Third Person's POV

Izumo and Kotetsu freeze, mid step, as a chair explodes through the door of the Hokage's office, before crashing into the wall and crumbling to the floor in hundreds of tiny pieces.

The two Chunin exchange a look, sweat dropping, as they hear a string of curses floating from the office.

"I'm not sure" Kotetsu begins, wincing at the Hokage's screaming. "But I think Lady Hokage's angry."

Izumo's shoulders droop, as he releases a sigh.

"I agree" he mumbles, running a hand down his face. "Maybe now's not a good time to talk to her."

Kotetsu's eyes suddenly light up.

"Hey" he starts, smacking a fist into his palm. "I have a brilliant idea!"

"What?" Izumo asks hesitantly.

Kotetsu often had what he thought where brilliant ideas, when, in reality, they were anything but...

"Let's leave" Kotetsu announces, looking both proud of himself and a bit smug.

Izumo slaps one hand to his face, shaking his head, whilst Kotetsu continues to grin at him. Both Chunin hurriedly whirl around however, striding back down the hallway, when they hear the Hokage slam her hands down on her desk.

They knew better than to get caught by Lady Tsunade's temper.

"So" Lady Tsunade hisses, her hands clenched into fists on top of her desk, multiple veins pulsing on her head, "You've all been gone for essentially one whole month, and now that you're back, you tell me that not only did you kill the client, but you also left Ashley behind?!"

Kurenai and Asuma look at each other nervously, while Kakashi, standing in front of the two, sweat drops at Tsunade's words.

He had somehow managed to avoid getting hit in the face with the chair that the Hokage had furiously lobbed at him just before, but he had a strong feeling that it wasn't going to be the last piece of furniture that he was going to have to evade today.

"That's the very short way of telling the story, yes" Kakashi agrees uncomfortably. "But Milady, if you'll just-"

"Shizune" Tsunade addresses through gritted teeth. "You might want to duck."

The young woman, standing next to Tsunade's desk, hugs Tonton closer to her chest, not totally understanding the warning being given to her.

"What do you-" Shizune's eyes widen, as Tsunade rises to her feet and spins around, one fist in the air.

Crouching down just in time, Shizune manages to avoid Tsunade's fist, as it slams into the wall. The wall immediately crumbles and collapses from the hit, leaving a huge, gaping hole in Tsunade's office.

"Lady Tsunade!" a distraught Shizune admonishes, leaping to her feet and inspecting the damage.

"At least you've got a good view of the Village now" Asuma can't help saying, to which Kurenai elbows him in the ribs. "Ow..."

"What was that?" Tsunade demands to know as she angrily dumps herself back into her seat, daring the man to repeat himself.

"Oh, uh....nothing" Asuma assures the woman, holding his hands up innocently.

The last thing he wanted, was for Lady Tsunade's infamous fury to be redirected from Kakashi, to him.

"It's really not a good idea to try my patience right now Asuma" Tsunade warns, cracking her knuckles. "I'm furious enough as is."

"It was your idea to take Ashley to the Land of Ambience in the first place Milady" Kakashi reminds the blonde woman, only to immediately regret his words, as she freezes in place.

Her neck slowly wrenching around, Tsunade glares at a now fidgeting Kakashi with a venomous gaze.

".....What?" she asks quietly.

"Nothing, nothing!" Kakashi says hurriedly, waving his hands back and forth. "I didn't say anything!"

"I didn't think so" Tsunade says sweetly, sending Kakashi a closed eye smile, before she folds her hands in front of her mouth and looks down at the now opened scroll that the Jonin had handed her earlier.

She had quickly read through pieces of Chief Dashi's report, and had heard the gist of the story from Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai already. It was a strange story, certainly not one that Tsunade had been expecting to hear from the three Jonin upon their return.

"So, the client was actually the aggressor" Tsunade says slowly, thinking out loud. "And he was killing innocent people...."

