seven.

The evening was a hazy mix of fog and mist, washing away the smell of freshly lit cigarettes and fires of the Anbu, and a slow maneuver through the shallow river. The drizzle muffled their labored breathing and provided cover from the enemies. One by one, they passed into the other territory, rifles held tightly with white-knuckled hands and trembling limbs. Some had managed to calm their nerves, having been used to the battlefield, while the rest trekked on with a racing pulse, thundering and pounding, never-ending and dizzying.

The man at the front held up a hand, ceasing all movement, as a dim light from the right headed into their direction. He jerked his head towards his left man—the rifle reloaded, clicked, and the aim was locked.

Itachi sucked in a silent breath, waiting for the enemy to appear from the fog.

It never happened.

Puzzled, Itachi's hand clenched and dropped to his side, turning to look at his men. All present—none missing. The rest stared amongst each other, looking for the responsible Anbu, when a gust of wind whipped past them, blowing their hair back and startling them. Rifles lifted into position.

There was a scream—heart-wrenching, pain-inflicted and awful—and a thud followed, then silence.

The Major narrowed his eyes, seeing through the fog an indistinct silhouette of a small person.

His eyes widened.

The girl.

He whirled around to face his team, about to order a fallback, when he caught the eyes of his men. The words tightened in his throat and he turned back, swallowing thickly. Something akin to agony twisted inside of him as he lifted his hand and slammed it down.

Guns fired. The air choked with smoke and he ran, searching for the girl. An enemy blocked his vision and he spun to the right, dodging a bullet and locking his arms around the man's neck. Snap, gasp, thud. Itachi did not look behind once, racing through the muddy ground, digging his boots into the sludge as he followed the trail of bodies that fell and fell and fell.

Then there she was, spinning in all of her glory, palms soaked crimson and her eyes glowing like moonlight in the dark. She caught his eye just as she flipped, unblinkingly kicking two men away with her feet. She landed on all fours and then lifted her lower body, limbs striking and blood dancing, her hair damp from the rain and yet alive, brushing her cheeks as she delivered chaos around her.

He did not realize he was frozen until one of his men screamed his name.

"Shosa!"

He heaved in a breath and spun to fire at a man aiming a rifle at his head. Red splattered across his face. There was the sharp sting of a bullet grazing his arm and he reeled back, pulling at the trigger again and again. Somewhere behind him, he could hear the whisper of the leaves moving with her assault, could hear her palms striking skin and veins bursting, men coughing and falling.

He did not want to look—did not want to answer to the ringing in his head. And yet he could feel the pull, could feel her calling out to him even though she did not speak nor scream.

The night stretched on. Bullet after bullet fired and body after body fell. He refused to believe that she was still fighting, both hands occupied with rifles from dead opponents, her small, fragile body jumping from tree to tree whilst aiming at her targets. He refused to believe that this girl, this oh so beautiful girl, had been forced down a road that he could not pull her away from. But he would try anyway, if it meant taking her away from the bloodshed and finally letting herself hold onto things she wished to cherish, like that bird that always stayed by her window.

He felt his back hit hers and for a moment, they were comrades of equal level, both watching each other's back. And just for a moment, he let it happen, because he could not deny that he was proud of her, even if it was a bittersweet thing.


a/n: And there you have it! Chapter 7! I was really excited to post this as I was writing this earlier during my lunch break. Somehow, I ended up adding maybe a little too much detail, but I really liked it. Did you? I don't know if the mood for the fight is all right, and as I expected, I managed to get the idea from Violet Evergarden because let's face it, that scene was amazing. Naturally, she has a different fighting style from Violet. Hn, this chapter's a little longer than usual, around 700, whereas I usually update with only 500, but that only shows how much I liked writing the scene!

So if you liked it too, then please leave me a review! I really do enjoy reading all of your review, thank you so much for all the love!