A/N: I was shopping for a car today and I never felt the urge to hang myself any stronger than I did then, I swear. Salesmen are EVIL. Believe you me. Is it supposed to take an hour and a half just to tell me the fucking prices? Christ. Okay. Sorry. Needed to rant somewhere and you are all my innocent victims! mwahahaha!
Concerning the fic now :P Sorry for the wait, but again, car shopping and worse birthday ever have made life a little complicated lately. I shalt be writing more soon, don't you worry.
This chapter is what I consider to be 'the last of the teasers' because after that, stuff happens. Between Sasuke and Naruto (which is soooo what I was waiting for, ha!)
So, enjoy!
The Sound of Pain: Chapter 7
Chasing the blond girl down alley after alley, Kiba is managing to keep up easily enough. He doesn't want to tackle her to the floor, so he's following and gaining ground steadily. He knows she'll soon be unable to flee. He can hear her breath running short, can see her small feet taking each leap a little more unsteadily. She's been running him in circles with impressive stamina and he's feeling the strain, but Kiba isn't about to be outrun by a girl.
After a sharp turn, the girl stumbles and sprawls out on the gravelly street. It's a hard fall and her body skids on the ground for a few feet. In a second, Kiba is on her. He doesn't want to hurt the girl, but there's no way he's going to let her escape. She was there when his captain was killed. She knows who did it.
Kiba grabs both of her wrists firmly and pulls her up. He frowns as he notices how thin and fragile she seems. He'd said to Tsunade that she couldn't be more than thirteen, but noticing how easily both of her wrists fit in one of his hands, how light she is, Kiba thinks she's younger than that. Maybe eight or ten.
She doesn't fight him. Her large brown eyes look up at him and she smiles through the pain of her fall and the undoubtedly too-strong grip on her wrists. Her cheek is showing a pattern of brown and red, dirt and blood from the ground. Her knees and hands are also lightly injured but Kiba isn't distracted by any of it. He focuses on neutralizing the girl, using some of the wire from his pouch to tie her hands together.
She lets him do it, cocking her head at him curiously, like she hasn't just run herself ragged escaping from him. She watches him with dettached indifference. The sight of Akamaru produces a completely different reaction however. As soon as the white animal struts in front of her, the girl's eyes are fixed on him, fascinated. Her jaw drops a little and she stares at the dog as if she's never seen one before. The animal just trots up to her and sniffs at a bruised ankle.
The feeling of the cool muzzle has the girl squirming in Kiba's grasp and it reminds her that she's being held. She fixed a miffed glance at the boy holding her. The Inuzuka is holding her unresisting body still and meets the gaze sternly. Now that he's captured her, he isn't quite sure what to say. She looks so young, so innocent and removed. Like she doesn't really understand that she's alive. Kiba doesn't know whether he wants to demand answers of just mindlessly shake some life into her.
Akamaru nuzzles the side of his hip and Kiba blinks away from the girl, regaining some rationality at feeling Akamaru's steady presence by him. The girl's pout is so completely childish, as is every one of her reactions that Kiba frowns in thought. She doesn't seem to realize what he could do to her. She just doesn't understand it.
He asks her carefully, gauging her reaction, "What's your name?"
She doesn't answer. Her gaze is trained on the dog and she's smiling that oblivious smile, like a child's amazed glance at sweets.
Kiba is really starting to dislike that smile. It makes him feel guilty and uncomfortable. He lowers her to the ground so she's sitting with one leg under her, the other extended awkwardly. Kiba points at the animal now trotting around the both of them. "This is Akamaru, you like him?"
The blond girl nods slowly, her eyes still held by the dog's shape.
"I can let you pet Akamaru, would you like that? Would you like to touch him?"
Wide, stunned eyes turn to Kiba, like the girl can't believe her luck. She nods again, this time biting her bottom lip with what appears to be eagerness.
"There's just one thing you have to do before you can pet him, is that okay? Can you help me out before you pet him?"
The blond head bobs again, a slightly more suspicious and hesitant nod.
"Do you remember me? Just a couple of weeks ago with my team, you remember them? I was with Sasuke." Kiba doesn't really know what makes him add that last, but he just goes with his instincts. Talking to the girl like she's a child of five seems to work well enough.
She nods again, this time with firm enthusiasm, like the memory's a good one.
