Do not read if you do not like. Do not waste your time. Besides, flames do not affect me. I love to write and I will continue to do so because I know that there are people—even if they are few—that reads this fiction. Those readers share the same love that I felt for this ship and that is enough.

Peace out!

Oh…and by the way, to some readers: please do not scold me if I'm late in updating. Lol. I have a life.

-o-o-o-

Chapter Ten

Shikamaru cursed under his breath after he jumped from the ship. Sai followed behind and they both landed above the water like they were just standing on solid ground—all thanks to the chakra on their feet. Without a second to waste, they started running with the intention of rounding the whole ship to see what happened to Hinata.

"Shit. We are running blindly in the dark." Shikamaru said and he heard Sai grunt in agreement. As a shadow user, darkness was his friend and above all else, his weapon. Unfortunately for him, his eyes were not as sharp as a Byakugan user so too much darkness was a hindrance for his vision.

Sai felt a familiar flicker of chakra to his right so without a word, he reached out blindly for the Nara. He managed to grab Shikamaru's vest and he pulled. It was hard to give out directions when they could not see each other and what could be around them.

Shikamaru followed Sai's lead. "I feel that."

"Hinata's chakra." Sai confirmed. "It's getting…"

"Farther." Shikamaru's eyes widened. What could possibly happen that Hinata was making distance. from the ship? Looking up, he spared the ship a glance and racked his 'genius' brains for what to do next. If they leave the ship, the captain would surely wait for them for a few minutes—an hour tops. It was not because the captain doesn't care for his passengers but it was because Shikamaru had informed the said captain that they were ninjas.

And they might disappear with or without warning.

"Our packs…we left them behind." Sai muttered.

"I know." Shikamaru gritted his teeth. "Sai. Get back to the ship and get our packs. Our provisions are in there and the scrolls that we're going to need for the peace talks. After you retrieve them, use your ink bird and fly high above the sea and try to spot me or Hinata."

"But the mist is getting thicker."

"I'll find a way to signal you."

"Be careful." Sai halted from running and Shikamaru whipped past him. Sai then turned and headed back to the ship to do what he was told. Even if he was the Anbu Captain, Shikamaru was still the better tactician and there was no doubt that the Nara will find a way.

But the more important question was: what happened to Hinata?

Shikamaru followed the flicker of Hyuga chakra as fast as he could. He was no Kiba Inouzuka in terms of speed but he was fast enough to catch up with the way the chakra signature was becoming more and more identifiable.

He was gaining on Hinata.

::

Hinata bit her tongue and it was strong enough to draw blood. She did it to bring back her senses and drive away the cloud of fuzziness that was starting to form inside her head. She was losing blood by the second and it was affecting her body in a very inconvenient way.

She was wounded on her chest area, just above her breasts and she could feel the thick trickle of warm blood flowing down and dampening her clothes. If her suspicion was correct, she was not that wounded deep but it was wide enough to make her weak.

I need to get away from this…man.

"Still alive? Hey now, I only gave you a scratch. You are not going to die Mrs. Uzumaki."

He knows me.

"You are a ninja." Hinata said and she raised her head up. She was hanging on the snake-like shoulder of her abductor like a limp doll. There must be something on his blade—the one that he used to wound her that made her limbs go numb and unresponsive.

The man chuckled. "No. well… I never had official training in the first place."

"W-who are you?" Hinata asked. Undeniably, the man was strong for he was able to put her in such a state within the span of a few seconds. In her Byakugan eyes, she could also see that his chakra reserves are much more powerful than hers. It was also taken into consideration that he caught her unaware for she was expecting to save a young girl from drowning and it never entered her mind that it might result to this.

Her abductor was tall and bulky but she could not see his face because he got it covered with dirty bandages. His arms though, were white and scaly and were similar to that of a snakeskin.

"Don't ask me. I am just a follower. My master should—shit." The man stopped talking and then spat out a curse. He paused from his wide strides and froze like a statue. "Dammnit. I c-can't move."

"Taking someone who doesn't belong to you?" Shikamaru asked without humor as he weaved his hands together to form hand seals. He still could not see but the chakra signature was enough and his hearing was good. By using his Shadow Bind Jutsu, he managed to hold whoever it was that got Hinata. "Hinata-chan. Are you okay?"

"Sh-Shikamaru-kun." Hinata croaked. It was only by her willpower that she was still able to activate her Byakugan. Drop by drop; she could feel chakra leaving her body. A few minutes more it was going to be fatal. "Three meters to the r-right."

Shikamaru followed Hinata's direction. When he was near enough, he pulled her off the unmoving character that mysteriously reeks of decay. It was the same smell that he remembered when fighting one of the "Peins" a decade ago. "I can smell blood." He said under his breath and held on the Hokage's wife, trying to trace where the precious life liquid was coming from. When he reached her chest, he cursed. "Shit."

"I…c-cant move much." Hinata whispered and leaned her heavy head on the Nara's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Can you still use your Byakugan? I can only hold this man with my jutsu for a few minutes." He adjusted her so that he was supporting her weight. Even though unmoving, the man was strong and Shikamaru could feel his technique being weakened.

"But not for long."

"It's okay. Be my eyes."

"Y-yes." Hinata held on to Shikamaru's neck and forced her remaining chakra to build on her forehead. The moment that she did, she felt the intense throbbing of her veins located around her eyes. It made her groan and Shikamaru placed a hand around her waist.

"Can you spot Sai?"

"Circling above. A few meters to the left—" Hinata paused and hissed her breath out. "Shikamaru-kun, there are a few others…"

The man who was still bound by the Nara's Jutsu chuckled. "Don't think you can get away with this… Hyuga-san. I don't have comrades but I sure got my fellow workers with me. And there are no forces here on earth that is going to stop us from getting you."

