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Chapter Four
A fortress stood enshrouded in a thick fog that conceals it from the shining beams of the sun. A soft breeze entered the magnificent fortress's open windows, creating soft whispers inside its many halls.
Hidan was in his usual meditation in the comfort of his lair; beside him was a three bladed scythe that glinted in the moonlight. Suddenly, he felt a prickling sensation crawl over his skin.
He was on his feet in an instant.
'Hinata'
He could sense her approach as well as her determination, despite the fact that she had barely left the palace gates.
Damn…but how? Why?
He had fucking made sure that his powers would hide all memories of their encounter. The same power he used after feeding upon stray travelers who passed near the glen, if he was feeling generous that is, they would wake up weakened and confused, never recalling their encounter with The Demon.
Damn it. Is she really that stubborn to continue her fight against her sister's fate? Or does she have the ability to see through the barriers he had fuckingly erected inside her mind?
Or was it only him, who had silently called to her despite the control on his instincts?
Questions still plagued his mind as he swiftly moved through the castle and out into the glen. He could allow the wench to enter the mist. She would never come across the fortress, instead she would simply wander around in confusion for several days and probably die of hunger.
It would solve not just one problem if it happened. The fierce, clawing desire that haunted him since he took her in his arms last night was one of them.
He thought that the stirring passions he had when he was still mortal would eventually die and buried for a long time in his grave. For a century he had survived in bleak loneliness and his lust for revenge which disturbed his frozen tranquility.
Hell! Distraction or not, he had to admit that he was not yet prepared to dismiss the enticing heat Hinata had aroused deep within him.
It had been so very long since he had experienced such sweet temptation.
Moving swiftly, Hidan was out of the castle and moving through the mist. He could sense the girl coming ever closer. An odd warmth battled the ice cold of his dead heart.
Hidan forced himself to stop and impatiently wait for the unexpected intruder. Pacing with what he could assume as impatience, he counted the moments until he could distinctly hear the rustle of leaves as Hinata approached. He prepared himself as she abruptly appeared through the mist.
He lifted his hands and settled them on her shoulders. "I think this will be as far as you can go."
Her pale lilac eyes widened as she regarded him in silence, stilling beneath his touch.
"Y-you r-really are r-real.."
He smirked as he silently warned himself to take care. This girl clearly possessed the ability to see through his enchantments. Another reason to keep her at a distance.
His hands utterly ignored the voice at the back of his head, as he smoothed over her shoulders and down at her back. Hell, it felt so wonderful to touch her.
"Not completely." He conceded.
She gently pulled away from his hold, brows furrowed together.
"W-who are y-you?" she demanded. "Or s-should I ask…" she swallowed heavily. "What are y-you?"
Two questions he had no intention of answering. Hidan scowled a little in disapproval.
"Why are you really here? It's fucking stupid of you to enter this place. Do you really want to die that badly, bitch?"
The girl flinched at his remark, wondering if he really meant the offensive term.
"I d-don't w-wish t-to be here…I-Im not that s-stupid."
Well, one of them could be, he acknowledge with a slow shake of his head.
"Shit…then why the hell are you in here?"
"I…I-I d-don't know…i-it has been bothering m-me all d-day as w-well." She muttered, then she slowly gazed at him fearfully. "D-did y-you put a s-spell on m-me p-perhaps?"
Hidan stood still. Despite all his determination, his need had managed to call for this girl.
Or did it?
Was it possible that there was something more to this overpowering awareness that clawed within him? Something beyond both of their understanding?
He met her gaze steadily. "Fucking wished it were that simple."
"W-what do y-you mean?"
"If it were a mere fucking spell, then I could've released both of us in an instant, but for now I think we'll probably be ensnared by it for the moment." He smirked.
He saw her bite on her lower lip. It was obviously not the reassurance that she sought. Fear and suspicion deepened in her eyes.
"Y-you still h-haven't t-told me y-your name s-sir."
Hidan stepped closer to her delicate form, allowing her sweet warmth to infuse into his skin.
"Names don't fucking matter." He grinned.
"I-I…of c-course it d-does."
He placed his hand on the curve of her hips, making her blush deeply.
