Okay, so I had a first chapter of this, but I didn't like it . . .so I'm starting over! I'm making it longer and have decided that I am going to make this only three chapters long, this way I stay on track, and it shouldn't take me forever to get done, even though the chapters should be of decent length . . . oh well, on with it. :D
Disclaimer: Shinobi no own jitsu!
HitchHikerChapter One
Fingers tapped on the worn leather steering wheel to a beat unheard to any but the blonde smiling as the wind whipped through the open window to play with his hair. He bobbed his head to that nonexistent song and continued to drive onward, no other on the road as far as the eye could see.
The car was too old too have a CD player, not that he could have afforded a CD if it had one. The seats' fabric was worn and faded and large chunks were missing in certain areas. The right side mirror was held on by duct tape, there was no right side window, and the large dent in the door told its story. The red paint on the outside was fading and wearing away while the carpet inside was stained, ripped, and coming off. The windshield contained a crack that ran from the right windshield wiper to above the left, it was through this windshield that he saw a break in the pattern of green grass and forest.
The raven black and navy blue created a stark contrast against the glowing greenery, at first confusing the boy, but as he neared it, he recognized it as human, the first human he had seen on this road in hours. He was curious as to what the boy on the side of the road was doing. There was nothing out here, he could have been in the middle of nowhere for all it mattered, going fifty miles to the nearest building on foot could not be fun by any stretch of the imagination. Wondering to himself what could be going on with this kid, he noticed it: The thumb.
The international free ride ticket was being waved to anyone willing to accept it and give him a lift. Now the question was weither it was worth it or not to accept the ticket. He had no idea what kind of person this guy was, he could be a man desperate enough to shoot him with a concealed gun and steal his car, or rob him, not that anything of value was to be found in the car. Maybe he would take advantage of the poor blonde in the driver's seat . . . only the Lord knew. He wasn't one to think much before acting, and found himself pulling over to the side of the road with a huge grin plastered on his face at the thought of talking to another human. Driving alone for days took a toll on a person.
He brought the rusty car to the side of the road, the car emitting a high pitched screeching noise as he put his foot on the break, coming to a complete stop. He rolled down the window and shot a toothy smile to the darkest eyes he had ever seen. Wondering for a second if they were a pure black or a dark grey, or maybe it was the light . . . he shook himself out of his reverie to an emotionless face. Not letting it bother him, he looked at the boy and told him to hop on in.
The boy walked over to the passenger side, having yet to show some sort of emotion on his face, saw the dent in the car and the flicker of a frown was shown, but it was gone so quickly, he wondered if it was imagined. The boy opened the door, pausing to look over the stains and tears before throwing his towel, his only visible belonging other than the deep navy clothes on his back, in the back seat. He hesitated before sitting down on the seat, almost as though sitting on it would cause it to collapse beneath him.
"Aw, come on, I swear it won't eat you." The blonde joked as the raven haired boy sat down, receiving a "hn" in return.
As soon as he was in, door shut and seat belt fastened, they pulled away from the curb.
"I'm Naruto." The blonde smiled, trying to start a conversation with his new passenger. After a few seconds without a reply, Naruto repeated himself, this time receiving another "hn". He waited for a better response, but none came, so he figured he'd try to help him out, "And you are . . ?"
"Sasuke."
"So, Sasuke, where are you headed to?" Naruto smiled as he drove, still tapping his fingers to the unheard beat.
"As far west as possible." The boy seemed fascinated with the duct tape to the side mirror, or at least more interested in it than Naruto.
"No destination in particular?"
"Hn."
"Why are you headed out there?"
"Hn." The lack of effort given to the conversation by Sasuke was starting to annoy the blonde, but he did his best to shrug it off.
"I can take you as far as you like, I have no destination, but I might need you to help me work for gas money. Is that okay with you?" His upbeat tone was knocked down with another "hn".
Naruto practically growled as he stated through gritted teeth, "Would it be so hard to show some gratitude or at least talk to me?" When the response was "hn", Naruto was ready to shoot someone, most likely the stuck-up hitchhiker next to him.
"Fine, whatever, just stare at the damn fascinating duct tape while I tote your ass around for free." Naruto grunted as he slouched in the beaten seat. He stared at the road, doing his best to ignore the annoying bastard next to him.
"It isn't free if you're making me help you work for gas." A smirk spread across is face as he sent a glare to his chauffer. The only emotion that the boy had shown since the two had come in contact, arrogance, and it only served to piss off the blonde more. Who the hell did this bastard think he was?
"Bastard, want to walk? I'll let you out right here!" He growled.
