A/N: Thank you for your feedback! A reviewer even suggested a NaruHina lemon, hahahaha. Oh, you guys…
Unless… you want one? Ah, I leave it up to you! Enjoy the chapter—including all the hardworking effort!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Assassination
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke, professional assassin, known to kill victims in the blink of an eye without a trace of emotion. And he's never failed his reputation. But what if the target he's supposed to kill, is the woman he's fallen in love with? SasuSaku. NaruHina.
Chapter 14 – Broken
((SFX: Bang!!))
She had bit her lip, expecting to hear the clamor of the gunshot and the splurge of blood spraying against the floor from the fatal wound. However, when no such sound reached her ears, her senses were immediately alert.
It was then she became aware of the firm hold grasping her wrist, having prevented her from activating the generator to the bullet. Her body turned rigid from his icy touch, inwardly amazed at how fast he had moved, even faster than her speedy reaction.
Emerald eyes slowly, shakily lowered to the hand that grasped her wrist tightly, seeing it was connected to his right arm. Her eyes traveled upwards, falling upon his bicep that held a cloth bound tightly around his forearm. She could see the faint stain of blood against the material. Thick lashes blinked in comprehension, realizing that when she had shot him back in Tsunade's office, it had in fact grazed against his skin, the proof right before her very eyes.
"I don't lose."
At the sound of his low, guttural tone, Sakura snapped her jade gaze towards the Uchiha, her stare falling on the back of his spiky, raven hair, as she still remained placed behind him.
"What?"
"I said…" he began eventually, a moment of silence having taken place. She blinked, and held in a gasp when she saw Sasuke was no longer in front of her, but behind her, as she could feel him put an arm around her neck in a headlock, preventing her from moving from his steel tight grip. "…I don't lose."
Eyelids hooded over murky onyx eyes, his arm unconsciously tightening over the blossom-haired woman's swan-like neck. His hand rose, connected to the arm wrapped firmly around her neck, as the back of his index finger lightly, tauntingly, traced down the smooth skin of her porcelain cheek.
Sakura felt her body instantly freeze at this, as the feather light, sensual touch of his mere finger had sent small, distinct electrical shocks throughout her body. However, she tried her best to ignore the feeling, her jaw clenching as she began to slowly writhe her way out of his grip. She felt Uchiha's grip tighten on her in response to her discreet squirming, and she pursed her lips, her mouth set in a thin line as she deliberated a plan to get out of the headlock remaining around her neck, so she could get the upper hand.
Immediately one thought entered her mind, and she contemplated the idea for a few moments before deciding to act upon instinct and follow her plan. Moving her emerald eyes to the back of her head, she could feel Sasuke's intense stare on her, practically boring through the base of her skull.
Inconspicuously, she bent her knee backwards, bobbing it up and down a few times before aiming a firm kick—her endeavor meant for her foot to come in contact with his groin, which as the basic fact was known, was every man's weakness.
Upon having seen her knee lift, and then aim a sporty kick to strike him where it would hurt most, Sasuke immediately reacted. His hand shot down, grasping her ankle, but Sakura had taken the intervening moment between his free arm lowering to her ankle to yank herself out of his firm grip. With a simple yet blindingly fast twist, she felt her ankle released from the Uchiha's hold, for if he had kept his grip his wrist surely would have twisted to the point of possibly breaking it.
She felt her feet stumble a few times as she flung herself backwards, having moved too fast (even for her own rapid speed) to the point where she almost lost her balance. Quiet pants flew from her mouth, her big jade eyes slimming as she looked at the raven-haired man only a few yards away from her, whom at this point had his haunting onyx eyes fixed on her as well.
She stuck her hand in her utility belt, lined with multiple daggers, hand pistols and grenades. Discreetly she moved her other hand as well as both dug through her dangerous equipment, pulling out two grenades. She brought out one and held it in front of her crimson lips, purposely for Sasuke to see her teeth clenched around the safety cap before she tore it away from the explosive, softly clattering against the steel, concrete ground. Meanwhile, the other grenade placed in her opposite hand moved behind her back, her fingers swiftly snapping the safety cap off as the piece fell to the ground quietly.
Dark onyx eyes flashed as he watched her, tracing each movement carefully, keeping their penetrating gaze.
Moving deliberately slow, Sakura bent her knees, crouching defensively. Then, she thrust both explosives towards the Uchiha, darting to the side as she did so before dashing towards one of the many large steel pillars that supported the spacious basement of the university as its leverage.
