Unlikely Survival

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, only my own OCs. Thank you.

Warnings: Language, Adult situation, very mild gore

Ch. 2 A Dangerous New World

Samira lay curled up on her cot on the cell, her mind whirling with shock as Mrs. Welsh wheezed a death rattle from the other cot in the room. The young woman rolled over away from the wall by her bed to look at the sleeping old woman again, eyes taking in Mrs. Welsh's highly altered appearance. She hadn't even recognized the old woman, to begin with. She sighed as she returned to staring at the wall next to her cot, apprehension leaving her too tense to sleep. Mrs. Welsh's ragged breaths seemed to ring in her ears, a death dirge that would soon become her own. Tears leaked past closed eyes, but no matter how she wished she could shy away from the cold truth of their quickly impending mortality, she knew it to be true.

The tale the older woman had had to tell had been even more fantastical, but if what the other woman was saying was true, then it would soon be Samira's turn to transform in appearance as well.

According to the older woman, it seemed that their people were not compatible with this world. Despite their captors efforts, they would be dying soon anyways. After all, six months to at best two years wasn't that long to live, even with treatment. Samira curled tighter into herself, feeling more alone then she ever had before, despite her detached and lonesome past. Before, she had at least had Antonia, her step sister since the other girl's family had adopted her after her own parents deaths. She had had her birthplace and home, the island in the middle of the lake. As a child she had had her imaginary friend, Shadow, the being that had haunted the water's edge. She shuddered remembering the figure that had appeared in the middle of the bridge. She was pretty sure it had been Shadow, a terrifying thought. It would mean that he hadn't been as imaginary as she had originally thought.

As she lay in her cot Samira mulled over the identity of her captors and what she knew of them. They spoke Japanese. Samira held herself tighter. They spoke Japanese. She remembered her and Tony running along the edge of the shore line to the lake, giggling as little girls followed Shadow, Antonia unable to see him, but willing to play along with Samira's 'game.' They had skidded to a stop as they found the treasure that he had offered, and the two girls found several dirty scrolls, filled with scribbles of writing. Curious and elated, they had run off screaming with glee at their treasure, intent on figuring out what it was. It had turned out to be a scroll written in Japanese. In fact, the scroll had been the reason why Tony and her had learned Japanese together. It was their secret language. Now she knew why the scroll was in Japanese, a lot of things starting to make sense that she had dismissed as normal as a child.

That wasn't their first or last Shadow led treasure hunt. Shadow had led them to find all sorts of interesting items on the island. There had been knives, rusted and old. A few swords. Clothing, fairly intact but the owners conspicuously missing. More scrolls. Bags. Gold. Gems. Jewelry. Trinkets. Toys. Masks. They had ended up learning a lot about a different alien culture that was across the world in Japan, through each item found and unrestricted access to the internet. They had begun to change, to learn, to grow, to speak. Samira had to fight back a sob. Had Shadow taken Tony too? Mrs. Welsh had told her that she hadn't seen her.

In a lot of ways, her past felt like it had been a lie. Shadow had been showing them those things on purpose before bringing them here.

It was terrifying.

Why?

Samira tensed in fear as she sensed a familiar presence behind where she lay.

She remained frozen as the presence drew closer, before there was a near silent shuffle as the being sat, their back leaning into the cot. Terror sprang through her as she realized that Mrs. Welsh's ragged breathed had stilled. The old woman had just died as Shadow had appeared. Was he the one that had taken her life? Would he take hers next? She stopped breathing as terror filled her veins with ice, her heart threatening to burst from her chest in fear.

Then once more it felt like her whole world was tilting on its axis. A large familiar hand gently pat Samira's head like when she was a child, Shadow comforting her sadness with his quiet presence and gentle touch. It may have been years but he had always been her comfort, and now was no exception. With the gesture and gentleness, she felt all her fear and distrust dissolve at the familiar touch, released in the form of tears as she cried quietly, grieving for Mrs. Welsh's death, her impending one, her missing sister and her lost world. But, at the very least she would never truly be alone.

