Lotophagi

AN: "Lotophagi" is the Greek word for "Lotus Eaters." According to the Greek myth, the Lotus Eaters would eat the fruit of the lotus plant and lose all their memories of their homes and family as well as lose the desire to return to said homes.

While I see Anko as a very strong and very independent kunoichi, I also think there are times when she's quite vulnerable and needs Orochimaru to hold her up, physically and spiritually.

I left Orochimaru nameless merely because it seemed to work for this fic. It should also be noted that I left Anko's lover in Konoha nameless as well because I couldn't decide if I wanted him to be Kakashi or Iruka or someone else. They both look so good with her, in my opinion. In any case, that's for you to decide.

Warning: The middle section gets a big T rating. At least, I think it does. That particular section is as far as I'm willing to go with romances at the moment, so I wouldn't expect anything more intense than that.

Disclaimer: The following lyrics come from the old African-American lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby." The lyrics themselves inspired me to write this, and it evolved as I wrote it.

I also deny any and all ownership to the characters Orochimaru, Anko, and whoever else appears here. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If I had the money, I would definitely buy Orochimaru and Anko, but, alas, I do not.T.T

It should also be noted that the first line of the story was inspired by a picture I saw on deviantart . It had those same words captioned on the picture.

Lotophagi

by This Blood Is Cleansing

She's long gone with the red shoes on,

gonna need another lovin', baby.

"I thought I could live without you . . . thought I could forget about you . . . I was wrong." His back is turned to her when she first enters the room, and when she says this, he barely twists his head around and spares her a glance through the corner of his eyes. What am I doing here? she wonders, staring down at the floor, smoldering eyes half-closed and feeling a little more than ashamed when she pictures her home hidden in the leaves and the friends, the family, the lover she left behind. He must've been pretty upset when he learned about my leaving. Anko's thoughts cease, and she slowly lifts her head when the man before her turns to face her completely and leans against the table, his arms crossed over his chest and that "all-knowing" smirk on his face. He tilts his head to the side and eyes the woman with his topaz irises. He doesn't speak though. He only chortles as he waits for Anko to speak again. "Look . . . I left my village behind for you. How much more proof could you possibly want, anyways? Do you want me to deliver Godaime's head on a silver platter to you?" She's getting irritated, and it doesn't help that his chuckling is growing more intense. What DID he want from her?!

"Why? Are you offering?" It's meant as a joke, and he laughs, but the fact that not even a smile shows up on Anko's face tell him that it didn't go through so well. When he finishes relishing in his own sense of humor, he slowly approaches Anko, a clever smile stretched across his aging face. The woman makes the mistake of looking him in his brilliant, golden eyes, and her body freezes. He is deathly close now, and Anko's own eyes narrow as she stares up at the man who is maybe a little too close.

"What," is all she manages as she tries to hide the fact that she's overly uncomfortable with the lack of space between the two. She twitches when he brings his fingers up to brush the side of her face, and he chuckles again at her reaction. She pulls away from his touch before she can begin to enjoy it and simply glares at him. Still smirking, he brings his hand back down to his side and heads for the door behind Anko. She has to side-step in order to give him enough room, and she can't help but to notice the flicker of light in his eyes as he passes. He doesn't turn when he addresses her but merely pauses in the hallway.

"Welcome home, Anko-chan." He flicks his lustrous, long hair over his shoulder. "Just don't expect any 'special treatment' from me." With that said, he starts down the dim-lighted hall.

~*~*~*~

You and me and the devil make three,

don't need no other lovin' baby.

Those smug lips allow a chuckle to pass through them before pressing against a lightly-tanned neck and kissing it. A feminine hand tangled in onyx-black hair tightens its grip. Anko's fawn-colored eyes open and stare unfocusedly at a spot on the gray, stone wall behind him. The strong arm around her waist pulls her even closer to a sturdy body, and a pale hand cradles the small of her back. His other hand is all over the place. She blinks, and she sees in the corner of the ceiling a spider web, and caught in the sticky web and struggling pathetically for its freedom, is a fly. Anko knows and understands that no matter how much the nuisance of a creature squirms, it won't escape the predator and its web. Just as the spider appears and hovers over its prey, he pulls her in to brush his lips against hers, and she sees the spider and fly no more.

"Anko," the man before her purrs lightly into her ear as he slides his hand over the side of her face and then into her hair. "Why did you come here?" Anko's gaze meets his and the drops to look at his neck. Why DID she choose to leave Konoha to come to him? The images of her home are just a bunch of blurred lines now because she hasn't seen it in so long, or maybe it wasn't so long ago. She doesn't know because she can't remember, and it's this very fact that makes her wonder if he's not secretly killing her with poison, but she quickly discards this idea. If he wanted to kill her, it wouldn't prove at all that difficult. He's not the slow and silent killer type, anyways.

"I don't . . . I don't remember," and it's the truth. She really can't remember if it was an espionage mission gone wrong that brought her here or if she chose to leave willingly. All she really knows is that he's not the slow and silent type, and he's not killing her . . . Not intentionally, anyways. No. He's like the spider. He waits for his pray to come to him, to get stuck in his web, before quickly striking and sucking the poor fool dry of everything.

"Ahhh, I suppose that's fine then . . . If you can't remember, then I'll remember for you." He laughs again and leans forward to lock her into another kiss.

~*~*~*~

Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones,

and be my ever-loving baby.

There's blood on her hands and face, and it's staining the front of her clothes, and she can't remember how it got there or why he was here. That's what scares her the most. She has no recognition at all of why he's here and of killing him, but she knows she's the culprit. She's the one who's covered in his blood. Did he scream? Did he hate having to face her? Tears are being to build up behind her hard, brown eyes, but it isn't until pale arms pull her into an embrace that she begins to sob heavily.

"Shhh, my lamb . . . You've done well," he comforts all the while stroking the back of her head. His other hand is in the small of her back. His pale chest is bare due to the kimono he's wearing and the muscled chest is catching the brunt of Anko's sorrow. "He attacked you first, remember? He called you a traitor and tried to kill you, but you wouldn't have it." He slides his hand from the back of her head to her chin and tilts her head back so they can see eye-to-eye. Her face is wet with tears, and her eyes are red and puffy. "Don't you remember?" Anko shakes her head, and she has gotten to the point where she just doesn't care about what she does and doesn't recollect. The only thing that really matters now is that she has him, and he's the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. She catches up with herself and her sobs before speaking,

"I can't remember . . . Is that bad?" Her god, her protector smiles and wipes a lone tear from her eyes.

"No, my dear. There's no need to worry. . . . .

. . . I will remember everything for you."

Parent Day

Parent Day

by Reizbar-Ookami

Naruto hated Parent Day. All of the students’ parents were allowed to come in and see what they had learned. He didn’t have parents. That may have contributed to why he didn’t put much effort into learning.

So he watched as all of the other students showed their parents how they threw kunai and shuriken, and the parents praised them—even though their kunai may have gone a bit to the left or right of the bull’s eye. He watched all of the other students show their parents where they learned, where their classrooms were, the things they were studying at the moment. He watched all of the other students lead their parents up to their teachers, so they could talk about what wonderful children they had and how they were going to be great shinobi. And he watched as nobody noticed him, sitting alone on the swing outside of the academy.

“Whoa. This is like… all hell let loose.”

“Where’s Naruto?”

Naruto blinked, and it took a moment for him to realize that someone was looking for him—him—because he was the only Naruto in the academy at the moment. Lifting his head, he was confused to see Iruka and Anko looking around the yard full of students and parents and teachers in confusion. He was excited to see them, though he wondered why they were there—but it didn’t matter, because they were looking for him!

Springing to his feet, he used his full speed to get over to them, dodging around kids his age and kids younger and kids older with their parents, before finally tackling one of them; which one it was, he had no idea. “Iruka! Anko!”

“Bwah!” Ah, so it had been Iruka this time. Anko always cursed up a storm.

Naruto sat up from hugging him, frowning in confusion. “But Iruka, don’t you have your own class to be teaching?”

The brunet smiled and rubbed the scar along his nose absently. “Actually, everything’s going pretty smoothly over there, so I thought I’d come over to see you. I ran into Anko on the way over here.”

Anko grinned and ruffled his hair—her standard greeting, when she wasn’t the one being bowled over. “Yeah! So, what have you been learning, anyway?”

Both adults grew concerned as the blond went quiet. Iruka had heard the boy’s teacher complain about how he was a failure and a know-nothing, but he’d always just thought of it as the other man overreacting, because he knew just how hard it was to get Naruto to sit down and focus. He’d never really thought anything of it. He’d been so wrong.

Anko scowled. “Uzumaki Naruto, take me to your sensei right this minute.”

Naruto winced as if her voice had hurt him, then sighed, nodded, and turned to lead them over to his sensei. “This way.” He didn’t even bother acknowledging the disgust and irritation in his teacher’s face as he came to a stop in front of him.

“Naruto? Is there something you need?” the red-haired man asked, pushing his glasses up—but only so he could look down his nose at the boy.

The man had obviously not seen the woman on a mission behind him. Anko caught up to the blond and grabbed the chunin by his collar, bringing him up so their faces were millimeters apart. “And what is your name?”

Believing her to be merely the disgruntled mother of a failing student, the man huffed and pried himself loose, brushing himself off as if he’d been touched by something disgusting. “Hmph! Not that it should matter to you, but my name is Miroto Kasuki.”

Anko felt her lip curl up in loathing for the other man, and she hadn’t even known him for a second. “Miroto Kasuki, huh?” She took a step back and glared at him. “Mind telling me why my little brother was sitting all alone? I thought children whose parents couldn’t come had to do something while this was going on.”

“Well, normally, yes. But none of the other children wanted to work with him, so I just let him do his own thing,” Kasuki replied, his disdain for the woman showing plainly in his voice.

Iruka grew distinctly uncomfortable as some of the parents turned; they had recognized Anko, being jounin themselves, and seeing the shock and horror on their faces, they knew just as well as he did what would happen if the other man kept acting like he did.

Anko growled, eyes flaring wider. “Y-you… you-! Just let him do his own thing!? And we’re supposed to rest easy that someone’s watching our children, teaching them useful things to help protect them when they become ninja?!”

“Can I help it if he’s not ninja material?” the man sighed, brushing his hair out of his face again.

The kunoichi could handle it no longer; letting out an infuriated roar, she landed the offending chunin an uppercut that sent him flying. “He’s got more ninja material than the rest of this school combined! You just need to help him find it!” She stomped her foot in frustration. “Stupid moron! You’re a horrible teacher, picking on a little boy that couldn’t protect himself! What kind of person are you!?” Growing even more frustrated with the chunin—even though he was now ten feet away and staring at her in terror—she let out a growl and turned, grabbing Naruto’s hand. “Come on, Naruto! We’re getting ramen! Iruka will come see us at the end of the day!”

“Anko-neesan! You’re gripping my hand too hard!” the blond whined, but trailed after her obediently. He had heard the magic word and would follow her anywhere, even if it included rabid weasels and evil man-eating worms. He was just surprised that she hadn’t ripped the guy a new asshole.

Anko was a nice person. She knew she was. She also knew she could be incredibly cruel. But one thing was for certain; she would never insult or judge someone based on their status. She’d decided that when she’d been joking with some other jounin about how useless chunin were, especially the ones that didn’t plan on becoming jounin. And then she’d seen Iruka—sad, hurt, broken Iruka—blink at her in disbelief, then turn and walk away, and she remembered how hard it had been to get him to forgive her.

Because jounin didn’t teach dozens of students to get ready to become genin. Iruka loved children, and better than that, he loved teaching them, helping them prepare. He may have the potential to be jounin, maybe even ANBU if he really strove for it, but he couldn’t leave behind the children he cared about. And so he chose not to move up.

Once she’d settled Naruto at the bar of Ichiraku with a bowl of spicy beef ramen, Anko looked down at the blond slurping up his noodles and frowned, leaning her chin on her hands. “…Hey, Naruto?”

