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Hummingbird	By : Onileo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2120 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My fanfiction is for entertainment only and is not intended for financial gain.

Chapter List
- 19
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Chapter 20
          The harsh clang of metal rang out in the still air. Then another. Several shouts were heard as four ninja fended off the attacks of one tall, black cloaked figure. A massive, half-wrapped sword whistled through the air, forcing them back. Before they had time to regroup and counter, he attacked. The sickening sound of bones cracking followed by pained screams from two of the ninja echoed across the terrain.
          Falling back, the remaining two ninja faced off against their deadly opponent. One rushed forward, only to be met with a wall of chakra so strong, it drove him to his knees. It was over in a matter of seconds as the serrated sword was drawn harshly across his neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating both the dying ninja and his attacker.
          "Wait!" the remaining ninja cried out, dropping his katana. A sharp toothed smirk was the only answer he received as searing pain enveloped his body. Looking down, he watched in horror as his stomach was ripped open, its contents spilling his life out onto the ground. Looking up into the face of death, blazing yellow eyes met terrified ones an instant before everything went black.
          A feral growl escaped from Kisame's lips as he brought Samehada down on the body of the slain ninja in front of him. His blood was racing as primal rage consumed him. More. More blood. More death. It was never enough. It would never be enough to fill the void where a man once resided and a demon now ruled supreme. The smell of shed blood only drove him further into his frenzy as he mindlessly attacked again.

          The cold November wind ruffled Itachi's hair as he walked over to his partner. Kisame was standing a couple of yards away, methodically wiping the blood off of Samehada's multiple blades. As he passed the bodies of the enemy ninja littering the ground, he noted that what remained of them had suffered more damage than he had ever seen Kisame deal before. Even describing them as 'bodies' was being kind. They were more like piles of gore and blood.
         Coming to stand beside the shark ninja, Itachi gave him an irritated look. "You were supposed to save at least one for questioning." he said impassively.
          Kisame never even looked up. He simply shrugged his massive shoulders and continued his task. Itachi frowned. There was no sarcastic comment, no smirk, nothing. It was as if his partner had had all of the emotion sucked out of him, leaving nothing but a hollow body that went through the mechanics of daily routine without thought. The only time life seemed to spark within him was when he fought. And then it wasn't a pretty sight. Where he had been bloodthirsty before, now he was just utterly destructive. He no longer lived for the battle, but for the kill.
          Finished with his chore, Kisame wrapped Samehada in its linen bandages. After he had strapped the giant sword to his back, he turned and looked at his red-eyed partner, waiting on a decision on what to do next. Itachi turned away from him and headed toward the east. Kisame's flat, cold eyes and grim expression were a little unsettling. "Our mission is complete. Let's report to Leader-sama." he said.
          Kisame just nodded and followed him silently. As they walked, Itachi contemplated the changes in his partner's behavior. He knew what was causing it. It was Hinata. She had been back in Konoha for nearly three months now. And over that period of time, he had watched Kisame withdraw further and further into a silent depression. Losing her had nearly killed his spirit.
          The other Akatsuki members had noticed as well. Deidara and Tobi, agreeing for once, encouraged him to go bring her back. Kisame had simply glared at them and told them in not so many words that she was safer where she was at and they could take their concern and go to hell. Hidan had made the mistake of teasing him. He had called him a 'pussy whipped Konoha fucker'. Needless to say, by the time Kisame was finished with him, Kakuzu had his hands full putting his mouthy partner back together again.
          Zetsu and Konan hadn't had a lot to say on the matter, and Pein only said that as long as he continued to complete his missions and held up his end of the bargain, Kisame's personal issues weren't his problem. Kisho was back to his old, moody self again. A glare was the reward for anyone other than Zetsu who tried to talk to him. He also avoided Kisame as much as possible. Itachi tried to give Kisame as much space as he needed, but now his behavior was starting to affect his performance on missions. If he didn't snap out of it soon, something drastic would have to be done.

