Chapter 3: May Angels Lead You

"What would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud
I never said thank you for that
Now I'll never have a chance. . ."

–"Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World

Konohamaru

"Ok –ack– Okaa–chan!" Smoke held thick and burned in my throat like spices. Inedible, tasteless, spices that clogged up my nose and made the hairs on my arm stand up straight. "Okaa–chan!"

"Konohamaru!" Arms came around me and pulled me away from the doorframe just as it collapsed. "Konohamaru, be careful of your surroundings!"

Okaa–chan. . .! I turned and a cape was draped over my shoulders and hooked into place.

"We need to get–!" Glass erupted from around us and my mother doubled forward, like Sakura–nee–chan had in the tunnel. "Mama!" She made a noise, by blocked my gaze away.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." She slid to her knees in front of me and then I saw the blood. Lots of blood; pouring out of her body like a waterfall.

"Konohamaru. . ." She whispered, smiling weakly, but her eyes were wide and panicked. "Come here, quickly." I jumped over the flames to her side and she swiped blood from her bleeding wound and crossed me. "Hold still, sweetheart."

"Mama!" I felt my body shift. "We need to get out of here, now!"

"No, they'll just come for us again! I have to send you somewhere safe."

"No–! Okaa–chan!" I grabbed onto her but it was in vain, my body was slipping. I screamed and she smiled, smoothing my hair and scarf.

"I love you, Konohamaru."

Sakura

Preparations for the hospital were still underway, though the number of sick and injured civilians and ninja was at a staggeringly high right. The medic–nin and I would have to start making home visits. At the idea we were already given a list of names and addresses that I'd have to attend to tomorrow.

"Sakura. . ." a voice called and I turned to stare into darkness. Just then Madara walked out of the shadows, tearing off his cloaking jutsu the shadows clung to his dark clothes and billowed around him. Making him seem bigger, more powerful. . .scary even.

I called to Saku was her reply was silent.

Madara smirked and headed towards me, and then I noticed what was behind him. Or who. . .It was a boy, a Genin probably, kicking and shouting complaints as Madara dragged him down the corridor why the hood of his cloak. And he was wailing, sobbing almost. "Lettme–! Let me go! Now! Pleeeease! Just let me go!"

"Someone's here to see you. . ." Madara said, almost calmly and stared at me blandly, almost seeming bored. I stared at him in shock. "He's just a Genin, doesn't means any harm. He was walking around the village. You have to be more careful of these intruders, really now the corpses are just piling up."

"Corpses. . .?"

"Don't worry of it, here take this," Suddenly the boy whipped around, across the floor like a disobedient puppy yelping elatedly and still twisting from Madara's grasp. "I have to check on that pit I asked Kisame to dig for me."

"You're–? !" Then I saw the boy's face.

"Sakura–nee–chan!"

"Konohamaru? !"

"Ah, you do know him." Madara raised Konohamaru and tossed him into my arms. "Look after him will you? Make sure he doesn't touch anything. . ."

My little brother wrapped his own arms around my neck, dragging me down to the floor with him, and burying his face into my shoulder, tears streaming down his cheeks. I didn't hesitate, I hugged him back. "Sa–Sakura. . ." he sniffed. "It's horrible. . .!"

"Shhh, shhh, otōto," I whispered like I did in the old times, nothing had changed. I brushed back his damp hair and Madara walked back slowly and blended back into the shadows. "Shhh, shhh, what's 'horrible'? What are you doing here? Tell me." I soothed and ran my hands over his back and squeezed him tight.

He fainted then.

His chakra is depleted. Saku noticed.

Yes, and he's caught a fever. . .I moved wet spikes of hair off his gleaming Konoha headband, I sighed in relief knowing he hadn't gone rove from Konoha. Nice to hear you again, by the way. I swung Konohamaru onto my back and stared back for the Tower.

Gomenasai, Sakura-hime, all will be–

Yes, yes, yes 'all will be revealed in due time'. Whatever, just help me with him will ya?

I removed his headband and pressed my palm to his forehead. He was completely drenched, his clothes soaked with at least a pound of water, I unhooked his cape. The thick scent of smoke locked tightly to his clothes. What happened back in Konoha?

Naruto

Flames licked high towards the darkened sky, smoke billowing out from the center of the house and all the open windows. I didn't think, I just ran.

"Konohamaru! Lady Nala! Konohamaru!"

A body laid strewed and blooded on the ground. Lady Nala.

Naruto

Since I wasn't really opt to trust anyone in the Tower, Kisame included, Konohamaru rested in my room as I scribbled away at documents by candle light. I sighed again and tapped my pencil away on another document regarding the debt our country was neck high in and reached for my sake bottle only to find it was empty.

Honestly, I wasn't too taken to the taste, but after the first bottle I really didn't care much if it burned my throat and made my head reel. After the second bottle, Saku put it upon herself to use the healing chakra to spike my body temperature and burn off the alcohol. Note to self: never let Kisame do any shopping.

"Ugh," I whined and set it back down, leaning back in my chair in defeat, tossing the pencil and letting it roll across the paper. How'd Gaara finish all of this? All I ever saw him do was a casual skim across the page and a scribbled signature. . . Someone cleared their throat and Madara appeared mask less, his form taking in the entire archway.

"Good evening Sakura–hime."

"Hello," I said softly, gesturing to Konohamaru, asleep on my bed. To my surprise Madara strode through the door and glanced at him.

"How long will he be out like this?"

"A few more hours, tomorrow at the latest, I decided to do some paperwork while I waited but it's not doing much for my nerves." My fingers tangled into my hair and I rested my elbows on my desk.

"Join me for a drink?" I glanced at him and smirked. There was only one other tavern in town, my father made sure of that, and I'd only been there once when Itachi and I passed it on our way into the village.

"While it may be my three other bottles of sake talking but. . ." I stood and picked up my robe. "Let's go."

Madara tilted his head to the side. "You really trust me enough for that?"

"Nashi, I can't get drunk."

"Not that. . ."

"Hmm?"

"Never mind." Madara turned and I moved to follow, but Konohamaru started to stir on my bed. I froze and watched him, his eyelids fluttered briefly and the slide closed again. "Are you coming or not?" I shook my head.

"He's finally awake. He has something to say to me," I threw my robe onto the edge of my bed and sat on the end nearest to Konohamaru, gently shaking him.

"Hn." I ignored Madara and sat on the bed next to Konohamaru.

"Otōto," I brushed the hair away from his face. "Konohamaru, are you okay?" A dark eye opened and closed again.

"Nee–chan?"

"Hai, I'm here. . .what happened?"

Tears rolled down Konohamaru's cheeks.

AW! The process of writing this chapter was like pulling teeth! AGH! This chapter is the last I handed out to you, so I'm going to delete the original, because it just sits there and taunts me daily. Happy New Year~! And sorry, I've updated other storries, but not this one. There was a fire in my hometown. . .huge. Historical landmark, our pride = gone. And it's even worse when you know the people (one of them) who did it and everyone's on their way to juvie. Sigh.

Other than that~! There's a writing contest~! Yes! I'm stuck between a sad story and a happy/funny one.

MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP~! Feb 1st! WRITE ME SOMETHING AWESOME!

Oh, and I'm going to Florida with my best buddy SheWolf14 in March~! This should be fun! Let me know if you live in Florida. . .anything I sshould know? Any slang? I haven't been there in a few years.

-*Song* Sad song, and I killed it. But I love it.

Reveiw me, ciao,

~QueenVamp