A/N: No M rating for this chapter. Mostly dialogue. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. As I read back over my old story, I couldn't help wanting to pull together threads that had been left dangling.
Hinata sluggishly made her way to her front door. Someone was knocking at her door with more energy and enthusiasm than she could relate to at the moment.
Slowly unlocking and opening the door a little, Hinata peaked her head around the door to blink owlishly into the bright morning light.
Ino stood on her doorstep with an infuriated look on her face, hands on her hips. At Hinata's appearance, the blonde hissed out an angry breath. "I'm going to murder your teammate," she declared.
Hinata blinked some more and opened the door widely to allow the taller woman entrance. There was no question which of her teammates – both of whom were as close as dear brothers to her – Ino was referring to.
"What did Kiba-kun do?"
Kiba rubbed his jaw despondently as he sat in the empty bar with a freshly opened bottle of beer. Akamaru was on guard somewhere outside as he'd purposefully chosen a civilian bar that wasn't very accommodating to large animals. He could do without his partner's pitying looks.
Ino had punched him and angrily stormed off without a word. Maybe a profanity or two had been muttered as she'd left but he'd been a bit too shocked and in pain to remember clearly. He was pretty sure her hand had been infused with a bit of chakra when she'd punched him.
On the one hand, he recalled a time where Ino hitting him would have had his blood boiling. He would have taught her a lesson, taijutsu style, so she would think twice about ever putting her hands on him in anger again. On the other, Ino was his mate and she had walked away after he'd finally got up the nerve to explain the situation to her clearly.
It felt like a rejection. Growing up in his clan, he remembered being told it was very rare to be rejected by a mate.
Kiba let out a self-deprecating scoff. His initial instincts were spot on after coming to grips with Ino being his. If anyone was going to do something rare and surprising, it would be Yamanaka, Ino. Her being his mate was just the universe's way of telling him he was destined to not ever settle down with anyone.
He would have to guard against ever crossing paths with the kunoichi again to save his sanity. The area of greatest vulnerability was Hinata-chan but he imagined he could be fine as long as he avoided his quiet friend in Ino-friendly zones – like the Hyuuga heiress's house.
Kiba took a drink of the foul-tasting beer and slammed the bottle on the bar top. It wouldn't be impossible. He'd almost planned it all out already when Ino had walked away the first time. Ignoring the fact that one weird visit from Uzumaki, Naruto had made him instantly toss out all his plans and practically stalk Ino for a confrontation, he was fairly confident that he could pull it off this time.
"You look terrible."
Kiba's eyes snapped to the side in shock. Aburame, Shino sat inconspicuously beside him, features completely masked as usual. It wasn't until then that Kiba realized how far over the bar he had slumped, head resting on a propped-up hand as he gently rubbed his sore chin. He was sure he looked pretty pathetic.
He tried to straighten up a bit without making it look like he was bothered. "What are you doing in here?"
"A teammate does not usually break scheduled training without the courtesy of a message," Shino deadpanned. "I came looking for you to verify you were unharmed and found Akamaru."
Kiba cursed. "I forgot about training."
"I know."
"Sorry man, I've been pretty distracted." Kiba glanced sideways at Shino curiously. "Akamaru told you where I was?"
"He pushed me inside this establishment, yes," Shino stated matter-of-factly. His head cocked very slightly to the side in what Kiba interpreted as a Shino look of curiosity. "He then proceeded to run off." There was a question in Shino's bland tone but the words were still just a framing of facts.
Kiba growled angrily. That traitor. He knew where Akamaru was right now. Apparently, he thought that Ino could use guarding more than he could at the moment. It was much easier to explain the current situation to someone who was familiar with Inuzuka clan customs. "I found my mate," he stated simply.
Beside him, Shino's body turned to face him more completely. "That is… surprising. I'm sure your mother and sister are pleased but… this does not appear to please you."
Kiba cursed again and raised a warning finger. "This is not to get back to anyone in my clan. No way!" There was a certain level of fear that seeped through his voice. He hadn't even thought of his mother. If she found out that he'd imprinted on a mate there would be a parade waiting for him when he got home. His mom might have him and Ino kidnapped, all contraception techniques removed from their bodies, then forced into a brand new home on clan property where clan guards would ensure they remained until Ino was knocked up. The consequence of waiting so long to actively find his mate was his mom's and the rest of the clan's ballooning zeal for his 'fated match,' as they called it.