"He even sent men to try and kill Ashley at one point Milady" Kakashi adds. "That was when we decided that something needed to be done."

"Mm....." Tsunade murmurs distractedly. "....I can't believe that some of the Minami Clan were still alive. I had hoped that going back to her homeland would help give Ashley some closure, but I never expected that......It's no wonder she decided to stay."

"Well, she was extremely angry when she realised where we were going" Kakashi recalls, remembering the look of betrayal on Ashley's face. "But after we ran into the other Minami, she was.....well, less angry. I think the fact that her sister was still there is what convinced her to stay."

"Ashley has a sister?" Tsunade asks, surprised. "Well, now it makes even more sense as to why she wouldn't want to come back."

Kakashi remains silent, his gaze dropping down to the floor. He didn't really feel like explaining it to Lady Tsunade right here and now, but it sure seemed like Ashley did actually want to come back. It was a bit if a long story though, and Kakashi had just resigned himself to putting all of the details into the paperwork that he would have to fill out now that the mission was over.

"Back before the Minami Clan were attacked" Tsunade speaks up, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms, "The Leaf had actually become allies with the Land of Ambience. It might be worth organising this with the Chief again, after everything that has happened."

"I'm sure that would make Ashley very happy" Kakashi smiles, mostly to himself.

Here, Tsunade looks to Kakashi through hooded eyes, watching him in silence for a few seconds.

"....How are Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura?" the Hokage asks kindly. "I'd imagine they were quite disappointed that Ashley stayed behind."

Kakashi sighs, sweat dropping as he thinks back to the long trip home. They hadn't even been back in the Leaf Village for two hours yet, but travelling back home had taken almost a week.

"Sakura cries every time someone brings it up" Kakashi advises, remembering how sullen everyone had been on the way back. "Sasuke won't talk about it. He doesn't say much when he's upset. And Naruto's been surprisingly quiet this whole time, but he does occasionally just explode out of nowhere and go on a bit of a rant. I don't think they've taken it well, but they're trying. We just have to be patient with them and give it time."

Tsunade nods slowly, feeling a little bad for the three Genin. She knew how much the members of Team Seven cared about each other, even if they all enjoyed getting on each other's nerves.

"And what about you Kakashi?" the Hokage inquires. "How have you taken the loss of your student?"

Kakashi pauses, not overly wanting to go into how he feels about it.

What he wanted to say was, he wished they'd never gone on that mission. He wished they had never taken Ashley there. He wished they had never found the Minami. And he wished that Ashley had come back with them.

"I'm fine" the Jonin says easily, shrugging. "It was Ashley's choice to stay. One less brat to worry about."

Tsunade watches Kakashi for a few seconds, her brows lifting ever so slightly. She could tell that he didn't mean that, but she wasn't going to push the matter.

Team Seven had been through a lot together. Of course being apart was going to hurt them.

"Alright" Tsunade sighs, not wanting to draw the conversation out. "I'll expect to see all paper work on my desk by the end of the week. Asuma, Kurenai, don't leave it all to Kakashi. You're all dismissed."

"Yes Lady Hokage" Kurenai agrees, as she and the other Jonin bow their heads respectfully, before turning to leave the room.

Asuma pauses as he reaches for the door handle, seeing that the door is broken in half. After a second of wondering whether he should make a smart remark or not, Asuma wisely decides to keep quiet, awkwardly wrestling with the splintered door for a moment, before managing to wrench it open.

As they exit into the hallway, all three Jonin release a collective sigh, walking a short way away from the Hokage's office.

"Well, was it as bad as you thought?" Kakashi asks, chuckling sheepishly.

"Worse" Kurenai shudders, shaking her head and thinking back to the beginning of the meeting with Lady Tsunade.

Kurenai had no idea the woman had such colourful language.

"Crazy, old bitch......." Asuma growls, lighting a new cigarette.

