This was inspired by Arnie's Commando, I thought it was a great movie. Also, I propose a challenge: see if you can guess who the unnamed characters are, particularly Jerk. In your reviews let me know if you figured out who he was before the reveal! Just out of interest.
Chichi - father
Hahaoya - mother
o.O.o
Rescue Mission
"Hey Akamaru, can you smell any squirrel?" Kiba asked softly, his face mere centimetres away from the muzzle of his half-grown dog. Akamaru panted a few times, appraising his master with an intelligent eye, and bounded into the trees without a second thought. Grinning, Kiba straightened his back and stretched his arms to the sky, easing his tired muscles.
Walking Akamaru was part of Kiba's morning routine. He woke at six o'clock every morning, in both summer and winter, to take his dog to the nearby forest for a walk. They used to get lost amongst the dense foliage, but now they'd visited enough to know their way around.
Akamaru barked. I've found something!
Kiba approached the dog quickly, raising his eyebrows at the tennis ball nestled between two fallen branches. "A ball? I thought I said squirrel."
The dog laid on his stomach and placed his head between his paws. I'm sorry. I didn't know what it was.
"It's okay boy. I doubt there're any squirrels around at this time of year anyway." He picked up the ball and threw it with an expert hand, watching it disappear between the trees. "Fetch!"
Akamaru disappeared for several seconds and returned with the ball clamped between his jaws. Kiba took the slobbery ball, grinning, but then glanced at his watch and sighed. "I've got work in an hour. We have to haul ass home so I can get something to eat and pack a bento."
Boy and dog turned and bounded back the way they'd come, the four-legged beast not needing a leash.
Twenty squirrel-less minutes later…
Kiba Inuzuka was eighteen in two months. He'd already graduated from school and currently worked at the local arcade to make enough money to afford his textbooks for University. The University of Kohona had accepted him mere days ago and he was enrolled in the veterinarian course. He was glad to attend University and couldn't wait to start making a difference in the animal world. His hahaoya and sister were both veterinarians.
Upon his arrival at home, Kiba pulled on his work clothes, downed a quick breakfast of boysenberry jam on toast, packed a bento with fish and sushi and brushed his teeth. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, as he always did, practicing his smile for work.
Kiba wasn't bad-looking, but he wasn't incredibly handsome either. He was average, with dark olive skin, shaggy brown hair, slanted brown eyes and an average muscular figure. There was nothing special about his appearance, he knew, but at least he was passably handsome when he smiled.
Then he fed Akamaru and hopped in his car, waving goodbye to the dog as he pulled out of the driveway.
"Time for work," he groaned. "I hate work…"
Six hours and a billion annoying kids later…
"Man I'm glad that's over!" Kiba sighed as he dug around the staff fridge in the backroom of the arcade, searching for his empty bento container. There it was! He grabbed it, tucked it under his arm and left the arcade, breathing a sigh of relief as the sounds of games and music faded behind him. Working at an arcade could get loud.
As he walked to his car, someone pushed him from behind and he stumbled slightly, dropping his bento container. He turned to glare at the person, but ducked his head when he saw huge muscles and an intimidating sneer.
"Get out of my way, boy," the man snarled, his voice low and gravelly. Kiba scooped up his container and rushed to his car, shooting glances back at the man. Muscles seemed to have lost interest and was climbing into a Ute so big it could be a monster truck.
Shaking his head, Kiba unlocked the front door to his trusty Volvo, pushing all thoughts of Muscles from his mind. Akamaru was waiting for him at home.
A hand slapped across his mouth and Kiba was jerked away from the door, struggling. His eyes widened and he tried to bite the hand.
"Don't scream! I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to let you go slowly…"
As soon as the grip loosened, Kiba turned to face his attacker. The man's most distinguishing feature was his long hair, flowing loose and ragged over his shoulders. "Who are you and what do you want?" the teenager snapped.
"Who I am isn't important. I need your help."
"What?!"
"I'll explain later. Get in the car and follow that Ute!"
