Title; Fading
Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.
Callat3am- I'm afraid that was just a typo on my part, I never can seem to proof read enough before an update, thanks for the heads up. Gin is a Hyuuga by the way, I mentioned his white eyes in the first chapter, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 3 - Whiskey and Women
Gifted Mages come in several different varieties, most common of these are the Alchemists, mages talented not in magic themselves but instead in creating items of power; in Naru these men and women are easily recognised by their forest green robes, the ability of these peoples vary from the lowest levels- only able to make simple healing salves- to the highest level alchemists who forge dangerous mystical weaponry for nobility.
The exact abilities of these enchanted weapons are mostly held unknown with the exception of the Guard Captain Hatake, the broadsword he'd inherited as a noble said to channel lightning through its steel and be devastating in battle.
"High guard." Barked my instructor, with a grunt I forced my heavy arms up into the position, I felt the vibrations rattle through my whole body as he tested the guard bringing his own practise blade down in a vicious arc- I gritted my teeth and bared with the pain as best I could.
"Combination two." The Uchiha barked again, I drew a ragged breath into my weary body and lunged forward in a stab, he parried roughly taking my balance slightly, I raised my weapon stepping to my right and striking down diagonally, he parried again and I pressed the attack aiming a horizontal strike at his ribs, he blocked the strike effortlessly.
"High guard, left guard, front parry." He announced only a moment before he lunged forward striking downward, my block was poor but enough to protect myself, his second strike grazed my side before I managed to block but the tip of his blade hit me full in the chest before I could parry driving the wind from my lungs and knocking me onto my backside.
The towering warrior was still breathing lightly and only the faintest sheen of sweat showed he'd been physically active at all, while I on the other hand spluttered and gasped for breath as I tried to pick myself up from the training room floor- I was wearing my armour and my opponent only wielded a dull practice blade but that strike still felt as if it had broken a couple of ribs.
"Take a break, then we'll try some free sparring." Ordered the Uchiha, I stumbled over to the closest wall, ripped my breast plate off and collapsed against the cool stones still breathing heavily.
I'd only been going through basic forms and putting them into practise with the Uchiha dictating but it was still an exhausting endeavour in the heavy armour swinging and blocking, a shadow passed over me and I raised my head to see my trainer offering a cup of what I hoped to be water, I accepted it draining the contents greedily.
"You're too skinny." Commented the man something akin to disapproval in his gaze, I was too tired to feel self-conscious and besides I had a good reason for my weight not that I could tell him.
"So what do I call you Mister Uchiha, or Sasuke?" I asked focusing my gaze on his eyes as I asked my question, I had never seen eyes like them before- brown, blue, green and even the white that marked someone as a descendant from the ancient Hyuuga kingdom to the East were quiet common- these scarlet eyes though seemed both dangerous and inviting at once like a blazing fire.
"Sasuke." He responded simply, I wondered if that meant he considered me a friend allowing me to use his first name.
"Then you can call me H-Gin." I stumbled over my words, if he caught my near slip then he didn't say so, his gaze had turned downwards instead to my sweat soaked shirt, it stuck to me like a second skin and it took me a moment to realise what had caught his attention.
"Are you injured?" he asked gesturing to the bandage that hung down from my shirt it must have come loose during the training, I felt my breath catch and my stomach sink.
"It's nothing, w-where is the bathroom?" I asked a little obvious in my attempts to change the subject; Sasuke didn't answer for a moment before he strode away from me to the weapons cabinet he'd gotten our training weapons from, he returned a moment later with fresh bandages and some form of ointment.
"Across the hall, and next time warn me about any injuries." It wasn't an injury as such but I didn't see what was to be gained from correcting him, I eagerly accepted the bandages and moved from the room.
It was unfortunate I thought, that had been a close call and I couldn't afford to be so careless around the sharp Uchiha in the future, the best way to avoid the bandages discovery would be to keep my armour on whenever possible in his company- a most unfortunate and uncomfortable prospect.