Naruto blinked up at her in surprise; she’d never sounded so serious. “Mmf?”

“…You know… If you decide you don’t want to be hokage anymore, Iruka and I will still care about you the same, right?” she asked, feeling more concern rise. If Naruto didn’t make hokage, that was okay with her; he could start working for Teuchi for all she cared, as long as he was happy.

The blond blinked at her again, then stated, “This is another one of those things, isn’t it? Where you did something to piss Iruka off and you don’t want to do it to me.”

The kunoichi’s temple throbbed in annoyance. “I’m being serious, you pain in the ass!”

“Hmm.” The boy looked up at her skeptically before nodding slightly. “Yeah, I guess I’ll believe you. But you don’t need to worry, Anko-neesan. I’m gonna be the next hokage for sure!”

“…As long as you’re happy with what you’re doing,” she sighed, then turned and began playing with a kunai. “I could care less what you do as long as you’re happy.”

“Serious doesn’t suit you, Anko-neesan. I know you and Iruka will always be there for me whatever I do. Stop freakin’ out.” Naruto waved her concern away. “You guys worry too much. Have a little more faith in me, will ya?”

Anko’s eye twitched, but she let it go for once, and settled for ruffling his hair. “Psh, I’ll do whatever I want until you’re big enough and skilled enough to beat me up.”

“You’re so weird.”

.-.-.-.-.-.

“—So I’ll be your teacher next year, and if you need help, you can come to me,” Iruka stated, smiling, as he held up a scroll with those exact orders and the hokage’s seal of approval.

Anko cackled. “Which means no slacking for you!”

Naruto blinked at her, feeling a little more than embarrassed when the other patrons of Ichiraku turned to stare, and ducked his head. “Whatever, just… stop laughing like that.”

“Why? What’s wrong with the way I laugh?” she asked in confusion, then looked at the brunet. “Is there something wrong with the way I laugh?”

The chunin sighed and rolled his eyes, but he wasn’t going to lie to her; that just pissed her off. “You sound like a creeper.”

“Yeah, you’re like this evil creepy… guy,” the pre-genin added.

“A guy creeper!? You think I sound like a guy creeper!?” she shrieked, then scowled and grabbed the kunai she’d been playing with when Iruka walked up. “Both of you are going to die!”

“We didn’t mean anything by it-!” Iruka exclaimed, then let out a squeal and yanked Naruto away from being beheaded. “OHMYGOD I’ll pay you next time Teuchi-saaaan!”

Teuchi watched the chunin and child run away screaming, followed by a vicious jounin, then hummed and took their bowls away from the bar. “They’re getting pretty vicious nowadays, aren’t they?”

“They called Anko a male and a creeper,” his daughter replied, scowling,a s she took the bowls from him. “They deserve everything they get!”

The Viper and the Fox

A/N: Just a little one shot I did because I was bored. This is independent of all my other stories. This is based on one of my more favourite pairings. It is based after the failed Sasuke Retrieval.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto.

------------------------------------------------------

The Viper and the Fox

by DazBoz

Naruto sighed as he sat down looking up at the Hokage Faces.

“Well… look what I found,” Anko chuckled as she walked over to him. “All out here by yourself, no Tsunade to protect you?”

“Hey,” Naruto nodded, “What’s with you being up here?”

“Can I not stalk my favourite prey?” Anko purred as she sat down beside the boy.

“Favourite prey?” Naruto chuckled, “Is that a compliment or…”

“Who knows?” Anko grinned. “It is what it is. So why are you up here all alone on a night like this?”

“Just thinking,” Naruto replied.

“What about?” Anko asked.

“Well… Sasuke and everything,” Naruto scowled. “I wasn’t strong enough to bring him back.”
”That’s not your fault.” Anko smiled, “You tried your best, right?”

“Yeah, but I promised Sakura-chan I would get him back.” Naruto turned to Anko, “And I always keep my word, that’s my…”
”Nindo… my Ninja way,” Anko finished. “Well looks like you have bitten off more than you can chew with this though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know from experience how tempting power from Orochimaru is. I guess Sasuke is just a ball-less wuss who can’t achieve power by himself.” Anko turned to Naruto. “No amount of ass kicking will bring him back; you’ve got to move on.”

“What’s with the life advice?” Naruto grinned.

“Like I said, you’re my favourite prey.” Anko winked. “And while you are in this mood your just no fun to play with.”

“Well, sorry.” Naruto rolled his eyes. “And here’s me thinking you cared.”

“Aw… is little Naru-chan upset?” Anko mocked him.

“Ah shut it!” Naruto span around aiming a kick for Anko, who dodged it.

“Oh, have I made little Naru-chan mad?” Anko whipped out a Kunai and threw it at Naruto.

“Damn it!” Naruto growled as the Kunai pierced his palm. He staggered backwards and into Anko’s arms. “What was that for?”

Anko pulled the Kunai out of Naruto’s arm and licked it clean of his blood. “Hmm… tasty as always.”

“You’re weird.” Naruto grimaced as his hand healed.

“I know,” Anko chuckled as she released Naruto. “But would you like me any other way?”

“Tch,” Naruto turned away, still holding his healing hand, “How can I ever become Hokage and protect and entire village if I couldn’t even save my best friend from himself?”

“You know something,” Anko grinned as she licked her Kunai, “There are some Genin who would kill to have me pay this much attention to them, and here you are ignoring me!”
”Why would someone want you to stab them?” Naruto asked.

“I meant the whole sexy flirting thing,” Anko rolled her eyes.

“Huh?” Naruto tilted his head, “When did that happen?”

“Can you not feel the sexual tension?” Anko threw her arms up in the air, “Kami help me!”

“Sexual tension… what’s that?”

“…” Anko sighed, “Well I’m not going to tell you because to be honest you probably wouldn’t know all the words so it would be a waste of my time. Suffice to say, sexual tension is what you fear when you are with me.”

“Oh,” Naruto frowned, “I thought that was called fear.”

“You’re scared of me?” Anko sat down, “Am I really that intimidating?”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Naruto noted her increasing depression.

“I guess that’s all I’ll ever be…” Anko sighed, “The scary, creepy snake bitch…”

“That’s not true!” Naruto smiled widely at her, “You’re pretty and fun to be around and you tried to cheer me up, which puts you above most of Konoha in my opinion!”

“I’m pretty?” Anko positioned herself so that her trench coat wasn’t revealing all of her figure, but enough to give the imagination plenty of fuel to speculate on what wasn’t showing. Unfortunately her target seemed oblivious to her sexual enticements.

“Yeah,” Naruto grinned his fox-like grin.

“How pretty am I?” Anko leaned forwards, staring into Naruto’s eyes.

“Er… really pretty?” Naruto tried.

“Really, really pretty?” Anko moved close to Naruto until she saw the blush on his face and could practically taste his nervousness. “This…” Anko whispered, “is sexual tension Naruto-kun,” she finished in a husky voice. She delivered her message with a kiss.

As her tongue forced its way into Naruto’s mouth, his first thoughts were I wanted my first kiss to be with Sakura but they were quickly replaced by Damn this feel good! Uncertain on what to do, he started to fight for dominance with his own tongue, earning pleased moans from Anko.

Damn, this kid doesn’t mess around! Anko thought to herself as Naruto pushed forward, effectively pinning Anko to the ground as he lay on top of her, passionately kissing her.

As they broke apart, Naruto blushed slightly. “That was amazing Anko-chan.”

“I aim to please,” Anko grinned back. “I assume you’re not depressed anymore.”

“No way,” Naruto smiled genuinely, “Thanks Anko-chan.”

“No problem,” Anko grinned and affectionately ruffled his hair, “But I’ll have you know my services have a fee!”

“Nani?” Naruto scowled, “You started that kiss!”

“You’re right,” Anko smiled. “Do you want another?”

“Yeah,” Naruto grinned as he leaned forwards and kissed her again, this time he lead the assault and was rewarded by a series of pleased moans. Anko forced her way on top, sitting atop Naruto as she broke the kiss, she grinned, “So, that time you started it!”

“Ah!” Naruto groaned. Damn it! I wasn’t thinking straight!

“Aww… is little Naru-chan feeling stupid?” Anko purred.

“What is the payment?” Naruto asked, scared at what the psycho would request.

“How old are you?” Anko asked.

“Twelve,” Naruto replied.

“Hmm…” Anko sat up, “I’ll have to wait four years for my payment.”

Naruto may have been stupid, but he knew the laws of Konoha and knew that technically a citizen was deemed an adult at sixteen. And as an adult he could drink and raise a family. “You want to raise a family with me? Or go out drinking with me?”

“Hmm…” Anko purred, “It could be a little of both.”

“Oh,” Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, “I thought you were going to charge me a limb or something dear to me.”

Anko chuckled. “Oh I will claim ownership of something very dear to you,” She bent down and kissed Naruto again, “Of that you can be sure. And let’s write down so you don’t forget…”

***Four Years Later***

“Hokage-sama,” The Jounin raced into the office panting heavily.

“What is it Konohamaru? And the name’s Naruto damn it!” Naruto looked up at the third’s grandson.

“Sorry boss,” Konohamaru took a deep breath. “The crazy snake lady wants to see you!”

“Crazy snake lady… oh Anko,” Naruto nodded. “I wonder what she wants, let her in.”

“Hey there Hokage,” Anko winked as she entered the room. “How are you today?”

“Not too bad,” Naruto sighed and nodded at the paper work. “Didn’t realise that being a Hokage was mainly paperwork though… not to mention the entire council hates me, even though they voted me in!”

“People do strange things,” Anko nodded sympathetically.

“That they do,” Naruto nodded, “So I heard you wanted to see me?”

“Remember four years ago?” Anko asked innocently.

“Er…” Naruto scowled, “Sorry, should I?”

“I can’t blame you for forgetting,” Anko smiled, “After all you’ve had to face Akatsuki, went on a long training journey with Jiraiya, Fought Sasuke several times and finally defeated him. You fought Pain and won and also worked so hard to defeat the Uchiha who lead the assault against Konoha when you defeated his Akatsuki. All in all a very impressive resume.”

“Yeah, I guess I have been pretty busy lately,” Naruto grinned.

“So… allow me to refresh your memory.” Anko handed over a short scroll.

‘I hereby offer my virginity to Anko (Crazy Snake Lady) in four years time, signed the Future Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki (Age 12)

P.S. Believe It!’

“Ah,” Naruto looked up at Anko who was licking her lips. Oh crap… I am screwed… literally.

“Still a virgin?” Anko purred.

“Maybe…” Naruto started to back away.

“Well I’m here to collect payment!” Anko grinned as she pounced on the helpless Hokage.

Outside the office Konohamaru heard his boss’s pleas for assistance, but merely grinned.

“I’m sure that the boss can take on that scary snake lady,” Konohamaru chuckled.

The Little Tobi Story

Disclaimer:I do not own anything!!! because if I did the show would have been cancelled due to extreme randomness and what not! ^^'

I only wrote this because I was reeeaaalllyyy bored 0.o, But hope you like it anyway, or not, the choice is yours ^^ lol

~START~

The Little Tobi Story

by Theif Queen

It was just a regular, normal day at the Akatsuki base...well for now. The newest Akatsuki member, Tobi, who had replaced Sasori after his death was skipping, yes, skipping along the Akatsuki base, humming a small tune as he then stopped next to the greedy Kakuzu's room as he poked his head out his door, being the nosy boy he is, to see what he was doing. He saw that Kakuzu had his back towards the door, counting his money as he normally did.

"What the!? I Swore I Had More The Last Time!!! I Hope That Dumb Ass Hidan Didn't Steal Any!! Because If He Did-"Tobi then looked at Kakuzu questionably as he opened the door wide enough for him to run inside and run next to Kakuzu.

"Kakuzu-san!! Tobi wants to know what does 'Ass' mean?!?"

