The Hand of Lady Hyuga
Chapter Three
There were very few things he hated more than the Season: Naruto (for one) when he was being annoying, Ino when she wanted to get into his pants (and he would rue to deny her, the heir of the Yamanaka Clan), and Lady Anko Mitarashi when she (frequently and sometimes fanatically) wanted to get into his pants (and he thanked the Great Goddess every fucking day that the Inuzuka Clan was higher on the figurative totem pole than the Mitarashi).
But then again, the Season did include all three, and sometimes in the same room. In which case, he supposed, there really wasn't anything he hated more than the Season. Not only did the Season take up the best three months of the year – the summer, but Kiba hated the capital city – hated cities altogether, no matter the size or place.
It was the crowds, the smells, the people. He didn't give a damn if he had to appear before the Imperial Court for the sake of the Inuzuka Clan; he didn't even give a damn if it made his mother happy. All he wanted to do was run around the Inuzuka pastures and scream into the wind and sweat under the sun and roll around in the dirt and go skinny dipping in the nearby river – and not be confined within the Imperial Palace to make himself appealing for the noble women, all for the sake of snatching a wife (preferably, as all clans wanted, a Clan Head or heir).
And he didn't understand why he had to. It wasn't like the Inuzuka Clan was in a desperate need of an alliance. In fact, there were very few clans the Inuzuka could benefit from. At least the Inuzuka Clan had a daughter to inherit the clan, while most other Great Clans of Konoha did not. There was no hurry for him to be married off or to produce pups. Fortunately, for the past five years, his mother had understood this and had allowed him to attend the Season at the end of the Season. For the past five years, he had not appeared at Court until the end of summer – beginning of fall, and had plenty of the summer to himself to enjoy however he wished.
Unfortunately, because of that damned Prince's wedding, he was entitled to attend the Season earlier, as in: at the beginning of summer. It was no surprise then that he was more than just a little miffed and a lot of agitated. There just wasn't enough air in the city, enough nature in the Imperial Palace – not enough of the wild and feral for him.
He hated the Season.
"They say that the Lady Hyuga will be arriving today," the Aburame beside him informed. As usual, his tone was fixed and mumbled behind his high collar; a calm exterior that belied the busyness of the kikaichu running rampant through his body. The Season had always called for the Aburame to extend his network too far for the sake of garnering too little information, but information of any kind (especially with the Imperial Palace filled to the brim with both the most petty and prestigious clans across the kingdom) was information.
Kiba shrugged, but even he couldn't hide the zing of excitement chorusing through his body. For the past week, news of the Lady Hyuga's possible appearance in the Imperial Court had spread like wildfire throughout the city – throughout the kingdom, and every noble clan with any ounce of noble blood (or any clan for that matter who wished very f-ing badly for some noble blood interaction) rushed into the capital city at record speed and overflowing the already overpopulated city to that point where several buildings were already threatening to collapse. Even those old codgers who hadn't been in the capital for decades had reached for their damn walking canes just to confirm such rumours!
And he couldn't blame them either, couldn't blame their greedy need to see her (even if it was a glimpse of her hair), couldn't blame their need to be near her (even if it was to get a whiff of her shawl hanging in the coat racks) because she was, after all, the Lady fucking Hyuga.
One would have to be either dense or dead (or both) if they did not know who the hell the Lady Hyuga was. Not only was she the one who righted the kingdom's economy after the Ten Years War with a single contract to the Tea Country, but she was the one who ended the Ten Years War singlehandedly. It had been an epic battle and any ninja worth her salt had been at the battlefronts. Hell, Kiba had been there – at fifteen, with an uneasy Akamaru and a feral fear of being overcome and cornered. From what he had been told, for many of the Konoha ninja had not been at the exact place as the epic battle, the Lady Hyuga (who had not been the Lady Hyuga at the time) had raced onto the battlefield by herself and made specifically for the Raikage – and the land had seemed to part for her, and time had seemed to have stopped for her. It had been short. It had been sweet. The prestigious Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and the Raikage was downed by a fifteen-year-old woman-child.