Swallowing back his anger at her innocent reaction, Kiba asks, "Can you tell me what happened to my team? The people I was with? I'll let you pet Akamaru all you want if you tell me."
The object of the conversation is sitting just a few feet away from the little girl staring at him with longing. Her bottom lip gets bitten as she seems to think on the last question. Something like fear flashes in her gaze, warring with the longing, needy look towards the dog. Finally, after some deliberation, the urge to pet the animal wins out and the girl nods, moving hesitant eyes to Kiba again.
The Inuzuka looks at her and smiles, prompting.
His attention is so focused on the girl's answer and their exchange that he doesn't see or hear the masked nin approaching before Akamaru barks out a warning. Kiba pivots on his feet to face the man, but it's already too late. The back of his coat is roughly grabbed and Kiba feels himself effortlessly picked off the floor and thrown backwards with incredible force.
Instantly, Kiba tries to twist in the air so he can land on his feet, but the speed is too great and he slams into the wall of a now deserted shop. His shoulder makes brutal contact with the rock and Kiba slumps to the ground. Despite the pain burgeonning in his side and shoulder, he stumbles to his feet to face the threat. He has hardly a second to duck the large fist coming at him. Bending under it, Kiba blocks the man's oncoming kick even as Akamaru leaps onto the unknown-nin's back. The kick makes contact with Kiba's blocking forearm and despite the fact that he blocked the blow, Kiba is still propelled backwards from the force of it. He lands a few feet away on his back, looking up just in time to watch the man swiftly turn and strike Akamaru mid-charge with an elbow.
"Akamaru!" Kiba is on his feet in a second, jumping to catch and soften his companion's fall. They both land safely, if a little worse for wear, in the middle of the street. Kiba can tell that some of the residents around the area have heard the sounds of a fight, so there'll be backup soon. All he needs to do is stand up to this mountain of a man for a few minutes more and it'll all be over.
The thought suddenly comes to Kiba that this may be the man who killed his team. When he realizes that, Kiba's growl grows uncontrollable and loudly animalistic. He can feel himself going feral and he just lets is happen. No fucking way in hell is this man escaping.
Unnoticed by either men, the young girl crawls away on wobbly feet, her hands still tied together.
Now wholly focused on the man, Kiba leaps at him with renewed speed and determination. Nails made claws reach for the man's vulnerable spots, but the nin neatly sidesteps the jumping Kiba and avoids most of the hit. The boy's claws still make contact though, imbedding themselves in the flesh of the man's forearm. Using the hold, Kiba shifts his momentum to slide down to the ground and between the man's legs. He kicks them out from under him, grunting at the effort involved.
Akamaru is perfectly coordinated with Kiba's efforts, springing up to tackle the now unbalanced nin.
Unfortunately for Kiba, the man doesn't try to remain upright as most fighters would. He neatly goes down with the blow and rolls on the floor, avoiding Akamaru's leap and counterattacking at once with seals formed in the tumble. Rising to his knees, the man summons dozens of ice shards that immediately form a prison around Akamaru before the dog even lands.
Kiba's concern for Akamaru costs him seconds of precious time which the man uses to strike. The masked nin aims a powerful blow to the side of the boy's head, pivoting to deliver it. Kiba barely blocks it with his already abused forearm and the nin's fist makes contact enough that for a few seconds, Kiba can't see properly, his vision swimming before his eyes.
He can feel himself picked off the floor and slammed into a wall. The contact steals his breath away and Kiba can barely manage to stay awake. He can distantly hear a low, dead voice ask, "Where did you take him?"
The man pulls the limp body from the wall and slams him back again, causing the boy's head to crack against the hard rock. "Where?"
The last thing Kiba hears after that is a distressed but still and always sweet voice crying out his name. Then everything goes black.
Hinata's shout accompanies her dead run to help her fallen comrade, but she comes to a stop when the man holds the boy up like a ragged doll, a kunai at his throat, slowly drawing a line of blood. "Do not follow me. He will regret it."
The man grabs Kiba more firmly and jumps up on the roofs, disappearing within seconds.
Hinata watches them leave, her gaze as close to anger as the girl ever gets. There's no pause, no hesitation at all in her actions afterwards. She runs to the icy cage where she can hear Akamaru's whine and with a strong blow, she breaks down the barrier. She pulls out a scroll and writes down a few symbols, then leaves the paper on the floor for the guards to find.
