Chapter Two - Fear

If Sakura had to guess, she'd say that they had penetrated approximately 10 miles into the marsh. Their progress had been fairly quick in the beginning, due to her being extremely irritable and aggressive. Naruto had had quite a job, timidly reminding her not to stomp through the dangerous landscape and receiving a fist to the chin in return. Sakura was only sorry that the head she hit did not belong to the famous Copy-Nin, who had left them as soon as the border of the marshes had vanished from sight.

The sun now touched the tops of the mountains that lay beyond their muddy territory. Sakura paused pulling out herbs by their roots and gazed to the orange tinged horizon longingly. She'd rather climb some mountains than ruin her shoes in this ruddy swamp!

The work she had been looking forward to, soon had proven to be tedious. Her back ached all over from crouching in the grass all day. Her legs were covered in scratches and her arms were covered with sweat and mosquito bites.

Naruto, who seemed to taste rather alluring to the insects, was fighting a pointless battle, even for a Shinobi. He was waving his arms around wildly and had already performed some stunning pirouettes in doing so.

There was nothing dangerous about this marsh, really, she thought. At least not to them. No need to worry about some travelers being sucked into the earth. She could easily turn the swamp upside down if she wanted to.

This in mind, she threw out an arm, hitting Naruto in the chest. He stopped with a stifled 'Oomph'.

„Sakura, what...?"

He turned his head around, looking alarmed. Then he saw it. They were standing at the edge of what seemed to be a large pond, or a small lake. It's surface was smooth and the water had a velvety quality about it. It was ghostly and beautiful.

Sakura did not notice the dreamy expression on Naruto's face. Her eyes were fixed on some fungi growing at the ponds pebbled shore. It was not advisable to get too near, she knew. Here lakes, even puddles, indicated danger. The ground below and around the water was slippery and unstable. Most of the accidents Kakashi had told them about happened because civilians stepped through water in search of the right way and then did not get out of the moor's deathly trap. But she would be careful, she told herself. She would let Naruto secure her with a rope or something. The fungi she had spotted were extremely rare and valuable for medical research, it would be a crime not to collect them.

„Naruto, I need you to...Naruto?"

Sakura stared. A sense of foreboding let her skin prickle unpleasantly. Naruto was standing across the lake some 20 feet away from her. 'How did he get there so quickly? And without me noticing?'

„Naruto! Come back here!", she yelled.

Naruto stayed rooted to the spot, giving no sign of having heard her. In fact he did not seem to notice his surroundings at all. His arms hung limply at his sides and his eyes were fixed upon the lake's glassy surface. His face bore a mesmerized expression, as if he could not believe what he saw.

Where the overcoming fear came from, Sakura did not know. Why her throat constricted painfully at the sight of her unmoving friend, she did not know. All she knew was that something was terribly wrong with this lake.

Her instincts overpowered her, her body wouldn't respond to her desperate wish to move, her urge to save Naruto. She did not understand, what was wrong with her? She was a shinobi for God's sake! Why was all she could feel this maddening fear that had her immobilized? Her brain seemed disconnected from her body. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins like poison, her heart beat in a furious rhythm. She trembled with the effort that it cost her to stay calm, to analyze the situation.

Then, Sakura still could not bring her feet to move, Naruto took a step forward.

"Naruto! NO!"

Hot tears were running down her cheeks, leaving glistening trails on her skin.

Another step and her best friend stood at the very edge of the dark water.

"Please don't Naruto! Come back! Listen to me!"

But he wouldn't. He stepped into the water, slowly but deliberately. His movements did not look forced although Sakura knew Naruto was not acting on his own accord. Soon only his shoulders were over the surface.

"Naruto – LOOK AT ME!"

His head jerked in her direction and for a split second there was fear in his blue eyes, realization. Then, suddenly, brutally, he was pulled downwards.