          Hinata stood on the training grounds, kunai in hand, waiting patiently. Kiba and Shino were conducting stealth training. They were supposed to be sneaking up on her. It might have worked before, but since her training with the Akatsuki, she could sense them coming a mile away, even without her Byakugan. Itachi had helped her hone her chakra sensitivity, and she could track both her teammates now with ease. Even the ANBU watching her from a distance weren't hidden from her. She let her hair hang in her face as a frown crossed her lips.
          Her situation was beginning to frustrate her to no end. She wished she could train at her level again. But she had to try her best to hide the new gap in her power from everyone else. If they knew how much she had improved, they would be suspicious of her, more than they already were. And maybe Kisame had instilled a little rebellious streak in her, because having her every move monitored was becoming quite irritating. She just wanted to scream at them, but she couldn't. She wasn't supposed to know they were there.
          Thinking of Kisame brought a familiar ache to her empty heart once again. Kami, how she missed him. If she hadn't known the ANBU keeping an eye on her would follow her straight to them, she would have returned to Hidden Rain as soon as she had left the hospital. But she would rather die than put him in danger. He had unerringly protected her. Now it was her turn.
        A pained smile replaced the frown on her face as his image filled her head. Reliving memories of Kisame was the only time she felt alive anymore, the rest of her life seemed like it belonged to a shadow of herself. She just went through the motions of life, while her heart stayed locked safely away, waiting on the day she could open herself back up for him. She didn't want it to be this way. She wished she could be herself around her friends and family. But they would never accept her and she couldn't change back for them. Her experiences with Kisame and the Akatsuki just ran too deep for that.
          Kiba and Akamaru had finally made their way to where they were supposed to ambush her. Shino was coming upon his mark fast as well. Tamping down on her chakra, Hinata stood motionless, never giving away that she knew exactly where they were. Metal rang against metal as she deflected the first shuriken tossed at her. Ducking low, she dodged two more. A fourth whistled by her head as she came back up and stuck in the tree behind her.
          Jumping quickly into the nearest tree branch, she waited and watched. She couldn't resist showing them up a little, and had used all her speed to hide from them. She masked her chakra as Akamaru made his way into the clearing a few minutes later, nose to the ground. He sniffed the trees and vegetation, looking for any trace of her scent. Since she had made sure to jump straight up to the branch she was on, she left no smell for him to find.
          Turning, Akamaru whined at the bushes he had emerged from. A slight rustling sound was heard, and Kiba joined his canine companion a moment later. Patting the dog lightly on the head, Kiba raised his nose and sniffed around. A puzzled look crossed his face and he tried again. Evidently finding nothing as well, he looked over his shoulder at a nearby tree.
          "Come on, Shino. See if you can find her with your bugs. She's got to be here somewhere." he said.
          Shino stepped out from behind said tree and walked over to Kiba. A gleam shone in pale lavender eyes. Just a few more steps and the tables would be turned. Hinata pulled out another kunai as Shino took another step closer. They were almost underneath her now. Shino raised his arms and started releasing his tracking bugs. Then he made the unknowing mistake of taking that last step. Dropping down behind them, Hinata held a kunai to each of their necks. "I win." she said solemnly. Both boys jumped and Kiba slowly turned his head to look at her in amazement.
          "Wow, Hinata! You really got us. How did you do that?" he asked.
          Hinata didn't answer him, just replaced her weapons in their pouch and stepped back. Kiba was smiling at her. "Wanna go again?" he asked.
          "No thanks, Kiba-kun. I need to get home now. It'll be dark soon." she said, watching the horizon begin to change hues as the sun sunk lower. Turning with a wave, she slowly walked off the training grounds and headed toward the small apartment she now called home. Kiba and Shino watched her leave before turning and looking at each other.
          "What do you think is wrong with her?" Kiba asked his teammate.
          "I'm not sure." answered Shino. "She has been acting quite strange ever since she was returned by the Akatsuki. It might be the lingering effects of trauma."
