Third Person's POV

Kakashi heaves a sigh, sweat dropping, as he comes to a halt in the middle of the street. He hears the person behind him, so close that they may as well have been clinging to him, come to a stop as well.

"Ashley" Kakashi begins, turning around as he rubs at the back of his neck, only to pause when he sees the wide eyed look on the girl's face, her head cutely tilted cutely to the side.

Kakashi internally sighs again, though this time he is more amused than anything. Ever since he had surprised Ashley three days ago, she had been following him everywhere like a baby duck. In one way, it was rather endearing that she was afraid to let Kakashi out of her sight, not wanting him to leave her behind. Especially seeing as she didn't usually behave like this.

But on the other hand, it was definitely making things a bit difficult for Kakashi. While Lady Tsunade had specifically sent him to see how Ashley was going, he also had a job to do in assisting the Chief of the island and helping with setting up the treaty.

"I told you already" Kakashi reminds Ashley, pretending to be exasperated, "You can't keep following me around like this. I'm here to work you know. I'm not here to babysit you."

"And I told you" Ashley counters smartly, her old attitude peeking through now that she knows she is going home, "That I don't believe you. I bet Lady Tsunade sent a bunch of Ninja I wouldn't know on purpose. And then she sent you because she knows you'd be able to convince me to come home. Or something like that."

Kakashi laughs awkwardly at this. She had hit the nail on the head of course, but the Jonin wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of hearing that she's right. He didn't want her to know just how eager he had been to get over to the Land of Ambience and try to get her to come home with him.

"Not that you took any convincing" Kakashi teases, not so subtly diverting Ashley's attention.

He smirks to himself at the indignant expression that spreads across Ashley's face, her cheek burning red with embarrassment at the way she had clung to her Sensei and cried.

Glaring up at her Sensei's smug face, Ashley eventually turns her head and crosses her arms, pouting a little.

"I haven't missed you at all Sensei" she mutters, to which Kakashi chuckles quietly.

"I know" he says simply, shrugging. "Alright kiddo, I have some work to do. But I'll come and get you when we have to leave tomorrow alr-"

Kakashi blinks, before glancing down when he feels a tug on his shirt. He sees Ashley frowning up at him, still seemingly embarrassed, though her fist is gripping onto the hem of his shirt tightly.

"......Don't forget me" she mumbles, averting her eyes. "Okay?"

"Of course not" Kakashi smiles, patting Ashley's head playfully. He pulls himself free from the girl's grasp and begins to walk away, one hand raised in a wave. "You're the whole reason I'm here, remember?"

Ashley folds her arms over her chest and sighs, watching her Sensei walk off with her eyes half lidded and her mouth pulled to the side.

"He's such a jerk" the blonde says out loud.

"I think he's wonderful dear" Rei comments, strolling up behind Ashley, with Ace at her side. "He came all this way just to retrieve you. What a good teacher."

"I am just glad that someone was finally able to convince you to leave" Ace grumbles, a little miffed. "I do not understand why you could not just listen to me, however, I will accept that the presence of your teacher must have been so surprising that you could not help but to finally be honest."

Ashley sweat drops at this, turning around as she laughs sheepishly, scratching at her chin.

"Are you pouting Ace?" the blonde teases, prodding the navy Wolf in the shoulder, as he folds his ears back and turns his head. "Aw come on, you know I always listen to you."

"I do not doubt that you listen to me" Ace points out, sulking. "It is that you then ignore what I say."

"Ace dear, there's no need to be jealous of that man" Rei coos, rubbing her cheek against Ace's neck. "You are extremely wise, and of course Lady Ashley values what you have to say."

"Exactly" Ashley agrees emphatically, before shrugging. "And I ignore most things that Kakashi Sensei says too, so it's not just you."

Here Ace shoots Ashley a flat look, unimpressed.

".....How comforting" he says sarcastically. "Seeing as you are so energetic now, I can only imagine that you have recovered from making our new contract."

"Yep!" Ashley grins, giving Ace a thumbs up. "It took a lot of chakra, but I feel good as new now. Trying to keep up with Kakashi Sensei made recovering a bit hard, but I feel alright today."

The same night that Ashley had finally admitted to wanting to go home, after regaining her composure, she had sat down with all of her Wolves to discuss a new summoning contract. Of course, they were all more than happy to agree, Tiez included, however, Aki had initially been skeptical about the offer, as he had been from the very beginning.

Ashley had already thought about his hesitation however, knowing that the Wolf was waryabout leaving his homeland. And so, she had suggested that all of her Wolves remain here, in the Land of Ambience, rather than go back to the mountain the original members of the pack had lived on before.

It didn't bother Ashley if they didn't go back there, seeing as Orochimaru had been the one to create the original contract for Ashley and her pack anyway. And if they stayed here, then all of the members of the pack could stay with the other Minami, or, in Aki and Tiez's case, out in the forest.

"I'm excited about the new contract Milady" Rei chirps happily. "I'm glad to be able to see my sister every day! And it seems that Kai will be as well..."

"I dunno what's going on there" Ashley says, before smirking to herself, "But I think you may both be vying for her attention."

"I do not plan to lose Milady" Rei assures the girl with a close eye smile, though Ashley can feel the threatening aura radiating off of the pretty Wolf.