Tobi asked in his goofy, yet innocent voice as Kakuzu stopped counting his money and gave Tobi a you-gotta-be-kidding-me look. Kakuzu then sighed as he turned his body towards Tobi as he tried to think of a good excuse. After all, Leader wouldn't be happy if Kakuzu gave Tobi 'unnecessary' information.

"Well Tobi…‘Ass’ is...another word for...uhh.."

Kakuzu thought some more as he then looked back down at his money, then at Tobi, then at his money again.

"Uhh...Money!..Yes! Ass is another word for Money!, Now go away!"

Kakuzu ordered as he waved his hand at him to get out of his room, wanting desperately to get back to counting his money.

"Ahh! Tobi understands!! Thanks Kakuzu-san!"

Tobi said cheerfully as he ran out of Kakuzu's room before he could say anything else. Tobi then marched across the hallway humming his little tune again. until-

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP YOU STUPID JASHIN WORSHIPER!!!"

"WHY DON'T YOU SUCK MY DICK AND QUIT ACTING LIKE A BITCH YOU DAMN PLANT!!!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!, IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP I'LL EAT-"

"Hey! Hidan-san, Zetsu-san!"

Tobi yelled out as he interrupted the arguing Hidan and the black side of Zetsu for who knows what reason as Tobi ran in between them.

"What The Hell Do You Want Tobi?!?!?"

Hidan yelled out, obviously annoyed with Tobi for interfering with his argument towards the plant-like Akatsuki member.

"Tobi wants to know what does 'Bitch', 'Bastard' and 'Dick' mean?"

Tobi asked making Hidan and Zetsu give awkward glances at each other. They knew the consequences of what will happen if Leader heard they gave Tobi the 'information' of those three words. And it wasn't pretty.

"Uhhh..."

They both said in unison as they both thought of a good enough excuse.

"Well Tobi, A ‘Bitch’ is...how you...describe a woman, and a ‘Bastard’ is...how you describe man."

Zetsu’s white side explained as he then smirked at Hidan who was now forced to explain Tobi what the third word was. Hidan just glared at Zetsu and clenched his teeth and gripped his scythe.

"Oh! Tobi gets it! Thank You Zetsu-san! Hidan-san! What does 'Dick' mean?"

Tobi asked cheerfully as he turned his attention to the potty-mouthed, Jashin worshiper. Hidan then thought for a moment, and smirked back at Zetsu, almost chuckling.

"Well Tobi...a ‘Dick’ is how you describe...ZETSU'S FACE!!!!"

Hidan yelled in Zetsu's face as he started roaring with laughter. Zetsu just glared at the soon-to-be-his-lunch Jashin worshiper. Tobi then started jumping happily.

"Oh Tobi understands now!! Thank You Hidan-san! Tobi is a Good Boy!!"

Tobi cheered as he ran away from the once again arguing missing-nin as Tobi wanted to get some fresh air so he then soon made his way outside of the base where he spotted Kisame and Itachi walking together. He walked closer to them to see what they were talking about.

"Seriously Itachi, all these missions Leader is giving us is killing me. I don't think I can take anymore of this shit!"

Kisame sighed as Itachi nodded in agreement.

"I agree..."

"Itachi-san! Kisame-san!!"

Tobi yelled out as he ran over to the two Akatsuki members. They both stopped walking and sighed as soon as they saw Tobi.

"I don't think I can take anymore of HIS shit either"

Kisame mumbled only for Itachi to hear as Tobi ran in front of them.

"Kisame-san!, Itachi-san!, What does 'Shit' mean?"

Tobi asked all innocent as Itachi and Kisame gave each other weird glances towards each other at his awkward question. They both started to think of a good excuse to give Tobi. Because lord knows what Leader will do to them if he found out they have been giving Tobi 'inappropriate' information. Kisame then looked back at Tobi, scratching the back of his head.

"Well Tobi...'Shit'...is uhh...complimenting?...Yes! complimenting someone!"

Kisame said was the first thing that popped into his head. Tobi then gasped in excitement as he looked at Itachi who was just nodding in agreement of Kisame's 'explanation'. Tobi then jumped up excitedly.

"Tobi understands now! Thank you Kisame-san and Itachi-san!!"

Tobi yelled as he ran from the two missing-nin and ran back inside the base. Once Tobi went back inside he started to smell something coming from the kitchen. Tobi then ran to the kitchen to investigate as he poked his head out from the kitchen door to see his senpai about to put a chicken in the oven, who he unnoticeably left on.

"Hmp! I can't believe they told me I should cook dinner this time JUST BECAUSE THEY THINK I LOOK LIKE A GIRL!!!"-..AHH FUCK!!!"

The blonde artist yelled out as he accidentally burned himself from the oven and shook his hand around in order to relive the pain on his now burned finger. Tobi then gasped as he ran into the kitchen in front of his senpai.

"Deidara-senpai! Tobi wants to know! What is 'Fuck'?"

Tobi asked excitedly as Deidara stopped shaking his burned fingers and looked at Tobi wide-eyed. He then thought about it for a moment as he imagined what Leader would do to him if he gave Tobi THAT kind of information. Deidara then wrapped his hand on the apron he had on, yes he was wearing an apron, to relieve the stinging, burning pain in his fingers.

"Uhhh...well Tobi...'Fuck' is..."

Deidara thought about it for a moment as he then looked down at the cursed chicken that was now lop sided in the oven as he then looked back at Tobi, then back at the chicken, then back at Tobi as he had an idea.

"Well Tobi...'Fuck' is a way of cooking a chicken! un"

Deidara explained as he then quickly kicked the oven door shut, fearing he may burn himself again. Tobi then nodded excitedly.

"Ahh Tobi gets it now!!! Thank you Deidara-senpai!!"

Tobi yelled out as he then quickly skipped out of the kitchen before the blonde artist could say anything else. Tobi was now skipping across the hallway of the Akatsuki base as he then saw Leader and Konan walking together, towards him.

"It's been a long day Konan, I just hope nothing stupid happens on today's meeting, or I'm going to have a fit!"

"Now! Now Just calm down...Oh look there's Tobi!"

Konan stated as both her and Pein stopped as Tobi ran up to them panting from all the running he did today as he bent over with his hands to his knees in order to catch his breathe.

"Ahh Tobi your here, Good! Now where are the others?, We all have an important meeting today."

Pein asked as Tobi finally caught his breathe and looked up excitedly at the two of them.

"Oh!, Hello Bitch and Bastard!. Kakuzu is in his room counting his Ass!, Hidan is busy yelling at Zetsu's Dick!, While Kisame's Shitting on Itachi, and Deidara-senpai is in the kitchen Fucking the chicken!"

Tobi explained happily as Pein now had a huge vein in his head, and Konan just looked at Tobi shocked and disgusted from all the language he used. Tobi just tilted his head in confusion from there expressions.

"What? What did Tobi say? Tobi is a good boy!"

~END~

Akatsuki Chef

Akatsuki Chef
by silverwolf-fox

Let the story begin!

Rated for language, (mostly Hidan’s)

--

The Akatsuki members woke up and went to the kitchen. None of them could cook. At all. Yet when they walked in the table was covered in delicious food. It wasn’t burnt or anything.

“Dig in. It’s all freshly made.” The feminine voice made them look. A girl looking about 17 was standing there. She had short brown hair and big brown eyes. (She wears the same thing as the girl who works in the ramen place in Konoha.)

“Who are you?” Kisame asked.

“My name’s Kenta,” (Kent-ay) she replied merrily. Suddenly Leader-sama walked in.

“Since I know all of us are tired of eating black food I thought I’d find us a chef,” Leader-sama explained.

The other members were wary until they tried her food. They all agreed a second later.

--

At the next meal Kenta politely explained to everyone that anyone who is rude/cruel or does anything impolite to her they will regret it. None of them took her seriously.

Hidan made the mistake of trying to sacrifice her to Jashin. Thankfully Konan found them before Kenta was harmed.

Hidan let her go and Kenta walked away but not before she looked over her shoulder at him. Hidan swore that her eyes turned red for a second.

“Just wait Hidan. I have a way of getting back at people,” Kenta told him coldly. Hidan smirked.

“Just try. I’m invincible. You can’t do anything to me.” Kenta looked thoughtful and walked away.

--

At the next meal, Hidan was eager to get away. Even if he was invincible he hadn’t liked the look the girl gave him at the beginning. Hidan ate quicker than anyone thought possible and he walked away. He was the first one gone.

Kenta took his seat while sipping some tea. After a minute she smiled and everyone heard a recorded message that sounded when Hidan opened his door.



“JASHIN-SAMA’S A SPAZZ! JASHIN-SAMA’S A SPAZZ! JASHIN-SAMA’S A SPAZZ!” The message wouldn’t stop until someone closed his door but before he could the members still eating heard an explosion.

“FVCKING PIECE OF SHIT! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO! I’M GONNA FVCKING KILL YOU BITCH!”

Blood was seeping down the hall.

Sasori, curious, went to see what happened. He came back with a blank look on his face.

“What happened Sasori-danna?” Deidara asked. Sasori sat down before answering.

“Hidan got blown up. His individual appendages are still intact, sort of, and his head’s still in one piece so he can appreciate that message.” Everyone looked towards Chef Kenta who had her eyes closed peacefully as she calmly sipped at her tea. When she put the cut down they saw her smile.

“He should have heeded my warning. He made the decision to try and sacrifice me. I just repaid the favor.” Kenta stood up and started washing the dishes.

Silence.

“You’re insane aren’t you?” Kakuzu asked. Kenta turned and had on a blinding smile and laughed.

“Maybe!”

The Dawning of Myth

The Dawning of Myth
by atlantiandragoness

Nothing can exist without first beginning. That is true for everything, even for that which is beyond our explanation. Every story, every myth, has it's own beginning, it's dawning, if you will.

This is ours.

Who are we, you ask?

We are the inhabitants of a strange world, where the sky is cast with an eternal gray tint, no matter the time of day. Red clouds rule the skies with a literal silver lining, light from the heavenly bodies above catching their edges, creating a white glow.

We are the fantastic creatures that live on in dreams and in minds of those who believe. The mythical creatures whose power is beyond explanation.

We are the Akatsuki.

And we're bored.

As fascinating as a world with black skies and red clouds may seem, if you've lived in it all your life, it doesn't quite strike you as much as it would an outsider.

And outsiders are something we never get.

Oh, how rude of me, you're probably wondering who I am.

What I am.

Well, the who's simple enough. I am Zetsu. As implied earlier, I'm indeed a member of this group, the Akatsuki as we've come to call ourselves.

What's a bit more complicated.

I guess I classify myself as a dragon. A hydra if you want to get into specifics. Half plant if you want to get even more detailed.

I'm confusing you, aren't I? Maybe a description would help.

You all know what a dragon looks like, right? Big, reptilian, claws, long neck and tail, to put it plainly. Now, add color. The right half should be white, the left, black.

Oh, and I have two heads.

Maybe I should've mentioned that first.

Well, I did say I was a hydra.

Anyway, back on topic. My wings aren't what you'd think of when dragon wings come to mind. In fact, they look more like the elongated jaws of a venus flytrap. That's where the plant issue comes into play.

Add some short green bangs over my eyes (which are yellow) that run down both necks like spines until they meet at the color split, and continue until the tip of the tail and that's basically what I look like.

Kinda weird, right?

Its okay, I don't really mind. I hear it enough from my other head. It has a personality and mind all it's own. And it enjoys contradicting most things that I say.

What was the word the others like to use...

Schizophrenic?

Speaking of the others, I'm sure you'd like to hear about them too.

Well, I guess I should start with a fellow dragon, the only other dragon of our group, Deidara. Deidara's an odd oriental dragon with scales that almost appear to be made outof gold. He wears his hair in a weird way, a long bang flipped over one of his blue eyes, the left eye one to be exact, and half of it tied up. The rest of his blond locks are allowed to flow freely down the length of his back like a mane.

As my darker half puts it, he has a slightly feminine look.

As it goes for most dragons of his species, Deidara has no wings, but unlike his species, he can't fly (of course, neither can I, but that's another story).

