Sangreal Chapter 15: Fifteen, a naruto fanfic

Man this chapter kicked my butt. I thought that being so close to finishing this story I'd race through the last couple chapters with motivation and determination, but instead it took me forever to just sit down and write it.

Warning: there's violence and language in this chapter.

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Naruto is not mine, unfortunately.

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Enjoy

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The nightmares came every night but I never woke screaming. I swallowed them right before I opened my eyes. We went to battle in a sickening cycle against Orochimaru's fringe army, the soldiers he sent ahead or as decoy, when they told us to. When we weren't marching or fighting, we were training or watching ally towns' troops come to build our numbers and other groups go. Waiting for the call for our next battle was torture but each hour we were left alone was a miracle.

"We're getting close," Itachi said one day. The army had split into two sections a week and a half ago. It'd taken me a few days to come to the conclusion that Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata had gone with the other group. Ino and the rest had come with this group, but there were still enough people where I rarely saw them. It made my heart ache each time I caught a glimpse of one of them. The march was slow with so many people and the paths became rougher as we got closer to the portal, settling on the closer side while the other group went around to take up camp on the other side. They would be the surprise attack.

"You know what we have to do," I told him, quiet enough so Choji on my other side couldn't hear. He was busy munching on some food he'd saved from breakfast. It was hard to tell if he ate as much as Naruto did since food was spread thin among all the people, but I didn't doubt it.

Itachi nodded to indicate he'd heard. "There's a scout group going out tonight. I'll see if they need two more."

"Where's he going?" Choji said with a mouth full of food as Itachi pulled out of line and galloped his horse further up the line.

"See if he can get you more food," I joked and eyed the large chunk of bread in Choji's hand. "I still don't understand where you get it from. There's no way you got that much at breakfast."

Choji shrugged nonchalantly but I could see the small smile. "I have my ways."

He'd also managed to find a horse, which wasn't hard these days with so many dying, but usually the horses were turned into food or used to carry supplies. Choji was smart and sneaky when he put his mind to it.

We rode in silence after that until Itachi came back.

"We leave tonight," he said and I looked up from tracing the leatherwork of my saddle.

"Which group?" I asked and he shook his head.

"They wouldn't take us," he grumbled. "Thought we were trying to desert going to battle or something. We're sneaking off."

"How long before someone notices we're gone?" I asked under my breath, walking my horse closer to his so he could hear me.

Itachi shrugged. "They might or might not notice. It'll be a day's hard riding each way but if we have someone to cover our backs then we should be fine."

I looked at Choji who'd finally stopped eating. He was staring up at the sky, lost in a thought, but seemed to sense me watching him and slid his eyes over to me. "What?"

"We need a favor," I said.

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15.

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Sneaking out of camp wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. We'd stationed ourselves close to the edge of our group's area and walked our horses off, one at a time, before reconvening a good ten minutes away. Then we were off, cutting through the forest at a more direct approach than the path the army would take.

I was exhausted, so much so that there were times I thought I was going to fall asleep atop my horse, but the anticipation of getting to the portal or running into someone kept me from closing my eyes.

"Let's take a break," I finally suggested after another couple hours. My shoulders were wound tight and I felt stiff as a board. As we started to slow the land began to slope downwards. We were getting close. Some of the men had described the portal to me. Although they'd never been there for it was strictly forbidden and pointless since no one could cross over, they all knew what to expect from tales told about it. I found it weird that everyone here knew about the portal and what it could do, whether they believed it to be a myth or not, while the other side had no idea. Both worlds were completely different and yet tied together.

When we finally stopped near a small stream, it felt like the world was still racing by. I slid heavily from my horse and crouched down at the river to splash water on my face and neck. I'd grown use to wearing my armor, in the heat, in the rain, any time, but it was still a burden at times. I pulled the collar as far as it would go away from my neck and sighed as I felt the breeze against my collarbone.

"How much longer do you think?" I asked, looking up at Itachi as he stared off into the distance with a calculating look before looking back down at the map in his hands. Where he'd gotten it, I have no idea, but I was grateful we had one.

"Two hours, maybe three," he concluded. "We'll have to take it slower from here incase anyone's roaming around from either side."

"Either side," I snorted. "I'm more worried about Orochimaru's side, to be honest."