"Dammit, I didn't think this situation could get any worse." Kiba slumped back down on the bar in dismay.
"Your family will not hear of your mated status from me," Shino responded, "but I am confused as to why you are so sad. Married life is quite enjoyable, speaking from my own experience. Given the Inuzuka bonding ritual, one would expect it to be even more enjoyable for you."
Kiba spluttered and almost choked on his casual gulp of beer. Angrily, he pointed another finger at Shino. "First of all- sad is way off base! I am not sad," he whispered fiercely, a growl in his undertones. "Secondly- who said anything about marriage? You sound like my clan right now. I am not married to anybody!"
"Apologies." Shino raised both hands apologetically. "It was my understanding that an Inuzuka mate imprint was a more complete show of commitment than a marriage ceremony."
Kiba's heart rate spiked and he found himself gaping at his friend like a fish for a moment. Finally, he grabbed his bottle and guzzled down the rest of his beer quickly. He slammed the bottle back down on the bar and gasped for air before turning back to his friend.
"I gave you too much credit for understanding Inuzuka clan customs, Shino," he groused. "You cannot compare Ino and I to you and Shera. I did not have a choice about imprinting her! You actually like Shera! Very different circumstances!"
Something Kiba said must have amused his friend. He saw the telltale shift in upper facial muscles that indicated his friend must be smiling in amusement beneath the high collar of his jacket.
"Ino," Shino stated/asked. "That is rather… appropriate. That she would be your mate, that is. After all, you more than like her. She has proven to be your weakness for quite some time."
Kiba scowled darkly. Today was going to be the day that he murdered one of his best friends.
Hinata opened the door to let Sakura in and the two girls shared matching looks of concern.
"What happened?" Sakura asked. "Is she okay? Are you okay?"
Hinata shook her head quickly. She was pressing the fingers of both hands together nervously. "Don't worry about me. Ino is upset but all I was able to understand was that Kiba-kun might have attacked her."
Sakura's heart clenched. They were kunoichi so a statement like that could be taken several ways. Did Kiba get so angry and out of control that he challenged Ino to a taijutsu match and won in an embarrassing way? Did he hit her with a surprise attack when she said something that pissed him off and hurt her? Did he… attack Ino… sexually?
Sakura looked at Hinata. For any of those scenarios, Hinata would be in a tough place where her teammate was concerned. But for the latter….
"Where is she?" Sakura asked quickly.
Hinata immediately led her into the living room where Ino was pacing around the room like a caged animal.
"Ino!" Sakura shouted urgently. "What happened?"
Ino jumped and turned to her pink-haired friend. "Sakura, oh thank god! Maybe you can talk to Tsunade-sama for me," she spoke quickly as though she wasn't even taking time to process her thoughts before she threw her ideas out for immediate action. "You know? Maybe convince her to send me on a really long mission?"
"Ino, Ino," Sakura called, grabbing her friend by the arms to try to calm her. "Slow down. Tell us what happened because right now we're worried Kiba might have hurt you."
Ino scoffed at that. "Hurt me? He could never," she spat vehemently. She ignored the skeptical looks of her friends. "But he definitely crossed a major line."
"What did he do?" Sakura asked carefully.
At this, Ino pointed at Hinata. "Please tell me you know something about these Inuzuka clan imprinting… thingies!"
Hinata's eyes widened in shock. "Imprinting? Well, yes, Kiba-kun's sister, Hana, explained it to me once," she answered faintly.
Ino clapped her hands. "Good! That neanderthal Inuzuka apparently did something to me and I need to know how to undo it. We can start there."
Sakura and Hinata both stared at their blonde friend in shock for a few beats. Finally, Sakura broke the moment with a laugh and the tension in Hinata's shoulders eased visibly.
"So…," Hinata started. "Kiba-kun didn't hurt you… physically?"
Ino's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Ino-pig," Sakura groused, "We thought the man might've committed a punishable offense."