I returned to the training room and re-equipped myself; somehow the armour felt even heavier than before, the iron plates that covered my upper back and chest feeling more akin to lead, even the leather portion that covered the rest of my torso seemed heavier than before.
"Are you sure you wish to continue?" asked Sasuke surveying me critically, I imagined that I must look as if I were on deaths door and hardly fit to fight.
"Yeah." I needed to improve, if I could even gain a fraction of the man's grace within armour it would be worth the effort and perseverance.
He handed me my practice blade- lighter than my actual weapon but not considerably so- and drew away from me again adopting a relaxed stance with his blade held in a loose guard.
"Go." I took the signal to begin, darting forward and striking a downward ark, I met nothing but air as the Uchiha side stepped bringing his blade down fluidly on my wrists in the same motion.
"One point." He muttered as I stepped away quickly reforming my guard, I had hoped to surprise him with that quick shot despite my weary state but he'd read it perfectly; I watched him closely now changing to more defensive tactics.
His blade seemed possessed as he stepped forward striking at me quickly from a multitude of different angles, more than once a shot half connected with an opening but the man didn't press his attack instead swinging for a new spot, finally his weapon stilled for half a second clashing with my own weapon after a high horizontal cut.
Before I could think how to capitalise on a break in his rhythm he closed part of the distance and I felt his left fist drive its way into my midsection just below the plate armour covering my chest.
I coughed as the air left my body violently and for a moment I felt myself topple my weight on top of my training partner.
"That's enough for today." He conceded helping me over to the wall once more, he unbuckled the straps on the sides of my armour promising it would help me breathe easier, after a few minutes I had recovered somewhat and managed to call the Uchiha a bastard- he didn't laugh but I could see humour dance in his eyes for a moment.
"Why are we training like this?" I asked after a few more minutes of awkward silence had passed us by, Sasuke didn't seem to understand my confusion so I rephrased the question at his blank stare.
"I thought the Daemons are kind of similar to animals, some of them anyway, so why training like this- learning to block a sword and fight someone else with one?" I asked, I had never actually seen a Daemon but I'd hear enough stories to know that they fought like no human.
"We're Raiders, it's not unusual for a group of Raiders or whatever they may be called in different cities to set their sights on the same area as us." He answered offering me a hand up as he added that we should go get some food.
"So we fight other Raiders too." I deduced, it was no wonder no one wanted to be a Raider; it seemed they were called upon to fight anything that stood in their way…which was a considerable amount.
"Among others, there's no real way to prepare for the Daemons, they vary too much for any real standard to be set. This is best." He added, I watched the corridors we took carefully, I still didn't know the layout of the base but I was a fast learner and it wouldn't take much longer.
We stopped by the living quarters first thankfully so we could drop off the armour, I changed my shirt too thankful that the quarters were near empty and my bandages would go unnoticed, patiently the Uchiha waited for me by the door.
I had no idea what time it actually was and was similarly unsure how many days I had been down here- I'd slept only once since my encounter with the green eyed creature so I believed it had been two days but it may have only been a day and a half yet or closer to three- I was already beginning to dislike living underground and actually looked forward to my first Raid.
The mess hall was similarly empty and I had to wonder where everyone had disappeared to, I put voice to my curiosity as Sasuke and I grabbed a plate of food- several vegetables I recognised though didn't know the names for and what I thought was meat from some sort of bird.
"It's past midnight, so they're in either the market or the tavern most likely." Answered the dark man as we each took a seat at one of the many empty tables, I watched trying not to laugh as he poked a green…thing on his plate with a look that was somewhere between disgust and distrust.
"Isn't it too late for the market?" I asked in confusion, I had rarely frequented the market even before I had joined the Raiders but I did know the stalls usually closed up before sunset.
