Third Person's POV

The glass doors before Ashley slide open, the girl stepping into the increasingly familiar room and being immediately greeted by a chorus of good mornings from staff. Holding in a sigh, Ashley answers them all with one quick hello, before hurriedly turning down a hallway. She clutches onto the small bundle in her hands tightly, frowning a little as she heads towards a particular room, the girl seemingly on auto pilot as she mulls over her vague embarrassment.

By this point, it seemed that the hospital staff recognised Ashley. They greeted her by name and didn't even bother having her check in at the desk anymore. All things that meant that she had been visiting way too often over the last two weeks.

Kiba was only a few days away from being allowed to leave the hospital, and Ashley had been to visit him every single day. It was embarrassing that everyone knew she was visiting him so often, and yet, Ashley couldn't stop herself from coming.

There had only been one day where she hadn't been able to come, and that was only because Lady Tsunade has sent Ashley, Sakura and Naruto off on a somewhat easy mission. They had left early that morning and been back by late evening.

Even then, Ashley still would have gone to visit that stupid Inuzuka, if only the hospital's visiting hours hadn't passed for the night.

Ashley is unable to hold in her sigh this time, hanging her head and pausing with her hand in the air, about to pull open the same sliding door she'd been opening for two weeks.

"Ashley" someone suddenly addresses, causing the girl's head to snap up in surprise.

"Oh, Lady Tsunade" Ashley replies, not having expected to see the Hokage herself at the hospital. She blinks, as a head of pink hair peeks out from behind the woman. "Oh, hey Sakura. What're you both doing here?"

"I'm shadowing Lady Hokage today" Sakura grins excitedly, stepping out from behind the older woman, a clipboard and pen in hand. "I've already learned so much!"

Ashley tilts her head at this.

It had only been a week ago that Sakura had announced to Ashley and Naruto that Lady Tsunade had agreed to take her on as an apprentice. Both she and Naruto had almost choked on their ramen upon hearing this news, the two blondes secretly wondering if Sakura would survive working for such a woman.

Tsunade could be bratty and childish, with a wicked temper and monstrous strength. And yet, there stood Sakura, smiling so brightly, Ashley almost had to shield her eyes.

After a few moments, the blonde lets out a low chuckle and smiles back at Sakura in amusement. It was the first time that Ashley had really seen her friend smile since Sasuke had left, and while she herself didn't think she'd enjoy training with Tsunade, Ashley was glad to know that Sakura was enjoying it.

"I figured we'd run into you here" Lady Tsunade points out, something that immediately causes Ashley's smile to fade. She sends the older woman an annoyed look, though doesn't dispute the assumption. "There's someone who wants to see you."

"Huh?" Ashley asks, a question mark appearing above her head. "Who?"

"Come with us" Tsunade orders mysteriously, her caramel eyes twinkling as she spins on her heel and begins marching back up the hallway. "I'm sure you'll be relieved to see him."

'Him?" Ashley wonders, allowing herself to be pulled along by a still grinning Sakura.

The pink haired girl doesn't release Ashley's arm the entire way as they walk through the hospital, even when they enter through into the emergency ward. Ashley glances around in confusion, not at all sure who could possibly be asking to see her. Especially if it was someone here.

After only a few minutes of walking, Tsunade stops in front of a door and gestures to it, encouraging Ashley to open it.

"He's in here" she explains, briefly closing her eyes in a mischievous grin. "Go on inside."

Quirking one brow up at the Hokage, Ashley tentatively slides the door open and peeks inside. The room is dark and quiet, the curtains drawn over the windows to block out any light. The soft beeping of machines reaches Ashley's ears as she slowly steps inside, though she has no idea what any of them are.

"Ashley-chan" a voice greets happily, only for Ashley to see Guy, Lee and Tenten standing beside a bed. Tears seem to shine in all of their eyes, though their smiling faces confuse Ashley greatly.

"Hey guys...." Ashley responds uncertainly, not exactly sure what's going on. "What're you- Oh! Neji!"

Ashley freezes in place, her eyes widening, when she sees a pale boy slowly begin to sit up in the bed, leaning on one elbow to help himself up. She watches as he struggles to sit up, his arms trembling slightly.

