"HE SAID WHAT!?"

Go figure. Fuck me. I was going to have to do some ass-kicking, and I would probably die because of it.

How dare he.

Hinata was crying, begging me not to go. It would mean certain death. But, even with her dragging onto my leg and stumbling after me, there was no point in trying to stop me.

I slammed open the doors of the Hyuga estate and that son of a bitch was sitting there drinking tea with her future husband.

Her future husband and my friend.

Neji.

"How could you!?" I screamed. My hands were shaking so hard that I couldn't even properly assault the man. Hizashi Hyuga, father of my girlfriend of two years and head of the Hyuga household, looked at me calmly.

I reached out my hands to ruin his face, to grab the front of his shirt and rip it to shreds, to punch a hole in his chest.

Neji pinned me to the ground in an instant. Hinata screamed, still begging and pleading.

Oh shit. Yeah, I was totally dead.

Hizashi stood up slowly and straightened his robe gracefully. "Boy, you chose to meddle in our affairs. But, there's nothing you can do."

Why was he right?

"Father… please." Hinata hiccupped.

I always thought she was strong. But, compared to Hizashi, she was the little blade of grass under the great oak tree.

He blinked slowly, "Hinata, you are my oldest daughter. You are responsible for passing on our bloodline, and ensuring our family stays pure."

Pure, my asshole.

Neji closed his eyes at this. He was probably just doing his duty; he had no choice. Since when did Neji ever have a choice? That didn't lessen my hatred for either of them. "Neji is your closest relative, and the only male of your generation who is appropriate to be your partner."

"You will marry. You will carry out your duty as the heir of the clan. You will have children. And they will possess our greatest strength: our Kekkei Genkai. The Byakugan."

Neji finally let me up. Hinata ran towards me, and threw herself in between me and her father. Although she was no longer mine, she was still protecting me.

Hizashi frowned at this. "I will not slaughter the boy in my own home. It would be inappropriate."

Hizashi headed outside. "Neji, if you would come with me… we have some finalization to do."

I got off easy.

But, it didn't make it any easier for either of us. All she did was cry. She cursed her family name, but I begged her not to do that. It was because of who she was, name and all, that I loved her. She threatened to kill herself. I almost tied her to the bed after that. She threatened to kill Neji, too. I suggested that we kill Hizashi, but apparently, that was totally unthinkable.

As innocent as she was, she really was twisted sometimes.

We ran out of ideas. Even running away wouldn't work. They would hunt us down, and inevitably, I would be dead, and she would be miserable.

I didn't mind the being dead part. But, I didn't want Hinata to spend the rest of her life carrying out her family "duty." It was unacceptable.

What was I going to do?

"Hina, please…"

The tears never stopped. Our time was limited. In fact, whatever we had was over. She was going to be married, sooner than later. And not to me.

She buried her face in my chest. "Why? This isn't f-fair… I love y-you. Neji is my cousin… he doesn't want to do this either."

Every word that left me hurt. Every second longer with her was killing me, yet keeping me alive at the same time. "I know." I kissed her eggplant hair. I kissed the tip of her runny nose.

My eyes were dry after crying all last night. I hadn't cried in front of her, because I knew she would try to do something desperate then. But, when I had walked her home and escaped back to my family, I cried at the dinner table. My mother was at a loss of words; Hana could only endure and listen. They knew what she meant to me and how far I was willing to go for her. She was my mate; I had chosen her, and she had finally grown to accept me.

"I love you." She repeated through the tears.

"I love you, too."

That didn't stop her from crying though.

I guess she had cried herself dry. But, she also distanced herself from me. I was lucky I was even able to still see her; I guess Hizashi did pity me to some extent.

"It's going to be after the war."

Well, at least I still got to spend time with her until then. Even if it was through blood and sweat and death.

I hope this war lasted forever.

"I can't keep seeing you like this, Kiba."

She was wrapped in my arms on my bed. This was it. "You're leaving me." I broke.

"What else can I do?" Her voice shook and wavered like a dying bird.

"Don't." I kissed her hard. I pinned her to her back and I smothered her with my lips. Before, I would never be so daring. We had always gone slowly; the most we'd usually ever do was make out and feel each other up. She had been daring on some occasions; I remember the shock when she went down on me for the first time. But the idea of sex had never flashed through my mind; she was so pure. I was patient with her. She was worth it. She had always been worth it.

She was struggling against me, but at the same time, she was still kissing me back. Our tongues tangled, and I was grabbing at her, dragging her towards me. I was desperate.

"I want you." I pleaded. "Please… let me have you. I'll have nothing left." It was bad for me to pressure her like this. But, it was the only thing I could ask from her now, when she would have nothing left to give me.

I didn't expect her to let me.

"Okay." She whispered.

It didn't take me long to strip my shirt off. She liked that though, because she ran her hands down my stomach and across my chest.

Her slender fingers burned me where they met my skin. It took everything in my power not to tear her clothes off and take her right there, to shove myself deep inside her until we finally became one. Her skin was so smooth and soft; I kissed her shoulders and bit at her neck, and she moaned into me. God, that was sexy.

