By: aquawatergirl

Started: Tues February 09, 2010

Just Keep Moving Forward

Chapter 1: Dreams of Dancing Flames

Kana Laru dreams peacefully in her warm, comfy bed. She is climbing a tree, trying to catch up to the two boys already much higher than her. "Wait up!" she huffs.

Shrouded by the branches and leaves, the older boy looks down at her. "You are too slow."

"Yeah, hurry up, Kana!" Kana's younger brother always makes her angry at how much superior he makes himself, but it only spurs her on more.

At the bottom of a tree, a woman pregnant with child looks up at her children. "Boys!" she calls, "Are you teasing your sister again?"

"No, Ma." The older brother has already reached the top and is sitting in his rightful place at the crown of the tree.

As Kana's younger brother also beats her to the top, their father joins their mother at her side. "Let them be, Lura." He smiles as he looks up at his children proudly. "They are helping our dear Kana become stronger." Kana smiled to herself at her father's praise.

Lura only sighed, but could not help but smile as well. "I only hope so." The two parents watched as their daughter finally joined her brothers at the crest of the tree. Suddenly, the eldest child's skin began to ripple and change. Darkness enveloped the boy and he became a mere shadow, but it was clear he had become some kind of animal. The other boy soon followed suit. To the parents' and Kana's surprise, Kana, too, changed.

"Let us race!" the eldest cried. He ran back down the tree, maneuvering expertly between the branches. The youngest was soon on his tail, as each was lo to overpower the other. Neither believed their sister would come even close, but a blur shot down past them, plummeting straight down through the wind.

The mother promptly changed to a hawk and flew into the air to catch her falling daughter. Kana could not tell what her father changed to, but he too changed to prevent her plunging death. To everyone's increasing shock and confusion, Kana pulled up at the last second just before being caught by her mother. A glorious hawk, she soared into the air and took flight for the first time.

A tear streamed from her eye, though from happiness or sadness she knew not. She only knew that the reason she was able to fly was because of the support of her parents and the love of her brothers.

The sound of a massive explosion woke Kana Laru with a start. She jolted upright and her blue eyes flew open, but she was blinded for several seconds by a bright light. Kana shielded her face from the light and overwhelming heat coming from the flames that licked underneath her closed door. She quickly scrambled to the foot of her bed to peer out her window. Immediately, she wished she had not. Kana's skin paled sickly white as she watched, helpless and mortified at the nightmare.

Dark, mysterious shadows chased her friends and families out of their homes and village or back into them, slaughtering them in the most gruesome ways. Kana's own village was very strange in itself – many were shape shifters, changing into any animal they pleased, and had the ability to control the elements – but these strangers were even more odd and confusing to young Kana. She watched with sad eyes, which now changed to purple, as the baker ran from one of the shadows – She liked his cookies and cupcakes! She then gasped in horror as the shadow used something that looked like a puppet to shoot a dart into his back. The baker writhed in agony then, fell to the ground, motionless. Others went down in similar ways, one eaten whole by a human with a plant-like head!

Scared to watch anymore of this nightmare, but even more frightened to go back to sleep, Kana got up and ran out the door. She was determined to at least save her family and get out of there.

–At least Ginta is safe!- She thought with relief as she ran towards her parents' room. She blushed as she thought of the boy who was 3 years older than her – making him 10 and her 7 – and who promised to marry her one-day. He had left 2 weeks ago to visit family and was not expected back for at least another week. She clutched the red-heart necklace on a golden chain he had given her just before he left.

–I must have courage!- She had given him a small silver necklace with a wolf claw pendant in return, not too feminine and not too noticeable, suitable for a guy. –I must have courage!-

Kana suddenly came skidding to a halt as she passed the doorway to her brothers' room. Her now green eyes widened as she looked inside. Standing inside, she recognized the one they call "Kisame Hoshigaki" from the "Akatsuki Clan". Kana's "Laru Clan" had attacked the Akatsukis many times simply in fear that the Akatsuki would attack them first.