Not only had she been awarded a heroine's triumph within the capital city, but Empress Biwako had placed her within the High Council a week later. A month later and she had been inaugurated as the Head of the Hyuga Clan, finally retiring her father who had been Regent for the better part of the Ten Years War. The Hyuga, in the aftermath of the war, had been awarded untold riches and land, and unbreakable alliances within and outside the kingdom, and they became one of the most powerful clans in several kingdoms, more so than before the Ten Years War. Some had even said that the Hyuga Clan now rivalled the Imperial Sarutobi Clan, but the Lady Hyuga was much too noble and too compassionate to challenge the teetering Imperial Clan for Konoha's throne.
Compassionate. That was how they had described the Lady Hyuga. Compassionate. Kiba had never heard of any Hyuga as being described as compassionate, but the Lady Hyuga was every bit of her surprising. She was also, according to many rumours, kind and merciful and soft. She was unlike any other Hyuga ever known or heard of. She was one-of-a-kind.
A Legend.
A Living Legend.
People spoke her name in hushed reverence.
"Hinata Hyuga."
People prayed to her for daughters.
"Hinata Hyuga."
People tried to describe her in terms of being "human," but just couldn't… quite… manage it.
"Hinata Hyuga."
Kiba wouldn't have believed it if his mother and sister hadn't attested to the Hyuga's character and honour. Not only was his mother fond of the girl, but had actually felt more secure in her position as the Matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan after meeting her. Hana, in the same vein, knew that her future ascension as the next Inuzuka Clan Head would go unattested as long as the Lady Hyuga was her firm ally.
Glancing at Shino, Kiba knew that the Aburame would have his work cut out for him. Even if their three clans – Hyuga, Inuzuka and Aburame – were traditional allies, strong and undisputed, the fact that the Aburame had no daughter to inherit was rather precarious for their alliance. Shino's father's, the Lord Regent Aburame's, position had been shaky at best when he had failed to produce a daughter with the then Lady Aburame, but with the Lady Aburame's demise shortly thereafter…
Fortunately Kiba's mother and the former Lady Hyuga (the mother of the current) had stood steadfast by the Lord Regent Aburame's side. And so far, much to their Triple Alliance's (more commonly known as the "Tracking Alliance") relief, the current Lady Hyuga was also willing to sponsor the Aburame's Main Family, most likely in support of the deceased Lady Aburame's bloodline within Shino. There was a good chance of Shino producing a daughter in a few years, after all. However, this could change if she was to find the (male) heir wanting, and Shino was under duress by the other members of his clan, and even the watchful eyes of the rivalling clans, to impress the young Hyuga.
And she was young. Kiba understood that she was in his age group – twenty. She was twenty. She had defeated the Raikage and Kumo simultaneously five years ago when she was just fifteen years old. The fact that she was young and unmarried was frightening for many of the clans, and even exciting for them. Every Tom, Dick and Harry was going to be either told to seduce her, or would genuinely want to seduce her.
To be the Hyuga Consort to the Lady Hinata Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan?
HELL, YES!
There was none more sought after than the Lady Hyuga, and Kiba was thankful that he had no plans or ideas of marriage any time soon. He understood, of course, why everyone was so anxious to see her – why so many eligible bachelors would want to catch a glimpse of her – why the city streets had been lined up since midnight last night just to watch (in admirable silence) her carriage go by.
Because the Lady Hyuga had not been seen in public for five years.
After the Ten Years War, it was like she had disappeared. They knew that she was alive because several of the Great Konoha Clan Heads had paid her visits, mostly to ensure that their alliances were still intact… and whether or not she would like to marry their sons… If not for the Empress' correspondence with the Lady Hyuga on an almost daily basis, Konoha would have believed the Lady Hyuga had died… and then would promptly construct several shrines in her honour and worship her as a goddess.
It was a relief that none of that had happened so far, because Kiba did want to see the Lady Hyuga, even at a distance… Perhaps even preferably at a distance. She may overwhelm him with her presence, or strike him dead for one wrong look, or be trampled by her damn fanboys (and fangirls). Kiba just wanted a look – to confirm that she was real – to know that in this world such a person could and did exist.