But does this get the blond down? No. He has other ways, ways involving the mouths in the pads of his paws.

Yes, I said it, mouths. That's what makes him truly unique. These extra mouths have the power to ingest clay and reform it as a variety of different creatures. He personal preferences are giant birds that the blond can ride on the backs of, bypassing his own lack of flight.

And once he done with said clay creations, he detonates them.

Pyromaniac much?

Well, nothing else is expected from a fire-breathing dragon.

The others are somewhat annoyed by this habit, particularly a manticore by the name of Sasori, who spends the most time around aforementioned blond.

Sasori has the most striking coloration on a manticore I've yet to see. Usually their fur is a plain, rusty shade of red. Sasori's is the red of a raging fire, complimented by his short crimson hair, which is layered and hangs around his human-like face, almost covering his pointed ears. His eyes themselves are grayish brown and have the slightest slit to the pupil, but you can only tell if you get close enough to his face to look, which is something I don't recommend doing.

Unless you enjoy having a poisonous stinger to your face.

That brings me to the topic of his tail. Like most manticores, Sasori has the body of a lion, but the tail of a scorpion. In the right light it gives off an almost metallic sheen. The very tip is covered in sharp spikes and shoots out, poisoning anyone they hit. In fact, close enough you can see the venom forming at the tips of each spike.

Again, not something I would suggest.

Sasori's known for his rather short temper and violent tendencies.

So how do I know?

Well, let's just say my vision is good enough that I can pick out small details and stay out of the danger zone at the same time.

That and Deidara told me. He's the only one who Sasori lets that close to him without harming.

They are partners after all.

Oh, I forgot to explain that too.

In the Akatsuki, we work in teams of two. sasori and Deidara are one such team.

Who's my partner?

I don't have one. I think having two personalities covers that nicely. Though I do have a subordinate. A rather strange hippogriff by the name of Tobi.

I say strange because he is never seen without his bright orange mask that bears only one eyehole, the right.

As stated by my black half, it looks like a pumpkin.

It also contrasts greatly with the ebony feathers of his eagle half. In fact his whole body is about that shade. The second half of his body, which is that of a horse, lightens out to a dark gray, but goes right back to black once you hit the tail. Even his hooves and talons were black.

Of course, when questioned on his choice of mask, all Tobi will do is shrug and trot off somewhere, usually to harass either me or Deidara.

It's noteworthy that the blond dragon isn't too found of Tobi in the least.

In fact, if he wasn't a hippogriff, and consequently didn't have wings capable of flight, I'm not sure he'd have survived the fire-breather's wrath as long as he has.

But anyways, moving on to a close relative to the hippogriff, our resident griffin, Itachi.

It's unsure if Tobi and Itachi are, in fact, related. Tobi's mask leaves room for many possibilities.

Their similarity in coloration is a huge factor in the theory as well.

Except Itachi is a little reversed compared to Tobi. Tobi has gray fur, Itachi has black. Tobi has black feathers, Itachi has gray. Where Tobi's horse tail was black, the tuft on Itachi's lion tail was dark gray. His beak and eyes are black too, but those can't be compared to the hippogriff because of the mask once again. The griffin also has the fore paws of a lion instead of an eagle's talons, creating one more difference between him and Tobi. Still, the similarities outweighed the differences.

Appearance wise anyway.

Personality wise, they are total opposites.

Take Tobi for example. He's loud, hyper, and seems to be on a constant sugar high. Itachi is as dark and brooding as his colors hint at.

He also doesn't enjoy being compared to Tobi.

Or anyone for that matter.

So don't tell him I said any of this.

Moving on again. Itachi is partnered with Kisame, a merman.

A merman with a shark's tail.

If you haven't guessed by now, there is something that sets the Akatsuki apart from the rest of our species. In Kisame's case, there are a lot of somethings. Aside from the shark tail, his skin is blue, turning a darker shade at his tail. His hair is blue also, and spiked straight up. Actually, Kisame is more shark than anything. He eyes are small and white, teeth fanged, noticeable gills on his cheeks and even a dorsal fin on his back.

He also carries around a huge sword covered in bandages. When said bandages are removed, the sword's true nature is revealed, covered in the plated scales of a shark. The sword seems to have a mind of it's own, much like my other half (which has been criticizing me this entire time), refusing to be held by anyone other than it's owner.

Kisame, like most creatures of aquatic origins, stays in the water, but he isn't limited to it. On a few rare instances he has been spotted on land, using his weapon to support himself.

Don't ask me how that works, I haven't the faintest idea either.

However, these are not the only members of our group. Among our ranks we even have the mighty, immortal phoenix.

Hidan does not share the golden plumage of a regular phoenix, No, this firebird's feathers are as white as a snowcapped mountain and contrast his maroon eyes.

We sometimes call him the albino phoenix.

He doesn't appreciate it.

And he probably holds the title for foulest beak among his kind. That bird can swear!

Hidan has a unique process of regeneration. At first, his body is surrounded by flames, but the fire looks more like blood. First, his feathers turn black and ashen, and a select few fall off, leaving white underneath. The pattern left behind makes him resemble a walking skeleton. After a while, the flames get more intense and swallow him completely. When the flames disperse, Hidan is left there, as good as new.

It's an interesting spectacle to watch, but it always leaves behind the faint smell of copper.

Working alongside Hidan is a chimera named Kakuzu.

Kakuzu isn't among the three-headed chimeras. His only head is the one of his lion front half, with it's brown fur and black mane. This color trend continues to his goat hind quarters and serpentine tail.

Kakuzu's body, despite being split among three creatures, is also covered in stitches, like the composite beast has to be held together. On his back, three faces appear to be sewn in. A lion's, a goat's, and a snake's.

Though, as odd looking as these threads may be, they do serve a purpose, as Kakuzu can unravel and control them.

Usually to snatch away any valuable left unattended.

Did I mention he's a bit of a scrooge?

I guess not.

Next on the list is our lone female, Konan, the siren.

Though she's better classified as an angel.

Konan is the most human of the Akatsuki. She has blue hair, albeit a different shade than Kisame's, which is pinned up by a white paper flower. She's a master of origami and can make anything you could possibly think of with only a few sheets of paper. But, the paper theme also means that she's not too found of getting wet.

She wears a piercing in her lower lip and dresses herself in a plain black dress with no back to it.

There's no back because it would interfere her huge white wings.

Why else would we call her God's angel?

God being the title our leader, Pein, also Konan's partner, has given to himself.

Leader, as we call him, himself is a sphinx, his lion body a dusty orange and his human face riddled with piercings of different sizes and shapes.

With the right lighting he could easily blind someone.

Guess which side of me that comment came from.

Anyway, I'm getting off subject again. Leader's hair is orange and spiked in all directions. He also has a strange shape-shifting ability. He doesn't change species or colors, only his hairstyle, piercings, and size. His ringed gray eyes remain the same for each transformation as well.

He only has six transformations, each differing in ability. The one he uses the most is the one I've described.

Now, Leader believes his right to call himself God comes from his species, being half lion, the king of beasts.

It has been mentioned to him that Sasori, Itachi, and Kakuzu are also part lion. His side of the argument is that he is also half human, which conquers all other beasts.

A certain manticore could be brought up again, but the conversation is usually dropped at this point.

And that's everyone in Akatsuki.

Our goal, or rather our leader's goal, total conquest.

Too bad we've already done that.

Hence the reason we're so bored.

This portion of the realm is completely under Leader's rule. What lies beyond is unknown and will probably remain that way.

So what do we do to pass the time nowadays? Not much really. That's why I'm writing this log, this record of who we are, as a way to amuse myself.

Hopefully you find this amusing as well.

Yes you, some stranger who just happened upon this message written by a bored hydra and sent away for someone to find one day.

Who knows, you may even choose to seek us out. We'd be welcome to the company.

Because seriously, we've got nothing better to do with ourselves.

But if you do, take my warnings to heart.

You'll need them.

And so on that note, dear reader, I bid you, we bid you, a fond farewell, for I must bring this to a conclusion.

But is it really the closing, or another beginning?

Because here, the dawn never ends.

Ikidomari

Warnings: MAJOR manga spoilers: chapters 204-212, anime episodes 121-124. Violence, language.

Translation Note – Ikidomari: Dead End.

---

Disclaimer: Naruto and all affiliated characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto, Jump Comics, and all other affiliated companies. Characters used without permission, for no profit. Dialogue from this scene taken from Inane’s translation of the manga, chapter 212.

---

Ikidomari

by Dread Pirate Rinja
(reposted)

Cold. He felt cold, and dirty, and wet. It didn’t help that his sensitive nostrils were filled with the scent of blood – his own mingled with the small pup’s. It didn’t help that the sharp stinging pain threatened to drag him under with every other step. It also didn’t help that he knew he was being followed.

In a word, this whole mission sucked.

He hadn’t told Naruto or Shikamaru about what he already knew… he could smell it strongly as they ran. Neji shed blood – a lot, if he wasn’t mistaken. Chouji hadn’t returned either. The worry twisted in his gut sharply when he’d picked up the scent and made the connection, but he wasn’t too surprised. They all knew the mission was going to be extremely dangerous. Shikamaru did mention that they’d be risking their lives to save Sasuke’s. But still… it didn’t mean that he enjoyed seeing casualties, especially among his friends. To tell the truth, deep down, he was terrified.

He pulled the unconscious pup in closer to his chest.

“Akamaru,” he whispered encouragingly, not really feeling it, “Hang in there. I—I promise, I’ll protect you.”

It hurt like hell. Kiba wasn’t even sure how he was functioning – the wound still sluggishly oozed thick crimson, though he’d received it hours ago. The trip down the river hadn’t helped stem its flow at all. He was sure he’d lost enough to be concerned; if the bleeding didn’t warn him, his wavering vision and lightheadedness were plenty enough.

At least Akamaru was still breathing. The pup hadn’t regained consciousness, which worried Kiba greatly, but at least he was alive. He’d gathered herbs earlier to try to start healing his injured companion, but he knew he had to hurry if he really wanted Akamaru to make it. He just wasn’t sure how quickly he could move as a throbbing pain clenched his gut at every step.

Who said suicide would be easy? He was never going to try that again, if he could avoid it. Damn, but it hurt. A small smile forced its way onto his pinched features when he remembered the shock his enemy felt from that simple action.

Ah, but it wasn’t so simple, was it?

If words could describe how he’d felt when he realized his body had been invaded, they would have been along the lines of ‘violated,’ but even that word insufficiently matched his feelings. Cold, stark terror had coursed through his veins as his arm pulled tightly against his own neck, the horned head grinning maliciously close to his face. Kiba knew he was dead in that small instant.

He’d had a choice to make at that moment – die by an Orochimaru-sealed freak’s hands, or die by his own and hopefully take the bastard down with him. He’d chosen the latter, and failed… but at least the intruder left, wounded even. Another wry smile surfaced – he’d drawn blood and escaped from a jounin-level enemy.

The small hint of self-satisfaction at the memory faded as white-hot pain stabbed his side, doubling him over. He dropped to the path on one knee, grunting, clutching his side with his free hand. It came away smeared with blood. Damn. Akamaru still showed no signs of awakening – not good. The fact was that he wasn’t so sure he would make it either, but he couldn’t let himself think that way now. Survival. Concentrate. What do you smell?

Familiar scents had been there for a while, though he wasn’t sure what to think of them. They were enemies once, weren’t they? Why were they here and why now? He hadn’t been up to facing them at the chuunin examination, and he was certain he wasn’t at the skill level to beat them now, if they’d improved at all since. Sure, there had been talks of peace since the scandal, but it didn’t help ease his mind.

Kiba couldn’t focus on them now – he had other more pressing issues to worry about. Like that bastard and his brother Orochimaru’d marked with his curse seal. They were still following him, and gaining. Damn, so his first trek in the water hadn’t lost them after all. Rising slowly, he began taking a new path back to the river, hoping to lose them this time, though he didn’t hold much hope.

