[Naruto] Day in the Life
Jan. 31st, 2007 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runespoorTitle: Day in the Life
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
runespoor7
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A mission goes wrong. It's not Hinata's. NejiHina.
Notes: Celebrationverse, takes place after The Return and Oversights and Celebrations. What you need to know is that Hinata was tortured by Kabuto and is now working in Interrogation as a special jounin; she's also the head of the Hyuuga.
The white-eyed girl is faster.
It makes no sense – she's stuffed in a ceremonial kimono, she's doing her hair up so both her hands are occupied and she's wearing geta, and you just can't fight with geta – but she's faster.
They've waited until the other one – the one who's very obviously her bodyguard – left the room a moment, when an intense-looking clerk came to request his help.
They can't suppose it's going to last long, because the guy looked like a professional, so Ume will not chance hitting on him – nothing screams distraction more than seduction when your target isn't so minded – and she'll only be able to earn them a few minutes at best; if she insists, she gives her role away and he'd know something's up.
But it's okay because they won't need minutes.
He's bound to be a ninja, but she likely isn't. She doesn't move the way either combat-oriented shinobi or the sneakier kunoichi do. She's been wearing ceremonial kimonos for three days straight – that's the time since she arrived, three days they spent watching her; can't afford to be noticed by watching any longer, shouldn't risk being ill-prepared by watching for less. She walks with geta.
It's an easy job, straightforward as far as assassination is concerned – kill the girl, gouge her eyes out, leave. No request for anyone specific to be framed, no need to make it look like an accident, no suggestion that they should stay and see how things developed afterward, just do the job.
They've got theories as to why she has to get killed, of course; they might be ninjas but they've still got time to kill, while watching their target from afar. It's no different from wondering about strangers' lives when they're walking down the street. Masuyo used to disagree, quietly, like everything he did, because he thought it unwise to encourage curiousity towards their clients when it should forever stay unanswered, but now he's slowly coming around. He gets bored too.
Aito's favourite theory is that she's the ex-mistress of a Daimyo, who, after being privy to his most shameful secrets, is now trying to blackmail him; it'd explain that they got asked to dispose of her eyes. He also likes the one according to which she's the illegitimate heiress to the throne of a whole country, and needs to be taken out before she can make her claim.
Ume had a new theory yesterday night, which he regrets he didn't have more time to think about; the girl, the ex-mistress of a Daimyo, was resorting to blackmail because she'd runaway with her lover and is seeking protection.
It'd also explain why she's a guest at the house of the Daimyo of Fire Country.
Aito'd also have liked a few more days spent observing her to he'd be able to convince Okimi and Masuyo to his way of thinking.
Okimi doesn't make a mystery of the fact she thinks it's just jealousy, revenge from a past lover, though Aito can't see in this girl what could inspire such madness and obsession.
Sure, she's got nice boobs. She might be great in the sack, Aito wouldn't know, he likes them a little more – consenting, probably. He'll give it to Okimi; there's something about that girl that makes him think forcibly of all kinds of sexual games and kinks he finds rather off-putting; Aito's idea of good sex is tumbling a laughing, squealing girl into the river and working from there.
There's also the fact that these white eyes make her look like she's blind, and again, Aito's not much for sensory-deprivation.
Masuyo must still be hung on his idea that the goal of her murder is to wreck as much political havoc on Fire Country as possible.
He sees politics and plots everywhere; Aito can't remember ever having been like this when he was a teen, he thinks it might be a consequence of coming from a Hidden Village. They've never asked why Masuyo went missing, though he's been keeping his Hidden Rock hitai-ate in his vest for the two years they've known him.
None of the other three have ever attended any formal school, nor are they registered anywhere as ninjas. Aito and Ume share a similar background, children from missing-nin families; she never knew her father, her mother settled as a restaurant owner somewhere far from her native country.
Aito's grand-parents were the missing-nins, and though they got killed by hunter-nins decades before Aito was born, his parents made it into adulthood. They died not very long after Aito could fight on his own, but by then they'd either taught him what they knew or left him peculiar jutsus on scrolls for later learning.
Okimi's a little different. Her clan was driven out of its village when Hidden Rain turned against bloodline clans.
Between the bloodline and the whole clan, she's received much better teachings than either of them. When they met, she knew more skills and tricks; she should've been able to take them, but she was on her own and unable to think straight, so she offered to join them – out of pure spite at having been abandoned by her cousins, she later told them; Okimi's always had a temper.
When he thinks about it, Aito doesn't know what he envies her for, the bloodline or the family.
There's not much safe values for free-lance nins – any village can decide to weed them at any given moment, discounting the risk of hunter-nins coming after you because you're the great-grand-something of someone who deserted their village fifty years before.
Family's one of them.
Teamwork's another one, which is why they don't nag Masuyo about his strange reactions to the mention of Okimi's family. Aito's fairly certain Ume must have theories, but you don't talk about your teammates behind their backs. If she has any, she's not sharing.
They're four ninjas with no village affiliation, so they can't afford to be picky. They're cheap and they don't ask questions. They've found that's all the guarantees their employers need when they're asking for assassination. Their patrons don't care for success rate or efficiency; if the four of them fail and get caught, they don't even have a name to denounce.
It's a quick way to recommend themselves to any client.
In spite of his optimistic outlook, Aito's well aware that they're placing themselves into their clients' hands, who can all too easily try and ditch their pay, but hey. They're ninjas. If they can kill whoever the target was, then the client'd better be aware that they can come after him too, if he's stupid enough not to pay them.
Or he could try to have them killed by his own guards by the time they're finished, but really, they ask no question whatsoever, and no-one who could employ guards would be stingy enough for that one.
They really are cheap.
But at least the constant chain of jobs means they rarely have the time to get bored and attract attention to themselves by doing foolish things – from any sort of civilian police or worse, hunter-nins. Last time that happened, Masuyo wasn't with them yet and Aito thought they were going to have to fight and kill the hunter-nin to keep him off Okimi's trail. Luckily Ume was a consummate actress who could fool even highly trained hunter-nins.
Ume's taking care of the bodyguard now, and though he must be a ninja, if a hunter-nin couldn't see through her, there's no reason to worry.
So Aito's not worried.
