The chaos that surrounds the settlement is deafening. For the first time in Hanako's life, all she can feel is adrenaline and fear. She remembers what her cousins told her about running away - it was the best way to avoid death, or worse, getting captured by the Uchiha. That thought alone made tears come to her eyes. She hates that she feels so utterly pathetic in this situation, but it's the truth of who she is. She is a woman entirely incapable of fighting off a highly skilled shinobi.
This morning had been just like any other morning. The sun had risen and shined brightly upon the Senju settlement. Hanako woke in the main household and began to go about her chores, even though Hashirama and Tobirama both insisted that she did not need to do so. She greeted the maids and asked them about their families, hanging on to their every word before finally setting out for the day. Hanako regularly walked about the settlement in high spirits, playing with young children and checking in on various families before she would return home for lunch. That's how this morning played out, just like any other morning. Hashirama and Tobirama both left with a significant amount of troops to head out for battle. They both insisted that this time would be the last time, just like they do every time they leave. Hanako waited with the other women and children to wave them off, before ushering them all back to the safety of their homes.
The rest of the day should have gone smoothly. Hanako should have been able to go home and make herself a meal, before going through the various readings that her cousins allow her to divulge in. She should have been practicing her medical techniques so that she could become someone more useful to her clan, more useful to the world. But, early in the evening before she could begin, the scream rang out throughout the settlement, along with explosions.
She had run out to find women and children dashing away to head towards the secured location that Hashirama developed in case of an incident like this. The few remaining shinobi that were left behind the defend the settlement were fighting not far from her home. She could hear the clang of their weapons and see the fire from here - the Uchiha had invaded. Did that mean that her cousins had failed? Were they dead? These thoughts made her heart drop, but now was not the time to be worrying about those things. Now was the time to run.
Hanako dashes through the settlement, picking up civilians along the way, giving them orders in an attempt to keep them from getting lost in the chaos. Children were sobbing, somehow separated from their parents. Hanako did her best to reassure them and send them off with the nearest adults, but the fighting was getting closer now, they don't have a lot of time to escape. She follows the crowd at a distance to make sure all of the civilians have been taken out of harms way, only to catch sight of a building beginning to collapse due to the fire. This separates Hanako from the rest of the villagers, the smoke starting to make her gag and cough. Half of the settlement is on fire now. She will have to find another way to escape.
Her feet pound against the ground as she tries to find another way to escape this hell. Hanako's heart is beating so hard that she can feel it all the way up to her head. Where would the enemies be? What if she runs into one of them? Fire singes her chestnut hair as she rushes around a corner, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees a body coming towards her. Instinctively, Hanako reaches for the small knife attached to her thigh, one that Tobirama gave her just in case she was ever captured by the enemy. But, despite being in a moment of panic, she hesitates. The body is moving very slowly, his head is tilted downwards and there is blood dripping from somewhere on his body. The young Uchiha collapses very suddenly before her, making her jump a little. The fires around them rage onwards, threatening to consume Hanako and this stranger that is supposed to be her enemy.
She should continue to escape without looking back, but she doesn't.
Hashirama taught her that not everyone in the world should be treated as an enemy. He told her that he believes there are ways to obtain peace through acts of kindness and mercy. This young man is bleeding out before her, and will likely not live much longer in this state. Tentatively, Hanako kneels down next to him and tries to gently turn him over to assess his injuries. That's when his hand reaches outwards and snaps onto her wrist, gripping it so tightly that she thinks it might snap. She squeaks, attempting to move back when his grip suddenly weakens and his hand falls away from hers entirely. He was dying, he wouldn't last much longer.
Hanako is able to get him fully turned over. It looks like he had been pierced in the abdomen multiple times, an injury that is common during this war. Thankfully, he has not been pierced in any vital places, but his blood loss is concerning. And as Hanako looks around the area, she also realizes that leaving him hear is a death sentence. Either she leaves him here and he dies of smoke inhalation, or her clansmen come here and finish him off themselves. Either way, his death would end up being on her shoulders. With this thought in mind, she drapes his arm over her shoulders and uses her weight to lift him up.
"Come on, I cannot do all of the work here." She murmurs, hoping to stir him. It works. The Uchiha's eyes flutter open, though they were hazy and unfocused. The blood loss is starting to get to him. "Use your feet to walk with me and you will survive, I will get you out of here. Drag your feet and it could mean the death of both of us." Hanako prays that he can hear and understand her request, and he does. In the next moment there is less pressure over her shoulders as he puts more pressure on his legs and feet. "Good. Don't worry, we're going to get out of this mess." With that, Hanako starts their trek out of this burning inferno.
It's hard to walk with him through the smoke. While he is clearly doing his best, they are both breathing in the toxic fumes and would not last much longer like this. Thankfully, they break through the northeast entrance to the settlement and are able to get away from the smoke that surrounded them. This is when Hanako can finally get a good look at the young man that she had saved. His hair is long and straight, kept together by a little ponytail. There's a katana at his side and Uchiha emblems sewn into his clothes. If she takes him anywhere where her clan may be, then both of their lives could be in danger. Hashirama and Tobirama aren't here to protect her, and the clan could be merciless with those that they consider to be traitors.
