Edited 15/12/2017

Ashley's POV

I walk through the forest, with my arms wrapped around myself and my eyes trained on the ground, brows furrowed.

How could Naruto say that to me? I never thought he could hurt me, but.....

'I told you' Hakuba says eerily, his voice clearer than normal thanks to my weakened state, 'You shouldn't trust anyone...None of them actually care for you brat.....You're an outsider, and humans can never truly accept outsiders.'

".....Maybe you're right...." I whisper, feeling strangely alone for the first time since arriving in Konoha. "Maybe....Maybe they all think I'm just a traitor, pretending to be a Leaf Ninja....."

'That's exactly right' Hakuba growls, suddenly sounding angry for some reason. 'Humans will be kind when they want something from you.....But they always turn their backs on you in the end.'

"But.....What do they want from me?" I wonder out loud, perplexed. "I don't have anything they could......Hakuba! Get out of my head! Stop messing with me like this!"

All Hakuba does is laugh in response, the sounding echoing inside my head. It's been like this the whole way back to the Leaf Village. Usually I can block his voice out for awhile, but right now, I'm too weak to do that and he's taking full advantage of it.

Letting out a troubled sigh, I look up, only to see the gates of the Leaf Village up ahead, though they seem less welcoming than usual to me today.

Walking very slowly, it takes me a few minutes to reach the gates, but as soon as I do, Izumo and Kotetsu greet me cheerfully.

"Ah Ashley" Kotetsu says with a nod, glancing down to write something on a clipboard. "It's been awhile!"

"....Has it?" I ask quietly.

Izumo raises an eyebrow and peers over Kotetsu's shoulder, before suddenly jabbing his finger at the paper and almost knocking it out of the other man's hand.

"Hey!" Kotetsu protests, holding his clipboard out at arm's length and pressing his free hand against Izumo's face to keep him away. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Get off of me you idiot!" Izumo barks, slapping Kotetsu's hand away. "Give me the clipboard for a second!"

Kotetsu smirks evilly and waves the clipboard around in front of Izumo teasingly, to which the brown haired man grows an anime vein and tackles his friend to the ground.

"I just need to fix something that you wrote!" Izumo shouts, annoyed.

"Never!" Kotetsu argues defiantly. "You always just want to fix something that I wrote!"

"Give me the clipboard dammit!"

"No!"

"Give it!"

"No!"

Heaving a deep sigh, I shake my head and continue walking into the Village. Usually they don't bother me too much, but I really don't feel like dealing with their shenanigans today.

I blink as the clipboard suddenly goes whizzing past my head, narrowly missing me, before disappearing into the window of a nearby house.

"Kotetsu you idiot!"

"Ha! Now you'll never get it!"

"Yeah?" Izumo challenges. "And just how are you going to get it back?"

"..........I uh, I didn't think that far ahead..."

I sigh once again, hearing the sound of someone face palming behind me. How they got put in charge of guarding the gates, I'll never know.

I continue to walk through the Leaf Village, lost in my own thoughts and with no where in particular to go.

I never thought I'd have the chance to become close to someone again, and certainly not close enough for their words to hurt me. Maybe Naruto was just frustrated and angry when he said what he said, and maybe he thought I'd get mad, maybe shout a bit, and then get over it.

But what he said hurt me for some reason.....Why? Is it because I admitted that he's my friend?

It never occurred to me to betray Naruto, Sasuke or anyone else here in the Leaf Village. They accepted me, at least......I thought they had. But if someone like Naruto can think like that about me, then how much more so must everyone else think those things too?

"Arf!" someone suddenly barks at me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hey Angel!" another voice greets brightly. "Whatcha doin out here?"

I blink a few times and glance around in confusion, realising that I am standing in one of the Leaf Village training grounds. Not too far ahead, I see Kiba grinning at me with his eyes closed, holding a calm Shino by the collar of his shirt.

Perched on a rock near me, Hinata eyes me uncertainly, with Akamaru wriggling with excitement in her lap. He barks at me again, tail wagging.

"H-Hello Ashley" Hinata greets politely, raising her hand in a tentative wave.

I look back at Shino and Kiba, feeling faintly confused as to why they're standing the way they are, when Shino suddenly pulls his hand from his pocket and slams it into Kiba's stomach.

The force of the sudden hit causes Kiba to fly backwards and crash into a tree, before sliding to the ground. He recovers quickly however, shaking his head a few times and bouncing to his feet, looking irritated.

"Man, what was that for?" he complains.

"You were distracted" Shino answers easily, placing his hand back in his pocket. "You were busy smiling at Ashley, so I took advantage of your distracted state. You should never allow yourself to get distracted in battle Kiba. It could lead to your death, or that of your comrades."

"....Dude, you're not my Sensei" Kiba pouts, crossing his arms. "Stop preachin at me already."

"I-I think that Shino-kun is the w-winner of this fight" Hinata speaks up softly, twiddling her fingers. "....Again."

"Ah, whatever" Kiba says sulkily, as Akamaru jumps down from Hinata's lap and trots over.

I give everyone an even look, before turning away. I don't feel like dealing with any of them right now.

