"All we need is information. It'll save you a lot of trouble."
The shaking figure rose his head towards the two with menacing eyes. The prey hissed his teeth at the predator.
"And you can just suck my dick."
"The fuck did you just say?!"
"Naruto relax." Sasuke stood from his seat and marched towards the coward, his red eyes glaring at his soul with straight lips. "He's only trying to buy time."
With that in mind, the raven haired boy raised his gun and shot the man in the shoulder. Bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the room and the figure rolled around on the floor, attempting to ease the pain. Sasuke had no idea how that was helpful when he was just spreading the pain instead. Sometimes, people made no sense to him. Nevertheless, he shrugged it off seeing as that wasn't the point.
"Allow me to reiterate. You can simply tell us where you last saw them. We know you were the last person to speak with them." For greater emphasis, he stopped the movements of the rolling body by forcing his foot onto his shoulder. Black blood drenched his leather shoes and travelled across the victim's suit and face, gurgling in his own blood. The hands behind his back were trapped by his handcuffs and the rope that tugged onto his ankles limited movement. He looked like a trapped seal, all the more amusing when he was rolling around.
"And it'll save you from a lot of pain."
Behind Sasuke, Naruto crossed his arms and smirked at the entertaining scene. His back relaxed further against the wall as he knew Sasuke had this situation covered. Every once in a while, it was fun to see him take charge and gain the information they needed in twisted, sick ways. Naruto was more upfront about it, eager and ready to break the jaws of those who'd fail to speak up. Every punch would become faster and stronger until they gave in and blurted out everything, with a teeth or two spitting out. In contrast, Sasuke was on the other side of the spectrum. The pain would be much more long lasting and it was so torturous, beyond imagination. Whilst Naruto was very impatient, Sasuke wasn't; this was they key difference to their tactics.
It could take up to hours for Sasuke to torture such victims if he was feeling dark enough.
But today they were in a bit of a rush so he switched to his gun.
"Now speak."
"N..Never."
The foot on his shoulder pushed downwards with brutal strength, causing another scream.
"I said speak."
Red eyes intensified towards such weak eyes, ready to take necessary action if any of his words came out as a lie. Sasuke was no fool and could not be deceived.
"Th...They moved south."
A bullet shot through his other shoulder, earning another cry for help and a rapidly expanding pool of blood.
"Try again."
You see? Sasuke's eyes never failed to trick him.
The groans from the coward turned to whimpers, he knew was death was awaiting him the moment he was taken to see the very pissed off Konoha Four. The events of the previous night may have gone unnoticed to many people, but the four boys awoke from their unconscious state in that all too familiar location fuming with rage. They now had more enemies and now more people to kill. Revenge was always resolved with these boys, one immoral way or another.
"W..West. Last I saw they were one hour west from here."
His hypnotising eyes expanded.
"Is that your final answer?"
Tears flowed down his eyes with a nod. The foot on his shoulder elevated and rested along the wooden floor. As his left hand rested in his pocket he turned to his friend.
"I think the world would do well with less liars," Sasuke smirked as he shot the coward in between his eyes without looking.
The predator had killed the prey.
Naruto saw his red eyes fading and return to his normal, seemingly 'attractive' navy colour.
"One hour west? We can get there in 40 minutes."
"20."
"25." Two males joined the conversation, walking around the dead body nonchalantly.
"I guess that this," Kiba edged his head towards the dead body, "took about 20 minutes."
"No there's three bullets so it took 10." Of course, Shikamaru's smart intuitions led him towards the correct answer.
"10 it was. We know where we need to go so why are we still standing here?"
"I'd still say we can make it to the Sand Siblings by 25 minutes."
"25 it is!" Naruto cracked his knuckles with a determined grin.
She walked along the streets of Sunagokure, a series of knives hidden in her sash and a last resort gun hugging her right thigh. There was business to attend, and although many of their guards would often to these things for the trio, she took matters in her own hands. And this was not just any person she was going to visit, she was a dear friend of hers who she bared no ill will. Resorting to murder would contaminate her already bloody hands and that was not her primary achievement. All she needed was information.
Specifically, she needed a name.
