Love and Death
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters.
A/N: Sorry I didn't put this up yesterday. I was busy shopping, and then I came home and watched anime, so...I didn't really have any time. But, anyway, this starts of with Miharu and the others as they make their way towards the Village of the Hidden Mist. There's a tiny bit of romance, but that's about it. I won't waste time. Hope you enjoy chapter 5! * Is it ok if I have an inner Sasuke? It just sounds so interesting! *
Chapter 5
Never Ending Journey
"Good Luck."
Naruto Hokage-sama's last words echoed in Miharu's mind. Hiragi Kisa...their assignment. They were to transport her safely to the Village of the Hidden Mist. Yet still, when Naruto had explained their mission, something inside Miharu had made her feel like running from an assignment, for the first time in her life. It wasn't that she was afraid. She had never been afraid of any mission before, and she certainly didn't fear killing the enemy. It was something else...
She couldn't pretend. She very well knew what it was that she was feeling. It was jealousy. As the only female in the group, Miharu had always gotten the boys' attention. Although she was strong, the strongest female ninja known, she was still the weakest in her group. Whenever she was in trouble, the boys would come to her aid, without having to pay attention to anyone else. It wasn't that she didn't like being an independent ninja, who could take care on her own...it was just that she had loved being their center of attention.
Now, however, there was another female travelling with them. Although she would only be in their care for two weeks at the most, Miharu knew that during that time she would not be the important one...she was, instead, the bodyguard. Kisa was pretty, beautiful even...and she was innocent. She had not the smell of blood lingering upon her, nor the hands of an assassin. Her life was not tainted by the deaths of others by her own hands. She carried a dagger, though Miharu was sure that she had never used it before. And although she knew hand to hand combat, she did not know taijustsu. She was vulnerable. Not a ninja, not a fighter...she was the perfect person to protect...
Kisa stared worriedly at the back of Miharu-san. She had known from the very beginning that she wouldn't have liked her much. After all, Kisa was an intruder. Miharu had been the only girl in a group of two incredibly handsome, maybe even beautiful, men. Then Kisa came along, making the male to female ratio two to two. Kisa took away the only reason that Miharu may have had to be the center of attention. Now Miharu was the protector instead of the victim.
Sasuke and Neji both didn't seem to mind if Kisa had joined the group. They seemed to also not notice Miharu's unhappiness. In fact, they went about as if nothing was different from the way it was before. It made her feel uncomfortable, all the mixed emotions in the group. One was not afraid to show emotion, one was gradually learning to open himself to others, and the last was one that never let his emotions give way. It was confusing.
Kisa continued walking, not noticing anything but those she was following. Suddenly her feet flew from under her and she went flying face first into the dirt, crying out as she landed.
Neji and Sasuke turned with a start. Looking down they say their charge lying in the ground, crying softly. They walked back to where she had fallen.
Miharu, on the other hand, was still deep in thought. Because she was far in front of the others, she had not noticed they had stopped. Continuing onward, she disappeared into the fog, unnoticed by her companions.
"Ugh..." Escaped from Kisa's lips as she pulled herself out of the dirt, and sat down upon the rough ground. "Itai..."
"Daijobou?" Asked both Neji and Sasuke, urgently. They knelt on either side of her, looking slightly worried.
Looking forward, she said forcefully "Hai!" Turning her head to the left, she shoved Sasuke...hard. He fell back. "I'M FINE!" She yelled. Turning to her right, she was about to push Neji away also, but her hand stopped in mid-shove. She began to blush. Lowering her head, she whispered, "No, seriously, I'm ok..."
Getting up off his ass, Sasuke frowned. "Fine then." He said, and walked away. It was only then that he noticed a missing presence. His frown deepening, he realized whose it was. "Oy, minna...where's Miharu?"
*
Miharu had finally stopped, in the thickness of the mist. Snapping out of her deep trance, she looked around to notice that no one else was with her. Where were they all? "Sasuke?" She called out. No answer. "Neji?" She called out more frantically. Still no answer. "Kisa..." She trailed off with slight depression in her voice.
Had something happened which she was not aware of? What other reasons were there for the others' disappearances? What had happened while she had been thinking? Now she was alone, truly independent...
A sudden rustling sound caught her attention. "W-who's there?" Silently she cursed herself for stuttering. If it was the enemy, she couldn't afford for them to notice her nervousness. "Sasuke? Neji? Kisa?" Looking around carefully, she continued. "If it is you guys, this isn't funny at all!" All of a sudden she heard a voice.
