('Naruto' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.)

Antidepressant

Chapter Two

Three weeks in to her travels, she was starting to improve with utilizing the use of her only hand and hunting was becoming a daily part of her routine. She was able to remove her bandages but the area was still sore and she was still having a hard time moving around too much. At least, to the levels of her prior ability.

The fox kit had surprisingly stayed with her and was showing signs of becoming an agile hunter, granted he only caught small field mice and the occasional insect, but it was still quite surprising for the young pinkette to see. For lack of something to call him, she'd decided to name the kit that had grown quite close to her, dubbing him Bandit. She couldn't say she was creative, but it suited the young fox well, she thought.

She currently found herself in a small cave she'd found at the bottom of a mountain, they'd been there for a few days and it was conveniently near a spring and a small patch of wild herbs good for storing up on medicines and whatnots, so they'd probably be staying for a few more days.

As she hung up her clothing on a line to dry, she sat at the foot of a shady oak tree, finger combing her hair as the sunlight basked over her pale skin. She could see a tree snake sunning itself a few feet away on a small pile of rocks, but paid it no mind. Something that would have severely irked her before. Yet, she felt as though she were becoming more accustomed to nature the longer she was out here. To the best of her abilities she was able to pull her hair into a bun, a horribly lopsided one, considering the hair on one side of her head had been singed off, but it kept the remainder of her hair out of her face.

She let her toes dig into the warm soil and let out a soft sigh. Now that her body was feeling better she felt a bit more calm at the situation. She had the rain to thank for that, it kept her scent wiped. She was surely out of the Country of Fire and at this point, she figured she was headed in the direction of the Country of Earth, which… wasn't exactly leaf-friendly territory, though she wasn't a leaf-shinobi anymore.

She pulled her clothes off the line as a particularly strong gust of wind hit her bare skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She hurriedly got dressed and pulled her satchel over her shoulders, Bandit appeared from a thick patch of bushes, a small grey mouse hanging limply from his mouth. Sakura smiled and gently scratched between his pointed ears. "Good job." She praised, the fox kit closed his eyes and leaned in to her touch.

She could feel the chill in the wind, even with the sun beating down from the sky, it would rain again tonight. She wanted to stay longer, but this was a precautionary measure. Bandit was certainly getting larger, but not to the point where she could no longer carry him in her bag, a pleasantry she was very grateful for, as now that some of her strength has returned, he's been having difficulty keeping up.

She scooped up the fuzzy kit and manouvered him into the bag, a trying task with only one hand, but she managed. He snuggled into the bottom of the bag and she scoped the cave for any materials she had left behind, snubbing out the fire and doing her best to kick any evidence of life from the mouth of the cave.

Once she'd finished she pulled the hood of a sweatshirt, also a spoil from an unattended clothesline, over her pink locks and lept for the lower branch of a tree, she was still getting the hang of this, her body felt lopsided with the absence of her hand, but she could manage.

Her thoughts often went to Naruto and Sasuke, she wondered if they were okay, if they missed her. What everyone was doing or thinking. The lack of socialization was beginning to get to her, she felt lonely.

…..

She'd made it three days East and she was near the Ocean's shore. She wondered what was on the other side of it. Some far off land she'd never been to, a place away from the Ninja villages. "Wouldn't that be nice." She smiled to herself, letting the cool sand squish between her toes. Bandit was curled beside her, nestled into a warmer patch of sand.

She picked at the stitches on her stomach, tugging at the ends until they released. She was certain they'd been ready to remove for quite a while. The skin was sore and it was uncomfortable to remove them, but she didn't protest as they pulled loose, an ugly scar and an itching sensation left in their wake.

Looking out at the bright sky ahead, she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. It was a pretty sight, the sun shining brightly over the ocean, something she'd never seen before. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she dropped back into the sand with a soft smile on her lips. She felt unusually free today. Perhaps it was because she could feel her legs getting stronger, she was hardly tired from making the long journey anymore… She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss her home and teammates, but… this was nice. She felt a sense of freedom the father she got.

Bandit yipped and she turned to look at him questionably, the silver and grey hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and his ears were twitching. Her green eyes widened, she could hear a rustling not far off. She reached into her satchel, pulling a kunai free. Her eyes sharp as she came to stand at the fox kit's side, scooping the kit up in her free arm, holding him between her elbow and side, praying she wouldn't drop him considering she was lacking a hand.

A patch of blonde hair froze her in her tracks. Her heart skipping a beat. It couldn't be-

A boy of about twn stumbled out of the forest's edge. His face was pale and his cheeks were sunken in, his wide, green eyes full of fear as he saw the strange looking girl. Sakura released a breath of air she'd been holding and gently sat Bandit down and pushed the kunai back into her satchel.