We got back on our horses after pulling out some food we'd managed to get with Choji's help. I couldn't tell if my stomach was in knots because I was eating on the back of a moving horse or if I was nervous, but either way I struggled to swallow each bite. We still didn't see anyone but at that point we were far enough from the road where it wasn't a surprise.

The ground became even steeper, to the point where we considered finding another way down, until it suddenly evened out and the trees thinned. I started to notice the trees were at a slant, increasingly so until they were practically horizontal like an explosion had pushed them down but not torn them from the ground. And then the boat husks started showing up. The portal on this side wasn't like the other one by any means. It wasn't miles down in a giant crater but rather surrounding by a clearing and smack dab in the center of a large pond. It was so far away I could hold up my thumb and block it out. Squinting, it looked like a very old church with an entrance facing each direction like it was inviting everyone in despite its inaccessibility.

I tried to imagine where each section of the army would station, where we would set up camp in a few days, but it wouldn't be here. We'd be far enough away where we wouldn't be able to see the portal and at that point they'd already have sent another sub-section to the portal to guard it.

"Uhm, did you know about this?" I asked and looked around. I could see a small trail of smoke in the distance. There was a camp on the other side of the lake, hidden by the church, but it was too far away to deem a threat. I wondered if there'd be more people at the portal but at this point that was the least of my worries.

"I had no clue," he said.

"This wasn't where we landed when we crossed," I explained and got off my horse. I picked up the charred remains of an oar and examined it.

"Me neither. It seems the landing site and portal site are different," Itachi mused as he got off his horse too. "I wonder where we'll end up when we cross back over."

A million responses ran through my head at that. If I got my powers back and could get us back over. If we made survived in the first place.

"So, getting across the river," I changed the subject and started searching among the boats for one that wasn't completely destroyed. We spent a couple minutes walking through the wooden corpses with no luck. I couldn't figure out why they were all like this even though something about this place felt familiar, like I'd been here before. My past self must've been here at some point.

I heard rustling and turned to find Itachi taking off his armor. I groaned because I was already so tired.

Itachi looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "None of the boats are useable. We're swimming."

I sighed and started taking off my armor. "And if there's people there?"

"I'll distract them," Itachi answered and started walking into the water in just the underclothes he wore beneath the armor to keep it from chafing.

"With what, your state of undress?" I remarked and struggled to pull my sweat-plastered armor from my upper body after unhooking all the parts that kept it together.

All of a sudden, he made a surprised noise and submerged completely. I ran to the edge, only half my armor off, and started searching for him. He reappeared a moment later sputtering and swearing.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked and held out a hand for him but he didn't take it.

"It drops off," he explained and then eyed my legs with slight impatience. "Hurry up."

I finished and shoved my things in the bag strapped to my saddle. As I walked into the water I was careful of the drop off, feeling with my feet. I was slightly afraid for some reason, like there was something lurking in the water waiting but I kept moving. We set off at a slow pace and my arms started to hurt a lot quicker than I thought.

Everything I tried to take my mind off the ache spreading through my body and the water filling my lungs slowly failed. I told myself to count to a thousand but usually only made it to twenty or thirty. I attempted to focus on breathing instead of swallowing disgusting pond water but that didn't work either. So I stared at the back of Itachi's head when my eyes weren't being splashed with water and kept going.

"Almost there," Itachi panted and I thanked the gods.

"Almost there," I chanted until my hands were grasping solid ground and my arms were shaking as I pulled myself up onto grass. I felt like I was going to throw up but I couldn't tell if it was from the exertion or the water sloshing around in my stomach. "We're here. Let's never leave."

"Let's find a boat," Itachi suggested. "Found one."

I lifted my head slightly and saw a few scattered here and there on the grass. Some were flipped over, others upright and I prayed one of them was in good condition. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I got to my feet. My body ached to stay laying down, to just shut down and recuperate, but we still had a long ways to go. My heart thumped throughout my body as we checked boats and finally found one that was usable. I muttered a 'thank God' and we dragged it over to the edge and set two oars next to it so it was ready should we need to make an escape.

We ascended the marble stairs, pristine even after all these years of rain and wind and sun. I could barely focus on anything past the twisting of my stomach. Now that we were here I wanted to turn right around and leave. I was afraid of what I'd find or more accurately, wouldn't find. The inside was like any normal church with its pews and statues of different biblical figures.

