A/N: Thoughts in bold italics. Enjoy!
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I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna fucking MURDER him.
I should've did it back when I first met him; when I had the chance, but I didn't know my own power then.
I do now, though.
And he is gonna BURN.
IN.
HELL.
Earlier that day. . .
Things were going great; the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, Sasuke and I were heading back home after school to get some training in with Itachi before heading to Dr. Tsume for my survival training. Naruto tagged along as well, so it was a little noisy as they fought about some nonsense that happened in their mock fight at school.
It's been a good two months of going to school with Sasuke; School is fun. Never imagined I'd say that but when you know most of what they're going over with the 5 to 6 year-old children, it's a cake walk. Turns out I am proficient in reading and speaking Japanese as well as another language my head identifies as 'English.' I usually sleep during the parts of class that focus on language, curled up next to Sasuke. Sometimes I sleep by Naruto too, though Sasuke usually calls me back to him once he realizes I've gone to sit with Naruto.
Jealous much? I've adopted him too, deal with it.
The children in the class are fascinated by me, as expected. I keep close to Sasuke most days to avoid petting when I don't wanna be bothered. I've even taken up Sasuke's 'don't bother me, you're a nuisance' attitude because of some of the children. I didn't mean to, but when a girl just wants to sleep, let her sleep! I do give the kids a chance to play with me at lunch/recess, though. Even the older kids come to visit me sometimes to play fetch, hide and seek, even tag.
I even found Tenten, the girl with the buns in her hair, coming to find me around her break time too. I was mildly surprised that most kids that I interacted with at the light show were also in Sasuke's class. The cute chubby boy's name is Choji, the pineapple boy is Shikamaru, Pink Hair is Sakura, and the blonde girl is Ino. There's also of course, Akamaru and Kiba, as well as Shino, the quiet boy with dark shades. Purple girl, whose name I found out during roll call is Hinata Hyuga, is in the class too. She's always peeking at me whenever I play with Naruto.
Or maybe she's peeking at Naruto? Interesting.
I find myself peeking at her too at times, since she's the only one with guards from her clan that guard her at recess and lunch to eat. I really want to play with her, make her a part of the little pack I got going on with Sasuke and Naruto. She's always by herself, which is what I imagine Sasuke was like before I got here. She's pretty shy around other kids, too. It'd be nice having a girl around. Her guards are really intimidating, though. They do their job pretty well, I guess. I'm waiting for a chance to go near her when they're not around. Or when they don't scare me anymore.
Anyway, after Naruto leaves in a huff, no doubt losing to whatever his conversation with Sasuke entailed, we continued our way home when we spot a big cart draped in heavy, thick-looking cloths being pulled by a man covered in the same rags as the ones on the cart. It completely covers his body, with his face barely peeking through. The cart smelled like the woods to me. I assumed whoever was pulling it was a traveling merchant. A lot of them smell like that after the long trek to the village. There was something about his scent that was vaguely familiar, though.
The person manning the cart eyed us as we passed, and his eyes lit up at the sight of me. I was used to that from merchants and other villagers though, so I just kept it moving.
A look is all you're getting, buddy.
We headed further down the marketplace strip and turned a corner, leaving the bustling merchant market behind. The street we're on now is sparse of people and is almost a direct line to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke and I use it often to get away from prying eyes and stalking girl groups. After a solid minute or two, I immediately turned on my heel and growled, startling Sasuke.
"What is it?" he asked me. He looks around suspiciously and pulls out a kunai that his brother gifted him for New Year's.
I knew the man from the market was following us. I couldn't see him, but his scent got stronger before disappearing completely. That doesn't just happen. It shouldn't have gotten stronger period, because we left the market already.
Another minute passes and Sasuke puts his weapon up. "Maybe it was some girls following us and they lost us. We're okay, Moriko. Let's hurry up and head home for training with Nii-san." He turned to leave, but I growled and stood my ground.
That scent puts me on edge. It's familiar and not in a good way. What does that mean for me exactly when my first response is defense?
Trust my instincts.
Sasuke comes up behind me and scratches behind my ear, trying to calm me down. I then turn around and push him forward with my head and snout, signaling him to leave.
To run.
I know that scent. It took me a minute, but I know now.
The beast-hunter brothers.
How are they still alive?! I thought they'd die before they reached the border. How'd they get in the village? Did they really risk coming back for me?
"What's going on with you, Moriko? Who's here?" Sasuke asks. I continue to push him towards home, ignoring his questions. It's not like I can answer them.
