SykoeAnimeCrasherz: Finally, back to updating!
And finally, back to Naruto!
I hope all of you long-time readers haven't abandoned hope... and I hope new readers enjoy this chapter!
Enjoy!
Chapter 9, Intruders in the Courtyard
I had woken up that day, cold, damp, and feeling like I had been hit head-on by a cart. And worst of all, Hinata was gone.
The lovely little dancer girl whom I had fought for so hard to rescue was wrenched from my grasp so easily. But it wouldn't end there. I wouldn't let it.
I was going to get her back.
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in!"
"Naruto, you smelly bastard!"
"Hey..." I looked around at a dirty stable with a few shitty horses, filled with dirty, raggedy boys - thieves like me. In one corner of the room was a pile of stolen goods - food, jewelry, candy... throwing some bread and meat on the pile, I walked over to where the boys were sitting and standing around.
"Why so down?" One of them, Kiba, looked me in the eyes and must have noticed that I wasn't being myself that day. His black eyes focused on my clear, blue ones. The red triangles on his cheeks were flecked with pieces of the meat pie he was munching on, and his little dog attempted to lick them clean.
"I... I met someone..." the image of a pale girl with flowing, navy blue hair appeared in my mind.
"Who?" Chouji, a chubby boy in the corner stopped stuffing his face enough to look up at me. Even Shikamaru, sitting next to him and chewing on a piece of jerky looked up with interest.
"A girl."
"Where the HELL did you meet a... a girl!?" Kiba almost choked on his meat pie, spitting out the last word like poison.
"Well, I met her in the Red Light District, but-"
"The Red Light District? Naruto, you stupid -" Shikamaru gave me a look as if I were an idiot.
"No! It's not like that!" I shouted defensively, balling my hands into fists.
"It's not? Naruto, I can't believe you... you know those girls! They don't love you! It's their job to-"
"No!" I interrupted Chouji in the middle of his -logical, but annoying- lecture. "She's a virgin."
"What?" Kiba was now utterly confused. "But, the Red Light District..."
"You don't get it!" I calmed down a little. Maybe they'd listen to me. "I saved her."
"Saved her? What shit are you spouting man, seriously!?" Shikamaru now had a look of frustration plastered on his features.
"RRRGH!" my patience with my friends was coming to an end. "If you'd just listen to me... I was stealing bread, and they were chasing me, so I ran into the Red Light District and I see this girl... I use her as a shield, but it doesn't work. Next thing I know, she's following me back to where I usually sleep, and then we end up talking and..."
"And?" Chouji looked at me, apparently interested now.
"And that's it." I glared at them all without regret, trying to smother the perversion apparent on all of their expressions. "The next day they found us, knocked me unconscious on the side of the road and took her away."
"Well, that's probably the last time you see her." Kiba snorted, finishing off his meat pie.
"Shut up, Kiba!" I yelled, startling his little dog.
"It's true!" he held up his hands defensively, hurt. "Now quit being pansy and share some of that food." he licked his lips at the sight of the ham in my hands.
"I..." I continued absentmindedly, ignoring his drooling stare. "I know where she is."
"What?" They all stated in unision.
"I followed her..." I looked down at floor, then up to their eyes. Realization hit them like a ton of bricks.
"Aw, crap." Shikamaru buried his face in his hands. "You want us to helpy ou get her back, don't you? Stupid fuck. Where is she."
"The castle." I said in all seriousness.
"What the fuck?" Kiba practically shouted. "Seriously, Naruto, c'mere. If what you're smoking is making you see pretty girls and castles, I want some."
"I'm not high, Kiba, you idiot! I'm serious!" Kiba crossed his arms. He was tired of this. "They kidnapped her and sold her to some guy who took her to the castle! And she's in there, I swear!!"
"Well, how the hell do you expect for us to get her back?" Chouji spat out through a mouthful of half-chewed food.
"Don't worry guys, I have a plan." I said, tossing the ham aside only for Kiba to catch it in his mouth happily.
"And what's in it for us?" Shikamaru sat up straight next to Chouji, now intent.
I held up a prize in my hand, and at the sight of it, all of my comrade's eyes widened in shock.
"How the hell did you get so much money!?!?" Shikamaru stood up and walked towards me, but I backed away and held the cash behind my back.
"You know we're not supposed to steal that much- we'll get caught!" Kiba seemed worried, glancing around the stable as if a policeman would just pop out of one of the horse's asses.
"Don't worry guys, I have it all worked out. We ain't getting caught."
"Naruto, you sneaky bastard." Chouji glared at me.
"Now," I began, stuffing the money back inside my shirt. "You guys will get your reward soon enough. This is what I need you to do..."
And that, dear listeners, is how I ended up hidden in the trees surrounding the courtyard of the castle, waiting for something to happen.
After having explained the plan to my companions, we had been intently watching the castle for guard activity. We had so much memorized, we could have told you where Guard number 24 stopped to scratch his ass every night at 9:13. But that didn't matter; what mattered was getting safely into the castle to rescue Hinata.
"Psst, Naruto." A harsh, whispery voice reached me through the thick branches of the tree. "PSST!"
"What is it, Kiba?" I hissed. My friends, though had helped me so much, were bound to get me caught.
"I'm hungry!" he whined, and Akamaru whimpered. Guard number 33 perked up, and his hand flew to his side where his knife was sheathed.
"Yeah!" Chouji piped in, complaining, when the Guard had safely stalked off in some random direction. "What-say after this we take some of that money of yours and buy ourselves a decent meal?"
"Not now, you guys!" I scolded. "We have to get Hinata out first, then come your rewards!"
"Hey, Naruto," I discerned Shikamaru's quiet whisper among the whining of idiots.
