When I first met you, I never realized how much you might end up meaning to me.
-Anonymous
~Five Years ago~
Clutching her pounding head, Hinata coughed violently, watching as a few drops of blood fell on the ground below. She blinked rapidly, trying to focus her blurring vision.
Resting her head on the cool ground below, she could only think of one thing.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
She felt the sudden urge to scream. But she wouldn't give in to that urge. She wouldn't, no matter how much she wanted to. Wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction of seeing her agony, of how hopeless he made her feel.
None of this was supposed to happen.
It was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. That is why only two Shinobi were sent; herself and Kiba. It was a fairly easy mission; a C-Rank at best.
When she had accepted the mission, never would she have thought that it would move up ranks to be, suddenly, classified as an S-Rank.
A rank befitting the monster in front of her.
It had started out like any other mission. After their briefing, she and Kiba had met at the village gates and taken off. The scroll they were required to retrieve was said to be hidden in a cave, located a few kilometers away from the village.
It would've taken five hours, six at the most, to complete the mission. It was only their second hour, and they were already as good as dead.
They had been travelling uneventfully, with Kiba cracking a joke here and there. Then suddenly, Kiba had caught a scent.
That had been their fist warning.
It was foolish of them to follow the trail. They should've just gone ahead with their mission. But, Kiba had insisted.
They'd walked only a little further, when Akamaru had started whimpering.
Their second warning.
Then, suddenly, Akamaru was thrown roughly against a tree.
They hadn't even sensed him coming.
Before she could have called out to Akamaru, she saw a flash of black and blue, and a terrifying man appeared behind Kiba.
Then, everything went red, as she saw her teammate being impaled by a huge sword. It's sheer size had her stepping back in fear, gulping when the man--was that thing even human at all?--grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
Without hesitation, without mercy, he pulled out the sword from Kiba's abdomen.
His blood painted the ground red.
Then, she'd taken in the black and red cloak. It was enough for her to realize that she was a goner.
He'd attacked her next, and she'd barely dodged. That was how she'd found herself sprawled on the ground, drenched in her own blood.
The worst part of it was that he was toying with her. Heck, he knew that she knew he was toying with her. And it made her all the more frightened.
Not for the first time in her life, Hinata cursed herself for being so weak. Had Neji been in her stead, would he have defeated this monster by now?
Most likely.
A weakling. She was nothing, but a weakling.
She relaxed her head on the ground, her breath ragged.
Is this truly the end?
She felt tears blurring her vision.
I don't want to die.
Rolling her head towards Kiba's slumped form, she watched him through her Byakugan. His heartbeat was slowing down, his skin turning gray as he slowly sunk into the pool made by his own blood.
How often had Kiba saved her life? Protected her from an incoming attack, with no regard for his own life? And here she was, being a coward when it was her turn to protect him.
Akamaru was whimpering by his side, licking at the small cuts on his master's arms and hands, his white coat drenched with red.
She clenched her fists, her resolve strengthening.
He needs me. I need to be strong. For him.
Trembling, she supported her body on her elbows, and slowly got up. She felt a sense of déjà vu as blood trailed down her face, watching the blue man from the Akatsuki raise an eyebrow at her.
"Are you that eager to die, girl?"
Coughing a bit more blood, she looked up at him, straight in the eyes. Her Byakugan activated.
This person had an abnormal amount of Chakra, and none of her Gentle Fist attacks were working on him, or his sword. It made her wonder if he was like Naruto. What if he easily opened his tenketsu using his chakra right after she closed them? Just like Naruto had in the Chunnin exams? Then, all her fighting would be in vain.
She needed an alternative.
She swayed slightly, then righted herself. She blinked again, trying to focus. Her eyes fell on her hands.They were covered with blood. Her blood.
She suddenly had an idea.
She went in for attack again, making sure to keep her distance from that sword. From what she had seen, it sucked all the chakra from her attacks. She needed to be careful.
Drops of her blood fell on the dirt below, as she lunged.
She saw the man's grin widen, revealing his sharp teeth even more, as he cackled.
"Fine by me. Samehade likes your blood anyway. It is one of a kind."
Hearing his words, she gritted her teeth. Dodging another attack of his sword, she realized that despite his large size, the man was fast.
His sword, she suddenly realized, would be no use if she got close to him. It's large size was good for keeping enemies at bay, but it would become nothing but a hindrance if she got close to him, as it would be too difficult to handle. But just as he would have to abandon his sword, she would have to abandon her Gentle Fist techniques.
The seeds of her idea had been sowed in her mind, and they were now taking the form of an elaborate plan, in which she might have a chance of winning. It was miniscule, but it was a chance.
And it was enough for her.
