Some say war starts with a bang, one evening you go to bed and then wake up to murder and mayhem. But in reality, the shock that keeps you up at night is the horror of knowing what you must do to protect your village. That's how war starts. I was just an extra of the Hyuga clan, not known for really anything, other than being the sensei of the cursed team 4 with a group of all Hyuga and I was okay with that... really I was. They were always getting into trouble but that kept my life interesting. But then I had to leave my genin team for war.

The Third Shinobi World War, it was hard, we didn't have many allies; well actually, we had none. You couldn't trust anyone but Konoha shinobi. I would like to say flirting with the enemy was an accident. I mean I thought he said he needed to "step up his game" and I was in the middle of getting drowned with water so I thought he meant as a relationship.

"Well, this is a really...sucky first date."

Ao, I think his name was, just stopped. He did not know how to react. I made my escape in his confusion. What happened next, well, I don't know what you would call it but it was definitely flirting.

Now apparently I was sent on a death mission because I was the only one to go on that side of the border and escape the hunter-nin (whose name for sure was Ao). He had blue hair spiked to a point and very pretty gray eyes to go with his too serious face. Maybe it was this moment I was doomed. A pretty and deadly person.. the Achilles heel to all of Konoha's ninjas. But he was also serious and that didn't sit well with me, it's just... I bet he would look amazing while smiling or laughing and I wanted to see that.

Being as it may, Konoha operates things like 'if you survive, to do it again'. I was on the border again gathering intel and scouting for any threats, within seconds I was knee deep in sexual tension. Ao may deny it but it was there.

"You!" was all the warning I got when my sleeve was snatched by the angry Kiri-nin... well a very sexy, angry Kiri-nin.

Now say what you will about the Hyuga's and their long hair, I personally preferred short hair it worked so much better for me. I wasn't too great at the trigrams, but I was better with the gentle fist and really any kind of taijutsu. So I was surprised when I was pulled into close range combat with Ao using ninjutsu, well first off, he really should know better. Firstly I'm a Hyuga, and second, he wasted a very good surprise attack, that yes I could totally tell was coming, but stopping that was too easy, and not nearly as much fun.

And pulling my shirt while I'm wearing a kimono top... all that does is show some off my chest, not a very effective move.

Not that I'm an all powerful shinobi who can fight on par with a very powerful hunter-nin, from what I have been told and from a little reading from the bingo book. But as one pissed off Hyuga elder once said to me, I can distract like no tomorrow. I mean it worked well the first time even if I didn't exactly mean to, but this is a very good tactic to take.

"Really Ao really it's not even our third date and you're trying to take me to bed. I didn't even get a kiss goodbye last time. I bet you don't even know my name." As I dodge under one of his anger fueled attacks. I think what really got him mad was my monotone voice... it just doesn't sound like I would be saying these things.

I know I have the famous Hyuga monotone, but a predictable pretty boy I was not. I felt like a bird, always a couple seconds from trying to leave the nest, to know the next step I take toward freedom will be last once I leave the nest. I was a bird caged, much like the seal on my head but it wasn't a cage for me... really more of one of my own design because jumping out of the nest would be freedom at the price of death. I would be free but dead. I didn't want to be like the rest of my clan, I wanted to be happy with myself and live with all my deeds, good or bad. I always feel a dissonance going on within my body, the nature I was raised to have and the personality I crave to show.

"Who would want to bed you?"Ao hissed out, as I danced around his attack. He was getting angrier as he realized he would not be able to lay his hands on me.

"Well, the way you seem to not be able to keep your hands to yourself says otherwise" As I gentle fist his left arm as he reaches for me again.

He grunts, pulling his dead arm back into his body. He caught my eye so I did what you're supposed to in that situation, I looked darkly through my eyelashes and winked. It seemed to make Ao's body shudder, but I don't think it was just the wink, my lips and skin were moist with effort. I was pulling in Ao, his fingertips barely not touching me. My shirt still showing off my chest. I must have been a very pretty picture to look at, and as much as he pretends to hate our meetings I know liked how I looked.

Maybe I should've defeated Ao and helped my side of the war effort... but this, this was too fun to end. It was something I could do, something that was I could control, that was against my orders, that was mine. And just like that, I left Ao to fight another day and to hopefully see me another as well, to have these playful arguments that...that made me feel human, not just a subject or tool to throw around when something needed to be done, but an independent person.

