Apathetic Silence: Collaboration with my cousin.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: My name's too long. XD Anyway! Hey guys! Thanks for giving my cousin some support!
Apathetic Silence: Yes, thank you as well for showering my cousin with love… it keeps her motivated to write, and without that motivation, I don't think I'll be here too.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Well then, here's our first ever collab fic! Another Naruto x RO story! We just happen to miss playing the game, and while browsing through old guidebooks in my brothers' room, POOF! Here's the story!
Apathetic Silence: In case you're forgetting, this wasn't the original plot. Should I tell them?
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: No, not yet. Let them guess. :D Okay, kidding, tell them. This is your account.
Apathetic Silence: Arc I's original plot was supposed to be Sasuke being a soldier of Morroc, and was only forced to become an Adventurer (term used to call RO players of all jobs in the game) due to his crush development on Sakura, a Priestess. He knew that in order to meet her again, he must become an Adventurer. They did meet, when he was only a Thief, and she helped him so that he could attain the second job class of his choice: Assassin. They never saw each other again for a while after his job change. When they did meet once more, she didn't recognize him due to the blindfold he wore, and because she didn't know his hairstyle then. When Sasuke was still a Thief, he wore a cap over his head. They met again in Prontera, because Shizune, Sakura's self-proclaimed sister, is the guild mistress of an all Acolyte-class guild and informed Sakura of forming an alliance with Siege Breakers Guild – a guild Naruto forced Sasuke to be the leader of. So the first arc revolved around Sasuke courting Sakura, and her answering him only when he proved his love.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: True story, that arc. I'm both the Sasuke and Sakura there, because I didn't originally want to play, but at the same time, when I did play, I went for a female character, and ended up forming a male character too to pair my Priestess with an Assassin. Second arc focused on quests and how their relationship goes as they venture to change their jobs to a higher class – the Transcedent class: High Priest and Assassin Cross. The new plot is this story right here – slightly altered from the main, but given an original twist of the over-all story. The first part below is a sneak peek of arc II.
Apathetic Silence: Anyway, read and enjoy. We would very much appreciate constructive reviews/criticisms.
Credits:
Arc I plot, characterization, appearance of characters, details, Original Characters, chapter titles – CrAzY-SiLLy-Me
Arc II plot, main twist, specific parts (who's the protagonists or antagonists) of characters, drafts, Original guild names, title – Apathetic Silence
"Keep them outside!"
"Move it! Let's go!"
A lot of the guards ran out of the hallway and out of the castle to stop the people who were rebelling from breaking inside the castle.
A young man jumped in from one of the opened windows of the palace, and he stealthily blended with the shadows as he adjusted his ear and mouth piece.
"I'm in." he said.
"Head for the main room, Danzo will be there, thinking no harm will reach him."
"Got it." He answered, and rushed silently towards his destination.
He slowed down when he was near the entrance, and then prepared his weapons, before breaking into the dark room, stopping half-way towards the throne when the lights suddenly switched on.
"I suggest you stay where you are."
He looked up and spotted his target seated on the throne, calm as ever, with a smirk on his lips.
"Unless you want my skilled archers to let their arrows go and hit you."
He looked around and saw more than a dozen archers had their arrows pointed at him, ready to be shot when given the command.
"From the look in your eyes, I'd say you didn't see this coming." He smirked. "What's the point of coming from a clan gifted with the Sharingan eye, eh?"
"Ch."
"Your parents are probably turning in their graves." Danzo shook his head. "An Assassin Cross of your level shouldn't have had a hard time infiltrating the fortress and eliminating the target – but sorry to say that you're caught."
The Assassin narrowed his eyes, dark onyx orbs shifting to Sharingan red. "How?"
"Easy," Danzo snapped his fingers, signaling a human figure come out from behind the throne and step into the light. "You made a mistake that an Assassin should never commit."
As soon as he recognized who had stepped forward, his eyes widened in shock.
Danzo smirked. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Close Proximity
"Rebellion's Stage"
A Revolution happens anytime without warning, therefore, a Rebellion's Stage can be anywhere
A Riot will not bother to think of when or where, they will only execute what is told of them to do
"Stop right there! Stop!!"
He ran as fast as he could as he kept calling and calling for the Novice-level child to stop.
"Come on! Stop it kid!"
"Nyeh nyeh!" The boy stuck his tongue out. "You'll never catch me with the heavy metal armor you have on!"
