Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Rating: M
(this story is rated mature for a reason.)
special thanks to reviewers
Chapter 2
"Bell"
'Dark . . .Why is it so dark?'
'Where am I? . . . I feel like I'm floating'
'Have I finally died?'
Clunk . . . Clunk . . . Clunk
If there is something in side please knock four times.
'Yes, YES! I'm here!'
Nothing
'No I'm HERE! Listen!'
clunkrattlerattle. . . clunk rattlerattle. . . clunkrattlerattle. . . clunk.
Something's in there
'I'm in here.'
No . . . forget . . stay quite. . . just pretend . . . never herd
'No! I'm Here, don't leave me in the Dark! Don't forget me, HEAR ME!'
clunk! clunk! Clunk! Clunk! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!
"STOP IT!"
'What? No, please don't leave me alone. Why am I always alone?'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
'Please Please Please Please Please Please'
'Pop'
'Thank you'
Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell
What they saw made bother Temari and Kankuro gap openly while Gaara's eye widen, slightly with his mouth before his emotionless mask was back in place.
"Dear Kami."
"It's a . . . girl"
In side the crate was a very large metal cage, and in the center of the cage was a girl sitting on her knees. She had very long blue/black hair that hid her face completely from view and was as pale as snow. She wore long sleeves, open wrist, white t-shirt, puffy looking pants and black leather gloves. All looking very worn and old with usage.
"Shit, is she alive? I don't see her moving." whispered Kankuro. "Dear Kami, look at all those chains."
Neck, wrist, mid arm, ankle, mid thighs, waist was all clamped into place with big, heavy looking clamps, forcing her to remain in the middle of the cage. But what stood out around all the chains was the small silver bell tied around her neck with some black ribbon.
"Of course she's fucking alive, she was just banging a few moments ago." hissed back Temari.
Both Kankuro and Temari stiffened as the sound of rattling chain filled the air. The caged girl slowly looked up, her hair gradually parted, reviling an emotionless white procaine mask. As she opened her lavender tinted eyes she turned to look at the two siblings to her right.
She leisurely scanned Temari, taking in her slightly small but lean body in the long black kimono that reached to her ankles with tight sleeves and her four blond, spiky ponytails. She then moved to Kankuro, about a half a foot taller that his sister with a well built body that was wearing all black with a dog eared hood. She spent a moment looking at his unusual purple and whit painted face before turning at last to Gaara who stood right in front of her.
She saw that he was quit tall, at least half an inch more than his brother, not as built but still able to look stronger. He was wearing black pants that had two brown strips wrapped around his right leg, one in the mid thigh and the other mid cafe, and one around the knee of his left leg. He had a long maroon jack on with a one shoulder brown vest holding up his large gourd. She slightly leaned in a bit as she took in his wild looking rust red colored hair and heavily lined sea green eyes. She then slightly turned her head, in a puppy looking fashion, as she looked at the kanji tattoo on the upper right side of his forehead that read 'love'.
"What should we do?" hissed Temari as she slightly pulled Kankuro back a bit.
"Maybe we could box her up again." He said as he looked between Gaara and the masked girl.
"We can't do that," she said smacking him in the arm, "Dame it, no one said anything about it being a girl, for crying out loud she looks to be about Gaara's age." She said waving her arm between the two,
"How the hell can you tell? She's wearing a mask. Look I just don't feel all that comfortable with those creepy white eyes looking at me. They just look so . . . so soulless." He said as he begins to frown.
"Lavender tinted."
"What?"
"Her eyes are Lavender tinted if you look closely, not white." She corrected.
"Lavender? Oh I see- wait no that's not the point. I'm saying that she makes me a bit uneasy."
"So, Gaara makes you feel the same way." She whispered making sure Gaara could not hear.
"Yeah, well I don't really get a chose do I, and besides he's our brother. But Gaara's different; at least when he looks at something it's always with a glare. She doesn't, she just gives me the impression that she is looking not only at me but through me. I don't know, it's hard to explain." He said getting frustrated.
"I know what you're trying to say but I can't let you box her back in there, not after all the noise she made. Besides think about it, all those rumor, the way everyone acted about it. We don't know what she can do, and I don't want to find out by making her mad. I mean for Kami's sake look at all the fucking chains attracted to that girl."
"All right, All right. We wont put her back in the box." He said with a frustrated look on his face. "This has just gotten a lot more complicated."
"Look, all we have to do is be very careful around her, kind of like another Gaara. Except she's in a cage and he's not." She said before slowly moving towards her. "Um, Hi there." said Temari as the masked girl turned to her. There was a long moment of silence before the girl gave her a small nod. "Um . . . o.k. I'm Temari. Um, this is kind of weird." She said as she placed a hand behind her head.
"Look, we're taking you and there is nothing you can really do about it. Um . . . kind of sorry about the situation, we were told to retrieve something and we didn't really know that it was you." interrupted Kankuro as he walking up beside his sister, trying to look anywhere but at the caged girl.