It was a good while before Samira's tears of fear died down, as well as her apprehension. Shadow had always followed her as a child, looked after her, led her away from danger. If it was true that coming to this world would be the death of her, then she had to believe that Shadow knew something that she didn't. She finally rolled over so she could look at him. He began to stand but Samira grabbed his shadowy hand as she had as a child, stilling his retreat. Slowly he sat once more and continued patting her hair. All too soon Samira's eyes slid shut and she drifted off to sleep, a large dark being with the appearance of coiling black smoke keeping watch of her as she slept.

...

Ibiki sighed as he pushed the last of the paperwork away from him, leaning back in his chair to rub aching eyes. It had been a long night of running around, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Why had Orochimaru come? What had triggered this attack on the base? Why had he taken who he had taken? What was he after? He looked over the list of items that had been with the young woman when she had come through the lake, before tossing the paperwork towards the scroll that all the items had been sealed into to make it easier for transport.

He wasn't going to have anything helpful to tell the Hokage when he got back, despite the information that he had gone over. The only thing of relevance, was that there must be a spy at the base. Despite Orochimaru's great power as one of the legendary Sannin warriors, there was still the matter of finding the base when it had been hidden so maddeningly well. In truth there was a powerful seal, made by the Uzumaki Clan themselves that lived up to their reputation as powerful sealers. Unless you were given the counter seal you would be diverted and tricked away from the location. Not only that, but there was another equally powerful Barrier seal that would keep all intruders well at bay. And yet he had been able to pass both of these seals. Not only that, but he had made the effort to. But why now? What had triggered this attack? Ibiki huffed in anger as he sat back hard in his seat, feeling distinctly frustrated at the lack of answers the report yielded him.

The door to the office suddenly slammed open as a young woman in a lab coat rushed in looking frazzled.

"Anbu have reported that some of Orochimaru's men are heading towards the base. I think they somehow discovered that there is a new arrival sir," she gasped, clearly having run. Ibiki shot to his feet with a sinking gut and raced after the young woman, the two of them racing towards where the new arrival was being kept.

"How long do we have?" he demanded as she quickly keyed in the code on the door.

"They should be here in about twenty minutes. I don't know how long the rest of the guard will be able to stall them for if Orochimaru is with them," she said, voice and hands shaking badly as she flung the door open. Ibiki rushed in to find an old woman an ashy gray color and unbreathing as the other occupant of the room sat up in her own bunk, her dark intelligent eyes taking him in. He paused taking in the older woman with a curse, knowing that she was dead. With that, his eyes darted over to the young woman to quickly asses her mental health. Their kind was not well known for handling death well. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying but she seemed calm despite the situation. Good, that probably meant that the sedative the medic had given her had started to work. He couldn't afford for her to fight him right now with how hard pressed for time they were. He moved forward quickly, watching her carefully as he swiftly picked her up in his arms. Despite his highly scarred appearance she didn't seem alarmed merely curious, eyes darting to something unseen to her left as Ibiki turned tail and rushed from the room.

To be fair, he had expected more resistance from the young woman, sedated or not, but she merely squirmed for a moment before relaxing to get comfortable in his tight grip her face pressing into the tender skin of his neck sending a shudder through him. Perhaps she was sedated stronger than he had thought. Sprinting from the base with the young woman in his arms, five Anbu quickly took up formation around him, calling orders as the group scrambled to get away from the base in time from the attack. There was an explosion from outside the barrier as the fighting between the two forces started. She merely tightened her grip on him she clung to him.

Until he used inhuman speed and strength to leap into the trees. He cut off her strangled scream of surprise with a crushing grip on her mouth as he ran through the treetops like a wraith, death nipping at their heels. For her sake, they would make it back to the village.

...

The guards standing at the secret side entrance into the Village of the Hidden Leaf shifted nervously in their spots. It was almost as if they could feel the new presence that had entered the world and was now fast approaching them. It set their nerves on edge, which heightened when a flash of lightning lighted up the sky followed by the low rumble of thunder. Anyone with a good nose could smell the moisture about to fall down onto the people below, it was only a matter of time.

