Pairings: (Past) Yoshino/Shikaku, Shikaku/Kiba, Inoichi/Yasuko. (Mentioned) Asuma/Kurenai.

Warnings: Arranged (hence forced) marriage between a sixteen year old and a thirty six year old. Domestic abuse, in a way. Language. Angst. Feelings of betrayal. Huge rare pairing. Power dynamics (mostly Inuzuka related). Power imbalance. Strong language (because it's one of my stories, come on, I'm like Hidan sometimes).

~..~..~..

Just as Shikaku had expected, only a few minutes after Inoichi had left him alone in his office, the blonde came back to announce the arrival of Asuma, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"The kid looks horrible." Inoichi breathed out with a shake of his head, "He's got bags under his eyes and looks like he's ready to keel over... I doubt he's gotten much sleep recently."

Inoichi's tone was soft yet troubled. It would undoubtedly shock a few how the man could be so caring over someone he barely knew, but Shikaku was used to this... ability of his by now. After years of knowing the Yamanaka, he had gotten to marginally understand his friend's overly sympathetic ways. He did not share in the emotional connections the blonde was able to make so quickly... But he could at least tell when his friend became attached easily.

It seemed that this would be yet another of those moments...

"I would not be surprised to hear that." The Nara admitted, "If the Inuzuka were their usual charming," The word was breathed out and dripped sarcasm, for Shikaku was more than aware of how terribly uncouth the Inuzuka were prone to be, "selves when it came to telling him about this union, there will be a lot I will need to clear up."

Inoichi's frown was deep as he looked over the tea table, the corners of his lips turned down into a thoughtful frown. Shikaku allowed his friend to truly form his thoughts and waited patiently, more than aware that Inoichi would speak up once he was ready.

"Could... Do you think..." The blonde breathed out in slight annoyance, then looked at Shikaku with worry swimming deep within his blue eyes. "Is there any chance that he might think that you were the one to ask for his hand in marriage?"

It was a provocative thought. And, if the people that had informed Kiba of his predicament had used absolutely no tact, it may just be reality. But Shikaku liked to believe that he didn't seem like a despicable enough person to do such a thing. So he held hope that Kiba did not think this. Although he did not ignore the chance that the teenager might.

"There might be..." He answered after a pause to think, then quirked an eyebrow over at his friend, "Why do you ask?"

Inoichi glanced back at the doorway of his office for a moment, then answered, "He just looks so troubled... I'm so used to seeing him running around Konoha with a large smile on his face that it just worries me. Even Akamaru looks as sombre as a ghost."

"That's..." Shikaku narrowed his eyes as he thought about the information, "Not good at all."

"I know." Inoichi agreed, then shook his head softly, "Yasuko is serving up their breakfast now."

"Thank you. Please send him in once he's finished eating."

After Shikaku asked this of him, Inoichi nodded and stepped away, leaving the Nara to his thoughts once more.

He truly hoped that Kiba didn't think that he had been the one to come up with the arranged marriage... But he also could not be foolish enough to think that there was no way the kid had thought about it.

It was much too early to be dealing with such troublesome thoughts... And he had barely managed to sleep at all, which meant that he really wasn't in the best mood at the moment. But Shikaku knew it was only a matter of time before the Inuzuka Clan noticed their missing heir. And if he wanted to keep the kid from getting into too much trouble, they would have to have their conversation as soon as possible. Not only for that, but also to clear the air between them quickly. He couldn't have Kiba thinking things that were wrong throughout the whole venture.

If there was one thing he had learned while married to Yoshino, it was that marriages, fake or not, would not survive if there was distrust between the partners.

Not more than a few minutes passed before Inoichi was stepping inside the office again. But this time his face was pulled down by an even heavier frown and his eyes held quite the conflict within them now, rather than just worry.

"He barely touched his food... When Yasuko wasn't looking, he gave it all to Akamaru."

Shikaku had to stop himself from smiling fondly at the worry that was radiating off of Inoichi, "Maybe he didn't like it and didn't want to hurt your wife's feelings."

The possible explanation made Inoichi glare at his friend, "What kind of teenage boy gives away food, no matter how bad? Especially if they haven't eaten anything since before they woke up?"

