Edited 14/08/2015

Ashley's POV

I take my time heading to my team's meeting point, rather enjoying the early morning sunshine on my face. We were all told to meet at some bridge about an hour ago, but to be honest, I'm not too worried about getting there on time. I mean, it's not like Kakashi ever is. He's always two or three hours late.

I stifle a yawn while I casually stroll through the Village, watching some of the early rising civilians as they begin setting up their street stalls and opening their shops. Tilting my head back to look up, I can tell that it's going to be a beautiful day, if the clear sky is anything to go by. One or two clouds float lazily by, a cool morning breeze blowing through my hair.

As I look up at the sky, three shadows leap over me, causing me to raise an eyebrow. I didn't have a chance to see who they were, but they seem to be in a bit of a hurry. I suppose bounding over roof tops is a lot quicker than navigating your way through the streets.

As I look back down to the road, a small yelp catches my attention, just as something furry crashes right into my face and almost knocks me backwards.

"What the hell?!" I exclaim, not having expecting the impact. I feel tiny feet scrabbling at the sides of my head, before I reach up and manage to pull the furry thing from my face.

Trying my best not to deadpan at the small creature in my hands, I find myself staring into an adorable white face.

"Grrrrrrr...." the little Dog begins growling at me, apparently uncomfortable with me holding him. Well, that's too bad really. He crashed into me after all.

Furrowing my brows a little, I tilt my head. This Dog looks very familiar to me, but I can't remember what his name is...

"Sorry pup" I apologise, trying not to sound too harsh, "But I can't remember your name."

Realising that I'm actually not going to hurt him, the white puppy tilts his head the opposite way to me and stares at me for a moment. Before long, the young Canine's brown tail begins to wag, moving faster as I gently scratch behind one of his soft ears.

"Arf!" he barks happily, to which I pull him closer to me and allow him to nestle comfortably in my arms. I'm not really a Dog person myself, but this little guy is kind of.....cute.

"I suppose I'd better get you back to your moron of a master then hey?" I ask the pup, looking down as I tickle his soft, furry tummy.

"Arf arf!!" the puppy chuckles, pausing as my words register in his mind. "Grrrrr....."

"Sorry to offend you" I apologise sarcastically, rolling my eyes as the puppy begins chuckling again when I continue tickling him, "But sometimes the truth hurts."

"Akamaru?" a worried voice suddenly calls, making me raise my head. "Akamaaaruuu!"

Heaving a sigh, I turn around and glance up at a nearby building, only to see a grey clad boy standing on top of the roof. He momentarily closes his eyes and raises his nose in the air, looking like he's trying to smell something. The boy's head immediately turns down towards me, his animal like eyes popping open and focusing on his Dog.

His eyes widen slightly at the sight of me, as he leaps down to the ground and easily lands on all fours. The boy cautiously rises to his feet, taking in the blank stare I'm giving him and the way I softly ruffle the fur on his puppy's head.

"There you are Akamaru" Kiba says in his rough voice, sounding somewhat relieved, though he still looks a little uncertain about me.

"Arf!" the puppy barks happily, looking over at his master as his tongue lolls from the side of his open mouth. I place my hands under the puppy's forelegs and hold him up in front of my face.

"So your name's Akamaru huh?" I ask the Canine flatly, to which he nods his head and barks at me cheerfully.

"You better not have done anything to him" Kiba warns, to which I slowly turn my head and give him a wry look. Who's he kidding?

"Please" I scoff, rolling my eyes and lowering his wriggling puppy to the ground. "I may not be the friendliest person around, but I'm no animal abuser."

Akamaru runs over to Kiba, who crouches down and opens his arms, smiling at the tiny animal. With a happy bark, Akamaru jumps into Kiba's arms and begins licking his face, before scrambling up his shoulder and sitting on top of the brunette's head.

"Just a quick question before I go" I say, watching the happy puppy suspiciously. "Why was your Dog using my face as a landing pad? I saw you and your team jumping across the buildings just fine, so why couldn't he?"

Kiba gives me a confused look, shrugging as his eyes travel up to try and glance at Akamaru.

"Boy?" he asks the little Dog, to which it responds with a quick series of barks, my brows furrowing in thought as I listen.

"He tripped?" I ask, repeating the few words I'd actually understood the small Canine say. "How graceful...."

Kiba and Akamaru glance at me in surprise, with the brunette's eyes widening a little. Clearly they hadn't been expecting me to understand that.

"You understood what he said?" Kiba asks, causing me to nod. "How?!"

"I only understood a couple of words" I sigh boredly, my shoulders drooping a little. "I grew up around Wolves and their language is basically the same as a Dog's. Only minor differences."

That said, I turn around and bend my knees, about to leap away, when a strong hand grabs my wrist. A small, annoyed growl escapes my lips, as I turn to see Kiba's now smirking face. He certainly moves quickly, running those few metres in a mere second.

"You wanna keep that hand?" I ask Kiba lowly, eyes narrowed at him. The brunette nods slowly in response, looking a little confused. "Then you'd better let me go."

Kiba obliges me by releasing my wrist and holds up his hands, though he's now smirking at me again. I narrow my eyes further at the confident boy, as he lowers his hands and places them in his jacket pockets.

"What's the rush beautiful?" Kiba asks, suddenly sounding as self assured and annoying as the first time we'd met. "Why don't you stick around so we can get more acquainted?"

"No thanks" I retort pointedly, internally gritting my teeth and urging myself not to attack the boy before me. "I've got places to be and ridiculous missions to complete."

"K-Kiba-kun?" a quiet voice asks from above, catching both of our attentions. We look up, only to see Hinata's head peeking over the side of the rooftop Kiba had dropped down from. Her pale eyes widen when she sees the irritated expression on my face.

"Oh, h-hello Ashley-san" she greets shyly, flinching slightly when I merely glare back at her. After a moment, I give Hinata a swift head nod in greeting and turn my stony gaze back to Kiba. I mean, Hinata hasn't annoyed me yet, but this boy sure has.