A couple of miles due south west of the Konoha gates a young woman named Samira, was flinching and squirming in the hold of a large man with scars on his face wearing a black trench coat, the uniform underneath a grey color with a plain black belt at the waist. Open toed black sandals were on his feet, a large black bandanna covered his head, and on the front of that bandanna was a silver metal plate with a weird leaf design etched into it. At the moment he held her bridal style and was jumping from one large tree branch to another at an inhuman speed, her wild brown curls whipping into her face and around her shoulders. She had to squint her chocolate brown eyes against the wind and moisture, which was slowly gathering in the air around them, to even try and make out where they were going.

"Would you stop that?" he snapped. A bolt of lightning briefly lit up the sky followed by the booming sound of thunder, which made her jolt and cling to his already sore neck tighter.

The young woman shot him a slight glare before wincing as another lightning bolt flashed.

The scarred man just snorted, his grip on her tightening slightly, and then without any warning to her he left the safety of the branches in a stomach dropping drop, making Samira give a small shriek, before safely landing on the ground below. Their silent guards swiftly landed around them setting up a parameter as they began to fan out. Setting her quickly on her feet the young woman had to throw out her hand at the nearest tree to steady herself as her legs shook like jelly. The young woman knew it would only be a matter of time before the leaves couldn't hold up against the steady rain and douse them in water. She did not cherish the thought of being wet on top of cold at all.

Lost in her thoughts the young woman gave a small jump in surprise when something heavy and warm landed on her shoulders and hug over her back. Glancing over her shoulder she saw a large gloved hand moving away from her and followed it up to the scarred man that she had been carried by since the lake. Realizing that he was no longer wearing his black trench coat, she peered down at her shoulder to see that he had draped it over her own shoulders. Giving a small smile she shrugged into the much to long sleeves and muttered a quiet, "Thanks."

Instead of the custom 'you're welcome' he had moved in front of her again and grumbled out a quick command for her to get on as he kneeled down with his back facing her. The young woman wasted no time as she quickly climbed back onto his back, before he took off once more through the dark woods, their silent guard following them into the treetops with ease.

It was pouring rain by the time she was able to spot some dim lights in the distance. It must have been significant to the scarred man, for he picked up his pace, making her cling tighter to stay on. Her brown eyes widened slowly as they drew closer and suddenly huge gates appeared out of nowhere them, when a bright flash of lightening lit the area. Sucking in a gasp at the impressive structure she heard her neck crack as she tried to crane her neck back enough, so she might be able to get a glimpse of the top of the large shadowy structure drawing closer.

Samira's inspection was short though when the man beneath her growled out, "Cut that out. You're getting me wet." Scowling slightly at the back of his bandana covered head, as she grudgingly complied, making sure the hood to his trench coat covered his head as well.

Seeing that he was once again being shielded by the rain, the young woman returned her eyes to the now closer to the huge gate. Now that they were almost there she could see they were dimly lit by some type of lighting at the bottom and very top, where she could just barely make out shadow figures moving around. Just when she thought they were about to crash into the huge doors a small side door slide open on the left side. Warm yellow light spilled out of the open door and a figure soon was outlined in the frame of the door, before he stepped out into the rain and headed towards them.

There was no hesitation in the scarred man as he headed for the man. This was clearly a place he was familiar with. As soon as they were within speaking distance the two men began talking in rapid fire Japanese. It was at this moment that Samira felt her awe at the situation increasing. How bizarre was it that she was in an entirely different world, and yet she was fortunate enough to know the language? Things like this was not normal. She had been expecting at least a language barrier.

The man was clearly giving the man carrying her a report, having been informed of their intended arrival from a carrier hawk who had managed to make it here before the group, and it seemed that their leader the Hokage was sending a group of warriors to the Forbidden Lake and another retrieval team for the old woman, Mrs. Welsh, though they suspected that the attackers would be looking for the young woman since she had not received treatments to slow her impending death just yet. For some reason, their attackers and this Orochimaru fellow was wanting people that were 'fresh.' She had to hold back a shudder when they mentioned his pension for human experimentation. At moments like these, she was glad that they had no idea she could understand them or they would not have spoken as candidly.

The two men conversed for a few minutes more. Finally, the man that had greeted them gestured for the scarred man to go through the door and Samira gave a sigh of relief as the passed the frame and entered the warm golden light.