"There's a midnight market specifically for Raiders, most raids are conducted at night so we usually sleep during the day, you probably haven't noticed but you're sleeping patterns are changing to suit our lifestyle too." Explained the Uchiha before quite tentatively popping one of the green vegetables into his mouth, I followed suit trying one too- we shared a grimace at the taste.
"Are you excited?" he asked quite suddenly after I had had my fill, there was uncharacteristic amusement in his typically terse tone.
"What do you mean?" I asked…as happy as I was now to eat three square meals a day it didn't elicit excitement as such.
"Tomorrow night begins your first raid, tonight may be your last night among the living." He returned calmly if not eerily to me.
"Oh." I hadn't quite considered it like that, there was a heavy silence between us for a few moments.
"Keep eating." Commented the Uchiha breaking the silence, he made a vague gesture to the remaining food on my plate, I shook my head disjointedly protesting that I was just full; it wasn't a pleasant thought that had entered my mind, fear of a looming death.
"You're too skinny, I don't care if it's just two more bites." He argued gruffly, I was ready to argue that my stomach was still in knots from the earlier training but a single fierce glare from his scarlet eyes quieted my protests- he had been helpful so far, taking his advice now only seemed sensible- I choked down two more bites.
"Let's go." Sasuke had finished his own meal and stood from the table, there was something particular shining in his scarlet gaze.
"Where are we going?" I asked following him from the mess hall, I rolled my left shoulder stiffly- it had started aching probably from overuse earlier- the Uchiha raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, I suspected that was his way of asking if I was alright.
"Somewhere good." He answered me, a small smirk creasing his features.
The Uchiha, it seemed had a rather bizarre sense of good, I'd go so far as to say an inverse sense really; after all how was a place good if the first thing you do upon entering is kick three other people out.
Well Sasuke kicked them out not me, but the principle is still sound.
The room was warm, made only warmer by the rhythmic sound of the rain pelting the streets outside, Sasuke had left me at a creaky table with our soaking cloaks and disappeared into the crowd.
I traced over a name carved into the tables worn surface, it was hard to make it out anymore but I could at least see an 'A' 'R' and another 'A'; there may have been another name below but that was completely illegible, I pondered what might have happened to these two…lovers perhaps who's name I didn't recognise, lost in these thoughts I failed to notice the figure ease itself into the seat across from me.
She coughed politely to catch my attention.
I glanced up at the woman and almost took a double take, the woman certainly had a lot of skin on display- I didn't think skin could look that smooth, or pale- combined with her flowing pink hair and fierce green eyes made her seem more like an otherworldly creature than a mere human woman, a being more at home in a story than a steedy pub; I felt like dirt in comparison.
"So you're Sasuke's new friend?" she questioned me her voice soft as if made from silk, I nodded my voice failing me, I guessed we were friends.
"He's just gone to get drinks, I'm Sakura." She held out a hand…for me to do something with, I had seen the nobles do something like this once, the man had kissed the womans hand.
The woman laughed uncontrollably after I brought her hand to my lips and gave it a quick peck, I blushed a bright scarlet red.
"Well that's a first around here." She commented with a giggle, I saw Sasuke push his way through the crowd, a small cup in each hand, most of the crowd seemed rather intent on keeping out of the dark man's way, but that seemed common everywhere he went.
"Here." Gestured the Uchiha curtly hammering one of the cups down in front of me before taking the seat to my left; the cup seemed to be full of foul smelling dirty brown water, I blinked at him in mild confusion.
"I don't think he's ever drank before, what age are you…?" asked Sakura, highlighting that I hadn't actually returned her introduction in my embarrassment.
"Gin, I'm seventeen." I answered, two lies in one sentence, I was getting good at this.
"You sure you should be giving him whiskey?" asked the pink haired woman sceptically, for my own part I scrunched up my eyebrows as I sniffed the drink, the Uchiha shrugged and knocked back a mouthful from his own cup.
"The kids a Raider, a strong drink is the least of his concerns." Returned Sasuke eying me for a moment…I figured it was my cue to drink and prove myself, I took a large mouthful.
