The jade leaves muttered uncontrollably, languishing on the trees, when the wind cascaded sideways through the forest. The rustling created the utterly scenic sounds which were accompanied only by lazy silence. The ground was unmarked by man, no branch broken by the destructive footfall of leaping from tree to tree. Animals seemed absent from existence, no tracks littering the forest floor but not scuffling in the undergrowth from movement either. The sun steadily streamed through the clustered branches as if it was trying to delve into every possible space. It was surely not a setting appropriate for a murderous battle where two tailed demons had fought. Nor would it seem fit for an area where the largest shinobi village lay. Nestled deep in and among the trees laid the village hidden in the leaves, Konohagakure. Eerily, no noise of the settlement reached the serene smoothness of the deep jade forest. The air was only ruled by the rushing of trees in the blowing wind.
xxx
"Just like us to get stuck on the same guard duty… again." The muttering came from one fully cover mouth, disbelief echoing like the remains of a spoken curse. Like a curse, it was not intended to be heard. A snort was the reply, starling the speaker.
"Like we actually choose our times. It's just fucking chance that we actually get it at the same time." The reply was said in a consecutively bored tone with none of predicted venom that was implied by the words.
"I know that!"
"Then why are you complaining?" The silence was his only answer but he couldn't resist adding on, "Fucking idiot."
xxx
Smooth crashing sounded like alienated echoes through the forest. They were barely hear-able unlike the heavy breathing that sounded alongside it. The breathing was like thunder on a summer's day. It was frantic. It was fast. It was terrified. It sounded like they were running for their lives.
xxx
"Can you hear that?" One ear was turned towards the road, intense concentration painted on his face like a master piece.
"It's not night so quit trying to mess with me. You know I don't fall for that shit." Irritation laced the tone, not as a contradiction of the words, but as a result of a reaction to something he was completely and utterly used to.
"I'm not fucking around! Listen…" This frenzied remark was almost halted by one that stated that he couldn't fucking listen if he was talking. Almost. He curbed his instinct to reply when it hit him like a wave. He could hear it.
xxx
They had to be quite, subdued, silent as the very mice the so stealthily steal food from under your very fingers. It was difficult, difficult the only word one would come up with under this very circumstance when desperate panic floods your entire body… leaving no room for thoughts such as those. Breathing was certainly a problem when you were hardly used to running this far, it was amazingly hard to judge distance when you only had a crude mental image and a vague description to go by. Especially if that was all you had been focusing on. That and survival. Survival was a must.
xxx
"Not so fucking cocky now are-" The whispered boast was crushed by a hand recoiling to slam upon his mouth. Irritation would have overflowed into an action of biting down upon the hand if had not been told to shut up. His eyes flickered. Again. There it was again. Barely loud, a distance away. It was still there. They stretched their hearing, they strained it to try and identify the foreign sounds. The limb position over the mouth dropped slowly.
"Should we get closer?" The question was one to definitely ponder. It was certainly an idea… but a good one?
"Fuck no. What if it's some fucked up demon!" This indignant reply was met by a sharp swivel of the head and a poison edged glare. It was something to see as it chilled the victim it was aimed at to the very soul. All the way to his soul.
"You're a ninja! Fucking act like it!" Their short lived argument was interrupted rather violently but a devastating and jolting crash.
xxx
She couldn't tell was had happened. She had heard it to her very core, heard it to her soul but her barely lucid mind couldn't process it. Only the feeling something had gone startlingly wrong was there yet it was ignored in the survival instincts. She had to keep going. Her breathing was clouding her mind, the edges of her flickering vision being eaten by midnight. Thumping seemed to break from her heaving ribcage, the beating resonating inside her whole body. It was eating her. She had to keep going. She had to. To stop would end in utter destruction for her, for all of them. She couldn't imagine the disappointment on their faces. They had trusted her. She would do this. There was no other way.
xxx
He edged forward, azure sandaled feet scraping and scuffling on the ground. A slim metal in his hand provided the courage to go forward. Wariness edged his movements, eyes constantly sweeping the area in search of the source. He shot to the side, eyes fixated on a certain part of an apparently suspicious tree. His ears betrayed him and he shot around to face the other way. His knees were bent, arms braced for battle if need be. He really didn't want to fight though…. His guard shift way almost over. He stopped, the absence of any noise but his own irritating him. He muscles relaxed, erecting his body. A look was cast at his companion with a shrug.
