A/N: So, I'm back, finally, after an extended break. You won't believe how stressed out I was. Bleh. Thankfully though, I'd been pecking away at this chapter, and I'm satisfied with it at last. I apologize for the delay, and I know I've said this before, but I AM FINISHING THIS STORY. I promise. For all you patient ones, I appreciate you waiting, and I hope you enjoy the read. =)

Chapter XXVI: Aftermath

The flick of pale, golden hair crossed his vision. Kiba's attention, having wandered, abruptly focused on Ino. She stood several feet away, looking at him. He found her eyes, lively, the blue dancing with depth in the sunlight. Her lush mouth moved. Her lips formed words, tongue rolling behind her white teeth.

I love you.

Ino.

Her name was an emotion to him.

Sounds- -buzzing and quick, low voices. They were indistinguishable to his ears. A blinding light.

But behind her, a roiling darkness swelled. He reached out, tried to warn her, his throat stuck with the words while a cloud of grey ash consumed her, her loose hair fanning out before she disappeared, and he leapt forward into the unknown.

Where…where was she? Urgency. He had to…reach her. She needed him; he was driven to find her, protect her. The most basic, primal part of his blood howled, straining against the unseen force that kept him still.

A clear voice said, "Hold him! Hold him, dammit!"

Coughing, choking from heat and flakes of burnt paper. He'd seen her; he just seen her, where was she? But only miasma clouded his vision, clogged his airway, until he suffocated…

He struggled, tried to stumble his way free, but he kept tripping, couldn't move faster, the smoke had weight that oppressed him. Air, what happened to all the air? Couldn't…breathe…

"Kiba, Kiba, it's okay. You're safe." Hands on his face, a familiar voice in his ear. His frantic fear scrabbled around, trying to find purchase. "Wake up. Wake up, it's a dream. Just a dream."

Sterile hospital ceiling. His heart hammered in his chest. Breathing too hard; sweat soaked his face, back, legs. Twin triangles, dark brown hair. Oh. Hana. His sister's eyes were concerned, brows knitted. One hand stroked his forehead and her other hand gripped his. Waking had jarred him. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten to the hospital. Couldn't remember what'd happened to need treatment. He felt like…he should remember.

"Hana," he said, his voice gravelly, "Hana…"

She bowed forward to touch her forehead to his. "Good to see you awake, shorty-pants."

Speaking her name had forced him to expend a considerable amount of energy. Just breathing had become laborious. He felt an ache to his very bones. Felt too heavy.

Objects' edges weren't sharp, but had a blurred quality as though they'd been colored outside of the lines. A child's coloring book.

"Mom's under observation. She should be out today." Hana lifted her face. The colors on her face had blurred too. "Look, little brother, I'm…I have to tell you this."

She stopped then, and a horrible iciness shredded through Kiba's innards. His existence depended on what his sister said next. He knew this. Didn't know how, but he did. Oh, God. What had happened, and why couldn't he fucking remember?

Hana swallowed. "Ino is…and Akamaru, too…they're"- -her hand squeezed his, and all he could think, over and over, was let it be, let it be, let it be, let- -"alive."

A lump stuck in his throat. Relief, pressure behind his eyes. In a gasping breath, he managed, "Alive?" Exhausted again.

"Yes," Hana said. Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Alive. Akamaru's condition is serious, but he'll recover. Ino, though," she paused as a tear raced over her cheek, "Ino's unconscious. Lady Hokage examined her. She doesn't know when…"

Hana shook her head. "Sakura said that if Akamaru hadn't jumped in front of the explosion, Ino wouldn't have…she wouldn't have survived. And Akamaru…he shouldn't have survived, either. Ino used her last chakra reserves to heal Akamaru before she lost consciousness."

Too much. Too much information for a brain that had barely grasped consciousness. Too much palpitating emotion. His eyelids drooped. He closed them, if only for a moment. Just a quiet moment to…collect…him…self…

- -N- -

It must've been deep in the nighttime. A hush had fallen over the hospital. Beeping from the heart-monitor was rapid and erratic. His dry mouth, his cold sweat led him to believe he'd awoken from another nightmare.

He remembered seeing hundreds of white, sharp teeth sinking into a jugular. Ino's hair and eyes and blood. A lingering feeling of discontent, of anxiety, teased him. The ugly tiled ceiling of his room comforted him though it was cast in darkness. Awake as he was, he didn't want to think.

