Chapter 11: The Scent of Fear
Team dinners are still a thing.
After completing our second C-rank—another glorious, boring success—we felt the need for at least a little celebration. Nikkei's turn had come around again.
I was already faltering as the evening progressed.
I found myself skulking in the deep indigo shadows stretched across the face of the compound by the warm orange light of the setting sun. The Inuzuka are the least formal clan in Konoha. Every time our team comes by, it seems to dissolve into a party of one kind or another. Relations who just happen to be nearby slowly accrete onto the proceedings like the drifts of shed fur that accumulate in the corners of their houses.
One of Nikkei's cousins was hitting on Kakashi.
He was trying valiantly to ignore the man's advances. They seemed to feel it only made sense that the Dog Summoner should be part of the Dog Clan, but Kakashi was transparently disinterested. This was the third Inuzuka to try and chat him up. I think it was starting to be viewed as a challenge; I could see a few more shoving each other for pride of place, giving the Jōnin speculative looks.
Nikkei was currently giving a younger sibling a fierce noogie. The upstart, challenging her position as Beta in her little family unit, was getting a vigorous smackdown. Her older brother napped in a heap with his dog on the porch nearby, presenting a front of indifference while his slitted eyes observed the exchange with a calculating glint.
It brought a twitch of a smile to my face.
A large enough motion that I noticed the facade had drooped a little. I quickly pulled up my cheeks into my signature, highly realistic grin.
Smile. Gotta smile. No one likes an antisocial weirdo.
"You smell funny!"
I blinked.
A little Inuzuka was glaring at me from more than a foot down. He looked somewhat familiar, though that could just be the clan markings—bright red triangles on his chubby little cheeks.
I smiled a little weaker, slightly less sure of myself in the face of his scrutiny.
"I'm... sorry? I'm Hiroki, Nikkei's teammate."
The chibi grunted. His lips pulled back slightly from his teeth.
On an older Inuzuka, that might be a concern—I've gotten that look from Nikkei before and it generally heralds no worse than a particularly intense spar. But on a kid that can't be more than six? It was just a little disconcerting.
"I know who you are! Why're you smiling?"
Ahh, too many teeth.
I modulated the expression. Corners up, but pearly whites safely concealed to stop presenting as a threat.
It didn't work.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
"Sorry. I... people like smiles? Usually? Uh..."
I backed away half a step. The pup pushed forward aggressively in response.
Oh dear.
Inuzuka noses are legendary. What did I smell like to him?
Fear?
Panic?
Ash and burnt flesh?
"Hey!"
Ahh, rescue. Thank goodness for the Inuzuka pack mentality.
Wait... is that... Hana?
Bugger.
"Kiba! Who's this? He bothering you?"
Inuzuka Hana. She was around the same age as my teammates, which meant she was at least five years older than me. And, if I was remembering correctly...
Itachi's teammate.
Maybe?
My eyes darted back to Kiba. They flickered on for a moment on instinct as I inspected the future clan head. Or was that Hana? Or did Kiba challenge...?
"Oy! Eyes off my little bro!"
I blinked. Perception faded. The Sharingan deactivated.
"Apologies, Hana-sama. I'm a little... twitchy sometimes. I didn't mean to offend you or Kiba-sama."
Her eyes narrowed at the honorific.
I couldn't help the tiny flinch as I realized the slip. Too formal. Too subservient. Too suspicious.
But her lip remained uncurled for the moment as she eyed me up and down.
"You're Nikkei's teammate, yeah? What's wrong with you? You sick or something?"
My shoulders hunched in slightly. I tried to keep smiling, my thoughts rushing to try and come up with a plausible-sounding explanation.
I wasn't sure what the problem was. Nikkei never mentioned anything about a weird smell. Then again, she didn't have the sort of crazy good nose that I would expect from the main line of the family.
What was a better explanation than 'I am terrified I am going to be murdered in a few years and I hallucinate the smell of burning corpses'?
"Hey Hana!"
The Inuzuka's attention was dragged away as Wasabi bustled up. A companionable arm was thrown around my shoulders as he leaned over me.
"I haven't seen you in years! How're the triplets?"
I relaxed minutely as my teammate expertly diverted attention away from my discomfort and onto every Inuzuka's favorite subject—their dogs. It afforded me the opportunity to settle back into the more polite blankness I felt safe in.
Eventually, Nikkei came over as well. She gave Wasabi a quick look over my head before loudly announcing that dinner was ready.
As the crowd moved toward the food, Wasabi lingered for a second.
"You okay?"
I suppressed the twitch. I merely smiled cordially at Wasabi.
He winced slightly at the expression.
They're getting to know me well enough to see through the mask. I'll have to work harder. No one likes a party pooper. Everything is fine.
"Of course! I guess I need to change my shampoo or something, huh?"
My smile slipped a little bit. It fell into something more open, more honest. My gaze slid away uncomfortably at the implied admission of weakness.
"Thanks for the save."
Wasabi gave me a pat on the back and a grin in return, pushing me towards the house from whence admittedly delicious smells were leaking.
"What are friends for?"
I stumbled slightly, catching myself before I could look ridiculous.
...Friends?
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