"Why?"
There was a pause as if she were carefully considering her words.
"B-because… I t-think y-you h-have some information a-about t-the D-demon…"
Hidan bit back the urge to lie. What the hell did he care if she feared him? It was what he wanted of all those treacherous Hyuugas, to bask in their fear and terror.
Isn't it?
"Yeah? so what?"
Pale lilac eyes darkened with fury in an instant rather than the horror he had expected.
"T-then you k-know the plans to take m-my sister as i-its s-sacrifice…"
"Hell, everyone knew of the fucking sacrifice."
She gritted. "A-are you a t-threat to my sister?"
"Your sister belonged to the Demon since the day she was born."
She instantly stepped away from his light grasp, glaring venomously at him.
"S-she has done nothing. She is innocent."
Hidan tilted his head unconsciously in an arrogant angle. "She carries the sin of your ancestors. It's fucking Justice."
"N-no, t-this is r-revenge placed on an innocent. Was it still not enough Hyuuga blood shed?"
"Is there enough blood to heal wounds of fucking betrayal, treachery and murder?!" he demanded.
She seemed to halt when she heard the cutting edge of his voice and the sudden chill of the air.
"Y-you're t-talking about… ancient l-legends…" Hinata murmured.
"What the hell do you know about them?" His gaze narrowed.
She stared at the ground. "T-the story tells a-about a young man who f-fell in l-love with the w-wife of the head of the clan…w-when he at-attempted to kidnap her, the head had the young man taken to the glen and k-k-killed…b-but somehow he m-managed to crawl out of his grave. Since that n-night he had taken the f-form of a d-demon and h-has taken the f-first H-Hyuuga f-f-female as a s-sacrifice…"
Hidan clenched his hands on his side in disdain.
"Should have known that Hyuuga's spout fucking shitty lies!"
Hinata blushed in embarrassment at her family and his insult, slowly looking up at him.
"I-I do not l-lie."
He gave an abrupt wave of his hand.
"I already assumed you to be an exception, a rare Hyuuga bitch. Bloody heathens can't claim your preference for the truth."
She regarded him for a moment, as if trying to see through his very heart and soul.
"S-so… you s-say the story is false?"
Hidan's jaw clenched. For him the betrayal was not some old legend nearly forgotten in the mist of time. It was a cold ache that never faded nor healed, no matter how many years might pass.
"Of course it's damn fucking false! He was a simple man who traveled all around the country, the girl was unwed, they both loved each other, they planned to get married yada yada."
Hinata frowned. "W-wasn't the girl m-married to the Head of the c-clan?"
Hidan gave a humorless laugh. "Not until the fucking Head caught sight of the girl." An unwanted memory of a black-haired beauty flared in his mind. He had fallen in love the moment he saw her, unfortunately he had been young and stupid enough to believe she returned his love. "She was damn beautiful of course, capable of bewitching with a smile. The asshole decided that he'll have her, no matter whom she belonged."
Hinata gulped, she took a stumbled step backwards. "H-h-he… forced her?"
"Wooed her with promises of wealth, a life far more promising than with a wandering traveler. Truth is, took only a little convincing and before the sun had even set, she was already on the assholes bed. Nothing tragic."
"W-what about the young man?"
Hidan smiled coldly. It had been difficult to remember the days he was still innocent and trusting.
"He was told that his beloved was waiting for him in the forest so that they might run away together and escape this land, of course he eagerly sought her…But, of course, it wasn't his lover waiting for him there with open arms."
Hinata's face paled with shock.
"H-he…was…k-killed."
"Yep. Brutally if I might add. Pierced in the heart and everything." Hidan smirked grimly.
Hinata clutched her chest, clearly disturbed by his blunt words.
"T-that's so terrible…"
"Yeah…damn terrible it is."
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A/N: Thank you very much for those who R&R this fic!I couldn't have done this w/o your support. X3
~It may take some few days before I can update~ (I just sneaked in to use my brother's laptop just to post this chapter) I'm not feeling well these days, the constant change of temperature here causes me migraines _...But don't worry, I can and I will manage to finish this story- for such is the power of youth!