Hola, I'm updating today so sorry for the delay. Don't be surprised if you find a lot of things being changed in this chapter it's how I want it to be so don't be too mad.

Btw Pls invite a friend to check this out I am but an humble writer who does fanfiction as one of my hobbies and to pass time. And to be frank it is not easy.

Anyways without any further ado here is chapter twelve of a stepping stone (*)

Disclaimer: Go Lara Go!!!!

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Boom

Tap tap tap

Footsteps echoed along the castles hallways accompanied by the sound of explosions. The source of the footsteps was two figures currently running through the burning hallway. Sweat dripping down their brows due to the intense heat. The flames burning the castle reduced the oxygen in the air, making it difficult to break.

"Don't slow down Sam, we are almost there" Naruto said when he saw Sam starting to slow down.

"Okay" Sam nodded but the look on her face showed that she was already close to her limit. Naruto sighed when he saw her expression. He himself was fast approaching his limit as well.

After they separated from Lara, they navigated their way through the castles interior, killing any scavengers that they came across. To make matters worse, half way through their journey the fire finally caught up to them and completely set the whole castle ablaze.

Because of that it became difficult to breathe and see through the thick smoke filling the hall.

After running for a while the two of them finally made it out of the burning castle and onto a pathway leading into a burning town. The moment the two of them stepped foot outside the castle, they greedily inhaled the fresh air.

"Finally, we made it out" Sam sighed, relieved. If she had been in the castle for a few more minutes she probably would have fainted.

"Yeah." Naruto sighed in relief, then he inhaled before continuing. "But let's not celebrate too soon. we still have to rendezvous with Roth and Lara on the broken bridge"

"That's right" Sam nodded elated. Just thinking about how they were finally going to get off this devilish island filled her with joy.

After catching their breathe the two of them continued into the burning town. However almost as soon as they walked into the town, they heard a loud voice shout.

"There they are. The chosen one is this way!"

'Shit. We have been discovered' Naruto turned to look at the scavenger standing on a roof top a short distance away, shouting out to the others.

"Let's get out of here!" Without a moment of hesitation, Naruto promptly grabbed Sam's hand and pulled her with him as he ran into another part of the town. The latter offering little resistance whatsoever. Instead, she ran as fast as she could, fear written all over her face.

This wasn't the first time the scavengers had found them. But every time they do she couldn't help but grow fearful, knowing what would happen to her if she was ever recaptured.

Naruto and Sam ran through the burning town, making sure to avoid any scavenger they came across. The thick black smoked from the burning buildings served as coverage for them.

Unfortunately when they got to the town square they encountered two scavengers.

"There they are!"

"Stay away!" Sam shouted as she aimed her handgun at one of the scavengers slowly walking towards them.

"Come with us. We won't hurt you"

"Stay back!"

"Shoot him!" Naruto shouted when he saw Sam hesitating to shoot. He hurriedly grabbed the knives from his jacket and tossed it at one of the scavengers while Sam hesitantly shot down the other with her hand gun.

Her body trembled when she saw the scavenger's body hit the ground. Her hands holding the gun also shook uncontrollably. She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling nauseous.

Up until now she had been able to hold back the feeling because Naruto had been the one taking care of any scavengers they encountered. Even then he made sure their death was quick and swift. She had never had to use her gun.

This was the first time she had to and when she did, someone died. It was her first time killing another human being.

However more voices started to appear followed by footsteps.

"I heard gunshots"

"Have they found her?"

"Get it together Sam. We have to leave" Naruto hurried to her side when he heard the footsteps getting closer. He didn't wait for her to reply before he grabbed her hand and ran into another part of the town as more scavengers started to appear.

Sam stared at Naruto's back with mixed feelings as they ran between the burning buildings. She couldn't understand how he could be so calm after killing so many people. Is he a monster? If so, does that make Lara a monster as well?

