The large brown and white dog lifted its head in interest when the girl appeared in his kennel, breathing harshly and smelling of tears. Her long brownish-red hair was full of straw and dirt and she smelled of misery and pain. She curled up in the corner and wrapped her arms around her knees, then lay her head over them. She was trembling slightly but went still as the sound of running footsteps and jeering boys entered the Inuzuka kennels.

"Oi, fake-Inuzuka! We're not done playing!" The girl stiffened but didn't move and Suoh gave a great sigh, causing the girl to lift her head and focus on him with dark eyes. It was too dim to see their true color, but he thought they might be dark brown or grey. Though he was large - he was an Inuzuka ninken, of course, he was - she seemed unafraid of him.

The owners of the footsteps were another matter, though. As they came closer, her eyes widened and her attention was drawn to the open door of Suoh's kennel. "Come out, Nariko. We just want to talk to you. We want to figure out why Tsume-sama took in somebody who claims to be Inuzuka but can't even get a ninken to look at her," a voice taunted and the girl - Nariko - flinched.

Ah, this must be the one my fellow ninken have been discussing. Though Suoh mostly avoided his kin these days, he'd have to be deaf not to hear the whispers. Tsume's brother, whose duty to the village kept him out of it, for the most part, had a daughter almost eight years ago and had been hauling her around with him on his mysterious travels.

He had decided to bring her back to Konoha a few months ago to be raised by the clan and join the academy, but so far none of the ninken had been drawn to her. An embarrassing situation to be in for any Inuzuka who planned to join the academy. Suoh sniffed at the girl, not bothering to be subtle, and flinched away from her at the smell. Not because it was wrong, as his younger brothers and sisters had said, but because it was right.

Panic flooded him, and he backed away from her, because this girl, this child, could not be his partner. His partner, after all, was dead. Nobody could replace his Nikko, no matter what the boy's wishes for Suoh had been at his death.

Despite his denial, he couldn't stop from curling his lip and letting out a deep growl at the Inuzuka youths as they passed in front of his kennel. They started, then stilled, knowing better than to push one of the ninken when they reacted this way, especially one already considered unstable.

"Suoh!" One of them stuttered. "Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you..."

"Leave," he growled, body trembling with the need to tear apart the little idiots that would threaten his - no, not his, but still. She was small for eight, and they were at least eleven. Their partners, still pups themselves, gave small whines, and the boys fled without another word.

With a sigh, Suoh relaxed and ignored the wide eyes that were now staring at him. "Th-thank you," the girl whispered, then collapsed back against the side of his kennel and gave a low sigh. He just grunted in response and laid his head down on his paws. "They're always like that," she added, looking down at her hands in her lap. "Like I can help it that I'm not -" the girl sniffled but didn't finish her sentence.

"I'm Nariko," she finally said and looked at him expectantly. He didn't respond. He wanted the girl to leave, to take the scent that was telling him warmth and home and safety with her but couldn't bring himself to tell her to go. "Daiki called you Suoh, so I guess that must be your name." Still, he stayed quiet, and she huffed a laugh. "Well, it suits you. You're very fierce, and I did think for a moment there that you might breathe fire on them. So, um. Thank you. For getting rid of them."

Suoh just huffed and closed his eyes. The girl didn't say anything else, but she didn't leave either - not until Tsume herself called for her. "Goodbye, Suoh," Nariko whispered before standing up and leaving him.

She returned almost every day after that. After the first few visits, where she ascertained that he wouldn't snap at her - literally - for talking, she started to fill the silence with soft chatter. He learned that her father was partners with the brothers of Kuromaru. Like Hana, he had more than one canine companion - two brothers from the same litter. They had helped Tsume's brother, Tsuneo, raise Nariko.

"Father travels around, gathering information," Nariko said from where she was knitting what looked like dog booties in a deep red color. "He met mother and fell in love, and for awhile she went with him. He always said she was the opposite of an Inuzuka, and that she's the one who taught me to be so contained. She died when I was five, though. It was just the four of us after that," she said softly, lip quirking up in a small smile. "I think I'm more like him, even if I have the vocabulary of my mother - too quiet for an Inuzuka. She was actually quite loud, for all she was elegant. I think that's part of why nobody likes me. Maybe that's why none of the ninken want me," she said in a small, pained voice, and Suoh tried not flinch in guilt. "Anyway," she continued with false cheer, "dad said I had to come back to the Academy so I can learn to be a shinobi, and protect the village. I'm sad that I can't be with him, but I hope I can make friends at the Academy. I've never had friends before, not really. Since we never stayed in one place for too long..."

