The female wasn't sure what she was looking at. Well, she was, she just wasn't sure why it was in an otherwise empty wardrobe. She leaned down and picked up the object, her frown deepening.
"Why is there a random med kit here?" Nozomi-san muttered to herself, puzzled.
Her narrowed eyes looked around the room before returning to the object she held. She returned it to the wardrobe before leaving the room. Nozomi-san knew she couldn't get distracted, she had to find Sakura and she had to do it fast. She had no doubts that Mysterio was hunting her down and the redhead knew that it wouldn't be ideal to get caught up in a fight whilst Sakura was being held captive. It was pretty obvious that the mysterious entity was strong and the seventeen-year-old had a feeling that they would cause a lot of destruction should they come face to face.
She had a feeling her clan's heir was not in any of the rooms that were connected to the hallway she was in but it didn't hurt to be thorough. She just hoped she would find the pinkette soon, she didn't want to imagine the scolding she would get from the clan head when they completed the mission.
After a quick check of each of the rooms in the hall, she was left only with the one she had been holding off from exploring.
'Do I really have to go back in there?' She let out a breath before opening the door, wincing at the smell that greeted her. It was musty and the sight of the room looked terribly identical to how it did when she had first looked inside. 'Great, so it hasn't changed a bit.'
Nozomi had only briefly examined the bigger storage room and her clones had already searched every other corridor they came across. Unfortunately, they were all unable to find the precious pinkette who had so cruelly been taken captive by whatever organisation roamed the underground base she and her teammates had been tasked to infiltrate.
The female started to look around, avoiding the spiderwebs as best as she could. She picked up a small box, opened the top and let out a deep breath when all that was inside was a bunch of junk. As far as she could see not much would be found in this room apart from a collection of clutter and a giant heap of a mess.
She moved to the back of the room, thankful for her mask which shielded her from the majority of the dust that had collected around the space. She moved aside some of the boxes and loose objects, tilting her head as she gazed downwards, lips pursing.
~{*.*}~
Sakura wasn't sure if the noises she was hearing were coming from her tummy or if she was just imagining things. Her emerald eyes moved to look at the person guarding her. It seemed that they had yet to notice the odd racket that was currently attacking her ears.
'Ok.. so either my tummy is rumbling and he's refusing to acknowledge me or I am hearing things..' Then again, maybe she wasn't hearing things. Maybe the guy guarding her just wasn't as adept as she was.
The noises currently attacking her were of metal objects clashing against each other, the rustling of clothing and the sound of something flying through the air. The bubble of chakra as one prepared a fire jutsu lit up her senses and the pinkette's eyebrows furrowed as she closed her eyes. She reached out for the signature, her expression crumpling as she found that she didn't recognise it.
A loud crash resounded, shaking the whole of the building; Sakura's guard seemed to be forced out of their state of oblivion, stumbling as they tried to catch their footing despite the continuous quaking of the structure they were in.
Deciding she had had enough of waiting around (and silently praying that the disturbance was caused by Nozomi-san), Sakura released herself from her restraints. She carefully eyed her guide, their large form shrouded in a cloak spun from the darkest of skies. She had but one chance to strike and when another series of shakes began, throwing off her watchman, she struck.
The pinkette knew she couldn't afford to wait for them to turn around and discover that she was now free from the ninja wire, quickly coming to the decision that a surprise attack would be the best course of action. The only reason she hadn't been as affected by the dramatic shaking of the world around her was because of the chakra she was using to glue herself to the solid surface beneath her. The fact that the one put in the position of a prison guard had yet to gain control of their own life force made it clear that they had lousy chakra control.
It was fortunate that by the time they began to attempt to use their chakra to keep their balance, she was already upon them. Sakura wrapped her legs around their neck, balancing on their broad shoulders as they attempted to throw her off. In retrospect, maybe the pinkette should have thought more carefully about what she was going to do once she had pounced. As another shake rocked their surroundings, the one she was currently strangling was able to throw her off. The rosette managed to grab the material of their hood and as she jumped away from them, landing in a crouch, the sound of a large piece of debris crumbling to the ground resounded, causing a dramatic quake.
Sakura carefully stood up, anxiety building from the multiple noises going on around her that appeared to be getting progressively louder. The one she was currently facing off against turned and the rosette finally got a look at their face, their hood having fallen from their head when she had tugged on it.
His square face was outlined by his defined cheekbones and butt chin. The male's keen silver eyes were fixed on her form and his dark grey hair which had blue-grey highlights running through it was kept short so as to not get in his face.
