Juggernaut

Notes: Well here is the sequel to ‘Leviathan’. I was actually planning on naming this fic ‘Behemoth’ but it sounded wrong, as one review pointed out –thanks Angsty- so I used this title instead.

For those who read ‘Leviathan’ and liked-reviewed- it this fist chapter is dedicated to you for reading and encouraging me. For those who haven’t read ‘Leviathan’ I recommend that you do before you read this fic, you don’t have to review it if you don’t want to, just so that you are caught up and are not confused.

With that said I hope you will enjoy this new fic.

Side Note: This fic takes place one year after the last chapter of ‘Leviathan’

Disclaimer: The characters, plots, and setting of Naruto does not belong to me!

Prologue:

Adaptation

Small child fingers pulled the hem of the ink black cloak tighter around a pale heart-shaped face, eyes as white as the snow falling upon the small village appearing like exotic beacons peering out from her drab surroundings. Her stride was slow and purposeful, however there were the slightest cringes that came as she skirted around the well-lit taverns and bars.

Two years in silent company had bred in her an outright aversion to other human beings. Too much noise, too much suspicion, and activity.

Breathe in…breathe out…

With hesitant steps she ducked into the tavern, the smell of sweat, sake, cigarette smoke, and some other things she would rather not know about; assaulted her senses. Soft doe-like eyes gazing around a place that she clearly didn’t belong in.

Several heads turned, wondering whose nagging wife had been stupid enough to send their daughter into a bar to retrieve an alcoholic husband, yet many would later admit to themselves that she was an odd looking child so suspicions should have been raised.

Stopping just behind one of the more vocal clients there was a small demure cough, causing blood-shot eyes to turn on her, a patronizing sneer already on the man’s lips before he turned in his chair.

“You lost little girl?”

With all seriousness Hinata shook her head, “No sir. Actually…” she extended her hand passing a square folded up piece of parchment, “I was told to give this to you.”

The man’s eyebrows arose, wrinkles knotting his broad forehead, rather than reading the note he pocketed it, turning back to his drink and away from the intruder.

“Great, now scram.”

A frown curled on her lips, a small hand hooked around the reluctant man’s elbow, “I am afraid that it’s rather urgent…”

He jerked away, “Get lost…or better yet go home. This is no place for you.”

Something crossed her gaze for a moment before a weak smile appeared and she bowed lowly, carrying on with the act of ‘messenger’, “Of course sir, my apologizes for disturbing you.”

“Yeah disturbing alright,” the man muttered audibly as she started to walk away.

He paused to down his shot of sake whipping his mouth on the sleeve of long sleeved shirt, “Freaky little kid.”

Hours passed, patrons to the tavern coming and going some with just light buzzes others in drunken hazes. It was well past midnight before he stumbled out, full to the brim with warm sake so the cold barely affected him.

His feet seemed to pick up every single crack and imperfection causing slight stumbles and the odd chuckle or two.

Just as he began to fish keys out of his pants pocket a small voice spoke up.

“…Sir, are you okay? You don’t look so well…”

He jerked his head back, vision swimming as he caught site of the ‘freaky’ little messenger girl.

“Go away kid!” he snapped, cursing when the keys slipped out of his hand and to the snow.

The toe of Hinata’s worn boots stepped on the key ring and dragged it closer to herself rather than handing them to the man.

“Fuckin brat! I don’t have time for games!” the man yelled as he bent even further to snatch the keys back only to loose his balance and fall face forward into the snow…which had a odd and grainy texture kind of like…

“Gaara hold him down,” the girl said softly, but instead of the quivering tone of a child the words came out like a detached command.

The man’s eyes widened as he helplessly watched his wrists being grasped in a serpent-like hold of golden sand. He struggled against the binds and stumbled to stand only to find his legs were weighted down in a similar fashion.

With a squeeze of fingers the man cried out in pain the bones in his wrists and ankles shattered into fragments. No sound came since a makeshift gag of sand, which smelled strongly of decaying blood, had clasped over his nose and mouth.

“Gomen,” the girl whispered delicately, a sharp ironic contrast to the very hard kunai she pressed against his throat.

Her small fingers fitted around the weapon, shivering ever so slightly from the cold and hesitance before it drove right through the back of the neck, penning his face against hard cobblestone sidewalk. Again his howls of pain muffled by the sand, the tainted grains coating the inside of his open mouth.

With a small grunt Hinata’s fingers drove the weapon in deeper, blood erupting from the wound and pouring freely like water as she twisted the weapon once…twice…a third…

A heavy sigh followed by, “They are late.”

Dark red eyes merely stared straight ahead, not making responding to the comment his partner made.

Restlessly Kisame paced, “This is ridiculous. What if they got killed or captured? Those two are more of a liability than anything.”

His eyes closed, “Perhaps. All the same Leader had talked about testing them, so he must be holding out to see if Hinata and Gaara are worthy enough to join.”

Kisame sneered, “That and he wants to line the treasury with blood money, so sure why not send the brats out on assassination missions? Not to mention keeping the red-head around long enough for us to extract that demon out of him.”

Itachi refrained from replying for a moment, “…You dislike them.”

Kisame didn’t deny it. “The brats get special treatment Itachi, you know they do. We’re criminals, not babysitters.”

“True…but then again, they are not children either.”

Kisame withheld from saying more. Itachi was stubborn about those two, for whatever reason he would accept criticism about them and would often agree that it was wrong, even dangerous, to keep them; yet day in and day out the red-headed boy and the white-eyed girl remained.

Speaking of the little devils:

Two shadows silently approached Kisame and Itachi; the missing nin instantly and casually turning their heads, their eyes and faces hidden underneath wide brimmed straw hats and their forms concealed by the signature black cloaks with red clouds.

Gaara and Hinata approached their strides even and not hurried. Hinata clutching the ‘blood money’ in a worn leather pouch which she wordlessly handed to Itachi.

In turn Itachi weighed it in his palm before pocketing it.

“It will do.” Itachi’s eyes turned back to the village, so far it was quiet, by morning people who know of the murder.

Turning away Itachi lead the way, Kisame wearily glancing at the two silent ‘brats’ before following behind then beside Itachi. Stepping in the two shadows Hinata watched as Gaara’s tongue snaked out to lick up the spatter of blood that had manifested on the right corner of his lips.

Curious, the Hyuuga brought her own fingers to her mouth, tasting of the blood, only to spit it out.

Bitter, salty, copper.

Needless to say she wouldn’t be trying that again.

Notes: Rather boring start to the fic I know, but trust me when I say that it will get better! Thank you again for reading and as always please review kay!