The Hyuga regards Ashley through hooded eyes, the bags underneath them dark, and his long hair hanging loose around his shoulders. A needle sits lodged in one of Neji's wrists, while some sort of monitor seems to be attached to his chest.

He looked small and weak, something that Ashley had never expected to see of someone like Neji Hyuga.

Seemingly unable to blink, Ashley stares at Neji, entranced, as she slowly edges closer and closer to the bed. Finally managing to sit up, Neji watches in silence as Ashley approaches him. Though his eyes were somewhat bleary and his head ached, having been unconscious for the last two weeks, Neji tries to focus his attention on the blonde.

He had only been awake for a few hours, and the doctors, as well as his teammates, had explained everything that had happened during the mission to try and retrieve Sasuke.

Neji had been horrified to learn that he had died as a result of his fight with the Sound Four, and astounded to hear that Ashley had managed to bring him back to life. He wouldn't have lasted long in that condition, but it had been just enough for Medical Ninja to reach him and bring him back for emergency treatment.

Without the little blonde who stood in front of him, Neji was only too aware that he would have remained dead.

The Hyuga briefly closes his eyes and tries to clear his throat, which feels dry and parched, only for Ashley to speak first.

"I'm so glad you're alive" she breathes, relief flooding into her voice at the sight of Neji before her. "You don't even understand it, I'm so relieved....."

Neji blinks in surprise, looking over as Ashley begins to laugh, though he can see her reach up to wipe at her eyes. She only laughs for a moment, before lifting her head and looking to Neji again, a self-conscious, yet warm, smile on her face.

"You're the last one to wake up" Ashley adds, one hand over her heart. "Kiba and Choji woke up ages ago......"

Neji's brows furrow slightly, as he tries to understand Ashley's sentiment. He didn't know her well at all, and he hadn't really expected her to react to his awakening like this. He had expected that she would march in, accept his thanks with a somewhat emotionless expression and then head on her way again.

But to his shock, the younger girl seemed to have been worried for his wellbeing. Neji supposed he should have expected it, seeing as she had been the one to fight to save his life, but for some reason, until right now, it hadn't really occurred to him.

"....My apologies for the trouble" Neji eventually says, his voice hoarse.

"Ah, i-it's no trouble" Ashley is quick to assure the serious boy, waving her free hand back and forth. ".......Lady Tsunade said that you were asking for me? Was it just to let me know that you're awake?"

As Neji frowns a little, closing his eyes, Ashley turns to look at the other members of Team Guy questioningly.

She had already met with them regarding Neji of course. Lee had specifically tracked her down, with Guy and Tenten in tow. Lee and Guy had thrown themselves at her, sobbing uncontrollably and thanking her over and over again for saving Neji's life. Tenten had maintained a little more decorum of course, though she too had hugged Ashley tightly, expressing her immense gratitude to the younger girl.

"C'mon Neji" Tenten prompts softly, chuckling at his apparent hesitation. "Ashley came all the way here to meet with you, like you wanted."

Seemingly a little embarrassed, Neji glances down at Ashley from the corner of his eye, only to see her staring up at him, her own eyes rather large and round, as if she were expecting something incredible.

Sighing a little, Neji turns his head to face Ashley properly.

"......Thank you" he says in a low voice, though the intensity behind his pale eyes catches Ashley by surprise. "......I know how badly you didn't want to join us on that mission, but if you hadn't come after us......I wouldn't be here now. I can't bring myself to make this long winded so.....just........thank you."

Taken off guard by the genuine gratefulness of someone who normally seemed so arrogant and hard to reach, Ashley finds that she is only able to stare at Neji in shocked silence. He didn't seem like the type who even knew how to say the words thank you, let alone speak them with such sincerity.

Neji watches Ashley stare at him for a few seconds, before his shoulders slump a little and his face becomes deadpan, a small bead of sweat appearing on the side of his face.

"....Please don't make this any more awkward than it already feels" he begs quietly, raising one hand to the bridge of his nose.

"Oh!" Ashley exclaims, seemingly breaking out of her stupor. "You're.....you're welcome.........I'm really glad that you're alright Neji."

"We cannot thank you enough for this Ashley!" Lee announces, his teeth sparkling in a dazzling smile. "We will owe you a great debt for the rest of our lives!"