"Why you son of a-" his irritation turned to delight when the child he was after was stopped by someone. "Yo man! Tha- S-Sasuke?!"
"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke muttered while holding onto the boy who held the two stolen apples in his arms. "What's the point of being entitled to ride a Peco-Peco if you won't even use them?"
The Dobe, whose name was Naruto, just twitched and crossed his arms. "Those birdbrains are out to peck the living daylights out of me."
"Ch. Moron." Sasuke dropped the boy and had him cornered. "This is… what, the fifth time?"
The child looked away, and Sasuke sighed and knelt down on one knee.
"Come on Kishiro, hand it over."
"No!"
"Damn brat!" Naruto yelled, drawing out his sword. "I'm going to-"
"Why is it that whenever I run into you two, there's always trouble?"
The three boys turned to the new arrival, who read an orange book.
"Hey Kashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted with a smile. "You're back too!"
"Hn."
"Sasuke, after three years of training with you, your social skills still suck." Kakashi sighed and turned to Kishiro. "So," he smiled. "Why are you giving Naruto a hard time?"
Kishiro pouted, and then glared at Naruto. "He won't buy me an apple."
"And what about your tanker..?"
"I couldn't find him to tank me, so…"
Sasuke sighed. "I told you I'd pick you up in your house."
"…I forgot."
Kakashi chuckled and knelt down on the floor to be in eye-level with Kishiro. "I know you're aspiring to be an Assassin like your Sasuke-nii here, but since you're still a novice, you're not yet at the Thief level to be allowed to 'steal' for training." he turned to Naruto. "As for you," he gave an innocent smile. "Would it kill you to spend ten zenies for an apple?!"
"Uh… well, I'm saving up some zenies for a new weapon…"
"I'll pay for it." Sasuke mumbled, dragging Kishiro with him to pay the seething old man.
"And you wonder why he has fan girls." Kakashi said to Naruto.
Sasuke soon returned with a happy novice in tow.
"Anyway." Kakashi cleared his throat. "I came back here to remind you of our beloved King Sarutobi's birthday."
"I know." Naruto shrugged.
"Hn." Sasuke turned to the child who grinned sheepishly. "Go home for now, we'll hunt for monsters tomorrow."
"Okay then!" Kishiro thanked him for the apples and bid goodbye before running off.
"Well then, see you guys later!" Kakashi used a fly wing to teleport away, leaving the two teens.
"Teme..!"
"What..?"
Naruto attempted to slap the Assassin (Sin for short) on the back, but Sasuke was able to dodge.
"How could you?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO INFORM ME OR SAKURA ABOUT YOUR RETURN!!"
"I was supposed to help Kishiro today, so I didn't think I'd end up seeing you."
"Hmph." The blonde's scowl soon turned to a grin. "So, are you up for a boss hunt?"
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. He may not admit it out loud, but he was looking forward to look for boss monsters with his best friend.
"Thank you so much for the trouble."
"It was really no problem at all!" the Priestess told the old woman, bowing down once more in respect before leaving behind the package she was told to deliver.
As she increased her agility with her skill in order to enable herself to move faster, she realized that she had forgotten to bring a blue gemstone in order to warp back to town.
"Great. Now I have to walk." She sighed and cast Kyrie Eleison on herself in order to form a barrier to prevent aggressive monsters from hurting her.
She walked down the open field, seemingly unaffected as more and more monsters followed her, trying to hit her yet the barrier she had on herself prevented them from doing so.
Relief flooded her body when she reached the dessert of Morroc, meaning that she was getting closer to the town with the same name as the dessert. "Finally." She grinned and rushed to the gates of the town that prevented monsters from entering. She stopped halfway when her eyes caught sight of a huge manta ray like monster which had large eyes and fangs for teeth. The monster was pink all over but with green hair.
"Shit. Phreeoni." She backed away slowly, taking her staff out to prepare herself as a mob of worm-like Hodes moved with the mini-boss monster, acting as minions. "Don't panic… just survive this and outrun it." She breathed in, and then out, afterwards, gave a silent prayer of protection, before narrowing her eyes at the thing. "Kyrie Eleison." First things first; she cast a barrier around her, increased her speed while decreasing the monster's, as well as the defense.
