FIRESTORM

summary: Something happens on a mission, and Hita needs to get back to Konoha, or she could die. With her new-found admirer by her side, will she recover enough to continue as a Shinobi? Or will she be forced to live the life of a normal villager? Only time will tell... Rating may change later on.

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The series and it's details belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the plot, most of the characters and my not-so-imaginative-yet-very-perverted brain...

FIRESTORM – chapter 1

Running her tongue over her chapped lips, Hita glanced to her right as she ran through the forest near Iwa. She was being tailed and every so often, she caught a glimpse of red as her pursuer ran through a patch of sunlight.

She was on her way back to camp to meet the rest of her squad. They had split up that morning, each member heading in a different direction to complete their part of the mission. Hita has headed north, to collect the Nikko Scroll. Her teammates had headed east and west, while their sensei had gone south.

Hita glanced at the timekeeper on her wrist. She was late - the others would already be back at the camp, waiting for her. She lifted a hand to her cheek, where a thick line of blood ran over the bone. She had been attacked, caught unawares, but she had escaped, and hadn't stopped running since.

Another flash of red to her right made her turn her head: her pursuer was getting closer, closing the gap between them. There was a clearing ahead, and Hita knew she would have to stop and fight, or risk being run into the ground. Taking a deep breath, she put on a burst of speed, leaping into the clearing seconds before her pursuer. She stopped, wheeled around and waited for him to make the first move.

Hita was a Chuunin, having passed the exam the year before. Her opponent was also a Chuunin, but had passed 6 months before her. He raised his hands in a hand sign, the one for a fire jutsu. Almost simultaneously, Hita raised her hands in a hand sign, but one for water.

"Fireball Jutsu!" Her attacker shouted, moving in line behind the flame so he could use Taijutsu immediately if needed. As the fire rushed towards her, Hita let loose her counter-attack.

"Waterwall Jutsu!" The tower of water jumped up from the earth, protecting Hita from the fire. The jutsus faded, and the last of the water fell to reveal her attacker charging towards her, but she was ready for him. She blocked his first punch, then his second. Dodging his kick by back-flipping, she felt her joints and muscles protest with fatigue, but she ignored it. As she landed, Hita swung round, kicking out with her left leg, striking her attacker in the stomach, causing him to fall on one knee. She kicked a second time, but he stood, blocked her foot, and grabbed her throat. Holding her in choke-hold, he withdrew a kunai and held the point against Hita's chest, above her heart. Hita tried to breathe, but her bruised ribs from her earlier fight made it hard. She felt her heart beating wildly, then the all-too-familiar sensation of unconsciousness rushed up to meet her.

"... What happened?"

Hita's hearing came back before she could open her eyes. It took a moment for the voice to register in her head. Ondori, her sensei.

"I dunno. Haven't seen her since sunrise." That was Manto, one of her team-mates.

"What about you, Moegara?" The last member of their team.

"Same as Manto... Thought I heard her scream, though..."

"Scream? When was this?" Ondori again. Hita finally managed to open her eyes, albeit, only a little. She found herself looking straight into pale blue eyes. Her mind attached a name almost immediately - Kaze. The guy who attacked her. She should have felt afraid or something, her attacker so close, but she only felt safe. Why? She couldn't tell.

"... About noon." Moegara was answering their sensei's question. Hita's eyes flicked momentarily to her team-mates, but she soon became lost in Kaze's pale blue orbs. She felt a strange sensation run through her body, and before she had a chance to think, Kaze was leaning towards her, eye's locked with Hita's. She reacted instinctively, lifting her hands to Kaze's face, tilting her head and relaxing into the contact as his lips touched hers.

A gentle kiss, timid, unsure. They broke apart, and Kaze smiled, the curve of his lips - Hita noticed for the first time - almost perfect, marred only by a cut on his lower lip, no doubt obtained in a fight. Kaze's eyes flicked towards the others who were nearby, but they hadn't noticed anything. He looked back into Hita's eyes, and spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry for attacking you, Hita-chan. I thought you were your brother." Hita smiled at the simple mistake, thinking how much she loved Kaze's voice - deep, rich, almost... melodic - but was snapped out of her musings with a wince as her chapped lips split painfully. Kaze noticed and reached for something in his pocket. "Here."