"Shut-up! Your making it sound worst than it is." said Temari and she smacked Kankuro over the head.
"Well how the hell am I supposed to say it. Hey where mufluifeg-"
"Shut-up!" she hissed as she slapped her hand over his mouth. "Sorry about him, he can be a bit of an ass sometimes. Ow! Dame it Kankuro, don't bit me!"
"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you were not trying to suffocate me." He hissed back at her.
"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you learned how to keep your dame mouth shut. Now say you're sorry to . . . to . . . say what's your name?" she asked as she turned back to the masked girl. The girl seemed to look a bit confused as she watch the two siblings biker with one anther, with her head turned once again in a puppy like manner. After a moment she straighten back up right and lifted her head up and slightly to the left exposing her neck to them. When she saw no one react she made another forward motion with her neck. Minutes passed before finally Temari moved a bit closer towards the girl, and that's when small red letter caught her eyes just right of the center of the clamp around her neck.
"Hi-na-ta." Temari slowly read as Hinata turned her head to look at her giving her a slight nod. "Hu . . . that's a nice name."
"Yeah, who would have thought to name a clan's allotment weapon that? Then again they had the whole fricken compound white so maybe they're just crazy enough to do something like that." commented Kankuro earning him self another smack over the head. "Shit Temari, stop fucken hitting me."
"Well why don't you-"
"That's enough." spoke a deep monotone voice, causing the two to stiffen and turn towards their right with fearful eyes. They felt a cold shiver crawl up their spins as Gaara gave them a deadly glair before her turned his attention back to Hinata. Both siblings jumped as the cork on Gaara's gourd popped off and sand began to pour out.
As the sand hissed onto the ground it slowly began to slither towards the cage, circling once before lifting it in the air, removing it form the crate and walking away. After a few seconds both Temari and Kankuro released a breath of relief and followed behind their brother.
"That was very, very close." whispered Kankuro whipping some sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah, but that still leaves us with problems. We still have to retrieve our thing back at camp and travel as quickly as we can, because I very well doubt that the Hyuga clan will stop searching if that is their allotment weapon. Also we don't have enough supplies to last four people the whole trip back to Suna. And knowing our luck we're going to have to travel the long way back so they'll think where going to the country of the wave. Dame it I hate it when things get complicated." sighed Temari.
"You're not the only one." he mumbled back.
Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell
"Fucking pricks. Temari, we can't keep dodging them like this. That was the third time they almost got us, and their coming closer and closer each time. The cage is slowing us down." hissed Kankuro as he leaped from tree branch to tree branch before leaping back on to the ground next to his sister.
"I know!" she said back whipping a hand over her frustrated face, both of them were quickly become short tempered and very stressed out by the situation.
They had all been running for nearly six hours straight, the only taking breaks at the times they had to hide from Hyuga search parties. Although while one half to their group was becoming desperate the other seemed to unusually quite and calm. Of course one of them was a crazed killer and the other was stuck in a cage with nothing to do but watch the three of them.
"We're going to have to let her out." said Temari in a serious tone.
"Temari, I really don't think that is a good idea." replied Kankuro weakly.
"I know but I can't think of anything else. Either we get caught and die painfully or we let her out and possibly die horrific and extremely painful deaths. Although I am more than sure that Gaara will come out of this with out a scratch but I don't really see much of a chose here." she said as a frown began to fall on her face.
". . . where do you want to do it?"
"Remember when we passed that bottom less cliff. Its not to far from here, if we were to do it there and don't end up getting killed we can dump that cage off the cliff, were it wont be found." she said was a glancing far ahead of her to Gaara and the floating cage close behind him. "We still have to tell Gaara."
"I guess I'll do it." He said with an unwilling look on his face before quickening his pace, running swiftly up beside him. "Hey Gaara, we need to stop for a bit, over by that cliff near by." he nervously said to Gaara after he turned his cold eyes towards him.
"Hn." was his only reply as he glared sharply towards his brother.
Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell Bell
When they all reached the cliff they looked closely at the area to make sure it was isolated. The area was oddly peace full; spread out amount the giant trees. The cliff was unusually well hidden, with the surrounding lands giving no hit of its location. It also gave a very large view of the surrounding area.
"Hey Temari, look the grass is greener on the other side." said Kankuro pointing at some small patch of grass below the cliff.
"Wise ass." She mumbled under her breath as she turned to Hinata seconds before the cage was placed down. "Hey Hinata, I have a question." She said as she slowly walked up to the cage and squatted in front of it. At the sound of her name Hinata turns from her view of the landscape to look at Temari who was eye leveled with her. "Did you like where you were before we took you?" At this Hinata eyes widen greatly in shock. She looks at Temari then to the other two siblings before looking back at her. She then shook her head slowly left and right.