Seeing the two bombs heading straight towards him rapidly, Sasuke immediately reacted. One hand flew up, catching the flying grenade as he hurled it towards the other bomb, causing the two to collide before whizzing off in different directions as the raven-haired male bolted from his position, flinging towards another cement column as he braced himself for the exploding impact.
((SFX: beep… beep—BOOM!!))
The area shook as emerald eyes shut briefly from the deafening blast, one hand firmly grasping the corner of the pillar as a mass of wind struck by Sakura, blowing her silky cherry pink tresses behind her. Eventually the harsh breeze died down as her hair flowed down, tumbling down her back gracefully.
She popped open one of her jade irises, peeking at her surroundings as she warily glanced around. She could see from the grenades that rubble lie on the floor, resulting in the cement ground becoming even coarser as plentiful pebbles littered across. Carefully, she moved a few steps, assessing each move in her mind vigilantly.
Onyx eyes shifted back and forth, darting from side to side as he glimpsed around. He reached inside his bulky jet-black jacket, taking out a hand pistol as his other hand deposited bullets inside the barrel. Squatting low, his feet carried him across the underground room in blinding speed, searching for his sole target.
((SFX: whiz!!))
Immediately his head snapped towards the source of the sound, a silver knife reflecting off his dark obsidian orbs, aimed directly between his eyes expertly. He ducked down, extending his arm out as he did so, his finger pulling back on the trigger of his gun without hesitation as a bullet sprang out.
The shot embedded into the solid column, effectively creating a deep crack as Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat, forcing herself to hold it to prevent the gasp that would have followed when she saw the tip of the bullet edge through the pillar.
She slowly edged away from the bullet before she saw a blur of black before her, and the next thing she knew her back was pressed against the wall with Sasuke's face a mere inches from hers. Despite feeling her body flinch at the close proximity, she willed her hands to move and push herself away from him—only to find that she couldn't do so, as he had pinned her wrists above her head, preventing her from moving her arms.
Her jaw clenched tight with an audible click, her molars gritting against one another. "Ugh, damn you!" she ground out through compressed teeth, emphasizing each word as she squirmed to get herself free. She missed the twists of his face at her wriggles, especially how his eyes trailed down her body licentiously before snapping up to her face. "Damn you to hell!"
"Too late for that."
She grumbled at his answer, sending a fierce scowl towards him. She lifted her lower body by curling it towards herself, and with force as strong as a horse's strike, she outspreaded her legs, aimed to kick the Uchiha to release his hold on her. He jerked backwards, but even though his grasp on her remained, his grip had lightened ever so slightly in reaction to his body's sudden movement. Using that to her advantage, Sakura wrenched herself away from him, thrusting a powerful punched aimed squarely for his face.
Seeing this from his peripheral vision, Sasuke caught her hand, using his other free hand to clench his fingers into a fist before aiming it to plunge into her stomach. However, her other hand caught his strike as well, and her leg lifted with her foot stabbing straight into his abdomen.
The strength of the blow caused the Uchiha to falter backwards a few feet, but not without bringing the pink-haired woman with him, having not relinquished the hold encased over her as he pulled her with him. Her body flung towards him with widening emerald eyes, and Sasuke used that moment to toss her over him, sending her flying towards a pillar.
Sakura twisted her body to land on her feet against the side of the pillar, lightly wincing as the pain shot from her feet to her brain at the vigor of the collision. She felt gravity work as the heels of her feet connected with the stone ground, her body bent over with her left palm pressed against the floor. Her head was still held upright, looking straight ahead of her with eyebrows knitted together crossly, quiet pants escaping from her mouth.
Large sea green irises saw Sasuke's form crouched over, watching him slowly straighten himself up as his back was facing her. She glimpsed him crane his neck over his shoulder, silky raven bangs making his dark onyx eyes look impossibly darker as his eyes shifted to the right, looking directly at her.
Emerald eyes squinted at this before she pushed herself off the hind of her legs, dashing towards him speedily as one hand dug in her utility belt discreetly, fishing out another grenade. With a soft click the safety cap fell as she continued sprinting.
Once in front of him, Sakura used her free hand divert his attention by springing a punch towards him. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she had missed seeing Sasuke take out a knife, having twirled it expertly around his fingers before slapping her hand away with his wrist and aiming the sharp dagger directly towards her stomach, the dim light of the basement reflecting off the tip dangerously.
