Harsh panting filled the eerie and empty silence of the dense forest, the only other sound was the crunching of leaves and muffled cries of fear. The darkness made it nearly impossible to navigate, the full moon's unnatural glow was the only source of light and it was barely reaching the thick foliage that littered the ground. He dodged and weaved as best as he could, fear driving him forwards at a dangerous pace in the dim lighting. He cried out when he fell, a wail of fright as he scrambled to clamber his way back to his feet. He didn't dare stop, not even to catch his breath. If he stopped then they would find him and if they found him then he was dead - just like his friends. His hands clawed at the soil and he forced himself to push onwards, seeking freedom and fearing for his life. He dashed through the trees, falling several more times in his haste. Each time he would react the same way, a sudden cry of shock and fear - then a mad scrambling and clawing to get his feet to bear his weight once more.
His legs were burning, every muscle in his body ached. His lungs felt like they were going to explode, they burnt even worse than the overworked muscles - every breath felt like he was inhaling acidic fumes that ate away at his throat and lungs. His fingernails were ragged and dripping blood from being raked through the dirt, as were his arms and torso. His clothes were drenched in blood, torn and flapping around in the wind as they hung from him in tattered ribbons. The wound on his neck, which he had given up on trying to keep covered due to his regular falls - was still bleeding, although there was little he could do to stop the flow. He fell once more, this time directly into a small river. He was instantly soaked and he fought against the gentle, tugging flow to clamber his way out. His wet clothes clung to him as he ran now and though they did cool him for a short time, they soon became little more than a nuisance as they chaffed at his already aching and mutilated body.
Finally he saw a deserted shack and he hesitated despite his fear and his haste, panting harshly as he quickly examined the small building. He could hear a faint hissing, followed by the almost undetectable sound of rustling leaves - the only signs that they were still following him. He pushed himself into motion once more, forcing himself to run faster and ignore the aching burn he felt rip through his entire body. He rushed to the front door and was relieved to find it already opened, evidently it had been abandoned in a hurry - but then, nearly everywhere had on this god-forsaken island. He darted inside and then turned to slam the door, hastily grabbing anything heavy he could find to prop against the door and at least slow them down. He knew it was probably completely futile but he still had to try, it was a natural impulse. Once the door was barred he turned to look around the room he was in, his breathing still irregular from the exhausting speed he had been running at.
He raised a hand to the wound on his neck and winced at the sting of the sensitive flesh. He drew his hand back before his eyes and squinted in the darkness, trying to see the blood he knew was now coating his fingers. He looked down and then ripped off a strip of his tattered shirt, before clutching in his right hand and reaching up to press it into the gaping wound on the left side of his neck.
He stumbled through the shack into what looked like a living room, his eyes just managing to pick out the larger pieces of furniture and leaving him to trip over smaller objects. Here he bent over double, resting his free hand on one knee as he tried to ignore the burning of his lungs as they desperately tried to drag in air. He gasped and panted heavily, fighting to calm his erratic pulse. He jerked his head up at a sudden crash, followed by the shattering of some glass. He made to run back out the door and escape the bloodied man now standing just a few feet from him, but there was another sudden crash and he quickly covered his face with his hands to avoid being hit with debris. When he lowered his hands the door had been smashed open, with a second bloodied man standing in the middle of the doorway - the dust settling around him. Panic rose in his throat, making him scream as he realised he was now boxed in.
"Please… No! Don't!" He begged, sobbing uncontrollably as both figures began to slowly stalk towards him - predators stalking a thoroughly terrified and now cornered prey. He stood sideways, his head snapping from side to side rapidly in a futile attempt to keep both attackers in his line of vision. The one that had smashed its way through the door hissed at him and crouched, ready to launch itself at him. He screamed loudly in despair and realisation, he was completely doomed. Just as the man leapt at him there was a strange hissing sound and he shut his eyes as the front of the mans head exploded, covering him in blood as it spewed forth from the wound. The other man snapped its head up to the small landing and hissed at the cloaked figure that was standing there, aiming a bow and arrow at them. He opened his eyes to gaze up at his saviour, feeling a mixture of relief and fresh fear at the sudden appearance of this other person. The cloaked figure released the arrow he had drawn back, but the target managed to dodge out of the way.