–That is why they are attacking us…- The thought was only a whisper in Kana's mind. She could only stare, mortified, at the three shadows burning in a heap next to Kisame. It was dark in her brothers' room, and she was unsure, but she could swear that that heap were the bodies of her father and two brothers burning. Slowly, Kana looked up, teary-eyed, into the eyes of who she presumed to be her father and brothers' killer. Kisame grinned back, slowly pulling his shark blade off his back. Kana gasped as she recognized the deadly sword, spun to her left, and ran toward her parents' room once more, as fast as she could.

Once she made it to her mom and dad's room, she flung the doors open all the way, and then froze. The moonlight and firelight were shining in through the window, mingling with each other to make an eerie color of silver, yellow, and… was that blood on the floor? Kana did not dare look down; she kept her green eyes locked with the most precious thing in the world, even more precious than her beloved Ginta – her mother. Her mother was sitting on the floor with her hands tied behind her back, her feet bound together, and her mouth gagged and covered. Lura Laru had immediately looked at her daughter when she came through the door. As soon as she recognized who it was, she started crying, wishing she could speak.

–Please, leave!- Lura wished so badly that the Akatsuki had not blocked her telepathic abilities.

Kana looked up from her mother, seeing another person in the room, the real reason why she had frozen in those few seconds in time. His name was "Itachi Uchiha". That was about all she knew about him, but he looked intimidating. And he had a sword. Once Kana found out she could not use her telepathy, she tried to take a step forward.

"Mom-!" Itachi raised his sword and in the same instant, Lura was decapitated. Kana gasped, turned around, and ran for her life. She knew that she would soon be dead, too, if she did not get out soon. Tears filled her purple eyes when the image hit her of her mother's head rolling across the floor. She whipped them away, knowing she must concentrate on the task at hand, else her mother's death – and everyone else's – be in vain. She tried to find a way out of the village, but there were fires everywhere, blocking all the roads, and setting all the trees and bushes on fire. Of course, there were also a lot of enemies everywhere, too. Eventually, Kana ran back to her house, where she knew there was a secret trap door in her closet. Hastily, she snuck into it and hid.

She waited and waited… and waited…. Waited… Hearing the screaming and fires… Crashing down as buildings were destroyed… People being slain or animals as they shape shifted… The Akatsuki did not even have mercy on the crying babies. Why should they? The Laru clan did not on them… Finally, she heard someone saying, "WHERE IS SHE? There was one girl with exceptional abilities, and we NEED her! FIND her, or just kill her! I do not care! We cannot have her blabbing our whereabouts either way!"

–ME?- Kana thought hysterically. –Why do they want ME?- The slayings and destructions continued on even after that and Kana hugged her knees up to her chest.

Suddenly, the trap door swung open and light poured into the darkness of Kana's shelter. Shaking, Kana put up an arm so she could see if it was a rescuer or… She gasped and screamed as she looked into red eyes with three black dots. Her world went hazy, then she got dizzy as it swirled, turned funny colors, and then, she was in another world, or realm, (or was it another dimension?) altogether. Shaking with fear and dread, she tried to move her arms, legs, talk, look away, anything, but was unable too. Kana could only look into the red demon like eyes of her torturer and submit. Itachi Uchiha spoke in a deep and creepy voice not of his own, even though she had never heard him talk.

"You are in the Tsukiyomi Realm," he said. "You will be tortured for 72 hours." Kana's purple eyes widened more with terror then she gasped and screamed as swords pierced her sides from at least four different angles – the pain was so immense she did not even care to count at the moment – but it was not a physical pain, it was mental. Crying, and shaking, she hardly heard Itachi as he said, "71 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds left." She gasped and screamed again, louder this time as the swords pierced her again, but this time, a second person of her on a cross appeared, and she felt both of their pain.

Itachi repeated, yet revised, "71 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds left." The process continued on and on and on like this, for what seemed like an eternity. Indeed, millions upon billions upon what seemed like trillions of Kana's hung up on crosses appeared and were stabbed and tortured by the swords. Itachi continued to count down the agonizing seconds. Kana was not sure her mind could take it. Even the counting was killing her! Despite her pain and fears though, it did indeed end. When the red realm swirled and light colors of the real realm came back, Kana screamed in agony, and doubled over in pain, even though she did not physically hurt. This kind of pain was worse than any headache and she was not sure she would ever recover. After several seconds of screaming, she started getting extremely dizzy again and black dots blanketed her vision. Kana saw Itachi smirk in satisfaction before she blacked out.