Shikaku breathed in and closed his eyes for a second, then nodded, "He must be even more affected than I thought..."

"You have to make him feel better, Shikaku. It isn't right to see him like this... I don't even know the kid and I know there's something off with him." Inoichi looked around the room once more, eyes scanning details to make sure nothing was out of its place, then nodded to himself and moved to walk out of the room again. "I'll start on the tea to bring you two. And I'll have Yasuko prepare something more so he can eat once you're done... Hopefully, he'll feel good enough to eat by then..."

The last bit was muttered more than spoken out loud, most probably as a thought that wasn't meant to be listened to, just thought aloud.

Shikaku allowed a small smile of amusement at his friend's mother hen ways before he schooled his features once more and waited for Kiba to arrive.

Once the teenager did, he could admit that he understood why Inoichi was so worried. The kid looked bad. Not as bad as Inoichi had made it sound, but bad enough to get someone to worry. He had bags under his eyes and... Was that a bruise on his jaw? Where had he gotten that from?

As far as he knew, the Inuzuka had not been sent out on any missions recently. He'd been kept inside of the village, just like the rest of his team, because of rather obvious reasons. His clan, along with the Aburame and Hyuga, had been the one targeted by those that had killed Yoshino. But he hadn't seen any fighting... Maybe a training accident?

Even though he had not spent much time around Kiba, Shikaku knew what was a usual look for the Inuzuka Clan. Wild and unkempt looks were just about a norm for them. Ragged and torn clothes didn't matter. So seeing that Kiba looked a bit gruffer than the usual teenager did not raise any suspicions. But his eyes... The Inuzuka had the most expressive eyes out of any of the Clans Shikaku had gotten to know.

The Inuzuka, much like everybody else, were not completely alike. Some members were prone to anger while others, to happiness. Very few were close to Kiba in pure, unadulterated hyperactivity, but Shikaku had known one or two that fit the bill of what he knew of the boy. In their eyes, he'd only ever seen joy and life. In Kiba's though... There were so many emotions, it was almost impossible to pick one as the most abundant.

"Kiba." The older male nodded easily as he used a slow and calmed tone, hoping to calm some of the clashing emotions in the boy.

"Lord Nara."

The disdain and anger that permeated the name did not surprise the man at all. But, in a way, they annoyed him. These emotions had no right to be directed at him. At the Elders of his Clan? Without a doubt. But not him. He too was a victim in this ploy.

Shikaku had to stop the long suffered sigh his instincts begged him to release. He should not show any kind of annoyance if he didn't want to Kiba to become any more angered. Dealing with Inuzuka for as long as he had, it taught people. And one thing the Inuzuka didn't like was insufferable tip-toing around issues. Instead of sighing, the man breathed in and tried to soften his features even further to not be seen as a threat or someone worth hating.

Now the teenager crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from Shikaku, over at the window behind the desk in the office. But instead of his face becoming any smoother, it only showed off his anger even more.

Was this really how the boy wanted to play? He looked and acted just like a petulant teenager being forced to be polite. Which, in retrospect, was exactly what was happening with the kid.

"There is no point in dancing around the issue. Shall we get down to business?"

A flash of defiance passed through Kiba's features for a moment. And in that moment, Shikaku wondered if the teen would argue against sitting down to speak about what would be happening with their lives now that they had been arranged to marry. But the defiance in his eyes happened to just be a flash. It was there one second, but gone the next, only leaving behind a type of hollowness in the boy's eyes Shikaku could not explain.

With a tense nod, Kiba entered Inoichi's office and began to look around. Shikaku followed in slowly, taking note of how the teenager glared over at the large desk by the back, then cleared his throat to grab his attention.

"Please, sit."

Kiba arched an eyebrow at Shikaku's gentle words as he gestured towards the tea table set up by the corner. Then his eyes shifted over to the perfectly good desk at the back of the room and stamped down the urge to purse his lips, "Wouldn't it be better to discuss all of this with that?"

The Nara didn't even look at the desk as he made his way towards one of the cushions on the floor, "Not at all. Inoichi did promise to bring us tea, after all."

