Hey
Dedication: Tommy, there you go. Sorry you don't like Artemis, but I do. So hah, Sasuke is cool no matter what you say and his girl counterpart is as well
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine
Warnings: None
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Artemis Matthews could not sleep; she was filled with thoughts that scurried and taunted her mind. With a hefty sigh she walked from her bed down to the kitchen; carelessly she opened her fridge and retrieved a can of Heineken beer and a pack of cigarettes that were lying on her kitchen counter. Slowly almost ghost like she walked out of her large French doors and on to her front patio. Shivering due to the cool breeze she sat on the patio floor and lit up a cigarette. Taking a swig of her open beer can she then let her hair fall from her ponytail, the now loose crimson locks danced and played elegantly in the wind.
Placing the beer can on the ground next to her she proceeded with her next drug; placing the cigarette between her lips she inhaled then exhaled continuing this pattern as she preoccupied herself watching the smoke exit her parted full lips. It was a bad habit she knew that it wouldn't do any good to her health, but it calmed her when she was troubled and she definitely felt troubled.
Why couldn't she get him off her mind? It was like a cheesy romance novel where the girl lusts for the bad boy, but no what she was feeling wasn't lust, it was more or less how intriguing he was sort of like a mystery clashed with sorrow. His onyx eyes and haughty smirk hid how he actually felt inside; it was like a mask shadowing the real man behind it. The redhead knew how that felt she lived with that same mask all her life. Rubbing her temples she let the nights happening replay in her head, she never was good with words, always rough around the edges, never one to use charm or allure. It was always what she thought and nothing else. But then again looking at her life she never needed charm or to flirt a boy to go her way, there had been no boys, no girls, hell there had been no one, except him. The thought of the man that had ruled her life brought hate to her body, the feeling consuming everything else; she watched as her cigarette burned against her palm the lit edge creating a burn mark on her perfect skin, it disappeared seconds later and she gave this healing a sardonic smile. Everything related to him, even the burns from her cigarette, he had made sure she would be immune to fire.
With a final swig she downed the last of the bittersweet beer, cursing inwardly at the fact that she should've brought a whole pack of beers instead of just one.
"Damn." Her lips pursed together as she started to get up to get another Heineken.
"I think you have had enough for tonight. Don't want to leave yourself vulnerable and wasted on your front yard." Artemis's brown eyes widened at the man before her. His black hair glistened as poof of smoke her had appeared in began to fade.
"You're not my fucking mother." She shot him a death glare, how dare he talk to her like that, she could very well protect herself!
"I'm very glad for that fact. I would've killed myself if I had a child as ugly as you." He gave her a genuine smirk, if smirks could be genuine, while he inwardly questioned himself, ugly? She was far from ugly; maybe she was just as pretty as Sakura or even prettier. Wait was he just calling Sakura pretty?
The Uchiha prodigy shook his head to clear all plaguing thoughts, things like this just showed weakness and he had traveled so far from being weak.
Artemis gave him a smirk in return and patted the tiled ground next to her, without further argument he sat next to the striking redhead. The two leaned their heads against the glass pane and sat in comfortable silence, both being used to nothing but the sound of their own thoughts. The redhead lit another cigarette and inhaled then watched as the smoke flew from her mouth.
"Its bad for you."
"So I have been told."
Silence once again.
"The job."
Artemis cocked and eyebrow in question, "What about it."
"I will take it." He said it with no hesitation not a movement was passable on his handsome face.
"Good." Was all she murmured in reply
An arrogant sneer formed at his lips, "As long as I get to kill him my own way."
She shot back with just as much arrogance, "As long as he suffers, As long as he dies."
The smirks faded and a serious air filled the atmosphere, "He wont be easy to take down, he has thought me everything I know."
The Uchiha glared at the thought of weakness, of the possibility of failure.
"I know. Not even I can bring him down."
It was his turn to cock an ebony eyebrow in question.
"Its a lot to explain. Come inside, maybe you will understand these means of revenge better."
"Hn." Was his monosyllable reply
The two walked in closing the French doors behind them.
Tonight was a night for answers.
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Run, it was all she could do as the Kunai's flew from the trees, one grazed her arm as she continues to flee from her attackers. They had had him captured and she was going to save, save him before he was killed. It had been two years since they left their lives as ninja's and the two had decided to go separate ways, now she wished the world that they hadn't.
He never thought much of her, nothing but a pathetic and spoiled brat of the main branch; he always said that she would never around to anything, that her destiny had already been set. But a certain blonde many years ago had shown her different and whether her cousin liked it or not she didn't care, she was going to save him.
