I don't own Naruto.
The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are
none.
And sometimes we stagger underneath the weight of
grief,
the immensity of
loneliness.
"Why the fuck would someone put a collections office in a shitter. Honestly, I can't decide if the corpses smell worse, or the piss," Hidan groaned as he watched Kakuzu slam Chiriku's body on the cold metal table, the collections manager giving it a quick once over and leaving to retrieve the bounty. He felt Kakuzu roll his eyes at the complaint as the office manager placed a silver briefcase next to Chiriku's corpse. Like he gave a flying fuck. It's not like he wanted to be in this hellhole with Kakuzu; he was under the impression that they were supposed to be retrieving that blond punk, not looking for bald men in dresses.
"30 million," the manager grunted, nodding at Kakuzu. The immortal raised his hands to place the case on its side, snapping open the clasps and gazing at the cash that had been neatly placed within.
"Are you done yet? I smell like a goddamn sewer," Hidan whined, looking at his unnerved partner. God, how could he do this for an occupation? Who wants to constantly smell like blood and shit? Kakuzu, that's who.
"I need to count the money," Kakuzu rumbled irritatedly as he took a thick stack of cash and began to flick through the bills.
Clenching his jaw tightly, Hidan stalked out of the morgue he was forced to reside in, quickly making his way out into the sunlight and away from that vomit-inducing stench. Dragging himself forward, the sterling haired immortal planted himself down on the concrete steps and hunched over, praying his partner would just hurry the fuck up so they could catch this snot-nosed brat. Hidan gingerly lifted his jacket sleeve to his nose and inhaled lightly, immediately repulsed by the scent. I'm waiting the fuck outside next time, he thought making a mental note to never mix the smell of dead bodies and toilets together. It was not the most appealing fragrance out there.
Within minutes of departing from the temple's ruins, Kiba and Akamaru had quickly descended down from the trees and away from the rest of the group, hoping to find a trail they could follow. As his amber eyes quickly darted from pieces of foliage and so on, Kiba continued to breathe deeply, hoping he could pick something up. As he watched Akamaru bound ahead of him down the worn path, Kiba couldn't help but let his mind wander for a moment. He knew the Akatsuki couldn't be very far from them, and that if they were quick enough they may be able to catch them before cashing in the body. The body. Kiba couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for his love. He couldn't imagine how Asuma could be feeling now.. The dog-nin shuddered at the very thought of what emotions could be plaguing the Sarutobi. As he looked ahead of him, Kiba could see that Akamaru's massive figure had slowed down to almost a complete stop. Quickly, Kiba leaped to catch up to his animal companion, but before he could even arrive at the hound's side, he could smell it.
Death. It was very strong, and very pungent in his overly-sensitive nostrils, hints of copper and dying flesh floating in the forest air. He swallowed dryly and beckoned to the squad silently to come join him from the treetops. Asuma, was all he could meagerly think as he sensed the others growing closer. He didn't want to say it but..
"I can smell Chiriku's trail," Kiba said quietly to the men as they approached. Kiba looked down at the earth beneath him for a moment, attempting to swallow dryly as the taste of flesh and despair began to formulate on his tastebuds. It was bitter and disgusting, making him want to gag. As he looked up, he could see each of the squad members grimace with distaste at the fact. Shikamaru crossed his arms tightly across his petite chest, chewing the inside of his cheek. Kiba could see the gears working in the Nara's brain as he too realized what this meant. A battle plan was a must at this point.
"Is it strong?" Asuma pressed in a semi-pleading voice. Kiba glanced away from Shikamaru and into the Sarutobi's eyes, determination surfacing from their chesnut depths. He felt a wave of nausea as he heard the other man's words, wishing that this had never even happened in the first place. He just wished that they could be back in a sea of white quilts and spice scented foam.
Regretfully, Kiba nodded in response to the question. "Stick to the ground with Akamaru and I. If I'm correct, they were here no less than 15 minutes ago, which means the collection office must be close," Kiba said firmly, making eye contact with each of the squad members before turning his back, and making his way quickly down the path once more. He felt the nausea slowly increase as the smell grew more intense. His pounding heart didn't help much either as it pumped fresh waves of adrenaline through his bloodstream, his senses growing even more perceptive. This was it. They were finally at the Akatsuki's doorstep.
Asuma felt his heartbeat within every inch of his body as he trailed Kiba and Akamaru closely. They were finally closing in on the targets that he was so desperate to punish.. So desperate to make them suffer the way they had made Chiriku unjustly suffer. When he got ahold of them.. God only knows what will happen.
Foliage and earth sped by quickly as the Sarutobi's eyes were lazily focused on the path, while his mind was racing a million miles ahead. Battle strategies were nearly hopeless at this point. Who knew what they were capable of? He had never even seen what the pair looked like, let alone what kind of jutsu and skills they possessed. Obviously they were powerful.. But how strong were they really? Asuma swallowed hard as he prayed they weren't lambs walking to slaughter. He knew that Shikamaru's superior strategical thinking would obviously benefit them, and Izumo and Kotetsu would surely prove useful as reinforcements.. But where would that leave Kiba and Akamaru?
Sending them to the front lines would never be Asuma's intention. If it were his way, Kiba would be patiently waiting in his safe apartment, in his safe bed, covered in his safe blankets.. But no. Kiba had insisted being there by his side. Why did I have to give in? Asuma thought hopelessly. He gazed ahead at the dog-nin sprinting before him, concentrating furiously on the pathway and interacting flawlessly with his wolfhound. He could feel the atmosphere changing with every step.. The air seemed to grow heavier, laced with anguish and helplessness. The Sarutobi could feel his heart lurch into his throat as Kiba abruptly stopped in front of them.