No one else was in the room with him. Sweat dripped into his eyes, so he lifted a hand to wipe his forehead. When he shifted, he winced. Muscles didn't like flexing, almost like they'd been stretched too far. Aching from all his muscle mass drew his attention.

He dropped his arm as IV lines trailed the jerky movement. They had him on some serious drugs, yet, a low throb pulsed through his body. This felt like…growing pains, almost. His bones and muscles responding to a growth spurt. But the pain, he knew, could be much worse. Not so much that he recognized the stuff pumping through him, but he could feel the stiffness in his limbs, a cottony haze in his head. The smell of them.

Then the base scent of the hospital crept into his nose. Unwashed bodies, decaying flesh, blood, medicines. Nerves pinched in his forehead; he suppressed all his scent-based functions. He heard footsteps on linoleum, striding with purpose down the hallway. A medic, probably, doing her rounds. He didn't recognize the scent of her, and when she opened the door, she was a shadow against the bright backdrop of the hallway's fluorescent lights.

She crossed the dark room to check his fluids, and then she touched his shoulder with a gentle hand. He watched her in silence, letting his eyes follow her smooth movements.

"Kiba," she said, "are you in any pain? Our monitors picked up a sharp spike in your heart rate."

"No." Voice was creaky. A headache behind his eyes. "Sore."

He supposed she was used to a shinobi's high pain threshold, because she said, "Your blood pressure and core temperature suggest otherwise."

"I…didn't recognize the room, at first," he lied. "It's not pain."

Ignoring his statement, she pressed her hands on his chest. The buzz of chakra filled the quiet room, the glow of it flickered to life, and he felt the mild electricity as she pushed it into his body to check on his organs, bones, and muscles. In the dimness, he noticed the glint of pretty gold earrings dangling from her ears.

And the memory was a kick in the gut.

No. No, no, no. From somewhere hidden in his memory, Ino's earrings leapt to the forefront. He'd put them in his leather jacket, had touched them inside the pocket. Had gone to fight Roach to rescue her. Had been attacked with acid, had shed the jacket with her earrings.

Kiba couldn't help the sudden shortness of breath. Now Ino's precious earrings were somewhere out there, maybe destroyed by acid. He had to find them. For her, he had to recover them.

"Whoa," the medic said, cutting off the chakra and stepping back, "what's wrong?"

He swallowed. "N-nothing. I just…thought of something."

"A flashback?"

"No"- -Kiba imagined them yanking him from the duty roster if he had psych issues- -"I forgot something that I just remembered."

She leaned in. "What was it?"

"My teammate's birthday is coming up. When will I be out?"

"A few days, at most." The medic went to the foot of his bed and unhooked a medical chart. "You were surprisingly unscathed from going head-to-head with a Class-A."

"Well, why the long stay?" Maybe he could escape and look for his jacket. If he was a low-level priority at the hospital, not a lot of staff would be paying attention to him. "It seems as though I'm in good health."

The medic re-hooked the chart. "Yes, that's true. But we should wait until morning to discuss your eventual release." She checked his fluid bags, fiddled with one, and satisfied, crossed the room to the door. "Get some sleep."

Not damn likely. He toyed briefly with the idea of yanking out the needles, and leaving this disgusting place to search for the earrings, but second thoughts had him discarding it. Mom would murder him for leaving the hospital without permission, and he didn't know for sure what had happened to the jacket. Someone could've picked it up. Or it could be right where he'd tossed it. He'd have to wait, maybe ask Mom or Hana to look for it.

It wasn't Yukari catching you. It was that Yamanaka that caught you.

Roach's last words welled up from Kiba's hazy memory. He shuddered even though the room felt stuffy, close. Dammit.

Ino. She had remained vague when he'd asked about those injuries- -said she did what she had to, to protect her comrades. And she was capable of following through with self-inflicted physical violence. Hell, he'd done it himself when he'd been a genin. Roach hadn't been lying to save his life; he'd been telling the truth to hurt Kiba.

Kiba had no doubts that Ino had injured herself to protect him.

His rational side wanted to rage at her over being so stupid and stubborn. Wanted to rail against the manipulation. Why couldn't she have told him her suspicions about Yukari? And had she planned to catch him from the start?