He jumped to an inhuman height, sailing almost gracefully through the air and landing beside the cloaked figure before attempting to claw the persons face off - it missed the mans face but it did manage to claw a long, shallow gash into the mans right forearm. The mysterious person dodged backwards and drew their katana at the same time, whipping it sideways through the air as if to slice the man in half. The man leapt up and clung to the ceiling, avoiding the attack and turning his head over his shoulder to hiss at the interfering defender. He then dropped to the main floor, twisting his body around so that he landed on his feet and then he ran at the weeping heap that was the original target.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight and screamed as the man ran at him, taking an involuntary step backwards and unexpectedly pressing himself flat against the wall - expecting a blow that would end his life. But it never came. He summoned up the courage to open his eyes and was greeted with the sight of his attackers face directly before him, with a katana poking through his left eye socket. The corpse gagged, his face contorted in surprise and disbelief. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat as the katana was removed, leaving the corpse to fall to the ground with a sickening and dull sounding thump. He stared at the corpse that was now laying on the ground before his feet, but was jerked out of his thoughts by a katana being pressed gently to his throat. His eyes snapped to his saviour, his brow creased in obvious confusion and hysterical disbelief.
"What are you doing? Why? What are they?" He cried, despairing at the apparent betrayal of his rescuer. "I-I can tell your injured... Your bleeding - f-from a cut... on your right forearm - Ah, why does that make me feel... hungry?" He grasped his gut with one hand and used the other to hold his burning throat. It felt like he had just drunk a full glass of acid and it was now sizzling away at his internal throat muscles. The cloaked figure did not respond at first, merely held the katana at his throat and stared at him. He took this opportunity to quickly examine the mysterious person, although the onlything to notice really was the cloak. It reached to the knees and was black with red clouds, it also reached high enough to cover the lower half of the mans face. The person holding the katana seemed to observe him for a long time, silently contemplating something. The face was surrounded by black bangs that hung messily, clearly having been neglected for some time - they hid the mans eyes in shadows and kept his face shrouded in mystery. He gulped loudly at the deadly man standing before him, in awe of him - but also fearing for his life just as much as he was before the man arrived, if not more.
"You…" He started, but the man cut him off when he narrowed his eyes at him and tightened his grip on his katana. He just continued to stare at him after that, not daring to try and speak again in fear of losing his head.
"… You are infected." Came a silken yet harsh voice, one that was laced with seduction yet had clearly not been used for some time. He stared incredulously at the calm man before him, unable to comprehend what it was his saviour turned captor was trying to inform him of.
"Infected? What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is going on? What are they and who the hell are you?" He couldn't stop the barrage of questions, he was too far past fear to care about the katana that was resting at his throat anymore. There was an irrational rage he could feel growing in the very pit of his heart, almost drowning out the burning of his lungs and throat - causing him to pant and cough from the effort of keeping it contained. "Those people killed my friends! Th-they... They tore them apart! Drank their blood and... and..." He screamed then, unable to contain his agonizing pain.
"You have been infected by their blood. If I leave you here now - you will die." Came the silken harsh voice once more, answering the first part of the mans question while ignoring everything else he said. Cold and uninterested onyx orbs stared at him with a distinct lack of emotion, no sign of regret or sympathy for the man before him. "But I cant do that, because if I leave you here to die - you will become one of them…"
"What the hell are you talking about? What the hell are they?" He cut off the man before him with a sudden outburst, his rage being barely contained anymore as the burning in his heart, throat and lungs seemed to reach its peak.
"They… are damned." He said simply, in his uncaring silken voice. "And now… you will die." The man finished quietly. He felt the burning stop suddenly, but when it did - everything else stopped too. He felt the very last beat of his heart, as his lungs simply refused to take in any more of the much needed oxygen around them. He tried to gasp, clutching his throat with both hands and clawing at it frantically. He looked up at the hidden face before him, silently begging for help with his eyes and then fell backwards as his body finally seized up - his eyes sliding shut just before he hit the ground.
The calm and quiet saviour turned hunter watched in calm silence as the man he had futilely tried to rescue, clawed at his throat - desperately trying to get his airways to open themselves once more. He watched as the man fell back, raising a small dust cloud around him as he hit the floor. He stepped forward, slightly to the left and raised his katana a little higher. He waited for a tense five seconds and then swung it downwards, cutting the mans head from his shoulders - just as the mans eyes re-opened, now a disgusting and murky looking blood red. The mans head rolled off towards the back of the sofa, but he really couldnt bring himself to care. He was just there to kill as many of the damned and disgusting people - no, creatures as he could and that man was now just another monster that needed to be killed.