"It's just past this break in the trees," the dog-nin breathed, his chest contracting rapidly. A wave of nausea poured over Asuma's being as he attempted to swallow dryly, a huge lump suddenly forming in his windpipe as he looked past the leafage.
A conventional building loomed past the forest ahead of them. Asuma could see a massive clearing in front of where the building was positioned, but there were no black and red cloaks to be seen yet. The front wasn't visible from their position, only a large concrete slab that the Sarutobi assumed was the side, in their view.
They're probably inside right now collecting, Asuma savagely thought, his nostrils flaring as he clenched his fists tightly. An image of a pale Chiriku strewn across a cold steel table flashed through his mind making the embers in Asuma's belly smoulder with rage.
Kiba could feel the daunting chakra around him, the Akatsuki now less than 100 feet away and the collection building casting a menacing shadow in the foliage ahead. He could smell the power emanating from the killers, but something was off.. it felt almost godly. He felt Akamaru's body tense beside him as the dog sniffed the air once more, a small whine passing through his muzzle.
"How are we gonna do this?" Kiba rasped. His heart was pounding frantically now, adrenaline paving its fiery path through every vein in his body. He felt his senses growing more heightened with each intake of forest air, the anticipation and fear making him almost want to vomit. This would be his first S-rank mission ever, and he sure as hell did not want to fuck it up by dying. There was a heavy silence between all of the men, the impending battle now hovering over each of their heads.
Shikamaru spoke first. "There isn't much we know about these two, other than they have no remorse and are capable of slaughtering an entire temple of monks. They're obviously very driven, and won't appreciate us standing in the way of their goal to capture Naruto."
Kiba furrowed his brows together as he stared at the dirt beneath his feet, stealing a quick glance at Asuma. The Sarutobi's face was an enigma, but Kiba knew what was lurking beneath the marble facade. Inside he knew his onyx-haired love was burning with rage, only vengeance on his mind.. And that terrified Kiba to no ends. He needed his mind to be clear, like the earth after an inferno. This was not the time to be blinded by rage.
Kiba wanted nothing more than to receive one final embrace from his love. He wanted one last feverish kiss, one last gossamery touch of skin brushing against skin. Memories of a white sea of quilts flashed into Kiba's mind as he stole another glance at Asuma, picturing him naked and vulnerable. But the vision was quickly replaced with the gaunt statue that stood before him.
"I'll lead," Asuma stated firmly, sharing a brief moment of eye contact with the dog-nin. In Asuma's eyes, Kiba could see a maelstrom of emotions swirling beneath the surface. Rage, vengeance.. and fear. It was distinct and obvious. Kiba could smell it's familiar stinging scent within his nostrils as it radiated from every man there. This was not going to be easy by any means.
The other squad members began to object, but Asuma quickly cut them off with a flippant hand gesture. "I'm captain and it's the only option we have right now. If we all go in at once, and they're both waiting in the wings, it'll be too obvious. We'd be dead in seconds"
He's right. We need surprise, Kiba solemnly agreed. A nod from Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru only reinforced that the Sarutobi was correct. As much as Kiba hated the fact Asuma was right, it was the only real way they could successfully make it to the building without drawing attention to themselves and being slaughtered on site.
"I'll be going in from above, first from the treetops and then onto the roof. If they're waiting on the front steps, I shouldn't have a problem. Follow as you see fit," Asuma finished. With another group nod, Kiba locked his eyes with Asuma's for what seemed to be the final time. It felt as if an ice cube was slowly sliding down Kiba's throat and into his stomach as a pang of anxiety and sheer panic spread throughout his body. Blood was screaming in his ears as his mouth felt as if it had been filled with sand.
As Kiba watched Asuma quickly make his way up to the roof of the building, he signaled to Akamaru to follow him, letting the others scatter off in any way they saw fit. Quickly, the dog-nin scaled the trees in hopes that he could catch Asuma before he went in for the attack. If it would be his final chance to feel Asuma's lips upon his own, or to smell the older man's spicy intoxicating scent, he wanted it more than anything else. There was a large chance that Kiba might die here, and he wanted his final memories to be perfect ones.
But just as Kiba and Akamaru landed on the sturdy concrete roof of the structure, Asuma had already leaped off the edge, and slipped away from Kiba. The dog-nin felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched the large figure disappear, his heart stopping for a brief moment before he sprinted to the edge.
There he is. Asuma thought vehemently as he peered over the ledge of the building and down onto the steps below him. He squinted angrily as he clenched his fists tightly, glaring at the silver-haired man below. The red clouds on the man's jacket indicated that he was with the organization that Asuma had quickly grown to hate; the Akatsuki. But still, he had absolutely no idea what the man's name was or what he might be capable of. All that Asuma knew was that he would be a force to reckon with, and that in order to win he would need to analyze quickly, and strike fast. The worst thing to do with him would be to underestimate his powers. This Akatsuki group is formidable, and I need to try and keep my head.. For Chiriku's sake.
With one final intake of breath, Asuma let a surge of chakra flow to his feet, his entire body now roaring with anticipation. Clenching his jaw tightly, Asuma prepared to leap off the building's ledge, but quickly halted at the noise of light feet landing on the cement.