Naruto sighed sadly when he saw Sam staring at him with mixed emotions. He could understand what was going through her head right now. He was certain that was the first time sam every killed a person judging by her reaction at the time. She was probably thinking he was a monster right now for being able to do it frequently with batting an eyelid. He'd probably think the same thing if he was in her shoes. But now wasn't the time to care for morality. A single mistake could mean the end of the road for them.

Boom!

Explosions rang out in different parts of the town. Flames and smokes filled the night sky. It made it feel as if the god of destruction had descended upon the town.

Sam felt her chest tighten when she saw the destruction taking place around them. The screams, gunshots and the raging fire. She found it hard to believe that this was all real. It feels more like something straight out of a movie.

Bang ! bang ! ! bang ! ! ! bang ! ! ! !...

"There they are!"

A voice shouted immediately they rounded another corner followed by a torrent of bullets. Fortunately they were long gone by the bullets were fired.

"They got away ? !"

"They couldn't have gotten far. Find them!"

"That was close" Sam breathes out a sigh of relieve when she heard the gunshots going off behind. Had they stopped for even they a few seconds they would be riddled with holes.

However as soon as they turned a corner a scavenger suddenly jumped out of nowhere and tackled Naruto to the ground.

Argh!

"Got ya!"

"Naruto!" Sam panicked not knowing what to do when she saw the scavenger tackle Naruto to the ground.

'Damn it' Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to wrestle his way out from underneath the scavenger. The chubby scavenger however pressed his full weight down on him preventing from escaping.

Damn this fat bastard!

"Hahahaha. Just give up and die!" The scavenger laughed manically as he pulled out a combat knife and stabbed it at Naruto. Naruto grabbed onto the scavenger's gun struggling to keep it from choking him.

"Why, damn you!" The scavenger become enraged when he saw his target struggling. So he started to apply more force.

"Get off of him!" Sam shouted as she jumped onto the man's back and held him in a sleeper hold. She bit into his shoulder.

"Let's go of me, crazy bitch!" The scavenger reached out a hand to grab Sam from behind and tossed her over his shoulder like a ragdoll. Sam smashed back first into the ground and cried out in pain.

After getting rid of Sam he turned back to face Naruto. However as soon as he did all he saw was a sharp glint before a combat knife slashed open his throat like hot knife through butter.

Swoosh.

Blood gushed out of the cut like a sprinkler. Spraying blood all over Naruto.

"Argh!" The scavenger covered his throat with his hands to stop the bleeding to no avail as it was already too late. His body fell limply to the cold hard ground. However, the last thing he saw before he died was the hatred in naruto's eyes as he glared at him.

"That's what you get for hurting my friend." After ensuring that he was dead Naruto rushed to Sam's side.

"Sam, are you okay?" Naruto asked worriedly as he arrived by her side. When the scavenger has tossed her he had gotten a fright. It would hurt him if something were to happen to her after all they went through just to rescue her.

"I'm fine. It just hurts a little" Sam winced. Though her body aches all over. She felt like she had just been hit by a truck. Who knew getting tossed around would hurt so much.

"I'm glad" Naruto sighed after confirming that she was okay. Then he looked at her with a smile and said. "You really saved me back there"

"It was nothing. I just ended up being tossed to the side like a ragdoll" Sam sighed feeling completely useless as she rubbed her sore shoulder.

"Don't write yourself off" Naruto shook his head at her words before turning serious, saying. "However we need to leave here soon, they probably know where we are now."

Naruto frowned when he thought back to how often they had been encountering scavengers now. Before it was only once in a while but now they were running into scavengers at almost every two turns now. To make matters worse he had gotten rid of his gun since it had long since ran out of ammo and settled for his combat knife. A knife could only do so much.

'Looks like they are actively searching for us now.' Naruto frowned at the possibility. He turned to look at Sam sitting on the ground and said. "Sam, it's starting to get dangerous around here. We need to find a way out of this town"

"What about Lara?" Sam immediately asked worriedly. Apart from trying to escape the scavengers ceaseless pursuit they had also been actively searching for Lara. So now that Naruto wanted to leave the town it meant that he wanted to abandon Lara.