He turned away from the headless corpse, about to re-sheath his katana when he suddenly froze. In an instant the katana was raised, held out to his side in a defensive position as his cautious eyes swept the area. He could feel the still, unnatural silence that hung in the very air - making his skin crawl in warning. He quickly took a step to the right, turning himself around and dodging a kunai that was thrown at him from outside the shoji screen window. His cloak billowed around him, rustling faintly in the tense silence as he twirled himself out of the projectiles path. He glared at the shadowy figure standing outside, easily seeing the disgusting smirk and vibrant blood red eyes through the tiny holes. He narrowed his eyes a the arrogant figure, then without any further hesitation and with a single sweep he swung his katana at the screen - cutting through it as easily as if it was made of butter and watching as they fell to reveal nothing but the dark forest. His glare hardened as he stood straight and re-sheathed his katana. He heard the screeching of bats as they flocked through the sky, before he turned and silently walked away from the blood-spattered and corpse ridden scene.
Sasuke panted heavily as he knelt in the dirt, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the ground in frustration. He had been training for a total of 4 hours today, having come to school early in order to get in a few hours extra - and now having used up half of his lunch break too. He knew he was pushing himself too hard, but it was necessary - or at least that's what he kept telling himself. He sighed heavily, resigning himself to the fact that he would be having to start his next class soon anyway and therefore might as well stop. He could pick up again after school, so he might as well rest up as much as he could during the next couple of hours. He forced himself to his feet, brushing dirt from his school trousers in the process and then began gathering his materials.
I should really just try and aim for one target, that way I don't have to keep wandering around for ages to collect my stupid tools… He mentally berated himself as he collected his things, before placing them carefully back into their respective pouches.
"Sasuke!" He groaned when he heard the loud and obnoxious call of his friend, it was always such an annoyance for him to have to endure this much noise - especially from one of the few people he saw on a regular occurrence, one of his few friends. He thought about hiding briefly but pushed the thought aside, deciding he might as well get the usual hassle out of the way before his next class. He picked up all the pouches along with his katana and carried them to his locker, Naruto would soon catch him up so there was no need to wait. He carefully placed his items inside and was just closing his locker door when the blonde appeared beside him.
"Teme! Why didn't you wait for me?" Naruto asked with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest as if he was a strict parent discipline their child. Sasuke raised a brow at the other teen, one side of his lip twitching in the faintest hint of a smirk.
"Why would I wait for you, dobe? You got yourself a detention you can deal with the consequences, I'm not gonna wait around just to listen to Kakashi telling you that you cant sleep through his literature class... Besides its not like you didn't know where I was going to be. Or did you just want to hold my hand as we walked to class?" He teased, enjoying the furious scowl he got in return. Naruto looked away after a moment, muttering to himself under his breath. Sasuke smirked at his easy win, the blonde was never able to out stare him - no matter how hard he tried. "Alright Naruto - I'm sorry." He said, with heavy sarcasm and a very fake sigh that showed he was putting a lot of effort into his mock apology. The blonde looked back at him and playfully punched his arm, smiling even though he was being teased.
"Ah, I guess I should really be used to it by now hey teme?" He said in his usual cheerful, loud voice. "Actually I wanted to let you know… I'm finally gonna go for it! I'm gonna tell Sakura today!" Sasuke's smirk softened into a genuine smile, although it was slightly hesitant.
"That's… great Naruto… I wish you the best of luck." He hoped his voice was light and carefree, but he doubted it - he couldn't keep the hesitation out of his tone.
She's not gonna listen Naruto… Though I truly wish she would. He thought sadly. Naruto did seem to notice his hesitation, but he evidently wasn't going to linger on it.
"Heh, like I need luck! How could Sakura possibly refuse someone as handsome as me?" He asked, grinning widely and slapping himself on his chest. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his strange friend and leant his back up against the lockers.
"This is the same Sakura that threatened to throw your ramen over your head if you ever 'accidentally tripped and happened to fall with your hand outstretched, therefore touching her ass' again?" He teased with a smirk. Naruto shuddered at the memory.
"Teme, seriously don't even go there… I couldn't eat ramen around Sakura for a week! I've never feared for my ramen so much as I did at that time… But it was totally an accident!" He said, turning wide and innocent looking eyes to his dark haired friend. Sasuke chuckled humourlessly and rolled his eyes.
"Sure, sure Naruto… You keep telling yourself that." He said, sending a side-ways half-grin at the blonde. Naruto grinned widely, scratching the back of his neck in mock innocence. After a moment Sasuke looked away from the happy blonde, his thoughts turning down the forbidden road of thought without his consent. Naruto noticed the way that his dark haired friends face slowly emptied of life, knowing where his thoughts were heading. His own grin was wiped from his face as he lowered his hand and watched his friend with sympathetic and knowing eyes. His tone was cautious but curious and hopeful when he next spoke.
