Ojos Asi [[private -- nyrax]]

Kiba shook his head, pulling a hand into his own. “Yes, that’s why. The child was that lump that you had in your stomach”, he said softly. “I’m sorry Akiko, I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way”, he said weakly. As she started blaming himself he shook his head. “No, he had no idea you were even pregnant until I opened my big mouth. He did it to prove a point and so that we’d run away……he’s a coward”, Kiba growled as a mixture of anger and sadness overtook him. “I’m sorry Akiko, but Youki can’t live after what he’s done to us….what he’s done to you. I will avenge our unborn child”, he said as he looked right at her. “I swear it”

Shino just leaned up against the wall, slowly sliding down until he was sitting on the ground. Why had everything gone so wrong? Why did it all turn out this way? They had lost, everything they had left behind, everything they had lost. Kaliegh and a child were now dead because of Youki! Would Aaliyah be next? Tears began falling down Shino’s face. This wasn’t the happily ever after he promised Aaliyah. He failed the village, but most of all he failed her.

Akiko shook her head. "NO!" She yelled at him, rotating her entire body and changing so she was on her knees so her face was buried in his chest, holding onto him. "T-This isn't your fault... I should have known something was wrong. I.. I never ate that much before and I was always hungry. I was really worried, but I didn't ask my sisters, and I didn't go to Aaliyah! If I've have known sooner this never would have happened! We could have lied and..." Tears continued to fall.

Because of how she moved, the small pads measuring her heart rate had come off, making the machine flat line because there was no heart beat. Several nurses came into the room, and Tsunade wasn't far behind them. Seeing that she was awake, she motioned for the nurses to leave. "Akiko..." she whispered, seeing that Shino also seemed upset for some reason, making her sigh.

Kiba wrapped his arms around Akiko, holding her tight. He was always worried that something like this would happen. HE imagined having kids with Akiko, always afraid that one of them would die in the process. Now thanks to Youki they were experiencing something much worse. That bastard was going to pay. No child should die before their parent. “I’m sorry Akiko……I’m sorry the child is gone”, he said softly as he shook his head. He just held her, not knowing what else to say now.

Shino glanced up slowly as several people walked into the room. Tsunade was here, oh this was going to be a great day. He could already tell that she was probably going to fire them on the spot for this. Shino forced himself up on his feet, giving a weak but respectful bow to Tsunade. “Lady Hokage”, he said to address her. He would wait to hear what questions she probably had for him. With Kiba helping Akiko, Shino was the only logical choice to talk to right now. Like the expert Shino was, he slowly put on a strong face.

Akiko shook her head, her hands held tightly to his shirt, tears spilling over her eyes. Now, she was just screaming as she cried, unable to do anything else. She miscarried before she even knew she was pregnant, that was one of the worst things. All she ever wanted was a baby. She'd gotten it and lost it all in the same instance. And it was all her fault. Tears continued to fall, soaking her, Kiba and starting to drip onto the bed. It almost seemed like she'd run out of fluids to cry, but just continued.

Tsunade looked away from Akiko. She knew what happened, but no one else in the village did. Sighing, she looked over at him. "What happened? It seems obvious Youki discovered you." She said, glancing at Akiko for a moment, then back at Shino. "Is it really as bad as it looks?" For once, Tsunade actually seemed sorry, and reluctant to ask questions. She was unsure of what to do.

Kiba was much like Akiko, all he could do was hold onto Akiko as he felt more powerless than he had ever felt. HE had fought on par with one of the greatest threats to Konoha and yet he felt like a failure. He had failed his child before it even knew that it existed. Nothing he ever did could ever make up for this. Even if he killed Youki, than so what? It was just another death. It was all pointless, nothing that kiba ever did would bring this child back to life. They had lost it, and everyone would know that it was him that caused it. How could Kiba even touch Akiko again?

