Tai: I apologise for not updating this sooner! I wanted to get another chapter written before I uploaded this one, but lectures and assignments and exams kind of...took over. Also talking to americans I met on a computer game, they're sweet. Anyway, I re-read this before uploading it; I wrote it and reading it again made me giggle...yea I'm a bit of a perv. Enjoy
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or other things you might recognise.
The sun had turned the sky orange as it began dropping below the horizon, the colour tinging the grass and surrounding mountains with the bright colour. A pair of dark amber eyes focused on the edge of the village, brow furrowed in concern. The Hokage had sent Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy, on a solo mission out to Kumogakure, whom had a history of trying to steal the secrets of the Byakugan. The teen had left early yesterday morning, and with his skill he should've been back by sunset the following day.
Should have; so far the Hyuuga hadn't returned to the village and Tsunade had given orders to the guards at the gate to inform her immediately when the Hyuuga arrived. She was slightly concerned for the Hyuuga's wellbeing, less for the fact that he'd gone alone to Kumogakure and more for the issue she'd found out about after lunch the same day.
Sakura had informed her that Neji had been training late the night before the mission and was likely to be tired, though the medic ninja had to admit she hadn't seen any signs of fatigue in the male. The blonde made her decision and turned in for the night; there was nothing she could do for the moment.
The same orange glow from the night before appeared in the morning and Tsunade was sitting at her desk once again pondering the situation. Neji hadn't returned during the night; it was unusual for the Hyuuga to not have returned. Going back on her decision from the night before, she called for one of the ANBU officers stationed near her office. "Get me Kiba Inuzuka."
The masked ninja bowed and disappeared, unsurprised when he returned mere moments later. "He's on his way."
Nodding the blonde mentally came to her decision; things could not be left any longer. The tanned male soon appeared before her, his large canine at his side. "You asked to see me, Hokaga-sama?"
"I did; Neji was sent on a mission to Kumogakure two mornings ago and had yet hasn't returned. Sakura brought it to my attention yesterday that he was training late and was unlikely to have slept." Tsunade stated firmly, gaze fixed firmly on the Inuzuka. "I want you to head toward Kumogakure, locate him and bring him back as soon as possible."
"Understood." Kiba bowed sharply and took off with Akamaru, the pair heading home to gather his weapon pouch. Tsunade was left considering whether or not she'd done the right thing.
'I wouldn't have made him a Jounin if he wasn't ready; this is only because Sakura told me he hadn't slept.' She reassured herself, returning to the rest of her work.
The Inuzuka meanwhile was bolting out the gate, trying to calm his mind on the matter. "Neji's a Jounin, he'll be fine. Tsunade is just being paranoid." He muttered, looking down at the large white canine at his side.
"We both know there's more on her mind than him being tired; people within Kumogakure have tried to steal the Byakugan before." Akamaru barked back, looking up at his partner. "A tired Jounin being attacked by someone trying to steal his eyes is a reason to worry."
Nodding, the Inuzuka sped up and tried to pick up the Hyuuga's trail, he and his canine moving to have a gap of a few metres between them which allowed a better check of the area. They were halfway to Kumogakure when a familiar yet faint smell that held a striking similarity to peach and vanilla reached his sensitive nose. Stopping quickly to double check what he'd detected, he was relieved to finally pick up some trace of the male. "That's him…"
"It is; the wind's carrying his scent at least so we're going the right way." Akamaru growled back, sniffing once more. "Come on; we'd better go and see why your princess hasn't returned or met up with us yet."
Kiba bit back a growl and rolled his eyes at the canine, but he none the less agreed and took off once more, glad to find the barely detectable scent was getting stronger, though not as quickly as he would've liked. Regardless the Inuzuka pair continued pushing forward at speed, determined to get to the male as quickly as they could as per their orders.
It didn't take the tanned male long to realise why the scent wasn't getting stronger as fast as he'd expected. 'Come on Neji…why aren't you moving?' The male wondered; worry starting to creep into his mind.