"Have you… heard anything?" He asked. Sasuke's face instantly darkened, as if a shadow had just crossed the boys path and settled itself over the young Uchiha. He shoved away from his locker and headed out into the courtyard.
"Shut up." He said quietly, not wanting to hear anything further on the topic that was so taboo. He mentally slapped himself, firstly for allowing his thoughts to drift in the first place and secondly for not expecting the blonde to bring it up - he did it every day so he really should be used to it by now. Naruto caught him up a second later, matching him step for step as they walked in silence for a moment. Sasuke was about to apologise to his friend for sounding so harsh when they were disturbed by an unknown voice calling his name.
"Sasuke Uchiha!" Both boys turned to see a bulking senior by the name of Jūgo, someone who most students went out of their way to avoid - although Sasuke was never one to back down, he was too stubborn to ignore the larger boy. He glared at the guy defiantly, not bothering to reply verbally. "You turned down my sister, Uchiha. You have some nerve… embarrassing her like that." Sasuke hesitated, he was still tired from his training and was in no shape to fight Jūgo, especially not with all his lackeys as well. He decided to play it cautious, hoping to avoid a confrontation. He glanced at the red headed girl and realised he had never even seen her before, let alone spoken to her or turned her down.
"I have no idea what your talking about Jūgo, I can honestly say I dont think I've ever even seen her before… are you sure I turned her down?" He mentally slapped himself as his sharp-tongue answered before he could stop it. He watched with dread as Jūgo's expression contorted in rage.
"Oh shit!" He said. He dodged to the side as the orange haired giant lunged at him, evading the lethal blow only to be thrown another. He dodged this too, dropping to the ground and rolling out of the raging teens path. He pushed himself nimbly to his feet, having to twist himself to the right as soon as he was upright so that he could avoid another blow.
"Dammit! Stop dodging and fight!" Jūgo cried, raging as his punches were all evaded. Sasuke dodged yet another blow, ignoring Jūgo's indignant cry of outrage as he rolled himself through the bigger teens legs, taking up a defensive stance as soon as he was upright before he re-evaluated the situation very quickly - and fled. He saw Naruto from the corner of his eyes, pouncing on some of the smaller and less noticeable boys towards the back of the group - but he didn't let himself stop to worry, Naruto could handle himself. So he just had to worry about losing the rest now, which he was finding frustratingly hard to do. He darted through the hallway and dashed out to the back of the school grounds, heading around the side of the main building so he could run through the alleyway as a short cut to the main gates around the front.
He skidded into the alleyway at high speed, almost hitting the wall in his haste. Instead he placed his foot high on the wall and just pushed himself far enough from the wall that he could keep his speed up as he ran down the alley and into the school's front car park. He was about to push his speed up a notch when he heard a shattering of glass and a strange puff of air, before several yelps of surprise. He paused and turned to see a cloud of foul smelling smoke in the alley way exit. He looked up at the only open window and smirked at Neji, who was leaning out the window and smirking at the chaos he had caused.
"Don't stop, baka." Neji taunted, smirking as he dropped another glass beaker into the alleyway and caused a few more surprised yelps as a fresh smoke cloud was added to the original. Sasuke threw him a half-glare, half-smirk and raised his hand at his long haired brunette friend.
"Thanks!" He said, before he hurried off. He ran through the cars, trying to make it to the main gate and off the premises so that he could lose them down in the markets. He was cut off by an advance party though and so he changed his course, dashing towards the Archery field instead so he could hop over the lower fence. He ignore the burn he was beginning to feel in his thigh and pushed himself to run faster, hoping that the Archery lunch classes were practising elsewhere today. He was clearly having an extremely unfortunate day, because Archery classes were running as usual - not only that but Sakura was taking part. If he had the spare energy he would groan in despair, but he was too focused on propelling himself forward to acknowledge her.
"Sasuke-kun!" He glanced in her direction, despite how he wanted to ignore her. He was lucky he did because she had just released an arrow, which was now heading towards his head. He ducked himself down, bending backwards and watching the arrow just barely miss his nose. He fell onto his back and rolled onto his front once the projectile had passed him, then he hurriedly scrambled to his feet and looked over at the pink haired menace with an irritated and exasperated expression.