"We can't afford to waste anymore time. Moreover we don't even know if Lara is in this part of the town. If we continue like this It's only a matter of time before we are cornered." Naruto explained to Sam. They had already gone through most of the town, now because of the scavengers it was becoming even more difficult for them to move freely.

All they could do now was to trust in Lara and hope that she also made it out alive.

Sam gritted her teeth, right now she was stuck in a dilemma. She wanted nothing more right now than to look for Lara and make sure she was already. But like Naruto has said it was only a matter of time before they are caught by the scavengers. Her hand gun was already out of ammo and all she had for protection now was a combat knife that Naruto gave her.

Moreover the scavengers were now moving in groups making it difficult to take them down. Because Naruto could not fight while protecting her they ended running from any scavengers they encountered. Even if he decided to fight the noise would only attract more scavengers to their locations.

Although she didn't want to, she knew the choice she had to make. Steeling her resolve, Sam turned to Naruto and said.

"Alright, let's go"

Right now all she could do was pray for Lara's safety. If they were able to make it this far there was no way she couldn't do the same.

As soon as sam finished speaking they heard footsteps approaching their locations.

"The sound came from that side!"

"Hurry, It could be the chosen one or the escaped prisoners!"

Oh oh_

"Run!" Naruto picked up the dead scavenger's machine gun and ran behind a burning house with sam behind him.

The two of them ran for a while before reaching an open square with littered with obstacles. However, as soon as they stepped foot into the clearing a searchlight suddenly shone on them.

"Move!" Naruto's eyes widened when he saw a machine gun aimed at them from beside the searchlight. He immediately tackled Sam behind a metal barricade. Sam screamed in fright when she was suddenly sent flying out of nowhere.

However immediately they fell behind cover the scavengers opened fire on them. Torrent of bullets impacted the barricade threatening to tear it apart.

Shit shit shit shit shit_ Sam hugged her head, terrified. To her the sound of the gun hitting the barricade felt like the grim reaper was ringing a bell while calling out to her.

More scavengers started to appear in the square attracted by the alarm and loud gun noise.

Bang ! bang !! bang!!! ...

"Come out, you son's of bitches!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The battlefield immediately fell into chaos as more scavengers joined in. Naruto occasionally returned fire on the scavengers keeping them at bay and preventing them from being swarmed.

"We can't keep going like this." Naruto said, feeling a sense of despair. The scavengers were too much for them to handle, all they could do was keep them at bay. Once the scavengers decided to throw caution to the wind and risk it all. It would mean the end for them.

However just when they thought there was no way out of the situation, they heard a loud voice shout out to them.

"Naruto! Sam!"

"Lara?" Naruto immediately recognized the voice as soon as he heard it. Even amidst the sound of gun shot he could hear the voice as clear as day.

"There!" Sam who had been searching for the voice of her best friend as soon as she heard it, shouted, elated. She excitedly pointed at a figure standing on a roof top in the distance.

"I'll cover you guys, use that chance to run!" Lara shouted when she saw the precarious situation they were in.

However, it didn't take long for the scavengers to also spot her.

"There! There's another one over there. Quickly take her out" The scavengers immediately turned their attention to lara.

However before they shoot, a grenade gun landed in their midst and exploded. Those who were close to the explosion were immediately torn apart.

"Run!" Lara shouted when she saw the scavengers fall into chaos.

"Got it" Without missing a beat naruto pulled Sam's hand and ran. The two of them immediately made a break for it. Now that she knows that her friend was fine she finally relaxed.

A scavenger caught sight of them as soon as they ran out from behind the cover and shouted.

"They are getting away!"

'Thank goodness I made it on time' Lara heaved a sigh when she saw naruto and sam successfully getting away. After shooting another grenade at the scavengers she promptly turned tail and left the rooftop as well, heading towards the rendezvous point.

~Screech

The radio in her back pocket made a low static sound. As soon as it did a worried voice came out of it

"Lara, did you find them?"~

"Yes. They managed to escape. They are on their way to you now" Lara answered as she picked up the radio. Then she heard a relieved sigh coming out of the radio.