"Kiba…" Noting the worry forming in his partner's eyes, the large white canine was hesitant in informing the male of the second trace he'd picked up, mingled with the slowly nearing scent. "I can smell blood."
No sooner had the words left the canine's mouth than the metallic taste Inuzukas associated with the very smell of blood filled his senses, making the teen queasy as the two scents mixed. Both were similarly strong, and the duo had to assume the worst; the Hyuuga had been attacked and fatally wounded.
With the grizzly thought in mind Kiba urged his body to move faster; Neji's sweet scent was still strong, too strong to be coming from someone who had already passed, unless it was a very recent death. The very fact that he hadn't picked up on the metallic scent as soon as he'd detected the Hyuuga was promising, but it didn't guarantee the older male was all right.
The scent reached its strongest and both man and dog dropped onto the ground, still running as they narrowed in on the scent. The slender coffee haired male soon came into sight but Kiba didn't stop until he was standing right next to the Hyuuga, who was settled under a tree trying to put pressure on a wound in his calf. Panic slowed but didn't cease completely; the blood scent was strong and he could already see the bottom of the male's pant leg was soaked.
"Neji! The hell happened?" golden orbs fixed on the lilac eyed male, crouching down next to him as he looked at the wound. It was deep; not life threatening but in serious need of medical attention.
"Concentration slip; bastard snuck up on me." The paler teen muttered, clearly frustrated with his own stupidity on the matter. "Caught me by surprise and got my leg; killed him before he could do much more."
The red marked teen looked at the Hyuuga carefully, frowning at him. "When did you finish your mission?"
Sighing, the Jounin glared at the younger male, holding back a growl. "Yesterday morning." He replied curtly, well aware of why the Inuzuka had been sent. "The attack happened shortly after I left the village; yesterday afternoon."
Kiba moved without much thought for the older teen, pulling out a kunai and quickly cutting away the blooded material of Neji's pants, allowing him to get a clearer view of the injury. Dried blood was covering parts of the male's leg, and the darker colour making the surrounding skin look paler than it truly was.
"Move your hands." He growled, the golden orbs glaring into the pale ones of the older ninja. "I need to see how bad it is, and if you use indirect pressure it should stop bleeding faster."
Muttering at the male's instruction, the Hyuuga complied regardless and moved his hand up onto his thigh, pressing firmly on the major vein, swearing at himself for not having done that as soon as it had restarted bleeding. "I got it to stop bleeding last night and got some sleep." He informed the younger male, yelping slightly as the tanned teen lifted his leg to almost rest on one shoulder. "Trying to run back today started it up again."
"Idiot; you shouldn't have been running." Kiba stated, shaking his head briefly. "Akamaru." The white canine wandered over, looking between the two males. "Neji, you're not walking back, and that leg needs treatment; I'll let you pick whose back you go on."
"I am not being carried back to Konoha!" Neji growled, not intimidated by the feral looking brunet in front of him. "I will walk once my leg stops bleeding."
Sighing, Kiba pulled two items from his tool pouch and after a few quick movements, handed one of the items to his canine, replacing the other in his pouch. "Take that to Tsunade as fast as you can, Akamaru."
The huge dog nodded and took off without another thought, Kiba receiving a glare from Neji. "Don't ignore me Inuzuka. I am a Jounin, you are a Chuunin; I am your superior."
The wolfish grin took away his confidence on the matter, but the Byakugan user tried to maintain his glare, an unnerving feat in light of the other shinobi's smirk. "And Tsunade's outranks you; overruling anything you might say against this." Kiba's attention turned to the wound, grabbing the few medical supplies he carried and wrapping them around the wound tightly. "Now, are you going to come quietly or not?"
The glare he received from the Hyuuga leant toward 'not', and the Inuzuka sighed, rubbing behind one ear. "All right then; have it your way, just keep your damn hand on that vein." Pulling the older teen's pack out from behind him, he slid it quickly onto his own back. Unwilling to give Neji a chance to complain, he pulled the Hyuuga's free arm over his shoulder, slid one arm beneath the slender male's legs and the other behind his back, lifting the male into his arms.
