Prologue

I remember it. The acidic black smoke the fogged my room, my house, even my adolescent lungs. Burning my throat as I desperately gasped for air, that even I knew, I'd never get. It was hot, I remember it, the intense heat roasting my exposed skin that hid under the satin of my pink shaded pajamas. I was only nine. Sitting on my bed, once fast asleep, but now awaken, holding myself, as I stared, horrified, at the roaring flames that was slowly inching closer to where I sat.

Shaking uncontrollably, I didn't know what to do. Lost in the thought of knowing, I was going to die soon- burn to death by the flame that suddenly ignited in my home. Surely, it wasn't a nightmare. A nightmare wouldn't feel as scalding as it did now. Screaming was hopeless, long before I could even begin to try. The smoke filled my lungs to the point where I could no longer breath properly- my air take in was short, and uneven. It hurt. It hurt so much.

Someone.. Save me…

"Reiko.. Reiko.. Look at me.."

The grasp of someones hands, firmly wrapped around my limp arms startled me. Who was it? Who knew my name? Who was touching me. My head whipped in the direction away from the flames that grew closer towards my only safe place. My eyes caught my broken door, then, meeting the one person I prayed to God, himself, I wanted to save me from this realistic nightmare.

I don't remember when I started crying, but my vision became blurry, misty. Feeling my tears rush down my cheek as I sat there... Helpless... Afraid… Terrified… But, heavily relieved as I sobbed my heart out, as I wheezed out soft, hoarse cries, to my savior, "Otou-san… Otou-san.. Otou-"

"Don't say anymore Reiko.."

He cut me off, pulling me into his tough, broadening chest, that smelled heavily like the smoke that clouded my room more heavily now that my barricade was now breached. As he cradled me, my body limp, as fragile as its ever been, in the arms of my father. My hands gripped onto the tattered shirt he wore, hiding my face into his chest, shielding myself away from the burning sensations of the rising fire that awaited us as he began to bolt down the second floor hallway of our burning home. It was effortless for him as he used his developed speed to find a way to escape the fire that was slowly closing in on us. He held on to him. As if my own life depended on it. Praying, to God, that I'd be able to make it. That we would be able to make it, together…

BANG.

A rush of cold air hit my body, the sound of crackling fire stopped, along with the sound of rushing footsteps of my fathers sprinting through the burning wooden floor of our use to be home.

The thought of it.. what used to be our home.. Was bittersweet. Although that home was filled with times of happiness of my father coming back from his S-Rank missions, and the unbearable sadness when he has been beyond injured of almost unrepair. It was our home, a home I grew up in, that was now stripped away from me. No questions asked. Gone, forever.

My father set me down, he held my arms again, crouched down in front of me, as his calm expression, but distressed eyes looked into my eyes that were still clouded by the heavy smoke, mixed in with my slowly ceasing sobbing. He didn't have to say it, I knew right from the beginning. Our house didn't start engulfing itself in raging flames by accident- as my eyes linger, it became clearer. As people rushed passed, screaming, crying, calling out to their love ones, looking back to make sure they don't leave anything, or anyone behind, they ran. They ran away from their homes, their friends, their memories, their village, to escape what has become of what was ours.

We were under attack.

"I'm going to help your mother, understood?"

His words were muffled, drowned out by the screams of women and children. I knew I was there, looking into his eyes, feeling his firm touch, smelling the smoke that latched on to him unwantedly. But, I couldn't understand what he was telling me. His lips were moving, the words were there, but I couldn't put two and two together.

Where is Mi-chan..

"Reiko! Listen!"

He shook me, my head jolted fully forward, blinking to clear the vision of stray tears that still had yet to fall. He knew I had my attention on him fully. Sighing, he gave a look over to his side- by the feeling of his hands loosening on my forearms, some relief rolled through him. He rose, returning to his towering height, his eyes still locked onto the figure that stood far back from my peripherals.

"Stay here.. Reiko.. Don't leave.. Understood?" He paused, looking down at me with an official expression that held some sort of relief. Continuing, his voice was soft, comforting the slightest tremble I had as I stood on my own. "Besides… She'll protect you while I'm gone.." His words were cut, ending with a faint reassuring grin. Then, before my very eyes, he was gone, stepping on the tiles that lined the neighboring houses that seemed sporadically in flames as he disappeared into the large cloud of black smoke.

She'll protect me?

I held my breath, turning my body to my fathers worded gesture. But, before I knew it, I fully moved on my own. Sprinting to that one person, I deathly wanted to see. She turned around when she heard my calls,"Mi..Mi-chan!" My voice was free from the smoke that had muted it, as my legs carried me, cutting through the air, down the one way path to the arms I wanted to feel the most. As my eyes began to cloud once more, the tears rushing out from my eyes, sobbing once more. The impact of one body, hitting the other, my face buried into her shoulder, muffling my cries.

