Chapter Twelve:

It was past midnight when they arrived at their destination. Breathing heavily and covered in dust and sand, they rested for a moment outside the gates of a manor at least four times the size of Amano's residence. Though the hour was late, the night was far from still, stirred by strong gusts of wind that warned of a quickly approaching sand storm. The streets were empty, and all the houses were locked up tight in anticipation.

A maid opened the door for them and ushered them into the wide entrance of the manor. They were soon greeted by a mid-aged man, dressed in a flowing robe, who could only be Sanada. The three paid their respects and Kakashi handed him the scroll from Amano.

"Thank you," Sanada said. "I'm glad you made it here safe. You must be tired. Please, stay here for the night."

Midori began to turn down the offer, but Kakashi cut in and accepted the hospitality. Midori looked at him in surprise, but he ignored the glance. They were all exhausted and the soldier's pill would be wearing off any minute. If they left now, they would only be caught in the approaching storm. As if realizing just that, Obito and Midori said no more, and they followed the maid into the house.

Kakashi paused at the bottom of the stairwell and turned to Sanada. "The Clouds were mobilizing in Lightning Country. We also saw a group of Rocks heading east earlier today," he said. "Have the Sands heard of any news?"

Sanada nodded. "They dispatched a large force this afternoon."

"Where to?"

"That I don't know, I'm afraid."

Kakashi nodded his understanding and parted ways with the lord, who continued to his study down the hall. Kakashi climbed the stairs, his legs suddenly feeling like weighted lead. He nearly tripped on the last step, barely catching his balance as he leaned heavily against the wall for support. Their time was up.

He walked slowly down the hallway to the opened door and found the maid laying an unconscious Obito onto one of the four beds that stood across from each other in the spacious room.

"They collapsed," she said, seeing Kakashi in the doorway. Midori lay in a second bed, fast asleep.

"Thank you." Kakashi sat down, his movements slow and sluggish. He lifted his heavy eyes to see the woman looking worriedly at his sleeping teammates. "We'll be fine… by morning…"

His words slurred as darkness closed in on him. For a moment, he struggled against the unwelcome wave of exhaustion but soon felt his body slumping against the bed. The last he felt were soft hands straightening his body and drawing the covers over him. The gentle pats she left on his chest, like a mother soothing her child, submerged him in a dream of a faceless woman with a tender smile who smelled of roses and lilies.

The memory was long gone when he awoke.

.-.-.-.

When Kakashi finally surfaced from the muddy swamp of exhaustive sleep, the clock on the wall indicated it was nearly noon. His body ached just lying still. With an effort, he pushed himself upright and saw that Obito was already awake, staring lethargically out the round porthole window at the haze of dust and sand outside.

In the bed beside Kakashi's, Midori groaned into her pillow and cursed the soldier's pill, the asshole who had invented it and all the assholes who had failed to optimize it.

"I hear you," Obito chuckled, lifting his arms with a grimace. "If it wasn't for this horrible side-effect I'd be happy to swallow it every day."

Kakashi gingerly got to his feet and stretched out each of his limbs in turn, trying to loosen the muscles enough so they wouldn't scream in pain with every movement.

"I've heard the effects aren't as bad for adults," Obito went on, his voice hitching as he braced himself against the wall and took a few small, wobbling steps.

"Are you saying I'm short?" Midori growled. She slid out of bed and hobbled, half bent, like a newborn dear or a 90-year old with a fractured back.

"I'm saying," Obito replied with an effort, "that the least they could do... is make a kid's friendly version."

Kakashi winced every time he shifted his weight as he half limped, half dragged himself to the foot of his bed. While he stood there trembling, Midori slumped to the ground and began to laugh, the sound suppressed at first, then growing louder until she was doubling over in a fit of wheezes.

"What… is so funny?!" Obito demanded.

"I can't… help it… ow, ow, ow," she gasped, clutching her chest. "I mean… look at us. We're meant to be… the best of our generation… and we can't even walk straight!"

"I… so can," Obito huffed. "Kakashi, meet me in the middle."

"I wish you wouldn't drag me into this," Kakashi grumbled, even as he took a bold step forward – and immediately regretted it. The muscles in his thighs felt like they were being torn apart, sending fireworks of pain shooting up his body.