With the most friendly smile she could plaster, she rang the doorbell opposite a charming house, coated with beige paint. The 'welcome' mattress lied beneath her shoes and a flattering presentation of flowers lied across the front of the house. In this desert city, where sandstorms were regular and the bare branches of trees were the resting stool of crows, flowers were a sight for sour eyes. It was nice to see the colour of green leaves besides the orange desert every now and then. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a petite figure with coral black eyes but chocolate, brown hair.
"Temari?!"
"Matsuri."
"Oh my goodness!" The female threw her arms around Temari, who was surprised in response. "I was getting so worried about you, you always go through such long days and nights and do so much and never take off time to relax an-"
"Matsuri, Matsuri it's okay. I like what I do."
Most of the time.
The younger female pushed herself back from her shoulders and analysed her close friend's features.
"Hmmm you seem to have enough sleep and you don't have bags underneath your eyes. You have no scratches either."
"Hey can you try to not look at me so closely? It's been so long." A sweat drop fell behind her head.
"Oh sorry. I'll make you some tea, come in!" However it didn't seem like Temari had a choice as Matsuri pushed her towards the kitchen, running to close the front door and running back towards the kettle. Nervousness twitched her fingers as she attempted to grab two cups as quickly as possible in aims of impressing her rather prestigious guest.
"You don't have to be so scared of me you know." Another sweat drop descended behind her head.
"I'm not but I want to make you feel more at home!" Her head frantically turned to find two plates before she could place one of Temari's guilty pleasures on top of them. Finishing her preparations, she placed a warm cup of tea on the table with her favourite food presented on the side.
"You know I'm too old to eat sweets like these."
"You've lost weight and one dango won't harm you! Eat eat." Aged 21 and yet, Matsuri's childish soul radiated towards Temari. How could she not oblige to the most simple household rules: eat what you are given, it's disrespectful not to. Therefore she happily savoured the taste of her favourite sweet, reminiscing her early teenage years when she was first introduced to such food. The siblings were starting to climb up the social ladder and decided that it was time to act like their age for a change. Unfortunately the price of prioritising their career was that they simply lacked the knowledge of how a teenager 'acts'. The idea of eating 'teenage foods' like crisps, cakes and other sweets was their first, ridiculous suggestion but the four pig-tailed woman was always drawn towards the mysterious sweet of dango. The Japanese dumpling was coated in colours of the rainbow and luck would have it that Temari resided near such a shop. Then, fate determined her meeting with Matsuri where their eyes first locked. Back then, most teenagers were repulsed by the siblings. Inhumane, unnatural punks like them had no place in the teenage bubble. But rather than running away in fear, she gave a soft smile and gestured to sit alongside her. It was the start of a beautiful friendship all because of a pink coloured Japanese dumpling.
It felt like years after Matsuri ran around the house to ensure Temari's surroundings were as perfect as possible. Once she sit down and sipped her tea, she grimaced.
"The tea is cold."
This in turn caused her friend to chuckle.
"Of course it is, you were running all over the place. You've seem to have forgotten that we're friends, your house could be a mess but it wouldn't bother me."
"I know but I just wanted everything to be perfect."
"'Perfect'? Why?"
"So everything is clean and nice before I die."
The motionless woman emptied the contents of her tea before slowly placing the cup onto the table. She wished that she wouldn't say such an upsetting thought but couldn't blame her blunt nature. After all, Temari was the one who introduced and influenced the honest 'speak your mind' attitude upon her. The two pairs of eyes stared at each other, one shaking with surprise and the other drowning with sorrow.
"Temari... I didn't think twice before I realised why you were here. You know about my husband."
And indeed she did, her guilt covered eyes didn't hide that. Her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of misery of her dear friend before she breathed a sigh. They both came a long way together and achieved their dreams with the brightest of smiles. Now all of a sudden: one was partly responsible for the death of her husband and the other knew she would be next to die.
"I do."
The prey shivered under the eyes of the predator.
"I want to ask you several questions." Matsuri whispered.
"Anything."
A pause.
"Was it you who shot him?"
"No."
Another pause.
"You swear?"
"I swear."
"Then who was it?"
