Author's Note: Welcome back to chapter three where our adventure continues ~ I hope you enjoy :)
"Look what we have here..." Hinata woke up to the sharp impact of a kick colliding with her side. She expected to see one of her traveling companions... but she didn't recognize this person.
He was lean, looming over her. Dark and long spiked hair stuck out from behind a Grass Village headband. He looked to be a few years older than her... "I'm out on patrol and I find a pretty young girl. What are you? Lost?" He knelt down in front of her. Hinata looked... scared. Her eyes trembling at the corners. At her lack of reply, he reached out and snagged the front of Hinata's purple jacket. Jerking her up to her feet. "Answer me when I'm talking to you!" He growled, shoving her back against the tree. She yelped fairly loudly.
The young girl looked around the camp for her companions... but the two older men were nowhere to be found. In fact... almost all signs of them even being here was already gone. "I-... GET AWAY FROM ME!" She was starting to panic. She activated her eyes and with two palms quickly shoved the man's chest, pushing him away from her.
"You're stronger than you lo- aruugh.." He didn't get to finish his statement before he started coughing up blood. "Ugh, you bitch! What did you do to me?" He clutched his chest as pain rippled through it.
"Please leave! I do not wish to harm you!" She didn't. She had no quarrel with this man. She quickly scanned the area... there was no one else around... except for two forms off in the distance. They were standing still... ob... observing? Were they really just watching her get attacked? She recognized their chakra signatures... she was certain it was Kisame and Itachi. This was... no... she needed to focus. They weren't her baby sitters. They weren't even technically her allies... she could handle this on her own.
The man pulled out a kunai. "Well that's funny, cause that's exactly what I plan to do to you." And then he lunged at her... and Hinata did the one thing she did best. She defended herself. A few well placed hits and the man was out cold. It... didn't take her long to realize she had been panicking for nothing. The man's chakra was less impressive than Kiba's... and she'd sparred with him hundreds of times...
"Not bad, kid, but you gotta finish him." The pair of Akatsuki members rejoined her back in the clearing. She... she was mad. They just left her alone sleeping? While a strange... man just... the anger burned in her chest for a moment before simmering down. She wondered how long he'd been watching her sleep before he kicked her...
"He's unconscious, can we just leave?" She sounded bitter. Itachi raised a slow eyebrow at the girl, but kept silent. "No. Finish what you started. We're not here to clean up after you. You're the one who wanted strength." Kisame's voice sounded quite cold as he spoke to her.
She looked down at the unconscious man... and then back to her companions. Suddenly all the anger she'd felt moments ago had melted away. "I..." Her hand trembled as she pulled out a kunai... kneeling down next to the man. It would be quick... all she had to do was... just right there... at the base of the neck...
But her hand just kept shaking. She lined it up... this was... this was a life. She was thinking about how this was going to shape and change her... and as she debated, she ran out of time. She no longer got to make the decision for herself. A black sandal placed itself on the end of the kunai sticking out of her hand. She looked up, her eyes locking with those dark crimson orbs... "Pl-" But she didn't get to say anything before he started to step down on it. The blade pierced the flesh, blood welling over... followed by a crunch as it pierced through the spine.
Hinata clenched her eyes shut. This was the part about being a ninja that she hated. She... she much preferred her gentle fist... she never felt any of the cracking or snapping that way. He pulled his foot off and stood there looking at her. "It gets easier." was all Itachi said before starting to walk away.
She looked over at Kisame, her pale eyes looked like they were about to spill over with tears. The shark man merely grinned a toothy grin at her. "He's right. First is the hardest. Let's get going." He didn't offer a hand to help her up, just... started following Itachi. She looked down at the corpse on the ground... cause that's what it was now... it was no longer a person... they were a corpse...
She left her kunai in him, and moved to follow after the two men. They traveled in silence for a long time. "Why... why did you guys just stand there?" She asked softly. She was only met with more silence. Neither man answered her.
They traveled quietly. It was several hours later when they finally stopped for a short break. Hinata excused herself, moving to the edge of the water. She washed her face and refilled her canteen. The sound of shuffled sandals stopped a few steps behind her. "We both know he's not in the Land of Earth." Itachi spoke to her softly. "We've been waiting for you to try to run away, or spring some idiotic trap..." Hinata turned to look at him, her pale eyes scanning over his form. She looked... terrified. So now they were sure she was lying... did... did that mean... he was about to kill her?