Suoh relaxed into the sound of her voice, and let it lull him into slumber. He refused to think about what it meant that she was the only thing that allowed him to sleep so well these days.

The first day of Nariko's career at the Academy Suoh found himself agitated and unable to stay in one place for too long. With a growl, he left the kennel and headed out to the field that ran next to the road leading into Konoha proper. He ignored the double takes he was getting from anybody who saw him out and about for more than using the bathroom and paced up and down the fence. About half an hour after he knew school would get out, he saw a small figure coming down the road.

By the slump of Nariko's shoulders, he figured her first day hadn't gone the way she was hoping. Before she could spot him, Suoh darted back to the kennels and slunk his way into his own space. For the first time in almost two years, going outside had felt nice. Perhaps Nikko had been right. Maybe there was still reason for Suoh to go on, even if it was without his partner. Before the ninken could contemplate that further, Nariko had joined him.

"Hello, Suoh," she said, then removed a few textbooks from her bag and a notebook and began to do her homework. He waited for her to tell him about what had her smelling like sadness, but she remained silent.

"How was your first day?" he found himself asking in a voice rough from disuse. Her head whipped up, and she stared at him in shock. It was the first time he'd spoken in all of the weeks she'd been coming to his kennel other than the one word he'd growled at Daichi. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and he gave her his best grumpy face.

"Um...it was...fine," she said quietly, and jumped when he rumbled at her warningly.

"Don't lie to me, child," he growled, and to his amusement she scowled at him, completely unafraid.

"You want the truth? Fine! It was horrible. As soon as everybody heard my last name, they all wanted to know why I didn't have a ninken. And...and they made fun of my hair. It's just like it is at home, except I can't even escape to see my one friend. Instead, I had to wait until the end of the day to come see you." She sniffled and looked back down at her homework. Stunned, Suoh stared at her. He was her friend? Ignoring the warm feeling in his chest, he huffed and laid his head down carefully on her lap.

Again, she blinked at him in shock. They'd never touched before today either. Tentatively, she patted his head, and gradually as she worked on homework her scent changed to one of contentment. Tired from his first full day outside in months, Suoh drifted off to sleep.

That day set a pattern for the next few months. Suoh still didn't speak much, but he continued to place his head in her lap as she did homework. Sometimes she would tell him stories about people she'd met on her travels with her father, or about some of her classmates. She still hadn't made any friends, and most days came home smelling miserable, but they never spoke of it. After all, what could he really do to help her? He ignored the voice in his head telling him exactly what he could do. It was still too painful to contemplate and felt like a betrayal.

Then came the day that everything changed - the first snow of the season. Instead of waiting outside to catch a glimpse of Nariko, he curled into a miserable ball in his kennel. Nikko's favorite thing in the world had been the snow. Without fail, every year on the day of first snowfall, he would stop, and smile his large, mischievous smile at Suoh.

"Ne, Suoh, I think we can take a moment to enjoy it, huh? You only live once!" And then, depending on the circumstances, they'd ambush his cousins with snowballs, or go sledding on metal disks, or build snowmen and snowdogs until Nikko was red in the face with cold and laughter.

Unaware of the time passing, stuck in his miserable memories, at first he didn't notice Nariko arriving. "Suoh?" her worried voice said, and he flinched at the happiness that went through him at the sound of her voice. He couldn't take it, not today, not when the wound of Nikko's loss felt so fresh.

"Suoh, are you sick?" she said, softly shuffling into the kennel and kneeling beside him. "I'll go get Tsume-san -" With a growl, he turned and snapped at her hand. She fell back, eyes wide.

"Leave," he rumbled. For a moment she just stared at him in shocked disbelief, before her face twisted and tears filled her eyes. Guilt immediately followed, but before he could say anything, she had scrambled to her feet and ran out the door.

Suoh allowed himself to wallow, but the next morning, when she didn't come to say goodbye before school, he finally gave into his guilt. When she returned that afternoon, he would apologize. Maybe he would even tell her about Nikko, though he didn't doubt that Tsume had already told her a bit about his past. After all, the illness that had killed Nikko had taken her own son, as well.