"Well you seem to be in a good mood" a voice states sourly, causing Ashley to turn around.

Her face falls a little, the girl immediately feeling on edge at the sight of Saffire, Fang, Kiyumi and Keilor standing before her.

Saffire looks at the small group with a sharp expression, her arms tightly crossed, while Kiyumi seems uncertain, her dark, doe eyes looking to Ashley's face, before dropping to the ground. Fang stands beside Saffire, though a little ahead of her, looking between her and Ashley and hoping that she won't have to break up another argument. Keilor merely sits in place, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth and his tail wagging lazily.

"It's pretty much the first time I've seen you anything other than miserable" Saffire continues, sounding bitter. "Just because that Ninja guy is here."

"He's my Sensei" Ashley reminds her friend with a sigh, rubbing at her temple with her fingers. "Look Saffire, I don't want to-"

"I'm not here to start an argument with you again" Saffire interrupts, holding up one hand to silence Ashley. "I know you want to leave, I'm just.....Having a hard time accepting it...."

Ashley feels that familiar pang of guilt, seeing the sadness in Saffire's face, feeling bad that she'd hurt her childhood friends.

Ashley had gathered all of her friends the day before, to tell them about her decision to leave, and, as expected, it had not gone very well. While Kiyumi had been very quiet, not saying a lot, and Kurai had clearly held back and bit her tongue, Saffire and Ashley had gotten into a very heated argument.

Ashley had been hit with the full force of Saffire's frustration, and while she hated that it made her feel so guilty, she also understood why Saffire was so upset.

"The Chief had a talk with me last night" Saffire continues, now averting her eyes, "And I understand how bad you've been feeling......I just...........I'm just going to miss you...."

"Saffire...." Ashley says softly, only for the girl to shake her head and hold up one hand again.

"Gah, that's not what we're here for!" the taller girl growls, trying to shake off her bad feelings. "We came looking for you, coz, seeing as you're leaving tomorrow, we wanna have a girl's day! And night. We're gonna have a sleepover!"

"A sleepover?" Ashley repeats, blinking in surprise.

Saffire nods vigorously, her fuchsia eyes shining, as she stomps over to Ashley and grabs her by the wrist.

"Yeah" she confirms strongly, dragging Ashley over towards Kiyumi, before letting go and continuing to march forwards, "And you don't get a say in the matter! Now let's go! We gotta find Kurai as well!"

Kiyumi reaches out and steadies her older sister, looking worried, while Ashley just stares after Saffire in absolute bewilderment.

"Well that was unexpected" Rei speaks up, trotting over to the to blonde girls. "But oh, how fun! A girl's night! Ace dear, you won't be able to come."

"Why not?" Ace demands to know.

"We're not girls, man" Keilor points out casually, sauntering over to his friend. "It's alright though. We're gonna like, crash at the temple tonight so the girls can.....do girl stuff."

"I-If you don't mind Ace" Kiyumi adds with an apologetic smile. "You're welcome to stay with us d-during the day though, i-if you like?"

"Come on you slow pokes!" Saffire calls from up ahead, sounding impatient. "Me and Fang are gonna leave you all behind otherwise!"

Ashley and Kiyumi quickly begin to walk, with the three Wolves following behind them, the girls not wanting to incur any further wrath from Saffire. She was hot headed for sure, and they both didn't want to experience her temper again for the time being.

As they walk through the Village in comfortable silence, Ashley can't help the way her thoughts wander to her sister. She had barely said anything when Ashley had announced that she would be leaving, which had shocked the older blonde quite a lot. She had thought that Kiyumi would burst into tears immediately.

"....Kiyu?" Ashley addresses hesitantly, risking a sidelong glance at her younger sister.

"Mhm?"

"Are......are you gonna be alright?" Ashley asks, head now hanging a little. "When I go, I mean......You didn't say anything about it last night, a-and I was a bit worried-"

"I'll miss you terribly" Kiyumi says quietly, smiling a sad, private smile. "I can't promise that I won't cry after you're gone. But......I didn't want to cry yesterday. The last time I cried when you said you were leaving, I feel like it was a big part of what made you stay, even when you didn't want to. I feel really bad for that, because I didn't mean to affect your decision. I just......"

"It wasn't your fault Kiyu" Ashley assures the girl, hurrying to try and quell her sister's guilt. "I made that decision all on my own!"

"Yes, but we all had a big influence on that decision" Kiyumi says knowingly, now raising her head to meet her sister's eye. "I didn't want to make you feel guilty again. I just want you to be happy, and I love you so much Ley-chan, that if being back with the Leaf Ninja is what will make you the happiest, then that's what I want for you...."

Ashley feels her eyes wavering at Kiyumi's words, as the younger girl takes a quick breath to try and stop her voice from trembling.

"We're not little kids anymore" Kiyumi continues, her smile gentle now. "I may want you to stay by my side all the time, but you don't need to protect me anymore......And besides, I won't have time to be lonely, because all of your Wolves will be staying with Keilor and I."

"You'll definitely have your hands full" Ashley giggles apologetically, only to stop when she sees Kiyumi regarding her with shining eyes, wet with unshed tears.

"And you'll send me l-letters too, right?" Kiyumi asks, struggling to keep her composure. "A-And you'll visit, when y-you can?"