"Whoa! Steady there!" Midori reached out to him as he keeled over, both of them realizing the mistake too late. Her own legs gave way the moment his weight hit her, and with a shout, they tumbled right into Obito, sending all three of them to the floor in an unceremonious heap.

As the initial bolt of pain from the impact eased and they were able to draw breath again, Midori continued to laugh until tears rose in her eyes. Obito soon fell victim to the contagion too and heaved with sporadic laughter as he flopped onto his side and doubled over his stomach. Even Kakashi couldn't hold in the humor at the ridiculous sight they were undoubtedly making.

That was how the maid found them – lying on the floor in a tangle of dusty clothes and limbs, gasping with pain, laughter and sheer amusement, all marks of worry and strain wiped clear, for once, from their youthful faces.

.-.-.-.

Soon after cleaning up and being treated to a light meal, the three parted with Sanada and left the town behind them. They travelled at a far slower pace, still making faces time and again as their bodies slowly healed. Sanada had suggested they stay another night, but the situation back in Fire Country was on all of their minds.

Though they gradually picked up speed, they were still in between Wind and Fire Country by nightfall, so they settled under a dense line of trees on the banks of a river. They hadn't come across any shinobi, friend or foe, over the course of the day, but took precautions and set up watch.

Midori covered the first several hours and then swapped places with Obito sometime after midnight. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the ground. But vague dreams and memories spun like cobwebs in her sleep, hardly frightening but frustratingly resilient.

She didn't know, and frankly didn't really care, how long the meaningless hallucinations had dogged her – after several years of such frequent recurrences, she had acquired a convenient skill of being able to ignore them and still enjoy sleep – but then, from one moment to the next, the quality of the dream changed.

She was no longer being chased through endless darkness. The world opened up into a sparse forest, dark and dismal. Her steps faltered, and she looked around. It was quiet. A mist hung low over the ground, growing thicker with every passing second. She thought she heard something in the distant, and then quicker than physically possible, the world exploded into action.

Shinobi flew left and right. The air was filled with the sounds of hissing weapons and metallic clangs as they were shot down. Blinding light flared deep inside the mist and screams echoed off the trees. Out of reflex, Midori leapt out of the way, but quickly realized she was nothing more than a transparent bystander. The shinobi ignored her. One even ran right through her.

Another stupid dream, she thought.

Then pain exploded in her chest. Blood clogged her throat and the iron taste filled her mouth as she choked. She stared at the hand buried deep in her chest. The world spun out of the focus. It was too bright. Something was screeching too loudly. She looked up at the shinobi in front of her and froze.

"Kakashi…?"

Midori jolted awake, her eyes wide and staring blindly at the boughs of a tree above her. The sky beyond them was gray in the pre-dawn light.

What in the world… She lay still for a moment, trying to make sense of the dream and wondering, at the same time, whether it wasn't best to just dismiss it as another silly figment of her imagination. But it had been too vivid, too real to simply brush off.

Seeing premonitions wasn't a trait anyone in her clan possessed, but then again, her "clan" was little more than a group of mix-and-match shinobi from various families and even countries. Had she just seen her own death?

"You okay?"

Midori nearly jumped at Kakashi's voice. He sat next to her with his back against a tree. His hair seemed to shine in the dim light, but it wasn't the same brightness that had blinded her eyes in the dream.

"Midori?"

It wasn't this questioning look that had marked his face either. Horror, disbelief and despair had been etched across his eyes, and be it dream or premonition, Midori realized it was all the same to her. Whatever it was, she knew with unwavering certainty that Kakashi hadn't wanted to kill her. She was equally as certain that he would blame himself for it – and that maybe she wouldn't be around to tell him otherwise.

"Kakashi," she said, sitting up and turning to face him. Words were tumbling out of her mouth before she could even think or understand what she was saying. "It's not your fault. Whatever happens, it's not your fault. Remember that. No matter what, I forgive you. We forgive you."

It was only when Kakashi continued to stare at her as if she had grown another head that Midori realized she had no idea what her words meant either. We? Why had she been thinking about Rin? She didn't even believe that what she had just seen was anything more than just a bad dream.

Feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment, she quickly looked away. "Never mind. Just remember what I said. Just in case."

"Alright," he replied after a pause.

.-.-.-.