However, Nariko didn't come to visit him that evening, either. Suoh considered going to find her at the main house, but the thought of slogging through the snow, walking through the streets of the compound so soon after his breakdown filled him with apprehension. He would wait until tomorrow to see her. Surely, she wouldn't stay away that long.

By noon the next day, he was pacing next to the fence, agitated. His instincts were telling him something was wrong, that he needed to go find Nariko. Suoh was pulled from his contemplation of the fence - I could jump over it and run to the academy, just catch a glimpse - when he heard Tsume's voice calling his name.

He turned to her and felt his hackles immediately go up at her scent and blank expression. The last time he'd seen her with that face...

"So she's not with you," the Clan Head said, and then proceeded to swear up a blue streak.

Fear clawing at his gut, he let out a warning growl, ignoring the way Kuromaru's hackles stood up in response. "What. Happened." he gritted out. Tsume curled a lip at him but answered.

"Nariko never made it to school this morning," she said, running an agitated hand through her short hair. "And we're missing one of our travel scrolls."

For a moment, the world tilted, and he couldn't breathe. My fault. I've lost another and it's my fault ...

"Suoh!" A shake on his ruff brought him out of his shock, and he found Tsume crouched in front of him, a sympathetic look on her face. "I know she's been havin' a...hard time. With some a' the clan and at school. I'm pretty sure she took off." The woman took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye - an obvious challenge. "We both know what she is to ya', even if you've insisted on torturin' the both of you by denying it. Not that I blame ya.' I understand more than most. But, I could use your help findin' her. The girl's some sort of prodigy with stealth and evasion, accordin' to my brother. You'll be more in tune with her."

Suoh didn't even have to think about it. "Let's go," he said in a gruff voice. Because Tsume was right - he had been hurting the both of them by denying what his instincts had said the first time he met her. She was his, and he was hers. Nikko, he knew, would have approved.

2 Days Earlier

Nariko took a deep breath before entering the Academy, relaxing into the warmth of the building. It had finally snowed that day, and she had to admit the village looked beautiful under a layer of fresh white, even if she could do without the damp cold. She lifted her chin in the air as she entered the classroom, ignoring the group of girls that giggled as she walked by, and took a seat in the back. If she sat at the front, people tended to throw paper and other things into her wild, curly hair.

Nariko had thought about putting it up or cutting it when it first started garnering negative attention but knew that giving in to the taunts would only make her look weak. People may doubt she was a true Inuzuka, but she understood power plays well enough. She sat across the aisle from Hinata, who gave her a small smile. She returned it but didn't bother trying to talk to the girl. The last time she had, it had drawn the attention from the pack of girls that insisted on making Nariko's life difficult. Hinata handled the taunts even worse than Nariko did, who just didn't understand how she was supposed to fight back without going back on everything her father had taught her about being a shinobi.

Remember, your comrades are precious, and must be treated that way no matter what. You understand, Riko-chan?

Nariko knew she could fight back physically, but that would be attacking a comrade. She could even respond with words, try to hurt them back the way they hurt her, but was that different than physically attacking them? They'd all learned quickly that while she wouldn't break down or show them submission, she also wouldn't retaliate. For some of the civilian girls and boys who were jealous of her clan name, that was like declaring open season on herself.

Add in her shyness, born from lack of experience with her peer group, and the Academy had been a lonely place. Her cousins couldn't understand her quiet personality and lack of ninken, writing her off as weak, though only a few actually taunted her for it. The only friend she'd made since her father dropped her off with Tsume was Suoh, and she wasn't sure he actually liked her, or if he was just lonely.

Nariko admitted to herself that she had wished he could be her ninken. He was just as cranky and rumbled just as much as she imagined the creature he'd been named after would, but he was also kind of funny, and she found his presence comforting. She knew, however, that they hardly ever chose new partners after theirs died. She felt sorrow for him pool in her chest for the loss that he obviously still suffered from every day.

At the end of the day, Nariko was cutting across the playground, barely noticing the always-napping and always-eating Shikamaru and Chouij sitting under a tree, when somebody pushed her from behind, sending her to her knees. The books she'd been carrying flew from her arms, and she cringed as they landed in the muddy snow.

From the snickers behind her, she knew that one of the large boys from a civilian family in her class and his friends were the culprits. With a sigh, she slowly stood, keeping her spine straight, and walked over to her books, barely giving the boys a glance as she wiped her dirty and cut up hands on her pants. When she went to pick up her books, however, she was shoved over again. This time, she had to purse her lips and let her long hair fall forward to cover her face so they wouldn't know she was on the verge of tears.

