In honour of Star Wars Episode VIII being released, I've decided to give you guys this chapter. I've been wanting to write this one for years now, so it took a while to get it right, but I hope you like it regardless.

Thank you so so so much to my beautiful reviewers, you make this little writer's heart swell :3


Chapter 17 – in the shadows

The door to the Senju building has been blown clean off its hinges, and I slowly make my way inside, stepping over the faceless bodies piled up around the outskirts of the door. Shouts and screams echo inside the building, and my heart beats faster, though from fear or excitement I don't know.

Fifteen minutes ago the Senju were winning. Ten minutes ago Itachi joined the fight. And now I'm here.

This is the first time I've been out. I completed my training yesterday, the kanji scar on my head a brand telling me where I belong. No one loves me but the Uchiha. The only love I feel is when I kill the Uchiha's enemies.

A movement stirs in the corner of my eye, and like lightning I throw a shuriken at it. The blade sinks into his neck like butter, and he drops, choking, unable to scream through the metal in his throat.

They trained me well.

I hear more footsteps, and take one of the guns off my back. Check the ammo, keep more on hand so as to reload the moment I need it, and I stand behind a pillar. Their boots are noisy on the tiled floor as they spill into the room. I breathe, I smile, and finally I emerge, planting a bullet into each of their heads before they have the opportunity to think.


I avoid looking at the clock too much that night, just in case. If the Hyuuga have someone spying on me I can't clue them in to the fact that I'm waiting for someone.

At 9:30pm I'm watching the television. I'm not really paying attention to what's on – some documentary about whales – instead I'm coming up with a plan so that not a minute of the blackout is wasted. I vaguely wonder how Itachi is going to get in and out of the building without being spotted, but I roll my eyes. It's Itachi. He'd be able to fool death if necessary.

9:31. I stretch and yawn and give the illusion of being really interested in the documentary. I know that it's unlikely Neji will ask me about this – to do so would be to admit that he has someone tailing me – but I'm nothing if not thorough.

The clock hits 9:32 and I wait. Five seconds. Ten seconds. And at thirteen seconds, the expected blackout happens. Less than ten seconds later I hear a single knock at my door, and I knock back once, letting him know that I'm checking the bugs. I noted all of them when I came home, pleased to know that my paranoia was correct. There is one facing my door, one in the kitchen, one in my bedroom, but not one in my bathroom, which is interesting. Their etiquette is going to get them killed.

I quickly check the bug facing my door to make sure it died with the blackout and isn't hooked up to an alternative power source, but fate is on my side and it's thankfully dead. I open the door.

Itachi moves inside quickly, his movements like air – silent and undetectable. He doesn't waste any time before asking: "What is it?" I avoid looking at the smoky numbers above his head and look him in the eye – they're getting easier to ignore now, which is good.

"I've been given an opportunity to gain the trust of her shadows, but I need your help."

"And why is gaining their trust so important to you?" he asks me as he sits down on the slightly less worn couch.

"Because if they trust me then there's a chance they'll let me be alone with her, and it'll be far easier to kill her and get away without raising suspicion if I can do that. Her shadows are obsessive, and if there's even a hint of me betraying them they'll lock me up and then we'll never get close."

Itachi nods his understanding and indicates for me to continue.

"They're going to the library with her in three days. It'll be early in the morning – I've been asked to arrive at 8. I need you to set up an assassin. They need to be good enough to wound Tenten, preferably bad enough to put her in hospital. But I need to be able to kill them."

Itachi narrows his eyes at me. "And why shouldn't we just have that assassin kill her? It would save a lot of trouble."

I'd been expecting that response. "Because not only would they be very unlikely to hit Hinata, considering that she'll be surrounded by guards, but because if she's killed randomly like that, the Hyuuga will retaliate immediately and with everything they have. They're expecting an attack to happen out in the open. One from the inside, however, would shatter them – it would break their confidence in themselves, and an unconfident enemy is a weak enemy."

