As per usual, this story has decided to use me and abuse me.
Much love to you all,
Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. You have no idea how much it helps. Also, telling me that you scan through stuff is totally fine because that makes me note what catches a readers interest versus what doesn't. I am still working on balancing plot with reader satisfaction.
It is a work in progress :)
Much much love!
Inky
PS. I was not a hundred percent satisfied with this chapter, as I found it...um...I'm not sure, perhaps the tone was different compared to other chapters? I may rewrite it, but that wont be until the whole thing is finished- and unlikely to change on here, because let's be honest, any editing i've done on finished fics has never seen the light of day. it just sits on my computer, taking up space and collecting dust.
Hinata's dubious sound of disappointment was followed by Sasuke's grunt of disapproval.
"I was under the impression that the Hawk Eyed were not named sarcastically, princess." Arms crossed over the dark blue tunic, he squinted just a bit at the poor pine tree in the distance, stabbed through with several arrows. None of them dead center. A handful were even on the ground, having not hit the designated tree at all.
Hinata flushed crimson, jaw tight as she lifted the bow again, straining against the string, breathing in deep to steady the shake of her arms. The bow had taken him the better part of three days to complete, using strips of left over leather from the quiver to wrap the handle, carving runes she did not understand in twisting beautiful curves over it's length, fletching the arrows with razor sharp ebony black feathers from his wings.
It was the most beautiful piece she had ever seen, easily outranking any of the bows from home, and to her utter despair it was in her hands. Never had she felt quite this inadequate, and considering her lack of proficiency at the art from of killing in a family of hunters the sting was hardly bearable.
"I..it's not my eyes." She finally defended. "I...I can see the target perfectly it's..." she sighed, releasing the arrow with a wince, feeling the slice of the fletching slice the heel of her palm as it flew, knocking her aim off by millimeters that resulted in the arrowhead piercing well off center.
"Ugh." She growled, lowering the bow. Shaking out her hand she frowned at the bloody palm, pressing it absently to her hip hard.
His approach made her glance up nervously, biting the inside of her cheek. The truth was that although her arm simply did not have the muscle for the draw of the string, more than anything his presence was making her insides twist and like having her father or elders watching, her hands trembled, her breath hitched, her aim suffered.
With his dark gaze on her at all times the likelihood of her improving was low, and the thought of disappointing and putting her family's renown name to shame left a metallic taste in her mouth.
"Draw." Sasuke instructed calmly, and Hinata twisted her mouth slightly in response, taking an arrow from her shoulder and notching it. Letting out a breath she pulled, jaw clenching as she strained.
"Hm." Carefully, his gaze swept over her form. From her stance, which was perfect to her pull. Touching lightly on her elbow he frowned, arranging it lower.
"Here." With his fingers just above hers on the bow and string he stepped behind her, feeling the tickle of her hair against his neck as he focused on the target. It was much further than he could ever hope to see properly, but for her it was not going to be the aiming clearly that was difficult, it was going to be the pulling.
With his combined strength behind the string Hinata let out a breath, feeling the sudden slack in her grip while she focused, aiming carefully.
"Breathe in." Sasuke murmured, his voice a whisper at the curve of her ear.
Uncertain, and now scared of shaking with the heat of his body right at her back Hinata drew in a breath and held.
"Release."
Together, they let go and breathed out, Hinata's shoulders drawing in at the feel of his warm breath on the nape of her neck. In the distance the arrow stuck, deeper than it had with any of her own attempts and as she had anticipated, dead center.
Sasuke stepped back, cocking his head at the result so far away. "I stand corrected."
"I am not strong enough yet." Hinata lamented, smoothing her fingers over the bow's beautiful smoothness. "But... I will be."
Sasuke's gaze flickered back to her then, masterfully placid and impossible to read. "You will have to improve rapidly."
"Yes." Nodding, Hinata pulled once more, straining without the help of his strength, brow furrowed. Archery was a practice most common to the shadows of Hawk Eyed heirs, a weapon meant to protect their Lord or Lady at long range. Or to bring down game that the one they were cleaved to would dispatch at close range with a hunting knife. To take the life of a creature was done with honor for it's sacrifice and therefore not from a distance. Although she had been taught the skill basics it had never been intended as a weapon of her future.
Watching this Sasuke started through the pines, eyeing their enormous heights with awe he still couldn't shake. The stench of the rot was at least bearable within the thickness of the forest that lined the encroaching path of decay, but even with the barrier of trees and living things the wind still knocked it towards them from time to time. Always it stung the eyes and overwhelmed the nostrils.