"Before I forget" I growl at Kiba, making his eyes flick over to me, "Don't call me beautiful."

Kiba smirks at that and shrugs his shoulders, winking at me in what I'm assuming is an attempt to be cute or something. Too bad it's not working.

"Whatever you want Angel" the irritating brunette replies with a small laugh, "Whatever you want."

Before I can protest about being called an Angel, Kiba bends his knees and does a flip, easily landing back up onto the roof top again. Now crouching next to a worried looking Hinata, Kiba glances back over his shoulder and salutes me cheekily.

"Until next time Angel!" he shouts with another laugh, disappearing from my view. I hear a shrill bark from Akamaru, which I think means goodbye. Who knows, and who cares really?...

"G-Goodbye Ashley-san" Hinata whispers timidly, before following after Kiba and also vanishing back over the roof top.

Staring after the two for a moment, I let out an aggravated breath and tilt my head down, closing my eyes for a brief moment.

'If he annoys you so much brat, why don't you just kill him?" an amused Hakuba inquires.

'Because' I growl back pointedly, reopening my eyes as I whirl around and begin stomping towards the bridge I'm supposed to meet my team at.

'A well thought out answer' Hakuba taunts, rolling his eyes. 'I know that you'd just love to wipe that over confident grin from his face.'

"For one Hakuba thing, it's against the law to kill a fellow Ninja" I grumble out loud, jumping when Hakuba's deep, rumbling laugh suddenly echoes through my mind.

'And since when do you care about laws and having fellow Ninja?" he asks, sounding highly entertained.

"I don't" I reply hotly, "I just don't need to deal with being chased down by dozens of ANBU Black Ops right now. I have no idea if they're even still keeping an eye on me or not.......Now shut up and go away. You're being a pain."

'I don't take orders from the likes of you brat' Hakuba growls back at me in annoyance, when something yellow floats past my head and drags my attention away from him.

"Keiji?" I ask in confusion, my eyes flicking up to look after the yellow thing. I feel my face drop into a deadpan however, when I see that the yellow object is just a piece of discarded trash, caught by the wind.

'Pfft, how pathetic...' Hakuba mutters disdainfully, 'Yearning after a weak, little insect. '

"......I'm not yearning" I mutter out loud, shaking my head at my own stupidity. Why had I felt sort of hopeful?

"It's just a bug" I add, frowning to myself as I break into a run.

"Ashley, you're late!" Naruto exclaims angrily, oblivious to the scowl on my face. "Like really late!"

"Yeah?" I ask him challengingly, squatting down on the railing of the bridge. "And what exactly is your point?"

"Well, you were supposed to be here almost two hours ago" Naruto mutters, crossing his arms and squinting at me. I turn my head away and roll my eyes, deciding that just ignoring the blonde is the best way to go. Maybe if I don't acknowledge his existence, Naruto will just never talk to me again. That would be wonderful...

"Naruto, Kakashi Sensei isn't here yet either..." Sakura points out carefully, green eyes nervously flicking to me.

'I still think you should kill him' Hakuba growls lowly, referring to the boy with the Demon Fox trapped inside him. "I want that power he's carrying....'

'Hakuba...' I begin uncertainly, knowing his intentions for the Kyuubi's power. 'I'm not going to-"

"Quiet!' he roars, interrupting me and making me visibly wince. 'I'm not telling you to kill him right this second, but you will do as I say. I want that power back, and you're going to help me get it!"

'Of course' I sigh, just wanting to shut the Demon up so I don't get a headache, 'You'll get the Nine Tails' power back.'

'It's not his power...' Hakuba growls softly. 'You know that brat."

'Yeah, whatever' I sigh again, subtly rolling my eyes at Hakuba's sudden attitude.

I wonder if Naruto ever has this much trouble with the Kyuubi? Does it ever speak to him? Does it ever try to convince him to do bad things, the way Hakuba tries to do to me? I wonder if the Nine Tails is even as evil as Hakub-

'Never compare me to that weak, pathetic excuse for a Demon!' Hakuba positively thunders, causing me to instinctively throw my hands over my ears. 'I am so far above that wretched being! You will give me the respect I deserve brat! Or I will make you suffer!"

"Ashley?!" Sakura cries, too surprised to be afraid as I drop to my knees, eyes scrunched closed in pain. "Ashley, what's wrong?!"

'Do you understand me you foolish child?' Hakuba seethes, furiously slamming himself against the steel bars that keep him a prisoner inside my head. 'I will destroy you from the inside out!"

"Ashley!" Sakura calls again, running to my side and standing over me, unsure of what to do. "A-Are you alri-"

"S-Stop!" I can't help snapping, interrupting Sakura and curling my fingers into my hair. "Stop yelling at me!"

'You arrogant little brat!' Hakuba continues roaring, throwing himself against the metal bars again and making them shake. 'Don't you dare tell me what to do! You will treat me with respect, like the deity that I am! I will put you back in your place. I am in charge of you, not the other way around! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes!" I cry, pulling on my hair as my arms tremble, my head in a lot of pain due to Hakuba's furious roaring. "Yes, I get it!"

Looking confused, Naruto runs over to me and places a gentle hand on my shoulder. He exchanges a worried look with Sakura, before turning his blue eyes back to me.

"Yelling?" he repeats to himself, brow furrowing. "Nobody is yelling at you Ashley......What's the matter?!"

About to charge at the steel bars again, Hakuba suddenly freezes, his now wide eyes searching the walls of his prison. He begins slowly turning his head, looking for something as my mind is flooded with a strangely calm feeling, a faint blue aura lighting up the dim room.

'What is......' Hakuba murmurs, his ears laying back, 'What is this......feeling? I don't like it...'