Once she was done, she rushed pass it, but its stupid minions followed her, hitting the barrier around her non-stop until it deactivated, and a strong blow from Phreeoni caused her to fall on her rear and look up at the thing.
"Lord, if this is because I said shit, then I'm so sorry!" she shut her eyes, ready to receive the blow.
"Sonic Acceleration!"
Her ears picked up the sound of an Assassin skill which would double the hit of a certain skill.
"Sonic Blow!"
Said skill, which doubled, was directed at the Phreeoni before her, and slowly, she opened her eyes to see the dark-clothed Assassin wearing a fox mask.
"Grand Cross!" Came another attack when a Crusader appeared from behind Phreeoni, riding a Peco-Peco.
"Naruto!" She recognized the Crusader who had a Ramen filled bowl for a hat. Of course, the contents were fake and plastic.
"Hang on Sakura!" he grinned at her and turned to the Assassin. "Damn bastard! Make yourself useful by killing off the Hodes!" he sweat dropped upon seeing the worm-ish monsters already dead.
"You were saying?"
Naruto twitched, cursing when he received a hit from Phreeoni. "Grand Cross!" Being a Grand Cross (GC) Crusader, or some would know as the Vitality-Intelligence (Vit-Int) build, the attack from the monster didn't do much damage. "Hello?! How about a little help?!"
Vitality increased the defense of a person, whereas Intelligence meant more percentage and chances to use skills.
"Hn." The Assassin prepared himself to attack. "Grimtooth!" and he stomped hard on the ground, at the same time swing both of his weapons – katar – down as the ground sent up a line of earth spikes towards the monster.
"Kill it already! I'm an Int-Vit Crusader you teme!"
Sakura just sweat dropped as the two guys killed Phreeoni, with her blonde friend eagerly picking up the loots, while the other one didn't care about it much and was now heading towards her.
She froze, because Assassins are known to be dangerous, emotionless, and cold – save perhaps for Kakashi.
"Don't be scared."
The Priestess' cheeks turned slightly pink as the Assassin pulled off his fox mask and eyed her.
"…Lord, I'm sorry for this but – Holy fucking shit! THAT'S SASUKE?!"
Three years ago, when he was only thirteen, she found him cute, but that was it. Now, well, he can be compared to wine; when said drink grows older, it tastes better. For Sasuke, as he grows in age, he looks damn hotter. His bangs back then always hid his face from view, and occasionally, he would part it in the middle. Now, well, it's parted from the right side, just above his right eye, giving anyone a good enough view of his face: same aristocratic nose and dark eyes that she mistook as dark blue once.
He looked at her gaping expression, and he couldn't help but smirk. "You're drooling."
She twitched, and all of a sudden, got her staff out to attempt to hit him.
Sasuke dodged, and she swings her staff again, but he evades once more.
"Damn you!" She yelled, swinging her weapon again, but he caught it, afterwards, pulled the object. Sakura flushed when she felt herself being pulled towards him, and her cheeks turned redder when her face was barely an inch away from his. "How did Uchiha Sasuke look this good?!"
"Stop swinging…" and he smirked. "Baphomet."
From behind Sakura, it felt as if her background exploded.
Baphomet is a boss monster which people find difficulty in killing due to its strong defenses and attacks. It may be a flattering remark to be compared to one in terms of fighting, but to be told that because of your actions or appearance would be an insult – and Sakura knew that Sasuke called her that not as a compliment but an offense.
After all, Baphomets are large ram-like monsters with human hands. They stand on their hind legs and carry a death scythe. A Baphomet travels with smaller versions of themselves – pretty much sons – and are called Baphomet Junior. The little critters may be kept as pets, though are very hard to catch or tame, and are also very expensive when sold in markets.
"DIE SASUKE!!" She swung her staff, and again, he dodged, and Naruto ended up receiving the attack.
"Hmph." Sakura crossed her arms and walked on ahead as the two boys followed behind, one with a big lump on his head, while the other had his fox mask at the side of his noggin.
"Hn. You're welcome."
Sakura twitched and tried to ignore her long, lost friend. "Who has grown a lot! Where the hell did those abs and muscles been hiding?!" her inner squealed, stealing a glance towards the Assassin whose clothing showed his build. "Drool time!"
"By the way, Sakura?" Naruto called. "You heard about the old geezer's birthday, right?"
"Yeah…" she mumbled.
"Is that why you seem to be carrying a lot more items today than necessary?"