Hinata drew one more time, frowning as her muscles flexed and sighing released the pull, throwing her pack onto her back along with her quiver.
The stop had only been for her sake. It had been four days of hard pushing through the woods, where more and more of the foliage seemed determined to keep it's vitality to itself. He had noted the rations she carefully munched on from her pack, knew that there would not be enough for the long journey ahead. Still, she did not complain, and as they picked up the pace with her gathering wayward arrows he suddenly spoke.
"In about a week the forest will thin, and we will have to enter the Rot."
Hinata's gaze didn't waver, she had known his direction for some time, and had figured out that a long miserable march through the wasteland was inevitable. Sighing quietly behind him she nodded. "I...I know."
"I will sustain you on my blood." His gaze drifted back and Hinata kept her face still, despite the sharp and painful tightening of her heart. She had heard of species that lived off each other, always supplying what the other needed, capable of enduring long boughts of starvation and calamity before succumbing. The concept of being one of those creatures made her quiver inside.
All of those relationships were between things that chose each other as mates, always together. Having never so much as touched a male that wasn't her shadow or a family member Hinata fiddled with the edge of her tunic, thinking about the last time he had slid the blood between her lips.
The feel of his fingers delicate against the moist wet of her tongue flashed through her mind and swallowing hard she squeezed her fists tightly.
"I may find...I may be able to-"
"The Scaled Worm should not be taken lightly." Sasuke cut in quickly, feeling more than seeing her mind disagreeing. "In fact, " he stopped and gripped her wrist, nodding at her hand raised where several wounds from the arrow fletching had scabbed thinly. "This can cost you your limb where we are going, or do you not know what the Rot is like?"
Hinata stared at the wounds, brow furrowed and her stomach twisting inside of herself with nerves. She had worried vaguely about the possibility of infection. There was no rebuttal to that statement. Purposefully she had kept questions about her survival on the wasteland at bay.
"I...I understand, I just.." she fidgeted, watching as he let go, only to encircle her waist with his arm. Startled Hinata tensed, shoulders tightening at the feel of him drawing the hunting knife from the small of her back. Without warning he slid the blade along his hand.
Silver, bright and shining pooled at the basin of his palm. Hinata stared at it, aware of her lips parting slightly.
"...the ...the edge of the wood is still so far..." she whispered, forcing her gaze from the shining puddle he held before her face to his eyes. "I...I don't-"
"Shall I waste it then?" He looked back, face impassive and Hinata lowered her eyes to the ground, unable to answer.
His hand on her chin was feather light, long fingers smooth and warm as he lifted the cupped silver to her mouth. The yearning for the blaze of power and energy that would shoot through her body at the touch of the blood on her tongue made her close her eyes tightly before lifting her own hand to grip his, steadying it as she kissed his skin, feeling the warm liquid slide into her mouth. Softly, his fingers shifted against her cheek.
The itch of her hand healing distracted her for a moment from the welling of strength that rippled from her chest. It gained force as the silver dripped down her throat.
"You will get used to it...princess." His whisper was almost gentle despite the added insult and Hinata kept her head down until he turned away. Listening to his delicate step she finally followed, feeling heat burning her neck and ears.
The problem was not that she was not used to it. It was doubtful there would ever be a day when his magic and power didn't overwhelm the very make up of her skin.
The problem was that, despite her protestations... she had been craving it for days.
Tenten sat up from the half doze of keeping watch, her eyes interested in the softly falling summer snow. In endless layers bits of cotton fluff from the iron saplings rained down, their seeds minute within the whiteness as it drifted. Above the sky was already starting to change to the orange and red hue of a bloody dawn and she let out a blew through pursed lips, watching as the snowfall of cotton swirled with her breath.
Around her Kiba, Shino, Neji and her brother lay sleeping, although as she studied them through the last part of the night she noted their shifting muscles, their tense shoulder, the way their eyes flickered open to look around before falling back into an uncertain doze.
Being raised in the Valley made sleeping on the earth, with the crackle of leafy compost beneath your head terrifying, and Tenten understood. Having just spent a large portion of her night twisting and turning with nerves herself.
Stifling a yawn, her eyes lifted from studying her companions to the bushes on the other side of their clearing. Frowning as she registered movement in the branches almost too small to truly see.
Instinctively a ball of tension rolled to life within her stomach and slowly, eyes focused she slid her palm from the ground to her thigh where three throwing knives sat strapped, itching to be used.
