New pic of Ashley  --->

Okay, so a lot of people are still asking how to see pictures if they're on the Wattpad App. It's simple, and I'll explain how :)

Tap the screen so the little option bar thing comes up at the bottom of your screen. You'll see a small i with a circle around it in the lower right hand corner, so tap it.

You'll then be taken to a screen that has information all about the story you're reading, and you'll see a picture of speech bubbles (for comments) books (number of chapters) and photos (obviously, the picture on the chapter you're reading).

Click the picture of the photos and voila! You'll see the image I've posted :)

Song on the side is Absolution by Ryan Taubert - (Remix by Tuanphongkt)

I'll let you know when you should play the music :P

Third Person’s POV

Kiba lets out a low groan as he comes to, squeezing his eyes tightly closed, before sluggishly opening them and rubbing the side of his head with one hand. He pauses for a moment, blinking rapidly, as he stares at the strange scene before him.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Kiba slowly turns his head from side to side, trying to figure out where he is. A cool and gentle breeze blows against Kiba’s back, somehow making the surreal situation even stranger.

While it looked to Kiba as though he was sitting in a forest, everything was coloured in numerous shades of red, black and grey. The leaves in the trees above Kiba’s head were a bright red colour, making the Inuzuka feel a little uncomfortable. It made it look like the trees were covered in blood….The sky above was painted in streaks of black and grey, looking as though a horrific storm was about to release its wrath on the land below.

Glancing down at his hands, Kiba is relieved to see that he still looks like normal, his skin still tan and his clothes coloured as they usually were.

“Where am I?’ Kiba wonders out loud, brows furrowing as he stares ahead. “I remember Ashley casting a Genjutsu on me and- wait……Am I……Am I in her Tsukuyomi right now?”

Pursing his lips a little in thought, Kiba tilts his head to the side, eyes flicking around as he takes everything in.

“That would explain why everything looks so weird” the Inuzuka sighs, before suddenly freezing, a faint sound carrying on the breeze and reaching his ears. If Kiba wasn’t mistaken, he could hear someone humming very quietly.....But that wouldn’t make sense, considering he was stuck inside Ashley’s Genjutsu. How could someone else be here?

Still seated on the ground, Kiba glances back over his shoulder, only for his eyes to widen. About fifty or so metres away, the brunette sees that the land behind him narrows into a cliff. Seated on the very edge of the cliff, her feet dangling over the sheer drop, Ashley sits with her hands resting on the ground on either side of her. She hums to herself calmly, swinging her legs back and forth as she stares out into the empty, black space ahead.

Carefully pushing himself to his feet and noting that the blonde is no longer wearing her Akatsuki cloak, Kiba cautiously approaches Ashley, unsure as to what exactly is going on and why she’s here.

“…..Angel?” Kiba addresses hesitantly, slowly walking up behind the seemingly oblivious girl. “What’s going on? Why are we both here?”

Ashley ignores Kiba’s questions, continuing to hum merrily to herself as she tilts her head right back and gazes up at the sky. Kiba pauses for a moment as the girl moves, before raising a quizzical eyebrow and continuing forwards until he is standing right beside her.

A look of confusion and concern settling on his face, Kiba tilts his head down to stare at Ashley, wondering why she’s not acknowledging him. Even the times he’d come across her out in the real world, she’d acknowledged him, whether it was with anger or indifference. At least she’d responded to his presence before.

“Angel?” Kiba addresses again, easing himself down into a crouched position, elbows resting on his bent knees. “……..You probably shouldn’t sit on the edge of a cliff like that……You could fall and then-”

“The stars look so pretty here” Ashley interrupts dreamily, still staring up at the ebony sky. “You can see so many of them.”

“Huh?” Kiba responds, puzzled by the girl’s statement. The brunette also looks to the sky, before glancing back down at Ashley, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“What do you think the stars are made of?” the Minami questions, her fuschia eyes glittering as she smiles faintly.

“What they’re made of?” Kiba repeats, blinking in surprise. “I don’t know but I…….I honestly don’t really care about the stars right now Angel. I just want to know what the hell is going on with you and why you’re-”

“They shine so brightly” Ashley interrupts again, not concerning herself with Kiba’s words, “So I always figured they were just made of fire.”

Kiba pauses at this, eyes flicking up to the sky again. He stares up at the tiny stars sparkling in the sky, the only parts of the scenery that aren’t black, grey or red. Contrasting immensely with the blackened sky, the stars all glitter with a bright white colour, glowing like lanterns.

Releasing a low sigh, Kiba looks back at Ashley, whose fuschia eyes are now hooded. The brunette’s mouth pulls down into a faint frown. He didn’t want to talk about the stars, and he didn’t know why Ashley was bringing them up. Besides, that day was coming up soon, and he wanted Ashley to come home before then….

“They look like they’re made of fire.” Kiba says seriously, looking to his blonde companion from the corner of his eye, “Now, please Angel, can you please tell me why you’re doing all of this? All this time I’ve held onto the hope that you’re not really joining the Akatsuki, but sometimes I’m just not sure anymore…….But, you did kiss me back before, so you can’t really feel nothing for me like you said you di-”

“Hakuba used to live with the stars” Ashley speaks up, now facing forwards again, though her eyes are downcast. “When he was sealed inside the Moon, all the way up there, he floated amongst them.”