Shino just gave a sarcastic smile at first, basically saying ta think, with his face at least. He just shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “Let’s review what happened”, he remarked. “He discovers who Kiba is somehow. They fight, Akiko’s child is killed, he fights us and we have to retreat to save Akiko’s life. A woman we both loved and respected as our sensei is probably dead or being slowly tortured until she goes mad”, he said as he looked Tsunade in the face. “Oh, and all because she stayed behind and lied to me so that we could escape”, he added. “The love of my life is probably going to be dead tonight because she’s going to say no to Youki who proposed to her this morning………oh yeah today’s been bad to say the least”, he muttered as he signed and leaned against the wall. He looked up, waiting for her to probably berate him on leaving in the first place. “The only good thing about today was how much we made that bastard Youki bleed, and that doesn’t come anywhere close to paying him back for what he did today”

Akiko continued to cry into his arms, but she slowly calmed down. Her tears became less and less often, slowing as she grew more and more tired. She was still weak and weighed a minimal amount of her height. Leaning into him, she seemed exhausted, and started to fall asleep in his arms, holding onto his shirt tightly, tears, sparkling in the sunlight sliding down her face. "I'm sorry..." She whispered. "I wasn't strong enough..."

Tsunade glared at him. "You don't have to be an asshole, I was being nice and wasn't planning to yell at you. I just wanted to know what happened. Being negative to me won't change anything that's happened." She sighed, rubbing the back of her head, unsure of what to do. "I sent ANBU out as soon as you got here. Kakashi went with them. They're not going to attack. They'll bring Aaliyah back if she's in danger. I ordered them to."

Kiba held her, emotions completely tearing up at him on the inside. HE didn’t even know what to feel anymore, he was just numb. Tears refused to come because he had promised Akiko that he wouldn’t, she was the only thing holding him back from anything. All he could do was hold her, listening to her apologize for not being strong enough. He just shook his head as he held her. She needed him more than anything, Kiba’s finely turned ears even blocked out Shino and Tsunade.

“Like being positive will bring a little unborn baby back to life?”, Shino retorted. He let out a sigh and just shook his head. “I’m sorry…..I’m sorry”, he muttered as he covered his face with his hand. “God this wasn’t how things were supposed to end, I was supposed to save everyone not watch as we caused them all to die”, he said weakly. Shino had a sharp intake of breath as he heard the last comment Tsunade made. “How…….how many did you send?”, he asked in an extremely nervous voice. “Even with Kakashi, if you sent a small number in hopes that stealth will work…..they will all be killed before they reach her”, he said worried.

It didn't take long for Akiko to fall asleep after what she'd told him. Seconds passed before she drifted back to sleep out of pure exhaustion.

Tsunade smirked. "Give me, some credit, okay? I AM hokage, and as such, I'm pretty selective about those I send on certain missions. Only three people went, and Kakashi is leading them. Things should be fine. I got into a rather loud argument with your father this morning because he wanted to go to bring Aaliyah back here." She sat down in one of the chairs in the room. "nothing will bring back the baby, Shino, but... not that it will matter, but her body would have rejected the baby anyway. She was too weak to sustain a pregnancy any longer."

Kiba slowly laid Akiko down as she fell asleep. He took a deep breath, trying to be strong for her. She didn’t want him to cry and he wouldn’t. He forced himself to take a few more deep breaths before moving back to talk to Tsunade and Shino. Kiba said nothing, deciding that odds were anything he had to say wouldn’t be positive.