Immediately, a heavy paper weight shoots through the space in the broken door and collides with the back of Asuma's head.

"I heard that!" Tsunade calls, much to Kakashi and Kurenai's dismay.

Asuma gasps in surprise, his cigarette falling from his mouth and landing down on the ground, beside the paperweight.

"Dammit!" he exclaims frustratedly, rubbing the back of his head. "I just lit that!"

Ashley's POV

"Isn't it cute?" Kiyu asks me happily, her eyes shining as she turns to face me, hands clasped together under her chin.

I pause as I walk into the room, slowly turning my head and taking in my surroundings with a sceptical look. I can feel the corners of my mouth pulling down as I look at the furniture and the décor.

The room is small and cozy, with simple furniture and neutral colours. Honestly, it's a nice room. There's a big window on my left, letting warm light flood into the room and giving it a comfortable feel.

But it doesn't feel like home. It doesn't feel like my home back in the Leaf, and it's nothing like my old house here in the Land of Ambience.

I don't like it.

Ace and Rei stand behind me, with the white Wolf gazing around intently. Ace however, stares at me. I don't even have to look at him to know. I can feel it.

He's been staring at me a lot lately.

I'm not sure why. I just try to ignore it.

"Oh...." Kiyu trails off, her hands dropping to her sides and her dark eyes filling with concern. "You don't like it Ley-chan?....."

Hearing the disappointment in my sister's voice, I immediately turn to her, my mouth turning up into a broad grin and my eyes closing.

"No no, it's great" I lie, laughing a little and waving my hand dismissively. "I was just um.....concentrating. It's really nice. I'm glad we get to live together again."

I feel my forced smile relax into more of a genuine one, as Kiyu's expression softens. She takes hold of my hand and looks to me with wavering eyes, a tiny smile on her face.

"I'm so happy that we can live as a family again" she says quietly, before turning to look around. "It's not the same as our old house, but it's our home, and we can be a family here."

"And it smells so like, new" Keilor points out, his head appearing around the doorway.

I feel myself forcing a smile again, as Kiyu begins to giggle.

We had all been living in the Temple for the last week, waiting while many homes were being rebuilt after the fight with Sirius. We had all been helping to rebuild, and while that had been happening, homes had also been built for each of us to live in.

My Grandfather had decided to stay in the Temple with Arelle though, and while he had offered for Kiyu and I to stay there as well, Kiyu had desperately wanted to live with just me and our Wolves.

I didn't really care where we lived, so I had just shrugged and said sure. If it made her happy, then I would do it.

"Ah....." Kiyu breathes sharply, wincing as she places one hand over her stomach.

I quickly grab onto my sister's shoulders and help her down into a seat, kneeling beside her and looking on with concern.

"I-I'm fine Ley-chan" my sister assures me, using her free hand to pat me on the head. "I just need to rest. I've been on my feet for too long."

"You have to be careful" I remind Kiyu firmly, jumping to my feet and looking around for a bag. "The doctor said that you have to take it easy if you want to recover properly. Ah, thanks."

I take the bag hanging from Keilor's mouth and rummage around, until I find a small bottle.

"Here, take your medicine" I instruct, tipping two tiny pills into my hand and passing them on to Kiyu. "I'll get you some water."

"You don't have to be my nurse Ley-chan" Kiyu jokes, as I head into the kitchen.

I pull out a glass and fill it with water, before walking back over to my sister and handing it to her.

"I'm your big sister" I remind Kiyu, also sort of talking to myself. "It's my job to look after you."

"Ahh........" I hear Ace sigh behind me, seemingly having just realised something.

"It's nice to have my big sister looking after me again" Kiyu giggles, quickly swallowing her pills. "B-But you don't have to keep a twenty four hour watch on me you know."

"That's right" Rei pipes up, bouncing over to us. "Kiyumi dear is much more well behaved than Lady Ashley. You actually listen to your doctors!"