"Don't worry Reiko, I'll protect you.. Don't cry.." she whispered into my ear as her careful hand patted my head gently. It was sudden, as time stopped, and it was only the two of us. In our own small, but comfortable world, together. The screams of others silenced, while she calmed me down, setting my nerves at ease, like she always did. Her voice was comforting, soothing, although it was soft, mimicking the uneasiness in my own, she held herself strongly as we held each other in the middle of all the chaos that surrounded us.

"I.. I can't.."

Lifting my head from her shoulder, I looked up at her, my eyes tired, stinging with the mixture of my immensive crying, and heaviness in the air, I looked at her, with expression filled with sudden confusion. Despite everything that was happening, the softest chuckle sounded softly through her loose smile. ".. You aren't hurt, are you? There is no reason for you to cry, Reiko."

"There is a reason.." I spoke softly, averting my eyes away from her calm gaze. My voice muffled softly, as my eyes began to sting once more, threatening another episode of crying. The fact was obvious, once my father comes back, we have to leave. We wouldn't be able to stay here anymore.. Not with our home crumbling at the scenes, while ninjas from another village attacked ours for reasons I probably will never understand. But, maybe Mi-chan would? Looking at her, feeling my lip quiver, as the words slowly traveled up my throat, hesitating whether I dare say it, for my own sake. "I don't want to leave.. Mi-chan.. I don't want to-" It hurt saying it, it hurt having to muster up something that lead to my life changing.. Possibly.. Forever.

Sniffling, once more, choking up at the scenes, I looked down, no longer able to hold myself up. I held on to Mi-chan, strengthening our hug as I closed my eyes tightly, stopping the tears that began to pour out once more. "Don't leave me Mi-chan… Don't-"

"Miya."

A deep voice that cut through my soft cries of pleading, my eyes shot open, looking up, facing a man in a uniform different from my fathers, but familiar from the times I've spent my days with Mi-chan. Her father was someone I barely saw, but the times I did, he wasn't exactly welcoming.

My grip on Miya loosened, as my gaze looked into the blank silver eyes that stared down at me, intimidating, judgingly. I broke our eyes, looking down, away from the eyes that shot me with something of a cold expression. "Mi..Mi-chan-" I whisper, until I was jolted back, suddenly ripped away from Miya. Our eyes meet, mine filled with panic, but hers, calm as they were before. Whipped around, my back turned away from her, meeting the distressed look on my fathers face. It frightened me. What was happening. My eyes searched into his, trying to find another piece of emotion that would return the relief I felt before.

"We need to leave.."

My mouth slowly opened, words of protest slowly building, but was cut off as I heard Miya's father call her name once more. My head turned out of my own will, looking back at her, as her own father held her closely, muttering words in silence that were drowned out by the rolling chaos. It was clear, watching as her expression changed by their discussion.

I wanted to know. I wanted to know what he was saying to her. I wanted to know what caused her to frown, look away, to lose that sudden composure she held so well when it was only her and I.

My gaze still on her fathers moving lips, and Miya's changing expression- until she looked at me. Her eyes, right at mine. As if she knew, right away, I was eavesdropping on her and her father's discussion. I wanted to look away, but, she captivated me. The look in her silver eyes told me that our time would be short together. I wanted to tell her not to go, to not leave. To stay with me. Forever. Like we had promised.

Her father slowly let go of her, and she calmly walked toward me. I jerked away from my dad, to meet her halfway. Our world were cut short, time had stopped around us once again. She stopped in front of me, and smiled. A smile that scared me. Her small hands cradled something shiny, but before I could see what she was holding- her other hand grabbed mine, holding my wrist, palm up. Holding the object over my palm, she let it go, letting it fall into my grasp. Folding my fingers around it, I looked into her eyes with a sad expression, threatening to cry once more. I knew, this was goodbye.

She smiled one sad smile, and let go of my hands softly. Her silver eyes almost looked sad to me. I didn't want this. I watched her slowly turn around and go back to her father, not looking back. My own father grabbed my wrist firmly, and started dragging me the opposite way. As the distance grew between me and her, reality was hitting me, crushing me. I was afraid, scared, terrified that I would never see her again.

Then the screams reached my ears. A scream I wish I never had to hear, one that I never actually heard before but, I instantly knew who it was. I dared to look back, and what I saw burned into my eyes. Heat rushed over my body as the impact caused my heart to stop. Where I once stood, in the embrace with my friend, the print that began to glow on the wooden houses side by side, vanished, taking the houses they were placed on with. Exploding, everything was. My eyes searched frantically, searching for the scream the rang hauntedly in my ears continuously. Then I saw it. Her. Cradled in her fathers arms, her skin charred. I tried to go to her, jerking my arms back, desperately trying to release myself from my fathers firm grip, but it was no use, the grip never faltered.

Farther our distance grew. My eyes blurred, as my only focus was on Mi-chan.. Until, she was completely captured by the flames.

"Mi-chan!" I screamed, but my voice never came out. Sounds drowned out. The only thing I heard was a faint person calling my name. Calling me out of my trance that I had been in.

"Rei! Rei! Tch.. Wake up already!"

We do not own the idea Naruto ~~ but we own all characters in this story!