With his appearance no longer a secret, the man shrugged off his cloak, his intimidating physique enough to make Sakura gulp as she weighed her chances of victory internally. Compared to him she was but an ant, a being of such little importance he could crush her without even intending to do so! His large build dwarfed her child one and Sakura huffed as she struggled to come up with a strategy to defeat him.
The rosette could practically hear Nozomi-san berating her in her mind.
'Just because someone's bigger than you doesn't mean their stronger. I've seen what you can do, those noodle arms and tiny fists can snap a tree in half like it's a toothpick so don't ever underestimate yourself, ya hear me?'
It was honestly frightening how those words could cause a new spike of energy to circulate around her body. She came to the conclusion that she would rather not let the male attack first as he had a sword that was tucked away in a scabbard. If he did decide to unleash his blade upon her, which the rosette decided was likely, then she would have no weapon of her own to parry his attacks as they had all been taken from her during her time of unconsciousness.
Sakura pumped chakra into her legs before sprinting in front of her opponent and readying her fist to punch the male. His hand moved like lightning and he caught her fist, the force behind her blow making him drop her appendage with a pained grunt. He held the arm that had been obliterated upon coming into contact with her fist, teeth grinding. Sakura prepared her next attack, forming hand signs and disappearing in a poof of smoke, two doppelgangers emerging from the thick cloud of white and charging at the man.
He unsheathed his blade, swinging the weapon at them, prepared to take them out, only for the clones to burst into clouds of smoke that engulfed his vision in a field of white. The hairs along the back of his neck rose as he sensed a dangerous presence reveal itself from behind him. He turned around, using the momentum of his movement to maim the one who had snuck up on him. Unfortunately for the male, Sakura had foreseen his attack and skilfully dodged by leaping into the air. Before she landed, the rosette aimed a chakra-laced kick at his head. It was a struggle to not let the booming sounds going on around them hinder their abilities in their fight and the two struggled back and forth, Sakura avoiding the man's blade and the male staying clear of the young girl's catastrophic blows.
The two jumped away from each other, panting as they stood on guard, ready to retaliate if the other charged at them. Sakura knew she had to come up with a new strategy in order to defeat him; her current method of attack was obviously not working and her stamina was quickly draining.
'Fighting from a longer distance would be more beneficial to me against my foe as he seems most proficient in kenjutsu. His chakra control doesn't seem to be his finest ability so I assume he isn't great at ninjutsu, then again I could be wrong as I have yet to see him perform one..' She internally shrugged, deciding that she might as well give it a try.
She leapt into the air, thankful for the high ceiling, before she formed a hand sign and prepared the chakra she needed for the jutsu she was about to send her opponent's way. Just as the male tensed his muscles in preparation to leap after her, another rumble transpired. This quake, however, caused cracks to form along the walls and thundering echos accompanied by harsh winds blew open the doors that led into the room. He recovered from the trembles just in time to see multiple orbs of water shooting towards him. He rolled to the side to avoid them, the male then leapt into the air, raising his sword as he tried to bring it down on the masked girl.
The pinkette narrowly dodged, landing in a crouch on the ground. The silver-eyed male dropped to the floor just as another series of tremors shook the world around them. Green eyes, hidden behind a mask of emerald widened as Sakura moved awkwardly on her ankle to avoid a piece of debris that fell from the ceiling. She hissed as she fell to the ground, the world around her trembling as powerful clashes raged on in the near distance. A sword lodged into her shoulder and if not for her instincts, Sakura's arm would have been sliced clean from the rest of her.
Her jaw clenched as her narrowed eyes pierced the male's form. She had been momentarily distracted by the pain that blossomed in her ankle, allowing her opponent an opening to attack. Now her right ankle was lame and her left shoulder had a deep gash that was overflowing with red. If she stopped to heal herself there was a chance the man would strike again and this time she might not be as fortunate.
If she didn't end the fight soon, however, she might succumb to blood loss as when she had jumped away, the male had ripped his sword from her form, therefore removing the object that had been putting pressure on the wound it had caused. The rosette moved to adopt a fighting stance only to inhale sharply as a terrible pain attacked her being. She did her best not to make her suffering obvious, forming fists with her hands to not reveal their trembling as she pleaded with her mind to focus on anything but the pain stemming from her shoulder and ankle.