"What the fuck what that?"
xxx
Faster. She needed to go faster. So much faster. A clasped hand was grounding her but even that was seeming to slip away. It was drifting like the leaves on water as were all her senses. Her feet were stumbling as if demons from beneath were dragging her down. She had to keep going, she had to get out of this accursed shadow. The black was almost filling the vision to the very brim when she absorbed it. A light. Joyful exhaustion ran through her veins. Only a little more to go, she thought. Her eyes closed as her foot entered the light.
xxx
"Fuck!" The curse shot out of his mouth faster than he contain it when the sudden explosion of noise grabbed his fleeting attention. He had turned around quicker than many people would think is humanly possible, even for a ninja. His eyes became huge vats of mud as he eyes located two coloured heaps lying on the road. Both heaps were heaving. He stepped forward just once, then another as he desperately tried to identify whether this was an attack or even what they were. His lips parted as shock rippled through his body. His didn't take one step forward when realisation slammed into him. No, he ran.
"Shit!" The word was lengthened as he slid to a halt on his knees beside the two unconscious children. Scarlet splattered the ground and their clothes lightly. His head whipped round.
"Get over here now!" In an instant a figure was by his side.
"Shit…" Was the only sound that interrupted the children's audible breathing. His partner replaced his usually bored expression to one of concern and nodded at him. He gathered up the smallest girl while the other was held by his partner.
"Straight to the hospital. I'll put this one in safely and then I'll go straight to the Hokage. I'm feeling that they need her." A nod was his only reply and they both gingerly adjusted the girls panting in their arms. They both shots off like rockets simultaneously, their feet slapping down upon the road that lead them to the village.
xxx
"Hey! Sakura-Chan!" Long rose locks whirled around at this point as a beautifully tall girl looked up from the sheets she was consulting. A smile graced her lips as she identified the owner of the voice. A tut rings from her lips when she immediately spotted the blond against the whitewashed wall.
"Naruto! No so loud! This is a hospital!" Her scolding was only half-hearted, the familiarity of it softening the blow. A scratch to the face and a guilty chuckle was her only reply. She rolled her eyes, silently amused. Sakura was glad to see that he was casually only wearing long black trousers, the sleekness of it becoming, and a deep sunset shirt. Certainly better than his younger days, he looked rather handsome she wouldn't admit. She was hardly interested in him though, he was a brother not a love interest.
"So you're working all day?" The question was childish, obviously a way for him to ask he to do something with him. He certainly hadn't changed from 12 to his now 24 years. A scowl crossed her face. "I take that as a yes then. Slave driver isn't she? I swear at that age she should be knitting in a rocking chair rather than screaming at everyone in sight!"
Sakura couldn't help giggling but was definitely relived when he boldly stated that he would keep her company here to today as 'that stupid bastard Sasuke is with Neji all day. Again'.
She giggled again. Then a thought struck her mind.
"You're going on vacation again next week aren't you?" When she received affirmation, she continued with a rather perplexed voice, "Why are you always taking days off? You and him seem to get the most vacation of us all!"
Again she received the tell-tale shrug and the habit of scratching his face. He's avoiding it, she confirmed, again. Rather annoyed she let it go after teasing him – just once – about his 'dirty little secret' before dragging him along with her to continue her rounds.
I've only just noticed that the symbols I was using to divide the scenes... don't show up. Sorry about that.
