Disclaimer: don't own. Won't ever. So there.
THERE ARE SOME RANDOM (SEEMING) BACKWARDS WORDS TO SEPERATE PARTS. Please let me know how it works for seperation Thank you!
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Shino awoke and sat up in the darkness. He listened for a moment to the pleasant breeze and the chirp and click of the night insects as he looked up into the ni sky. There was no sun, but the stars weren't visible.
He sighted in the peaceful calm and then forced himself to stand up. For a moment, he almost forgot they had slept on the branch. His muscles were aching already from the previous day's exertion. He mentally chided himself for not being in better shape; after all, they had only hundred miles on foot.
His gaze turned to where the sleeping woman and caught himself staring fondly at her. She was nestled comfortably under her blanket on her side with her long arm dangling over the edge of the branch. Her long eyelashes brushed her pale skin and her pink lips were turned up into a small, satisfied smile. She mumbled something softly and snuggled further into the blankets.
"..nna-sama? Hanna-sama?" Hanna forced her sleepy eyes open and when she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes for the most part, she sat up wearily,
"Hmmn…" She mumbled as she stared down at her hands. Shino smiled softly down at the Lady as she looked up at him, her hair a complete mess and bloodshot eyes.
"Good morning, Hanna-sama. It's time to get going if we want to reach the town by nightfall." Shino said as he offered her a hand. She took it and stumbled to her feet high up on the branch.
"What time is it? It's still dark." She muttered as she stretched.
"Around three." Shino said simply as he folded her blanket and replaced it in her sack.
"Mmmn… joy." she mumbled again as the pair took off.
STRAEH GNORTS
Shino gazed up into the sky and then glanced over to the woman. The sun was already high in it's path and the Lady seemed to be exhausted. He skid to a halt and Hanna followed,
"Why don't we rest for awhile and take a look at the map." Shino said sympathetically as he sat down.
The woman heaved a sigh of relief,
"Finally! My legs feel like rubber!" She said as she flopped down beside him.
Shino unfolded the map that Shizune provided him with,
"I am unfamiliar with this territory. Can you tell where we are?" He asked her as he stared down at the paper. Hanna took the paper from him,
"Do you see the large green and blue circle?" she asked, pointing
"Mm."
"That's the swamp and forest surrounding the Hidden Mist... In the center is the city… oh, and the dark ring around the city is the danger zone… and" she pointed to a small blue circle right outside the zone, "And those are the falls." she said with a smile.
"The falls?" Shino asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hanna smiled dreamily,
"The waterfalls…" She smiled up at the sky, "I remember my mother took me there when I was little… it was an annual reward for all the female graduates of the Academy… we were the last graduating class…" she turned back at him, "There's an old folktale that those who bathe in the falls will accomplish great things some day." her eyes and she grabbed the map, "Shino! Could we go? It's right on the way!"
Shino looked up at the sky and nodded,
"If you really want to, it's fine by me."
"Oh, this is simply wonderful!" Hanna said with a satisfied laugh. Shino smiled from his seat behind a large rock as he heard the girl splash around in the water, "It's so warm!" she said enthusiastically.
Hanna shook out her messy orange locks under the falls. She twirled and danced about in the clear blue water. With a content sigh, she closed her eyes.
"Mamma! Look! All the girls are here-- Kutai-- oh! And Jima's here too!" Hakijima Mori patted her daughter's head,
"Yes, Hanna, now go and enjoy the falls, sweetie." The little girl obeyed and jumped into the springs.
But too soon…
"Everyone! There's a rogue ninja in town! It's the Momochi! He's killing everyone! The Anbu and the Jounin have already fallen! Head back to your homes quickly-- and secure yourselves in a sheltered place! Hurry! Everyone!"
Screams filled the air as people franically ran about, but Mamma promised it everything would be alright.
A strange man confronted Hakijima, telling her that Horotori her husband, was already dead and advised she and her daughter to flee…
Mamma took Hanna by the hand… and then they were enveloped in darkness for the longest time…
But a soft song soothed the young girl's fear,
"Be at peace… be at peace… fear no more… let the Mist take your fears…"
A song that had been gone for so long suddenly bursted into Hanna's mind… a song that had been lost for such a long time,
"…you will be safe… hide in the Mist… She will protect you in your darkest hour… do not fear… do not fear… there will be no more tears… be calm, be calm my child. The mist will dry your tears… you will be safe… let the Mist take your fears…"
She found herself suddenly cold, and as she looked around, the sadness attached to the place flooded over her once again.
The gray rock seemed to project images of the children she once knew as her comrades… but they were dead. They were all dead.
The happiness, the peace that formerly flowed from the place… it was gone… the entire place was deserted… but the memories still lingered-- the screams still echoed inher ears... the sound, far off, of murders taking place; a cruel, senseless massacre. She began to cry silently.
"Your voice."
The girl started and blushed. She had forgotten Shino was there.