A black figure appeared before her, it was a woman all in black leather; nothing was visible under the black leather except a pair of gleaming yellow eyes and blood red lips. The girl shivered despite the heat, blood red, a color she had seen enough off.
The woman went towards her already forming hand movements, collecting her chakra, ready to attack.
And she couldn't do anything, her blood began to boil, and she did the last thing she wanted to do, scream.
It pierced the eerie quietness with a force to be reckoned with.
The scream held the pain she had been keeping in, pain for the dead, for lost friends, pain for the rotting corpses that were intoxicating the once sweet air.
"Your nothing but a pathetic little girl, it's a waste of my energy to try and kill you. You shouldn't even be on the list of ninja's we were hired to kill." The yellow woman spat at her feet, a gesture of rudeness and disrespect.
"You going to be licking that spit up." A husky voice entered the scene.
The woman's yellow eyes widened in fear, "We killed you!"
"Apparently not. Or I wouldn't be standing here. Now would I?"
The dark purple almost black-haired girl turned towards the voice, "No!" She whispered to herself, he couldn't be saving her again.
"She's a highly respected woman, so bow down woman before I make you, bow done before Miss Hinata."
No! Her white eyes widened with anger and before she could stop herself the words escaped her lips, "Byakugan, the all seeing eye!"
Her yell scared the remaining birds of their branches; the veins around her eyes began to pop out. With a cry she ran towards the woman knocking her to the ground and in a blood lust that was new to the once humble woman began. In an instant all life in the yellow eyes were gone, she had killed the woman.
She had killed all of them.
All fifteen men and the woman, and guilt still had yet to settle in.
The blood lust ended, and anger of always being underestimated, of seeing everyone die, of being helpless faded.
With a weep she fell to the ground.
Hinata Hyuuga woke up in a feverish sweat, her clothes clung to her perspiring body as unwanted memories fluttered back. The dream had come back, no the reality of it all had returned. She was no longer the weak shy little girl with no interest in a fight, back there in that forest there had been a different her, a one that enjoyed pain and suffering, one that desired death. And it scared her, scared the living hell out of her, she was not that woman in the forest, and she was never going to be her again.
With newfound assurance Hinata walked towards her cousin's room, they where staying at the Cherry Bar's inn. Naruto and Sakura had given them the two rooms for free saying that their safety was all that mattered not the money. Room 4 came into sight and she quietly knocked on the door. A loud grumble of a complaint was heard but the door opened anyway to reveal her well-built cousin.
"N-Neji may I come in?"
He said nothing but gestured her to come on in, she sat down on his bed bringing her knees to her chest.
"I-I had that dream again."
"The one with pink bunnies and Naruto?" He gave her a smirk.
And she appreciated the try at humor but now was not the time, "Y-you know which one Neji."
His mouth formed a small 'oh' and he sat next to her on the bed. She sighed burying her head in his muscled chest, it took all her might not to cry, she had promised herself to be strong, not a tear would fall.
"You are not that woman Hinata. It is not in your destiny to become her, no you must fight her, she will always be there, finding a way to break free, to control you, but you must not let her."
"But I am not strong enough." She whimpered then cursed at herself, how pathetic could she be?
"You are strong. You have proved me so over the years that we have been hiding." He sounded almost reassuring.
"A-aa I know Neji. I just don't want to become her again."
"And you wont." His words sounding so sure of them it almost calmed her, almost.
"T-thank you cousin. I will go down and see if the kitchen is up, maybe get a bowl of Ramen to calm myself."
"Hn. Goodnight Miss Hinata." He gave her a small smile that he only had for her and maybe occasionally for Tenten then he climbed back into bed.
"Goodnight cousin."
Softly she made her way through the small inn's kitchen, a light was on which meant that someone there was awake. Hopefully it was someone she didn't mind to share company with, she didn't feel so secure of herself at the moment.
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He had been up since his friends had gone to bed. Naruto had questions and he wanted answers, unfortunately no one had answers, hell everyone was probably asking the same thing.
Why had they been reunited?
Why all at the same time; the same night?
Fate was a funny thing. Pulling tricks on you when you least expect them, it was much like him. It was not that he didn't enjoy seeing them again, it was actually refreshing to see their faces to know that they where not dead it gave him a sense of security.
The blonde banged his head on the wooden table out of frustration, why the hell couldn't he think! All his thoughts where to muddled with each other, he was more confused than usual.
The sound of small footsteps where heard interrupting his confusing thoughts.
A beautiful woman strode in with nothing on except an almost see through white shirt and purple boxers. It took him moments before her actually realized who she actually was.
