Ruminant

xiv

14.

Kyoya woke up to being shaken by a very enthusiastic Hana.

He wasn't very amused.

Shooting the mischievous girl a resentful glance, Kyoya yawned and wondered if he could get away with napping again.

Glancing at the hyper small animal who had been barely stopping herself from bouncing all over the place, probably not.

Kyoya wouldn't even try.

Tuning out the babbling of the small animal - which were mostly revolving around her complaints regarding Uchiha Itachi and her insistence of being Kyoya's best-est friend ever -, Kyoya sighed and trudged down the stairs balefully. He wondered if he could convince his mother to arrange a meeting with his pet. As much as Inuzuka Hana was adorable, she was just as overbearing as Sasagawa Ryohei in the past.

It's not like Kyoya could just hit her when he's annoyed like he used to do with Sasagawa.

A pat from Hana almost made him bare his teeth, and if he wasn't more preoccupied with the next words in the small animal's mouth, he would have literally snarled in aggression.

Kyoya didn't really like his sleep being interrupted. It always made him more irritable than usual.

"We have a playdate today, Shikari-chan. Kaa-san asked your mother this morning and she agreed." Hana smiled brightly. "We're going to have so much fun because-"

"No," he interrupted firmly. "I'm not going."

The small animal deflated and looked at him woefully. "Why not?"

Kyoya was about to support his rejection with a million and one excuses he reserved exclusively for Sasagawa since the context was vaguely the same and could possibly work just as well, but he closed his mouth with a snap when Hana casually rebutted with,

"But, but- don't you want to see my puppies? I just got them the other day and they're really cute."

Puppies?

Maybe Kyoya was being too hasty in his rejection. The whining of Hana was getting irritating and it's not like his patrols couldn't be scheduled for next time.

"I'll go," he interrupted, feeling his cheeks irrationally turn a faint pink.

Hana ducked her head, making Kyoya stop in his tracks, before squealing and hugging him tightly. "You're so cute! Aww!"

No one could really blame him when he finally caved in to his urges and hit the small animal in the head.

Kyoya didn't know if he should be glad or not when the small animal didn't cry as he expected her to and just laughed at him loudly instead.

-----

"This is the Haimaru brothers, Shikari-chan," Hana whispered excitedly, proudly gesturing to the three baby huskies napping in their mother's arms. They're both in the Inuzuka dog shelter with tens if not hundreds of dogs and puppies sleeping or playing excitedly. Kyoya was very satisfied. "They're my ninken and they're going to be my partners once they're big enough."

Kyoya tilted his head curiously. "Ninken?"

"Ninja dogs," Hana replied softly, pride in her features. "Kaa-san said the dogs in our clan are really intelligent and would eventually grow fearsome enough to have our back and be our comrades in the future. Some could even talk too!"

He hummed consideringly, looking over the canines in a new light. This world was definitely interesting with chakra affecting even the animals in the land. The deer in the Nara clan grounds was noticeably smarter than the average ones but not to the point where they could talk.

Kyoya shrugged. More carnivores to fight and test himself with then.

As Hana fussed with the other dogs, Kyoya entertained himself with visions of fighting stronger opponents when he's older - leaning against the wall with a dog on his side contentedly. The small animal's mother had warned him before letting him inside the shelter that the dogs wouldn't be really comfortable with someone not from the clan. The big ones were okay to approach since they got used to doing so, but the pups operated on instinct. He wouldn't be able to play with them because they would be too wary to do so.

Kyoya didn't really mind because he understood space and crowding was something he detested himself.

A small bark suddenly interrupted his train of thought. Thinking it was from elsewhere, he glanced around him when he finally noticed a small weight on his lap.

Kyoya couldn't help but smile faintly at the shiba inu - one who was exceptionally small even for his breed - trying to get his attention. The pup rubbed its head on him affectionately and Kyoya, without another word, spent the whole time there patting the small dog's head - listening to Hana's hushed chatter with no protest.

Seemed like this inu was an exception to the rule then.

Kyoya wondered if he could keep it.

-----

When Inuzuka Tsume fetched her daughter and the Nara heiress, she didn't expect the sight she was welcomed with.

The small, frail pup who had been insistent on rebelling and antagonistic with most of the clan was cuddling with her daughter's friend. Imprinted on her too if the chakra of the dog was an indication.

What a surprise. It was rare that their ninken pups - especially one with this breed - would approach outsiders. The fact that the usually irritable dog got attached to the girl quickly was unprecedented.

Nara Shikari, huh.

Looked like someone to watch out for.