"Geesh, Sakura you suck! Your supposed to hit the damn targets!" He cried indignantly, making the girl blush. Her arrow had in fact been completely off target anyway, missing the thing entirely and lodging in a tree over to the left of the target.
"Uchiha!"
"Oh, shit!" He said again, as he jumped slightly in surprise. He remembered he was supposed to be escaping a horde of blood thirsty seniors and darted for the opposite side of the field. He turned down he pathway between the music and theatre departments, skidding around the corner on one foot before he sprinted towards the bike sheds located at the back of the school premises, meaning to climb over them and escape. He caught sight of Gaara at the end of the small alley, a slightly shorter boy trapped between his body and the wall. The long haired brunette was gazing up at him with a look of terrified lust, which only made Sasuke roll his eyes - every boy at the school should know of Gaara's notorious reputation by now, the guy was just insatiable. Gaara turned towards Sasuke when he saw him skid into the alley, a small sadistic smile curling the corner of his lips. He stepped away from the boy he had been seducing, giving him the chance to escape - which he hastily did.
"Who was it this time, Sasuke?" Gaara sighed as he stepped up beside Sasuke and began to sprint along with him, being one of the very few people who could match Sasuke's speed. Sasuke smirked at him, panting heavily from his over-exertion of his training and now running.
"Another substitute Gaara?" Sasuke teased, earning a deadly glare in reply. He grunted before continuing. "Jūgo's sister... I swear these damn girls are getting more and more desperate - I've never even laid eyes on her before!" He panted. Gaara's eyes lit up at the mention of Jūgo - he had always wanted to spar with the brute but due to his unpredictable temper he wasnt allowed to do physical training with other students, the last time he had been allowed was three weeks after he first started and the kid he was against had ended up in a coma at the hospital for about 6 weeks. Then he realised what else Sasuke had said and he stared at his friend incredulously.
"How can you not have? Karin argues with Sakura over you at least twice a week!" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as best he could and didn't bother to reply verbally. Gaara rolled his eyes and began to slow, bored of the situation now he knew what was going on - the redhead not only had an unpredictable temper but a short attention span, he was only interested in something so long as it amused him. "Well, I'll leave you to it... I might take a few on - then again I need a new toy to distract me from..." The redhead stopped himself before he could finish his sentance, turning to face Sasuke's followers. Sasuke chuckled and smirked as he glanced over his shoulder and saw most of his pursuers taking wide detours around Gaara, while some were stupid and didn't - those ones were dealt with by the redhead. He turned forwards again and used a final burst of energy to speed himself up and finally reach the schools rear fence.
He nimbly kicked at the wall of the msic block, giving himself a height boost to get up onto the large waste containers in corner of the premises and then ran across the top of them until he reached the bike sheds. Once he was there he placed a hand on the roof and spun himself over the fence, landing on his feet and launching himself forwards once more. He heard others attempt to follow his maneuvers and risked a glance backwards, smirking as he saw only two or three managed to make it over in one go. He faced forwards again, just in time to see Kiba exiting his moms pet store.
"Get out the way dog breath!" He called, dodging around his fiery tempered brunette friend. Kiba scowled at him but decided to help when he saw the guys that were obviously following Sasuke.
"Who'd ya turn down this time Sasuke?" He called, while kicking some nearby bikes into the path of the oncoming teens. He smirked as one fell, instantly being set upon by Akamaru. Sasuke just smirked at his question and shrugged his shoulders, earning a matching smirk in reply.
"Oh yeah! Kurenai said if you cut anymore of her classes then she's gonna flunk you and also - Kankurō said he's gonna beat your ass for dumping Temari!" He called as he jogged backwards out of the alley, then he turned sharply and started running at full speed once more. He heard the brunette growl in frustration and released a dry chuckle, amused by the situation in spite of himself. He was still headed towards the markets, thinking he was nearly free of his pursuers. Fate it seemed, had other ideas for the teen Uchiha - for when he turned the corner he was stopped in his tracks by none other than Jūgo, who had apparently left via the front gates and beaten him here. Luckily the raging teen was facing the other way, searching through a crowd for him. He darted into another alleyway, hoping to escape via a slight detour. Again his plans were foiled though, as the end of the alley was blocked by more of Jūgo's lackeys. He stumbled to a halt, standing sideways in the alley and snapping his head back and forth while running his hand through his hair in irritation.