The movement took Neji by surprise and he wrapped the arm Kiba had moved around the younger teen's neck, trying his best to glare at the male which proved utterly pointless with a dark blush forming. "Not getting embarrassed are you Neji?"
The Hyuuga didn't dignify the question with a response as the male stood up, taking a moment to adjust to the new balance he required with the added weight in his arms. It only took a few moments before they were up in the trees, the pale eyes of the Hyuuga gazing over the firm, strong features of the Inuzuka as he carried them both through the trees.
Kiba glanced down briefly, his golden orbs catching the pale eyes of the Hyuuga, causing the older male to blush and look away; rechecking his grip on the femoral artery of his injured leg. He could already feel his foot tingling, which was a good sign. He glanced back up to see the Inuzuka's gaze focused on where they were going, and Neji took a moment to admire the brunet.
He didn't normally get the opportunity to be so close to the male, he'd never been in the younger teen's arms before and he realised quickly that for all the toned muscle the Inuzuka had, his body was gentle and warm against him. The red triangles on his face sharpened and enhanced several of his features, making the tanned teen look more feral and canine-like. Realizing he was staring again, Neji mentally swore and activated his Byakugan, watching Akamaru quickly disappear from his range.
The pair were alone, and the Hyuuga let out an accidental sigh, the memory of a few nights ago resurfacing. "How did Sakura's interrogation go?"
The golden eyes looked down at him briefly, the wolfish smirk returning to Kiba's face. "Wasn't just Sakura; she rounded up everyone."
Neji paled at the thought, eyes fixed on the golden orbs above him. "Everyone?"
"Everyone. She must've rounded them all up not long after sunrise; I led them on a chase for about an hour and then surrendered." Kiba informed him, the Hyuuga shifting slightly in his arms. "They've agreed to keep it quiet, and I've told them it's up to you if we let people know about this non-relationship."
"When you say they…just who are we talking about, exactly?" the Hyuuga wanted to confirm; he already had suspicions on who made up the group. The gentle movements of the Inuzuka as he bound from tree to tree were oddly soothing, despite the stressful conversation.
"Hinata, Sakura, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Choji, Lee and Shino." Kiba listed quickly, not bothering to glance down at the male. "I got them all blushing or squirming slightly when I answered their questions."
Groaning at the news, Neji rested his head against the younger teen's shoulder. "What do I need to know before we get back?"
"According to what I told them last night; the training areas near lakes are where we've been having sex because neither clan compound is an option. Akamaru normally stands guard to make sure we have advance warning of anyone approaching, we kept going after Sakura left." Kiba listed off for him, his movements not ceasing. "Naruto wanted to know how long we'd been together, I told them just over three months. Hinata seemed relieved that I was the reason you were sneaking out at night; she'd noticed your nightly excursions…oh and Tenten wanted to know who topped."
"Of course she did, fucking pervert." Neji muttered, keeping his head against Kiba's shoulder as he carried them both back to Konoha. His eyes slipped closed and mind focused only on the important details; he had to fake a relationship with the man who was currently carrying him like a newlywed bride back to Konoha. The very same one who'd told both of their teams they'd been having sex out in the open for a few months.
The very same tanned, toned, fine featured Inuzuka on whom he'd had a crush for the last year and occasionally spent nights dreaming about being in the exact position he was currently. A distinctly canine smell, which was all he could normally detect, flooded his senses, accompanied by a mix of grass, honey and a spice he couldn't pin down. Neji found it relaxing to the point of letting a content sigh escape his lips. Without meaning to, his grip on his inner thigh lessened, allowing normal blood flow to return to the tingling limb.
The pale eyes remained closed as the Inuzuka continued on almost silently, glancing down at the Hyuuga briefly.
"Neji?"
"Yes, Kiba?"
"You'll be resuming your grip on that leg shortly, won't you?" the tanned male questioned, gaze flickering briefly over the hand Neji had resting on his upper thigh. He inwardly cursed at the fact that he was currently running through the trees carrying Neji when his gaze fell on the male's face, gentle pale features seeming more delicate than ever.