The water stung his open wound as he reluctantly submerged, balancing Akamaru on top of his head and covering him with the meager leafy branch from before. The cover might not help much, but it made him feel less exposed. He couldn’t pick up scents in the water, so he could only hope that he was getting away. Ice from the water sank into his bones once again, stiffening them and making them ache. He couldn’t stay in for long without risk of more complications; he knew this much, even if he wasn’t a doctor.

Was he going to die?

He pulled himself from the river, collapsing briefly on the bank before forcing himself to move inland, into the forest. Not sure where he was going, but instinct told him this was the best path to safety.

And he still smelled them. What were they doing nearby, anyhow?

Damn, just what he needed. An unwanted confrontation with an enemy strong enough to take him down even at his best. He already had his hands full with the brother duo, even while wounded. His hopes for bringing Akamaru safely home fell, pulling him down. He collapsed against the base of a tree, unable to force himself to move. A cold numbness sank into his limbs, dulling the pain. If only he could just rest…

No. That was a coward’s way out. He would not die needlessly; Akamaru’s sacrifice would not be wasted. He had to get out of there, somehow.

Dammit, he already caught up. Dammit.

Moving – no good. An invisible hand gripped his side now. He’d lost too much blood, and his torn muscles were strained to the maximum. His body refused to move, and he could smell them coming closer. His pulse skyrocketed.

And suddenly, the scent faded. For a moment, he thought it was his fuzzy mind playing tricks on him. But no, the scent truly was gone! They’d gone the other way, and now he could make it.

Phew. “That was a close one—”

“Really?”

The voice made him jump, his heart nearly stopping. Head whipping to the side, there sat his current greatest fear, smiling smugly at him, and wearing… my jacket! Kiba’s eyes widened as he realized the mistake he’d made in leaving it behind.

“I see,” Sakon replied with a chuckle. “Seems like you wouldn’t notice a smell you’re always smelling.”

Kiba grunted. “You camouflaged your own scent with that, huh… Seems like you know the characteristics of smells. No wonder I couldn’t smell a thing.” He curled in closer around his wound against the tree, pressing into the trunk as Sakon raised the kunai. A grimace and he added quietly, “I can’t evade both of you at once… Dammit.” He smiled grimly, and then chuckled. So it ended here, eh? At least he’d made it this far.

“You can’t even holler out a loser’s last words? Huh!” Sakon’s voice increased in volume and pitch – now he was screaming, “Stop laughing because you’re about to die!”

He couldn’t help it; he flinched and threw up a protective arm as the pale, black-spotted hand hurtled at him, gleaming kunai clutched in its grasp. He was a dead man. Dead end. For a moment, he briefly thought back to the stone near Konoha – the one with the names of the ninja killed in action.

Would his humble name grace its smooth surface? Who would remember him when he was gone? Would he be remembered as a brave ninja who sacrificed his all for a friend in need? Would he even be found like this, stranded in the forest with nobody to hear him breathe his last? Would he join Neji and Chouji in the afterlife? What would his sister think of him?

Would the name of Inuzuka Kiba be remembered?

I’m so sorry, Akamaru.

Kiba closed his eyes. A breath of wind, a shadow descended, and the kunai connected.

Ikidomari.

Akamaru Gets a Girlfriend

Akamaru Gets a Girlfriend

By Malignant-Librarian

CHAPTER ONE

“Hey, guys!” said Kiba.

It was one of the team’s days off. Kiba had just been in Sunagakure for the weekend on a short escort mission, and he wouldn’t shut up about it. Apparently, the pony-sized Akamaru had found a girlfriend while there.

In Sunagakure, there was a ninja clan known for raising high-quality dogs, not unlike the Inuzuka clan of Konohagakure. They were called the Ryoukoji ‘Racing Hounds’, and they supplied Sunagakure with 50 of its big game income. The dogs were given to one of two places at a young age; to a genin, to whom they’d spend the rest of their lives with as the ninja’s partner and tool, or to the kennel itself. The kennel raised the animals to be swift sight-hunters, catching the elusive prey available on the scorching desert sands… and, they raised them to run. Tsunade herself had lost a significant amount of money betting on the annual Sunagakure Sight Hound Races – one of the most talked-about events of the year.

Turned out, Kiba had run into the proprietor of said kennel.

“She said, “Ah, this one’s a fine-looking dog,” to me!” said Kiba. “Did you hear that? About Akamaru! Right, boy?”

“Woof.”

“And then, then, she invited me over for tea – the kennel was huge -- and we talked about dogs nonstop, and I asked could I see the dogs, and she said sure, and she asked was Akamaru good with other dogs, and I said yes, and she said he could go out and play with them, and—“

At this point Hinata was simply politely nodding. Shino was trying to listen, but found it increasingly difficult as Kiba’s words slurred together more and more the faster he spoke in his excitement.

“AND THEN HE MET HER!” said Kiba loudly. He paused for effect.

Shino tried not to snore. Hinata cleared her throat and asked graciously, “Er, who, Kiba-kun?”

“Tsuki-hime.” Kiba breathed this last word as though speaking of Kami-sama himself. Shino and Hinata exchanged looks.

Kiba looked vaguely disappointed. “Tsuki-hime – ‘Moon Princess’ – only the most famous race hound in the history of nin-dog racing!”

Hinata listened politely as Kiba spoke on and on of the bitch’s qualities and lineage. Apparently, the dog was fairly young for a racing hound – most of the animals from Ryoukoji Kennel raced when their age hit the double-digits. She had an amazing track record thus far, apparently absolutely flattening her opponents in her first race – the famous Chishiomaru – ‘Blood Boy’ – her senior by four years. Hinata couldn’t help but feel excited along with Kiba as he spoke reverently of the animal, never mind that the details of the mission had been lost amongst dog-fancier talk.

Shino looked as though he would be drastically more interested had the conversation been about insect racing.

Which apparently, in the Village-Hiding-in-the-Grass, was a pretty big deal.

“Anyways, Akamaru and Tsuki-chan –“

“Tsuki-chan?” said Shino. It was the most he’d spoken that week.

“I know, Ryoukoji-san said I could call her that, since she and Akamaru hit it off so well. I tell you, she took one look at this face –“ Kiba put out his hand and pulled Akamaru’s leathery black lips into a smile for him, “—and she was hooked. That princess was just waiting for her prince to come along, eh, wasn’t she, Akamaru?”

(Akamaru grunted and wagged his tail.)

Shino sweatdropped. He hadn’t known that Kiba’s voice was capable of going that high.

So, that was how they ended up at the Sunagakure Sight Hound Races four weeks after Kiba’s declaration of Akamaru’s love for Tsuki-hime. The sun was blinding, but because of his connection with the Ryoukoji Kennels Kiba had managed to get front-row seats. Hinata had worn a hat to cover her hypersensitive eyes, but Kiba and Akamaru were staring intently at the track, babbling nonstop to a stoic Shino. He’d bet a month’s salary on Tsuki-hime, and seemed quite confident that she would win. Hinata had politely placed some money on the Moon Princess as well, but mainly to appease Kiba, who was pissed when Shino told him ‘I’m not a gambling man’.

The race track was long; the dogs were barking furiously behind the tightly enclosed metal gates that prevented them from running out early. The animals were coaxed into running by a little fuzzy strip of fur tied to the end of a zipline. The lure was the big motivation for the dogs.

Akamaru, being a scent-hound and not a sight hound, wasn’t that intrigued by the lure. It didn’t smell interesting to him, so he ignored it. The dogs preparing to race, though, were doing nuts.

“Ah, Kiba-kun, the race is about to start,” said Hinata.

Kiba finally shut up. The announcer came on.

“Kunoichi and Shinobi, please turn your attention to the track. Welcome to the sixty-first anniversary of the Sunagakure Sight Hound Races!”

Everyone cheered. Looking around, Hinata saw that all sorts of people were present at the race (though, she noted, most of the people who looked like they were dog-fanciers were sitting up front in the best seats). Everyone was rustling about in their wallets, finalizing last-minute bets.

“… The race will begin in five… four… three… two… one…”

DING! A bell clanged. They were off. Never had Hinata seen such speed in animals before! Fourteen pairs of bronze paws slapped the dusty earth simultaneously, and moments later there was a deadly silence as the animals charged off. Sunlight gleamed over short gold fur, highlighting the bunching and stretching of muscles built to propel the animals at astonishing speeds over the sand. The dogs ran in a pack at first.

They were about a fourth of the way down the track, and it was beginning to become clear who would take the lead. A few of the dogs had become uninterested in the lure, and were veering off to different sides. People who had placed bets on those animals let out wails of despair.

The race was a blur. The dogs were as quick as ninja. Their legs tangled and untangled themselves as they ran, becoming a slurred-together mix of sparkling white claws and lean brown legs. Soon, only two dogs were in the lead, both staring at the lure with an intensity that would put even an assassination-squad ANBU to shame.

A big red male was running neck and neck with a smaller, more orange female.

“THAT’S HER!” frothed Kiba. “THAT’S TSUKI-HIME! GO TSUKI-HIME!”

They were close to the finish. There was just one more stretch to go! The two animals pounded along the track. Their tongues hung out of their mouths like wet slices of ham, slapping against the sides of their faces and splattering bits of lather onto their squinting faces. Shino sat up in his seat. Hinata leaned forward. Kiba almost fell off of the railing he was bending over.

Suddenly, the bitch pulled ahead of the dog, letting on a sudden burst of speed that forced her quivering muscles into overload. She pulled ahead by one… two – almost three lengths!

“… AAAAAND IT’S TSUKI-HIME! THAT’S IT, FOLKS, SHE’S WON AGAIN, THAT LITTLE LADY NEVER FAILS TO AMAZE US!”

The crowd erupted into screams of delight and fury. The crowd roared and roared until Hinata had to cover her ears, and Shino had shrunk so far into his collar that only his dark glasses were visible above it. Kiba was screaming so hard that Hinata suspected he might go apoplectic, if the veins standing out on his neck were any indication.

It had been a very exciting race, though, Hinata had to admit.

Afterwards they met up with Ryoukoji-san behind the racetrack. The crowd had thinned considerably, and the racing hounds were being let loose to walk around the track and work their bodies back into a normal rhythm. Ryoukoji-san was sitting on a bench, watching the dogs play. She was an older woman in her sixties, with grey hair scraped back into a bun at the back of her head and wise eyes. “Ah, Kiba,” she said. “Would Akamaru like to play with Tsuki-hime this afternoon? She likes to wind down after a good race.”

Kiba looked delighted. “He’d love to!” he told Akamaru.

Akamaru wagged his tail and tilted his big head to the side.

Tsuki-hime was let out of her kennel.

The bitch was elegantly built, with a sleek rise to her thin bone structure and short, silky orange fur vacuum-tight on her body. Her tail was bony and long, her face tapered into a tight right triangle, with a pair of the most astounding golden eyes Kiba had ever seen on a dog – they shone with almost human intelligence. Everything about the animal was made for speed, from the chiseled head to the perfect, razor-honed anatomy. He recognized her breed to be an Ibizan Hound.

Kiba smiled broadly. “We’re thinking about breeding them,” he whispered to Hinata. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

Akamaru woofed – finally, the gates were no longer separating them! Tsuki-hime ran to Akamaru, whip-like tail thrashing about behind her excitedly. Akamaru ran. Tsuki-hime ran. It was a beautiful sight to behold, the two animals coming together…

… Until Akamaru ran right past Tsuki-hime and right up to her brother, the studly Taiyo-kou. And began to hump him vigorously.

“… Looks like Akamaru likes ‘Sun Prince’ better than he likes ‘Moon Princess’,” said Shino simply.

Kiba looked mortified.

FIN

Tail Busting

Tail Busting

by Croup

"I can't believe you, Akamaru! Geez, I've trained you better than that, haven't I?"

The giant dog shrank down and whined beneath his owner's lectures. His big white tail--normally an energetic, wagging thing--was stuck firmly between his legs.