Just one look.
It wasn't like he was asking for the world and all the inhabitants in it.
Just her.
Or perhaps he was asking for too much, after all?
"Hey, bastard!" Naruto growled from one side of the small courtyard.
The small crowd of men and boys turned their heads from the Uzumaki to the other side of the courtyard, a great number of eyes landing on the Uchiha. It was the normal exchange of words and threats.
"Idiot," Sasuke returned easily with a smirk.
Kiba was just glad that Naruto wasn't targeting him that morning. He didn't want to cause trouble on the day the Lady Hyuga was to, supposedly, arrive.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled to Kiba's left, leaning against the wall with his friend Choji.
Mildly, Kiba was relieved that the Tracking Alliance was not like the Reconnaissance Alliance (the Ino-Shika-Cho Alliance). With the Tracking Alliance, two of their clans stood firm with their female offspring, whereas only the Yamanaka had a single female offspring. The Nara and the Akimichi would want the Lady Hyuga's benevolence, just like the other clans.
Kiba had barely a moment to move when Naruto came crashing towards him. Fortunately Akamaru was there to shove him aside just as Naruto impacted the column he had been standing in front of. Pushing himself up from the ground, he looked to his damn expensive shirt and saw the back grass-stained and his pants dirt-grimed.
"Damn it, Naruto!" he growled, standing at once. "You know how expensive this shirt is?"
Naruto had the decency to smile sheepishly and bow his head apologetically. "Sorry, Kiba, but it was Sasuke's fault."
"Idiot," Sasuke derided almost offhandedly. "You were the one to challenge an Uchiha."
Kiba rolled his eyes. With the Main Family sporting two males, the Uchiha had nothing to brag about. They could be strong as hell (Kiba gave them some credit), but the Uchiha were a cursed clan and paled in comparison to the Hyuga. He really wished sometimes to beat the shit out of the Uchiha Spare for his uppity attitude. He had nothing to brag about.
"Screw you, bastard," Naruto fumed. "Uzumaki for the win!"
Kiba almost – almost – groaned at the blond's incompetence. Whereas the Uchiha had two sons, they at least had two. The Uzumaki had one, and he was the only child, and Naruto wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the package. In fact, he barely gave a wink in the night.
"It doesn't matter." Prince Konohamaru stepped into the courtyard with a smartass nose in the air. "None of you can compare to the Hyuga anyway."
It was no secret that Prince Konohamaru and Lady Hanabi, the Spare of the Hyuga Clan, were "secret" lovers. The fact that he boasted of the Hyuga and not of his own Imperial Clan, the Sarutobi, proved just how loyal he was to the Hyuga already. And there had been no move on the Hyuga's part to court him officially. It may have been a slap in the face for the Sarutobi Clan, but Prince Konoharmaru wasn't complaining so Kiba assumed that the fucking was just that good.
Uchiha tensed and his Sharingan spun unconsciously at the insult, but Uzumaki merely brushed it off with a shrug.
"Hey, hey, bastard," Naruto suggested slyly. "How about we see who can get the Lady Hyuga's favour first, huh?"
Kiba was insulted at the proposal, and he could feel Shino stiffen behind him. The Tracking Alliance would go to Hell and back again to defend each other's honour. One did not insult the Hyuga in front of the Inuzuka or the Aburame, and vice versa. The Uzumaki was treading on dangerous territory.
Choji blinked, stopping momentarily from eating his chips. "I thought you liked Lady Sakura, Naruto."
Naruto faltered and Shikamaru couldn't help but curl his lips in disgust. It was not gentleman-like to throw oneself at a passing noble lady, but to be honourable, strong and loyal to attract the right mate. It was the woman's right to choose, and the man's right to be patient and to better himself. The women did the courting, not the other way around, but Naruto had never been one to oblige the rules.
"That's okay!" Naruto chirped. "I'm gonna marry Sakura, but that doesn't mean I can't be friends with Hin-"
"The Lady Hyuga," Shino cut in before the Uzumaki could insult the Hyuga any farther. "Mind your manners, Uzumaki."