"Heh heh heh..." the laughter filled the dense woods. It came from all directions, a tactic meant to confuse the enemy. A blast of fire penetrated the woods blocking her in. Realizing that she was about to be hit, she quickly began her hand seals. "Doton Doroku Gaeshi!" (Earth Element: Earth Shield) she yelled out, causing a huge piece of earth to protect her from the flames. Once again the voice filled the forest. It held evil and hatred in it's depths. "It seems you are the talented Leaf ninja, strongest female of them all...you surely do live up to your reputation." It stated, a hint of amusement in its voice.
"I'm sick of this crap!" Miharu yelled out to the bodiless voice. "Show yourself, and prepare for a deathmatch, one which you will loose!" Tensing, she drew out a kunai.
The voice laughed once more. "We shall see..." All of a sudden, she saw an image of death...
Miharu screamed.
*
"Where did Miharu go?" Asked Sasuke, a hint of worry lingering behind his words.
"Who cares?" replied Neji, still kneeling beside the fallen Kisa. Kisa looked up at him hesitantly, then spoke.
"Neji-san...that's not too nice..." she said softly.
Sasuke just frowned. [[ Inner Sasuke ]] Arrghh!! That brat! She pisses me off! Wandering off so that I have to worry about her! Shit! Now I have to go and save her sorry little ass!!! [[ Inner Sasuke End ]] "I'm not joking, Neji. What if she gets cornered? It will be one on three. She's a good fighter, but I doubt she's that good..."
Neji agreed with a nod of his head and got up, much to Kisa's disappointment. "Fine. We'll go look for her." Neji began walking. "But now the time for our mission will increase..."
Sasuke waited for Kisa to stand. When she did, he too began to walk. She followed silently, guilt eating at her soul. 'It's my fault that Miharu- san has gone off by herself. If I had not been so clumsy, then the group wouldn't have split up. And I did not even bring it to their attention when she was walking away!' She thought. Inwardly, she began to cry. 'Wahhhh! An idiot and a klutz!'
A scream erupted from the depths of the forest, causing the birds in the trees to scatter. Both Neji and Sasuke went on the alert. It took a while before they realized, but when they did...
"That's Miharu's voice!" Sasuke stated worriedly, realization dawning on him. Running forward, he was stopped suddenly when a total of twenty shurikens were thrown in his direction, barring him from his path. "Wha-?" he began.
"To your right..." Neji told him, using his Byakugan. Quickly he walked over towards Kisa, so he could hide her from harm. However, when he touched her arm, she flinched. Noticing this, Neji frowned. "Nani?" he wanted to know.
The young girl looked up at him. "Y-your eyes..." she began, but cut off abruptly, still staring into his face.
Neji looked down on her with obvious discomfort. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. "Byakugan...advanced bloodline..." His eyes hardened, and he stated more firmly, "I'm a Hyuuga...didn't you realize?" he told her. Quickly she turned her head away, but not before Neji could see the horror in her eyes.
*
Dropping to the ground, Miharu cried out. The image she had seen in her mind had made her throw up. It was the most horrible thing she had witnessed in all her life. And although she tried to convince herself that it was just an illusion, her mind wouldn't believe. She was as good as dead in this condition.
Gasping for death, on the brink of unconsciousness, she saw before her two men and a woman. All three of them had red hair...the colour of blood. Their arms were covered with tattoos...of snakes. Their eyes were blank...white and blank. Their faces were horribly scarred. The woman wore loose shorts, which reached halfway down her legs, revealing the rest of her heavily tattooed body. Her shirt was dark blue, same as her shorts, and cut off at the shoulders. Her hitai-ate, showing her to be one of the famed Sound ninjas, was tied tightly around her head.
The men dressed alike. They both wore the same shirt as the woman, but instead of shorts, wore pants which tightened the closer it came to their ankles. These pants were black. They, too, wore their hitai-ate on their foreheads. All three of them had their kunai pouch tied around their left legs.
The woman spoke. "I see you are not so immune to genjutsu...I will have to keep that information handy...just in case we'll meet again, although that I highly doubt. You are obviously not in a state to fight. "
Miharu spat weakly at the woman's feet. Looking upward, she growled "I sure as hell ain't going to loose to you assholes..." Gathering her strength, she got up slowly, holding on to a nearby tree for support.
"Those are big words, girl. But it seems as though you don't have the strength to back them up..." The woman did a fast variety of hand seals, then murmured, holding out her hands, "Senei Jyashuu!" All of a sudden, multiple snakes escaped from her arms, racing through the air to where Miharu stood, slumped over. Biting into her skin and wrapping themselves around her torso, the snakes dragged Miharu closer to the Sound ninjas. Bleeding furiously, slumped over, Miharu's limp body was suspended in mid-air by the woman's snakes. Her breath came out in ragged gasps. She was loosing blood quickly.