"It's been days, and Kisame doesn't seem to mind you... and if you continue to hold your own like you did this morning you could prove useful..." This was the most Itachi had said to her their entire time today. "We..." He paused. "Akatsuki," He clarified "-can help you grow stronger... but you have to continue to prove yourself." The young woman gave a very small nod, she'd gone from terrified to mezmorized... He was... beautiful... and he didn't seem mad that she lied... "Use your words..." His voice was like silk...
"I... I can be useful..." She spoke softly, moving to stand. "I-... I'm very sorry." She whispered, looking down at her feet. Itachi just nodded at her. He reached out, placing a hand on the top of her head. He hadn't done a 'supportive' role since he was a teenager... A dark red blush covered her cheeks... she wanted to shrink away into the ground. "I-..." But before she got any words out, his hand dropped and he walked away. "Let's get going, I'd like to reach the border before nightfall." She nodded at his words, quickly and promptly following after him.
It was several hours into their travels. The young girl had been doing routine scans, keeping an eye out for any enemies, when she spotted a group at the border. "I-Itachi..." She spoke softly. The pair didn't pay her any mind. "K... Kisame-" She almost felt like... like she was going to be bothering them if she spoke up any more... but... she was used to commonly avoiding trouble... "Stop!" She shouted a little louder than intended. This time, they listened. Both men stopped their running through the branches and turned to look at her.
"What is it?" Kisame grunted at her. Hinata was panting softly as she caught her breath. "Up... up ahead... there's five ninja at the border..." She was exhausted. They were running her ragged with how fast a pace they regularly traveled at.
The pair looked at each other and then back at Hinata. "Are you worried for them or us?" Kisame asked her fairly bluntly. Her eyes widened a bit... she'd... she'd told them so they could avoid combat.
She shook her head gently. "Um... no... it's just... I... well... I thought we were supposed to be st-stealthy..." She looked down at her feet. "F... forgive me if I'm incorrect..." She sounded so unsure of herself.
Itachi looked at Kisame. No, she was quite right. The Uchiha tried to avoid combat when necessary... it always took quite the toll on him - though his partner had no issues cleaning house usually. Samahada was a hungry sword. "We'll go around... lead the way." He motioned for her to take the front. She nodded curtly, more than happy to take on the responsibility.
She led them well around danger - and even managed to get them to avoid a few traps. Instead of the main bridge, she led them to a rickety wooden rope bridge. "This... is the only way across if we want to avoid people..." It didn't look very safe. Hinata moved to the edge of the gorge and peered down... it was a long way down, and there was nothing but rocks down there. She looked at Kisame and Itachi - neither seemed like they were going to go first... and they had told her to take the lead...
At least she was the lightest of them all. "O...okay. Let's... keep going then..." Her hands trembled as she gripped the ropes on the bridge. She took slow careful steps, feeling the old, rotted wood flex under her steps... She gained a bit of confidence with every step... and as she reached the middle... one of those boards finally gave way. She wasn't prepared for it. As the girl fell through the bridge, she let out a cry of surprise. One of her hands slipped immediately from the sudden shock of holding her entire weight, leaving just one hanging on desperately.
She didn't even have time to assess the situation before a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. Itachi held her close to his body, and with a few fast and light jumps, he was across the bridge. Kisame and Itachi had been wondering why she hadn't been moving faster, or using chakra to help disperse her weight on the boards... "That was idiotic." Was all he said before moving to sit her down on the solid ground.
The young girl still hadn't fully recovered. Her heart was pounding, and she felt faint. She'd seen her life flash before her eyes... and... she was fairly disappointed with how it had gone. "T...thank you." She spoke breathlessly, the words barely audible. A deep red blush crossing over her cheeks. This was... she'd only felt these... types of butterflies when looking at Naruto...
Itachi started heading off, leaving the girl standing there. Kisame moved up next to her, chuckling lightly. "He's not really the feelings type, girl. I wouldn't waste your time." Hinata looked at the shark-like man and that blush only darkened.
"N-no! It's not like that!" She lifted her hands and buried her face in them. What would EVER give him that idea?!
"I mean, if you wanna take care of him-" Kisame chuckled lightly as he started to walk away. "He eats at least two meals a day and requires naps." He snorted as he took off after Itachi.
Hinata took a moment to compose herself before following them. All she did was blush! "W-wait up!" She called out, picking up her pace to catch up. Kisame had, however, confirmed her suspicion that his stamina was low... she couldn't help but wonder why... was he sick? He'd... he'd never turned off his Sharingan as long as she'd been with them... she wondered if he could...