After a moment of clarity, Ino laughed darkly. "No, one thing in his favor right now is that he's not that type of coward."
Ino snapped back to Hinata determinedly. "So, what do you know about imprinting?"
Hinata jumped nervously and pressed her fingers together again. "Not very much, unfortunately. There was a time when my father wanted to marry me off to one of the local clans when he first disinherited me from leading the Hyuuga clan. Because I was close with Shino-kun and Kiba-kun, he tried to look into those clans.
"For Shino-kun, the Aburame clan representative explained that they adopt outsiders of the clan when they're young to get them accustomed to the Aburame way of living and entrusting clan secrets. Ninjas of the clan will only marry someone from within the clan, familiar with their ways and entrusted with their secrets.
"For Kiba-kun, his sister, Hana, came to speak with my father directly. And she explained that the Inuzuka clan does not condone arranged marriages. Their mates are chosen on instinct. That instinct would lead them to their life mate and they would be compelled to imprint upon that person. Any arranged marriage would be doomed to failure once Kiba-kun discovered his mate and was compelled to imprint them."
Ino had been listening with interest but at the mention of Kiba "discovering his mate," she seethed. "That flea-bitten jackass imprinted me without consent and I need to know how to reverse it."
Sakura scoffed loudly, drawing the attention of both Ino and Hinata. "That's not how that works, Ino. Kiba wouldn't have been able to force an imprint on you. It's an instinctual action that uses low-level chakra to seep into the mate's chakra pathways where it affects all of the senses and opens awareness to the Inuzuka's own chakra signature. If a potential mate were unwilling to receive the imprint, they could easily resist."
Ino gaped at Sakura in shock. "You know about this? How!"
Sakura smirked. "Tsunade-shishou, Shizune-sensei, and I are entrusted with the care of this village. There are some clan secrets that we've been made privy to for medical reasons. But the Inuzuka clan's mating methods are an open village secret. I first heard about it in my chuunin years when I was asked to help investigate the link of depression and suicide rates within the Inuzuka clan to the loss of their mates. We were looking to see if there was any possible treatment for the shock and chakra imbalance experienced when an Inuzuka mate died and it led me to studying how imprinting occurred in the first place."
"Depression? Suicide?" Hinata asked worriedly. She glanced at Ino. If Kiba had imprinted on her and she was angry about it, then what did that mean? "Will Kiba-kun be alright?"
Ino scowled. "That jackass is fine, Hinata. I'm the one that doesn't feel like they had a choice here." She pointed at Sakura accusatorily. "Take back what you said about potential mates easily resisting. I certainly would've resisted had I known what was happening."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at Ino. "By any chance, did this imprinting happen before that night you made out with Kiba outside of Hinata's house?"
Hinata gasped in shock. "The night she… What… When?"
Sakura pointed at Ino accusingly. "Because if that was the night of the imprinting then you gave your consent when you kissed him back most likely."
Ino pointed right back at her friend self-righteously. "That is not fair, forehead! How was I supposed to know that a hand job and a quick tumble in the grass would lead to a lifetime commitment?"
"A… hand… what?" Hinata squeaked, blushing.
"Anyone who pays attention knows that that's the risk – or benefit depending on how you look at it – of getting physical with an Inuzuka, Ino!" Sakura fired back. "Why do you think Kiba has a ready supply of village girls trying to sleep with him? It's their woefully shortsighted ideal of bagging the son of the clan matriarch and their misguided fantasies of being set for life! Not to mention the rumors about what sex is like with an Inuzuka mate…."
Sakura had only muttered the last sentence as an exasperated afterthought as though she were thinking of the work caused by the spreading of those rumors and not necessarily whether or not they were true. But the redness that suffused Ino's face and the nervous movement of her eyes caught Sakura's attention. Sakura's jaw dropped. "Ino!" she shouted incredulously.
Ino jumped. "What!"
Hinata stared back and forth, knowing she was missing something.
"You didn't!" Sakura took a closer look at Ino and noted the slightly reddish marks along the column of her neck. "Last night?"
At the mention of the night before, Ino promptly covered her face as more heat suffused her body. "Stop it," she exclaimed but she was a bit quieter now as if exhaustion was starting to set in. "You don't get to judge me. I didn't know. I was thinking if I took the edge off, I would get him out of my system."