The target is stuffed in a ceremonial kimono, sitting in front of a dressing-table and doing her hair up with shiny, spiky hair ornaments that would shatter if thrown kunai-like and lacquered combs as smooth as glass, with her feet carefully placed on the ground, white socks and geta not even Aito and Ume would be able to run with.
It's a perfectly easy assassination – their spot of luck when they got this contact, Aito suspects it's because the bartender liked Masuyo's pretty eyes and he'd have liked to break through the hard to get attitude.
A wasted effort, of course, if only because it's Aito's personal belief that Masuyo would all-too-readily consider whoring himself out in order to land them more missions, which may be why Okimi tries to be the one dealing with that particular contact-provider.
They're there, the three combat-oriented of the group, and there's the target.
They all get into the room, because that's what good shinobi do; the bodyguard has white eyes too, they're obviously from the same clan, so it wouldn't be entirely too unreasonable that she might have tricks up her crimson kimono sleeve – especially genjutsu, and they all know there's a risk that genjutsu can turn Okimi against them.
Aito's in the middle, which makes him the possible gambit. It gives Okimi more range to act from the side, as their major attack card, and Masuyo is more mobile that way – because if the only one who can tend to wounds is put out of the fight from the start, things have a tendency to look bad. Again, particularly against genjutsu, because Okimi.
Okimi dashes to the white-eyed girl.
And – then – things go wrong.
The white-eyed girl is faster. That's what Aito understands when he goes through the events again, because what he registers first is that she's standing up and Okimi's sprawled on the floor.
Her crimson sleeve is a snapping blur as it twists towards Okimi and Okimi's falling backwards when the girl stands – she moves too slowly for her previous movement to be real, it must've been genjutsu, it must have – and she swirls around with her other sleeve extending with slashing sounds and something brushed past Aito's chest which burns like someone set his blood on fire as if it were fuel, she must've had a kunai in her hand, she's fast enough that she could take it from somewhere without Aito noticing and then she's facing Masuyo.
He dodges on the right – sidesteps – hurries his fingers to form seals – the girl flows to the left like she's always been there, and shots a whip-like sleeve straight to his chest.
This time, Aito distinctly sees Masuyo's eyes widening as his mouth opens to spout a fountain of blood while he crumbles backward in an impossibly slow arch.
For a moment in frozen time, Aito can't distinguish where Masuyo's blood ends and the girl's sleeve begins.
Then the girl's hair ornaments fall to the ground with silvery clicks, pulled free by her sharp movements and her hair uncoils with silky rustles against her kimono.
Okimi is still on the ground and won't stand up any more than Masuyo.
Aito is still trying not to choke on the stinging in his chest.
He's got to move, got to get away if he can't fight her – and he can't fight her, he knows it's not a genjutsu, he was wrong and they were all wrong and badly prepared and if this girl isn't a ninja then she's something worse, he needs to find Ume and get the hell away from now.
He breaks into a run, or rather he tries to, as the burn in his lungs turns worse and he's suddenly the one toppling when the girl sets her hand again on his torso.
Her hand. Her mere hand was able to do this.
His cheek's pressing against the ground. He hears the girl kneeling next to him.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
She speaks in a soft, clear voice that is neither wavering, nor hardened, nor frightened. Peaceful springs to Aito's mind and that's when he realises something that has him clenching his teeth before they can start to clatter.
She projects no killer intent.
She never has, not for the whole duration of the – Aito fights a losing battle against the word 'execution' before giving up.
Somehow, this is more frightening that anything else, because it makes Aito understand she doesn't care. It's as if he's not there, and there's nothing he can do to change that. The best he can hope is for her to be satisfied with his ignorance and let him go alive, this girl who killed Okimi and Masuyo without blinking.
A hysterical chuckle tickles in his throat, dying before it reaches his mouth.
"No," he says instead, wondering if he's sounding vaguely desperate or just strangled.
She's silent; when he screws his eyes up he notices she's minutely nodding. What now, he thinks. Is he going to be handed over to the Daimyo's personal guard?
There's a knock on the door. Aito's still looking at the girl, so he doesn't miss the tiny quirk of her lips. "Come in," she says in that mildly freaky soft voice of hers.
He hears the sound of a door pulled open, and steps entering the room – two people. He strains his eyes some more – the Daimyo's men already? He'd believed they'd been careful in choosing a time when there was a lull in security in this part of the house. He spots long black hair over formal white garb, of the sort Okimi had decided that she'd select above all else if she ever needed to infiltrate a Daimyo's household because of the fluidity of movement they allowed.
The bodyguard.
There's Ume with him.
Suddenly Aito is struck with the realisation that all of this hasn't taken more than two minutes; that most of these slow ticking minutes have been spent with him lying on the floor compared to the handful of seconds it took her to dispose of Aito's teammates.
"Hinata-sama – I apologise for allowing myself to be distracted and lured away," the bodyguard says stiffly. "I came back as soon as I realised what was going on."
"You didn't kill her," the girl notes. She sounds almost pleased in her distance. At some point, she stood up and left Aito's side.
The bodyguard's arms are folded over his chest. Strange, Aito thinks, who then notices that the bodyguard's hands are clutching the fabric of his sleeves. "No, I didn't." The words are strained.
"Thank you," the girl – Hinata-sama, Aito remembers the name in a flash – smiles.
Without warning, a fury of blue-ice-hot howling wind with soul-deep claws explodes through the room, ripping Aito away – his limbs are torn, his skin is scorched, his mind splits apart – his chest and throat crushed inward; he's hurling blood. Through shattered vision he sees Ume collapsing on the ground in a foetal position, blown apart by the killing intent, throat and mouth working as if she can't breathe anymore.
Then it's over. Aito finds his cheeks are soaked with tears. His entire body is uncontrollably shaking. So seems to be Ume.
Blearily, he looks up at the two others.
There's something odd about the bodyguard's eyes – who it's become pretty clear is more than just a bodyguard, though what he is Aito can't guess – like a motif formed with skin and nerves.
The aura of hostility still surrounding him makes it clear that he was the one giving off the – killing intent – Aito hesitates a moment with the words, because it seems so weak an expression; that was nothing like anything Aito has ever even imagined could exist.
The bodyguard's not moving when the girl goes to sit next to Ume like she did with Aito, and she asks again, "Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
"No," Ume croaks.