The jerk went around the front of the car and climbed into the passenger seat, leaving Kiba to scramble into the driver's seat and start the car. He pulled out of the car-park and immediately spotted the Ute exiting a McDonald's drive-thru.
Fear pulsed in Kiba's belly as he followed the Ute. He had no idea what was going on, who this man was and why he was after Muscles. How did Kiba fit into it?
"Who are you?" Kiba repeated, jerking the wheel to follow the Ute around a corner.
"Not important," Jerk replied, his eyes glued on his quarry. "I need to know where he's going."
Kiba didn't say anything else, figuring that doing what Jerk asked would keep him alive. His resolution didn't prevent the fear from crawling through his body, or the uncertainty lodging itself in his mind. His day had started normal! The afternoon had passed normal! Now this random guy had kidnapped him and forced him to follow another random guy. Well, technically he hadn't forced Kiba, but Jerk embodied an air of 'cross me and I'll kick your ass'. Kiba wasn't too good at martial arts, so his best option was to go along with this until he could escape.
Ten minutes and several heart-stopping almost-crashes later…
"He's going into an underground car-park," Kiba reported. "That leads to the shopping centre."
"A public place so no one can stir any trouble," Jerk muttered. "Park the car and come with me."
Kiba did as he was told, walking stiffly beside Jerk as they crossed the crowded shopping centre, following Muscles' massive form. Now Kiba could see he held a suitcase in one hand, but it looked like a child's purse in the guy's huge hand.
Finally Muscles walked into a small bar area, though he was quickly lost in the crowd of people who were also at the bar.
"Go in there and order a drink," Jerk ordered. "Find out what he's up to."
"Why don't you go?"
"He knows my face. If he sees me, my daughter will die."
Kiba blanched, staring at Jerk's face. Muscles was going to kill his daughter? That was NOT on!
"They're going to kill your…"
"Yes! Now go! I'll explain later."
He pushed Kiba towards the bar and the teenager went inside awkwardly, remembering too late that he wasn't eighteen. He squished between two fat guys and watched Muscles subtly (at least, he hoped it was subtle). Muscles was handing the case over to a chubby guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Hawaii opened the case, but from this angle Kiba couldn't see what was inside.
At this point in time, Kiba was siding with Jerk in this 'battle' of sorts. Muscles had taken Jerk's daughter and was going to kill her, and people who killed children weren't okay in Kiba's book. As far as he was concerned, Muscles was a dead man, and his fear of Jerk had lessened. Maybe he was just a man trying to save his daughter and not a raving lunatic.
Muscles and Hawaii shook hands and they both waved over a waitress to order a drink. Figuring that he wouldn't learn anything, Kiba slipped from the bar and ran back over to where Jerk hid behind a phone booth.
"He gave the suitcase to a guy in a Hawaiian shirt," Kiba said quietly. "I don't know what's inside."
"Money," Jerk said shortly. "Did you hear anything?"
"No. It was loud as hell in there. They've ordered some drinks, so they won't come out for a few minutes at least. Now, can you tell me what's going on?"
Jerk kept his eyes on the bar door. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. "They're coming out."
Kiba turned and they watched as Muscles wandered from the bar, drink in hand. He whistled cheerfully as he passed the phone booth, completely unaware of the man and boy hiding behind it. Man and boy followed him stealthily from the shopping centre to the car-park. When Muscles opened his front door, Jerk ran up behind him and shoved him inside the Ute. Kiba watched as Jerk grabbed Muscles' collar and pulled it tight.
"Where is she?" Jerk demanded.
Muscles chuckled woodenly. "Go to hell."
"No, because that's where you're going." Jerk punched Muscles in the face; quite a feat for a slim man; and slammed his head against the seat again. "I won't ask again, where is she?!"
"I'm not telling." Muscles had started to go purple in the face and scratched at Jerk with his fingernails, drawing blood.
Sneering, Jerk twisted the collar to the side, an ominous crack echoing through the car-park. Kiba stared in horror as Muscles' head and tongue lolled aimlessly. Jerk searched through his pockets and pulled out a room key to a motel. He pocketed it and slammed the Ute door shut behind him.