The smirk faded from the boy's face and he looked away, once again fasinated by the duct tape, "Hn."
"God damn it, you're annoying!" Naruto's voice was louder than he expected, but he didn't really care at the moment. The annoying bastard was looking at the damned duct tape again. Was duct tape really that wonderful? Sure it was shiny and could hold anything together, but isn't that about all? Wouldn't a person be more interesting? One would think . . .
Feeling outclassed by duct tape was not a joyful experience to the blonde. The raven hair blew in the wind from the empty window, the soft glow from the setting sun illuminating his pale skin, and the black eyes that stared past what the eye could see. While the duct tape got all the attention in the world by this beautiful bastard, he got none. He was jealous of duct tape . . . that couldn't be normal.
Well, through all the shit that had annoyed him through the last twenty minutes or so, at least he knew his car would make it from point A to point B where he would promptly drop the annoying bastard off, and make a beeline to only God knows where.
:0:
According to the old scratched digital watch on his arm, it had been an hour since he'd picked up the hitchhiker. It had been the hour from hell. Long and silent, the atmosphere was tense from the two breathing in the same air, the car ride was not pleasant, but that silence was better than actual talking. Talking might have brought out a war between the two, a war of "bastard"s and "hn"s. Yet, that little thread that held their sanity together was to be torn apart as a loud "POP" was emitted from the front of the car.
"What the hell was that?" Naruto asked, not to any one in particular, but saw Sasuke raise an eyebrow.
They continued on for a few minutes hoping that they had imagined it, yet knowing better. It wasn't long before another "pop" was heard and the car started to slow down.
"Oh, shit." Came the reply from gritted teeth. He pushed the gas pedal to the floor, the car revving up, yet slowing down and the popping increasing. "Please, don't die on me now . . . not now . . . you can make it, just to the next gas station, please . . .come on . . . don't fail me now." He beckoned the beast as it roared and popped to a slower pace.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow to the scene before him. The car was obviously almost at death's door, yet the boy continued to drive and pray. He tried just to ignore, but incase the car blew up or something, he found himself reaching back for his towel, this way he would have his stuff and be able to make a quick escape. It was about that time that black smoke started pouring out from under the hood of the car.
"SHIT," was all Naruto said as he pulled the car over to the side of the road and hopping out, trying to clear the smoke from his vision so that he could try and see what was going on. He lifted the hood and buried his head in black smoke, coughing and hacking.
Sasuke had followed Naruto's example and exited the car, only waiting by the side for the blonde's evaluation. He didn't know anything about cars, but he was pretty sure that black smoke was not a good sign, nor was the boy's hacking and coughing. Sasuke had to fight the odd urge to pull the blonde back from the offending smoke, he had never felt that before to someone as strange and annoying as the blonde, he was worried about his welfare. Maybe it was the gratitude for the boy driving him and putting up with him, that was a feat many had yet to achieve.
Naruto appeared out of the smoke, a grey to his normally tan skin and bright hair, coughing and hacking between curse words. "Fuck . . . it all . . . damn it . . . I am so fucked."
Sasuke wrapped his towel around his neck and stood by the boy who dropped to the grassy side of the road as his legs gave out and planted his face in his hands as he tried to regain his breath. There was a thick silence between them as the car hissed and moaned before it died completely.
"It's dead. Beyond repair. Shit." Was what Sasuke managed to make out from the boy who's voice was muffled by his hands. "What am I going to do?" He looked up at Sasuke, eyes pleading and hoping for an answer to his problems.
"Hn." Was all he could manage, he didn't know how to handle situations like this where people were upset. It was beyond him, and so he just looked away like he didn't care.
"Well, fuck. I just bought that car, too." Sasuke had to raise an eyebrow at that statement. Who in their right mind would buy such a shitty car? It looked like it lived through the civil war, after all.
"What am I going to do . . . what am I going to do . . . what am I going to do?" He continued to mutter to himself for a little bit before looking up at Sasuke, a weak smile forcing it's was upon his lips. "Hey, Sasuke? About that hitchhiking gig . . ."
:0:
They trudged down the grassy road, the moon high in the sky and the destroyed car far from view. Sasuke seemed to blend in with the black night, his hair and navy blue outfit only a shadow. Naruto sometimes worried he lost the boy when he looked up and could only see the darkness surrounding him, that was until that pale skin was found against the darker areas.