Kiba, was all Asuma could muster to think and he heard the familiar footsteps. And with one final swallow, the Sarutobi lept off the building, hearing the faint gasp from his sable skinned lover. Wish me luck.
Hidan could feel his eyes slowly drifting away from consciousness as he sat on the steps to the large concrete building. How long does it take to get some goddamn money? It's already in the briefcase for fuck's sake. All it takes is a quick once over, the shake of a hand, and then you're on your way. But no, Kakuzu just had to stay in there and count every. Single. Bill. Meanwhile, I'm stuck out here in the fucking sun, and I smell like piss. Just wonderful, Hidan vehemently kept thinking as he stared above at the few clouds that floated by peacefully.
Movement? Hidan whispered quietly in his mind, refocusing all of his attention to the surroundings. He knew he could feel some unfamiliar heartbeats earlier, but he thought nothing of it, as they were so faint they could only be an animal's. He was too busy sitting to care. But now, he knew that there was something out there, possibly watching and waiting for him and his partner to make a move. The chakra began to grow stronger every second, as he assumed the person or people were approaching. Flaring his nostrils and grimacing hard, Hidan slowly reached behind his back to grasp the triple-bladed scythe that hung there, preparing himself for an ambush. The heartbeats were now louder and more rapid than when Hidan had first sensed them, now bringing him to the conclusion that they were not animals, but people. At least 5 or more, all pulsating with life.
"Kakuzu?" he questioned carefully, waiting for a possible response from his partner, or a sign of the enemy. There was a presence close by, but HIdan couldn't quite tell the difference between his partner and the other bodies; they seemed too far.
And then there it was. The rush of a heartbeat so fast it was like the quivering breaths of a rabbit, approaching quickly and steadily, the sound of footsteps on the entryway following quickly. Releasing his deathly grip upon his scythe, Hidan turned quickly as he leapt into the air, sending out his blade to deflect the two throwing stars that the figure had launched towards him. As he touched the hard cement steps, the immortal quickly snatched the cord attached to his scythe, swinging it down with lightning speed, hoping to kill the intended strike was quickly dodged by the ninja, and Hidan jumped back to keep the same amount of space between them. But as the immortal touched the dusty earth, he suddenly felt his entire body become paralyzed, all of his muscles and bones halted in their swift movements. Furrowing his brow, he quickly noticed that his shadow was strangely elongated, and with shrewd eyes, followed it to the source. The roof..? Hidan thought, confused. But just as he sensed more heartbeats quickly approaching..
He felt two blades pierce through his flesh.
The Sarutobi felt the air leave his lungs as he watched the silver-haired man land on the dirt, and be pierced by two massive blades, thanks to Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru. But as Asuma kept watching the strange man, he noted that the light hadn't left his eyes like it should have. In fact, he didn't even flinch when the blades entered his body. What is this..?
"Ouch goddamn it, that hurts! Would you knock it off?" the Akatsuki sneered, irritation and boredom dripping from every word as he spoke.
Asuma felt a chill run down his spine as the entire group choked to intake oxygen into their lungs. Im-impossible! How could he even be alive..?
"What? I don't get it! We pierced his vital spots," Kotetsu questioned, obviously horrified and confused by the man in front of him.
"I told you to knock it off. That fucking hurts, okay? Could you just do me a favor and take the knives out already," the silver-haired man protested as the blades remained in his torso.
"Is he some kind of immortal or something?" Izumo gulped, his eyes flashing from Kotetsu and then to the Akatsuki.
"Well no shit. Of course I'm immortal you idiots," the man grunted, his eyes fleeting to Asuma's, and then down to his waist as if he were inspecting him. "Hm, that's the same sash that bald monk was wearing. The Guardian Shinobi whatever," the Akatsuki member spoke quietly, his eyes now shining greedily.
Chiriku..
Clearing his throat, Asuma began to speak. "We were ordered to capture our two targets and dispose of them, but only you're here. Based on information gathered, we also know that the Akatsuki usually works in pairs, which means your partner can't be too far away."
As he finished his sentence, Asuma saw an unfamiliar flash in the immortal's violet eyes, a thunderous crash blasting massive chunks into the air, that hailed down upon Asuma and the others.
Shikamaru! Kiba! Where are you?! the Sarutobi kept thinking, his mind racing as turned his head away from the explosion, propelling himself forward to the dirt path in front of the collections office, and about 50 feet away from the silver-haired man. Shikamaru, Kotetsu, and Izumo quickly followed suit, and appeared beside the Sarutobi, each of them gulping down air, their chests heaving in surprise and tiredness. Asuma's heart continued to race as he looked for sable skin and the red clan tattoos he missed. But there was nothing, besides the massive figure of a man on the steps, rubble lying by his feet.
"That's another 35 million. For once you may have done something actually useful to me Hidan," a low voice rumbled emotionlessly. Asuma snapped his head towards the partially destroyed building, finally witnessing who apparently was Hidan's partner.
His face was completely covered besides his eyes, which were a sickeningly vivid green color. The whiteness of his eyes was instead replaced with a light red, making them looking bloodshot and inflamed. He wore the same robes as Hidan did, the red clouds seeming to leap off of the black fabric that they were sewn to; on his headpiece was a Waterfall Village forehead protector, a deep slash cutting right through the middle of it symbolizing him as a rogue ninja. He was emanating power, his chakra flow overpowering that of a normal man. And based on what Asuma had witnessed with Hidan, he knew that his partner could be just as, if not even more powerful.