I scowl at that and turn my head, my cheeks warming a little as Kiyumi and Rei laugh at me.

"Did you unpack your stuff yet Kiyu?" I ask gruffly.

"Not yet" my sister shakes her head. "I think I'm going to have a nap first. I'm feeling tired."

"Fine, you sleep" I agree, glancing around as my sister gets comfy in her chair. "Where's your stuff? I'll unpack it."

"You don't have to do that" Kiyu argues sleepily. "I'll do it later."

"I don't really have anything to unpack" I state, blanching as I recall some of the things I'd left at home in the Leaf. "I'll help with your stuff."

"Thank you...." Kiyu mumbles, already falling asleep.

Keilor, never passing on an opportunity to cuddle with Kiyu, jumps up onto the couch beside her and settles down, snuggling into her side.

Rolling my eyes good naturedly, I turn and walk out of the room, quickly locating Kiyu's bag by the front door. I pick it up and head towards our shared bedroom, dumping the bag on her bed and spilling out its contents. I begin to pack away her things, my mind wandering.

It didn't really bother me that all of my things were back at home. My small house had already had furniture in it when it was given to me, and I didn't have a lot of possessions.

The one thing I wished I'd had with me, was the Wolf ANBU mask that my Dad had made for me. Of course I hadn't brought it with me. I had thought this was a normal mission, and I didn't take my mask on missions with me.

Not only was that mask very special to me, but it had a picture of my family in it. I kept a photo of my Mother, my Father, Kiyu, our Guardians and me taped on the inside of it.

The only photo of my parents and Ace's mother that existed.

"I should have guessed that is why you stayed" a voice says from the doorway, causing me to snap out of my train of thought and glance over my shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I ask innocently, avoiding Ace's gaze as I put away one of Kiyu's shirts.

"You stayed to take care of Mistress Kiyumi" Ace states matter of factly, the Wolf watching me from the doorway. "You feel like that is your duty."

"That's not true" I tell Ace, frowning down into the drawer. "I......I wanted to stay."

"Milady, please" Ace scoffs, wrinkling his nose. "I was not born yesterday. I have known you your whole life. You cannot lie to me. You do not want to be here."

Feeling my heart beginning to thud in my chest, I turn to face Ace, my hands gripping the open drawer tightly.

"What was I supposed to do Ace?" I demand to know, sounding a little more desperate than I had intended. "You saw the way she cried. The way she clung to me and begged me to stay. How could I say no?"

Ace watches me for a second, before sighing lowly and striding over to me, nudging at my shoulder.

"Milady, I am not saying that you are wrong" he says, his tone unusually soft. "I merely want you to be happy. And I know that you cannot be happy here, so your decision to stay saddens me."

I lower myself down to my knees and hang my head, heaving a deep sigh, as Ace rests his chin on top of my head.

"You seem to have an issue with thinking of your own well being Milady" my Guardian continues, as I press my cheek against his chest and hold him tightly. "I wish that you would be a little more selfish sometimes."

Third Person's POV

A kunai slices viciously through the air, before hitting a nearby tree with a loud thunk. It is swiftly followed by another kunai, and then a small barrage of shuriken.

Hinata sighs quietly, feeling worried as she watches an agitated Kiba slam his fist into the tree. He follows up with another heavy punch with his right hand, before jabbing at the tree with his left hand a few times.

Even from here, Hinata could see that his knuckles were all scratched up and bleeding. It didn't seem to be affecting him in the slightest however.

"Shino-kun?" Hinata addresses quietly. "......D-Do you think that Kiba-kun is okay?"

Leaning against a training dummy near Hinata, his hands in his jacket pockets, Shino also watches Kiba closely.

For the last two weeks, the Inuzuka had been acting strangely. He had always been brash and behaved wildly, but he wasn't usually this aggressive and angry. He had even snapped at Hinata once or twice, and Kiba was usually very protective of the timid girl.

He had never snapped at Hinata.