"Wait Angel!" Kiba calls, unfolding his arms and running after me. "Hang on a sec!"

"What do you want?" I hiss meanly, glaring over my shoulder through hooded eyes.

I almost feel bad as he pauses behind me, head tilting to the side and a confused expression settling on his face. He stares at me for a few moments, before I sigh and turn away again.

I don't have the patience for Kiba today.

".....Are you okay?" the Inuzuka eventually asks.

"Just fine" I reply shortly. "Now leave me alone."

"Are you sure?" Kiba pushes, jogging over to my side and watching me carefully as I scowl directly ahead. "You don't look so fine."

"Thanks a lot" I mutter sarcastically, trying to control my temper as the Inuzuka stops right in front of me. The last thing I need right now is Kiba pretending to be nice to me.

"That's not what I meant" Kiba laughs awkwardly, though he can clearly tell that something is wrong. "Did something happen?"

"None of your business" I sigh in annoyance, briefly closing my eyes and raising one hand to the side of my head as Hakuba growls quietly. "Now get out of the way."

"Well, if you don't wanna talk about it" Kiba offers with a shrug, "Do you wanna fight it out? You can train with us if you want!"

Opening my eyes, I scowl up at the smiling Kiba, irritated with his offer. Though it may be thoughtful of him in a weird sort of way, it just....bothers me right now. Naruto always pretended to be nice to me too, so I don't need this from a jerk like Kiba as well!

"I'm about to punch you" I warn in a low voice, placing a hand on Kiba's chest and pushing him out of the way, "But it won't be for training."

Stepping to the side and allowing me pass, Kiba frowns faintly, seemingly troubled.

"Hey, what's your problem?" he asks, his tone almost a little sharp. I whirl around at that, annoyed that he is annoyed with me.

"It's none of your business" I snap back. "Just leave me alone!"

"I know you're mean a lot of the time" Kiba fires back, brows furrowed, "But you're not normally like this. Obviously something is bothering you!"

"Maybe" I answer coolly, though I really am struggling not to march over and punch him right in the face. "But it's none of your business. How many times am I going to have to tell you that?!"

"Just......." Kiba sighs and pauses for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just stay and train with us for a bit. I promise you'll feel better afterwards. It'll help take your mind off of whatever is bothering you."

"I don't care!" I finally shout. "Don't tell me what to do Mutt! This has nothing to do with you!"

"Hey!" Kiba yells back, marching up to me and holding my harsh gaze. "Don't shout at me! I'm just trying to help because I'm worried about you! You're acting weird!"

"Y-Yeah?" I challenge, taking a step back, though I bare my teeth at Kiba. "Well I don't need your worry or your pity! In fact, I don't need anything from you! Or anyone else!"

Kiba stares down at me evenly, before reaching out and grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Let me go" I warn the brunette quietly, to which he shakes his head, expression softening.

"I'm not giving you my pity" Kiba informs me, a somewhat pained look in his eyes. "I know you don't need it or want it. I'm just.....concerned because you seem so upset about something. You don't look like yourself either...."

".....Let me go" I repeat firmly, only for Kiba to shake his head again.

"Not til you tell me what's wrong" he says seriously. "Did someone do something to you? Say something?"

I stare up at Kiba, my eyes wavering slightly. Why does he seem so concerned? And why does it seem so genuine? Is he just pretending to care? I mean, why would he care?.....What if he thinks I'm a traitor too, like Naruto?

'Don't believe him' Hakuba advises lowly. 'He's just like everyone else......He doesn't care for you brat...'

"Stop it" I order quietly, lowering my gaze to the ground.

"Stop what?" Kiba asks, confused.

"Stop pretending to care!" I explode, shoving Kiba's hands away from me and jumping backwards, much to his surprise. I glare at Kiba angrily, though I can feel my eyes filling with tears.

"I know what everyone really thinks about me" I spit out. "I know what you really think of me! You can all stop wasting your time pretending to care!"

"Huh?" Kiba asks, eyes widening at the accusations. "What are you talking about?!"

"I know you all think I don't belong here" I shout, a tear running down my face. "You all think I'm a traitor! You're all just....just.....fake!"

'Tell him brat' Hakuba encourages, his red eyes flashing in my mind. 'Don't let him fool you. He doesn't care and neither do the rest of those cretins!'

"Ashley" Kiba begins, only for me to throw up a hand and interrupt him.

"No!" I snap, closing my eyes and vehemently shaking my head. "I don't want to hear any lies from you! Just..... just leave me alone!"

"None of us think that stuff about you!" Kiba informs me urgently, taking a tentative step forwards. "I don't know where you're getting this from, but no one thinks you're a traitor. You helped save everyone in the Forest of Death and when the Village was invaded. You were nice to Akamaru......Who told you this stuff anyway? I'm gonna kick their ass!"

Watching on silently, Hinata, now standing beside Shino, wrings her hands together. She looks up at her teammate with great concern, while he stands with his hands in his pockets, observing.

He probably thinks I'm going to hurt Kiba. Which I still might.