"You're annoying."

"Just give her up Leaf nin. The we'll let you go without a scratch."

" I'm afraid it is not that easy." Shikamaru scowled, brain gears analyzing everything.

He could try to fight them off with Sai—for it was vital to know what these people want and who was ordering them to do such a dangerous and risky act. It may be an invitation for war from other unknown villages or some kind of betrayal. With him and Sai's abilities, he was confident that they could take them down.

Or at least try.

But then again, Hinata's condition should also be taken into account and it was the most important account of all. Naruto had personally ordered him to watch out and protect her. Sai was just above them and he could provide an escape route while Hinata needs medical attention and they have no time to lose—not to mention that there are still enemy characters already edging towards them.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered and slowly backed away. His mind had already conjured thousands of counter attack and escape plans but they all ended for the benefit of one person.

Uzumaki Hinata.

Hinata felt the Nara tense as he weaved more hand seals. With her Byakugan, she watched as the man who covered himself under the illusion of a young girl earlier got pierced on the chest by a black unearthly form which she knew was Shikamaru's shadow.

There was a nasty, painful howl.

At that moment, Shikamaru made a run for it, holding the woman securely as the other three followed him in the dark. Hinata muttered something about Sai's ink bird above their heads and so he kicked hard on the water and forced his chakra to erupt on his feet. It made his leap much higher and he landed straight on Sai's ink bird.

High above the thick cloud of mist—which he suspected was some kind of jutsu—he was surprised to see that it was not blindingly dark. The moon's light was enough for all of them to see. "Hinata-chan." He let her lean to him as he slowly eased her down into a sitting position.

The woman's shirt was wet with her blood.

Sai pulled out his katana midway from its stealth. "I should go down there and finish them."

"No. They have some kind of illusion jutsu down there that hinders with vision. I also suspect that the thick mist was there doing."

"They are still following." Hinata managed. "They are still following us."

"What are they?" Sai asked.

"Weird humans." Shikamaru pulled the zipper of Hinata's jacket a little lower. The soft skin above her chest revealed a long gash. He pressed his palm on it and tried to put pressure. "If I am correct, and I think I am, they are Kabuto and Orochimaru's experiments that Sasuke was talking about. He described them to look like weirdos but with the smell of corpses."

"The experiments Sasuke is trying to round." Sai nodded. "I see. They are those that got lost and was never found when the fourth war broke out. It has been too long…why are they appearing now and at this place of all places?"

"What bothers me is the fact that they know Hinata." Shikamaru said. This was going to be trouble for sure. "Kabuto and Orochimaru disappeared after the war and we cannot be sure if both or one of them controls those experiments or maybe an entirely different person." He scowled, remembering the snake-like faces of two of Konoha's famous villains. "But that is only if my assumptions are correct."

Sai shifted and looked down. He couldn't see through the thick mist but he could feel different chakras. "They are fast. They could trail us if we continue like this." Without a word, he pulled his paintbrush from his vest pocket and reached for the scroll on his back.

Within seconds, he managed to conjure another identical ink bird. "I'll distract them. Shikamaru-kun, you go with Hinata-chan and find someplace safe so that you can treat her wound. I will contact you after luring them away."

"You got the tracking and communicating device?"

"Yes. I got them." Sai jumped on the other bird. "Be careful."

"You too. Just lure them away. Do not fight them alone Sai."

::

A few hours of flying in the air and Shikamaru found a small island in the middle of the sea. They were not being followed anymore but he still wasn't sure if he and Hinata were safe enough. Even so, he decided to risk a few hours to treat Hinata's wound.

And if Sai was already heading towards them, it would give him some time to catch up.

When they landed, he raised a hand to form a jutsu and the ink bird disappeared. He could just summon it later when they need to go. Grabbing their packs with one hand while the other was supporting his comrade, he made his way under a giant tree and dropped the packs there.

It was already dawn and the sky was a beautiful color of red and orange.

Hinata was drifting in and out of unconsciousness but her wound had stopped bleeding almost an hour ago. Her jacket was already caked with dried blood and the red color was slowly turning brown. Shikamaru gently placed her on the ground and then rummaged his packs for some medical kits.

Later, he will try to contact Naruto and inform him of what happened. At least the Seventh was going to be aware that there are still things like those freaks that are trying to disrupt peace.

"Here." Shikamaru pushed a pill inside Hinata's mouth. When she swallowed, he pushed another one and then let her drink from his canteen of water. One was an antidote for poisons that might have been on whatever blade that touched her skin. The other was to prevent the wound from infection. "You said you cannot move your upper body…"

"T-there must have been…some kind of paralyzing drug…"

Shikamaru sighed and dug his medicine kit for another pill. Way to go for him to fail what the Hokage had commanded him to do. "Here." He pressed the pill on her mouth. "This will help."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"J-jumping to conclusions. I should have analyzed the situation better."

"Well, you thought you were saving a friend."

"I'm reckless." Hinata tried not to cry. Now Naruto wil never allow her to go on faraway missions. She just proved to her husband all over again that she was not a reliable kunoichi.

Shikamru tried to lighten Hinata's mood by grinning. "No. As I said, you wanted to save a friend... Anyone you considers a friend is safe with you and I would prefer a comrade like that anytime...anywhere."

Hinata looked at him in the eyes and he shrugged. "You are not reckless."

Hinata managed a smile. "Thank you Shikamaru-kun."

-o-o-o-

Urgh... Uncle wants to borrow my laptop. I still want to write/type more!

-sulkingcrazychan