The boy stumbled backwards as she strode toward him curiously, tripping over an upturned root and letting out a strangled cry, clutching his ankle in pain. "Please don't come any closer!" He pleaded. Sakura's brows furrowed together, was he scared of her?

"Okay." The pinkette said confusedly, pausing in her tracks and holding up her arms in a display of peace, Bandit curled around her feet, staring at the boy with his golden eyes. "If you're hurt, I can help you." She said softly.

The boy's eyes looked frightened, but an expression of pain was still swimming in them. Sakura could already tell he'd sprained his ankle. Her eyes softened and the boy, while still scared, nodded.

She approached slowly, watching him recoil in fear, but quietly came to kneel at his side, "This is a little hard to do with one hand, so I'm sorry, I can't do much." She said softly, pressing a soft hand to his bone thin ankle, already knotted and swollen. He had been running on this injury, though she couldn't really scold him, she'd done the same.

"Hey! What are you-" The boy jumped, but paused as he felt a cooling sensation begin to flow through his skin, cooling the burning pain he had been feeling only moments before. His body was rigid at her touch, but she could see he was bewildered by her actions.

"You're… a ninja?" He whispered.

"No." She said firmly, her tone causing the boy to recoil. "Not… anymore at least." She said softly, feeling bad for snapping at him. He looked scared enough. She couldn't shake of the strange feeling of talking to someone after so long.

"Alright. That should make it easier for you to walk." She said, pulling back, an unreadable emotion swimming through her emerald eyes. The young boy shook his ankle a bit, surprised he felt almost no pain at the action.

"I don't… I don't have any money right now… but… if you were a ninja once, that means you help people, right?" He said softly, voice still shaking. The girl paused, her back to him.

"If you want something. Ask." She said, her tone level. Though the expression on her face was sad, eyes swimming with mixed emotions. She hadn't talked to another human in so long, and he reminded her so much of Naruto, at least… his face did.

"I was running from some bad guys, they took my brother too… I… I just left him." The boy said, clutching at the sand beneath his fingers. Face full of shame for his actions.

"So you weren't strong enough to save him, so you expect someone else to do it?" She said, coldly. She felt a presence of pain in her heart, she couldn't ignore his request, but… something deep inside her was very hesitant to accept it.

"Yes." The boy said through his teeth, Sakura froze, "I was nothing but a deadweight."

Deadweight. The word hit her hard, making her heart sink painfully, she knew how bad that felt, to not be able to protect your precious people. How could she deny him help?

She looked down to Bandit, who was staring up at her, she could see a sort of pleading in the kit's eyes. Looking down at the fox with an annoyed expression she huffed. "I will do what I can to help you." She sighed, crossing her arms, "But only because I feel bad for you."

The boy's eyes lit up and he pulled himself to his feet, "Okay. He's this way, ma'am." He said, starkly more polite than before, Sakura nearly snorted at his change in behavior, but the situation at hand kept her from doing so. If it was one or two civilian guys she could easily take them out, even in her condition, however… with her lack of not only materials, but her hand, it would be a challenge even for a ninja.

Bandit kept close to her as they followed the boy through the forest. Several times Sakura had thought about going back, but… the look of fear in his eyes as he lead her through the forest kept her going, she'd looked like that too many times. She couldn't bear to see that look on anyone else. Her heart beat quickened in pace as she saw the boy's body language become more tense, rigid, they were getting close.

She couldn't sense any chakra signatures though, that was good.

She slowed her breathing, calming herself as the boy put a finger to his lips and motioned ahead, Sakura nodded, turning to the boy she whispered for him to stay back. He could easily get in her way.

The boy shook his head vigorously. The pinkette rolled her eyes at this, telling him to at least keep a distance, to which the boy agreed. He was becoming a nuisance. Honestly, this was none of her business, but… it reminded her of Tazuna the bridge builder in a way, even though it wasn't the mission they had agreed upon, Kakashi had taken it anyway. She didn't want to be a ninja, but she didn't want to be a bad person. She couldn't turn a blind eye to this because that's what she was taught.

Creeping as soundlessly through the forest as possible, Sakura knelt behind a tree, the smell of a campfire assured her the boy had taken her to the right place.

There were two sleep mats laid out beside it. Good, there weren't many. Far off she could see what looked like a person, tied to a tree by the waist. She still couldn't sense any chakra signatures, but even then. it didn't guarantee her victory. She needed to be careful.

A sound to her left drew her attention and she saw a burly looking man plop down beside the fire, a sword was tied to his hip and he looked decently tough. She silently motioned for Bandit to go and guard the other boy, which he did, but not without giving her an annoyed look. For a fox, he sure did show a lot of emotion. Or maybe she was just crazy.

Drawing her kunai she prepared to strike. Wilding through the trees around the clearing soundlessly she crept up behind the man, her heart was beating wildly and she could only pray the man couldn't hear it.