'His words may be sweet brat' Hakuba growls angrily, 'But the best lies always are. Do not be fooled by them!'

I look up in a panic when I feel hands on my shoulders again, more gentle this time. With wide eyes, I see Kiba standing before me, a perplexed look on his face. His cheeks a faint shade of pink, he watches me, eyes hooded.

Who's lying to me? Kiba or Hakuba? Kiba, despite being such an annoying jerk, seems genuine right now but.....But is he only pretending? What reason could he have to pretend like this?

I don't object when Kiba suddenly pulls me towards him, a faint smile on his face. I merely blink as I am pulled against his chest and his arms fold around me, before my eyes begin to close.

My cheek against Kiba's shoulder, I can feel his heart beating wildly, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps he thought I would actually punch him.

I feel myself beginning to calm down as Kiba hugs me, his warmth strangely comforting.

It's weird......Why do I feel safe like this? I almost feel like he's protecting me or something, but that.....That isn't right...

'What do you think you're doing you idiotic child?!' Hakuba abruptly thunders in my head, causing me to grab onto the front of Kiba's jacket and my eyes to open wide. 'He will betray you as well! Do not allow this falsehood to continue! Kill him!'

Third Person's POV

Suddenly, Ashley shoves Kiba away from her, much to the brunette's surprise. For a moment there, she'd seemed so helpless and Kiba had never expected to see her like that. All he wanted to do was help.

"A-Ashley?" Kiba asks uncertainly, as the girl's hands fly to her head and tangle in her long hair, eyes wide. "Are you oka-"

Before Kiba can finish his sentence, Ashley glares up at him, her expression changing in a mere second. She dashes forwards and grabs onto Kiba's arm, before abruptly flipping him over and onto his back.

The Inuzuka exhales sharply as he hits the ground with a heavy thud, not having expected the attack. What was going on here?!

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cries out, as she, Akamaru and Shino all move to run forwards. They quickly freeze however, when Ashley drops into a crouch and pulls out a kunai.

Kiba holds his breath as the blonde holds her knife against his throat, the sharp blade pressing into his skin. He stares up into Ashley's eyes, only to see that they are a bright red, instead of their usual colour.

Her whole body shaking, Ashley glowers down at Kiba, with the brunette choosing not to say anything in case he angers her. Clearly she wasn't herself at the moment, for whatever reason.

Just as suddenly as her attitude had changed, Ashley gasps and blinks her eyes a few times, now back to their fuchsia colour. She looks from Kiba, to the kunai in her hand, before throwing it away in disgust and scurrying backwards.

Her back hitting a tree, Ashley breathes heavily and stares at Kiba through wide eyes, watching as he cautiously sits up. She drops her head into her hands as he climbs to his feet, shaken by what she had just done.

She hadn't meant to attack him like that. She didn't even realise she'd done it.

Her body still weak and her emotions raging from Naruto's earlier words, Ashley hadn't been able to fight off Hakuba's angry influence in time to stop herself from almost hurting Kiba.

As irritating as he could be, she didn't seriously want to kill him....

Having seen the horrified expression on Ashley's face, Kiba walks over to the girl and crouches down in front of her. He wasn't afraid, though he probably should be, considering what had just happened.

Sure, Ashley had punched him in the past and thrown him through a wall, but this was out of character, even for her.

"Ashley?" Kiba addresses softly. "Are you alri-"

"No Kiba" Ashley interjects quietly, her head still down as she reaches out and gingerly places her hand on the boy's shoulder. "The question is, are you alright?"

Kiba blinks in surprise at the touch, able to feel Ashley's hand shaking.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he assures the blonde girl, only for his eyes to widen when she raises her head, tears streaming down her face.

She regards him with a guilty expression, feeling awful for what she had almost done to him.

"A-Ashley....." Kiba says lowly, reaching out to wipe the girl's tears, only for her to turn her head away slightly. "....Please don't cry anymore...."

"I....I'm sorry Kiba" Ashley apologises softly, struggling to meet the Inuzuka's gaze. "I didn't mean to, I just......I didn't...."

"....It's okay" Kiba sighs. "You don't have to apologise."

Ashley shakes her head, silently thinking that it isn't alright. She had been so upset, that Hakuba had almost made her kill him. How could Ashley hope to stay around people if her Demon had so much sway over her?

Ashley jumps when she feels Kiba suddenly take her by the hands and carefully pull her to her feet, a bright grin on his face now. Respecting her personal space for once, Kiba then drops her hands and folds his own behind his head, smiling in a carefree way that confuses Ashley greatly.

"....What're you-"

"It never happened" Kiba interrupts, winking at Ashley cheekily. ".....Okay? You can stop crying now, because nothin happened."

Ashley stares at Kiba in wonder for a few seconds, before frowning to herself and hastily reaching up to her tears away. She internally berates herself for crying in front of everyone, despite the fact that Kiba doesn't seem to mind.

".....Perhaps we should get back to training then?" Shino suggests, if only to return some normalcy to the situation. "I believe Hinata is up next."

"Y-Yes!" the Hyuga agrees quickly, nodding her head.