Hinata cocked her head in confusion. What were they talking about? It sounded like she was missing a cipher to translate this conversation but she didn't want to interrupt while Ino was venting.
"He didn't tell you before you…" Sakura trailed off awkwardly.
"No!" Ino answered angrily. "The chicken shit didn't get up the nerve to tell me until we'd done it at least three times!" She did some mental math as she thought for a moment. "Four! It was at least four times."
Sakura blushed quite fantastically, rivalling her own hair color at this new information. "In one night?" she exclaimed.
Hinata grew nervous. Maybe it was time to ask. "What are we talking about here?"
Ino glanced at Hinata and at the girl's innocent expression, a small smile broke across her lips. "Sex, hon. We're talking about sex. With your teammate." She turned back to Sakura. "The rumors about what sex is like under those circumstances are very very true, by the way."
Steam was practically coming out of both Sakura's and Hinata's heads by the time she was finished, they were both blushing so hard. It perked Ino up just a little.
"I'm not complaining about the sex with Kiba, that's for sure."
Sakura scowled at the slight smirk on her friend's face. Ino could drive her insane sometimes. "We get it, Ino," she groused, "You had an amazing night of no-holds-barred sex with your new mate." She ignored Hinata slapping her hands over her ears. "Some of us don't know what that's like."
"Well take the stick out of your ass and try it sometime," Ino insisted loftily. "Although, avoid the Inuzuka clan at all costs. Maybe test-drive a certain Kazekage instead."
Sakura choked and a small chuckle escaped Ino.
"Seriously Sakura, I feel blindsided here," Ino stated levelly. She looked at Hinata. "Do you remember that night I came here? Before the making out with Kiba and imprinting incident took place?"
Hinata was still red but she nodded her head slightly, remembering the conversation with her friend and how sad she had been for her.
"I was upset because my parents thought I was so hopeless that they needed to foist some well-prepared village boy at my feet like an offering. No guy has been brave enough to ask me out in years," Ino reminded her. "I do the asking. They flirt but no one has been interested in dating me or thinking about long-term since my chuunin years. It's either sex or they're too chickenshit to approach me."
"Ino…" Sakura started. Her expression looked sad.
"No," Ino told her, "this isn't a pity declaration. The point is: I make the choice. I always make the choice. I choose who I want to do more than flirting with. I choose who I want to eat a meal with and hold extended conversation with. I do the asking." She waved her hand dismissively. "In the past that didn't used to bother me. I liked being in control."
She scowled. "But a little bit of defiance and pushback from Kiba and suddenly we were making out without my brain having any time to even process the concepts of choice and control."
Sakura chuckled a little bit. "Who knew you were so afraid of chaos when you're usually the primary cause it."
Ino cracked a smile and the three of them shared a laugh.
She frowned as her laughter tapered out. "Saying this all out loud makes me sound a bit unhinged," she said sadly.
"It's a lot to take in," Sakura told her reassuringly. "Now that I understand the circumstances you were under, it does seem like you've dealt with a lot all at once."
Ino smiled at her. "You give me far too much credit."
Hinata shook her head vehemently. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, Ino. If you weren't ready for commitment and found yourself attracted to someone with whom a single kiss might lead to a lifetime commitment… I'm not sure anyone in that position would react well."
Ino's warm smile flashed Hinata's way. "You guys are great."
Sakura smiled gently then held up a finger. "But," she said with emphasis. "You should probably take another look from Kiba's perspective too."
The smile immediately slipped from Ino's face as she guardedly crossed her arms. "What do you mean by that?"
Sakura laid a gentle hand on one of Ino's arms. "What I mean is you should maybe consider that Kiba had just as little choice in the matter of imprinting as you did. From what I've studied about it, imprinting is not something he could have done consciously. And, furthermore, I don't think Kiba has ever been enthusiastic about the idea of a romantic relationship. This is probably as much a shock to him as it was to you."
Hinata hesitantly met Ino's eyes. "Sakura's right. Kiba's never wanted to have a romantic relationship with anyone. He was mad at me for weeks when a nice girl from the village asked for my help in getting close to him and he found out that I was involved. He told me he'd seen enough people in his clan lose the will to live when they lost a mate and he never wanted to be in that position."