"Thank goodness"~ Roth said. He had been scared when Lara informed him that their group got separated. Though he knew of naruto's capabilities, that didn't stop him from being worried. "Alright. Stay safe as well Lara.

"I will"

...

Meanwhile, thanks to the distraction caused by lara, naruto and sam were able to escape far away.

Although they still stumbled upon lone scavengers and small groups from time to time but Naruto quickly took them out with the sub machine gun he salvage from a scavenger.

Boom!

As the two continued to move through the town, they heard continuous explosions and gunshots and couldn't help worry about their friend.

To make matters worse the fire was still burning brightly and it continued to spread like a virus. Determined to consume all in it path.

After running for a while the two of them finally made it out of the town. The loud explosions and gunshots continued inside the town and had yet to stop. Rather, it's more like it was getting louder.

"Is Lara really gonna be okay?" Sam asked Naruto anxiously as they ran along the wooden fence surrounding the town while hugging a sub machine gun close to her chest. She was tired and exhausted but she dared not close her eyes, afraid that the scavengers might take her while she was asleep.

"I believe so" Naruto said with a tired sigh. Right now, nothing was uncertain anymore. Apart from the scavengers they also have to be careful of the fire that threatened to burn all things to ashes.Though he didn't know what the situation was like on Lara's side. He doubted the scavengers would have an easy time taking her down.

"Anyways, we have to find a way to get in contact with Lara" naruto said after giving the matter some thought. However before the two of them could proceed further they had a voice reaching out to them.

"Naruto, Sam!"

"Lara!" The two of them turned towards a part of the fence where a figure was standing behind it.

"Lara, are you okay?" Sam immediately asked as he ran up to her friend.

"I'm fine. I'm glad you guys managed to escape" Lara said. She smiled when she saw Sam's worried expression. However, she felt relieved that she was safe and sound.

"What about you? Can you climb over?" Naruto asked as he glanced around at fence for anything that could help. The fence was high and left no space for footing. Even with the pry axe it would be difficult to climb. But with some effort they should be able to widen up the space a little wider for lara to pass through.

As if she read his mind Lara shook her head and said. "No, there is no time. The scavengers are right behind me and would soon catch up. The two of you should head to Roth, I'll find another way around. But don't get on the rescue helicopter when you get there"

Lara shook her head at Sam and said. "Don't worry about me. I'll find a way around. Now, go!"

"I don't want to leave your side again" Sam said dejectedly.

When Lara saw her heartbroken expression she reached out a hand to touch her face from behind the fence and said. "You don't have to worry. You still have Naruto with you. He'll protect you"

After saying Lara and sam goodbyes, Naruto turned to Lara and said. "Thanks for the rescue back there. We wouldn't have made it if not for you. Becareful out there, Lara. Also Lara...please don't die"

Lara shook her head at Sam and said. "Don't worry about me. I'll find a way around. Now, go!"

"I don't want to leave your side again" Sam said dejectedly.

When Lara saw her heartbroken expression she reached out a hand to touch her face from behind the fence and said. "You don't have to worry. You still have Naruto with you. He'll protect you"

Sam turned to glance at Naruto before returning her gaze to Lara and nodded.

"Okay"

After Lara and sam said their goodbyes, Naruto turned to Lara and said. "Thanks for the rescue back there. We wouldn't have made it if not for you. Becareful out there, Lara. Also Lara...please don't die"

"I won't" Lara nodded before running off to another part of the town. Naruto watched her leave for a few seconds before turning to Sam and said.

"Let's go, Sam"

"Hm" Sam nodded reluctantly. She was still saddened at the fact that she had to separate with her friend again as soon as they regrouped.

Naruto and Sam hurriedly made their way towards the rendezvous point where Roth was waiting for them. After

leaving the town the next area they walked into was a jungle and the bridge was on the other side. A huge mountain stood between the forest and the bridge meaning that they have to go around the mountain to reach the rendezvous point.

...

pita pita pita...

Two silhouettes ran through the rainy forest. Their wet foot steps echoing through the forest.

