#but yeah i think This contributes to her scrambling for control over every aspect of herself and her life

[ow1et]

one day i'll finish my hour by hour account of the first two days that athene is in the labyrinth (which are a continuous 48 hours btw) because i want to elaborate on just how warped her perception of reality is afterward and the lasting effects it's had on her mentally and physically.

[thegizka]

Sometimes it Stinks

When Kiba's dreams are dashed, Hana helps him find a new dream that both of them can believe in.

Written for Writer's Month 2019 Day 12: Dreams.

Note: I do not own any aspect of Naruto.

Read it on Ao3.

“I’m going to lead our clan someday.”

Tsume paused in collecting their dinner dishes, then laughed.  Her laugh was raw and unchecked, and Kiba always thought it sounded more like a warning than an indication of joy.

“No you’re not, kid.”

“Yes I am,” he argued stubbornly.  “Chouji and Shikamaru both said they were going to lead their clans, and I’m better than both of them, so I should lead our clan.”

“It’s not going to happen,” she chuckled, clearing the last of the dishes.  “I’d trust Kuromaru to lead the clan before I’d let you take over.”

It was slightly insulting to be told a dog would be a better leader than him, but he’d learned from a young age to respect the grizzled hound.  He probably could command a clan if he wanted to.

“Well obviously I don’t want to take over now,” Kiba huffed.  “I’ll wait until you’re old and then I’ll become the leader.”

“So you’ll just wait for me to get all feeble and weak to knock me off and seize power?  How do I know you won’t try and assassinate me before then?  Maybe I should assassinate you as a precaution.”

“Mom, that’s not what I meant!”

“You’re an easy target,” she grinned.  “Too easy.  We can’t have a clan head who leaves himself wide open to jokes.  That’s just one step away from being taken advantage of.”

“I’ll have time to learn to be better.  I’d never let anyone take advantage of me or the clan!”

“You don’t have to worry kid,” Tsume promised, ruffling his hair.  “That just isn’t in your future.”

“Why not?”

“Because Hana is going to inherit the clan duties.”

“Hana?” he asked.  “Why does she get to lead the clan?”

“Because she’s the firstborn.  If you didn’t skip class and actually paid attention, then you’d know that succession passes to the oldest child.”

“Since when?”

“Since forever, boy!”  She shook her head, grinning.  “Really Kiba, sometimes I don’t know what to do with you.  You miss some of the most obvious things!”

-----

Hana found him sulking on the back porch when she arrived home after a long apprenticeship shift at the veterinary clinic.  He was tossing a ball for Akamaru, who tore across the yard on his short puppy legs, yapping happily.  The joy of the game was lost to Kiba, who looked sullen.

“Hey there little brother,” she greeted, sitting down beside him.  His nose twitched.

“You reek.”

“We had an older dog with bladder control issues and a cat who ingested something he shouldn’t have.  Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the cleanest days at work.”

“Then go take a bath.  I don’t want you anywhere near me!”  He shifted a few inches away from her.

“Ouch, that hurts,” she said, pretending to pout.  “Would you change your mind if I gave you hot chocolate?”

Kiba glanced at the mug she was offering.  The sweet aroma would definitely help to mask the stench of his sister, and the evening air was cool on his skin.  With a begrudging grunt, he accepted the mug.

“Mom told me you want to be head of the clan,” Hana said, blowing on the warm drink before taking a sip.

“Well she made it clear that that’s not going to happen,” he grumbled.  Hana studied his face as he scooped some whipped cream off the top and let Akamaru lick it from his fingers.

“Why do you want to lead the clan?”

He shrugged, swirling the drink in his hands.

“It’d be a lot of work, you know,” she said.  “You’d have to lead clan meetings, and help the Hokage assign clan members to missions.  If there was ever a dispute amongst our relatives, you’d have to help them settle the argument.  There would be lots of hard decisions, and you’d have to own up to the consequences.  Every moment of your day would be devoted to the clan’s well-being and our contribution to the village.  There’d be paperwork, and a few missions, but mostly you’d be tied to the village so you could respond quickly to any crisis.  Then of course there’d be the housing arrangements to oversee, medical resources to coordinate, funerals and burials to arrange, and you’d have to oversee the breeding and training of our ninja hounds and protect the secrets of our clan jutsus.  And that’s really just scratching the surface.”

“I could do all of that.  I wouldn’t mind.”

“Then maybe I should step aside and let you take over.”

“What?” Kiba studied her curiously with a hint of suspicion.  “You’d do that?”

