuffle forwards, feeling a strange source of warmth right in front of me.

“So…cosy…..” I murmur sleepily, pressed up against the source of warmth.

I haven’t slept in so long……I’ve forgotten how good it feels to be warm and snugly under the blankets. It’s especially warm when my Wolves decide to swamp me in bed, but whenever they do that, it usual ends up in some sort of fight about who kicked who’s face, who’s cuddling up to Kai and why does everyone get more space than Chi?

I suddenly freeze, as I hear a deep chuckle right in front of me, the warm thing I’m snuggled up against reverberating slightly.

“Nice to know you think I’m cosy” a low voice whispers, making my eyes shoot wide open.

I feel my face instantly heat up, as I see Kiba leaning against a pillow, grinning down at me cheekily.

“Awake now are we Sleeping Beauty?” he chuckles, my heart beginning to race from shock and nervousness.

“Kiba?!” I cry, sitting boltright up, flinging the blanket back and scooting backwards in a panic.

I see Kiba’s eyes widen, as I scoot too far back and fall off of the bed, landing on my back on the carpeted floor.

I blink a few times, gazing up at the ceiling and brushing my now messy hair away from my face.

“Angel!” Kiba barks, looking down at me from the bed. “Are you okay?!”

I look up at him through wide eyes, focusing on slowing down my breathing, trying to get it back to normal. Before I hyperventilate or something……

Instead of answering him, I place the back of my hand against my cheek, feeling that my face is still burning.

“I’m so hot…..” I mutter softly, feeling kind of embarrassed. It’s not my fault though! I wasn’t exactly expecting to wake up next to an incredibly attractive teenage boy today!

Kiba tilts his head, an adorable crooked grin appearing on his face.

“Yes you are” he agrees, amusement lacing his voice as he shakes his head at me.

With a groan, I tug on the edge of the blanket, pulling it down and throwing it over me, hiding my embarrassment from Kiba, who begins laughing. Because he’s just a jerk like that.

“Aww, c’mon Angel!” he laughs, pulling at the blanket and trying to rip it from my hands. “Don’t be nervous! It’s only me!”

“I’m not nervous” I inform Kiba smartly, straining to keep the blanket over my head. He’d gotten stronger in the last few years!

“I just want to go back to sleep” I finish, making Kiba pause.

“On the floor?” he questions, clearly not believing me.

“Yeah, it’s way more comfy down here anyway” I say while sweat dropping. “And there’s more room too.”

“That’s not nice” Kiba complains, no doubt pouting. “We haven’t seen each other for ages, and you’re already being so nasty……”

“Why did you expect anything else?” I giggle, momentarily releasing my grip on the blanket.

Of course, Kiba takes full use of the opportunity and rips the blanket away from me, flinging it back onto his bed.

“Dammit!” I shout, making Kiba laugh again.

“C’mon Angel” he grins, offering me his hand. “Time to get up from the floor.”

Sitting up and leaning back on my hands, I send Kiba a suspicious look.

“What, no sexual innuendos?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at the brown haired boy. “No seedy moves, no ulterior motives?”

Kiba gives me a strange look.

“No, why would I do anything like that?” he asks, sounding almost too innocent.

I raise an eyebrow, but oblige him and take his hand.

Kiba gently pulls me up, a suspicious little twinkle in his eyes.

As I manage to stand up straight, Kiba suddenly tugs me forwards. I’d say I’m surprised, but I’d be lying. I knew he was going to pull something like this…..

Obviously having expected me to fall onto the bed, Kiba’s eyes widen as I whirl around and rip my hand from his grasp, before tackling him backwards.

“Hey!” Kiba cries indignantly, as he falls on his back, me sitting above him and straddling his waist.

I grin down at him devilishly, holding his arms tightly above his head.

“Heyyyyyy” Kiba says again, a sly grin slowly appearing on his face. “I don’t actually mind this.”

I roll my eyes as Kiba raises his eyebrows suggestively at me. Honestly, these teenage hormones of his are already concerning me slightly.

“Kiba?” I ask softly, tossing my hair over my shoulder and looking at him from under my eyelashes.

I see a very faint blush spread across Kiba’s cheeks as he looks up at me, trying to keep his cool.

“Yeah, what’s up Angel?” he asks lowly, watching as I lean down closer to his face.

“Can I ask you something?” I whisper, staring into his dark eyes and trying to keep myself from blushing any more than I’m sure I already am.

“Anything” he replies in a hushed voice, our lips only centimetres apart.

I smile at him shyly, and place one of my hands on his chest, using my other one to hold his wrists. I can feel his heart racing underneath my touch.

Kiba tilts his head up slightly, obviously expecting a kiss. Pffft, I’ll show him….

“Why am I here?” I ask coyly, the look of confusion that flashes through Kiba’s eyes almost making me burst out laughing.

“What?” he asks loudly, staring at me like I have two heads.

I abruptly lean back and cross my arms.

“Why the hell am I at your house, sleeping in your bed?” I ask bluntly, giving him a serious look.

Kiba deadpans, slamming one hand down on his face.

“Angel” he groans. “Don’t do that…..”

I shrug and grin evilly.

“Why not?” I question, sliding off of his waist and flopping back beside him. “You did it to me.”

Kiba removes his hand from his face and turns his head to look at me, an unamused look on his face.

“Yeah, but that was actually fun” he informs me pointedly, earning an eye roll from me.

“Well, this was fun for me” I say casually, folding my arms behind my head. “Now can you please tell me why I’m here?”

“Fine” Kiba sighs, obviously disappointed with how that had gone. “You were training with your Wolves, when me and Akamaru rocked up. You looked at me and fainted, which I’m taking as a compliment by the way.”