"No, you don't owe me anything" Ashley chuckles awkwardly, already beginning to back away from Neji's bed. "W-We're all friends. That's just what we do for each other."

"The Will of Fire burns brightly in this dark room!" Guy cries out, leaping to his feet and clenching one fist in the air, touched by the words being said. "The vigour of youth never fails to renew my energy! Here Neji, absorb the burning energy in the room and recover speedily!"

".....I don't want to do that....."

As Guy and Lee begin to rave about the Will of Fire and energy of youth, Neji begins to wish he were unconscious again, while Tenten drops her head into her hands. She quickly lifts her head again however, waving Ashley out of the room and mouthing an apology to the somewhat bewildered blonde.

It was impossible to stop Guy and Lee once they went on one of their positive tangents, and Tenten didn't want poor Ashley to be stuck here for it. Perhaps this was the repayment for saving Neji's life. Tenten had probably just saved Ashley's sanity.

Backing out of the room, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of her face, Ashley pulls the sliding door closed as quietly as she can, not wanting to make a noise and risk being noticed. She lets out a low breath as the door closes, taking a second to just regain her cool.

She had been so relieved to see Neji alive. Ashley hadn't really heard many updates about him from any of the nurses, and all she had known is that he had been unconscious the entire time he'd been in the hospital.

While the mission to bring Sasuke back had technically been declared a failure, Ashley didn't even care. Considering what they had gone up against, the fact that everyone was alive was the most important thing to her.

If any of them had died, especially if they had died trying to force Sasuke, her selfish cousin who had left everyone behind in a trail of devastation, back to the Leaf Village, Ashley didn't know if she would ever have been able to view Sasuke with the same eyes anymore.

Straightening up, Ashley holds up the small bundle, still safely wrapped up in a cute, red cloth, before turning around and heading back towards Kiba's room.

While it had been a relief to see Neji of course, Ashley's only reason for coming to the hospital had been to see Kiba, and she was looking forward to it. Although, since Ashley's admission of her feelings, every time she had visited after that, Kiba had developed a habit of always excitedly announcing the arrival of his girlfriend into the room.

Luckily, no one had ever been in the room when he had done it, as it caused Ashley great embarrassment. She would feel her face burn every time, something that made Kiba laugh. When she had asked in exasperation why he felt the need to do that, the Inuzuka had stated how much he enjoyed calling Ashley his girlfriend, as he had never expected that he would be able to.

Ashley hadn't known what to say to that. He'd seemed so happy about it and she hadn't wanted to spoil it for him, though the embarrassment made her want to leap out of the window.

Ashley didn't have any experience being a girlfriend, nor did she know how to be a good one. She just hoped that one day, her shyness at being announced as Kiba's girlfriend would wear off. She didn't even know why it made her feel shy if she was honest, it just did.

Arriving at the familiar door of Kiba's hospital room, Ashley closes her eyes and braces herself for the expected announcement, before stepping inside.

"Ah!" Kiba calls out excitedly. "My girlfriend's here!"

Ashley immediately feels her face flame at those words, the girl trembling a little as she pulls the door closed behind her. A bead of sweat drips down the side of her face, with Ashley opening her eyes to glare at Kiba as she closes the door behind her.

"Why do you have to-"

Ashley abruptly cuts herself off and freezes in place, her eyes widening when she sees Shino and Hinata beside Kiba's bed. Hinata, sitting in a chair, stares back at Ashley with her hands over her mouth, her face also bright red. Shino stands beside Hinata, his hands in his pockets, one eyebrow quirked as he looks over at the newly arrived blonde.

Oblivious to Ashley's embarrassment, Kiba beams at the girl, his sharp teeth visible. Akamaru spins in happy circles at the end of Kiba's bed, wanting Ashley to come over and pat him.

Ashley continues to gape at Hinata and Shino, her eyebrows twitching, feeling so immensely awkward that she doesn't even know what to say to them.

"......Good morning Ashley" Shino eventually says pointedly, breaking the tension in the room.

"Y-Yes, good morning" Hinata adds, ducking her head and fidgeting with the hem of her jacket.

Hinata liked Ashley quite a lot, however, to hear Kiba so bluntly address her as his girlfriend like that and to see Ashley's clear bashfulness about it, had taken the Hyuga girl by surprise.