Another shift in the leafy sheet rippled it's branches and Tenten felt her teeth clench to cracking.
The miracle of their long trek through a forest unseen, safe, hidden was over.
"Lee!"
Her scream ripped the silence and the peace, a contrast to the lazy falling cotton puffs that drifted over the ground. Gasping she threw herself to her feet, chucking the first knife into the foliage and hearing it's wet thunk into flesh followed by the sharp screech of a beast.
In a moment the men were on their feet, weapons drawn- Kiba hardly getting to his knees before a young and starving horkney slammed into his chest, taking him and Akamaru down in a heap.
There were too many of them to count, or perhaps too fast to do so quickly. With Shino at his side Kiba slammed his hunting knife hard into the horkney's mouth, making the creature stagger backwards but not before the sleeve of his tunic and the skin of his arm were ragged pieces from it's teeth.
Grunting hard Tenten took the first of the beasts to launch at her with ease, letting her body crumple to the ground. Kicking hard with her feet under it's rib cage sending it smashing to the trunk of the sapling she had been resting on.
"Run!" Lee's order was definite and left no room for questions. "Run, Tenten, run!"
Breathless, Tenten did as she was told, scrambling on hands and knees until she got her feet under her. Slipping and sliding on the crackling dry red of the leafy forest ground.
Together, half hauling Kiba she and Shino sprinted, glancing back just in time to see Neji's hands slamming into the final phase of a spell, with Lee slashing at horkney's mouth inching towards his Lord.
"Run!" Shino ordered, feeling the hesitation in Tenten's stride. "Run, Tenten!"
Having never heard such a tone from her friend Tenten snapped her head back, feeling the hiss of Neji's magic and without having to see knowing the yelping cries of the horkney's meant the spell had been somewhat effective.
A moment later Lee's voice was coming up behind them. "Go! Don't stop!"
Lungs burning, stumbling over the roots of the saplings too weak to hold their weight and too small to hide them the group ran, hearing the growling pants of the pack back on the hunt, their heavy wet snorts thick with the anticipation of a meal.
"There's nowhere to go!" Tenten gasped, sliding her shoulder painfully against a slate wall as they tumbled down a curving hill wrapped around the tall tower of rock. "Where do we go?!"
"Just move!" Neji's snap was decisive. "Move, don't stop!"
Stumbling now Kiba's white face and the blood leaving trails on his tunic made Tenten shake her head. "Neji, Kiba is-" She glanced back, just in time to see Neji far behind, his back to them, hands up again in the sequence of his unlocking magic. One look at her brother's strained face made Tenten slam to a stop, leaving Shino to continue dragging Kiba alone.
"No!" Her steps were impulsive, no thought put into them. "No! Lee- he can't-"
"Do as you're told, Tenten!" Lee's snap was furious, or mourning or crying she wasn't sure how to describe it as his arms slammed around her and despite her thrashing pulled her back. She didn't realize she was screaming, didn't realize he was throwing her over his shoulder.
"Neji!"
The electric snap of magic then was more potent, and as the summer snow of the trees drifted it seemed the whole wood was a conductor for lightning, flickering from sapling to sapling.
The horkney's were coming on him now, their bodies sleek and black against the redness of the brightening woods cast in the shades of the dawn.
With a fist to the ground his magic let out a deep boom, not so much a sound but a throb that echoed within Tenten's chest and with it the saplings suddenly danced. Roots lifted, twisting and shaking in the soil.
The horkney pack jumped and skittered, letting out keening sounds of wariness as things usually immobile suddenly moved like snakes, spraying dirt and leaves as they tangled their legs, slammed into their bony sides, sent them sprawling into the ground, twisting around their torso's and necks.
Tenten watched with eyes so wide they reflected the trees, the earth and the sky, and Neji at the center of it all, pouring his life into the soil begging it do his indulgence.
If he didn't stop, he would die.
Please Veil...
Please... don't let him die...
The horkneys continued to fret, tearing at the roots, twisting their long legged paws through the sapling skin. Their vicious slobbering maws growling and snorting with determination to be free.
Watching, shoulders tense Neji poured more of himself into the earth, more of his energy, more of his heart beats, urging the forest to move, to tighten, to destroy.
"Oi!" A voice unfamiliar and therefore startling made Tenten scramble in Lee's grip to look over her shoulder.
Shadows loomed between the trees, darkly clad and running in their direction. In front one raised a bow, pulling it's string back hard, his eyes focused.
"Look out!"