Shino let out a weak laugh. “I’m not surprised, he already considers Aaliyah his daughter”, he remarked before looking at Tsunade. She only sent four people? They had better damn well know what they were doing. If they were spotted or if Yin alerted anyone to where they were than they WOULD die. Not even Kakashi would last too long against that bunch. “You should’ve sent me with them. I know the lay of the land at least”, he added before just shrugging it off. Shino glanced at Kiba as Tsunade made the comment about Akiko being too weak to sustain an injury. He saw the look of loss on his friend’s face, instantly forgetting how mad he was with him that very morning. “You’re right…..it doesn’t matter”, he remarked as he shook his head. “I wanted to be the greatest shinobi in the leaf village…….and I can’t even save those closest to me”, he said weakly. He looked Tsunade right in the eyes. “Youki’s wrath at Konoha will come swiftly, especially if you succeed in taking Aaliyah……he will attack like a rain that never ends”

Hana darted into the room and almost jumped on Kiba. She hugged him as tight as she could; knocking him backwards, holding him tightly. "Kiba!" She exclaimed, squeezing her brother tightly. "You're okay! I'm so glad. We were so worried. Oh god..." She looked into his eyes and smiled at him. "What happened? Why are you hurt?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No. He'd have killed you. That's the reason I didn't allow your father to go." She moved some of her blonde hair from her face. "I understood that you knew the land better, but you're safer here and we need you." She told him certainly. "After all, if he will attack, who better to report that than you?" She smiled at him but knew it would do no good to make them feel better.

Kiba suddenly smelled someone that he hadn’t in months. He turned his head towards the door, only to be pounced upon by his sister who nearly tackled him down. God, he always forgot that she was much tougher than she appeared to be. He held his ground but he could only give the weakest of hugs in return. When she asked him what was wrong he just shook his head. “I……I…”, but Kiba couldn’t bring himself to say how he had caused Akiko this pain. At least when Hana lost her child it was natural, no one stabbed it dead.

“In the rage he is in he’ll kill anyone that gets near there, especially considering two of the people that he trusted most while being there turned out to be clan heirs from the village he hates most in the world”, he pointed out. Shino shrugged as she mentioned that they needed him if they attacked. “Believe me, if he attacks I’ll be ready for him. You can’t tell by looking at us…….but you would be amazed by the level of strength that we have now”, he said before looking at Hana who was worrying over Kiba. He couldn’t say it, so it looked like Shino would have to do it for him. “Akiko was pregnant……….Youki stabbed the child and killed it”, he said sadly. Shino couldn’t save that life either.

Hana turned, facing Kiba with a shocked look on her face. "Kiba..." She muttered, it slowly morphing into that of sadness. Her arms then wrapped around him again, much softer this time and she held onto him tightly. Nothing could really make up for the loss he felt. She knew how much he loved Akiko and wanted to have a child with, to prove to everyone how much she meant to him.

Tsunade nodded and smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised." She told him, seeming genuine with how she said it. "I have faith in both of you, but that doesn't mean he'll directly attack the village now. He'll most likely wait this out and see how things go. I doubt that he'll want a frontal confrontation now. Especially with Akiko here, and you said you injured him a good deal. He's a planner. He'll wait, and we'll be ready."

Kiba could barely stand to see that look on Hana’s face. Would she act different if she knew that he was responsible? His words, his actions, his mistake caused Youki to find him. He should’ve known that it was some kind of a trick when he was asked to go in first. He wrapped his arms around his older sister, someone who loved him and wanted him to be happy. He saw her in such a different light after talking to Cyon. “I’m sorry sis…..I’m sorry”, he said weakly.

Shino nodded. “He does some things in his rage that he ends up regretting. He might just be pissed off that we tricked him for months on end and got stronger because of him”, Shino said before looking at Tsunade directly. “Youki personally trained me in chakra control”, he said probably much to her surprise. “We wait for now, but I will be continuing my training every day until he does”

Hana let him go to look into his eyes. "Kiba... I'm so sorry..." She whispered, touching his face. "Are you okay? Is Akiko okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Glancing at Tsunade and Shino, she was more asking him if he wanted to go for a walk to speak with her. "I'm here for you if you need me.." She affirmed, wanting him to talk to her rather than keep it all inside.

Tsunade looked much more than surprised, she looked shocked. "Shino... He hates people. Why would he...?" She trailed off, staring at him intently. All the same, she sighed. That was a force to be beckoned with. She was impressed; and that she had to admit. "I am impressed, but that doesn't mean that we're out of the woods." She grinned at him. "Who knows, maybe you should show me how much control you really have." Tsunade herself was quite skilled with chakra control.

