Chapter 10: You're Amazing

Hinata's fist flew through the air like a veritable cannon-ball and connected solidly with skin and bone. She winced, eyes still squeezed tightly shut, but was relieved to hear the hiss of steel slicing through empty air and something fall heavily onto the floor. Shocked silence; she inwardly congratulated herself and felt a new, strange thrill tingle up her spine. She had done it - she had saved Naruto from that horrible woman.

Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open and she peered out meekly from behind the banisters, fist still outstretched before her. "Naruto...?"

Tayuya stood before her, knife in hand and an astonished expression on her face. Hinata blinked. Where was he?

"Ouch." A rather pained groan floated up from somewhere below. Hinata started and glanced down only to see the blonde sprawled awkwardly on his back, nursing what was going to become a very ugly bruise on his jaw.

"N-Naruto! Oh, I'm so s-sorry – I – I –"

Suddenly Naruto swung his legs up and scissored Tayuya between his ankles while she was still frozen to the spot, jerking his hips so that she fell to the floor with a surprised cry. He rolled forwards immediately, a knee still crushing Tayuya's legs to the deck, and twisted the knife from her hands. "Aha! Trying to sneak up on me, huh? Huh? Well, we've got you now!" Cheerfully he clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the automatic stream of curses.

"N-Naruto...I'm s-sorry..." Oh, God. He was hurt because of her pathetic aiming. She was useless, usless -

Naruto snapped his head back to face her and Hinata was pleasantly surprised when she was greeted not with the expected scowl but a sunny grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Hinata! That was amazing! The way you punched me so I just missed the knife – just amazing! I never would have thought of such a crazy tactic!"

"Eh... r-really?"

"Really! I didn't know you had it in you, lass. You should be proud of yourself! You – oof!"

Tayuya had managed to slip an arm free and was now thumping him repeatedly on the shoulder. Naruto struggled to pacify her, slamming her against the banisters and pressing the knife into her neck with a frustrated growl; Hinata swallowed and inched sideways along the ledge, pale gaze fixated on the frenzied woman.

"Enough."

All three froze when a voice cut coolly through the air. Naruto tried to turn his head around but was stopped abruptly when two needle thin blades whipped down from above and cut lightly into either side of his neck.

"Let go of her."

Naruto growled softly but his years sailing the seas as a pirate had taught him not to hesitate when in danger and he did as he was told, shooting a worried glance up at Hinata. She watched, heart in her throat as the new man stepped closer to the blonde and slid the blades casually along his skin, drawing blood. He was unbelievably pale, garbed in a loose white shift that opened up near his chest and exposed a heavy, chunky necklace made of what looked suspiciously like human teeth. The ivory gleamed a dull yellow under the bright sunlight and rankled together quietly whenever the man moved.

"Took you long enough, Kimimaro," Tayuya snorted as she stood up shakily, ripping her knife from Naruto's grasp. "I can take it from here now, let me just slit this buffoon's –"

"Leave him. Kabuto's calling us back to the ship. I'll deal with them."

"But-"

"Leave."

A short, tense pause; Tayuya hissed and bristled like an indignant cat but then stalked away angrily, sending one last, loathing look back at Naruto. Hinata gulped. Obviously 'Kimimaro' was even more dangerous than the woman, or at least was higher ranking in the hierarchy of Orochimaru's pirate crew; she shivered at the cold, detached expression on his face as he played with his blades, scratching a thin red welt across Naruto's collarbone.

"Oy! You better not –" Naruto began furiously, fingers clenching against the paneling of the deck.

"Silence." A deft flick of his wrists and razor sharp metal slid deeper into Naruto's skin. The blonde bit his lip reluctantly and Hinata blinked, willing the tears not to come. There was no time to cry, she had to find help, quick.

"Stand up and get yourself over the banisters. Next to her."

Scanning the mass of fighting men and women, she wondered briefly why there suddenly seemed to be uniformed men mingling with the pirates on deck but Naruto was picking himself off the ground hesitantly, stance rigid from the threat of the swords at his throat; she narrowed her eyes, continuing to search through the crowds. Please, let there be someone coming to save them, please...

Suddenly she caught sight of the tall, imposing figure of Shino, forging his way through the churning mass of bodies with silent but deadly precision. Shards of light reflected from his long sword as he thrust and parried seamlessly, the elegance and economy of his swordsmanship betraying his aristocratic upbringing. A forward lunge, a practiced rotation of his wrist and another pirate was down; he turned, face a smooth blank, and Hinata started when their gazes interlocked across the makeshift battlefield. Shino understood the helpless plea in her eyes immediately and was off and running, the long coat he insisted on wearing billowing behind him. Hinata curled her fingers tightly into her palms. Please, please let him be in time -

"Do it, now," Kimimaro ordered coldly, and Naruto flipped himself awkwardly over the banisters to stand protectively by her side, one hand sliding over hers on the polished wood. "On the count of three, I want you both to jump off the ship. Understand?"