Itachi thinks it over for a moment, before giving a slight nod of his head. "I see. Why, then, do we need to disable this Tenten? And why shouldn't we kill her outright?"

I'd been expecting that too. "Because Tenten is the weapons expert of the shadows. If she's gone, I'm their next best option – Neji will likely get me to replace her while she's out of action. You'll need to get her in the shoulder or something. Something that'll make using weapons impossible for a time. As to killing her, I'd advise against it. If you don't kill her, then the Hyuuga will think we're less skilled than we actually are. They'll underestimate us, and it'll be easier for us to crush them."

Itachi remains silent.

"The moment the attack happens, Neji will dive for Hinata. He'll want to get her to safety before he kills her attacker. If there are other guards with us, which I imagine there will be, they'll be spooked by the attack, and they'll panic. That's when I'll find the attacker and kill them. The moment I show I'm willing to kill and die for Hinata, Neji will be far more likely to trust me, and if Neji trusts me, Tenten will trust me. I'll have saved her life twice then – they can't ignore that."

I watch as Itachi mulls my plan over, trying to think of ways in which it won't work, and my heart is beating a tattoo in my chest. I know this plan will work. I need him to trust me.

"She'll be dead in less than a fortnight after that's done, I can almost guarantee it," I tell him, and he looks at me coldly, and I think I almost see a glint of red in the black of his eyes.

"See that it is," he tells me. "There has been far too much of a delay in these plans already. My father grows impatient. If you weren't the only one apart from me who could do this job, he'd have punished you long ago. As it is, he's already considering extending the wait of your execution. She needs to die, Gaara. There are no innocents in this war. Only casualties. Hiashi sealed his fate the moment he stepped foot in Konoha."

"The assassin will be there, then?" I ask as he stands and makes for the door.

"Look to the east of the library. They will be there." He sweeps from my room, ghostly numbers and all, and I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. Gods, Itachi is intense.

Five minutes later, the power comes back on, and I fall into bed, exhausted and sore from the day, though skittish with excitement and anticipation over what's going to come.


The day of the fake assassination attempt slinks over the horizon in a brilliant sunrise, and I arrive at the Hyuuga building ten minutes early. I'm so excited I can barely keep myself still, and only the knowledge that I could give myself and the whole plan away if I don't forces me to steady. I can't fuck this up now. I'm too close.

Lee signs me in at the front desk, far too energetic for 7:50 in the morning, and salutes me through the elevator. The two guards inside glare at me but say nothing as I stand between them.

"You look cheerful today," I tell them, unable to stop myself. "Has something lifted your spirits?" The doors open on the 78th floor before they can throttle me, and I exit with a smile and a wave.

"You're early," notes Neji as I walk around into the living room. Hinata is sitting on the couch, Tenten helping her put on a bullet proof vest.

"Is that a problem?" I challenge, raising my brow.

Neji shakes his head. "No. Go to the guard's room and get into gear. I need to discuss the plan with you."

I do so, and find a bullet proof vest that fits me, armour for my arms and legs, a helmet, and my usual weapons – the handgun goes in its holster on my hip, the machete in its sheath on my other side, and some throwing knives in a pouch on my thigh.

Neji walks over to me as I leave. "You'll be coming in the car with us. Tenten will be driving, you'll be in the front with her, and I'll be in the back with Hinata. When we get to the library, you'll be standing in front, I'll be on her left, and Tenten will be on her right. There will be a group of guards surrounding us. Your job will be to walk us from the car to the library entrance. We'll be pulling up outside of it, but that still leaves about twenty metres between the car and the library, and that twenty metres is what could get us killed. You will wear your helmet at all times, so will I, Hinata, and Tenten. The idea is to try and confuse any would-be attackers, by making it difficult for them to tell who is who. Tenten has already booked a room for Hinata to study in, and we'll be there for three hours. I'll be in the room with her, you and Tenten will stand guard at the door. The room has no windows and the vents are too small in that room for anything to threaten us. Once the three hours are up, we will leave in the same formation. Do you understand?"