"Stay the fuck out of this Kakuzu, I want them for my ritual first," Hidan snapped possessively, obviously irritated at the fact that his partner would dare interfere. As the silver-haired immortal wrenched his amethyst eyes away from his partner, he let them rest back on the group. Quickly, he placed his hands on the handles of the blades and slowly pulled them out painstakingly, crimson liquid coating the surfaces and spattering the dirt with dark droplets before he sheathed one of the knives away and held the other in his hand.
"Well hurry up damn it. You play too much, and we have business to attend to. Fuck around, and you're dead," the man named Kakuzu grunted as he shifted his feet for a moment, and then got comfortable in his spot on the steps.
Hidan's upper lip twitched with another flash of irritation, as he slowly began to drag his feet in the dirt, cutting a dark trail of blood as he did so. "I wish it was just that easy for me to die. But that's impossible. The gods will punish those who do not understand the pain of others. And I intend to carry out their work until the last drop of blood spills out of your veins," Hidan breathed as he finished tracing the symbol in the dirt; an equilateral triangle within a circle.
What the hell kind of ritual is this… Well, no matter what this lunatic this trying to pull, he's not going to make it. I'll cut him down twice before he thinks he can touch us, Asuma thought viciously, keeping his eyes peeled for the Inuzuka. Where was he anyways? Dead? Ran away? Asuma hoped it was the second choice.
"Shikamaru," Asuma whispered, making sure to be quiet so the immortals couldn't hear, "I'm going. Don't question me, alright? Izumo and Kotetsu will provide you with cover."
"Don't you think that since we now understand what he's capable of, it would be smart to fall back and regroup?" Kotetsu objected quietly, his voice cautious.
"What, you think that they'll just let us up and leave? Don't be foolish. Our only chance is to stay and fight; we need to do what we were sent here to do and defend the leaf. Shikamaru, use your shadow stitching to try and capture Hidan. As long as he's distracted it will lessen his advantage over us. I'll cut him down in the meantime," Asuma finished, shifting his gaze over to the immortal.
"Are you done strategizing yet? Because it won't help you now," Hidan smirked as he flipped the blade in his hand to point towards Asuma.
The Sarutobi reached into his pouch and retrieved his trench knives, the blades now surrounded by an aura of chakra. The two figures stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for the other person to make their move. Flickering his eyes to Shikamaru, Asuma made sure that his shadow stitching was ready before sprinting toward his intended target.
Kiba's lungs burned and his head pounded as he attempted inhale, his breaths labored and short as he gasped and heaved his lungs to work. Thanks to the massive explosion, he had hit the concrete roof so hard that the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, making him cough and sputter as his vision was flecked with countless miniscule specks. They burned as he tried to blink, dust littering the surfaces of his eyes and lids; Kiba attempted to swallow as he tried to take an intake of air, but only cough and hacked more debris from his lungs. He rolled over and spat blood; the explosion had done a little more than make his hair a bit dustier.
"Fuck," he wheezed, rolling over to his stomach and wincing as he tucked his knees underneath himself and lifted his torso with braced arms, "Akamaru?" he called, forcing his body to rise and sit back on his calves. Quickly, a low whine responded to his call, and the wolfhound slowly approached him, a slight limp hindering his step.
Kiba felt his stomach clench as he looked at his best friend, now injured because he was too stupid to get out of the way. He lifted a hand out to touch the dog's muzzle comfortingly. "Go home, boy," Kiba gasped as a wave of pain struck his head, "get reinforcements."
Akamaru looked back at his owner in defiance, but Kiba put on a stern face, commanding the hound to go forth and retrieve assistance. The dog's eyes wavered, and Kiba pressed his nose against Akamaru's in a sign of love. Akamaru understood, and turned away quickly, bounding off of the building top and into the thick foliage. Feeling saliva returning to his mouth, Kiba dryly swallowed in, intaking a few deep breaths before heaving his body upwards, a massive headrush quickly following after. His body ached deeply now, bruises taking form on his sable skin as he took an unsteady step forward, prickles of pain slowly making their way up his legs as he continued forward shakily. An entire section of the roof was destroyed from where the Akatsuki member had destroyed it, aiming for Shikamaru who had been pushed out of the way by Kiba. The Inuzuka took the brunt of most of the explosion, massive chunks of cement smashing into each part of his body and damaging externally and internally.
But the pain didn't matter right now. What mattered was finding Asuma, and making sure that he was okay. Making sure that he was alive. Pushing past the burning agony in his muscles, Kiba made himself jog over to a part of the ledge that wasn't destroyed, crouching low enough to make sure he wasn't spotted too quickly. Directing his perfectly honed amber eyes and ears down to the dirt path below, he felt his face shift into an expression of horror and dismay.
Asuma and the silver-haired immortal had just sprinted towards each other, weapons drawn menacingly and prepared to kill the other. They clashed, and the ringing of metal against metal rang high and ear-splittingly sharp in the air. Asuma had cut the Akatsuki's blade in half using his own chakra, the tip of it flying down and sticking into the dry earth. Quickly, Kiba saw Shikamaru's shadows attempt to catch the Akatsuki member, but he was too fast; too good. The rogue ninja easily dodged the black shadows and leaped high into the air.