"Of course I will!" Ashley is quick to promise, reaching out and taking hold of her sister's hand. "I'll write so many letters, that you'll get sick of reading them! And I'll visit, whenever I can."

Kiyumi wipes at her eyes with her free hand, beginning to giggle a little, as Ashley begins a rant about all the things she'll do to try and make sure Kiyumi didn't feel lonely or miss her.

It didn't matter to her whether Ashley would actually do any of those things or not. The fact that her big sister was alive and happy, would be enough to satisfy her for the rest of her life. And it had become very obvious that leaving for the Leaf Village had been the right decision for Ashley. The almost constant gloomy mood that she had been in for the past three months seemed to be lifting already, and she hadn't even left yet.

Kiyumi's grip on Ashley's hand tightens, causing the older girl to look over. As the sisters' eyes meet, the two girls practically mirror images aside from their eye colour, they both break into carbon copy, mischievous grins.

From behind the two girls, Rei feels her heart swell at the sight of them, while Ace stares intently. He too feels a pang in his chest, as he tries to hold in a smile.

Seeing them like that, reminded him of when they were both very small, innocent children, and despite wanting Ashley to leave the Land of Ambience so that she can be happy, for once, Ace allows himself to relish in that feeling of nostalgia.

"Ah hah!" Shizune cries triumphantly, bursting into a restaurant.

Appearing to be somewhat of a crazy person to all of the onlookers around her, she jabs her finger towards the counter, easily ignoring all of the strange looks being sent her way.

"Oink!" Tonton cries as well, scurrying towards a certain person hunched over the counter.

He scratches at the high barstool, as Shizune strides towards the figure, arms out to her side and her lower jaw pushed forwards indignantly.

"I've been looking for you everywhere Lady Tsunade!" Shizune informs the fifth Hokage, vigorously prodding her in the back. "I should've known I'd find you here!"

Tsunade grunts uncaringly, lifting her head and twirling the empty cup around in her hand.

Damn! Where had all her sake gone?

"You should be working Milady!" Shizune continues reprimanding the blonde woman. "Not drinking!"

Tsunade drags her light brown eyes over to Shizune, seemingly confused to see the younger woman, before raising an eyebrow.

"Honestly Lady Tsunade" Shizune sighs, bending down and scooping Tonton up into her arms. "You're a grown woman. You should know better...."

"Ugh, stop nagging me already Shizune" Tsunade whines, placing her fingertips against her forehead. "I only stepped out for a quick break."

Shizune pauses at this, fire immediately beginning to blaze in her eyes.

"I've been searching for you for three hours!" she exclaims hotly. "That is not a short break at all! Now come on! No more drinking! Time for work!"

Tsunade blinks in surprise, as Shizune grabs onto her arm and pulls her from the restaurant.

"Shizuuuuunnne......." Tsunade complains, purposefully allowing her body to go limp as she is dragged along the ground by her arm, trying to make things as difficult as possible.

"Lady Tsunade please!" Shizune begs, sweat dropping as people stop in the street to gape at the two of them. "Stop acting like such a baby!"

"I don't want to go back to work yet" Tsunade whines stubbornly, pouting like a spoiled child.

"Well too bad!" Shizune informs the blonde sharply, sweat dropping as Kurenai and Asuma pause, mid walk, to give the two women a curious look.

"Good morning.....Lady Fifth, Shizune...." Kurenai says slowly, unsure of what exactly she is witnessing.

Tsunade grunts in return, not even sparing the Jonin a glance.

"Shizune" Asuma greets, smirking at the woman as she trudges past him.

"Yes, hello" the charcoal haired woman sighs, ignoring the smart tone in Asuma's voice, as she continues towards the Hokage's Tower.

For the next fifteen minutes, Tsunade continues to argue and feebly tries to resist being dragged towards her work place, until Shizune finally arrives at the entrance to the building.

"Now, am I going to have to drag you up the stairs too Milady?" Shizune asks, sounding exasperated.

Tsunade shrugs, crossing her arms.

"Well, you dragged me the whole way here" Tsunade grumbles, feeling petty now. "You may as well keep going, because I'm not getting up."

Shizune stares at Tsunade in disbelief for a few seconds, before turning to look at the stairs and groaning internally. It was days like these that made her wonder why she bothered sticking with this job. It just didn't feel worth all the stress sometimes...

Determined not to let Tsunade's bratty attitude win, Shizune grits her teeth and manages to drag the stubborn Hokage all the way into her office.

With great effort, Shizune somehow manages to drag the stubborn Tsunade all the way to her still broken office door. As soon as they arrive at the door, Tsunade heaves a dramatic sigh and rises to her feet. She places her hands on her back and leans backwards, stretching.

"How I hate this little room sometimes" the blonde woman mutters, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the room she can see through the broken door.

"Just get inside" Shizune sighs, feeling a headache coming on.

Raising her leg, Tsunade suddenly kicks at the remainder of the door, smashing through it and sending huge splinters flying into the office.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune screeches incredulously, making the blonde shrug.

"What?" she asks boredly. "You were going to get a replacement door anyway."

Shizune's shoulders droop, the woman taking a second to breathe, before she straightens up and shoves Tsunade over towards her desk. She roughly pushes down on the Hokage's shoulders, forcing her down into a chair.

"Now, I'm going to see someone about getting your door fixed" she explains in a hard voice, glaring down at Tsunade warningly. "And you are going to work. Got it Lady Tsunade?"