"Yes, I just needed to let the blood flow resume for a moment." The Hyuuga didn't bother opening his eyes to the question and did as he'd said, Kiba glad of the movement; he didn't need the slender male bleeding out from a damned leg injury.
The rest of the trip back to Konoha was made in silence, and Kiba was unsurprised to see his partner waiting for them at the gate. "Where to, Akamaru?"
"Hospital; Tsunade wants that injury tended to asap." The white dog barked, earning a nod from his best friend and master. The Inuzuka didn't need anything further as he headed straight for the building, looking down at the Hyuuga in his arms briefly. The gentle, even breaths told him Neji had fallen asleep during the last half of the trip and he didn't particularly feel like waking him just yet.
A familiar pink haired female met him inside the hospital doors, and at the sight before her she almost cooed at how cute she deemed the couple to be. A glare from the golden eyed Inuzuka suggested it wasn't the best idea, and she led the tanned male off into a prepared treatment room to look at and heal Neji's leg.
'Hell I was hoping I'd have a little more time to get used to this, or at least have time to ask Neji what he wanted to do if this happened…' Kiba thought with a sigh, hearing the door close behind him. Opting to keep hold of the Hyuuga, Kiba settled himself onto the bed and let the male drop into his lap, shaking his shoulders gently. "Neji, wake up; Sakura needs to check your leg." He kept one arm around the male's waist as the male began to stir, hoping the male wouldn't forget they were 'in a relationship'.
The coffee haired male groaned at the brunet's rousing words; partly because he was being woken up, partly because it might mean moving from his comfortable position, and partly because Sakura meant faking a relationship. The pale eyes opening, he realised he was already sitting upright and the warmth hadn't left his side. 'Guess I'm sitting in Kiba's lap then…'
Glancing at the pink haired woman he sighed and brought his arm in from around the Inuzuka's neck, settling in into his lap. 'Right…relationship….Kiba's sort of making it easy for me, doesn't mean I have to return the favour.' "I don't need my leg checked, it's fine." He growled, glaring up at his golden eyed captor.
The Inuzuka raised one eyebrow as Neji tried to struggle free somewhat, though he soon realised the grip the Inuzuka had on him was stronger than he'd thought. He didn't give up his attempt and moved his gaze down to the arm restraining him, the coffee haired male deciding to use both hands to try and pry himself free.
'If that's how he wants to play it, I'm game.' Kiba smirked at the squirming Hyuuga's actions and used his free hand to tilt the slender male's head up, forcing him to look at him. Really, Neji squirming was adorable to the Inuzuka, but he had to say something. "Are you really sure you want to be doing that in your current position, pet?" he purred, pointedly ignoring the blush creeping its way onto Sakura's face.
Neji frowned at the question, but his confusion didn't last much longer as the Inuzuka moved one leg slightly, reminding the Hyuuga of exactly where he was perched. The result was instantaneous however, the pale cheeks flushing slightly. "Shut up." He muttered, turning his head away from the male. Any attempt to look annoyed was overruled by the blush, which seemed to turn his scowl into more of a pout, causing the Hyuuga to look once more adorable.
The cooed 'aww' from Sakura made the dog ninja look up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to heal his leg or just stand there and stare?"
A pink flush flared up on the girl's cheeks, and she quickly sidled up to the bed, looking over the exposed wound in the Hyuuga's leg. It didn't take long before the familiar green healing glow covered the woman's hands as she worked, focusing on the male's leg.
Neji's blush had finally subsided, and he finally picked up on the fact that his captor's heart was beating rather fast. Looking up, the lilac eyes narrowed curiously as he looked over the tanned male's face, barely spotting the slight blush largely hidden beneath the Inuzuka's painted fangs. Resting his head against the younger male's shoulder, he let out a small sigh. 'Maybe this won't be so difficult.'
Tai: Right, brief post-chapter note; I am working on chapter 7. It is in progress. It may take a little while as I figure out how to continue things from the point I'm at