-1
"Hana!" Tsume Inuzuka charged into Hana's bedroom, a look of desperation marring her features. She flicked the light on, and Hana was nearly blinded by the sudden light.
"What the hell, Mom!?" Hana cried, ducking her head into the covers. "It's 2 A.M.! I just got back from a B-ranked mission; I am tired."
"Hana, this is no time for complaining over petty things! It is awakening!" Tsume heavily accented the 'it' part.
Previous fatigue forgotten, Hana sat bolt upright, "What?! Please tell me this is a drill; we haven't even decided who the vessel should be!" She couldn't believe it. Why now of all times?! Who were they going to place it in?! There were no qualified candidates, unless…
Tsume turned to give Hana a serious look. "Hana, it's hard for me to say this, but… If we don't do something, many innocent people could be killed and injured! I can't believe I'm saying this, but… We have to use Kiba."
The two women entered a dark room. Hana was still trying to sort through what she had just heard. Sure, oftentimes she couldn't stand her younger brother, and he was stubborn, but… Why did this have to happen now?! Why did it have to happen her? Was she really that unfortunate?! Was someone purposely trying to ruin her life?!
Hana frowned, cutting off the train of thought. Thoughts like those were what got shinobi killed. They led to self-pity, which was a sin to any ninja.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Tsume reached out and stilled the angrily shaking vase with her hand. She picked it up, feeling its vibrations for a moment to check if her assumptions were correct. Unfortunately, they were. She nodded at Hana, and the two Inuzukas dashed out of the room.
Kiba was enjoying a nice rest after a long mission, laying spread-eagled across his bed. His eyes slowly opened as he heard hastily approaching footsteps. Sitting up in bed, he heard his bedroom door open, and his mother and older sister dashed into the room. "What is it?" He asked, drowsy.
Instead of the 'Surprise midnight training session!' or even the 'The puppies have been born!' response Kiba was expecting, Tsume sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. This wasn't going to be easy…
As she contemplated what to say, the vase began to shake violently. Kiba gave it a quizzical look. Tsume realized that time was limited, and that stalling was out of the question.
"Kiba, don't ask, just hold out your right arm." She instructed, as calmly as she could muster. Was this really happening…?
"What-"
"Don't ask! Just hold out your right arm!" They were running out of time…
Kiba, stunned by his mother's outburst, held out his right arm. What was going on…?!
Tsume set down a bottle of ink and dipped her fingers in it. In a flash, she had written the kanji for 'Oni' and 'Inu' four inches below Kiba's shoulder.
Kiba froze. 'D-demon dog?! What's going on?! They couldn't be… No! My own family wouldn't do that!' He watched, paralyzed in shock and fear, as his mother surrounded the two Japanese characters with comma-shaped marks. Then, opening the vase, she pressed the opening of the vase to the new seal.
Kiba screamed. He felt like his entire body was on fire. In all of his thirteen years of life, he had never met such agony. After only a few moments, he passed out from the pain.
Tsume nodded once more at Hana, who picked up Kiba's limp form, and they were soon on their way to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade grinned maniacally. You see, Shizune went home at midnight, so the Godaime could drink sake to her heart's content until 6 AM. Tsunade lifted up a bottle, had a sip, and sighed contentedly. She didn't know what she would do without sake. She lifted the bottle again and-
"Tsunade-sama!" Tsume threw open the door and charged in.
"Tsume!?" Tsunade gasped, spitting out some of the sake. "What the hell is going on!?"
The Inuzuka clan head merely pointed at the seal on Kiba's shoulder. Tsunade's eyes widened, "W-what?! This wasn't supposed to happen for another twenty years!"
Tsume sighed. "Yes, but, I guess we were wrong."
The Hokage sat down, and tried to absorb the information. "No offense, but why Kiba?"
If the situation was not so dark, Tsume would have laughed. "It may seem like everyday bullheadedness, but Kiba has a will of steel. If there's any person in our clan who would be able to resist the demon, it's him. Besides, it's too late to change our minds."
"Okay, let's just give him some painkillers, then explain it to him when he-" Tsunade stopped when she noticed Kiba's eyes start to open.
"W… What's going on? Why am I in so much pain? Was there an ambush?" Then, the previous hour's events flashed through Kiba's mind. He immediately stood up, fully awake. "Mom, what did you do?! Does Demon dog mean what I think it does?!"
