[Starting Author's Note]

Hello! Uhm.. This is actually an experimental story. I can't gurantee you it will be any good since I'm an amateur writer but I hope it's...decent enough to follow? I guess? The start of the story is hard for me to write but I hope you can follow along with it. I tried to limit the identity of "he" as minimal as I could because I want to introduce them in the next few chapters so it may be confusing at first. Please, bear with me.

Oh by the way, I dropped The Tale of Aeria. Fantasy is some hard shit to write and the whole story was a cliche itself. The only thing that had me driven to write it was the ending so I decided to adopt that ending and put it in this fic which will be entirely different yet have that ending I've been wanting to achieve. I will definitely be finishing this story. No doubt about it.

P.S: I apologize if I've made any typos and if it's confusing :\

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| What's that omen? |

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It's been 4 months now. The crisp summer night hammered my excitement into anticipation. I'm moving out, finally. I've never liked living under this roof. Ever since my mother died, my father has been acting strange and ominous omens made my blood rush to the point of making it unbearable for me to breath around the house. To make matters worse, I refused to work under the family business. Since then, my father has been distant and always stared into thin air as if the haunting of my deceased mother served no purpose for him to see the next day. As he would pass me, he would only glance at me with stern rock-like eyes.

Night fell on the clear night sky with specks of white light twinkling with every breeze. Unmoved, the stars that lit the sky felt out of place and I've lost appreciaton in mother nature's beauty. Some would say the starry sky is beautiful. While my child-self would agree that the sky was gorgeous, as of now I wouldn't say such a silly thing. It's been 11 years since I've lost complete interest in the sky.

Night-time was never my favorite. Simply bloodcurdling, the sky weakens everyone's guard to a simmer. The stillness of the night makes my stomach churn because at any given moment you could take a blow to the head for any unknown reason. Without a sound resounding in the night, I would always be shaken by fear. Almost as if a pair of eyes were locked onto my every move. The time I've entered college was when my mindset imprisoned me into unclear paranoia. It was the year my mother died and the start of my unpredictable cousin obligating himself to be protective over me.

Wasting no time, my breath quickened against the cold breeze as I hurried myself to pack my belongings and ran for the car, immediately slamming it beside me. The familar ill-fated expedition ogled over my sanity as I blankly averted my eyes to the front door. This whole morning my father had not talked to me once.

Not even going to see me off. I chuckled hopelessly, it's not like I've expected him to. Neji however made few attempts to make me change my mind and stay with him but being an independent woman, I willingly refused.

After all, I'm 21 for heaven sakes. I don't need to be treated like a baby or have to live under a roof hiding behind the shadow of my sister and of a father who only looks at me with cold, hardened eyes. Should I even call him a father?

I started the engine and skid my way towards my new home. I loved the location of my home. My new home was quaint, peaceful, closer to work and most of all safe.

Closing into a narrow roadway lay my house just ahead. As I easily drove up my driveway, I dragged my luggage inside with little strength, skimming my eyes over the spacious rooms. It was a little big for my liking but it would have to do. After all, I bought it.

In my back pocket my phone vibrated abruptly. At this hour, it was expected to be a call from work. Maybe to cancel my morning shift. But reaching into my pocket, it was Neji. And for some odd reason, I didn't want to hear it.


"Is it done?"

"Yeah."

"Good work. You're excused for now. A new assignment will be available next morning."

Click.

He casually walked from the phone booth without a careless emotion reflecting on what he's done tonight. It was his profession. It was for money. It was his living-style. He knew what he's done tonight and he had no concern for the people involved, often he would question why he kept to this murderous job but the same answer would conclude his deep thinking: nothing.

He made a run for the park where his vehicle lay alongside the park. He ran his frozen fingers through his tangled hair as he closed his ears in the ringing of sirens bouncing off the windows of his car and shut the door behind him.

Suggesting he'd reward himself, he sought for food at a nearby diner. Paying no mind to his vehicle masked behind the dark and his suspicious get-up he started his engine and drove the vehicle onto the street.