Sucking her stomach in, she saw the blade swipe across her tank top, managing to tear it only to reveal her smooth, flat stomach as the knife grazed along her porcelain skin. A thin streak of blood followed the jagged slash, but Sakura ignored it, continuing with what she was previously going to do as she placed the ticking grenade on the collar of Sasuke's jet-black v-neck shirt, having hooked it by the explosive's handle against the neckline.
Seeing this with his head angled down, onyx eyes widened slightly.
((SFX: beep—beep—beepbeepbeepbeep—BOOM!!))
With her arms crossed in front of her face, emerald eyes shut tight, her body flying backwards as Sakura choked out a gasp feeling her back colliding with a solid column. She could feel the shaking surroundings around her as more rubble fell about her, the cracks around her causing granite pieces to fall into her hair and about her. The thick, cloudy dust fogged the basement and Sakura felt herself mentally recoil. Her jade eyes shifted around the area, having found no sign of Sasuke, at all.
She slowly let a shaky breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She had done it. She had killed her target. Her objective had been reached—all that was left was for Hinata to take out Naruto, and their mission would be complete. Her eyelashes lowered over her distinct emerald eyes. She had done what she was told—so why did she feel remorse pooling in her stomach?
"I told you."
Her body visibly jumped, her mouth fell open to scream in astonishment, but she felt a large, rough hand press over her lips, preventing her shriek, along with the cold, icy touch of steel metal pressed against her neck.
"I told you…"
She heard the low, husky voice from behind her, hot breath fanning her earlobe. The palm against her lips slowly lifted, only to see the arm wound in front of her, constricting her arms to her sides, the bicep flexing from the movement. It was then Sakura became conscious of her back being pressed against a firm chest.
"…I don't lose."
She felt as though she had lost control of her voice. To control her thumping heartbeat, which Sakura was sure Sasuke could feel with his arm pressed so firmly against her upper body, jade eyes closed for a briefly. She opened them after a concise moment, thick lashes hovering over her sea green irises, causing her eyelids to be half-lidded. She was still fully aware of the sharp dagger pressed closely to her neck, to her pressure point.
"…Tell me, if you want me dead, Sasuke-kun…" His name was said mockingly sweet, yet her voice was coated with seething venom. "…Why did you save me from that truck, back then?"
Being pressed so close to him, Sakura felt him tense, even if it was barely there. She knew if she weren't pushed so intimately against him, she probably wouldn't have noticed his uptight muscles, and knew from his reaction that he knew what she was speaking of.
"You could have easily left me for dead, hell, that would have made your job a lot easier, wouldn't it have?" She continued slowly, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. Her mouth curved upwards in an acerbic, yet beautiful, smile. "And here, I thought you actually cared for me…" Dipping her head low, she closed her eyes, shaking her head side to side in sarcastic disappointment. "I was so wrong, wasn't I—?"
For a nanosecond, she felt the weight pressed behind her leave, only to snap her large sea green irises open only to see Sasuke now in front of her. She felt her breath hitch in her throat, feeling her back crash roughly into the wall once more. She couldn't stop her eyes from widening at this in reaction, openly staring at the Uchiha who had pinned her arms across each other above her head for a second time, holding her wrists firmly in his large hand. She felt herself unconsciously shiver when she saw how dangerously close his face was to her, his head tilted ever so slightly to the right side.
"There's no such thing as trust, that's what I grew up by," he whispered brashly to her, his hot breath fanning her lips. "Think what you want—"
"You—You're trying to kill me!" she screeched back at him after blinking her eyes furiously a few times. "How can you care about someone whose life is going to be taken by your hands?"
"You tell me," he retorted sharply in a hiss.
Her body turned rigid. Onyx eyes slimmed at this, but he continued, nonetheless.
"…I know you don't want to do this, Sakura—"
"Shut up!" she shrieked in immediate response. "I… I—" she stammered, biting her lower lip, averting her gaze by looking over his broad shoulder, her eyes darted to a corner as she stared at the floor. Sasuke found his eyes being drawn to her soft, supple scarlet lips, watching as her front upper teeth gnawed them sensuously. Sakura caught his licentious stare, feeling her cheeks flush hotly from the intensity of his eyes. "Sa… Sasuke—"
She couldn't finish, as a ravenous, voracious mouth crushed against hers.
-
-
-
Lavender eyes glanced around her surroundings.