          "I don't think that's it." Kiba argued. "She hasn't smiled much at all since she's been back. And she's always daydreaming about something. It's almost like she doesn't even want to be here. And the way she just took us by surprise is almost scary. She never could do that before." he said, voice thick with concern. Shino only grunted in response. He was already deep in thought, analyzing the recent behavior of Team 8's kunoichi.

          Itachi headed out of his room and down the hallway. It was dark, well past time for everyone who didn't have nocturnal tendencies to be asleep. His head was throbbing, forcing him to deactivate his Sharingan. Figuring a hot shower would help some, he headed toward the bathroom. He was almost there when a solid shape to his left caught his attention. From the outline, he could tell it was Kisame. He was slumped down in the floor in front of Hinata's bedroom door.
          Activating his bloodline limit, Itachi warily made his way over to the shark ninja. Kneeling down in front of him in the darkened hallway, he gently shook his shoulder. Nothing happened. Getting concerned, Itachi checked his pulse and breathing. He seemed to be fine. Shifting suddenly, Kisame sunk lower to the floor and let out a loud snore.
          Itachi frowned in irritation as the intense smell of sake assaulted his nose. He was drunk. Rising to his feet, Itachi shook his head at his partner. They had a mission in a couple of days, and if he kept this up, he would be too hung over to be of any help. Then Pein would have a problem and Kisame would be left to deal with the consequences. If only Kisame could get over Hinata already. That would make things so much easier.
          "Useless." he said coldly to the unhearing Kisame before turning away and heading into the bathroom.
          When Itachi emerged a half hour later, nothing had changed. Kisame was still in the same position, snoring loudly. Itachi had started to walk past him and go back to his room when something shiny flashed in the corner of his eye. His partner had something fisted in his right hand. Curiosity taking a hold of him, he walked over to him and squatted down. Tugging gently, he pulled the metallic object out of his grasp. Standing again, he examined it. A thin eyebrow raised in surprise. "Interesting." was all he said.
          Suddenly making his mind up, Itachi closed his fist and walked to the next door over. The time for waiting was over. Knocking loudly, he continued until he heard movement before stepping back. The door was pulled open and Kisho stood in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his golden eyes and glaring at the intruder.
          It only took him a moment to register who exactly was standing there. Eyes wide, he stepped back defensively. "Itachi-sama." he said, voice edged with fear. "What do you want?"
          "Kisho." came the cold reply. "Get dressed. We're going."
          "Going where?"
          Itachi raised his hand, dangling the borrowed object in front of Kisho's face. A small smile came to his lips when emotion started playing across the redhead's face as he realized exactly what was before him. "We're going to retrieve your partner."
          Nodding once, Kisho stepped back and closed his door to change. Itachi leaned against the wall, hands folded in front of him. While he pondered a good strategy for getting Hinata safely back, an idea came to him. Straightening, he walked to the room across the hallway and knocked several times. It wasn't long before another ninja was glaring sleepily at him, this one blonde.
          "Itachi-kun." began Deidara, running his hand through his sleep mussed hair. "Do you know what time it is? What do you want, yeah?"
          "Deidara-san. I have a special commission for you."
          Deidara's face brightened considerably at the mention of his art. Sleep could apparently wait. "Really? Well, let's hear it then."

          Kisho paced around his room several times before stopping to glance at his closed bedroom door. He tried to quell the trembling that took hold of his body. He had finished dressing five minutes ago, but he still hadn't summoned the courage to step out into the hallway. The one person that he hated and feared the most was waiting on the other side. And he would be alone with him for several days in the middle of nowhere.
          'Do it for Hinata.' he reminded himself. She had saved his life after all, and now he had the opportunity to return the favor. But what if he screwed up? If they went to Konoha and failed to retrieve her, then her cover story would be blown and she would be in a lot of trouble. She would be imprisoned, and possibly killed. And if that happened, he had a feeling that he wouldn't live long enough to regret it.
          But Itachi needed his help. He would never be able to infiltrate Konoha, get Hinata and leave again undetected. And Hinata would need a quick way to get away from any type of pursuit. He figured that was why Itachi wanted him to come along in the first place. His stone lion jutsu had proven itself as a reliable and quick method of travel. At least he wouldn't be useless on this trip. Steeling his shaky nerves, he pulled open his door and stepped into the hall. They would succeed. He wouldn't be a pointless burden, he vowed, not like last time.