The bad part was, she was unsure. The worst part was, it was likely to be Gaara, the man who Matsuri once loved. Although it could have been the other two Konoha brats, the one with blonde hair or the other with red stroke marks, the odds were in Gaara's favour. Given that her husband's body was found in the farthest side of the room and a bullet went through between his eyes, only Gaara could muster a shot from such a distance. The other two Konoha males may have been talented, but not as talented as her youngest brother.
The ex-lover killed her new lover.
Gaara indirectly destroyed her heart.
Not once but twice.
"You look unsure."
She wasn't unsure, she was conflicted.
"Perhaps. But I cannot say for certain."
The female shook her head.
"You have names in your mind don't you?"
"3. One is more likely than the other two but it's based on my intui-"
"I believe you. If you can't say for sure then I can't ask you. I'd rather have the final answer addressed to me in confidence." Slowly ascending from her seat, she placed her hands by the side of the kitchen sink and looked out her window. Her garden was spacious, enveloped by sand and dead trees. The climate here in Sunagokure meant the absence of greenery, but there was something so beautiful about the orange sand scattered across the horizon. In the distance was the outskirts of Konoha, where a hint of green was noticeable. Everyday, Matsuri would walk inside her house and not notice such beautiful surroundings, such scenes of art. It seemed very fitting to finally notice on the day of her death.
"You never realise what you have until it's gone. I'll miss this, you know?" Her head turned back towards her companion.
"Matsuri why do you think you're going to die?" She never spoke with Matsuri as a gangster, she spoke as a friend.
"Because of your unexplained presence here."
"I would never want to kill you." It was the truth.
"How can I believe that?" Tears invaded the corners of her eyes.
"I want to protect you, your husband worked for a dangerous man." The female rose from her seat with hands planted on the table. Leaning forward, she desperately needed her friend to listen to her and ignore her dangerous, bad ass side for one second.
"Wasn't he the man you helped?! Doesn't that make you the bad person too?"
"No! This is the truth: he never met our side of deal and exploited everything and everyone."
"If you knew he exploited everyone why didn't you help my husband? Why didn't you free him?!"
Her cries became louder and louder.
"He would come back home and no longer looked the same. He was so cold and his eyes were empty. It's like he woke up one day and realised that the world was full of garbage. If you knew all of this then where was the help he deserved?"
The sound of her sniffing deeply upset the figure opposite her.
"Why did he die instead?!" Tears floated in the air and the gangster had never looked so downhearted by the sight of suffering. The familiarity and unfamiliarity of the situation haunted her.
The feeling of losing someone in the hands of the enemy, leaving your hardened heart to shatter in pieces? This once regular encounter turned her into the woman she was today, distancing herself from any form of contact with those who deserved a better life than she did. The innocent souls claimed all because of their friendship with Temari, all because of a simple 'nice to meet you' was unbearable. Too many perished for no reason, and so she was familiar with the feeling of losing someone close to you.
Friends were important, and therefore were a gangster's first target. If she only had her brothers, who else could her enemies go after?
That feeling of giving your heart and mind to your significant other, with the fluttering of butterflies in the stomach and the warm aura in the cheeks glowing with happiness? To look at the one and only person who'd turn your words into jumbles and whose smile was the highlight of your day? To look past the flaw of mankind and realise that the world was indeed a great place when that one person you adored existed?
This was an extract she remembered reading off a fairy tale. This was all unfamiliar to her. Although she loved her brothers, she never loved anyone in this way.
Romantic love was more than unfamiliar, it was uncharted territory. Romantic love made you do stupid things and Temari didn't bother wasting her time on shit like that.
That didn't mean other people wouldn't waste their time. She wasn't Matsuri, who learned to love others for who they were and share divine happiness with that one person.
She had everything, and one night took it all away.
Matsuri's uncharacteristic outburst almost led to Temari grabbing a knife from her sash in defence, but she forcefully froze her hands. She was a friend.
She was a friend and not the enemy, Sakon was.
She was a friend.
"It was too late by the time we realised... I'm sorry Matsuri."
The river of tears stopped flowing down her cheek and a moment of silence encompassed them. Rolling up her sleeves, her tears were wiped away but her misery remained. Their eye contact hadn't broke until she closed her eyes with fatigue and collapsed into her seat, crying was so exhausting.