Hinata had searched the upper floors of the Konoha University building, as she knew that Sakura was searching the bottom. After probing diligently for any sign of Naruto, Hinata felt some relief and disdain when finding no sign of him. Some disdain, because she wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting anyone if (or, while, as Hinata was sure was looking for her to) he was desperately trying to seek her out. Yet, she felt relief as well, for she did not want to fight the man she had begun to grow caring towards.
Her feet carried herself out of the building, walking against the soft grass sprouting from the ground. The last place she hadn't checked was the gym, which was conveniently located next to the field placed a few yards away from the university. She doubted that she would find him there, but she knew she was bound to check.
((SFX: creak…))
Slowly, the door craned, unlocked, as a small hand prodded it open. Cautiously, using the tip of her feet, she stepped inside. Veins appeared on either side of her eyes as she closed them for a moment, only to open briefly later, revealing her bloodline trait Byakugan. She had not known of the feature until one day, while Sakura and her were training with Anko (under brutal circumstances, as it was every day) her eyes had transformed into her bloodline limit upon her body having sensed danger. Ever since, slowly but surely, she became custom to how it worked, and gradually was able to use it masterly.
With the Byakugan enhancing her eyesight, Hinata glanced around, having reached the middle of the college gym as she planted her feet against the ground, standing. Turning her head left to right, she glanced around the area for any sight of the blond mass murderer. Upon seeing nothing, nor sensing another presence in the place, Hinata turned on her heel as she began to walk out of the gym. Closing her eyes, she deactivated her unique bloodline trait, a soft sigh of relief flowing from her lips.
"It's rude to turn your back on someone, you know."
Hinata flinched.
"Hyuuga is a noble name in Konoha, right? I'd figure one would know all about manners."
She whipped around, lavender eyes widening slightly. "Na—Naruto-kun…"
The said male slowly stalked towards her, coming out from the shadows of the gym. Naturally, her Byakugan would have seen him, thus her mind concluded he must have just gotten there.
Which was the truth, little did she know. As Hinata searched for Naruto, Naruto had done the same, not knowing that with everywhere the Hyuuga had just left, the blond would show up a few mere minutes later—having just barely missed her—such as what was happening presently. He had slipped inside the school gym when he felt the soft footsteps of a person, knowing from the light steps that it must have belonged to a woman, and therefore went inside, finding the girl he had been looking for.
"It all comes out, huh?" the male assassin spoke quietly, unlike his usual loud demeanor. "You… really are trying to kill me, Hinata…"
The said girl felt an unconscious frown cross her face. She softly replied, "Just as you are me, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto leaned his head back, his face slightly appalled. "But—But why me? Did I do something to you?" He took a tentative step forward, frowning when he saw her reflexively step backwards. She was only a few feet away from him, yet her presence felt so, so far. "Did I… Did I hurt you?"
"Not me…" she murmured in reply. Her lavender eyes faltered from his cerulean stare, lowering to his feet. "But… everyone you killed, and their families."
Azure irises narrowed. "You're taking their revenge?"
She looked back up at him. "I—" she bit her lip, once again facing the floor. "…Yes."
"So, you want to do this? You want to see me dead, by your own hands?"
Hinata shut her eyes at his words. She inhaled short, quick breaths. "Yes…"
Her voice cracked somewhat. Naruto perceived this with his sharp hearing, and his ears perked. His eyebrows furrowed.
"You're lying. Why are you lying to me?"
Her eyes snapped open once more, thick eyelashes hovering over lavender irises as the midnight-haired maiden shook her head leisurely, slowly reaching into her utility belt, which slanted against her tiny waist. She was fully aware—and could practically feel—his sharp cobalt eyes tracing her every move diligently.
"Please," she whispered, closing her eyes completely as her head titled downwards, her fingers still probing in the belt. Naruto couldn't distinguish what she was searching for from the position of her hand, nor did he know what was inside the pockets. His pupils widened slightly when he saw her take out a BB gun, and she pointed it with her extended arm, directly at him. "…Don't take this the wrong way." She closed her eyes.
And her finger pulled back on the trigger.
((SFX: Bang!!))
The bullet sprang out in lighting speed.
Naruto stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Not for long, though, as his instincts kicked in, his body acting on it's own accord as he barely dodged out of the way, rolling on the ground before flinging himself vertically, standing on one of the levels in the bleachers.
She was serious, his mind concluded. Who would be joking with a fully loaded BB gun pulled out, aimed directly towards you, with a bullet striving to pierce your heart? Naruto shook his head vigorously side to side. His stomach churned and twisted at the thoughts.