I raise my head and look up at Hakuba, only to see him cautiously stepping backwards, retreating into the depths of his prison and slowly fading into the shadows. My eyes grow wide as I look around the room, fascinated by the pale glow lighting up the area. I don't know what's going on but I feel.......strangely calm and safe in my own mind for once. What is going on here?....

'Well, whatever this is...' Hakuba growls in a hushed tone, only his red eyes now visible in the darkness. 'Never forget.....I am the one in charge here.......'

Exhaling a sigh of relief, I crack one eye open, only to be met by Naruto's kind blue eyes, regarding me worriedly.

"Are you alright Ashley?" he asks softly, kneeling down next to me. I stare back at the blonde suspiciously, panting a little as my brows begin to furrow. After a few moments, I suddenly smack Naruto's hand away, shocking the boy and making his eyes widen. As soon as Naruto's hand leaves my shoulder, that strange, calming feeling disappears, confusing me even further.

"W-what do you care?" I growl lowly, trying to regulate my breathing as I lean a hand on my knee and shakily push myself to my feet. Is it because of Naruto's touch that I felt that calm? It doesn't seem possible, but the possibility scares me a little anyway.

After staring at me incredulously for a few seconds, Naruto's mouth turns down into a frown, his blue eyes narrowing at me angrily.

"What do I care?" he repeats lowly. "What do I care?! I care because even though you may hate us Ashley, you're a member of Team Seven! That makes you my teammate and my friend, whether you like it or not!......And I don't like seeing my friends suffer!"

I take a step an uncertain step back from Naruto after his little outburst, feeling perplexed and conflicted by his words. How could I possibly be his friend? I've never been kind to Naruto, or any of the others for that matter. I've purposely tried to make sure that they know I don't like them, so why is Naruto stating that I'm his friend? Why should he even care if I'm suffering?

"Friend?...." I mumble to myself, flicking my cautious eyes from Naruto to Sakura. The pinkette gulps nervously, though she nods her head in agreement and tries to give me a smile. Looking over at Sasuke next, I see him smirk at me like a jerk, his dark eyes somewhat amused. Shaking my head slowly, I glare back over at Naruto, my hands balling into fists.

"I don't need your friendship..." I state nastily, causing Sakura's eyes to grow quite round. Naruto's face darkens however, as he takes a step forwards, his hands also balling into fists.

"What did you say?" the blonde asks quietly, glowering at me.

"I said I don't need your friendship!" I snap, not breaking Naruto's gaze. "I don't need any of you! Friends are a just a waste of time! They do nothing but drag you down and cause you heartache and pain!...... I should kill you all right now.....

"What?!" Sakura cries in horror, scurrying backwards and hiding behind Naruto. Sasuke's smirk abruptly drops at my words, the raven haired boy stepping up beside his other male teammate and bracing himself for an attack.

'Good job brat' Hakuba praises darkly, 'Put those foolish children in their places......Let them know that they mean absolutely nothing to you...'

"You all mean nothing to me!" I shout angrily, repeating Hakuba's words. "You're stupid to just accept me as your friend! You don't even know anything about me!"

'Just imagine what they'd all think if they did really know you kid' Hakuba chuckles lowly, grinning to himself. 'If they knew what kind of life you'd led, they'd drop you like a piece of trash and want nothing to do with you.....'

'Maybe I should just tell them' I reply smartly, though I can't help visibly wincing a little, 'Then they'll stop bugging me...'

My eyes drop from Naruto's determined gaze, down to the ground, as Hakuba's evil laughter echoes through my head. Ever since I was a child, Hakuba's been sealed inside of me and I'm pretty used to him always having an opinion on things, no matter how cold and cruel it may be.

He'd often tell me that putting my trust and faith in others was stupid, because humans are all the same. Deceiving, untrustworthy and rotten to the core. And while he often insults me for being weak and incredibly infuriating, I believe him when he tells me of the pain, heartbreak and sorrow that comes with being close to people....I've experienced all of those emotions before as well, so I can sort of understand what he means, despite not feeling any of those things since I was a young child.

I have no idea where Hakuba's hatred for people comes from though. I've never asked and in all honesty, I don't care to know. All I know is that Hakuba is evil and though I can't help accepting his warnings about other people, due to my past experiences, there's no way he'll ever get the better of me.

However, I'm still not about to let these pathetic Leaf Village Genin get in my head and try to hurt me. I'd rather hurt them first!

'If you let me out right now brat' Hakuba speaks up slyly, interrupting my thoughts, 'I'll dispose of these deceiving children right now. I'll teach them a lesson for trying to get close to you. They're only going to hurt you after all. You know this, don't you?'

Lifting my head and looking at Hakuba with a hard gaze, I step right up to his cage as he lowers his head, hooding his ruby eyes.

'You know that all you have to do is remove the seal' Hakuba whispers darkly, his eyes widening with anticipation as I reach up. 'Just tear it off, and I'll destroy them all.....'

Suddenly coming to my senses as Hakuba begins chuckling, I rip my hand back from the seal and hug it to my chest, shaking my head. Feeling highly annoying, I send Hakuba a deathly glare and leap away from the seal.

'I'm no fool Hakuba' I snarl angrily, my heart beating rapidly against my ribcage, 'You just want me to remove the seal so you can take over my body and unleash your power on the world! You don't want to help me! Well, I'm not going to do what you want!"

'How dare you say such things to me!" Hakuba roars with fury, annoyed that I've refused to let him out once again. 'I've always been here for you and looked out for you! Take this damned seal off now you ungrateful little cretin!'

'No!' I snap back, baring my canine-like teeth at him nastily. 'I'll never set you free Hakuba! No matter how many times you look out for me! It still doesn't change who you are or what you want!'

'Such insolence' Hakuba spits, his red eyes glowing angrily as he turns away from me, 'Baring your teeth at me like that. Don't try to challenge me brat, because that arrogance will be the death of you.'