The inside was empty but we could hear voices and froze. Whoever it was wasn't in the church, but somewhere outside. Itachi motioned for me to continue and walked back towards where we came, disappearing down the steps on silent feet.

I looked around as I walked down the aisle, searching for something I couldn't put my finger on. There was no guardian here, no indication on where to go, no nothing to show it could take you to the other side. Everything was silent and that made the hair on my arms stand up on end. I walked around to each figurine and stared up into its face, willing this place to show me something so I'd know what to do, but nothing moved except for Itachi as he came back and stood besides the entrance on the right, keeping guard. I shrugged my shoulders at him and then moved on to the next figure, the one closest to the pulpit.

It wasn't until I was staring her in the face that I realized it was me. She had longer hair than I did and tanner skin, but the rest was the same from the shade of hair to the green eyes to the curve of the nose that I'd gotten from my mother. I could barely breathe, barely think past the fact that there was a statue of me here to symbolize what? Her sacrifice all those years ago? Had my past self died here, protecting the portal? Was that my fate as well?

I looked around, but Itachi wasn't paying attention to me. I stepped away from the statue and moved up onto the pulpit. The marble of the table as smooth and cold under my sweaty fingers and I stared at the space between my hands for a moment, thinking hard and yet unable to come up with anything. I was her and she was me; we were connected in more than just the power we'd had.

It wasn't until I felt a sharp pain in my thumb that I realized I'd been biting my nail. I looked down with disdain at the habit I'd picked back up since all of this started and then sucked away the blooming blood. I let my hand fall back to the marble with a smack of frustration and looked to the high ceiling where angels were painted.

"You no longer hold the power," a small voice said behind me.

I would've jumped if I wasn't already on edge, waiting for something or someone to appear, waiting for some answer or clue. I took a deep breath. This was the moment I'd been waiting the past couple weeks for. I turned, not knowing what to expect because the other portal's guardian had had a deep voice, not that of...of a child. That's exactly what I found, a small girl staring at me. She had long blond hair pulled back in a braid and brown eyes the color of oak paired with an emotionless face with a knowing look in her eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond her outward physical age. Her words sliced through my and I swallowed thickly, trying to think of something to say, some argument, that would what? Win her over so she could give me my powers back? Did she even have the ability to do so? I mentally shook my head. Of course she could, she was the guardian of the link between the two worlds.

Finally, I found my voice, scratchy and hiding somewhere in the back of my throat like a wall to block out all the anger, sadness, guilt, hope, all of it.

"But I'm still the same person," I argued and crouched down so we were the same level. "I've proven I don't need power to fight this war."

The girl shook her head sadly, eyes lowered. "I can't let you through. Only the one with power can open the portal."

I stood, angry and feeling like I'd been slapped. "If Orochimaru opens that portal he'll kill a lot of people. He already has!"

"I know what goes on in this world—"

"Then do something about it," I demanded and the temperature of the air in the church dropped. Combined with my wet clothes, I immediately started to shiver from the cold and slight fear. My breath came out in puffs and I focused on that instead of the glare being directed at me by this ancient, powerful being that I'd been stupid enough to piss off.

"Who are you to tell me what to do," the girl whispered in a deadly voice.

Because I wanted my head served on a platter, I stared at her and then pointed at the statue of myself and said, "I'm her ancestor and I'm excepted to save both worlds."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have lost your powers," the girl said sarcastically and I felt all the heat and anger flow out of me. I sank to my knees, boneless and tired of this constant fight between feeling angry at Orochimaru and guilty with myself. My forehead touched the ground and it was hard to breathe with my chest pressed so tightly against my thighs but I didn't bother to move.

"I came here hoping I'd be proven wrong, that I'd somehow still have some power left, but deep down I knew I didn't," I said in a small voice, wanted to cry and yet unable to summon the tears. I felt a hand on the back of my head and the cold disappeared. My body ignited with heat and I looked up at her when she took her hand away.

"What'd you do?" I asked with a slight twinge of hope, but she shook her head.

"I didn't give you your powers back. I don't have that ability," she explained. "But I gave you strength for when you need it. Use it wisely."

"What does that mean?"

But she didn't respond. She walked around the table towards the aisle and down the steps into the setting sun's glare against the marble floor. I stood and watched her as she slowly vanished and then saw movement. Itachi was waving at me, motioning for me to hide before he slid down the steps of the other entrance. I barely had time to run behind one of the pillars before I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and loud voices.

