Nevermore

The moon hung in the sky like an ornament, illuminating the darkness with a pale light that dressed the tree tops in silver. It nearly hid the four shadows that flickered across the forest floor two miles outside of the Konoha walls. The first had dark hair that fluttered around his face like a storm, with darker eyes to compete with the blackened sky. He ran in front of a group of three men, dressed in head to toe in steel plated armor that wrapped around their bodies like death shrouds. “Kaito,” the dark haired man said, he cast his eyes back and locked eyes with the taller man behind him. “You are to take the left and look for the scroll in the temple halls.” He cast his eyes over his other shoulder and nodded to his other inferior. “Murkuro, you will take right and search in the underground tunnels south of the counsel hall.” He turned back forward and let a slick grin take a hold. “Kuji, you and I will take the Hokage’s residence together. Now, split!” Two shadows flickered in opposite directions, leaving the two men to pass through the forest.

“What happens if we fail this mission, if the scroll isn’t here?” Kuji asked quietly, looking upwards slowly to the back of his superior. Ahead of him the dark haired man snorted, clenching his fists.

“From what I was told, not even our greatest nightmares could stand up to our punishment if we should fail.” The leader looked over his shoulder and matched eyes with cold, gray eyes. He shivered involuntarily, never having been comfortable with being alone with Kuji. “This scroll…it’s the key to stopping this war. Konoha has so much power they think they can decide when the battles have been won. Our smaller villages pose no threat. Out of sight, out of mind. Do you understand what I‘m saying?” Ahead of them the trees came to a small clearing, a stone wall standing between them and the village.

“I see, do or die.” Kuji spoke firmly, slowing his legs down as they advanced towards their end. According to their map, on the other side of that wall stood an active bone yard that was approximately thirty minutes away from the Hokage’s residence. At this time of night there would be little security, especially around such a deserted area like this. It was their perfect entrance, their perfect escape. The leader came to a complete halt, stepping forward and running his fingers up the length of the wall. “Are you ready?” Asked the voice from behind him. The man closed his eyes and opened them once more. He adjusted his forehead protector and nodded.

“As ready as I will ever be.”

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She was the biggest coward the Uchiha clan had ever given birth to, and even she knew it to be true.

“Ita-chan, I don’t know about this...” Hinamei whimpered as she caught sight of the looming shadow called Old Tozuki’s Hill. Itachi kept his head straight forward, marking his answer with a smirk and a shake of his head. Even Shisui from in front snorted with amusement as her words reached him.

“So, are you admitting that you’re too scared to do this?” Shisui inquired, turning his curious eyes back towards the couple. “I mean, you did already say you would. That would be awfully embarrassing if you backed out now.” He turned back around and held the flickering light higher. “Besides, you don’t want to walk home alone now, do you?” Hinamei hugged her coat closer to her chest and buried her chin into its soft folds. Shisui was always teasing, it was no denying that one day that sharp tongue of his would get him into serious trouble. She looked up through her lashes, blinking away the shadows that flickered across the dark grass. As if looking for his approval, she turned towards Itachi with a deep frown set into her pale mouth. He replied with a short roll of his shoulders before arranging his attention back towards Shisui.

“I don’t want to walk home alone. I’ll do it, you’ll see.” She said in defeat. A gust of wind blew as they advanced over the top of the hill, extinguishing the only light they had. Shisui blinked twice before grinning and tossing the burnt stick over his shoulder.

“That’s good to hear. Now I hope you’re not afraid of the dark or anything.” He tacked on mercilessly. Grinning like a cat, he spun on his heel and placed his hands on his hips, eyeing the couple with obvious delight. Itachi spared a bored glance before sighing and turning his attention away from his older friend. Hinamei, on the other hand, shook and whimpered into her coat. Allowing her wide eyes to peek over and await Shisui’s direction. The devil boy pointed a slender finger at the towering tree line that stood to her right, the same small forest she had ran to for comfort the day of her father’s funeral. She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, praying for the best. “You know the rules.” Shisui stated matter-of-factly. “You have ten minutes, then you can come out and I promise,” he clapped a hand to his chest and closed his eyes. “I will never call you stupid again.”

“-Or a crybaby. Or a chicken, coward, I don’t like being called those either.” Hinamei cut in, moving her mouth outside of her jacket. For the first time she cut a sheepish smile in his direction, grinning wider when his face flat lined.

“Fine, fine, no more of that either. Not that it matters or anything, you’ll be crying in less than three minutes. What do you think Itachi?” Both pairs of eyes focused on the brooding boy, waiting for an answer. Itachi turned his head back towards the two and blinked, he furrowed his mouth and focused his inky black orbs on Hinamei. Finally, a smirk tugged at the left side of his mouth and he closed his eyes.

“I think she’ll last the entire ten minutes.” It was all she needed. Her eyes lit up and she pulled herself out of her jacket. Itachi never believed in her. And even saying never almost seemed like an understatement. She turned towards the frowning Shisui and stuck her tongue out, wagging it around to make sure he got the point.

“Well we’ll never know if she doesn’t get going soon!” He snapped back, straightening up and crossing his arms. “I’m going to start counting now.” He said, closing his eyes and mentally starting at the number one. Hinamei hesitated for a slight second before nodding and breaking out into a swift run. After all, ten minutes really wasn’t that long. She bit her bottom lip back and focused on the mission. Hell, she’d stay in for twenty minutes if it got Shisui to shut up for once. The trees wrapped themselves around her, consuming her until she saw nothing but the dark shadows of phantom limbs…

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Kuji stepped in front of his superior, holding a hand out in front of the other’s chest. His other finger tapped against his mouth. “Do you hear that, Haru?” The dark haired man narrowed his eyes and peered in through the dark tree lines. Having a forest clearing on the other side of the wall was something they expected but none-the-less could have done without. “Do you suppose they were anticipating this attack?” Kuji said quietly, lowering his arm and eyes at once. Haru stepped forward and clenched his fist close to his chest.