"Perhaps we should torture one and ask them again," the bodyguard declares suddenly.
The girl seems to consider the proposition. Then she looks down at Ume again. Aito can barely see her face between the curtains of her undone hair, but it doesn't matter; he's too busy getting his lungs to work again after the shock of the bodyguard's suggestion. More than that, he's terrified by the girl's serenity.
"Do you think you would remember things if we tortured you?" she asks pleasantly.
Ume whimpers. Aito knows his eyes are wide in horror as well.
The girl's mad, completely mad, and if she commands the bodyguard to start torturing them there's no reason they'll ever stop, because Ume and Aito really don't know anything and it's obvious by now the bodyguard won't stop carrying out the girl's orders ever.
"It hurts nothing to try." The bodyguard's mild comment ends in a growl. Aito thinks the girl might be sending him a sharp glance, but if she is he doesn't back down, and the next moment Aito isn't sure he didn't imagine things. Still, the bodyguard's not moving, so it means she's not going to follow up on that idea, right?
Gently, the girl puts her hand against Ume's temple.
Aito closes his eyes. He feels tears forming again under his eyelids and he wants to sob out in bitter knowledge that death's the only escape, and it's better for Ume if it should come here rather than in two weeks from now in an interrogation chamber of the Daimyo.
His ears are pierced by a blood-curling scream.
His eyes snap open.
There's a thin trickle of blood dripping down Ume's left eye. She's letting out panting sniffles.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?" the other repeats. Ume shakes her head convulsively. Out of the corner of his transfixed eyes, Aito sees the bodyguard shifting. He feels his eyes filling with water again.
The girl takes Ume's wrist, both limp and trembling, selects her little finger, and snaps it backwards. It wrenches another scream from Ume's lips. Aito hears the bones breaking. Then the girl holds the finger bent back against the back of Ume's hand, until Ume becomes inarticulate.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
Through his numbness – he can't look away from Ume he can't – Aito is startled to realise the question is addressed to him.
This is his chance to make it stop. He scrambles for it.
"We don't know – we don't know, we never ask, we need the money too much –"
The rest of his jumbled pleading is lost in the resonant noise of broken bones when the girl cracks Ume's ring finger. The bodyguard shifts again.
"Do you?" She's so calm.
Aito answers her, because he has no choice, though he knows his answer won't be enough for her. "No."
He sounds crushed because he knows this is useless, but he still has to try.
"Hinata-sama, maybe I should take over." The bodyguard's voice is grim, and Aito confusedly grasps that he doesn't like seeing his mistress in this situation, in addition to the dark yearning to extract pain and vengeance from them who dared attacking her.
It could have been just another application of the good interrogator/bad interrogator routine, like Aito hoped – thought – it might be in the beginning, but he knows it's not, that it's genuine.
The good interrogator isn't supposed to be the one wreaking uncaring torture on the prisoners; the bad interrogator isn't supposed to stand back and let the other lead the encounter. Even if he tries to reverse the roles it doesn't make sense, because the girl's not involved, or violent, or any of the things Aito knows to expect from the one handing out pain, and the bodyguard does want to make them hurt.
"It's no use, Neji-niisan," the girl says without looking up. A mist of incomprehension settles upon Aito. Niisan? How - ? There's nothing remotely sibling-like about their interaction – even more outlandish than the most outlandish stories he's ever heard, things about the family of the Kazekage. "They don't know anything."
She positions her hand on Ume's chest. Ume's body jolts, trying to jerk away.
A moment later, a blood-coughing gasp erupts from Ume's lips as her back stiffens and she limply falls back, glass-eyed.
Aito bites his tongue to keep from sobbing out loud, though he knows it was the best that could happen to her. But for a few minutes they were both still alive and only distant by a few feet and he never thought of saying anything to her, to ease her pain or let her know he was there. Ume is – was – the first of the group he'd worked with. She was his oldest friend.
"Should we alert the Daimyo?" The bodyguard's voice has turned neutral.
The girl stands, making her way towards Aito as she speaks. "It won't be necessary. Whoever did this most likely wanted to either destabilize Konoha or to diminish the Fire Daimyo's trust in Konoha. Reporting this incident would serve the same purpose."
"Your safety, Hinata-sama."
Hinata-sama stays still for a moment, then she goes to the bodyguard. Her geta are clattering a muffled pace until she reaches him and places a hand on his arm. The bodyguard – her brother? – unflinchingly bears her look for a few moments during which years of unspoken meaning fly past Aito, before uncrossing his arms.
He lifts his own hand – the question fleets through Aito's mind of what he's done to Ume to make her follow him here – did he drag her, did he wound her from the inside like the girl did. Maybe it's a clan skill.
Konoha. They've talked about Konoha. They – both the girl and her brother-bodyguard – are from a ninja clan and Aito's team never knew.
The bodyguard's hand is cupped against the girl's cheek, slowly stroking down to her neck. As if by accident, his thumb barely brushes her lower lip. Niisan. Hah. A cough sears through Aito's lungs, helpless twisted laughter distorted.
The bodyguard's hand falls back against his side as his head flickers toward Aito. He must've dismissed the interference as unimportant, though – Aito would've done the same thing – because he then grabs the girl by the arms and kisses her.
Aito doesn't want to watch; as he closes his eyes – perhaps his death will come quicker, he might just faint and fall asleep rather than be aware of how he's starting to drown in his own blood – he still notices the rough viciousness of their silent kissing, bizarrely at odds with the man's tender gesture before.
Knew she was into kinky stuff.
It doesn't come as a huge shock that he's a little delirious and repressing thoughts of his teammates.
"We'll tell Tsunade-sama right away once we're back," the girl's voice comes, as if she's never been interrupted at all, but for her slight breathlessness.
He must've let go of her; the thud of the girl's geta comes closer to Aito, who opens his eyes again.
"It could be a ploy of the Daimyo's to test you." The bodyguard's arms are crossed again, and his tone is dangerously bland. "I will dispose of the bodies tonight, if you want me to."