Concern towered over him as his vehicle had emitted broken noises. His engine blew out. Tch. That bastard. Immediately knowing that his co-worker was the prime suspect for his problematic car, he whipped his phone out from his pockets, ignoring the nearing car honking at him in anger. But before he could dial the number...

SLAM.

A gust of heavy wind cracked through his windows, blowing the shards past his head. He felt pressure push against the side of his body as the car toppled over him. A warm, thick liquid douse over him. The glass shattered into smaller pieces which dug through his face and tore through his clothes. With his vision blurring, he crawled from the window while the sound of footsteps stomped around his car to pull him up from under.

Tainting the person he hung limp with his blood as he felt an arm being placed over bony shoulders, his mind contained nothing and was abandoned from the car wreck. He crumbled to the ground with nothing but the sound of heavy breathing of his savior.


"Hinata, the house is on fire!"

"..What? Neji? What!? Stop lying!"

"HURRY. HURRY."
BEEEEEEEEP..

Wh-what? Did he just hang up on me?

I hurried myself into the car and stepped on the engine, speeding towards home. Figuring I could take a short route by driving around the park. However, right when I turned around the corner, the sound of my car being crushed against another vehicle startled me senseless. The heavy impact made my airbag float up, protecting me from hitting the wheel and my head whipped against the cushioned head of my seat. My slow yet heavy breathing caused me to jump out of the car with shaken legs barely able to stand up firmly and rushed to the driver's side. A red smeared face and blank eyes stared at my feet with out a flinch. He was like a rag doll, dirtied and left alone on a lonely path.

Using all my strength to pull him from under the car, I hung his beaten arm over my shoulders as I encouraged him to walk towards safety with me while he can. His head leaned on my shoulder and his steady but slow breath relieved me. He was alive after all this?

While helping him to rest beside me, I tried to remain calm because I knew I would fall apart if I let one inch of recalling what had happened 5 minutes ago. A masked man set the house on fire and I collided into a car from a blind spot. Gods, what kind of game is this? You saw what happened, right? What the hell is going on?

Blinking the tears from stinging my eyes too long, cop sirens filled the air but was in no way driving towards the area. Maybe more towards my home than to this man and I. What am I supposed to do? Take this man to the hospital? I don't even know what his name is. I'm not in any way related to him, nor do I even look like him and time is running against my patience. The house was on fire too.. If I made the scene before the firemen, I could have been questioned due to my get-up. But with my car totaled, reaching my family was no option. With the blood stained over my clothes, I would definitely be suspected of murder.

Smoke rose barely over the buildings and devastated tears broke into sobs. I needed my family right now, but they need me too. They needed me first and now I'm stuck in this wreck. Staring at the disgusting wrecked cars in the middle of the street, heavy fumes leaked from the engines and the smell of gas intruded my nose.

Just where the hell were the cops?! I rummaged for my phone to find it snapped in half. Groaning to myself, I scanned the area which happened to be absent of people. A bright light in between two buildings from the corner caught my attention. A phone booth stood in front of a station! I could report the incidents there!

I peeked over at the the man resting soundly in his drying blood. His eyes peeked open and took a second to adjust to the dark. His quivering hands pushed him from the ground with little strength and snapped his back towards me. He looked almost as shocked as I was.

For a second, his eyes flickered around me. Not at me but around. His eyes narrowed with a deadly look pasted over his face. "You need to go." He struggled to say through his raspy voice.

"W-What?"

"You need to go. Hide in that alley behind the dumpster. Do it or you will die." He hissed, gesturing me towards the entirely-dangerous-alley way.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he forced me stand without a moment to spare and aggressively pushed me to make a run for my life. And run did I. I ran as fast as my 21-year-old legs could take me.


He stared at the moving shadow on top of the buildings jumping towards his direction. The pistols in their hands reminded him they meant business. Several black vans parked beside him, jerking him inside.

"What the hell are you doing here and just what the fuck happened to you."

"You bastard. You know very well why I'm like this. You replaced my engine and my fuel tank leaked, fucktard!" He threw a punch into his comrade's shoulder, biting his lip as the aching pain in his biceps made his body tremble.

