Exaltation.
A/N: -dramatic voice- Chapter three has arrived! (ahem) Sorry, just wanted to say that:3 But anyways, I wanted to thank all the reviewers again, all of your comments made me really happy! XD So, thanks! –sigh- I'm ranting again, please enjoy chapter 3!
Disclaimer: Three words; Don't. own. it. (all right, all right, so technically "don't" is two words… Whatever.)
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Chapter three.
He ran.
Feet dragging him to an unknown destination, the little boy glanced around fearfully, heart beating in his throat so severely that it almost seemed as if it wanted to jump out.
It was dark.
It was so dark…
But he could sense them. Those people who had done bad things. They were after him, chasing him like a predator follows his prey, reaching out to grab him. He ignored their deafening shouting, which reminded him so much of the howling of wolves towards the full moon.
After an eternal run for his life, the angry voices seemed to fade slowly in the insurmountable obscurity. The boy felt their presences disappear bit by bit, and so did his fear.
Finally… He was safe.
He let his breath out that he had held for a long time and inhaled deeply, filling his strained lungs with fresh, sweet air.
He took another good look around; just to be sure.
No one.
Halting a little, the boy sighed relieved.
At last, he was alone.
The persons behind him seemed to have dropped out, no longer caring about that little child that had escaped from their grasp.
He slowly began to walk again, only to barge into someone who was apparently right in front of him; the latter fell onto the ground.
The little boy was shocked. He didn't expect someone else here, at this ominous place. As he tried to look who it was, the small girl on the ground hid her face from him. Well, at least that was what he thought she was, for she had long, dark hair flowing around her shoulders.
"Who are you?" Curiously he stared at the girl, waiting for an answer.
Finally she looked up at him, her big opal eyes shocking the boy.
"What are you doing here…" he croaked hoarsely.
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Sasuke shot up, sweat covering his whole countenance.
Damn…
'That dream again…'
Groaning a little he glanced at his alarm-clock and immediately fell back into his white pillow, cursing a few times.
The luminous marks indicated that it was only 4.24 hours.
4.24 In the goddamn morning!
Wait…
4.24 hours?
He sat up again and gave the cursed clock another, suspicious look, as if he wanted to be sure that it wasn't a hallucination.
4.24… It was at that time that…
No. Forget that.
The Uchiha closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to exile the abominable memories that flooded in his mind out of his head forever.
No…
He didn't want to remember that…
Fuck!
The Uchiha turned around and thumped in the pillow a few times, before squeezing his face in the soft material. Right now he wanted to sleep, and not raking up some annoying ghosts from the past.
Trying to lock his mind from everything but a good night's rest, he shut his eyes once again and impatiently waited to fall back to sleep.
And waited.
And waited.
But after a few more minutes of waiting, he cursed the Gods for this inequitable deprive of rest and pushed the sheets agitated from his body. Stomping through his mansion, he didn't even bother to turn the lights on and waltzed straight to his liquor stock.
Damn, he needed a drink.
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Startled she woke up, eyes wide from fear.
She was certain she had heard someone screaming. A woman? Or a man?
Panting heavily, she glanced around, trying to find the source of that incisive sound that had cut right through her very soul. She shivered in the sudden coldness and could see her own breath, clouding slightly before her trembling lips before disappearing again. That could only mean one thing. As Hinata looked at the corner, her suspicions were confirmed.
Her moonstone eyes met a silhouette, staring straight at her with an expression void of any emotions.
Hinata gasped.
"W-Who are y-you…?" She tried to sound brave, but failed a bit, for her voice was quivering with fear.
The shadow didn't move, only looked at her with those lifeless eyes. A rather perilous aura was radiating off of it, like some sort of miasmatic cloud.
It was clear to the frightened girl that this ghost wasn't very nice.
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The source of warmth ness that was next to him suddenly left its place.
Opening his eyes, Itachi glanced around, searching for said warmth.
Damn. It was cold.
Beside him was Hinata, sitting up so that he couldn't see her face. He turned around slightly, but she didn't even notice, for she was too busy staring at a corner.
Strange girl. She probably had a nightm…
"W-Who are y-you…?"
Upon hearing her trembling voice, Itachi froze in his movements.
She said what?
Realization dawned upon him.
Another creature was in their presence.
Not a living creature, though. And certainly not a friendly one either. That much he could assess. Although Itachi couldn't see anything, a rather hazardous feeling was felt as he looked at the corner Hinata had been staring at like she was hypnotized. Speaking of which, the girl hadn't moved for quite a while now. His eyes slowly shifted from the ill corner towards said girl.
Hn.