Momentarily blinded after being out in the dark for so long, Samira had to squint her eyes as they tried to adjust to the light. However before they even got close they went through another door and were once again surrounded by darkness, with an occasional light along the road they were traveling on. In fact, she felt some nostalgia creep up on her when she recognized the lights to be a type of street light and with the buildings so close together it defiantly felt like the city she came from in her world. If only it had been day and she was able to get a closer look at the buildings they were passing she would not have been having these thoughts, as it was very much different from her world. For now, with the darkness was hiding the differences and creating the illusion of familiarity. It was very disorientating to her to feel so at home with a place she knew to be completely foreign.

I really need to learn his name, she thought as her transportation continued to run at top speed through what she learned to be a maze of a city as they stopped for a second in the street, before taking a right onto a smaller street. The rain if possible was coming down harder, drenching both of them as he ran. The leather trench coat could not protect the both of them, especially since the wind had decided to pick up as well. A flash of lightning lit up the thick, dark, mountainous clouds over the village and thunder boomed as soon as the light disappeared. If Samira had to hazard a guess the main part of the storm was now over the top of them.

She had tried to keep track of all the twist and turns they were taking through this village in case she needed to escape, but after about the sixth turn she gave up and laid her head wearily against his back. The young woman could feel her body start to shut down from exhaustion. She was trying to stay awake, but after everything that had happened in the past eight hours, fatigue was defiantly starting to take its toll. It didn't help that he was warm and she found herself hunching into him as the tiredness of her body and warmth from him took away the tension from her muscles.

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It was quiet in the dark hospital room that she was in as she pretended to sleep, her ride having long since left. She lay in the dark deep in thought, trying to formulate a plan and listen for intruders. She had just eaten dinner and the rich food had been good but still odd tasting considering it was a completely different pallet compared to what she was used to. It had been an hour since then and the sounds in the hospital had completely stilled. Samira figured most of its occupants were asleep, especially since it was in the dead of the night. They had arrived pretty late as it was. She could still hear the sound of the rain gently pattering against the window of her room, which elicited a frustrated sigh from her. She was so tired, her body crying out, screaming for her to get rest. But she knew that she had to leave before it was too late.

Samira jolted awake at the sound of curtains being pulled back, eyes blinking and squinting at the sudden light, feeling confused. A nurse gave her a smile and a greeting before leaving the room, shutting the door after her. Her eyes widened as gradual understanding hit her and she groaned in frustration as she sat up.

She had actually fallen asleep last night! Idiot, she cursed herself angrily in her head, upset that she hadn't taken the opportunity to run. Still fuming she flopped back on her bed, glaring angrily at the ceiling. How could I? Ugh, damn it. But, you need to regain your strength, maybe even gather a couple of supplies before you leave, she pepped talked to herself. Grudgingly she began to rub the sleep from her eyes, thinking of what she needed to get. Unknown to her she wasn't the only one starting out with a frustrating day.

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The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was having the same thoughts as Samira as he stared down his former teammate and friend, Danzo, who he had made into one of his advisors after being named Hokage, the leader of the Village. The discussion they were having was an old one and dealt with the Forbidden Lake and the people that came from it. In fact, this particular discussion was on the young lady that they had retrieved last night. She should now be in the hospital getting treatment.

It always comes down to this, he thought with resigned resentment towards his former teammates and friend. Danzo and the other two elders always tried to push him into a corner on this subject and he always had to put his foot down and forbid them from taking any action. He had made a promise his predecessor, the second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, that things would stay as they were. It had only been in times of great desperation did he allow for crossbreeding between the people of the lake and his people.

"For the future of Konoha, we need more powerful Shinobi, Hiruzen. You know this. There is barely any promising students in the academy as is and our Tailed beast container is a loud mouthed little brat with no skill. We need a stronger next generation, be it one or two more children. I don't see why you are so against this," complained Homura.

Hiruzen sighed tiredly, not liking where the conversation had been going. "That is true, but ordering a shinobi to seduce and impregnate the young woman is going too far, Homura. There is no reason for this. There is no deficit in population like the previous destruction of our home nor our wanning numbers like the third Shinobi war."