The man made himself comfortable at the tea table but Kiba couldn't help but stare like he'd lost his mind.

Why weren't they using the desk? A man as professional as the Head of the Nara Clan shouldn't be having such important discussions over tea. This... It just didn't fit.

"Kiba, please come sit down;" Shikaku pressed, motioning for the cushions across from him.

The teen looked down at the green pieces and couldn't help the slight sneer his lips curled into.

Just what kind of game was this man trying to play? Because it wasn't funny! And Kiba wanted to growl and shout this at the man, see if he could force him to understand like his family hadn't.

Kiba wanted to stay standing. Not only because it helped him keep some semblance of control over his position in the room, but also because concentrating on his balance felt like the only thing keeping him from throwing up... To think, this old man wanted to force someone who was his son's age into marriage.

Hell, he wanted to bolt and never even have to talk to this dirty scumbag. He just wanted to run away and never look back...

Unfortunately, even he knew that it would do no good to disobey the man. Just like running away wasn't an option anymore. Whatever he did now, word would undoubtedly get back to his mother. And if the past night's punch had been bad, he could only imagine what she'd do once she found out about Kiba's actions.

The reminder of the fight that had transpired between him and her caused the teen to wince slightly. And the bruise that had blossomed into a myriad of green, blue, and yellow along his jaw began to pulse and ache much more than he'd first gotten punched- a violent reminder of a horrible night. From the way Shikaku's eyes narrowed slightly, Kiba guessed that his wince had not gone unnoticed. But the teenager could not bring himself to care.

There was no way to get around any of this.

With his shoulders slumped, the teen meandered his way over to the table. Once he sat down and made himself comfortable on the cushions across from the other man, there was a knock at the door. A few seconds passed and then it opened to reveal Inoichi carrying a tray as he walked inside.

How could Shikaku possibly think that now was a good time for tea? Hadn't trying to shovel food down his throat not been enough for the man? It was a shame that he hadn't been able to eat a single bite, really, because the food had smelled delicious. But his stomach was so twisted he knew there was no way he'd be able to keep anything down. Just like now, he was sure there was no way he'd be able to drink.

Once the blond-haired man set the tray down on the table, he tried to offer Kiba a comforting smile. Kiba felt guilty for the frown he returned, which in turn made the blonde's eyes narrow and his smile fall, but all the teen did was cross his arms and look away. Inoichi's heart may be in the right place... But it was in the wrong place if he was trying to warm Kiba up to the Nara in the room.

Silence reigned over the three of them as Inoichi served both Shikaku and Kiba their tea, only broken by the soft clinking of ceramic against ceramic. Kiba looked down at the cup set down in front of him with uncertainty, wondering if he should even try to drink just to act polite or if the risk wasn't even worth taking.

Suppressing the heavy breath he wanted to release, the teen looked up to find Inoichi and Shikaku looking at each other. The blonde was glaring just slightly, as if giving some kind of warning without having to use any words. And the Nara merely rolled his eyes, looking every bit like a slightly exasperated Shikamaru dealing with Ino.

In a moment of humor, it was interesting to see how alike the parents' interaction was when compared to their children's. But that flash of humor soon left him once Inoichi turned around and silently left, leaving him alone with Shikaku to be able to have their conversation without any prying ears around.

Once more they were plunged into silence, only interrupted when Shikaku picked his cup up to take a drink from it. Kiba turned back to look into his own drink, face pulled in with discomfort. He really didn't want to be in here. Not with this man. Not under these circumstances... He didn't want to be anywhere near this guy.

"Kiba," Hearing his name made the boy just about jump a foot into the sky before he collected himself and looked over at Shikaku, trying to keep his heart from racing too wildly. "Will you tell me what you're thinking?" The man asked softly, irking Kiba with how caring he sounded.

This man actually wanted Kiba to think he cared about him in any way? Did he actually have the audacity to try and play that game after everything he'd done? This marriage, not letting him leave, making him actually speak face to face... This guy had no shame, did he?

"Fine! What the hell, man?"