She slowly sank towards the chair.
"Matsuri I didn't come here to kill you or threaten you. I only came to ask for one thing." She blinked. "Just one."
A series of deep breaths returned her friend back to her sane state. Slowly, her cried out eyes trembled and her eyebrows furrowed with great despair. Forgetting how to breathe was one concern that faced Matsuri, with her parched throat desperate for water or alcohol, anything that would help her.
"You promise me? You promise me that it wasn't you who killed him?"
The predator surrendered to her prey's tears.
"I promise."
A nod and a final wipe from her eyes signalled the episode of pain.
"What do you need?" It was almost a silent whisper.
"Your husband worked for Sakon and when we went to find him yesterday, he took the coward's way out of it. He wouldn't tell us the name of someone he was working for. All I need is just a name."
"A name?" She sniffed.
The gangster nodded.
"After this, we can go our separate ways and you'll never have to see me again. You'll never have to worry about looking at me or my brothers."
She chuckled.
"Don't be ridiculous Temari, I care about you too much to separate from you. I just get scared because whenever you want to see me it's not normally for the greatest of reasons."
"I understand," she smiled. The truth was cold but needed to have been said.
The room filled with silence as Temari awaited for her friend's information.
"He never talked about anyone in particular, he really didn't."
Temari's back relaxed into the wooden chair with hands on her lap. Matsuri was no liar. Whatever she said was as far as the Sand Siblings could go. If she hadn't known anything, they were back to square one where they scavenged the bodies of the dead in search for clues.
Fuck, fuck and fuck.
Matsuri wanted justice and justice was the least she deserved. But what could Temari do if their information was limited? Sure, their men and guards would find a lead and one way or another, they'll eventually find the person they're looking for but by then that would have taken far too long. For Matsuri, she wanted the enemy's head. She wanted the enemy to beg and beg for forgiveness for their sins, she wanted to see blood flow from their lips, eyes and chest.
Gaara hadn't killed Matsuri's husband, it was Sakon.
Whoever Sakon worked for killed her husband.
Revenge was necessary and Temari swore to achieve it.
"But."
"Hm?" She broke away from her deep thoughts.
"I once heard him speak about someone on the phone. It was along the line of a guy named 'Suigetsu'."
"Suigetsu?"
"Yeah they were talking about how he controls Sakon. It's essentially like a pyramid where my husband was at the very bottom, Sakon was above him and Suigetsu was above Sakon."
The name was new to her; perhaps it was new to everyone.
"There must be someone at the very top of the pyramid."
"Yeah and it definitely isn't Suigetsu. Someone is more powerful out there and we're unaware of it. I don't doubt that you and your brothers are at the top, but maybe there's someone else."
"Really?"
Before they could continue, a storm of bullets shot through from the front of the house into the kitchen. Temari's fast reflexes pulled Matsuri towards her and they both remained flat on the ground.
"What?! What's going on?!"
"I don't know! Matsuri, my brothers know I'm here, they wouldn't do this!" Her voice was louder than the swarm of bullets.
"Then who could it be?!"
"I d-" No. No fucking way. Did those punk ass Konoha brats make their way here?! Oh if they did, she would kill them, every last one of them. Pain wouldn't be defined until she killed each of them slowly with a sexy, evil smirk.
"Temari?"
"It doesn't matter anymore, I'm going to hold them off whilst you run." Pulling out her gun from her thigh, her kimono did her justice of hiding weapons.
"You can't, there's too many of them!"
"I've been in worse places," she smirked as she narrowly avoided a bullet that brushed past her pigtail. Crawling towards the entrance of the kitchen, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Wait."
Turning around, Matsuri opened a floor safe underneath the kitchen table and unleashed a metal box. Inside contained documents and pictures of her friends and family, but beneath all those were a variety of weapons. Scavenging through the documents, Matsuri grabbed a grenade for Temari.
"I've been saving this for emergencies. Please use it."
She nodded and took the weapon, setting it aside to grab Matsuri's hand.
"I beg of you, run."
"Will I ever see you again?" Her eyes sparked with concern, only to stare back at a concerned and worried pair of teal eyes.
