First Arc; Slice One
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Drei
A shot rang through the air, slicing wind and leaving a red mark on his cheek when the bullet grazed him. Gaara barely flinched, and instead leaned into his sniper rifle, looking into his scope and taking careful aim.
Through the green lens, a woman standing on the edge of a building wearing some weird white gown stood, aiming a black gun in his general direction. Gaara tensed and waited, licking his lips before firing. The gun kicked and the bullet hit the concrete she once was standing on, dust kicking up. Gaara's eyes blinked and he nearly snarled, seeing her jumping from building to building and slowly closing in on him.
He turned and fired again, no longer needing to look into the scope.
She had anticipated the move and had already moved out of the way, firing back at him. Gaara cursed, ducked and rolled before taking another shot at her. He missed, but barely, instead catching her sleeve, ripping it and it floated in the air.
Flipping, he watched her and fired again, it grazed her cheek, kimono sleeves fluttering.
She kicked out, nearly catching his face before landing on her feet and had begun her assault.
She was a scout, she was not bred for fighting, but running she was good at. He caught her calf and twisted her leg, flinging her.
She bounced back up and was smiling some strange, irritatingly happy smile at him. Her freakishly pale eyes darted down at the concrete of the roof. Gaara's eyes followed hers then narrowed rapidly. A fist sized green ball rolled to a stop a couple inches of his feet without its safety pin.
He was moving quickly, leaping over the small grenade and towards the scout whose skin color drained and she wheeled around, running even faster now that he was coming after her with his sniper rifle over his shoulder.
She leapt from the roof to the other roof like a cat, gracefully and she landed, running without missing a beat despite the kimono and the weird wooden shoes she was wearing.
Gaara ran after her, leaping in a fashion that wasn't technically graceful but the position his body twisted made it look professional. He rolled after her and behind them; the grenade blew up, causing a momentary shock wave.
It took her longer to recover from the aftershock, so Gaara moved and pulled the trigger. An empty click resounded and Gaara resisted the urge to bare his teeth savagely. She rolled onto her stomach and was slowly getting up.
Standing, he moved to her quickly, brandished a serrated edged knife in one hand and killing intent in the other. She flipped to her back and he saw a flash of white, grey and black. The white of her eyes and kimono, grey splotches, the black of her hair, the black of her obi, the black shine of her handgun kicking back when she pulled the trigger.
A bullet pierced his midsection but it didn't even make him flinch – this woman had to be eliminated just as his sister had told him. Flipping it in his hand, he flung it at her and she rolled, but it still caught her despite her speed. With a hollow thunk, it landed in her thigh; spurt of blood, nearly to the hilt.
She gasped and her footing faulted, falling to one side almost limply. She turned her gun to him again, firing three shots, chest, shoulder and another midsection shot. Another click, empty.
Ignoring the pangs of pain that entered his body, curling and twisting, he flung himself on her, knocked her empty gun away and pinned her hands above her head with one large hand encircling her small wrists, knees digging into her thighs, forcing them to remain still. She gasped and gagged when he jarred the knife still stuck in her thigh.
He said nothing but kept eye contact with her when he wrenched the knife from her skin, flesh ripping, tissue breaking in some malevolent way that he derived sick pleasure in seeing her eyes wide and throat tight. His vision of her blurred.
He blinked and it was a clear whitened film on the edges of his eyes, slowly closing in and he wondered if this was death. He narrowed his eyes and sat back, a feeling much like a drain of emotion and blood was happening. He swayed and could barely see that pale eyed woman. The hand that held the knife was shaking and his other hand had loosened enough that her hands were able to slip out.
Fingers opening his, throwing the knife across the building, his eyes were sliding closed, vision unfocused but he could see that infuriatingly almost smug smile on her face. He didn't have his knife. His gun was out of ammunition.
His hands closed around her throat (soft, small, like a bird's neck) he heard her choke and she began to beat small fists against his chest, fingers prodding at his gunshot wounds and causing his muscles to twitch and flinch out of reaction.
He heard her choking, heartbeat growing dimmer.
Hazy white…fuzzy perception…blank.
"…ra-sensei? Gaara-sensei!" Gaara's black ringed eyes snapped open and he turned to Konohamaru. Konohamaru gave him an odd look, staring back at Gaara. "You okay?" Gaara nodded once, feeling the truck bounce around, over dunes. Konohamaru frowned but leaned back and accepted the answer.
Gaara's eyes closed again, feeling the desert sun glare down at him despite the roof over his head.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"You're going to be here a while."
Silence, a glare and a soft smile.
"So I figured we should at least get to know each other, it's not like you're going anywhere."
"I don't want to know you – I just want to kill you."