“Sure, why not?”  Hana shrugged.  “I could just be a vet then and do the occasional security patrol.  I won’t have time for the clinic if I’m clan leader.”

He seemed to entertain the possibility for a moment before turning back to studying his hot chocolate.

“Mom would never let you.  She’d say you were just giving up or being lazy.  Besides, she said she’d rather Kuromaru lead the clan than me.”

“That was just Mom being Mom,” she dismissed.  “I’m sure she’d be proud of you for stepping up in my place.”

“But that’s the thing.  It’s your place, not mine.  I don’t want your hand-me-downs.”

“Are you sure?  You seem to really like those cargo pants I gave you last year.”

“Shut up,” he growled, shoving her with his elbow.  She chuckled, taking another sip of cocoa.

“I just…” he began.  Hana waited, seeing the serious look on his face.  “I don’t want to just be another nameless shinobi who simply follows orders.  There’s nothing special about that.”

“Maybe not, but there are advantages, too.”

He shot her a look that indicated he disagreed.

“I’m serious!  Less responsibility means more freedom to do as you like.  You don’t have to constantly worry about how your behavior reflects on the village or whether the consequences of your decisions will lead to civil war.  It’s okay to just be a village shinobi.”

“But I don’t want that,” he growled.  “I don’t want to be a nobody!  I want responsibility.  I want to earn the respect of my friends and Mom and the clan!  I want to protect our people and the village and show the world how great the Leaf is.  I don’t want to be a nobody!”

So that was it.  Hana had suspected this might be more about Kiba’s self-confidence than anything.  Their mother was extremely loyal and proud of her family, but rarely did she say so.  She wasn’t the easiest to understand and could come off as abrasive even to her own children.  Her little brother probably wanted to impress Tsume as much as his friends.

“You know,” she said carefully, “there are a lot of specialized positions in the village that would let you do all of that.  Leading a clan isn’t the only way to be someone important.”

He seemed to think about that, slurping down the last of his drink and studying the patterns left at the bottom of his mug.  Suddenly his eyes brightened, and he jumped to his feet.

“I’m going to be Hokage.”

Hana stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.  Unlike their mother, her laugh was pure, uncontrolled joy.

“I was thinking of something more like the Anbu or an academy teacher, not the Hokage!”

“I’m going to do it,” Kiba declared, a spark of conviction in his eyes.  “Right Akamaru?”

The little dog barked in happy agreement, tail wagging enthusiastically.  He believed in Kiba.  Hana decided that she did, too.  Her little brother had a puppy-like honesty to him that could win people over.  Sure he could be dumb, but he was still young, and maybe he’d grow out of that.  Maybe he actually would fulfill this new dream.

“Hokage, huh?  Alright Mr. Future Hokage, as future Inuzuka Clan leader, I look forward to working with you.”

He grinned wider as her declaration of support boosted his confidence further.

“Thanks.  My first declaration as Hokage will be that all clan leaders must wash thoroughly before meeting with me.  It’s disrespectful to be so stinky in my presence.”

“Oh yeah?”  Hana grinned a dangerous grin, a trait all Inuzukas had inherited.  “What about the disrespect you show your elders by calling them stinky?”

She pounced on him, trying to shove his nose under her arm so he’d be faced with the full, potent power of the day’s business.

“No!” he protested, scrambling to save his scent receptors.  “It’s too much!  You’ll kill me!”

They wrestled together in the dirt, the dogs barking encouragement around them.  Hana had the advantage of size, smell, and experience, but Kiba refused to give in, especially to his big sister.  It was that sort of determination that just might get him to the Hokage’s office someday.

“Oi, what do you two think you’re doing?”

They paused in their scuffle.  Tsume was standing in the doorway, the light from inside throwing her shadowy silhouette into the yard.

“You sound like a pair of alley cats fighting over a scrap of food.”

“Hey!” Kiba protested, probably offended at being called a cat.

“It’s time to get ready for bed,” she commanded before abruptly disappearing back into the house.

With a groan, the siblings lay back in the dirt to catch their breaths.  Akamaru sniffed at Kiba’s face to see if there’d be any more fun, but night had pounced on them, and stars were beginning to twinkle in the dark expanse.  Hana fixed her eyes on Sirius, the only star she could reliably find every night.

“You reek,” she declared, wrinkling her nose.  “You should take a bath.”

“Shut up,” Kiba growled, punching her arm with a chuckle.

There’d probably be another fight to determine who got to wash first, or they’d race to the bathroom, or their mom would come yell at them for being lazy and not moving.  But Hana wanted just one more moment lying here with her brother, wishing on a star that all of his dreams would come true.