“………” Kiba’s shoulders droop a little, a weary expression briefly crossing his face. It seemed as though Ashley wasn’t even listening to him. Sure, she could hear what he was saying, but she was brushing it off as if the Inuzuka wasn’t even speaking! Couldn’t she tell that he had no interest in the stars right now? When had the two of them ever sat down and talked about such a thing anyway?

“……Hakuba told me that the stars aren’t made of plain fire, like I’d always thought” the Minami girl continues softly, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “He said that they’re giant balls of fire and gas, and that some of them are so big, they make our planet look tiny in comparison….”

Settling himself down into a more comfortable sitting position beside Ashley, Kiba leans back on his arms and glances at her from the corner of his eye again. While he was, admittedly, quite happy just to sit beside the girl and listen to her talk, as it had been too long since they’d last done that, Kiba wasn’t sure what Ashley was getting at here.

This was a Genjutsu wasn’t it? Why had she cast it on him if she wasn’t actually going to do anything but talk about the stars? What she was saying was kind of interesting, but it wasn’t something Kiba wanted to discuss right this second. He had bigger concerns than what the stars were made out of.

“They only look so small to use because they’re so far away” Ashley explains, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “If Hakuba had never told me that, I would have just gone on believing what I thought was true because of how the stars looked. I had no idea what the truth actually was…..”

Here Ashley sighs and rises to her feet, long hair gently blowing out behind her due to the breeze. She places her hands on her hips and closes her eyes, turning her back on Kiba.

“I…I don’t understand” the brunette states honestly, a pained expression on his face. Was Ashley about to leave again? “Why did you bring me here just to talk about the stars? Why did you bring me here in the first place? First you let me kiss you and then you use your Sharingan on me and then you ignore me and now you’re talking about the stars and I just don’t get it-”

Kiba is cut off as Ashley glances back over her shoulder, eyes hooded, before the girl spins around and marches back over to him. She leans down and gently places her hands down on the brunette’s shoulders, her face only centimetres from his. Kiba pauses with his mouth slightly open, Ashley’s serious eyes looking straight into his.

The blonde stares at Kiba for a few moments, her brows slowly pulling together, when she opens her mouth to speak. She pauses and then shuts her mouth again, an indecisive look on her pale face.

Kiba gazes back at Ashley with a hopeful expression as her eyes drop and her grip on his shoulders tightens. Before the Inuzuka can say anything, Ashley releases him and whirls around, hurriedly walking off in the other direction.

“Ashley!” Kiba is swift to call, jumping to his feet and throwing out a hand. “Wait up! Can’t you just tell me what’s going on at lea-”

“All I was trying to say is” the blonde girl explains softly, pausing briefly to glance back over her shoulder and cast Kiba a saddened look, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

Kiba watches as Ashley quickly dissipates into thin air, before a sudden wave of nausea causes him to stumble. Head feeling light, Kiba’s eyes roll back and he collapses heavily to the ground.

“Kiba?” a faint voice asks, sounding worried. “Kiba, wake up!”

“Ruff ruff! Ruff!”

“Reckon I should give him a bite?”

“No!”

“Hngh?....” Kiba mumbles groggily, cracking his eyes open, only to see two blurred shapes leaning over him. “Ahhh!”

Eyes opening wide, Kiba sits boltright up, only to place a hand to his head and grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes closed again. Hanging his head, Kiba groans softly and runs a hand down his face, feeling tired, his limbs heavy.

“Hey” a female voice addresses softly, “Are you alright? What happened?”

Raising his head a little, Kiba finds himself looking into two bright, mint coloured eyes. Sakura tilts her head to the side, a concerned look on her face as she kneels beside Kiba and examines him quickly.

“I can’t see any external injuries” the pinkette mutters, more to herself than anyone else. “Can’t be too sure that he hasn’t sustained any internal ones though…Hmm….”

“Ruff ruff” Akamaru barks, trotting up to Kiba and playfully rubbing his cheek against the boy’s shoulder. Kiba automatically raises his hand and places it on top of Akamaru’s head, smiling faintly to himself.

“Tell me” a grey dog, Shiba, inquires, “What are you doing lying out here in the middle of the forest?”

Kiba’s brows furrow as he stares down at the small canine, before glancing up at Sakura as she places a hand on his shoulder.

“You didn’t turn up the last time we all met at the centre point, which was a few hours ago, so Kakashi Sensei got worried” she explains, smiling gently as she retracts her hand and performs a hand sign, chakra soon beginning to glow around her palm. “We’ve all been out looking for you. Biscuit and Shiba said your scent was very hard to track down.”

“You’re pretty good at masking it huh?” Biscuit comments, sitting back on his haunches. “Must be an Inuzuka thing.”

“What sort of trouble did you run into?” Sakura asks seriously, moving to place a glowing hand on Kiba’s forehead. “Was it Itachi?”