"Hang on just a little bit longer. We need to get you somewhere safe and look at those wounds." Hanako knows the risks and feels the fear, but regardless she continues to guide the young man into the depths of the forest with the hope that her clansmen would be too busy with the battle to notice them nearby. It seems to be fine, because she can still hear the ongoing battle from within the settlement. Everyone should still be there. But, then the other problem would be running into any other Uchiha. From what Tobirama told her, they kill first and think later. Or, in her case, they may take her as a hostage to torment her brothers and... And...
"I... Iz..." Hanako stops for a moment as the man tries to speak.
"Don't try to talk, okay? We don't know the extent of your injuries, and you need to keep all of the energy that you can right now." She doesn't want him to pass out on her, that would make getting to a safe place even more difficult. He falls quiet after that, and they are on their way again.
When the sounds of battle are faded away and she feels as though they're safer, she finally lets him rest against a large boulder so she can take a look at his wounds.
"I'm going to remove some of your clothes now to look at your wounds. It may hurt a little, but regardless, please try to keep your voice down." Hanako speaks softly, starting to remove his armour and clothing to get a better look at his wounds. When she is finally able to see the damage, she can see that he has several wounds that vary from shallow to deep. She needs to deal with the worst of them first. Hanako procures a needle and thread from her pocket - it's an emergency kit that she always keeps on her. But, before she begins, she tears off a thick piece of cloth from her yukata to place in his mouth. "Bite down on this if it hurts. I'll try to do this quick, so hang in there."
Hanako gets to work right after that, but surprisingly he makes no noises of pain. He does not flinch or try to smack her hands away as others would have done, he does not fight the treatment. She is able to stitch up the three deepest wounds, stopping the bleeding entirely. Then, she pulls out a small amount of ointment that she made a while back. It would not be enough for all of his injuries, but it would stave off the infection for right now. She liberally applies the contents of the jar to his worst injuries, and once that jar is empty, she sighs in relief and rests back to look at her work. Most of the bleeding has officially stopped and he should be out of harms way now.
The piece of cloth falls from the man's mouth, attracting her attention. He's sweaty and pale, but now those onyx eyes are more focused than they were before. He tries to brace himself against the ground to stand, but she forces him back down.
"No! You cannot move right now, if you do then you might tear open the wounds. You need to rest." But, what would happen to him now? He couldn't run, otherwise the stitches would tear and he would be in the same situation again. And he couldn't stay here, either, otherwise he would be found and they would both be in trouble.
"I-Izuna." He mutters suddenly, bringing Hanako out of her thoughts.
"What?"
"My name. It's Izuna." He speaks with more clarity now, wincing slightly as he tries to stand again. But, once again Hanako brings her hands to his shoulders and gently forces him to sit.
"Well, Izuna, you are injured and you need to keep your butt on the ground or else I'm going to have to do all of that stitching all over again." Hanako huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. If he could move and run that would be best, but they don't have many options here.
"I cannot stay." Izuna insists, and this is something she already knows. He couldn't stay. But stubborn forest green eyes meet onyx ones, determined to keep him there. There are only two options here. Either Hanako leaves the man and essentially prays to the gods that he isn't found, or she finds a way to return him to his clan. Her inner fear makes her want to abandon him here and leave him to fend for himself. But, the part that Hashirama taught to respect all living beings, even their enemies, is winning her over.
"Do you know what path your clan intends to take when they retreat?" This attack wouldn't last long. Hanako's cousins would quickly realize what was going on and return to the settlement as soon as possible. Izuna nods his head.
"To the southwest, t-they should go... There..." Hanako can tell that he's losing all of that energy that he suddenly gained. He needs better medical treatment than what she can provide here. With a deep breath, she reaches around his waist once again to hoist him up.
"Well then, we need to make our way there before they get there. Then you can be safe." This is the best plan that she has for now, the only plan to make sure Uchiha Izuna makes it out of here alive.
Now they're walking once again, trudging through the forest as the sounds of the battle continue to echo in the distance. Neither say a word to the other. Hanako isn't expecting a thank you or anything like that, but she does dislike the silence between them. It made the forest more eerie than it used to be. Shadows enveloped the both of them as she continues to head towards the traveling point. Every time she hears a branch crunch she jumps a little, overly aware that this plan is a stupid one and would most likely bring her more trouble than this young man is worth. Still, she's already involved herself with Izuna this much, now she has to finish what she has started.
"Here." He finally states as they reach the edge of a river.
"Here? There is no path here, it's out in the open." Surely they wouldn't come out here. She knows that shinobi have special techniques that allow them to walk on walls and on water, but the path through here could be treacherous.
"Exactly. No one... Would expect..." Suddenly, his voice goes quiet and he falls limp in her arms. Alarmed by this, Hanako sets Izuna down and looks over his injuries once again. None of them have come open. Perhaps his stamina had finally run dry, then. She goes about checking his pulse and making sure he's still breathing, when suddenly, she feels someone's hand grip her hair and violently tug her away from her patient.
Hanako's eyes meet the sharingan of the man standing before her, and then her whole world goes dark.
Author's Note:
Hello everyone!
This is going to be a dark one, to be completely honest. But, it's also going to be filled with fluff and happiness and good times here and there. But now? Now it's gonna be dark, and we're all in this ride ride together!