"G-Good morning" Ashley stutters, before heaving a ragged sigh and raising one hand to rub at her forehead. "....Do you have to say that in front of other people Mutt?"

"What?" Kiba asks sunnily, still grinning as Ashley walks over and reaches out to pet Akamaru's head. "You are my girlfriend aren't you?"

"Shut up!" Ashley barks, now clenching her free hand into a fist and brandishing it towards Kiba. She feels her shoulders droop however, when the Inuzuka merely begins to laugh, amused by the bright red colour of Ashley's cheeks.

Feeling somewhat defeated, Ashley glances down at the bundle held in her other hand, briefly contemplating not even giving it to Kiba anymore. She mulls it over for a few seconds, before ultimately deciding that all of the effort she had gone to would be a complete waste if she didn't hand it over.

"Here" Ashley mutters, dumping the small bundle down in Kiba's lap, before dropping herself into a chair and folding her arms over her chest.

Kiba blinks in surprise at the present, tilting his head as he looks down at it.

"What's this?" he inquires, already tugging at the red cloth to open his gift.

"Food" Ashley says shortly, averting her gaze.

She was still new to having Kiba openly show his affection for her in front of others, and she was certainly new to doing the same. In all honesty, if she had known that anyone would have been in Kiba's room, she wouldn't have come with the gift. It felt uncomfortable giving him such a thing in front of the others.....

But she had gone to a lot of trouble to try and make Kiba's favourite food for him, having had to start over twice to get it just right. She didn't want to waste it, and besides, Ashley knew it would make him happy.

"No way!" Kiba barks, his eyes beginning to sparkle as he opens the red cloth and sees what is inside. "Where the heck did you get this stew from? No one sells it around here!"

Briefly glancing over at Kiba and chewing on her lower lip in thought, Ashley closes her eyes and turns her head away, looking as stubborn as ever.

"........I made it" the blonde mutters quietly, something that causes Kiba to pause for a second. He turns to Ashley, his eyes widening slightly and his heart thudding a little louder.

"What?"

"......I-I made it" Ashley repeats herself nervously, brows knitted in a frown. "...For you."

Hinata places one hand over her heart, as an incredulous Kiba stares at a very uncomfortable looking Ashley, feeling as if her chest is about to burst. While she was aware that Ashley was probably feeling so reserved because she and Shino were there, Hinata also felt thankful to be witnessing such an adorable exchange.

"You mean, this is homemade?" Kiba queries, wanting to be certain that he is understanding the situation correctly, as he clutches at the small container. "You made my favourite food, just for me?"

"Yes" Ashley huffs impatiently, feeling her face flame again as she scowls at the wall.

"This is the best, Angel!" Kiba announces, laughing with delight as he holds the container up, once again grinning at the blonde girl. "Thanks, I can't wait to eat it!"

Knowing how difficult it seemed for Ashley to show direct affection towards him, Kiba felt touched that she had gone to all the trouble of cooking his favourite food for him. Especially while he was stuck in the hospital, where the food often wasn't particularly to his liking.

Seeing the cute blush on her face, Kiba watches as Ashley hesitantly drags her eyes over to meet his gaze, something that causes his grin to widen. Despite how fearsome Ashley tried to be a lot of the time, she sure could be adorable sometimes. Kiba wanted to kiss her, but, given how rigid she seemed to be, looking somewhat like a scared baby animal that wanted to run away, the Inuzuka keeps the thought to himself.

Despite her outward reaction, Ashley can't help feeling a warmth in her chest at seeing Kiba so joyful about receiving some of her home cooking as a gift. She'd known that he would be excited to eat his favourite food again, but his thankfulness at getting it from her had also made her feel happy.

She hadn't ever planned on cooking for him again, but if this is how pleased he was going to be about it, then maybe she would reconsider......

"What were you guys talking about anyway?" Ashley asks with a sigh, trying to not so subtly change the subject, as she leans forwards in her seat.

"Our training schedule" Shino supplies, happy to help the conversation move along from the awkwardness. "Once Kiba has fully recovered, we are going to double our efforts to improve."

"W-We want to try and o-overcome our weaknesses" Hinata adds with a nod, determination on her face.

"Overcome your weaknesses huh?" Ashley repeats, resting her elbow on her leg and leaning her chin in her palm.