"Show me the way, Akamaru."
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"Okay. If I was an injured, cold bastard of an Uchiha, where would I hide?" Naruto speaks to himself as soon as Hinata leaves. He's not overly concerned about Kiba anymore, because Hinata will be there for him.
It's Naruto's job to be there for Sasuke now. This mission is too important to fuck up. Finding Sasuke is more than a priority, it's a must. And Naruto was handpicked for this mission so there's got to be a reason. He knows Sasuke best. Or at least he knew the boy.
Fear momentarilly seizes up Naruto, but he quickly shakes it off. Of course Sasuke will still be Sasuke. He's too strong to just give in to Orochimaru. So there's no way he'll have changed that much. He'll still be broody and snobby and beautiful and flawlessly imperfect. He's too strong to lose himself... Isn't he?
Taking a deep breath, Naruto dismisses those thoughts. He's going to have to find the other boy before any of that becomes an issue. Now where the fuck would Sasuke go?
And why the hell would he still want to run?
After all, hasn't Naruto done enough now to prove that he cares? Hasn't he done every goddamn thing he could to stop Sasuke from leaving? To show him that he mattered?
Apparently it's not enough yet. The stubborn bastard won't give in and admit that I love him, fine, but I'm not giving in to him. I'm not going to lose and I'm not going to stop caring.
It's completely typical of Naruto to see the issue with Sasuke as any other competition, himself on one side and Sasuke on the other. And of course, he's going to win this one like every other.
Right.
Uzumaki Naruto doesn't give in to anyone.
The boy's eyes are an even more determined blue when he looks up. His mind is running through the possibilities of escape that Sasuke might have considered. The Hospital is not an option. Nothing anywhere near a hospital despite the fact that he needs supplies.
It needs to be some place familiar, some place Sasuke would feel at ease hiding in. Where, where, where? He can't be at the Uchiha compound, too obvious. The Hokage tower is out of the question with the sheer amount of guards there. Kakashi's place was already covered. That leaves only two places.
Naruto takes off in a run, heading north and unknowingly away from Kiba and the masked nin's altercation.
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Under his pink dress, Sasuke wakes up with a scream on his lips, sitting up in one rash and defensive move. His instincts are screaming at him that something isn't right. Something's going on that he needs to know about. Looking down at himself, Sasuke slowly steadies his harsh breathing and brings a hand to rub at his face. It's okay. It's nothing. You're safe.
How long has it been since he got out of Kakashi's place? Eight, nine hours, maybe... It's well into the night out and Sasuke feels relief for a second. It'll be easier to remain hidden during the night.
The paranoid feeling that something is wrong isn't leaving him so Sasuke painfully climbs to his feet. He looks at the scrolls holding the jutsu up, studying every aspect of the room to insure that it's unchanged. Once he's satisfied with that, Sasuke starts on the bandages on his stomach, slowly unrolling the cotton to reveal the wound.
The curse seal is doing its job, speeding up the healing, but the wound still looks fresh and painful. Actually, it doesn't just look painful. Sasuke clenches his teeth as he pours some alcohol on a cloth and recleans the cut. The cream goes on next and it's again covered by clean bandages.
Wrong.
"Shut up." Sasuke mumbles that under his breath, recovering from the onslaught of pain he's just inflicted on himself by cleaning the wound. There's nothing wrong here.
But that doesn't mean it's not important. Shaking his head clear, Sasuke decides to go with his instincts and he reaches for the black shirt. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke slides it on carefully and stealthily makes his way out of the attic and in the streets of Konoha.
He makes one with the shadows around him, scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes. The street seems clear so Sasuke gathers Chakra to the soles of his feet and jumps up on the roof.
The landing proves trying and Sasuke bites back a curse at the jolting of torn flesh. He does have a better view from here though. Crouching low as he can, Sasuke's eyes takes in the disturbance around the area. He can see ANBU flying from roof to roof, all rushing to the same point.
It's a good thing they're too busy to pay much attention to him, because right now, he only has his dark clothing and natural stealth hiding him. Now what's causing all that fuss?