"You are assuming that our peace will hold out," Koharu scolded her face twisting in contempt.

"The answer is still no Koharu. Besides, after she dies, the father will be left with a child on his hands that he has no love for. There's no telling what the final product would yield, and it would be cruel to just take a child from his only family."

"Then put the child in my care. I'm positive that I could craft it into a powerful weapon for Konoh-"

"Enough!"

Sarutobi's fist struck the table before him making silence descend upon the room, its occupants wisely choosing to stay quiet in the face of the older man's anger. They knew how much he hated turning people into tools. They were his people, their lives in his hands. He had seen many of them grow up from small children into the adults that led his forces today. He had seen many of their generation die well before their time. He had always been responsible for that, for his people in his village. He had been forced to do so in the past to keep bloodlines alive for those that were will.

Both the women and the man from the lake had had mixed reactions to his proposals. Some had wanted to have children before their death, some had wanted to extend their lives by having children and some just hadn't wanted to. That had been fine, but the strength of the orphans was undeniable. Their mothers and fathers may have come from a different world, but they were still his people to guide, guard and cherish. He had had to give some to Danzo since their had been a surplus and not enough room in the orphanage. That had disappeared into the darkest parts of the village before either reappearing dead or as emotionless weapons. It had always been a hard choice to make. His heart still ached for what he had had to do in the past.

He would not make such choices again so lightly. Times no longer called for it.

This subject wasn't up for debate. It never had been. The fact that they dared bring up an old wound only served to raise his ire towards their impudence. His decision was already made, and he wasn't going to waste any more time for them to try to talk him into something that he would never allow again so easily.

"This is not up for conversation, nor do your thought on the subject have any importance. This will not happen. If I catch any of you going behind my back on this matter…" he let the threat hang in the air before getting up with firm finality.

Nobody spoke in protest as he left the room, understanding that they were already on thin ice. Rubbing his forehead, Hiruzen let out a sigh of frustration. He knew this would not be the end of it. He would have to keep a close eye on those three and this particular situation for a while, despite his decree and threat. Yes, a long day indeed, he thought finally making it down the tower and onto the busy streets of Konoha.

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Two days had passed for Samira without too much excitement.

Her first day in the hospital had the doctor coming to see her for most of the day. He had done some tests on her and taken a blood and urine sample before he left. She did everything he asked of her with no arguing. She didn't want them to suspect her plans to make a break for it. That night after she was sure nobody was up and moving around she snuck around finding clothes and even managed to locate the kitchen. After returning to her room, she had taken it along with her new shirt, pants, wrapped everything up into a nice roll, before putting it into a large clear plastic bag she had also procured from the kitchen, and hid it in her personal bathroom's toilet tank. Samira hoped nobody would think to look in there and find them, she then slipped back into bed to get a few hours of sleep.

The second day she found out that she really wouldn't need to smuggle a knife from the kitchen when she finally decided to escape. After all, if she took it early, it would raise alarm. In fact, getting a knife was so easy she was still in shock about it all. Mid-afternoon Samira heard the agonized moans of a man echo down her hallway along with a lot of footsteps and shouting from medics and nurses. Wondering what all the commotion was she stuck her head out the door to be met with a grizzly sight. A gurney was passing her room with several medics milling around it trying to staunch the bleeding from several lacerations that covered his body. In fact, there were still a few short daggers, throwing stars, and some type of long thin metal needles sticking out of his arms and legs.

Samira just stood there with her mouth opened in shock as they continued by her room, the man withering and moaning the whole way. The nurses and medics were speaking urgently to one another, while some struggled to hold the squirming man down. They were only a few steps past her door when the man successfully got one arm free and as he thrashed it around two throwing stars that were in that shoulder and hadn't found good enough purchase in his skin and muscle fell down to the ground with a clang. A nurse tried to grab his arm and in the process hit one of the short daggers that was lodged in his upper thigh. He gave a howl of pain and before anybody could stop him, he reached down and yanked it out of his skin. Before he could throw it the same nurse finally got a hold of his wrist, applying enough pressure for his fingers to go limp and drop the weapon with a clatter. Nobody seemed to pay attention to the lost weapons as they finally got his arm pinned down again and resumed their mad dash for what Samira could only assume was a surgery room.

