Okay... this chapter is unbeta'd, since I decided not to trouble Darth anymore, especially not now :) Looking for a Beta, though, PM me if interested!
Capture
Her feet glided through the foliage, adrenaline pumping through her veins as they chased. The target in front of them was furiously fighting for his life; running, running, running. And yet, he couldn't outrun one of the fastest pairs in Akatsuki.
Four Tails had given them quite the trouble. Itachi and Hinata had wandered around for a couple of months trying to find his trail. Although sightseeing in Iwa had been quite the experience, Hinata was eager for the mission to end already. After all, Itachi's twentieth birthday had passed, and Hinata's fifteenth was steadily approaching.
Itachi made eye contact with her, and she immediately understood what he was trying to say. Hinata gave a single nod in approval, letting him vanish from view. Sadly enough, it seemed that his speed would always exceed her own.
With her Byakugan activated, she could clearly see the way Itachi intervened across Roshi's path. No matter how strong the demon container was, there was no way that he could escape Itachi's eye jutsu - especially when he had no jutsu akin to her Byakugan to counter it. And yes, exactly to her calculations, Itachi activated his Sharingan - and it was all over.
No, wait. A frown overcame Hinata's face. Four Tail had deftly managed to avoid eye contact with Itachi; due to the demon's information, no doubt. Within a few moments, Hinata needed not use her Byakugan to see the scenery in front of her; she had finally caught up.
But Roshi noticed her presence a bit too late. Losing his focus, the man turned to face her, starting to let the demon take over. That was when Itachi came to him from behind, finishing him off with one blow.
"I didn't get to fight." Hinata stated. It was surprising to know that she actually felt a sense of vague disappointment over the fact; it was strange, as she had never classed herself as a fighter before. The previous months of peace and tracking must have been getting to her.
"I can tell," it was kind of queer that Itachi even bothered to reply to that sort of comment. That was when he bent down to his knees, and scooped up the defeated Roshi with one hand. "Then again, it wasn't much of a fight. He did not reach my expectations."
"To be fair," Hinata paused, tilting her head slightly. "You are one of the strongest shinobi. Not many can match your power." It was an honest remark, as Itachi really was one of the most formidable people that she knew.
"I am flattered." While it was said in a monochromatic drone, Hinata could hear the teasing undertone. Realising that getting angry would be pointless, she decided to go along with the jibe.
"You should be." There was a small grin that cracked through her emotionless mask. "On the other hand, we really should get going. We must deliver this body to Akatsuki." Itachi evidently agreed as he took off without warning. Sighing, Hinata immediately followed him.
It would take a couple of days of travel to get back to the Akatsuki headquarters. Travel would have to be more troublesome than usual: not only because of the fact that Iwa had next to no coverage, but because they had to drag a Jinchuuriki who was more than unwilling to come. Luckily, Hinata could restrain him by casually depleting his bodily fluids ever-so-often. She now had more control over her powers... Itachi had made sure of it.
Throughout the time they had been together, he had been brutally training her to be the best ninja; the best Akatsuki partner. Not that she minded; if anything, she was annoyed that he was still so much better than her. It made her feel like she was worthless; reminded her of the time when she was young.
Shaking herself out of her unnecessary thoughts, Itachi silently gestured for her to keep moving. Smiling ever-so-slightly, Hinata complied.
The journey was just as irritating as Hinata predicted it to be. It was very fortunate that she managed to tame her element; otherwise, she and Itachi would have partaken in a rather vexatious activity. Roshi was quite the character, and kept on coming up with new ways for escape.
Because of this, they had agreed to alternate the task of carrying him. It was not professional, letting the demon carrier getting too comfortable with either one of them; it was a necessary security measure. Even though his situation looked impossible, Hinata had been taught to never underestimate her enemies.
Speaking of Roshi... Hinata glanced down at the man in her arms. He was being unusually compliant... especially when they were so close to headquarters, too. She shared a glance with Itachi, silently asking him of his opinion.