Lee needed no second invitation, with a grunt he and Tenten hit the forest ground, slamming to a stop that knocked the air out of their lungs.
Shino and Kiba ahead crumpled to their knees and Tenten gasped, looking up in time to see the other shadows ahead letting a volley of arrows fly.
No sooner had they flown than the horkneys cries ripped the abrupt silence and as their wails stilled Tenten scrambled to her knees, grabbing on to a sapling to raise herself to her feet just in time to see Neji's body keel over onto the ground among the pin cushioned carcasses of the deadly pack.
With the air feeling poisonous in her chest she was up and running. Sliding to a stop at his side, heart slamming in painful horrible punches in her chest, threatening to crack her open and vulnerable to the world.
"Neji... Neji, come on..." Licking her lips she lifted him in her arms, cradling his head in her lap. "No, no, no... please... come on."
In moments Lee was beside her, breathless and tense. "Warren," shakily he pressed a hand to Neji's pale throat, trying to decipher another heart beat from his own so loud and strained.
"Was he hit?"
Shakily, Tenten looked up at the sight of the shadow who had screamed at them to duck. She watched as he came jogging forward, pulling a thick scarf from his face to reveal clever dark eyes and hair stuck tight to his head in a ponytail. "We have a healer- is he...?" he paused, studying the pale young man in her arms.
"He has a pulse." Lee suddenly snapped, and without a word scooped up his friend so tall and broad shouldered like the burden was easy. "You said there's a healer?"
"Yes..." The archer nodded, glancing back briefly at the pile of horkney bodies strewn through the wreckage of the roots and tilted saplings. The arrows stuck out of the bodies awkwardly, some having slammed home between the gaps of thick sapling trunks bent at strange unnatural angles around the attacking creatures. Roots pierced fur, tangled legs, encircled throats.
Those eyes did not just appear clever. Sharply they snapped to Lee and his burden hurrying in the direction of the others who were helping Kiba and Shino up.
"Magic..." he frowned, turning then to Tenten who was staring at the chaos of the forest once so normal and smooth, her jaw clenched to keep her chin and lips from trembling.
To have so many trees reply to his call, to have the forest turn from nourishment to violence was a feat not easily performed. Anxious now she turned to the archer.
"I am Shikamaru." He studied her carefully.
"...Tenten." Her reply was choked. "We...we are...from the Valley of the Hawk Eyed." Her body shivered irrepressibly and Shikamaru put a hand lightly on her arm, even as his face flickered with surprise and curiosity.
"Come, these woods are not safe. We were out doing a patrol, our village is that way." He pointed over the small incline, dotted with the thin red leafed trees where the rest of his band stood. A blonde was examining Neji in Lee's arms, frowning intently.
Pulling Tenten towards the others, Shikamaru waved his hand in a circle in the air and two of their band moved to walk behind them, keeping Tenten and her group in the center with the blonde looking at Neji carefully as they walked.
"What was he doing?" she snapped, glancing up at Lee first and then at Tenten when Lee's tense expression gave so little response.
"Saving us." Tenten offered finally. "He was saving us."
Beside her Shikamaru looked at the healer, letting out a sigh. "Magic, Ino. They're from the Valley of the Hawk Eyed Clan."
Something like the same surprise and curiosity that had flashed over Shikamaru's face fluttered on Ino's then, just as the gates of the village came into view behind her.
"The Hawk Eyed?" Mouth open slightly she looked down at the young man in Lee's arms. "He...he looks like her."
Kiba, pale and bleeding snapped his gaze up, just as Tenten and Shino did.
"What?" Kiba demanded, moving as though to walk to her, although Shino held on, catching him as his weak knees trembled beneath him.
"What did you just say?" Tenten was there in moments, taking Ino's shoulders firmly. "Who? Who looks like him?"
"The girl..." Ino gasped, glancing at Shikamaru quickly. Gently he pried Tenten from Ino, shaking his head. "We don't know her name, she refused to give it."
"You...when?" Tenten searched his face, even as a shout of welcome reached them from the tower in response to Ino's frantic waving.
"Days now." Shikamaru frowned. "She stayed for a few hours, picked up supplies and headed back out."
The creak of the gate grunting on it's chains distracted them for a moment and Tenten watched as it rose, surprised to find an entourage of people on the other side waiting, among them a tall blonde with her hands on her hips, looking stern.
"What an exciting month we're having." She snapped, walking forward towards Kiba first, examining the arm in expert hands clearly unfazed by the bloody mess. "He's losing blood too fast." She grumbled, eyes snapping to Ino. "You have about ten minutes to get that bleeding under control. Move now."