Neji was going to be one lucky guy.

I growled when she slipped her hand down my pants. It turned me on, her meek dominance. My dick was proof; I was as hard as a rock in her palm.

"Stroke me." I murmured into her ear.

She turned a deeper shade of red than she already was, but she did as I suggested. She could be a little minx sometimes; as timid as she was, she knew what kind of power she had over my mind and my body. And it felt so damn good. I wanted to climax just from that. But, I couldn't. I had to pleasure her. I had to bring Hinata so much pleasure that it would last her a lifetime, since she would be spending her life without me.

Bra clasps were easy. I didn't know what all the complaints were about, because hers unhooked pretty damn fast for me.

She gasped as I ran my tongue against her tits, and they hardened like little buds against my mouth. I wasn't kind to her body either; I was a rough, nasty, dirty guy. That's how I liked my women in bed, and that's how I liked my sex. As gentle as I always was with Hinata, this was going to be one hell of a night for her. I was only ever gentle for her because I actually truly, deeply cared for her.

I struggled to claw off the thing that she called pants. Buttons, zippers, whatever. This is why I wore sweatpants on my days off; so she could feel me against her whenever I was with her. I managed to roll them down halfway, and halfway was enough.

She tried to stop me. I knew she was scared; she had never done anything like this before. "Kiba…" I ran my fingers against her. She tried to cover her womanhood with her hands, but I pulled them away.

"No." I growled. She was going to enjoy this, no matter what. I wouldn't let her stop herself from feeling ecstasy. She was dripping, and it made it that much easier to slide my fingers inside her.

Her back arched, and she pressed her chest against mine. I leaned down to kiss her beneath her chin; she always liked that.

"Don't be so rough." She moaned into my ear.

Like hell.

"It's give or take, sweetheart." She smelled like lavender and grapefruit.

Angry now, she scratched me all down my back like a little kitten. But, that was just a huge turn-on. Silly girl.
"You know I like it rough, Hina." She dug her fingers into my ribcage as I left dark bruises on her skin, like dark blooms on her fair skin.

Hinata surprised me as she took a little nibble at my neck. "Hnn- that was sexy." I kissed her hotly. I managed to untangle her panties from her legs so I could get a good handful of that ass.

I pulled my cock out and rubbed it against her lips. The heat, the slickness, the friction… this would have been enough.

Maybe.

She stared down in a beautiful mixture of amazement and shock. I wasn't a monster or anything, but I definitely wasn't small. And granted, this was her first time seeing any male parts. Most times, she would get too flustered when I had my shirt off.

"Kiba…" She mewled.

She spread her legs for me naturally.

"You'll have to ask me." Not really. But, I wasn't going to invade her without her permission. Not when we were teetering so close to the edge. Besides, I had begged and begged. Why shouldn't she?

Red-faced and breathing deeply, she leaned up and cozied her head against mine. She kissed my ear. "Please, Kiba."

Well, that was enough.

I slammed into her and she let out a loud gasp. I didn't want to give her enough time to feel the pain, but dear god she was tight. A little bit of blood starting dribbling onto the sheets, but she didn't complain as I rammed into her.

She started hyperventilating, so I calmed her down as calmly as possible. "Shh, shh." I kissed her, letting my breath fill her up. Whenever our lips parted, it was just so we could gasp for air.

We were a hot, sweat-slick tangle. Now that she knew that I liked it, she left deep scratches in my skin. One of my hands was knotted into her hair and the other was pushing the small of her back so that she couldn't get away from me and my endless, ruthless pounding. Her ass slapped every time I pulled half-way out, and her tits and her beautiful hips slammed against my chest and abs when I thrusted it all back in.

I only slowed the pace when she climaxed, soaking me with all those delicious juices. Our parts squelched together and with the added wetness, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

As soon as she granted me permission, I moaned as I came inside her. I knew she could feel it, because she tensed up and pulled me closer towards her. I buried myself as deep as I possibly could inside her.

Maybe, if I was lucky, I could get her with my kid. There would be nothing they could do to tear us apart then.

I panted into the sheets, and my muscles gave out so I collapsed my full weight on top of her. Soft and warm, she welcomed me. Hinata wrapped her little arms around my neck and rubbed my head.

"Do you want me to pull out?" I asked through my heavy breathing.

She shook her head. It was the first time I'd seen her smile in a long time. "It'll all drip out." She giggled a little bit, and I kissed her cheek.

So, I snuggled into her and playfully gnawed on her collarbone. That tickled her and she tried to roll around, but my body crushed her into place.

Finally, we separated just so we could clean up a little bit. I didn't dress myself, and neither did she. After I had laid down clean sheets, we piled ourselves back onto the mattress. I pulled the blanket over our heads so we were in our own, dim little bubble.

She smiled at me so sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Forever and always.

I ran my finger in lazy circles against her skin. She really was beautiful, like a little bird. A little bird that would soon fly away from me.

It made me ache.

"I'll never forget this." She whispered.

I pulled her head down against my chest so she couldn't see my tears.