"Well you're the dumbass who didn't check before driving!"

"Why the hell would I need to check, my car was just fine this morning! Ah! Damn it.." He lifted his sleeve, revealing a large cut oozing of blood. Oh yeah.. He cut it against the glass from the collision with that girl.. At least she helped him. Common courtesy, he supposed.

"It was just a practical joke and man up! Hurting and getting hurt is our profession." His comrade rubbed his hair messily, putting flecks of dirt in between his hairs and ordered the driver to return them to their hideout.

"Practical joke my ass.."

Muttering death wishes directed towards his comrade, he found himself drifting back into deep thought. Ah yes, being a hitman was his job. He was good at it. He liked how it was an easy job. An easy job he was good at, but recently his profession has been dulling him. He was at the top of the list but the hits have been too easy, all it took was a blow to the head. He wanted more bloodshed or at least a more difficult one just to make his adrenaline rush rapidly.

"Where is A-0F7?" He asked his comrade who'd been bothering their driver with mindless giggles and bothersome touching around the face.

"He's on his way to butcher someone. He's been putting it off for too long now, what a lazy ass. He should be done with her by tonight."

"..Well, isn't that him right now? He clearly did not check the person if they were alive. He seems clean."

"If he killed him at all.." His comrade cackled contagiously.

He gazed out the window at A-0F7 without a hint of pity. That fool is going to have to sacrifice his flesh tonight. Foolish little bitch.


I crawled into the alley spread pitch black, the vulgar smells made my head spin and was at the peak of vomiting when I saw a rat throw up in the dumpster. Hide behind the dumpster he said. But from what?

Not few seconds later, a dart pierced into the ground a few feet from me. The hairs from the back of my neck stood up and I jumped behind the dumpster, ignoring the webs in my way and the aches in my legs. Under fear, I could sense a man running along the alley. I peeked around the dumpster and found him running around the corner. Safe, I've been spared! Thank you, Gods.

Upon crawling from behind the dump, I was aggressively pressed against the brick wall, with my hands crushing against each other. "There she is! She's the one!" Metal locks cuffed my hands and I was brought from the alley. Now the cops come?


"What do you mean she got away?!" A hoarse whisper filled the dead room. He looked at the grim faces lined across the boss's desk.

"The cops arrived just when I was about to get her! I couldn-"

"ENOUGH. That is NO excuse. You've already wasted two extension dates I've given you. You had more than enough time to finish the job. I've had enough of your bullshit."

Click. He watched his boss load his gun and take his sweet time to approach the failure. He aimed his pistol at his hitman's forehead, amused at his eyes pleading for mercy.

A large blow to the head made everyone jump, blood splattering all across the wooden floor. It's a shame, especially since the wooden floors were just polished. He watched A-0F7 drop to his knees, rolling to his side with blood puddles drowning his face.

Disgusting. Although his job revolved around blood, he couldn't stand the smell of blood. Plain revolting.

"I'm expecting that you're transferring his dirty work onto me?" He crossed his legs, smirking at the poor sap's death.

His boss returned to his seat and rummaged for a profile. "And I'm expecting you to do as soon as possible. I'm not going to put a time limit on you because you'll be handling another one tomorrow. After all, you are my top hitman."

"Of course. I can handle as many as you'd like, no problem. Now who'd this fool handle?"

"Hyuuga Hinata. Age 21. Female."

"Hmph. Piece of cake." He fiddled with his fingers. His nails were chipped. Damn it all.

"Great, you're dismissed. Your sister is in the building, have her fix you up." The boss shooed him with a light wave of the hand.

"Can I have her profile? I need a picture."

"I'll give you her legal civilian registration, as for picture I have yet obtained. Give me a week." With that, he excused himself pondering what this woman was like. Her records were clean. Not a very well-known person but someone ordered a hit on her. At a high price too. What's so special about this girl.. He sighed, a little upset with the world for putting this girl on the hitlist expensively and picked at his dried blood.