The Dogs of War

A/N: Well. It has been some time since I updated this. The problem with this story is that it is so full of angst, I can't write on it unless I'm full of angst, too. So, I had a little burst of angst, and here we are again. Neji is going to pay Kiba a little visit. Uh-oh.

--

“One world ... One world
The dogs of war won't negotiate
The dogs of war don't capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live.”
--Pink Floyd, “The Dogs of War”

2: The War Within

The dark was so complete, the quiet so deafening, that Kiba was unsure what exactly it had been that caused him to wake. Akamaru was still asleep. There was nothing moving. So what woke him up? There was a kind of pressure in the room, a presence that was dark and overwhelming. Then, he recognized it. “You can turn on the light, Neji.” Light flooded the room, revealing the man he had known was there. However, this was a state he had never seen Neji in: his hair was mussed, clothing hastily thrown on, and one sandal strap was dangling undone. It was, overall, the look of a man who had just had exhaustingly good sex.

Kiba sat up, scowling. Neji sauntered over, a smirk playing over his lips. That was a face he couldn’t bear to look at. “Kiba,” Neji had knelt by now, pale eyes piercing into him.

“I know.” He didn’t care. It was over.

“Do you, now?” There was a hint of mocking in Neji’s tone. “What is it that you know?” One dark eyebrow rose, lending an amused edge to his question.

This was insane. His lover’s—former lover’s—husband was kneeling in the middle of his futon, and asking him what was probably the most loaded question Kiba had ever heard. But it was late, he was tired, and he knew that Neji would settle for nothing less than the absolute truth. So, he told him. “I know that you want to kill me.” He didn’t care. It was over.

“Kill you?” White, impenetrable eyes fixed on his, holding him there as surely as Hinata’s ever had.

“Yeah,” Kiba shifted, uncomfortable under such scrutiny.

“Oh, no…I don’t want to do that.” Neji was smiling. That was never a good sign. “I want to destroy you.” He leaned toward Kiba, his face now mere inches away. “She doesn’t love you.” His voice was bland: a statement of pure fact. Did he care? Was it really over?

“I know that.” Kiba said, his voice as flat as it could possibly go. It hurt to admit it, but there it was.

Pale eyes narrowed. “Then why?”

The old hopelessness rose in his chest. Why should he tell this man anything at all? Neji was the reason…no. That was not really true. Hyuuga Neji was not the reason why Hinata had become the icy, calculating woman she was. That fault lay with two men: Hyuuga Hiashi, and Uzumaki Naruto. He could still remember the day.

There was a loud commotion coming from two streets over, and Kiba ran toward it, curious. Bodies crowded the packed dirt, pressing close, forward, trying to get closer to something at the mouth of an alley. Suddenly, though, they all backed off. The crowd drew a breath, and Kiba watched the hundreds of people open a path. What he saw was gut-wrenchingly horrible.

Kiba could still feel the chakra crackling in the air. He could feel the fading signature left by lightening, and he could smell the ozone. That sickly sweet smell was overpowered with another, darker and more metallic odor. Blood. The hackles on his neck stood on end. There were four figures in the alley. Dimly, he heard someone yelling at the onlookers, telling them that they should return to their homes, and their businesses. But his eyes fixed on the limp body on the ground, then straying to the others.

The blood was everywhere. It had sprayed the walls of the alley, soaked into the dirt of the road, but nowhere was it more evident than on the bright orange fabric that now clung wetly to a chest that was barely moving. Though he did not know what he was doing, Kiba moved forward. His body knelt next to a blonde head, and he looked into glazed blue eyes. Naruto kept repeating the same three words: “He came back…” until he could no longer speak. Then, he seemed to fade in and out.

A strangled cry came from Kiba’s right. Looking up, he saw Hinata and Haruno Sakura, each with a kunai held to a pale throat. Hinata’s right hand held the blade, while the other was forcing chakra into their captive’s chest. She was looking at Naruto, her anguish plain for all to see, and it was obvious that she would prefer to be with him than be restraining Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura said quietly, “He can’t use any jutsu, Hinata. If he tries anything else, I’ll break every bone in his miserable body. Go to Naruto.”

Sakura’s face said that not even she could save him. “No.” Hinata said firmly, with no hint of a stammer. Her white eyes blazed with determination as they turned to Kiba. “Take him.” Kiba did as she said, holding Sasuke’s arm in a white-knuckled grip. “If he tries anything, Kiba, gut him like a fish.” There was a gasp from Sakura at that, and then Hinata’s eyes turned on her again. “Sakura.”

