Love at second sight.
A/N: -grins sheepishly- One month since I've last updated this story… I'm SO sorry! -cries out- I guess you can blame it on my lack of imagination for this story…-.- I think I deleted the chapter for four times or so. Hopefully I can make it up a little with this chapter… Anyways, thank you all who reviewed, I appreciate it very, very much:) 109 already, I can't believe it. I'm really glad that you like it! XD But I'm rambling on again, please continue and enjoy. :3
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto!! You can thank heaven for that… Don't know what would've happened if I did:P
Chapter fifteen.
Dark shadows leaped through the nightly forest with high velocity, jumping from branch to branch without resting a second. A set of intense green eyes was illuminating in the dark, staring into the dark sternly. Another silhouette moved a few foot behind, white orbs glowing dangerously.
Not a single word was exchanged. They just continued their way to their destination, silence accompanying them.
They looked upon things completely different than the other did.
They did not like each other at all.
They could barely even stand each other when being in the same room.
But still they stuck together, allowed each other near themselves, for the single bond they shared:
The person they loved.
And so the two silhouettes moved further. Not knowing what to expect, but gladly accepting the possible consequences for saving their beloved.
Even if it was only death that would be waiting for them.
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She said nothing.
This person…
'…Gen'yumaru…'
The name echoed in her head for an eternity, filling her ears and mind.
Emptiness…
Dead.
That was exactly what the being in front of her was, she could see it in those blank eyes.
Just a hollow body: among the living but with no life whatsoever.
She felt a pang of pity coursing through her body, but waved it away quickly.
There was no one to feel sorry for:
This was nothing but a shell that concealed death.
Hinata wanted to laugh.
Here she was, being held by someone who was no longer human and seemingly wanted revenge for that fact.
Someone who could kill her without any remorse since he had no emotions or feelings.
She looked into his eyes. Fear began to consume her once again as Death himself seemed to stare back at her, hollow eyes moulded within the shadows and face concealed with obscurity, behind the layer of skin of the being that was towering over her right now. Sudden realization dawned upon her.
Nausea overwhelmed the girl, like a serpent slithering through her entrails, sharp needle-like teeth sinking into her heart deeply, as she came to the dreadful question that was set in her mind.
How could you kill a person who was already dead?
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Ten Ten sighed deeply.
Apparently, she had forgotten how to sleep.
Although her eyes fell closed once in a while, they shot open a few moments later as images haunted her, the faces of friends and loved ones blurring her vision.
She knew that Neji had gone to Suna for a mission. Shikamaru had told her this, yawning loudly and claiming it was a scouting-mission.
Call her a tomboy, but the weapon mistress owned plenty of female intuition. The scouting mission had been a set-up, a lie in order to deceive Hyuuga Hiashi.
Neji had gone to search for Hinata. Without even telling her, the bastard.
The only thing she could do was hope that he and Hinata would be safe soon. And kick the Hyuuga prodigy's ass when he would return.
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The Uchiha glanced around before his eyes fell onto a heap on the ground, crouched against the wall with his face down.
Casually walking to the body, he nudged it with his left foot. It fell over, now showing the sickly pale face. No other wounds were visible, except for the foam around his mouth. Seemingly he had suffocated, presumably in his own puke.
Behind him Ikue shivered; he had never seen a dead body.
Sasuke gave the dead man a once-over, eyes scanning the lifeless form for any possible signs, strange deviations that would give him hints and would lead him to the one who had done this.
His eyes locked with the empty gaze of the victim and finally he noticed something strange.
The hollow orbs were wide open in an expression of total fear, as if the owner had seen something gruesome right before he died. They were rolled back in the head so that only the white was visible. But that was not what had gotten Sasuke's attention.
Crouching down with his back turned to the old man behind him, he silently activated his Kekkei Genkai.
Perhaps his bloodline limit would show him more…
Tomoe spun around rapidly while red eyes stared intently into dead ones. One look already confirmed what he thought he had seen: in each eye was an identical black dot noticeable, so small that it was invisible for the normal eye. Looking even better it was showed that the black dot actually was a tiny hole. It was as if a needle had punctured the organ.