Cautiously she scanned her surroundings to make sure nobody was coming and bent down to pick up the three bloody weapons off the floor. Carefully slipping back into her room she closed the door and made a beeline for the toilet. Stashing them away with her clothes and knife before replacing the lid quickly and getting into her bed as if she hadn't moved. She made it just in time too for the doctor was in her room five minutes later wanting to do some more tests.

It was that night she decided to make her escape.

She hadn't touched her dinner that night, fearing that there was sleeping power or drugs in the food or drink. She had noticed how drowsy she got after she ate at night, something that wasn't considered normal for her since at best she was mildly an insomniac. She flushed most of it down the toilet, only leaving a few grains of rice, and a couple of fried onions on her plate to make it more realistic that she had eaten. The juice she had done the same thing with. Pretending to fall asleep when she heard footsteps coming toward her door, she listened closely as her door was opened and the sound of silverware clinking against the plate as the person picked it up, soon the sound of the door closing and the footsteps fading away told her the person had left and wasn't planning on coming back soon.

She immediately got up and went to the bathroom, closing and locking the door. Taking out her stash, Samira started to clean the blood off the stars and dagger, only the more she looked at the small dagger she began to realize it was actually called a Kunai and the other two were throwing stars or Shuriken, something her lost friend, had told her about. Antonia, who had been obsessed with ninja had explained what they looked like to her enough times for her to recognize them. Ninja tools, she thought with a slight frown. Seeing they were cleaned she slid a finger across the edge of one of the throwing stars only to hiss and bring her finger back. A nice clean line of blood began to weep from the cut on her finger.

She continued to frown down at the tools as her thoughts churned slowly. Ninja weapons. It had given her pause to see them, making her think hard over what she knew of the elusive Japanese warriors of old. They had been rumored to use magic, to know the future, to be able to take on ten men and win, to use kunai and throwing stars, to be able to walk on water, to become invisible or vanish from thin air, the list just went on and on regarding rumors of their powers. Samira frowned down at the weapon as she quickly stashed them back away in one of her pockets.

Did this mean that perhaps, the scarred man was a ninja? It might explain his ability to travel so fast, and that those other people in masks could walk on water. Then there were the elemental abilities the man had displayed. Could anyone here do that? Those other people hadn't even reacted to his sudden display with the water, meaning that it probably was normal here. All the more reason to be cautious then. Samira thought grimly to herself. She also knew that the ninja were known for their lack of honor and their treachery. All the more reason not to trust these people, she figured. She sighed, her resolve hardening. Human experimentation and a closing in death. If she was going to die, she could die on her own terms, not waste and wither away like Mrs. Welsh. According to the woman, if she received no treatments, her death would come by the end of the month with a sudden swiftness. If she wanted a quick death, it looked like she really had no choice now but to leave.

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It was midnight when Samira stuck her brunet head out of her room to check if the coast was clear. Not seeing any movement in the hallway and not hearing anybody or thing coming her way she slipped silently out of her room. She had changed into her new shirt and pants. Samira spotted the stairs and headed straight for them, all the while staying alert for anything out of place. She had almost made it to the stairs when she heard a sound to her left.

Freezing against the wall, right next to the opening to the stairs, she turned her head toward the area. A closed-door met her brown eyes and she gave a silent sigh of relief as it was only a patient groaning in their sleep. Turning back to the stairs and taking a step toward them she heard a groan again, but this time it sounded pained. Another louder groan and she grimaced in annoyance. This asshole was going to ruin her escape with his noise by rousing other patients and nurses.

Quickly coming to a decision, she silently entering the patient's room, making sure to shut the door softly behind her before going over to the bed. She wasn't sure what could be done but if there was a serious problem she should go back and change before a nurse was called.

Thankfully somebody had left the blinds open letting the light from the full moon shining directly into the room, giving her enough light to see by. The patient on the bed was outlined clearly and she was struck by his odd silver hair. It was wild, with disorderly spikes going in all different directions. After seeing the hair she thought she was dealing with an older person, but as her eyes shifted to his face she was greeted with a mid-twenties face, despite the jagged horizontal scar crossing over his left eye and his white bed sheet covering the bottom half of his face.