"Yes, Master." Ino snapped forward then, herding Shino and Kiba in through the gate with the help of another young man on the other side.
Tsunade turned to Neji then, her eyes flickering over the strange trio left of the newcomers.
"Was he injured?"
"No." Lee finally managed, looking at her face directly.
"Hawk Eyed." Shikamaru offered then, jaw tight. "There was magic in the woods..." He glanced at Tenten and Lee. "Much more than I have ever seen."
The woman glanced first at Lee then at Tenten, gaze searching. "I go the first thirty years of my life without meeting a single Hawk Eyed warrior and now here in the span of a week I am flooded with them." She frowned. "But neither of you bear the eyes."
"No." Tenten let out a breath. "We are..." she hesitated, glancing at her brother for approval. Lee nodded then. No point hiding.
"This is the Warren." Tenten whispered, motioning to Neji. "Guardian of the heirs of the Clan. We are his shadows. I am Tenten." She swallowed. "This is my brother Lee."
Tsunade stared, mouth parting slightly. "Oh...Hell's Maw."
"You have seen another member of our Clan." Lee suddenly put in. "You have seen a young lady?"
"Yes." Tsunade's shoulders drooped slightly, even as she pressed a hand to Neji's forehead, lifting her index finger to the shimmering bead at the center of her own. "But no time for that now. He has used too much of his energy... I will need someone to offer-"
"I will." Tenten's hands were already stretched to her. "What do you need?"
Tsunade's gaze lingered on her for a long moment, her smile a little sad before placing Tenten's palm on Neji's forehead with her own. "Take a deep breath, my dear. This will not be pleasant."
As the bead in the healer's forehead brightened to a shining blue green Tenten started, feeling the sucking of something leeching from her blood, her bones, her heart beat itself, a vacuum so vast all of her was being drained. She was the water at the bottom of a bucket full of holes, the sun feeding all the woods, the air being gasped into every lung.
It was all she could do to hold on. Shikamaru's grip around her waist the only thing keeping her upright as Tsunade ripped the energy from her body and poured it into Neji's.
Just as black began to inch at the corners of her vision and her knees began to cave Tsunade let out a breath, withdrawing her hand and pushing Tenten into Shikamaru's arms. Easily the young man scooped Tenten up, nodding at the archers poised on the tower.
"Are they going to be all right?" Lee asked, even as he followed Tsunade through into the arms of the fortress, aware that the gate was coming down heavily behind them, barring them from the wild outside.
"Yes." Tsunade's voice was wary, glancing over at Tenten slumped and half conscious in Shikamaru's arms. "They both will, but not for some time." Sighing deeply she motioned for another of the patrol team to move forward. "Sai, take the young lady to my home, Ino will be there treating the others." Turning to Lee the blonde squeezed his arm. "Follow Sai, I will be right behind you to make sure they're both well. I promise."
Uncertain but with no other options Lee watched as Tenten was passed from Shikamaru to Sai and hesitantly followed.
As soon as they had crested the hill Tsunade turned to Shikamaru.
"Report."
"Found them right at the boundary before the slate tower, getting chased down by horkneys. If we had not showed up, they'd be dead right now. Before that...Signs of the nomads." Her young captain sighed. "There was a heavy presence, they leave their hand prints covered in Rot all over everything." Sighing again he rubbed his forehead, more than just tired, exhausted.
"So they're coming." Tsunade frowned, thinking quickly of what she needed to do in case of another full attack from the nomadic tribe.
Shikamaru shook his head. "No, that's the thing." He looked back out towards the gate now closed, barring the danger out, leaving anyone on the other side stuck with the nightmares.
"We tracked them nearly ten hours towards the Rot." He licked his lips. "It looks to me like they were after someone." He twisted his mouth as he thought. "Someone carving something, going on the wood shavings we found."
Tsunade closed her eyes. "...the girl."
"The only part of this not making complete sense is the fact that she's one person." Shikamaru nodded. "What could she possibly have that the entire nomad Clan would want?"
Swallowing hard the blonde healer turned looking to where the new comers had disappeared, pressing her hand to her face. "What indeed?"
The wood was a blaze of buttery light slanting through the spires of bark and green pine. In this part of the Veil the woodland was nearly silent, an eerie quiet that made every movement loud. To compensate for the grating silence they had found themselves stopping more, talking more, aching to break the stillness in some way or other even if it was as simple as sitting on the poky pine needle ground and sharing a mouthful of Hinata's dwindling reserves.