I nod my head, not willing to test him over this. "Yes."

"Good. Load your gun, but leave it in your holster. You are not to touch it unless we are attacked, and if we are you and Tenten are to stay outside and find and kill the attacker. I will take Hinata to safety, either back to the car, or into the library, whichever is closest. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I say again, nodding my head.

"Any questions?" he asks, eyeing me carefully, but I shake my head. I've never seen him so riled up before, not even when he had a gun in my face. "Good. Get ready. We'll be leaving as soon as Hinata is done."


We get into the car with no issues, and Tenten immediately starts driving. There's another car in front of us, identical to ours: blacked out windows and completely bullet-proof. Tenten has some of the best road rage I've ever seen, and I force back my laughter. Neji is anxiously keeping track of everything happening inside and outside the car, and Hinata looks mostly at ease, which is almost unsettling.

"Why are you so relaxed?" I ask her before I can help myself, and she gives me a smile, then shrugs, looking out the window.

"There's only two scenarios that can happen to me today. Either I'll get home safe and sound or I'll die. If the first, then today will be a good day. I'll be able to go outside, I'll be able to get some study done, and best of all I'll be out of the damn building for a few hours. If the second, then there's not much we can do to avoid it. We've already done everything we can to keep me safe. And I don't want to spend my last few moments alive stressed and scared and worried."

I must have given her a look to show my incredulity at her response, because she sighs and continues. "Look, Gaara, in the last month I've nearly died twice. I was nearly hit by a truck and I was shot in the head. I could very easily spend the rest of my life cowering in fear, but I'd be so frightened to live I may as well be dead anyway. Or I could just accept it and live the rest of my life, however long that's going to be, as well as I can. Am I scared? Yes. I'd be stupid not to be. But I won't let it rule me."

I almost say that that's a bit rich coming from someone who's scared of light switches and windows, but I hold my tongue. Neji is watching me with a warning in his eyes to keep my mouth shut, and I have a feeling that he knows exactly what I want to say.

"We'll be there in two minutes, Hinata," calls Tenten from the front. "Put your helmet on."

Hinata rolls her eyes at me and twists her hair up into a messy knot on the top of her head before putting the helmet on.

"You too, Sabaku," she says to me, and I pull the helmet over my head, and for the first time in years my hands have a fine tremor fluttering through them. Like a whisper of nervousness has sighed through me, and my brow creases in confusion. It's excitement, or anticipation. It's not nerves. I haven't been nervous in years. Not since the Senju. I get a hold of myself and check the rest of my armour. Neji fusses over Hinata's helmet, making sure the visor is down and none of her hair is sticking out of it. He checks her bullet-proof vest and the rest of her armour, and when he seems satisfied he puts his own helmet on. From the rear view mirror I'm certain she's rolling her eyes, but she doesn't protest.

The first car parks out the front of the library, and ours parks immediately behind it. There's a tension in the air, brittle enough to snap, as everyone's nerves are on edge. The guards in the first truck exit and surround our car, and I'm already scanning the edges of the buildings on the eastern side, wondering if I can spot our faux assassin.

But I see nothing, and follow Tenten's lead as she exits the car and goes around to join Hinata, standing at her right. Neji on her left. I take my place in front. My heart is pulsing, waiting for that gun shot, and I can't take my eyes off the horizon of buildings surrounding us. Five metres from the car.

My fingers flex, itching to grab my gun. I feel far too vulnerable out here. A shiver runs up my spine, like a claw has caressed the thin skin, and a lump forms into my throat. I'm not used to this… whatever it is. It feels wrong, even though nothing is. This is the plan. It has always been the plan. It's unsettling, just waiting for that bullet to snap the tension in the air. It's even more unnerving knowing that I'm the only one who knows it's coming.