"Sounds good to me" Kiba also complies, though he glances down at Ashley, a thoughtful look on his face.

"....I guess I'll see you guys later" the blonde mutters, turning away to make her escape, when Kiba grabs her by the arm and spins her back around.

"Hold it!" he orders, grinning mischievously. "You still need some cheerin up Angel, and me and Akamaru are the ones to do it! C'mon boy!"

"Arf arf!" the small Ninken agrees, bounding over.

"Huh?" Ashley asks, puzzled. "But I just tried to....But aren't you-"

"I don't know what you're talkin about Angel" Kiba insists nonchalantly, dragging a perplexed Ashley along as he walks away from the training grounds. "But we're gonna go and have some fun!"

Ashley, in her confusion, allows herself to be pulled along without much of a fight, too busy studying Kiba with a frown on her face.

"....You're an idiot" she eventually huffs, to which Kiba glances down and smiles affectionately.

"That's better" he chuckles.

Ashley's POV

"I just gotta make a quick stop and get my wallet" Kiba informs me, as I walk alongside him, my eyes staring at the ground.

He'd since given up on dragging me behind him, but only once I had agreed to go along with whatever it is he's planning. I have no clue why he wants to spend time with me after what I did to him, but the least I can do is give in just this once I guess.

"Whatever" I sigh, blowing my fringe out of my eye, only for it to fall back into place.

"Why do you have long hair if it annoys you so much?" Kiba questions me.

"It doesn't annoy me, I was just sighing at you" I respond blandly, to which Kiba laughs. "Besides, my Mom liked my hair long."

"Your Mom huh?" Kiba asks, sounding interested. "Where is your Mom anyway? Or your Dad? I've never seen them before."

I cringe at the question, not really wanting to talk about them. I think I've dealt with enough emotions today and I'm really not in the mood to discuss this right now.

"They're not here" I answer, sighing again when Kiba tugs on my arm to pull me towards a small, pretty house.

"Not here huh?" he asks, making casual conversation. "Away on a mission then? I get that. My Mom is always away on missions too."

"Yeah, they've been away on a mission since I first got here" I reply, unable to stop myself from being sarcastic. How dense can he be?

Kiba gives me a strange look as we walk up to the front door of the house, only for it to be flung wide open, catching us both by surprise.

"Kiba!" a woman with messy brown hair barks. "Where have you been, you lazy little punk?! Lunch was over an hour ago, so now, you get to starve! I threw the rest of it out!"

Kiba blanches as the woman glares at him, the same sharp teeth and red facial markings on her cheeks as him. Even their hair is similar. This has to be his Mother.

The woman's harsh eyes travel over to me and she immediately begins to smirk, much to my annoyance.

"Who's this girl Kiba?" the woman asks, her nose twitching slightly. "She sure doesn't smell familiar to me!"

".....This is Ashley" Kiba introduces me unenthusiastically, trying to push past his Mother, only for her to block the doorway.

"Hold it!" the woman orders. "Is this your girlfriend? You're so lazy Kiba! You're never gonna be a good Ninja if you keep stuffing around with girls!"

I feel my cheeks heat up at the woman's words, as Kiba smacks a hand to his face and sighs heavily.

His girlfriend?! As if!

"I'm not stuffing around with her Mom!" Kiba shouts indignantly, not denying the part about me being his girlfriend for some reason. "And I'm not lazy okay? I've been training all morning! That's why I'm late."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kiba's Mother barks again, still blocking Kiba out. "You're not bringing your girlfriend in here! Who knows what you'll-"

"Mom!" Kiba shouts, his face turning red. "Shut up already! That's not why- ughh.....I just want to get my wallet...."

"....Fine" the woman agrees, finally stepping out of the way. "But your girlfriend stays out here. Got it?"

I can't help narrowing my eyes at Kiba's Mother as she looks to me again, arms crossed. I'm not Kiba's girlfriend and I really don't know why this woman thinks she can tell me what to do.

She's not my Mother.

"Fine, whatever!" Kiba retorts, about to step inside his house, when I grab onto the back of his jacket and hold him in place.

"Huh?" the Inuzuka asks, turning back to look at me. He freezes however, when he sees the dark expression on my face.

"Girlfriend?" I ask lowly, releasing Kiba's jacket to crack my knuckles.

Kiba immediately panics and darts inside, causing his Mother to bark out a laugh, clearly amused.

"You're not his girlfriend?" the woman questions, to which I shake my head. "Heh, well, you must be somethin if you can scare him like that! I like you, I'm Tsume."

".....Ashley" I introduce myself shortly.

I'm not going to admit this to Tsume, but the only reason I didn't beat her son up just then, is because of what I did to him earlier. He can get off easy, but just this once.

"What's wrong with Kiba?" a deep voice asks from behind Tsume, as a large black and white Dog walks into view. "He ran in here like a pup with its tail between its legs."

"He's scared of Ashley here Kuromaru" Tsume responds with a harsh laugh, pointing to me with her thumb.

The Dog, an eye patch covering one eye and missing one ear, nods his head wisely, a passive expression on his face.