He was a mass murderer, yes, and looked to the idea of killing mercilessly when it came to a male target. However, he was dealing with a girl. A woman. A female. He always did have a soft spot for women, why, he didn't know. He just did. And so, when him and Uchiha were assigned female targets, Naruto would charm them, yes, but would normally leave it to Sasuke to dispose of them. However, he'd be lying if he said that his hands had never been stained with the blood from a woman, for when Sasuke—during certain circumstances where he was preoccupied with his own target (as sometimes they would be assigned with more than one target, as the case was now)—Naruto knew he had a job to do, and would kill the target. But, he'd be lying; too, if he alleged that he felt no guilt.
Which was currently why he was fighting a mental battle with himself whether to seriously kill Hinata or not. With the other female targets, he would normally push his uneasiness aside. Though, when it came to the dark-haired maiden, Naruto found it odd that he was struggling with the topic so much.
He then realized that, unlike the other targets, the blond had unknowingly begun to grow somewhat attached to Hinata. He was used to her shy mannerisms, her little timid quirks, her genuinely kind characteristics. He had grown accustomed to her, in general, he apprehended. He knew that's why he didn't want to kill her. Hell, he didn't even want to hurt her.
Little did he know that Hinata across from him was thinking the very same.
A stilling silence took place in the thick, tension-filled air. Then, someone moved.
Hinata's body tensed, seeing as Naruto had moved so blindingly fast he seemed to vanish into thin air.
((SFX: bang!!))
The ringing sound of a shot firing clanged in the ears of the Hyuuga, her head immediately jerking to the right, towards the basis of the reverberation. She didn't move— in part because her body was stunned, too numb from an overwhelm of emotion to react. Her lovely lavender irises fluttered to a close, awaiting the impact. She felt nothing. Opening her eyes at this, she looked down, a somewhat perplexed expression crossing her pale face.
She saw the bullet embedded a mere half-inch away from the tip of her foot. The ground was cracked from the force of the shot implanted in the concrete.
A warning shot.
That's all it was.
Just then Hinata felt a pair of arms wrap around her body from behind, but it wasn't in an affectionate manner. No, she knew this as she felt her front practically slam against the wall, her face forced to face the side with her cheek pressed against the cold wall. She knew it was Naruto behind her, knew it was him that was grabbing hold of her wrists and holding them together, pulling her arms backwards, forcing them to extend.
"Tell me why."
The Hyuuga flinched, having heard Naruto's deadly low voice sound from just below her earlobe. She could feel her heartbeat race at the close proximity, unable to see the mellifluous blond bangs hiding cerulean eyes with a dark expression on his whiskery face. Hinata tried to look at him, but found she couldn't as Naruto unconsciously pushed her further against the wall.
"Why… are you lying to me?"
From the sound of his voice, the dark-haired maiden could tell he was speaking through clenched teeth, speaking so guttural it almost sounded inaudible.
Hinata felt her heart drop at his tone. He was clearly upset—no, furious with her. And she painfully knew there was nothing she could do to ease his fuming. After all, she was practically feeling the same.
She didn't want to hurt him. But she had convinced herself, firmly, ever since she spoke with Tsunade on the phone. She had sternly told herself, mentally, over and over again:
Duty before honor. Obligation before morality.
Naruto thought simultaneously as he felt his grasp on her wrists involuntarily tighten. The phrases were what had been taught—no, drilled in—to both Naruto and Sasuke's minds, to their subconscious even, as they trained under the vicious conditions of Akatsuki.
Kakashi had reminded them of the "rule" as well, but had stated that "teamwork" and "looking out for each other," as both boys were already partnered together at fifteen, would result in the success of the annihilation mission, and were more important than setting aside your ethics for the sake of assignment.
Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he briefly caught a movement from Hinata, but had realized too late as she kicked the heel of her foot into his stomach. The blond keeled over from the force of her strike, just as powerful (possibly more, even) than the punch she had given him back in the principal's office.
With one arm over his bruised abdomen, the other went to his mouth, catching the sticky red liquid spewing from his mouth as he coughed out the blood clogging his throat.
Damn she's strong, he thought to himself as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. For such a tiny frame, the girl held a colossal amount of power.
Almost immediately he whirled around 180 degrees, having managed to get a small pocketknife out of his bulky black jacket as he held it in the air.
((SFX: clang!!)
As expected, he held back the dagger of Hinata that was aimed for his throat, the blades crossing in an 'x' form as both owners' hands shook from each strength trying to overpower the other.