Kakashi watched his teammate get up and wash her face in the river, unsure of what to make of her bizarre behavior. He didn't like the strange sense of unease it left in his mind but didn't think Midori had the answers either.

After a while, she returned, and the haunted look in her eyes was gone. She strode over to where Obito lay sleeping and shook him ruthlessly.

"Wake up."

Obito groaned, squinting through bleary eyes. "What? It's not even dawn yet."

"It's still a new day," Midori retorted. "You know what day, right?"

"Oh… Right." Obito sat up and grinned, all sleep gone from his face.

Kakashi blinked, wondering if he was fated not to understand anything this morning.

Midori drew a small parcel from her bag and extended it to him. "Happy birthday, Kakashi."

He stared at the little wrapped gift with a blank look.

"See, I told you he'd forget," Obito laughed, thrusting a second object into his face. "It's your birthday genius."

Kakashi had forgotten all about it. But what him even more bewildered was… "You brought presents on an undercover speed mission?"

"A shinobi has to always be prepared for anything," Obito replied with a grin.

"I'm sure this isn't applicable," Kakashi muttered, but Midori waved his exasperation away and dropped her gift into his hands.

"Open it," she said. "I swear you'll be able to raise this one."

Kakashi doubted it but removed the simple wrapping to reveal a mini plant kit the size of a tea cup. The image of a shining red tomato was drawn on its side.

"The cactus you gave me last year died within weeks and it was already grown," Kakashi reminded her. "What makes you think I can raise a tomato from seeds?"

"This one grows in water," Midori replied happily. "You don't need to do anything except add a little nutrient now and then. It's perfect for you."

Kakashi sighed. Every year, Midori gave him a plant for his birthday, claiming that his room needed something green. Every year, he somehow managed to let it die. Then without fail, she would always find him another one the next year.

"Isn't it time to realize I can't grow plants?" Kakashi asked.

"That's where I come in," Obito said, extending his gift.

Kakashi unwrapped a small handbook and read its title: A Beginners Guide to Gardening. Its subtitle read: For Shinobi Highly Competent in Everything but Growing a Damn Plant.

"It's a bestseller in Konoha," Obito snickered. "Look inside. We all wrote you a note."

He opened the cover to the find a column of five different handwritings, all essentially saying the same thing.

Good luck! – Midori

Good luck – Obito

Good luck Kakashi – Minato

Good luck kid – Kushina

Good luck Kakashi – Sandaime (PS: This is a good book. I own one too)

Kakashi snapped the book closed. "You guys…"

Obito and Midori pealed with laughter, ignoring Kakashi's irritated huff and half-hearted glare.

"Why even bother with presents?" he grumbled.

"For the fun, of course," Obito replied right away.

"And to see you change your expression for once," Midori added.

Kakashi gave another huff and picked himself off the ground. "Let's go."

Still chuckling to themselves, his two teammates gathered their bags and Kakashi opened his own to pack away the two gifts. He paused as he considered the mini plant kit and wrapped it carefully in a spare cloak for protection. As he did, he became aware of a small smile tugging his lips and, despite everything, felt gratitude spreading through his chest.

When they were ready to depart, Kakashi turned to his teammates. "Thanks."

They grinned. "Any day."

"We're throwing a party too when we get back," Midori added as they set out across the plains. "I hope Minato-sensei and Kushina-san are back. We can invite Rin and Asuka too. And Gai!"

"No," Kakashi objected sharply. "Anyone but him."

Midori gave a sly grin. "Definitely Gai."

Nothing he said could change her mind, and the morning passed with mindless conversations and countless sighs from Kakashi.

By noon they crossed the border into Fire Country but didn't meet the northwestern patrol team. Nevertheless, they relaxed as the scenery grew increasingly familiar around them and they picked up their pace, eager to return home.

Their plans were abruptly changed, however, when they ran into a team of Konoha shinobi heading straight north. One of them carried a large weapon's scroll, and the other four bore full armored equipment. The two teams stopped, and the air grew heavy with a familiar sense of urgency and foreboding.

Kakashi and his team displayed their forehead protectors to prove their allegiance, and it was backed up by one of the Jounin, whom they recognized as Akira. His Genin team, however, was nowhere to be seen.

None of them asked what was going on. The mobilizing forces they had seen over the course of their mission could only mean one thing.

"Where's the battle?" Obito asked.