'You can't do anything Hakuba' I taunt, shaking my head, "You're stuck in that little cage.'

'Yes, for now' Hakuba informs me eerily, suddenly looming right in front of me, pressed right up against the steel bars, 'But for how much longer? You have such a fragile mental state, don't be surprised if I'm able to take over you in merely week's time. Your weakness will be my uprising. Don't forget it brat....'

That said, Hakuba disappears into the depths of his dark cage, laughing to himself in an ominous manner. I let out a deep sigh and shake my head again, closing my eyes. While Hakuba knows that if my mental state were to grow exceptionally fragile, he'd be able to break free, it's never going to happen. I'm far too strong to let him overpower me. He's the arrogant one here, not me.

"Well, perhaps if you'd actually take part in our missions" a calm voice states, snapping me completely out of my thoughts, "We could get to know you Ashley."

All of our heads swivel around, only to find Kakashi perched at the top of an archway close by to the bridge. My heart still pounding a little from my argument with Hakuba, I turn my eyes down to the ground, a scowl still sitting on my face.

"Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto asks, sounding a little confused. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, hey guys" Kakashi greets calmly, acting like he hadn't even seen our fight. "Sorry, I got lost on the path of life on my way here."

"Yeah right!" Sakura and Naruto both shout, jabbing accusing fingers up at our silver haired Sensei. "That's such a lie!"

Seeming to feel Sasuke's eyes on his back, Naruto abruptly whirls around and glowers at his rival. His eyebrow twitches as the Uchiha glares back at him challengingly, electricity shooting between their eyes. Sakura's eyebrow also twitches, but only because she's clearly annoyed that the two boys are at it again.

Letting out a low breath, I place one hand to the side of my head and lean back against the railing of the bridge, staring at my squabbling teammates curiously. Have they forgotten our little episode already?

"Yes, they've already forgiven" Kakashi speaks up coolly, dropping down from the arch to stand beside me, "And they've already forgotten as well Ashley."

"How did you....." I trail off, looking from Kakashi, over to my now shouting teammates. "Why though? I wasn't exactly nice to them before, nor was I grateful for their concern. It doesn't even make sense....."

"I'm not sure" Kakashi replies with a sigh, shrugging one shoulder. "They're just like that....In fact, I think most Leaf Ninja are. Our Hokage is a very wise man and his teachings are well received."

"I see....." I murmur thoughtfully, though my brows furrow as I attempt to understand Kakashi's meaning.

"Oh, and by the way" the Jonin adds mysteriously, making me glance back up at him, one eyebrow raised. "I believe that this is yours."

Looking down, Kakashi holds his hands out towards me, palms facing up towards the sky. I stare down at the tiny thing in the Jonin's hand, as it gives a little shiver and begins flapping its wings.

"Keiji!" I cry happily, spinning in a circle as the yellow Butterfly jumps up and begins flitting around my head. "I thought you were dead! How can you be here right now? Kakashi?"

As I lift my head to give the silver haired man a questioning look, I freeze in place, noticing that everyone is staring at me through big, round eyes. Naruto's mouth is even hanging open a little, making him look like more of a genius than usual.

I shift uncomfortably under their gazes, my happy smile slowly dropping into an annoyed frown.

"What?" I snap, throwing one hand on my hip, as Naruto bounds over to me, a broad grin on his ridiculous face.

"Ashley!" he exclaims, laughing a little. "That's the first time I've ever seen you smile! It looks nice, you should do it more often!"

I stare at Naruto for a moment, contemplating whether I should punch him or not. I don't like that he's standing so close and I'm highly unsure about this friendliness of his. A few minutes ago he was annoyed at me and now he's grinning at me like a psychotic clown.

"Don't tell me what to do..." I eventually mutter, turning my head away. I'd tried to sound fierce, but I think I failed at that, if Sakura's enthusiastic nodding is anything to go by.

"Who would've thought that a Butterfly would be able to bring out the best in you?" she asks, giving me a closed eye smile and tilting her head to the side. As I switch my suspicious gaze to Sasuke, he merely smirks at me again, trying his best to be all cool and mysterious.

These people really do confuse me.....They make me wonder if I could possibly be wrong about others. Maybe having friends is okay?.....I'm not sure right now, considering what happened the last time I had friends, but I mean, look how happy it made me to have Keiji back.....

'Ashley!' Hakuba suddenly thunders in my head. 'Don't even think about-'

'I really need to talk to Ace' I think wearily, focusing a large amount of my chakra to try and block Hakuba out for once. 'Maybe he can help me make sense of things.....'

"Seriously Kakashi" I speak up flatly, "How did Keiji get here? I thought he was dead?"

"I really don't know" the Jonin answers honestly, staring down at the little insect curiously. "I just woke up this morning and saw him sitting at my window. So I thought that I'd bring him back to you, like the good Sensei that I am."

I peer up at the silver haired man stubbornly, trying not to pout.

"Well, th-thank...." I pause for a moment, heaving an irritable sigh, before trying again. "Thank you!"

I can't help deadpanning as everyone looks at me incredulously, apparently surprised by my words.

"Yeah wow" I scoff sarcastically, rolling my eyes, "I do actually have manners..."

So, we had to go on three measly D Rank missions today, so you would think they'd be simple, menial tasks that even people without Ninja rankings could do right? Wrong. With Naruto around, everything becomes at least ten times more tiresome and difficult than it should be.

First of all, we had to pull weeds out of some lady's garden, seeing as it would just be much too difficult for her to just do it herself. Naruto, wanting to beat Sasuke, had pulled out all of the weeds in this lady's garden.....Along with all of her special herbs. So she beat him up and we all copped an earful. Even Kakashi got yelled at.

Secondly, we had to go and pull trash from a river, which is actually quite insulting to me. I mean, I didn't become a Ninja to clean up trash people were too lazy to dispose of properly.