The two men who had stood grinning the whole time now advanced. Running towards Miharu, the jumped into the air. "Shoushitsu!" (Knee Strike) They cried out, raising their knees in unison and striking Miharu in the gut at the exact same time. She cried out in pain, as blood spurted from her mouth. The men dropped to the ground, grinning. They repeated this several times before the woman's snakes dropped Miharu to the ground. Turning, the woman grinned. "You can't kill me." She smirked, and began walking away.
Coughing up blood, Miharu realized what she needed to do. Turning herself over so she laid on her back, her hand reached for a kunai. Grabbing it from her pouch, she rose her arm high above herself. She brought it down just as the woman and her cronies turned back to her direction.
"Shit!"
"Iie!" Quickly the woman grabbed her shuriken from her pouch, and threw them at where Miharu had lain last. She was too late. The girl had used pain to erase her fear. She had disappeared into the woods. Slowly, the woman grinned. The girl was too badly injured to put to full use her skills. In the state she was in now, the woman would have no problem winning.
Suddenly Miharu came charging out of the forest, kunais in both hands. Doing the hand seals, the woman grinned. "Kaze no Yaiba!" She murmured with anticipation. Laughing, she stared at the log, which had been cut into two pieces by her attack. She had already predicted that the girl would use Kawarimi no Jutsu. "Up above..." She whispered to herself. Doing the hand seals, she once again murmured "Kaze no Yaiba!" The same blade of wind headed straight at what the woman believed was another Kawarimi no Jutsu. Because of this belief, she had not noticed another figure lurking behind her. Silently the figure did the hand seals.
Finally the blade of wind made contact with the young girl, who evaporated into thin air. Gasping, the woman turned to look behind her just as a strong rope flew out of nowhere, binding her to the ground. Coughing, she called out, "Sound ninja...atta-"
"It's no use..." Miharu grinned weakly, slumping once more against a tree. "They've been dead for a while now..." She turned her head towards the limp bodies of the woman's partners hanging from a nearby tree. "As you will be soon."
Slowly performing the hand seals, Miharu called out softly, "Suiton Tepou Dama!" (Water Element: Steel Cannon Ball) Opening her mouth wide, balls of water, infused with her chakra, escaped and sped straight toward her opponent. As they hit her she screamed out.
After the attack, she lay on the floor unmoving. Yet she was not dead. She had one last breath left. With it, she said softly, blank eyes hidden beneath closed lids, "This is what I get for fighting the strongest ninja.... Orochimaru-sama...gomen ne..."
Miharu's ragged breaths were giving her a hard time. "I must look like a piece of crap..." She stated. She wasn't too far from the truth. Blood caked every inch of her body, and there were punctures all over her arms and legs, where the snakes had bitten her. Looking upward, she shook her head. "This is no place to stay..." she gasped for breath. "I have to hide." She slowly began to climb the tree, her only means of support for the time. She would wait for the others to find her there.
*
Neji left Kisa to hide behind a thick bunch of bushes, all far away from the dirt path. He raced back to join Sasuke, who had been confronted by three ninja. These, however, were not Sound ninja. On the other hand, they were ninja from the Village of the Hidden rain.
"What the hell?" Muttered Sasuke. He stared at each of them, wondering what they would want. This would be one of the few encounters which had ended up in battle between them and any of the Hidden Rain Shinobi.
"They must be the ones after the girl." Answered Neji in a whisper, sizing his opponents up also.
As if hearing his assumption, the Shinobi felt a sudden need to confirm what he had said. The leader, a man wearing a green and gray T- shirt and pants to match, whose hitai-ate crookedly covered his right eye, stepped forward. "If you can peacefully hand over the girl we know you have, no one will have to get hurt." He grinned.
Neji 'humph!' –ed and Sasuke smirked. This seemed to infuriate the ninja. "Do you honestly think you can look down upon me?" He roared. "I'll teach you, you little brats!" Grabbing the umbrella from his back, he threw them into the air. "Jouro Senbon!" (Raining Needles) He cried out furiously.
From his umbrella came thousands of senbon (needles), all guided by his chakra. "First I'll kill you, and then I'll get the girl!" He yelled. "All of these needles are in my control. I can guide their path...straight to you!" All of a sudden the senbon raced straight at Neji and Sasuke. They didn't move, however. They both grinned.
Sasuke's hands moved quickly to create a seal. "Donton Doryou Heki!" (Earth Element: Mudslide Barrier) He cried. A thick wall of earth rose before him and Neji, deflecting the attack back towards their opponent.
Using his chakra, the Hidden Rain shinobi quickly stopped all thousand needles in mid air. They dropped to the ground uselessly. Looking up from his fallen attack, he stared straight into the face of Neji. Holding up his open palm, he pressed the Ninja's chakra holes, absorbing his chakra into his hand. When he was positive that his opponent was as good as dead, he kicked him across the floor, into a tree. The force of the ninja hitting the tree was so strong that it cracked at the base and fell...right upon the Hidden Rain ninja. Neji turned to see how well Sasuke was doing with his side of the fight.