Reaching up to catch her wrist, Kiba eases it away from him and shakes his head, not wanting Sakura to heal him. Sakura, having seen Kiba react to Medic Ninja like this in the past, lets out a low sigh and places her hands back in her lap. Ever since he’d been with Ashley, the Inuzuka had never liked letting other women heal him. Sakura wasn’t exactly sure why, but she wasn’t going to push it. This time anyway….

“Trouble?……” Kiba repeats lowly, slinging an arm over his bent knee. “No, I don’t think I did run into any trouble actually…..”

Ashley slowly hangs her head, biting her lip as her shoulders tremble, as if the girl were cold. She stares down at the ground through blurred eyes, though she’s unsure if it’s because she had used her Sharingan, or because her eyes have filled with tears.

Ashley didn’t overly mind having her vision blurred right now though. She didn’t really want to see the faces of the Wolves surrounding her.

After using her Sharingan on Kiba and watching him collapse, Ashley had decided that she couldn’t face Orochimaru yet. She needed the warmth and comfort of her Pack right now but, like Ace had said, she needed to come clean with them first. She’d been keeping horrible secrets from the caring animals, and she wouldn’t be surprised if they were all furious with her right now….

Ace sits loyally by Ashley’s side, allowing her to place one hand on his back for support, a flat expression on the Wolf’s face as he gazes around at the others.

Rei, her eyes wide and mouth agape, stares at Ashley in disbelief. While the gentle Wolf had tried to remain positive ever since Ashley had feigned defecting from the Leaf Village, there had been times where she’d grown very angry at the Minami. If Rei recalled correctly, she had even purposefully called Ashley just by her first name. Such disrespect…..Rei would have to remember to apologise later.

Kai, though only slightly surprised, sighs heavily and lays his ears flat against his head. Rolling his eyes down at Tiez as the short Wolf raises an eyebrow at him, Kai shrugs a shoulder. He’d been all for joining the bad guys, if only to be able to get into more fights. The good guys were so boring at times, and he was constantly told that he wasn’t allowed to kill people. Well, the bad guys were allowed to kill whenever they wanted…..

As Tiez smirks at Kai, amused by his reaction, Aki casts Ashley a concerned look, his sapphire eyes filled with sincere pity. He tilts his head to the side as Ashley squeezes her eyes closed, unable to meet the gazes of her Wolves.

The black and white Wolf had never seen her look so…..fragile before. Despite the tough, bad attitude front she always put up, surely this whole ordeal had taken its tole on the girl. She had always been loyal to the Leaf Village since Aki had known her, so pretending to betray them must have been an incredibly difficult thing for her to do.

Aki just wanted to swamp the girl in a glorious hug, but even the outgoing, flamboyant Wolf didn’t think this was the time for it…

Jet slowly lowers his wide eyed gaze to the ground, shoulders slumping and ears drooping. The giant Wolf could see Ace glaring from the corner of his eye, but Jet didn’t even have the heart to return his hard look.

He’d been very dismissive when Ashley had suddenly appeared amongst them on Inu Zoku Mountain about half an hour ago, still mad about the fight they’d had awhile back now. He’d accused her of some pretty horrible things back then, and now Jet had just found out she’d done all of those things to help her Village and her friends. Well, now Jet just felt like the biggest jerk in the world….

Chi looks up at Ashley through large, imploring eyes, the aqua orbs twinkling with unshed tears. He snivels cutely and raises one paw to furiously rub at his nose, ears flopped over.

He hadn’t so much as seen Ashley since he’d disappeared during the fight back at the lake, but Chi had certainly heard from Ace and the others how Ashley had been acting. Of course, the young Wolf had been very concerned about the Minami girl’s well being, and he was very confused as to why she’d suddenly changed sides. Now though, Chi couldn’t help feeling miserably sorry for Ashley, considering she’d had to fight against her friends and other loved ones despite how much it hurt her.

Chi could only imagine how much it would hurt him to have to fight against Ashley and the others, not to mention Jet-chan.

Sniffing once again, Chi steps forwards and softly presses his nose against Ashley’s hip, causing the girl to crack her eyes open and peek down at him.

“M-Milady?” the caramel Wolf addresses, head tilting to the side and brow creasing with sadness. “P-Please don’t cry. I promise, we’re not mad at you anymore. Well, I never was, but…….Please just don’t cry! I don’t like it! Y-You’re gonna m-make me cry t-too……”

“You should be mad at me Chi” Ashley mutters hoarsely, looking away shamefacedly. “You almost got killed during that fight against the Leaf, and when you disappeared, I didn’t even ask if you were okay. The thought never crossed my mind…..”

Chi blinks at this, as Jet raises his head a little, eyes hooded. He watches Chi and Ashley from the corner of his eye, interested to see how the younger Wolf would react.

“It’s okay Lady Ashley-chan” Chi responds cutely, tail wagging slowly. “Now I know that you had a lot on your mind, so it makes sense that you didn’t ask. And anyway, if I never got all scared like that and stuff, I wouldn’t have discovered my awesome new Jutsu! I’m still trying to figure out how to do it again without having to put myself in a life threatening situation, but even more importantly, I have to try and think of a cool name for it! I’m thinking something like Super Awesome Time Travelling Dragon of Death Jutsu!”