Cerulean eyes narrowed as he pushed forward—having bent back his upper body slightly to slightly dodge the incoming slash from the knife—as he pressed Hinata forward, managing to get her to stumble a few steps back. Naturally, as he was a man, he was stronger than her petite form, as he had managed to subdue her.
His body towered over hers, but he could see that Hinata wasn't willing to back down, his proof sighting before his very eyes as he saw the knuckles—flexing against her hand as she held the dagger—tighten, turning pallid with her force.
He saw a bead of sweat roll down from her temple to the curve of her jaw, sliding down her neck to her heaving chest as she panted quietly. Naruto visibly swallowed, having followed the droplet of liquid until it disappeared under the upper cloth of her tank top.
Damn, damn, damn—
He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering now. He was still a hot-blooded male, not to mention he was only eighteen, which meant hormones continued to rampage inside of him. His azure irises took in the sight of her alluring figure beneath the (to him now) minimal amount of clothing donned on her body.
He noticed her speedy movements must have caused her shirt to crinkle as the spaghetti straps almost hung off her shoulders, causing the tank top to slant to one side, revealing only some cleavage (her long, glossy raven hair concealing the other half), but the vision alone was enough to make him turn rigid. From the view, the blond could see she had a quite large bosom, the fleshy mounds naturally pressing against one another. He would have blushed at the sight—even though, sure, he had seen women's bare chests before, but none as tempting as hers—but he felt all his blood rush to his groin. He gulped once more as he saw her black tank top lift ever so slightly as she shifted (to press more force into her dagger still crossed with Naruto's), revealing the flat, smooth plane of her stomach.
Then his eyes lowered to her tiny yet curvy waist, followed by the small black shorts put on her lower body. His azure eye twitched. Her legs were nice and long, her thighs pale yet creamy. His other free hand jerked, his fingers yearning to run his hand along her light skin, absentmindedly wondering if her legs felt as silky as it looked.
A fresh, hot blush coated Hinata's cheeks. She had just seen the way Naruto had looked at her, the intensity building in his eyes as he traced her body. The Hyuuga suddenly felt self-conscious, not used to being so closely scrutinized. Sure, she had seen men turn their faces as she walked by—but always assumed it was to look at Sakura, whom was always with her, as the pink-haired woman was quite a sight as well.
But, the way Naruto had looked at her… Hinata felt herself shiver. He looked at her as though he was a predator, and she was his prey. So… heatedly. Her body shuddered once more.
She didn't see how Naruto visibly froze at her tremble.
Hinata shook her head. This couldn't continue any longer. She was meant to annihilate him, not stand and let him… ogle her! And so she moved, raising her leg to land a firm kick to his side.
At her movement, Naruto seemed to almost instantly snap out of his trance-like state. With his free hand (as one was still being used holding a pocketknife to hold back the Hyuuga's dagger) he caught her kick, only to see her twist her body (releasing the scalpel against the blond's blade as she did so) only to raise her other leg to aim squarely to the side of his face.
Her kick was speedy, and Naruto ducked, feeling his hair being swished to the side from her foot as he had barely missed her strike.
Seeing as her hit had missed, Hinata yanked her leg away from the blond-haired murderer's grasp, moving a few feet backwards as her feet skidded against the concrete, palm against the floor, her body moving in reverse. Dipping her hand in a back pocket of her utility belt, the Hyuuga fished out two stilettos, holding the blades between her fingers. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she snapped open lavender irises as she chucked the weapons downwards, aiming specifically for the baggy fabric hanging around the ankles of Naruto's dark pants.
The blond had seen this, and he had turned to dodge—but her toss was quick, and managed to catch one of his legs. This halted his movement, and he turned his body and lowered himself to free himself from the blade.
((SFX: beep—beepbeepbeepbeep—!!))
Snapping his head upwards, blond bangs fringed against distinct cerulean eyes. When he had turned to take the knife out of the fabric of his pants, he had not seen Hinata take out a grenade, having removed the safety cap with her teeth as she sprinted towards him and then threw the ticking time bomb.
((SFX: beepbeep—BOOM!!))
The Hyuuga's body was flung backwards, arms in an 'x' in front of her face with eyes closed as she was pushed back from the exploding force. Smoky dust filled the area as she coughed the thick gray powder congesting her throat, able to hear boards from the ceiling of the gym fall with a clang as it collided the ground.
Eventually, the smoke cleared, and Hinata felt her back collide with the steel of the wall as she sagged against it.
Her body tensed.