Or maybe. . .I can.
A howl from a Ninken, which I learned a few weeks ago is the correct term for ninja hounds from Dr. Tsume, can mean many things. It can mean they've found what the ninja squad has been searching for and are alerting others of the location. It can mean a squad member is hurt and needs help as well.
It can also mean that you've located the enemy.
I whip my head up and howl, earning myself another jump from a startled Sasuke. I finish my howl and turn to look up at him to check that he understands why I've been growling and pushing him to leave. His face, however, is trained on something behind me. And the emotion displayed on his face is one of utter fear. Soon it's replaced with a look of determination, and he pulls his kunai back out. He enters his battle stance he previously took during his mock battle in class and pulls his school satchel off.
This little knucklehead. You're five! Get the hell outta here!
I spin around and put myself in front of Sasuke to protect him, only to look up to find none other than Goldtooth Gou standing in front of me, grinning his ass off.
"Oh, so you knew I was here, little she-bitch? And I thought I hid my scent rather well. You must be getting better, stronger. Good. You'll last longer in the ring." His eyes shift to Sasuke and he laughs.
"Who are you?! What do you want with us?" Sasuke barks at the man, and I am honestly surprised at the lack of fear in his voice. Though the smell of fear from behind me is very pungent, so he must be terrified.
I told you to leave, you stubborn little gremlin!
"Well, hello there little shinobi. I am the original owner of your ninken. She belongs to me and was stolen by a woman that looks a lot like you. Perhaps an older sister? Mother? Doesn't matter. Now, if you just hand her over to me, I'll be going on my way." he says to Sasuke.
"You're lying! She's a wild wolf. She never had any owners. The only people she came across in the wild were. . . " Sasuke comes to the realization and I let out a deep, rumbling growl.
". . . You're a beast hunter. . . but how'd you get. . ." I hear him step back in fear of the man before us. Gou raises his eyebrow and then laughs.
"Well, aren't you a smart little shinobi. Too smart for your own good though. Shudda kept your mouth shut. Now I have to kill you since you know who I am! Ahahaha!"
"No. . ." Sasuke whispers. I turn around and find him on the ground, shivering in fear. I run to him and push him again, whining to get him to leave.
"GO! Get outta here Sasuke!" I bark, hoping he understands. He scrambles off the floor and picks me up, running. I hear Gao laughing, and the ground shakes with his steps as he starts running after the us.
"No! He'll catch us both! Let me go!" I whine and bark, wriggling out his grasp and fall onto the ground after we turn another corner. Sasuke turns to pick me up and I growl, stopping him in his tracks.
"Come on Moriko! We're almost home, we can make it!" he pleads, and I can see unshed tears in his eyes.
I'd make it. Not you, Sasuke.
Damn it, Sasuke.
Just RUN.
I howl once more, this time to tell Gou where I am. I have to hold him off somehow while Sasuke runs. I don't know any battle jutsu yet, though. I'll just have to go old school, a good old-fashioned claw and fang brawl.
I'll rip him to pieces. Just like I did his brother's hand.
"Okay, I'll go get help! Just don't let him catch you, Moriko." Sasuke says in response to my howl. I didn't expect he'd come up with a plan. He misinterpreted my howl beautifully.
Gou comes barreling around the corner not a second after Sasuke finishes talking and throws a kunai towards Sasuke. I jump in the air and catch it by the handle just as I did in training. I swing my head while in the air, trying my best to throw it back at him, though I miss. As I land on the ground, Gao applauds me. "You've learned some new tricks, too. Good girl. Saves me some trouble. They're gonna love you, little she-bitch." I hear scuffling of feet behind me and assume Sasuke has finally started running away. "Dodge, Moriko!" he commands, and I duck as a reflex, just as four shuriken whizz past my head and over to Gao. He blocks three with a kunai of his own in his remaining hand. The fourth lodges itself in Gou's right shoulder.
"Not bad little shinobi. Hey where you think you're going?!" Gao yells.
So, he is running. Good boy, Sasuke.
"Moriko! Howl!" I hear the command from Sasuke quieter than the last, as if he's farther away.
Just keep running. Don't worry about--
Wait. My howl.
Hell, yeah. You better be far enough away Sasuke, because I'm not holding back.
As for Gao. . .
I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna fucking MURDER him.
I should've did it back when I first met him; when I had the chance, but I didn't know my own power then.
I do now, though.
And he is gonna BURN.
IN.
HELL.
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