A/N: I hope you enjoyed the prologue of Eternal Sacrifice. Here now is the first chapter which finally introduces some of our key characters! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
"Hinata-chan, hurry up or we'll be late for the party!" Sakura yelled, slipping on a pair of sparkly silver heels. "Okay, keys, gum, mirror, lip gloss, money…I think that's it." She hurriedly stuffed all her things into a small clutch purse.
Hinata sat up suddenly and glanced around frantically, her heart beating quickly. When she realized there was no immediate danger, she sighed softly, willing her heart to calm down. She rubbed her temples and patted at her hair. How had she fallen asleep? She hadn't been very tired, and it had only been fifteen minutes since she and Sakura had parted to change into their dresses.
"Hinata-chan?" Sakura called again, her voice becoming more prominent as she got closer. "You ready?" She asked, popping her head into the room.
"Hai, gomen nasai, Sakura-chan. I just need a minute," Hinata replied, pulling on a pair of silver, diamond-studded heels. She grabbed her purse and briefly checked in the mirror to be sure her makeup hadn't been messed up while she'd napped.
"You look pretty as usual, Sakura-chan," Hinata complimented as they made their way out the door. Sakura wore an ankle-length dark red silk halter dress with an embroidered bodice and ballroom style skirt. Her light pink hair was pulled into a bun and held together with a mess of red flower clips that complemented her hair. On one wrist she wore a simple silver bracelet; her only other piece of jewelry was a pair of long silver drop earrings.
"Arigatou, Hinata-chan," Sakura smiled. "You look pretty as well." Hinata, on the other hand, wore a sleeveless light green dress that began at her knees in front and then flowed back to barely touch the ground. It had a round neckline and rouched bodice. Half of her dark tresses were pulled into a bun held together with glittery silver clips and the rest of her hair was curled. She wore a pair of diamond stud earrings and on her right ring finger was an ornate silver-banded ring with the Hyuuga crest.
"Arigatou gozaimasu," Hinata replied shyly with a small blush.
"Have a good evening, Hinata-sama, Sakura-san," said the butler who saw them off. He and the two maids on both sides of him gave low bows.
"Arigatou goazimasu," said Hinata in response with a polite bow of her own.
"Arigatou," Sakura added with a small smile and bow. She gave a small wave before walking out the door.
"Hinata-sama," the butler hesitantly spoke up when she was halfway through the doorway.
"Hai, Atsushi-san?" Hinata questioned, pausing.
The butler opened his mouth and then shut it, his eyebrows knitted in worry. Hinata waited patiently and respectfully. Hyuuga Atsushihad been with her since before she could remember. Even as a member of the branch family, Hinata cared deeply for the old man who cared for her and was more of a grandfather than anything.
"Be careful, Hinata-sama," he finally spoke.
"Hai," said Hinata cheerfully. "Ittekimasu." She gave a small smile and wave as Atsushi and the two maids gave final bows and shut the door behind her.
Sakura waited patiently, hands behind her back, looking at their surroundings.
"Gomen nasai, Sakura-chan," said Hinata when she reached Sakura.
"Don't worry about it."
It's almost dawn," Hinata commented worriedly as they began the trek to their destination.
"We'll be fine," Sakura reassured confidently. "We don't need anyone to protect us. We can fend for ourselves, even if we are in dresses. And we live close to Takagi-san, but…I was rather surprised when he announced his party was going to be around dawn since most people usually have their parties at twilight. Then again, he has always wanted to be an individual." Sakura suddenly laughed, imagining her boss with his bright mop of orange hair and blue-green eyes. If that wasn't enough to attract attention, he was usually dressed in bizarre outfits of purple and gold, pink and orange—normal colors men wouldn't be caught dead in. He was short, stout and good-natured in general, but he sometimes revealed a vile temper that made even the fiercest of men cower. It was when he was in one of these moments that Sakura had first met him, and she had been slightly afraid and hesitant upon having him as a boss, but over time, she had come to see the gentler side of him.