"I don't think so" Shino eventually replies.

"Poor Kiba-kun" Hinata murmurs, hugging her knees to her chest. "He's been so sad since we left the Land of Ambience."

"I'm not sad!" Kiba barks, pausing to glare at Hinata for a second, before turning back to the tree and angrily flinging another kunai at it.

"Be careful how you speak to your teammates" Shino advises, earning himself a warning look from Kiba. "We are only concerned about you."

"Yeah well" Kiba growls, annoyed, "There's nothing to be worried about."

Sliding down from the boulder she had been sitting on, Hinata nervously approaches Kiba.

"Something's wrong Kiba-kun" the Hyuga says softly, reaching out. "I-Is it about Ashley-cha-"

"It's nothing to do with Ashley!" Kiba shouts, whirling around. Hinata freezes, her eyes wide. "Don't even suggest something so stupid."

Akamaru, standing beside Kiba, gives the Inuzuka a pointed look as Hinata's gaze drops to the ground. Kiba immediately feels bad for upsetting Hinata, but he just felt so irritated that he couldn't help but snap at her.

"I...I just wanted to make sure that y-you're alright" Hinata informs Kiba quietly, to which Kiba scoffs and turns back around.

"Yeah well, don't bother" he advises rudely. "I'm fine."

"Arf!" Akamaru barks, having had enough of Kiba's attitude. He had kept quiet for two weeks now, but Akamaru couldn't stand to see his best friend treat their teammates like this anymore. "Arf arf!"

"I am not being a jerk Akamaru!" Kiba argues, only to suddenly lurch forwards and sprawl across the ground on his stomach. "What the-"

"Akamaru's right" Shino points out, lowering his foot back down to the ground. "You are being a jerk. You've been acting like a jerk for the last two weeks."

"Did you just kick me?" Kiba asks rhetorically, in disbelief. "What the hell man?!"

"You may be upset" Shino continues, as if Kiba hadn't spoken, "But that doesn't mean that you get to treat your friends badly."

"Pfft" Kiba laughs sharply, leaping to his feet. "What do you know about friends?"

"I know that I'm a better one than you are" Shino counters, the statement making Kiba twitch. "Hinata was just trying to help you, and you've almost made her cry. And you've been very insensitive towards Akamaru too. Isn't he meant to be your best friend?"

Kiba glowers at Shino, though he remains silent. He knew that the boy's words were true. He had been mean to Hinata, something that he never thought he would do. He'd been picking fights with Shino, as well as others. And he had been pretty uncaring of Akamaru's feelings too.

Though he was now feeling guilty about his behaviour, Kiba's pride doesn't allow him to admit to his childish behaviour.

"Just shut up Shino" Kiba commands, gritting his teeth. He didn't know if he was going to be able to control his temper for much longer.

Kiba's frustration had been building ever since Ashley had responded to his confession in such a confusing way. Ever since she had suddenly decided that she didn't want to stay in the Leaf anymore

His frustration had been building to the point that Kiba didn't even want to train against his teammates anymore, for fear of hitting them out of anger. He didn't want to do that. So instead, Kiba had taken to fighting only against the training dummies and to some extent, the trees.

It appears that his teammates and friends weren't safe from his sharp tongue however.

"Friends don't tell each other to shut up either" Shino points out bluntly, purposefully aggravating the Inuzuka further.

"I'm warning you Shino" Kiba utters lowly, his eyes narrowing at the taller boy. "If you know what's good for you, you'll shut it."

"Threatening me won't make Ashley like you" Shino informs Kiba, something that makes the boy freeze.

While he didn't know what the exact problem was, Shino was one hundred percent sure that it had to do with Ashley. Both he and Hinata knew very well how Kiba felt about her, and while Shino could sympathise with him for missing her, he couldn't accept the way Kiba was treating them all anymore.

