Exaltation
A/N: OK, I'm really ashamed right now… -.- He he… Haven't updated this story in 3 fuckin' months!! Jeez, I'm so sorry! T-T I don't really have a good excuse… except for the fact that I'm a bit depressed because of maths, but that's not important. I'm kinda stuck with this story. With all that homework and personal problems I just didn't have the inspiration. Actually I don't even have the time to write right now, but I don't care. I wanted to work on this story. I'm warning you though: if it looks shit, it's probably because I still have a tiny writer's block. But these are all just shitty excuses, so go ahead and flame me for making you wait so ridiculously long. I deserved it… n.n;
0o0o0o0
Chapter seven.
Nails scraped over the wooden surface of a closed door.
Again.
And again.
And every time even more panic was hidden under the screeching sound. The scratching arose more and more, as if an alarmed animal was trying to escape its cage, wanting to flee and run away from where it was held.
That was what she was.
A frightened creature.
Begging to be released, crying softly in the darkness where nobody could hear her though. A lost soul among the thousands and thousands of other dwelling shadows surrounding her, not speaking to each other but just staring with those lifeless eyes void of feelings, mouths hanging wide open and revealing gaping black holes in which one could disappear forever.
They just looked.
At her.
And only she heard them.
Whispers filled her mind, languid moanings and complaints about unfair deaths. Groaning and mumbling, rotten claw-like hands reaching out to touch her; a living being that could hear their pleadings and had the power to help them.
A human made of soft, warm flesh.
So deliciously warm…
As the girl felt cold ghost fingers travelling on her body she shivered as the hands were everywhere from out of the dark, crawling over a pale throat to feel an erratic heartbeat, the beating of a still living and working organ…
…to feel the pulse of blood, so deliciously red; sweet in the mouth of those who had no longer that feeling, possessed no longer the gift of breathing.
She was their prey.
A toy to play with, someone to share their miseries with, for they had no longer somewhere to go: trapped in a worldwide cage.
She was captivated too; the only difference was that her prison held considerably less room.
The hands never left her; only more and more seemed to come. They neared her every second, surrounding the girl while their eyes were empty, concealing nothing but death.
Panic almost reached the top; she was so scared…
…so incredibly afraid…
'God, help me…
…It's so cold here.
Anyone…
…Anyone!
Anyone!'
0o0o0o0
The rain had finally stopped, he noticed.
Lying in the moist grass not able to move, Itachi just glanced up at the stars that were far beyond his reach but still shining brightly, flickering every now and then as if they winked.
The heavy atmosphere, still loaded with electricity from the violent weather from hours before, hung around him like a thick blanket; suffocating air not succeeding in cooling his slightly sweating face.
His fingers closed around something metal; hand fisting before it was lifted. The fingers released their hold on the shrivelled object as it was thrown far away. Seconds later, leafs rustled as the bullet finally landed somewhere and a blackbird fled away, shrieking loudly to alarm other forest dwellers.
A slight smirk was evident on his face now.
He would get her back.
Soon she was to be his again.
Only his…
0o0o0o0
Dark eyes gazed at an old and slightly indistinct photo.
Pale eyes were looking back at him, a bright smile directed to the person behind the camera. A tiny hand waved, another tightly holding onto the fingers of another person whose face was cut away from out of the picture; no longer recognizable for an outsider.
Not that removing the face had truly helped.
He still saw the eyes of him, every now and then haunting him in his dreams. Piercing right through his soul they had always directed a stoic glance towards him, carefully hidden anger and disgust lingering in the deep pools of coal black liquid.
A scowl appeared on a pale countenance.
Goddamnit.
He hated him so much; couldn't even bare to look at his face.
The only reason he had kept the photo was because of the girl that was on it, too. It was the only tangible image he still had of her; the only object that could bring her close to him. The only picture he had of her.
He savoured it.
He wanted her.
He longed for her presence.
He would get her; even if it cost him his life.
Orbs directed back towards the picture again, to her smiling face. The smile that he wanted to be for him and for him only. Her happiness had always been rare; barely showed itself, even if she smiled occasionally, it had seldom been a real one.
Would she be happy when she would be with him again..?
"Hey baby, what are you looking at…?" A sleepy voice that tried its best to sound seductive interrupted his thoughts, purring slightly as if to lure him into another little game equivalent to the previous one that had occurred last night.
He did not like to be interrupted.
Sasuke slapped a hand with red-garnished nails away as it had reached out for him.
Directing a glare to the pink-haired girl that was lying beside him, he silently told her to shut the hell up. She had apparently gotten the message as she squeaked dramatically and pulled the thin sheets tighter around her naked body, her slim hand already retreated. The Uchiha returned his gaze back to the photo, ignoring the pout he was getting from the young woman.
"But Sasuke-kuuunnn, we had so much fun last night…Why are you ignoring me suddenly?"
The scowl returned; seemingly, she hadn't gotten the hint.
"…and I don't understand why you are treating me like dirt all of the sudden, so…"
A sigh that did not do its best to hide the angered tone behind it rang through the room. "Sakura."
"Ah, yes?"
"Shut. The fuck. Up."
"But…" She fell silent after she saw the look in his eyes. The already heavy atmosphere seemed to intensify even more and she averted her gaze to the wall in front of her.
The rustling of white sheets being pushed off was heard as the Uchiha got out of his bed and walked away without sparing the young woman behind him another glance. As soon as the harsh smack of a door being closed not-so-smoothly echoed through the entire house and causing some of the white plaster to fall of the walls, a silent sob was heard from out of the bedroom.