Kiba could only barely look at Hana, wanting to make himself look at the ground, or a fingernail, or anything else that would distract him. He knew that she cared though, he couldn’t hide or deny that. He glanced over at Shino and Tsunade when she asked if they wanted to talk. He needed to talk to her about this, and since Akiko was sleeping now was perfect. “Yeah…..yeah let’s go. We can talk”, he said with a very weak smile. “I’ve…I’ve missed you sis”, he added.

Shino shrugged. “Long story that you can read in my report or I can tell you later when we have a ton more free time. Hard to summarize everything that happened there in a few minutes you know”, he pointed out. “I agree we aren’t scot free yet but at least that’s something”, he pointed out. He raised an eyebrow when she made the comment about seeing how good he was with it. “What would you like me to do?”, he asked curiously.

Hana hugged Kiba again softly. "Let's go for a walk, okay? Akamaru, stay." She said, taking Kiba's hand and walking away with him. Maybe being away from Akiko's scent and that of her blood would put him at ease some? As they walked, she looked over at him, a somber look on her face. She'd never seen Kiba look this way before... So weak, so defeated. It scared her. "Talk to me, Kiba... What happened. I've never seen you so..." She couldn't even find the words to describe his actions.

Tsunade sighed. "I think my test of you can said some other time. Your father wishes for your return as soon as possible and when you're well. Given that you're unhurt I think it best that you return home to see him and the rest of your clan. They've been waiting quite tense for your arrival, and not always silently. I had a woman threaten me a few weeks ago." She warned, seeming to understand that this woman was not someone she wanted to mess with.

“Yeah, a walk sounds nice”, Kiba said with a weak smile as Han told Akamaru to stay. The dog whined, clearly being able to see that his master was upset. “It’ll be okay boy, we won’t be gone for too long. Take care of her for me while I’m gone”, he said before making his way out with Hana, hands in his pocket. He glanced over at her and decided to finish her sentence. “Weak, worthless, spineless, helpless, like a pup?”, he suggested as they walked. He took in a slow breath and stared forward as they talked. “Don’t listen to anything Akiko says…..the child is dead because of me”

“A fair point Tsunade”, Shino remarked as he clipped his collar back in the usual position. He listened curiously, knowing that the internal affairs of his own clan must have been nuts while he was gone. People were probably trying to convince Shibi that his only son and heir was dead. Shibi of course knew the truth though. Shino raised an eyebrow near the end. “A woman?”, he questioned. Who in the clan that was a woman threaten the Hokage because of him? Shino shrugged it off, figuring that it wasn’t important. “I still wish to serve Konoha. If you have need of me, send for me”, he said before making his way out of the hospital and now moving towards his old home estate.

Hana shook her head. "No. Kiba you're none of those things." She tried to comfort him, but it didn't seem to be working. Sighing, she took his hand. "You saved her life by bringing her here. Youki's cowardliness has everything to do with what happened and how you lost the baby. People... don't blame yourself for the loss of your baby, it will only hurt you more and more in the long run. Relax. Talk to me about what happened, without insulting yourself and defending her. She doesn't seem all that healthy should you ask my honesty."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, a woman. She was quite adamant that I tell her where you where so she could go and collect you to bring you back to the village. She was quite headstrong." She smiled at him as he left, but nodded. "I will call should I need you or have news." She turned and went over to Akiko to check her injuries.

As Shino left the Hokage office something was following him, and it didn't take long for her to catch up with him. She was Aburame, and was a few inches taller than Aaliyah and was now in front of him, blocking his path. "It's good that you've returned, Shino." She addressed, bowing to him formally. Her face was partially obstructed, but woman weren't bound to cover their eyes as men where; however, her were hidden.