"That's quite a little weapon you've got there," he sneered mockingly as he threw a kunai at Asuma, who quickly deflected it, the metal completely demolished into thousands of small shards. Kiba's heart leapt slightly at the deflection, reinforcing his hope for his onyx-haired lover to win this fight. The Sarutobi was now dashing towards the Akatsuki, who had dug his massive three-bladed scythe into the earth, and was hurtling himself towards Asuma using the cord that was attached to it; Shikamaru's shadows were closely behind the silver-haired man, and that was when Kiba realized what was going on.
Shikamaru was the distraction, with Izumo and Kotetsu protecting him. As long as the shadows were following the Akatsuki member, he was at a disadvantage, giving Asuma a slightly bigger chance of victory. Kiba felt his jaw clench tightly as he waited for the opportunity to launch himself into the fight, hoping to give what little aid that he could. But Shikamaru and Asuma were already working in such perfect unison.. and he didn't want to jeopardize what plan they might have..
And there it was, Kiba's opening. Asuma was standing in front of the rest of the team, and the immortal had just begun to send his scythe forward to kill the Sarutobi. It felt as if time had suddenly slowed down as Kiba's senses went into overdrive. Realizing he still had massive amounts of chakra, Kiba sent a gigantic burst to his feet, propelling him off of the building and straight for the silver-haired man.
"Tunneling Fang!" he screamed as a massive vortex of air swirled around his body, making Kiba spin violently and relentlessly like a maelstrom. He smashed hard into the Akatsuki's torso, sending him flying backwards and away from the team, the scythe flailing backwards and stabbing into the ground.
"Kiba?!" the group gasped in unison; yet to Kiba he only heard Asuma's voice. He was alright. Not a scratch on him. A small smile twitched at the corners of Kiba's lips before he collapsed to his knees, blood trickling out from his lips as he coughed hard, his energy depleting quickly. He knew that there was no other choice than to keep hitting the Akatsuki with taijutsu; he wasn't expecting and this could give Kiba a very minor advantage. Forcing himself to arise once more, the dog-nin spat a mouthful of blood out and wiped his lips, urging his weakening legs to hold him upright.
"What's this? Hidden reinforcements?" the man scoffed as he too began to stand tall, yanking hard on the scythe's cord and sending the blade thrashing insanely into the air, "No matter; you non-believers are always the same. Always trying to think of ways to escape your fate and slip through the passing of your judgement," the man said amusedly, his violet eyes unnerving Kiba, and sending a deep chill up his spine.
"Don't underestimate them Hidan; you always fuck around too much when you fight you know that?" Hidan's partner called out, making the man known as Hidan noticeably bristle with irritation.
"You shut the fuck up and stay out of this, Kakuzu!" Hidan snapped back at his partner as he began to race forward towards the Inuzuka, causing the dog-nin to react the same. The two ninja began to race forward as Hidan's scythe continued to swing about haphazardly in the air, before coming down with lightning speed at Kiba. Hidan leaped high into the air, and over Kiba as the scythe began to approach quickly, causing Kiba to halt his movements and prepare to brace himself.
Until, the dog-nin felt his breath leave his lungs once again as he was knocked to the group, the pain so intense that it blinded his vision for a brief moment as he fell, and slid across the earth and towards the collections office. Digging his heels deep, Kiba ground himself to a halt, snapping his head towards the center of the massive road, quick enough to watch to scythe come down on Asuma, the sound of puncturing flesh and spurting blood ringing in his ears.
He and Shikamaru screamed at the same time. "Asuma!" Their voices rang out clearly in unison, watching the Sarutobi stand there and cast the blade away as blood trickled from a semi-deep cut on the his cheek. Kiba inhaled sharply again as his body seized in pain, forcing himself to bite down on his cheek to keep from screaming. And then Asuma was moving again, faster and more determined than ever, his eyes flashing with rage as a black cloud gushed from his mouth and surrounded Hidan, who had moved back towards a symbol drawn into the dirt. The Akatsuki raised his blade to his mouth, and slithered out his abnormally flexible tongue, licking the very tip of the blade that held the Sarutobi's blood.
He's not trying to escape the ash.. And the blood isn't a very good sign either.. Something is very wrong here.. Kiba's mind raced as he began to yell towards the Sarutobi who stood 30 feet away from him. But it was too late. The sharp sound of teeth clicking together made Kiba's heart stop, and soon the ash disappeared, replaced with an immense barrage of fire and sound that made Kiba cringe as a hot breeze rushed over his face, and the earth shook beneath his damaged body. He squinted in an attempt to shield his eyes from the brightness, but ended up having to look away. As the flames and ash died away, Kiba snapped his eyes quickly back to the battlefield, praying that Asuma was still standing and unharmed from the blast, and Hidan had disappeared with the inferno.
But.. he wasn't gone. In fact, his entire appearance had changed so he looked like a skeleton with flesh.. And Asuma was..
"Asuma! Asuma, what happened!" Kiba felt himself screaming, almost hysterical.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Hidan whispered savagely, a twinge of insanity outlining his words, "Judgement has been passed; so tell me, what do you think? Helps you understand the suffering of others a bit more doesn't it?" Kiba swallowed hard as he looked at Hidan, the Akatsuki now barely recognizable. His skin was now black, white markings littering his body resembling bones, and also making him resemble a corpse to Kiba. The right side of his jacket was mangled and exposed his shoulder, showing more of his strange new skin. Violet eyes leapt out against the drastic skin tones at Kiba, making him shiver once again, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.
Kiba's team all took in a sharp breath, looking at their injured captain. His entire right side was exceedingly burned, including his face and hands, his skin blistered, red and bubbling from the degree of the burns.