"Ah, look, it's the little Inuzuka girl. So weak not even the dogs want her," he said with a laugh and pushed at her with the bottom of a dirty boot. She couldn't hide her flinch, and when she looked over the boy had an ugly sneer on his face.

"I wonder, would your clan even care if you just disappeared, or would they be thankful?" Her breath hitched, and she wanted to smack herself for reacting as a tear fell from her eye, but it was a question she'd been asking herself all too often lately.

"That's enough," a bored voice broke in, and Nariko blinked in shock when she saw Shikamaru, customary slouch in place, standing next to and a little in front of her, Chouji a nervous shadow next to him. "It's troublesome, but if you keep it up, a teacher will notice. I think I saw Iruka-sensei looking out the window."

The boy, Akira, actually looked nervous at that - Iruka-sensei, after all, was known for taking bullies to task. Then, remembering his friends were still there watching the show, he sneered, and reached out and pushed Shikamaru hard enough to send him sprawling in the mud.

"Thanks for the head's up, loser," he called before taking off, his friends laughing as they followed. For a moment, Nariko just stared in shock at the boy who was now slouched over in the mud looking annoyed. Nobody had bothered defending her before - usually, they ignored the bullying. Then, she remembered herself and shot to her feet, rushing over to take one hand to help him up while Chouji took the other.

"Are you okay?" she asked, ignoring her own bruised knees and muddy outfit. "I - thank you for helping me."

He huffed and batted at the mud on his pants. "Troublesome. My mom is going to be such a pain when she sees how dirty I am. Why did you let them push you around like that? I thought you were an Inuzuka," he grumbled, and she froze, chest tightening, and found her eyes filling with tears again.

Even this lazy boy could see that she just didn't belong. "I - I should be going. I'm very sorry for the mess," she whispered and missed the regret that flashed over his face at her reaction as she fumbled to pick up her ruined books from the ground.

"Wait," he said, but she had already taken off in the direction of home.

When she got in, she went straight for the kennels, ready to curl up with Suoh and forget about the whole day. When she entered his kennel, however, she stopped short. The large brown wolf-like dog was curled up in the corner, obviously miserable. Her heart stopped for a second. Was he sick?

"Suoh?" she whispered. When he didn't respond, she shuffled to his side and knelt next to him, reaching out her hand.

"Suoh, are you sick? I'll go get Tsume-san -" With a growl, he turned and snapped at her hand. She fell back at the wild look in his eyes, feeling afraid of him for the first time.

He stared at her for a moment, and she saw that he recognized her. "Leave," he growled at her, and, heart breaking, she listened.

That night, she lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Why had her father sent her here? Hadn't he recognized that she wouldn't fit in? She wasn't as rough or outspoken as most of her clan, even if she did hold the same wildness in her. She didn't even talk like an Inuzuka since her mother had been her teacher for the first five years of her life. If he knew how bad it was, how much they all looked down on her, surely he wouldn't want her to stay.

Nariko wondered where Tsuneo was at the moment. Usually, he spent the months of November and December in the Land of Hot Springs, listening in on rumors from the nobles and tourists who wintered there. It wasn't far from Konoha, really, and she'd spent her whole life traveling and hiding. If she went and found him, he wouldn't turn her away, she was sure. He always said she was damn useful in his line of work. After the idea came to her, she continued to mull it over until she fell asleep.

The next day at school she put more effort into avoiding everyone. Twice, Shikamaru tried to approach her, but she was good at avoidance. That day when she got home, she gritted her teeth against the temptation to check in on Suoh. She'd told Tsume he didn't seem to be feeling well, and the woman had agreed to have one of the ninken medics stop to check on him, though Nariko could tell she knew something she wasn't sharing.

Suoh would be fine, and he obviously didn't want to see her anymore, so. She swallowed but entered the empty house. Biting her lip, she moved quickly to the closet where they kept supplies and took one of the prepacked travel scrolls. Her father had shown her how to use them a long time ago since it was how they carried most of their supplies. Nariko knew from asking Hana that they each held a bedroll, cooking equipment, a tent, water purifying tablets and a first aid kit. She also grabbed a bottle of scent inhibitors and some strong smelling herbs.