"You're crazy!" Naruto burst out incredulously. Kimimaro merely shrugged, a lazy roll of milky shoulders.

"I would rather not soil my blades on undeserving vermin," he told them softly, tracing the tip of his swords casually down Naruto's chest. "Ready?"

Naruto's hand tightened over hers. "Just me. Not the lass. I'll jump."

"Both of you."

"You bastard," Naruto growled, trying to buy time for the both of them. His gaze slid over Kimimaro to rest uneasily on the fast approaching Aburame. "Even a pirate should have a code of honour-"

"One."

Hinata bit her lip.

"Two."

Shino burst forwards, ramming away one of the uniformed soldiers and unsheathing his sword.

"Three," Kimimaro intoned blandly, and twisted in one smooth motion to lock blades with the Aburame. The shriek of metal tore through the air; Kimimaro crossed his swords to block the downwards thrust Shino had aimed at his back and the two men crashed into the banisters, unbalanced from Shino's momentum.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Kimimaro suddenly ducked, viciously curving his swords outwards to rip against Shino's chest; the taller man twisted back, blocking both with a wide sweep of his sword but leaving his legs deliberately exposed. Kimimaro immediately changed tactics and drove his blades downwards, aiming for his feet. To his surprise Shino grabbed his hands and pushed down, adding his weight to the downward motion before sliding away at the last moment when the blades were driven with a sickening crack deep into the deck. Thanks to their needle-like build, the blades did not snap and instead slid easily into the wood. Kimimaro hissed when a hard tug failed to retrieve them and snapped back just in time to grasp onto Shino's wrist, the two of them wrestling momentarily for control of his sword, lunging and tugging and -

"Hinata!" A desperate pull from Kimimaro sent the blade swinging wildly towards the terrified Hyuuga and Naruto lunged sideways, an arm snaking around her waist to keep her from falling as he shielded her with his body. The tip of the sword sliced across his cheek, opening a small cut in his skin; Shino narrowed his eyes and swung a heavy punch into Kimimaro's abdomen (the dirtiest move he had ever made, Naruto would tell Hinata later when all this was over), and while Kimimaro was doubled over with his hand still clenched around the hilt of the sword, promptly stabbed it through his shoulders.

When the blade slid out from flesh it was slick with new blood. Kimimaro hissed in pain and pushed Shino away, the teeth by his chest clicking and rattling together violently as he stumbled back towards the bow with the rest of Orochimaru's crew.

"Thank you, Shino," Naruto muttered. Hinata glanced up, alarmed at the suddenly weakened tone of his voice. "You've saved me. Again."

Shino sighed and lay a steadying hand on his shoulder. Naruto reached up and fingered the cut on his cheek.

"Did you..."

"Additionally concentrated for the fight," Shino told him, shaking his head. "Not enough to kill, though."

The blonde nodded understandingly. "I knew it," he mumbled, becoming increasingly incoherent with each word. "Listen, find Sasuke-bastard and bring him back, will you? We only got him back for such a short time, and now those bastards are tryin' to take him again...Oh, and take care of the lass, she's good at punching, but..."

"N-Naruto!" Hinata cried out, horrified, when he slumped unconscious against her shoulder. Shino immediately hooked an arm under his and hoisted his limp form over the banisters.

"What h-happened to him?" Hinata demanded when Shino gently lifted her across. "Is he d-dead? Will h-he be alright? Is-"

"It's the poison on my sword," Shino interrupted her quietly. "It renders the victim unconscious." He gestured to where Kimimaro was currently being dragged away, slumped over another crew member's shoulders. "He will be semi-paralysed for a long time. Naruto will be alright since it was only a small cut, but I'm afraid he'll still be out for a while. I'll take you both downstairs."

"Alright," Hinata sighed, kneeling to brush her fingers tiredly over the blonde's forehead.

Naruto...

Shikamaru knew they were going to lose Sasuke the moment he spotted Hanabi and Sakura struggling to fight amidst his comrades.

It wasn't that he doubted their intentions – he knew that they meant the best, that they wanted to help and fight with all the intensity of any enraged female – but the truth was that they were both court ladies and completely unversed in the ways of dirty fighting (or fighting, period). Extra soldiers in a battle meant nothing unless they were skilled. Hanabi and Sakura were instead liabilities – people who had to be protected, people who could be used by the opponent. He could see the way Tenten was exerting unnecessary effort making sure they were safe from afar, sending deadly projectiles slicing their way when the women were overpowered. Fortunately Neji was with her – they made up a surprisingly efficient partnership despite having never fought together before, and it was lucky that he took care of the enemy within their area or Tenten would never have had the expendable energy or time to watch out for the two.