"Impossible. The flames engulfed the Akatsuki, not Asuma," Kiba heard Kotetsu say, obviously just as confused as the rest of the team was.
Still, despite the burns, Asuma's trench blades lit up once again with chakra, and the man sprinted forward toward the Akatsuki.
"Let's share in the ultimate pain!" Hidan cackled insanely as he reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a short metal pole. It extended immediately, coming to a deathly sharp point at the end. With a sickeningly psychotic smile, Hidan plunged the point deep into his left thigh, laughing the entire time, as he watched Asuma drop to the ground. Blood began to spurt out of the same place where Hidan had stabbed his own thigh.
Kiba's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a coldness spread throughout his entire body. Asuma's pant leg was now soaked with crimson liquid as he squeezed his thigh, his features contorted in agony. Why did I have to be so stupid.. Why did I have to land so far away.. If only I had been more careful like he told me to be, I could be there helping him right now..
As he tried and failed to will his body to crawl towards Asuma, Kiba watched in horror as Hidan extracted the metal pole from his thigh, grinning wildly down at the Sarutobi. "Where would you like to feel pain next?! Up here?" he questioned, pointing the spear towards his bicep, "Or lower; maybe even here?" the immortal finished, motioning to his forearm. He looked at Asuma as if he were waiting for a response, and when there was only silence, he brought the point inches away from his chest.
"So, how about I just end it now? Why don't we just experience the ultimate pain together, in this moment?!" Hidan screamed hysterically, bringing the point back far enough so he could use his power to plunge it through his heart.
Kiba felt his eyes sting and burn as he began to crawl, his limbs rejecting every motion, and praying to himself that Shikamaru's shadows could help in some way before his love died before his eyes. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of his lungs as that thought entered the dog-nin's brain.
Dead..? No.. Kiba felt as if he were walking on ice. It was sturdy beneath him, no cracking or fracturing on the surface. But if he looked ahead, he could the ice was getting thinner, and thinner under Asuma. It was beginning to splinter apart faster, and faster, waiting to bring the Sarutobi into the plunging, crippling darkness. His body was revolting against his sheer will to go on, urging him that the limits had been reached. But Kiba refused. Ceasing his crawling, Kiba clenched his fists and forced himself to rise, despite the agony he felt. Step by step, he slowly approached Asuma and Hidan, hoping he could make it.
But with a small gasp, Kiba watched Hidan finally begin to bring the point closer and closer to his chest, closing the distance in seconds.
And with a final crippling wave of pain cascading over Kiba felt as if the earth and time was shifting around him, causing his legs to freeze, and heart to pound in his ears.
Shikamaru had realized at this point that this guy Hidan was one crazy fuck. And his jutsu capabilities were off the charts; on top of that he was immortal. But since he had Hidan trapped in his Shadow Strangle, he had to time to think and learn a little bit about the immortal prick.
He has control over Asuma thanks to that diagram. He stepped into it when he was surrounded by ash, not even worrying about dying. Plus, there's been mentioning of rituals and procedures that had been finally carried out. Which could explain why Asuma was burned instead of him.. They're linked.. And there is no doubt in my mind now that in order to give Asuma a window and release him, Hidan must be pushed from the circle.
His body tired, and chakra quickly drained, Shikamaru mustered his last drops of energy, now slowing stepping backwards, with Hidan copying his movements. He could hear the immortal protesting, but he didn't have time to worry about the useless drivel spewing out of his mouth. He had two comrades that were severely injured, Kiba who was slowly making his way over to Asuma, and in terrible pain all the while. By the way he was acting, Shikamaru could assume he had either punctured a lung, or ruptured something internally; which would explain the blood spewing out of his mouth every time that he coughed, and the pain he seemed to be consumed by.
Inch by inch, Shikamaru forced Hidan out of the diagram, sweat pouring down his face and back, the sun beating down on his neck. "What are doing?!" Izumo asked urgently, confused at what Shikamaru was doing.
"Forcing this bastard out of that damn diagram," he snapped back, "and that scythe of his is obviously not for killing. It's a range weapon that can hurt from a distance. But that's where the curse really comes from; if he can get a single drop of blood on those blades, and ingest it into his body, he can become connected to his victims. But he can only complete the jutsu if he's within the diagram," Shikamaru finished.
Izumo and Kotetsu looked stunned as they heard Shikamaru's reasoning, realizing that he truly was the genius Asuma was so adamant about. With one final step, Shikamaru yelled to his captain.
"He's out! Kiba; shuriken, now!" he urged to the wounded dog-nin, who looked startled at his voice. Quickly, Kiba reached within his pouch and threw a shuriken at Hidan, only nicking the cartilage of his ear, and waiting to see the results.
Good, Shikamaru thought as he analyzed Asuma's ear, and saw no damage had been done. Changing his hand signs quickly, Shikamaru willed his shadows to pierce through Hidan's entire body with a sickening squish, holding him in place for Asuma to deal the final blow.
The Sarutobi stood up slowly, clenching his bloody thigh with one hand while he used to other grasp his trench knife, chakra blazing around it fiercely. Asuma slowly inched closer to the immortal, who was pleading with Kakuzu to do something. The partner only responded with;
"I told you not to fuck around."
And with one final sweep of his blade, there was a dull thump as Hidan's body hit the ground, his head slowly rolling away in the bloodspattered dirt.