"Yeah, yeah" Tsunade says breezily, waving her hand. "Geez Shizune, I never realised just how bossy you are."

Shizune pauses, taking another deep, calming breath. It was that, or she was going to scream.

"Okay, I'm leaving" she says quietly, as she stabs one finger towards the piles of paperwork on Lady Tsunade's desk. "Get to work."

"Sure" Lady Tsunade shrugs, staring up at the roof.

Not trusting Tsunade's blasé attitude, Shizune remains still, waiting for he woman to begin working before she leaves.

Tsunade has other ideas however, instead choosing to continue staring up at the ceiling for quite awhile longer, before lifting her hand and inspecting her red polished nails critically. She turns her hand over, studying them from a different angle, a look of pure concentration on her face.

Shizune face drops at this behaviour, having the feeling that she's going to have to hang around and supervise.

Satisfied with her nails, Tsunade then picks up an ink brush and begins to twirl it in her fingers.

"Hmmmm...." she murmurs, staring at it with a quirked row.

She then suddenly tosses the brush across her desk, choosing instead to fiddle with a piece of paper that is hanging over the edge of her desk. Smirking, she blows on the corner of the paper, causing it to fly up into the air.

"Heheh......" Tsunade chuckles to herself, watching the piece of paper land back on her desk.

Her patience growing thin, Shizune feels one of her eyes begin to twitch. Why was it so hard to get this woman to do her work? Who's bright idea had it been to make Tsunade the Hokage again?

Tsunade soon grows bored with the fluttering paper, now happy to spin from side to side in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face. She begins twirling one of her long ponytails around her finger, humming a random tune to herself.

After only a few seconds, Tsunade suddenly lurches forwards and slams her palms down on her desk, before rising from her chair.

"Time for a break!" she announces brightly, to which Shizune slams a palm to her own face.

"Oh, for heaven's sake Lady Tsunade!" she shouts in frustration, wanting to strangle the unmotivated woman. "You haven't even been here for ten minutes, let alone done anything!"

Before Tsunade can retort, the sound of a muffled giggle, followed by a swift shh, catches the attention of both women, causing them to pause.

They both turn to the door, only to find Kakashi standing there and clearing his throat, his hand covering the mouth of a blonde head peering around him.

Tsunade and Shizune both blink at the sight of that blonde hair, before Tsunade sinks down into her seat, her caramel eyes focused intently on the girl and her lips curling up into a faint smile.

".....It seems like your mission was a complete success Kakashi" the woman says, motioning for the two to come in. "Welcome back home Ashley. It's good to see you again."

Having been feeling a little awkward and uncharacteristically shy upon having seen the Hokage's face for the first time in quite awhile, Ashley immediately breaks out into a grin and steps forwards.

"It's good to be back home Lady Tsunade" the blonde declares, closing her eyes as she smiles. "I'd forgotten just how good the Village looks. I feel like I've been gone forever!"

Shizune chuckles quietly at this, also pleased to see the young girl again.

"I imagine that to some people, it has seemed like forever since you were last here" Tsunade comments, particularly thinking of how excited the other members of Team Seven would be once they saw Ashley.

The Hokage admittedly had a bit of a soft spot for the girl in front of her, though it was hard to say why at times, considering her attitude often made Lady Tsunade want to wring her neck.

But when she had heard the news that Ashley had stayed behind in the Land of Ambience, she had initially been extremely irritated. Upon reflecting on the situation however, she had understood Ashley's choice, though she had secretly regretted sending her on that mission.

It was good fortune that the Chief of the island had been informing her of Ashley's poor state of recent times. He had hinted quite a few times that perhaps Ashley should come back to the Land of Fire, but Tsunade hadn't been entirely convinced that the stubborn girl would willingly come home.

Knowing that Ashley had a good bond with Kakashi however, Tsunade had tried to take advantage and sent him to go after her.

It seemed that her plan had worked.

Tsunade smirks to herself, seeing the way Ashley begins to fidget a little, the girl turning back and glancing at the door a few times. She seemed restless after Tsunade's last comment, something that didn't escape the older woman's eye.

"Ashley" Tsunade addresses, recapturing the girl's attention. "I understand that you want to go and find your team, so I won't keep you here. I've assigned Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke to a mission however, so they'll be leaving soon."

"What?" Ashley asks, her shoulders drooping with disappointment. "Can I go with them?"

"You've only just gotten back" Tsunade exhales a short laugh, shaking her head. "You need to rest. I'll give you three days to recover and settle in, and then you'll be getting sent on missions again. Is that clear?"

Ashley's mouth pulls up to the side as she looks back to Lady Tsunade with her brows furrowed, wondering if it's too early to begin arguing with the blonde woman. Seeing the way that Tsunade narrows her eyes however, Ashley quickly changes her mind.

"I understand....." the girl sighs heavily. She would leave the arguing for another day.

"Good" Tsunade grins, closing her eyes. "If you go to the entrance gate of the Village, you'll probably run into your team before they leave."

Ashley perks up at this, the girl suddenly seeming very alert, her eyes shining. Tsunade laughs again, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion. Before her hand can even land back down on the desk, Ashley whirls around and tears out of the room, eager, and perhaps a little desperate, to meet up with the rest of Team Seven before they can leave.