The shout wasn't what Kiba wanted to use. He had meant to keep his tone at least marginally civil, just to not have to worry about Shikaku ratting him out to his Elders for being a disrespectful little shit to his future husband. But he just... He couldn't control himself. He was tired, hungry, angry, nauseous, and in pain. And this guy actually wanted them to talk?

Forget Asuma, Kiba despised Shikaku to no end.

"First, you decide you want to marry me without my permission. Then, you keep me from leaving the damn village by sending Asuma Sensei after me. And as if that wasn't enough, he wouldn't even let me just go home!" Kiba seethed, sneering in a way that he barely ever had. "No, I had to stay in his apartment all night! Like some untrustworthy prisoner! None of this is alright! You can't just make decisions for me without my damn permission!" Kiba shouted, chest heaving in exertion.

Shikaku listened calmly, and Kiba couldn't stand to see that composed face of his. How could he be so relaxed? And why hasn't he even reacting to Kiba? He had shouted in the guy's face, insulted him right to the face. But he didn't get angry. No, the jerk just sat there, sipping calmly at his tea.

"Kiba," The man began as he set his tea down, "I understand your frustration-"

"Bullshit!"

Kiba had never been so angry before. He'd never hated anyone so much. But the jerk didn't get riled up. He only narrowed his eyes marginally down at his drink before he glanced up at Kiba with a stern look, but not an angered one.

"-But I was not the one who asked for your hand in marriage." He continued as if he hadn't been interrupted and did not allow for Kiba to cut in again. "I honestly didn't even consider you as a contender for who I would be matched with. The Elders of both Clans decided it would be best to betroth us."

"You're a guy. And in case you haven't noticed, so am I." Kiba hissed, hands grasping onto the edges of the table to keep himself from doing anything even dumber than disrespecting the Head of the Nara Clan.

"I'm gay. My council is aware of this." Shikaku answered bluntly, but didn't even sound marginally annoyed. He sounded more tired than anything, if that made any sense. "And, as you are more than aware, the Inuzuka Clan's own standards of love are unlike that of any other Clan."

Kiba's eyes narrowed immediately and his jaw locked for a second. It took all of his willpower to not jump over the table and maul the bastard's face off. Instead, he forced himself to relax and actually say something. "So you just assumed I'd be okay with marrying a guy just 'cause my Clan's different?" In a burst of anger, he unlatched his fingers from the table and slammed his palms down onto the solid surface, causing his untouched tea to rumbled precariously. "You're sick!"

His last words seemed to strike a chord within Shikaku. His completely relaxed demeanor tensed up and his eyes shifted just a bit. Even as childish as it may have been, Kiba found some satisfaction in finally seeing the man react.

"Kiba... Do you honestly believe I would want your hand in marriage?" Shikaku's tone was darker than it had been before, but was still much too composed for Kiba's liking. "If my own wants had been taken into consideration, I would not even be getting married."

A heavy silence settled over them suddenly.

This news... Was not what Kiba had been expecting. And taking one quick whiff of the air around him let the boy know that Shikaku was either an excellent liar or being completely honest right now.

"Wait... So..." At this point, after hearing this admission, most of Kiba's anger was replaced by curiosity. "You're being forced to marry me?"

"Did you think you were the only one, Kiba?"

The moment of severity seemed to end as soon as Shikaku allowed himself a sad smile. Kiba's curiosity and worry were once again changed into anger and irritation. The corner of the teen's lips pulled back in a snarl and his hands tightened around the wood of the tea table once again, body tensing up in anger.

"You son of a-"

"And if it hadn't been us, it would have been Hana and Shikamaru." Shikaku continued quickly, "I'm sure you don't want your sister stuck in a loveless marriage. They believed that by uniting us, it would repay the debt that your Clan owed. I am sorry that they involved you in this, but I will protect my son. No matter what." The man interrupted Kiba's insult hurriedly, for once not sounding as slow and relaxed as a regular Nara.

Hearing Hana's name dragged into the situation drove a spike of fear through Kiba. But the pissed off teen quickly stamped that down, reminding himself how she, along with their mother, had thrown him to the wolves without a single care. Sure, they acted like they held some semblance of love for him. But if they had truly cared, they would have done everything possible to keep this marriage from becoming official. And they hadn't.

