"You should go," Rei suddenly said, "Before those team-mates of yours come searching for you and see me."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Even when I was on the ground, my thigh and cheek throbbing hot fire, Rei seems to care for no one but himself. Well, I guess that he cares for Cho- um, excuse me, Ichi a lot, considering that he was going to such great lengths to get him back.
Hmm, since I'm apparently his Ni, does that mean he'll grow to care for me, too?
Judging by the glare on his face, I'm going to have to say no.
Yep.
A big fat no.
Rei didn't seem the type to care for anyone other than himself, anyway, so I guess any care on my part would just be wishful thinking.
"Say, Rei," I mumbled, and he turned his irritated glare on me, but when he didn't say anything, it prompted me to continue: "Do you happen to know where all the fighting is taking place? Because I haven't the faintest idea where we are."
"Get up and I'll lead you back," Rei answered shortly.
I looked at him, before glancing down at my injured leg quite pointedly, "I can't walk with this leg, you know."
Rei flicked his gaze to my leg, "For fucks sake, if you hadn't promised to watch over Ichi, then I would have left you there to rot," he growled, crouching beside my prone form, "I guess I'll just have to carry you then."
Before I could voice out a protest, his arm snapped out and wrapped itself around my waist, and he hefted me over his shoulder.
I hissed in pain when the wound on my thigh pressed against his chest, "Hey, you're hurting me!"
Rei simply ignored me, so I pounded on his back in retribution.
He still didn't react, but when I raised my hand, my kunai gripped in my fingers, I felt the world suddenly rush past me, my hair ruffling slightly from the speed at which I was moved.
I found myself staring into annoyed green-blue eyes, and I was held up by his stick-thin, bony fingers digging into my shoulders.
Rei seemed to be pissed, but I couldn't really tell due to half of his hair covering his face.
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, getting right into my face.
I cringed at the feel of his warm breath on my face, and tried to pull back, only for his grip around my shoulders to stop me.
"What's wrong?" he asked abruptly.
I swallowed, wondering if it were wise to answer when I saw how easily he could get ticked off- and at the worst of times, too.
"The-The wound on my thigh hurts," I snapped, then when it burned fire as if in retribution to my comment, I hissed and added, "And it hurts like hell, too!"
Rei simply scoffed, and I was completely unprepared for when the world swung around me again, much like before. But this time was different.
Instead of holding me off by the shoulders, one arm was under my knees, and the other was around my back, encircling my shoulders, and tucking my head into his own shoulder.
Blushing wildly, because I had no idea why the hell he was doing this, I sputtered out, "W-What do you think you're doing?!"
Rei levelled me with a flat look, "I'm carrying you," he answered bluntly, "Since I can't carry you on my back or over my shoulder, I'll have to carry you like this."
I sighed, and let my head drop back on his shoulder.
I could hear the steady beating of his heart under my ear, and the smooth gait of his movements, lulling me to sleep, and ridding me of the burning, hellish pain in my thigh.
I was out like a light, and I knew nothing.
. . .
Kazuki eyed the desolated area around her with growing disappointment.
The battle- no, the ambush had lasted only a few minutes, and Kazuki had taken out as many as she could, but it seemed everything was for nothing.
Kazuki didn't know why they had been attacked; her first thought had been for the item that she and her team carried, but when they aimed to injure instead of kill, that struck a chord in her mind.
The attackers hadn't wanted the item, nor had they wanted her and her team dead.
No, the attackers had wanted them alive.
That thought sent a stab of fear coursing through her gut, and Kazuki knew that her team- Genin fresh from the academy, and only seven years old- had been lucky to survive the ambush.
She was incredibly thankful that her Genin were somewhat proficient in combat, else all three of them would be dead.
And Yūmaru, Yūmaru had killed a grown man.
Kazuki still remembered the sight.
The little seven had been pinned to the trunk of a tree by the older and obviously more experienced male, and he had had a kunai poised to kill.
She knew Yūmaru wouldn't have stood a chance.
But something had happened, and Kazuki knew that her student had been spared only because the man had already been heavily injured. Yūmaru also had a kunai out, and her eyes had been very wide as she plunged her weapon forward, stabbing her opponent in the throat.
She had screamed, too, and it had been one of the most awful sounds that Kazuki had heard- that of a Shinobi experiencing their first kill.
