Shattered (#1 in Shifting Series)

Portal

Kakashi stared down at Sarah for a long while, noting that her face was turning redder the further they walked in silence.  He wondered what she was thinking about to cause that! He then started to grin as he realized she was probably coming to completely grasp that she was actually in his world now with him.  It was a bit of an ego boost for him in truth. He was then startled when she abruptly started to pull away from his supportive side, as if she had made some kind of decision in her mind regarding him.  She straightened herself up considerably considering how beat up she was at the moment.  The look on her face was one of determination and reminded him of how she had been as she walked through the criminal facility.  He almost frowned, knowing it was just a mask - a means of protecting herself.  What was she up to now?

"Um, I think I can manage on my own," she abruptly said.  "There is nothing wrong with my feet.  I was just really worn out earlier."

Reluctantly he released his grip on her, not at all feeling like it was wise to do so.  He had been enjoying holding onto her as well. The scent of something sweet, like a cookie hung upon her.  It was tantalizing and not something he had observed in his brief visit.  Possibly because he was there in the spirit not the flesh.  He also thought she was underestimating just how much damage he suspected she took in the river.  She put a little distance between them and continued walking; however, he noticed she had a very slight limp and every so often she would wince.  Stubborn and prideful.  She was obviously not used to having to depend on anyone other than herself.  He was a little miffed that she was trying to distance herself from him now too.  What in the hell had she been thinking about to bring such a reversal.  One moment she was hugging him, the next she was trying to put a wall between them.  He narrowed his eyes on her back briefly before allowing her the space for the moment.  However, he wasn't going to allow her to block him out if that was what she was thinking.  He had been taken to her for a reason and he'd be damned if he ignored that.

"Sarah, could you tell me what you remember of how you got here?" He asked after a long moment of tense silence.

Sarah tilted her head towards him as he came up alongside her again before giving a nod.  "I went for a walk by our river in San Marcos.  It was going to storm, but I really wanted to get a little bit in, just felt like I needed to do it, you know?  It was actually surprising how much I felt like I needed to go because I was supposed to be driving to see my friend, Melissa, that lived an hour and half away.  It started raining pretty hard and the river got a nasty look to it.  I started heading back to my car when I see this boy in the water.  I had seen him with his family a little while earlier walking in the opposite direction.  They had looked like such a happy family.  When I saw him... I couldn't allow that family to be destroyed.  So, I jumped in, managed to get ahold of him, and got to the bank of the river.  It's a damn good thing I'm a strong swimmer or I never would have made it to the side with him."  

His brows rose sharply at those words.  She jumped into a raging river?!  He was stunned but he did not interrupt her.  

"His Dad reached us and just got him pulled free.  He was reaching for me next when something big hit me hard.  It knocked me back into a rock which then sent me back down the river. We have three falls on this river.  They aren't big like the one here but smaller.  However, the last falls has a strong undertow.  I almost drowned in it once when I fell off my tube..."

"What is that?" he asked perplexed.

"Tubing?"

"Yes," he said with a nod.

"We have these round... um, tubes?" she laughed as she tried to think of a way to explain it.  "They're made of plastic, and you blow air into them.  They float on top of the water, and you ride them."  She raised a brow, "You have plastic here, right?"