Anyway, while we were cleaning, Naruto was trying to show off and ended up slipping over. Since the river had quite a strong current, the idiot was sent sailing over the edge of the waterfall, only to have Sasuke catch him just in time. He should have just let Naruto fall, to make all of our lives easier....

And thirdly, we each had to walk a dog. Apparently Dog owners are much too lazy to walk their own freaking Dogs, so they have to hire Ninja to do it for them. Of course, being the moron that he is, little Naruto chose the biggest, bulkiest, strongest dog there. He ended up being dragged through a mine field which, I will admit, highly amused me.

As the lot of us, looking a little dishevelled, walk back into the Leaf Village, I struggle to try and tune Naruto's complaining out. Not wanting to lunge at the annoying blonde, I turn my head and watch a happy Keiji flit around next to me, doing figure eights in the air.

Before I can react, Keiji suddenly spins around and darts right at me, smacking straight into my forehead and almost making me jump.

"Keiji, you can't sit th-"

I am cut off by a bright light suddenly flashing before me, causing me to squeeze my eyes closed and throw up my arms.

Cautiously reopening my eyes, I find myself in what feels to be some sort of vortex, with strong wind billowing all around me and my hair whipping around wildly. The wind lashes at my skin, leaving it stinging and feeling as though it is burning.

'Wh-Where am I?' I wonder, turning around. 'This feels so famili-'

"This feels so evil!" I hear a voice shout over the roaring wind, the strange familiarity of it causing me to whirl around. I let out a shocked gasp when I see myself a few metres away, squinting into the ferocious wind and trying to look at something.

Turning my head a little, I see Naruto hunching over, red chakra swirling around him in a vicious vortex. Looming high above the blonde boy, the face of the Nine Tailed Fox forms out of the chakra, its teeth bared in a malicious grin.

"This is....." I trail off, realisation dawning on me. "This is when Keiji was killed!"

I flinch as the Nine Tailed Fox releases a thunderous roar, watching my past self stumble, almost falling to the ground from the powerful shock wave. Keiji clings to my shoulder desperately, struggling not to get blown away.

"Keiji!" my past self suddenly cries, jumping forwards and reaching out in a vain attempt to recover the tiny insect. I bite my lower lip as I watch Keiji get pulled along by the stinging wind once again, not understanding why I have to watch him die a second time.

"Wh-What?" I whisper in disbelief, my eyes widening when the Butterfly suddenly disappears in a small puff of smoke. "What?! D-Did Keiji just use a.....a Substitution Jutsu? What's going on around here?!"

"I'm gonna kill you......" Naruto utters Haku darkly, baring his sharp teeth as the vortex of chakra dies down. The blonde crouches down and releases a guttural growl, before launching himself towards Haku on all fours.

Before Naruto can attack however, I am suddenly encased in another flash of bright light, causing me to tilt my head down and close my eyes. What the hell is happening?!

"Ashley?!"

"Ashley! What's wrong?!"

"Not again..."

I slowly open my eyes and raise my head, only to see the worried looks on my teammate's faces. Actually, I take that back. Naruto and Sakura look concerned, while Sasuke still looks pretty neutral and Kakashi......Well, he's wearing a mask over half of his face, so it's difficult to tell exactly what sort of expressions he's got really.

"Ashley!" Sakura chirps, eyes sparkling. "You're okay!"

Staring at the pink haired girl blankly for a few moments, I blink as Keiji flutters down from my forehead and lands in my outstretched hand. Tilting my head down to stare at the insect in shocked silence, a deep frown settles on my face, my brain whirring.

Is Keiji a....a Ninja? A Ninja Butterfly? Could there possibly be anything more ridiculous than that?!

"Hey" Sasuke addresses me casually, hands shoved in his pockets, "You alright?"

Lifting my head, I peer at everyone curiously. Why are they still worrying about me? These Leaf Ninja.....They really do confuse me....

"I'm fine" I reply shortly, while raising my hand and nodding towards Keiji, "But there's something weird about this Butterfly."

"Really?" Naruto asks, bounding over to inspect Keiji up close. "Hmmm........He seems pretty normal to me!"

"Well he's not" I reply pointedly, shaking my head. "I'm pretty sure he just used a Genjutsu on me....."

"What?!" Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all exclaim, shocked looks on their faces. Kakashi merely tilts his head to the side in thought, visible eye focused on Keiji.

"Well, that would explain why you just froze in place a second ago" the Jonin comments. "So, what did he do to you?"

"He just showed me how he survived back in the Land of Waves" I reply offhandedly, though Naruto bows his head, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "He.....He used a Substitution Jutsu."

Kakashi chuckles quietly at that, as Naruto snorts and begins to laugh, holding his stomach. Sakura shoots them both a dirty look, before covering her own smile with her hand. I just sigh and raise an eyebrow down at the weird Butterfly still perched happily in my hand.

"Yeah, I know" I state flatly, "It's pretty stupid."

Naruto places his hand on my shoulder, oblivious to the warning look he immediately receives from me. Oh well. If he wants to lose his hand, who am I to stop him?

"Nah, it's not really that weird" he assures me loudly, still grinning. "Well, it's probably not the weirdest thing in the world anyway!"

Sakura cautiously leans forward, prodding Naruto in the shoulder to catch his attention.

"Psssst, Naruto!" she whispers loudly, making the blonde's head swivel towards her. "You're in her killing zone!"

Naruto pauses for a moment, before sweat dropping and tearing his hand away from me, as if my shoulder had burned his palm. Amused by his reaction, I give the blonde a wry smile, flashing my pointed teeth. To my enjoyment, Naruto takes another step back, gulping uncertainly.

The sudden, piercing call of a bird draws all of our attentions to the sky above however, our heads tilting backwards. High above us, we see a large, brown Hawk circling in the sky, before it flaps its wings and flies off with another loud cry.

"Alright you guys" Kakashi speaks up, sighing lightly. "Let's call it a day. I have to go and file my report on these missions."