Yūmaru had then promptly thrown up all over the corpse, and after that, she just kind of… switched off.
It wasn't a pretty sight, either.
The seven year had just sat there, hair as red as the blood on her hands plastered to her face. Blood covered her face, too, and her eyes were filled with tears, filling to the brim and threatening to spill over onto pale, blood-spattered cheeks.
But Yūmaru had held it in, all the while Kazuki had screamed at her to get up.
And then Kazuki had turned her head for one second, and when she had looked back, Yūmaru was gone.
Kazuki feared that she was dead, and just as she was beginning to think so, a light tug at the sleeve of her shirt forced her to turn.
Yashamaru was gazing up at her with those deep violet of his, "Sensei?" he said softly.
"Hmm? Yes?"
"I saw something," the boy answered.
Kazuki leaned forward, somewhat interested despite Yūmaru's mysterious disappearance, "And that is?"
Yashamaru didn't reply for several long moments, during which he exchanged glances with Sasori, then, finally, he replied, "I saw something red. And, unless it's blood, then it has to be Yū-san's hair."
Kazuki was impressed- not only was this kid smart, he was smart enough to put something in mind that she hadn't yet noticed.
And she called herself a Jōnin!
"Show me then," she ordered, gazing down at him, "Show me the… red stuff."
Kazuki could have sworn that Yashamaru rolled his eyes, but when she glanced back at him again, his face was curiously blank.
"Right away," he murmured.
The Genin began to walk in the opposite direction, and Kazuki followed after him, her footsteps crunching against the dead leaves littering the ground.
A backward glance showed that Sasori was following, too; the red head looking around the area warily, a kunai clutched in his hand defensively.
Kazuki had one at the ready, too, in the case that what Yashamaru was leading them to was a trap.
It was a cause for concern, anyway.
Soon enough, they arrived- in actuality, Yashamaru stopped.
Kazuki squinted when she saw something on the ground. Quickly, she crouched down and inspected it, picking it up and sliding it through her fingers.
It was a strand of hair!
It was crimson, and it was horribly tangled and dirty.
She knew only one other person in the vicinity with this hair colour.
It belonged to Yūmaru.
And then, she heard a gasp: "S-Sensei!"
It had been Yashamaru who had gasped, and Kazuki quickly turned her head, and when she saw what it was, she swore, "Shit!"
It was Yūmaru.
Her wayward student was propped up against a tree, one hand resting on her stomach and the other beside her, her head lolling on her shoulder. Her red hair was matted and tangled, plastered to her face with blood. On her cheek, under her left eye, was a rather gruesome looking wound that was caked over in blood.
The one on her student's leg was what Kazuki noticed first.
Yūmaru's pants were ripped and torn; a rather deep wound still bleeding sluggishly.
That was when Kazuki noticed the marks on her neck.
They were finger shaped, and already bruising a deep purple.
"She's been strangled," Kazuki whispered, already at the girl's side, hand reaching to said neck and checking for a pulse. She felt a weak flutter under her pressing fingers, and she breathed a sigh of relief, already going for the bandages wrapped around her own arms and leg, "But thank god she's still alive. Takashi would have killed me if she had died."
The treatment of Yūmaru's wounds was a silent affair and, as Kazuki finished wrapping the wound on her thigh, Yashamaru broke the silence.
"How bad is it?"
Kazuki glanced back at her student, "It's not serious," she finally answered, "But I'm not a Medic-nin, so I wouldn't know."
Yashamaru looked as if he were pondering her answering, before saying, "I think we should rest before we continue on. But we don't know if anymore of those ninja are coming."
Kazuki shrugged, standing up from her crouched position, "We'll continue on, this mission is of utmost importance now. We need to get this item to the client and return to the village as soon as possible to get Yūmaru's wounds treated."
"I'll carry her," Yashamaru offered, already crouching beside the girl.
He grimaced a little at the sight of her pale, bloodied face, but he soon had a firm grip around her shoulders and was hoisting her onto his back, his hands supporting her thighs.
"Be careful of her wound," Kazuki found herself saying, "And for God's sake, don't jostle her too much."
Yashamaru nodded, "Noted, then he turned to Sasori, "Can you hold my pack for me? My hands are kind of occupied right now."
The red head merely nodded, extending his hand out, his long, slim fingers closing around the straps of Yashamaru's pack.