The pack had been stuffed with breads wrapped in wax papers dotted with dried fruits and nuts. There were shredded coconut cakes packed tightly, sticky with loomloom butter that dripped off their fingers. At first Sasuke had always said no, until Hinata's pursed mouth and frowning gaze had lingered on him for a long moment. "It's going to go bad. I...I am not as hungry when you give me your- when I have the...I'm not hungry, I don't want it to go bad."
Smirking at her floundering and the redness on her cheeks Sasuke had extended a hand and eyes focused elsewhere Hinata had dropped a slice of bread onto it.
"Don't...stars eat?" She had mumbled, nibbling on her portion of bread absently. In reply Sasuke had taken a bite of the bread, fixing her with a look she was unable to hold.
After an endless day listening to the dust motes drift in the warm light of the sun Sasuke had stopped abruptly, motioning for her bow. "Take that out."
Wings extending elegantly from his back had littered the floor with their black shining feathers and grabbing a handful he had stormed through the trees, keen to get himself out of the twisting maze of his own mind growing more and more vivid with the constant silence.
With quick expert throws the feathers had jammed into high places along visible trunks, dispersed by several paces.
Hinata watched, sliding her pack off, relieved to be doing something other than walking in the quiet. Reaching for an arrow she drew, feeling how much easier the pull was after days of near constant strain.
"Do not stop moving." Sasuke muttered, returning with his wings folding carefully at his back, shrinking his form from ominous to manageable. "As fast as you can, strike the feathers."
Hinata started, surprised and then setting her jaw took a breath down to her toes.
"All right." Drawing she pulled, moving rapidly, her core held tightly to maintain posture, aiming in rapid fire succession at the differing targets.
The first landed several feet lower than required, the next closer, by the end of the first run her arrows were on target, cracking through the solidity of his sharp feathers with a crack that echoed in the silence.
Breathless, but thankful for something to occupy her mind Hinata turned to look at him. His nod was firm, dark eyes intent. "Again."
And so they worked, with Hinata slowly starting to strip off articles of clothing, first the scarf and then rolling up her tunic sleeves, cheeks pink, abs aching from holding herself straight.
Breathless she let her stiff shoulders lower, blinking in the coming dusk. It was the first day that they had spent so much time not moving forward towards the ever increasing stink of Rot, and she looked at him pondering what might cause such a sudden change.
"Do you just...make them?" Her voice made him start, turning to look at her as she filled her quiver again with the arrows he had just fetched from the high targets. "Did you hunt in the heavens?"
Sasuke looked at her evenly for a moment, unsure if the subject was something he wanted to delve into.
"No, we competed." He admitted. "We were judged on our craftsmanship, technique and aim." He glanced up then, where the sky was turning from azure and pink to a darker navy, streaked through in splashes of gold from Solatta's rapid descent.
Hinata's face betrayed her interest, the curiosity making her eyes shine, her lips almost smile. "Competitions..." she mused softly, then with a twist of her mouth she was removing the quiver.
Frowning slightly, Sasuke watched as she moved towards him, stretching out the equipment.
"I have an arsenal of weapons, I need not master this. You should use the time to improve what little skills you have."
Hinata let herself look just the slightest bit annoyed, brows pinched, mouth puckered with distaste. "...I know plenty of gifted archers." She raised her chin. "I know I have more than a little skill."
Sasuke felt his lips tug stubbornly to the side, a smirk rising despite himself. "You want to compete against a fallen star?"
Her distaste only seemed to grow, the outstretched bow and quiver frozen in the air between them by her steady hand. Feeling heat rush to her face with the humiliation she scrambled to think of what her cousin might say, or her sister.
Hanabi's voice, so missed and lovely with it's wild and bright tones echoed through her head and Hinata said the words, as steadily as she could.
"I suppose ...I would not want to compete against a member of the Hawk Eyed Clan either."
Brows up, Sasuke pushed away from the tree trunk, studying her curiously, openly surprised. "What?"
"I...I understand." Shrugging Hinata went to pull the quiver over her head and Sasuke grabbed it stubbornly, dark eyes flashing.
"You do not know of what you speak."
Blushing viciously now, but determined to keep her head Hinata clenched her jaw, handing over the bow as he slid the quiver across his chest.
"Well, please...show me."
A frown, unlike any she had seen yet flickered over his face, calculating and puzzled as he notched an arrow, his wings tight against his back, black shining plumes of smoke that never waned.