Kiba said nothing as Hana tried to boost up his confidence. Kiba was so lost in his own thoughts it was a miracle that he was even walking with her instead of running into a tree. He glanced down as she took his hand into her own, something that he never remembered her doing. “Just because it hurts doesn’t mean it’s not true sis”, he muttered sadly. She wanted to know what happened, fine he’d just tell her the truth. “Youki fought me one on one, and we were both hurting each other badly. He cut open my chest, and I crushed his leg and made his mouth bleed”, he said. “However, Akiko showed up and he started insulting her, saying how she could never get pregnant and was a freak……so I shouted at him that she already was……..I wanted to tear him off that damn pedestal, but within a few moments he lifted up the blade and stabbed her through. He wouldn’t have known if I kept my mouth shut”

As Shino walked back home he couldn’t help but ponder Tsunade’s words. A woman demanding to know where Shino was so that she could collect him? Who was this Aburame? Shino couldn’t think of anyone that came to mind at those words. As he walked though he felt something at the back of his neck, telling him that he wasn’t alone. A figure suddenly appeared and blocked the path in front of Shino. She apparently wanted to talk. He blinked as she introduced herself formally. A female Aburame, could this be who Tsunade mentioned. “Yes, well I only wish my journey had been more successful than it was”, he admitted. “Ah, forgive me but I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know my name but I do not know yours”

"Kiba..." She whispered, seeing his reaction. Was it truly that bad? Was he really that torn up inside? Leaning forward, she softly kissed his forehead. "Kiba..." She whispered, once more, showing her dismay for the tale which had been told to her. "If Youki was any time of human, he wouldn't have tried to run his sister clean for loving. If we had a brother and did such a thing to me, would you ever forgive him? I know this isn't exactly the same thing, Kiba, but please... realize that this is the fault of Youki. Not yours. What will you do? Akiko needs you now. Surely you don't intend to run off and die? You're badly injured."

The female smiled. Unlike Shino, the lower half of her face was visible, and her lips were beautiful in their own right. They weren't as full as Aaliyah's, but they were on their way there. The sunlight that was fading over the horizon, shone, making her lips seemed much more alluring; or at least they would to another man. "You're father will be glad to know your safe. I've been by his side for a good while to reassure him you're safe." She told him, a small amount of her dark hair drifted into your face.

"Forgive me, Shino-sama." She bowed her head formally to him. "How rude of me to not introduce myself." There was a hindrance of bitterness in her voice as if she expected him to know; but nothing that showed disrespect. "My name is Adelaida."

Kiba was torn up on the inside. No matter how evil Youki was he hadn’t known about the kid till Kiba opened his mouth. Most of the fault belonged to Youki, but that didn’t dismiss Kiba for being an idiot. They had ultimately failed, the only good that came out of this was now Akiko was out of there for good, and now she saw the evil that her brother was. When it came time to kill him, she wasn’t going to interfere. He glanced up at Hana’s words after he felt the kiss. “No, I don’t think I could forgive him for taking the life of such an innocent”, he admitted. “I’m not going to leave her……I’m just going to have a hard time facing her”, he muttered as he looked at his bleeding chest. He was injured, but that pain was merely a scratch compared to what he felt in his heart. “One day I’ll forgive myself……I just need time”

As always her physical and visible beauty wasn’t what was striking Shino, it was the way that she was speaking to him. She spoke as if she was more important that she let on. So far she hadn’t even given a name and yet she was talking to him like they had known each other for years. “Adelaida……pleasure to meet you. And I would thank you for watching after my father and comforting him while I was gone. I knew that it’d be hard on him but I had no real choice in the matter”, he remarked. “I did what had to be done”, he said as he watched her. “Now then, may I ask why you are following me? May I perhaps help you with something?”

