"Mom! Hana!" Kiba yelled as he forced open the front door and carried me into his house. His cries were loud, desperate. "Mom! Hana!"
After roughly pushing everything else aside, he gently laid me down on the kitchen table. My white paw was throbbing and dripping red, warm blood.
"Mom!" Kiba shouted once more, his voice starting to break.
There was a series of loud, thunderous noises as Kiba's mother and sister ran into the room, fear and worry on their faces. The moment his mother saw me, she gasped. "Kiba, what happened?"
"I found her in an old wolf trap. I don't know how long she was there — I freed her as soon as I could, but—"
"Shhh, it's all right," she said. "You did the right thing."
Hana, a medical-nin who specialized in veterinary medicine, came over to me immediately, her black eyes steady and focused. Slowly, carefully, she reached for my injured paw, but as soon as she touched it, a sharp pain ran though my body, and I jerked my paw back, whimpering loudly.
"Easy, girl. I know it hurts, but you must stay still." Her voice was calm, smoothing, and I soon relaxed, allowing her to take my paw. Holding it gently, she began to examine it. Even the slightest twitch brought great pain, and I struggled to remain still.
"The bone doesn't seem to be broken, thankfully, just a sprain." She released my paw. "The laceration will need stitching, though. I'll have to sedate her."
"But she'll be okay?" Kiba interrupted.
Hana smiled. "She'll be fine."
As soon as Hana left, Kiba came up to me and began stroking the top of my head. Honestly, it felt really awkward being petted by him. In fact, the entire time all I could think about was me, lying there in my natural, human form, with Kiba stroking the top of my hair. It was just weird! But then I had to remind myself that I was a dog now, and dogs were supposed to be — Oh, I didn't care! I didn't want him touching me!
At last, he stopped when his mother came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I knew those wolf traps were bad news," she said. "I told them they were dangerous for the other animals, but they insisted nothing would happen. Now look."
And now Kiba's mother was petting me! The terrifying woman with the scary eyes and harsh voice was placing her hand on my back and petting me. Actually, until now I'd always thought her hands would be rough, with razor-sharp claws that she used to tear apart her food (I'd pictured the scene several times in my head as a child), so I was most surprised to find her hands quite soft.
"I'm sure she's very grateful to you, Kiba," she went on.
Yeah, right! It's because of your dreadful family that I'm even in this mess. First thing I do once I get my body back will be ordering the banishment of your entire family, including your mangy mutts.
"All right," Hana's voice sounded from behind me, "hold her steady while I—"
Suddenly, I felt a slight pinch in my arm. It reminded me of the time I was forced to get a flu shot, even though I was perfectly healthy. Actually, I was probably the healthiest person in the entire village. I always made sure to include all the essential food groups into my diet, and I drank lots of water. Plus, there was no denying the excellence of my genes ...
Soon, all the thoughts began pouring out of my mind like water out of a bucket. I tried to catch them, but they just slipped through my fingers, splashing onto the floor. I too felt myself drifting away, joining the puddle beneath me.
"I stand before you today not only as a loyal citizen of Konohagakure, but as a kunoichi who has been defending this village for almost four years. On the nineteenth of April, my character was viciously assaulted by the woman to my right, Biyoku Inuzuka. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, she placed a curse upon me, a curse that turned me into a dog, for no reason other than to seek revenge for her grandson, a boy who has tortured me since I was a child! Tell me, what could I have possibly done to deserve such a cruel punishment? — Your silence says it all. I'm just a victim here, a victim who is seeking justice against her attackers. Please, Lady Hokage, I beg you, do what's right. Let justice take its course."
I could barely hear myself over the roar of applause that followed my grand speech. At once, the entire Inuzuka family was placed in chains and forced out of the village.
"Please, Ikuko, have mercy!" Kiba pleaded as he was led away by the chains around his wrists. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you!"
"If sorry solved everything, then we wouldn't need the police!"
"Nooooo!"
"Yay!" I cheered as the crowd lifted me high above their heads, praising me. Giggling happily to myself, I threw my hands into the air and cried, "Justice prevails! I win, I win!"
And like a bubble, my perfect little dream popped and disappeared, just like that. Looks like I was going to have to wait for my justice, but it was good while it lasted. In fact, it was probably one of the best dreams I'd ever had, except for the one where Sai, Neji, and Sasuke confessed their love to me all at once. Because it was a dream, I didn't have to choose between them, so I got to marry all three!
When I finally opened my eyes, I felt groggy and a little disoriented. No longer was I in the kitchen. Instead, I was in a rather plain room with articles of clothing thrown all over the floor; dirty or clean I couldn't be sure. I sniffed the air, taking in a mixture of sweat and wet dog, neither if which I found pleasant. No respectable woman would keep a room like this — though I couldn't completely rule out Kiba's mother — so I knew I was in Kiba's bedroom. Just the thought sickened me, and that sick feeling only worsened when I saw him walk into the room.
"Hey, you're finally awake. Did you sleep well?"
Did he really expect me to answer? Idiot.
Then I heard a soft panting sound to my right, a sound that irritated me to no end. Shifting my eyes, I came face to face with Akamaru, and I could smell his breath; it was magnified with my newly enhanced sense of smell. I was absolutely repulsed, but Akamaru seemed as happy as ever, like this was another one of our disastrous encounters. Could he recognize me? No, that wasn't possible, was it?