Hinata giggled. She had never officially met Takagi-san, but Hinata had seen a few pictures and heard enough stories that it seemed as though she already knew him. "Yes, that is true." Despite Sakura's reassurance, Hinata still felt uneasy. An insistent, prickly chill was running up and down the back of her neck, warning her of danger. Her eyes swept around them once as discreetly as she could. When Hinata spotted no immediate threat, she shook her head, trying to brush off the feeling of uneasiness that wouldn't leave her alone.
"Hinata-chan?" Sakura questioned curiously. "Are you okay?" Even as she asked this, her own eyes swept around them. Like Hinata, she felt a slight sense of unease that had been present since they had left their home.
"Hai, I'm fine," Hinata reassured. "We should hurry and get to Takagi-san's house before dawn." The two women quickened their pace.
A few miles outside their village, a Demon watched them from the windows of a house. No matter how much Hinata and Sakura would have searched, they would never have found the Demon that watched them hungrily.
"I hate waiting until dawn. It's ridiculous that Demons have more power when the sun is out. We shouldn't be limited by something as stupid as that. Whoever the hell decided this should have let us be at full power all the time." A blond-haired Demon growled, crushing the curtain in his fist.
"Calm yourself. The humans may have become smarter, but luckily for us, there are still those unlucky peasants without the means and resources to deny us." A red-haired Demon told the other this calmly as he sat behind a desk, diligently writing something on a piece of parchment.
The blond-haired man shut the curtain angrily before flopping down on the leather couch with a frustrated groan. "I guess you have a point, but still, having to hunt out of town every single week? Can there ever be a time where we can just hunt here? It would make things way less complicated."
"The peasants out there have no defenses against us unlike the humans in town who have begun to create shields and weapons. Hunting the peasants actually makes our lives easier."
"Hasn't Shikamaru been working with some of his lackeys to find weak points and counter measures to the shields and weapons?" The blond asked, an arm covering his eyes. "Or is he working on something else practically 24/7 in his secret laboratory?"
"The humans are unexpectedly advancing at an astounding rate. Every time it seems we've made a breakthrough, they create another layer we cannot penetrate through." Another Demon with long brown hair stated this factually in his calm, emotionless voice. He leafed through a book, looking almost bored, as he continued to speak. "They have become surprisingly intelligent."
"I liked them better when they were stupider," the blond-haired man complained, rolling over on his side. "Made it so much easier to hunt. Didn't have to worry about traveling or getting shot."
"But their intelligence makes them all the more satisfying to catch, don't you think, Neji?" The crimson-haired man responded, his eyes shifting to the dark-haired Demon.
"Hn," Neji answered in reply, turning another page in his book.
"How can you stand to read for so long, Neji?" The blond man asked, looking apprehensively at the pile of books at Neji's feet.
"Unlike you, Naruto, I like to keep my mind as alert and informed as my physical self. Perhaps you should do the same one day. It might make you less of a failure." His voice for the most part was monotonous, but neither of his companions could deny the small hint of disdain at the end.
Naruto sat up abruptly, his fists clenched. "Take that back," he gritted out. He stood and stalked over to where Neji sat by the window, calmly reading. His eyes didn't move away from the page nor did he flinch when Naruto lashed out and swiped Neji's book out of his hand.
"Now I'll have to find my page again," he simply stated, his pearl-colored, pupil-less eyes finally looking up into Naruto's which flickered between blue and red. "Going to lose your temper?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"You—"
"Naruto." The red-haired man's voice was clear, steady, demanding, and made Naruto pause.
"Gaara—" He began, his eyes their normal sky blue.
"Stop being childish," Gaara replied, setting down his quill and standing. "Let's go. It's time to hunt."
"Yes!" Naruto yelled excitedly, pumping a fist into the air, completely forgetting the matter that had almost set him off. He ran to the door of the library, practically dancing. "I'll get Shikamaru and the others!"
"Idiot," Neji muttered under his breath, following after him.
"Neji," Gaara called. He stopped but didn't turn to face Gaara. "If you continue with your antics, I might allow Naruto to change one of these days, in which case you might not get out alive."
"Good," Neji replied dismissively. "If I can escape from this hellhole called life, I will gladly continue to bait him." With those words, he left, slamming the door behind him.
Gaara trailed after silently, contemplating.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and stay tuned for chapter 2!