A/N: This story idea went through several stages before I finally decided on this. I hope you like it, and of course feedback is always appreciated.
The rain felt like needles on her skin.
Panting, gasping for breath, the girl continued running despite her burning ache, keeping her arms crossed in front of her face to guard against the whiplike branches of the forest. Consequently, it was preventing her from seeing properly, but the dark night, coupled with the thick rain and the fact that her wet bangs were sticking to her face, wasn't giving her a clear range of vision anyway. Besides, staying alive was more important at the moment.
The tears had long since been washed away by the rain. Her face felt hot, almost feverish from running in the storm, but also chilled. Sick with fear of impending death, she ignored the pain that suddenly twisted into her right thigh. She must've pulled something. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she lashed out at a particularly thick branch in her way, not caring as it scratched the arm of her gray jacket.
Were they still following her? Why were they following her? She hadn't done anything wrong... Just been out on a regular training session with her two Genin teammates and Jounin sensei. So why had they been killed? Why were the murderers coming after her now? Couldn't they just let her live?
The whistling of a projectile as it cut through air reached her ears, and she hit the ground, sliding hard along the dirt on her right shoulder. A quick glance up revealed that a kunai had embedded itself in a tree, at the same height as the back of her neck. New fright washed over her, and she swiftly leapt to her feet, one hand partially inside her shuriken holster. She doubted she could win against them, but maybe...just maybe, luck would smile upon her.
Several agonizingly slow seconds ticked by without further incident. Her eyes jetted back and forth, scanning the tangled mass of forest in front of her for something that wasn't there. A few more seconds passed. Had they given up? Gradually, she relaxed, and slid her hand out of her holster.
Perhaps the crash of thunder that sounded at that exact instant prevented her from hearing the vicious chorus of steel that snaked through the air behind her. Beady black eyes, belonging to a pale, hardened face, glinted with delight as its owner flicked his wrist, sending the tip of a kunai, the first of a long chain of the sharp weapons that comprised a mean-looking device: a six-foot whip of linked kunais, out at her.
It bit into her upper left arm, then slid past the wound, sending flecks of blood into the air. Wincing, she recoiled, clutching at her injury, then whirled around, three shuriken spread between the fingers of her bloodied hand as she tried to locate her enemy. She managed to catch a glimpse of a grotesque smile and a head of fiery red hair before her attention was once again diverted by sharp pain.
The kunai chain rippled; its manipulator had given it another flick as it was completely straightened out, and in its swaying path had cut across her other arm, for she'd turned. Stifling a cry, for she didn't want to show weakness to her attacker, she blindly hurled her shuriken at the spot she'd seen him, then jumped high into the trees.
Thunder crashed a second time. Her arms were burning with pain. After quickly inspecting the wounds on her arms and reaching the conclusion that she wouldn't bleed to death from them, she slipped her finger into the ring of a kunai and drew it. Thank goodness the handle was wrapped with bandages, otherwise the blood on her hand might make it too slippery to hold. Okay, now be calm. The village was... Somewhere to the east, just a couple of miles. Or was it to the north? Refusing to believe that she had lost her bearings in a situation like this, she glanced around furtively, struggling in vain to find any sense of familiarity in the endless sea of forest. No use. The storm and her fear made it impossible to decide her location.
This is stupid! Think, Sabaki, think! You're a Cloud-nin, its storming with thunder and lightning; surely you can think of something to save yourself! But she drew up only blanks. Oh, why couldn't these assassins have struck next week or even two days from now? Gasumi-sensei had promised to teach them a new jutsu tomorrow, one that would involve utilizing actual lightning. It could've been of some use to her now, but she would never know what it was.
A single, quiet footstep on the branch behind her caused Sabaki to spin 180 degrees, wielding her kunai in a backwards grip, like a knife. She was frightened, tense, and angry, and she desperately needed an outlet for all that emotion. To her luck, there was a blurred, dark figure standing in front of her. Apparently, he hadn't expected her to react so quickly. Too bad for him. Gritting her teeth and mentally shouting 'die, you murderer!' she lunged forward, brandishing her kunai.
