To Be Alone, a naruto fanfic

Okay, this is my first Naruto fic. And I know it's sad, but I was just thinking of when my dog died five or six years ago, and the saying is true, isn't it? Anyway, don't ask about how he dies, or whatever fight there is, I'm just going off on a tangent because my plot bunnies woke up.

To Be Alone

It was coming and he knew it was coming. Death had a rather pungent smell, which formed before the subject had even begun to die.

Kiba laughed, feeling his broken ribs shift against each other. He grimaced, reminding himself that laughter wasn't suitable for his predicament. Instead, Kiba began to mutter to himself, "Subject? Since when did I start talking about living things as if they weren't? I'm starting to sound like some old brainy coot. Hell, when did I start calling old people 'coots'?" Kiba didn't know what to think at the moment.

Both of his hands covered a large, gaping wound, smelling the blood and watching it slowly coagulate at the driest edges. This wasn't a direct hit, which angered the feral ninja. He just happened to be near the blast site. Debris flew by, and, oh boy, lucky Kiba just happened to have a sharp edge of a rock blast away a portion of his abdomen. Angrily, Kiba punched the ground with his good arm. He was supposed to die fighting, not die as a freak accident! His movements, had however, shifted his wound and fresh blood began to pour out in a faster stem. His nasal cavities filled with the sharp, metallic stench of blood. Kiba knew it. He was going to die.

The hunter nin would soon find his body-no corpse by then-and dispose of it, as was their job. Kiba held back another laugh. Their job was to make sure that his end was never seen. That the young man, Inuzuka Kiba, never existed. That his life was a fictional one, preserved on a slab of stone and ink on paper. Never mind dog tags, what were those useless shards of metal anyway? Identification? Simple characters on some mixed alloy, worn around the neck just to prove that they were really gone.

Was that all dog tags were? A license to die? Kiba had seen dog tags come home. Dog tags always came home alone and unworn. Gingerly moving a hand to his dog tags, Kiba gave it a gentle kiss. His parents would be the next people to have them; a kiss would come with it. His dog tags wouldn't come home alone. Not that his parents would know, but the thought comforted Kiba. He was alone, after all.

Akamaru had trudged away, without Kiba not long after the explosion. This wasn't abandonment; Akamaru was going to die as well. Kiba knew the habit well. "Dogs will always go to be alone when they die." He murmured to himself. Akamaru went to be alone, to keep Kiba from seeing his friend's demise. Kiba was alone too, he concluded. No sound other than his.

His thoughts wandered away from Akamaru to his other friends. Shino was dead; he was right by the explosion. Hinata? Wasn't that her pale hand, lying nearby, dismembered from the rest of her body? The poor girl…would Naruto be devastated? Kiba hoped Naruto would mourn for Hinata. It was all he could do at this point. Kurenai would also mourn for all three. Now, aside from Team 10, she would truly be alone.

Wasn't he alone too, Kiba reminded himself thoughtfully. Yes, yes he was. The pain was slowly ebbing away, being replaced with a cool numbness. "So this is dying…" Kiba contemplated. Just the cold. Even fire would feel cold upon extended contact, the feeling of flesh dying upon your living body. This was it. Kiba could almost cry, but didn't. His last moments weren't alone; he was just the last to go with his fallen comrades.

Kiba closed his eyes, waiting for the cold to take over. In the distance, he could hear the hunter nins approach. Hinata would be the first of their disposal; her Byakugan were too valuable to leave out in the open for too long. They were here now, and Kiba opened his eyes in time to see them pick up Hinata's severed hand. He fought the urge to retch. They knew he was alive, for their disposal of Hinata and Shino were sped along and they approached Kiba tentatively, as if hoping he'd be dead by the time they had to start.

Kiba coughed to alert them, then requested, "Can you go away and come back in a few minutes?" The hunter nin left to an unseen location from Kiba's eyes. He had to die alone. At heart, he was a dog and, like Akamaru, had to die alone. It really was unusually cold…

Okay, my plot bunnies have left me alone now. Hope you liked it! It's a little dark, but the idea wouldn't fit anyone but Kiba. Maybe I made Kiba too cynical? I donno. Flames, reviews, corrections, they're all appreciated. Thanks for reading!