After immobilizing them, Sasuke decided to use one of his old but highly effective attacks. After all, he had no time to loose. Miharu was lost, and she could be dead for all he knew. Facing them both, he performed the proper hand signals. "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He murmured softly, as a blast of fire was emitted from his mouth. It engulfed his two opponents in flames. He watched them drop to the ground screaming, burning to death. The smell of burning flesh was nauseating. He turned to Neji. "Get the girl and let's go. We have to find Miharu."
Raising his eyebrows and Sasuke's sudden worry for their female companion, Neji did as he was told. Grabbing the girl from behind the bushes, he led her into the field. "Don't pay any attention to the bodies, nor the smell." He ordered her. "Just follow us as quickly as possible." Letting go of her arm he followed Sasuke, on their way to find The Brat.
*
Ten minutes later they stumbled upon dead bodies, two swinging from the branch of a tree, one laying upon the ground. There was blood splattered all over the place. Sasuke examined every inch of the area. Finally he came upon the bloodstain on the trunk of one of the trees. Looking toward Neji, he nodded his head toward the direction of the tree.
Using Byakugan, Neji looked to where Sasuke had asked. "You're right. She's up there. She looks like crap though. Looks like that three on one fight almost killed her..." He trailed of, as Sasuke sped up the tree, towards where Miharu was hidden.
Cradling her in his arms, he turned to jump down when she moaned. "Sasuke?" she asked, eyes hardly open.
"Shhh..." he quieted her. "Sleep..."
Snuggling deeply into his arms, she obliged.
*
Three days later she awoke in a hospital room, surrounded by her two teammates and her charge. Sitting up quickly, she glanced around. "What happened?" She asked worriedly.
Kisa looked at her with guilt. Carefully she explained what had happened, from her tripping over the log and causing them to separate, to Miharu having been asleep for the past three days, in the hospital.
Miharu listened carefully to every word, unable to speak. So, it was Kisa who had caused her to almost die? Miharu felt like jumping up and murdering her. However, she kept the feeling inside, and lay back down. "When do we leave here?" She asked wearily. Neji handed her her clothes.
"Now." Was his reply.
* * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later they were once again traveling through the forests. Miharu had spent that time thinking about how she had almost died thanks to that girl. Finally, she could hold her anger no longer. She exploded.
Turning on Kisa, she screamed at her. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID???" Her hands itched to reach for a kunai...to kill this girl with one blow. "YOU ALMOST CAUSED A DEATH WHICH COULD RESULT IN YOURS! A TEAM NEEDS THREE PEOPLE TO OPERATE! IF I HAD DIED, THIS TEAM WOULD HAVE NO LONGER EXISTED!!! YOU WOULD BE DEAD!" Miharu didn't pay any attention to the tears which were pouring down Kisa's face. Even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was too angry to care. "YOU AS—"She was cut off abruptly as Neji began to speak.
"You really have no right to yell at her." He began. "It was your own carelessness which caused your near death. If you had been paying attention to what you were doing, instead of thinking about whatever it was that you were thinking, you would have realized that she had fallen, and would have stayed with us. Personally..." He continued, ignoring the look of betrayal which was clearly shown on Miharu's face. She looked heartbroken. "...I wouldn't have cared less if you had died."
This statement was followed by silence...then....
WHAM!
Neji went flying across the dirt floor, landing roughly on his back. Sasuke stood in front of Miharu, fist outstretched. He had punched Neji in the mouth.
Kisa ran over to where Neji lay, helping him up. "Neji-san!" She cried out. "Daijobou desu ka?" She asked. She looked up at Sasuke frightfully.
Miharu gasped. "Sasuke...you didn't have to do that..." She told him, a bit of fright hidden in her words.
Sasuke caught the fright she tried to hide, and it stung him. (OOC, gomen) However, he shrugged it off. "You...you shut up, too." He said to her, leaving her confused. Finally, she decided that something needed to happen.
"If we continue like this..." she started, then gulped. "With our strength, we could end up killing one another. Maybe we need some time to cool of...maybe...for the first time ever...we need to split up." Silently she looked at them all.
Neji, now sitting up, spat out blood. "Fine. You're all assholes anyway." Getting up, he headed off, Kisa following close behind. Miharu looked up at Sasuke, trying to hide her happiness.
"I guess we're together then."
End of Chapter 5!
A/N: This held a little OOC ness in it, I know, and I'm sorry. IT was the only way I could fit in the romance you wanted. Anyway, in the next chapter it's Sasuke and Miharu together, and following that, it's Neji and Kisa...unless you want it the other way around. Hope you enjoyed chapter 5! Once again, sorry I couldn't have it up yesterday! Please review! Ja!