The man kept fidgeting, letting out moans every couple of seconds. I'm not in the ICU unit am I? she thought, scanning the room for anything that would let her know where she was.

Samira's inspection was cut off as the man rolled over onto his side, facing her. She felt her eyes widen in surprise, as the sheet was pulled away to reveal his face. The skin underneath was a pale with the beginnings of silver stubble on an angular jaw and pointed chin. He was definitely pleasing to the eyes. It wasn't until he called out in a rough voice that she stopped her staring.

"R-Rin," he started to toss and turn, reaching out a hand in front of him as if he was trying to grab onto somebody or telling them not to leave.

Instinctively Samira had reached out and took hold of his hand.

His eyes snapped open.

Samira froze when she found herself staring into mismatched eyes. One was pitch black, while the other was a blood red with strange black markings in it. Despite his unnerving gaze, she quickly noticed that both eyes were bleary and unfocused probably from medication and pain. Not a moment later they fluttered shut once more, a small groan of pain passed his lips. The young woman stayed still trying to figure out what to do when his eyes flickered open for a few seconds and then closing again, his grip tightening to the point of pain.

Samira nearly jumped out of her skin when a shadowy hand suddenly reached over her shoulder to gently place it's palm over the pained man's eyes. The reaction was instantaneous and his grip immediately slumped as his fingers went limp. Heart in her throat she watched the shadowy arm retract before breathing a sigh in relief as the man's slow breathing filled her ears. Thank god, she had thought for one terrible moment that Shadow had killed him. Looking to her nearly invisible protector the much taller being gestured for her to follow. Nearing the doorway, symbols on the walls began to glow and Samira's stomach dropped in fear as a symbol on her wrist began to glow when she drew closer. The Shadow waved his hand and the light was immediately snuffed out, the tingle in her arm disappearing as they moved past the doorway without hindrance.

Shadow motioned once more and Samira followed without question this time as the two of them moved. She was going to be alright. She wasn't as alone as she had thought.

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She spent a week in the village scrounging around for food in trash bins and in the forest. She kept the forest mostly though, not wanting to be around others too often. Shadow was invaluable in keeping the locals from noticing her or the people in uniform from bothering her. She had a feeling that those in uniform were ninja of this village, but she wasn't too sure considering the fact that she didn't speak with anyone.

As she reached for a mushroom, Shadow's hand stopped her and she paused understanding that it was poisonous before gesturing to another. Meeting no resistance, she plucked it and added it to a cloth bag she had found a couple days ago. Finished gathering her mushroom she froze as she stood, seeing a small pair of bright blue eyes peering back at her from around a tree several yards away. She stared back uncertainly before turning to look at Shadow questioningly. The Shadow merely looked at the boy before gesturing for her to go to him as he continued gathering mushrooms with shadowy fingers.

Hesitantly Samira offered the boy a smile as the boy eyed her and the huge shadow behind her hesitantly. After a moment the boy dashed away, merely a small shadow in the woods himself as her grin fell. Oh well, the kid wasn't feeling friendly. She really couldn't blame him, she mused as she continued her work before moving on to one of her snares. She took a look at her dirty appearance before grimacing. She needed a bath. Later Shadow showed her a natural hot spring when she mentioned it to him.

In a couple days she would see the boy watching her again, this time from her place beside a fire, fish frying on a stick beside the flames for her dinner. Looking between the boy and her food, she selected a fish that was finished before offering it to him. He crept forward as careful as you please, letting her finally get a good look at him. He had a shock of blonde hair that had her curious about what was common in coloration in this world. He couldn't have been more than seven years old and he moved with a wariness that wasn't seen in children from her world. She had to wonder if it was just him or a common occurrence here. The clothing was old, frayed, and he seemed to be ill-kempt all around, belaying that he had no caretakers. His skinny frame suggested limited food. Not a good thing for a growing child.

He snatched the stick from her fingers while she was distracted by her observations of him, blue eyes wary. She merely grinned to herself and went back to eating one of her fish. The boy seemed to devour it with gusto, struggling to eat despite the fact that the fish was burning his tongue.