It's done.. It has to be now.. Asuma thought weakly, his breaths now becoming ragged and shallow as he felt woozy from the blood loss. Sweat poured down his face as his burns throbbed with agony, his flesh stinging and his muscles burning. Asuma swallowed hard, and looked over to the Inuzuka who had dropped to his knees roughly 20 feet away, happy that even though he was severely injured, he was still alive. His heart beat a little faster at the thought of them back in bed, surrounded by a shield of white quilts from the outside world; nothing else to bother them, nothing to intrude on their time together. Just Asuma and Kiba.
"Damn it Kakuzu, you did that on fucking purpose!" yelled what seemed to be Hidan's voice.
No.. That's impossible.. I decapitated that bastard.. How is he talking..? Asuma thought astoundedly, turning his head back to where the Akatsuki's body hand landed, as slow as he possibly could, hoping that it wasn't true. It was physically impossible for him to be able to keep talking when he had cut his head off.. wasn't it?
Finally, Asuma looked down to the ground, and saw the lifeless body of Hidan on the ground, completely motionless. But only a few feet away, was the talking, movable head. He was blinking and cursing out Kakuzu, nothing seeming to be wrong besides the pain.
"It's your own fault, Hidan. You were the one who told me to stay out of this," Kakuzu grunted back coldly.
"Alright.. Yes, that was my own fault. But won't you please bring me my body Kakuzu? Please, please old friend?" the head begged.
Quickly, Kakuzu materialized by Hidan, reaching down and picking his skull up by the hair, despite the protests from his partner.
"I told you to bring my body back to me! You're pulling my damn hair, and it fucking hurts!" Hidan whined.
"I would assume that your neck wound would hurt more than this," Kakuzu replied sarcastically.
"It does, dammit! It's hurts like a son of a bitch! You don't even have a clue!" Hidan snapped back, his head swinging back and forth in the air in protest.
Asuma was still stunned as he watched Hidan's head flail around in his partner's grasp, whining and complaining of the pain. He was still in the denial that the Akatsuki could even be alive, let alone talking and giving his partner orders to get his body.
"Enough," Kakuzu grumbled. In a flash, he was beside Asuma, completely catching him off guard. Driving his foot into Asuma's injured thigh, the Sarutobi gasped aloud in pain, as was quickly struck with Kakuzu's briefcase over the side of the head, knocking him back down to the ground. Asuma's head screamed with agony, his ears filled with ringing and the sound of blood rushing as his eyes were momentarily knocked of focus while he rolled away, landing on his stomach. He tried to breath in, but before he had the chance, Kakuzu was driving his knee into the Sarutobi's back, crushing his lungs and spine. Blood spewed out of his mouth as the pain tore through Asuma's body, causing his vision to grow blurry, tears streaming down his filthy face. His head slamming against the ground, and Asuma lied there in anguish as his body began to shut down, his hearing distorted, but still able to pick up the faint yelling of his dear Kiba, and the rest of his squad. He couldn't move, but only watch as Kakuzu took Hidan's head over to his body, propping his corpse up enough so he could reposition the skull onto the neck.
Still grasping Hidan's head, Kakuzu held it in place while small black tendrils snaked out from underneath his sleeves, penetrating the immortal's skin, and lacing together the separated extremities. When the sick surgery was completed, Hidan rose, and was once again fully functional. Rotating his head and making sure the stitches were sturdy, Hidan turned to face Asuma, his maniacal smile plastered across his face once again.
"I'm bored of your playing around Hidan. Just stay with the cash cow, and then we can get the fuck out of here. You've drug this out too long," Kakuzu commanded irritatedly, glancing at Hidan sideways.
The immortal began to protest, but was quickly silenced by his partner with a sharp glare. Hidan gave one nod before taking out his javelin-like tool, while staring down at Asuma. His eyes were burning with an insane ferocity to finally finish this battle, and to pay back Asuma for decapitating him.
And Asuma knew it.
There was a buzzing noise in Kiba's ears as he lifted his head up from the ground, his face covered in dust and dirt. As his eyes began to refocus on the scene, Kiba felt his entire body grow frigid and numb. Kakuzu was now kneeling beside Hidan's decapitated body, holding his head by the hair. And somehow, the head was talking. And moving.
What.. What the fuck is this? What kind of people are these? Kiba thought, immediately panicking. He needed to get up. He needed to move. Letting his eyes wander across the battlefield, Kiba's eyes froze on Asuma. He was lying on his stomach, face sideways in the dirt. There was a small puddle of blood beside where his face lay, his lips and chin covered in crimson liquid. The burns on his face looked terrible, still covering the entire half of the right side of his face. His eyes were flickering and trying to focus, but then they suddenly closed.
"Asuma! Don't you dare fucking die on me!" Kiba screamed angrily. Digging his fingers into the earth, Kiba began to drag himself forward.
But, Kiba was hopelessly going nowhere, his body beginning to shut down as he slowly drug himself closer to Asuma's nearly lifeless form, his legs and arms burning in objection. There was a faint heartbeat, and very slow, ragged breaths coming from the older man. He was begging now to whatever greater power there was that it wouldn't end like this, that his body would heal faster so that he could save his love. But the world didn't work like that. Hidan was still towering over the Sarutobi, his spear in hand and ready to kill at any given second.
Behind Hidan, Kakuzu, Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru were locked in battle. But the dog-nin couldn't even focus on it at this point. He needed to get to Hidan; he needed to end this.