After running through the forest for a while, one of the figures suddenly slipped and fell to the ground, wincing in pain. When the other figure turned back and saw their partner on the ground they quickly rushed up to their side.

"Sam, are you okay?" Naruto asked concerned as he rushed to her side.

pant pant pant

"I..I don't think I can keep this up, Naruto." Sam said as she tried to get back up to her feet only to fall back down to the ground.

Naruto sighed when he saw this. He didn't even know how long it has been since they have been running. But that was all they had been doing ever since they left the town. They couldn't stop to rest even for a bit, afraid of missing the helicopter. Especially when they couldn't get in touch with the others. And even after all that running they still haven't managed to make it past the mountain range yet.

"Don't force it. Let find a safe place to set up camp and rest for now. Naruto said before picking Sam up and placing her on his back. However, Sam was too exhausted to resist and immediately fell asleep as soon as she got on his back.

Naruto sighed when he heard her snoring on his back.

With Sam taken care of Naruto sat down with his back against the tree trunk and sighed. His whole body trembled lightly from the cold breeze but he shook it off After taking off his jacket he was left with only a black T-shirt.

Thinking back now, every one of them have been through a lot, experienced a lot of lof and dead situations. And even lost half of they crew. He was sure if given another chance none of them would choose to ever return to this island.

I should get some rest_ Deciding to forgo his worries for now and get some rest. Naruto laid on his side and was about to close his eyes even when a loud noise tear through the silent forest like a roar.

"What was that?" Naruto sat upright and looked up into the sky where he heard the sound coming from. There he saw an helicopter flying over the forest in the distance, heading in their direction.

"Sam wake up. wake up!" Naruto excited shook Sam awake. A big smile plastered across his face.

"What is it? Are the scavengers here?!" Sam who had just woken up looked around with reddened eyes thinking the scavengers had finally found. But after looking around she didn't see any scavengers.

"No it's not the scavengers" Naruto shook his head before excitedly pointing into the distance. "Look over there"

Confused Sam followed his finger. She couldn't understand what Naruto could be so excited about considering what situation they were in. But when she saw the helicopter flying in the distance. Her confused expression was immediately wiped off and replaced with an elated one.

"Is that the rescue chopper?" Sam asked before she started signalling chopper. Naruto also followed her lead and started waving to the chopper

"Hey! Over here! Hey!"

The two of them were overjoyed. They were finally going to leave this God forsaken island. After all they sufferings and strives, it was finally coming to an end.

However just when they thought the chopper finally noticed them. A scene Naruto was all too familiar with took place. A bolt of lightning struck the tail of the chopper causing it to lose control and plummet down to the forest.

'Oh no, no, no, no, no. Not again ' Naruto felt his heart ache when he saw the bolt of lightning strike the chopper. He immediately felt a sense of deja vu. Sam who was just seeing such a scene happening for the first time was utterly speechless.

"Naruto, what happened? Why did the chopper suddenly get struck by lightning? Why?!" Sam nearly lost her mind when she saw their hope getting plunge from the sky.

"There's no time for that. We need to head. towards the chopper. Roth and the others might be in there" Naruto shook his head dejectedly. Sam wasn't the only one losing her head. Even he couldn't help but curse this island ten time over but he still decided to focus on what was important right now. And that was making sure Lara and the others weren't on that chopper.

Hearing that, Sam stopped questioning him as realization hit her. Naruto promptly put on his jacket and ran towards the crash site. Sam followed closely behind him not wanting to be left behind.

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Sorry but I have to end it here. If not I might end up going beyond what's planned.

But seriously don't know what's up with fanfiction this days. It keeps erasing some of the text I have written if it not doing that but will be duplicating it which is annoying.

Shouldn't have uploaded this a few hours ago but I have been battling with those issues. Well what's done is done. God hand will be uploaded tomorrow hopefully with DMC chapter 10.

If you guys haven't seen my other stories I advice you to please do. Thank you guys for all the support so far.

Love you all.

Until next time.

Ja ne.