He sighed and continued along, nothing but his depression from his car to weigh him down. He never had many possessions, but what he did have went to pay for that pile of rusty metal down the road. Staring at the back of the shirt the boy in front of him wore, he couldn't help but wonder what that sign meant, the circle resting in a glass. He wanted to ask, but he knew he wouldn't receive an answer. He knew he was lucky to be able to tag along, too. This guy really didn't seem to like people very much, either that, or just him. He hoped it was everyone else, too.
He couldn't take the silence and had to say something, so he asked about the symbol on his shirt. "Hey, what is that on your shirt? A band logo or something?"
"No, it's my clan's symbol." Naruto was surprised when the boy answered, sure he didn't look back and there was no emotion in his voice, but it was better than another "hn".
Deciding to test his luck again, hoping for the best, he decided to ask another question. "What's your clan?"
"Uchiha."
That sounded familiar, yet Naruto could never quite put his finger on where from. "Is that your last name, too? I never really asked." He said, scratching his head and giving an embarrassed smile.
"Yes."
"Awesome. I'm Uzumayaki Naruto. I don't come from a clan, unfortunately, though. Hell, I wouldn't know where that name even came from." He gave a weak laugh, trying to sound like it didn't bother him, but he failed. Sasuke noted this, but gave his routine, "Hn."
Light flooded over the two boys and Naruto almost jumped for joy as he recognized the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. He ran to the side of the road and waved his free ride ticket: The thumb.
His smile could have reached his ears at the thought of being able to hitch a ride instead of walking another ten miles. This didn't last long, though, the taller of the two boys knocked him to the ground, sending them rolling into the cover of the trees. Sasuke shoved Naruto's face into the dirt until he saw the headlights pass.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto screamed at the emotionless boy. "We could have gotten a ride!"
"Hn. They probably wouldn't have even picked us up."
"That isn't the point!" Naruto growled. "What the fuck was that all about? You don't want to be seen? Why not?"
"Let's continue walking." Sasuke picked himself off the ground and started forward. Naruto, grumbling under his breath, shook dirt off his pants and stood up, but before he could take a step, he was back on the ground. He cried out in agony and grabbed his ankle.
"God damn it all! Today is not my day!" Naruto shrieked as he writhed on the ground in pain. Sasuke looked down at him, no emotion signaling that he knew what was going on, so Naruto clarified. "I think I twisted my ankle."
Sasuke visably sighed and bent down. He reached for the blonde's foot, which was pulled away as soon as his hand reached out. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going make sure you didn't break your ankle and that it is just sprained." Naruto hesitated long enough for the boy to pull at his foot and remove the tennis shoe and sock in one swift motion. That was the longest sentence he had heard come out from the boy all day. Shocked, he let him continue with gentle fingers to check his wound, rubbing and poking, but never hurting him.
"Sprained." Was the calm reply to the swelling that laced his ankle. Instead of grabbing back Naruto's shoe, like expected, he reached around his neck and pulled the towel from around it.
"What are you doing?" Naruto questioned, a skeptical look in his eye.
"I'm going to wrap it." He said this as though the boy was stupid for asking.
"With what? You're towel?" He stared at the ragged blue piece of cloth in hand.
"Yes."
Naruto didn't say anything as the soft fingers rubbed over his skin and surrounded his ankle in a crude wrap. Naruto was almost sad when it was over. He was handed back his shoe and sock, and when he looked up at Sasuke wondering what the hell they were going to do next, the Uchiha symbol was in front of him. Naruto wondering what his comrade's back was doing in front of him, almost died of shock when he heard, "Get on."
"What the hell?" Naruto cried out.
"Get on my back."
"You're going to piggy back me all the way to where ever the hell we're going?"
"Yes."
"I'm not five!"
"But you can't walk, you might make it worse."
"I'd rather just sit here."
The raven haired boy stood up and started forward along the road, leaving a shocked Naruto behind him. "Where the hell are you going?"
"I don't want to sit here."
"So you're going to leave me?"
"Yes."
"B-bastard!" He called out to the retreating figure, fisting his hand and deciding to follow instead of being left behind. He pushed off the ground with enough force to swing him to his feet, but as soon as weight was placed on his right ankle, he collapsed back in the grass. He whined as he laid down with his eyes closed for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do next. No ideas coming to him, opened his eyes, expecting to see the star filled sky above him, yet instead blue orbs met with pitch black ones.
"You're back." Naruto commented, trying to keep his cool from the shock of seeing the boy back, he hadn't even heard him approach.
"I wanted my towel." He pointed to Naruto's foot with this torn towel wrapped around it. Naruto threw his head back into the grass and sighed, "of course". After a few seconds of silence, he looked up to see Sasuke looking down the road. Shooting a questioning look at him, Naruto beckoned him to answer what was had him so absorbed.