A/N: Sorry I didn't put this up yesterday. I was busy shopping, and then I came home and watched anime, so...I didn't really have any time. But, anyway, this starts of with Miharu and the others as they make their way towards the Village of the Hidden Mist. There's a tiny bit of romance, but that's about it. I won't waste time. Hope you enjoy chapter 5! * Is it ok if I have an inner Sasuke? It just sounds so interesting! *
Chapter 5
Never Ending Journey
"Good Luck."
Naruto Hokage-sama's last words echoed in Miharu's mind. Hiragi Kisa...their assignment. They were to transport her safely to the Village of the Hidden Mist. Yet still, when Naruto had explained their mission, something inside Miharu had made her feel like running from an assignment, for the first time in her life. It wasn't that she was afraid. She had never been afraid of any mission before, and she certainly didn't fear killing the enemy. It was something else...
She couldn't pretend. She very well knew what it was that she was feeling. It was jealousy. As the only female in the group, Miharu had always gotten the boys' attention. Although she was strong, the strongest female ninja known, she was still the weakest in her group. Whenever she was in trouble, the boys would come to her aid, without having to pay attention to anyone else. It wasn't that she didn't like being an independent ninja, who could take care on her own...it was just that she had loved being their center of attention.
Now, however, there was another female travelling with them. Although she would only be in their care for two weeks at the most, Miharu knew that during that time she would not be the important one...she was, instead, the bodyguard. Kisa was pretty, beautiful even...and she was innocent. She had not the smell of blood lingering upon her, nor the hands of an assassin. Her life was not tainted by the deaths of others by her own hands. She carried a dagger, though Miharu was sure that she had never used it before. And although she knew hand to hand combat, she did not know taijustsu. She was vulnerable. Not a ninja, not a fighter...she was the perfect person to protect...
Kisa stared worriedly at the back of Miharu-san. She had known from the very beginning that she wouldn't have liked her much. After all, Kisa was an intruder. Miharu had been the only girl in a group of two incredibly handsome, maybe even beautiful, men. Then Kisa came along, making the male to female ratio two to two. Kisa took away the only reason that Miharu may have had to be the center of attention. Now Miharu was the protector instead of the victim.
Sasuke and Neji both didn't seem to mind if Kisa had joined the group. They seemed to also not notice Miharu's unhappiness. In fact, they went about as if nothing was different from the way it was before. It made her feel uncomfortable, all the mixed emotions in the group. One was not afraid to show emotion, one was gradually learning to open himself to others, and the last was one that never let his emotions give way. It was confusing.
Kisa continued walking, not noticing anything but those she was following. Suddenly her feet flew from under her and she went flying face first into the dirt, crying out as she landed.
Neji and Sasuke turned with a start. Looking down they say their charge lying in the ground, crying softly. They walked back to where she had fallen.
Miharu, on the other hand, was still deep in thought. Because she was far in front of the others, she had not noticed they had stopped. Continuing onward, she disappeared into the fog, unnoticed by her companions.
"Ugh..." Escaped from Kisa's lips as she pulled herself out of the dirt, and sat down upon the rough ground. "Itai..."
"Daijobou?" Asked both Neji and Sasuke, urgently. They knelt on either side of her, looking slightly worried.
Looking forward, she said forcefully "Hai!" Turning her head to the left, she shoved Sasuke...hard. He fell back. "I'M FINE!" She yelled. Turning to her right, she was about to push Neji away also, but her hand stopped in mid-shove. She began to blush. Lowering her head, she whispered, "No, seriously, I'm ok..."
Getting up off his ass, Sasuke frowned. "Fine then." He said, and walked away. It was only then that he noticed a missing presence. His frown deepening, he realized whose it was. "Oy, minna...where's Miharu?"
*
Miharu had finally stopped, in the thickness of the mist. Snapping out of her deep trance, she looked around to notice that no one else was with her. Where were they all? "Sasuke?" She called out. No answer. "Neji?" She called out more frantically. Still no answer. "Kisa..." She trailed off with slight depression in her voice.
Had something happened which she was not aware of? What other reasons were there for the others' disappearances? What had happened while she had been thinking? Now she was alone, truly independent...
A sudden rustling sound caught her attention. "W-who's there?" Silently she cursed herself for stuttering. If it was the enemy, she couldn't afford for them to notice her nervousness. "Sasuke? Neji? Kisa?" Looking around carefully, she continued. "If it is you guys, this isn't funny at all!" All of a sudden she heard a voice.
