HEAR ME HIME
A/N: I am responsible to offer a sincere apology for my late submissions on this project. I apologize for the long wait, I had tried my best in re-creating this lost chapter.. I hope very much that it warms your hearts so that you my dear, lovely, exciting, readers would be able to forgive this poor soul.
(warning: flashbacks, suspense, mystery, antagonist, short chap*)
Chap9 Hai Guh Sha* Part I
Previously on chapter 7:
"all I want you to do is, get inside the *bleep* forest, go to that temple, you have to search for a woman that has same eyes to mine.. I don't care if you kill her or injure her.. all I want is for you to bring a drop of her tear mixed with her blood, smeared onto this talisman.. before the sunrise, got it?"
He gulped and nodded, "I understand.. highness.".
She smirked, "if you did as I say, I wont kill the rest of your family.. and I will give you a special treat.. if you made it out there alive.".
What is the difference between future and fate? Many people have different opinion of these two F-words, as per say, even the dictionaries has a specific meaning for each of these words. If you ask me, I would refer to them as arrows of life. One arrow that can be evaded is the future arrow, with present time in your palm you can change what is coming in the future, and so, future is an arrow that is shot at your face that you can see to dodge. Meanwhile, what about the fate arrow?
(Chuckles) This is a tricky one. This type of arrow is the one which is shot towards your back, unless if you possess eyes at your back you can't dodge it. Normally humans does not have eyes on the back of their heads so it is impossible to not to get hit by this arrow. It is an arrow that no-one can escape. To me these arrows are co-related to each other to make a boring, normal human's life to get exciting, challenging, extraordinary, and also risky.
Whether it is fate or destiny that has brought them together there that day.. Nobody knows what happens in the future or further in time. All they could do is to dwell in the present time with the memories of their past and bracing oneself for what comes in the future, because life is never easy, and what-not if you're a ninja.. it is worse.
The two ninjas were walking away from the sandy fortress of Suna. Their actual destination was to track down the 5 important S-ranked shinobis who escaped somewhere with a fake excuse. Although the two of them were tired they continued their journey on to find these 5 ninjas of Konoha.
"Growl, growl, growl.. groooOOOOwwWWWLLL.."
'ruffle.. ruffle'
The Boar masked Anbu hugged his stomach tightly to hold the grumbles of his poorly fed tummy, trying his best to hold its protests down. Unfortunately the leader of this mission was walking right beside him, and also, most probably would've noticed his uncomfortable state by now.
He could feel Byakko's stare on him. He peeked through the two little eye-holes of his boar mask, he flinched when his eyes met the two marble white eyes of hers. She was glaring down at him for one second and it somehow switched back into emotionless glass by the next second. The girl turned away from the male Anbu, breaking the eye contact. He looked at her curiously as he saw her rummaging her back pack.
The next second he countered an incoming bento box flying to his face smacking on his mask. The 19 year old male Anbu caught the falling bento in his hands fluently, looking at the woman with curiosity engraved in his frown.
"eat." She said.
The man now looked speechless as he watched the female leader's retreating back. He didn't know she would care for her companions that much as to give them her own last stock of food to him. So, what he could conclude from his observation thus far is that, the rumours that were spread about this Hyuuga white tiger are false.
She is terrible, a vile woman, terrifying and ugly tyrant!
I heard that she kills her captives mercilessly..
She's aggressive, just her infamous spine-chilling death glare is enough to give you nightmares..
She prefers to skin her preys alive before killing them..
She doesn't like to talk.. she hates comrades or team members who doesn't listen.
I heard she beats the living crap out of her own friends.. a male masochist..
These were the complaints most of the Anbu who went on mission with her darted to the Anbu chief, Captain Hawk. But the captain was going easy with her because she was the younger sister of his best friend. Moreover, who could blame him he was a psycho himself before the Hokage defeated him few years back in the war.