"What are you staring at?" Jerk demanded, his eyes cold. Kiba turned and dry-retched, pressing his hands on his knees. "Come on boy, it's not like the world is all candy and butterflies."
"Sorry," Kiba said quickly, standing straight. "I've never seen a… dead person before." His stomach was completely unsettled by what he'd seen. Had he taken the right side?
"Well come on. I have a room number. Our friend was most likely heading that way now to meet with his colleague. Let's go."
Jerk grabbed Kiba's arm and dragged the unresisting boy back to the Volvo, shoving him into the passenger's seat. Kiba stared straight ahead, his mind working furiously to work out what he'd just witnessed.
"What was his name?" he asked softly as Jerk weaved through the evening traffic.
"Zabuza. He's a thug hired by one of my old army comrades, Obito. Obito's gone rogue and killed the rest of our team. He kidnapped my daughter because he wanted me to do a job for him, but I got away and I'm trying to get her back before they know I'm gone." He checked his watch. "I've got six hours to find her."
At Jerk's words, Kiba's sympathy returned. He was just a man trying to find a loved one. Kiba didn't know chichis could be so dedicated to their children, as he'd never known his own chichi (the bastard left their family before Kiba was even born). But if he, Kiba, was kidnapped, his hahaoya would massacre the entire town just to find him.
They drove the rest of the way in silence until reaching the motel just after night fell. Jerk pulled up and exited the Volvo, Kiba following suit. It was a squat little motel; nothing fancy or special; and it didn't look too occupied. Jerk walked up to door 7, corresponding with the number on the key, and pushed it open warily. He then entered, Kiba silently following right behind him.
If the motel was nothing special, so was this room. The décor was plain and a single door led to a tiny bathroom. Kiba wrinkled his nose in distaste as a gross smell reached his nostrils.
"Take a look around and see if you can find anything," Jerk ordered. Kiba obeyed and proceeded to dig around the bedside table, coming up with nothing.
"I doubt there's anything here," the boy said reasonably. "It's probably the meeting place, somewhere neutral." Well, maybe watching all those old action movies was worth it.
A car pulled up right near the door and Jerk peered out the curtains, his long hair hiding his face. "It's his colleague. Turn and look like you're making the bed."
"But I'm wearing a shirt that says 'Kohona Arcade'."
"Doesn't matter. Keep your back turned."
Kiba turned to the bed while Jerk hid behind the door, his face turning hard. The boy plumped up the pillows and heard a knock on the door.
"Zabuza? It's me."
"Come in!" Kiba called, deepening his voice to resemble Zabuza's. The door opened and a man with spiky hair wandered in, a cigar in his mouth. He peered around the room, noting no Zabuza and the room service making the bed.
"Where's Zabuza?" he asked. From behind the door, Jerk leapt forward, fastening his hands on Cigar's neck. Cigar bucked like a bull and tried to throw Jerk off, swaying dangerously close to where Kiba stood. The boy darted into the bathroom and peered nervously through the doorway.
What followed was probably the coolest thing Kiba had ever seen. Cigar managed to throw Jerk off and the two circled each other warily for a moment, before beginning an outrageous montage of sweet karate moves. It was amazing to watch. Punches, throws, kicks… it was awesome.
Until Cigar pulled out a gun. "You're dead meat," he growled, pointing it at Jerk.
Kiba reacted without thinking. He grabbed the nearest object – a roll of toilet paper – and lobbed it Cigar with all his strength. Hours of playing fetch with Akamaru had paid off, as the toilet paper his Cigar smack-bang between his eyes. Cigar reeled back from the unexpected contact, his hold on the gun slipping, and Jerk snatched it from his hands. As Cigar hit the ground, Jerk knelt beside him and pressed the gun to his temple.
"Where's my daughter?!" he demanded.
"You'll have to kill me," Cigar snarled, puffing smoke in Jerk's face. Jerk smirked and dug the gun into Cigar's temple even harder.
"Boy, shut your eyes and block your ears."