He gave a curt nod, and with that, they continued to guardedly observe Roshi. He had gone still; it was obvious that he had realised his disposition. Maybe he finally felt the horror of his situation...? While Hinata may not be a psychologist, it was quite evident that that was not in his character, and for that reason, she was doubtful of her own theory.
Nevertheless, they were approaching their final destination anyway - Hinata tensed as the man in her arms went completely still. His red hair bristled as he attempted to desperately free himself for the last time. Hinata couldn't help but admire his tenaciousness; if it had been her, she probably would have given up a long time ago.
However, no matter the depths of his persistence and willpower, facts were facts. Not only was he low on chakra, he was dehydrated and sleep deprived. There was little to no chance of survival... not to mention the fact that he was facing one of the strongest shinobi in the world. And yet, his bright red hair grew as he tried to summon the Four Tails and call upon its chakra.
Itachi closed his eyes briefly, before snapping them wide open with his Sharingan flared. Roshi's eyes inevitably shut as a countermeasure, but Hinata quickly dropped him, the shock causing him to open them again. Instantly, he was caught in Itachi's jutsu; the demon chakra retreated, and Roshi withdrew into unconsciousness.
A moment passed before Hinata moved to pick up Roshi. She swung him across her fragile frame, easily shouldering his weight that was so much heavier than her own. Itachi's gaze refocused, and he immediately moved to help her. Hinata glanced at the sky; they were late.
"Pein... will not be pleased," Itachi echoed her own thoughts. "We are late... give or take a couple of months." Hinata refrained from replying, knowing that it was better to keep her mouth shut. There was a Hyuuga teaching (there had been, a small voice whispered in the back of her head) that if you had nothing gratifying to say, it was best to not say it at all.
They walked onwards, submerged in silence. It took a couple of painstakingly long minutes to arrive at the entrance of the main Akatsuki hideout. Hurriedly, as she was the one carrying Roshi, Itachi opened gate that lead into the dark tunnel. Sighing, Hinata cracked her neck before preparing to enter, knowing not to look forward to Pein's death glare.
The silence between them was interrupted by the steady sound of the falling water droplets; the precipitation being caused by the large waterfall a ways upstream. Sometimes it was calming; however, the dampness caused moss and mould to grow onto the sides of the walls, and that was more annoying that one might suppose it would be.
Finally, a light at the end of the corridor was starting to come into view. Her pace increased, and just a few moments later, she was out of the tunnel and facing Pein's deadly glare. He looked displeased, even though they had accomplished the goal that they had set out to do. Stonily eyeing the body in her hands, he straightened his back to face Itachi. "You're late."
It was almost like he was purposely announcing the obvious... Neither she nor Itachi deemed that comment worth a reply. Still sour, Pein took the body from her hands, and started walking in the direction of the sealing statue.
Itachi and Hinata followed, immediately assuming their positions on the different fingers. Pein closed his eyes, before twisting his ring, producing the holograms of the fellow Akatsuki members. Their dark shadows flickered unevenly in the scarce light, their eyes the only thing that was wholly visible.
"What's up, yeah?" It was Deidara that easily broke the silence in the room. His partner sighed, finding the blonde's behaviour unbecoming.
Pein remained stoic at Deidara's jibe. "The Four Tails was brought in. Begin the chakra transition. As always, it will take three days." A series of uneasy mutters followed. None of them were particularly keen on being inactive for such a long period of time. Neither was Hinata, but she kept silent.
"It was about fucking time. That bitch and bastard sure fucking took too long." Itachi seemed irritated by that comment; Hinata couldn't help but wonder why... it was unusual that Itachi would react to anything Hidan said. Well, the view was shared; Hinata also thought that to some extent Hidan was mentally retarded. Never mind the fact that Itachi was angry because someone had the audacity to call Hinata a bitch.
"As always, your swearing enlightens my soul," Kisame was sarcastic, and Hinata was impressed; she didn't know he possessed such an extensive vocabulary. Kisame's narrowed pupils glinted in the darkness, matching well with his cutting grin.
"So it fucking should, you pussy-fish. You want a piece of me? You want a fucking piece of me? Well you can't have it. It belongs to Lord Jashin." The albino priest was on a tirade, while the rest of Akatsuki just rolled their eyes, wondering when Pein would intervene. Hinata found herself questioning how the hell this happened to be a criminal organization that threatened the world.