"The Daimyo doesn't know what to make of me," the girl mutters, tucking a strand of blue-black hair behind her ear. "He will lose interest in Konoha's affairs soon enough, but until then I need to play nice. Only three more weeks until we leave, thank the kami…"
Silence rings through the room as she carefully kneels next to Aito. Over her shoulder, Aito can see the bodyguard; he wants to smile, because the reason the white-eyed man is silent isn't because he's mulling over about politics but because he's staring at his Hinata-sama's silk-covered ass while she's sitting, his head tilted to the side.
"You have blood on your sleeve," the bodyguard's voice reaches Aito's ears as the girl's deadly hand comes to rest on his chest, like a butterfly. Would the sleeve be a wing? There's a giggle mounting somewhere.
Warmth irradiates in his chest, surging towards his brain. It doesn't hurt at all. Actually, it's rather pleasant.
There's a last soft word from his killer's lips. It weaves oddly clearly through the darkness coiling snugly around him. Aito welcomes it. It's no nightlight, but it might just be the next best thing.
"Good."
Author:
runespoor7Rating: PG-13
Summary: A mission goes wrong. It's not Hinata's. NejiHina.
Notes: Celebrationverse, takes place after The Return and Oversights and Celebrations. What you need to know is that Hinata was tortured by Kabuto and is now working in Interrogation as a special jounin; she's also the head of the Hyuuga.
The white-eyed girl is faster.
It makes no sense – she's stuffed in a ceremonial kimono, she's doing her hair up so both her hands are occupied and she's wearing geta, and you just can't fight with geta – but she's faster.
They've waited until the other one – the one who's very obviously her bodyguard – left the room a moment, when an intense-looking clerk came to request his help.
They can't suppose it's going to last long, because the guy looked like a professional, so Ume will not chance hitting on him – nothing screams distraction more than seduction when your target isn't so minded – and she'll only be able to earn them a few minutes at best; if she insists, she gives her role away and he'd know something's up.
But it's okay because they won't need minutes.
He's bound to be a ninja, but she likely isn't. She doesn't move the way either combat-oriented shinobi or the sneakier kunoichi do. She's been wearing ceremonial kimonos for three days straight – that's the time since she arrived, three days they spent watching her; can't afford to be noticed by watching any longer, shouldn't risk being ill-prepared by watching for less. She walks with geta.
It's an easy job, straightforward as far as assassination is concerned – kill the girl, gouge her eyes out, leave. No request for anyone specific to be framed, no need to make it look like an accident, no suggestion that they should stay and see how things developed afterward, just do the job.
They've got theories as to why she has to get killed, of course; they might be ninjas but they've still got time to kill, while watching their target from afar. It's no different from wondering about strangers' lives when they're walking down the street. Masuyo used to disagree, quietly, like everything he did, because he thought it unwise to encourage curiousity towards their clients when it should forever stay unanswered, but now he's slowly coming around. He gets bored too.
Aito's favourite theory is that she's the ex-mistress of a Daimyo, who, after being privy to his most shameful secrets, is now trying to blackmail him; it'd explain that they got asked to dispose of her eyes. He also likes the one according to which she's the illegitimate heiress to the throne of a whole country, and needs to be taken out before she can make her claim.
Ume had a new theory yesterday night, which he regrets he didn't have more time to think about; the girl, the ex-mistress of a Daimyo, was resorting to blackmail because she'd runaway with her lover and is seeking protection.
It'd also explain why she's a guest at the house of the Daimyo of Fire Country.
Aito'd also have liked a few more days spent observing her to he'd be able to convince Okimi and Masuyo to his way of thinking.
Okimi doesn't make a mystery of the fact she thinks it's just jealousy, revenge from a past lover, though Aito can't see in this girl what could inspire such madness and obsession.
Sure, she's got nice boobs. She might be great in the sack, Aito wouldn't know, he likes them a little more – consenting, probably. He'll give it to Okimi; there's something about that girl that makes him think forcibly of all kinds of sexual games and kinks he finds rather off-putting; Aito's idea of good sex is tumbling a laughing, squealing girl into the river and working from there.
There's also the fact that these white eyes make her look like she's blind, and again, Aito's not much for sensory-deprivation.
Masuyo must still be hung on his idea that the goal of her murder is to wreck as much political havoc on Fire Country as possible.
He sees politics and plots everywhere; Aito can't remember ever having been like this when he was a teen, he thinks it might be a consequence of coming from a Hidden Village. They've never asked why Masuyo went missing, though he's been keeping his Hidden Rock hitai-ate in his vest for the two years they've known him.
None of the other three have ever attended any formal school, nor are they registered anywhere as ninjas. Aito and Ume share a similar background, children from missing-nin families; she never knew her father, her mother settled as a restaurant owner somewhere far from her native country.
Aito's grand-parents were the missing-nins, and though they got killed by hunter-nins decades before Aito was born, his parents made it into adulthood. They died not very long after Aito could fight on his own, but by then they'd either taught him what they knew or left him peculiar jutsus on scrolls for later learning.
Okimi's a little different. Her clan was driven out of its village when Hidden Rain turned against bloodline clans.
Between the bloodline and the whole clan, she's received much better teachings than either of them. When they met, she knew more skills and tricks; she should've been able to take them, but she was on her own and unable to think straight, so she offered to join them – out of pure spite at having been abandoned by her cousins, she later told them; Okimi's always had a temper.
When he thinks about it, Aito doesn't know what he envies her for, the bloodline or the family.
There's not much safe values for free-lance nins – any village can decide to weed them at any given moment, discounting the risk of hunter-nins coming after you because you're the great-grand-something of someone who deserted their village fifty years before.
Family's one of them.
Teamwork's another one, which is why they don't nag Masuyo about his strange reactions to the mention of Okimi's family. Aito's fairly certain Ume must have theories, but you don't talk about your teammates behind their backs. If she has any, she's not sharing.
They're four ninjas with no village affiliation, so they can't afford to be picky. They're cheap and they don't ask questions. They've found that's all the guarantees their employers need when they're asking for assassination. Their patrons don't care for success rate or efficiency; if the four of them fail and get caught, they don't even have a name to denounce.
It's a quick way to recommend themselves to any client.
In spite of his optimistic outlook, Aito's well aware that they're placing themselves into their clients' hands, who can all too easily try and ditch their pay, but hey. They're ninjas. If they can kill whoever the target was, then the client'd better be aware that they can come after him too, if he's stupid enough not to pay them.