"I swear to you, I saw a little girl walking down the aisle!" one of the men argued.

Slowly, I peered around the edge and took in six men standing at the back of the church. They were armed but I couldn't tell which side they were on.

"You're losing your mind. We've been here too long," another man grumbled and started down the aisle. I pressed my back against the pillar and slid down into a crouch to make myself smaller. I prayed he didn't come up onto the pulpit or there was a good chance he'd see me.

"Hey man, don't go up there," someone warned and I heard the heavy steps of something coming up to the pulpit.

"Fuck what they said," whoever was on the pulpit growled. I looked around the edge in time to see him spit onto the table.

"It's not them I'm worried about," a man in the back said, the last one remaining as the other four had started down the aisle with gaining confidence. "It's her I'm worried about."

A sinking feeling hit me like a punch in the stomach. Her?

"That freak can suck my dick for all I care," the man on the pulpit said with a chuckle.

"She can also kill you," the man in the back said and then yelped.

"That's right, I can," a girl's voice said and then the man on the pulpit started screaming. I glanced around the pillar quickly to see the man clutching his head, neck corded with veins as he screamed, face purple. And then I saw her, the girl with silver hair and black eyes and spun back around with wide eyes. I checked to make sure my mental shields were in place, just as Itachi had taught me, and attempted to calm my breathing for fear of them hearing me. What I really wanted was to come out of my hiding spot and chop her head off, but two unarmed against seven would be near impossible.

"Get out of my head you bitch!" the man on the pulpit roared in between screams.

"Only if you get off the pulpit scum," the girl demanded and I heard her walk down the stairs and out of the church. The man stumbled off the pulpit, missing a step and tumbling down into the aisle and onto his stomach heavily. He didn't even bother to catch himself, his hands wound tightly around the hair at his temples.

After another minute he stopped screaming and lay there for what felt like eternity, groaning, crying and swearing at her. Two of his friends came and picked him up by the arms and half supported him, half dragged him out of the church. When all was quiet again, I waited another moment before bolting from my spot, down the left side of the church towards the stairs and then down the steps. I nearly collided with Itachi as he appeared.

"We have to get out of here," I said and he nodded.

"Agreed."

We pushed the boat into the water and hopped in, shoved off the edge with the oars and quickly paddled away. Halfway across, I looked over my shoulder at the church and my heart jumped into my throat. The silver haired girl was standing at the end of the pond, staring at us. I couldn't make out her facial expression but suddenly I felt someone trying to enter me mind. My mental shields held strong and the invasion grew weaker the further we got.

"Keep them strong until we're far, far away," Itachi said as he looked over my shoulder at the girl. "Who knows how far her reach is."

My mind was growing tired with keep the walls up but I didn't let them fall. Sweat beaded everywhere with the combined effort of rowing and protecting my mind. I was in a haze when we reached the shore and stumbled out of the boat unsteadily. Ignoring Itachi's offer to help me put my armor on, I finally managed to get it on and mounted my horse. I watched Itachi untie him from the tree and he handed me the reigns and then turned before I could thank him.

We headed off at a brisk pace that made my head throb.

"Are we far, far away now?" I asked and Itachi nodded to my relief. Some of the pressure that'd been building up from the mental effort dissipated and I sighed in relief.

"I know you can hold it longer than that," Itachi said after a while.

"Yeah, but I'm tired and hungry and my body hurts and I'm stressed," I argued, knowing I was just digging myself a deeper hole but not really caring at this point. I was disappointed that I'd gotten the answer I knew I'd get, that I still didn't have my powers and at this point probably never would.

"You're going to be all of those things in battle and one of these days you're going to come face to face with her. Are you going to ask her if you can take a quick nap and eat before you fight her?"

I glared at his back. "I might ask if I can take a bath too so I'm pretty for our fight."

Itachi snorted and some of the tension between us disappeared.

"Maybe someone else will manage to kill her before I have to," I suggested hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe."

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We rested a few hours into our ride back to camp. Itachi offered to take first watch and the second my head hit the hard ground I was out. I don't know how long I slept, but when I woke I felt refreshed and in need of more sleep simultaneously.