"Your vulgar language is disgusting. No one in this establishment would ever 'want' a piece of you, Hidan." Konan had finally spoke up, her high voice a nice change from the males' low tones. Everyone agreed with her statement, while Hidan's face had gone rouge with rage.
Just as he was about to retort, a loud commanding voice echoed around the room. "I advise you to
stop your silly and childish behaviour. We have work to do." After a pause, he yet again secured the attention of his fellow members. "The preparations for the sealing of the Four Tails - Son Gokuu - have finished. Let us commence to do our duty."
All of them efficiently did the hand signs, their chakra beginning to drain, transferred into the statue. It was curious; even though all of them were emitting bright green light, she could see the different colours each of the charkas owned. Hers was a light purple… Itachi's was a dark crimson (closer to black then red, really). Looking around the different colours, Hinata could say for sure that the most strange of all was Pein's. It wasn't really one colour specifically; it was more like a kaleidoscope, constantly shifting between different shades. Maybe it had something to do with his ringed eyes.
The three days it took for the statue's fourth eye to open really felt longer than they should've done. The whole thing was extremely draining: you weren't even allowed to sleep. The best thing you could do was settle down in a semi-trance/meditative state.
Even after everything was finished, Pein still wouldn't let them go. Both she and Itachi were forced to sit through the meeting he held. Although… he did look rather serious so the topic was probably important. "Sasori… Deidara. It will be especially important for you to be present." Sasori's face remained frozen, while Deidara acquired an exited glint in his features.
The room was deathly silent, in anticipation of Pein's words. Finally, after a moment's pause, he began the meeting. "As I'm sure you know, we are in the pursuit of the Tailed Beasts, in order to commence the creation of the ultimate weapon: the Ten Tails." Almost pointedly, everyone looked at Hidan, whose hand was suspiciously near his nose. Glaring back, he discreetly removed the stray limb.
"And while there is no original time limit, I'm afraid we will have to urge the capture of the One Tail. This is an opportunity that must not be missed." Deidara yawned, while Sasori's eyes came to focus on Pein.
"As I'm sure you know… the Kazekage of Suna is in possession of the beast. Therefore it makes him an easy to find target." Pein stopped for a moment, letting the snippet of information sink in. Hinata couldn't help but stiffen at the mention of Gaara. It wasn't like they shared any particular ties… but that wasn't enough to stop reminding her that… he was a boy she knew that was Akatsuki's objective.
"And not only that… New information was received that we will lure the Nine Tails if the One Tails is captured. This is not an easy mission… so I expect you to take it seriously, Sasori, Deidara. Be aware that if you attack Suna, Konoha will run to the rescue. I expect a complete victory, of course." Pein's tone was coolly distant, but it demanded their attention. "Dismissed."
The different shadows immediately dispersed, leaving alone three of the previous ten figures. Hinata nearly collapsed, but reminded herself that she could not afford to seem weak, especially with both Pein and Itachi nearby. Her eyes travelled, landing on Roshi's body. Opaque orbs softened, and she walked unsteadily to the pale corpse that lay in the middle of the hand.
Just as she was about to lift him off the stone cold floor, a hand halted her movements. It was large, but smooth; Hinata could instantly recognize the dark purple nail polish. Itachi took the body for her, shouldering it on his back. Looking around, she noted that Pein had vanished. Allowing herself to relax, she smiled lightly.
"I'm going to bury him," she muttered softly, exhausted yet determined. Although she had only known him for a short period of time, she couldn't help the distinct sadness she felt when she saw him drop dead on the ground. It was inevitable… but she hated this life that involved so much slaughter. It didn't matter whether you were 'good' or 'bad'… whether you were Akatsuki or in a ninja village; all it acquainted to was death, and more death. Sometimes, Hinata couldn't even see the difference between the two. Were they really so different?