"HINATA!" His drooling mouth now hung open even wider due to shock.
Crimson trailed her pail cheeks awakening a hidden blush, "N-Naruto, not so loud, you might awake the others."
"Oh." He scratched his head and gave her a goofy grin.
"What would you like? I will be at your service you better believe it!" With an exaggerated wink he grinned again at her blush. She actually looked kind of cute.
"Do you have ramen."
He gave her a 'you have got to be kidding look'
"S-sorry stupid question. Could I have a bowl?"
Naruto's face lit up, "Sure seven bowls coming right up!"
He skipped towards the kitchen and Hinata sat herself at the now empty table. Feelings had been reawakened, she suddenly felt calmer, it was nice knowing that Naruto would be there to make sure she would be safe.
"Back!" His loud voice not affecting her delicate ears at all.
Seven steaming bowls of Ramen were set before her and she couldn't help but grin as he greedily finished two bowls before she even had a spoonful.
"So what's up?" He looked at her as food dribbled down his mouth, she wiped it with a napkin, managing not to blush at her action.
"Bad dreams." Hinata whispered the two words like the devil himself was her matter of subject.
" I get those a lot. Once it was of Sasuke chasing after me as a transvestite. Very disturbing, I tell you Sasuke makes an ugly woman."
Hinata giggled at the thought but her face went serious again. "No not like that Naruto, more like bad memories."
"OH." Naruto looked confused for a while but he just shrugged it off.
"More Ramen?"
Hinata shook her head to signal no, she then sighed leaning her head back into the seat. Naruto wouldn't understand.
"I understand. Do you want to tell me? I have done bad things as well."
Hinata opened her wide eyes in surprise, "A-Aa All right."
Tonight was a night for surprise.
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Ino sighed as she brushed her blonde hair, it was now short and done in a bob cut, it was against her wishes but I had to be done, long blonde hair drew a lot of attention and although she still was the same Yamanaka Ino attention was the last thing she wanted.
"Hair is so troublesome."
Ino had to grin despite herself as she turned to face the man that lay on her bed.
"Shika, you are troublesome."
He lazily waved his hand to symbolize 'whatever' and she in turn stuck her tongue out at him.
"Just like old times huh?" She plopped herself next to him on the queen size bed, both of them staring at the ceiling that seemed to mock them.
"No. Not like old times at all."
Ino gave a sad smile, "You're right. But I can't help but hope sometimes. You know that we could just go back, and do things different."
"You mean stop them from outlawing Ninjas?" Shikamaru turned to face her waiting for an answer.
"Its stupid I know. But don't you just wish sometimes?"
"Yeh. It was troublesome, but this isn't any better." She giggled at his reply and snuggled close to him.
The pony-tailed man said nothing, his thought patterns picking up again from their lazy style, "Ino you are very troublesome."
Ino glared at him and he smiled idly in return. The two soon let the sleep take over them unaware of a pair of blue eyes watching them with interest.
Tonight was a night for new beginnings.
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"Do you love him?" Tenten smiled softly at the once pink haired girl as she asked the fragile question.
Sakura pondered this for a bit, did she still love Sasuke, "No."
What a fucking lie, both she and Tenten knew the truth, she could never stop loving Uchiha Sasuke.
"Do you love him?" Sakura smiled at her friend happy to have found a way to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Who" Tenten fumbled with her hands a bit, looking like Hinata.
"You know who."
"Neji?" His voice made the panda bear bun girl shiver.
"Yes, him." Sakura now took interest to the matter.
"Yes, yes I think I do." It was hard to admit the truth before, but now due to the circumstances she began to wonder, had she loved him all along. But most of all, would he love her back?
Tonight was a night for confessions.
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Sasuke tried to reel in the information all at once, it shocked him, which was a rare thing to be done, he was barley surprised.
"You were his apprentice as well?"
"Yes. Since I was two years old."
"Why do you want him dead?"
"I already told you."
The two locked eyes, brown met black in an electrifying affect.
"Yes. Yes you did. For revenge. But why?"
She turned away from him, not wanting to show the hurt that filled her big brown eyes.
"Because I loved him."
Yes tonight, was definitely a night for all those things, but most of all it was night that symbolized change.
Yes change was in the air for all of them, and most of it wouldn't be easy.
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Okay, another sort of cliffhanger, sorry if it wasn't much of a chapter. Please review!
I worked hard, so I hope for some nice long reviews! Maybe a chapter dedication will come your way for a nice long review.
Okay fine IL stop with the bribes, sorry! Don't arrest me!
xx