"I still think it's weird that Kakashi Sensei isn't coming with us" Sakura sighs, crossing her arms.

"You heard Grandma Tsunade" Naruto reminds the pinkette. "Kakashi Sensei's busy on another mission!"

"Yeah, I know...." Sakura mutters, not sounding convinced. "But still, it's a B-Rank escort mission that could turn into an A-Rank one. Can we really handle a mission like that by ourselves?"

Naruto grins, pounding his chest with one fist.

"Of course we can!" he announces loudly. "We're the strongest Genin here! That's why Granny gave us this mission! And not Kiba or Shikamaru or anyone else."

Sakura rolls her eyes, as Sasuke just smirks. As much as Naruto had been annoying him recently, he agreed with the blonde. He didn't have any qualms on whether he'd be able to handle an A-Rank mission or not. And he was definitely going to show Naruto who was the stronger of the two on this mission.

"We haven't had an escort mission for ages" Sakura muses in a wry tone, adjusting the straps of her backpack.

"Yeah!" Naruto agrees. "Since the Land of Waves!"

"We still had Ashley with us back then...." Sasuke mutters lowly, his smugness at showing Naruto up abruptly disappearing.

Naruto and Sakura's faces immediately drop too, as images of their shortest team member flash through their minds.

Things had seemed strangely less fun without the sarcastic girl around. Team Seven still wasn't completely used to functioning without her yet.

"Hey!" a voice calls from behind the three Genin, causing question marks to appear above their heads, though they keep walking. "Hey you idiots, wait up!"

"Are they talking to us?" Sakura asks indignantly, scowling as she glances back over her shoulder.

"Who the hell is calling us-" Naruto begins complaining, ready to shout right back at whoever was yelling at them, as he whirls around.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all freeze upon turning around however, when they see a familiar head of blonde hair racing towards them. Seeing that her team have turned around to face her, Ashley breaks out into a grin, her pointed teeth bared and her eyes sparkling at the sight of her friends.

Ashley comes to a stop a few metres away from her team, bending down and leaning on her knees to try and catch her breath. She had run as fast as she could to try and catch up to her team, determined to see them before they left ,for who knows how long, on their mission.

As Ashley lifts her head and straightens up, she sees that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are all gaping at her in utter disbelief, their eyes wide. This causes Ashley to chuckle uncomfortably, the girl raising one hand to rub the back of her neck.

"Well come on guys" she says sheepishly, looking up at her friends through her lashes, "You're making me feel awkward."

Her hands covering her mouth, tears begin to drip from Sakura's eyes, as she slowly shakes her head, struggling to believe that the image before her could be real.

"Is it really you Ashley?" the pink haired girl whispers, her throat feeling tight.

"Uh huh" Ashley confirms softly, raising her arms and holding them out towards Sakura with a shy expression on her face.

Sakura lets out a sob at this, her face scrunching up, before she charges forwards and throws herself at the blonde. Ashley has to take a step back as Sakura collides with her, the slightly taller girl sobbing in her ear, as her fingers grip the back of Ashley's shirt.

"I've missed you so much!" Sakura cries, her whole body shaking, her face now buried in Ashley's shoulder.

"I've missed you too" Ashley replies quietly, hugging Sakura back just as tightly.

She turns her head however, looking to Naruto and Sasuke, who have still yet to move. Sasuke continues to stare in shock, his body rigid and one foot stepping forwards, as if he wants to run over also, but is holding himself back.

Naruto's blue eyes waver, the boy dangerously close to crying, as he chews on his lower lip in an effort to keep his sobs in.

"Y-You're really here, right Ashley-chan?" he asks, his voice breaking slightly. "This isn't some mean joke, right? You're not a clone or anything?"

Releasing Sakura with one of her arms, Ashley holds it out towards Naruto, her eyes hooded and filled with affection for the blonde boy.

"I'm really here Naruto" she assures him, her voice warm.

"Gah, dammit!" Naruto exclaims, swiping an arm across his eyes, before running towards Ashley with his arms outstretched.

Ashley can only laugh with delight, as Naruto crashes into her as well, hugging her just as aggressively as Sakura. She clings to Naruto's jacket with one hand, her cheek pressed against his shoulder and her eyes squeezing closed, brows furrowing.

She had missed them. So much. And to be here with them now, holding them like this. It didn't feel real yet. But now that she was able to see them and feel them again, the full extent of just how much Ashley had missed having her team in her life had really hit her.

After what felt like a comfortable eternity, Sakura and Naruto release Ashley, both of them grinning broadly and snivelling, as they wipe at their eyes. Ashley laughs along with the two, before turning her eyes to Sasuke, who, despite his intent gaze directed at Ashley, seems conflicted.

"C'mon cousin" Ashley prompts, holding her arms out to her side. "Aren't you gonna hug me too? I've missed your stupid face a lot you know."

Those words seem to make Sasuke's mind up for him, as his face drops into an unimpressed scowl, the boy folding his arms across his chest pointedly.

"Fine then" Ashley smirks mischievously, hooding her eyes and stepping closer to Sasuke. "I had a feeling you'd be stubborn anyway."