"What's your deal?" Naruto questioned, confused. "I know you guys are in the Tracking Alliance, but we're the Three Powerhouses."
"It's not the same," Kiba spat and Akamaru growled.
Shikamaru agreed. "The Powerhouses are Powerhouses because of the individual powers of the Hyuga, Uzumaki and Uchiha – you are not united otherwise. The Alliances are the Alliances because we choose to be together. There is more rift between the Powerhouses, seen most prominently through the conflict between you and Sasuke. You do not see Kiba and Shino beating each other up, or Choji and I crashing through the Imperial Palace walls, do you?"
Naruto huffed and Prince Konohamaru snickered. "That's cause Sasuke and I are rivals. We both know that we love each other-"
"I do not love you, Uzumaki," Sasuke hissed. "I don't even like you."
"Bastard," Naruto growled. "You do like me. You're just too much of a coward to admit it!"
"Coward?" Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Eeh? What do we have here?" Suigetsu commented with a playful swing of his Decapitating Carving Knife. Jugo was just a little ways behind the sword master. "Is Sasuke getting his ass kicked… again?" He chuckled.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Shino was quick to draw Kiba back. As much as Suigetsu and Jugo were a part of the Uchiha's ninja team and, indeed, resided with and were indebted to the Uchiha, Suigetsu had no qualms in trying to take the Uchiha Spare's head without former warning or ill-disguised glee. There was some sick companionship between the two that no one could really grasp except for, perhaps, the quiet Jugo.
"No, Suigetsu," Naruto whined. "This time it's just me and Sasuke!" Then he flashed a self-important grin. "You can have whatever remains of him after I'm finished with him."
"You wish, Uzumaki," Suigetsu sneered. "You can't even beat me! What makes you think can beat him?"
"Oh yeah?" Naruto shouted, his eyes bleeding with the Kyubi. "Let's go, asshole!"
Suigetsu's face split open with a chilling grin. "Let's go, Mama's Boy."
The courtyard suddenly upended – the Kyubi's claws against Suigetsu's huge-ass sword. No one was given the time to think or run or defend, and several brickwork in the Palace walls had already fallen; the trees irreparable. Kiba wasn't going to lie and say that Naruto wasn't powerful. Hell, between him and Sasuke, they could probably carve the damn wide earth in two – one half full of ramen for Naruto, and the other of cherry tomatoes (of all f-ing things) for Sasuke.
From his peripheral vision, he saw that Shikamaru was leading the Prince back into the safety of the Palace; Choji watching their back. Shino's kikaichu was spinning around them to eat up the access (and destructive) demon chakra that had "accidentally" spilled forth from the blond jinchuriki.
"Fuck," Kiba cursed.
Shino nodded in acquiesce. "We must stop them before the Emperor decides to intervene."
"Fuck," Kiba cursed again. The Emperor foresaw to the men during the Season, and damned would they be if they were found destroying the Imperial Palace… again. "Damn it, Naruto! Such a fucking idiot."
He had to perform the Four Legs Technique just to counter the sudden wave of chaotic red chakra from Naruto. Feral. Wild. Animalistic. Kiba's vision heightened threefold and he felt the world warp around him, as if he were a part of the wind and sun and sky and-
A slight mistaken step on Naruto's part and-
Kiba launched forward, ducking below Suigetsu's broad swing to tackle Naruto into the Palace courtyard wall, firmly pressing the damn jinchuriki into the crevice their impact had made. Vaguely, he wondered if his mother would have to pay for the damage, but the ferociousness of the Kyubi was more troubling and he was forced to push all thought aside just to hold the Uzumaki down. As much as his inner-canine wanted to turn tail and run from this greater predator, the human side of him – the logic side of him told him to hold him down a little longer until reinforcements arrived.
He was just glad Naruto hadn't turned all damn Sage on him.
"What the HELL is going on?" Sakura's timely screech all but put a stop to everything.