She then emptied her backpack of Academy materials - she wouldn't need them anymore, after all - and filled it with protein bars, extra clothes, and some packets of freeze dried food and a water bottle. That night she did her best to act normal, but she could feel Tsume's concerned gaze on her. She was relieved to finally head to bed, though she did give her aunt a firm hug when she said goodnight. Nariko knew it had to be hard, having someone the same age her son would have been living with her, but she'd always treated her kindly, in her own gruff way.

The next morning, she put on a few extra layers and her warmest coat, gloves, hat, and scarf, and grabbed her backpack. She said goodbye to Tsume and Hana and headed out at the same time she always did in the direction of the academy. Once she was out of sight, she changed direction and headed for the east gate, where merchants generally entered and left the city. In the bustle of early morning, she managed to hide away in a wagon heading out of Konoha.

She dozed for a few hours until the caravan stopped for lunch, and slipped away into the surrounding forest when nobody was looking. The further east she walked, the more she relaxed, relief at having escaped a situation where nobody liked or respected her making her almost giddy.

After she'd gone a few miles, she stopped, taking the scent inhibitor from her bag and spraying it across her body, wrinkling her nose at the unpleasant numbing sensation it brought to her face. Then, she removed a small, red sphere from her bag and climbed a tree with a low hanging branch. After bringing the scarf up to her nose, she took a deep breath, and threw the sphere before scrambling to the end of the branch and leaping for the next tree, grasping onto it and hauling herself up, trying to ignore the way her eyes were watering as the chili powder bomb began spreading through the area.

After awkwardly leaping from tree branch to tree branch for a few minutes, she reapplied the scent inhibitor and scrambled down to the ground. Then, she turned south towards the Land of Hot Springs and broke into a light jog. In physical endurance, at least, she fit the Inuzuka mold, having no trouble keeping up the pace until night fell. Nariko looked around until she found a small hollow beneath a root, ignoring the way the cold was seeping through her clothes and making her shiver, and the silence around her seemed to press into her.

This wasn't her first time traveling through the wilderness, it wasn't even her fiftieth time, but before she'd always had somebody to keep her company. It's only for a week or so - just until you reach the Land of Hot Water, she told herself firmly as she pumped chakra into her storage scroll and removed a bedroll, setting it up in the small hollow.

She then took out some of the herbs that would cover scent in an area and scattered them around before creating a barrier with brush at the opening that would hide her from sight from most angles and crawled into the bedroll.

It was a few hours later, when the temperature dropped alarmingly and the snow began to fall, that she realized she might have miscalculated. Before, she always had her father and Jin and Hao for warmth. This time, she was all alone.

000

Suoh followed Tsume and Kuromaru to the East Gate, where Nariko's scent had disappeared. Waiting for them there was a tall, regal Hyuuga with long brown hair and lavender pupil-less eyes, and an Aburame man, features covered by a coat.

"Hiashi, Shibi, thanks for coming," Tsume said in a clipped voice, and they both inclined their heads. "This is Suoh, he'll be joining us. I lost her scent here - she probably climbed up into one of the merchant's wagons. I got the manifests from the front gates. All of the parties that left were going to stay on the east road for at least a day before veering off, so we'll move in that direction for awhile. Suoh knows her scent best and has always had a strong nose, so he'll take point."

They moved quickly, Suoh ignoring the way his under-used muscles protested the activity as he lifted his nose to the wind. Finally, after an hour of running, he caught a faint whiff of home and family, and slowed, closing his eyes until he pinpointed where it was coming from. Then, he turned and darted into the woods at the right, excitement flaring as the scent became stronger. He would find her, and once he did...

Suoh was brought up short as a sneeze wracked his body. His eyes watered and his nose burned and he swiftly backed up, Tsume and Kuromaru coughing next to him and retreating as well.

"What is it?" Hiashi said sharply, putting a hand to Tsume's elbow and helping her pull back, while Shibi took out a water bottle and handed it to her.

"Chili bomb," Suoh growled when he could speak again and ignored the surprised looks from Shibi and Hiashi, who probably thought his silence up until now meant he was one of the ninken who couldn't speak their language.

Tsume let out a wet laugh that was half cough. "I told you the girl was good at evasion." she rubbed her hand across her forehead. "Annoying little chit. We'll have to run the perimeter until we pick up her scent again. Careful not to breathe in too much, Suoh - it could wipe out your receptors for days."

He grumbled, and couldn't help the bit of pride that swelled in his chest for his clever partner. The good feeling didn't last, however, when they had circled the perimeter in increasingly widening patterns and he still hadn't caught a whiff of her.