Even with his eyes squeezed closed and fingers in his ears, Kiba heard the gunshot and the blood splatter, though he was grateful he didn't have to witness it. He curled up on the bathroom floor, continuing to hide, until a hand fastened itself on his arm. Jerk pulled him gently from the motel room and Kiba only opened his eyes once the door was shut behind him. He followed Jerk to what appeared to be Cigar's vehicle and waited while Jerk dug around inside, searching for some clue of his daughter's location.
Finally Jerk exited the vehicle holding its GPS system. He and Kiba climbed back into the Volvo and the teenager waited while the man searched the GPS memory.
"I was in the army," Jerk said suddenly, tapping away on the screen. "A member of a special-ops team. We specialised in assassination. I'm sorry if I scared you."
Kiba bit his lip and tapped his fingers against the wheel. "Well I tell you, witnessing a murder was never on my Wish List. But… you have a reason."
Jerk rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, showing it to Kiba. "This is her. She's sixteen."
She was quite pretty and Kiba felt his stomach flutter at her frozen smile. "She's very beautiful."
"Thank you. I'll do anything to protect her. She's my little girl." He put the wallet away and continued his examination of the GPS. His eyes were narrowed as he peered at the screen, the light undoubtedly hurting his eyes as it was pitch black outside.
Kiba watched him for a moment, the girl's face burned in his mind. "Why don't you tell me your name?"
"If you know my name before the mission is complete, it could prove dangerous for you. Knowing my name means you're an accomplice in my actions."
"But I am."
"I took you against your will and dragged you along while I killed people. If you don't know my name, you can stay out of jail."
"JAIL?!" Kiba shouted, shocked.
Jerk slapped his hand over the boy's mouth. "Quiet! What I'm trying to say is that we can't be caught until we've rescued my daughter. Then we can prove that it was a hostage situation and stop any imprisonment." He pursed his lips. "I've been to jail before and I'm not going back, not when she needs me."
Kiba pushed Jerk's hand away, fresh sympathy burning in his stomach. This man actually cared enough to protect Kiba, a boy he'd kidnapped and performed two murders in front of. Even though the situation was horrible, and Kiba would be scarred for life, he respected this man for the power and determination he possessed. His wiry frame hid his true strength, as he'd managed to hold down an incredibly muscular Zabuza and break his neck, and hold his own against the giant Cigar.
What a man.
"I have the history," Jerk announced. "This guy's car came from an island just off the coast, Wind Island. That has to be where they're holding her."
"Let's go."
"No, we have to get some toys first."
Three hours of cringing at police sirens later…
Kiba stuffed his fingers in his ears as Jerk drove the excavator into the gun shop. The shattering of glass penetrated the quiet night and Kiba winced at the loud noise, stepping back further as the excavator backed out of the crushed window. Jerk turned off the excavator and jumped down, grinning.
"The stores are open," he announced.
He and Kiba rushed inside, taking two trolleys and filling them to the brim with guns, explosives and ammunition. It was honestly the most fun Kiba had had all day, even if he didn't know how to use a gun. Jerk seemed to know what to do and selected the right guns, leaving Kiba to lug them all to the Volvo and shove them in the back.
One hour and a tense ten-minute wait later…
"That yacht," Jerk said, pointing to a small, electric yacht. "That'll have a radio."
"Right." Kiba climbed out of the Volvo and rushed to the boot, opening it and extracting the weapons. Jerk watched the docks for a moment longer before joining him.
"They don't have anyone on the docks, so we shouldn't be seen," Jerk explained. "I'll need you to come with me on the yacht. When we get to the island, I'll go and you stay on the yacht and signal for help. You remember the code?"
"Alpha-Charlie-One-Zero-Eight, to General Jiraiya Sannin. Emergency. Request assistance on Wind Island."
"Good." Jerk pushed the first trolley down to the yacht. Kiba shut the boot and followed with the second trolley, waiting on the dock while Jerk climbed on board the yacht and hotwired the controls. As it whirred to life, Kiba pushed both trolleys on board, all the guns spilling. He cast a nervous look back at his Volvo before strapping himself in. Jerk grabbed the wheel and flicked some controls, allowing the yacht to move forward. Sea water sprayed the glass windscreen but both Kiba and Jerk ignored it, focusing on their task.