Green eyes were unfocused, filling with tears. “Sakura!” The tone of Hinata’s voice made Sakura jump, but it certainly snapped her out of whatever funk she had been in. “Save him, Sakura.”

“I…I can’t.”

“You can. You can save anyone. I know you can.” Hinata took hold of her arm, pulling her toward the body on the ground. “I can help.”

It had been too late. Uchiha Sasuke had succeeded in doing what countless ninjas, samurai, and demons had never even come close to. He had killed Uzumaki Naruto. Life after that day was never the same for anyone. Hatake Kakashi was beside himself. He was rarely seen in the village, preferring to receive his orders and return his solo mission reports via messenger birds. Sakura, for her part, was the wonder of the village. She grew in strength and beauty every day, earning the respect of the villagers, and of medics from other nations. Her primary duties were, from one month after Naruto’s death, mostly dealing with highly experimental research into new medical techniques, botanical research, and biochemistry. Sakura also never gave up hope that some day, Sasuke would come around.

Uchiha Sasuke was confined in the deepest, darkest cell of Konoha Prison. The cell was only ten feet square, a cube of stone that sapped his chakra to harmless levels. He spent most of his days pacing like a caged panther, glancing at the door every five or ten minutes. Kiba had gone once with Sakura to visit him. The young woman was nervous. She apparently did this once every week, but it seemed to have no effect on him. He never answered her questions, or responded when she made statements about the village.

It was, at times, as if the loss of that blonde trickster had subdued the village. The yells of children seemed quieter, the sky was never as blue anymore, and suddenly, Kiba couldn’t stand to walk past Ichiraku’s Ramen bar. But Hinata…she took it harder than anyone else. She had closeted herself in her room for a month. The only person allowed inside was Neji, who only got in because he threatened to knock the door down once every couple of days. When she finally emerged, she barely spoke. Her face was thinner than he had ever seen it. Any time he tried to talk to her, she spoke only minimally. Again, only by force did Neji get her to return to any semblance of her former self. Eight months later, Hiashi announced her engagement to her cousin, and Kiba’s world grew that much dimmer.

Now, Neji was glaring at him. He was trying to bore holes in Kiba’s head, just as if there were any hope of doing so. “Why?” Kiba asked, pensive. “Why do you want to ‘destroy’ me, Neji?” Fuck. He did care. And it would never be over.

“Because I love her.”

A bare smile curled at the edges of Kiba’s mouth. “So much it hurts to look at her?”

Neji nodded.

“You love her so much that when she’s away from you, it feels like someone’s ripped out a piece of your soul?”

Another nod.

“And do you mourn every night when you close your eyes…because you can’t look at her face anymore?” Neji’s eyes widened slightly. Nodding, Kiba went on. “I love her, Neji. I love her so much…I hate her for it.” He closed his eyes. “What do you plan to do?”

Cloth rustled, and the air shifted slightly, telling of Neji seating himself fully. “That depends on you.” That was something he had been afraid of. “If you persist in this…affair, then it will be war between us.” Kiba kept his eyes closed, nodding. He knew that was going to happen. Neji was too proud. He always had been. He would start a war over this. Damn him.

“I don’t think that you need to worry about that.” Kiba looked away. “It’s over.”

“Good...” Just when Kiba thought that maybe, he would leave it at that, he was proven wrong. Again. A hand gripped his throat, and a body fell atop his, crushing him to his futon. Two glowing fingers hovered within inches of his face. “Because so help me, Kiba,” the fingers crept forward, “if you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you…and your entire family.” One of Kiba’s eyebrows rose. Bloodfeud? Was that where this was headed?

Something inside him snapped. If it had been only him, Kiba could probably have dealt with it. But when his family was threatened, that was a completely different story. Baring very sharp teeth in a smile that was more of a grimace, he growled, “Not if I rip out your throat first, Neji. If you hurt any member of my family, I will kill you. But I won’t stoop to your level.” It felt good, seeing the shocked, indignant look in the other man’s eyes. It served him right, as far as Kiba was concerned. Territoriality was a specialty of the canine species, and since Kiba’s entire family raised, lived with, and befriended dogs, he figured he had an edge over Neji in that respect. And another thing his family gained from their companions: dogs mate for life.

But…he had to wonder what the rest of his life would be like if things really ended here. Hinata was not really in control of her own feelings, so he couldn’t truly fault her, though he knew it had been right to stop it before things got out of hand. Neji, on the other hand…he was one of the reasons why she had turned into the woman she was. Yes, she had grown more beautiful than he could ever have imagined, but that beauty was brittle. It was as if he touched her too roughly, he would break the mask away, and he was uncertain what might lie beneath.

