author's notes: I know I should be updating and revising my other stories but this plot just won't get out of my head and I'm not really in the position to shove away any muse that come my way. I hope you guys enjoy this X-men: Days of Future Past inspired fic!
disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
progress: one out of _ (1/_)
How they found them, Mebuki will never know but at that moment, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was – "Get her out of here, NOW!"
Planting her feet well on the ground, the blonde woman nudged away a yellow duck toy – a casual reminder of how, just a few moments ago, the Haruno family was enjoying a post-dinner playtime. From the corner of her eye, she saw the rubber ducky being dragged by the vortex behind her, as was other light weight trinkets that used to decorate their living room- a picture frame there, a couple of rags here and there. Biting her inner cheek, Mebuki squared her shoulders, her hair whipped wildly by the wind. She could feel two presences just behind the wooden door, pale eyes shifted to stare at the ceiling, and five more stationed on their roof. Forcing her long dormant chakra out, she spread it, like an invisible sheet wrapping around the house, gauging and poking at the unknown assailants for their chakra.
Two fire-based, three water-based… Mebuki listed off mentally, cringing at the diminishing chances of escaping unharmed. Element based abilities always did provide more injuries than other types. Stretching her chakra further and tightening her hold on the hand gun on her hip, Mebuki's eyes widened at the surging power a new arrival held as he jumped on their roof. It was horribly familiar…
No. Mebuki snapping her head towards her husband's direction, eyes wild with overflowing panic she shouted; "Kizashi! Get her out, NOW! GO!"
Kizashi, cradling their 3 month old child in his right arm and chest, raised his own hand gun, shaking and pointed it to the door. "Not without you!"
For a moment, the blonde woman's eyes softened at her husband's attempt to engage in violence. Kizashi, although having served for the government, never was a violent man. If he could – and he almost always could- he avoided it. However, at this point and this situation, avoiding it would only get them killed easier.
Gritting her teeth, Mebuki decided. If the pattern of their unknown assailants were anything to go by, they'd be busting down their door and creating holes in their ceiling in approximately 30 seconds. And 30 seconds weren't damn near enough for Kizashi to open another portal for another person, not in his condition.
"No. We go down together, if it's what's going to happen." The dark pink haired male's voice was strong and clear, despite the tremor in it and despite the increasingly noisy vortex just behind him. Kizashi knew what his wife was thinking- planning- and it's not going to happen, not if he had anything to do with it. Ever since the academy, and all the way to their service for the government they've been together – they have lived together and if this is the end, then, they'll die together.
A piercing cry from the cherub of a child cradled to his bleeding side sliced through the air, reminding them that it wasn't just the two of them now. Kizashi looked down to his child and was faced with the smartest and most aware looking green eyes he had ever seen, looking for all the world as if it belonged to an adult.
10 seconds. Mebuki took a quick look at the door, and made a decision.
It hurt, seeing the widening of Kizashi's eyes as the bullet from her gun made contact with his right chest. It hurt, seeing betrayal flash in his eyes as the force of the bullet pushed him back to the portal but, perhaps what hurt the most, is the fact that it'll be the last image she sees before dozens of arrows made of ice penetrate the wooden door, one straight to her back and piercing her chest.
But then, the last thought that passes behind her blue eyes is this; We win.
For now, a dark voice resounded in Mebuki's head as terror filled her.
For now.
Cold. It was cold.
It was the first and only thought that crossed Kizashi's mind the moment he woke up from a sleep he didn't know he entered. The second thought was –
"Sakura!" The pink haired man, shot up from what felt to be like a bed, hands wildly and blindly grabbing for a the soft bundle of his own flesh and blood only to be roughly pushed back to the bed by what seemed to be dozens of hands. Distant voices shouting orders confused him further but he couldn't bring his limbs to function fully. They felt like jello, useless, soft jello, flopping to his sides.