"One day, but please don't look back. I've brought enough trouble to you so let me do something for you, one last time." The hand on Matsuri's tightened.
"Then I ask for one favour."
"Anything."
"Place flowers by my husband's gravestone."
"Everyday." Temari promised.
"Everyday?"
"For a loyal, amazing friend like you and a gangster like me? Of course. Now run." Kicking the door open, Temari returned to her crouched position and waited for the bullets to die out. In that split second where everything remained calm, she charged towards the sofa in the living room before another hail of bullets erupted. From there, she saw her dearest friend fade into the distance, the metal box taken with her.
Take care Matsuri.
Back to the situation at hand, the windows in the living room turned into shattered glass. Peeping over the sofa, she noticed a black car with several men around it aiming towards the house.
"Damn the Konoha rats." Temari spat as she pulled the top of grenade and threw it past the broken window and towards the cars. As it struck, flames erupted and burned everything surrounding it, assuredly leaving no room for survivors. The mortifying screams of the victims echoed throughout Sunagokure, smoke invading her nose and lungs as she struggled to breathe. Looking around her surroundings, the walls were decorated with empty holes and broken frames. Bullets flooded the floor, stained with glass and broken pieces of furniture.
But the opportunity to leave the house vanished when another hail of bullets aimed towards the woman, rendering her speechless.
"What?!"
Where was this coming from? Everything was burnt to bits, no one was left behind. If there were back up arriving, she would have heard it. So how could this be happening?
Fuck.
The top half of the sofa was now destroyed and there was no chance of her escaping the scene. Crouching down even further towards the ground, her only option was to run towards the staircase and seek refuge upstairs. If Matsuri had a secret safe in her kitchen, there must have been something in her room.
The smell of death and smoke was invasive, giving her more of a reason to run upstairs. Tightening the bands on her four pigtails and holding her emergency gun, she started a mental countdown.
3.
The sofa that provided her protection was crumbling and the bullets were merely inches away from striking her head.
2.
The perfect moment, she was going to wait for it. Just before one bullet could strike past her top pigtail.
Suddenly the screeching of tires and screams interrupted her countdown. There was the unmistakable sound of assault rifles and bodies collapsing towards the ground, with the number of bullets aiming towards Temari decreasing at a rapid rate until there was nothing left. Silence saved the scene, thanks to the arrivals of other gangsters.
Gangsters she knew who were on her side.
Teal eyes looked over the sofa and through to the broken window. She focused on a figure who placed a hand on his hip before he waved frantically towards his sister.
"Temari! You can come out now you don't have to be so scared."
She stood up far too quickly at that statement. Jumping out the window, she marched towards him rather angrily.
Temari did not like being called 'scared'. She knew she was scary and intimidating, but for her to feel scared was impossible.
"That's the way to greet your oldest sister?!"
"You're welcome." His smile teased her.
The growl on her lips faded when she viewed the scene around her. How could she stay mad? They saved her in the end, even though she was more than capable of surviving if she went with her plan. Their guards destroyed the fire and smoke with water and placed covers over the burnt bodies. No one needed to look or smell that horrifying shit, not in their neighbourhood. She knew the people in their homes were looking at them from their windows, uncertain of whether they were bringing safety or trouble to their hometown. Regardless, she folded her arms and looked towards Gaara who was approaching them.
"We heard the gunshots from a few blocks away."
"Who was it? The Konoha brats?" The snarl returned.
Gaara shook his head. "We doubt it."
"How did they know I was here? Or were they trying to kill Matsuri?"
"We'll find out later. More importantly do you have a name?"
She nodded.
"Suigetsu."
"That's unfamiliar..."
"The name rings a bell somehow." Kankuro thought back to when he first heard such a name but his memories had failed him. "I'll ask around."
The red haired boy looked towards the broken house with the shattered display of flowers and empty windows. Behind his emotionless expression, he was worried.
"Where's Matsuri?"
Temari spoke with a dry throat.
"I told her to ran. She must be far from here but she'll be safe. I'll get someone to keep a close eye on her until we know for sure where she is. Afterwards, we cut our connections with her. I don't want her to see us and almost die again."