A small tick had developed beneath Neji’s left eye. He seemed to be struggling with himself. After a long moment, he shoved himself off of Kiba, baring down on his throat as he did. “Just keep your hands off of my wife, Inuzuka.” Neji’s serenity was nonexistent in that moment. His eyes flamed, and his expression pinched.

As Neji turned to leave, Kiba said quietly, “Does she love you, Neji?”

One hand on the door, just as Hinata had been hours before, Neji turned, staring at him with a stricken look. “I don’t know.”

Eyes closing once again, Kiba sighed. “I don’t think she can.” Something stabbed at his heart. “Not now that he’s gone.” A kunai flew past his left ear, shearing off the very ends of his hair. Kiba had not seen it being drawn. Neji’s face was absolutely livid. Pale was not the word to describe him at that moment. Ghostly would be more accurate.

“Don’t you dare bring him up, Kiba.”

One of Kiba’s eyebrows rose. “Why not? Naruto was the only person that brought out the bravery in her. He was special that way. And he was your friend too, as I recall.” When the next kunai flew, he saw it. Catching it by the blade, allowing it to slice into his palm, Kiba got to his feet. The sheets fell away, revealing his bare flesh. Neji was being very careful not to look at his nakedness. Though Kiba was naked, he was certain that Neji felt more exposed. Walking to stand before the taller man, he handed the weapon back. “Be contented with that blood, Neji. Enough.”

--

Neji slipped silently back into his bedroom, where Hinata lay. The moonlight streaming in leant her face an unearthly beauty, and he stood for a long moment only looking at her. She was so serene as she slept, so perfect, that he feared he might wake her when he lowered himself to the futon they shared. The sheets had worked their way down, and the skin of her back was illuminated, her hair strewn across the pillow on which she slept…he held his breath. Nothing so beautiful was ever meant to last. Not for him.

Every beautiful moment slipped right through his fingers. Her eyes opened, and she watched him watching her. “Come to bed,” she said softly, turning onto her side and pulling the covers up to her chest. Neji smiled. Hinata was the only beauty left in his life, and he found himself wanting nothing more than to breathe her in, to soak up her presence and take her into himself, making her part of him until they were inseparable.

Giving a little nod, Neji stripped off his rumpled clothing, tossing the pieces into a corner before sliding into the bed with her. She smelled wonderful as she pressed herself against his side. It was like soap and ginger and the still-raw scent of their lovemaking…which aroused him slightly, but he was far too content with they way they lay to act on it. Sleep took him quickly.

--

“Steps have been taken, a silent uproar
Has unleashed the dogs of war
You can't stop what has begun
Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion.”

--

Hinata rubbed at her head. It had been pounding all day. Her mission with Kiba had been uneventful. Assassination always left a bad taste in her mouth. He still would not look her in the eye. What happened? She was sure that Neji had gone to see him, but farther than that, she was not certain. When they met for their mission, she had tried to touch him, and he shied away. It was never hard to tell what he was feeling. But at the moment, all she really knew was that something was dreadfully wrong. He was hurt. Something made her a bit guilty about that. It was, after all, her fault.

She had been the one to instigate their affair more than a year earlier. In the beginning, it had been quite pleasant. Hinata would go to him, they would have athletic—and at times animalistic—sex, and she would go home. It had been a way to relieve tension, break the monotony. Then, she sensed a change. Kiba grew more…possessive in his touch, more lingering. At the back of her mind, she knew that he had long since fallen in love with her. And in some small piece of her mind…one that was not dead and numb to all feeling…she was sorry. He had always been a good friend. A wonderful shoulder to cry on, a protector and confidante, Kiba would have made the perfect lover, and did. Until three weeks ago, when he had suddenly ended it.

Stumbling over a stone in the packed dirt path, Hinata caught herself on a tree. No sooner was she stilled than a wave of nausea broke over her. She leaned heavily onto the tree, emptying her stomach onto the ground. “Damn it…” That was sudden. Resuming her walk back to the house, she only got fifteen feet before falling to her knees and vomiting again. The heaving of her stomach did not cease this time until long after there was nothing left in it. “Damn it to Hell…”

Forming a seal, she tried to mold her chakra to transport herself to the hospital, but was completely unsuccessful. Instead of the tight, razor-sharp regularity that she had worked so hard to develop, her chakra was instead erratic, sputtering and flickering like a dying candle. Her eyes narrowed. Back to the house it was, then. Stumping on legs that felt like rubber mixed with lead, it took her half an hour to make it back to the main house, where she collapsed on the porch outside Neji’s study. The last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness was the pounding of feet, and voices rising in panic.

--