Soft smile gone, pale eyes glow in the dark – luminescent as the moon. "My name is Hinata."
Silence and the figure leans against an opposite wall of the one in chains. White kimono and eyes, black obi and hair. Smile soft and dark as the grey on her kimono. "You know, when someone tells another person they're going to kill them, they usually tell them their name."
Silence…chains shift and move, clothing rustling and his side hurts. The pale eyed one sighed and moved to the door, opening it with intent to leave.
"Gaara."
Gaara clenched his jaw and opened his eyes, not wanting to hear her at a time like this. The wind ruffled his hair and he breathed in the desert – scalding hot and gritty. With his thumb he began popping his knuckles and listened to the truck go over the small hills and crunch over small desert rocks. He had his back to the others, not wanting to converse.
He, Konohamaru, Shikamaru and Temari all sat in a semi circle in the back of the truck while Kiba drove. They were being sent to find Hinata – who had only left traces of herself behind. Everyone was silent for their own reasons, but the silence save Kiba's music was there and stifling.
Cat eyes opened and stared at the quiet redhead, even if it was in his nature to be introverted – this felt different. Temari observed her brother, knowing what – rather who was on his mind and chose to say nothing; the weird infatuation or intrigue he seemed to hold for the Hyuuga girl hadn't dissipated as she had first thought it would. It was not a simple hold of his interest, something deeper and stranger. Gaara was a complex individual once you got beneath his lust for challenges, killing and anything dealing with warfare.
He and Hinata had first met when the girl, Naruto and Shikamaru had been sent to recruit the three of them. Naruto had ended up facing off with Temari, whom when he first met her had not only ogled her, but hit on her figuratively while doing so literally. Shikamaru had Kankurou unconscious long before the other two had done their duty.
Temari had never understood why they'd sent out a scout such as that frail thing after her beast of a brother. She understood when the girl had brought her youngest brother back, dragging him by his feet with blood on her leg. She'd given them a small and ghostly smile.
When she had observed the bullet wounds her brother had sustained, she concluded from the number and size that it shouldn't have been enough to have taken him down. Tranquilizing bullets – with enough sedates to knock off a horse.
At first, Tsunade hadn't been able to convince Temari or her younger brothers to become part of the base. They all fought tooth and nail against the mere idea of it; physically, mentally and emotionally seeing as they'd seen firsthand what became of bases when they collapsed.
They themselves had nearly caused total annihilation for the beloved base of these people who had captured them; uprooting it like a tough weed, having to yank at it. The three siblings had paid dearly for it as well – these people hadn't shown how ruthless and vicious they could be until their home had been truly threatened.
Temari leaned her head back against the side behind her, closing her catlike eyes for a little doze.
Konohamaru stared at his teacher's profile, now turned to the desert outwards, past the flapping tarps that covered the back instead of a door. Gaara had always been so strange, Konohamaru knew this and took that into stride, but whenever anything came to Hinata…there was a strange glint in his eyes, a sort of placidity in his movements, a silent prayer in his thoughts.
He had seen them together once and it was this that stuck in his mind; bore curiosity of them. It had been when he'd seen that woman and Gaara converse in the hallway, the way he regarded her and her actions. He had watched Gaara talk to her a little, speaking quietly. He had watched his redheaded teacher reach out to her – physically and in no means to be threatening – and watched her shirk from him, dodging him and then disappearing so quickly Konohamaru wondered if she was a phantom.
He'd asked Naruto and he never had received a straight answer from the blonde mercenary no matter how many times he asked.
"What's up with Gaara-sensei and that woman?"
A blink of deep blue eyes, "What woman?"
"You know; the one with the weird lookin' eyes?"
Naruto stared at him silently, face hardening, "…You mean what's goin' on with him and Hinata?"
Konohamaru nodded, staring at the man before him silently, watching his facial expression. Naruto's lips twitched and he looked off to the side. "I'm not good at telling things."
"Just the general idea then."
"You can't explain something like that like it's some kinda…problematic formula," Konohamaru figured Temari had probably used this before. "Things like this can't be explained." Naruto shrugged and turned from Konohamaru, "Maybe if you've got enough of whatever Gaara and I see in you, you'll ask him yourself."
Konohamaru watched the blonde man walk away silently.
Konohamaru looked over at Gaara's silent form, profile turned to the desert sands. He sighed and leaned back, wishing Naruto was there so it wouldn't be so boring.
Shikamaru leaned back, and closed his eyes, instead of hearing the truck hitting the dunes and Kiba's loud rock music, he heard prickly white noise. Buzzing like a mosquito in his ears, insistently. It filled his senses and he listened before he looked over at Gaara. He was surprised that Gaara hadn't shot him by now, or threatened him at least. The redhead seemed to have the opposite effect, instead of becoming violent, withdrew into himself.
