three isn't very impressive...
Second Chances
BattleStations
no...
I smiled on my way home. For some reason the night just seemed better as I walked to my apartment.
The weather was steadily getting colder as we approached fall. A slight wind blew down the road picking up loose dirt and chilling my bare skin. I pulled the black sleeves of my shirt down and covered my hands and crossed my arms, I should have brought a coat. I wasn't really thinking when I left though.
I stopped and kept still as I heard a rustle, it could have been the wind pushing something over, but something about it made me stop and listen hard.
I turned to my left and starred up to the corner of a building to find a shocked nin starring back at me. I gave the young man a questioning stare as he continued to look bewildered, I assume because I found him when he didn't want to be.
"What?" I asked airily. Giving him a blank look, for some reason he shivered under my stare. Why does that happen so much?
"Hokage-sama requested your presence, it's urgent." He replied in a dazed tone. I guess he still wasn't over it. But I was needed and it was "urgent" so I just left him to his thoughts and faded in the direction of the big building where the Hokage stayed.
"Sarutobi-san?" I asked appearing in the office, when it was an emergency I just skipped the whole door thing and found a window and got to his office as soon as possible.
"Samma." He sounded relieved and waved his hand motioning the other nin in the office to move aside. Everyone looked stressed as I waited for an explanation. "It's happening right now." He breathed.
"What is?" I asked trying to stay calm for the Hokage's sake.
"Itachi…" he said shaking his head. "No one can get in."
"Where?" I asked slowly starting to get the seriousness of the situation. Everything around the office was splayed around and the Hokage looked like he was ready to get up and leave somewhere in a hurry.
"Uchiha Manor." He said standing and swiftly making it to the door. "We need to leave." He said solemnly and in a rush of robes he disappeared out of his office.
I didn't give it a second thought. Something was happening at Sasuke's house and it wasn't good.
I practically materialized in front of the Manor…
Chaos.
Behind the thick walls, a flame rose up and flickered defiantly against the dark of the night.
How did I not notice this before? Frantic nin moved about, none seemed able to make it inside, but the most discouraging thing was the screams. Their tortured agonizing screams filled the night air and overpowered the flames harsh roars.
I tuned everything out and focused on the wall. I couldn't take the screams.
Sasuke's mother had bragged to me about something on the wall. It was a door or something, no one knew about it except her and her husband, I guess me too. But where was it? She said it was made if they ever had to leave in a hurry, whatever that was referring to I have no idea.
If it was to be used when they were in a hurry it must be close to their house. I'd never been in any of the other Uchiha households but I knew where theirs was.
I skid around to the door I was pulled into on numerous accounts and found a few nin banging against it, the door shocked them with a cackle every time they touched it, but they still relentlessly continued.
I passed them and ran my hand against the wall feeling for something a crack, an indentation….or a bump!
It was a square with the rim out dented like someone had sealed the edges. I turned and kicked my foot against the wall hard and the thin cement over the wooden box filling the hole cracked. I kicked again and it moved in a little.
"Augh." I grunted as I turned and kicked full force. It popped in and I crouched down to survey what was inside. Slowly, I creped in as I saw an empty alley between two buildings and no people. I had no idea where I was in there but I followed instinct and ran down the alley to the left.
I saw the heat waves before the bodies. They littered the pathways between homes. Pools of blood flowing like small rivers through the houses. And the largest home of them all was in front of me, burning.
I didn't have time to think; maybe later I'll say it was a stupid thing to do. But Sasuke and his family were in there, and….I don't really know, I just had to do something.
People weren't screaming anymore. All I could hear was the cackle of the house burning.
First I saw the woman that called me her friend. Her throat was ripped open on the kitchen floor. As I ran through the heat I found the woman's husband, though It was just a guess. His body was maimed past recognition. It was just too big to be Sasuke's.
I was praying to anything I could think of that I would find Sasuke alive, hoping his brother hadn't gotten to him.
I could hear him talking; I could hear Itachi talking to someone. The paper door had formed an orange thin wall of ash, I tapped the frame with my foot and the hot ash door collapsed. I saw Itachi's back, and over his shoulder the confused and scared face of Sasuke. He was still alive.
I stared hard at Itachi as he turned and gave me an empty glare. He lashed at me with a kunai and I barely dodged it, as his arm flew past my head I grabbed it and pulled out my own one and only kunai to stab his sleeve into a wooden post.
I heard him rip his sleeve free but I was already where I wanted to get, between him and Sasuke.
"Pathetic." He murmured staring coldly at me and Sasuke, and then he was gone.
I twisted to the floor and stared at Sasuke for some sort of recognition from him. His eyes were so empty, like black endless pits. I pushed all of my confusion away for Sasuke's sake, I couldn't dwell on why this happened, I had to focus on getting us out.
He didn't say anything but he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my neck. I pulled him close, surveying our surroundings. The door wasn't an option, the hall was already filled with the flame and there wouldn't be anywhere to go.
Smoke was filling into the small empty room. I could hear Sasuke choke into my shoulder.
I glanced out the window, we were against one of the few solid walls, but we were up pretty high. I didn't want to risk hurting Sasuke, but it looked like our only option.
I jumped up into the smoke and blindly yanked my kunai free. I didn't have time to rethink what I was doing, we were running out of air and I couldn't stall anymore. So I jumped. Sasuke's head was tucked under my chin as I ran and twisted using my back to go through the thick hand-made glass window.
I'd never done this with so much extra weight. I almost didn't even get my feet facing the ground by the time we landed. I faltered when we hit the ground and dropped to my butt, all I cared was to keep Sasuke safe.
I grunted as I struggled to stand. Sasuke had passed out, and I was close to joining him. But I had to get out of there first. I told myself I could pass out as soon as he was safe.
Looks like I couldn't even get out of the sheltered community, I'd inhaled so much smoke I was joining Sasuke sooner then planned.
Someone yelled my name before my legs gave out and what little air I had was forced out as I fell on my back, but I was out before I even started to crumble to the ground.
I hope Sasuke's okay. I really do.
So as I said three is hardly satisfactory, but here's me not really caring, I care so little I might not even post another chapter if that number doesn't impress me this time...
-BS