Kiba sighed as he looked at the sorry dog. "I've warned you before about taking craps where you're not supposed to. Man, and it just had to be Ebisu-sensei's yard too, right? He's probably gonna make a big fuss about it to the Hokage and then the whole clan will look bad."

"Oi oi. Bad enough he turned his hose on us . . . " grumbled Naruto, toweling out his hair. "Why'd he soak me, too? I wasn't even with you guys!"

"Yeah, sorry about that, Naruto. But thanks again for letting us use your place to dry off," said Kiba. Then he folded his arms and glared at his dog. "You've got some explaining to do."

Akamaru offered up an excuse for his actions with a guilty-sounding bark.

"What'd he say?" asked Naruto.

But Kiba held a hand up, belaying the question. "If you had to go so bad, you should've told me! Then we could've gone for a nice walk, instead of getting drenched by a closet-perv." He shook his head. "Hey Naruto, you don't mind if I handle Akamaru's punishment right here, do you?"

"Huh? Uh, no, I guess not," Naruto said, having no clue what an Inuzuka dog's punishment might entail. "Go . . . ahead?"

"Thanks. It's just--you know dogs. You're supposed to discipline 'em right on the spot so they know what they're being punished for. Rub their nose in it, so to speak." He nodded to Akamaru firmly. "Alright boy, you know what to do."

Naruto leaned forward curiously, wondering what was going to happen. Would Kiba smack his dog with a rolled up newspaper? Make him stay out in the dog-house overnight? Withhold those juicy steaks that Akamaru loved so much? He was surprised when, instead of any of those things, Akamaru sighed and performed Man-Beast Clone, transforming into a copy of his master.

"Uh . . . " Naruto said, very confused.

Kiba, though, looked quite satisfied with the results. "Good job, Akamaru! Now, for step two."

And then, before Naruto had a chance to question just what was going on, Akamaru-the-Kiba-look-alike began stripping down.

"E--eh!? K--Kiba! What's he doing!?" Naruto squawked in shock as the dog tossed his dark jacket down on the floor. Then his fishnet shirt was drawn up over his head. Packed abs flexed and tight pecs popped into sight as it went. Akamaru tossed his unkempt mane of hair back and forth once it was off, giving a good shake.

Then Akamaru's hands went to his pants.

"KIBA! Answer me, damnit!" Naruto covered his eyes.

"What?" Kiba said, obviously amused by the other guy's reactions. "Heh, calm down and stop getting a boner from my bod, Uzumaki. Remember that it's just Akamaru, yeah?"

"But, uhh, just what IS this?" Naruto asked. He peeked through his fingers and saw that Akamaru was now completely naked. In his kitchen. The man-dog's body rippled with toned muscles when he moved, and there was still a light sheen of moisture on him from the earlier hosing.

Then Naruto's gaze accidentally slipped down to the dog's crotch.

He stared.

Woah. If that technique really does make Akamaru a perfect clone . . . then dayumn. Nice balls, Kiba.

"It's his punishment of course." Kiba rolled his eyes at Naruto's ignorance, then gestured to his dog to come forward. He seated himself on one of Naruto's kitchen chairs and slapped his knee. "You know what to do, boy. Up and over. You've got this one coming."

Akamaru growled a little, but followed Kiba's directives. He went over the proffered lap with a muffled woof and rested his stomach across one thigh. Kiba took a couple seconds to make sure his dog was comfortable, adjusting the naked himself until he was satisfied. Naruto just stared at the display, completely at a loss for words. Was Kiba really . . . was he really gonna . . . ?

Then Kiba raised his hand up into the air, held it for a moment, and then started to briskly spank Akamaru's bare, well-muscled, human, ass.

"Wh--!? Eh--!? Kiba! What the FUCK, man!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What? What's got your shorts in such a twist, huh?" Kiba asked, rhythmically raising his palm up and down to whack the dog's rump. "Akamaru was naughty, so I'm giving him a spanking. So what?"

"But. B-b-b-b-but Akamaru's a DOG!" Naruto's eyes were glued to Akamaru's twisting butt. Each firm spank made a round cheek bounce, and then do a little wriggle. "You don't spank dogs!"

"Well, no, but Akamaru can turn into a human," the Inuzuka explained to Naruto like he was a simpleton.

"Yeah, a human YOU! Don't you get it? It's like--It looks like you're spanking yourself!" His eyes went from Kiba's tattooed face, down to Akamaru's wincing one. Then back up to Kiba. And then down again to Akamaru. Then down Akamaru's curved, muscled back, to the two swelling curves of his rear. They were flushed with hand-prints.

Kiba's mouth curved into a frown. "So what?"

The dog was making little yips and whines as Kiba continued the punishment, squirming a bit and kicking his legs out. He didn't struggle or try to flee though, so his owner had no difficulty holding him down. And Kiba's palm just kept on landing over and over again. The way each of them moved together rhythmically, their bodies flowing with the punishment and laps grinding together, was almost hypnotizing. They were obviously both accustomed to the disciplinary procedure.

"Well, uh, it's weird! That's what!"

"Man, dogs are members of the family in my clan, yeah? Our true partners in every way. That means they get all the perks of being an Inuzuka, AND all the cons. If Akamaru gets to go on missions with me, he can get his butt beat when he's bad, too!"

A wounded growl was Akamaru's response to that statement. Kiba laughed. "Don't worry boy, it's almost over, okay? And then it'll be a clean slate, just like always. I'll even get you a nice T-Bone to make it up to you!"

Akamaru-as-Kiba let his tongue roll out at that, panting happily. Then he yelped as a hard spank caught him right under the left cheek.

Naruto shook his head at the scene, unable to put words to his emotions. There sat Kiba, grinning toothily as he kept bringing his arm up and down, spanking the bare ass of another Kiba, this one naked, flexing, and yipping slightly from the burn. Akamaru's backside was nice and rosy by now. Probably real tender, too.

It was only after another minute had passed and the punishment ended that Naruto started to laugh. Akamaru hopped off of Kiba's lap, thoroughly red-butted. But then instead of rubbing his ass with his hands like you'd expect--like Kiba or Naruto had done both countless times themselves--the henge'd dog began scooting around the kitchen floor on his rear. He whined and panted as he walked crab-style, rubbing his butt on the linoleum tiles.

Even if he lived to be as old as Ero-sennin, Naruto would simply never understand the Inuzuka clan.

Stolen Away

Author's note:

This ... *shrugs* is what it is. (a Kiba one - shot) In the midst of the other stories, I found this while looking for a pic XD'. I looked at the date, and was like: 'damn...I've had this way too long without doing anything with it, so figured I'd post it. I wrote it for fun, and boredom. rofl. but I think it turned out, kinda cute, anyways. On to the story!

____________________________

Stolen Away

by karamoonchild

Sitting down on the boulder, she tucked her legs up underneath. Looking out towards the lake, she let her smile fade slowly. Her pale blue eyes, shined, but no tears were let to fall. Lost within her own thoughts, the approaching shadows went unnoticed, until kunai sank into the ground below her feet.

Snapping back from her daydreams, she looked up, only to find herself being tackled and restrained. Struggling against the ropes was useless, as she was tied, and had been completely caught offguard. She whirled to look at her captors, and stared wide-eyed, recognizing the dark-haired, form of Hyuuga Neji.

A warning growl, was heard from the massive hound who accompanied the men. She looked over, at it's rider, studying the red stripes upon his cheeks; until a sudden jerk, let her know she was being carried. She shook her head, and struggled to concentrate her blurry thoughts. She glanced around quickly, as they darted away, and kicked off her sandals.

She stared back towards the lake, from over the man's shoulder; and trembled in fear. She took a deep breath, and before slipping into unconsciousness, she screamed as loud, and high pitched as she could.

Then her world went black.

o

She could feel a soft, puff of air, touching against her cheek. Her eyes opened slowly, and she was greeted by the furry, sighing face of the dog from before. Without thinking, she reached out and scratched under it's chin, and behind it's ears. She laughed a little as it's leg started to thump, and stopped, so she could sit up.

Yawning, she stretched. Then it came to her...this dog, had been with the men who'd taken her. Looking around quickly, she realized she had been laid on a cot. The door to the room was slid open, and she was greeted by one of her captors. The dog whimpered, and grumbled, seeming to talk to the man, with red stripes on his cheeks.

"I see your finally awake," a woman's voice spoke up. She looked back over at the door, and tilted her head to the side. The woman had pale yellow hair, and their was a oval-shaped bead mark on her forehead.

She only laughed under the girl's stare. "I guess you don't speak much anymore?"

"Um, no."

"Well, whatever. You're free now, you can do whatever you want."

"What do you mean free?" she asked, lifting her eyebrow.

"One of our teams rescued you, " the woman beamed.

The girl snorted, and stood up then. "Rescued from what, exactly?"

"The clan, of course!" The girl's jaw dropped, and her face went blank.

She slapped her forehead with her palm. "I didn't need rescued from them, at all!"

"Nonsense!"

"I don't need rescued when I'm a member of the clan!" she snapped.

"Your saying your a member of them...?" the dog-boy spoke up.

"Yes." she sighed, a vein appearing on her forehead.

"Well, you're not going back to them," the woman scoffed, and turned to the boy. "Kiba, you and Akamaru, are to make sure she doesn't escape."

She shook her head, and sighed heavily. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"That clan is an evil organization..."

"You don't know anything!" the girl yelled.

"I know more than you." The woman, finished, and left.

"arghhh! I can't believe this happening!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Why is it, you really want to go back there?" the boy asked, tapping her shoulder.

"They are my clan... I never wanted to leave them." She said, quietly.

"How can you be loyal to criminals?"

"How can you judge them, when you don't know them at all?" she said back, stiffly; and walked out into the village.

He was able to see her inner struggle. She knew his village had meant well, but she wanted to return so much, it was tearing her apart. It would be difficult to fight to go back, and her growing connection with her guards, only made it all harder.

She had found a friend in Kiba...but she needed to be with her clan. Yet, as she would sit along the border of the village, as they both looked on, and she refused to attack them, to be free. She wanted to go home... to her home...but she didn't have the heart to kill them.

That only made the other shinobi wonder why she had been allowed to join the clan at all. It was smaller in number true..but they were known to be vicious, and cold hearted killers; who had no remorse for what they thought was great fun.

And yet, here she was. A person who was openly friendly, outgoing, and peaceful. She showed kindness to strangers, and revealed her skills as a medic. They had found out, she was ranked as a Jounin, and yet, had not ever completed a single mission. She avoided fighting, and would rather talk, or goof around.

He caught her crying into her knees, off in some isolated place. He put his hand on her head, and patted it reassuringly. She glanced over at him, and Akamaru, whimpered, burying his face in her lap. Her face flushed when she realized he'd seen her, and bent over, covering her face with Akamaru's shoulder - blades, and crying into his fur.

Kiba lay his jacket over her head, and sat down. Her body was shaking with held-in sobs, and he looked on, as her cries remained silent, and Akamaru whimpered his sympathy. She pulled back, up, after only a short while, and smoothed out, Akamaru's ruffled fur. He licked her hands softly, and she only scratched under his chin, and kissed his forehead to thank him, for letting her cry.

She turned toward Kiba, and wiped away her remaining tears. Tugging off the jacket, she lay it on his lap slowly. "Thank you..." she said, softly, as he looked at her.

He grabbed her suddenly, and pulled her into a tight hug. "You don't have to hide from me," he said, quietly. She lay her foreheard on his shoulder for a long while; gripping his shirt slightly.

"I never hide..." she whispered. Then her body relaxed, and her arms wrapped around his chest, as she hugged him back.

Over the time that passed, they grew closer; more than they ever realized. They shared an apartment... and he was her guard, the one who couldn't let her go back. It had become more than that....she wasn't sure when, but she'd started to wait, for him to get back.