"Just north of here on the border," Akira replied. "It's been going on for two days. Most returning teams are being sent as reinforcement."

"We don't have time to lose," someone barked. "You three, come with us."

Akira began to object but was interrupted.

"We can't afford to lose this one. Not when the Rocks and Clouds have formed an alliance." The shinobi turned to the three Chuunin and noted their travel worn looks. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but we need all the forces we can get."

"Of course," Kakashi replied. He glanced at his team with a silent question. The last mission had taken a large toll on all of their stamina and strength, and another soldier's pill would surely send them to the hospital at the end of the battle. He was prepared to do just that, but regardless of the other shinobi's demand, he wasn't going to force it on his team.

"I'm good to go," Obito reassured with a nod.

"Worrywart," Midori teased quietly. "Of course we'll go. It's for Konoha."

Kakashi nodded.

They joined the others and headed for the battlefield. Being close to the northern border already, it wasn't long before they could hear the sounds of battle and feel the earth tremble beneath their feet.

The group soon dispersed to encircle the battleground while Kakashi, Midori and Obito searched the forest for the medical team working behind the lines. They found them beneath an ancient tree, and immediately understood why the Jounin had been so insistent. Rows of injured shinobi lay on the ground. The nauseating scent of blood and burnt flesh filled the air, mingling with the sounds of pained groans and the occasional scream.

Knowing there was nothing they could do here, the three dropped off their bags, swallowed a soldier's pill and tied their Konoha hitai-ate firmly across their foreheads. Methodically, they picked up abandoned weapon's pouches and collected handfuls of blood-stained kunai discarded on the floor. The medic-nins spared them no more than a glance, too busy trying to save lives.

The battlefield was a sprawling field accentuated with large boulders, already bearing the scars of relentless fighting. The grass had mostly turned to mud, trees were uprooted and the plain dotted with bodies. Shinobi clashed and elemental attacks roared through the dust and smoke.

The three Chuunin wasted no time and slipped into the chaos, disguised by Midori's wind, to cut down a group Rocks cornering a pair of Sand shinobi. Staying together, they moved as one, hardly needing to communicate as they coordinated attacks and covered each other's backs. They had fought and survived in enough battles to quickly and efficiently pick up the sporadic rhythms of the fights around them and use their slight figures to dart behind preoccupied enemies and dispatch them from behind.

So it surprised Kakashi when their integrated movements suddenly broke down and he found himself fending off a pair of Clouds on his own. Leaping high over their attacks, he hurled a round flames onto them, followed by a handful of shuriken disguised in the fire balls. He landed behind his teammates, but before he could figure out what had caused them to freeze, the ground cracked open at their feet and dirt shot up like bullets.

"Midori!" Kakashi shouted.

Snapping out of her daze, Midori encircled them with a swirling gust of wind and deflected the attack.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

Midori simply answered, "Misa."

For a second, he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Remember Gamashi Kengou?" Obito said, a frown marking his face as he tightened his grip on a kunai.

"That's Gamashi Misa," Midori finished.

Beyond the dying the whirlwind were three young Rock ninjas standing ready to attack. Two were boys, their hands already flying through a set of seals. The third was a girl who darted forward, propelled by shafts of earth that shot out of the ground beneath her feet.

In an instant, she was behind them, hurling mud spikes from the ground while her teammates attacked with what looked like clawed stone beasts. Kakashi threw up an earth wall to block the spears and felt Obito and Midori combine their elements to counter the attack up front.

Without pause, the girl vaulted over the obstacle and slashed down with a short sword. Kakashi blocked it with a kunai and shoved her back against the wall. For a moment, it cut them off from the rest of the battle.

"Are you Gamashi Misa?" he asked, not letting her escape from the pressure of their locked weapons. The girl glaring at him was a far cry from the carefree child they had seen in the photo years ago, but her facial structure matched those in his memory and her braided hairstyle remained unchanged.

"What if I was?" she challenged after a moment, her eyes narrowed in suspicion and distrust.

That was a good question. Their options were limited on a battlefield, facing each other as enemies. "Have you reconciled with your parents?" Kakashi asked, not knowing what else to say.

Misa frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"We were asked by your father to –"

A dark emotion passed over her face before he could finish his sentence and she stamped a foot onto the ground, sending needles of dirt flying up at him. Kakashi jumped back and bumped into his teammates. He could feel the tension and uncertainly emanating from them.