Here Chi jumps up in the air with excitement and begins skipping in place, a closed eye smile on his face as his tongue lolls from the side of his mouth. Ashley, along with the majority of the Pack members, stares at Chi through wide eyes, barely blinking. It had been awhile since Ashley had seen her young partner get so hyped up about something. As annoying as Chi’s excitable nature could be sometimes, Ashley had certainly missed his positive outlook on everything.

“Don’tcha reckon it sounds totally cool Milady?!” the pup barks. “Kai-chan says it sounds lame, but Jet-chan yelled at him and told me that it sounds super awesomely perfect and he liked the name and that I should-”

Chi’s eyes pop wide open as Ashley suddenly drops to her knees and wraps her arms around him, hugging the caramel Wolf to her tightly. She presses her cheek against the soft fur of his neck, with Chi blinking in surprise.

He stares at the other Wolves for a few moments, before leaning his head to the side and resting it against Ashley’s, raising one paw to place it on the girl’s back.

“Look Ace-kun” the caramel Wolf chuckles softly, now hooded eyes glowing with happiness, “Lady Ashley-chan is hugging me….”

“So it would seem young one” Ace replies, a ghost of a smile on his face. He watches on as Ashley whispers a thank you to Chi, the smaller Wolf basking in his human partner’s affection.

“Hey!” Tiez suddenly barks in annoyance, mouth pulled down in a frown and her chest puffing out. “Hey!”

Eyes quickly opening, Ashley leans back from Chi and looks to Tiez questioningly, though one arm remains slung around the aqua eyed Wolf’s neck.

“How come he gets all the attention?” Tiez demands to know, hiding her embarrassment behind an offended façade. “I coulda died at some point too ya know!”

“I would be happy to show you some love Tiez my darling” Aki leans down and purrs in the speedy Wolf’s ear, sapphire eyes sparkling naughtily.

“Aki, don’t be a bastard….” Tiez warns flatly, tilting her head back to glare at Aki through hooded eyes.

“You’re icky” Chi pouts. “Tiez-icky-chan. Stay away.”

“Yeah, well you’re just a stupid, useless baby!” the purple Wolf retorts, flicking her long fringe back from her eyes and turning her head away stubbornly.

“I’m not a baby!” Chi denies indignantly, before turning to Ashley with big tears in his eyes. “Lady Ashley-channnnnn, Tiez-icky-chan called me a babyyyyy……”

Ashley is unable to stop herself from giggling at the argument between the two youngest Wolves, before she stretches one arm out towards Tiez. The purple Wolf pauses for a moment, struggling with her pride, before she spins around and dashes over to Ashley, diving into the girl’s side.

Ashley hugs the female Wolf tightly, resting her cheek on top of Tiez’s soft fringe, as Rei slowly walks over, lavender eyes sparkling.

“I…..I’m sorry for doubting you Milady” the polite, snow white animal begins softly, inclining her head. “I should have had more faith in you…..And I’m sorry for not calling you Lady Ashley that time back at the la-”

“It’s alright Rei” the blonde girl interrupts kindly, her smile growing wider, “You don’t need to apologise. None of you do…..Oh, and I’ve told you this in the past before Rei, you don’t have to call me Milady and stuff. Ace just learned it from his Mother, so he’s been calling me that since we were both small.”

“My Mother was polite” Ace replies with a small shrug. “She taught me manners and I shall not abandon them now Milady.”

“Well I never call you any of those things anyway Darling” Aki croons in his velvety smooth voice, slinking over to Ashley and rubbing the side of his head against the girl’s cheek. “You seemed very down before, so come Darling, let Aki smother you in the greatest hug you have ever had….”

“What’re you- Oof!”

Before Ashley can protest, Aki jumps at her, a teasing grin on his face. He places his soft paws against her shoulders and shoves the girl backwards, causing her to land on her back.

She begins giggling incessantly as Aki lies across her stomach, squashing Ashley beneath him. He casts her a cheeky look from the corner of his eye, front paws crossed prettily and tail flicking back and forth.

“I may have lied about the hug Darling” Aki states breezily, before he breaks out into a silky laugh as well.

As Ashley continues to laugh, though she struggles a little due to the weight on her chest, Kai stalks over, an unamused look in his red eyes. He pauses behind Ashley and looks down, raising one eyebrow as the blonde glances up and gives him a wolfish grin.

“And I take orders from you….” the muscular Wolf mutters dryly, leaning his head down and catching the back of Ashley’s shirt in his mouth. Without any trouble, Kai begins to back up, pulling Ashley free from Aki’s weight.

“Thanks Kai” Ashley says with a light chuckle, sitting up as the Wolf releases her and scratching under his chin.

Kai shivers in delight at the touch, before pulling his head away and laying his ears back, glaring at Ashley from the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to appear soft in front of the others, so he wasn’t about to get all mushy with his human partner.