Yashamaru grunted as he adjusted his hold on the girl, then, he glanced at Kazuki, "Right, Sensei, I think we should be going now."
Kazuki nodded, "Let's go."
That was when they jumped into the trees.
. . .
I woke up to the feeling of something hard against my back, pressing with gentle pressure.
I frowned, and I struggled to open my eyes.
When I did, I felt a haze of confusion overcome me.
It was dark, and I felt panic shoot through me.
Had Rei just left me? Left me to be eaten by the wolves?
Had my team-mates left me?
I didn't know, but I think the tree behind me was proof enough.
I slumped forward with a tired sigh, but immediately regretted it when fire lanced through my thigh. I hissed, clenching my teeth together, grounding my mouth shut in an effort to keep down the yell I knew would erupt m=from my throat.
Why did I do this?
I mean, what was the point?
I was the only one left, everyone was gone.
I was in a nightmare of my own making.
And I had never really realised that my greatest fear was to be alone.
Normally, one had trivial fears, such as being afraid of the dark, spiders, etc.
But my one, true fear was being alone.
It was terrifying, the feeling of pure isolation that one felt when they knew they were alone. It was crippling, this fear, and it was far more terrible than anything I knew.
I had always feared abandonment, especially if I told someone close just exactly what I was. I had always feared the confrontation that would follow, the questions, and maybe, just maybe… he rejection.
The prospect of being alone positively terrified me.
So, imagine my surprise when I saw a flash of red.
Yeah, just what I said.
A flash of red.
It was Sasori.
Looking straight at me.
What?
His brown eyes were sort of bored looking, but still alert as they passed over my form, and, instinctively, I nestled close against the tree trunk.
I glanced around our camp, seeing the slumbering figures of Yashamaru and Kazuki. I glanced back at Sasori to find him looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
It seemed as if I wasn't as alone as I had thought.
And then it sparked a reaction in me.
I didn't know exactly what went wrong, but all I remembered was that my breathing sped up erratically and before I knew it, my eyes filled with tears, blurring and stinging my vision.
It felt as if I had a crushing weight on my chest and shoulders, and when I tried to choke in a breath, all I could manage was a tiny, pathetic gasp.
My limbs felt numb and weak, and, as the tears pooled in my eyes, dripping down my eyelashes and streaking down my cheeks, all I could think was, It won't stop!
I had killed someone.
I was seven.
I had killed someone.
I didn't know what was happening- the world around me was blurred, and it felt as if I was detached from reality.
My chest was rising up and down, great, big puffs of air leaving my mouth erratically as I tried to breath.
The wounds on my thigh and cheek were burning fire- the one on my cheek throbbing with a great degree.
Then, I felt a warmth on my shoulder, pressing down hesitantly, as if I was some fragile thing that could shatter at any moment.
I took the comfort as it was offered, a strangled sob escaping my mouth as I turned to the person, burying my face into their chest.
I didn't know how long I cried for, but it had to have been a while, because I was suddenly ripped away from the comforting warmth, slender hands holding me at arm's length.
"Calm down, Yūmaru-chan," I heard Kazuki murmur, "You're having a panic attack, you need to calm down."
I met her gaze with a tearful one of my own, and my vision was beginning to swim back into focus. I could see her face; her tanned face framed by a halo of black hair.
I focused on it, only it.
I found myself matching her breathing, and when I had finally calmed down, Kazuki let out a silent sigh of relief.
"You'll be fine, Yūmaru-chan," she said, voice gentle, "What you're experiencing is the trauma of your first kill. Believe me, that was how it went for me, too, but I was much older than you."
I sniffed, and when Kazuki pulled me to her, I welcomed it.
Her hold was somewhat awkward, and she was colder than the previous person.
Wait…
Who had comforted me before?
I tiredly raised my head and my gaze was pierced by tired looking indigo ones.
Yashamaru looked sort of indifferent, but there was a glimmer of concern in his usually warm gaze. I then noticed a wet patch on his shirt and felt myself colour in embarrassment.
It had been Yashamaru.
But what had Sasori been doing the entire time?
My question was answered when something was abruptly shoved into my hands.
I looked down at it, noting that it was a bottle of water.
Sasori merely half-smirked, half-smiled that lazy smile of his that I was already accustomed to.
Well, it seems that my night truly had been a downer.
I just hope that it'll get better in the future.
I had no idea how wrong my words were.