Konohamaru gulped down the last bite of the deliciously prepared onigiri and inagi as he followed Hanabi towards the widespread sand. As far as his eyes could see, there was no shelter around the area. He could only guess that there wouldn't be any town nearby to get some rest. He kicked the sand as he walked to lessen the boredom he felt engulfing him ever since he left Konoha with her for the mission. Some of the facts about her were true, indeed, she was not one for talks, she's simply hot tempered he could see that, she's hostile but vigilant.. some part of her are plausible. She is dependable, even as a Jounin who recently entered the Anbu like him, he does make mistakes.. but all she does is to teach him the right way. No angry outbursts, no fists, no kicks.. he was treated fairly as a team mate. Also, for a chick magnet like himself, any of his tricks never worked once on her. That's a shame, but Moegi always falls for these tricks why it didn't work on this chick?
'Apart from having nice boobs.. and brains um.. yeah. And super hour-glass shape.. she doesn't know how to flirt.. no sex appeal, what a waste..' Konohamaru thought to himself.
"Sigh…" Konohamaru sighed to his own thoughts.
"(cough..)"
The boar masked Sarutobi glanced down at his leader with concern, after he heard her cough. She put down her back pack on the sand and kneeled beside it. Without uttering a word she began digging in her bag and pulled the tents out. She stood back up on her foot and began setting up the tent for herself quietly while Konohamaru stared at her without asking a question or following her suit. His dumb attitude caught Hanabi's attention finally.
She stared at the young man before her as he shrugged uncomfortably, "what's wrong?" she asked.
"um.. i.. uhh.. I forgot to bring my tent.. c-could I um.. share with you?" he asked as he was embarrassing himself.
She stared at him blankly for a moment before turning away. Hanabi took off her mask and glanced at Konohamaru over her shoulders.
"Ie." she said.
The 18 year old girl zipped her tent closing the entrance. They had to camp out there for the night before heading out to find their targets the next day morning. As she rested alone in the tent, she didn't notice that it was nightfall by the time she opened her closed tent once again.
Once she opened the zip she smiled as she saw a sleeping Anbu on the deserts. He had drools dripping from the edge of his mask, he still wore his mask though. The guy was nodding his head in sleep while he sat on the cold, sandy floor in cross legged style. His back pack was still on his back, so she now confirmed that this guy wasn't lying when he said that he missed his tent.
Pitying the brunette she pulled the guy inside her tent and placed on the futon she made for him. She removed his bag pack off his back and made him lye on the pillow, she quickly removed his Anbu mask off and covered the shivering guy with her blanket. Hanabi sat on her own futon and continued reading her scroll until she found sleep, leaving the tasks for tomorrow.
Once the group found a rather large grassy clearing the ninjas went up to the space and were leisurely fixing up tents to rest in for the night. Sasuke was arguing with Naruto as usual on the issue of who should sleep with whom, while Yuri was bugging the ever polite and also calm Neji to teach the ninja moves that Naruto did earlier (referring to Kage Bunshin). Kiba and Shino were helping Subaru with cooking the dinner, finding fire woods and water.
"I'm not gonna sleep next to you dumbass!" Sasuke yelled.
"Yeah neither do I, Sasuke no boke!" Naruto yelled back.
Neji cold sweated as he noticed that he was being followed by a 'weird' being that was tailing him with a zero ability of being stealthy. Each and every time he turned back to look at the 'weird being', she jerk and hides her presence at the back of trees. He felt quite annoyed in this situation, he never felt this much irritation even when his fan-girls stalked him on his trainings, for some reason this girl is really getting on his nerves.
Holding his temples, the Hyuuga head heaved a big sigh and thought, 'why wouldn't she give up tonight.. does she have to barge into my private moments? Damn.. I'm on my edge now..'.
Neji sighed again holding back his urge to piss in his trousers, the Hyuuga male stopped in his steps and said calmly, "You know I can sense you even without activating my byakugan, c'mon out from there Yuri-san..".
The girl slowly poked her head out, from the back of a tree and looked at Neji. She smiled nervously while scratching the back of her head, the girl approached him in silence. Neji eyed the abnormal amount of blush on her cheeks, and waited for her to respond.
"Oops, I'm caught, haha.." she chuckled while averting her eyes, she asked, "uuhh.. Umm.. Neji-san.. could you um.. you know..".
"out with it already Yuri-san.." Neji growled.