The trio reached a small town outside the Waterfall village just before nightfall. They stood on a small hill overlooking the dimly lit village. "I'll secure lodging. Complete the mission." Itachi spoke softly to Kisame, and... suddenly the shark-like man was just gone. Hinata was starting to realize just how slow a pace they were moving at just to let her keep up... Itachi started off down the hill towards the town. "Come along, then." He said softly.
A flush reached Hinata's cheeks as she nodded and followed after Itachi. It didn't take them long to find the inn, the small town only had one. A slender hand slid out of his cloak as he offered Hinata a small coin pouch. "Two full rooms." He told her softly and moved to sit down on the bench outside.
A small task, but... she knew she looked the most personable out of the two of them. She entered the inn, with a small smile on her face. "Welcome!" The mousy haired woman standing behind the counter greeted her. "How can I help you tonight?" She was very friendly, and Hinata felt more at ease than she had all week.
"I'd like two rooms for the night, full amenities." The woman nodded at Hinata, opening her book and flipping through it. "We can absolutely do that for you," The woman gave Hinata a total, and she paid for it from the coin purse Itachi gave her. "I hope you enjoy your stay, let me know if you need anything." She gave her the two keys, and Hinata went back outside to join her companion.
"We're in rooms 6 and 7." She handed him one of the keys. He moved to get up silently, taking the key from her. They headed towards the rooms. She unlocked the door and headed inside. Hinata was under the assumption that they got two rooms, boys in one, her in the other. She would be wrong. Itachi followed her into the room, the young girl looked at him with a look of confusion. "A... are y... you..." She didn't get the words out. Itachi took off his cloak, moving to hang it on the back of the chair. He had a leaner physique than she'd anticipated...
"Go get ice." He ordered, moving to hand her the small metal bucket. Hinata nodded gently, holding the bucket tight to her chest. She looked around the room. There was one bed... she felt... well she wasn't sure how she felt about this... she could always just sleep on the floor or in the chair...
She slipped out of the room silently and headed back to the front desk to ask the woman for ice. She was only gone a few minutes, but when she returned, Itachi wasn't in the room. She sighed. This was... this was too much. Did he think she was going to leave? She'd already made it clear she wasn't going to... it's... it's not like she had somewhere to go anymore...
His cloak was gone... she hung her jacket up. A shower. She desperately needed a shower. She took off her shoes, and wiggled out of her pants. She folded them and set them neatly on the table before heading towards the bathroom. Her body was tight and curvy... full breasts filled her black bra. Her fishnet shirt clung to her torso, her panties hugging her hips as she moved.
The young girl pushed open the bathroom door, starting to peel off the netted shirt... and as she looked through the mesh... she slowly took in the sight in front of her. His pale skin was scarred, she assumed from years of intense battle... his long black hair hung loose in his face, dark crimson eyes staring back at her. He was muscular and toned... her eyes moved from his face down his body. The lower her eyes drifted... the warmer her face felt. Chiseled collar bone... toned abdomen... sharp... V... and...
The world went black. It was only gone for a few moments. When she came too her head was aching and... well the only sight was that same naked man - except now standing over her. Oh... he was just... very exposed... and the world went dark again.
This time, as she came to, she was being laid in the bed, and while still shirtless, Itachi had at least managed to locate a towel to wrap around his waist. Apparently they'd both had the shower idea. Seeing that she was maintaining consciousness this time around, Itachi felt the need to ask. "Are you anemic or something?"
She shook her head in a rapid motion. No. No, it was not that at all. "I.. just..." She was a very modest young girl... and... well... "Sorryforwalkinginonyou." She spoke fast, mashing it all up together, another dark blush covering her cheeks.
The man just shrugged. "You can take one after me." He said - leaving her on the bed as he headed back over to the bathroom. "Unless, you'd like to join me." His voice never changed tone. She had no idea if he was serious or not... but the comment right before he disappeared behind the bathroom door...
Girl was out like a light once more. Some things in life just never change. Itachi showered alone... and he was a bit surprised to see the girl sleeping soundly on top of the blankets when he got out of the shower... He had a feeling she didn't realize she was still just in her underwear.
His eyes scanned over her pale form. She was quite beautiful... Itachi moved to fold the blanket over her - as not to disturb her, and moved to lay on the bed next to her, draping his cloak over himself like a blanket. Itachi only woke to give Kisame the key to his room before returning to bed.
The shark-like man obviously assumed the worst, seeing them rooming together. Delightful, he had a feeling Itachi would be in a far better mood if he was getting laid regularly, and at least she wasn't a useless addition to their travels. Her eyes were sharp.