CCNote: The time since my last update has been wild. Working in a more corporate setting leaves me with very little time to write. I have more money but less time doing leisure activities. When I worked in Japan, I had plenty of time between classes and during testing/ holidays to just sit at my desk and churn out chapters. Heck in the summer I binged watched Game of Thrones (a disappointment) in an empty classroom. I greatly misjudged how much time I might have on my hands moving back to the US and I apologize greatly for my absence. The only reason I have time to write now is because we are on work from home mode at the office due to Covid 19 and I'm holed up in my house.
If you wanna see some fun (actually tasty and feasible) cooking snaps, follow me on SnapChat! If you just wanna chat, join the Discord group! In regards to my stories, I will try to finish this one up over the next 2 weeks. For everything else, updates will be rare and sporadic, but they WILL happen. IDK if I will be working from home for longer than 2 weeks but it's highly likely given the bungled response of the US to this current crisis. I made a promise to never abandon my stories and I haven't broken that yet. In the meantime, I hope that everyone reading this is safe and at home with their loved ones. From waaaaaay across the world, know that I appreciate your readership and continued support of this story. I write this story, and all of my other works, for YOU. Now with that being said if your country is starting to take shut down measures, here are the things you should do.
WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS (seriously). Wash for at least 20 seconds with soap. The chorus to Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' is great to sing in your head while you do this.
Don't hoard toilet paper and cleaning supplies. You only need so much and there will be more.
Stay home as much as possible.
Keep in close contact with the ones you love.
Reread this story or maybe try one of my other completed fics to pass the time!
Anyway, here's a rough unedited snippet of the next chapter so you don't think I've abandoned you completely. This will likely change shape but you have a general idea of the passage. Look forward to another update later in the week!
….
"Dammit." Hanabi hissed under her breath when her right hand passed through air. "I'm out."
Down below there was nothing but chaos in the crowd. People scrambled desperately to leave the square which caused a stampede effect. If Itachi had wanted a distraction he'd certainly gotten one. Though she did feel guilty for being the catalyst.
Below on the wooden platform she could see her sister, shaken but unharmed. Her last arrow had shot straight through the skull of an Anbu attempting to restrain her. Inwardly she hoped there was enough pandemonium for her to slip away on her own despite being restrained at the wrist. Part of her was tempted to go down and grab her but she knew she'd never make it through the crowd without being trampled. She had to trust that Itachi knew what he was doing. At that moment a dark figured rushed past her sister with their katana brandished to attack the self-proclaimed Emperor. The assailant was bold in their aim as if they'd fought for years. Cutting down men and killing them without remorse. Although impressive the action was foolhardy at best.
Things were going to go sideways.
Tearing herself away from the window, Hanabi took to the steep stairs two at a time. Hinata would have to pass this house to return to the Manor and she needed to be there to intercept her. Once she reached the first floor, the older couple she and Itachi had barged in on were nowhere to be found. Although she suspected they'd snuck out just before the square had descended into chaos.
When she opened the door to the home, the sound of screams and metal clashing were no longer muffled. She ignored the people running in front of her, her eyes trained only for her sister. Pushing past desperate residents trying to avoid the fray was difficult. She was smaller- even smaller than she should be due to the stress of the last few months. Still, she held her ground when men and women aggressively clipped her sides while fleeing. The crushing stampede of bodies heading in her opposite direction kept Hanabi from moving as quickly as she would like but she had to get through. She had to-
"Hanabi!"
"Omphh!"
Within two seconds someone hurtled into her head on and she nearly tumbled to the ground. Somehow she was able to remain standing but only just barely. Shivering and clutching her for dear life was the one person she'd been trying so desperately to find.
'Hinata.'
The Hyuuga barely had time to register her sister's safety before her training kicked in and survival was her new goal. Hanabi gently removed herself from Hinata's embrace, favoring instead to hold her hand and an unspoken agreement passed through them.
They were getting out of this together.
"Hinata!" a desperate voice shouted from the crowd.
Hanabi turned to see an unfamiliar, pink-haired woman rushing up to them. Unconsciously, she placed a hand on the dagger on her hip but refrained from doing much more. The woman didn't appear to mean them any harm. In fact, the minute she reached them, she grabbed Hinata's free hand and the three of them took off running.
Overhead the sound of the town's bells alarmed once more. People poured out of their houses and into the streets carrying what little they could on their backs. Hanabi vaguely remembered the way out of the city since she and Itachi had arrived less than twenty-four hours ago. With the way things were headed, they needed to get back to the Manor and escape fast. Squeezing her sister's hand, she spearheaded their trek through the crowd, utilizing her heavy bow to knock into anyone who crossed too close into their path.