"Canyouteachmeninjamoves?" she asked the Hyuuga in one breath.
Neji huffed his breath out and said calmly, "okay, sure.. by tomorrow dawn.".
The girl jumped excited that she could learn the moves from an admirable shinobi like Neji, (cough.. cough.. not that she's admiring him or something). She bowed repeatedly thanking him for his generosity. Neji tried to dismiss her off so that he could find some bush to piss. The girl went back to the tent with an accomplished smile on her face. She noticed Naruto and Sasuke wrestling, pulling each other's hair out, the girl giggled softly and approached the duo.
"Yo, bakayaro!" she smiled.
It caught both Naruto and Sasuke's attention, at which they stopped fighting for a second to look at her. Naruto didn't know who she was referring to, but Sasuke knew it wasn't him so pushed the baka out of his futon.
"Oi? What?" Naruto asked the girl who was practically beaming at him.
She smiled and said, "ne.. ne.. You know, I got Neji to teach me the technique to beat you! Isn't that cool!".
Naruto quirked an eyebrow and said, "o? so he finally agreed, good for you..".
"he~~ei… what's with that 'see if I care' tone? Huh? Hu~~~uh?" she asked, it made Sasuke smirk while Naruto frown at her displeasingly.
"feh.. what do I care.. since I know that you can't beat me.." Naruto retorted.
"Try saying that again you teme!" she yelled releasing a punch without warning to which Naruto avoided easily and there they go again with another quarrel.
Shino watched a sighing Hyuuga coming back into the clearing with his hands tucked in his pockets; the Aburame had just finished lighting up the camp fire. Subaru sets the onigiri and tea that she had prepared just a while ago, near the camp fire. She poured the teas into the cups and offered them to Kiba, Shino and Neji near the camp fire. She went to the tents and announced that the dinner is ready. While Naruto and the others gobbled down the delicious food into their arguing stomachs, Subaru searched for her master, since she hadn't seen him around in a while.
The holy priest who excluded himself from the group for some meditation was sitting on top of a rather large boulder of rock. Akamaru who have become friendly and extremely attached with Seimei along the journey lied down next to the priest and watched the forest as if giving the priest a company. The priest on the other hand had his eyes closed, his lips were softly humming some prayers while he had his sacred marbles with him, rolling them with his fingers and he concentrated in his breathing before entering into meditative mode. Akamaru felt the refreshing warmth as the priest next to him summoned his energy of nature through meditation.
Time went slowly yet unknowingly it felt rather abnormally weird, Seimei felt nothing weird in the forest. Did he misread the situation? Or is it that something is clouding his vision? He didn't understand. Everything about the forest was normal as usual; he didn't sense any evil presence lurking around, or any reaction from the nature that foretells danger. Nothing was out of ordinary; he felt suspicious about the surrounding and ventured around the woods in his mind. Could it be calm before a storm?
Akamaru perked his ears as he eyed the priest's scowling face. The canine smelled a familiar scent and relaxed when he saw a lady in white kimono approaching them with a smile on her face and a cup of tea in her hand to offer to her master. She crouched down to her knees and gently placed the tea down so that Seimei could take them. The priest then opened his eyes and saw the girl he sensed in front of him.
Subaru smiled, glad that her master was aware, she offered him the tea, "Seimei-sama.. please have some tea.. and also the dinner is ready, please come and join us master, Akamaru-san.".
Seimei lifted his hand and took the tea from Subaru and drank it down. He felt the hot liquid running down his oesophagus, wetting his dried throat and also quenching the thirst that he didn't notice it was there until he finished the tea. The taste of the recently brewed mixed herbal drink lingered in his taste buds as he licked his dry lips. He felt refreshed after drinking Subaru's herbal tea, he gave the cup back to Subaru.
The priest looked up at her, with a relieved face and said, "thank you, Subaru. Take Akamaru with you, I'm not hungry..".
Subaru looked sad when she heard him say that, Seimei ignored her look and was about to return to his prayers then they heard a grumble. Both the humans looked at the canine that looked back at them; then again they heard the sound.