The fact that he was sitting here now, talking to Shikaku about these things, proved that they hadn't cared enough.

He glared at the Nara for having tried to use this argument, trying to tell himself that he didn't care if his sister had been the one to endure this arrangement. She had not cared. She hadn't comforted him and told him everything would be fine. She'd just told him to suck it up... He wouldn't care at all if she was the one to be forced to do this, the teen tried to make himself believe.

"I could have run." The teen snarled, then breathed in to try and calm himself a bit before he wound up leaving deep scratches in the table. "But you sicced Asuma Sensei on me. Goddammit, man, I could have been in another village by now if you hadn't stopped me!"

Instead of explaining himself, Shikaku just quirked an eyebrow and kept silent.

Straining his fingers to keep himself from doing anything drastic- hurling himself across the table and scratching that annoying smug look off the man's face was just too tempting, no matter how much Kiba tried to stamp those thoughts down- Kiba growled. "How did you even know I was going to leave?"

"Do you really think that you are that unpredictable to me?" Shikaku half smiled, but looked more amused than before.

"Just great. That doesn't make me worry that you've got some weird attraction to me or something..." The Inuzuka whispered in chagrin, then forced his hands away from the table and crossed his arms over his chest, feeling much smaller than he ever had. "What about what I want?" Tears stung at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Don't I get a say in any of this?"

"Unfortunately, this is a lesson you had to learn sooner or later. And the answer is no, not as a Clan Heir nor as a Clan Head." When Shikaku spoke up, he didn't sound amused. He sounded worried. And that made Kiba's frustration bubble up once more. He hated how sincere the man sounded... He hated the fact that he was trying to make this whole situation bearable. How was he supposed to hate someone that tried to comfort him? The bastard had done more than his own family to try and get him to understand... At least he hadn't punched him...

"You don't get to have the final say in your own life. Not for who you marry, not for whom your Clan allies itself with. You'll find that the Clans are all run by politics, and you need to know when to fight back and when to accept. This is one of those times that you just need to accept."

"That's bullshit!" Once more Kiba slammed his hands against the table, causing further liquid from his cup to spill out, "Why do I have to lie down and accept this? You're as old as my mom!"

Shikaku frowned at his shout, "Would you rather have your sister suffer this fate? But not with someone she knows- someone that lives far away, nowhere near Fire Country. Because if you don't accept this and flee like a coward; which, if I'm being honest, would have gotten you a few miles away from Konoha at most before you were stopped; your sister will be punished. If there is one thing Elders despise, it is being defied. And you would be doing just by leaving."

Kiba wanted to scream that he didn't give a damn about what might happen to his traitorous sister. He wanted to fool himself into believing that he wouldn't care at all if she ended up in a hopeless and sad situation. And he wanted to make Shikaku understand that as long as he was free, he didn't care what happened to her.

… But... He couldn't. He couldn't make himself believe this, no matter how much the bruise on his jaw hurt.

He hated caring. Even more than he hated Asuma or Shikaku.

"Do you really want to subject your sister to that cruel punishment?"

Shikaku's voice lowered and it sounded as if... Well, Kiba couldn't place the emotion. But it made the knot in his stomach tighten even further, and the pressure in his chest became almost unbearable. Kiba felt as if it was too hard to breathe and ended up looking away from Shikaku, avoiding the eyes he knew would be condemning him for being a horrible human being.

"N-no..." He admitted softly, keeping his head down even as he inwardly scolded himself for sounding so pained. "But... How can you be so okay with getting married to me?"

Shikaku had known that even mentioning Kiba's sister would make the boy pause. And he'd hoped that he would make his point be understood quickly without much injury to the boy. Unfortunately, the pain was there. He could hear it clear in his voice. The guilt that gnawed at him was uncomfortable, but Shikaku was able to quell it by reminding himself that it was better he got through to the Inuzuka as soon as possible before he tried to do anything too drastic.

The man breathed in deeply before he answered the boy's question, "Not many know this, but this would not be the first arranged marriage I was forced into."