Hita felt herself blush furiously as the other Chuunin quickly, yet carefully, spread a thin layer of salve on her lips. Instantly, she felt the pain ebb away, though she could still taste the blood on her lips.

Kaze smiled at her, but the smile quickly disappeared when Hita started to cough. The force of the coughing racked through her body, making her chest heave, and her throat ache, causing her ribs to burn from the bruising. She couldn't breathe properly, and was extremely grateful when Kaze carefully lifted her left shoulder, making her roll onto her right side - the side with the fewest injuries. She couldn't stop coughing, and soon, tears were rolling down her face. She could taste blood again.

Kaze watched the young woman in front of him. She had fair skin, with the slightest dusting of freckles across her nose. Her eyes were green, with flecks of blue and grey. He loved her eyes, and it hurt him to see tears pouring out of those beautiful orbs. Her long ginger hair was in a braid, but it was coming loose, and there were bits of dirt in it from her fights in the forest. Her lips, those that he had captured only minutes before, were dry and cracked, not their usual rosy shade of pink. Kaze felt a wave of fear wash through him as Hita's lips became flecked with red. She was coughing up blood.

Ondori had noticed his student's coughing, and was on his way over to check on her when he saw the boy leaning over her go pale.

"What's wrong?" The sensei asked Kaze. His sudden question made Manto and Moegara look up from the fire. Kaze hesitated, so Ondori hurried over to find out what had made the normally strong Chuunin go deathly white.

The instant he saw Hita, the Jounin felt the colour drain from his own face. He turned to the two by the fire.

"Pack up; we're leaving." Manto raised an eyebrow, but started gathering the supplies. Moegara went over to his sensei to ask why. Ondori shook the young man off, and turned back to Hita.

She was lying on her side, arms wrapped around her torso, tears running down her face. Her clothes were torn, her skin dirty and covered in blood - there was a nasty cut on her cheek. But the thing that made Ondori doubt the survival of the girl was the coughing. It sounded terrible, deathly, and when the Jounin moved a step to the left, he saw the pool of blood on the ground. If it had been spatters, he wouldn't have worried as much, but it was a large puddle of thick, red blood. He heard Manto say he was finished packing, and turned to Kaze, who was rubbing small circles on Hita's back. There were tears in his eyes. Ondori swallowed thickly then spoke to Kaze.

"Can you carry her?" Kaze shook his head and replied.

"Not in this state. If she was out cold, I could, but not like this." Ondori nodded and moved to Hita's side. He used a cloth to wipe away the blood and tears, then tried to reassure the girl he had trained for only a year.

"You're gonna be alright, Hita. Don't worry. We'll get you to the hospital real soon. Just hang on." Ondori felt his heart break as Hita nodded and tried to smile. A glance at Kaze showed that he felt the same. Hita was fighting death, losing blood, unable to breath or move, but she was still acting strong, for her sensei, and for Kaze.

The elder Ninja placed a hand on Hita's chest, feeling the struggling heart tripping beneath his fingers. He cast a quick healing Jutsu, then removed his hand. Making the hands signs for sleep, he touched a finger to Hita's forehead, and watched as his students' eyes rolled back in her head. He had made the Jutsu stronger to ensure success, and when he checked her, she was indeed unconscious once more.

Good, he thought. He nodded to Kaze, who then bent, and gathered up the fragile beauty in his arms. Manto and Moegara joined them, and after a last glance around, the group sped away, running at a speed they had trained for years to achieve.

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So far, I only have a little more written for this story, so any ideas would be very welcome.
I'm also going to be holding a little contest for all of you who have OCs. More to come soon :D

thanks to all of you for reading this, and i hope you enjoyed!

Remember to review, and give me ideas for the plot!

Hinode-chan xXxXx