"You should train with us Angel" Kiba suggests eagerly. "I still remember you saying that you wanted to get better at using Taijutsu and fighting at short range, right?"

"...Right" Ashley says slowly.

"Well, me and Hinata are the best out of all of our classmates at those things!" Kiba brags, turning to look at his teammate. "Right Hinata? We'd be able to train you up in no time!"

"......I thought Lee was the best at Taijutsu?" Ashley can't help pointing out, to which the girl earns herself a deadpan glare from Kiba.

"That dork wasn't in our class" the Inuzuka points out, before immediately perking up. "We were gonna help Shino with his Taijutsu as well, so why don't you join us?"

"I don't know" Ashley murmurs, her mouth turning up to the side in thought. "....I don't want to get in the way of your training..."

While she did want to improve her fighting skills, Ashley can't help but feel a little uncertain about training with Team Eight. She'd usually done her training either by herself or with the other members of Team Seven. Nowadays though, it seemed almost impossible to do that.

Naruto was always off training with Jiraiya, Sakura shadowed Tsunade most days and Sasuke was.....well, he was just gone. Even Kakashi seemed to be hard to get a hold of lately, always being sent off on missions.

"I-It won't be a bother Ashley-chan" Hinata assures the Minami shyly, giving her a tiny smile. "We'd be h-happy to train with you."

"Exactly" Kiba continues. "And besides, you'll be helping us out as well. You're a mid to long range fighter, and we need more experience with fighting people like that. We'll all be helping each other get stronger!"

"Arf arf!" Akamaru encourages, his tail wagging speedily, as Ashley regards the members of Team Eight with a blank expression.

When they put it to her like that, it didn't seem quite so burdensome. Ashley didn't want them to take time out of their training schedules because she needed their help, but it if was going to be mutual, with Ashley helping them as well, then is sounded a lot more enticing.

And besides, seeing as her team seemed to be preoccupied with their own training, getting stronger together with some of her other friends sounded nice, if Ashley was honest with herself.

"Okay, fine" Ashley sighs, pretending like she had just come to a very difficult decision. "But I won't take it easy on any of you."

"Back atcha Angel" Kiba smirks, his competitive spirit ignited with those few words. "Team Eight are gonna show you what real training looks like!"

Ashley's POV

I laugh to myself as Kiba darts ahead of me, before coming to an abrupt halt and stretching his arms up into the air, while taking in a deep breath.

"Ahhh!" he exhales, folding his hands behind his head and turning around to grin at me, as I walk over to him. "It feels great to finally be outside again. I feel like I've been trapped in there forever!"

"Well, it has been almost three weeks" I muse, glancing down at the sound of a small bark. "What is it Akamaru? Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Arf!" the puppy confirms, raising his two front paws towards me.

Rolling my eyes good naturedly, I bend down and pick up the excited pup. He writhes around as I try to cradle him in my arms, before managing to climb up my shoulder and scrambling onto my head. I feel my expression drop into a deadpan one, hearing the triumphant bark from above.

"I don't remember agreeing to this" I state, though I don't bother trying to remove Akamaru. Truth be told, I don't mind him being there at all. But I can't let him and Kiba know that.

Kiba lets out a laugh at the sight of Akamaru on my head, reaching up to pat his cheeky best friend, before the two of us begin to head down the road, slowly walking side by side.

"Did the nurses tell you when you can start training again?" I inquire, not having heard them mention it at all whilst giving Kiba his last check-up.

"Yeah" the Inuzuka confirms, smirking a little as he raises one brow. "They said I could train straight away if I take it easy, but we both know I'm not gonna do that, heh."

"Yeah well, don't come crying to me when I easily beat you then" I warn, shrugging casually. "I don't wanna hear any whining about it."

"I promise, you won't hear any" Kiba tells me confidently, "Coz I won't be losing to you."

Before I can retort, I hear someone calling to me from behind. Recognising the voice as Sakura's, I turn around, only to see her running towards me.

"I'm glad I caught you" she says, taking a second to catch her breath. "I'm supposed to meet Naruto down at the Village gates, and Lady Tsunade said that he asked to see you as well."

"What for?" I ask, to which Sakura shrugs.

"I don't know" she admits. "But Lady Tsunade said that he has something to tell us both."