Glancing between her Wolves as they gather around her, Ashley’s eyes sparkle and her mood begins to lighten. While she’d been feeling so incredibly down and tired only moments ago, her Wolves had already made her feel renewed, as if she’d somehow suddenly been filled with energy. Visiting them was just what she’d needed. It was alright to summon the creatures when she needed their help in a fight, but it felt good to just be around them in such a relaxed way like this as well. The members of the Pack were her friends, not just weapons to be used in battle.

“Milady…..” a deep voice addresses lowly, causing Ashley to blink and look up. Before her, Jet slowly approaches with his head held low, golden eyes unable to meet the girl’s gaze. A pained expression on his face, Jet’s lays his ears back meekly and drops to his belly, creeping forwards a few steps until his large paws almost touch Ashley’s feet.

The Minami tilts her head to the side in confusion at this, having never seen Jet behave so meek or submissive before. Was something wrong with him?

The giant Wolf’s mouth opens and closes a few times, as if he can’t figure out exactly what it is he wants to say.

“Ole hyvä, annaminulleanteeksiminun syntini” Jet murmurs after a few moments, heald still head low. “Vaikka en ansaitse anteeksiantoa kauheita asioita sanoin teille.......Olkaa hyvä....I hope you can forgive me one day.....”

(Please, allow me to apologise for me transgressions. Though I do not deserve forgiveness for the horrible things I said to you.........Please....)

Ashley stares down at Jet through troubled eyes, before the girl quickly tucks her legs beneath her and places her balled up hands in her lap.

“Minä vain sinulle anteeksi, jos voit antaa anteeksi ensin” the Minami replies softly, yet seriously, her head bowed down in a respectful manner. (I’ll only forgive you, if you can forgive me first)

Blinking with surprise, Jet raises his head and looks at Ashley, only for his golden eyes to widen at the sight of her inclining her head to him. It was strange to Jet, seeing Ashley bowing her head like that. She was the Leader, his Leader. She shouldn’t be submitting to him! Especially not after the way he’d verbally attacked her the last time they’d seen each other.

“Milady….” Jet begins, trailing off as Ashley shakes her head vigorously, eyes trained down on her lap.

“I’ll only look up once you’ve forgiven me and gotten up off the ground” she replies stubbornly, causing an affectionate smile to slowly appear on Jet’s face, eyes now hooded.

“Of course” the Wolf says lowly, rising to his feet. “You are forgiven Milady.”

Flicking her head back quickly, Ashley grins up at Jet, only to jump to her feet and leap at the humongous creature towering over her.

Jet takes a step back in surprise as Ashley’s arms wraps around his neck in a hug, her feet barely touching the ground. He glances at the rest of the Pack, all of them smirking besides Chi and Ace, before rolling his eyes light heartedly and placing one large paw on Ashley’s back.

“I forgive you too Suihkukone” the blonde replies, addressing Jet by his Susikiel name.

“Yaaayyyyyy!” Chi cries, bouncing around in circles. “We’re all friends again! And we’re not the bad guys! We can go back to the Leaf Village now!”

“Not yet we can’t kid” Kai shoots Chi down quickly, fangs bared in a mean grin. “We’ve still got stuff to do with these Akatsuki guys, right? I sure hope so, because those Leaf Village chumps never let me kill anyone. I used to be a killing machine….”

“You’re still a killing machine in my eyes Boss” Tiez praises, grinning evilly. “Ain’t no one more badass than you!”

“No one is more brutish than him you mean” Aki sniffs, raising one eyebrow as he casts Kai a disdainful look. “Just yesterday he fell asleep in a giant mud puddle. Heaven’s above it was foul….”

“Every creature will sleep where it is most at ease” Ace speaks up wisely, a flat look on his face as Rei snuggles up to his side. “Birds in their nests, humans in their beds, pigs in the mud…..And so it goes on.”

At this Kai bares his teeth and snarls angrily at Ace, an anime vein appearing on the side of his head. While the Wolf did have a short temper, Ace was a professional at lighting the fuse with only a few words. They were always words laced with sarcasm and offence mind you, but only a few words all the same.

“I’ll take you one any day One Eye!” Kai snaps rudely, to which Ace raises an eye and Chi gasps with horror. “I’ll run circles around you!”

“Funny how with only the vision of one eye” Ace retorts calmly, though Ashley can tell he is a little irritated by Kai’s comment, “I have yet to lose a single fight against you. It really does say a lot about your skill Kai……Or lack thereof.”

With an angry roar that sends a shockwave up into the air, Kai rears up and heavily slams his front paws back down on the ground. Chi topples to the ground in a cute, tangled heap from the impact, with Jet quickly moving to help the pup back to his feet.

“Honestly” Rei speaks up softly, giving Kai a second to quieten down, “The two of you argue like children.”

“Butthurt children heheh” Tiez can’t help chuckling, not even flinching as Kai and Ace shoot her deathly cold glares. “Do your worst boys, come at me!”

“Kai dear” Rei continues, giving the larger Wolf a pointed look, “You know that Ace has both of his eyes. He is merely blind in the other one, but you have no need to point it out. And you Ace darling, don’t indirectly say that Kai is weak. He is a very strong and integral part of our Pack.”