Ino's face was blank as she seemed to consider their words.
"Maybe consider that the blame doesn't belong to either one of you," Sakura offered gently. "Although, maybe Kiba should have told you a lot sooner than he did."
Ino flinched a little. "Okay. He might have tried to tell me everything that night of the imprinting."
"What?" Sakura asked, blinking in surprise.
Ino uncrossed her arms and started to pace again. "Apparently while I was freaking out about getting so into him, he was attempting to tell me real-time what was happening and I heard absolutely nothing."
"So he…?"
"He told me. I didn't hear it. He was shocked when I didn't understand what he was talking about last night. We had sex. We had more sex. He told me again." Ino ticked everything off on her fingers as she paced. She suddenly stopped and through her hands up in frustration. "This is absolutely insane."
Hinata nodded in silent agreement. She was still very embarrassed about discussing her teammate's sexual escapades so openly.
"It is," Sakura agreed reasonably. "But at least you're not experiencing it alone." She gave Ino a few moments' silence before her face suddenly contorted with impatience and she grabbed the blonde by the arm and led her bodily towards the front door. "Now quit moping and get out there and find the poor guy!"
"W-Wait! Sakura! OUCH! Let go!"
Sakura opened Hinata's front door and shoved Ino onto the front porch, folding her arms as she glared at her friend. "CHAAA!" she exclaimed in frustration. "I thought you were in actual trouble and it turns out you've taken a leading role in a romantic fantasy! You're fated to one of the most eligible bachelors in Konoha, Ino-pig! A relationship that's almost guaranteed to be monogamous and compatible!"
An angry tick appeared on Sakura's forehead and she hissed the next part in lowered tones. "Not to mention all that bragging about sex! If you don't go find him and make up with him right now, I will murder you before his fan club can!"
"Sakura, wait!" Ino cried out.
"No!" Sakura shouted back. "I've seen what loss of a mate can do to Inuzuka clan members. You go to him and talk through this! Fast!"
Ino slumped her shoulders but looked away consideringly. "Even if I wanted to talk to him, how would I find him? He could be anywhere."
Sakura glanced over Ino's shoulder and smirked. "I see the answer right over there."
Heart leaping in her chest, Ino swung around expecting to see Kiba standing there. A happy bark greeted her as she took in the sight of Akamaru swishing his tail back and forth hesitantly.
Hinata stared nervously as her pink-haired friend came storming back into her living room. "Do you think Ino-chan and Kiba-kun will be alright?"
Sakura scoffed. "They'll be more than fine once Ino stops being so stubborn." Sakura sat down in one of Hinata's comfy armchairs with a look of frustration. "Ino can be so annoyingly lucky sometimes."
"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked tentatively.
Sakura's eyes softened as she looked over at her genteel friend. "I'm fine, Hina-chan. Just a bit jealous that Ino-pig doesn't have to risk a diplomatic incident to fall in love, that's all." Her brow furrowed a bit in concern. "What about you? Feeling better after last night?"
Hinata's face dropped. She'd worked so hard to come out of her shell over the years that it had been a long time since she'd fainted. She'd woken up to Sakura carefully tucking her into bed. Sakura had gently explained that Naruto had handed her off to her care after Hinata had fainted while standing in front of him and Hinata had immediately burst into tears of frustration while curled up in her bed.
The last thing she remembered clearly was coming to the realization that Naruto-kun might have more than a friendly interest in her. Then her vision had gone hazy. If Naruto-kun had had any interest before, then it was likely snuffed out by 'shy Hinata' passing out on him again.
"I… I think I'll be okay… eventually," Hinata managed hesitantly. After all, she'd long ago come to terms with the very likely idea that Naruto would never return her feelings. This was a setback in her journey to living bravely but it didn't necessarily change anything.
Sakura winced sympathetically. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."
Hinata managed a grateful smile. With her friend's help, she might be able to forget about embarrassing herself in front of Naruto again.
A/N: This was fun to write so I hope it's also fun to read. I really like Ino as a character, in general. Next chapter is in work.