Dark eyes survey the men running south and Sasuke mentally counts them (eleven men), recognizing some of them from the way they move. From his point of view, Sasuke is probably the only one who can see so far to the west and east. He can see a handful of figures apart from the main body of people that the ANBU have almost certainly not spotted yet. He makes out first a girl and a dog. The girl is a Hyuuga, her eyes almost shining in the night. Probably Hinata. Ahead of them, Sasuke can see a man wrapped in dark carrying a burden across his shoulder, obviously a boy. The ANBU are not heading in the right direction to catch up to them and the way the man moves is so incredibly familiar that Sasuke gasps with recognition.
"Ren..."
It can't be... Why here and why now, like this? What does he want with Konoha?
Is he okay?
"Fuck."
After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke snaps back to himself. His mind is going over the possibilities. He could use this distraction to escape Konoha despite his wounded state, but he wouldn't go far. This does mean that the people will be put in alert though, unknown-nins kidnapping people is a far different business than a forgotten Uchiha suddenly reappearing.
Sasuke needs to get moving either way.
Well fuck it.
A wave of dizziness momentarily steals away Sasuke's vision and he lays his head on the cool tile of the roof, waiting it out. The moon is shining over his crouching form and Sasuke silently clenches his fist in irritation at the weakness still present in his body.
He doesn't have all day to wait out a stupid dizzy spell. He has to hide while the ANBU are distracted. The urge to activate the curse seal has Sasuke shaking his head to himself.
No. The Chakra will give it away.
But it would feel so much better... no more pain...
No. Not now. Not like this. You don't need it.
Sasuke's head raises from the tile and he's recovered enough vision and sense of balance to let himself slide to the ground floor. Looking around himself, the dilemma of where the hell do I go now? presents itself again and Sasuke can feel the unwelcome presence of a thought he has most certainly banished ever since he learned he was in Konoha.
Naruto.
Sasuke mentally swats at the other boy's presence and he starts to walk, keeping to the shadows and alleys.
You can't avoid it forever.
"Watch me."
tbc...
I love stubborn Sasuke. That last line just struck me as him, y'know? -snerk-blows kisses to my Uchiha!Muse-
Don't forget to leave a review for me, yah? They make me muchly happy!
Some replies:
Jenanien: That totally cracked me up. No need to apologize, heh! I'm always glad to be hearing from you! Oh, and this is for you... -offers 'I win at life' shirt- at least you can pretend. ;)
Midnight Velvet: No apologies for ranting, hun! I love rants. See above for my own little rant about car dealers. But heh! You asked whether Sasuke lived alone after his parent's death and I'm inclined to think against that, actually. I think they got him a guardian for a little while before he claimed the estate. It's really made me wonder about the village's rules concerning ninjas and children. Because every one of those nins in the show is just a child, despite all. Would the rules be as strict concerning a 5 year old as it would be for a 12 year old vs an adult? I'm going to elaborate on my take of this a little later on in the fic, promise! (love)
RetaroO: Very right you are. Ren it was. The man is fairly fucked up, and I can't wait for the opportunity to show y'all just how much! Heh! Muchos love to you! Keep enjoying yourself, heh?
Reader: Whenever I feel blocked some way or another when writing, I reread the whole thing from the start, so I have gone through the chapters quite a lot and I (shamefully) admit that this story was written all in one go. Chapters were never accounted for in the first draft. I'm glad you enjoyed it as it was meant to be read:D
XxHunter The One and OnlyxX: -fears the spork-a lot- Lol! Yeah, my aversion to pink doesn't stem from Sakura, it was just... strengthened by her. I am trying to like her, I swear!
Nyeh: You win! (on both counts, shush) Thanks for the review and enjoy being right. :P
Shadowbright: Darling! Missed you! Lol! That entire thing with Lee and Neji cracked me up too (the kiss part especially, that one just makes me giggle). And don't worry about BabyUke!Naruto. I don't like him. I actually had a lot of trouble getting into the mindset of Uke and Seme. I stem from the more americanized fanfiction (where it's called slash and not yaoi) so I hadn't even heard of Semes and Ukes and I very much enjoy my couples switching from time to time. Although with a firmly dominant personality established. Hmm... I think Sasuke will be Seme in this, but not at first. -points up- the boy has such a huge denial issue, he's gonna need a push, methinks.