This is my first story, and after seeing Les Miserables with a few friends last night, this idea came to mind. I hope you like it! Comment and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
There was no noise to be heard.
To the trained ear however, a slight stirring might have come to one's attention. A whisper of the trees here, a quiet rustle of grass there. But before one could register that someone had passed through, he was already beyond detection.
The shadow man leaped from branch to branch, feeling the solid presence of bark under his sandals for fleeting moments before momentum carried him away to meet the next limb. A stony expression was etched on his face, seemingly permanent (for he always wore it), and black spiked hair flew from its binding at the top of his head.
He traveled alone. Nothing more than his shadow trailed him.
The scroll with his instructions burned in his pocket. Travel to Otogakure, it said. Find Orochimaru's new lair. Calculate the coordinates, and report back immediately. We trust this mission to you, and to you only. We cannot spare another to accompany you. Go your way in safety and in silence. He winced at the unspoken message. Should he not return, no one would come to help him.
Stop your worrying, he scolded himself. If they thought you could do it alone, then there is no reason that you shouldn't be successful. In his heart, though, a sinking feeling sat curled and comfortable in his chest, refusing to be dispelled. Traveling into enemy territory alone almost never boded well, even for experienced shinobi.
I can do it, he thought to himself, even though slight chills suddenly crept up his arms. He was no longer in the protection of friendly lands. The shadow man simply steeled himself against growing apprehension and continued onwards, into the jaws of the unknown.
A tree moaned at his sudden weight as he landed on its branch, but the woody protest echoed into the forest, for he was already gone.
Rain was falling, its gentle whispers brushing against his skin. Not quite as good as clouds, he thought. But its just as peaceful. He smiled at its soft caress; it reminded him of her.
Numb. He couldn't feel anything. Not even the rain. How strange, he breathed to himself, I thought death was supposed to be painful. Wasn't there supposed to be pain?
The kunai in his chest blurred in and out of focus. Don't take it out, he heard her say, you'll bleed to death before I can reach you.
"Ino…" He whispered. "Where are you? I cannot see you…" He blinked away the mist, trying to bring the trees into focus from where he lay. Was she here? No, it could not be. No one was going to come to save him from his doom. His mind was playing tricks on him. How cruel…
A hooded figure stepped from the shadows, grey hair curling almost humorously from underneath the cloak. Someone was laughing.
"Such a pity…" The figure said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "How was I able to bring you so low?" The laughter built again until he was roaring to the sky with mirth.
"You don't know how good this feels." He said as he stepped forward. "To bring one such as yourself down into the dirt. You Konoha ninja," he spit, "disgust me." The shadow man did not say a word.
I can't move…I can't make seals…He thought helplessly. How can I hope to get out? Think, think…Ideas slipped from his mind like water through sand; he couldn't hold anything in his mind! Blood…he thought. I've lost too much, I can't think straight…
The cloaked man towered over him, sneering. "Scum," he hissed, and delivered a vicious blow to the shadow man's side. Oh, the colors! Glorious neons flashed before his eyes, and his ears were ringing. Wait, was that someone screaming? Was that him?
He couldn't tell anymore.
"Are you ready to die?" The cloaked man laughed. "Shikamaru. What a pitiful name."
He saw Kabuto take aim at his head, bringing his boot along a path that would connect with his skull. Primitive, painful…how long would he lay in the cold before death's embrace enveloped him? Would it hurt? Shikamaru turned his head to the sky, smiling up at his clouds. What did it matter? It would end soon enough.
As the blow landed, one bright lance of pain stabbed through his body, then everything faded to black. The moment before he lost who he was, he heard a scream. A scream full of anguish, of heartbreak, of terror.
A cry that was meant solely for him.
Well, how was that? This first bit is the prologue to the next part, which I'll be posting very soon. Stay with me on this! :)
R&R por favor!