I expected to take second watch but instead we got on our horses and kept going. It wasn't until a while later, when Itachi nearly slid sideways off his saddle from exhaustion, that I forced him to sleep. I watched him sleep while I took small bites of a slice of bread and found all the similarities he shared with Sasuke. I kept eating even though I'd lost my appetite. I wondered what Sasuke would think when he found out was here, what I'd done and all the danger I'd put myself in and what I was going to do.

There was only one solution left to trying to get my powers back and it was also the same thing that'd end this war for good. I had to kill Orochimaru. It had to be me. I couldn't take any chances. But to get close to him was going to be hard. I'd either have to sneak into his camp or find him in battle.

A while later, after the sun had been up for a while, Itachi woke up. He stretched and ate the food I gave him before we got back on our horses. The sun beat on our backs as we rode, this time at a slower pace because our bodies ached and our horses were tired. We made it back right before dinner and I felt a mix of relief to be back in a familiar place and sadness that just two days prior I'd left feeling hopeful that I'd find a solution.

Choji shuffled up next to us as we stood in line waiting for food. He saw the look on my face and didn't bother to ask how thing had gone. When we sat down to eat, he split his bread in half and gave one piece to Itachi and the other to me. I thanked him with a small smile and then went back to staring into my bowl. I wolfed down what remained and immediately went off to find a place to sleep, but my dreams weren't peaceful.

I was back in the church but this time I was in the aisle, the silver haired girl looming over me on the pulpit. We were at a standstill, the pressure in my mind a sharp point that stabbed at my walls repeatedly. Each minute that passed felt harder than the last until I was on my knees, shaking, nauseous and barely clinging to the mental shield keeping her out. I stared at my clenched hands on the marble, white knuckled and almost numb from clenching them so hard, and then at the fat red drops between them. They grew as more fell from my nose but even then I didn't give up. I couldn't because this moment rode the fine line between life and death for me.

Just as I felt my walls crumbling and the first piercing bolt of pain, I snapped awake. The last wisps of the dream slowly filtered out of my head until I was lucidly staring up at the trees blocking out the starry sky. It took a few moments to calm myself but when the sweat finally started to dry and my heart stopped trying to beat out of my chest, I rolled onto my side and stared at Choji's back. I knew Itachi was on the other side of Choji and it brought a sense of calm to my frazzled nerves.

I started to count down from a hundred, a new way to help myself get back to sleep every night, and before I hit fifty I was out.

As usual, it felt like I'd just closed my eyes when we were being woken. I pushed myself into a sitting position, groaning at the way every muscle seemed to ache. We marched off within two hours of waking and I followed the line half awake on my horse. Rumors went around that our section was next in line to head off to battle. Orochimaru's troops were marching towards the portal at a steady pace as a whole like a single arrow heading for the target.

Turned out the rumors were true because our unit's leader lead us off the path after a while. We went with another section, equaling about three hundred, and the plan quickly moved down the line. We were going to attack from the middle while another group of around three hundred attacked from the front.

"We're going to be sandwiched," I muttered to Itachi and he gave me an 'I know' look with a frown.

"Keep your back to the woods," he instructed but I already knew this. I was mapping out the battle in my head, the slaughter of being overpowered. We'd trained these men as best we could in such a short time, but it didn't change the fact that we were just bodies being used to bring down the numbers until Orochimaru's army reached the portal and we clashed once and for all.

My whole body still hurt but I knew the second my adrenaline kicked in the pain would fall away. I made sure my armor was secure and ate some food that was passed down the line without really tasting it. It went down my throat in a dry lump and settled in my stomach like a rock.

We didn't bother to get off our horses and leave our supplies. They'd given up on that long ago when they found themselves with more supplies than soldiers to bring them back from battle.

The line spread out along the road, just out of sight and we waited for the signal. The first of the enemy started to pass through. I couldn't see them but I could hear them from a distance.

"Do you think he'll be there?" I asked Itachi, biting at my index fingernail. We'd talked earlier about what options we had left and come to the conclusion that it was best to find him in battle. Who knew which camp he'd be at and it'd be too dangerous and time consuming to go through each one. Luring him out would never work either so this was our only option.

"Let's hope so," Itachi said. "But I doubt he'd be stupid enough to travel out in the open where he could be ambushed."

"There are a lot of them," I remarked. "It'd be smarter to travel with numbers."

Itachi shrugged and closed his eyes. I could see the dark marks and wondered if he'd slept enough last night. I probably looked as worn out as he did and closed my eyes as well, but kept my ears open. An hour passed by and I felt nauseous at the reality of the situation. We were gravely outnumbered.