"Whatever" Sasuke drawls, turning to walk away. "I'm outta here."

'He's got the personality of a stick' I can't help thinking, watching the Uchiha leave, hands shoved in the pockets of his white shorts. 'A really, really boring stick.'

"Wait!" Sakura calls desperately, running after Sasuke like the obsessed fan girl that she is. "I'll go with you!"

Naruto watches on, looking incredibly depressed as his shoulders droop a little. Seeing the blonde glance hopefully at me, I sigh and turn away as well.

"Well, I'm off too then" I say decisively, making Naruto's blue eyes widen.

"Hey wait!" he yells, throwing out a hand. "Why is everyone ditching me?!"

"You don't really want to hang out with me, do you?" I ask dryly, giving my blonde teammate a serious look. Naruto seems to think about this for a moment, his face screwing up with thought.

"Yes!" he finally cries, fists pumping the air, "I do!"

"Well, that's kind of too bad for you then" I say with a smirk, bounding away and leaving the boy behind.

"Awwww......" I hear Naruto whine behind me.

I come to a stop on the outskirts of the Village, in what looks to be some sort of forested training area. I can see wooden dummies and kunai targets dotted around the place. It's quite peaceful and private here, so this spot should do. I perform some quick hand signs, before slamming my palm down on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" I call out, suddenly becoming enveloped in large cloud of white smoke. I feel something heavy land on the ground a few metres in front of me, as the smoke swiftly begins to fade away.

When all of the smoke finally disappears, I find myself staring at a large, Wolf, his fur a very dark, navy blue colour. Lazily turning his head and spotting me over his shoulder, the Wolf turns around and regards me with one serious, pale green eye. His left eye is covered with a black eye patch, dotted with silver, metal studs.

"Milady" the Wolf greets in a low voice, dipping his head slightly.

"Hi Ace" I reply rather blandly, hands on my hips as Ace saunters over to me. He sits back on his haunches before me, patiently waiting to learn why I'd summoned him here.

A stoic expression on my face, I reach up and place my hand on Ace's head, patting him. While Ace may be almost as tall as me and physically more powerful, he's incredibly obedient and there's no one in this world that I trust more than him.

"Milady" Ace sighs, his voice low, "No disrespect to you, but I know that you did not summon me here to pat me. What do you require of me?"

Pulling my hand back towards me, I nod my head and lean my back against a tree, sliding down to the ground in a sitting position.

"Yeah, you're right" I confirm, not meeting the Wolf's eye as he lowers himself to the ground to be level with me. "......You know you're my most trusted partner right Ace?"

"Of course" my partner replies, briefly closing his visible eye. "Thank you Milady."

"Well," I explain slowly, brows furrowing a little, "I want your opinion on something quite important."

"You know that I will help you in any way I can Milady" Ace replies sincerely, reopening his eye and tilting his head to the side.

"Well, it's about Hakuba..." I trail off, hearing the way Ace begins to growl quietly.

"Is that creature still causing you grief?" the Wolf asks lowly, baring his teeth as if Hakuba were standing right in front of him. "Forgive me Milady, but the fact that he causes you pain infuriates me, yet I cannot do anything to protect you."

"Yeah, don't worry about that" I reply uncaringly, folding my arms over my chest. "Just listen alright? I want to know your view on something."

Ace nods, crossing one paw over the other.

"You know that Hakuba lives inside me" I state, "And he wants to break free from my psyche. He's always telling me that getting close to others will hurt me........Well, what do you think?"

"Of course that monster wants to be free Milady" Ace scoffs flatly, ears laying flat against his head. "He wants to destroy everything."

"Ace, just answer my question."

"My apologies" the navy Wolf murmurs, before his pale eye flicks back up to my face. "May I ask you a question in answer? Has being close with me ever hurt you in any way Milady?"

"No. Not yet anyway."

"I assure you, it never will Milady" Ace promises in his gravelly voice, "We have been partners since we were both young and I would never hurt you. Now, has being close to the other pack members ever hurt you?"

"No, but I'm not as close to them as I am with you" I respond, sounding a little colder than I meant to. "They just appear when I summon them, do as I say and then go away. You're really the only one I talk to from time to time."

"Yes, I know this Milady......" Ace says softly, before pausing hesitantly. "When your family was alive, did they hurt you?"

I can't help the way my hands clench into fists at that question. Ace knows that I don't like to talk, or even think about my family.

"Ace, you know not to talk about them...." I growl warningly, my eyes dropping to the ground. "......But in life, no, they never intentionally hurt me. In death however......Well, that's another story......"

"Forgive me Milady, I am merely trying to prove a point here" Ace apologises lowly, laying his head down on his paws. We are both silent for a moment, before I heave a sigh and lean forwards, resting my chin in one hand and placing the other on Ace's head again.

"He's almost convinced me to remove the seal quite a few times Ace...." I hesitantly admit, to which the Wolf's head snaps up, an alarmed look on his face.

"Milady, you must never release the seal!" he orders firmly, causing me to scowl at him a little. "I am sorry for my tone, but I am very concerned by this news. I believe that monster just wants to break you down and make you easy to manipulate. You must never let him take control of you Milady! I know you and you are a fighter, so I am positive that he will not succeed.....In my own opinion, I do not think you should ever listen to that lying beast. He is merely using you for his own desires....."

Blinking in surprise at Ace's uncharacteristic display of emotion, I purse my lips a little and look down at my lap for a few moments, mulling over the Wolf's words. He's right. I mean, I'm well aware that that is exactly what Hakuba is trying to do. It's not like he's even subtle about it or anything. I never trust a word Hakuba says when he pretends to be nice so I'll remove the seal that keeps him locked inside me, so why do I believe him about making friends?....

I eventually sigh deeply and close my eyes, shuffling away from the tree I'm leaning against to lie on my back.

