Happy V-day everyone!
To those of you who read Let the World Crash, I'm really sorry about the lack of updates. I'll get the last two chapters out eventually.
This story was intended to be a one-shot, but as with all my one-shots, it has gotten out of control. I will be continuing it when I can.
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sama owns Naruto. The lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are taken from the song "The Beauty and the Tragedy" by Trading Yesterday.
'Watch your step,
Love is broken.
I am every tear you cry.'
She was returning from her first solo mission when it happened.
She was walking along the road when she felt a sudden surge of powerful chakra. She flung herself to the side just in time to miss the blow aimed at her. One glance into the man's burning onyx eyes and she knew she was no match for him. Luckily, she was less than an hour away from Konoha at a regular pace. Running at top speed, she should be there in fifteen minutes…twenty minutes max.
She threw herself forward, pushing herself faster than she had ever gone before. Despite that, she could feel him gaining on her. Her chakra had been nearly exhausted by the mission, so she didn't dare even try to meet him head-on and give herself a bit more time. Her mind racing wildly, she almost missed it when his body suddenly flickered.
Then, he was upon her.
He shoved her back against the nearest tree, ignoring her gasp of mingled shock and pain. One hand slid up to entangle itself in her long hair while the fingers of his other hand ghosted against her throat in the mockery of a caress. He leaned closer until his hair brushed against her pale face and his breath could be felt against her ear.
"Hyuuga…where is he?" he asked.
She bit her lower lip, frightened pearl gaze meeting intense onyx in a battle of wills that was lost before it was even begun. She looked away from him, the gesture admitting her defeat.
"H-he…Naruto-ku-kun is…" she stammered.
Onyx eyes suddenly bled to crimson. Faster than even her eyes could follow, he had disentangled himself from her and taken a step back. His large hand engulfed her small wrist as they both watched the chakra concentrated at her fingertips wisp into the air. His gaze lifted to her face.
"That was foolish, Hyuuga," he stated.
She summoned up the last of her defiance and shifted into the fighting stance of the Gentle Fist style. Her movements were made somewhat awkward since the last Uchiha did not release his hold on her hand.
"I w-won't let you hur-hurt Naruto-kun!" she declared.
His thin lips tilted up in what was nearly a smile, had it not been for the coldness of his eyes. The frozen obsidian depths changed the warm expression into something that sent a chill down her spine.
"It is far too late for that," he said.
He twisted her wrist, sending her stumbling toward him. She gathered chakra to her free palm and brought it toward his chest. He avoided her attack with almost laughable ease. The Hyuuga heiress was clearly no match for him. Her back slammed into his chest and his arms tightened around her, locking the petite woman in place. One of his hands effortlessly curled around both of her wrists to prevent her from trying to attack him again. He removed his other arm from her and, an instant later, she heard the ring of his chokuto being drawn from its sheath. The sharp blade swung around to rest against her throat.
"I've been nice thus far, Hyuuga," he whispered against the shell of her ear, "Where is Uzumaki?"
Mutely, she shook her head. The long strands of her hair tickled his nose, causing him to pull his head back slightly.
"You would die for him?" he asked.
She was pressed so closely against him that he could feel her shiver. In spite of that, her voice was surprisingly strong.
"Yes," she stated.
"There are other ways than death," he mused.
The chokuto was sheathed, then his arm wrapped around her again. Long fingers toyed with the zipper of her heavy jacket, then started to tug it down. She squirmed against him, suddenly frantic.
"D-Don't!" she stammered.
He stopped, though he didn't remove his hand. He waited in silence for the information that would end this, but she only tried to escape his iron grip. His lips pressed together in frustration. In a single fluid move, he unzipped her coat and pulled it away from her petite form. He quickly recaptured her hands, though this time he held her away from him.
His eyes scanned her form, lingering on the mesh that revealed her toned stomach to his perusal and on the mesh at her neck that showed delicate collarbones. Unfortunately, it did not go low enough to expose any of what had to be ample cleavage. He had not expected the shy girl to be so…well endowed.
She struggled against his hold, her face bright red with mortification. Her pearl eyes would not meet his own. She had never expected that he would do something like…this.
"Pl-please…" she all but begged.
"Tell me what I want to know," the Uchiha said coolly.
She closed her eyes and shook her head again. He stalked toward her, allowing her to retreat from him until her back struck a tree. He quickly pinned her again. One hand drifted to her chin, jerking her head up so that she was forced to meet his gaze.
"Bonds make you weak," he said.
To his shock, she shook her head. Her eyes suddenly held his of her own free will, their depths sparkling with an inner fire.
"N-no! Bonds ma-make you st-strong! W-without ev-everyone who supported m-me, I w-wouldn't have made it th-this f-fa-far," she said.
"Only because you are too weak to have made it this far on your own," he said dismissively.
"M-maybe…but it's not like th-that with Naruto-kun. He…he's pushed himself s-so hard be-because of his bonds. Be-because of you," she said.
His lean frame stiffened.
"Uzumaki is an idiot," he said harshly.
"Then wh-why did yu-you spare his l-life?" she asked.
"Orochimaru spared his life, or I would have killed him then. I intend to remedy that the next time I see him," he said.
He suddenly smiled, the expression sending a chill down her spine.
"That was good, Hyuuga. You very nearly managed to distract me," he said.
His hand trailed down her throat and between her breasts until it rested against her stomach. She yanked at his other hand, trying to get him to release her wrists so that she could stop this. She might as well have been a fly buzzing around his head for all the trouble her struggles caused.
His fingertips slid underneath the shirt. He was amazed at how soft her skin was. Could a kunoichi really be this soft? Karin was all rough edges and abrasive personality. Even little pink-haired Sakura had become a force to be reckoned with in the years since he had left her tear-stained and heart-broken at the gates.
His touch dragged a gasp from the petite woman as she tried to all but melt into the tree. It, unfortunately, was not cooperating. Her pearl-colored eyes slid closed, but not before a tear escaped from one eye. Fascinated, he watched it trail down her skin. He bent forward and licked it from her chin, hearing her gasp again.
"You can stop this any time," he murmured.
More tears slid down her pale cheeks as she maintained stubborn silence. He trailed his fingertips along the soft skin of her stomach, this time drawing a strangled sob from her lips. He had obviously become far more sadistic than he had realized, for making her cry was somehow one of the most interesting things he had ever done.
He kissed each tear from her cheeks with a gentleness that was astonishingly different from the tight grip he had on her wrists. She would certainly have bruises there tomorrow. She struggled as each kiss brought him nearer to her lips.
At last, he claimed them, tasting the saltiness of her tears. He nipped her lower lip then soothed the bite with his tongue. He was trying to produce more of her delightful tears, yet at the same time he wanted her to respond to him. It was strange considering that she was merely a tool he was using to find Uzumaki.
He pulled back from her at last. She immediately turned her face away from him, lowering her head so that her hair hid her tear-stained cheeks. He removed his hand from beneath her shirt, using it to brush her hair back. His head tilted so that he could capture her gaze again.
"Uzumaki?" he asked.
"I will ne-never put him in d-danger," she said defiantly, "No…no ma-matter what you d-do to m-me."
His obsidian eyes lit up with a sudden thought.
"Perhaps not, but he will try to save you, won't he?" he asked.
Her pearl eyes widened in horror. Before she could look away, his eyes had bled crimson and the spinning tomoe drew her under. He lifted her unconscious form in his arms, jumping into the trees. He headed away from Konoha, not bothering to hide his tracks.
Uzumaki would come after him like the idiot he was, and then he would finally be able to sever his last bond.
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