I am really unsatisfied with this chapter, but it is necessary for the story to continue. Don't lynch me, people. Please. A humble request from me.
Disclaimer- A disclaimer means disclaimer, so you know what to expect in one.
Chapter 3:Formality
The next few days, whenever Hinata turned up, Sasuke let her in, only because (he said) she had the basket with her.
'I got custard today.' Hinata announced.
'Aa. I hate custard. It's too sweet. Take it away.'
'How rude! Is that how you speak to-' She felt Sasuke grope her butt. She gave an extremely un-Hinata-like squeal and reflexively slapped Sasuke with full force in the face.
Sasuke rubbed his purple cheek. 'Interesting. Perhaps a new variation of the Jyuuken?'
Hinata went red in the face and fidgeted madly with her fingers. 'You cant just s-sexually assault me each time I come here! That day y-you-'
'That day was an accident.' Sasuke pointed out.
'Fine, but now this! I suppose this was an ac-accident too?'
'No.'
'Exactly. I am not a t-toy.'
Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'It was a bug, actually.' He opened his fist to reveal the crushed body of a large, wasp-like creature. 'This is what we call a Shuitetsai. Extremely rare, they are no longer found in the wild. They are bred by only a handful of people, and are mainly used for assassination purposes. The poison they inject is a neurotoxin; it directly affects the nervous system and leads to an excruciating but fast death. Orochimaru used to experiment of them before leaving Konoha.'
'I-I was the target.'
Sasuke gave a dry laugh. 'Those with power are feared, and steps are taken to destroy them. The Uchiha clan was an example, and so is the Hyuuga. Eliminating the next head is a very…ah…tempting thing to do.'
Hinata looked at the bug. Then she noticed something. There was a tiny welt in Sasuke's palm. It was red, and something white was seeping out. The area surrounding the mark had gone slightly blue.
'You were stung.' She looked up and met his eyes. 'You were stung.' She repeated, like she could not believe what she saw.
Sasuke's face remained as impassive as ever, but it glistened with sweat. He swayed and collapsed, dragging Hinata, who tried to catch him, along with him.
They stayed like that for a few seconds, breathing heavily and staring at each other. Sasuke was the first one to break contact.
'So what?' He paused. 'So what if I'm stung?'
'You are going to die.' Hinata tried to blink back her tears. Why was she crying, she did not know. It could have been out of anger at Sasuke's thick-headedness. It could have been out of guilt that he was in this condition because of her.
Or, most absurd of all, it could have been out of sadness.
Was it out of sadness for a person for whom time had been frozen ever since the age of 7, who had committed numerous sins just for the sake of revenge for his family, for someone whom she pitied and wanted to be given a new chance at life?
'Death is nothing but a formality. There is nothing, rather no one in this world worth living for.'
'Don't say things like that. Many people grieved when the news of your death came, and they will again if you die once more.'
'Ah. I am touched. But what about you, Hyuuga? Will you grieve for me too?'
'Please…we need to get to the hospital.'
Something red trickled down Sasuke's pale chin.
Crimson blood accentuating the ivory skin. Onyx hair framing his face. It was so beautiful.
The last thing Sasuke felt before darkness claimed him was rain falling on his face. Rain that seemed to originate from the eyes of the girl above him.'
'I won't let you go, Sasuke-san.' Hinata said. 'For the sake of the person I admire.'
She peeled off her bulky jacket and pants to reveal fishnet below. Her entire body started glowing, emitting green chakra.
I wrote this one while listening to Lacrimosa ("Weeping" in Latin) by Kalafina. It's been used as Kuroshitsuji's ending, and man, it's awesome. It's got one of those haunting melodies that stay in your head forever. Anyway, that's 'Formality' for you. Next chapter- 'Bonding'. It might be bit longer than the rest. Thanks for reading, please review. A simple ":D" will also do!
-Andreya Halms-