A humming energy started among the line and I opened my eyes with a sigh. I looked up when something caught my eye and saw one of my friends high up, descending towards where the other group was waiting to attack the front. Besides me Itachi and Choji shifted in their saddles and drew their swords. I took out my own, leaving the other strapped in, and straightened in my saddle just as the whistle went off and like a tidal wave we came down from the hill towards the line of marching soldiers. It didn't take them long to draw their weapons and both sides met in a clash of steel on steel and shouts.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw some men go down on their horses. I saw one man lose his head before my own weapon found the neck of an enemy and wedged halfway through. I put my boot on his chest after he'd fallen and yanked my katana free. I felt nothing aside from the beat of my heart as it pulsed through my body and the sweat running down my spine. It was like a switch had been flipped and I was a robot, hard on the inside and out only to soften again later when the nightmares came.

I tore through them like they had no training. Faintly, I wondered if this was the strength the portal guardian had been talking about, but my ability was no different this time than all the other battles. My back stayed to the forest and Itachi stayed at my side, Choji on his other side. I cut down another and had a brief moment of rest, chest heaving and the hair loose from my braid plastered to my neck and upper back. Looking around, I took in everything with crystal clarity. Nothing slowed down; it moved in real time motion and I saw a man alive one moment and dead the next.

Eventually my horse got taken out as well. I managed to roll off before he crushed me. His whining was like knives to my ears and I put him out of his misery with a grimace. I'd mourn for him later but for now I had other concerns. I dodged a blow to the head, spun around another enemy while catching him in the calf with my blade and nearly got hit in the arm with a stray arrow.

I was trying to figure out my next plan of attack when between two fighting soldiers I saw her. She was tearing through people like dominoes. One person would clutch his head and fall to his knees and then the next would follow. She didn't even need to draw her weapon.

"She's here!" I shouted over the noise of battle to Itachi just as he disarmed and knocked out a man. He'd also lost his horse but more so because he'd dismounted to fight better. "If she's here, there's a good chance he is too!"

Itachi eyes followed to where I was pointing and then he was swearing as I ran off into the fray to get to her. It was hard with so much chaos and I had to keep stopping when enemies and comrades got in the way. A path opened up and I sprinted after her.

"Jesus Christ, stop Sakura!" Itachi yelled but then four enemy soldiers cut him off. I looked over my shoulder at him, just in time to see a sword pierce the space between his chest piece and arm piece. It went in at an angle and the way Itachi's body froze I feared it had hit his heart. I screamed the same moment Itachi locked eyes with mine and he sank to the ground. The soldier pulled the sword out, blade smeared with red, and I managed to suck in a small breath when I realized it hadn't been an instant-death blow. The soldier realized it as well, disappointment on his face indicating he knew what he was doing, and lifted his sword over his head for the killing blow. This time, he wouldn't miss.

Itachi closed his eyes, face serene even as he clutched at the area where he'd been wounded, but I refused to let him die. I completely forgot about the silver haired girl at my back, didn't even need to think twice about the decision, and drew a dagger from my belt. I aimed for the guy's neck amid all the chaos around me and threw. At that moment, anyone could've swung at me and I wouldn't have had time to block it, but that's not what happened. My body jerked as something rammed through my armor and then flesh and muscle.

Pain seared through my collarbone. I looked down to find an arrow had missed the metal plating of my armor and gone straight through the leather, just below my left collarbone. Even with the pain, I advanced. My dagger had barely nicked the guy on the neck, but distracted him long enough to keep from swinging his sword.

Itachi's eyes snapped open and he sprang up, grabbing the soldier by the wrist and cracking it against his knee. The soldier stumbled back, clutching his broken wrist, but he had bigger problems because Itachi had picked up his fallen sword and was coming at him with a pale face and murder in his eyes. We ignored our wounds, survival mode kicking in full force. I managed to take out the other three with quick succession, as they weren't as skilled as the guy who'd tried to kill Itachi was.

"Oh my god," I whispered as I caught Itachi under the arms as he sagged to the ground. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."

But as I said that I could see just how white he'd become. My heart was in my throat and the corners of my vision were becoming blurry with tears. I looked around frantically, panicking.