Shikamaru wondered if – when they found her, and whoever did take her, how many pieces would be left of him after Gaara was through with the kidnapper. The storm was brewing and it had no place to go but could only linger and grow and rot within Gaara until it could go somewhere.
The commanding officer sighed and closed his eyes so that he could rest before planning out a game plan for the team.
Static.
…
…
Shino was not generally one to get emotionally; he preferred to keep his emotions at an all around mellow stage because accidents happen. Life happens and it hurts, he'd observed that from his friends. Hinata had been a friend and old teammate of his, the mediator between he and Kiba, the warm blooded between the cold blooded and the hot blooded for balance.
Her kidnapping was a surprise of course because logically Hinata would have skirted farthest from the danger and the fastest because it was what she'd been bred for. Her body was of a dancer's, a lithe jackrabbit or forest deer so that in cases of being cornered, she could fight back – but she could always outrun the enemy.
So yes Shino had been startled at the announcement of Hinata's disappearance and the shock had settled in with the numbness before his chest had tightened and he couldn't breathe normally. She had been his friend for a while, a friend to everyone on base so it was no wonder why it had taken them by surprise. Having the friend of everyone being taken made it seem personal, but Shino took it into stride.
Missions were never meant to be personal and deep rooted. That made it easy for stupid mistakes and failure had a higher percentage. This was one case that failure was not an option, so he stayed focused.
Within the truck was silence, Sasuke was in the corner brooding while Naruto could barely stay still, fidgeting and earlier, Shino had seen the blonde try to withhold tears. Moegi and Udon sat together playing cards with tight frowns and ugly dispositions. Tenten was in the front, driving the truck whilst Neji sat across of Shino.
Shino had observed Neji for any emotions and could only come across cold impatience and righteous anger that their commanding officer had sent his little cousin, a scout, into such bad territory without company. The line that divided Neji's disgust and care for his cousin was paper thin and as solid as tissue.
Moegi and Udon, despite being so involved within their card game and not knowing much of Hinata still remembered her since she had taught them a few tricks. Udon was probably more attached to Moegi since Hinata had worked more on him than Moegi. The girl had undergone a split of Temari's and Sakura's training while Udon paid attention to Hinata.
Naruto was close to Hinata, as were most in the base. She had been one of his confidents when they'd been younger and Sakura had rebutted all his advances to her in favor of trying woefully to woo Sasuke. Naruto had always encouraged Hinata when they were younger, the girl had eventually put him on some sort of adoration pedestal that in which he became her idol.
He had been her teammate and leader at some point in time. He'd never wanted to be a leader; he was an estranged and solitary creature, like a poisonous spider or a savage and calculating praying mantis. He'd been forced to step up because Kiba, well, Kiba was a rash and impulsive idiot and Hinata was simply too timid and obeying to be a leader. One day, in name of a crisis, he'd barked a single order at Hinata to play decoy, he defense and minor offense while Kiba played major offense.
Since then, orders had to come from his mouth to be official.
The three of them had made the best tracking team, the best at spying and they'd been merely the leftovers. The ones who didn't fit in with the others and had been thusly referred to Team Freak instead of Team Eight.
Shino turned his attention to the black haired Uchiha; the traitor whom was to be their guide within the Badlands.
Bored and disinterested, Sasuke sat there lethargically like a python within a cramped cage. Black eyes, dark as filthy water or the desert night flicked to Shino and the two stared at one another silently – trying to decipher the other's thoughts.
Shino found a starved wolf staring right back at him, thin and lanky – all bones and lean muscle with skin stretched tightly over. He looked away and Sasuke didn't smirk, knowing that while he hadn't looked away first; the Aburame still got what he'd wanted.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke, sky blue eyes red rimmed and slightly puffed up, "Hey, boring bastard over there. I got a question for ya."
Sasuke barely turned his head to look over at the blonde who demanded his attention crudely. "What, you twit?"
Naruto didn't so much as bat an eyelash over the insult to his intelligence. "What did ya mean by that you owe Hinata a favor?"
Shino looked over at the Uchiha, brow raised over his dark glasses in silent inquiry.
Sasuke stared at the both of them, not saying a word and just breathing shallowly. The favor he owed the Hyuuga was also a favor everyone in the whole goddamned base owed her. Whether they knew it or not, they all still had their debts to pay. He was paying his when he could because assigned to find the supplies truck or not, he'd look for the Hyuuga and find her.
Debt paid off. No more looking over at the scout, wondering how he could pay her off when she never mentioned it, never seemed to want anything and with people breathing down his neck, wouldn't be able to deliver whatever she may have wanted properly anyway.