Instead of sinking into someone's soft stomach, her stab was blocked with the noise of clashing metal. As kunai parried kunai, she got a clear view of her assailant. He was probably around her age, a few inches taller, locks of dark brown hair stuck together wetly from the rain, and had no hitai-ate. For some reason, even as the blade of her kunai threatened to slide off his, this fact stuck out like a sore thumb in her mind. He had no hitai-ate. Sabaki's mind drifted proudly to the thought of her own headband, nestled loosely around her neck.
Finally, the kunai parted, and she jumped back to avoid the boy's swift slash, almost slipping off the branch. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes, his steely gray fighting her fierce hazel. And she asked, voice trembling with cold and grief, "Why are you doing this?"
She doubted he would answer her. However, Sabaki never got to find out, for at that moment the accursed kunai chain came tearing through the maze of branches below them, rising up just inches from her already wounded right arm like a snake. Nonetheless, she flinched and backed away, almost slipping again. This had to be the redheaded boy she'd spotted in the bushes on the ground... That was as far as she got to think before the boy standing on the branch charged forward and tackled her.
Both of them fell from the tree and began a painful descent towards the forest floor, hitting various things as they went. The boy was jarred in the shoulder by a branch before he regained control and leapt off her. Sabaki, swearing quietly, saw him come to rest in a crouch in another tree before she fell out of view.
Damn, damn, this was bad. She was facing two guys with definite murderous intent, already injured and losing. Not to mention falling very quickly towards the ground... Her arm shot out and she grabbed the nearest branch, which thankfully did not betray her and break. Clinging on with the help with chakra focused into her fingers, Sabaki shut her eyes and grimaced as her arms continued burning against the rain.
Gasumi-sensei...Kanake-kun...Tomeko-chan... Help me, please... I don't want to die.
Before she could drag herself onto the branch, her ears caught the sound of rustling chain and metal. Sabaki's eyes widened in horror. No, not that-
She screamed as the kunai whip wrapped around her right ankle, the blades digging into her flesh. As if that wasn't enough, its owner, most likely that red-haired boy, gave it a sharp tug. She lost her hold on the slippery branch and fell again, not bothering to stay quiet anymore as she half-cried, half-cursed in agony. All other efforts to grab another branch were completely fruitless.
Somehow, she managed to muster enough concentration to draw a kunai after hitting the ground and rolling a short ways in the mud. Only problem was, she had no target to attack, and even if she had the strength to stand up, what was the point? It was a losing battle. Her arms hurt more than ever, her torso was aching where the brown-haired boy had tackled her, and her still-wrapped ankle was becoming numb with pain.
Squelched footsteps brought her attention back on task. Sabaki heaved herself up on one arm, throwing her hand with the kunai towards the source of the noise, hoping to give him at least one nasty mark before she was killed.
The kunai was knocked away. She gave a slight 'oomph' as she was kicked back down, vision blurring even worse than the rain could make it. Anger had been replaced by fresh terror, and she was aware of someone's foot putting pressure on her throat, another foot stepping down hard on her wrist. Sabaki could not prevent a tear from escaping her eye. Was this it? Had her fight been for nothing? Was she about to join her late sensei and teammates?
"Hehehe... Is the weak little girl scared?" Barely able to breathe, she angled her head so that she was staring up at the face of the redheaded boy. He was wearing a feral grin, giggling crazily as he held the handle of the kunai whip in his hand. His grip tightened, and in a split second Sabaki realized what he was about to do. Her eyes widened, begging him not to-
He tugged, sending a new wave of liquid fire through her ankle and up her leg. Much to her satisfaction, though, she didn't scream, only whimpered.
"Stop it, Chinji. She's been restrained. This mission is over." Now it was the dark-haired boy speaking. Blinking rapidly to get the rain and tears out of her eyes, Sabaki looked at him at the same time he glared down at her. No trace of emotion, not even disgust. His countenance was simply stone.
As it turned out, he also happened to be the one whose foot was resting firmly on her throat. As she lay at their feet, exhausted and helpless, he formed several seals, then crouched down and lay his hand on her shoulder. "Nemuri."
Oh, well, Sabaki reflected as her eyelids began to droop. She was alive, and that was something to be grateful for. Now, she wasn't sure what sort of torment was waiting for her when she woke up, but she wouldn't worry about that now. Impending sleep was much too inviting for her to resist. And to think that just this morning, the biggest worry on her mind had been what outfit to wear to get Kanake-kun to notice her...
Nemuri (Sleep) – Puts the target to sleep.