No, he realized, she'd been right. He'd have probably ignored her or argued with her or been scared away by her. Her only option, then, would be to intervene more aggressively, in a way he couldn't ignore, by possessing someone and pummeling her unconscious body. Her actions did not seem contrived to 'catch' him, but rather, to prevent him from being caught…and forever at the beck and call of someone who didn't love him.

Right, an inner voice sneered, because Ino wanted you for herself.

But he understood that. What wouldn't he do to protect her? She'd meant to protect him no matter the consequences, and paired with that blind protection, was blind trust and blind loyalty. Even if the self-inflicted wounds were intended to draw him in, she'd displayed such great openness and the deepest reciprocation of his feelings that he hardly felt it mattered.

Especially since- -as he let the dark thought open up, he resigned to the misery that was sure to follow. Especially since…he didn't deserve her. Stomach churning, he recognized himself as the dangerous, feral animal poised to clamp teeth around her heart and shred it. The very same animal that let him betray her in favor of Yukari.

Ah, there it was. What had been in his mind all along. A sharp, ragged pain jabbed through his chest. The unspeakable sin coiled in his mind, within striking distance of his soul. Strike it did, injecting cold, greasy guilt into his veins. He didn't deny it. He couldn't. The proof was in his memories, had been documented for his mother to sign. No matter that he'd thought the entire time of Ino- -had believed it was Ino he was with- -or that he'd been half-conscious.

Fact was, plain and simple, he'd not been in control. The sick fucking animal had been in control; he felt it in his blood, in his mind, just under the surface, stalking, crouching in wait for the kill.

He'd had sex with a woman, not Ino, to whom he bound himself. And if it happened once, it could happen again. Like addiction, once was never enough, and regardless of his proclaimed willpower, of his omnipotent love, when the desperation crested, he couldn't trust himself to stay loyal, sexually, to Ino. Worse, if he slipped up when he was with Ino, she would be shattered. She'd put her faith and all her adoration into him, and if anything, the strength of those feelings would increase tenfold over time. He didn't think he could break her trust like that, ever.

Kiba breathed, accepting the revelation, his heart stuttering and rolling cold. Steady now. He kept his eyes on the tiled ceiling. Oh, God. Fingers clenched in the blanket. It would be better for her to find someone who could control those impulses, someone who wouldn't break her heart into countless, irreparable fragments. It would be better…for him to stay away from her.

- -N- -

The next day, Mom and Kuromaru visited. She'd pulled up a chair to his bed, and she leaned over him, touching under his eyes. "You look exhausted. Are you in pain?"

Her voice held a note of gentle concern that he wasn't used to hearing.

"No," he said. "No pain." No visible pain. Slivers of invisible, insidious ice dipped into his heart.

"Ah. That's good." A moment of silence. She patted Kuromaru's head resting on the edge of the bed. Her hands were nervous for a cigarette, probably. "Then what's eating you?"

"Ino. Akamaru."

His own honesty surprised him. He didn't think he wanted to talk about her to Mom, but it was out. When Mom's hand passed over his forehead, he sighed. He could tell she was considering how to broach the topic that had worn a path through his mind all night last night.

"Because they got hurt?"

His throat tightened, preventing him from forming an answer, and Mom seemed to understand.

She nodded. "It's okay, son. By the way," she reached down to a bag she'd brought, "I have something for you."

He watched as she lifted up his old leather jacket. At last. He'd been worried sick about it between agonizing over Akamaru and Ino. The pain backed off when he took the jacket from her, and he immediately dove his hand into the pockets. Two pokes to the pad of his finger. There they were! Ino's earrings. Relief welled up.

"Thank you," he said, rolling the earrings against the inside of the pocket. Acid splatters had marred the rich black, burning a spray of holes across the front and sleeves. "Where was it?"

"It was actually Inoichi who found it. He brought it to me, thinking you might want it for some reason."

"Yeah, this is…this is…" He trailed off when he couldn't articulate.

"It gets better, hon," she continued. A smirk twisted her lips. "Yer out tomorrow."

"I'm…out?"

She put her hand on his shoulder, squeezed. "The doctors say there's nothing wrong with you enough to keep you here. You've hit a huge growth spurt is all, and you'll be achy and sore for a while. And you'll maybe experience some poor hand-eye coordination."