"I suppose the mercy rule applies here as well?" he muttered, already knowing the answer.

"Goes without saying," Midori snapped back, never taking her eyes off the two boys in front of her. "It applies to these two taijutsu freaks too."

Kakashi could have groaned but supposed it wouldn't improve their standing in Misa's eyes if they killed her teammates. Instead, he asked, "Taijutsu freaks?"

"The one called Kakyou can open the first of the Hachimon Tonkou Gates," Obito explained. "The other one called Nagi is an all-rounder."

Kakashi noticed Misa sending subtle hand signs to her teammates and knew they didn't have time. "Midori," he said. "Can you convince Misa?"

"I promised Gamashi-san I would," she replied resolutely as the ground sank beneath their feet like quick sand. The three leapt away, with Midori and Kakashi exchanging places, to engage their opponents once again.

Kakashi quickly found out which one was Kakyou based on his sheer speed and the weight behind his attacks. After exchanging several blows, he could feel numbing tingles begin to run up his arm. Nagi supported Kakyou with mid-range earth techniques but proved himself equally capable of fending off Obito's taijutsu attacks when the Uchiha found a defenseless opening to exploit.

Crossing paths, their eyes met, and Obito gave a small nod. Kakashi flicked his hands through a set of seals, expanded his chest and released a gust of wind that was joined by Obito's flames. The attack momentarily blinded them all as it surged over the ground. Obito dove right into its midst, flinging a handful of duplicated Kage Shuriken in the direction he felt the two Rocks hiding.

Nagi deflected the weapons with shafts of earth but looked down in surprise when he felt hands grasp his ankles.

Kakashi managed to drag him halfway into the ground before the soil around him turned hostile and he made a mental note never to fight a Rock ninja with earth techniques again. He escaped the ground with a pierced left shoulder and counted himself lucky to have avoided the rest of the underground porcupine trap.

Pushing the throbbing pain to the back of his mind, he clasped his hands and concentrated his chakra on the pool of water he had connected with deep inside the earth. As Obito kept the two Rocks busy, Kakashi pulled the water up and snaked two trickles discreetly around Kakyou and Nagi's boots.

The task was done in a second and he was about to move on when he suddenly felt a surge of killing intent from behind. He instinctively rolled to the left and avoided a large Fuuma Shuriken that buried itself into the ground where he had just been. Bloody bandages were speared onto one of its blades, but when he searched for the user, he found all the enemies nearby occupied in their own fights.

Kakashi's attention swerved back to the Rocks when he heard a dull crack and saw Obito being hurled into the air by Kakyou's kick. Kakashi immediately snapped the chakra-controlled water into physical binds, stopping the two Rocks in their tracks. Then he released a burst of lightning through the water. Raiton Suiraiden.

Nagi and Kakyou gave a short scream as their bodies went into a seizure. Nagi threw a last desperate Doton attack and blindly shot off a series of stone bullets in an effort to stop Kakashi. But Obito was already landing in front of his teammate, his hands slamming onto the ground and erecting a Doryuuheki mud wall to block the attack.

The two Rocks soon lost consciousness and Kakashi dropped his hands with a sigh. "You okay?" he asked Obito, who was leaning against the wall he had just build.

"I swear, I think he broke a rib," Obito groaned, "Are they still alive?"

"They should be."

The two went to check on the Rocks and, finding them still breathing, pushed them into the shadows of a boulder.

"What about your shoulder?" Obito asked.

Kakashi pulled out a roll of bandages he had picked up at the medical field and tied it carelessly over the wound. "Let's go."

They had drifted away from Midori and Misa over the course of the fight and he didn't want to leave them alone for long.

.-.-.-.

"Misa-chan!" Midori called, losing count of how many times she had tried to get the other girl to listen as they clashed time and again with weapons and ninjutsu attacks. Misa was fast on her feet and had good mastery over a wide variety of techniques, but Midori felt that much of her experience had come from training, not battles. Her movements were straightforward and showed none of the ruthless cunning that often manifested in shinobi immersed in the war.

"Stop calling me that," Misa snarled, landing behind Midori and swinging her foot in a swift kick. "You don't even know me!"

Midori spun and grabbed the foot, then raised a kunai to block a downward slash from Misa's sword. "I know your parents. They've been worried sick about you."

