It was dark.
That was the first thing that came to mind when my mom left me in the tunnels. She passed me off like some sort of package into a stranger's arms and left. It shouldn't have been surprising really, I knew mom was part of the villages' military; obviously she would have things to do in the case of a terrorist attack.
It still hurt.
Being handed off to someone like she didn't care what happened to me was too cruel. I knew intellectually that wasn't the case, but I was scared and stressed and. She. Just. Left. Me!
Cue obnoxious wailing and pathetic sniffles. The woman holding me had been familiar to my mother but not to me – she tried bouncing me (which made me sick), cooing (ineffectually), and making funny faces (mildly humorous, but that's beside the point). I only quieted down when we settled in a room already filled with other people.
There were other children my age and older in the dank room. I didn't want to start a round of crying or amplify any feelings of fear and uncertainty so I lay stiffly in the stranger's arms. Of course, I wasn't really thinking in so many words – it was more along the lines of 'Bad feeling, no cry, makes worse,' since I was still adrenalin-high and running on little to no chakra.
The underground caves were filled with a tense silence only broken by the ninja who came by periodically to check on us. I assumed they were rotating through and checking other rooms in the caves since I never saw the same face twice.
I have no idea how long it was before something from outside caused a vibration powerful enough to rain dust down on our heads. By that point the woman holding me noticed that I was shaking in exhaustion and fear. She'd been remarkably level-headed about the whole situation and much less tense than the other civilians. The woman tutted disapprovingly and lifted a glowing green hand to my head.
All that followed was darkness.
When I next woke up I was in a different pair of arms. I could tell right away since whoever had me was definitely male. I didn't recognize him, but he was young looking and holding me carefully enough that I decided to stay calm.
He looked to be in his late teens and was moving slowly up a set of steps along with at least three other adults. Right away, I recognized the one to our left as the elderly woman who'd knocked me out and sent a tiny glare her way before focusing on the group as a whole. It was difficult to tell from my awkward position, but it appeared that a gaggle of children was being led to some as yet unknown location.
Even the teenager holding me had a four or five year old on his shoulders in addition to me in his arms. The kid in question had pretty teal eyes and chestnut brown hair that fell in waves to just below his ears. Had his hair been any longer I would've thought him a girl.
"Hey," the boy spoke up. "The baby's awake." The teen, who was likely a ninja considering his ugly vest, glanced down at me briefly and gave a noncommittal grunt. The boy wasn't deterred. "Aren't babies supposed to cry all the time? Why isn't she crying? Is there something wrong with her? What's her name anyway? Does –"
"Please stop asking questions," the ninja interrupted in a monotone. "The baby is quiet because I have a headache and she doesn't want me to feel even worse than I already do. I suggest you follow her example."
A brief silence followed before the man beside us suddenly started coughing. The two little girls he was leading by the hand worriedly asked if he was alright as he struggled to contain his amusement.
The little boy, who had paused for a moment to consider the ninja's words, suddenly frowned and stared down at me. "How'd she know? Does she have a bloodline limit?" He reached over the man's shoulder to poke my cheek. "Knowing someone has a headache doesn't seem very useful…"
"Oh look! We're here. I guess you'll have to ask someone else your questions – bye!" The man passed us off to a harried looking woman and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
The rest of the day proved equally confusing. I spent most my time in the makeshift daycare that had been set up in what appeared to be a school. From what I could tell, we were there so that our parents could come and find us as soon as they were free.
My mom arrived in the late afternoon. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when I saw that aside from some scratches and bruising up and down her arms she was fine. We left the makeshift daycare after she flashed her ID and filled out a form.
Almost immediately after stepping out of the building we were accosted by three dogs, two large ones and one small pug. I could feel my eyes go round in my head. I forewent any sort of attempt at proper communication and thrust my arms in their direction. "Woof!" I cried ecstatically. "Woof, woof!"
My mom struggled not to drop me as I lurched forward. "Chi-chan!" She fixed her gaze on the pug. "Sorry about this. She has a bit of a fascination with dogs."
The pug seemed to puff up a little before speaking in an unnaturally deep voice. "It's as it should be. We're a proud and noble race." I felt my jaw drop even as my mom snorted and said something in response. What in the world?
Oh god, I've seen some strange things in this universe but talking dogs...? I continued to gape even as my thoughts swirled. Either this is a dream come true or this universe has insanely realistic tech.
I stayed in my state of numb shock for another long moment before a burst of delighted (slightly hysterical) laughter bubbled up. Because whatever the explanation was I didn't care. There was a talking doggie in front of me and he was too cute for words!
"Kaa-chan! Dog! Chi-chan want dog! Dog play Chi-chan?"
Kaoru sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "In a little while sweetie. We're going to go see Kakashi okay?"
"Kakasee?" Urgh, that damn 'sh' sound is impossible.
"Yeah, Kakasee." My mom pressed me tightly to her chest and pushed off the ground, sending us into the air and over the rooftops. The journey this time was a lot smoother than the one before the attack started. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze, wondering if I could convince my mom to do this more often.
Soon enough we stopped, having reached our destination. I was surprised, then worried, when I realized it was the hospital. I'd been so worried about my mom I hadn't even spared a thought for my father. I felt a flood of guilt wash through me and swallowed heavily. As we followed the dogs through the hallways my mind came up with increasingly awful possibilities.
It wasn't until I glimpsed him leaning against the wall just outside one of the hospital rooms that I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yo," he said with a nod towards me and my mom. I would have thought him completely nonchalant with our arrival if I hadn't caught the minute slumping of his shoulders when we came into view.
Kaoru had apparently noticed his relief as well, if the way she handed me over without a word was anything to go by. It was hard to believe I had gone so long without seeing him - a month was practically an eternity to a child.
As he held me tightly, but gently, to his chest I took a deep breath in, surprised when I recognized his scent. I hadn't even known I'd picked up a discernible scent to associate with my father until that moment. There was a bit of smoke and sweat, but underneath that I could smell the mild soap he used, the earth, and a hint of metal.
I relaxed then, finally losing the underlying tension I'd been carrying all day. I stayed aware only long enough to find out that the hospital room belonged to Sakura, who had yet to wake up after having her cracked ribs healed. I didn't know how it happened, but knowing she was going to be fine satisfied my curiosity for the moment.
Naruto was sitting uncharacteristically still by her bedside, staring past her with a solemn expression. He was covered in dirt, but, like my mom, the worst of his injuries appeared to be bruises and scrapes. Sasuke was nowhere to be found, but when my mom asked, Kakashi mentioned that he had left as soon as they heard Sakura would recover with no complications. I thought it a bit callous, as she'd probably like to see all her teammates when she woke up, but he was probably tired after the chaos of the attack and had never been one for open displays of affection anyway.
I yawned and released the tentative hold on my higher thought processes. After the day I'd had, I deserved a real nap.
A/N: Timeskip up next.