"So" I say flatly, cracking one eye open to look at Ace, "Do you think I should at least try to be friends with my new Leaf Ninja teammates Ace?"

"Leaf Ninja?" Ace responds, ears pricking up. "So, we are in the Land of Fire then?.......How fitting that you would find your way all the way back here Milady."

"....It wasn't on purpose, I assure you" I state bluntly, shutting my eyes. "I just happened to be passing through and some Leaf Ninja ganged up on me. The Hokage decided to let me stay here, but I was forced to join a team of beginning Ninja. Now I don't know what to do......"

"I have never met these people Milady" the Ace replies slowly, thinking about his words. "Of course, it is wise to be cautious around people you do not know. You are much too smart to trust someone automatically, but I suppose it will not hurt to test the waters, so to say......"

Here, Ace heaves a sigh and tilts his head to the side. "I am a little unsure of how to approach this situation Milady. Despite being a Wolf, I cannot say that I am of a very sociable nature. Use your own judgement wisely Milady, and I am sure that you will make the right decision."

Easing myself up into a sitting position, I lean back on my hands and cast Ace a curious look, his visible eye narrowing in suspicion.

".....Do you want to meet them?" I question, shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe you'll be able to tell if they're worth befriending or not?"

"I am happy to meet the people who are your supposed teammates Milady" Ace replies smartly, "However, you are not exactly what I would describe as friendly. I have the utmost faith in your abilities, though I am unsure whether you will befriend these people even if I do advise it."

Jumping to my feet, I throw my hands on my hips and glare at Ace, though I can't help smirking at him. He turns his head away and gracefully rises to his feet, pretending he hadn't just thrown subtle shade at me.

"Yeah?" I challenge. "Well, you're not exactly the most friendly guy either ya know!"

"Your comebacks are lacking Milady" Ace tells me blankly. "Now, please allow me to escort you to your new teammates. You must guide me however, as I cannot tracks the scents of people I have not met before."

"I'm well aware of your shortcomings" I mutter flatly, shaking my head as I climb atop my Wolf's back. "Just head into the Village and I'll see if I can sense any of them."

After a good hour of searching the Leaf Village, Ace comes to a stop on top of a building, the two of us peering down at Naruto, Sakura and some people that I've never seen before. Three of the people are little kids, with two of them cowering behind a scowling Naruto. The third child is being held up by his neck, glaring at a tall, black clad guy with strange purple make up across his face. The last person I don't recognise, is a bored looking girl with four blonde ponytails, her arms crossed and some sort of large weapon strapped to her back. I'm not sure what it is though.

"Sand Ninja?" Ace ask rhetorically, able to recognise the symbols on the strangers' headbands. "I am curious as to why Sand Ninja would be here in the Land of Fire."

"Yeah, me too" I agree, narrowing my eyes. "I'm more curious as to why they're messing with my teammates though."

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly shouts, throwing a fist in the air, "Let him go! Right now!"

"We've got a couple of minutes before he gets here" the make up guy smirks at his blonde friend, apparently ignoring Naruto's demand, "So let's screw with them for a bit huh?"

The blonde girl merely rolls her eyes and shakes her head in disapproval, though she doesn't make a move to stop her teammate.

"Lemme go!" the kid in the Sand Ninja's grip squeals, kicking his legs around wildly. "Lemme go you big jerk!"

"Heheh, you're kinda feisty" the Sand guy grins, his grip around the kid's neck tightening. "But not for much longer!"

Deciding that the male Sand Ninja is beginning to annoy me with his superior attitude, I silently point towards him, to which Ace obediently launches himself down from the roof top.

He lands on the ground in front of Naruto and Sakura with a heavy thud, causing them to gasp with surprise. Ace ignores the Leaf Ninja behind us, his aqua eye focused on the now wide eyed Sand Ninja before him. As the Sand Ninja slowly narrows his eyes at me, Ace begins growling softly, as a warning.

"Ashley?" Sakura cries, shaking her head and pointing at my Wolf. "What on earth is that?!"

I turn to Sakura with a deadpan expression as I slide down from Ace's back, one hand resting on his shoulder and wondering why she's asking me such a stupid question

"That is a Wolf" I inform her pointedly, only for my attention to be dragged away from Sakura as the male Sand Ninja lets out a laugh.

"Hey, hey" he chuckles, "Things just got a little more interesting, now that there's a pretty girl here."

As the weird, make up wearing guy takes a step towards me, with the kid still in his grip, Ace snarls at him nastily. The sight of Ace's razor sharp teeth causes the Sand Ninja to pause, seemingly unsure of my abnormally large Wolf.

"You will not take one more step towards Milady!" Ace snaps viciously. "If you do not heed my warning, I will not hesitate to kill you...."

The Sand Ninja sweat drops at that and takes a step back, as his female teammate casts Ace a worried look, bracing herself for an attack.

"One wrong move" I warn, giving the male Sand Ninja an unamused glare, "And I'll order him to tear you to pieces. Now, drop the kid."

"Kankuro!" the blonde Sand Nina cries worriedly. "Just leave them alone now! You've had your fun, so just put that kid down."

"Yeah, put him down!" Naruto reiterates boldly, deciding to charge at the guy for some reason. I can't help rolling my eyes at the blue eyed male's stupidity. I mean, I think Ace and I had the situation under control. My Wolf is a lot more intimidating than someone like Naruto after all.

As Naruto runs at the Sand Ninja, I manage to catch Kankuro I think it was, subtly move his fingers, before my blonde teammate trips over and face plants the ground.

"What was that?....." I mutter to myself with slightly widened eyes, uncertain if Kankuro had just used a Jutsu or not.

Standing beside me, Ace continues to growl lowly, not worried about what happens to anyone but me. He'll stand there and defend me all day if he has to. His unblinking eye never leaves Kankuro's face, the tall male now smirking down at an irritated Naruto.