The sky was turning grey as the sun began to rise and Jerk checked his watch. Kiba read 0:31:56. Just over thirty minutes to rescue Jerk's daughter.
"What happens if the cavalry comes?" Kiba shouted over the roar of the engine.
"I trust Jiraiya Sannin. He was my boss back in the day and he was the one who warned me that the rest of my team was killed." He shook his head. "I always knew Obito was going rogue. He enjoyed killing too much."
They fell silent as Wind Island approached, the orange dawn silhouetting the land mass against the rest of the darkness. It was quite an impressive sight. Jerk guided the yacht to a quiet cove and beached, moving aside to allow Kiba to work the radio. As the boy as very familiar with electronics and buttons from working at the arcade, it was fairly easy for him to work out how to use a simple radio.
Jerk climbed onto the beach and decked himself out in guerrilla outfits, pulling on the cliché vest, black face-paint and covering himself in guns and explosives. It was even more impressive than the island.
"Work the radio," Jerk ordered, picking up a machine gun. "I'll be back with my daughter. And boy… thank you for your help. I couldn't have done this without you."
Kiba smiled. "The name's Kiba."
"Thank you… Kiba."
With that, Jerk turned and strolled across the beach, disappearing into the bushes.
Kiba faced the radio and pulled on the headphones, proceeding to activate the technology. "Alpha-Charlie-One-Zero-Eight, to General Jiraiya Sannin. Emergency. Request assistance on Wind Island. Alpha-Charlie-One-Zero-Eight, to General Jiraiya Sannin. Emergency. Request assistance on Wind Island. Alpha-Charlie-One-Zero-Eight, to General Jiraiya Sannin. Emergency. Request assistance on Wind Island."
"Alpha-Charlie-One-Zero-Eight, this is General Jiraiya Sannin. What is your emergency?"
Kiba sighed in relief. "General, one of your soldiers' daughter's has been kidnapped and is being held on Wind Island. I request back-up to help this man."
"His name?"
"He didn't tell me for my own protection. He was on a team with Obito."
"I know who you're talking about. We'll send reinforcements immediately."
"Thank you General. I'll see you then."
"Your name?"
He hesitated. "Kiba."
"Wait for us, Kiba."
The transmission ended and Kiba relaxed in his seat, smiling. He'd done his duty. Exhaustion washed over him, as he hadn't slept the night before, and he began to nod off.
He was woken by the sounds of explosions coming from inland.
Twenty minutes and ten helicopters later…
Kiba jumped ashore and joined General Sannin on the beach, watching as two figures walked out of the trees surrounding the small cove. One was tall and covered in black paint, his dark hair tangled, and the other was a much smaller female. Even at a distance, the tear tracks on her face were obvious.
"Major!" General Sannin called. "Good to see you got your daughter back! Did you leave anything for us?"
Jerk smirked and stopped in front of the General, holding his girl's hand. "Only bodies."
"And Obito?"
"Dead. General, I want your assurance that nothing like this will happen again. I want a peaceful life with my daughter."
"You know I can't do that."
"At least do something." Jerk pulled his daughter close. "I won't lose her again."
"Okay." General Sannin nodded. "I'll see what strings I can pull. Now you take your girl and the boy and get on home. I've got a helicopter waiting."
Jerk nodded respectfully and he, Kiba and the young girl went to the helicopter, which set off once they were strapped in. It was too loud inside the helicopter to hear each other, so they remained silent, although Kiba found his eyes drawn to the girl. She was a lot prettier in person, even as dishevelled as she was.
Seven minutes and a loud copter right later…
They landed on the dock and exited the helicopter, waving goodbye to the pilot as he took off again. It was now early morning, between dawn and mid-morning, and the sun had fully-risen. Kiba shaded his eyes against the glare as he led the pair over to his Volvo. He climbed into the driver's seat, not minding that Jerk sat in the back with his daughter. Then he hesitated.