"Do you want to go back?" asked Temari gentle with a kind smile. This got her a quicker nod of no. "Would you be willing to come with us . . . out of the cage?" At this Hinata's eyes widen a bit more as she try's to scoots a bit closer to Temari looking at her closely before turning her head making her look confused.
"Why?" All three of the sand sibling's eyes widen when they heard her voice. It was so gentle, like a whisper, and innocent sounding; something you would never except to be coming form such a person.
"Wow she can talk, I thought that she was a mute." quietly commented Kankuro as he leaned in a bit closer, everyone encoring him.
"Well honestly, it would be a lot quicker." Temari said back with a guilty smile.
"N-no . . . I . . . I mean why . . . why are you going to trust me?" she asked.
"Why not?" she asked with a playful smile on her face. "You haven't given me a reason not to. So you want to come with us?" There was a long moment of silence as Hinata looked closely at everyone before she gave a strong nod yes. "Great! Kankuro, help me with this." She said as she pulled a few lock pick out of her sleeve and began to make quick work out of the lock. The cage opened in an unusual way, making it need two people to open it by lifting the door upwards. Then they went to work on the locks on the clamps, Temari working on the one around her waist and Kankuro the two on her mid thighs.
"Shit! Temari, I since a very large group of Hyuga coming this way. We have five minutes maybe less if we're lucky." hissed Kankuro as both he and Temari remove finished with the thighs and waist locks.
"Move, I'm going to have to cut them." she said removing her fan from her back. "Don't move Hinata." The second her brother was out of the way she flicked her fan open and made two vertical slices, cutting Hinata free. "Come on we have to move quickly!"
Clap . . . Clap . . . Clap . . . . Clap
"Wow, I really didn't think you would get that desperate. Well that's what I get for thinking highly of my enemy." chuckled a voice causing everyone's heads to jerk towards it. "Now come along Hinata, Lord Hiashi misses his special little girl."
They were surrounded; dozens on Hyuga soldiers were in front of them and a cliff behind them, trapping them. Both Temari and Kankuro moved into an attack stains ready for any on coming attacks.
"Now, now that wouldn't be a very good idea." said a baled, very short and fat man with a frog like face as he walked out from behind a few much taller men. "Hinata, come on we can't wait all day." He said motioning his hand as if calling to a puppy.
She continued to sit on her knees looking between the siblings and man calling to her. She then slowly rocked onto her hands and began walking on her hands and feet in a dog like manner. Both Temari and Kankuro were shocked by her movements, while Gaara's eyes only widen slightly as she walked out of the cage. As she began to walk toward the frog like man she stopped by Temari.
"Did you mean what you said?" she asked softly turning her masked face slightly towards her.
"Yes." She whispered back with a serious look on her face. This cause Hinata to look up fully from of the ground to her, before turning to look back at the frog man.
"Come along Hinata, you've spent enough time with those tugs. Be a good girl, if come along quickly I'll let you slice them up. Look I even brought your Katana with me." He said as he pulled out the sword from behind his back. The sword was long with a black sheath, were as the handle was a mixture of dark blue and black ties. But what made it stand out was the small silver snow flak in the center of the handle.
Hinata took a long look at the sword, slightly fixated at the snow flak, before looking at the ground. She took one last close look at each of the siblings before setting her shoulders.
"Hinata?" Temari gasped as she watched her walk in front of her, almost if a protective manner.
"Hinata that's a bad thing you are doing." said the frog man as if he were talking to a small child.
"I . . . I know." she said gently yet firm.
"Hinata, if you don't come along then I'll have no chose but to use this." He said as he pulled out a small black flute from his sleeve with his left hand. This caused Hinata to slightly falter as eyes widen greatly and she began to shake. "Now I am going to count to three, if your not here by then I will us it. One. . . . . . . Two . . . . . ."
That's when time seemed to slow down. One second Hinata was standing by Temari, the next she had taken the sword away from the frog man and completely removed his left hand sending it flying into the air, spraying blood everywhere.
"Three." gently whispered Hinata. Then before the frog man could react to the lost of his hand she jumped up, jamming her feet into his stomach sending her flying after the hand. The man's screams soon filled the air as he gripped his wrist as blood began to squirt out.
As time seemed to move back into place, everyone's eyes were locked on to Hinata as she reached for the dismembered hand just inches away from her hand. Then just before she grabbed it sand zipped in front of her and snatched it. When she landed back on all fours she watched as the sand roughly removed the flute form the hand before heading back to its masters. Her eyes widen as she watched Gaara take it gently from his sand and placed it inside his jacket.
"Kill them and get that fucking Bitch." shouted the frog man to his men with raw hatred in his eyes just as some of his own blood spat out onto his face.
"Well looks like where in for a fight." said Kankuro with a smile on his face as he reached behind him for the three large scrolls.
"Hn, finally I get to have some fun." laughed Temari as she flung open her fan.
"Hn" was Gaara's only comment but the blood thirsty look in his eyes and the violent sand circling him was all that was needed to know what he wanted.