"What?" I listened to Shikamaru; he was smart. Maybe he had something planned.
"How exactly do you intend on finding this girl? I mean, we get into the castle, simple enough. But then what?"
"Oh..." I paused. I hadn't exactly thought that through. I thought it would be easy enough to find her once we got in, "Well, I know where her room is, if that's what you're wondering. The only problem would be finding it once we're in, and that can't be hard enough!" I lied.
Shikamaru would destroy me if he knew that I had no idea what I was doing; they all would. But all I needed to do was find her, and get her out... if I could do it once, I could do it again!
Now, all we needed was for Guard number 40 to round the corner at the right side of the courtyard wall and the coast would be clear for us to enter the premises.
Just then, a figure burst through the doors of the castle. They stumbled drunkenly across the courtyard, tripping to a stop in front of the castle. Like a lump, the layed their head in their arms on the edge, and heaved up and down, as if out of breath and gasping.
At a closer look, I realized it was the reason I was here.
Hinata!
Shikamaru must have noticed me tensing, and jumped down to my branch just in time to yank me back up from jumping down to the courtyard like a retard.
"Wait!" he hissed angrily. "Don't do anything stupid - the coast isn't clear just yet!"
I growled impatiently - so close!
"Jesus, Naruto, why do you want her so badly anyway?" I heard the rustle of leaves, and Kiba's head popped out. "She's not even that hot."
Furiously, I yanked my arm from Shikamaru's grasp. "You guys don't understand!"
Recklessly, I jumped down into the moonlit courtyard.
"Hinata!" I shouted, running over to the foutain. A pale young girl with a tear-streaked face lifted her head up momentarily, and her mouth gaped opened in shock.
"N-Na..."
I halted in my tracks. What had they done to her!?
"N-Na...Na...ru..." Slowly, she stood up, still huffing slightly, and walked over to me. As her gaze fell to the ground, she ran forward, and tackled me.
Her nails dug into my back as her tiny hands grasped fistfuls of my shirt tightly. She felt so warm and small against me, I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame and buried my nose in her hair.
"Mrrrtrr! Thrrkdnppedmrr, ndsllldmrrrnd, ndthnthey-they-" she took in a long, clear, sharp gasp of breath and cried into my shirt.
My hold on her tightened her, suffocating the both of us as I forgot about our surroundings and stood there, holding her as she shook. Everything around us melted away until there was only the sound of her muffled cries, and the smell of her clean, dark hair.
"Naruto!" I heard a hiss from the trees, and was jerked back to reality. Still holding her tightly, I turned my head slightly to see Kiba's head and his little dog poking out from within the thick, green branches. "Come on, we have to get the hell outta here!"
Reluctantly, I loosened my grip and rested my hands on Hinata's shaking, narrow shoulders, holding her at arm's. length.
"Hinata," I began, gulping. With nothing to say, I realized that I hadn't exactly planned this part either. What was she going to do, climb up the wall with me and run away, laughing, into the sunset? (It was nighttime, too, damnit!) "I... I came here..."
She sniffed, looking up at me with soulful, doe eyes brimming with fresh tears. "Wh-what is it?"
"I came here to rescue you." I averted my gaze, blushing profusely. Only now had I realized how stupid I sounded. A poor little blemish on society saving a pretty girl from a castle? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around? The prince... rescued her, from me.
She leaned forward, trying to hug me again. I could tell she was lonely and aching for human contact - no! I shook my head, holding her close once more. She needed me!
"Come on, Hinata." I let go of her and held her at arms length again, then my arms lowered to grasp her tiny hands firmly. "I'm getting you out of here!"
"H-How?" she hiccuped.
"Don't worry, I have this all planned ou! I-"
CRASH!
The doors to the castle swung open, and this time an angry prince stormed out into the brilliant, moonlight -washed courtyard. Hinata, why aren't you in the roo-" it was his turn to stop and for his mouth to gape open stupidly.
"Fuck." I cursed. Taking one step behind me, I was beginning to back away in fear. I was battling on whether to just pick up Hinata and take her away, but I knew her big crappy-ass fluffy dress would get in the way, or get caught in the trees. She'd be too heavy.
Instead, I leaned forward quickly, placed my hand on the back of her head, and planted my lips firmly on hers. Then I darted away.
"Lady Hinata! Are you ok!?" I could hear the prince's concerned shouts fading away behind me as I flew through the trees with my comrades at my heels.
"Naruto..." Kiba panted as he struggled to keep up with me, "I'm sorry..."
I guess they could tell how depressed I was. Maybe they understood now.
"Do we still get to eat?" Chouji asked tentativelly. He knew I was depressed, but he couldn't ignore his hunger.
I actually lauged. I knew my friends would help me - at least they tried. "Yeah... yeah, we do. No, well, you guys go on without me." at the edge of the trees, I stopped, fished one of the bills from my shirt-pocket, and handed it to Shikamaru.
"You're not coming with us?" Kiba questioned, worried. For any of us to deny food was just plain insanity.
"No... I... I'll meet up with you guys later." I sighed dejectedly.
"Alright..." They backed away reluctantly, before deciding I really wasn't going to change my mind and began making their way towards the city lights.
My lips still burning, I began to walk slowly back in the direction of the crappy apartments where my attic-room was. I had failed.
But remembering her warmth, her tiny frame limp in my arms... I knew it wasn't over for me. I wasn't going to give up.
Whatever happened, I was getting her back.
Sykoe AnimeCrasherz: Awwww, just lookit all that mush! I can't believe myself!
Oh, well, writing it was pretty damn fun. :D
Poor little Naruto and Hinata, two souls pining for each other. And poor little clueless Sasuke - he'll get his soon. XD
REVIEW!!!! I worked so hard on this... T.T