"Who are they?"

Shikamaru turned after delivering a hard kick into the unsuspecting back of an Akatsuki crew member. Temari was by his side, apparently having also noticed the two newest female additions to their crew.

"Hyuuga and friend. We picked them up along with Sasuke," he sighed. Temari scrunched up her nose.

"I think we should get them out before they get hurt," she said seriously, stabbing her dagger into her opponent's thigh. "What were you thinking, sending them out to fight? Look at them! They can't even hold their swords properly!"

"I didn't send them out," Shikamaru muttered. The two of them were skittering in between the individual fights, helping out here and there. Most of the Akatsuki men were beginning to head back to their ship but quiet a few remained, dragging out the fight with his friends and Temari's small band of soldiers.

He spotted Ino, a flash of yellow dashing in between the silver and crimson of battle. "Let's go get the women out."

Temari bared her teeth in a wide, feline grin. "I hope you're not implying anything."

"... ...Heh."

Sakura fumbled with the knife in her hand, trying to remember what had possessed her to follow Hanabi up. She felt weak, useless and worst of all, completely vulnerable. The hour with Ino had not been enough to cover more than the basics of how to handle a weapon; she used it clumsily, awkwardly, tripping in between pirates and soldiers alike. She knew Hanabi was having the same problem but the younger woman was determined to fight, thrusting and parrying with unpracticed motions, relying on the enemy's surprise at being confronted by a young, white-eyed woman (she had barely passed her adolescence, Sakura mourned privately. So young and already drenched in blood .)

A dying man stumbled into her and she jerked back, whimpering despite herself. "Hanabi, this isn't working."

"Sakura!"

She spun around, relieved to see Ino vaulting over the corpse, landing nimbly in front of her. "Ino! God, I had no idea it was going to be like this – this is – this is hell – "

"It's alright, just stick by me and I'll get us through," Ino promised her fiercely, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "The Akatsuki scum are retreating but we're too far back, we'll get trapped when they try to cross back over to their ship. Where's Hanabi?"

"Over there." She pointed to the center of the deck where Hanabi was trying and failing to take on three men at once.

Ino sucked in a sharp breath. "The little fool. I'll go get her. You stay here," she told her, pushing her hurriedly behind a group of corpses piled up nearby. Sakura repressed a shudder and tried to ignore the blank, vacant gazes of the dead men. "I'll come back for you, don't worry."

Sakura couldn't bear to face the bodies and shut her eyes tightly when Ino sped away. She had never been a particularly cowardly woman but this – this took more than courage to face. Hanabi was reckless. There was a difference.

Oh God please end this now. Please keep us all safe please help these men please –

A hand clamped down on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open. "Ino?"

It wasn't.

Hanabi started when the terrified scream pierced the air around her and she spun around, eyes wild. "Sakura!"

Ino gasped at the sight of Sakura being hoisted over the shoulder of an unpleasantly familiar, silver haired man. "Kabuto! Free her immediately, you dirty scumbag of a pirate! Put her down now! Kabuto!" Inwardly she cursed herself for having left the woman alone. She had hoped the corpses would hide her until she got back, but...

"Sakura, I'm coming!" she yelled, blonde ponytail whipping from side to side as jumped up to chase after the kidnapper. A hand at her elbow suddenly stopped her, tugging her back abruptly. She twisted around angrily, ready to beat the hell out of whoever it was silly enough to pick a fight with Yamanaka Ino.

"Ino, you should leave."

She gaped up at the faintly irritated expression of her comrade. "Shikamaru?"

"Get out of here, it's not safe," he continued. Her gaze slid sideways; Temari was by his side, trying to convince a panicking Hanabi to let them retrieve Sakura. "We'll go after them."

"I'll help. Let's go, he's reaching the backboard."

"No, Ino. Don't be so troublesome. It's too dangerous."

She took a deep breath. Don't lose your temper now. Don't. Sakura's in danger. Now is not the time to get jealous. Not now –

"Shikamaru," she started, but he cut her before the next breath.

"Kiba." He pulled the Inuzuka seemingly out of nowhere (though of course he had been tracking the movements of each and everyone of his crew, as usual.) "Take them back."

"Shika!" Ino cried, outraged. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Why do I always get stuck with the women?" Kiba groaned, grabbing Ino and Hanabi.

"Wait – Shika – " Ino tried to argue, to tell Shikamaru that she could do this, that she had to do this – but he was gone, Temari by his side, the two of them running after Kabuto and Sakura without a backwards glance.