Not good.
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As he was lying on the floor of his basement a bit intoxicated, a rather brilliant idea suddenly had occurred to Uchiha Sasuke.
Great.
Fuckin' great!
Why hadn't he thought of that before?
Surely, his old friend could help him with his shitty little problem.
Although he hadn't spoken him for a few years, he would still remember him. Of that he was sure.
Yeah, he would call him right now.
This really was too fuckin' great.
But there was just one tiny problem. As he reached into his pocket (which was quite problematic, considering the fact he was drunk and in a kind of… strange position) to reach for his cell phone, it suddenly came back again.
He had smashed his last phone against the wall. Kind of.
Fuck.
Somebody up there really hated him.
The Uchiha sighed and glanced around.
Where the hell was that bottle of sake?
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White orbs stared back at him, but they weren't Hinata's.
Actually, there sitting next to him, wasn't Hinata at all.
Although it was her body, she was no longer there. He could sense it. Concealing in its 'host', the ghost was glaring very deathly at him right now. Very deathly. But he wasn't an Uchiha for nothing. He calmly stared back.
Pale eyes narrowed dangerously.
Before Itachi even had the time to react, a pair of hands had shut around his neck very tautly, trying to choke him. Although he didn't show it, he was slightly surprised at the strength the frail girl was holding him with. But then again, she was possessed by a seemingly evil spirit.
Well, not that it mattered…
He was still the stronger one.
Raising both of his hands and gripping the fingers that were strangled around his neck, Itachi pulled them off one by one with little difficultly and pushed the girl backwards. She fell on the mattress, back pushed in the soft material as the other sat on top of her.
'Hinata' glared at him. "Let go of me." She spoke in a very low voice, not her own.
"No."
Itachi didn't budge as the girl tried to spit at him. He held both of her wrists above her head with one hand while his other one touched her cheek.
She shook the hand off, struggling to get free. "I said… Let go of me. Or you will pay, Uchiha Itachi…"
Her venomous tone could have made a lion cry, but Itachi's expression was the same as always as he repeated his mocking answer. "No."
He had to admit, this would be rather… funny, as one would call it, weren't it for the fact he had a very pissed-off possessed creature in his grip right now. Suddenly he noticed red drops, falling onto the white sheets. She was bleeding. So the former Uchiha did the only thing a sane man would do in his situation.
He slapped her.
"Wake up, Hinata."
The glare seemed to intensify for a single moment before the opal-like eyes lightened up even more, then closed.
A rasping breath was heard.
Eyelids opened tiredly, and opal orbs widened at the sight above them.
"A-Ano… It-Itachi, could y-you please g-get off o-of m-me…?"
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"Where am I?"
A pale girl wandered around in the oppressive dark, like a lost puppy. She couldn't see a thing, except for the lingering strings of mist, hanging around her like butterflies around a sweet-scenting flower. It was almost as if it were hands, crawling over her skin.
Suddenly she felt an obscure presence behind her. Not wanting to meet those dead eyes she knew the being owned, the girl slowly turned around.
She gasped softly.
There standing was the same silhouette that had put her in this strange world. It just stared at her, not moving. But then it opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp, razor-like teeth.
The girl shivered. "Wh-Who are y-you?"
The creature licked its thin lips. "You know who I am."
The girl shook her head. "I-I really d-don't…"
Disappearing a moment, it suddenly stood right before her. Gasping, she took a trembling step back. The creature grinned. "Remember me."
It neared again. "Remember me." Before the girl could run or even move, a pale, rotting hand was extended and closed around her wrist, pulling her closer.
"Remember me." The whisper was honey-sweet, but it held a malevolent tone underneath it.
As the being lowered its face, it sneered before opening its mouth again.
Teeth sank into frail skin.
She screamed, eyes closing in agony.
"S-Stop! Please, p-please stop!"
A sudden burning sensation was felt on her cheek.
"Wake up, Hinata." The voice echoed in her mind. The girl opened her eyes again.
She was shocked.
"A-Ano… It-Itachi, could y-you please g-get off o-of m-me…?"
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End of chapter three.
A/N: Uhm, well… that was it! Sorry, it was kinda short, I know, but it seemed like a good end. And in case you were wondering what Itachi and Hinata were doing in the same bed (if you'd bad thoughts, I'm gonna slap you!)… well, let's just say they went to a sleazy hotel and there was only one bed! Haha, but that's kinda corny to put in the story, so please don't think it 'MEANS' something. Besides, Itachi vowed to protect her, so… nothing dirty or anything... ;) but anyways, hope you liked it! I'll try to update a.s.a.p. :3