He was a shinobi, and would get called out on missions; leaving her with Lee, to guard her, and often, she would have to stay inside the infirmary, watching the leaf medics struggle to get everyone sought after. But even, she could not stay still, when someone need help; and would sometime go over and help care for a patient. Naruto or Lee, were often the ones who came looking for her, after Kiba came back; and she'd hurry over to greet them, after they'd report to Tsunade.

But one day, she had been training, when Tenten, hurried over, and saying that Kiba and Akamaru had been attacked. She rushed back, running over to the Infirmary, and it was Sakura, who told her, things were looking bad. They'd gone up against, a man called, Naru. Her eyes widened, with recognition.

Sakura, went on to say, their health was failing fast; They were both in a great deal of pain, but she couldn't find any poison or substance to cause it. Though, they did have many, deep, and heavy gashes all over.

Sakura apologized, saying Akamaru would pull through; but there was nothing she could do for Kiba; The girl asked where he was, and she was taken to the room, then left alone. She hurried to his bedside, and saw Akamaru, lay on a cot, on the floor nearby, whimpering in pain and distress. Kiba was gazing over at him, and only turned to look, when she touched her hand to his forehead.

His vision was blurry, but he recognized her scent; and whispered her name. Her hands started shaking, and she shook her head quickly, and pressed down on his stomach hard; as her hands glowed silver. He screamed, and thrashed beneath her hands; and Akamaru started to growl, knowing she was causing him, more pain.

Kiba's eyes widened, in shock, and fear; he clawed at her arms, even as the glow intensified; He thrashed around in pain; and howled in sheer agony. She concentrated, on keeping contact, even as the one grip he had on her, dug his claw-like nails, deeper beneath her skin. Suddenly, he stopped moving, and the glow disappeared completely; just as Sakura came running into the room; greeted by a fully angered Akamaru.

"What did you do...?" Sakura gasped.

Kiba sat up quickly, and she realized all the gashes were gone. "How did you know what to do?" the former hokage apprentice asked, in amazement.

"I know the man who attacked him..." The girl stared at the floor. "Naru...is a member...of the clan..."

A call was heard, and Sakura, rushed out of the room. "Sorry, gotta go."

He pulled his claws out of her arm slowly; She bit her lower lip, as he did, so; and looked back at him. He had turned away, to glance at Akamaru. "It's okay...boy. I'm okay, Akamaru," he told him, and the dog, relaxed only then. Lifting the arm he held up further, he leaned forward, and licked the cut he'd made there. He kept lapping at it, slowly with his tongue,until all the blood was cleared away; and still he let his tongue, keep licking it gently. She had froze as he did, so, and, only after a long while, he paused then.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, and went back to licking the cut.

"Kiba...?"

"I'm sorry..." he repeated, pausing and resting his forehead, against her palm. She took her free hand, and brushed his bangs from out in front of his eyes. He had them half-closed, and she could see the remorse, he held there.

She smiled softly. "It's okay, Kiba..." She said, and he left her arm free, as they both hugged each other tightly. She could feel him trembling slightly, and she shook her head, in his shoulder. "I already forgave..." she whispered, and he only nodded.

o---o---o

Then the time came:

Some of the clan, had come to get to her back...She gasped in recognition, as several voices called out her name. She rushed outside, and was suddenly tackled by an emotional blur; and greeted by a relieved looking Kenshin, and Shikamaru. The blur was crying, and hugging her tightly; not wanting to let go for a second. She realized then, it was her son; and smiled; and hugged him back; rubbing swirls into his back, reassuringly. Shikamaru spoke up.

"We're going to get you out of here."

"All three, of you came to find me?" she said, still in shock, to be back amongst members of her clan.

"All four of us, actually," he grinned.

"Four?"

"Later, now we really have to go!" They all led her towards the border.

"Where the hell do you think your taking her!" a voice yelled, and she found herself snatched by Kiba, back towards into the village.

"Let go of my mother!" a furious scream, called out, and her son rushed, forward, only to be held by a shadow possesion. "Damn it, Shikamaru!" Kiba set her down, and Kenshin, grabbed her.

She struggled violently in his hold, until he was forced to drop her. She was about to dash back, when Shikamaru, grabbed her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back!" she yelled, trying to shrug off his hand.

"But we're taking your home!"

"I know that!" she snapped.

"Then come on!" he insisted. She punched him across the face, breaking his grip.

"I'm coming back...but there's something i have to do first!" She yelled back over her shoulder, flickering away quickly.

She rushed back, not noticing the redhead, she passed by. She hurried over to the crumpled forms of the Inuzuka pair. She knelt next to Kiba, and her eyes widened at the sight of so much blood, pooled beneath him. She pressed her hands to his stomach, and realized she was shaking. "Please, please..."

She could feel his heart beat had stopped; and she kept going, her hands glowing brighter and brighter, as tears streamed down her face. "Please... oh, please..." she begged, aloud, even as she felt her eyes getting heavy.

The last thing she felt, was a warm breath of Akamaru, licking the tears from her face, and whimpering.

o----o----o

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked over next to her, realizing Akamaru was laying next to her. "Oh...no...where's..." her voice caught in her throat, and she trembled in fear, raising her hand to her head.

A gentle lick on her fingers, caused her to bolt up, and turn around. She froze... staring at the resting, healed, uninjured form of the Inuzuka man, she had feared for. "Kiba...?" she squeaked, slightly, and he opened his eyes then.

"Your awake..." he smiled faintly.

She crawled her way over to him, and brushed the bangs out of his eyes. "Your okay..." she whispered, and tears slid down her cheeks.

He tugged at her arm, causing her to fall down to the floor; before wrapping his arm around her waist, and pulling her into his embrace. "I'm sorry..." he said, in a low voice, and brushed away her tears.

"I'm so happy..." she said, gripping his arm. He hugged her from behind, leaning forward, to kiss her on the forehead.

o----o----o

She could only blush deeply, as the clan came in, once they knew she was awake. Kiba had pulled her into his lap, with one arm over her shoulder, and another wrapped around her waist, possesively. The other girls only laughed, teasing her lightly, about her new man.

Kenshin and Shikamaru seemed pleased that he was so devoted to her, and had already been won over, by the boy's refusal to leave her side, while she was unconscious. Sasori, had taken to it better, since he had seen her determination to keep him alive, firsthand, and the boy, though
"a terrible fighter and weak", had earned his respect.

Kuromi was the least friendly of all the other girls, as Kara, was like a sister to her; and Kiba, had been among the squad who'd taken her away. She was rather slow to forgive about that; but seeing how happy, the girl looked, was softening that a bit.

Tazuo-kun, her son, was furious; He was pissed off that the man was even near his mother, let alone holding her in his lap. But she climbed off, of his legs, and Tazuo rushed into her arms; hugging her tighly, and telling her how glad he was that she was back; he rambled how he missed mommy; and caused Kiba to stare in shock, when he transformed back into his 4 yr old, self.

The clans members only laughed at the Inuzuka's reaction; while Akamaru, had pressed himself up against his owner's side. Whimpering and growling, both, in response to things the clan did. He rubbed the dog's back, reassuringly.

Suddenly, Tazuo whipped over to stand next to him and yelled in his face. "Don't you dare touch my mother again!"

She sighed, and went back over, hugging her son quickly. "It's okay... he's allowed to."

"No he's not!" Tazuo yelled. "I won't let him take away mommy again!"

Her face softened slightly, but she let go of Tazuo, and went back to Kiba on her own, even though, her son tried to keep her held back. Kiba yanked her arm free, and set her back into his lap, and Tazuo cried hysterically.

Kiba leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Are you sure?" she looked back at him, and he nodded.

"Sure about what?" Tazuo said, his tears quickly vanishing.

"hehe," he chuckled lightly.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?" she giggled.

"Is he my new daddy?" He asked, eyes wide. She only nodded once, before he tackled Kiba, almost knocking him over; and hugging him tightly. She laughed then, and so did the others, who saw it. Kiba hugged back, and struggled to answer the flood of questions the boy had for him.

"Alright, Tazuo-sama. That's enough excitement for today, that it is," the samurai spoke up. "Good night, Kara-dono...Kiba-sama." Kenshin ushered the energetic boy outside, winking, and closing the door behind them. She felt an arm tug lightly on her waist.

"He likes you, now," she teased, turning to face him slightly.

"Is he always gonna be like that?" Kiba's eyes widened.

"Heehe, probably...but wait till you see what happens in his teenage form."

"Oh...geez..." He groaned, and she laughed.

Akamaru nuzzled against them both, and she scratched her knees softly through his fur. He lay down, beneath her hands, and completely relaxed. He grumbled a few times. "Haha...I know those mean your enjoying this, at least!" she giggled.

"You were serious about wanting to know what he's saying?" Kiba asked, cocking his head, sideways a bit.

"Well, yeah!" she replied, shaking her head like the answer had been obvious.

"Well, right now, he's saying your scatching feels really good," he spoke up. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, he was able to communicate, and understand his canine companion.

"Maybe if i keep practising the telepathy, i'd get to hear his voice someday, " she said, softly.

"That would be awesome! You'd be the first person outside of the bloodline to get to!"

"haha...maybe so, but I'd rather get to just talk once, through telepathy at least," she giggled at his enthusiasm.

End, Stolen Away

Stolen Away

Author's note:

This ... *shrugs* is what it is. (a Kiba one - shot) In the midst of the other stories, I found this while looking for a pic XD'. I looked at the date, and was like: 'damn...I've had this way too long without doing anything with it, so figured I'd post it. I wrote it for fun, and boredom. rofl. but I think it turned out, kinda cute, anyways. On to the story!

____________________________

Stolen Away:

Sitting down on the boulder, she tucked her legs up underneath. Looking out towards the lake, she let her smile fade slowly. Her pale blue eyes, shined, but no tears were let to fall. Lost within her own thoughts, the approaching shadows went unnoticed, until kunai sank into the ground below her feet.

Snapping back from her daydreams, she looked up, only to find herself being tackled and restrained. Struggling against the ropes was useless, as she was tied, and had been completely caught offguard. She whirled to look at her captors, and stared wide-eyed, recognizing the dark-haired, form of Hyuuga Neji.

A warning growl, was heard from the massive hound who accompanied the men. She looked over, at it's rider, studying the red stripes upon his cheeks; until a sudden jerk, let her know she was being carried. She shook her head, and struggled to concentrate her blurry thoughts. She glanced around quickly, as they darted away, and kicked off her sandals.

She stared back towards the lake, from over the man's shoulder; and trembled in fear. She took a deep breath, and before slipping into unconsciousness, she screamed as loud, and high pitched as she could.

Then her world went black.

o

She could feel a soft, puff of air, touching against her cheek. Her eyes opened slowly, and she was greeted by the furry, sighing face of the dog from before. Without thinking, she reached out and scratched under it's chin, and behind it's ears. She laughed a little as it's leg started to thump, and stopped, so she could sit up.

Yawning, she stretched. Then it came to her...this dog, had been with the men who'd taken her. Looking around quickly, she realized she had been laid on a cot. The door to the room was slid open, and she was greeted by one of her captors. The dog whimpered, and grumbled, seeming to talk to the man, with red stripes on his cheeks.

"I see your finally awake," a woman's voice spoke up. She looked back over at the door, and tilted her head to the side. The woman had pale yellow hair, and their was a oval-shaped bead mark on her forehead.

She only laughed under the girl's stare. "I guess you don't speak much anymore?"

"Um, no."

"Well, whatever. You're free now, you can do whatever you want."

"What do you mean free?" she asked, lifting her eyebrow.

"One of our teams rescued you, " the woman beamed.

The girl snorted, and stood up then. "Rescued from what, exactly?"

"The clan, of course!" The girl's jaw dropped, and her face went blank.

She slapped her forehead with her palm. "I didn't need rescued from them, at all!"

"Nonsense!"

"I don't need rescued when I'm a member of the clan!" she snapped.

"Your saying your a member of them...?" the dog-boy spoke up.

"Yes." she sighed, a vein appearing on her forehead.