"Inhibitors," Kuromaru growled, and Tsume nodded grimly. Hiashi had been using his Byakugan off and on to try and spot her to no avail, and Shibi's insects could only go so far before they had to come back to the warmth of their host. Finally, as night was falling, Suoh caught a faint, faint hint of Nariko's scent, through the tell-tale numbness in his nose that spoke of an inhibitor also being present.

"This way!" he growled and took off without waiting to see if anybody was following. The temperature had dropped quickly, and snow was beginning fall - it was too cold for an eight-year-old who was out on her own, even one as strong and clever as his Nariko.

An hour later, he had hit a dead end again and found himself growling in frustration as he waited for his party to catch up. She was close, he could feel it, but he couldn't see or hear her through the wind now blowing across the landscape, whipping the snow into flurries.

"There," Hiashi said from where he was crouched next to him, Byakugan activated and pointed at the base of a tree, where some brush was scattered. Suoh leaped forward, Tsume on his heels, and as he got closer he was able to hear a familiar heartbeat and the sound of teeth chattering.

Tsume pulled the brush aside to reveal wide, dark eyes staring out of a small hollow beneath the root of a tree. "Ts-Tsume-obasan?" The girl whispered, and the woman sagged with relief.

"Idiot girl," she whispered and tugged her out of the hollow and into her lap. "Ya have any idea how scared I was? What'd you run off for?"

Shibi and Hiashi stood respectfully to the side, and Suoh hovered uncertainly, unsure of his welcome after the last time they spoke, and almost limp with relief and exhaustion.

"Sorry," the girl said, snuggling close for warmth. "It was p-pretty stupid, huh?"

"There is an unused outpost not far from here that we should go to immediately. Why? Because the girl is obviously cold, and we need to find a place to camp before the snow becomes too deep," Shibi said calmly, and Tsume sighed, then nodded and stood, Nariko still held firmly in her arms.

Hiashi gracefully crouched down and grabbed the girl's bedroll, sealing it efficiently into a scroll and packing it into the girl's bag. "Let us head out, then."

Once they were huddled in front of a fire in the tiny but dry room, and Nariko had stopped shivering from where Kuromaru was curled around her, she finally spoke.

"Sorry, Tsume-obasan, I didn't mean to worry you. I was upset, and thought that...that nobody would really care if I was gone." The adults remained silent, and Kuromaru nudged the girl in encouragement. "It's just, nobody likes me! Everybody says that I can't be areal Inuzuka, even if I look like one, because I'm too quiet and everybody at the Academy m-makes fun of me." she was crying silently now, her little frame wracked with tears. Tsume sighed and pulled Nariko into her lap.

"Ah, girly, you're wrong, you know. I like you," she said quietly. "An' anybody that says you ain't an Inuzuka can come and talk to me - barely eight and givin' one a' the best trackin' teams in the Village a hard time," she said with a sharp smile, and Shibi huffed out a laugh.

"That chili bomb was very well placed, and waiting to use the scent inhibitors until you set it off was clever," Hiashi said in a solemn voice, and Tsume sent the man a thankful smile.

Nariko had stopped crying but was looking down at her hands. "If I'm a real Inuzuka," she said quietly, "Then why do none of the ninken want me?"

Shibi and Hiashi looked over to Tsume in interest, but she gave her head a small shake. Later.

"It's not that none of them want you," a gruff voice said from behind them, and Suoh's large frame moved to sit next to them. "It's just that your partner is a coward."

Nariko jolted and turned her dark brown eyes to him. "Suoh?" she whispered, and he dipped his head in shame.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day," he said gently. "From the moment we met, I knew that you were mine, but I was too scared to do anything about it. After losing Nikko, I didn't want to open myself up again."

The room seemed to be holding its breath as Nariko slid out of Tsume's lap and shuffled to kneel in front of Suoh. "Are you saying...?"

He lifted his large head and met her eyes. "I'm sorry it took almost losing you to find my bravery again. If you'll take me, I'll be your partner. I'll protect you and fight beside you, live my life by your side."

Tsume brought her fingertips to her lips, her breath hitching, unashamed of the tears coming to her eyes. For the past two years, her clan had simply been waiting for the day they went out to the kennels and found Suoh's kennel empty, despite his promise to Nikko to try and continue living without him. Tsume had her daughter and clan duties to keep her from falling too far into despair after the death of Kiba, but poor Suoh had nothing to pull him back. Until now. Tsume had been hopeful when she saw how much time they were spending together but hadn't dared let herself believe. And now...