Hana sighed, touching his face. "Chibi..." She whispered, meaning of course that he was a runt. "Please..." She whispered. "Akiko loves you, and if you can't look at her, what will she think? She's young and fragile. She just lost a baby and after all this time..." She told him, holding his shoulders tightly. "Please, Kiba, don't do anything stupid. At this point, it could destroy her. Mother and I will care for her if you can not face her but..." Her voice was strained, unsure of what to do. In her eyes, Akiko was already her sister, as well as almost all but one of their clan customs. Tsume and Hana had long since accepted Akiko. The Elders had as well, the clan would do anything to protect their own.

When he said her name, her smile brightened. "I was asked to come here at the request of our secondary clan which lives in the forests on the opposite end of the world." Her eyes rested on him. "When one of our brethren was killed, I was asked to come here, but arrived after that woman broke into the house. They regret killing her for what she did to you and your pursuit of her. Regardless of your father's objects, they've voted collectively; as a whole, to banish her presence from out clan. Should she approach, they ordered she be killed. No questions asked. They wanted to send some of our strong men here to do away with her, but I volunteered to come alone."

Kiba just gave a weak grin as Hana called him a runt. Things were getting back to normal. The relationship between the two always seemed to be a good one, and now that all the Akiko main drama had been accepted things were admittedly looking up. “Me? Not doing anything stupid? And here I thought you knew me?”, he said with a pretty weak laugh. He shook his head. “I want you still to be there, she’ll need more than me in the state that I’m in now”, he admitted weakly. “I’ll be there for her, but I’m going to need some support to lean on as well”, he uttered as he closed his eyes and held them shut for a minute straight. “I promise I won’t leave her, I won’t become like Cyon”, he said weakly. In Kiba’s state he completely forgot that Hana didn’t know that he knew about them.

Shino stood there and listened for a moment, wondering why a clan from across the world would send a single representative. Was something wrong? Of course the next few words that she said caused his eyes to slowly widen although she didn’t see that. With Shino’s glasses back on she couldn’t tell much about how he was feeling. He just stood there in silent for the longest time. “You’re telling me that you came here to kill one woman?”, he asked. “You came all the way here to kill Aaliyah yourself? What do you know and hate her or something?”

Hana smiled too, laughing weakly. "If only, my brother. If only." She teased. When he grew weaker, closing his eyes, all she could do was embrace him tightly. Inuzuka woman where known for being taller than average, and like her mother, Hana was no exception. True Kiba was now taller than his sister; she was not that much shorter than he. "I love you." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso, holding him tightly.

When she broke the hug, she smiled. Then, when she heard Cyon, her face fell and her body unconsciously shuttered and one of her legs gave out, making her fell to her knees. Her hand slammed onto the ground, bracing her body so she didn't completely fall. "Who told...?" Her voice sounded breathless and her eyes started to sting.

"The message she left you after being accepted by the clans spooked many elders across the branches. They all agreed that you were you blindsided by such a beautiful woman and decided it would be best for you to marry within the clan to preserve the clan's honor and integrity. Unsure of who to choose, I volunteered to return and confront this woman, killing her myself to avenge the honor she stole in running from you. Not to mention, you followed her so blindly and returned much later in fear with a dying child."

Kiba stuck out his tongue jokingly before returning the tight embrace that Hana delivered to him. To think that he used to believe that Hana hated him, that she saw him as an obstacle towards the clan leader position. How wrong he had been. He shook his head slowly to himself. “I love you too sis, and no matter what happens in the future never forget that”, he whispered as they continued to hold one another in the embrace.

Afterwards though, Kiba suddenly got hit by reality as Hana fell to the ground. He realized what he said and quickly moved down, checking to make sure that she was okay. “I…..I talked to cyon while I was there and he had to train me. He told me about the child and everything that happened”, he said weakly. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that…….I’m sorry”

Shino said nothing for a few moments, only narrowing his eyes at the woman. This was what they wanted him to deal with on the first day back? God he didn’t need this right now. Shino just let out a little chuckle. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into”, he said as he looked her in the eyes. “Tell me something, what happens if she defeats you?”, he wondered out loud. “If you are unable to kill her than what will you do than?”