He licked his lips. "Growth spurt? How huge're we talkin'?"

"Six inches to be exact. Yer at six-foot, three inches now."

Six inches? Holy shit. "Is that…is that okay?" His palms had gone clammy.

She smirked at him. "Lemme explain something. What happened is that yer an Inuzuka. We're able to summon up a blood-deep, instinctual part of ourselves to make us more powerful. Normally," she indulged in a sardonic snort, "we can't do that until we're fully grown. But since you were able to bring it up earlier than usual…it enabled you to grow. A lot."

Kiba groaned, dropping his head back. So that's what all his soreness was about. And worse…none of his clothes would fit. That meant a damn shopping trip with Mom.

She cackled. "I figured you could wear yer dad's clothes 'til you feel up to shopping," she said. "Anyway, when yer discharged, you can visit Ino and Akamaru. They're both recovering nicely, but won't be out for a while longer."

That was a relief, but he didn't know how to protect Ino from himself. He knew he needed to drive her away, but he couldn't see how he could do that to her now. What kind of an asshole would he be to suddenly, out of the blue, break up with her? Put into such blunt terms, ending the relationship with Ino sounded ridiculously easy. Guilt scratched at his insides.

"Kiba," Mom said, ducking her head down to press her forehead against his, "none of this was yer fault, and Ino won't blame you. So stop guilt-trippin' yerself."

She had it wrong. She thought he was in knots over Ino getting kidnapped and nearly blown to pieces. He should correct her. He should tell his mother that he was scared shitless of what he'd become recently- -some mindless, sex-crazed monster. Her light pecks on his cheeks bothered him, each peck pricking his conscience.

"Mom, can you do me a favor?" He continued when she straightened. "Is there anyway I could get a small box, something for keeping a little charm in?"

A corner of her mouth twitched. "A love-gift for Ino, you mean."

"I hate it when you predict me."

His pout made her laugh. "You make it so easy, son. But," she tapped her chin, "I think I can come up with what you want."

"Thanks." When she nodded, he glanced away and toyed with his blanket. "And Mom, I'm sorry for saying stupid shit to you. About Dad."

"Nah. I'm sorry for prying into yer personal life. You did what you had to, so I can't blame you for that."

They looked at each other- -had they seriously shared a normal-family moment? At the same time, they roared in laughter. Kiba had to press hands to his stomach to stave off a bout of rampant cramping. But it felt good. When their laughter died, Mom wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"Whew," she said, chuckling, "that was funny."

Afterwards, she stayed with him the rest of the day, bringing him lunch and dinner, and keeping him company through visits from Shino, Hinata, and Hana. When a medic came in to announce that visiting hours were over, Mom patted his hand.

She stooped over to kiss his both his cheeks. "Sleep tight, shorty. I'll be back tomorrow, bright'n'early."

"Yeah, okay." He watched her move to the door. "Hey, Mom?" She turned. "I love you."

Her face broke into a feral grin. "Love you too, son." Then she left, Kuromaru close on her heels.

Kiba sank back in bed. The room seemed vacant, darker now. Enclosed. He rubbed his eyes. Mom had not mentioned Ino or Akamaru after that initial conversation, but they'd been ghosting behind his thoughts the entire day. Without Mom and Kuromaru and the distraction of medics and visitors, the ghosts became living images: Akamaru, small and fluffy with floppy ears, as he burrowed beneath Kiba's jacket, close to his master's heart. Closest to his master.

Then Ino. He allowed a dream of her to assemble…her brilliant hair, those forever-blue eyes, the curvature of her hips…a weight dropped on his chest that wouldn't subside, and he knew on a subconscious level that this image of her would be the only thing left he had of her once he freed her. Once he forced her to escape from his fatal threat.

- -N- -

Under the fluorescent lights of the hospital, Kiba stood in front of the bathroom mirror. His image looked different. Old and tired. Slumped, yet taller. Broader. Messy hair. Getting dressed had been a slow affair. Mom had not been kidding when she warned him of continued soreness. He'd had to hitch up his pants and pull on his shirt in measured, steady movements, stopping frequently to rest.