Before Sasuke is given the change to dodge, Ashley darts forwards and tackles the Uchiha, the impact causing him to release a sharp exhale of breath as he is knocked to the ground. Blinking a few times to clear his head, Sasuke deadpans at the sound of Ashley giggling, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Never refuse to hug me again" Ashley says smartly, sitting up and kneeling beside Sasuke, allowing him to sit up.

The Uchiha glares at Ashley in silence for a few moments, before she flashes her sharp teeth in an innocent grin. This causes Sasuke to hang his head and sigh, before he brushes some of the hair from his face and looks back at Ashley, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. A secret look, just for his cousin, that he tries to hide from the others.

"You're still a huge pain" Sasuke informs Ashley, the affection in his voice not escaping her ears, despite his less than friendly words.

It was the most Ashley could hope to get out of him, and she appreciated it for what it was anyway.

"Geez Sasuke" Naruto berates, his hands on his hips. "Is that all you can say after all this time?"

"It's alright Naruto" Ashley chirps, waving one hand back and forth, her and Sasuke still seated on the ground. "I know Sasuke's just to embarrassed to admit that he's giddy with happiness right now."

"If anything" Sasuke scoffs, closing his eyes and turning his head away, "I'm giddy because you slammed my head into the ground."

"It's a pity it didn't affect your personality" Ashley sighs, feeling satisfied by the irritated glare that Sasuke shoots her way.

"......I don't understand though" Sakura speaks up, wringing her hands as she looks down at Ashley. "Why are you here? I thought.....I thought you were going to stay in your homeland. Are you just here on a visit, or...."

"No, I'm back here for good" Ashley promises, giving Sakura a reassuring smile. "I.....I wasn't happy back there. Staying was a mistake. It just......took me a long time to be able to admit it."

"Why was it a mistake?" Naruto asks, genuinely curious. "Won't you miss your family?"

Ashley chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head, before looking back to her team, embarrassed.

".....You guys are my family now" she admits in a low voice. ".......I missed you all too much to be able to stay there. I......I-I need you guys....."

Naruto gives a start at this admission, placing one hand over his heart as he smiles gently down at Ashley, feeling touched by her words. It wasn't often that she said such heart-warming words to them, and they meant a lot to Naruto.

"We're your......" Sakura trails off, blinking her wide green eyes, before they slowly fill with tears again. "Ashley......"

"Please don't cry Sakura!" Ashley pleads, leaping to her feet and waving her hands back and forth. "I did so much crying back in the Land of Ambience, I really can't stand to start doing it here too! I've cried enough to last me a lifetime!"

"Yeah" Sasuke sniffs, climbing to his feet and looking down his nose at Ashley. "Who knew you were such a cry baby?"

"Clearly your big mouth has been allowed to run wild in my absence" Ashley growls, her face darkening as she raises a fist and holds it under Sasuke's chin. "Allow me to shut it for you."

"You've already slammed my head into the ground" Sasuke smirks, amused, as he pushes Ashley's hand back down. "That should be enough."

"Not hard enough apparently" Ashley mutters, to which a vein begins to pulse on the side of Sasuke's head.

Why exactly had he secretly missed her again?

"Alright, alright" Sakura interrupts before any bickering can begin, stepping between the two cousins. "No fighting. We've only been back together again for five seconds."

"We're not fighting Sakura" Ashley advises, smirking as she throws an arm around Sasuke's neck and pulls him down to her height, a deadpan expression on the boy's face. "This is how Sasuke and I show our love for one another."

"......." Sakura looks down at Sasuke's face, sweat dropping. ".....Is that so?"

Pulling himself free from a nodding Ashley's grasp, he then grabs onto the arm that had held him prisoner and twists it behind Ashley's back, the girl blinking in surprise.

"Yeah" Sasuke agrees sarcastically, before playfully shoving Ashley towards Sakura. "Don't we have a mission to go on?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto suddenly remembers, patting his fist into his palm. "Go get your stuff Ashley-chan! We'll wait for you!"

Shooting a glare at Sasuke as she rubs at her arm, Ashley shakes her head.

"Sorry Naruto" she apologises, now looking sheepish. "Lady Tsunade told me that I'm not allowed to go with you guys. I have three days off before I'm allowed on any missions."

"Aw what?!" Naruto complains loudly throwing his hands in the air. "I swear that old Granny has it out for me sometimes. Why won't she let you come with us?! You're part of Team Seven!"

"Naruto you idiot" Sakura sighs raggedly, trying to resist the urge to punch her teammate. "Ashley only just got back! It's a long journey from her homeland, so she needs to rest!"

Here, Sakura turns from a crestfallen Naruto, to Ashley.

"Have you been training while you've been away?" she demands to know, her face dropping into one of mild irritation as Ashley laughs awkwardly and avoids her gaze.

"Well, a little" Ashley admits, a bit embarrassed, "But it was really only with my Katsuryoku. And even then, I was too depressed to do much."

"Then do some training on while we're gone" Sakura instructs, sounding more like Ashley's mother than her teammate.

Here, Ashley pouts a little, crossing her arms and turning her head. She wanted to be with her teammates. She didn't want to go and train alone, although, she probably needed to. It had been three months since she had really done any training, let alone actual fighting.

"Train hard" Sasuke teases, as he turns away and begins walking towards the Village gate. "If you try hard enough, you might even almost be a match for me."

Now glaring daggers at the back of sasuke's head, her delicate pride hurt despite knowing that she is being teased, Ashley holds one hand out to Naruto.