Her clanmates had a high pain tolerance, she had borne witness to the bloody return of multiple of her fellow Haruno's after their missions. It was something that didn't bother her as she had grown up around the sight of her injured family. Seeing them walking around with a mangled arm and a deep laceration in their abdomen as if it were normal was just a daily occurrence. She hadn't ever been wounded as they had, though the sight of them treating their injuries almost carelessly inflicted the thought that, despite the terrible sight, the pain wasn't anything to worry about.
'Curse my imprudent relatives, they must be suicidal.' That, in her pained head, was the only logical reason for them being so unconcerned about such injuries. How foolish she had been to assume such wounds did not cause any pain.
Another tremble shook the room and Sakura's face scrunched up, pain attacking her form. She had gotten hurt before, of course, but not to the degree she was now. She was stuck between supporting her shoulder and flooding her ankle with healing chakra, dodging whatever attack the man threw at her or unleashing her own before he had the chance to strike her again.
There were faults with both, if she chose to do the former not only would both her hands be useless (her uninjured arm supporting the one with the laceration) but she had no way of knowing that she would be able to dodge every one of his attacks. If she decided on the latter, well, she wasn't in the best shape due to her injuries.
Whether by fortune or the opposite, the pinkette didn't need to decide in the end as a figure cast in darkness was chased into the crumbling room by a wave of fire. The shadowy form was not familiar to the young rosette but what she did recognise was the person who followed them as the fire ceased, eating away at the tapestry decorating the walls.
She almost called out the name of the redhead but managed to stop herself as her clanmate engaged in combat with the mysterious threat. Sakura's gaze found the imposing figure of the man she'd been focusing on for what could be either minutes or hours. He seemed to have also taken a moment to analyse the new presences but he quickly adjusted his stance again and the young girl recognised this as a sign to prepare her injured self.
She shifted her weight, sending chakra down her leg to numb the pain of her ankle. There wasn't much she could do about her shoulder wound, she would just have to do her best not to jog it too much. If she started feeling the effects of blood loss then she would have to try and find time to do a quick healing job. The thought of the negatives of what could occur due to her wounds no longer made her feel too distressed. Nozomi-san was nearby and she knew that the redhead was fully aware of her state. If she did faint because of blood loss or the amount of pain that was attacking her, then she knew she didn't have to feel anxious. Her clanmate would protect her.
She held her fist across her chest, focused on the male. She could pay attention to the pain later, for now, she had a fight to finish.
He charged at her and Sakura took note of how his speed had increased. It seemed that the man wanted to end the fight quickly. She managed to dodge the swing of his sword, her face twitching behind her mask as pain wracked her being. She too shared his desire to finish their fight but she was struggling to come up with a strategy to ensure her victory. She was limited by her injuries and Nozomi-san, from what Sakura could see from the small glances she risked, had her hands full fighting the second foe.
She gritted her teeth as she was forced to dodge another attack from the man. She was not oblivious to the fact that she wouldn't last long. The space around them was crumbling and her mind wasn't as sharp as it normally was. She didn't want to risk miscalculation and use her enhanced strength only for the structure to fully fall apart and crush herself and Nozomi-san. All she could do was continue to avoid the man's attacks until Nozomi-san ended her fight and was able to help her.
In all honesty, Sakura struggled to comprehend that the redhead was taking so long to finish off her opponent. The seventeen-year-old was a fierce fighter and was highly respected in their clan. Was some nobody really capable of going up against her for so long?
With her injuries and the exhaustion that was slowly creeping up on her, Sakura was too slow in avoiding a swipe from the man. In her shock, as her mind registered the blade about to maim her, her control over the chakra numbing her ankle slipped and a strangled cry erupted from her throat, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. The shock of pain made her eyes instinctively squeeze shut behind her mask and a shadow was cast over her small form, coming between her and her attacker.
Due to the sudden pain, Sakura's balance had been knocked off, her ankle buckling. She fell to the right, inhaling sharply as she came into contact with the ground, her shoulder tempting her to release the pained cries that filled her head. She took steadying breaths through her nose, teeth still lodged in her lip as she did her best to block out the pain.
"Oi." A low voice said from above her and the rosette felt her mind ease despite the unimaginable pain she was in. "I suggest you keep away from my student. If not... let me just say, I'll make you crave death."
There was a shift in the atmosphere, Sakura's vision all of a sudden being taken over by black dots. Her eyelids grew heavy and she found herself without the energy to fight against her fatigue. As her eyes closed, her mind registered the booming and crashing of the world around her. Then, she registered nothing.
When she came to it was to Nozomi-san standing over her. It took a moment for Sakura to register what was going and when she did wake up enough to attempt to sit up she was immediately stilled by her clanmate's voice.