"I don't even remember them anymore. They don't mean a thing to me."

"But you mean the world to them!"

"How do you even know my parents? They live in Earth country. They should have nothing to do with the Leafs."

"We were on a mission to protect your father before the war."

For the first time, Misa looked straight into Midori's eyes. "You were recognized as shinobi before the war?"

"As a Genin –" Midori began to reply but was cut off when Misa laughed and broke free.

"Then you have no idea," Misa sneered. "You have no idea how hard we had to work just to be recognized as shinobi. How being born a civilian put us at the very bottom of the hierarchy – to be kicked around as practice dolls and spat on. I was stronger than most of my class and it still took me six years just to join a team and fight alongside everyone else!"

"Why didn't you leave?"

"I chose to become a shinobi. Like hell I would give up."

Despite everything, Midori blinked and almost laughed. If only they had met under different circumstances, she was sure they would have become quick friends. The reality was worse than sobering. She lowered her kunai and searched Misa's face.

"They're proud of you," she said. "No matter what they said before you left, your parents are proud of your choice and your courage. They told me so. They'll be proud of your resolve too. Please, just go see them. You're lucky to have them."

Misa's expression wavered for a second, then hardened. "Lucky? Lucky to have civilian parents? You must be kidding me. You can't imagine how many times I wished they weren't my parents. How many times I wished they were dead and I was an orphan!"

Anger and sadness welled up in Midori's chest and the emotions propelled her into motion before she knew it. Manipulating small bursts of wind at will, she countered all the earth strikes that Misa hurled at her and pushed the Rock girl back despite her numerous attempts to dodge away and distance herself.

Desperation began to seep into Misa's movements. Midori pursued her relentlessly, not caring when a wild swing cut open her cheek or when a dirt spear grazed her thigh.

She drove her back, breaking down three mud walls with a gust of wind. Its force threw Misa off her feet and Midori leapt after her, kicking the sword from her hand and wrestling her to the ground. A fist crashed into the side of Midori's face, nearly throwing her off, but she pinned the arm under a knee and stopped a second punch by digging her teeth into the other girl's wrist.

Misa cried out, but Midori hardly cared. She swung down a kunai, watching the other girl's eyes grow wide for a second and then clamping shut.

With a crack, Midori slapped her hard across the face.

Misa's head snapped to the side and she lay there, stunned.

"What –"

"You ungrateful brat!" Midori shouted.

She grabbed a fistful of Misa's shirt and shook her with every bit of strength she had.

"Do you have any idea how many children lost their parents in this war? How many blame themselves for their family's deaths?" Her breath hitched, and her lips quivered. She didn't know where this overwhelming sorrow came from, but it swallowed her whole and burned her eyes. "You have no idea how lucky we are to still have our parents!"

Still shaking with anger, she took a breath and let go of Misa. Slowly, she backed off and got to her feet. The battle raged on beyond the boulder behind her back, but the overcast skies darkened the land and obscured their small statures in the shadows of the large rock.

"I'll respect your choice if you say you don't want to return home," Midori said, her voice quieter now but no less fierce. "But I'll never forgive anyone who wishes their parents were dead, much less blame them for the challenges you took on. No respectable shinobi thinks like that. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"What do you know?" Misa muttered, her words still defiant, but her voice and eyes ceding defeat.

Midori thought of Kakashi and the number of times she had seen him withdraw into himself and shrug, as if returning to an empty house meant nothing to him. She thought of Iku and the countless others in Konoha who suffered from the loss of their loved ones.

"I don't know anything," she said. "But I've seen their pain, and I don't wish it on anybody."

Misa stared at her for a long moment in silence. Then dropping her eyes, she was about to speak when a voice sounded behind Midori.

"I'm moved to tears."

Midori spun around, and in the split second between shock and disbelief, she made the decision to stand her ground as a thin sword was thrust down on her. The blade pierced her raised arm – the only thing that prevented her eye from being skewered – and dug deep into her right collar.

"Iku?" she breathed, the blood rising in her throat. As if summoned by her thoughts, the boy they had saved just days ago was crouched on the boulder, his right hand lightly gripping the other end of the sword. His severed arm was no longer covered by the bandages they had wrapped around it and the raw, unhealed stump was laid bare. "…How?"

