The Burden of Future
~Chapter 12~
Hello, people! Here is the twelfth chapter of my so-to-speak first story ever.
Enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I was 2 years old when Naruto first started. God, I must have been a genius to write such a story.
"I'm sorry," he said, the words leaving his mouth automatically. He placed two fingers right below her skull and sent a rapid, short amount of chakra into her nervous system. He saw her pained expression, followed by one full of confusion and, at the same time, an unexploited sort of betrayal, almost like she was expecting it to happen. Well, that hurt his pride. He was so nicely trying to save her from spilling out their entire plan and that was her response. He caught her by the arm right before she touched the ground and, after stabilizing her weight center, he fled in the trees, the girl hanging at his side.
Right before Sakura's outburst started, he'd sensed a presence coming at a hastened pace towards them, with its chakra discretely hidden. He wanted to tell her to stop her ranting for a moment so that the ANBU, as it was definitely one of them, could pass without noticing them too closely. Despite his warning, though, she started saying even more dangerous details to her unknown public and, as the shinobi was at the border of his hearing range, he had to stop her before going any further.
It seemed she was still a child in her own way. Indeed, having to be aware of what you say and to protect yourself in the middle of the ones you trust and love was one difficult thing to do, painful even. Although she'd been through war and she'd lived through many betrayals and devious plans of others, she was still oblivious to her surroundings when it came to her own village, to her very home, actually. He'd never had that feeling of sacred faith and complete loyalty to a certain matter as she did, but he still understood her instance. Despite it being a wonderful feeling to be owned by a human being, she had to give up on it if she wanted to complete her mission. In actuality, she had to give up on it, as if she didn't, she would soon have her second encounter with death.
Itachi heard her slow-paced breathing coming evenly in and out her lungs, her exhausted state making her fall into a deep slumber on his shoulder. It was quite unnerving as she kept tugging at his arm, her action precisely followed by rows of unintelligible words and phrases. He crossed the village silently, remaining in the shadows most of the time to not distract attention. He landed on her house's roof, starting to feel that, even though Sakura was only seven years old, she was still quite heavy to hold in just one arm. He laid her down on the roof tiles, putting her down gently so she wouldn't wake up.
He stepped back, ready to leave it as it was as he too had matters to solve and deal with. He turned around and jumped agilely on the other roof, his ninja dexterity making it thoroughly silent to the others. After a few moments in his run towards home, he felt a strong, freezing blast of wind hitting his cheek, making few hair strands rise on the back of his neck. It was one of those chilly nights of March, one in which winter makes its last appearances and that night was no exception. He pulled at his top, the cold slowly creeping through the fabric and making him shiver the slightest. A rapid thought crossed his mind, one that referred to a certain rosette who he'd left on top of the roof to sleep on such weather. He had no other choice but to return, the temptation to continue his way being overcome as another powerful blast of wind hit his frame, making him realize the cold Sakura might catch if she slept under the night sky at such a time.
He rushed to her house and, upon reaching his destination, he saw his target casually stretching into a more comfortable position on the tiled surface of the roof. If he had truly left her sleeping out there, she would have definitely remained in the same spot, not really sensing the difference in temperature highly supported by her already numb body. Before actually taking her to her bed, he went scouting, looking down the windows to see which one exactly was her room. The house seemed empty, her parents probably on another mission and, thus, leaving her by herself.
This kind of circumstances was quite often met when speaking of families of ninjas: with both parents on duty, the child was frequently left alone at home, that, of course, being when the child was of a certain age. Shifting the draperies of a window, he discovered a one-person bed with a white, puffy cover on top. The walls, all painted in a dim shade of beige, were covered in seals, maps and sketches of some kind, defining precisely the owner of that room. He climbed back the house, wanting to take her inside and he did it in time, it seemed: Sakura, in her unnerving little dream, had already rolled down the roof's surface, reaching its border and now hanging dangerously off of it. Rushing towards her, he grabbed her hand right before falling and, putting an arm under her knees, took her down and into her room to finally put her in bed. Placing her gently on the sheets and covering her with a blanket, he noticed her peaceful expression now that no worries crossed her mind, especially one in particular, which she had heard about not long ago. It was indeed a hit Shisui's refusal and they had to come up with a new plan about it as soon as possible, but he would leave it as it was at that moment as he didn't want to ruin her tight sleep.
'Sweet dreams,' he thought to himself, heading towards the window to let the girl behind him enjoy one of her last nights of sweet slumber.
That's all for now, guys! I know this one seemed a little bit one-sided, but I had to make some variation in my way of writing, so here it is, the chapter where nothing important actually happens! :D
Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Have a really really nice day! (or night, I don't know…).