"Do you want me to drop you off at your place first?" he asked.
"No, we should go to your place. I'm sure your parents are worried sick."
His hahaoya! He hadn't come home from work! She would be panicking! "That's a good idea…"
"I can explain to them."
Kiba pulled away from the docks and used the stolen GPS to navigate his way home. "So… can I have your name now?"
"Of course. My name is Hiashi Hyuga and this is my daughter, Hinata. Hinata, this is Kiba. We owe him."
"Last name's Inuzuka," he supplied. "I'm glad you got out okay. How many guys were there?"
"Hundreds," Hiashi sighed. Kiba grinned, thinking of how good it was to have a name to go with the face.
Hinata met Kiba's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "Th-thank you… K-Kiba."
"Eh, I just stood around while your chichi killed people. No biggie." He wasn't sure where the sudden bravado came from, but it definitely had something to do with the girl in the backseat. She was seriously pretty, and her chichi was badass. Kiba wondered if they would keep in contact after they separated.
They finally reached his house and he pulled into the driveway, quickly taking stock of his grimy, smelly clothes, his dishevelled hair and his sweat-crusted skin. He would have some answering to do.
Tsume burst out of the door, looking absolutely terrifying as she wielded a huge baseball bat. "KIBA INUZUKA!" she screamed. "YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!"
"I'll take care of this," Hiashi said. He exited the Volvo first, Hinata at his side, and they approached Tsume. Kiba had told them her name. "Tsume Inuzuka, my name is Hiashi Hyuga and this is my daughter, Hinata. I'd like to apologise for kidnapping your son yesterday afternoon and dragging him along on my mission to rescue Hinata from being killed."
Tsume gripped the bat tighter. "You kidnapped my son?!"
"Hahaoya!" Kiba shouted, jumping out of the car. "He was desperate! They were going to kill her and he needed help! Sure, it was scary at first, but we saved her!"
"So you kidnapped him," Tsume repeated. "You're dead!"
"Hahaoya! STOP! It's okay! I'm fine! Well, really tired, but he didn't hurt me. Imagine if someone took me. You'd destroy the entire town so you could get me back." He hoped she would see reason, but it wasn't likely given the exhausted expression and the bags under her eyes.
She smiled. "Pleased to meet you! Come inside for some tea!"
As she went back inside, baseball bat swinging in her hands, the trio shared a confused glance.
Four and a half uneventful years later…
Upon waking, Kiba dressed in his usual jeans, boots and woollen jumper. He tried not to disturb his sleeping fiancée as he tip-toed out of their bedroom and into the lounge, where Akamaru lay.
"Morning boy," he greeted. A full-grown Akamaru thumped his tail against the couch. "Let's go for walkies."
Kiba Inuzuka was twenty-two. He'd graduated University and was now a veterinarian at a local clinic. His fiancée, Hinata Hyuga, was a real estate agent. The two had been together for four years now, and had started dating not long after the whole rescue mission debacle.
As did their parents. Hiashi Hyuga and Tsume Inuzuka were now married and argued like cat and dog every hour of the day, even if the arguing was mostly affectionate. Kiba and Hinata were planning to move out at the end of the year and get their first house together in a place that had a yard big enough for Akamaru.
Life was great, even if Kiba was sometimes plagued by nightmares of the murders he'd witnessed. But he could live with that, because without that fateful night, he wouldn't have met the love of his life.
"Squirrel!" Kiba cried softly, pointing at a rustling bush. Akamaru dived into the foliage and a squeak was heard, followed by a thump. The dog emerged with a fluffy grey squirrel held in his jaws.
Look what I did! I finally caught a squirrel!
"Good job boy." Kiba riffled Akamaru's fur and glanced at his watch. "Well, I've got an hour before work. I need to get home, have breakfast and make lunch. Come on boy."
As Kiba wandered back to his home, he knew that everything bad that had happened was worth it. He had a good life and a good family. And Akamaru still didn't need a leash.
o.O.o
Owari