"Akamaru, can you understand me? Please, I know we've had our differences, but I need you to tell Kiba that it's me, Ikuko! His grandmother turned me into a dog!"
His blank look said it all. I knew it was a long shot. Stupid dog.
Kiba bent down in front of me and looked at me with kind, compassionate eyes. The guy is an obnoxious jerk, I thought as I stared back at him, bewildered. Give him a dog, and he turns into a complete softie. I'd officially lost the little respect I still had for him.
"You wanna try to get up?" he asked. "Let's see how well you can move with the cast."
I stared down at the pink cast around my right paw. Although I'd been told that blue was my color, pink was alright too. Heck, I looked great in any color — except yellow, but nobody looked good in yellow.
Feeling strong and confident as ever, I attempted to rise from the bed. That one motion was one of the most awkward of my life. It seemed simple enough: just put the weight on the front paws, rise up, and then distribute the weight evenly, but this cast made my paw more rigid than an icicle.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Kiba said once I was standing. "Let's try walking, hmm? Come on, girl." He patted his thigh with his hand.
Oh, don't you beckon me like a dog!
His bed was low enough to easily step down, but walking wasn't that simple. My leg was so stiff it felt like a peg leg. Slow and unsteady was becoming my mantra, and it felt like ten minutes had passed before I even made it to the kitchen.
"Well, she's really coming along, isn't she?" Kiba's mother said with a smile. What was it with this family and dogs? They all turned into such saps!
"Yeah, and she listens really well. It's the strangest thing."
"Her owner must be really worried. Make sure you start putting up notices as soon as possible. Don't procrastinate like you usually do."
"I know, I know," Kiba muttered as he went over to the counter, grabbed a plate of food, and set it on the table. "But I want to wait until she's healed up a little more. Right now, she's best off here, don't you think?"
"I know this trick," she replied bluntly. "You can't keep her, Kiba. We have enough dogs here. Besides, she already has an owner."
"But what if she doesn't?" he questioned as he returned to the counter for another dish. "What if she was abandoned? What then?"
His mother groaned. "Fine. If nobody claims her, then she can stay."
Kiba grinned and placed the second dish on the floor next to the table. Then, as if the sound of the dish hitting the floor was some kind alarm, Akamaru came running into the room, his claws rapping against the wood floor. After skidding to a stop, the freaky white mutt shoved his nose into the food dish and hungrily devoured his food. I could hear him eating from across the kitchen. Gross.
"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you," Kiba said as I heard a soft clang below me. Glancing down, I saw a dish of food — if one could even call it food. Really, it was a bunch of chopped up meat and vegetables thrown together to create this mushy, sloppy mess. It was disgusting! I was a lady and refused to eat such food!
I stuck my noise up in the air, offended by the mere sight of it.
"Eh?" Kiba laughed. "What's this? Is that not good enough for you? Come on, I prepared it myself. It's good."
With my strong paw, I pushed the dish away from me.
Kiba's jaw dropped. "I've never seen a dog this finicky," he said, amazed. "You really are a princess, aren't you?"
"Maybe she's not hungry," Kiba's mother suggested.
Actually, I was starving, but for real food!
"Maybe," Kiba said as he bent down and picked up the dish. "Next time, I'll prepare a candlelight dinner for you. How does that sound?"
The mockery was not appreciated.
So I was left sitting on the kitchen floor while Kiba and Akamaru noisily ate their food. Honestly, it was hard to tell who was louder; they both ate like animals! At one point, I even saw Kiba gnaw on a piece of cartilage. No wonder the guy couldn't get a girlfriend.
"Good afternoon," I heard Hana call as she entered the kitchen.
Out of everyone in the Inuzuka family, Hana looked the most normal. In fact, if it hadn't been for the marks on her cheeks, I wouldn't have known she was even related. She was so calm and laid-back, and she spoke with such warmth. She must've been adopted or something.
"Hello there," Hana greeted as she bent down and started gently massaging my neck with her fingers. "How's she doing today?"
"She's walking all right," Kiba answered from the table. "Doesn't seem to be in too much pain. But she won't eat the food I've prepared. She literally pushed the dish away."
"Really?" Hana laughed. "My, what a sophisticated lady."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he exclaimed, his tone rising. "My food's not good enough?"
"Your words, not mine," Hana replied gently, finally standing. "Have you started looking for her owner yet? You can't keep her, you know."
"I know!"
"Don't put it off 'til the last minute either. You always—"
"I'll do it when I do it! Give me a break, it's barely been a day!"
"I'm just saying ..." Hana trailed off as she strolled out of the kitchen. Then she quickly popped back in and said, "You should take her outside for some exercise later, but nothing strenuous."
"I know!" Kiba growled, roughly pushing his plate away. Once he'd cleaned off his dish and Akamaru's as well, he walked out of the kitchen with Akamaru at his side. "Come on, Princess, let's get some exercise!"
Princess? Of all things to call me, he chose that awful name? Well, I hated being called Princess as a human, and I hated it even more as a dog. There was no way that I was going to acknowledge that name as mine. No way!
Kiba stuck his head back in the room, an impatient look growing on his face. "Hey, come on! I don't have all day, you know."
I turned my head away.
"Huh?" He scratched the top of his head in wonder. "What a bizarre dog."