His eyes darted blindly left and right, open but unseeing. Numbly, he recognized the sensation from a long ago drug-induced haze. Limbs numb, eyesight taken and the rest of the senses reduced to the mockery of it - however – flexing his fingers, his captors may have overlooked one vital detail. Feeling his chakra and pushing it to concentrate to his palms…
"Don't even think about it, Haruno."
Before he could react, a needle was stabbed into his right arm and immediately, he felt the surge of whatever chemical the syringe held course through his veins. Slowly, the numbness ebbed away from his limbs and his senses obtained near full capacity. His ears registered the sound of clinking metals and quiet murmuring voices in the other room. His nose twitched at the anti-septic smell and his eyes registered the woman standing beside him.
"Tsunade." Kizashi acknowledge, wincing as he sat up. Of course, along with his other senses, the pain from his wounds came rushing back as well.
"Glad you could remember me, brat." The amber eyed woman grinned half-heartedly and pulled up a chair to sit on.
"How could I not? You look the same as when I last saw you." The Haruno male grinned at the underlying meaning of his statement. Of course Tsunade looked the same as she did, her mutation had a big part on that.
The blonde rolled her eyes, "Very funny. Now, care to tell me what –"
Before Tsunade could continue, Kizashi surged forward, spitting and coughing out chunks of blood onto the white sheet.
"Shizune!"
Poison, she thought, an advance one at that.
Tsunade pushed herself off the door frame and approached the stirring man quietly. After the bout of coughing all his internal organs out, Shizune did all she was capable of and extracting as much of the poison as she could, but she couldn't extract it all out.
It seemed to have come from a water-based poison, centered on the wound on his left chest. Tsunade knew only one person capable of doing that. Gritting her teeth, Tsunade grasped Kizashi's hand, waiting for him to wake up. This attack could only mean one thing- they had began moving, again.
"Tsunade…" Kizashi's weak voice floated in the room. "My… child…"
Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Tsunade nodded, "She's safe. She's in the other room."
Eyes softening, Kizashi's head sagged in relief, "Thank you… I thought, I… may have miscalculated and landed in the wrong place."
The blonde shook her head, "You hadn't missed any target since your 7th year, remember?"
"Of course." A small smug grin appeared on the man's tired and pale face. "But then again… I've never tried to portal jump after being shot and hit by an arrow, you know."
"And with an infant to boot."
A cough erupted From Kizashi's throat, the male raised his arm indicating he was fine – or at least trying to be. "I don't have much time, do I?"
"An hour, tops." Tsunade stated, emotionless and detached.
"Very well. I'll tell you everything."
Tsunade was silent all throughout her friend's last minutes as she stood behind the glass window, watching as a father murmured to his soon to be orphaned child. Although quiet, Shizune could feel her superior's chakra simmering under the blonde skin and quietly shaking the surrounding air.
Anger. Anger has and perhaps will always be one of the strongest trigger of chakra outbursts. Followed by fear and perhaps by bitterness and right now, Shizune glanced at Tsunade, her superior was going through all three.
Had she not be used to Tsunade's chakra, Shizune would've already been suffocated and oppressed by the mere presence of the blonde's life energy the moment Kizashi nodded weakly to them from the other side of the glass.
The busty blonde quietly entered the room and reached over to take the slumbering babe from her father. Green eyes wide and red rimmed, baby Haruno looked every inch of an abandoned child, sadly aware of her predicament.
"Tsunade… take care of my child, please."
Desperate and dying, Tsunade didn't stand a chance in refusing. Shifting the weight of the child, the blonde firmly nodded. "I will." Lifting her free arm felt like lifting a ton of stones as she reached over her old friend's bedside table for syringe.
"Goodbye, Kizashi."
end notes: Tell me what you think and know that even though I write because I want to, part of the reason why I continue is because of you guys and your kind and constructive words. kiss kiss.
regarding updates: I plan to update this at least thrice or twice a month. So, ehm, yeah.