"Don't move. You've lost quite a bit of blood as it is."
The pinkette blinked blearily, her mind working to comprehend her surroundings. To say the least, it was chaos and not much had changed regarding their situation- yet somehow it seemed a lot had transpired. The building was damaged to such an extent it was more ruin than building, the night sky visible overhead and crackling flames consuming the rubble. She managed to find the forms of the opponents she and her clanmate had been facing up against and frowned when she saw that they were still alive. Sakura glanced at Nozomi-san, wondering why she hadn't taken them out, why they were still standing? Hadn't the redhead been holding back before? That was the only plausible explanation the pinkette could garner from the older female's fight against one of the opponents lasting so long.
"Stay still, kid. If you're able to see to your wounds then do so. I'll keep them at bay."
Sakura didn't like that idea but the logical part of her that was noticeably quieter than usual, perhaps due to the pain clouding her brain, knew that it was a decent plan. Unfortunately, she was still clinging to the questions and theories as to why Nozomi-san hadn't already scored victory. She ultimately determined that sorting out her shoulder wound would benefit her more at that moment and so as the redhead saw to their opponents, leaving the injured pinkette with a single kunai to protect herself, Sakura did her best to shift into a position suitable enough to treat her wound. It took the pinkette longer than it should have to complete such an action and she inhaled sharply as she examined her shoulder. The amount of blood leaking from her wound was steadily increasing and the rosette ripped off a bit of her cloak to press to her wound. Unfortunately, her weapons had been taken from her by her captors and this included some of the scrolls she had hidden in the pockets of her cloak. A few of the scrolls had contained medical supplies and she quickly dismissed the mournful thoughts that entered her head. It really would have been a lot more ideal if she still had at least a handful of the supplies.
As it stood she didn't so she had to be resourceful. The piece of her cloak she'd been using to put pressure on the wound soaked through and she tore another piece of the dark item of clothing, gritting her teeth. She tied it around her shoulder as best as she could. The wound was at an odd angle on her shoulder and she only had one hand to use so really it was quite impressive that she managed it at all.
Sakura's head was spinning slightly due to the blood loss. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to stand and so she surrendered to spectating as Nozomi-san fought against the two.
It seemed the man the pinkette had been fighting previously wasn't a problem for the redhead. On the other hand, their foe whose appearance was still a mystery was more of an issue. Every time Nozomi-san would get close to ending or seriously injuring the male, the other would force her to pay attention to them. It truly was quite frustrating to watch and Sakura could guess that in her head, Nozomi-san was cursing the situation. She spared a small string of chakra to support her ankle, green eyes watching the fight continue.
Nozomi-san managed a fire jutsu that caught the cloak of the foe, causing them to jump away as the Haruno focused on the man. She managed to dodge a swing of the male's sword, slipping under the weapon and grabbing a kunai in an action so fast it seemed as though it had teleported into her hand. She swiped the kunai, brown eyes fixed on the man's exposed neck. Red sprayed over her form covering her mask in splotches of blood.
The grey-haired male made gurgling noises, silver eyes staring ahead of him absently. Sakura watched as his large form slowly fell backwards, blood still leaking from his slit throat. The rosette wasn't bothered by the sight of her family member killing someone, she only felt relief. Relief that the redhead had managed to finally eliminate one of their enemies. Relief that they would be able to head back to the clan which she suddenly found she missed quite a bit.
Sakura felt relief only until movement caught her eye. Her lips parted slightly behind her mask, silent whispers of the name of one she cared greatly for at the edge of her tongue, emerald eyes focusing in on the scene. She felt her body move, pain all of a sudden not registering in her mind as she raced, faster than she ever believed she could, between two forms, one's back to the other, and the second charging at them.
The rosette's mind worked without much thought and the last thing she registered before surrendering herself to the sea of black once more, was long, black hair tied in a plait, a pale face with an undertone of purple, wide, vivid pink eyes and a warm substance covering her hand.
A/N: Hello dear readers! This chapter took me absolutely ages so I apologise for that. I do have something important to tell you all so please read this.
Over the next month or so I will be editing this story as I'm not very happy with some of the earlier chapters. I'm not sure how heavy the editing will be but the storyline will stay mostly the same. I have got a basic storyline for this one and I must say, I am quite excited about it.
I may add to this Author's Note but for now, this is all. Have a lovely day/night!
I apologise for any mistakes!
Hope you enjoyed!