"Not again, Kiba," Hanabi scowled, pulling herself free of his grasp. Ino merely glared at the poor man until he let go of her sleeve sheepishly.

"That's better," she told him.

Neji felt Tenten tense behind him and frowned when a scythe was flung blatantly off-mark. "What is it?"

"Sakura," she murmured. "Kabuto's got her."

He turned around to see a silver haired man jumping onto the backboard of the ship, Sakura clutched to his chest. The sunlight reflected sharply off his glasses, obscuring his eyes and emphasizing the confident smirk cracked across his features.

"The traitor?" he asked, anger creeping into his voice and sharpening it to a dangerous edge. When they had first spotted Sakura and Hanabi arriving on deck it had taken nearly all of Tenten's powers of persuasion to convince him not to rush over and force them back down to safety. Something about deserving the chance to prove their worth, to help out, she had said. He had accepted her arguments only reluctantly, seeing that Sasuke was in immediate danger (and anyway, he figured that Tenten probably needed him around.)

Now he felt that he only had himself to blame for Sakura's current predicament.

"We're the closest," he noted, glancing around at the others scattered about the deck. The backboard was a few feet away; they were separated only by a few of the Akatsuki crew.

She nodded. "Let's go get-"

"Ssstay where you are."

They glanced up. Tenten stepped back involuntarily, a hand immediately going to her scabbard. "Orochimaru."

The Captain of the Akatsuki had finally shown up. He was perched on the backboard next to Kabuto, a saber hanging casually between his fingers and a wide-brimmed, feathered black hat hiding half his face in shadow.

The entire deck was frozen, all faces turned up to watch the legendary and immensely feared pirate captain, claimed by most to be the deadliest villain working the seven seas. He was wearing a fitted coat that skimmed his wide, black boots; a ruffled shirt peeked out from beneath expensive black trousers, complete with gold chains and jewellery hanging in excess from his pockets.

Neji gravely observed that he must be skilled indeed to fight well with such heavy adornment.

"Take one step further," Orochimaru told them quietly, his voice dry and scratched but still somehow carrying clearly across the ship; "And she dies."

"Orochimaru," Tenten said warningly. "Don't –"

He lifted the saber to rest threateningly at her neck. "Not today, Tenten." He smiled mockingly down at her. "I'm taking Sssasuke."

"He'll never give you what you want," Tenten assured him coldly. "Now hand them both back and we might consider letting your men live."

"Are you willing to risk her life for your sssilly little bluff?" Orochimaru asked smugly.

She had no answer for that and could only watch as his smile widened in to a self satisfied smirk.

"No? Well then, men, let's return to the ship. One move," he reminded Tenten. "One move, and her throat is sssslit."

A deathly silence descended upon the pirates and soldiers on deck, broken only by the scraping of steel and the footsteps of the men limping quietly across the connecting planks.

"Sakura!" Hanabi cried out suddenly, sounding truly frightened and lost for the first time during the whole ordeal. Sakura gazed down at them, lips parting softly.

I'm sorry.

And then they were gone, Orochimaru the last to step off the ship with a jaunty wave of gloved hands, his last words ringing in their ears. And of course, if you follow us...she dies immediately.

Hanabi blinked back the tears.

Early afternoon and the crew of the Kyuubi were slumped tiredly on deck, nursing their wounds. Tenten was bustling about, trying to take her mind off the guilty feeling of having failed her crew by making sure their injuries were being tended to. Hanabi had trailed downstairs after Shino to find Hinata. Temari and her men had returned to their ship.

Shikamaru was lying on his back, legs spilling down onto the first few steps of the main stairway. He looked up when Ino stalked past him and pulled himself up to see her make her way down the stairs. "Where are you going?"

She didn't reply. He watched her silently for a few seconds before sighing and standing up, following her as she limped through the narrow corridors below deck to her cabin. Stretching out a hand to stop her from closing the door in his face, he stared down at her grimly.

"You're angry at me."

No reply.

"Why?"

Nothing.

"Ino..."

"You let her fight."

"What?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, surprised. Ino kept her eyes on the door.

"You let her fight, you stupid ass," she muttered. "What about me? Why can't I fight? Is she so much better than me? Is that it? You think I can't handle what she can?"

Shikamaru groaned. "No, of course not – Ino, come on, don't be so troublesome-"

"Be quiet! I'm so sick of you and your – your troublesome and – and now Sasuke and Sakura are gone and – just go away and leave me alone!"

"Ino-"

"Go away, damn it!" Ino pushed him away from her as hard as she could. Shikamaru stumbled out into the corridor and she slammed the door behind him, eyes suspiciously red.

...Troublesome.