"Ah, a lover's spat then" he assumes, just as Kiba comes barging out of the door, looking irritated.

"Shut up Kuromaro" he mutters, grabbing me by the arm once again and marching away from his house, clearly wanting to get away.

"See ya Ashley!" Tsume calls after us. "Feel free to beat my son up if he does anything stupid!"

I glance over my shoulder at the woman, hearing Kiba sigh again, when I turn to give him a flat look.

"Your Mother is a lovely woman" I state sarcastically, to which Kiba gives me a dead pan expression.

"Yeah" he agrees, his sarcasm as evident as mine, "That's why my Dad is still around."

I can't help laughing at that, something that seems to lift Kiba's mood. He releases my arm and grins to himself.

"You should laugh more often" he advises, giving me a sidelong glance. I don't reply, though I do smile to myself.

"Why were you getting your wallet anyway?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Because" Kiba replies mysteriously, to which I raise an eyebrow.

"Because why?

"Because, that's why."

"Because isn't an answer Mutt" I say flatly, my smile fading. Why do I always feel the need to punch this guy?

"Yeah it is Angel" Kiba teases me, enjoying himself.

"No it's not.

"Uh, yeah it is!"

"Uh, no it's not!" I argue, mocking Kiba's tone and making him laugh again. "Just tell me!"

"You'll see, okay?" the Inuzuka says, winking at me. "Just enjoy the surprise."

"Arf!" Akamaru barks, his tail wagging as he runs ahead of us.

"....Fine" I sigh, though in reality, I'm not really annoyed. It actually feels nice to relaxed like this and not think about other things. Maybe whatever Kiba is planning won't be so bad.

Suddenly, someone steps out of the doorway of a shop and walks right into me, knocking me into Kiba, who stabilises me before I fall over.

"Hey!" the Inuzuka barks, glaring at the tall man who had walked into me. "Watch where you're goin man!"

"Grrrr...." Akamaru growls, baring his small teeth up at the man.

"Me?" the man scoffs, pulling a face at me as I straighten up. "Why don't you tell your little girlfriend to watch where she's going!"

An anime vein pulsing on the side of my head, I turn and face the man, a dark look on my face as I crack my knuckles.

Never mind the quip about me being Kiba's girlfriend, this guy walked into me!

"Don't give me that look kid" the man warns me, smirking. "You're wearing a Ninja headband around your neck, so that means you're a Ninja and I'm not afraid to hit a girl."

"That's fine" I retort. "I'm not afraid to hit a douchebag."

The man's expression falls at that, his smug attitude replaced with indignation. I suppose he isn't used to girls returning his bad attitude with their own, but did he really think that threatening to hit me was actually going to scare me?

"You little bitch" the man growls, clenching his hands into fists. "Don't talk to me like th-"

"Don't call her that!" Kiba shouts angrily, suddenly lunging forwards and nailing the guy in the stomach with a hard punch.

I blink, as the man disappears back through the doorway he'd just stepped out of, before Kiba and I hear him crash into something. A small cloud of dust slowly billows out of the door, followed by a low groan and a cry of surprise.

Kiba straightens up and turns to look at me, an anime vein on the side of his head, when I begin to laugh again. I can't help myself! I didn't expect him to do that, and the look on that guy's face! He clearly didn't expect it either!

"Hey!" an angry voice calls from inside the building, making both Kiba and I pause. "Who did this?! I'm calling the ANBU Black Ops!"

Kiba and I both sweat drop, turning to look at each other sheepishly as Akamaru whines in concern.

"The ANBU Black Ops?" I repeat, not very enthusiastic about having to answer to any of them.

"We'd better book it" Kiba decides quickly, to which I nod in agreement.

At the sound of someone stomping towards the door, Kiba, Akamaru and I all break into a run and sprint all the way down the street, before darting around a corner to hide.

We come to a stop, with Kiba leaning down on his knees and sighing heavily, while Akamaru sits down beside him, ears drooping. I lean my back against a wall and slide to the ground, unable to control myself as I begin giggling. Kiba raises his head and looks at me, a smile tugging at his lips as he watches me laugh.

"Did you see that guy's face?" I ask, grinning meanly. "He sure wasn't expecting that! Good shot."

"It was nothin!" Kiba brags, sitting down beside me. "He deserved it anyway."

I smile to myself and nod, as Akamaru scampers over to me and puts his paws up on my knees. He barks for attention, tail wagging, to which I reach out and pet him gently.

I've never been a big fan of Dogs, but as far as they go, Akamaru is alright. He's grown on me a lot.

"You're so cute" I murmur to the Ninken, when a violent cough from Kiba makes me jump. I look over at him with wide eyes, only to see him staring at me, cheeks red.

"Wh-What did you just say?" he asks, sounding almost like he's panicking.

"Uhh.....I said Akamaru is cute?" I repeat myself, as if I'm asking a question. What's his deal?

"Oh" Kiba sighs, though I can't tell if it's with relief, or disappointment. "Right, yeah. I knew that.....He is cute!"

I give Kiba a strange look, only for him to jump to his feet and offer his hand to me.