Why cant they all just fuck off and leave me alone? Oh, yeah - I went and insulted Jūgo and his sister… He reprimanded himself as he tried to think of another way out of his situation. He caught sight of one of the boys at the far entrance to the alley, turning to check the area. He adopted a defensive stance, figuring he would have to fight - when he was suddenly yanked off his feet into the nearest doorway. He would have said something if not for the hand that was hastily slapped over his mouth, before he was shoved into an empty warehouse as the door was quietly shut. He landed with a faint 'oomph' as his chest slammed into a crate, his hands pressed flat along the top. He turned to glare at his mysterious helper, rubbing his chest as he pushed off the crate. He was surprised to see a girl standing before him, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as she tapped her foot on the floor - almost as if he were her naughty child who was disobeying her commands.
"Who the hell are you?" He snapped, crossing his own arms across his chest and cocking his own brow at her. She continued to stare at him for awhile, her eyes trailing over his body and absorbing every little detail. Sasuke fidgeted and dropped his arms to his sides, feeling uncomfortable under the intense and unscrupulous gaze.
"Come with me." She said, pushing him aside as she made her way around the crate he had earlier crashed into. He stubbornly planted his feet, making her turn and examine him with an irritated expression.
"Why should I?" He demanded, earning an annoyed click of the tongue in response. She seemed to have an internal debate for a moment before she sighed in resignation and looked him directly in the eye.
"Because I have something that you want… Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke blinked in surprise, before he scowled at her.
"Who the fuck are you and how the fuck do you know who I am?" He glared as he stepped forward with slow and deliberate movements, coming to a stop just in front of her. "What could you possibly have that I want…?" He asked quietly, sneering in his irritation. She smirked at him, not intimidated in the least by his aggressive behaviour.
"I know something you desperately want to know, something that has driven you to work so very hard this past five years..." Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, before it sped up dramatically. His face became completely blank as he attempted to control his erratic pulse. He attempted to sound nonchalant when he spoke back, fighting to bite down the hope that was rising in his heart - making his chest tighten in unbearable pain.
"Oh? And what might that be?" He asked, trying his hardest to relax his tense muscles and make it seem as if he was unaffected by her statement. Her smirk turned sadistic, she knew what he was feeling - despite how hard he was trying to hide it. She placed a hand on his forearm, holding him in place as she leaned in close and whispered in his ear.
"I know where your brother is."
Sasuke continued to sit on the couch in the corner of the girls living room, blankly staring out of the window on his left as he watched a group of Jūgo's little minions searching the streets below for him. He wasn't paying attention to them though, he was lost in his own private fantasy world - in fact he didn't even remember how he got to this mystery girls room, the only thing he had in his head was a single thought that continued to replay itself over and over again.
He's alive… He's alive… He's alive…
He had been this way for the past ten minutes, long enough for his rescuer to drag him up to her small apartment and dump him on the couch while she disappeared to go take a shower. He couldn't kick start his brain, it just continued to pathetically chant at him - completely incapable of any other thought, rational or irrational. He didn't notice when the girl re-entered the room, one towel wrapped around dripping wet body while another was in her hand as she rubbed at her hair with it. She sighed heavily when she caught sight of him and dropped her spare towel, being sure to hold the other in place with one hand as she headed over to sit beside him timidly. She cautiously watched him a moment longer before she tentatively reached out and placed her free hand on his arm, making him jump in shock at the unexpected contact.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, I shouldn't have just dropped it on you like that…" She started, speaking in a quiet and cautious tone. He finally made himself function, turning to look at the girl beside him and examining her - taking in her appearance for the first time. She appeared to be around his own age or perhaps a just little older. She had long, dark hair that had an unusual blue tint to it. This contrasted her complexion almost perfectly as she had skin that looked as smooth as silk cloth and it had a healthy glow about it. Her eyes were the strangest though, they had an underlying shyness held deep within them seemed to be being held back by a desperate kind of determination. They looked a murky blue colour and he mentally noted that they did not look right, there was something off about them - he just couldn't figure out what it was. Eventually he trailed his eyes down her sculptured neck and over her bare shoulders to look down at the hand resting softly on his arm.
If circumstances were different he would probably find her attractive, he knew she was very beautiful and that he was a fool to not be enticed by the girl before him - but his heart was already stolen by another and so he was left feeling empty and alone. His brain slowly started to process information again and he felt his rage begin to blind him.
She's lying, she has to be! She wants something from me… But what? He thought as he glared at the offending limb, before he jerked out of her timid hold and sprung from the couch - turning to face her as he fell into a raging typhoon of emotions.