“Absolutely not, we we’re flawless in our planning. No one knew about this mission except for us and the clan leader. The only way they would know of our plans are either if Kaito or Murkuro leaked any information. But even that,” he crouched to the ground, “it’s unfathomable. They know the consequences are too great.” Haru looked up at the back of his partner, scrutinizing him. Was it possible Kuji had said something to the Konoha orderlies without his knowledge? It was true, he didn’t know much about the man but even he worried about his life like any other.

A twig snapped in the distance through the trees, both men froze. “Someone is there, they know.” Kuji said finally, a dark whisper barely catching the edge of the breeze. From his back pouch he pulled out a slender knife similar to that of a kunai but longer edged. “If we kill them now, we can leave before they have time to call in reinforcements.” Haru hesitated for a slight moment but nodded, standing tall and pulling out his own weapon.

“Do or die, don’t forget.” The dark haired man said before jumping onto a low slinging branch and jumping forward. Kuji smirked and lowered his gray eyes, knowing full well what would happen. All in due time, he would leave with the money before the Konoha ANBU came running at his signal. It wouldn’t matter if Haru or the others found out he had betrayed them, they would be dead faster than they could even call his name through their strangled pipes.

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“One, two, three…how long would you say she’s been in there Itachi? I lost count.” Shisui said from the ground, he lie on his back with his arms firmly under his head. Itachi glanced over from his sitting spot and shrugged.

“Maybe five minutes. Already she’s outlasted your expectations, you know.” Shisui raised a brow and smirked at his friend, closing his eyes and relaxing once more.

“So she has. Why don’t you just admit it already, you like her.” Itachi’s eyes snapped open and he delivered a firm glare in Shisui’s direction. Of course, it got brought up sometimes and each time went exactly the same. Shisui would laugh and Itachi would glare and deny anything and everything. But it was painfully obvious and even to Shisui, it was hilarious. “Alright, don’t say it. But I hope you realize, I know all about your feelings. You try not to wear them on your sleeve but face it Itachi, you’re the most easy to read person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” The boy dodged the stone before it had a chance to peg him in the face.

“Hn, you’re an idiot.” Itachi looked up past the snickering Shisui and let his eyes fall on the tree line. Shisui was right from the start, the normal Hinamei would have ran out of there in less than three minutes. It wasn’t like her to brave herself so carelessly. For a moment, a flicker or worry crossed his eyes. Last time she entered that forest she fell and had injured herself. Knowing how clumsy she really was made him wonder if maybe it had been a mistake letting her wander off in there by herself. With a reassuring nod to himself he stood up, Shisui opened one eye and glared.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to tell Hinamei to come out. She’s proved herself enough and I don’t feel like waiting any longer, I’m tired.” With a snort Shisui stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulders around to ease the ache.

“Fine, she wins. But are you sure you’re not going because you’re worried or anything?” A smirk cut across his boyish features and he nudged his friend in the arm. “Are you, Ita-chan?” Itachi shivered at his words and cut a sharp glare in the boy’s direction.

“You get one more warning. Next time, I promise, you will wish you hadn’t said that.”

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The night pressed against her skin and she shivered from underneath the thin fabric of her coat. Stupid boys, she knew she shouldn’t hang around them. She shuddered at the thought of her mother finding her bed empty at this time of night. And it was all because of them. She had been in for less than six minutes, and already she had cried once and almost ran out twice. The next four minutes were sure to be nearly impossible. She stood with her back against the tree, tapping her fingers against the wood and hesitating back and forth between two feet.

A sudden noise to her left caught her attention and she snapped back and stared into the darkness helplessly. She could see nothing from where she stood, only the sudden glimpses of what appeared to be branches and foliage. “Shisui, Itachi? That’s not funny. Not at all.” She said openly into the air, hoping it was one of them trying to scare her out. No answer came from either side. Another twig snapped but this time it almost seemed to creep closer. Startled by the noise she pressed her self firmly to the back of the tree, closing her eyes and huddling close to herself. “Really guys, you’re scaring me. Are you happy, you win!” She cried out, closing her hands around her head.

It was then that she felt it.

The tremor in the air shook with sudden danger. Her dark eyes shot open and she froze. There was something out there and it was most definitely not her boys. “I-Ita..” She tried to make out the words but found herself choking on them instead. It was hard to breathe, she had never been so scared. A creak from above broke her out of her trance. There hadn’t been a breeze just then to move anything out of place, something compelled her then to look. No! Don’t do it…she told herself, shutting her eyes and trying to inch closer to the tree. But her body betrayed her and she found herself moving her eyes up to the tree above her.

Hinamei had never seen a ghost, but that night she felt her knees tremble in fear as her eyes locked with his. There in the trees above her crouched a phantom, a grin cut into his face and black fire burning in his dark orbs directly above her. This was it, her end. The ghost slipped from the trees to the floor right before her eyes.

She screamed louder than she ever had right before a hand clapped over her face painfully and she felt herself being pressed into the rough bark behind her. “Hush little girl, we wouldn’t want you getting hurt now would we?” He hissed in her ear, letting his smile widen as the fear overwhelmed her face. Her blood drained immediately and she went sheet white.

Who knew ghosts could feel so warm…