Suddenly, she went straight for him. Slightly caught off guard, the man took a step back, swinging his sword to meet her Chakra-infused palm. Just as her palm came into contact with the sword, she felt the chakra she had collected there for bait being drained. She took the opportunity and slammed her other palm against his wrist holding the sword, focusing on a particular joint.
Her chakra entered his body. It wasn't enough to numb him, just enough to give him a sudden shock as foreign Chakra mingled in with his. His grip on his sword slackened.
Noticing, Hinata immediately pivoted on a foot, slamming her other one close to the hilt of the sword.
Another thing she had in her favour: Her flexibility.
Just as she had hoped, the sword flew out of his hand, and fell at a safe distance.
Without wasting any time, she brought the same foot down on one of his, this time fusing it with her chakra. Another shock as her chakra met his.
He went off balance, staggering forward. Fisting a hand in the collar of his robe, she twisted so that her back was facing him. Due to the height difference, her shoulder dug into his abdomen. Using that to her advantage, she crouched slightly, fisting her other hand in the back of his robe, letting the momentum aid her as she lifted him clear off his feet and slammed him back to the ground in front of her.
Again seeing the opportunity, she crouched low, snaking an arm around his neck, and grabbing her own wrist with her other hand.
She had him in a headlock.
Then, without hesitation, she began squeezing.
Hyugas were proud Shinobi. They always fought fair and face-to-face. Seeing her use such a deceptive dirty trick would have Neji screaming in indignation.
But then again, she had never been a proper Hyuga.
She could feel the sweat trailing down her forehead, black dots dancing in front of her vision, as her exhaustion caught up to her. The ground was now dark, her own blood seeping into the dirt at different points. She could feel the loss of blood taking its effects. However, her adrenaline kept her going.
But, in the end, when it came to raw strength, the man easily left her in the dust.
She felt the man gag and gasp for air, his fingers clawing at her arm, sinking into her soft flesh and drawing blood. Despite the pain, she didn't let go.
Suddenly, his hands went from her arm to the back of her jacket, as he used all his might to pull her off him and throw her roughly into a nearby tree. Her petite frame made it fairly easy.
Trails of blood followed her.
Still mid-air, she watched him shoot up and cough violently, greedy for air.
Before she could hit the tree, she flipped herself so that her lags were facing the tree. Once, again she summoned a little amount of Chakra to both her feet. At contact, they made a dent in the trunk, as she shot forward with twice the speed.
Summoning all of her remaining chakra, Hinata went in for the kill.
The blue Man too preoccupied with gulping in air, suddenly looked up.
"Why you little-"
He froze when he saw the Kunoichi coming straight at him.
He could only watch as her palms came in contact with his abdomen, the force of the blow making him stagger back a few steps.
More blood dripped from Hinata's wounds.
While he still had the chance, the man raised his foot and slammed it in Hinata's stomach, watching as she crashed at a distance. She was laying on her stomach, breathing heavily.
Hinata coughed again, her strength completely drained as she looked at the man through her lashes.
He had bent over, coughing too, as he got used to the feeling of her chakra in his body.
And yet, he frowned.
From what he knew, Hyugas used chakra to block the tenketsu of their opponents, leaving their opponents feeling numb. But, he felt nothing different. In fact, from what he could feel, all his tenketsu were open.
How could this be? She was a Hyuga, that was for sure. And yet, her attacks were as sloppy as a fresh genin's. She had no control of her chakra, and from what he could tell, was attacking him blindly. Her Chakra was all over the place.
His beady eyes widened.
Don't tell me. Is this that weak Hyuga Heiress we've heard about?
A cough broke him out of his thoughts. He grinned, taking a step forward.
Then, suddenly, he froze.
Not because he was afraid or shocked. But, simply because he couldn't move. He just couldn't.
He looked at his feet. Wisps of chakra floated over his feet holding them in place. Her Chakra. He was standing over the ground darkened with blood. Her blood.
He followed the trail slowly, his heart pounding louder and louder as he made out its ending right in front of the woman's battered hand.
He suddenly recalled the amount of her chakra she had pumped into his body. And her blood, containing her Chakra, linked her to him.
His beady eyes widened.
Shit. Shit! Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!
But, any attempt he might've made to escape was crushed, when the Hyuga raised her head. He hand shifted closer to the trial of blood.
Then, he could feel her Chakra within him reacting to her call. He could feel it twisting and turning, and coiling and uncoiling around his chakra network, finding the weak points in his body.
Her eyes met his.
At once, she directed her chakra to come out. And that is exactly what it did.
However, instead of coming out harmlessly, it came out of his body in the form of spikes. To anyone watching, it would've seemed like thorns were coming out of his body, ripping apart his skin and destroying his Chakra Network.
This time it was his blood that painted the ground.
Hinata clenched her fists in triumph, relieved that her plan had worked. She watched him fall to his knees, coughing blood.