"Sorry? SORRY? Five fucking years I've been looking for him! And now… You just turn up out of nowhere and tell me you know where he is? You expect me to just believe you and then beg you to tell me? I don't think so! So just tell me what the hell is it you want from me, so I can get the fuck out of here!" She sat back on the sofa as he screamed at her, sighing once more at his outburst. She stared up at him calmly and after a silent pause she decided to speak, but not answer him.
"Are you done?" She asked gently, gaining a very brief flash of remorse from Sasuke. He turned away and walked across the room, wanting to put as much space between them as possible.
"I want answers. Why are you doing this? What game are you playing?" He demanded, earning a sigh of frustration as she stood and made her way to the bedroom. She went in and dropped the towel as she began to dress herself, talking slightly louder to cover the distance and obstructions.
"You know you two are equally stubborn, you really are so very alike…" She said, as Sasuke leaned against the wall besides the main entrance.
"We are not…" He mumbled sullenly as he folded his arms over his chest, sulking for no real reason. The girl rolled her eyes at his childish display before stepping back into the room, now dressed in tight dark blue jeans and a plain white cotton t-shirt. She put her left hand on her left hip and leaned her right side into the bedroom doorframe.
"You really are. But I'm not going to argue with you about it so just accept it and get over it." She said, earning sharp glare of irritation. "Don't even bother with the glare, I'm immune to the awesome intimidation techniques of you and your brother… Please Sasuke cant you just listen to what I have to say, without the attitude?" She said, dropping her hand and shifting from the wall so she could sit on the couch and get something from her bag on the living room table.
"Why should I listen to you? And what do you mean your immune? Why am I even still here..?" He asked the last in a hushed, frustrated whisper - talking to himself as he pinched at the bridge of his nose.
"I mean just that - I am immune. Its because over the past five years I've had to deal with more shit than you can imagine and on top of that I had your brothers attitude and glares and anything else that was particularly nasty that he could think up…" She said, still rummaging in her bag. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the thought of his brother being an ass to this girl, he was still annoyed by the whole situation but he couldn't help but be slightly amused that his brother was still a jerk to girls. "The reason you should listen… And why you are still here, both have one simple answer…" She said, smirking successfully as she found what she was searching for. She stood and walked to him, offering him something small in her outstretched hand. He eyed her suspiciously as he dropped his arms, one hand reaching forward slowly to take the item from her. When he drew his hand back from hers there was a small sting with three delicate silver hoops, dangling from his trembling fingers. He stared at the object for several long seconds, holding it close to his eyes as he silently contemplated the significance of such an item. Finally he swallowed a large gulp, trying to clear the large boulder that had lodged itself in his throat as he fought back and emotional outburst of tears.
"This is… " He whispered, trying to sift through his wildly flowing emotions and understand what the girl was trying to tell him. She nodded, giving no further explanation besides the simple gesture. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the necklace as his eyes slid closed, finally being overwhelmed by the tears that burned in their urgency to escape him. "Where is he? Where is my nii-san?" He asked quietly, making him seem like a small child as he fought against the sobs that made his chest heave.
"He is…. I suppose you could say he is lost on an island far from here, although in reality he is about as lost as a clown at a circus…" She said, trying to alleviate his sorrow slightly with an attempt at humour. It failed miserably as he opened his empty eyes that were filled with five long years worth of heartache and true pain. "H-he chose to s-stay. He said that there was something he wanted to protect, something more precious to him and worth infinitely more than his own life… S-so he decided to stay and fight…" Sasuke knitted his brow together in a frown, irritated by the cryptic answers he was being given.
What could Aniki have that is so important to him? He never told me about it whatever it was… But then again, he made it clear he had no reason to… But I don't care, if he's fighting something then he is in danger and if Aniki is in danger then I have to go and help him… Or drag his ass back here if I cant, I wont let him leave me like this a second time - this time I wont let him! He thought, his expression changing often with his ranging emotions. Finally he settled into a determined half grimace, half smirk as he looked at her with eyes that were no longer empty and devoid of life - but ones that burned with an intense flame of determination and will power.
"Where is he? He must be in trouble… And don't say he isn't - the fact you brought me this proves he is… He would never take this off, it was given to him by someone he cherished above all others." His heart twitched as he choked out the final words, a wave of pain crashing through him before he forced it away - determined in his ambition to find and rescue his older sibling. The girl watched him for awhile, closely observing his fluctuating emotions and trying to calculate the best way to explain things to him.