I roll my eyes again. Seriously, his head’s so big, he won’t be able to leave his house.

“Anyway, I carried you back here and let you rest in my bed” Kiba continues, suddenly turning serious.

He pauses for a moment, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck.

“What’s wrong?” I ask carefully, immediately catching on to his hesitation.

Kiba gives me a side long glance, before releasing a sigh and turning around on the bed to face me.

“Ace tells me you’ve been taking supplementary pills to make up for not sleeping” he says softly, worry clear on his face.

My eyes widen in surprise, before I suddenly leap to my feet, almost knocking Kiba over in the process.

“Ace, you bastard!” I shout, an anime vein appearing on my forehead. “I bet it was his idea to come here too! That sneaky, conniving little-”

“Whoa, whoa!” Kiba laughs, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him. “No, it was my idea to bring you here Angel. Ace said you just needed to get some sleep, and I know you can’t sleep when I’m not around…..So I stuck around while you slept……”

I blink, looking down at Kiba as he gives me a soft smile.

“What time is it?” I randomly ask, making Kiba shrug.

“Around seven o’clock” he answers. “At night.”

“What?!” I exclaim, making Kiba jump. “I slept all day?! That’s ridiculous! I have to keep training and go find Keiji and- Wait, where is Keiji?! Oh no, I’ve lost my Butterfly! He could kill someone! He’s a Ninja after al-”

“Angel!” Kiba shouts over me, making me shut up. He gives me a tiny smirk, making me blush again. A smirk just really seems to suit the boy, as much as it annoys me to say so.

“You can sleep here for as long as you like” Kiba informs me kindly. “It’s no surprise that you slept for so long, considering it’s been over two years since you did.”

I look down at the floor awkwardly.

“I’m not staying here every night Kiba” I tell him quietly. “I have my own house and I don’t want to bug you and your family and-”

“You wouldn’t be bugging us at all” Kiba interrupts me again, making me frown. “I’d love for you to sta- What?”

“You should really stop interrupting me” I say, trying to sound mad, but failing when I begin yawning instead.

Kiba chuckles, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around my waist, looking up at me.

“I think you should go back to sleep Angel” he suggests softly. “I have no doubt you’re still tired.”

I shake my head, suddenly feeling kind of sleepy.

“No, I better go home and take some of my pills and-”

Kiba interrupts me again, by jumping to his feet and sweeping me up into his arms bridal style.

I blink in surprise, my arms quickly hooking around his neck to keep me from falling.

“Kiba?” I ask, looking up at his face.

He regards me with a loving smile, turning around putting me back on the bed.

“No pills Angel” he instructs quietly, lifting up the blanket for me. “Sleep is what you need.”

I sit up and watch as Kiba walks to the other side of the room and flicks the light of, the room immediately being consumed by darkness.

I grip the blanket tightly, holding it close to my chest. I’m still quite afraid of the dark, especially if Kiba’s planning on leaving me alone to sleep…..

“But I can’t sleep if you’re not….” I begin, tears beginning to fill my eyes as he grabs onto the door handle. “If you’re not….”

It’s so silly, but I haven’t seen him for so long, and now that he’s here, I just really don’t want him to go.

“Relax Angel” Kiba laughs softly, closing his door and walking to the other side of his bed. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you for as long as you need.”

I immediately feel comforted, as he climbs into the bed beside me. Giving me an awkward side long glance, Kiba tugs at the hem of his shirt.

“Uh, Angel…..do you mind if I um…”

I give a start, before waving my hands back and forth.

“Oh! No, no, it’s fine” I assure him brightly, trying not to let on how nervous I actually feel. “It’s your house, feel free to do as you usually do.”

“In that case” Kiba begins, easily pulling the shirt over his head and tossing it onto the floor, “I usually sleep naked.”

I swear my whole body is blushing. I’m just so glad he can’t see me, and even more so that I can’t see him.

“No you don’t you idiot” I sigh, lying down and pulling the blanket up to my chin.

I hear Kiba laughing, as he lies down as well.

We remain silent for awhile, before I hesitantly turn around to face Kiba.

I see his arm folded under the side of his head, eyes flicking up to look at me questioningly.

“Kiba?” I ask in a whisper.

“Yeah Angel?”

I pause, before wriggling closer to Kiba and snuggling against his chest, hiding my face.

“Thank you…..” I mumble, smiling as I feel his free arm wrap around me.

“No worries Angel” Kiba replies softly, kissing me on the head.

That’s the last thing I remember before falling into the most peaceful and comfortable sleep I’ve had in a long time….

Hey all, just a quick thought. If any of you ever have some time, and for some reason decide to draw fan art for The Wolf Inside or Setting The Wolf Free, I'd LOVE to put the pic up on a chapter :)

You don't HAVE to do any fan art lol, just an idea I had :)

OH ALSO! I've just been THINKING about an idea.

I've seen a lot of people do this, but I was thinking about having a special sort of interview with any of the characters in Twi or Stwf chapter.

So like, if you send me questions and stuff, I can write a sort of interview, but in story form lol. Hope that makes sense haha! IT could be funny I guess.

If you think it's a good idea, I have a specific way I'd like you to send me your questions. First of all, ONLY send them to me through PRIVATE MESSAGE. Otherwise I probably won't read them.

Second, the set up should look like this, just so I know its for the question chapter:

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.

QUESTION: blah blah blah

Lol, pretty easy right? Keep in mind, you can ask ANY of my characters WHATEVER you want. No matter how stupid, dirty, retarded, whatever you think it is. I'd love to get the Naruto and Twi characters to answer your questions xP

U can also ask as many questions as you like :) I'll wait for a few days, maybe a week, depending on the amount of responses I get.

Phew! Anyway, that's enough from me lol. Bye!! :P