Tsume silenced her son with a glare. "Kiba, what I did is for the wellbeing of the village. How can I say this… You see, the Inuzuka clan was started by a demon-possessed man, who had decidedly dog-like traits: Heightened sense of smell, claw-like nails, etc. These were caused by his relationship with the demon. After having several daughters and sons, our ancestors, he was killed by the demon, and the demon wreaked havoc upon the village. The demon is not as strong as any of the tailed demons like the Shukaku and the Kyuubi, and is in fact entirely different from them altogether. But it still puts a great deal of stress upon the container. We could only stop its tirade by sealing it in this vase." She showed Kiba the vase that had once held the demon, "Unfortunately, the seal is nowhere near as strong as the ones used to seal the tailed demons, so we knew that this vase would not hold it forever. We also know that, by now, it has figured out and memorized how to escape inanimate objects. There fore, we had to seal it into… a person, since an animal or plant would not have had the willpower to control the demon."
"I'm that person, aren't I?" Kiba asked weakly after a moment of contemplation.
"…Yes." Tsume replied. It hurt her so much to see her son like this, so serious. Had she really just destroyed her own son's life? She felt tears rise to her eyes. She looked at Tsunade, silently telling the Hokage that she would have to do the rest of the explaining.
Tsunade understood. "Kiba… You aren't the only one. Gaara has the Shukaku inside of him, and even Naruto… possesses the Kyuubi inside of him."
Kiba was shocked. Naruto? The Nine-Tailed Fox? It explained a lot of things, but…
The Godaime decided to press on. "Kiba, you have to leave Konohagakure… Forever."
Kiba froze. "What?! But- But- But Naruto and Gaara have demons inside of them, and they get to remain in their villages!"
"Kiba!" Tsunade yelled losing her patience. "Calm down! Their demons may leave more subtle hints and aid them more, but the Inu demon is more likely to take complete control over you! You are doing this for the safety of the village!"
Kiba just stood there. Everything he had worked for. All of his dreams. The friends he had made. They were all for nothing. His hand formed into a fist, and his nails dug into his skin. The only word he could muster was "Damn."
He left the office. All of a sudden, he smelled a familiar presence. "Akamaru?" The dog bounded towards him. Realization hit Kiba. He would have to leave everything, including Akamaru. "Akamaru. I… Have to leave."
"On a mission? I'm going with you, right?" Akamaru replied amidst barks and yips.
The tears finally spilled forth. "N-no Akamaru. Y… Y-you aren't coming."
"When are you coming back?" Akamaru was disconcerted by his master's tears.
Every word dug into Kiba's heart like invisible claws, threatening to tear it out. He gulped, and the strength returned to his voice, his tears stopped. "Never, Akamaru. I'm never coming back." It was then that Kiba realized that he had one request to ask of Tsunade.
He stepped back into her office, interrupting Tsunade's conversation with Tsume. "Er, Tsunade, can I just ask for one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Can I… Have a day to say goodbye to everyone?"
Tsunade knew she should say no, but hell, the kid was about to lose everything. She would never be able to forgive herself if she denied him one last thing. "Sure, but you can't actually say goodbye. We will have to tell them that you died on a mission."
"…I know. I just want to be able to have one last day with everyone."
Kiba already had everything packed. He would be leaving that night.
Tsunade had convinced Kurenai to give her team the day off, careful not to tell her about the previous nights events.
"K-Kiba-kun, y-you said you wanted t-to meet us here?" Hinata approached Kiba at the team's training grounds, followed by Shino. Kiba nodded.
"I was just thinking, since we have the day off, why don't we have lunch together?" Kiba would have wanted to have breakfast with them, but it would be rude to get them up so early. Instead, he had been up since 5 AM playing with Akamaru.
"O-okay," Hinata replied, surprised. It wasn't like she thought Kiba disliked his team, he just seemed more like the "I don't need anyone else" type. Besides, she knew Kiba and Shino had never been the best of friends. But why was he being so… accommodating all of a sudden?
The trio had lunch at Ichiraku, and the hours flew by. They talked about missions, battle tactics, jutsus, and basically about their lives in general. Eventually, after about two hours, Shino excused himself, muttering something about "family business".
