F A M I L I A R

A New Mission

Kiba's POV

To put it simply, I was pretty pissed off.

Akamaru and I were currently making our way to the training grounds, trying to get as far away from my mother as possible.

I felt as if steam was billowing out of my ears as I walked, kicking rocks along the way. I aimed and kicked a large one straight into a trash can, letting the sound reverberate in my ears. I bit down on my lip to stifle a yawn and clenched my fists.

I was exhausted.

Don't get me wrong, I'm used to waking up early everyday to take the dogs out for their walks, but I don't exactly need my brain to be functioning to do that.

Roll out of bed. Open door. Walk. That's it.

So, when you wake me up at the ass-crack of dawn to lecture me about chores, we're going to have a problem. Honestly, I didn't really even hear a single word she said.

I scoffed outwardly to myself and felt Akamaru staring at me. He never liked to see me angry this way.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead, subconsciously trying to relax for his sake as we approached the grounds. When I opened my eyes, however, my whole mood completely changed.

There, laying on the ground against the tree line, was Asuna.

It was like a weight in my mind was lifted and I was suddenly in the clouds.

Akamaru noticed her too and began walking over towards her. I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile as I took in the state of the field we were in. There were several craters in the ground and large tree stumps strewn about as if they were discarded toys. Looking around, it was as if she turned this field into a forest, so she could test her strength in tearing stumps up from the ground. I stifled a chuckle and shook my head.

She was always pushing herself.

I could only imagine how long she had been out here as I too made my way over to her sleeping form. My gaze landed on her face as I got closer. She appeared peaceful enough, but she carried dark bags under eyes to suggest otherwise. Akamaru sat next to her and proceed to head butt her shoulder, trying to wake her.

I wonder why she's out here so early.

"Let her sleep, boy." I said, "she looks like she needs her rest."

Akamaru looked up at me and nodded.

"Let's start with the trees she left out here in the open." I reached up and tightened my headband, getting ready. I glanced back down at Asuna and saw a slight shiver pass through her body. Her face flinched for a moment and my face softened. I took my leather jacket off and draped it over her bare legs, watching her face relax as I did so.

"Alright Akamaru," I stood and clenched my fist in the air. "Let's practice our accuracy! Go hit that stump with everything you got!"

~~~~~

Asuna's POV

My eyelids were bright orange from the sun overhead and my ears were filled with birdsong. The world smelled of dirt and dandelions and there was a slight breeze on my cheeks. As I woke, I couldn't help but notice that the rest of my body was surprisingly warm.

I opened my eyes and had to squint to adjust to the light. I looked down and saw a leather jacket covering my legs. I recognized it immediately and looked up to catch a glimpse of it's owner, but the field in front of me was bare. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Why would Kiba leave his jacket here?

I picked up the jacket and allowed the crisp air to hit my legs. Dusting myself off as I stood, I noticed that the training grounds were not in the state I left them. In fact, it appeared that someone else came and destroyed the trees I left standing. Someone pretty strong, considering the large holes I could see in the earth a few meters from where I stood.