'growl… gro~~wl'
Seimei blushed when he sensed that the sound was coming out of him, Subaru giggled looking at her master and the priest hugged his stomach tightly in a vain attempt to shush his protesting tummy.
The priest sighed dejected and said, "hm.. I maybe am a little hungry..".
Subaru stopped her chuckles and said, "you shouldn't push yourself too much Seimei-sama..".
"Si~~gh.. hai, hai." He said softly.
As they walked down the hill of boulders, they entered the dense forest silently. Seimei who was walking behind Akamaru and Subaru was always in his guard, being watchful of the surrounding. He noticed the surrounding as they walked; the silence that was enveloping the forest was strangely eerie. Thick mists that clouded the woods were bone-chilling cold, these were the signs that Seimei found which is out of place. The sacred forest never was this cold in the years that he had spent hiding in it. Aside that something suddenly caught his attention, he stopped in his tracks when he saw it. Subaru who noticed her master's halt curiously questioned him.
"What is the matter Seimei-sama?" she asked, to which Seimei never responded.
She noticed he was looking unwaveringly at a single direction, she walked to his side and saw an owl twisting its head their side, meeting their gaze with its mysterious pearly eyes.
'hoo~~.. hooo~~…. Hoo~~'
Subaru said to her master, "E? That's an owl.. why do you keep staring at it master?".
Seimei scowled and said, "no reason..".
As they walked ahead Subaru tried her best easing the tension of the atmosphere down, she was talking about some stories she knew and one of it caught the priest's attention.
"My grandmother used to say to me when I was young that.. an owl's hoot is a warning that foresees the impending heart-ache or death.. and so-".
She stopped when she noticed Seimei's glare on her, "Subaru.. that's enough." the priest walks ahead in silence while the apprentice miko followed him sadly.
He knows that he was being unreasonably mad at his assistant but, he couldn't take the suggestive comment that she made. He knows what Subaru said was indeed correct. Owls are hidden in the depth of darkness, staying away from light are said to be the very embodiment of evil beings. That is why it does not exist in this forest, but its sudden uninvited appearance made Seimei wonder. He felt as if, it was a sign or a silent message from the other side saying that its finally the time for them to move, haunting her down, in order to destroy the human's last weapon that grants them their survival. He couldn't risk anything to happen to Hinata, or anyone. Their safety, mostly, Hinata's safety is very important to him.
He has been waiting for this very chance, he even exist only because of this one purpose. Being immortal, he couldn't count how many centuries has it been since he stopped counting several hundred decades as it passes. He lived this very life, witnessing the rise and fall of the mighty burning red star of the galaxy, in the skies of earth for that long to be able to meet her. 1000 years.. they said. And it did take those thousand years of wait for him to finally be able to be with her. He wouldn't even mind waiting for her thousands of years, because he knows that she's worth the wait.
Seimei has been waiting for her birth, the moments of her emerging to the world as if the moons arrival to the earth's solid, dusty ground. She is a goddess, a hime, and an enticing female that drowns any living being in warmth and enlightens their soul by just a single glance, a dame that swells with beauty, her gallant figure is a marvel to behold. Hinata is a part of him; she completes him being his other half, making him a whole. He had lost her once, but he'll not allow that to happen again even if it costs him his life.
'Flap, flap, flap, flap, flap…'
The eerie silence that drowned the forest was disturbed when the sounds of flapping echoed loudly throughout the forest, which caught the priest off-guard, snapping him out of his musings. He noticed the birds flying hysterically calling at each other, heading in the air without a definite direction. He sensed something was wrong watching the stunned birds which were resting on the trees a while ago to be shocked like this. Alarmed, Seimei ran forward reaching the clearing where everyone was. While Subaru ran after him and Akamaru without a question, since she sensed the disturbance too.
Once they were at clearing, they found the others stop eating. All of them were on guard, reading the behind the silence of the forest. All of them knew this wasn't a good sign, and as the priest knew, someone was there in the forest. Neji who activated his byakugan was scanning through the woods and noticed a tower beyond, in the centre of the forest.
"Naruto!" Yuri ran to the blonde's side when she was shocked seeing his condition.