I tilt my head at Sakura in silent curiosity, but she merely holds her hands up and shrugs, sighing a little.

"I just hope it's not something stupid" she complains. "I'm really busy with my training."

"It's Naruto" Kiba teases, as we all begin to walk towards the entrance gates. "Chances are, it's something stupid."

"I'd usually agree Mutt" I say, adding a sweet tone to my voice when I address Kiba by his nickname, "But it's pretty unusual for Naruto to pass along a message to us through the Hokage. He probably knew we'd both be at the hospital, so why not just go there himself?"

"Good point...." Sakura murmurs, holding her chin in thought.

"Considering I've barely seen Naruto since coming back home" I grumble, pouting a little, "The least he could've done is come to see me. But instead, we're dragged along by him, as usual..."

"You're not really one to let yourself get dragged around Ashley" Sakura tells me smartly, a knowing look in her eyes that kind of irritates me for some reason, "But you always seem to go along with Naruto, despite complaining about it all the time."

I feel my cheeks warm a little at this accusation, though I find that I am unable to protest it. I can't seem to help getting swept along by Naruto sometimes. Whether it be something stupid or something he feels from the bottom of his heart, Naruto's passion always seems to engulf me and drag me along for the ride. There's just something so compelling about him, despite the fact that he can be a real idiot sometimes.

It's somehow easy for your heart to be swayed when Naruto is involved. Something that I will never admit out loud.

"Sakura" I warn, turning to give the slightly taller girl a dark look, "I'd shut my mouth if I were you. I'd hate for your new teacher to have to treat you so early on."

"Pfft, you can't threaten me anymore" Sakura laughs obnoxiously. "I've seen you cry too many times for you to be scary anymore."

I see Kiba begin to sweat at that, as a large vein appears on my forehead and begins to throb, my eyes narrowing at Sakura. I whirl around and punch one hand into my palm, cracking my knuckles loudly, an action that causes Sakura to pause.

"I guess I've gotten too soft, huh?" I growl angrily, fire beginning to burn around me, as Kiba swiftly snatches Akamaru from the top of my head. "Well then, let me remind you how scary I am! Hyah!"

As Sakura flinches away from me, I leap up and throw one arm around her neck, before tugging her down to my height in a headlock. Blinking her eyes a few times, Sakura stands in a hunched position, her hands now gripping my forearm.

From the corner of my eye, I see Kiba struggling to hold his laughter in, no doubt amused by how silly we probably look. After a few seconds of seemingly trying to process what had just happened, I feel Sakura try to pull herself free, only for my arm to tighten around her.

"Uh, Ashley-"

"Anyway" I say casually, smirking to myself as I begin to walk again, "Let's go and meet with Naruto."

"You got it" Kiba chuckles, watching as Sakura is forced to stumble alongside me in her awkward, bent over position.

"Ashley" Sakura hisses, a vein now pulsing on the side of her head. "Let me go!"

"Not until you learn your lesson" I state coolly, her annoyance only amusing me further.

"Fine!" Sakura exclaims, digging her nails into my arm. "You win, you're so scary. Just let me go!"

"Ow!" I shout, immediately releasing Sakura and rubbing at my arm, casting her an accusatory glare. "Geez Sakura, you're like an animal. What, were you gonna bite me next?"

"I would have" she retorts confidently, a defiant gleam in her eyes. "Absolutely."

Sakura and I both glare at each other for a few seconds, before I see the corner of her mouth twitch slightly, and we both break into giggles.

"Girls sure are scary" Kiba muses, raising his brows at the both of us.

"Arf" Akamaru agrees, hanging over Kiba's shoulder.

We continue the rest of the way without incident, aside from Sakura making some vague comment about a rumour of Kiba and I dating. I quickly shut her up however, not wanting to speak about it. I saw the way she had smirked at me though, and that had made me want to put her back in another headlock.

"Hey look, there's the knucklehead" Kiba eventually notices, pointing ahead of us. "Who's the guy with him though?"

Looking ahead, I see Naruto standing with his back against one of the entrance gates, head tilted down as he speaks to the man sitting on the ground beside him. I can't help but want to sigh at the sight of his white hair, having always found Naruto's teacher a bit weird.

"Just ignore that guy" I advise, before breaking into a jog, one hand raised in a wave. "Hey Naruto!