Thanks to shiki1696() for the awesome plot bunny!
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Prologue: One Little Slip
The day was cool, as I walked along. I was wounded, bloody, and my head was throbbing painfully. The battle last night not only wounded me, but separated me from my group, Taka.
I just needed some water to wash off in, and fulfill my thirst. My mouth was like cotton, as I stumbled along. The images of cool, wet streams filled my mind. The sound of water came slowly to my ears. I brightened a little, as I started making my way towards the sound.
It seemed like tree branches, bramble, and small animals were trying to sabotage my every step. As I drew closer, a horrible thought crossed my mind. What if you're hallucinating?
I didn't stop, but kept going faster. Hallucinating? I had only gone 12 hours without sleep, or water. Was that enough to hallucinate? I finally cleared two bushes apart to find a stream flowing steadily.
I stepped forward warily. My mind wanted me to race towards the water, and drink it all, but, I was also wary of a trap. Those rogue ninja might have come to finish him off, using some sort of Genjutsu.
But nevertheless, I knelt by the stream, threw some water over my face, and savored the feel of it. I gulped some down, feeling my mouth becoming less cotton-like, and back to normal. It didn't seem this was any trick. I warily removed my clothes, leaving only my undergarments on. I stepped into the shallow stream, and washed my body, cleaning my wounds, and washing the dried blood away.
I concentrated solely on this, and payed no attention to any of my surroundings. By the time I heard the rising and falling footballs, and the shouting, the pursuers were near. I leaped up from my sitting position, and tried to estimate how much time I had before they got here. I decided to at least put on my pants, and as I took one step, my bad leg stumbled on the slippery rocks, and I feel forward.
My brain, a little groggy from sleep-deprivation, wasn't reacting fast enough. I fell towards the dumbed rocks, trying to make my arms move. But as my head broke the surface of the water, I had reacted to late. The rocks closed in on me, and everything went black.
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