Crouching for a breather, Hinata hugged her knees, studying the elegance of his form. Worrying at her lip and the possibility that she would have to eat her words.
He moved like a flickering flame, his posture unwavering, his draws making the bow creak with the power of his arm. The arrows slamming home with snaps of force that disturbed the floating specks of gold shifting through slanting beams of light.
Despite the fact that his form and ability meant her demise Hinata smiled, pressing her cheek to her knee as she studied, taking notes on the movement of his steps, on the steady elegant arch from quiver to notched arrow.
In moments he had hit each targeted feather, and was just drawing for the last when a crack of branches made Hinata jump to her feet, and before she had taken a breath his arrow had loosed to the pile of wood they had gathered earlier for their fire.
A black patch of fur squealed and snorting loudly thrashed among the pine needles, sending up puffs of dust and ripples of sound in the uncanny stillness of the wood.
Sasuke approached with another arrow drawn, face impassive even as Hinata stepped forward, pushing the bow and arrow up away from the creature, breathless. "No! Don't!"
Stunned he opened his mouth with a scathing snap to stand down only to have her scrambling around the wood pile, swallowing thickly as she surveyed the damage.
The horkney was small, smaller than the creature that had attacked them by several hundred pounds, about the size of a dog and as equally starved as their old adversary. It thrashed, it's paw, not yet taloned due to youth, pinned to the pine strewn soil by Sasuke's impeccable aim.
"No..." Hinata whispered, crouching down. The wolfish thing let out a soft snarly whine and twisted from her as far as it could with it's paw stuck in place, wide gold rimmed eyes shifting back and forth between her and Sasuke, mouth pulled back in a wary snarl.
"It's a pup." She crouched, hugging her knees to make herself smaller. Even as a pup the black beast was easily half her weight and although his incisors were only pinky finger long that was plenty for tearing out an unsuspecting throat.
Unsure of how to proceed considering the last time he had suggested leaving something wounded Sasuke watched intently as Hinata reached back for the knife at her waist, moving slowly.
"Ssshh, shsss, little one." Flipping the knife expertly in her fingers she turned to Sasuke slightly, still keeping an eye on the trembling wide eyed creature.
"...Sasuke...?"
In that one word he suddenly understood, a frown appearing on his face instantly. "No."
"Please, we never tried to save his mother, but-"
"His mother?" Incredulous Sasuke removed the quiver and threw it on the ground, disgruntled. "You have no way of knowing if-"
"I knew something was stalking us." Hinata explained slowly, patiently, like speaking to a child. "I just was unsure what it was. It was distant enough to not be a threat without-"
"You knew something was on our heels for nearly two weeks and you didn't say anything?" The amount of incredulous in his voice was competing with the irritation.
"We are in the wild." Hinata frowned, glancing at him again, warily trying to divide her attention between one wounded and pinned creature and one dangerously irritated . "There are things prowling around always."
"I said no."
"I..." Hinata floundered, unsure of how to proceed without his blood to heal the wound. "...I'm not...I'm not drinking of it then today either."
Sasuke's glare was potent, reminding her of the scathing looks she had received newly in his keeping. "Don't go there."
"Please." Swallowing the knot of worry that suddenly sprung to life in her throat Hinata stared at him. "Please."
Glaring still he flicked his eyes to the creature sunk low on the ground, shaking visibly as the blood from it's paw flooded the ground where it was pinned.
"It would be your own demise you would be plotting. Entering the Rot and then the land of the Scaled Worm without sustenance-" He began and Hinata set her jaw stubbornly, turning back to the creature as though his speech did not merit her attention.
Realizing suddenly that this was a battle he was going to lose he let out an annoyed breath, snatching the knife from her hand so sharply she winced, feeling the bite of it on her palm even as he ripped it across his own.
Grabbing her hand he glared as the drops squeezed from his fist, pooling with the crimson of her own vital fluid, making a marbled red and silver swirl on her palm.
"If you try this again, I will slay the creature who inspired your disobedience." His voice was even, black eyes unamused. Hinata looked back for a long moment, wondering if stating how much she doubted that to be true would be too much and deciding against it nodded, crouching in front of the horkney.
"All right, little one..." warily she moved forward, watching as the beast shifted and twisted, it's incessant uncertain whine leaving it's mouth with every move of it's body.
Shakily the horkney watched as she took the arrow in one hand, inching forward with her cupped hand slowly waving beneath it's nose.