“I am sorry my mate” Ace responds coolly, inclining his head towards Rei. “I shall not indirectly say Kai is weak anymore……I shall say it straight to his miserable face. You are weak. The young ones could beat you up.”

Rei sighs heavily at this, and sweat drops as multiple anime veins appear on Kai’s head, the multicoloured Wolf seeing red. With a vicious roar, Kai leaps at Ace, only for the navy Wolf to jump at him as well.

“C’mon Boss!” Tiez cheers, eagerly watching the brawl, her violet eyes wide. “Stick it to ‘im! Ooohhhhh, but he’s so quick and you’re so slow!...”

Ashley watches Ace and Kai snap at each other for a few moments, unwilling to jump in, before Rei walks over and sits beside the girl.

“What are you going to do now Milady?” the snowy Wolf asks in her gentle voice, soft eyes addressing her kindly. “Are you going to return home? Or must you forge on with this mission?”

“Either way, you have the support of all seven of us” Jet adds, sitting behind Ashley and peering down at her. The golden eyes Wolf sends Ashley a wink as she tilts her head back to look at Jet.

“As long as you’re alright Darling” Aki purrs, slowly walking past Ashley and brushing his thick, silky tail across her legs. “You must talk to us. Don’t let yourself get into such a state again. It’s unattractive.”

Ashley stares at Aki for a few moments, about to tell him that he won’t need to worry about her for too much longer, when he flicks his tail and sighs deeply.

“And besides” the beautiful Wolf continues, shaking his head, “I can’t spend all of my time worrying about you. Worrying will make me age prematurely and then I’ll get wrinkles! Oh, such a horrid thought. I’m far too young and handsome to be wrinkling already….Ahh! Is that a white hair? Is my fur turning white prematurely as well?!”

“Aki sweetheart” Rei interrupts kindly, before the sapphire eyed Wolf can stress too much. “Half of your fur is already white. You were born like that, and you look lovely.”

“Oh I know” Aki chuckles after a brief pause. “It’s just nice to be told every once in a while.”

“Hey” Chi suddenly speaks up, happily sitting on Jet’s front paws, ears pricked up, “Where did Lady Ashley-chan go?”

A cool breeze blows Ashley’s hair out to the side, its crispness sending a faint shiver up the girl’s spine. She stands in the middle of the forest, shadows forming around her as the sky slowly darkens into night, eyes closed and head tilted slightly down.

Ashley focuses all of her attention on the ground, even the most minute of vibrations clear and telling. The crickets that leap swiftly across the ground, the birds nesting in the trees, the leaves swaying in the wind….She feels it all, searching for the one presence she had tried to forget over the years.

Ashley’s heart suddenly skips a beat and she exhales softly, a faint puff of warm air escaping her lips.

Footsteps…….In the distance……………Such familiar footsteps…….But, not the right footsteps. All the same, the direction they had come from……

Ashley’s heart skips another beat, though this time a fluttering feeling arises in her chest, making the girl feel a little unsteady. She slowly opens her eyes and raises her head, a cold and steely expression on her face. It was just as Sasuke had said….

“Found you….” the blonde mutters darkly, before she breaks out into a sprint and races off into the swiftly darkening forest.

***  I'd recommend playing the music on the side now :)  ***

Ashley’s POV

I stand before the large tree, one hand resting against its rough trunk as I stare down the concrete steps, leading underground into an ominous black tunnel amongst the thick tree roots.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I stare into the seemingly endless cavity, my breathing quickening to the point where I feel like I’m going to hyperventilate. I see the puffs of warm air escaping my mouth as I breathe heavily, unable to tear my eyes away from the entrance before me.

‘I know he’s down there’ I think, feeling suddenly panic stricken. ‘I can sense him. He’s….It’s like he’s….Waiting for me. What if I can’t…..What if I can’t beat him? Am I really strong enough to go through with this? What if he wins, and he keeps me down there? Back down in his torture chambers….In the dark……’

I wrench my neck around and turn my face away from the entrance to his hideout, pressing my forehead against the tree and squeezing my eyes closed. I feel myself break out into a cold sweat, my whole body trembling at the thought of going down into that hellhole….

Gritting my teeth at a sudden stinging pain in my left shoulder, I grab at it and squeeze tightly. Why is my curse mark hurting? Is it because I’m near Orochimaru once again, after such a long time? Or is it because I’m stressing out over fighting him? Either way, I can’t have it play up now. I’ve gone so long without feeling it, I admittedly sometimes forget that the mark is even there anymore….

A cold gust of wind blows against my back, making me shake even more than I already am, eyes still tightly shut.

What happens if Orochimaru really does defeat me down there? While I may have gotten stronger since the last time I saw him, who’s to say that he hasn’t grown more powerful as well?

If I lose to that snake bastard, there’s no way he’ll actually let me die. While he may have Sasuke now, he’ll still want to make me pay for running away from him when I was younger. He’ll lock me up in a cell and torture me to the point of me begging for death, as I’ve seen him do to countless others.