"Is that what this is-"

"I told you to shut up!" Kiba shouts, roughly grabbing Shino by the collar of his jacket and shoving him up against a tree.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cries out, stepping forwards in alarm, as the Inuzuka glowers up at Shino furiously.

"You have no idea what you're talking about" Kiba seethes, his eyes glittering with anger.

"Then why don't you just tell me?" Shino prompts coolly, unperturbed by Kiba's actions. "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong."

Kiba's harsh expression falters a little at this, his grip on Shino's jacket loosening. He lowers his gaze for a second, looking to a concerned and whimpering Akamaru.

"Th-That's right Kiba" Hinata adds nervously, not wanting her two teammates to fight. "We're your friends, a-and we want to help you."

"Arf...." Akamaru agrees, gently butting his head against Kiba's calf.

Briefly closing his eyes and biting his lip, Kiba releases Shino and steps backward, before heaving a deep sigh. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, turning his head to avoid meeting his friend's eyes.

He knew he'd been behaving like a jerk, and he knew he should apologise for it. Hinata and Shino never did anything to antagonize him on purpose, Kiba had just been extra sensitive since his embarrassing confession to Ashley....

"We understand that you miss Ashley-chan" Hinata says softly, stepping forwards and placing an affectionate hand on Kiba's arm.

"That's......not it" Kiba mutters, feeling defeated, as he shakes his head. "........Something happened."

Hinata blinks at this, turning to glance back at Shino, puzzled. The Aburame, having fixed his jacket, places his hands in his pockets and shakes his head back at Hinata.

He had no idea what Kiba was talking about.

Akamaru hangs his head and whines quietly, sitting at Kiba's feet with a sad expression. He knew what had happened. He had been unfortunate enough to witness it.

"What happened Kiba-kun?" Hinata asks, hesitant to know, but also wanting to understand what had affected Kiba so badly. Seeing the uncertainty on Kiba's face, Hinata forces herself to smile encouragingly at him. "It's alright Kiba-kun, you can trust us. We're a team after all...."

Briefly sparing Hinata a glance, Kiba lets out another deep sigh and crosses his arms over his chest, frowning as he recalls his embarrassment at the time.

"......Two nights before we left" he explains quietly, "I uh......I told Ashley that I love her."

"You did?" Hinata squeaks, her eyes flying wide open in shock. Seeing as she was so shy, Hinata could never imagine admitting such a thing to the person she loved. Kiba was so brave!

"Don't get too excited" Kiba scoffs bitterly. "She turned me down."

"Wh-what?" Hinata asks, feeling thoroughly confused and disappointed. "But....."

It didn't make sense. Ino and Sakura had whispered many times about Kiba and Ashley's interactions during their stay in the Land of Ambience, and when Hinata had begun paying attention to it, it had certainly seemed as though Ashley had at least some feelings for Kiba.

Ashley's reaction to being teased about liking Kiba had definitely seemed like the reaction of someone who did indeed care for him too.

Hinata had been certain about it....

"What did she say to you?" Shino inquires, to which Kiba barks out an unamused laugh and shrugs his shoulders.

"All she said was thank you."

".........Thank you?" Shino repeats, his head tilting to the side slightly. "That's all? That doesn't sound like a rejection to me."

"Ugh, you weren't there Shino" Kiba mumbles. "I felt like such an idiot after that."

"Is it wrong for her to thank you for your feelings?" Shino presses, still unsure of where the rejection had been.

"No, but that's not exactly the reaction I was hoping for" Kiba points out, a little annoyed.

"People don't always react how we want them to" Shino says wisely. "So, she didn't reject you, or get upset at you? She just said thank you?"

Kiba stares at Shino with a blank expression, not really sure of what his point is. The Inuzuka didn't know how to explain it, but Ashley's reaction his feelings had certainly felt like a rejection, even if she hadn't outright said it.

It hadn't made sense, and Kiba hadn't expected that reaction from her. When he thought back to all of the things he and Ashley had done together, he had been sure that she at least liked him a little bit....