Kiba waited until Naruto's rage receded before stepping back and giving the Uzumaki room to breathe and recoup. Honestly, he didn't ever think he'd be glad to hear Sakura's voice, but that was almost a Goddess-sent. Looking behind him, he saw that Shino had incapacitated Suigetsu, or appeared to judging from the thick black swarm revolving around the Hozuki lying on the ground.
One quick look, and Sakura was fuming mad and red in the face, hollering, "NARUTO! WHAT DID YOU DO NOW?"
Naruto flinched, and then scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "S-Sakura… You see…"
Sasuke snorted. "The idiot decided to kill me again."
Sakura's eyes looked ready to fall out of their sockets. "WHAT?"
"Nonono!" Naruto hurriedly tried to salvage his honour, shooting Sasuke a glare in the process.
Really, Kiba decided, the Uchiha was such a prick. If there was anyone that could really stop Naruto, it would have been Sasuke, and he could have stopped it before Suigetsu had started calling Naruto immature names. And, of course, Sakura was going to side with Sasuke… again. The love triangle was getting tiring, and there would never be results until someone decided to give.
"Now, now, Sakura," Ino attempted to soothe.
Kiba's brow twitched. He shouldn't be surprised. Lady Ino and Sakura were best friends and were hardly seen apart, but he had hoped (of all hopeless hopes) that he would not be seeing her that day, much less that morning.
Accidentally catching her eye, Kiba pretended not to notice when she gave him a saucy wink. In all honesty, he did enjoy their time together in bed, but that was all. Anything outside was not very appetizing, and even if he tried (and he had tried) to stop the sexual escapades… She was not going to give up on him until he was taken. And he couldn't deny her. A man could not deny a woman.
"Damn it," he swore under his breath, wiping the dirt from his face. The courtyard was in ruins for the third time that week. Emperor Hiruzen was not going to be happy.
"What are we going to do, Ino?" Sakura sounded desperately.
"Get it fixed, duh," Suigetsu insulted, finally able to stand after Shino called his colony back.
"That's not what I mean!" Sakura fumed. "How are supposed to get this fixed in time?"
"'In time?'" Naruto voiced curiously, confused.
Sakura huffed, but it was Ino who explained, and quite frazzled now too. "The Lady Hyuga just entered the Palace. What's gonna happen when she sees this?"
The courtyard froze and they all looked wide-eyed with Holy-Shit expressions. Everyone wanted to give the Lady Hyuga a good first impression of themselves for the sake of themselves and their clans, and although Sakura and Lady Ino wouldn't have to try hard to present themselves well, for the males… it would be a different story altogether. It would not do well to dishonour their clans.
"What am I going to say to Lady Tsunade?" Sakura whined to her blonde friend.
Ino gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you promised her to watch Naruto," she shot Naruto a glare, who shifted uncomfortably, "but your priority is to the Senju Clan, not the Uzumaki. So you better clean up and be there with the Lady Senju when she greets the Lady Hyuga, or you're gonna be in deeper shit."
"Shit." Kiba pulled the grass from his shirt and rushed into the Palace to take a quick bath.
As if his quick action was genius, the crowd in the courtyard quickly dispersed to clean themselves up too and to get something nice to wear. For Kiba, he was especially distraught, especially when Akamaru was covered in earth and mud and was going to need a lot more than just a "quick bath" to be presentable. This made the decision for him. He was only going to lay eyes on the Lady Hyuga from afar. He was now too embarassed to stand by his mother and sister to greet her.
He was ruined!
"Damn, damn, fuck, fuck, damn," he chanted obscenely, running down the hall and turning the corner-
"Oh!" a small feminine voice squeaked.
And really, Kiba tired (and failed) to back up, but he had forgotten that Akamaru was running just behind him and, even as he took a step back… his nin-dog just had to bump into him and he, in turn, bumped into her and, naturally, he accidentally… pushed her to the ground and,like dominos, he fell on top of her!
THE HORROR!
"Shit!" he cursed, barely having time to register that he had collided with a woman (and no doubt a noble lady) or even getting a good look at her before rushing back onto his feet and bowed low. "F-Forgive me, my lady. It was most impertinent of me to-"
"It's alright," the delicate voice chimed, calm and merciful – blessedly merciful (in Kiba's mind). "Do you know where the Throne Room is?"