"Duh." Sakura sniffed. "Tsunade-sensei asked me to buy them."
"Oh, so you're headed for Prontera!"
"Obviously…" she muttered, walking over to a nearby Kafra. "Hey, do I still have some blue gems in my storage?"
"Name and password please." The Kafra said.
Sakura gave the needed information, and received a list of the items in her storage through the communicator wrapped around her left arm. "Darn. I ran out."
"It doesn't hurt to walk." Naruto said with a laugh. "You've got Agi Up."
Agility Up or Agi Up is a skill that increases the speed of a person – whether through walking, running, or attacking.
"You forget how hard it is to walk in long skirts."
Naruto frowned. "That's why you have a slit there, right?"
Sakura flushed and hit Naruto with her staff. "Don't look!"
"Owww!!"
Sasuke just smirked at his two former teammates back when they were still twelve while he was thirteen; three years didn't make much of a difference. "Except for the fact that we're older, no longer first job candidates, Naruto's grown stronger, and Sakura's hair is longer." He paused in his thoughts, not really seeing the point as to why he took notice of her hair instead of her growth. "…Well, she has curves now. Never knew she'd have those." He thought, scrutinizing her as she continued scolding Naruto. "Her best asset is probably her legs."
"Uchiha!"
He raised a brow.
"Stop looking at the slit!"
"…Don't even think of that."
"Then why the heck were you staring?!"
"I was wondering why a servant of God wears dresses with slits." He took note of other female Priests who passed by. "Acolyte clothing seemed to fit the idea better."
"Oh…" Sakura turned away in embarrassment of accusing him of something. "What am I thinking? Sasuke's not that kind of guy…"
Naruto eyed the two, and then grinned sneakily at Sakura. "I just remembered something urgent, Iruka-sensei wanted me to meet him in Izlude, so, bye!" he walked off, but Sakura was aware that Naruto purposely left her alone with Sasuke.
"Come on." Sasuke said, not giving her time to respond when he suddenly picked her up and jumped towards a roof, and then took off, heading for Prontera.
"I can walk!"
"It would take longer."
"Then what's the point of my Agi Up?"
"You were complaining about your skirt." He landed back on the ground, right in front of Prontera castle. "Besides, I can still take you here, double the speed." He dodged her attack when she took out her staff. "And don't bother, you'll just keep missing."
"Hmph." She pouted and turned her back to him. "Arrogant jerk." She murmured.
Being a Critical type - Agility and Luck (Agi-Luk) - Assassin, Sasuke's speed and luck were pretty high, which meant he moves fast, hits critically fast, and also gets away with nearly everything. She was a Full Support (FS; Int-Vit with a bit of Dexterity or Dex for short) type, so she relied more on her magic skills and, duh, support skills.
Agility focuses on the speed of a person. Luck adds the critical hits one could give an opponent, as well as the increase of chances in not missing a target and avoid receiving damages. Dexterity, on the other hand, improves the possibilities of hitting a target – but for spell casters or those who rely on skills, Dex makes them cast faster.
"Anyway, thanks for the lift." She told him, keeping her staff and fixing her bags. "See you later then."
"Sakura."
She looked back at him as he pulled something out underneath his shirt.
"That's-" she got cut off when he handed it to her. "You kept it…"
He smirked. "You were right, it did give me luck."
She took the rosary that acted as a necklace meant to bring luck to the wearer. "Oh, here." She undid the knot of the scarf around her neck. "I took utmost care of it, since it's important to you."
He took the red material. "Hn. Nice seeing you again."
"Y-yeah." She smiled. "You too."
He turned around and began walking off, leaving Sakura to giggle like a fan girl and jog inside Prontera castle.
"So you finally admit you like him."
She stopped and blushed. "Ts-Tsunade-sensei!" she bowed down a bit at her mentor, who smirked and shook her head. "You startled me."
"I did?" The female Champion just grinned. "I'd say I only caught you by surprise due to your infatuation over a certain Assassin."
"Yeah well," she looked away. "Can you blame me..?"
"No, I can't." Tsunade sighed. "That brat has charisma which he ought to put to good use."
"Sensei…"
"Hm?" Tsunade laughed. "I'm kidding, come on." She led the way inside where most of the Acolyte class people were setting up a few decorations and fixing the tables and chairs.
"I thought the party would be outside?"
"It will be, but this is for the other elite classes."