He felt like a complete idiot. Thinking that it had meant anything when she'd slept next to him in the tree, the way she'd hugged him, the way she'd been looking at him. She had even kissed him!

Kiba just couldn't understand her reaction to his feelings at all, and it was so frustrating.

Hinata watches Kiba sadly, not really knowing what to say to make him feel any better. It didn't sound like Ashley had said anything mean or harsh to Kiba, as Shino had pointed out, but the Inuzuka was obviously very disappointed by the way Ashley had reacted to his confession.

"Kiba" Shino addresses, "Ashley isn't here anymore. So even though you're upset now, you'll have time to move on."

"E-Even if you do move on" Hinata is quick to jump in, grabbing onto Kiba's hand, "P-Please don't stop being Ashley-chan's friend! You were very good friends before this, and I'm sure Ashley-chan would want to continue being your friend."

Sweat dropping, Kiba glances down at Hinata, only to let out a low laugh at the imploring look on her face. He gently removes his hand from the girl's grasp, smiling at her faintly.

"I'll do my best" is all he says. "......Thanks guys, and I'm sorry for acting like a jerk all this time. Shino's right, let's move on. We've got training to do anyway."

"......You seem tired Milady" Jet points out, leaning his head down towards Ashley as they walk through the Village. "Are you alright?"

"You want some energy?" Chi offers, bouncing around in circles ahead of the group. "I've got heaps to spare! Heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps and-"

"Can it squirt" Kai orders, the aggravation clear in his voice.

"But Kai-chan" Chi whimpers, his ears flopping sadly and his aqua eyes wavering, "I don't have any cans. Jet-chan, do you have any cans I can borrow? Kai-chan is trying to steal mine!"

"Leave the kid's cans alone" Jet warns Kai, annoying the brown Wolf even further.

Were they both stupid?

"I've noticed that you seem tired lately as well Milady" Rei pipes up, her brows furrowing with concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Ace, walking directly behind Ashley, focuses intently on the girl's back. She walks slowly, her shoulders a little hunched and her movements nowhere near as lively as normal.

He knew that his partner wasn't enjoying living in the Land of Ambience, and she certainly wasn't sleeping, but this seemed different....

"She's probably just sick of you lot" Tiez sniffs, riding on Kai's head. "You're all annoying."

"That's rich, coming from you, brat" Kai bares his sharp teeth in a grin, amused.

"Aw come on Boss" Tiez says, patting his head with one tiny paw. "I didn't mean you. I mostly meant Aki."

"I haven't even said anything Tiez darling" the black and white Wolf protests, offended.

"I know but, just your presence is draining" Tiez teases, much to Aki's dismay.

He begins to limp dramatically, one paw held over his chest. Tiez's words had wounded him greatly, rendering him unable to walk.

"If you don't speed up" Ace warns Aki, side eyeing him as he passes, "I will drag you by your tail."

"Don't threaten me with a good time" Aki says slyly, immediately fluffing up his fur and winking at Ace.

The navy Wolf turns his head away and uses all of his strength to hold in a sigh, only to see Rei giggling at him. Aki was such a flirt, and while Rei didn't really know how to react when Aki flirted with her, it was always amusing to watch it happen to the others.

Feeling somewhat of a headache coming on, Ace turns his attention back to Ashley. Aki and Tiez had been hanging around with the pack more and more over the last few weeks, and while Ace didn't care much for them, Ashley clearly loved them both.

That reason alone, was the only reason that Ace was tolerating them.

"Ha!" Tiez laughs meanly. "If you dragged Aki by the tail, all we'd hear is him screaming about being dragged through the dirt!"

"If Ace won't do it, I will" Kai offers, his red eyes glittering evilly.

While Aki sweat drops and laughs worriedly at Kai's generous offer, Chi turns around and looks up at Tiez, wrinkling his nose.