And I began to cough and hack as my throat burned furiously.
Tears in my eyes, I felt a hand rubbing my back comfortingly and saw the Uchiha smirk, despite the pain in my throat I felt as if I were for the first time safe, maybe this was a good place after all.
Sakura giggled lightly at my coughing and it seemed decided to leave us some privacy, an apparently quite physical person she gave me a friendly touch of the shoulder and pecked Sasuke on the cheek before gliding gracefully to the bar, flashing a smile at each customer that she passed.
"You'll get used to it kid." Grunted the Uchiha, and to my amusement he- somewhat subtly, or at least I bet he thought so- wiped the cheek Sakura had kissed with the back of his fist, a dark sneer decorating his brow.
"You drink this stuff all the time?" I asked my throat still feeling somewhat tender; I sent the cup a small glare.
"No, just on special occasions." Answered the Uchiha taking another mouthful of his foul drink.
"What's so special about tonight?" I asked picking up my own cup but not drinking quite yet…I was working my way up to that.
"As I've said before, tonight might be your last night alive, it might also be mine." Mused the man darkly, a devilish smirk undermining the sense of dread his words seemed to imply.
"Are you always this morbid?" I questioned finally working up the courage to drain a small sip of liquor from my cup; the elder Raider only shrugged by way of an answer.
"Now I've got a question of my own for you." Something about the look that now entered your eyes seemed to pin me in place, I couldn't bring myself to break eye contact, hypnotised by his scarlet stare.
"Yes." Over the clatter and noises of men shouting at the bar I prayed that you didn't quite catch the change in my voice, the higher pitch…or the breathlessness for that matter.
"Why did you join the Raiders?" asked Sasuke his voice muffled by the background noise as more men began to fill up the pub, your little spell broke as paranoia kicked in.
"Why does that matter?" I bit back defensively.
"Some want power and wish to work their way up through the chain of command, some want adventure and excitement and others still just want a dry place to rest their heads and a warm meal." Explained the Uchiha, his voice darkening in the almost characteristic way when he was- I suspect- trying to frighten me.
"A lot of men become Raiders for the wrong reasons…they never last very long. I want to know if there's any point getting to know you or not…and if you'll live long enough to repay me for that drink." Tall, foreboding and snarky; I was beginning to suspect that he'd survived so long as a Raider simply by scaring Daemons away with his dark glares and observations.
"I became a Raider for my sister's sake." I hadn't planned on revealing anything to anyone within the Raiders but it kind of just slipped out.
"Good answer." It seemed that luckily my vagueness wasn't going to be a problem with the more experienced warrior; we both sipped our drinks, the liquid still somehow surprising me with its bitter sting.
"Is Sakura your girlfriend?" I asked if only to break the silence that hung awkwardly between us, a low growled 'no' was all you offered by way of an answer…so much for breaking this tension.
"If you're having thoughts of anything like that I'd forget them, the girls here aren't exactly the marrying type." Commented Sasuke after several more moments silence, I was confused until it finally dawned on me; I saw a girl exchange only a few words with a young man before both departed up to the back of the pub passing through a door marked private.
"So you come here for…" I realised a little disgustedly as I looked at the Uchiha in a whole new light, he too looked confused for a moment before a short bark of laughter broke free from his lips.
"No idiot. Sakura's an old friend, I'm here as a bodyguard of sorts." I blushed at the explanation feeling ashamed at my accusations, that quickly passed however as he smacked the back of my head roughly- though I'm sure he thought it was only lightly- indignation filled me and I struck him back on the shoulder.
I pouted and Sasuke frowned for a moment before we laughed again, mine more boisterous whereas his laugh was sharp and short, so this is what having a friend is like I reflected.
Another one bites the dust, hope everyone is still enjoying the story, if anyone's got any questions please ask away, review or pm, I'll do my best to answer without obviously giving away future plot.
Please -(insert puppy dog eyes here)- review!
R&R