"I see…"
"By the way," Tsunade eyed Sakura with one eye since she had the other closed. "Have you picked out a dress yet?"
"Shoot! I forgot!"
"Get going then, you've done your chores for today, so go pick out a dress."
"Right, see 'ya!" she left the castle and was back outside Prontera. "Hmm… where can I find…" she thought long and hard, deciding that the dresses in Prontera are already good enough. She then proceeded walking towards the center of the town where she spotted a Dancer entertaining the crowd while moving to the soft melody of a Bard's music.
"Ino!" She waved at the Dancer. "Sai!" and at the Bard; both parties stopping their performance to look up at the pink-haired Priestess running towards them. "Shouldn't you save that for later?" she grinned.
"Well, it's practice for my part." Sai said.
"No way am I performing later." Ino winked at Sakura. "I wouldn't want to be busy when a certain someone would ask me to dance."
"Wait, you know that Sasuke's back?"
"Of course! Naruto is a loud mouth."
Sakura sighed and gave a twitching smile. "Well, you and I both know that Sasuke wouldn't ask anyone to dance."
Ino also gave the same grin. "Not if he sees me tonight with my new dress."
"You think that he'll give you a second glance when you prance around in a skimpy outfit?"
"He may be an Assassin, but he is still pure-male filled with testosterones."
"Ino!" Sakura blushed and scolded her friend. "What do you take him for?!"
The blonde only gave an evil laugh. "You'll see, he won't go for the innocent types."
Sakura twitched. "Just because I'm from the Acolyte class doesn't exactly mean I know nothing."
"You're devoted to God hon, your love for Sasuke is not meant to be."
"I don't love him..!" she defended. "And for the record, we're no longer living in the past where affairs for Acolyte classes and other classes are forbidden."
"It's still considered taboo." Ino shrugged. "Look, I'm not doing this for the sake of winning him over you, but it's for you as well. I don't want to have to snap at old coots who talk behind your back."
Sakura smiled slightly.
"And besides," she sighed. "I wouldn't doubt if Sasuke's testosterones were also cold."
"Ino, you should just… perform." Sakura said, laughing.
Sai just continued eyeing them and listening. "I feel like a brick wall."
"Here we go." She pushed open the door and entered the dress shop, stopping all of a sudden when she saw two men she least expected to be in the store. "E-Eh?! W-What are you two doing here?!"
"Well, if it isn't little Saku-chan!" The older of the two men said, smiling slightly. "But then, I think you've outgrown that name."
"N-not entirely but that's beside the point!"
"Calm down, Baphomet."
Sakura twitched. "I dare you to repeat that."
She only got a smirk. "Ba-pho-met."
She snapped; and she brought out her staff and attempted to hit him numerous times.
"You're only proving me correct."
"I hate you..!! Die Uchiha! Die!!"
Sasuke sighed and grabbed the staff, pulling it away from her, but she had her grip onto it so he ended up pulling her to him as well, and that led her to blush – Déjà vu. "Seriously, calm down."
She quieted down, but her heart was far from calm due to the closeness of their faces. "…He's got pretty eyes…" she thought in a dazed fashion. "And the way his bangs are parted from above his right eye just makes him look perfect…"
"Hn." He let her staff go and turned back to the Biochemist. "I guess this conversation will be cut short."
"Indeed."
"Wait, why are you both having a talk here?"
"I just happen to be given the task to pick out a dress for Anko."
"You..? Orochimaru-sensei, this may sound offending but…"
"I know." He smiled yet again. "But I was forced to carry out the task by our birthday celebrant."
"I see." Sakura glanced at Sasuke. "And you?"
"That's classified." Sasuke turned around, about to leave, but Orochimaru placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Check if Juno can assist."
"Already did," he looked elsewhere. "But they're useless for this situation."
Sakura only blinked, wondering what they could be talking about.
"Anyway, why don't you stay and accompany Sakura for a while? I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do after three years. I'm about to leave soon." Orochimaru turned around when the clerk came back and handed him a wrapped parcel. "I need to convince the Stalker to wear this."
"Good luck with that." Sasuke muttered, and he and Sakura were left behind when Orochimaru had gone.
"Um… this is awkward."
"Hn."
She twitched. "Look, just go if you want to."
"Actually," he looked at her, giving her a blue gemstone. "I need you to warp me to Morroc."
"After calling me a Baphomet..?"