True to her word, she'd arrived that morning with clothes. A shirt that had draped off him now fit snug across his shoulders. The black hoodie with the red Inuzuka clan symbol imprinted on the chest had been Dad's, as well as the pants, which were cinched with a belt; only his boots fit the same, since he always had big feet.

Mom knocked on the bathroom door. "You good to go? You need anything?"

Kiba slipped his hand into the hoodie's front pocket to thumb the tiny, carved case that contained Ino's earrings. The mirror reflected his gestures. "Naw. I'm good."

Mom continued as he opened the door. "All release papers are signed, and yer formally discharged. We'll pick up yer prescription painkillers at the pharmacy." Then she laughed when he bumped a shoulder into the doorframe and cursed colorfully. "Are you that anxious to stay, shorty? We haven't even gotten out of the damn room yet!"

"Mom!" Hissing breath through his teeth, he rubbed the spot. Ouch, it stung. It'd probably bruise, too.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. Yer sister was the same way a few years back, remember?" Her good humor was infectious, and he smiled under her gaze

"Yeah, I remember. She'd trip over everything in the house." He groaned. "Is that what I have to look forward to?"

"Yep. It's a part of growin' up." Mom clucked him under his chin, her eyes softening. "If yer up to it, we'll get some lunch out."

When he looked across at her, her face and eyes were lower, and he couldn't get used to being so much taller than she. "Sounds good."

They left the room. He followed Mom; Kuromaru followed him. He walked a slow, shuffling walk that aggravated and tweaked his muscles. The hospital hallway was all straight lines and gleaming white. Medical staff turned corners, their lab jackets and scrubs rustling with their movements, and he could hear the heart monitors and breathing of the other patients. When they got to the stairs, Mom hesitated.

"Did you wanna visit Ino before we left?"

His whole body sparked. "Yes!" Then at his mother's raised eyebrows, "I mean, yeah, sure. That'd be cool."

The three of them took the stairs up a couple of levels, Kiba using the railing for support and feeling like a senior citizen on a rainy day, as he winced with each lift of his legs. He realized he'd already picked up Ino's sweet scent, but he hadn't consciously reactivated his nose. It was then he had alarming second thoughts. Hadn't he decided to stay away from her?

But he couldn't help quickening his pace, gritting his teeth through his body's rigid protests, Ino's gravity and presence towing him inexorably to her, and when he found her room, he paused at the door, unsure if he should see her. Considering…that one thing. A hand rested on his shoulder.

Mom had caught up with him. "Go in. We'll wait for you out here."

A second's pause- -Yer not chicken shit, he told himself- -before he entered. Morning sunlight slanted into the room onto Ino's form on the bed. The usual heart monitors and IV lines. Flowers, balloons, cards, and stuffed animals perched on open edges and tables. As he approached, he saw Ino'd been mummified. Gauze wrapped her up her throat, down her arms between her fingers, and he guessed all around her legs under that hospital blanket. Even her head had been wrapped. Only her eyes and mouth were uncovered.

Breathing deliberately, drawing all her scent through his nose into the back of his throat, tasting her, Kiba went to stand at the bedside. She looked dead, but she was only asleep. Frail. Pale. A few strands of fair hair had escaped the confines of her bandages. And she was lovely. So precious. He wanted to crawl into the bed with her, curl her against him, and snuggle her close. Be her shield and sword.

But his heart…his heart felt heavy, loaded with stones, sinking into an abyss. He wanted to leave and never come back, never hurt her. He would break her. Leaning over, he brushed a kiss on her lips. She didn't stir.

When he met Mom in the hallway, a fresh strangling of guilt had roped around his throat and stomach and ribcage, squeezing, suffocating. He had to do what was necessary to protect her. He would. But how? He loved her. He loved her so much. His thumb rubbed the minute engravings of the earring case. What would he do?

"Everything okay?" Mom asked. She cradled his face in her hands. "Yer so sad."

He shrugged. Mom's contact made him feel sick. "She was sleeping, and I didn't want to wake her."

"I see. Well, you can visit her later," Mom said, dropping her hands as she stepped around him. "We have some errands to run, and then we'll get you home to rest."

He nodded, but his mind lingered on Ino. He would find a way to free her. He would free her.

A/N: I was so excited to get this out to you, dear readers, that there may be some minor edits in the future. And please, if you notice an inconsistency or error, don't hesitate to let me know. Once again, I appreciate all your patience! =)