Or he could try to have them killed by his own guards by the time they're finished, but really, they ask no question whatsoever, and no-one who could employ guards would be stingy enough for that one.
They really are cheap.
But at least the constant chain of jobs means they rarely have the time to get bored and attract attention to themselves by doing foolish things – from any sort of civilian police or worse, hunter-nins. Last time that happened, Masuyo wasn't with them yet and Aito thought they were going to have to fight and kill the hunter-nin to keep him off Okimi's trail. Luckily Ume was a consummate actress who could fool even highly trained hunter-nins.
Ume's taking care of the bodyguard now, and though he must be a ninja, if a hunter-nin couldn't see through her, there's no reason to worry.
So Aito's not worried.
The target is stuffed in a ceremonial kimono, sitting in front of a dressing-table and doing her hair up with shiny, spiky hair ornaments that would shatter if thrown kunai-like and lacquered combs as smooth as glass, with her feet carefully placed on the ground, white socks and geta not even Aito and Ume would be able to run with.
It's a perfectly easy assassination – their spot of luck when they got this contact, Aito suspects it's because the bartender liked Masuyo's pretty eyes and he'd have liked to break through the hard to get attitude.
A wasted effort, of course, if only because it's Aito's personal belief that Masuyo would all-too-readily consider whoring himself out in order to land them more missions, which may be why Okimi tries to be the one dealing with that particular contact-provider.
They're there, the three combat-oriented of the group, and there's the target.
They all get into the room, because that's what good shinobi do; the bodyguard has white eyes too, they're obviously from the same clan, so it wouldn't be entirely too unreasonable that she might have tricks up her crimson kimono sleeve – especially genjutsu, and they all know there's a risk that genjutsu can turn Okimi against them.
Aito's in the middle, which makes him the possible gambit. It gives Okimi more range to act from the side, as their major attack card, and Masuyo is more mobile that way – because if the only one who can tend to wounds is put out of the fight from the start, things have a tendency to look bad. Again, particularly against genjutsu, because Okimi.
Okimi dashes to the white-eyed girl.
And – then – things go wrong.
The white-eyed girl is faster. That's what Aito understands when he goes through the events again, because what he registers first is that she's standing up and Okimi's sprawled on the floor.
Her crimson sleeve is a snapping blur as it twists towards Okimi and Okimi's falling backwards when the girl stands – she moves too slowly for her previous movement to be real, it must've been genjutsu, it must have – and she swirls around with her other sleeve extending with slashing sounds and something brushed past Aito's chest which burns like someone set his blood on fire as if it were fuel, she must've had a kunai in her hand, she's fast enough that she could take it from somewhere without Aito noticing and then she's facing Masuyo.
He dodges on the right – sidesteps – hurries his fingers to form seals – the girl flows to the left like she's always been there, and shots a whip-like sleeve straight to his chest.
This time, Aito distinctly sees Masuyo's eyes widening as his mouth opens to spout a fountain of blood while he crumbles backward in an impossibly slow arch.
For a moment in frozen time, Aito can't distinguish where Masuyo's blood ends and the girl's sleeve begins.
Then the girl's hair ornaments fall to the ground with silvery clicks, pulled free by her sharp movements and her hair uncoils with silky rustles against her kimono.
Okimi is still on the ground and won't stand up any more than Masuyo.
Aito is still trying not to choke on the stinging in his chest.
He's got to move, got to get away if he can't fight her – and he can't fight her, he knows it's not a genjutsu, he was wrong and they were all wrong and badly prepared and if this girl isn't a ninja then she's something worse, he needs to find Ume and get the hell away from now.
He breaks into a run, or rather he tries to, as the burn in his lungs turns worse and he's suddenly the one toppling when the girl sets her hand again on his torso.
Her hand. Her mere hand was able to do this.
His cheek's pressing against the ground. He hears the girl kneeling next to him.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
She speaks in a soft, clear voice that is neither wavering, nor hardened, nor frightened. Peaceful springs to Aito's mind and that's when he realises something that has him clenching his teeth before they can start to clatter.
She projects no killer intent.
She never has, not for the whole duration of the – Aito fights a losing battle against the word 'execution' before giving up.
Somehow, this is more frightening that anything else, because it makes Aito understand she doesn't care. It's as if he's not there, and there's nothing he can do to change that. The best he can hope is for her to be satisfied with his ignorance and let him go alive, this girl who killed Okimi and Masuyo without blinking.
A hysterical chuckle tickles in his throat, dying before it reaches his mouth.
"No," he says instead, wondering if he's sounding vaguely desperate or just strangled.
She's silent; when he screws his eyes up he notices she's minutely nodding. What now, he thinks. Is he going to be handed over to the Daimyo's personal guard?
There's a knock on the door. Aito's still looking at the girl, so he doesn't miss the tiny quirk of her lips. "Come in," she says in that mildly freaky soft voice of hers.
He hears the sound of a door pulled open, and steps entering the room – two people. He strains his eyes some more – the Daimyo's men already? He'd believed they'd been careful in choosing a time when there was a lull in security in this part of the house. He spots long black hair over formal white garb, of the sort Okimi had decided that she'd select above all else if she ever needed to infiltrate a Daimyo's household because of the fluidity of movement they allowed.
The bodyguard.
There's Ume with him.
Suddenly Aito is struck with the realisation that all of this hasn't taken more than two minutes; that most of these slow ticking minutes have been spent with him lying on the floor compared to the handful of seconds it took her to dispose of Aito's teammates.
"Hinata-sama – I apologise for allowing myself to be distracted and lured away," the bodyguard says stiffly. "I came back as soon as I realised what was going on."
"You didn't kill her," the girl notes. She sounds almost pleased in her distance. At some point, she stood up and left Aito's side.
The bodyguard's arms are folded over his chest. Strange, Aito thinks, who then notices that the bodyguard's hands are clutching the fabric of his sleeves. "No, I didn't." The words are strained.
"Thank you," the girl – Hinata-sama, Aito remembers the name in a flash – smiles.