And yet, when his coughing fit was over, he looked at her, slowly standing up.
Her heart dropped, as she looked at him horrified that he had recovered from such an attack. Yes, it might not have been fatal, but it should have hindered him from moving for, at least, a few hours.
It suddenly dawned upon her that this was an S-Rank criminal.
Knowing them, they were probably used to such an assult on their bodies. They probably considered them as spars.
How could she, a fresh Jounin, ever hope to defeat him?
Her body was exhausted. Everything hurt. So much.
And this time, she would be able to do nothing to stop him, as he approached her.
Her whole form trembled, hoping to all god's above to send someone to help.
She froze when another presence made itself know.
"That's enough, Kisame."
It was cold, devoid of any emotion. It held authority, as 'Kisame' stopped when he heard it.
Turning to where the voice had come from, Hinata's blood ran cold.
The Akatsuki cloak was the first thing she saw. Then, was the slashed Leaf Headband.
Lastly, when the man opened his eyes, she registered his Sharingan.
It didn't long for her to realise just who was standing in front of her.
She shuddered.
Uchiha Itachi.
At that moment, Hinata knew that she was dead.
No longer able to keep her head up right, she gave in to her exhaustion and laid her head on her side. Now, she could only see two pairs of Shinobi sandles at a distance.
Suddenly, a voice cut through.
"Oi! You've been hiding and watching all this time, haven't you?! A little help would have been nice!"
It was Kisame.
Itachi didn't even glance at him. Instead, her eyes turned towards her. Hinata might not have seen him do it, but she could feel his stare, burning as he analyzed her carefully.
"Indeed. However, I was certain that you would be able to take care of them."
If possible, his voice turned even more monotone.
"Hence, I was quite surprised to see you getting beaten so severely."
Kisame flinched slightly at his tone, but kept his mouth shut. Instead, he glared at his partner, watching as his eyes narrowed at the un-moving woman in the ground.
"Leave. Attend to your injuries. I will take care of her."
Kisame obeyed, and after a moment, his presence disappeared.
Hinata eyes were closed, but her heartbeat was frantic, as was her breathing.
She felt sweat trail down the back of her neck.
For a moment, she felt something warm on her chin. Then, suddenly, her head was jerked up roughly as her body was forced into a kneeling position, to face the second Akatsuki member. Her hands instinctively went to clutch at those fingers digging into her windpipe.
Not enough to choke her. But just enough to remind her that he could if he wanted to.
She slightly gasped.
Suddenly remembering what the Bingo book said about him, she snapped her eyes shut.
She exhaled shakily, when she felt his warm breath fan over her face.
"Open your eyes," Here he paused, as if contemplating something, his hand still gripping her chin, "Or, I will finish him off."
Him?
She inhaled sharply when she realized just who he was talking about.
She'd completely forgotten about Kiba.
Gulping, she made up her mind. Slowly, she opened her eyes, hesitant. One look at him and she could tell why he was feared throughout the Shinobi Nations. Even if she weren't a Shinobi, she would've easily guessed that there was something very, very wrong with this man.
His face was shadowed, speaking volumes of what he had fine and gone through. His eyes were cold, and yet she had never seen something so intense in all her life. They betrayed nothing and seemed to go on and on and on.
His eyes were like black holes; the closer you go, the deeper you fall, until you realize that there is no way back.
He was the angle of death; cold, merciless.
And he was here for her.
She felt another shudder when she saw his bloodline activate. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.
She watched the tomoe spin wildly, in an endless loop. She could feel her consciousness slipping from her, her body relaxing.
She slumped, her hands previously trying to pry his off stopped, and instead slid on the ground between them to keep herself from falling. They were the only thing keeping her upright. She noticed her surroundings changing, becoming blurry.
I suppose this is the end then.
She sighed as she felt her head grow heavy, her body weighing a ton. She hardly took notice of when the Uchiha's grip loosened, or when she fell to the ground on her back. When she did, it felt so good to relax.
She felt tired, and so very sleepy.
Is death supposed to be this nice?
Despite her exhaustion, as her eyes closed, Hinata had just enough energy left in her to sigh in relief.
THERE YOU PEASANTS GO!!
OUR FAVOURITE CHARACTERS HAVE FINALLY MET!!
*starts breakdancing, which is, again, something I do not know how to do*
I had so much fun writing this chapter. Now, the fun try begins!!
So, what are your thoughts??
I wasn't exactly sure how Kisame would fight against Hinata, so I apologize if he seems a little OOC or weak. But, alas, it had to be done to make sure Itachi actually stepped in to stop the fight.
Other than that, how was the description of the fight scene? Those kind of descriptions are actually my weak point, so your opinion would be of great help.
Next chapter, we're going to have Itachi's POV in the first half.
Until then, ENJOY!!
-Your excited author.