"My kind comrades found me and gave me a drug that made all the pain go away," he replied with a mirthless smile. Midori knew immediately which Iku this was even before he finished, spitting, "All because you fuckers were too wimp to finish me off! Thanks for nothing!"

He yanked the sword back and Midori bit back a cry as the blade tore through her arm. But before he could make another move, she raised her left hand, gathered the chakra around her and slammed him with a burst of razor-edge winds at point blank range.

Iku faltered but maintained his grip on the rock and laughed as the winds gauged deep wounds into his body. "I told you, I don't feel a thing. It's the perfect day to die! Does the Rock ninja there want to die too?"

He raised a hand and a large surge of chakra sent bolts of lightning crashing down around them. Someone screamed but Midori wasn't sure if it was her or Misa. Even without a direct hit, the sheer size and volume of the attack electrocuted everything within its circle, splintering the ground and leaving it smoldering.

Feeling her consciousness slip, Midori tried to shake herself awake, not sure when she had fallen but feeling the damp earth beneath her fingers.

Iku, she thought frantically. Where was he? Spurred by pure instinct, she threw her weight to the left, bracing herself over Misa.

At the same time, she felt something cool run across her throat – like a splash of water.

She didn't feel the pain. By the time she realized it had been a blade, warmth ran down her neck and chest. Blood rose in her mouth when she tried to breathe. The hand against her throat came away red. And as suddenly as it had happened, she quietly accepted the fact that the wound was fatal.

Misa, staring with wide, horrified eyes, was reaching out to her. Midori wanted to reassure her but didn't think she could speak that many words. "Run," she said instead, not knowing if the gurgle that came out was comprehensible. She shoved Misa to the side and opened her mouth wide again. "Go!"

Without waiting to see if the girl complied, Midori rose to her feet, pushing back hard against the darkness closing in around her. Searching desperately for purchase, she yearned for Obito's fire to light her darkening world.

Someone was standing in front of her. Iku. She started to ask why he had tried to kill an ally, but already knew the answer. His hatred was for all shinobi. It was ironic that his hatred was the only equality in his world.

Then he was rushing forward again, sword poised. Midori raised her hands in a set of seals. She didn't know where the strength came from but was grateful nonetheless. She formed a whirlwind of chakra outside her body and then drew it deep into her chest. She thought again of Obito's fire and the long hours he had spent trying to teach her the technique. Why hadn't she ever thought of this? It was so easy.

Midori found herself grinning. Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu.

The wild burst of fire, propelled by her innate element of wind, ripped up the ground and scorched everything it touched. Iku leapt right into it with open arms, as if embracing the attack, and was hurled across the field.

"Midori!"

She slowly turned to see Obito and Kakashi rushing toward her, and even as her legs gave way and she felt herself falling, she couldn't help but raise her fingers in a victorious V sign and grin broadly. See? Piece of cake.

The anguish in Kakashi's face reminded her of the dream that morning. It felt so long ago. Good, she thought. It was just a stupid dream after all. Everything's going to be okay, Kakashi.

The last she felt was Obito and Kakashi grabbing her arms and catching her before she hit the ground. Then all feeling drained from her body and she could barely hear Obito frantically shouting her name as Kakashi pressed down on her wound with a look that told her it was too late.

She gasped for breath and could only taste blood. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay with her team, her friends, her family, wanted to spend more days laughing and joking and living with them.

She wanted… There were so many things she wanted.

So many things she had left unsaid, unfinished, unfulfilled.

Then she remembered – that day not long ago when they had made a promise. She clung to it and held it close, pushing back the fear and the regrets because that was what she was. She was a shinobi. Her team would pick up what she had started. Carry on what she had believed in and fought for. She trusted them.

Midori raised her hands and curled her fingers into Kakashi and Obito's shirts. The world went dark, but she smiled to tell them it was okay. Because it was okay. They were alive.

"…the rest…" she breathed, "…in your… hands…"

I'm leaving the rest in your hands, okay?

As long as they lived, so would her will.

It felt better than saying goodbye.

Translations:
Hachimon Tonkou - Eight Celestial Gates
Raiton Suiraiden - Liquid Lightning
Doryuuheki - Mud Wall
Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu - Grand Fireball

Thoughts are welcome.

Response to Guest (review from June 12): Your wish if my command ;) Thanks for your review.

.LinSetsu.