A sudden feeling of dread dawned upon the Sharingan-user.
'…Where do I know that from…?"
Lifting his hand, Sasuke grabbed his hair tightly in a seldom moment of desperation: he knew that he remembered this from somewhere…
He mumbled a curse as he tried to remember it, but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice. "Do you want to go somewhere else, Mayumi-san? You look as if you are not well…" A hand was suddenly on his shoulder.
The Uchiha spun around upon feeling the sudden contact. "I'm fine!" he nearly yelled. As he saw the old man backing away, he realized that the other only had wanted to help him. Opening his mouth to say something, he was stopped by the look of fear on the man's face.
"Y-Your eyes… Mayumi-san, w-why are they r-red?"
Shit.
His Sharingan was still activated.
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"Why are you looking at me like that?" The voice mocked her again, trying to lure a reaction out. However, even when she was afraid, Hinata would not let this man get her so easily.
"Why do you want to kill Sasuke-san?" Deliberately using the '-san' to delude the other, Hinata answered his question with a query of her own. Knowing the possible effects of her rudeness, she tried to overrule her fear.
The man still looked at her with the same indifference. "Getting impolite, princess…?"
The hand was suddenly back again, this time squeezing her windpipe even more tightly; oxygen was gushing out of her as she gasped sharply, earning only a tighter grasp as she was slowly lifted from the ground.
"I do not tolerate such behaviour of useless pawns…" Her own fingers clawed at the hand that held her in an iron grip, vision getting blurry as she began to see faintly double too. She felt the life slowly draining out of her, tears forming in her eyes as she was tortured with the thought that she, once again, was too weak.
'Worthless…
…Weak…
…Useless pawn…'
NO!
She would not let this man take her life away just like that, as if she were nothing.
She was something.
She was a shinobi.
Faint memories of a cheerful blonde evaded her mind, blue eyes shining with determination.
'…That is my way of the ninja!'
With her last powers she pushed bits and bits of chakra in her hand, suddenly striking the other in the stomach with all her force.
His grip loosened slightly, just enough for her to escape. Falling onto the ground with a faint thud, the girl scrambled up and fled away while taking heavy breaths, eyes darting everywhere in panic.
'Come on! Come on!'
The door burst open as she ran through the doorway, blindly looking around for an escape route. She felt blood leak through the corners of her mouth, trickling down her chin and dripping on the ground. Coughing, Hinata heaved and fell onto her knees.
'NO! No, get up!' With rasping breathings and heaving another time, she pushed her body up and stumbled further, trying to get away as far as possible from the lethal man in the room she had just fled away from.
Leaving a trace of red behind, the pale girl ran to a door that suddenly came into her view.
'Come on, just a little further… You're almost free!'
Pushing the door open, a cold wind immediately blew in her face, sending shivers down her spine. Not waiting to freeze to dead, Hinata ran into the darkness, too weak to even turn her Byakugan on.
'…Freedom…'
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He pushed the other against the wall roughly, ignoring the yelp of pain that escaped the lips of the old man. His Sharingan blazing, the Uchiha glared at the quivering form in front of him.
"You do not tell anyone you have seen this… Not if you want to make it until the end of the day."
Ikue nodded shakily, to afraid to even speak.
Sasuke sighed. "I appreciate what you and Yuriko-san have done for me and my wife… I have only more one thing to ask. Do. not. tell. this." While he repeated his demand, he slowly lowered his arm, letting the elder go.
Again, a nod.
The other smirked. "Thanks, old man." And with that, he disappeared.
Ikue slowly regained himself, straightening his clothes while he stared at the spot where the stranger had been standing mere seconds ago.
"An Uchiha…" he whispered to himself.
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End of chapter fifteen
A/N: That was it! Hope you liked it. I thought it would be nice for a change if Hinata would stand up for herself, and this was tthe perfect oppurtunity! XD Once again: I'm really, really sorry that it took so long. I'm terrible. –snifs- But I will try to update very soon again, since I've got a few ideas for the following chapters now:) Next time you'll see how it goes with Neji and Gaara.