She struck him hard at the base of his neck with the curved end of the kunai. He made an ugly noise before crashing forward, unconscious. Kneeling forward Sakura pressed the blade to the back of his achilles tendon, if she cut this, he couldn't come after them-

Freezing, Sakura pulled back. What was she thinking? She'd never done something like that before. Why on earth? Cutting off her train of thought she pulled away, pushing forward to the tree where the boy was being held, she needed to get out of here quickly.

This boy looked older, about her age, with sandy brown hair that was tied in a low ponytail that laid over his bony shoulders, his head was resting on his shoulder, she could see he was breathing, but severely malnourished. He needed medical attention, quickly.

She quickly cut through the ropes binding him to the tree in one snap catching him on her shoulder, reaching for his wrists when a loud yip brought her attention to the sound of snapping twigs behind her, she rolled just in time to dodge the swipe of a sword that would have otherwise killed her. Hissing as the full weight of the boy was thrown over her, she rolled him off, not having time to feel bad about rough handling as she aimed the kunai at the man, he was smaller than his companion, but she could see the peaking lean muscle and the spite in his narrow eyes. He was fast.

"I'm a shinobi, are you sure you want to do this?" Sakura hissed, wearing the best brave face she could though the discomfort and anxiety in her was growing. She'd never had to face someone seriously one on one.

"Don't act so tough, kid." The man snickered. " Put that little knife down and I'll do this quickly." He sneered.

"Can't do that." Sakura hissed, rushing the man, just narrowly escaping another lethal blow from his sword, he aimed to kill her. Fear was welling up deep inside her, but she couldn't let it overcome her. Nobody was here to save her.

She couldn't throw the kunai, as it was the only one she had, her only weapon. It was hard to attack with a single hand, but she noticed that if she took most impact to her legs, she could keep up with his speed. She had to rely on that.

She summoned a shadow clone that was able to stumble him long enough for her to make a sharp incision on his left shoulder, rendering his left arm useless. At least she'd balanced the playing field a bit. "You bitch!" The man hissed loudly, charging for her, he knocked against her hard, knocking her on the side. She winced, but managed to sloppily roll aside, creating a distance between the two.

She was scared. She inhaled a shaking breath and forced herself to her feet, able to keep her legs from trembling just long enough to kick him hard under the chin, he caught her leg in his large hand and swung her aside, her head hit the ground hard and blackened her vision for a second.

She rolled to the right just as he made another chop at her, his sword implanted in the ground he took the opportunity and jammed her kunai forward. Hoping just to incapacitate him. When she opened her eyes, blood was spilling from his body and she felt herself go pale. He was looking down at her with wide, brown eyes as she lowered her eyes to the place the kunai had stabbed.

Straight through his ribcage. She'd punctured his lung. She looked back up as the man's eyes began to cloud and he slowly began falling forward. She was unable to move as his weight was pressed upon her, she could feel his last, dying movements as they crashed to the ground. His blood was soaking through her clothing, it felt warm and slimy, her stomach churned at the overwhelming coppery smell.

She had killed someone.

The sound of the crying boy snapped her back to reality, and she shoved the man aside. Slowly, rigidly making her way to her feet. Her fragile mind was filled with scattered sounds and thoughts. It was making a symphony of fear that silenced the world around her.

She could feel Bandit's paws pressed to thighs, but as she looked down, she could see the kit yipping violently at her, she could only numbly move forward, turning to see the little boy hugging his brother and crying. Sakura numbly stumbled forward, face blank and cold as she untied the bindings around the older boys wrists. She wouldn't be retrieving her kunai.

The little boy looked up at her with teary green eyes, but she couldn't hear the words coming out of his mouth.

She simply turned her back and walked numbly forward, the smell of blood was becoming too strong, her head spun violently. She leant against the trunk of a tree, losing the contents of her stomach in privacy. Bandit licked at the wound on her side as she did so.

She found herself unable to speak, but she returned to the scene of the crime, refusing to look at the man lying on the ground. "We need to get your brother to a hospital." She said numbly, leaning down to pull the unconscious boy's arm over her shoulder, using her weight to pull him upwards. He was surprisingly light to her now, or maybe her feelings had dulled due to shock, she bounced him forward so he could rest on her back. Pain rang through her wound, but it was shallow, it would be fine.

"Where do you two live?" She questioned the short boy, eyes facing forward.

"We live a few days away, in Iwa." The little boy said, looking down at his feet. Sakura didn't question why he responded this way, only nodded and pushed forward, "I can't enter the village. But I'll get you to the border." She said, pulling forward. She'd passed a village on the way here, she was sure it was the right one.

As she walked forward, she couldn't hear the boy trailing her.

"If you don't hurry, I'll leave you both." She said, pushing forward.

The boy hesitated, but chased forward.

Sakura couldn't shake off what she had done, but she couldn't just leave these two out here to die.

…..