He sighed and just walked off.
"Ugh! Fine! Here!" she used the gem and opened a warp portal while pouting. "You can be soooooo-" she got cut off when he ruffled her head and turned to smirk at her.
"Thanks." And he entered the portal and disappeared, leaving her behind to blush and gape.
"Miss? Is there any dress in particular you would-"
"He just thanked me!" Sakura squealed, ignoring the clerk who just sweat dropped.
He received many greetings of happy birthday from every guest who came, and he returned his thanks with a smile on his lips. He sipped onto his wine, eyes scanning the area and smiling yet again when three familiar faces came up.
"It's odd to see the two of you together once again, and for you, Kakashi, to be early." He smiled. "Where's Sakura?"
"She's running late, apparently." Kakashi laughed, patting the other two's shoulders. "Anyway, Sasuke, Naruto."
"Happy birthday 'ya old geezer!" Naruto grinned, earning a bash on the head from Kakashi who still kept the happy expression on his face, even if the mask covered his nose and lips.
"I'm so sorry for this, Sarutobi-sama."
Sarutobi only laughed out loud and waved his hand dismissively, saying he was used to Naruto being Naruto.
"Idiot." Sasuke muttered at Naruto, before sighing and turning to Sarutobi, and then bowed down a bit. "Happy birthday."
"Welcome back Sasuke, and thank you." Sarutobi said back. "Any luck on your mission?"
Sasuke clenched his fists, and then unclenched them again. "I still don't have a lead."
"Clues will turn up soon, and besides," Sarutobi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're one of the best and most talented Assassins Midgard could have, you'll accomplish your assignment soon."
"Aa."
Naruto nourished the bump on his head as he and Sasuke left Kakashi to talk with Sarutobi.
"Sakura sure is late, huh bastard?"
"Oddly enough." Sasuke replied, hands pocketed as always, and turning away from Naruto to check his surroundings.
As what the Assassin guild had discussed, they were to remain on full alert in case a threat to Sarutobi's life occurs.
"Whoa! Holy cow! Sakura! You look amazing!"
He blinked and glanced at where Naruto had his blue eyes on, and his eyes widened upon setting his sights on his former female teammate's appearance.
His lips parted in awe at how her spaghetti-thin strapped dress wrapped her body perfectly; the red clothing stopping just below her chest and left the rest open to reveal another part of the dress, this time at the color of white. She still had a cross pendant as her necklace, a pair of dangling earrings, and she had white gloves that reached at the middle of her upper arms with a couple of silver bracelets on her right wrist. Her hair was in a half up-do, and to the Assassin's eyes, she has never looked so beautiful.
"That's… Sakura..?"
"Thanks Naruto." Sakura said, feeling embarrassed from the compliment that she placed her right hand at the back of her neck. "You don't look bad yourself." She said, smiling despite the pink flush on her cheeks. "I'd actually think you won't be able to pull off wearing a tux." She caught sight of his loosened tie, as well as a couple of buttons undone. "But you still need help in the proper way of wearing it."
"Aw give me a break!" he said, puffing out his left cheek before turning to check on Sasuke, who was still silent. He blinked and grinned upon seeing his best friend's expression, and he tried to look for an excuse to leave the two alone again. "Oh! Look! It's Iruka-sensei!" he dashed off, and Sakura felt a bit uneasy being left alone with Sasuke, yet again.
"Um…" she began, avoiding eye contact, but realized that she couldn't really keep her eyes off of him for too long. His hair was the same, and she liked it that way. He still sported a silver hoop earring on his right ear, and two silver hoop earrings on the helix of his left ear. Normally, she would be turned off upon the sight of men having earrings, but somehow, she found it an additional appeal to Sasuke. Unlike Naruto who wore his tie loosely and a few dress shirt buttons undone, Sasuke had worn his properly, though he still showed of his rebellious nature by keeping the coat open.
As always, he kept his hands in his pockets, and her eyes trailed back to his face, expecting to see a calm and cool expression, but he was actually staring at her with wide eyes.
"Could he be…?" she blushed at the idea that he was possibly stunned by her appearance. "But then, it might mean I don't look good in his eyes…" she lowered her head at that. "If you call me a Baphomet again, I swear I'd-"
"Far from it." He finally spoke, shaking his head to return back to normal. "It never even crossed my mind."