"Heh heh heh..." the laughter filled the dense woods. It came from all directions, a tactic meant to confuse the enemy. A blast of fire penetrated the woods blocking her in. Realizing that she was about to be hit, she quickly began her hand seals. "Doton Doroku Gaeshi!" (Earth Element: Earth Shield) she yelled out, causing a huge piece of earth to protect her from the flames. Once again the voice filled the forest. It held evil and hatred in it's depths. "It seems you are the talented Leaf ninja, strongest female of them all...you surely do live up to your reputation." It stated, a hint of amusement in its voice.
"I'm sick of this crap!" Miharu yelled out to the bodiless voice. "Show yourself, and prepare for a deathmatch, one which you will loose!" Tensing, she drew out a kunai.
The voice laughed once more. "We shall see..." All of a sudden, she saw an image of death...
Miharu screamed.
*
"Where did Miharu go?" Asked Sasuke, a hint of worry lingering behind his words.
"Who cares?" replied Neji, still kneeling beside the fallen Kisa. Kisa looked up at him hesitantly, then spoke.
"Neji-san...that's not too nice..." she said softly.
Sasuke just frowned. [[ Inner Sasuke ]] Arrghh!! That brat! She pisses me off! Wandering off so that I have to worry about her! Shit! Now I have to go and save her sorry little ass!!! [[ Inner Sasuke End ]] "I'm not joking, Neji. What if she gets cornered? It will be one on three. She's a good fighter, but I doubt she's that good..."
Neji agreed with a nod of his head and got up, much to Kisa's disappointment. "Fine. We'll go look for her." Neji began walking. "But now the time for our mission will increase..."
Sasuke waited for Kisa to stand. When she did, he too began to walk. She followed silently, guilt eating at her soul. 'It's my fault that Miharu- san has gone off by herself. If I had not been so clumsy, then the group wouldn't have split up. And I did not even bring it to their attention when she was walking away!' She thought. Inwardly, she began to cry. 'Wahhhh! An idiot and a klutz!'
A scream erupted from the depths of the forest, causing the birds in the trees to scatter. Both Neji and Sasuke went on the alert. It took a while before they realized, but when they did...
"That's Miharu's voice!" Sasuke stated worriedly, realization dawning on him. Running forward, he was stopped suddenly when a total of twenty shurikens were thrown in his direction, barring him from his path. "Wha-?" he began.
"To your right..." Neji told him, using his Byakugan. Quickly he walked over towards Kisa, so he could hide her from harm. However, when he touched her arm, she flinched. Noticing this, Neji frowned. "Nani?" he wanted to know.
The young girl looked up at him. "Y-your eyes..." she began, but cut off abruptly, still staring into his face.
Neji looked down on her with obvious discomfort. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. "Byakugan...advanced bloodline..." His eyes hardened, and he stated more firmly, "I'm a Hyuuga...didn't you realize?" he told her. Quickly she turned her head away, but not before Neji could see the horror in her eyes.
*
Dropping to the ground, Miharu cried out. The image she had seen in her mind had made her throw up. It was the most horrible thing she had witnessed in all her life. And although she tried to convince herself that it was just an illusion, her mind wouldn't believe. She was as good as dead in this condition.
Gasping for death, on the brink of unconsciousness, she saw before her two men and a woman. All three of them had red hair...the colour of blood. Their arms were covered with tattoos...of snakes. Their eyes were blank...white and blank. Their faces were horribly scarred. The woman wore loose shorts, which reached halfway down her legs, revealing the rest of her heavily tattooed body. Her shirt was dark blue, same as her shorts, and cut off at the shoulders. Her hitai-ate, showing her to be one of the famed Sound ninjas, was tied tightly around her head.
The men dressed alike. They both wore the same shirt as the woman, but instead of shorts, wore pants which tightened the closer it came to their ankles. These pants were black. They, too, wore their hitai-ate on their foreheads. All three of them had their kunai pouch tied around their left legs.
The woman spoke. "I see you are not so immune to genjutsu...I will have to keep that information handy...just in case we'll meet again, although that I highly doubt. You are obviously not in a state to fight. "
Miharu spat weakly at the woman's feet. Looking upward, she growled "I sure as hell ain't going to loose to you assholes..." Gathering her strength, she got up slowly, holding on to a nearby tree for support.
"Those are big words, girl. But it seems as though you don't have the strength to back them up..." The woman did a fast variety of hand seals, then murmured, holding out her hands, "Senei Jyashuu!" All of a sudden, multiple snakes escaped from her arms, racing through the air to where Miharu stood, slumped over. Biting into her skin and wrapping themselves around her torso, the snakes dragged Miharu closer to the Sound ninjas. Bleeding furiously, slumped over, Miharu's limp body was suspended in mid-air by the woman's snakes. Her breath came out in ragged gasps. She was loosing blood quickly.
