DISCLAIMER:

All characters within are the explicit property of Masashi Kishimoto, et al. I have no part of them to call my own.

Beginnings

The quick pad of feet on the ground was almost silent, only barely heard over the slight rushing of leaves over the hard packed earth. His breath came in quick, harsh pants, as he ran, as silently as he could through the dark streets of Konoha by the light of the moon.

Beside him, his loyal companion, once a puppy small enough to fit in the hood of his jacket, trotted, keeping his pace easily. He nodded to the white dog once, and watched him veer off down a small side street. He was almost there.

The full moon shone brilliantly, lighting the high walls on the perimeter of the Hyuuga household. He grunted quietly in exertion as he ran straight at the wall, barely hesitating before throwing himself up and over the structure. he landed almost silently in the bushes closest to the main pond, crouching as he began to quietly slide his way alongside the wall and to the back of the complex.

Kiba carefully masked his chakra, counting down the last few seconds before- a howl cut through the stillness of the night, a harsh, almost mournful sound that was quickly picked up by the dogs of the city. Akamaru had done it again, as seconds later, the raucous sound of every animal's respective noise reverberated down the once quiet streets. With a quiet exhalation, Kiba slid along the wall as fast as he could and raced for the one window in the complex not guarded by chakra traps: Hinata's.

His teammate was allowing herself the rare luxury of deep sleep, as she was safe in her home. Kiba mentally growled and revised his opinion of her state of being: she was not asleep, but unconscious, as evidenced by a large bruise on her temple. With hands as gentle as he could manage them, he picked up the lithe body of his friend and turned for the still open window.

Footsteps sounded down the hall, coming closer with every second. Eyes widening, Kiba bent Hinata's small frame at the waist, curled her body to his with one arm and leaped across the room, out the window, and across the lawn. Thirty seconds later, a soft whistle drew Akamaru to the end of the street where the Hyuuga complex sat. The large dog snuffed quietly, recognizing the scent of the unconscious girl and disliking the undertones of pain and fear that lingered.

Kiba nodded to him once, then gently placed Hinata on Akamaru's broad, white, shaggy back. Together, they raced across the city, coming closer to their destination: Sakura's house.

Though it might have been close to three in the morning, Sakura answered her door at the first knock, fully dressed and hands slightly glowing with concentrated chakra. She relaxed slightly at the sight of two friends, but tensed again as she noticed Hinata on Akamaru. Kiba nodded at her once, and she stepped aside, letting the large dog and his precious cargo into the room.

As the two ninja gently took their unconscious comrade from her perch and laid her on a soft bed, Sakura glared at Kiba, expecting an explanation. She began to work, medical ninjutsu being put to use on the various breaks, bruises, and cuts on the young woman's body.

"She missed training again. Shino had a tracker bug on her," He smiled as Sakura's brows rose in skepticism. "He has one on all of us, actually. But when she didn't show up, or even send her summons with a message for us, he used the bug's mate to find her. We stopped outside the complex..." His eyes narrowed as he remembered the sounds of sparring and Hinata grunting in pain. "Hiashi had her fighting Hanabi again. I think... I think he's planning to disown her, when Hanabi comes of age."

Hinata stirred slightly, coming out of unconsciousness, but drifting into sleep very quickly. Sakura nodded once, gently applied a small bit of pressure to the bruise on Hinata's head, and healed it, before standing and motioning for Kiba to do the same.

"She had two broken ribs, a fractured femur, dislocated right arm, and numerous cuts and bruises all over her body. Are you sure it was Hanabi that did this?"

Kiba nodded, looking to Akamaru for confirmation. The dog sniffed at the prone girl's body and wuffed softly. "Yeah, it was Hanabi. Her scent is all over Hinata. And Shino and I saw the end of the fight." He winced a little, then met Sakura's gaze. "The girl is vicious and brutal. She doesn't care at all that she's hurting Hinata. And Hiashi would not stop the fight for anything, since it proves to him that Hinata is weak." he clenched his fist angrily. "He doesn't see that Hinata can't hurt Hanabi, can't hurt her sister. She's strong, Sakura. Much stronger that Hanabi will ever be..."

"And Neji?" Sakura's voice had a dangerous edge to it.

Kiba swallowed hard, thankful that he had not seen the aforementioned Hyuuga earlier that day. "I didn't see him."

She nodded and looked away, muttering under her breath, in a decibel that Kiba could barely hear, "He had better not have anything to do with these injuries or I'll take them out of his hide next time I see him. Boyfriend, or not..."

Kiba smiled a little at the strong Kunoichi's words before returning his attention to the young woman on the bed. "Sakura?"

She looked at him, following his gaze to Hinata before nodding. "I'll take care of her."

Kiba turned away, hand barely gliding over the ruff of Akamaru's neck. Both dog and master turned away from the scene, eyes narrowing as they stepped out of the peace of the house and into the dark night, back to the chaos of the life they knew so well.

Author's Note:

Hello to everyone who has decide to read through this first chapter of a story that may or may not be good… (wow, with that vote of confidence, who needs flamers?)

Ok, to business. I apologize for how long it has been since I have written anything, and hope you enjoy this story which will, eventually be Kiba/Hina.

Feel free to review with any comment you may have, be it a simple "It was good" or "It was bad".

Thank you, and see you next chapter

-NAD