+ Naruto's POV
I persistently ran, not allowing a slight altercation in rhythm. I traveled straight down the pathway leading to the front entrance of the village. I felt minimal relief when I reached striking distance from escape. Suddenly, a mysterious creature launched into sight, knocking directly into me. I didn't have enough time to react, and whatever smudge it was coated in seemed to smear onto me. As we collided and eventually landed on the cold, dead ground, I immediately sprang into action and leaped to safety.
The creature seemed to be out of breath and struggled to rise. That was good, it was weak. This could be considered a perfect time to flee. Cut my losses spring from the scene. Or this could be a simple decoy in order to lure me into the thought of thinking escape is the best option. Ack! It makes me sick how criminals think.
I viewed my clothes and realized that it had looked as if I had committed a mass murder of some kind.
I scanned the creature once more.
It murmured something.
Well, case closed—if it could speak English (even though I'm apparently Japanese) then it couldn't be an animal, could it? I decided to shake off my hysteria and draw closer. It finally peered up at me, after many moments of panting. Obviously, I mean, it gave me all of that time to think this through like a perfectly sane and intelligent person would.
Its black eyes shot through my soul.
It sighed. Wait…sighed? Animals don't sigh. I mean, they do, but not so impatient-soundingly.
"Well, are you going to help me up?" It asked.
My eyes widened. That voice was so peculiar, I couldn't mistake it for any other, especially with that know-it-all tone.
I grabbed his hand, "L? Why do you look like that? You go swimming in mud?" I sniffed him, "Woo! Stinky mud." I pinched my nose. He glared at me.
When he reached his feet, his expression remained the same: emotionless, only with a tinge of something else. Something I hadn't seen before in L. He blinked, still staring into me. He never let go of my hand. I was beginning to get creeped out, but as soon as I did, I realized he was shaking. There were tears locked away in his eyes, imploring freedom. My gaze softened.
He opened his mouth, about to say something, but couldn't seem to find the words, so he shut it again. To ease the tension, I said, "L, did you know you're shaking? I can feel it." He only shook his head.
"You…look paler than usual. See a ghost?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "No, just corpses."
"I see. Well the horror doesn't levitate in that direction, clearly." He gestured at himself.
I cringed, "Yeah, I didn't think so. What happened to you anyway?"
He scanned the area, "Just situations I'd prefer to erase."
I nodded. "So, does that mean you don't want to talk about it?"
He looked at me. "Let's just go."
I agreed.
We walked for what seemed to be forever, to the point where I began to get accustomed to seeing the dead villagers scattered across the land. "Who could have done this?" I said to myself.
"I don't know, but whoever it is, we must put an end to their demented antics."
L looked so serious. He always does, but moreso now. I glanced at our hands. It seemed that L's quivering dissipated, and I wasn't comfortable with physical contact, (especially with L) but I figured if I separated he would be afraid again, and how could I put him through that after all of this?
"Where are we headed," I inquired.
He walked right beside me, and seemed to have snapped out of his daze when I first saw him. "We have to find Light and Near."
I nodded, "Ahh that's right, I forgot about them. I hope they're alright."
"Yes, let us hope so. Now, Naruto, I'm going to need you to lead since, well, this is my first visit here."
I grinned, "So that means there'll be a second huh? Man, you must be enjoying this one a whole bunch!"
He blinked several times and squinted his eyes as if he had difficulty seeing, "Just take me to your house."
I thought of an intricate strategy as to how to get L to my house in the briefest time-span. I picked L up and held him bride style. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" I ignored him and sprinted as fast as I could, forcing chakura into the souls of my feet for maximum speed. Despite all of the stinky mud splattering onto my face when L's hair whipped from side-to-side, and his perpetual bantering, I suppose I could have said I somewhat enjoyed myself with his company.
~ L's POV
This predicament couldn't have been accepted even under normal circumstances; what on Earth could have crept into his cranium to impose such barbaric measures even in a dire situation? I needn't know, because of his heedless actions the time spending in venture should be sliced into thirds, especially with this vehement velocity.
I attempted to focus on the road ahead, but the air pressure was too much for my seemingly sensitive eyes. I DID possess the capability of looking straight from my body, however, Naruto's gargantuous head blocked most, if not all, of the view. I stared at his blood-coated face.
It was strange, I could not observe the eternal energy known as "chakura," but I could feel it with all of my might. This could pose vital for our research.
After an eternity of roaming, Naruto resisted further acceleration, as his power dwindled, and came to a halt. He hadn't hinted at setting me down yet. I looked at Naruto's expression, it was shockingly stern. I turn to the building directly forward of our location. It was Naruto's home building, and like the rest of the complex, it was crippling to ground-level and painted in blood.
