Everything was burning.
Angry fire. Passionate fire. Hateful, vengeful, hungry fire.
It snapped at the grass, lighting it in moments. The trees lit up with flames as it ran from the ground to the foliage. Shrieks from the animals living on the grounds filled the air as they could not escape from the every growing menace. It existed for this purpose.
To destroy.
Bright flames licked the sky of the noble family's mansion. The fire danced its deadly duet with oxygen, happily destroying the livelihood of the family that had once dwelt in the building it now devoured.
The creators of the bonfire laughed and joked at its edges. Their dark forms were shadowed and long black spots stretched out behind them. They waved knives, swords, and sake bottles as they partied in the fire fed by human bodies.
Screaming came from the inside of the house. People were jumping out of the windows, trying to escape the heat and suffering of death by flames. The dark sky cried as its belly was scorched. Rain poured from the heavens but could do nothing to quench the hungry beast.
The ANBU stood before the house, knowing that it was already too late for those inside. It had been burning for too long. They had gotten the call too late. The four-man team looked to their captain. They couldn't see his face behind the mask but they could imagine the fury in his eyes.
A long, heart-wrenching cry tore from the second story of the house. That was all the ANBU captain needed to tell him there was still someone alive. He shot away from his group towards the house. They called out after him, trying to coax him back but they all knew that there was nothing they would be able to do to stop him.
ANBU Wolf slipped through the flames, ignoring the pain as they snatched at his skin tight clothes, burning his flesh. He was thankful for the mask over his mouth, as it kept out most of the smoke. But he could feel his lungs screaming against the intrusive smog.
"Where are you?" he shouted as he neared the place where he had heard the yell. He could only hope that, whoever it was, was still alive. His sensitive nose burned from the fumes and he couldn't smell anything other than smoke. He knelt to the ground and pressed an ear to the hot floor. Still nothing.
Wait. He heard something. There was someone whimpering not to far away from him.
"Please answer me!" he yelled. "I'm here to help you. Where are you?" He almost missed the answering call.
"Here." It sounded like a whisper through the evil laughter of the fire. He kept calling out to the person, trying to pinpoint their location. He hissed in pain as a tongue of flame caught his glove and burned his hand.
"Is there anyone with you?" he hollered.
"Yes." The answer was just as soft as before but this time was accompanied by frantic sobs. He followed the cries to a door but was forced to back away as part of the roof came crashing down on his head. He winced but stepped over the flames quickly and shoved against the door, breaking down the already fragile wood.
Inside he found one of the servant girls. At least, that is what he assumed she was. Her clothes were torn and dirty and she was crying over the body of an elderly woman. The girl's green eyes turned to him and she backed away instantly, cowering against the wall.
"Hush," he said softly as he neared her. He was painfully aware that they were running out of time before the building collapsed but she would not come anywhere near him. "I am not going to hurt you. We need to get you out of here fast."
She still backed away and he sighed. He reached up and pushed his mask back so that it sat on the top of his head rather than in front of his face. He peered at her, left eye closed.
"Come on," he said softly to her. "Hurry." She nodded, suddenly emboldened either by knowing his face or by the fact that she could feel the heat seeping into the floor from downstairs. She crawled towards him, slowly, painstakingly.
The roof collapsed again. She shrieked as the fire licked at her clothes. He shouted in alarm and ran to her side, scooping her tiny body up in her arms and crashing out the window in the same bound. Behind him, the house fell to pieces.
He twisted himself to keep from falling on her when they hit the ground. For the most part he landed in a crouch but he had never tried jumping from a second story window with a small child before. He flinched as the result took out his right ankle. He stood and ran with her back to his group where he sat on the ground.
She watched, the flames reflecting in her eyes, as her home burned. She knelt between his legs and pressed herself against his chest, coming to unspoken terms that he was now her protector. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed brokenly, unable to look away. He ran a hand through her hair. Pink, he noted absently.
"It's going to be okay. You'll see," he whispered over and over again to her. Every time he spoke she would nod as if she understood and then she buried her face in his shoulder, hiding behind his arm as he closed her in a hug.
"I'll be safe with you, ne? Nii-san," the little girl said. She had twisted her plump fingers into his shirt and was clutching him as if he would abandon her right then and there. He smiled, although you could not see it through his mask, and nodded slightly.
"Of course you will."
Sakura.