"But - but why?" Nariko asked. "You're strong - the strongest! And I know that you miss your old partner. He was probably bold and outspoken the way he was supposed to be, so why me...?"

The dog growled, and quick as lightening nipped at the girl's arm, making her yelp and causing Shibi and Hiashi to tense next to her. "Don't underestimate yourself! Just because a few idiots can't see how brave, loyal, and dedicated you are doesn't mean you can stop seeing it in yourself. You said yourself that you don't believe in fighting comrades, and that's why you don't respond to the bullying. It has nothing to do with weakness. And yes, you're different from Nikko, but that's neither good nor bad. You aren't a replacement for him. You're you, and that's fine," he said gruffly, obviously embarrassed by his outburst.

"S-Suoh," she whispered, then flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around his large neck. "Of course I want you! I wished and wished that it would be you, but I thought..."

Suoh allowed himself to relax into her and rubbed his cheek against her hair. Even Hiashi seemed moved by the scene, and Shibi put a hand on Tsume's shoulder, seeming to understand the bittersweetness of the moment for her. In another life, it might have been her own son experiencing the joy of finding his partner.

000

Nariko hesitated at the gates of the compound, fingers fluttering to the brand new tattoos that adorned her cheeks, still slightly sore and buzzing with Suoh's chakra - a connection that allowed her to always be aware of his position and health, and he of hers. The bonding and subsequent party had been overwhelming, to say the least. Clan members who barely looked at her before smiled at her in the streets and the few boys who had thought it was fun to tease her avoided her large, overprotective partner as much as possible now.

She hadn't been to the academy for a week, but Tsume had put her foot down, insisting she was recovered from her adventure. So here she was, getting ready to leave the compound. How would the Academy children treat her now that she was a 'real' Inuzuka?

"Quit putting it off," Suoh rumbled from beside her, though he didn't look any happier about going to the Academy than she felt. After all, he'd already been through it once.

"Suoh, if you don't want to go..." he growled and snapped at her thigh in warning, and she yelped and hurried out of the gate, ignoring his chuckles and pulling her hat further down to protect her ears from the cold.

"Hey," a bored voice said from next to her, and she blinked in shock at the grumpy face of Nara Shikamaru, who was leaning against the wall next to the gate. He was dressed in his usual outfit but had added a large open green jacket and a pair of earmuffs. Nariko looked down at the ground as she remembered the last time they spoke, and fiddled with the fur lining of her purple parka.

"Hello, Shikamaru-kun," she said politely, ignoring Suoh's narrow-eyed look as the boy fell into step beside her, hands in his pockets and seeming unconcerned by the large dog and new tattoos. Of course, she could smell his nerves, but he didn't know that.

"I've been trying to catch up with you for a week, troublesome woman," he grumbled and jumped a little when Suoh growled from her other side. Nariko placed a tentative hand on his scruff, which came up to her chest, and turned her full attention to the boy next to her.

"Well, you found me," she said gently, hoping to calm him, and he nodded.

"I just wanted to apologize, for what I said," he muttered, looking away in embarrassment. "I was annoyed with Akira and his friends, but it's no excuse for snapping. I know you're an Inuzuka, and I don't think you're weak. You just don't like fighting," he grumbled.

Her eyes widened at his apology, and she felt a smile forming on her face. "Oh...it's okay," she said softly. "I understand. I'm sorry you got dirty trying to help me." he shrugged, and they were silent as they walked down the road, the only sound that of their crunching footsteps.

"It's not that I don't like to fight," she said suddenly, and he tilted her head towards her in question. Her cheeks reddened a bit, but she continued. "I actually do like it, just as much as any Inuzuka, it's just...my dad always said that you shouldn't fight your comrades in anger, or with the intent to hurt."

Shikamaru studied her for a moment before looking away with a hum. "I suppose I can see what he meant, though I don't know if he'd want you to let people push you around."

"What do you mean, people have been pushing you around," Suoh growled, and this time Shikamaru really did jerk in surprise at the realization Suoh could speak.

"Uh..." Nariko said, eyes widening. "Nothing, really...just kids being kids."

"It's not nothing." Shikamaru shifted uneasily when Suoh's amber eyes shifted to him at his statement.