Sasuke blinked and a memory like an old film played.
It was a tomb, not a cell for holding him. Light barely filtered through the small window in the steel door and out of the tiny one above him.
Footsteps coming closer, like the teeny tiny clip-clop of a small pony down a stone street. Geta shoes. Only one person wears geta shoes in this place.
He waits for a moment when the clip-clop sound stop. He knows she'll speak first, only leaning against the door as though for support because he can always hear the sigh of her clothing scraping the door.
He toys with the idea of what her redheaded guard dog would think of her coming this late almost every night to visit the runaway Uchiha.
He hears the scrape of her kimono against the steel, rustling restlessly.
"Your brother is coming to kill us all."
"I know."
Keys clinking, flash of white eyes; shadows creep up her face from his view of the small window on the door, "He's already on the move."
"I know."
Silence, it's dark in the cell, the door swings open and light floods the darkness. "Hyuuga?"
"It's a family matter isn't it?"
He falls quiet and the light hurts his eyes. He rises and his muscles ache. She stands beside the door with his sword and his favorite gun. He says nothing about her touching his possessions and steps into the light.
It blinds him and it's behind her, giving her a bright ethereal glow as though she's an angel with no place holding his weapons.
He takes them and heeds her when she tells him to go out through the back left exit.
He disappears in the night to kill his brother, silent as the angel of death he is said to be. He turns back only once and sees perched on top of their headquarters that a phantom is watching over him.
He vanishes.
Sasuke opened his mouth, "She understands family matters more than anyone else here." He fell silent once more and turned his attention to the never changing sand dunes, pale and dusty, gritty and tasteless.
Naruto was taken aback and cocked his head, confused as to what Sasuke meant by this.
Shino's lips tighten and behind his dark glasses, his eyes narrow. He knew exactly what the Uchiha meant by this and always knew that Hinata would do something like that, given the chance. He pops his knuckles and looks over at the two apprentices they are taking with them, still halfheartedly interested in their card game.
Moegi was still winning since Udon couldn't call a bluff if his life depended on it.
"You bastard. All these years and you keep talking in goddamn riddles. What the hell?!" Naruto fairly snarled or scolded him.
Sasuke quirked a brow, "It's essential to my charm," he drawled.
Naruto scowled and waved a tanned hand at him, "Charm my ass, you've got about as much charm as a buzzard on fire."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's country humor, "Why is it then, women fall over me and they seem to fall running from you?"
Naruto glared at him and gave him a rude gesture, "At the very least you boring, riddle talking charming bastard of a buzzard, I've got a freaking personality."
Sasuke snorted mockingly. Naruto in turn thumbed his nose at the Uchiha. Shino stared at them silently, debating which to kill first while Moegi crowed lamely that she won another round and Udon snuffled.
In the front of the truck, Tenten drummed her fingers on the steering wheel with one hand while her other hand patted the sheathe of Soshoryu. Her nails scraped over the carefully beaded and scaled hide of his hilt. It didn't feel right, going into the Badlands, the kidnapping of a mere scout or of Hinata being sent all by herself into such a territory.
"We've got such a genius for a commander and we're in this mess. Something's…not adding up, is it Soshoryu?" her fingernails tapped at the hilt gently, making clicking noises. She received no reaction from her prized tanto and fell silent, but still caressed the black sheathe and recently polished hilt as though drawing strength from the dragons entwined at the hilt, claws clawing at the other, jaws locking onto the hidden blade and tails forming barbs only Tenten could work around.
She waited still for a reaction. The dragons were silent and still; as though hiding without meaning to.
Tenten's jaw tightened and she focused on the dusty and uninteresting road ahead of her, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding Soshoryu.
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O.o Why do I keep getting so many reviews? I'm so flattered and most of them are so long and detailed – keels over; is dead -
:S I know I made Gaara seem a bit OOC (hopefully not too much, and if so, then please tell me), but I hope you liked the…past and hinted Gaara and Hinata interactions. :D
The chapter basically comes from me…wanting more character development more than just 'haha I kill all you bitches now die!' and a lot of gunfire and some dead guys. There's going to be a lot of hinted romance, friendship and gradual friendship along with character insight. Any questions you guys might have, send in and if I can or if they aren't spoiler worthy, I shall answer them. Btw, there are no demons within this story just for clarification cause it's not a spoiler. XD
Tenten's tanto 'Soshoryu' is actually an attack she used within the Chuunin exams when she fought Temari; Twin Rising Dragons. When she 'listens' or waits for a 'reaction' from Soshoryu, it's a figurative meaning – a subconscious feeling that she recognizes her tanto as not just her weapon, but as a battle companion. …Yeah….
FYI…apparently Purple1 is now my sex slave. CX Kinky.