Without warning, a fury of blue-ice-hot howling wind with soul-deep claws explodes through the room, ripping Aito away – his limbs are torn, his skin is scorched, his mind splits apart – his chest and throat crushed inward; he's hurling blood. Through shattered vision he sees Ume collapsing on the ground in a foetal position, blown apart by the killing intent, throat and mouth working as if she can't breathe anymore.
Then it's over. Aito finds his cheeks are soaked with tears. His entire body is uncontrollably shaking. So seems to be Ume.
Blearily, he looks up at the two others.
There's something odd about the bodyguard's eyes – who it's become pretty clear is more than just a bodyguard, though what he is Aito can't guess – like a motif formed with skin and nerves.
The aura of hostility still surrounding him makes it clear that he was the one giving off the – killing intent – Aito hesitates a moment with the words, because it seems so weak an expression; that was nothing like anything Aito has ever even imagined could exist.
The bodyguard's not moving when the girl goes to sit next to Ume like she did with Aito, and she asks again, "Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
"No," Ume croaks.
"Perhaps we should torture one and ask them again," the bodyguard declares suddenly.
The girl seems to consider the proposition. Then she looks down at Ume again. Aito can barely see her face between the curtains of her undone hair, but it doesn't matter; he's too busy getting his lungs to work again after the shock of the bodyguard's suggestion. More than that, he's terrified by the girl's serenity.
"Do you think you would remember things if we tortured you?" she asks pleasantly.
Ume whimpers. Aito knows his eyes are wide in horror as well.
The girl's mad, completely mad, and if she commands the bodyguard to start torturing them there's no reason they'll ever stop, because Ume and Aito really don't know anything and it's obvious by now the bodyguard won't stop carrying out the girl's orders ever.
"It hurts nothing to try." The bodyguard's mild comment ends in a growl. Aito thinks the girl might be sending him a sharp glance, but if she is he doesn't back down, and the next moment Aito isn't sure he didn't imagine things. Still, the bodyguard's not moving, so it means she's not going to follow up on that idea, right?
Gently, the girl puts her hand against Ume's temple.
Aito closes his eyes. He feels tears forming again under his eyelids and he wants to sob out in bitter knowledge that death's the only escape, and it's better for Ume if it should come here rather than in two weeks from now in an interrogation chamber of the Daimyo.
His ears are pierced by a blood-curling scream.
His eyes snap open.
There's a thin trickle of blood dripping down Ume's left eye. She's letting out panting sniffles.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?" the other repeats. Ume shakes her head convulsively. Out of the corner of his transfixed eyes, Aito sees the bodyguard shifting. He feels his eyes filling with water again.
The girl takes Ume's wrist, both limp and trembling, selects her little finger, and snaps it backwards. It wrenches another scream from Ume's lips. Aito hears the bones breaking. Then the girl holds the finger bent back against the back of Ume's hand, until Ume becomes inarticulate.
"Do you know who wanted you to kill me?"
Through his numbness – he can't look away from Ume he can't – Aito is startled to realise the question is addressed to him.
This is his chance to make it stop. He scrambles for it.
"We don't know – we don't know, we never ask, we need the money too much –"
The rest of his jumbled pleading is lost in the resonant noise of broken bones when the girl cracks Ume's ring finger. The bodyguard shifts again.
"Do you?" She's so calm.
Aito answers her, because he has no choice, though he knows his answer won't be enough for her. "No."
He sounds crushed because he knows this is useless, but he still has to try.
"Hinata-sama, maybe I should take over." The bodyguard's voice is grim, and Aito confusedly grasps that he doesn't like seeing his mistress in this situation, in addition to the dark yearning to extract pain and vengeance from them who dared attacking her.
It could have been just another application of the good interrogator/bad interrogator routine, like Aito hoped – thought – it might be in the beginning, but he knows it's not, that it's genuine.
The good interrogator isn't supposed to be the one wreaking uncaring torture on the prisoners; the bad interrogator isn't supposed to stand back and let the other lead the encounter. Even if he tries to reverse the roles it doesn't make sense, because the girl's not involved, or violent, or any of the things Aito knows to expect from the one handing out pain, and the bodyguard does want to make them hurt.
"It's no use, Neji-niisan," the girl says without looking up. A mist of incomprehension settles upon Aito. Niisan? How - ? There's nothing remotely sibling-like about their interaction – even more outlandish than the most outlandish stories he's ever heard, things about the family of the Kazekage. "They don't know anything."
She positions her hand on Ume's chest. Ume's body jolts, trying to jerk away.
A moment later, a blood-coughing gasp erupts from Ume's lips as her back stiffens and she limply falls back, glass-eyed.
Aito bites his tongue to keep from sobbing out loud, though he knows it was the best that could happen to her. But for a few minutes they were both still alive and only distant by a few feet and he never thought of saying anything to her, to ease her pain or let her know he was there. Ume is – was – the first of the group he'd worked with. She was his oldest friend.
"Should we alert the Daimyo?" The bodyguard's voice has turned neutral.
The girl stands, making her way towards Aito as she speaks. "It won't be necessary. Whoever did this most likely wanted to either destabilize Konoha or to diminish the Fire Daimyo's trust in Konoha. Reporting this incident would serve the same purpose."
"Your safety, Hinata-sama."
Hinata-sama stays still for a moment, then she goes to the bodyguard. Her geta are clattering a muffled pace until she reaches him and places a hand on his arm. The bodyguard – her brother? – unflinchingly bears her look for a few moments during which years of unspoken meaning fly past Aito, before uncrossing his arms.
He lifts his own hand – the question fleets through Aito's mind of what he's done to Ume to make her follow him here – did he drag her, did he wound her from the inside like the girl did. Maybe it's a clan skill.
Konoha. They've talked about Konoha. They – both the girl and her brother-bodyguard – are from a ninja clan and Aito's team never knew.
The bodyguard's hand is cupped against the girl's cheek, slowly stroking down to her neck. As if by accident, his thumb barely brushes her lower lip. Niisan. Hah. A cough sears through Aito's lungs, helpless twisted laughter distorted.
The bodyguard's hand falls back against his side as his head flickers toward Aito. He must've dismissed the interference as unimportant, though – Aito would've done the same thing – because he then grabs the girl by the arms and kisses her.
Aito doesn't want to watch; as he closes his eyes – perhaps his death will come quicker, he might just faint and fall asleep rather than be aware of how he's starting to drown in his own blood – he still notices the rough viciousness of their silent kissing, bizarrely at odds with the man's tender gesture before.