"Tiez-icky-chan is mean" the pup points out loudly, to which Tiez pauses.

Her head wrenches around, eyes narrowing dangerously down at Chi. Unperturbed by this, Chi pokes his tongue out.

"Oh, that's it-"

"Come on now" Rei urges, a bead of sweat appearing on the side of her head as Tiez dives for Chi. "Let's not cause Lady Ashley any trouble. She isn't feeling well."

"Let go of me ya big jerk!" Tiez barks, flailing around as Jet catches her by the scruff of the neck. "Let me at that little pipsqueak!"

"Nya nya!" Chi teases, his tail wagging as he tilts his head from side to side. "Good catch Jet-chan, but you should spit that out. Tiez-icky-chan must taste bad."

"Enough" Jet sighs raggedly, dropping Tiez back down onto's Kai's head. "And don't call the kid a pipsqueak. You're smaller than him."

"Feh" Tiez scoffs, turning her head away, ears lying back.

Before the fighting can continue, the pack of Wolves come to a sudden stop, all looking to Ashley in confusion as she ceases walking.

"Milady" Ace immediately addresses, stepping around the girl to look at her face. "Are you alri-"

"You know, I've been thinking" Ashley interrupts, her eyes half lidded and her voice sounding tired. "I'm going to destroy your summoning contracts."

"What?" Ace, Rei, Kai and Jet all exclaim in surprise, while Chi tilts his head, a question mark appearing above it.

"But why Milady?" Ace asks urgently. "We have had them for years."

"You won't be able to summon us anymore" Kai points out, confused. "What if you get into trouble?"

"Well, it's taking up all of my chakra to keep you guys here" Ashley explains quietly. "If I get rid of your contracts, you can live on the island without my chakra being sapped. Plus, I'm not going anywhere, so you guys will always be here with me anyway."

The Wolves all blink at Ashley's explanation, before looking to each other in realisation.

"Is that why you have been so tired lately Milady?" Ace asks, to which the blonde girl nods.

"And I can't sleep" she adds, sighing deeply, "So I'm not recovering much chakra during the night. I'm running on empty and I'm hearing Hakuba a lot more lately."

"You should have said something earlier Milady" Ace scolds, immediately turning grave at the mention of Hakuba's name. "You must keep up your chakra supply to help keep that monster at bay."

".....You must try to be happy too Milady" Jet reminds the girl, gently nudging her shoulder.

"...........I am happy" Ashley states, somewhat robotically, as she begins to walk again. "Let's go. I'll destroy your contracts back at the house."

All seven Wolves watch on in silence as Ashley trudges ahead of them, looking anything but happy.

"....I may not know Darling as much as the rest of you" Aki eventually says, his eyes filled with concern, "But she does not seem as happy as she did when those Ninja were here. In fact, she doesn't seem happy at all."

"The only time I've seen her happy since the Leaf Ninja left" Rei comments softly, sadness filling her chest, "Is when she pretends to be happy for the other Minami...."

"Perhaps she just needs more time to become accustom?" Aki suggests, though he doesn't seem to believe his own words.

"It's been almost a month" Kai points out, brows furrowing and his ears lying back. "I don't think it's going to get any better."

"Why's she so sad?" Tiez inquires, curious to know about Ashley.

"Doesn't Milady-chan like her family?" Chi asks, head held low. "....Does she not like us anymore?"

"Do not be silly" Ace scoffs, shaking his head. "Milady loves us dearly."

"Milady does care for her family, of course" Rei explains slowly, trying to comprehend it herself. "But those Leaf Ninja.......After years of physical and psychological torture, they are the ones who were able to pull Milady out of the darkness. They mean a great deal to her, and she loves them. They are of great importance to her...."

"So why stay here then?" Tiez presses.

"A sense of obligation" Ace says decisively. "Now come, no more talk of this. We must support Milady. She is having a hard time. We must all do our best to be of comfort to her."