The two men who had stood grinning the whole time now advanced. Running towards Miharu, the jumped into the air. "Shoushitsu!" (Knee Strike) They cried out, raising their knees in unison and striking Miharu in the gut at the exact same time. She cried out in pain, as blood spurted from her mouth. The men dropped to the ground, grinning. They repeated this several times before the woman's snakes dropped Miharu to the ground. Turning, the woman grinned. "You can't kill me." She smirked, and began walking away.
Coughing up blood, Miharu realized what she needed to do. Turning herself over so she laid on her back, her hand reached for a kunai. Grabbing it from her pouch, she rose her arm high above herself. She brought it down just as the woman and her cronies turned back to her direction.
"Shit!"
"Iie!" Quickly the woman grabbed her shuriken from her pouch, and threw them at where Miharu had lain last. She was too late. The girl had used pain to erase her fear. She had disappeared into the woods. Slowly, the woman grinned. The girl was too badly injured to put to full use her skills. In the state she was in now, the woman would have no problem winning.
Suddenly Miharu came charging out of the forest, kunais in both hands. Doing the hand seals, the woman grinned. "Kaze no Yaiba!" She murmured with anticipation. Laughing, she stared at the log, which had been cut into two pieces by her attack. She had already predicted that the girl would use Kawarimi no Jutsu. "Up above..." She whispered to herself. Doing the hand seals, she once again murmured "Kaze no Yaiba!" The same blade of wind headed straight at what the woman believed was another Kawarimi no Jutsu. Because of this belief, she had not noticed another figure lurking behind her. Silently the figure did the hand seals.
Finally the blade of wind made contact with the young girl, who evaporated into thin air. Gasping, the woman turned to look behind her just as a strong rope flew out of nowhere, binding her to the ground. Coughing, she called out, "Sound ninja...atta-"
"It's no use..." Miharu grinned weakly, slumping once more against a tree. "They've been dead for a while now..." She turned her head towards the limp bodies of the woman's partners hanging from a nearby tree. "As you will be soon."
Slowly performing the hand seals, Miharu called out softly, "Suiton Tepou Dama!" (Water Element: Steel Cannon Ball) Opening her mouth wide, balls of water, infused with her chakra, escaped and sped straight toward her opponent. As they hit her she screamed out.
After the attack, she lay on the floor unmoving. Yet she was not dead. She had one last breath left. With it, she said softly, blank eyes hidden beneath closed lids, "This is what I get for fighting the strongest ninja.... Orochimaru-sama...gomen ne..."
Miharu's ragged breaths were giving her a hard time. "I must look like a piece of crap..." She stated. She wasn't too far from the truth. Blood caked every inch of her body, and there were punctures all over her arms and legs, where the snakes had bitten her. Looking upward, she shook her head. "This is no place to stay..." she gasped for breath. "I have to hide." She slowly began to climb the tree, her only means of support for the time. She would wait for the others to find her there.
*
Neji left Kisa to hide behind a thick bunch of bushes, all far away from the dirt path. He raced back to join Sasuke, who had been confronted by three ninja. These, however, were not Sound ninja. On the other hand, they were ninja from the Village of the Hidden rain.
"What the hell?" Muttered Sasuke. He stared at each of them, wondering what they would want. This would be one of the few encounters which had ended up in battle between them and any of the Hidden Rain Shinobi.
"They must be the ones after the girl." Answered Neji in a whisper, sizing his opponents up also.
As if hearing his assumption, the Shinobi felt a sudden need to confirm what he had said. The leader, a man wearing a green and gray T- shirt and pants to match, whose hitai-ate crookedly covered his right eye, stepped forward. "If you can peacefully hand over the girl we know you have, no one will have to get hurt." He grinned.
Neji 'humph!' –ed and Sasuke smirked. This seemed to infuriate the ninja. "Do you honestly think you can look down upon me?" He roared. "I'll teach you, you little brats!" Grabbing the umbrella from his back, he threw them into the air. "Jouro Senbon!" (Raining Needles) He cried out furiously.
From his umbrella came thousands of senbon (needles), all guided by his chakra. "First I'll kill you, and then I'll get the girl!" He yelled. "All of these needles are in my control. I can guide their path...straight to you!" All of a sudden the senbon raced straight at Neji and Sasuke. They didn't move, however. They both grinned.
Sasuke's hands moved quickly to create a seal. "Donton Doryou Heki!" (Earth Element: Mudslide Barrier) He cried. A thick wall of earth rose before him and Neji, deflecting the attack back towards their opponent.
Using his chakra, the Hidden Rain shinobi quickly stopped all thousand needles in mid air. They dropped to the ground uselessly. Looking up from his fallen attack, he stared straight into the face of Neji. Holding up his open palm, he pressed the Ninja's chakra holes, absorbing his chakra into his hand. When he was positive that his opponent was as good as dead, he kicked him across the floor, into a tree. The force of the ninja hitting the tree was so strong that it cracked at the base and fell...right upon the Hidden Rain ninja. Neji turned to see how well Sasuke was doing with his side of the fight.