Knew she was into kinky stuff.
It doesn't come as a huge shock that he's a little delirious and repressing thoughts of his teammates.
"We'll tell Tsunade-sama right away once we're back," the girl's voice comes, as if she's never been interrupted at all, but for her slight breathlessness.
He must've let go of her; the thud of the girl's geta comes closer to Aito, who opens his eyes again.
"It could be a ploy of the Daimyo's to test you." The bodyguard's arms are crossed again, and his tone is dangerously bland. "I will dispose of the bodies tonight, if you want me to."
"The Daimyo doesn't know what to make of me," the girl mutters, tucking a strand of blue-black hair behind her ear. "He will lose interest in Konoha's affairs soon enough, but until then I need to play nice. Only three more weeks until we leave, thank the kami…"
Silence rings through the room as she carefully kneels next to Aito. Over her shoulder, Aito can see the bodyguard; he wants to smile, because the reason the white-eyed man is silent isn't because he's mulling over about politics but because he's staring at his Hinata-sama's silk-covered ass while she's sitting, his head tilted to the side.
"You have blood on your sleeve," the bodyguard's voice reaches Aito's ears as the girl's deadly hand comes to rest on his chest, like a butterfly. Would the sleeve be a wing? There's a giggle mounting somewhere.
Warmth irradiates in his chest, surging towards his brain. It doesn't hurt at all. Actually, it's rather pleasant.
There's a last soft word from his killer's lips. It weaves oddly clearly through the darkness coiling snugly around him. Aito welcomes it. It's no nightlight, but it might just be the next best thing.
"Good."
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Date: 2007-01-31 11:02 am (UTC)I love Celebrationverse~ <3
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Date: 2007-02-02 09:27 am (UTC)Given it started out as a drabble, it's a miracle...The verse is exponentially growing. Now if only the bunnies let themselves get written. ;)
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Date: 2007-01-31 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 09:29 am (UTC)*inner Kabuto: :3*
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Date: 2007-01-31 02:48 pm (UTC)Love this fic♥♥♥
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Date: 2007-02-02 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-31 04:43 pm (UTC)I like how this "celebratiomverse" has been carefully created and how Hinata emerged, stronger and deadly.
The last part is chilling but very good. It brings me back to "The Return" when people find out that Hinata is a special jounin and realize that she didn't come back completely unscathed. I personally find that connection really nice.
I am pimping this fic in my lj for peeps that are not in Hyugacest. I think you deserve the press XD
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Date: 2007-02-02 09:47 am (UTC)The failed mission aspect was - well - yet another jab at the village system (I criticise because I love, really!) and also because I'm a sucker for dramatic irony and hindsight abuse. And a desperate attempt to prove to myself I am not a wimp when it comes to killing characters.
Bodycount: four OCs who were created for the sole purpose of getting violently killed. Fail!Hinata... :3 I'm very glad you thought this part came out well. Understating: 1, Melodrama: 0.
T-thanks so much for the rec! *flattered blush*
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Date: 2007-01-31 05:27 pm (UTC)I have one question, is Neji still blind? If so, is he just that good anyway? Or has he got some special way of coping?
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Date: 2007-02-02 09:53 am (UTC)Neji's blindness is spoiler alert. Request couldn't be granted. okay, will be the topic of one or two fics to explain how he could start more or less on active duty again. As soon as I can get the characters to cooperate and the events to make sense without playing it Deus ex Machina. I know what should happen; I just need it to work. *glares at Celebrationverse timeline*
To try and actually answer the question, Something Was Worked Out.
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Date: 2007-02-03 03:24 am (UTC)It's true, it may be Neji's rage that leads him to suggest it first. But all her questions are directed towards the prisoners, she never questions his comments.
It strikes me that this Neji feels his failures to insulate Hinata from everything very keenly. Do you think she indulges him in this? Or does she feel it necessary to inform him from time to time that she can do it herself?
((Whoa, I just terrified myself, what if Hinata killed these nins on purpose by herself, just so Neji could come back on that note? Scary.))
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Date: 2007-02-06 11:19 am (UTC)>:3
For Hinata, it's part that she doesn't want or need to be protected from that sort of danger, and that's not what she expects from Neji, part that getting things done when he's not there means he won't try and overwork himself, part that she actually really likes when he's frutrated like that.
But since it is really important to him, she will not try and stop him, or deliberately take someone out if he is here. Unless they are trying to prove a point to an outsider, or she is trying to prove a point to him. (This would get very ugly, very fast.)
But don't let him fool you; he likes that she doesn't need him to fight her battled for her, that she's strong enough to stand on her own. He just wants to stand on her own as well, is all. *pets*
what if Hinata killed these nins on purpose by herself, just so Neji could come back on that note?
That's very probable. *griiiins*
(Hey, it wasn't as if she was going to take risks and make things last longer so Neji'd be able to 'help' when he came back! ...Besides, Neji'd have liked it even less if it looked like she couldn't deal with it on her own. And he'd know she easily could, and he'd have felt like Hinata was throwing him a bone and playing with her own safety wtf.)
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Date: 2007-01-31 11:06 pm (UTC)I hope you don't mind that I friended you, btw! Makes it easier to keep up with the awesome ficcage you throw off. ;)
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Date: 2007-02-02 10:22 am (UTC)Yeah, it was supposed to be a drabble and they were all originally going to get killed on the spot, but I realised it made no sense for Hinata and Neji not to try and get info our of them. So I needed my PoV!guy to stay alive for that part.
Regarding Hinata, I think subconsciously taking on a few aspects of Kabuto's character was the only thing she could do to keep her mind together. I think she's compartmentalising. Which, scarily, could well be the healthiest thing for her to do. And between Kabuto-channelling!Hinata and Ibiki-channelling!Hinata, I know which I find more likely.
Though to be fair, I don't think she's playing mind games just for the hell of it there. She's not deriving pleasure from it at all - apart maybe in the sense of quiet satisfaction at doing her job well. ...And she may just be sincere when she asks if it would help them to be tortured.