"I need a medic!" I screamed but it was useless. We were in the middle of battle. The medics wouldn't come until it was over and we had retreated back to their camp. Without caring, I ripped off my helmet and then the cloth hiding my hair and pulled back Itachi's hand to press the cloth against the wound. He groaned, eyes opening slightly to look at me and then over my shoulder as a shadow encased us. I snatched up my katana from the ground and turned, ready to parry an attack. Like a miracle, Choji was standing there with a horse. Together we got Itachi onto the horse and I swung up behind him, my left arm holding him up. I reared the horse around while looking down at Choji.

"Get a horse!"

Choji shook his head and stepped away. "The battle's not over yet."

"You don't need to stay," I said and winced when another arrow whizzed by. The one in my chest was starting to burn but Itachi was sagged over enough where he wouldn't hit it. I could see the blood started to stain his fingers where they were pressed tightly against the cloth.

"We need you if we want to win this war, but we also need soldiers," Choji turned with his eyes already set on his next target. He called over his shoulder, "Go!"

I didn't hesitate to listen and raced off as fast as I could go while injured and keeping Itachi on the horse. It felt like years before I got to the medic camp. Already, wounded were starting to gather, and I slid off the horse and practically dragged a medic over to take care of Itachi. He called over another medic and they managed to get Itachi down and over to one of the tents. I didn't bother to follow, instead getting back on the horse and racing off.

The left part of my chest started to go numb after a while which was a welcome relief but also a bad sign. I could feel the blood rolling down the inside of my armor, thick and metallic, and yet I didn't stop. I couldn't, not when time was running thin.

My eyes searched the fray frantically. I kept to the trees so I wouldn't draw attention to myself. For a brief moment I spotted the silver haired girl again and I hated fate at that moment for its timing. All I wanted to do was race down there and eliminate her so that that feeling of constantly having to look over my shoulder would disappear.

The more I searched, the more I hunched over my horse. My strength was fading even as my determination flared. It was hard with so many people wearing their helmets still and I glanced at as many faces as I could. My hope was dissipating along with the corners of my vision when I finally saw it, saw the sweep of air that wiped out a small group of five soldiers charging.

I turned my horse downhill and raced into the clash. The wind was picking up, wiping my braid into my face and tweaking the arrow in my chest as it threatened to push my body backwards off my horse. My fingers clutched at the reigns and I urged my horse forward. There was a rumble and I barely had time to jerk my horse to the side as a bolt of lightning fried an enemy coming at me. I turned my horse in a circle as I tried to spot any of my friends. They were here, but there were too many fighting, coming and going with their backs turned and heads down. I turned my horse around again, trying to catch my breath as I fought off an enemy below me. Another bolt came down, making my skin feel charged and my hair stand on end.

"Sakura?"

I turned to the voice and sighed with relief as Ino took off her helmet, revealing a messy ponytail of blond hair. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, not at the arrow in my chest or the panicked look on my face, but rather at my mere presence.

"What are you doing here? How, when—I don't understand." she shook her head and sidestepped a swing aimed at her chest before disarming the man and knocking him out with a kick to the temple. When she looked up at me again, I was sliding my katana out of a man's neck. Her eyes widened when I shook the blood free from my weapon out of habit and then became even bigger then she finally took notice of the arrow in my chest.

I cut her off before she could say anything else. We were wasting time. "Ino, you need to get Sasuke. It's Itachi, he's wounded."

"Itachi's here?" Ino said in shock but her wings were already out and she was bending her knees, ready to take flight.

"I don't know if he'll make it." I swallowed the rock in my throat. "It's bad, really bad."

Ino nodded with tears in her eyes, the complete opposite of the stone-faced girl who'd been fighting a minute ago. She pushed off the ground and raced into the sky.

I watched her go only for a moment as I whispered, "Hurry."

"Where is she going?" Shikamaru yelled to someone else, shielding his eyes as he looked at the sky and Ino's retreating figure. He'd lost his helmet and had a wound above his eye that'd started to scab over. Looking around, he noticed me. His mouth dropping open was the only indication he was surprised before he started towards me.

"Jesus Christ—" I didn't hear anything else he said because I slid sideways off my horse, vision going black and the pain in my chest finally winning.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So it turns out that this story will be 17 chapters instead of 16. As I was writing this chapter I realized there was too much to squeeze into one chapter without it being like 30 pages long (I know some of you would love that but it would take me even longer to write and update).

We're so close to the end guys!