She insisted she would be fine, walking home herself. I let her go without any comment; I guess I would have to get used to this. I had lost my claim to her.

At dinner, I smelled him before he even reached the doorstep.

I bolted out the kitchen, and my mom and sister ran to the window. They knew better than to get involved, but they also didn't want any dead shinobi outside their house.

I did all but tear the door off the hinges; even with his all-seeing eyes, I managed to land a solid punch on his pretty face. His nose broke under my fist with a satisfying crunch.

But, that was the only blow I managed to land before he slammed me onto my back. As strong as I was, Neji was a genius, with a genius intellect and genius strength to match.

As he slowly throttled me, "I'm not here to fight." He said calmly, even as blood ran from his mangled nose.

He let me up, and I rubbed my neck to make sure he hadn't done any serious damage. He held his sleeve to his nose. "Leave." I growled. I didn't care to see his face for the rest of my life.

"Kiba, I need to talk to you."

I was about to shove my foot down his throat.

He looked pained when I didn't respond. "You know that I don't want to marry Hinata either."

"Tenten isn't happy about it either." He added softly.

What?

What was with these people and violent chicks. First Shikamaru, now Neji. As smart as these two were, what the fuck.

I didn't know how to respond.

So he kept on going. "I've got her with my child."

Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit. Damn boy, you wild child.

"Can you cancel the marriage?"

He shook his head with a sigh. "It doesn't matter. It'll just be my bastard. So long as Hinata has children with someone within our line, there is no issue."

But, his eyes narrowed. He knew what I was thinking. Damn him.

"If she's with another man's child, Hizashi will kill it without hesitation."

There went my only chance.

"I'll kill him."

Neji sunk down into his fighting stance. "I will strike you down right now if you plan to carry this idea out."

Okay, more ideas out the window.

I collapsed onto the doorstep of my home. I could still see Hana's head peaking through the curtains. Akamaru was hiding in the bushes to back me up if needed. It was ridiculous because you could clearly see him there; he was bigger than the damn hedge.

"Your ideas are terrible, Kiba."

I buried my head in my hands. I didn't need him to remind me. "I know, I know. It's because you're fucking in the way. And you can kill me like a bug. We both know that."

Neji smiled faintly. "It'll be easy getting rid of myself."

I stared at him.

"I'll die in the war."

Damn fucking masochist. No wonder he was with Tenten, that freaky-weapon-wielding crazy-ass kunoichi. "Tenten… she'll," I choked up. She'll fucking go on a murder spree, that's what will happen.

"She's strong."

"She loves you. Neji, you fucking idiot." Ironically, I was willing to beat him to death half a minute ago. But now, I didn't want to think of the alternative. Although I hated him for what he was going to do, I didn't hate him for who he was. We had fought together, eaten and drank together.

"It's the only alternative." His face sunk. "I can't live without being with her." He whispered.

"You don't know what she'll do." Seriously, Tenten was perfectly capable of assassinating a whole household; I had seen her do it out in the west. I didn't want to admit it, but Tenten could kill Hinata if she put her mind to it. And I didn't want that.

His voice hardened like steel. "She'll survive. After running all the scenarios in my head, this is what's best. It'll work." I knew he couldn't be swayed.

"You don't have to do this." I really, really didn't want this. He was my friend. A dear comrade. He had my upmost respect, even if he was going to marry my Hinata. And the fact that he admitted this to me meant that I would have to bear the guilt of it until I died.

"It's only logical."

God, logic was so fucked up.

Tenten lost the child.

She was the most miserable woman I knew. And no one gave it a second thought, because the two had done a good job hiding their relationship. Not that it mattered, because whatever they had had died.

Only I visited her regularly.

"Why didn't he tell me?" She cried. The kitchen in her apartment was filled with half-empty bottles of sake.

I tried not to let her drown in her misery. I really did. I had offered her to stay with us. Hana wanted to take care of her. After she had listened in that night, part of the guilt rested on my sister's chest too.

Tenten refused. As much of a mess as she was, she still had her pride.

I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. "He said… he said he couldn't live without being with you."

That just made her cry even harder. "He didn't even take my feelings into consideration."

Of course not. It was only "logical."

I still checked on her almost everyday, to make sure she wasn't dead. Most of the time, she was asleep or in a drunken stupor. Or both.

I also checked up on Hinata. The whole Hyuga household was in mourning. Hinata still hadn't gotten over the initial shock of Neji throwing his life away for her, seemingly. I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Things had sorta reverted actually. Because now, she was back to crying all the time. When she saw me, she would turn her face away and now, those tears seemed to fall even harder.

Even the Hokage came to see the body, to pay respects to his fallen companion. As busy as he was, tied up with the aftermath of the war, Naruto had his heart in the right place: with us. With his family and friends. He gave me a pat on the shoulder and a faint smile, but his eyes were wet; no one was ever affected more by the death of his friends than Naruto. That's why I believed he was the perfect match for Hokage.

He hugged Hinata and greeted Hizashi; I had heard that Hinata had revealed her past love to Naruto during the battle. It was understandable; none of us thought we would make it out alive.

It still hurt.

But, nothing would come out of it.