"Tell me their names," the large dog growled and winced when Nariko bopped a gentle hand on his head.

"Stop trying to intimidate Shikamaru-kun!" she scolded and put her hands on her hips. "I told you the other kids weren't nice to me," she grumbled, cheeks red with shame. "But you're not allowed to hurt them."

"Well, he could just scare them a little," Shikamaru drawled, and raised his eyebrow at her appalled face. "After all, it's not good for them to think it's okay to bully - they'll get kicked out of the Academy at this rate. It's almost your duty as a comrade to teach them a lesson."

Silence, and then rumbling laughter came from Suoh. "Oh, I like your friend, Nariko. You should introduce us."

Nariko paused for a moment at the word friend, but when Shikamaru didn't say anything, she gave him a shy glance. "Ah, right, sorry, how rude of me. Shikamaru-kun, this is my ninken, Suoh. Suoh, this is Nara Shikamaru."

"Nice to meet you," Shikamaru said from where he was slumped next to her, now looking half asleep.

"Should have guessed the Nara part on my own," the dog said.

They had arrived at the Academy, and Shikamaru gave them a lazy wave and a muttered, "By the way, your clan markings look nice," before meandering off to find Chouji. Nariko knew she was bright red, and couldn't help but feel pleased at the compliment.

They were garnering stares and whispers from the other children as they threaded through them in an attempt to get to the doors, and Nariko had to stifle the urge to cover her new marks. Suoh leaned against her, and she felt the tension in his body as well. How hard must it be for him to return here, with all it's memories? Yet he was trying to comfort her , because she was afraid of a few classmates. At that, Nariko straightened her spine and lifted her chin in the air. If Suoh could show such bravery, than surely Nariko herself could, too.

They entered the mostly-full classroom, and were met with a surprised hush. "Ah, Nariko-chan," Dai-sensei said nervously after a moment. "I see you found your ninken."

"Yes, Dai-sensei," she said in a quiet voice. She liked him well enough - he always stopped the kids from bullying when he was around, and had been kind to her. "This is Suoh."

"Hello, Suoh-san, it's nice to meet you," she could read the curiosity on his face - after all, most children were paired with puppies for partners, and Suoh was obviously fully grown. He had told Nariko that he was ten years old after their heart-to-heart in the outpost. He had been paired with Nikko when the boy turned six and Suoh was only a few months old, which meant Nikko would have been fourteen when he died.

He already knew the clan jutsu, but would need to start from scratch with her, since it was different for every person. To not be fully in sync could result in torn muscles or lost limbs, or even death. Tsume had given them a solemn lecture on this after their bonding ceremony, and both had taken it seriously. The last thing either wanted was to cause the other pain.

As Nariko passed the girls who had been the worst of the perpetrators, they avoided her eyes, and she relaxed as she realized she wouldn't have any problems from that arena again, thanks to her new intimidating shadow. Tentatively, she took an aisle seat next to Hinata, who smiled at her.

"C-congratulations." she stuttered, and Nariko blinked in shock. Hinata had never tried to start a conversation with her before, though it was more out of shyness than pettiness, and she beamed at her.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "Um, Suoh, this is Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata-chan, this is Suoh."

He studied her for a moment, head cocked to the side. "Are you related to Hyuuga Hiashi?" he asked as gently as a two hundred pound canine could, and the girl jumped in shock when she realized he could talk. The rest of the class broke out into excited whispers at the sound of his voice, but the group ignored them.

"Oh! Um, y-yes. He is my father," she said, and Nariko had to give the girl credit for her scent not spiking in fear at Suoh.

"Your dad helped me out recently," Nariko said and Hinata gave her a sweet smile.

"Y-yes, he told me. H-he suggested that you and I m-might...t-that w-we c-could..." Hinata was looking down at her hands now, wringing them, and Nariko gently put hers over the top of them, taking pity on her.

"He was on the same genin team as my aunt Tsume. I guess the three of them are still considered one of the best tracking teams in the village," Nariko said. "Would you like to...come over and meet her? I bet Tsume-obasan has some fun stories she can tell you about your dad and Shibi-sama."

Hinata's wide eyes met her own, before ducking back down again. "I - alright," she whispered. Nariko grinned, and felt a weight lift from her chest that she hadn't realized was still there. For the first time since she came to Konoha, things were looking up.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The Next time in A Real Inuzuka

Nariko makes some friends and Shikaku has a Very Troublesome Realization.