"Naruto" she orders loudly, so Sasuke will hear, "Lend me one of your kunai for a sec."

"Go ahead" Sasuke urges, not even bothering to turn around. "Seeing as you haven't trained for so long, it's not like you'll even come close to hitting me."

"That's it!" Ashley exclaims, lunging forwards. "Sasuke, you're dead! Let me go Sakura!"

"Please don't Ashley" Sakura begs, latched onto the blonde from behind. "I've been dealing with enough fighting between Sasuke and Naruto these days. I can't deal with you fighting too!"

"Huh?" Ashley asks, her anger immediately dissipating. "They've been fighting? Like, more than usual?"

"Way more than usual" Sakura sighs, her shoulders drooping tiredly. "I don't know what's going on with them."

"C'mon Sakura-chan" Naruto urges, impatiently dancing in place, holding onto the straps of his backpack as he looks between the two girls and Sasuke's back. "We gotta catch up to Sasuke!"

"Yeah, yeah" Sakura says dismissively, earning a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Ashley.

"Do your best Sakura" she encourages, laughing a little.

"See you when we get back Ashley-chan!" Naruto calls, one arm raised in a wave as he jogs backwards to grin at her. "Let's have ramen when we do!"

"Sound good" Ashley returns Naruto's smile, waving as her team all disappear through the front gates, heading off to their mission.

Ashley continues to watch until she can no longer see the three Genin, a satisfied smile on her face. Briefly closing her eyes, Ashley takes in a long, slow breath, before releasing it.

It felt good to be home. To meet with her favorite people again and be surrounded by familiar places. Despite enjoying the colder weather that had been approaching her homeland, Ashley finds that she had even missed the warm sunshine of the Land of Fire.

And even though she wished so badly that she could be going with them, it felt strangely comforting to be able to see Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke off on their mission. And not that she would wait around for them like she had nothing better to do, but being here when they got back would be nice too.

"Arf!" an excited voice barks, snapping Ashley out of her train of thought. "Arf arf arf!"

Recognising the bark, Ashley spins around, her eyes wide. Sure enough, she spots Akamaru bounding towards her at speed, still barking with joy at the sight of her.

Ashley's mouth opens as she breaks into a grin, dropping to one knee and holding her arms out towards the approaching puppy.

"Akamaru!" the girl cries out, catching him in her arms and immediately cuddling him to her chest. She begins to giggle as Akamaru writhes around, his tongue licking at her cheek and his tail wagging enthusiastically.

"I'm happy to see you too boy" Ashley laughs, her eyes closed as she hugs the tiny Ninken. "I missed you."

"Arf, arf arf!" Akamaru barks his greeting, stepping all over Ashley's shoulders in his excitement. He had missed Ashley too!

Akamaru pauses for a second, able to hear the incoming voices before Ashley can, causing his to turn his head and bark urgently over his shoulder.

"Why did Akamaru suddenly run off?" a female voice asks, approaching Ashley and Akamaru.

"I dunno!" another voice responds, causing Ashley to freeze, her eyes round. "He must be eager to get started on this missi-"

The voice is interrupted by a gasp, as Hinata suddenly stops in her tracks, one hand covering her mouth and hand pointing straight ahead.

"A-A-Ashley-chan?!" Hinata squeaks, her pale eyes widening at the sight of the blonde girl.

Ashley stares right back, as the remaining two members of Team Eight also come to a stop beside Hinata, though their reactions are vastly different from each other. While Hinata seems both surprised and delighted, and Shino regards Ashley with his usual calm demeanour, Kiba becomes rigid with shock.

He and Ashley stare at each other in silence, with Ashley's heart pounding in her ears at the sight of the brunette. She takes in the red fang markings on his face, his animal like eyes and his wild hair, unable to describe the feeling of relief that begins to well up inside her at seeing him again after so long.

So glad to once again have him standing in front of her, Ashley momentarily forgets her nerves at running into Kiba again, having assumed that he hated her now. She had missed him so much, only more so after finally realising that she was indeed in love with him.

Feeling her eyes beginning to well up with tears, her breath quickening, Ashley momentarily ducks her head. Akamaru begins to whine softly, pawing at the girl's cheek.

"Ashley-chan..." Hinata says quietly, sympathetic to the fact that the girl seems to be feeling a little emotional.

She runs over to Ashley and leans down on her knees, checking to make sure that her friend is alright, before smiling cutely and extending her hand. Ashley glances up, her eyes still wet with unshed tears as she looks at the hand being offered to her. She stares at it for a moment, before sniffing and closing her eyes, smiling as she takes hold of Hinata's hand.

"Hi Hinata" the Minami is finally able to say, allowing the Hyuga to help her to her feet. "Thank you..."

"Arf!" Akamaru barks happily, still being cradled in Ashley's other arm.

"Wh-What a lovely surprise to see you Ashley-chan" Hinata says genuinely, regarding the blonde with kind eyes. "It's very unexpected. Are you visiting your team?"

"N-No" Ashley stutters, her eyes flicking over to a still frozen Kiba, before quickly looking back to Hinata. "I um......I decided to leave the Land of Ambience a-and come back home. For good...."

"Oh!" Hinata cries, before averting her eyes, seemingly embarrassed about being too loud. "That's wonderful news......We've m-missed you."