"Sasuke… Itachi is fighting something far more dangerous than you could imagine. Something you could probably just barely understand in your wildest and darkest dreams…" She said quietly, choosing her words carefully. Sasuke's temper finally reached critical point and he turned himself to the corner of the room, burying his fist into the wall. He panted with the effort to restrain his fuming temper and shakily drew back his fist, his brothers necklace jingling as it dangled from between his fingers.
"I wont ask again…" He said in a voice that didn't comply with his trembling body. It was completely flat and devoid of any and all emotion, a deadly tone that was impossible to ignore. He turned blazing eyes to her shaken expression and demanded without words that he be told the truth.
"Alright… Alright! Geez, don't destroy the place… Come, sit on the couch and I promise - I will explain." She turned away and walked slowly to the couch, trying to collect her thoughts coherently and taking deep breaths to try and calm her frazzled nerves. This was probably why Itachi hadn't wanted Sasuke to know where he was, because he would have been determined to go and find him. But times were getting desperate and despite his stubborn determination and sheer will power - he needed his brothers help. She sat herself down on the edge of the couch, taking a final deep breath when she felt him sit beside her.
"There are certain things I cant tell you…" She held up a hand to silence him as she saw his jaw move, no doubt intending to object to the statement. She turned her head to look at him fully, her own eyes burning with an honest determination. "But I will tell you about your brother." She added, watching him closely as she shut his mouth and nodded in acceptance of her terms. She took another deep breath and let her eyes slide closed briefly, before she exhaled in a large sigh and re-opened them - looking him directly in the eye as she began to explain. "Your brother is fighting to keep something contained on the island. My village was attacked and everyone who lived there was either slaughtered or worse… And your brother is fighting to make sure that the evil that did this terrible deed cant escape, he is fighting to keep the outside world oblivious of the potential danger…" She said, watching as Sasuke absorbed the information. He seemed to think on the deliberately held back details, but he didn't bring them up - clearly understanding that they fell under the 'unexplainable' category.
"Is he… Alright?" He asked cautiously. The girl smiled softly, pleased he had asked.
"Yes, he is doing fine - physically anyway… As time goes on he seems to retreat further into himself, he thinks about something a lot." She said, tilting her head to the side as she pondered the elder siblings occasionally distracted demeanour.
"H-he… What is it? Do you think? Th-that he thinks about, I mean..?" Sasuke sputtered, cursing himself as his words became tangled in their haste to escape his mouth.
"I don't know… But whatever it is it saddens him greatly, though he tried his best to hide it. His emotionless façade only holds for so long and every time he has one of these thoughts it seems like he is deeply troubled by them for awhile. This is why I came to find you… He needs you Sasuke." She said gently, causing his heart to almost stop as she spoke the words he desperately wanted to be true. He hung his head a little, letting his bangs fall over his eyes as he chuckled humourlessly.
"You really are just a crazy person after all… My nii-san doesn't need me, he never needed me. I bet this is just some cheap imitation you got… It's not even his is it?" He yelled, waving the necklace in his hand under her nose - though try as he might he couldn't bring himself to release it. Tears of repressed fury and pain began to overflow his eyes once more, but he made no move to acknowledge them. She stared at him sadly, shaking her head slowly.
"Sasuke… Itachi needs you more than he would ever admit… And far more than you will ever know." She said softly and Sasuke found himself at a loss for words. There was nothing he could say to the statement, but he knew she was wrong. He glared t her for a moment before he got to his feet and stomped his way to the entrance, wrenching the door open so violently it smashed into the wall behind it.
"Are you really going to be so stubborn that you wont help him? Your going to turn your back on him?" She asked from the couch, watching him with sad eyes. He turned to show her a fiery glare that was laced with all the disappointment, fear, agony and depression that he had felt for the past five years. It made her sad to realise that both brothers were hurting and neither one would simply swallow their pride and offer the other help.
"He was the one who turned his back. He left… Now he can deal with his own mess." Sasuke said flatly, before he turned and stalked out of the apartment - not giving her the chance to stop him again.
"I leave tomorrow night at ten - I'll be at the east docks from eight!" She shouted after him, knowing he heard and just hoping that he would have enough sense to actually show up.
A/N:~ This is based along the lines of the Higanjima film... its reworked a little, and obviously will contain twists/plot that isn't in the film, its just that I adored it so much that I thought I would share the idea it put in my head, but the best way I can do that is to make it as detailed as I can... If your a Sakura fan then you may not enjoy this too much - I will be doing some heavy Sakura bashing in this fic and if you can't take that, then I understand, but it's an important part of this...
Thank you for reading, please review and let me know what you think and I will hopefully post the next chapter at the end of the week :)
My love to you all!