For a moment fear that it would simply aim to take a bite out of the limb offered to it fluttered through her chest, but like she had anticipated it knew a blessing when presented on a platter. Keening softly the pup lapped at her hand, the silver leaving stains on it's tongue that disappeared with every swallow until her palm was clean and with a grunt Hinata pulled the arrow hard.
It yelped, jumped back a step and stumbling on three paws flopped onto it's stomach, shivering.
Sasuke frowned, watching as it twitched and swayed, blinking it's gold rimmed eyes rapidly as though intoxicated.
"It's wound was too severe. It may not work at all." Secretly he hoped his blood put the thing out of it's misery and simplified the problem.
Hinata straightened, wiping her palm on her leg absently. "No..." Turning to look at him with the wash of Luminatus' last rays on her face she smiled, a tinge of something hungry, sad and confused on her mouth. "That's...what it feels like, to partake of your blood." She swallowed and looked away sharply.
Sasuke's gaze remained fixated, taking the words she had just said and turning them over in his mind.
"It had best not follow." He muttered finally, moving to kick the wood away from the puddle of blood it's wound had left behind.
Hinata's smile returned as she approached the swaying horkney pup now splayed with it's head on it's paws. "Would it be so bad, to have won someone's loyalty through kindness?"
"Something." Sasuke corrected automatically. "That's not a someone."
"Perhaps if it had a name..?"
His gaze stated the immense dislike simmering beneath the surface of his skin. Deciding not to push anymore Hinata settled between the horkney and Sasuke, and he wondered if she thought it would buffer the piercing glares he was throwing at it.
After lighting the fire, to the creature's disgruntled yelp, Hinata lay her head on her knees, studying the horkney before whispering softly.
"...You know, you never hit the last target. So technically..."
It took him a moment to realize what she meant and wide eyed he looked at her until she turned, pressing her cheek hard to her knee as she blinked at him.
"Technically what, princess?" The strain of keeping his disbelief under control made his voice sound flat.
It wasn't so much a laugh as the soft ghost of one and closing her eyes she let out a breath shaking her head. "Nothing, Sasuke."
He turned away, startled by the sudden rolling tension in his body and the overwhelming lack of reply in his head. Stubbornly he gazed at the fire, staring into the empty void where a scathing retort should have been, finding nothing.
Silent as the dead, moving very carefully among the boughs of pine a bird unnatural and white as the eyes of the Hawk Eyed princess twitched it's head to the right, studying the unlikely trio sitting down below in the halo of fire.
Far away, past rolling hills, twisting forests, great sprawling rotting wastes and moisture sucking deserts a young man stilled, eyes closed among his party.
Behind him the sharp toothed mad eyed Kisame paused, his face twisting into something foul.
"Captain." He called and further ahead, with the last sliver of Luminatus burning bright along the flat plain of Rot Itachi turned, studying Deidara's frozen form.
Beside him Izumi watched, waiting like the others until Deidara's eyes flickered open, unfocused as they gazed on the scene in the forest across the great expanse of the Veil.
"...I have located the recently fallen star."
Itachi frowned worriedly, blinking through tendrils of dark hair buffeted by the wind that swirled the stench of decay around them. "Have you a name?"
"...black winged, dark haired." Deidara's voice whispered over the heavy battering winds, and after a moment he sighed.
"His companion calls him... Sasuke."
Izumi's hand on Itachi's arm was there in seconds, and he was glad. Like an anchor the warmth of her skin tethered him to the soil, keeping his mind from drifting with the growing shadows of the coming night.
"C...could it be someone else?" Izumi whispered. "Someone who shares his name?"
Itachi shook his head, turning to look up at the heavens, at the sprawling orange and navy fighting for dominance, only a few faint glimmering spots to sparkle in the midst.
"No. He has come." Itachi sighed, dark eyes vast an unreadable, hiding feelings twisting within the black. "My brother."
Kisame let out a sound like a strangled roar. "Orders, Captain."
Behind him Sasori and Hidan shifted, waiting.
"Take Hidan." Itachi murmured, the slate plainness of his voice more telling of his pain than any waver. "Try to reason with him first, Kisame. After that, attempt to dissuade him by other means if necessary." Closing his eyes he glanced to Izumi's black gaze matching his own.
"...I cannot be deviated from my task." He murmured, and her nod was all the assurance he needed. "Even he must wait."
"Hidan." Kisame turned, smirking at the man who grinned back just as madly. "Let's find the little brother."
As the night finally won and the suns disappeared Itachi watched his messengers rushing towards where he ached to go, the burden he bore more heavy than it had ever been in his 100 years of carrying the yoke.
TBC