The baby bird slowly stepping dangerously closer to the edge. Enough to feel the cold air from the bottom rush to meet them. The nest was quiet, all other birds were in the nest content, not realizing what this chick thought and was soon going to do.

A couple months later I ran into Ao, he wasn't by himself and neither was I, thought it was very unlucky to have met at a time like this.

"You know Ao if you keep your face like that you're going to get wrinkles," I said with a wink when no one was looking at us. I know Ao was not going to pull his punches so neither was I.

The encounter ended when the yellow flash came in and scared the other side into retreat. Ao was running away he turned to look at me and I blew him a kiss. Even if he was trying to hide it I saw him smirk and my heart flipped, it's was a reaction that I made that happen...no one else, just me…

As time passed, Ao and I started to see each other out of the battlefield, and it was perfect. I didn't need to be anything I wasn't, just me. I would get kisses. I would get his affection. I was getting something no one picked for me or forced on me it was my choice, MINE.

His love left imprints on my body. Bruises, handprints and bite marks the more he left the more I wanted. I was still sent to the same zone for my 'skill' to survive on Ao's side and I wasn't a frontline attacker so I was their best bet.

Ao and I, alone again, though this time something was different, he was missing an eye. He tried to play it off but god it looked like someone carved it out of him.

"Ao your eye! What happened?"

Grabbing his chin, I pulled him to my face to look for scars, but the telling sign was that there was none.

"Kisōsha don't ask this. You'll try to pay them back but it's fine I'll get him back on my own time."

Someone ripped his eye out, but kept him alive, and from Ao's words they're still alive somewhere.

As the cage around this bird started to break. The bird could jump and get out. The bottom was clearly there but there was still a rope around his ankle, making it impossible to get out. The Bird was still looking for a savior for himself, when he could be his own savior.

The last time I saw Ao was when I died. This is not a happy story. Happiness is fleeting it's what you make, but it can never last forever, nothing ever does. The moment you found love the moment you found someone to die for, cry for, to help the loneliness... a moment where your happiness is marked on a clock and mine was up far sooner that I wanted. Then again time is a cruel mistress, always taking us at the worst time.

It was a couple weeks after I learned about his eye, I met the man who did it. He was a Kumo Nin. I don't know his name but that is not surprising, war brings the worst out of people and makes monsters out of good men.

I was fighting him and losing. He cut my side and it gushed blood. He used lightning throwing blades that caused currents to continue to pulse through me even after the blade had passed through. Within minutes one of my arms was gone. It didn't take much longer for me to be unable to stand.

He stood over me. Spat on me. Told me I was not worth his time. He took my Hitai-ate as his souvenir and one my eyes. It was cold on the floor of the forest.

My arm missing. My Hitai-ate was gone. One of my eyes. My lung slowly collapsing and I didn't know if I would see my Ao again or if he would find my desecrated corpse.

Ao found me in the end, covered in blood but still alive, even for a moment, but I knew I was too far gone to save. I only had a little time left. It was the only time I saw him in such pain, the grief in his eye. I didn't want to leave him, I wanted to stay with him even if it was only a small time longer.

"Kisōsha who did this? Who!" Ao cried into my neck as he held me.

"Ao he took your eye. Now he took my eye...Ao take it back and use it for yourself." My voice garbled with blood as it made its way into my lungs.

"I'm not leaving you!"

Ao clutched me as tightly as he could as if he could force an imprint on himself of me.

"Ao, it's okay take my eye. I will always be with you that way. Ao, I love you..you..know...you gave me something...I never...had a choice..and I love you more for it"

My one remaining hand trying to touch his face. As the pain stole me, then I was gone.

The bird finally breaking through the rope left the cage. The gravity tore it down to the ground. As the bird continue to fall the chirps were happy. It was free... finally free.

Notes:

Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed it I love Kudos and comments. I try to answer each one. This all started because I was trying to figure out a way for Ao to get his Hyuga eye and well this happen. This is actually the first story I started wihen I got back to writing and it's still one of my favorite works I have created. Thanks to the crackening crew for their support. you'll find me there under Admin Ammy.
the song that was my main influence for this fic was someone to die for by hurts.