"I'll help you," while Itachi's face looked as blank as it normally did, Hinata had a sneaking suspicion that he was feeling somewhat like her. If there was one surprising thing that Hinata had learned about Itachi, it was that he - above all - was a pacifist, and hated death and blood and war. It reminded her how similar they were; how he was probably the only person in the entire world that could possibly understand her feelings.
They buried him under the trees, not a long way away from the hide out. Droplets of rain fell down from the mourning grey sky; not only did they make the shadows on her young face seem longer, they also made her long dark hair stick to her cloak. Her hair had grown longer; she had refrained from cutting it ever since she had entered Akatsuki.
The weather was suiting for the activity that was carried out; Itachi even created a humble tombstone, marking it as Roshi. It really made the difference from what before looked like a clump of freshly dug up earth.
"Thank you," it was a quiet whisper, almost lost to the sound of the splattering water. Still, Itachi heard and manage to nod in response; there really was nothing to be said.
They stood quiet together for some time. Hinata, at the very least, took her time to wallow in her thoughts and mentally thank and apologise to Roshi - who really hadn't deserved to be hunted just because he happened to be a demon container. Just like Naruto. A bitter smile emerged on her face in remembrance of the boy she once loved... of the boy who had never once really acknowledged her.
That was when she felt Itachi's hesitant hand clasp within her own; he gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze before letting his hand drop. Hinata almost moved to retrieve it, missing its warmth already. And yet, she stopped herself; she was in Akatsuki, and she was a Hyuuga, and Hyuuga do not show weakness, whether they were still alive or not.
Alive. She was standing in front of a tombstone, alive. Yet the person buried beneath her feet was dead. Killed by her, no less. "Itachi..." It was said tentatively; dubiously. Should she really share her thoughts? Glancing at the man that still stood next to her, she decided that she should. Trust was a fragile thing, but the man next to her had earned hers. "Itachi," she repeated, her voice both louder and clearer.
"Yes?" To anyone else, his voice would sound blank and lacking in emotion. Being with him for so long, she was able to pick out all the little nuances that his voice contained; hid.
"Death is inevitable, isn't it?" He didn't nod, nor give her any indication to continue. But nevertheless, Hinata continued, sensing that he was listening. "If so... how is it that some people die sooner than others? How is it that it's usually the good that die first?"
Contemplating his answer, he chose to reply carefully. "Hinata, in this lifetime," his gaze seemed to be unfocused and faraway. "In his lifetime, it is the strongest that triumph; not the good, nor the bad. It is our sense of good and bad that makes us different than your regular mammal."
"I know that," she sighed, feeling slightly frustrated. "But what we're doing doesn't make anything any more right."
"The only thing fair in life is death," a solemn tone prevailed in Itachi's voice, and an intensity could be found in his eyes. "That is probably the only truth in the world," seeing her slightly sorrowful expression, Itachi decided to change the subject. "And while I'd love to continue the philosophical debate, I'm afraid I'd rather avoid seeing you ill again. The rain has already soaked through your cloak... as well as mine."
Hinata jolted; she really didn't want to nurse a sick Itachi again. Or more precisely, she didn't to see him suffer any more; he had already suffered more than enough to last him a lifetime.
On the way back from the hideout, she decided to mention the plan that she and Itachi had formed a while ago. "When will we leave for Konoha?" What with everything going on concerning the One Tails in Suna, she was slightly anxious to investigate the scrolls that were found in Iwa.
"Soon," Hinata rolled her eyes.
"A more precise date, please?" Itachi was always vague, and sometimes it irritated her. Well, not that it was a strange occurrence; it irritated everyone.
"A week," she muffled her quiet gasp. A week was soon. Too soon. In a week, she'd return to Konoha... a place she had avoided seeing at all costs. A place that held many memories... As well as information about the scroll.
"Yes, a week. What with the Kazekage's capture transpiring, it will be the perfect opportunity to engage this self-appointed mission."
… Boring? Yes. Important? Very. Yeah, this chapter kind of sets the scene for the forth coming chapters. I'm sorry for any mistakes... like I said, this isn't proofread (I really don't want to trouble anyone anymore... having realised just how troublesome the task is), so please forgive the mistakes. Also, sorry for the long wait.
Aurora.