"Here, drink first. It will help with the hunger while the fish cools." Samira said in Japanese as the child froze, eyeing the water warily. The young woman's eyes widened in surprise after a moment when she realized that the boy knew to be wary of being given open containers. How the hell would he know something like that? Feeling her gut roil with unease she swiftly took a deep drink before offering him the rest of the drink. He took the cup uncertainly, a bit of his tension draining away to leave genuine curiosity in his blue gaze. Giving the drink a wary sniff he tried a little before drinking more deeply, still being sure to keep an eye on her the entire time. Her eyes remained somber as she gazed at the child before she looked down, clearly upset by what she had learned about her new little companion.

He surprised her by staying after he was finished eating his eyes fighting to stay open after his full meal in however long it had been. It was a chilly night and he was probably as loathed to depart from the fire as she was at that moment but the boy was pretty dirty, dirt smudged on his cheeks and on his face.

Getting up Samira began to get her things ready for her nightly bath, glad that the natural hot springs were warm. Blue eyes were wary once more and she shot him a sad smile as she left the camp. He was gone by the time she returned.

The rest of the week progressed in this fashion, her young companion slowly growing less wary as time passed and soon he began to bring her things, like a ragged blanket or a chipped plate. She had grinned at his first offering before motioning for him to join her as she walked, the two of them moving easily through the trees. He began to help her tend to the traps or go fishing in the evening when the fish were most active. He watched with rapt attention as she taught him how to string and tie a hook. His wide missing toothed grin when he succeeded to do the same sent a jolt or warmth through her heart and she started to reach to give his hair a ruffle only to pause when his grin fell. Reaching over with slow determination she let her hand rest gently on his hair before she gave a little ruffle, a small smile on her lips as she slowly reached back leaving the boy to watch her warily, though in truth she was pleased. Yes, he was wary but he had trusted her enough to let her touch him if only to see what she would do.

The tension left his shoulders and she grinned wider before moving on to their next trap, leaving her smaller companion to follow.

...

Samira was pretty sure that the child could see Shadow. She had noticed his small blue eyes tracking the large shadowy being more than a few times, and how his eyes had darted around the few times they went into the large village together. Whatever the case, the child seemed to understand that when he was with Shadow, they wouldn't be bothered by the villagers. A loud bang sounded from the side and the child jumped his hand snapping out to grab hers unthinkingly as he peered warily in the direction the sound had come from. He was jumpy and very aware of his surrounding, Samira mused as the continued to walk, the boy still distracted. After a moment the child stiffened before looking up, eyes wide as he realized that he was holding her hand with no response from her. She smiled at his mildly alarmed expression but made no move to close her fingers around his hand. She figured that he would panic if she tried to grab his hand back and figured that the best option would be just to allow him to hold her hand for the time being. He seemed to debate for a minute before looking ahead resolutely though she could see the mild tension in his shoulders. She grinned, pleased that his grubby little fingers were still wrapped around her own. All things in time. Her smile began to fade. She didn't really have time. But he clearly needed someone to look after him, little starved thing that he was.

Samira paused in their walk to solemnly regard Shadow who had paused as well, his shadowy black head turning to face her.

"Shadow, after I am dead and gone, I want you to look after this child and protect him." She said quietly. The child's fingers spasmed around her own in shock at her words. She looked down to find small blue eyes regarding her in open terror, his grip on her fingers tight.

"You're dying?!" he demanded. This was probably the seventh time she had heard him speak. She smiled sadly as she placed a hand on his hair and gave it a comforting ruffle.

"We all are kiddo, some just faster than others." His grip on her fingers tightened as he looked down, clearly upset. Taking pity on the child she leaned over and scooped him up, setting his weight on her hip as he scrambled in panic for a moment before settling, clearly uncomfortable but making an effort. She grinned.

"Put your arms around my neck so you can hold on better," She said, knowing that it would give him a better sense of control. She grinned as the tension began to leak out of the small child as they walked down the way, to the other side of the village. Fish was getting a bit scarce where she had been fishing recently. Time to relocate.

AN: Please review.