Slowly, her lavender eyes moved to the right, where a dagger was embedded deep in the wall, a split immediately resulting from the force of the toss as the crack grew with a sickening breaking sound. The knife vibrated in ricochet from the impact of the wall.
Gradually her mauve irises moved forward, seeing Naruto leisurely walk through the thick dust that remained. The back of his hand was wiping the dirt smudge off his jaw, the rest of the smog darkening his tan face as a heavy scowl was set in expression.
Hinata hadn't realized she had been panting, from fatigue from her efforts but also from her tense body, as she could see the blond across from her panting as well, but discreetly as his mouth didn't seem as though it were open, but she could tell from seeing his chest heave up and down with each breath.
A frown marred her pretty, pale face, looking at the sight of the mass killer as rubble and broken boards surrounded his form.
Naruto squinted his eyes at the sad expression etched across the Hyuuga's face.
"…It doesn't have to be like this," she spoke softly, her voice gentle. "I don't want to have to go through with this… I—"
"Bullshit!" Naruto interrupted her, not giving a damn for doing so. His molars scraped against one another. "You just tried to fucking kill me just now!"
Her frown deepened. "If I really was trying to kill you… I would have set the grenade sooner—"
"Enough!" At her reason, the blond's fists had clenched tightly, compressing so hard his knuckles began to turn pallid white. His arms shook vigorously. "Don't distract me with those lies—"
"But they aren't lies," she whispered back to him, her tone twisting into a soothing one. "I've…" she bit her lower lip, staying quiet for a moment before continuing. "I've grown… fond of you, Naruto-kun—"
"Don't call me that!" he yelled back at her. "You think love is something I'm used to having? Well, you're wrong!" His head shook roughly, blond bangs whisking side-to-side before hovering over his eyes, azure irises shutting tight. His molars grit harshly against one another, speaking through clamped teeth, "And to think, I was having second thoughts about this… about having to hurt you…!"
Lavender eyes widened immensely, still biting her lip as her façade seemed pained. Hesitantly, she slowly stepped forward. Her lips parted to speak, but his voice interrupted her.
"Don't."
His voice was eerily low, dark, ominous.
The very sound of it made Hinata tremble.
"Don't come closer."
A hand clutched in front of her chest, and she took another tentative step forward.
"I said…" his head, that had been titled downwards, moved upwards. "Don't. Come. Closer."
Hinata froze.
He was staring at her now. His eyes locked with hers, but they weren't the deep blue color. They were menacingly red, practically glowing in the dim lighted area, blood lust radiating from the very look alone. His face—detached, merciless—resembled that of a ruthless mass murderer.
The girl felt her body trembling more now. The sight was terrifying.
Lavender eyes watched as Naruto reached inside his large, bulky jacket, taking out a Echo 1 Airsoft gun. Her eyes inexplicably expanded—she didn't even know he was carrying such a deadly weapon as powerful as it was, but then again, she did not know what was in that hulking coat of his.
The corner of his mouth rose in a wicked grin as the blond pointed the gun forward, his thumb on the trigger with his other hand holding the base of the firearm. Then he titled the revolver upwards, and then unleashed a barrage of bullets.
((SFX: bangbangbangbangbang—!!))
Hinata winced slightly at the deafening sound. Naruto seemed to be enjoying the reverberations.
More boards fell to the floor or loosened from the bombardment of ammunition before the assassin halted his shootings, pointing the gun forward, aiming it directly towards the Hyuuga.
She heard the gun click with freshly loaded bullets. Her gaze lowered to his thumb, which remained on the trigger.
She watched him pull it back.
Her legs jumped. Immediately she dashed away, sprinting towards the bleachers as she saw him turn, following her movements. Because she was moving swiftly and speedily, the shots mostly missed, but still grazed along her skin but nothing too serious. Hinata knew she would have to tend to the wounds later, making sure she was protecting all her critical areas.
Finally she managed to make it to the bleachers, ducking behind it as she eventually heard the firing bullets cease gradually. She took shaky, shallow breaths as she heard footsteps, almost tauntingly leisure, approaching her. Her body turned rigid—she was beginning to feel weak, as the bullets that had scraped against her skin were beginning to bleed, as the sticky crimson liquid began pooling around her feet from the numerous wounds.
She winced when she felt a harsh grip on her forearm, tearing her away from her hiding space before being roughly shoved towards the center of the gym. Her body fell against the floor on her side, and her eyes shut tight when she heard a gunshot. The sound echoed in her ears. Hinata figured she was too numb from her numerous injuries to feel the bullet in her body.