But oh no, he wouldn’t be merciful enough to grant me the joy and release of death. Orochimaru would relish in my pain and misery, and he’d keep it up until he grew bored of me….But even then, the death would not be quick. It would be merciless……Slow and excruciating…..

“I….I th-thought I was ready for this” I whisper out loud, hands balling into fists against the tree. “But I-I’m not. I’m too weak…..I’m too weak………..”

He wins. Even after all this time, all of this training…..I’m still too much of a weak minded Ninja to face him. Everyone thinks I have a strong back bone, and that I’d rush into any fight, but this……I guess this is when my true colours really show. At least no one is here to see it. It’s embarrassing, and even though I can admit to myself that I’m far too scared to fight Orochimaru, I’m angry……I’m so angry at myself! Why the hell am I so weak?! Why do I bend and break when it comes to Orochimaru?…..This power he holds over me, whatever it may be, I don’t like it…..And yet…….I can’t seem to fight it….

I slowly slide to the ground, landing on my knees and hanging my head, shaking it slightly.

“I can’t……” I sob, though no tears fall. “I just can’t do it…..”

‘…..Such a fragile girl’ a sinister, yet thoughtful voice murmurs in my mind. ‘Usually so strong, yet at the mere thought of this man, you crumble and cry like a child…..I am disappointed…’

“I d-didn’t think I’d react like this” I chuckle humourlessly, still shaking my head. “It’s embarrassing, but…..but I can’t even move. My body won’t move forwards.”

‘How can the vessel of a being as great as I cower at the presence of such an insignificant insect?’ Hakuba questions me seriously, lip curling back in distaste. ‘You have proclaimed to not only me, but your Wolf partners as well, that you have done all of this for your friends and your Village. You would give up without even trying?.....How truly pitiful. Where has your courage disappeared to selfish brat?’

“I’m not being selfish!” I deny, placing one hand to my face. “I….I’m scared okay?! I know what Orochimaru is like. How can you expect me to be courageous when I’m plagued by so much fear?!”

‘Courage is not the absence of fear you fool’ the Ten Tails growls back at me, sounding a little annoyed as his red eyes flash. ‘Courage is the judgement that something else is more important than your trivial fear! You have yet to even try! You do not see the future brat, so you have no idea how this will turn out! If you give up now, without so much as even stepping into that place, I will give up on you. You will prove that your words are not meant from your heart…..’

Here Hakuba turns his head away, a strange look on his furry face. He looks almost as if he’s…..Conflicted about something. What is he doing here? I’m not sure if he’s trying to berate me, or if he’s trying to help….

I don’t reply to Hakuba, hanging my head again and pressing my palms into my eyes. He can shout at me all he likes, I can’t go down there. Facing Orochimaru like this…..He’s my worst fear, and the cause of many a nightmare in the past. The few times that I’ve actually slept anyway….

He’s the reason I was so cold hearted and closed off to people, so alright with spilling innocent blood. He forced his curse mark upon me and gave me the rare ability to utilise Wood Style Jutsu…..Surely such a powerful, terrifying man, with no moral obligations, would haunt the mind of anyone unfortunate enough to be near him?....

‘When you said you wanted to save your traitorous cousin from Orochimaru’ Hakuba speaks up, sounding flat and emotionless, his red eyes downcast, ‘I should have known that it was nothing more than words. You have no intention of recovering him. He shall be forever lost to this loathsome creature you fear so much.’

“…..S-Sasuke?” I ask softly, hands dropping from my face as my eyes slowly open.

‘Every time you proclaim to me that you will prove yourself, you only succeed in failing’ Hakuba informs me coldly, eyes now taking on a nasty look. ‘I will invest no more time in encouraging these ridiculous and cruel lies of yours!’

“Sasuke…..” I repeat, a ghost of a smile appearing on my face as a distance memory comes into my head. That voice, so gentle and melodious, whispers in my mind, making my eyes well up again.

‘I can only imagine how betrayed your so called friends feel’ Hakuba spits, growing angry now. ‘Not that I care for their pathetic feeli-”

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength” I murmur slowly, cutting Hakuba off as I remember her words, “But loving someone deeply gives you courage…..”

‘What?’ Hakuba asks, looking surprised by my sudden words. I smile to myself, eyes half lidded as I look down at my hands, which are slowly beginning to stop trembling.

“My Mother said that to me” I explain softly, almost inaudibly. “A long time ago……Don’t you remember?”

‘………..’ There is a long pause as Hakuba thinks about this, before he gives a brief nod of the head. ‘Yes. I remember these words. They are vague, but true nonetheless.’

I nod as well, feeling somehow lighter than before, thanks to the thought of my Mother and her words of wisdom. I’d completely forgotten them until now…….But like Hakuba had said, forgetting the words didn’t make them any less true.

“I…Have to remember who this is for” I say to myself, placing my hands on my knees and closing my eyes again. “This isn’t for me. Remember…..Everyone…..This is for everyone……”

Hakuba’s eyes widen slightly as I push myself to my feet, no longer shaking with fear. He soon hoods them again however, easing himself into a sitting position.