Kiba and Hinata continued talking, Kiba savoring every moment of it. Was this really the last time he was ever going to talk to her? The hours flew by and soon it was seven PM.
Hinata was taken aback. Seven hours? She didn't remember ever talking to someone for so long. It just… Flew by. She enjoyed it.
Kiba looked at the clock and a cold fear clutched his heart. He knew he couldn't delay her any longer; it would be rude and inconsiderate. He stood up, "Well Hinata-chan, I have an overnight solo mission to attend to. It was nice talking to you; Ja ne!" He exited the ramen stand, followed by the shy heiress.
That was when it finally sunk in.
This was the last time he was ever going to speak to Hinata.
Was he really going to leave without telling her…?
Turning around all of a sudden, he pressed his lips to Hinata's. Her eyes widened, taken off guard. But before she could respond, he was gone.
Kiba dashed all the way home. He wished he could have waited for her response, but…
Could he really deal with his last thoughts of Hinata being ones of rejection? He just… Had to let her know.
He opened the door, and grabbed the bag he had packed, when an idea hit him. Quietly making his way through the Inuzuka complex, he opened a door. On the inside, he faced a room filled to the brim with scrolls. Plodding over to one corner in the room, he picked up several scrolls labeled "Inuzuka Jutsus". He exited the room and the Inuzuka complex, and was soon making his way to the road leading out of Konohagakure.
In mere minutes Kiba found himself standing under the gate. He was familiar with it, often journeying out of Konoha to explore the dense mountains and forests. But now it was a foreboding omen, a symbol of his last moment in Konohagakure.
He laughed bitterly. There were a lot of things he still yearned to do. Like fight and beat Uzumaki brat. But apparently, if he fought anyone, it would get "released" or something corny sounding like that. Not to mention, he was going to be a genin forever. Technically, he wasn't going to be a ninja anymore, but that's not the point.
Instinctively, he looked down at the ground a couple feet away from him. No Akamaru. That also hurt to think about, so he did the only thing that made sense: Just don't think about it.
Looking back one last time at Konohagakure, his village, he committed the sight to memory. Then he entered the depths of the forest.
Little did he know, that wasn't the last time he would see Konoha.
Okay, let me get a few things straight:
-I know that only Kage-level ninjas can perform the sealing for Tailed Demons. I also know that there are only nine, so Kiba can't possibly have one. But the demon in the story is not a tailed-demon. It is a different kind of demon altogether, and therefore the seal is a different type altogether. Sorry, I just don't want any flames like "You idiot! Tsume couldn't seal a demon in Kiba!"
-This story doesn't, and will never have, anything to do with Inuyasha. The "Dog Demon" thing is just a coincidence, and to be honest, I strongly hate Inuyasha.
-Also, this story is almost like a project of mine. You see, in D&DR and Adopted, I kind of lack in detailing, and focus more on the humor and romance. In this story, I'm going to try really hard to add as much detail as possible. Not to mention, I'm kind of abandoning humor in this story. So if you're looking for a laugh, then this might not be the best story for you. So yes, this is mainly a project to work on my detailing.
-Unlike my other stories, I actually have a plot in mind. I know, it's the Apocalypse! I've always wanted to write a Dark!Kiba fic, so this storyline has been brewing in my mind for quite a while.
-One last note, this chapter is more of a prologue, so it's pretty short. The other chapters will (hopefully) be much longer. I'm sorry if it was ridiculously cliché. I don't think I will ever be able to forgive myself for putting the phrase "It is awakening" into a story.
-I know I already have two stories going, but, I couldn't resist! I've always wanted to do this type of fic, sooo…
This fic is so heavily based on music, it's ridiculous. I actually thought of the entirety of the plot while listening to "Hollow" by Submersed and "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace. I guess I'm going to be listening to a lot of hard rock. No more +44, Orange Range, Jimmy Eat World, or Blake Lewis for me.
Preview of the Next Chapter:
Creak!
Hinata spun around at hearing the door open, already in a battle pose, and gasped.
'Kiba?!'
"H… Hinata-chan?" The stranger asked.
It had to be him. The red triangles, the messy chocolate-colored locks, the canine-like eyes, it was all exactly like Kiba.
But what if it was a Henge, or some other form of imposter? This could all be some type of trap, but still, what if it wasn't?