"I'm sorry… It was improper of me to sing…" She said softly as she dried and re-clothed herself.
Shino chuckled from behind the rock as he closed his eyes,
"No, Mori-chan…" he breathed, "not at all… your voice… is beautiful… like a bird's" he said softly. Hanna smiled to herself,
"Thank you, Shino…" she murmured. She sighed and looked around, "Shino?"
"Mmmn."
"I--I think it would be best to leave now…"
"Yes, Mori-chan."
EVOL EURT
"Are you alright?" Shino asked after a bit.
Hanna turned to him as she leaped from another branch,
"Hmmn? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You've been very quiet for the past hour or so." Shino said as he pushed off again.
"Really?" She laughed, "Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind. Shino nodded,
"Understandable, Hanna-chan…" he paused for a moment, "You mentioned that we would be entering something called the 'danger zone'… what exactly is that?"
"Well," Hanna started as she jumped again, "you see, the refugees-- I mean of course those who either immigrated after the massacre or those who hid underground-- they became… well, paranoid… so they set some forms of man traps."
"Man traps?" Shino asked with a raised eyebrow. Hanna nodded,
"Yes, they're similar to bear traps… only larger…" She smiled, "Those refugees… they're the people to whom I'm going to restore."
"You are a very noble woman, Hanna-chan." Shino said as he jumped again.
Hanna blushed,
"Why… why thank you, Shino--" she was interrupted by a loud crunch
She screamed out suddenly, and fell back from Shino's side. The man halted and looked back where Hanna was just gliding in the air. She was no longer in the air, though, but hanging from a branch by her ankle-- more specifically, by a man trap.
"Hanna!" Shino cried as he took out of kunai and slashed at the chain. It wouldn't break. The woman shrieked again as she gripped her knee defenselessly. Shino looked around himself frantically and then down at the trap.
It was large, spiked and rusted and had sunk deep into her leg, all the way through the bone. Nothing would break the metal, so Shino took a deep breath and took a drastic measure.
With all the strength he could muster, he took both edges of the teeth-blades and tore the trap out of her leg with his bare hands, slicing deep into his fingers in the process. Hanna screamed and Shino quickly set her down on a branch, ripped off his shirt and pressed it against the bloody flesh.
Hanna whimpered as she covered her mouth and let her tears stream freely from her tightly closed eyes as the young man tried desperately to stop the blood.
"S-Shino!" she wailed in agony, "Please-- do something-- Shino!" she cried, her face red and covered in tears, blood streaming freely down her leg.
Shino thought quickly and snatched some bandages out of his bag and made a make-shift splint from two nearby tree limbs.
Hanna began to shake and grow faint as Shino attempted to remove the soiled material from her bloody leg. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed at the immense pain; so much greater than anything she had bore before.
"Open your eyes! Now!" A voice growled from above her. She obeyed and the pain was gone; instantly...
But so was the world around her. She looked about frantically. Everything was black, but not dark; hollow, but not empty. She reached out, but she couldn't see or feel her hand.
"Shino!" She screamed through her tears in agony, "Shino! Where are you! Shino!"
"No need to fear, Hanna-sama. Be calm. I am right here..." She couldn't hear the words, but feel them; almost as if they weren't said, but directed to her..
"Shino!" She screamed again into the black.
And then, just barely visible in the distance, something small and glowing appeared. Fluttering softly, it made it's way toward her and grew larger. Faintly, it appeared, a soft, delicate butterfly, pink in colour. With an almost radiant appearance, it gently floated around her, swiveling and swirling this way and that. She reached out again, but couldn't touch it.
Her entire sense of fear was gone… just she and the simple pink butterfly existed at that moment; although in the back of her mine, she knew somehow a Genjutsu was being worked on her… really, she was not in blackness, she was probably in light… and Shino was probably right there…
Shino…
YREVARB DNA EGARUOC
Shino fretfully wiped the sweat from his brow for the umpteenth time as he watched the flushed girl drift off into a Genjutsu-induced slumber. He had gotten the bleeding to stop and had disinfected the rusty wounds and had set the fracture with a splint and a wrap. The Lady had bled for a long time and what was worse was seeing and hearing her heart wrenching shrieks and moans.
But it was over… and she was alright. He let out a breath of relief as he gazed down at the sweaty, warm Lady in his arms. She was breathing heavily and her tears were still wet on her soft face.
With utmost carefulness, the Chunin dabbed her tears on a clean cloth and brushed her hair out of her face. He looked up toward the sky and began to rationalize,
"It would be best," Shino said aloud to himself, "to get her to the Waves…" he ran a blood-covered hand through his hair. The sun was already setting. The village officials would begin to worry. Perhaps they would send a search party of ninja out to look for them-- oh… they didn't have any ninja.
With another defeated sigh, he lifted up the woman and continued on his quest to bring hope to the Mist People.
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Did you like it? I hope so! Thank you for reading! Have a great day / night! Please review! Thanks again!
Mysteria Pearl