"Well, you're not going back to them," the woman scoffed, and turned to the boy. "Kiba, you and Akamaru, are to make sure she doesn't escape."

She shook her head, and sighed heavily. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"That clan is an evil organization..."

"You don't know anything!" the girl yelled.

"I know more than you." The woman, finished, and left.

"arghhh! I can't believe this happening!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Why is it, you really want to go back there?" the boy asked, tapping her shoulder.

"They are my clan... I never wanted to leave them." She said, quietly.

"How can you be loyal to criminals?"

"How can you judge them, when you don't know them at all?" she said back, stiffly; and walked out into the village.

He was able to see her inner struggle. She knew his village had meant well, but she wanted to return so much, it was tearing her apart. It would be difficult to fight to go back, and her growing connection with her guards, only made it all harder.

She had found a friend in Kiba...but she needed to be with her clan. Yet, as she would sit along the border of the village, as they both looked on, and she refused to attack them, to be free. She wanted to go home... to her home...but she didn't have the heart to kill them.

That only made the other shinobi wonder why she had been allowed to join the clan at all. It was smaller in number true..but they were known to be vicious, and cold hearted killers; who had no remorse for what they thought was great fun.

And yet, here she was. A person who was openly friendly, outgoing, and peaceful. She showed kindness to strangers, and revealed her skills as a medic. They had found out, she was ranked as a Jounin, and yet, had not ever completed a single mission. She avoided fighting, and would rather talk, or goof around.

He caught her crying into her knees, off in some isolated place. He put his hand on her head, and patted it reassuringly. She glanced over at him, and Akamaru, whimpered, burying his face in her lap. Her face flushed when she realized he'd seen her, and bent over, covering her face with Akamaru's shoulder - blades, and crying into his fur.

Kiba lay his jacket over her head, and sat down. Her body was shaking with held-in sobs, and he looked on, as her cries remained silent, and Akamaru whimpered his sympathy. She pulled back, up, after only a short while, and smoothed out, Akamaru's ruffled fur. He licked her hands softly, and she only scratched under his chin, and kissed his forehead to thank him, for letting her cry.

She turned toward Kiba, and wiped away her remaining tears. Tugging off the jacket, she lay it on his lap slowly. "Thank you..." she said, softly, as he looked at her.

He grabbed her suddenly, and pulled her into a tight hug. "You don't have to hide from me," he said, quietly. She lay her foreheard on his shoulder for a long while; gripping his shirt slightly.

"I never hide..." she whispered. Then her body relaxed, and her arms wrapped around his chest, as she hugged him back.

Over the time that passed, they grew closer; more than they ever realized. They shared an apartment... and he was her guard, the one who couldn't let her go back. It had become more than that....she wasn't sure when, but she'd started to wait, for him to get back.

He was a shinobi, and would get called out on missions; leaving her with Lee, to guard her, and often, she would have to stay inside the infirmary, watching the leaf medics struggle to get everyone sought after. But even, she could not stay still, when someone need help; and would sometime go over and help care for a patient. Naruto or Lee, were often the ones who came looking for her, after Kiba came back; and she'd hurry over to greet them, after they'd report to Tsunade.

But one day, she had been training, when Tenten, hurried over, and saying that Kiba and Akamaru had been attacked. She rushed back, running over to the Infirmary, and it was Sakura, who told her, things were looking bad. They'd gone up against, a man called, Naru. Her eyes widened, with recognition.

Sakura, went on to say, their health was failing fast; They were both in a great deal of pain, but she couldn't find any poison or substance to cause it. Though, they did have many, deep, and heavy gashes all over.

Sakura apologized, saying Akamaru would pull through; but there was nothing she could do for Kiba; The girl asked where he was, and she was taken to the room, then left alone. She hurried to his bedside, and saw Akamaru, lay on a cot, on the floor nearby, whimpering in pain and distress. Kiba was gazing over at him, and only turned to look, when she touched her hand to his forehead.

His vision was blurry, but he recognized her scent; and whispered her name. Her hands started shaking, and she shook her head quickly, and pressed down on his stomach hard; as her hands glowed silver. He screamed, and thrashed beneath her hands; and Akamaru started to growl, knowing she was causing him, more pain.

Kiba's eyes widened, in shock, and fear; he clawed at her arms, even as the glow intensified; He thrashed around in pain; and howled in sheer agony. She concentrated, on keeping contact, even as the one grip he had on her, dug his claw-like nails, deeper beneath her skin. Suddenly, he stopped moving, and the glow disappeared completely; just as Sakura came running into the room; greeted by a fully angered Akamaru.

"What did you do...?" Sakura gasped.

Kiba sat up quickly, and she realized all the gashes were gone. "How did you know what to do?" the former hokage apprentice asked, in amazement.

"I know the man who attacked him..." The girl stared at the floor. "Naru...is a member...of the clan..."

A call was heard, and Sakura, rushed out of the room. "Sorry, gotta go."

He pulled his claws out of her arm slowly; She bit her lower lip, as he did, so; and looked back at him. He had turned away, to glance at Akamaru. "It's okay...boy. I'm okay, Akamaru," he told him, and the dog, relaxed only then. Lifting the arm he held up further, he leaned forward, and licked the cut he'd made there. He kept lapping at it, slowly with his tongue,until all the blood was cleared away; and still he let his tongue, keep licking it gently. She had froze as he did, so, and, only after a long while, he paused then.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, and went back to licking the cut.

"Kiba...?"

"I'm sorry..." he repeated, pausing and resting his forehead, against her palm. She took her free hand, and brushed his bangs from out in front of his eyes. He had them half-closed, and she could see the remorse, he held there.

She smiled softly. "It's okay, Kiba..." She said, and he left her arm free, as they both hugged each other tightly. She could feel him trembling slightly, and she shook her head, in his shoulder. "I already forgave..." she whispered, and he only nodded.

o---o---o

Then the time came:

Some of the clan, had come to get to her back...She gasped in recognition, as several voices called out her name. She rushed outside, and was suddenly tackled by an emotional blur; and greeted by a relieved looking Kenshin, and Shikamaru. The blur was crying, and hugging her tightly; not wanting to let go for a second. She realized then, it was her son; and smiled; and hugged him back; rubbing swirls into his back, reassuringly. Shikamaru spoke up.

"We're going to get you out of here."

"All three, of you came to find me?" she said, still in shock, to be back amongst members of her clan.

"All four of us, actually," he grinned.

"Four?"

"Later, now we really have to go!" They all led her towards the border.

"Where the hell do you think your taking her!" a voice yelled, and she found herself snatched by Kiba, back towards into the village.

"Let go of my mother!" a furious scream, called out, and her son rushed, forward, only to be held by a shadow possesion. "Damn it, Shikamaru!" Kiba set her down, and Kenshin, grabbed her.

She struggled violently in his hold, until he was forced to drop her. She was about to dash back, when Shikamaru, grabbed her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back!" she yelled, trying to shrug off his hand.

"But we're taking your home!"

"I know that!" she snapped.

"Then come on!" he insisted. She punched him across the face, breaking his grip.

"I'm coming back...but there's something i have to do first!" She yelled back over her shoulder, flickering away quickly.

She rushed back, not noticing the redhead, she passed by. She hurried over to the crumpled forms of the Inuzuka pair. She knelt next to Kiba, and her eyes widened at the sight of so much blood, pooled beneath him. She pressed her hands to his stomach, and realized she was shaking. "Please, please..."

She could feel his heart beat had stopped; and she kept going, her hands glowing brighter and brighter, as tears streamed down her face. "Please... oh, please..." she begged, aloud, even as she felt her eyes getting heavy.

The last thing she felt, was a warm breath of Akamaru, licking the tears from her face, and whimpering.

o----o----o

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked over next to her, realizing Akamaru was laying next to her. "Oh...no...where's..." her voice caught in her throat, and she trembled in fear, raising her hand to her head.

A gentle lick on her fingers, caused her to bolt up, and turn around. She froze... staring at the resting, healed, uninjured form of the Inuzuka man, she had feared for. "Kiba...?" she squeaked, slightly, and he opened his eyes then.

"Your awake..." he smiled faintly.

She crawled her way over to him, and brushed the bangs out of his eyes. "Your okay..." she whispered, and tears slid down her cheeks.

He tugged at her arm, causing her to fall down to the floor; before wrapping his arm around her waist, and pulling her into his embrace. "I'm sorry..." he said, in a low voice, and brushed away her tears.

"I'm so happy..." she said, gripping his arm. He hugged her from behind, leaning forward, to kiss her on the forehead.

o----o----o

She could only blush deeply, as the clan came in, once they knew she was awake. Kiba had pulled her into his lap, with one arm over her shoulder, and another wrapped around her waist, possesively. The other girls only laughed, teasing her lightly, about her new man.

Kenshin and Shikamaru seemed pleased that he was so devoted to her, and had already been won over, by the boy's refusal to leave her side, while she was unconscious. Sasori, had taken to it better, since he had seen her determination to keep him alive, firsthand, and the boy, though
"a terrible fighter and weak", had earned his respect.

Kuromi was the least friendly of all the other girls, as Kara, was like a sister to her; and Kiba, had been among the squad who'd taken her away. She was rather slow to forgive about that; but seeing how happy, the girl looked, was softening that a bit.

Tazuo-kun, her son, was furious; He was pissed off that the man was even near his mother, let alone holding her in his lap. But she climbed off, of his legs, and Tazuo rushed into her arms; hugging her tighly, and telling her how glad he was that she was back; he rambled how he missed mommy; and caused Kiba to stare in shock, when he transformed back into his 4 yr old, self.

The clans members only laughed at the Inuzuka's reaction; while Akamaru, had pressed himself up against his owner's side. Whimpering and growling, both, in response to things the clan did. He rubbed the dog's back, reassuringly.

Suddenly, Tazuo whipped over to stand next to him and yelled in his face. "Don't you dare touch my mother again!"

She sighed, and went back over, hugging her son quickly. "It's okay... he's allowed to."

"No he's not!" Tazuo yelled. "I won't let him take away mommy again!"

Her face softened slightly, but she let go of Tazuo, and went back to Kiba on her own, even though, her son tried to keep her held back. Kiba yanked her arm free, and set her back into his lap, and Tazuo cried hysterically.

Kiba leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Are you sure?" she looked back at him, and he nodded.

"Sure about what?" Tazuo said, his tears quickly vanishing.

"hehe," he chuckled lightly.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?" she giggled.

"Is he my new daddy?" He asked, eyes wide. She only nodded once, before he tackled Kiba, almost knocking him over; and hugging him tightly. She laughed then, and so did the others, who saw it. Kiba hugged back, and struggled to answer the flood of questions the boy had for him.

"Alright, Tazuo-sama. That's enough excitement for today, that it is," the samurai spoke up. "Good night, Kara-dono...Kiba-sama." Kenshin ushered the energetic boy outside, winking, and closing the door behind them. She felt an arm tug lightly on her waist.

"He likes you, now," she teased, turning to face him slightly.

"Is he always gonna be like that?" Kiba's eyes widened.

"Heehe, probably...but wait till you see what happens in his teenage form."

"Oh...geez..." He groaned, and she laughed.

Akamaru nuzzled against them both, and she scratched her knees softly through his fur. He lay down, beneath her hands, and completely relaxed. He grumbled a few times. "Haha...I know those mean your enjoying this, at least!" she giggled.

"You were serious about wanting to know what he's saying?" Kiba asked, cocking his head, sideways a bit.

"Well, yeah!" she replied, shaking her head like the answer had been obvious.

"Well, right now, he's saying your scatching feels really good," he spoke up. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, he was able to communicate, and understand his canine companion.

"Maybe if i keep practising the telepathy, i'd get to hear his voice someday, " she said, softly.

"That would be awesome! You'd be the first person outside of the bloodline to get to!"

"haha...maybe so, but I'd rather get to just talk once, through telepathy at least," she giggled at his enthusiasm.

End, Stolen Away