After immobilizing them, Sasuke decided to use one of his old but highly effective attacks. After all, he had no time to loose. Miharu was lost, and she could be dead for all he knew. Facing them both, he performed the proper hand signals. "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He murmured softly, as a blast of fire was emitted from his mouth. It engulfed his two opponents in flames. He watched them drop to the ground screaming, burning to death. The smell of burning flesh was nauseating. He turned to Neji. "Get the girl and let's go. We have to find Miharu."
Raising his eyebrows and Sasuke's sudden worry for their female companion, Neji did as he was told. Grabbing the girl from behind the bushes, he led her into the field. "Don't pay any attention to the bodies, nor the smell." He ordered her. "Just follow us as quickly as possible." Letting go of her arm he followed Sasuke, on their way to find The Brat.
*
Ten minutes later they stumbled upon dead bodies, two swinging from the branch of a tree, one laying upon the ground. There was blood splattered all over the place. Sasuke examined every inch of the area. Finally he came upon the bloodstain on the trunk of one of the trees. Looking toward Neji, he nodded his head toward the direction of the tree.
Using Byakugan, Neji looked to where Sasuke had asked. "You're right. She's up there. She looks like crap though. Looks like that three on one fight almost killed her..." He trailed of, as Sasuke sped up the tree, towards where Miharu was hidden.
Cradling her in his arms, he turned to jump down when she moaned. "Sasuke?" she asked, eyes hardly open.
"Shhh..." he quieted her. "Sleep..."
Snuggling deeply into his arms, she obliged.
*
Three days later she awoke in a hospital room, surrounded by her two teammates and her charge. Sitting up quickly, she glanced around. "What happened?" She asked worriedly.
Kisa looked at her with guilt. Carefully she explained what had happened, from her tripping over the log and causing them to separate, to Miharu having been asleep for the past three days, in the hospital.
Miharu listened carefully to every word, unable to speak. So, it was Kisa who had caused her to almost die? Miharu felt like jumping up and murdering her. However, she kept the feeling inside, and lay back down. "When do we leave here?" She asked wearily. Neji handed her her clothes.
"Now." Was his reply.
* * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later they were once again traveling through the forests. Miharu had spent that time thinking about how she had almost died thanks to that girl. Finally, she could hold her anger no longer. She exploded.
Turning on Kisa, she screamed at her. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID???" Her hands itched to reach for a kunai...to kill this girl with one blow. "YOU ALMOST CAUSED A DEATH WHICH COULD RESULT IN YOURS! A TEAM NEEDS THREE PEOPLE TO OPERATE! IF I HAD DIED, THIS TEAM WOULD HAVE NO LONGER EXISTED!!! YOU WOULD BE DEAD!" Miharu didn't pay any attention to the tears which were pouring down Kisa's face. Even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was too angry to care. "YOU AS—"She was cut off abruptly as Neji began to speak.
"You really have no right to yell at her." He began. "It was your own carelessness which caused your near death. If you had been paying attention to what you were doing, instead of thinking about whatever it was that you were thinking, you would have realized that she had fallen, and would have stayed with us. Personally..." He continued, ignoring the look of betrayal which was clearly shown on Miharu's face. She looked heartbroken. "...I wouldn't have cared less if you had died."
This statement was followed by silence...then....
WHAM!
Neji went flying across the dirt floor, landing roughly on his back. Sasuke stood in front of Miharu, fist outstretched. He had punched Neji in the mouth.
Kisa ran over to where Neji lay, helping him up. "Neji-san!" She cried out. "Daijobou desu ka?" She asked. She looked up at Sasuke frightfully.
Miharu gasped. "Sasuke...you didn't have to do that..." She told him, a bit of fright hidden in her words.
Sasuke caught the fright she tried to hide, and it stung him. (OOC, gomen) However, he shrugged it off. "You...you shut up, too." He said to her, leaving her confused. Finally, she decided that something needed to happen.
"If we continue like this..." she started, then gulped. "With our strength, we could end up killing one another. Maybe we need some time to cool of...maybe...for the first time ever...we need to split up." Silently she looked at them all.
Neji, now sitting up, spat out blood. "Fine. You're all assholes anyway." Getting up, he headed off, Kisa following close behind. Miharu looked up at Sasuke, trying to hide her happiness.
"I guess we're together then."
End of Chapter 5!
A/N: This held a little OOC ness in it, I know, and I'm sorry. IT was the only way I could fit in the romance you wanted. Anyway, in the next chapter it's Sasuke and Miharu together, and following that, it's Neji and Kisa...unless you want it the other way around. Hope you enjoyed chapter 5! Once again, sorry I couldn't have it up yesterday! Please review! Ja!