"What?!" Naruto exclaims as he sits up, shocked. "What was that?!"

"You're a Leaf Genin?" Kankuro asks, shaking his head. "It looks like your Village is full of wimps!"

Ace lowers his head to the ground a bit more, ears now lying flat against his head.

"Milady is no wimp, boy...." he snarls in an eerie, hushed tone. "Insult her again and see what will happen to you..."

Kankuro glances down at Ace uncomfortably, probably not used to having animals speak to him. Actually, he's probably just not used to having animals threaten his life. I know that if I was Kankuro, I'd definitely be worried about Ace right now.

"Konohamoru!" the two other kids suddenly shout with concern, seemingly addressing the kid still in Kankuro's grip.

"Cut it out!" Konohamoru cries, lifting his hands to grab onto Kankuro's wrist. "You're hurting me!"

"That's it!" Naruto yells angrily, jumping to his feet. "Put him down now, or I'll destroy you! You hear me fool?!"

"You're the only fool here Naruto" I inform the blonde with a sigh. I'm not sure why he feels that he has to act all tough and get himself into trouble. Maybe he can't see that Ace is able to handle this...

"She's right!" Sakura shouts irritably, jumping forwards and crushing Naruto's throat in a choke hold. "Making threats isn't gonna help Naruto!"

"You're all very annoying" Kankuro announces, his smirk beginning to drop into an unimpressed frown. "I don't like wimps, so when a wimp like that starts running his mouth at me, I just wanna snap him in half!"

Naruto and Sakura gasp, pausing in their squabbling. I can't help rolling my eyes at them, resisting the urge to face palm. Seriously, there's a huge Wolf between us and them. We're fine! I wish they'd realise that!

"Well, I'm not involved in any of this, okay?" the female Sand Ninja eventually mutters, turning her head away.

"First, I'll take care of this little squirt" Kankuro says, pulling his arm back and glaring at Konohamoru, "Then, I'll take care of the other one as well."

"No!" Naruto yells, pulling himself from Sakura's choke hold and racing towards Kankuro, wanting to rescue Konohamoru.

Something suddenly slices through the air however, cracking painfully against Kankuro's hand. Crying out in surprise, the make up wearing Ninja drops Konohamoru to the ground, before hugging his hand to his chest and sucking in a pained breath through his teeth.

"Huh?" he murmurs, brows furrowing at the small rock now sitting at his feet. "A rock?...."

"You're such a show off" I state flatly, turning my head in the direction the rock had come from, my eyes spotting Sasuke sitting in a nearby tree. The ravenette merely smirks at me, before turning his dark eyes on an annoyed Kankuro.

"You're a long way from home" Sasuke muses, throwing another small rock up and down in his hand, "And you're way out of your league."

"Sasuke!" Sakura cheers happily, clapping her hands as Kankuro just glowers at the dark haired boy. Ha! How embarrassing, being beaten by a tiny rock.

"Naruto!" Konohamoru cries, running over to him and the other two kids. Naruto grins down at the young kid, smacking a hand down on his head and ruffling his brown hair.

"Oh great" Kankuro mutters sarcastically, "Another little wimp to tick me off."

"Get lost" Sasuke commands icily, crushing the tiny pebble in his hand. The little girl I don't recognise and Sakura both sigh dreamily, their eyes turning to hearts.

"He's just so cool!" Sakura shrieks excitedly, making me roll my eyes. Wow, he crushed a teeny, tiny rock. Isn't it cooler that I've got a huge, killer Wolf with me?

Not that I need, or want, their admiration though.

"How come you're not cool like that?" Konohamoru asks accusingly, raising an eyebrow at a now depressed looking Naruto.

"Gah, whaddya mean?!" the blonde replies frantically. "I coulda taken that guy out in two seconds if I wanted to!"

"C'mon then punk, bring your ass down here" Kankuro taunts, glaring up at Sasuke. "You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most."

That said, Kankuro raises an arm and reaches for the large thing strapped to his back. I'm not sure what it is, but I can see that it's completely wrapped in bandages and it has what looks to be hair on the top of it.

"All attitude" Kankuro continues, starting to unwrap his.....whatever, "With nothing to back it up!"

"What?!" the Sand Ninja girl cries, seeing what Kankuro is doing. "You're not gonna use Crow for this are you?!"

'Crow?' I can't help wondering, when a soft voice catches my attention, causing me to look back over at the tree Sasuke is in.

"Kankuro....." the low, rough voice addresses, "Back off....."

A scowl begins to settle on my face, as I feel Hakuba stirring inside my head. I'm not sure what his problem is, but I'll ignore it for now. I'm curious as to who this could be, seeing as Kankuro and his female teammate have completely frozen.

Everyone else, apparently surprised by this new person's presence, looks over to the tree Sasuke is in, only to spot a boy hanging upside down from a branch on the other side of the tree. The boy, sporting deep red hair, stares at us all through cold, pale green eyes. They are surrounded by black rings, made to look even darker due to the paleness of his skin.

'Does this guy ever sleep?' I think to myself, wondering if perhaps the dark rings are due to lack of sleep.

'He has......The Ichibi.....' Hakuba growls lowly in my head, causing my eyes to widen. 'That's my power boy....'

'Another Tailed Beast?' I internally cry, feeling incredulous. Why are there two Tailed Beasts here in the Leaf Village?....

"You are an embarrassment to our Village" the red haired boy informs Kankuro, causing him to smile uneasily.

"Uhh, hey Gaara" Kankuro greets the boy, whose face is completely blank. I notice Sasuke glaring down at this Gaara boy through narrowed eyes, no doubt annoyed that he hadn't noticed the red head's presence earlier.

Gaara's green eyes travel slowly from Sasuke, to a still growling Ace, to me. I glare right back at the pale boy and automatically bare my teeth, before his green eyes move on to study the others as well.

'Shukaku....' Hakuba growls deeply, irritation clear in his voice.