She blinked, and her blush came back on her cheeks. "You mean…"
He gave a smirk, and it definitely completed the whole package. "I can't even find a right word to describe you tonight," he tried to keep his cool by maintaining eye contact. When he saw her feeling shy underneath his gaze, he gained some more confidence to speak to her. "Just know that… you completely took me by surprise."
"You're not really giving a clear answer." She said. "Is what you're saying a positive reaction, or a negative one?"
She was startled to see him just an inch apart from her face; and she wondered when he had lessened the distance between them. "Which do you think?" he asked back, the smirk still on his lips. "No one has ever taken me by surprise since I became an Assassin."
"Lord, if I survive this night, I will forever be in Your debt." She stopped her train of thoughts. "Wait, I already am forever in Your debt." She looked away, cheeks turning much redder. "I guess…"
"Hn. Then perhaps that would be a compliment." He pulled back to keep their faces at a safe distance. "So, what took you? It's Kakashi's job to be late, not yours."
"I had trouble…" she muttered, refusing to look at him, or else she'll lose sight of her surroundings.
He raised a brow. "Trouble with what?"
"Crowds." She said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not like Naruto who can ride his Peco-Peco and make the crowd part, nor am I like you and Kakashi-sensei, who can jump from roof to roof."
"What's the use of your teleport skill?" he smirked, and she flushed in embarrassment. "I guess you do have limits."
"Oh, and you don't?"
He shrugged, looking elsewhere. "I just said you took me by surprise, so that answers the question."
"Ugh. Damn him for remaining cool."
Sasuke noted a fellow Assassin's signal, and he narrowed his eyes a bit, before glancing from left to right. He returned his gaze at the Assassin, who raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, which meant that something wasn't right.
"Er… Sasuke?"
He ran his fingers through his hair, letting the other Assassin know that he got it, before turning to Sakura.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No," he said, pocketing his hands once more. "Just saw someone who owes me." He shrugged it off and looked around once more. "Hey, I need to-"
"Found you!" a high pitched voice of a female in sing-song mode had said, suddenly wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Gosh! It's so hard to look for you in the sea of men wearing tuxes!"
Sakura twitched.
"Hm? Oh, sorry, am I… interrupting?" she gave a sly smile to Sakura. "I didn't think Priestesses would mingle with Assassins."
"Who died and made you think that?" Sakura shot back.
"Doesn't matter, because the fact still remains that I got to hug Sasuke and you haven't yet!"
"She already has…" Sasuke corrected, before narrowing his eyes. "I don't really like being hugged by anyone other than my teammates, even if the dobe gets too enthusiastic when I paid for his items back then."
"You paid for his items..?" Sakura echoed.
"He forgot his wallet during those times, don't think I offered to."
"Doesn't matter," the girl flipped her hair. "I've been a teammate of yours too, Sasuke."
"Hn. I never considered you as one." He glared, and Sakura could feel the cold aura he suddenly had. "Sakura." He gave a nod and left soon after.
"Hmph. You had something to do with this, huh?"
Sakura twitched. "You know, you won't be having any trouble in becoming a Stalker soon, so I wonder why you're still a Rogue." She then turned and left the red-haired girl, her mood already ruined. "Geez. Who does she think she is?! I don't even know her!"
Somehow, people who don't know each other can tell from the presence of a person what their current jobs are.
The howling wind signaled a storm coming; but before it arrives, the target must be shot.
"Angle it at sixty degrees to the right," he instructed to the Sniper next to him while keeping a close watch on his target with the use of a pair of binoculars. "Hold it until I give the signal."
Aside from Assassins or Ninjas, Snipers – the next level of Hunters – are the perfect killers when you want to take on the target from a safe distance. However, at nighttime, they can be rendered useless without someone else to be their eyes, or if they are not given the proper equipment for a clear view of their mark.
For their eyes, the job with perfect vision (whether darkness or daylight) would be the Thieves who chose the path of Assassins.
When they were merely part of the First Job Class, they underwent a series of hard training, such as target locking and assassination, stealthy spying and escaping, and of course, being one with the dark – the hardest test of all. Only a handful are able to master this skill properly, and lucky him to have the Assassin Cross (Sin-X) – the next level of an Assassin – to be his eyes tonight.
"Fire in three…"
He pulled onto his arrow while having a steady aim at his target's head.
"Two…"
He shut his left eye to make sure it would be a direct hit.