0o0o0o0
For once in her life, Haruno Sakura did not know what to do. As she wiped the tears away that she had spilled once again, she thought of the disgusted look the man that had just been beside her mere minutes ago had directed towards her. In his deathly glare she had seen the lingering anger.
Anger.
Just pure anger, directed to anyone that had dared to come near him, reached out to touch him, tried to care for him.
She knew, because she had tried to reach out for him for so many times.
She knew he held a certain sadness deep within his heart, remnants of something that had occurred many years ago. She wanted to be the one to take the sadness away, but at the same time she wished to be as far away from this person as possible.
Sakura tried to care for the dark-haired man, honestly she did, but she knew that she meant nothing for him. And still he came to her, sought her out every now and then. Only to push her away again.
And she still followed him as he called for her.
She still reached out for him, even if she knew he would push her back as he always did. She was like a lamb that would proceed to trail behind its mother even when she had rejected it.
Sakura knew that the Uchiha only wanted her every once in a while to fulfil his needs, to satisfy the cravings every man had. To get attention.
Sakura knew that someone else already had stolen his heart. She had heard him calling for her at night, the name silently leaving his lips when he was asleep.
She knew all of this. Yes, Sakura was a whore, but she wasn't dumb.
However, she was desperate.
Even if she knew that he would never love her, would never need her for more than sex, she would come back to him.
Even if he would reject her again and again, she would stay with him because she knew that he needed her; even if it was only because he needed someone to satisfy his wantings. Because she needed the thought of someone needing her.
Somehow, Sasuke was the only one able to give her that feeling.
They were like magnets: poles that attracted and pushed each other off.
North and South, South and North.
She no longer knew who was which.
But it didn't matter.
0o0o0o0
He stretched his ears.
Nothing.
Still listening for a few more minutes, he couldn't detect the slightest noise, safe for the calm beatings of his own heart. The rain had stopped many hours ago, fading in the obscurity of the night.
He wanted her to disappear, too.
He needed to get disposed of her, and at the same time he wanted to keep her near.
Gaara did not know why. He felt as if his own mind was betraying him. Once again. He couldn't have that. No. Not this time. Not because of some stupid little girl, a frightened mouse not even worth living.
His hand stretched out, carefully turning the key in the lock that had held her in her prison. As soon as a soft click was heard, the door was pushed open with a protracted creak. Immediately darkness welcomed him as he stepped inside, embracing him with invisible arms.
Soft breathings were heard; apparently the girl had finally cried herself to sleep, tired from all the screaming and attempts to get free. Moonstone eyes were hidden under eyelids, dried tears still noticeable. Her dark hair was spread around her face like some sort of dark halo, giving her once again the appearance of a magical creature.
He was wondering why she had been so scared. Her screams and callings had betrayed her fear, but for what? Looking at her frail form he could see even in the dark that she was shivering. He crouched down next to her side; it wasn't cold, so why was she trembling?
Fearful mutterings reached his hearing.
Stretching his ears once again the redhead could now hear what she was mumbling. He listened as silent tears fell from her cheeks onto the ground.
"…G-Go away…
…Pl-Please… Leave me a-alone, I-I cannot h-help you… Go away.
Go a-away.
Go away!"
White orbs were suddenly wide open, staring as though they could see right through him. He just looked as she shot right up, heaving severely before falling onto the ground again, eyes closed. She never asked why he was there, observing her as if she were an animal in the zoo.
He never asked her what she had been dreaming of. Just listened to her ragged breathing while she tried to hide her fear from him. Not that it worked. It was then that he decided something;
...her life was in his hands. He was the one who decided if she were to remain alive or not.
It sounded so good in his ears.
Pale fingers reached out from out of the dark.
0o0o0o0
Hinata let out a choked gasp as from out of nowhere a hand pressed down on her throat, strangling the very life out of her. Her eyes shot open and met with intense green ones, looking down on her without a single trace of emotion. But she could feel the inner turmoil.
… Yes, it was so clear...
As she lay there beneath him, fighting for air, the images came once again.
Flames.
Such hot flames...
Abominable arms of fire touching the remnants of a body, the limbs twitching from the warmth as they slowly began to turn into ashes. The putrid smell of burned flesh reached her nostrils, filling her senses until there was nothing left beside the stench of death.
She gagged.
The warmth was so, so unbearable… It was almost as if she was the one laying there, devoured by the hot flames and slowly fading away.
It burned.
It burned…
…It burned!
She struggled once again. No longer was she able to see the horrifying images of someone being consumed without dying a thousand deaths. She did not want to. She hated it with every fibre of her body.
…It was so much like what she had seen mere days ago…
…No.
Pale fingers reached up to the hand that held her in a deathly grasp. Her nails scraped hysterically over skin, fighting to get free, fighting to get away from the fire…
It was smothering her. Taking her last breath away.
Hinata gasped panicky, but there was no sweet oxygen filling her strained lungs as the hands had never left her abused windpipe. Opal orbs rolled back in their sockets.
The flames were so warm…
… so unbelievably warm…
…burning.
Darkness overcame. Darkness always was the victor in the end.
0o0o0o0
End of chapter seven
A/N: o.0 I'm really mean, aren't I? Not writing for so long and then come back with a HUGE cliff-hanger. I can understand it if you all hate me now… n.n; But I promise to update chapter eight a.s.a.p. I don't exactly know when since I have it quite busy with school, but I promise it will be as soon as I've got the time again. Really. In the meantime… please review? –pleading look- I know I did not really deserve it, but I would really love to hear your opinion:)