"Yes!" Kiba answered emphatically, too ashamed to lift himself from the bow. He didn't even notice the way Akamaru had taken a respectful step back and dipping his head every now and then. "Down the hall, to the right, and then another hall, to the left, and then up the stairs, to the right, and then-"
"I see…" the woman mused, finding his "explanation" humorous. "The Palace has certainly changed throughout these years. It is like a maze now, isn't it?"
Kiba didn't know how to reply, sweat dripping down his chin from his earlier excursion and jerky nerves from crashing into a lady. He only hoped that she would not report this… undisciplined behaviour to his mother. He really didn't want to get lectured again.
"You..." she trailed, perturbed by his action, "may stand, if you wish."
"Y-Yes!" he burst, quickly snapping up straight, sending specks of dirt and twigs falling to the ground.
But he didn't twitch. He didn't feel ashamed. He couldn't even breathe because there was a Hyuga in front of him. His first thought was that she was going to kill him for his earlier transgression. And then she was going to tell his mother so that she could kill him even farther. He was a dead, dead man.
"An Inuzuka?" she enquired, tilting her head to one side to get a better look of him.
"Y-Yes…" he answered obediently, his throat dry.
She smiled then – smiled, and he was momentarily thrown by this action.
The only Hyuga who Kiba had met (very briefly) had been Lady Hanabi, and her guards and servants, and he had assumed that all Hyuga were like Lady Hanabi, and her guards and servants. Cold. Merciless. Uptight. Impenetrable. Undefeatable. He did not think, even in his wildest dreams, that a Hyuga could be so…
Open. Unguarded. Kind. Soft. Perfect.
She wasn't a great beauty (in Hyuga terms), but she didn't need to be. She wasn't dressed in the finest robes, but she didn't need to be. She wasn't wearing the most expensive jewelleries, but she didn't need to be. She didn't have to be anything because her very presence seemed to convey that there was nothing she had to compare herself to, or live up to, because she was already perfection itself and she could be wearing a burlap sack with dirt all over her face and limbs – and she would still be perfect.
It was in the way she projected herself.
She was untouchable.
"Lord Kiba Inuzuka, yes?" she enquired patiently with that calming smile of hers.
"Yes," he answered, finding himself relaxing too. Then he scrunched his face up. "How did you know?" And as if he suddenly realized that he was being rude, he added, "If I may enquire, milady."
The Hyuga giggled and it was the strangest sound he had ever heard, as if "giggling" and "Hyuga" did not compute… and yet such a feat was happening right in front of him. He was confused and disoriented, and just didn't know what to think.
"Your mother, the Lady Inuzuka, has shown me a picture of you," she answered naturally.
"Oh," he sounded dumbly, feeling quite disconnected.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Kiba," she said with a small polite bow.
"O-Oh!" He was startled yet again by her actions and quickly gave a low bow at the waist. "Y-You're welcome!"
He dared not straighten until she moved passed him and down the hall, leaving a whiff of peonies in her wake and securing his fate that he was not yet a dead man. Breathing a sigh of relief, an action Akamaru mimicked, Kiba stood and thought it lucky of him for not (literally) colliding with a cold Hyuga and therefore (may) jeopardize the Tracking Alliance. His mother and sister would have destroyed him if that had happened.
"Lady Hyuga," a deep male voice addressed from behind.
Kiba stilled, breath growing shallow and heart fast. It couldn't have been… She couldn't have been… That was to say, Kiba faltered, the chances of her being… It just wasn't possible! But then again, he thought horrifyingly, it was not impossible that she could be…
Slowly, very slowly, Kiba turned and-
It was like someone had punched him in the stomach, or Juken him as this situation would have called for.
There she was, little miss not-Hyuga, standing above a kneeling Hyuga male with that benevolent smile of hers…
And dangling from her belt was a white jade pendant – the Head of the Hyuga crest.
Shit.
He was a dead, dead – triple dead – man.
xxx
the point