          Hinata rubbed her sleepy eyes as she rolled over on her bed. She groaned inwardly as the silence of the darkened room reminded her that she was alone yet again. Glancing at the clock, she sighed. It was only three in the morning. She never could sleep well anymore. Once you got used to having someone sleep in the same bed with you, it was hard to go solo again. Absently running her palm over the cold pillow beside her, she wished for the millionth time that Kisame was with her.
          But he wasn't. Ignoring the fresh pain in her heart, Hinata rolled on the bed until she was sitting up. Suddenly she couldn't breathe well. The room was hot and stuffy. The weather had warmed considerably over the past couple of days, a late reminder of summer before winter set in. Walking over to the window, she slid it open and peered outside.
          It was just as oppressive as the interior of her room. There were no noises to be heard anywhere. The air was heavy and not even a slight breeze stirred to relieve her. The whole village seemed to be asleep, except for her. Even the ANBU stationed several houses away were still, the lull of the pre-dawn hours upon them. Hinata turned away from the open window and started toward her bed when a soft rustling noise shattered the stillness and halted her in her tracks.
          Turning back to her window, her pale eyes widened in surprise at the scene that greeted her. Sitting on her window ledge was a tiny clay hummingbird. Hinata smiled. It was obviously one of Deidara's. Every tiny detail was perfect. It hopped in a lively circle on the sill, then stopped to look at her with its sightless eyes. That was when Hinata noticed the gleam of silver protruding from its mouth.
          Edging closer, Hinata leaned forward and held out her hand. The clay bird flapped its tiny wings excitedly before jumping into her proffered palm. Opening its beak, the hummingbird dropped a necklace into her hand before taking off again out the window. Holding her breath, Hinata hurried over to her nightstand and flipped on her lamp. She had to sit down quickly on the bed as a tear rolled down her cheek when she saw what lay in her palm.
          Picking the necklace up, almost reverently, she examined it. It had a delicate chain of platinum. The pendant was a crystal shaped into a perfectly smooth water droplet. Inside was another hummingbird, carved in obsidian. It was highly detailed, with wings spread out behind it, and she could see that each feather had been worked to perfection. It had two small amethysts for eyes. A lump formed in her throat. This must be the present Kisame had talked about before she went on her mission. The fact that it was here along with one of Deidara's birds could only mean one thing. They had finally come back for her.
          Placing it gently around her neck, Hinata stood just as an explosion sounded out across the village. Trying to contain the excitement welling up inside her, Hinata ran through her apartment, still in her pajamas, and out her front door. She made it to the street just in time to see a stone lion go bounding past her. The ground was rumbling slightly and a terrified scream sounded just out of her sight. So Kisho was here too.
          She could pick up his familiar chakra signature halfway across the village. Bright orange lit up the night sky as flames erupted close to the Hokage monument. More screams reached her ears as the once still night fell prey to chaos. The sound of running feet closed in on her as an ANBU raced by her, stopping only long enough to give her a hurried warning. "The Hokage Tower has been bombed! All ninja are to report there immediately! Konoha is under attack!"
          Hinata stood frozen to the spot. What should she do? It was obvious that the Akatsuki were involved. Should she help Konoha or stand by and watch? Loyalties torn, she nervously began fidgeting with her fingers as she tried desperately to make up her mind. Her decision was suddenly made for her as she felt the slight flare of a familiar chakra. It stopped just behind her. Turning around, she came face to face with the glowing red eyes of the Sharingan.
          "I-itachi-san." she said almost breathlessly. Framed against the darkness of the night, he looked every inch the merciless killer he was reputed to be. She gazed up at him as he stepped closer, towering over her shorter form. Then a smile broke out on her face when he smirked at her.
          "Hyuuga Hinata." He said formally, but she could easily detect the hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm here to kidnap you."
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Hummingbird