Kiba felt the blood start slowly trickling into his lungs, making it even harder to breath, let alone call out to Asuma again. That scream alone made him light headed. The older man looked as if he could be dead; his eyes were closed, and his breathing had slowed to the point where his chest was just barely rising and falling. His heart rate was steady for now, but still extremely quiet - almost like a whisper. But he was almost there, maybe 10 feet away.
Just a little closer, Kiba though as sweat poured down his face, minor cuts and his eyes burning him as he squinted hard, feeling as if he was beginning to sink and drown. And then everything seemed to stop. Kiba couldn't even hear his own heartbeat, nor the jagged breaths that slipped from his lips. The fighting in the distance grew silent, and even the wind rustling the leaves was deafened.
"Nighty night," Hidan breathed with enjoyment, as he lobbed the spear forward.
Suddenly, the Sarutobi flung himself on to his knees and swung at the immortal with his blazing trench knife, sending him stumbling backwards as the spear was knocked away from his target. But Kiba noticed a faint movement behind the Sarutobi, and screamed out to him.
"Asuma, behind you!" he yelled despite the agony in his chest as he did so.
Quickly, the older man ducked, the three-bladed scythe now swinging forward, and into the torso of it's controller. Blood began to soak through Hidan's robes as he stood there, his maniacal grin still plastered across his black and white face. Kiba could hear Asuma panting desperately as he remained upright on his knees, sweat pouring down his ashen face.
"How many times do you think you can get me with that?" the Sarutobi murmured mockingly, a small smirk beginning to tug at his lips. But as quick as the smile began to come over his features, it disappeared just as fast as he looked down at the immortal's feet.
A quiet laugh began to rise from Hidan, soon turning into uncontrollable, psychotic laughter. "You idiot! You fell for the same trick again!" he practically screamed in hysterics. Kiba swallowed dryly as he looked down, and too saw what the Akatsuki was talking about.
Hidan was standing in the diagram.
The dog-nin's vision began to blur with unbridled tears, the salty liquid now pouring down his face as he felt a rush of despair wash over him. Asuma gasped loudly as he doubled over in pain; blood spewed out of the Sarutobi's mouth and littered the ground with droplets, coating his lips in a fresh shade of gore. His face was contorted with agony as he began to cough hard. To Kiba's it sounded as if he was tearing his lungs apart, one breath at a time.
"Does it hurt?" Hidan cackled, grasping the handle of the scythe and wrenching it up and down, causing Asuma to moan in sheer agony, "Because now we can finally share in the final pain like I've been planning all along," the immortal finished. Picking up the spear that Asuma had deflected previously, HIdan grasped it with both hands and held it in front of his chest; right in front of his heart.
NO! Kiba screamed over and over in his head, ignoring all messages that his body was trying to send him. He didn't care that his legs hurt anymore, or that he was slowly drowning in his own blood, or that he too was on the verge of death. Forcing his legs underneath him, and his arms to stay sturdy, Kiba shot up from the ground and stumbled towards Asuma as fast as he could, tears creating trails down his dirt-covered face. His ears buzzed and his heart pounded with adrenaline as the pain vanished and he raced towards his love. But he could see the ice was more fractured than ever, and that with every step he took closer, it was ready to break into a million pieces and send his love plummeting into darkness. His lungs burned as he was steps away from Asuma and Hidan, praying to whatever God there might be that he still had a chance to fix this.
But he was too late. The ice had already split apart.
With one grunt, Hidan shoved the spear through his chest, and laughed. Kiba felt his body give out as he wailed desperately, his face falling inches away from Asuma's nearly lifeless one. The Sarutobi was breathing so faintly that Kiba could barely hear him with his sensitive ears; he could barely feel the warmth of the older man's breaths as he kept his face there for a moment, wishing that this were all a terrible dream. The Inuzuka just wished that any second he would wake up in Asuma's arms back in his apartment, wrapped in cream colored quilts and the smells of rich spice and smoke. But instead, he slowly watched the life flow out of the only love he had ever known. And there was nothing he could do about it.
"Stay with me," he whimpered through gasps, pleading for more time. Asuma's lips twitched as he struggled to focus his eyes to Kiba's, eventually letting his lids slowly begin to fall.
Kiba let out a sepulchral scream as he looked into Asuma's eyes that were now closing, and forced himself to flip over the Sarutobi with his remaining amount of adrenaline. He bawled as he looked at the mangled body of Asuma; the burns still covered the right half of his face, and the deep puncture wounds that Hidan had inflicted were spilling out so much blood Kiba couldn't stop it. His face was ashen and expressionless as his glossy, half-lidded orbs stared at the blue sky above. The smell of copper and agony filled Kiba nostrils as his body hopelessly gave out, and his head fell down on the Sarutobi's chest,wetting his cheeks with warm blood
He wished that he was the one who would die instead of Asuma. Because it was his fault that this was happening. He could've done so much more for him, he could have saved him. But instead, he was lying here, with a punctured lung and body almost as fucked up as Asuma's. More tears began to flow from his eyes and mix with the Sarutobi's blood as Kiba stared at his love's face, inching his fingers towards Asuma's so he could grasp them just one last time. But he was deprived of that too.
Suddenly, there was a comforting hand on Kiba's arm, and it was lifting him upwards. Am I dying too? Did I.. finally drown? Kiba thought numbly as he was forced to stand on his feet.
"Let me die with him," Kiba pleaded, his voice barely a whisper as he continued to cry, tears now falling from his face as he looked down at Asuma helplessly, "Put me the fuck down, and let me die in peace."
Just let me go.
Please R&R!