"One, now!"
And he let the arrow zoom, watching how it got closer and closer to his target, until –
"Everybody down!"
The man he aimed to kill was shoved to the ground, making the arrow hit a wooden post instead of the target's head.
"Shit. Someone intervened." The mysterious Sniper grunted, at the same time, lowered to the roof of the inn he was on, his ally doing the same. "We need to move to another location."
"No," the Sin-X said while putting on a black mask to cover his nose and lips. "You move to another spot – preferably the rendezvous point, I need to finish the job."
"Right. Don't get caught."
It wasn't seen, but from the way the Sin-X's eyes glinted, the Sniper knew he just got a smirk. "Kind of strange to tell that to an Assassin Cross, don't you think?"
"Just saying out of habit." The bow and arrow wielder soon left while the katar wielding Assassin rolled to the left and sneakily jumped onto the ground, confident that no one spotted him due to the current panic that an arrow stirred.
"Time for plan B." he used the Cloaking skill so that he can be hidden from the eyes of the people despite moving; careful not to bump into anyone that might give away his position.
He spotted his target still kneeling on the ground with about two to three men shielding him while people ran around in panic.
Despite not knowing everyone that well from the Assassin Guild, he can sense his fellow Sins with one look, or just from plain sensing.
"Sakura, use Ruwach!"
A curse left his mouth when a pink-haired Priest's Ruwach – a skill that could dispel the Hide or Cloaking abilities – almost revealed his position if he was an inch closer to the range. The Assassin who called the shot was pretty sensitive to his surroundings, and he couldn't help but snort at how rare those types of Sins are nowadays.
"We're dealing with an Archer class, what makes you think he could be detected by a Ruwach?!"
The Assassin who told Sakura to use Ruwach glared at the other Sin who questioned him. "Did it even occur to you that a Rogue could be responsible for the shot? Or perhaps another Assassin is out there waiting for a chance to kill him?"
Cloaking is a skill that only Assassins can use, as well as other jobs classes who have the right card equipped to their accessories. Hide, on the other hand, is a skill that all members of the Thief class can do – whether Assassin or Rogue. However, that particular skill cannot let the user move while invisible, and can only let one stay hidden if in stationary position.
Aside from that, Rogues can also use Bows and Arrows as weapons.
"Keep using Ruwach Sakura, and make sure to have a Kyrie Eleison around you."
"Got it!" she performed the barrier skill onto her before using Ruwach while walking the area.
"Naruto, get your other friends to clear the crowd! We can't detect the suspect if there are too many people!"
"Geez Sasuke, who the hell made you leader?" he still obeyed none the less and got a few Swordsman (Swordie) class to help out in crowd control.
"No wonder that kid sensed Zetsu's arrow." He smirked. "If the older brother can't be underestimated, then I guess the younger mustn't be too." He then dodged to the left and settled against a house's wall. "Zetsu, I can't make the kill, Itachi's little brother is there."
"Why? Can't take him?"
"No," he snorted. "It's a waste of valuable time to go against an Assassin of his caliber, he'd make sure our target will be able to escape while dealing with me – not to mention that he'll do so with the intention to kill."
"I can never understand you Assassins," Zetsu muttered. "You go for the kill, yet back out when another Assassin is around."
"I don't normally do, but…" his eyes went back to observe the spiky haired Assassin who kept scanning the area for any signs of danger. "Uchiha Sasuke is one of the favored members of the Assassin Guild; it is no wonder why the leader had assigned him for this secret mission."
"Whatever. Now what..?"
"Plan C."
"Which is..?"
"We leave for now, and then come back for the kill."
"Boss won't like this."
"He'll understand if we tell him that Hatake Kakashi is around as well."
"Didn't you always want to spar with him?"
"Not in this predicament."
"Alright, get going before you're caught."
"Can't argue this time," he turned to the teenaged Assassin related to Itachi. "Especially since I know who I would have been dealing with…"
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: No previews people! Sorry. ^^
Apathetic Silence: And before I forget, she's in-charge of the whole Arc I plot – so starting with the next chapter, I won't be around to give out notes or news – unless of course it is necessary.
(12.30.09)
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: So, like in my updates earlier, the site is going loco in terms of centering the titles. Anyway! My cousin isn't here to say anything else, and I am still internet-less... and yes, I know my cousin's account and password. But he doesn't know mine XD