But then she heard the creak above her. She saw a loose board wriggling, and then it fell, causing others to fall along with it. Her lips parted in shock, but her body was not letting he move. The planks covered most of her body, leaving room for just barely her shoulder blades as her front was now pressed against the floor, securely trapped. The pressure against her chest caused her lungs to feel tightened, and her breathing began to turn irregular and ragged.
One arm was encased beneath the timber, but the other was bent in front of her, her fingers enclosed in a fist with one lavender eye open, glossy raven hair falling around her.
She saw Naruto's expression twist, blond bangs hovering over his eyes once more before he shook his head, looking back up revealing his original cobalt irises. He glanced around, soon finding Hinata ensnared beneath the boards.
His first instinct was to go over and help her, immediately, as he knew the force of the slats was cutting off her normal circulation.
But then he remembered—he had a job to do. Her being trapped just made his effort easier, because she could no longer resist.
And so, with a heavy frown, he slowly approached her. Cerulean eyes watched her stare up at him with a wary, guarded expression, and his frown deepened. Slowly, he reached into his jacket. He brought out a grenade, and brought it up to his teeth. The safety cap fell to the floor, forgotten, with a clank. He saw her expression visibly change as she watched him, twisting into one of fright, and found he couldn't stand to look at her in that state.
"No…" he heard her whisper.
Without looking at her, as he couldn't bring himself to, Naruto bent down, placing the bomb a few feet beside her. He glimpsed her body beginning to wriggle, struggling in futile to get out of her danger. The blonde shut his eyes tight, turning on his heel with his back facing her. He began to take a few steps away.
((SFX: beep… beep…))
He heard her panicky whimpers, hearing her murmur over and over to herself, "No, no, please… I… I don't want to die…!" He perceived the sound of boards shifting, but barely, and he could imagine her continuing to squirm in vain.
Guilt was beginning to plague his conscience as he continued walking forward. His knuckles clenched tight once more, teeth gritting against one another, eyes squeezing tautly.
No… He froze in his next step. I… just can't let her…!
He pivoted to the opposite direction. His mind comprehended that he couldn't do it, he couldn't leave her behind, for he didn't want to hurt her, and didn't give a damn about the consequences he knew he'd suffer for his actions. Without another thought, he dove back for her—
((SFX: beep—beepbeepbeepbeep—ka-boom!!))
"NO!"
The whole gymnasium shook from the blast of the ticking time bomb. Thick, smoky dust filled the air of the spacious area. The bleachers, floorboards, court—all disintegrated to mere rubble, with only broken wooden planks, poles, and construction boards lying around in mere pieces.
"Hinata! HINATA!"
Fear and panic engulfed Naruto as he called for the girl's name frantically. His eyes searched every space, every corner, every inch—fearing for the worst, though he tried to think of the positives. He dreaded the thought of actually killing her—and although he had completed his mission, he realized it was not what he wanted.
The blond stepped around the ruins of the floor, bending over as he hauled pieces of boards over his shoulder, beginning his search for the dark-haired maiden. He dug through everything and anything he could find, and after ten minutes of unrelenting searching, he finally found her.
She was buried beneath all the debris of the gym, beams and poles mostly constricting her body to the wreckage left of the floor. Only a part of her neck, her face, and elbow wasn't compressed beneath the boards and planks around her.
Naruto grit his teeth, immediately rushing over to her as he hurled all the ruins off of the Hyuuga. Once finishing doing so, he instantaneously gathered her up in his arms, worry building in his cerulean eyes as Hinata's skin was sickeningly pale, her eyes closed with her lips parted slightly, her body unmoving. Her head lolled back against his arm.
"Hinata! Hinata!" he called for her over and over, gently shaking her, his other hand gently patting the side of her face. "Come on, wake up! Don't go to the light! Stay with me!"
Panic began to rise in him when she remained unmoving.
"Hinata…! Hinata!"
Author's Note: Wow, I have school tomorrow, and it's currently one in the morning. This chapter took so much effort, you have no idea. I seriously spent probably over eight hours writing it. Not today, though. Today I spent like three. Yesterday I wrote from two to eight or something. Okay, maybe that's over eight hours… :P
Fight scenes are hard, guys! So sorry if mine's not the best. Just to let you know, next chapter begins with Sasuke and Sakura, and then resumes where we left our Naruto and dead Hinata. (le gasp)
Please review, feedback is really appreciated!