Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Disguised Curses	By : Raholea Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 2438 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
This chapter wasn't quite what I wanted, but I accomplished what I wanted. I think. Ideas thoughts and opnions of any kind are welcome. And now to the fun... Thoughts

CH 15

“Hyuga, can we speak for a moment?” The named ninja turned to face intense green eyes. Gaara stood a couple feet from him, mostly in profile. The young Kazekage had only faced him enough to see those intelligent eyes surrounded by dark rings. Idly, Neji wondered if the sand wielder still had trouble sleeping. Naruto had explained one time that was part of Gaara’s reason why he had the black marks and a crabby temper. “I can spare a few minutes if you need, Kazekage-sama.”

The redhead nodded and led him down a different street, away from the hotel. It separated them from the rest of the Leaf ninjas but Neji wasn’t worried. The action did pique his curiosity. “Kazekage- sama?”

“Please, just Gaara.” Gaara kept walking for several moments before continuing lowly. “I am not your friend to ask personal questions, Hyuga, but I do have them. Would you mind too badly?” There, an attempt at proper social skills. He’d been told to learn them and use them more often. Apparently people became offended when one bluntly asked overly personal questions without permission. He wasn’t yet sure that he cared, but he wouldn’t purposefully offend Neji. It’d be bad for business with Konoha, and anger Naruto. He held too much respect for his first real friend to do that.

“I may not answer all your questions, but you may ask if you need to.” Why did he have a bad feeling about this? How much did Gaara suspect, that he’d remove him from his companions? Was he just being paranoid…?

“Why does the Hokage want you and Naruto not to be alone together?” That question wasn’t expected. Neji paused, thinking. Explaining that would take explaining certain other things he didn’t really want to share. But what to say…

“Naruto has lost some of his control over Kyuubi. He tried to jump on me once, in front of both Sasuke and Lady Tsunade, while under the influence of the fox. I think, with it occurring once, she’s worried it may happen again, and I may not escape as easily as last time.” He shrugged. “He has reacted differently to me since he got back from his last mission. I can’t blame him. He has a lot of adjusting back to do.” ‘And the fact I’m prey to him doesn’t help,’ he finished, thinking. He didn’t want to share that yet. He’d have to talk to Kimi later.

Gaara simply nodded his head, not pushing for details. He fully understood how ninja took a bit longer to recover from certain types of missions. Often he’d seen crushed emotions come roaring back and threaten to tear ninja up after horrifying tasks or overly long undercover assignments. Plus, he’d noticed Kyuubi’s taint in the body of his friend. If Shukaku hadn’t been so volatile and psychotic, he may have done the same. Bijuu merging with their human “hosts” created powerful beings that were nigh impossible to beat. “I could sense the changes in him, Hyuga. He isn’t truly losing control, in a sense. Not in truth.” He stopped walking. “Naruto isn’t the only one I sensed changes in. You don’t feel like I remember, either.”

Shit. He didn’t want to explain this. Not yet. “That’s restricted personal information, Gaara; of which I cannot share.”

Glinting green orbs met his, cold in the moonlight. “I just want to know if you’re a potential threat, Hyuga. I know what I can expect if Naruto becomes dangerous, but you just feel wrong.” Neji stiffened. Damn this situation.

“I am not a threat to myself, to my friends, or to you and your people, Gaara. I… I went through some changes recently that I am neither comfortable with nor permitted to talk about. I’ll do my best not to irritate Naruto or start anything. Past that, I have nothing to say about this.”

A firm hand caught his shoulder as he tried to walk away from Gaara. “Do these changes have anything to do with Kimi’s comment about you being like her?” Neji flinched and tensed up at the soft spoken question, and then he felt that hand move away. “You don’t have to answer that, Neji. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Just drop the issue. I’ve said what I can tonight.” The Hyuga fled, if fleeing could be reigned into the pace of a walk, with all the fury and frustration seeping out. The sand at Gaara’s feet whispered at the agitation, but he shushed it with a thought and returned to his own home. Neji wasn’t his concern.

But why did the scent of fear linger on the young man?

******

“Neji. Kimi- san has arranged for a sparring match this afternoon.” Gaara had canceled anything left for the day after noon. He hadn’t had a chance to see Kimi fight yet, and plus, he knew everyone needed the break. He decided to leave the challenge open, to anyone who needed the practice or just blow off steam.