"We should get movin" he informs me.

"Where are we going anyway?" I ask, ignoring his outstretched hand and climbing to my feet by myself.

"I told you" he grins, not bothered that I didn't accept his help, "It's a surprise."

I pout at the Inuzuka's answer, impatient to know what his surprise could be.

Third Person's POV

"Yakiniku!" Ashley cries with delight, her eyes shining at the sight of the familiar restaurant. "Yay!"

Kiba smiles to himself as the girl bounces up and down with excitement, clearly happy with the surprise. It was strange, how someone who was considered so intimidating by a lot of the other rookies, could look so cute right now. Kiba had never seen Ashley look so happy before and he was glad to be the cause of it. At least she seemed to be feeling better than she did earlier.

"Is this the surprise?" Ashley asks, breaking Kiba out of his thoughts as she turns to look at him hopefully.

The Inuzuka immediately blushes and averts his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, as he places the other on Ashley's back and gently pushes her inside.

The two young Ninja step inside the building and are immediately seated, before a waiter stops at their table and glances down, his nose wrinkling.

"Sorry sir" he sniffs, "But we have a no animal policy here."

"...Arf?" Akamaru asks sadly, his ears drooping.

"What?" Kiba snaps, offended on his best friend's behalf. "Since when?!"

Ashley, still grinning to herself as she studies the restaurant's menu, performs a hand sign.

"Summoning Jutsu" she says distractedly, before she is enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Eyes hooded, Ashley gives the waiter a side long look, mouth turning up into a smirk. "Now, what was that policy again? Please tell the hungry Wolf, he didn't quite hear you."

Kiba blinks in surprise, as the smoke fades, only to reveal Kai sitting on the floor, right beside the waiter. The Wolf turns his head and glares at the waiter, who is now frozen in place, eyes wide with fear.

"Go on" Kai urges lowly, ears laying back. "I'm waiting."

Kiba chuckles to himself as the poor man blubbers incessantly, before he whirls around and hurriedly walks away, policy magically forgotten.

Kai lets out a mean laugh and shakes his head, before turning to look at Ashley.

"So, what did you summon me for Milady?" the Wolf asks, only to be blatantly ignored. ".......Milady?..........Hey!"

"Huh?" Ashley asks, jumping at Kai's sudden shout. "Oh, what is it Kai?"

The large animal lets out a heavy sigh, sweat dropping. While he did appreciate that Ashley wasn't so cold anymore, being ignored in favour of some food felt mildly insulting....

"You summoned me" Kai answers monotonously. "What for?"

"Oh right" Ashley recalls, before smiling apologetically. "I just needed you to change the waiter's mind about his no animal policy so Akamaru would be allowed to stay."

Kai stares at Ashley in silence for almost a full minute, before he closes his eyes and sighs once again. Without another word, he vanishes in another puff of smoke.

"If he wasn't so impatient" Ashley admonishes, looking up from her menu long enough to roll her eyes, "I'd have ordered something for him."

"Heh, thanks for that" Kiba says appreciatively. "They've never said that to us before, have they boy?"

"Arf arf!" Akamaru agrees, coming out from under the table, where he'd been cowering from Kai.

Eyes still hooded, Ashley gives Kiba a faint smile, before turning her attention back to the menu. The Inuzuka laughs to himself as she struggles to decide what she wants.

It seemed Shikamaru had been right when he'd mentioned how Ashley had challenged Choji to an eating contest awhile ago. She did like to eat!

After a few more minutes, the waiter cautiously approaches Ashley and Kiba again, glancing around as if expecting something to pounce on him at any moment. Seeing that Kai has disappeared, the waiter sighs with relief and asks for their order.

Here, Ashley peers up at Kiba in distress, clearly still unsure as to what she wants. The Inuzuka just laughs at the look on her face, before shaking his head.

"You know what, just bring us a plate of everything on this page" he instructs, pointing at the restaurant's menu.

"Very good young sir" the waiter says with a nod, writing something on a notepad and scurrying away again.

"Kiba" Ashley protests.

"What?" he asks innocently, though he can't help grinning in amusement at Ashley's perplexed state.

"Do you have any idea how expensive that's gonna be?" the blonde demands to know, before she leans forwards to reach into one of the pouches attached to her hip. "Let me just-"

"No way!" Kiba interjects, frowning playfully. "Don't worry about it Angel, it's all on me. I'm taking you out to cheer you up remember? So if it makes you feel better, then it's worth it."

Ashley stares at Kiba in shock for a few moments, not used to such generosity. She eventually sinks back into her seat and glances down at the table.

"Thank you Kiba" she says quietly, looking up at the brunette through her lashes. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know" he replies simply, avoiding Ashley's gaze as he turns to look out the window, embarrassed. "I wanted to."

Slowly, a smile begins to spread across Ashley's face, her eyes lighting up again.

"This is the best thing I've done in ages" she admits, sounding eager.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself" Kiba laughs, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back in his seat. "For once."

Ashley and Kiba continue to engage in light conversation for a few minutes, until plates of food begin to arrive at their table, much to Ashley's delight.