‘For strength, remember who it is that loves you’ the Demon commands quietly, tails gracefully flickering around him.

“Kiba” I reply immediately, “Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi Sensei, Kiyumi-chan, Saffire, Ace and the Pack…..Mother and Father………”

“.....And for courage” Hakuba whispers lowly, his voice sounding far away in my mind, “Remember who it is that you love.....”

“Kiba” I repeat, reopening my eyes, “Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi Sensei, Ace, Rei, Chi, Jet, Kai, Tiez and Aki…..Saffire, Kiyumi-chan, Mother, Father-”

“And?’ my Demon prompts, causing me to take a step forward.

“And Sasuke-kun” I reply determinedly, glaring down into the dark entrance of Orochimaru’s hideout, before I quickly dart inside.

Third Person’s POV

Orochimaru, sitting in bed with his back propped up against a large pillow, throws his head back and laughs loudly. His evil laughter, echoing through the dimly lit room, soon turns to horrendous coughing, the snake eyed man throwing a hand over his mouth.

Orochimaru’s shoulder’s quake with every painful hack, blood dripping from between the man’s lips and into his hand. As the Sannin’s coughing subsides, he drops his hand and raises his head, a sinister grin gracing his now blood stained lips.

It didn’t matter that his body was giving out on him. It didn’t matter that he was enduring excruciating pain every moment of every day.

It was only a matter of time now, and Orochimaru would be able to take over Sasuke’s body, just as he had planned all those years ago. Kabuto had only moments earlier left to forage for the herbs needed in his Lord’s medicine, and once Orochimaru had ingested the drug, he would be strong enough to begin the ceremony to claim Sasuke’s body as his own.

The very thought of controlling all of Sasuke’s impressive power excited Orochimaru. Never had he taken over the body of such a powerful person. He would be unstoppable! And, to top it off, Orochimaru would finally be in possession of the Sharingan.

After all of his painstaking efforts, joining the Akatsuki to steal it from Itachi and murdering the Minami Clan to find the girl said to possess the Kekkei Genkai, Orochimaru would finally win the ultimate prize!

At this, Orochimaru begins laughing like a madman again, his hair tumbling over his shoulders as he hunches forwards to break into another violent coughing fit, sweat dripping down the side of the man’s face.

Only a matter of time…..

Orochimaru turns his head, reaching out for the glass of water Kabuto had left on his bedside table, when a very faint noise outside the man’s door prompts him to pause. He slowly drags his eyes towards the door, not moving his head, as he wonders who could be standing out there.

Kabuto couldn’t possibly be back already, and Sasuke had left to go for a walk and do who knows what. He usually didn’t turn up after he left for a walk for a long time, so surely it wasn’t the Uchiha whelp…

Suddenly, the screeching sound of a saw grating against steel begins to buzz outside of Orochimaru’s room, making the man’s eyes widen in surprise.

Before he can react, a large, flat disc of chakra tears through the thick wooden door, blasting it to pieces. Debris shoots in every direction as the chakra disc spins right past Orochimaru’s face and slices through the wall, exploding powerfully in the next room. The heavy stone walls shake from the impact, with some of them crumbling a little, a thin layer of smoke enveloping the room.

“Ngh!” Orochimaru suddenly hisses in pain, grabbing at his left arm, only for his right hand to grasp at air. Briefly forgetting the searing pain in his left shoulder, Orochimaru looks down, only to inhale sharply, eyes widening. His left arm had been completely severed from his shoulder, the cut as smooth and clean as any could come.

Lying limply on the floor beside his bed, Orochimaru narrows his snake like eyes down at the pale arm, soaking in a pool of his own blood.

“Who is it?” the Sannin hisses in aggravation, only to notice two angry black eyes glaring back at him, shuriken like irises glowing like rubies. “Ahhh……If it isn’t the first Uchiha nurseling I took under my wing.”

The smoke beginning to clear, Ashley finds herself face to face with a now smirking Orochimaru, his eyes filled with amusement at the girl’s dark, steely eyed gaze. She remains poised in the hallway, unable to tear her eyes away from her feared enemy.

While she could feel her heat beating away against her chest, Ashley tries to focus all of her hatred and anger into glaring at Orochimaru, wanting him to feel her emotions through her Sharingan.

She hated him with a passionate and poisonous hatred. He had taken everything from her, and now, she was going to destroy him with the one thing he’d always wanted. The Sharingan. The irony would be almost too cruel. Almost.

“I must say child” Orochimaru grins evilly, eyes glittering, “I never thought a mouse like you would venture back into the snake’s own nest. This is an amusing turn of events indeed…..”

“I’m no mouse” Ashley spits back, baring her sharp teeth dangerously. “I’m a Wolf, and you are my prey!”

Please don't forget to vote and comment! :) And nobody can use the excuse that they're on the App and can't vote coz they don't have internet anymore. I've now got the App myself and when I don't have internet, I can still get on the App and vote for stuff, it just won't let me look at pictures or comment.

So come on, if you enjoyed the chappy, please vote :3