The pale eyed young man shrugged, but there was a slight eagerness in his posture. He was confident he could beat her- as long as she stayed human. “Does she just want to fight me or is she trying to impress her host?” He winced internally. It seems he’d never forgotten how to be a prick.

“She’s fighting any who care to challenge her. She wants to fight you at some point, see who is stronger.” The ninjas stood in silence for several minutes, quiet, thinking. “I’ll take her challenge.”

The sun beat down a couple hours later, heating sand and humans alike. Ninja ranged in a rough circle a short ways outside the village, headbands glinting in the light, reflecting Leaf and Sand emblems, and the one blank headband. Today Kimi had dressed in proper clothes, a low back tan shirt, shorts, boots. A tight pair of fingerless gloves covered her hands almost halfway to her elbows. It made her seem more human somehow, yet she still looked wild.

Neji walked from the wall of bodies, easing into the middle of the empty arena-like zone. He dropped easily into his common fighting stance, waiting for the match to start. Right before he saw the signal, Naruto yelled from the sidelines. “Hey! Go easy on her. She’s gonna fight me next!” He smirked as he whirled into action, blocking a strike from Kimi even as he itched to respond. Oh, he wouldn’t hurt her too much. Just prove his point- he was indeed a challenge.

He blocked several blows, a mid-gut kick, and managed to drop an open fist into the shifter’s side. She grunted, stilling a few feet away, a hand grasping her ribs. Neji slid easily back into his starting stance, waiting for the next move. The blow should have numbed the muscles on her left side, decreasing her speed and reaction from that arm. He hadn’t yet targeted her tenketsu.

Kimi straightened, barely favoring that side, her right hand extended before her. Pressure built in the air and Neji hurried to activate his Byakugan. Her chakra was racing through her body, collecting in her arm and at her palm. He rushed in, targeting the chakra points in her arm, but she spun away, faster than he expected. The blow came straight for his chest and he brought both arms up, the fist rocking him backwards and numbing him to his shoulders. He knelt, panting, until the numbness faded into a burning line of pain. He gasped at the intense sensation, and turned to face Kimi again. He wasn’t ready to give up. Both palms rose and flicked toward him, long cuts shredding through his robes. He blinked in shock- he hadn’t seen anything quite like that before. She hadn’t used kunai or any other blade- just her chakra and the air.

Wind must be her element. The thought didn’t help him, just told him what she used. He flexed his fingers, finding that feeling hadn’t quite returned. She charged him a moment later, and he used his heavenly spin to throw her backwards- with quite the surprising results.

Wings burst from her back and halted her backward slide, steadying her. The huge eleven foot plus wingspan almost dwarfed her body, but somehow, they suited her. Bars of cream, tan, and rich chestnut decorated the feathers. “Come, little one.” She challenged. Neji attacked again, adding weapons to his attacks. A kunai bit into a wing as one grazed past her cheek. The shriek made everyone cover their ears.

Then she was gone from the sparring area. A flicker of recognition through his activated Byakugan had Neji looking up, to meet the fast descent of the falcon- winged girl. But she scooped him under his arms and lifted him with her as she gained altitude. He started fighting almost immediately, but she was faster than expected, even carrying him. In moments they were high enough that to pull himself free and drop would break bones, and she was still climbing. Did she mean to drop him from such a height? He panicked, but the instant the instinctive switch flipped, he relaxed into her arms. He didn’t know why, just that whatever was beyond the ninja training within him was finding a form of peace riding through the air.

“I somehow knew you’d give up. Now, Hyuga- san, tell me. What are you that you enjoy the wind in your hair, that you aren’t willing to talk about before your friends? Tell me what you are, please.” The lowly spoken words thrummed through his mind and body, and he didn’t resist the compulsion to answer.

“Swan. I’m supposed to be a swan.”

_____

A/N: Yes. It finally gets told. He's a black swan. For those who guessed before, you were correct if you guessed our lovely waterbird. Details coming next chapter. *winks* thanks for the few reviews doled out for the last chapter! You seemed to enjoy the peek inside Naruto's mind, which is necessary to explain what is happening. I'm planning on doing the same thing for Neji, though his will come out a little different. (you'll see when the time comes.) Please, R&R and enjoy! new chapter hopefully out soon!!
- 14
- 15
- 16
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Disguised Curses