"Are you sure about this?" Kankuro eyed his sister. "She's a close person to you."
"Which is precisely why I'm doing this," her eyes looked beyond the deserted house, once home to hopes and dreams. She knew she would make her way around and she'd seek shelter somewhere but a small part of her was unsure. The typical energetic and strong Matsuri entered a fragile and vulnerable state where anything could happen to her. All Temari could now do was wait and hope. The Gods of luck may have never been by her side but she called upon them, demanding for Matsuri's safety and certain survival.
The predator freed the prey.
And now, the prey was running for her dear life.
In the desolate streets they were miles away from seeing buildings arise from the sand, which also meant they were stuck underneath the sun. Seasons hadn't affected the weather in Sunagokure, the giant marble of fire brought sweat and heat onto its civilians. But at night, the moon's glow brought shivers and frost in the corners of windows, putting Winters in other cities to shame. Although it never rained and it never snowed, one way or another, the weather had its extremes and were forces beyond nature.
They were in the car when they saw the wisp of black smoke in the distance. The sound of gunfire was faint but as they drove closer to the centre of the city, the sounds were louder and deafening. It was the early hours of the evening and the descending sunset cast a thick shade of orange along the horizon, but gunfire at this time was no good thing. Anyone with common sense knew those who knew how to control their neighbourhood kept their fights and conflicts to the very late hours, not whilst people were roaming the streets and the police were active.
This sparked judgement from the Konoha Gangsters. Could it be that the Sand Siblings were starting to lose control of their neighbourhood?
"This place is rough."
"We could make use of this place don't you think?"
"Nah. With people like the Sand Siblings controlling this place, it's definitely fucked up here. Besides, the system here is harder to control than in Konoha and the politics here are way too complicated (and troublesome)." Shikamaru said strategically. Of course, taking controlling of other neighbourhoods and cities were the best thing a gangster could ask for. But even he knew the Sand Siblings had to work from a very, very young age in order to get to where they currently were. Besides, a few gun fights at this time of day was nowhere near the worst thing that could bestow upon the Hidden Sand Village.
Kiba rolled his eyes, "just thinking about them annoys me."
"Naruto try to find a bar around this place. I could use a drink before we find them."
"Sasuke your alcohol addiction is out of hand."
"Oi Naruto a drink isn't a bad idea, step to it." Kiba kicked the back of Naruto's seat with a playful smile, but it seemed that the blonde didn't feel as playful as he did.
"Teme you're just as bad him!" He looked back towards his friend with narrowed eyes, completely taking his eyes off the road.
"You idiot focus on the road!" Sasuke managed to narrowly avoid crashing into the first building that welcomed them into the city by spinning the wheel in the last second.
Shikamaru sighed. "How did he pass his driving test..."
"Erm," Naruto chuckled as a sweat drop descended behind his hair, "I actually never took mine. I learnt as I went along."
It seemed as if the world's greatest mystery was solved.
"That explains a lot."
"I knew it."
"No wonder why." The other three managed to say at the same time.
"Hey shut up!" Naruto's irritated nature amused his friends. "I got us here didn't I? Look!" He parked nearby a pub, surprised that other cars nearby weren't covered with sand. Better yet, it was weird to think that there'd be cars in the desert. Regardless, on the way here, Naruto had to activate the windscreen wiper to brush away the sand that covered their windows. But he shook off the thought and smiled back at his friends with great satisfaction; his hectic driving still got them to their location without a single scratch.
"I think you should all buy me a drink to make up for your comments!" He held up his thumb and flashed a smile with his teeth; it was his trademark pose.
"You're not even fond of drinking."
"IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS SASUKE." This led to a full blown cry of laughter from the squad. Even Naruto, who eventually found his composure, was able to smile about it as he got out of the car.
"After this, we find the siblings." Although Shikamaru wanted to most annoying part of the day out of his way, a little drink or two couldn't hurt him.
"Definitely. But for now," Sasuke opened the door to the pub, "let's drink."
A/N: Had to make a boring chapter to create a better build up, sorry y'all
Slow updates from now on, my final exams are coming up and I'm only starting to realise that procrastinating will not help me get into university ;-;
Thank you so much for reading! xx