"This is so great" she says quietly, eyes wide as she stares at the meat grilling before her. "I didn't even realise it, but I'm starving!"

"Good" Kiba replies, stuffing some food in his mouth. "Eat up, there's a mountain of it!"

Not needing to be told twice, Ashley picks up a pair of chopsticks and snaps them apart, ready to eat. Clumsily, she uses the chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat, only for it to fall back onto the grill.

Kiba watches with great amusement as she does this three more times, her expression darkening each and every time the meat falls back onto the grill.

"Don't know how to use em huh?" he teases, struggling to hold back his laughter as Ashley glares up at him, like a frustrated child.

"I'm not used to these things, okay" she sighs irritably, before stabbing the meat with one of her chopsticks and shoving it into her mouth. "I never used these back at home."

"Home huh?" Kiba asks, watching Ashley intently. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" Ashley replies with a shrug, stabbing another piece of meat and putting it into her mouth.

".....Where are your parents really?" Kiba inquires carefully. He'd noticed Ashley's sarcastic answer earlier and he wasn't sure if she was genuinely making a joke, or if she had been trying to avoid the question.

Ashley pauses with another piece of food halfway to her mouth, taking in Kiba's question. Her brows furrowing, the blonde sets her food back down and frowns in thought.

"I guess I sort of owe it to you" she sighs, shoulders drooping slightly, "Considering what I did earlier."

"No, no!" Kiba objects quickly, not wanting to force Ashley to talk about anything she doesn't want to. "You don't owe me anyth-"

"They're both dead" Ashley interrupts bluntly, watching Kiba through half lidded eyes as she finally puts the food in her mouth.

The Inuzuka stares right back, not having expected that answer. He immediately begins to feel bad for asking about it and not dropping the topic when Ashley had avoided it earlier.

"I-I'm sorry" he murmurs guiltily, only for Ashley to shake her head.

"Don't be" she assures the Inuzuka coolly. "You didn't know."

"Yeah but....." Kiba trails off for a moment, looking troubled. "I shoulda known it was something you didn't wanna talk about. I mean, you didn't want to earlier."

".....You're right" Ashley agrees, nodding. "I didn't want to talk about it earlier, but.....I don't mind now."

Kiba raises his eyes to meet Ashley's, only to see an even look on her face as she seems to think about something.

"I come from somewhere a long way away" the girl eventually explains, a far away look in her eyes. "I had a Clan back then, but they were all killed about six years ago. I'm the only one left."

"Really?" Kiba asks, intrigued by this news. ".....Do you know why?"

Here Ashley immediately looks down, a scowl on her face as her grip on the chopsticks tightens.

"......No" she says after a moment of silence.

Though Kiba can tell that Ashley is lying, he doesn't push the matter, seeing how uncomfortable the blonde looks. It must have been bad, whatever it was.

"I'm.....I'm sorry that happened to you" Kiba apologises, unsure of what he should be saying right now. "That must have been hard to go through........You should talk to Sasuke, if he'll listen. He went through somethin pretty similar with the Uchiha Clan. They all got killed off as well."

"........Yeah, I know" Ashley responds, her eyes narrowing at the food in front of her.

Kiba finds himself staring at the Minami, wondering about what kinds of things she must have seen and gone through, to end up here. It can't have been easy, if her whole family had been killed and she'd come from a far away place.

"Let's change the subject" Kiba decides, his tone soft. "....Why were you so upset earlier?"

"O-Oh....." Ashley replies, sweat dropping as she smiles awkwardly. "It was uh....Nothing. It doesn't matter, it wasn't important."

"Bullshit!" Kiba can't help shouting, making Ashley jump, her eyes wide as she looks back to him. "It's not nothing! You were so upset earlier today! What the hell happened to you?!"

Still watching Kiba, Ashley hoods her eyes and places another piece of meat in her mouth, causing the Inuzuka to grow an anime vein.

"You can stall all you like" he says calmly, though he feels anything but, "But I'll keep asking. You were pretty pissed before, and I wanna know why!"

Ashley laughs humourlessly at that, shaking her head.

"Naruto just said something interesting to me today is all" she answers vaguely. "No big deal."

"Naruto huh?" Kiba growls, narrowing his eyes. "What did that idiot say now?"

"..........He thinks I'm a traitor to the Leaf" Ashley says casually, despite the hurt feeling returning to her chest. "I thought we were becoming friends, but I guess not."

"Why the hell does he think that?!" Kiba demands to know, angry.

"Mm mmm....." Akamaru whimpers from the floor, sad that Ashley is upset.

Sighing, Ashley explains what had happened earlier that day, from Itachi and Kisame arriving in the Village, to having to face them when they went after Naruto. She is careful to leave out the part about her personal interaction with Itachi and the fact that Hakuba had been trying to take over her body. Kiba didn't need to know that much.

"And I guess because I didn't die" Ashley growls, her hurt feelings arising as irritation, "That must mean I'm a traitor. I mean, I didn't exactly come out unscathed after running into Itachi and Kisame, but that doesn't seem to matter."