"Hn." Was all he got. Naruto about growled as he shoved himself up onto his elbows, but was getting used to how little this guy talked and tried to hold himself back from killing Sasuke with his own towel.
"Well, bastard, what did you see?" He asked, unable to keep the curse word out of his speech.
"I saw a motel when I walked down the street."
Blue orbs brightened with hope as he looked at Sasuke. "Really?"
"Yes, but I have no money."
The light was gone from the boy's eyes as he realized he didn't have any either. It didn't last long, though, as a thought hit him, "We can work for it!"
"Yes, but we have to get there first."
"Damn it, Sasuke bastard! Can't I at least hobble in on my own and save some of what little dignity I have left?" The blonde yelled at Sasuke, who currently held him on his back, ignoring the screeching in his ear. The way Naruto was wiggling was making it hard to carry him, yet he'd been this way since they reached the parking lot. Apparently he was worried about what the people in the run down motel would think.
Looking up at the pealing blue paint illuminated by the half dark "VACANCY" sign, he thought "run down" might be an understatement. There were no cars in the cracked parking lot that had blades of grass growing between it or any people in sight. He would have wondered if the place was still operational had there not been a light with an "enter" sign next to a door.
Ignoring the cries and wiggling of his companion, he made it across the parking lot and opened the door to let them inside. The room was small with a desk and two chairs as the only furniture. The green walls were bare, Sasuke wondering for a minute, who the hell would paint their walls green? The only light was coming from a lamp on the desk that didn't do a very good job of illuminating the room, and behind this desk was a lady who's arms were on the desk and her resting on them. From the nametag resting on her desk, he guessed she was Tsunade. He was going to poke her awake, but the idiot on his back interrupted before he got the chance.
"Bastard, let me down!" Naruto was about ready to pull his hair before he was dropped onto one of the chairs.
The lady looked up, awoken by the noise, yawing and stretching. Her words were muffled by her yawn, but still understandable, "Welcome to the Motel, how can I help you?"
After her yawn, she looked up and raised an eyebrow, "One large bed?"
A blush rose to Naruto's cheeks, "What the hell? NO!"
Sasuke, smirking at the blonde's reaction, looked at the wide eyed lady who mumbled a "sorry" and stated their issue, "Listen, we don't have money, we were wondering if we could work for a meal and some place to sleep."
She blinked for a minute, taken aback and then shuffled some papers on the desk. "You could do some cleaning, and I'll give you a meal and let you sleep in one of the empty rooms."
"We'll do it!" Naruto cried out, punching his fists into the air.
She sent him a stern look, "You do know that this includes bathrooms, vacuuming, sending down room service and the like. It's not going to be an easy job."
"Yes, yes!" The blonde nodded.
She smiled at him, "Good! Shizune should love having help!"
"Uh, could my job revolve around sitting down? I twisted my ankle." Naruto scratched his head and sent a lopsided smile in embarrassment.
"Oh, let me see. I have a degree in medicine." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the towel that wrapped itself around his leg, but didn't say anything. "I have some medicine that would help this . . ."
:0:
An hour later found Naruto once again on his feet, thanks to the "healing powers" of Tsunade. They had made their way through many rooms, all painted the same sickening green found in the office, fighting off the dust and grime with vacuums and feather dusters as their weapons. Tsunade and Shizune had shown them the way around and how things should be done. They seemed like nice enough people, but Sasuke noted the way they kept count of their supplies.
Sasuke had just gone back to the counter after finishing his third room and was about to ask what he could do next, when Shizune waved him down, three fluffy white towels in hand.
"Oi! Room thirty-three called down for towels. Bring them down for me, will you? Thanks!" She handed him the towels before running down the other end of the hall.
He looked up at the numbers on the door, he was at Room 6 now. He grunted before heading down the hall. He couldn't help but wonder who would want to stay the night here, anyways. The green paint was definitely a turn off.
Shrugging it off, he found the room and knocked. The door squeaked as it was opened. Shock laced the young Uchia's midnight eyes as they locked with those of a blood red.
"Hello, little brother."
Well, that's where I'll end it :D The next chapter will have a lot of angst, blood, ext. So I thought I might as well warn you ahead of time. I don't know how I like this, I know the end sucked. I got sick of writing . . . I'm not used to these long chapters, but I need to start. I usually write about 3 pages at a time, this was 10 . . . but I think if I make it three longer chapters, I think I'll have a better chance of getting it done . . .
Please review :D
Severed Glass
www. Insidious Reflections .com