Seimei scowled curiously looking at the Hokage while the others were at his side, Subaru started to bandage his wound. He had a large gash wound over his chest that extended to his abdomen. This image of the blonde idiot being attacked so viciously sent a pang to his already alerted heart, he didn't know what and why, but witnessing blood flowing out of this guy making his heart race, raging fear blinding his mind and sending a thrill through his spine. Seimei felt uncomfortably pained. What is this feeling? Why did he feel this when he's not connected to the blond Hokage by any means? Seimei clutched to the cloth that's close to his twinging heart, he calmed his laboured breath.
'oh.. no, Hinata-sama!' Seimei's mind shrieked.
"He's wounded even without being attacked?! How is this possible!" Yuri yelled.
Naruto coughed more blood and trembled to his knees, "Cough.. cough!".
"You usuratonkachi! Stay in there! Breath! Breath! Dammit breath! Naruto no baka!" Sasuke yelled.
Shino followed Seimei who was running towards east with his staff ready in hand, "Hey, you! Wait!" Sasuke chased behind the priest.
Seimei paid no heed and hurried to the tower while Shino followed the priest without causing a racket.
"Hey! What is in this place? What happened to Naruto?!" Sasuke yelled as he rivalled to the priest's speed.
"I don't know either! This is the first ever blood-spilling that have occurred in this sacred forest!" Seimei said.
Sasuke scowled and asked, "what do you mean? Nothing has been killed in here before?".
"I have no time explaining to you, I have someone important there in that tower that I must protect with my life! Please bring your friend there once his condition stabilizes, I'm heading there now!" Seimei said.
Seimei closed his eyes as he busted through the woods with speed, 'chichi-ue-sama.. haha-ue-sama.. please lend me your light..' with his voice echoing in his mind, the priest flew into the atmosphere and vanished into thin air with his staff in hand.
Shino and Sasuke stopped chasing the priest and wondered just how he managed to vanish just like that before their very eyes.
"Is he using hiraishin like that baka?" Sasuke said while heaving.
"I don't think so.. he's a priest, no ninja." Shino answered.
Sasuke glanced at Shino and said, "A? aa.. that's right. Let's go back to them Shino.".
"Hn."
Both Sasuke and Shino rushed to the clearing where Yuri and Subaru were treating Naruto. Naruto have seems to be slipped into being unconscious during the time they had arrived to his side.
"How is he?" Sasuke asked.
"Si~gh. Not critical, but unconscious." Neji answered the Uchiha.
"I don't understand one point.." Kiba began, "why only Naruto was being attacked while none of us are harmed?".
"I felt the same.." Yuri said to the Inuzuka while eyeing the unconscious blonde who was lying on her lap.
"Well.. we have to find out, Subaru-san.. could you please guide us to the tower of the temple?" Neji asked.
Subaru tied a neat bow on the bandage she wrapped at Naruto's abdomen, she cleared her stuffs and said, "Sure, Neji-kun..".
Neji eyed that someone was missing in their group and asked both Shino and Sasuke, "where did that priest go?".
"He would be in the tower as well, we should hurry.. we cant lag anymore time.. please follow me." Subaru said as she walked ahead leading the whole troupe out of the clearing.
To be continued..
VOCABULARY
*Hai guh sha* the person happened to be sent as the life mate (by god)
*Tsure ai* matched companion
*Anata /anta* dear or honey
*Chichi-ue-sama* reverent or highly respectable term of addressing one's father
*Haha-ue-sama* reverent or highly respectable term of addressing one's mother
*Otoh-san/ tohsan* familiar term used to refer to one's father
*Oyaji* a rude term used to refer to one's father as 'old man'
*Kaa-san* familiar term used to refer to one's mother
*Ie* means no
*Byakko* mystical white tiger
*Rokudenashi* means good for nothing
*Bakayaro* dumb/ idiot
*Usuratonkachi* dumbass
*Kuso* shit
*Ronge-yaro* long haired guy
*Chiwagenka*a lovers quarrel
*Bakemono* monster
*Sutemi* final attack that risks one's life
*Gambare* don't give up
*Sugoi* amazing
*Teme* bastard
Next chapter: Hai Guh Sha Part II
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