Ashley folds her arms on the edge of the table and allows her shoulders to droop, an apprehensive look in her eyes as she raises them to see Kiba's reaction.

He remains silent for a few moments however, thinking over what Ashley had just told him. While he didn't think Naruto had been fair in what he'd said to Ashley, Kiba could also kind of understand how the blonde had been thinking at the time.

He had probably been scared and frustrated that he couldn't help Sasuke out, and had taken it out on Ashley. It surprised Kiba how personally she had taken it though, considering she was always acting as if she hated everyone.

Kiba knew that wasn't the case though, as he had seen the nicer side of Ashley a few times in the past.

"You're surprisingly quiet" Ashley sighs sadly. "You agree with him then?"

"What?" Kiba asks, shaking his head vigorously. "No, not at all! I just.......Well, you know what Naruto's like, right? He's on your team after all. He's an idiot, but he gets frustrated when he can't help his friends. I doubt he was actually mad at you. I'd say he was mad that those guys attacked Sasuke and he couldn't do anything about it. He was probably mad at himself too, if you tried to do something and he didn't do anything."

Here Kiba crosses his arms and looks down at the table in thought.

"I bet he didn't mean a word of what he said to you" the Inuzuka says with a smile. "Knowing him, he's probably feeling really guilty right now."

Ashley continues to stare at Kiba silently as he finishes what he has to say. He feels his face beginning to warm up as she stares, her silence going on for so long that he begins to feel worried.

"Uh, Angel?" he asks, waving one hand in front of her face. She blinks a few times, before leaning back in her seat and tilting her head to the side.

"When did you get so smart Mutt?" she inquires, a cheeky smirk spreading across her face.

"I've always been smart" Kiba boasts, to which Ashley laughs and rolls her eyes.

"You hide it well" she scoffs, rising to her feet.

"That's not very nice" Kiba pouts. "And where are you going anyway?"

"I'm just going to get something" Ashley answers, glancing back over her shoulder as she heads for the door. "I'll meet you outside in a second, okay?"

"Heh, just gonna eat and then ditch me huh?" Kiba teases.

"No!" Ashley denies. "I'll be right back, I promise!"

Kiba sighs lightly as Ashley disappears out the door, rising from his seat and heading to the front of the restaurant, Akamaru at his heels. He pays for the huge meal, most of which had been eaten, before walking outside and leaning against a wall to wait for Ashley.

"Hey" a voice calls from above Kiba, making him glance up.

"You're back already?" he asks, watching as Ashley jumps down from the roof and lands in front of him, something held behind her back. "That was fast."

"You make it sound like a bad thing" she says jokingly. "By the way, I have to leave now."

Having been about to push away from the wall, Kiba falls to the ground, not having expected those words. She really was ditching him!

"A-Are you okay?" Ashley asks uncertainly, sweat dropping.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Kiba says sheepishly, jumping to his feet and dusting himself off. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that is all. Why do you have to go?"

Ashley tilts her head suspiciously, able to hear the disappointment in Kiba's voice.

"Well, I think that what you said about Naruto is true" Ashley says slowly, looking serious. "I.....may have taken what Naruto said too personally. I don't think he meant it. I'm not sure when he's coming back to the Leaf Village and we didn't exactly leave things very well....."

".....You're going to go back and apologise to him?" Kiba surmises, feeling a little jealous of Naruto. Who knew that he was so important to Ashley?

"Uh huh" the blonde confirms, raising her eyes and smiling self consciously. "I had a good time today though so.......Thanks Kiba. I really feel a lot better now."

"I'm glad I could help" Kiba responds, feeling a little nervous. He blinks, as Ashley holds something out towards him.

"I got these for you" Ashley says in a rush, shoving a small bag into Kiba's hands, before stepping back. "A-As a thank you..."

"......Beef jerky?" Kiba asks, looking down at the bag and grinning widely. "Awesome, thanks Angel!"

"No worries" Ashley brushes me off, waving her hand. "I owed you some anyway."

"Hey....." Kiba says lowly, eyes narrowing at the small bag. "Why is this open already?"

Looking back up, Kiba sees Ashley regarding him with an innocent face, as she slowly holds up a piece of jerky and places the end in her mouth.

"I may have taken a piece" she admits, though she certainly doesn't seem sorry about it.

Kiba stares at Ashley for a few seconds, a mischievous smirk slowly spreading across his face as an idea pops into his head.

"Actually" Kiba says casually, stepping closer to Ashley, "You don't owe me the whole bag."

Ashley looks at Kiba skeptically, when he places a hand on her shoulder and leans in closely. Her eyes widen, as the Inuzuka cheekily bites off one end of the jerky in Ashley's mouth, the same as she had done to him during the Chunin Exams.

The girl feels her cheeks burn as Kiba leans away from her, laughing as he eats the small piece of jerky.

"You only owed me that much" he says with a sly wink.

Ashley stares at Kiba in shock for a few moments, before shaking her head and whirling around to leave.

"I-I have to go now!" she exclaims, sprinting away from Kiba and leaping up onto the nearest roof to disappear from his line of sight.

Since when had she ever felt nervous around Kiba?!