Here, Hinata looks back at Shino and Kiba, smiling at them and encouraging the two boys to come over.

Of course, Hinata was aware of what had taken place between Kiba and Ashley, and while she didn't want either of them to be uncomfortable, she just knew that the two of them would be able to remain good friends if they tried.

While Kiba was clearly horrified at the thought of talking to Ashley, Ashley's reaction had certainly confused Hinata. She didn't know a lot about love herself, but the blonde didn't seem to be behaving like someone who had rejected Kiba. Hinata had seen the look on Ashley's face before she had ducked her head, and that definitely didn't seem like a girl that hated Kiba.

Able to feel Kiba's hesitation at Hinata's prompt to come over, Shino subtly elbows the Inuzuka.

"Remember" Shino, who had only remained at Kiba's side to be supportive, advises under his breath. "You promised Hinata that you would try to be friends."

"I know...." Kiba growls, his brows furrowing as Shino walks up to Ashley, the girl having to tilt her head back as he greets her.

"H-How are you feeling Shino?" Ashley asks. "Looks like you healed up well."

Kiba feels his frown soften a little as he watches Ashley talking to his friends, cradling Akamaru cutely in one arm. He doesn't miss the way her eyes flick over to him every now and then, before quickly darting away when they make contact with his.

It wasn't that Kiba didn't want to talk to her. Of course he wanted to. Despite being rejected by her, he genuinely did enjoy her friendship. She was fun to be with. But a problem had arisen.

Kiba had thought that he would be able to move on and forget about his feelings for Ashley. Akamaru, Hinata and Shino had been so helpful with trying to distract him over the last three months. However, upon suddenly seeing Ashley like this, it had become clear to Kiba that forgetting his feelings was not going to be possible.

If the loud beating of his heart, that he was almost certain everyone else could hear, was anything to go by, Kiba's feelings were as strong as ever.

Trying to swallow his nerves, Kiba walks over to the small group of Genin, Ashley's eyes widening slightly as he stops right in front of her.

Hinata and Shino watch as the blonde stares, seeming to be too frightened to do or say anything, while Kiba averts his eyes and looks to the side, hands shoved in his pockets.

"K-Kiba" Ashley finally musters up the courage to address the brunette, dragging his eyes back over to her for a second, before he looks away again.

"......Hey..." Kiba replies shortly, not even overly sure of how to address Ashley anymore, seeing as it didn't seem appropriate to use the nickname he had become accustomed to.

Ashley feels her heart drop. She had seen the pain behind his eyes in the second that he had actually looked at her.

She had been right. He really did still hate her.

Kiba briefly closes his eyes and heaves a deep sigh. She was so confusing to him. Why did she keep looking at him like that? Her eyes seemed to convey fear and hopefulness at the same time, a soft gaze that he hadn't really experienced from Ashley before.

She had turned him down, back when he had been sure that she liked him. So why did she always do things that made his hopes rise? Was he just so stupid that he kept misinterpreting things?

That seemed to be the case.

"Come on guys" Kiba says seriously. "We have a mission to get started on."

"O-Oh......" Hinata stutters, disappointed that things hadn't gone a little better. "R-Right. I'm sorry Ashley-chan, but we have to go. We'll see you when we g-get back?"

"That would be nice" Ashley replies, forcing a smile, as Hinata and Shino begin to walk away, with the Hyuga waving goodbye.

"See you later" Shino adds, sparing Kiba a pointed look over his shoulder.

The Inuzuka frowns at Shino, before glancing back at Ashley, only to pause when he sees her watching him with wide eyes. Looking as though she wants to say something, Kiba remains silent as the girl chooses to keep her mouth shut and, instead, crouches down to place Akamaru on the ground.

"See ya Akamaru" she murmurs, ruffling the fur on his head, as she rises back to her feet.

"Mmm......" the puppy whines quietly, his tail drooping. He had also hoped that Kiba and Ashley would be able to make up.

".....Well..." Kiba says awkwardly, adjusting the straps on his backpack and walking past Ashley. "See ya later."

Ashley watches the Inuzuka defeatedly, her head turning as he walks past, her eyes trained on his face. It was so painful. He wouldn't even look at her.

".......Be safe on your mission Kiba......" the blonde says quietly, feeling as if she could cry. Coming back home and reuniting with her team had been so joyful for Ashley, but meeting Kiba again, like this......It hurt Ashley's heart.

Kiba pauses at these words for a few seconds, hesitantly glancing back, a conflicted expression on his face. His eyes widen slightly, when he sees Ashley regarding him with such sadness on her face, the boy turning around a little more.

He opens his mouth to ask her why she is being this way, before he chickens out almost immediately, and closes his mouth. He didn't want to regret asking.

"....Thanks" the Inuzuka mutters, turning back around. "We will."

Ashley watches after Team Eight until they disappear from sight, as she had done for her own team earlier. Although, this time, it's only because Ashley's feet feel as heavy as lead. Too heavy to move.

Blinking a few times to try and clear her eyes of her unshed tears, Ashley releases a long, low breath.

"You said you weren't going to cry when you got back home" the girl tells herself sternly. "Stop being stupid. Of course he doesn't want to see you. You knew that......"

Ashley hangs her head.

Knowing that though, didn't ease the tight feeling in her chest.