His closest friends and family knew. The Clan Elders did as well. But nobody aside from those that were considered important enough to know knew about Shikaku and Yoshino's true reasons to marry. Many believed that they had met by coincidence on a mission back when Shikaku had still been a Chunin and Yoshino had forced him to love her. But that was far from the truth.

"Wh-what?"

The boy's expressive brown eyes shined with unshed tears and genuine surprise. It was clear to Shikaku that all of the anger and defiance that had burned within him had been snuffed out at the very thought of his sister being forced into this very predicament. And, in a way, it disappointed Shikaku that the teen had not fought against him some more. He had truly expected a Tsume-level fight and had been left somewhat underwhelmed.

Then again, he should not be feeling so bad for this... At least he hadn't ended up having to raise his voice or worry about getting mauled. Although, if he were to judge how close Kiba had gotten to trying something like that by the marks now left on Inoichi's table, Shikaku could safely say the kid had come pretty close.

"Didn't seem like it was arranged, huh?" He asked with a small hint of curiosity shining through, a small smile now on his lips. "Shikamaru always said that Yoshino and I didn't look like the rest of the parents he knew. We always acted 'differently'. But Yoshino would always tell him we acted differently simply because we had been friends before we were a true couple."

Shikaku tried to keep his tone light, even though the issue was one that still bothered him to his very core.

So many years wasted married to Yoshino. So much time spent keeping his Clan happy, rather than trying to please himself. Now that Yoshino was gone, he had hoped to be able to live the rest of his life out making himself happy. Only to find out that he'd have to marry once more...

"Why..." Kiba's face was now schooled into one of distrust, with his eyebrows drawn in, "Why are you telling me this? You don't have to explain anything to me." His eyebrows furrowed even further, then his eyes went back to looking into his drink.

Shikaku had noticed a fad he wasn't sure how to truly categorize. Kiba didn't maintain much eye contact. He preferred to keep his eyes down on his drink or away on some other area of the room when he wasn't angry. When shouting, the teen didn't stray away from glaring straight into his eyes. But when he wasn't in the midst of heated arguing, he kept his gaze down.

None of the members of the Inuzuka Clan Shikaku had ever interacted with had ever done something like this. They all kept their eye contact steady and sure. And they never looked away when talking directly to someone. A show of dominance to prove how much respect was deserved, Tsume had once boasted.

A show of dominance... Did looking away mean a show of submission?

"I don't want you to think I have hidden intentions because I don't. And I want you to see that I do understand the way you feel. I was your age when I married Yoshino, after all." The man explained, then finished drinking from his tea. "Everything you are going through, I already wound up experiencing. Not in the exact way. But I understand."

Slowly, the Inuzuka's arms wrapped around himself. Shikaku felt bad to see the boy reacting in such a way, but he knew that the sooner he went through this pain, the sooner he would come to accept what would have to happen.

Kiba kept his head down and refused to look up. He kept his silence after Shikaku had spoken up and barely even moved. He was so still that the man began to worry about a possible sickness having grabbed him.

But just when he was about to ask if the boy was feeling alright, the teen's hands tightened on his elbows.

"Can I go now?"

Shikaku felt that it wouldn't be a good idea for the kid to leave. Not in this condition. Not without having eaten a single thing. And he hadn't even touched his tea, at that.

"Kiba..." The man breathed out, his shoulders suddenly feeling very heavy. "You should eat something."

The teen's own shoulders tensed and the skin Shikaku was able to see paled. But the teen kept his head down as he took in one shuddery breath, then he whispered out, "Okay."

There was something off with the teen. Even a blind man would be able to see that. But Shikaku knew that Kiba had closed in within himself and wasn't about to come out. No amount of prying would get the kid to speak to him.

Shikaku knew that he had said everything he wished to. He'd made his intentions and the situation as clear as possible. And what he'd wanted to discuss with Kiba, he had been able to. For that, he was glad. But he also knew that there would be no more talking now. There would only be waiting and tolerating from now on.

"Come on." He muttered softly as he stood up from the tea table, keeping his eyes on Kiba as the boy stood up and just about rushed out of the room.

The teen never looked up from the floor.

Shikaku had no idea how to take that.

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I hope you all liked the new chapter! Please review!