Ten metres out from the car, ten metres to the library. If it's going to happen any time, it'll be now. In the middle of our safety, out in the open. I can see Neji in my peripherals, scanning the concrete horizon, and Tenten on the other side. I wonder if Hinata is nervous. I'm certain she is, and even though I know that she's not currently in danger, that she's not the one who's going to be attacked, something still feels wrong. It feels wrong to put her near danger.

The bullet hits Tenten half a second before the gun cracks in my ear. She screams and falls, her left hand rising immediately to cup her right shoulder; her knees hit the ground hard, and I can see that she's desperately trying to reach for her gun, but her arm won't move how it's supposed to.

Everything happens slowly at first, then all at once. Like film slowed down for half a second, and then sped up far too fast the next. Neji dives over Hinata, pulling her into his chest, and he yells at three of the surrounding guards to cover him as he races back to the car.

The other guards are skittish. They set up a tight circle around us, weapons drawn, looking for the culprit. Another shot rings out, and hits Tenten right above the collar bone. She screams again and falls back, trying to stem the flow of blood. I can see Neji look back, longing to help her in his eyes, and knowing that he can't – he has to get Hinata to safety. They're not even a metre from the group. She's still vulnerable. It feels like my heart does a backflip in my throat, watching him drag Hinata away and staring wide-eyed at Tenten. They're shouting, though I can't hear any of it.

Less than two seconds have passed since the first bullet hit, and I pull my gun out, scanning the tops of the buildings for an anomaly.

There it is. A slight bump against the flat of the roof. Fifty metres away. Kill them. I've done it a thousand times before. I can do it now. I grip the handgun, aim, breathe out, and squeeze the trigger.

It hits, and my heart skips a beat as the figure topples off the side of the building. I wonder if I know them. A half second of relief washes over me, but now's not the time. I need to play the part. I need to cement my worth to them.

Neji hesitates the moment the person falls off the building, and I shout at him, "Get her back! There could be more of them!" He looks at me, determination and something almost like… respect? plays in his eyes. He nods, and continues to drag Hinata back to the car. She's screaming, desperately trying to get to Tenten, trying to help.

I relax into my role, and point to two of the guards around me. "Take Tenten back to the other car and get her to hospital. Quick. The rest of you, search the buildings. We need to make sure they were alone." The rest of them nod at me, and quickly split up into three groups of two to scan the area.

I slowly make my way over to the fallen shooter, keeping an eye on the buildings, and within seconds I hear one car peel away from the curb, followed shortly by the other.

I reach the anonymous assassin and take off his mask. There's a bullet wound straight through his eye, and his head is a mess from where it hit the pavement. Other people are starting to leak out of the surrounding buildings, nervously looking around them for the source of the disturbance. One of them shouts when they see the pool of blood – Tenten's blood – but I don't look at them. I stare at the life-clock above the assassin, the smoky zero staring back at me, taunting me. I wonder if the Uchiha told him he was going to die. Did he know? Or was he just ordered to wound Tenten? Maim, but not kill. Demon's orders. I feel a little sick in my stomach, knowing that I'd condemned this man to die. This happened because of me. Somehow there's a difference between being ordered to kill and making the order.

I don't like it.

Finally, the other guards come back after their search, and report that the assassin was alone, as I knew he would be. Police have started to arrive. I order the men to take the assassin's body back with us to the Hyuuga mansion, to garner all possible information from it, and they obey me without question, almost like they respect me.

Almost like they trust me.

I don't know how I feel about that – something whispers liar in my gut, and tastes like traitor and sounds like imposter. But when the Hyuuga sends two big cars, I climb in with the rest of them, and force the mask back on to my face, though it feels like it doesn't quite fit anymore, and count the seconds in between my breaths, because I know who I am, and I don't have to like it, I just have to know it.

And whether I want others to like it is completely irrelevant.


Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always wonderful and welcome and extremely appreciated.

Lots of love, and may the force be with you ;)

- Alia xoxo