Stockholm Syndrom ftw.It's because they're both so sweet.and KabuHina is one of my UST!OMGsowrong!guilty!ships, so what.Neji tends to get in the background because he is fanatically devoted though arguably saner.
Oh, they'll come back. Probably in situations less likely to make them come off as creepy. Compartmentalising, wut. Now if only I could 1) get them to behave from the beginning to the end of a bunny 2) let me write about other characters of the verse without taking over.
I certainly don't mind being friended! :3 Just be aware that the updates are coming oddly fast and that I'll probably fall into fic-slumber at one point or another.
Oh, look, I rambled. What a surprise. Not.
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Date: 2007-02-02 07:25 pm (UTC)And oh, KabuHina is my evil ship of choice as well... so much so that I've even written fic (http://mariagoner.livejournal.com/6461.html) about them! (And killed Neji off in the process... but ah well, can't make an omelet without breaking a few and all that.) Probably the best KabuHina writer I've met with so far is
And I can totally see Hinata suffering from Stockholm Syndrome big time after an encounter with Kabuto. After all, half the reason why Kabuto is so dangerous is because he almost never lets down his image of being the kind-and-giving sort until it's too late for his victim... And given how love-starved and emotionally needy Hinata comes off as canon, I can see Kabuto seducing her very much despite herself. In fact, it's really a testament to her strength in this canon that she even managed to kill him in the first place. But I can see why she might incorporate parts of him into her own self-image in the after-math...
And yay for more plot bunnies! I look forward to them in the future, though I totally know what you mean about fic-slumber. It happens to the best writers, though I'll be terribly sad when it happens here. :|
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Date: 2007-02-06 10:52 am (UTC)Re:KabuHina, I find I like the idea of it being implied or a possibility more than coming straight out, which is totally why Celebrationverse only dances around it. Plus Kabuto gets to screw with her head even more this way, and we all know that's really the type of screwing he likes better. And this way Hinata can feel guilty and worry that she's projecting and never let her guard down on-the-off-chance-that.
I've read
Which brings me to Kabuto's death in Celebrationverse. Coming out: it wasn't planned. I was just writing the first fic, and Hinata started talking about getting tortured and killing Kabuto and that was totally not planned but rather cool so I kept it and then I went, oh noes I've killed Kabuto!!! Wait, Hinata killed Kabuto. yay cool. ...And that was how Celebrationverse was born. (So I get your needing to kill Neji off, though I mourn, but again, Hinata killed him, yay cool.)
So, Hinata killing Kabuto; split-second reflex. If she's started thinking about it, she never could have done it because she'd have been second-guessing herself and doubting her abilities. In this canon, she's been fighting any sympathy and attraction she felt toward him because she knew that way laid disaster, but well, can't win them all.
She managed to kill him because she was aware that it was her being weak that made her find him nice, so she made herself an enemy rather than viewing him as an ally. Long-term consequences weren't an issue at the moment. :3
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Date: 2007-09-29 03:04 pm (UTC)First, the characterization.
I just Love the way you've portrayed Neji and Hinata in this fic. There's something undeniably creepy about them, and this is absolutely fitting because they are shinobi and they are Hyuuga so you'd expect them to be rather creepy, especially with the messed-up childhoods that they've had. Aito finally realizes that even the girl is a shinobi and notes that if she's not, then it was Worse. A fitting description for one of the clans with the most ruthlessly efficient killing methods in Konoha.
Neji and Hinata are hot though XD, in a disturbing. *gets bricked* Neji's killer intent (oh yes!), and Hinata with her Lack of killer intent (she must be used to it all, she doesn't even care. The Kabuto influence that's pervasive in your Celebrationverse is also present).
But then there are your OCs. In 99% of fanworks I've read, the OCs are a disaster. But I am absolutely in love with the way you've portrayed yours.
You didn't babble on and on about them, indeed two were killed off from the start. But the main points stand out. They are poor. They don't ask questions. They don't ask questions because they're desperately poor and for once Masuyo was right about the politics, and their very policy is what proves to be their downfall. They never stood a chance, and they didn't even see it coming. Such is the harsh condition of missing-nins. How many other anonymous nins must have fallen this way?
But then there's the brilliant use of Aito's point of view that puts a face on all those anonymous nins that usually get discarded. These people have their own quirks and engage in the human hobby of gossiping. Then there's Aito's cries as he realizes that he didn't even Try to comfort Ume, and then he repeats in his head that she was his Oldest friend. That one line was striking: these shinobi, they may as well have been the Rookie 9. There's this touch of humanity here that contrasts sharply to Neji and Hinata's own inhumanity in this fic. Aito is just like the rest of them and now his oldest friend is dead and he is dying too. And Neji and Hinata don't even care. Yes, they are assassins, but so are the Rookie 9. This sure puts things into perspective. Brilliant!
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Date: 2007-09-29 03:06 pm (UTC)This whole fight was perhaps one ofthe best fighting scenes I have ever read. The added bit on interrogation was nice as well, giving depth to Aito and co. and showing that they are Not stupid, but how could they have been prepared for something so horribly unexpected? Too many fics are written too blandly these days. Naruto uses Kage Bunshin. Naruto kicks. Naruto takes out one of the nameless nins. *yawns*
But in this fic, you actually Feel the battle, you feel the whole intensity and horror that the enemy shinobi are experiencing. You don't bore us with the names of techniques or anything of the likes. You don't go "Hinata uses Jyuuken and melts the enemy shinobi's organs, yippee yay yay," instead you describe the fire that rages through Aito and how his lungs burn and how his whole body seems to tear apart at the so-called "killer intent." And the image of Ume crying pathetically in the corner is all that's needed to remind them that their situation is hopeless.
And through it all, Neji and Hinata are So hot at the end, a lovely play of multiple levels of contrast: between the enemy shinobi's desperate dying situation, and the fact that Neji and Hinata couldn't care less, and between the two's apparently proper presentation, and the intensity of their make-out session. And hell, Neji's checking Hinata out. XD
And at the end of it all, nothing is revealed: who sent the assassins, the exact situation Neji and Hinata are in, anything else. And it doesn't matter. A brilliant usage of the unsaid.
Amazing work! I hope you'll be able to read all this one day, since from what I've understood you haven't been very active on Livejournal. In any case, good luck! Now I have to muster the energy to review your other fics. XP