Kushina, Daughter of Naruto (Fan Fic)

Chapter 42 Temporary Home

I awoke to the sound of screeching. Refia was sending a warning message. Darkness. Clouds had rolled in. They were dark and foreboding. A biting wind blew through my body. My eyes were still accustomed to the bright sky. The screeching came again. I jumped up in horror as I saw it. A huge gust of wind was heading our way. Refia was flapping her wings violently as she tried to turn away from the gust. I had never seen anything like that before. It was like a giant tunnel of wind cascading down onto the earth. It left a bare path in its wake. 

I felt the wind carrying us. Refia cawed louder. She was struggling. I held on as tight as I could. "Refia!" I called over the wind. 

I felt myself loosing my grip. I tumbled to the ground. Branches cut my face. I saw the ground coming closer and closer. Then I felt my body being sucked into the tunnel of wind. I was lost admist all the wind. All senses of direction tumbled out of my mind. I didn't even feel my body being thrown or landing in the forest below. I didn't feel the trees scraping my skin nor did I feel the ground hit my back. 

More darkness. Then fear. I knew I wasn't dead. I could feel them though. Those dark creatures lurking. Pulling me into the darkness. I had felt them once before. Mother wasn't there to save me. Then they were gone. My eyes flashed open. I couldn't even breath. 

I saw him. He ran to me with the same cuts bleeding on his face. I was glad to see him. "Takeo." I muttered. 

"Kushina! Are you alright?" He grasped my hand and looked at my face. 

"I think so." 

He dragged me under a tree. I then knew it was raining. He had ripped his shirt and was wrapping my arms and legs. "The eagles. Are they alright?" I questioned. 

"I sent them home. Refia needed to heal. Her wing was badly broken. It looks like we are walking the rest of the way there. Is that okay?" 

I nodded as I felt my eyes close. "Its cold." I murmured. 

He lay next to me and wrapped his big arms around my body. Instantly I felt the warmth soaking into my body. My head rested on his chest and I dreamed. 

Then I felt it. The pain soaring through my body. I groaned as I felt a sharp pain in my side. I could hardly breath. "Kushina!" Takeo cried. I rolled on the ground as the pain coarsed over my body. A sweat started to break out as I felt the pain piercing me. 

I heard Takeo swear. A rustle of cloth and then another yelp of pain. A cloud of smoke and I looked over at Takeo. A figure stood over him. Another summoning. It was a girl. She had purple hair pinned up into a bun at the top of her face. I knew at once who it was. Konan. I screamed again as I my back hit the tree. 

"I'm here to help." Konan said to me. I never knew she was a summoning. Maybe it was a clone. Her hand lifted into the air and it suddenly turned into paper. The paper pressed against my skin and a cold sensation drifted through my body and then a snap. The pain in my side was gone. 

My eyes snapped open and she was gone. Takeo kneeled next to me. I realized his arm was bleeding. It looked serious. "Takeo what did you do?"

"You need a lot of blood to summon my mom." His face paled. I grasped his arm and hurriedly ripped my shirt and wrapped his arm. Rain plopped onto my body and I shivered. 

"We should get going if we are going to reach the lake. This rain isn't going to help any. Can you stand?" He asked me as He stood up and offered a hand. 

I took his hand and he yanked me up with barely a grimace on his face.  I leaned on his shoulder and we started to walk. Ushio's coat was gone. The familiar scent of him was gone. 

The rain never stopped. It seemed we would never see day light again. Takeo walked next to me and checked up on me every so often. We didn't talk much. I wanted to hear him say something about his mother. It interested me greatly. He didn't look like her though or his father. I knew it was Pein. 

A day passed and we finally got to our destination. A large lake surrounded by trees. The rain had stopped and faint rays of sun had found their way through the thick clouds. I beamed as I saw it. On the other side was a small river and a wooden shack. We walked on the water using our chakra until we reached the abandoned house. It needed to be fixed up. Holes in the ceiling and splintered walls made it look rustic. Long ago it had a color painted on the wood. Now it was faded and chipped. 

The small shack rested by the brookling brook. All around it grew tall trees with the shimmering lake nearby. I helped carry Takeo who was spent. His huge form was heavy. He leaned heavily upon me as he breathed heavily. I set him down on the floor of the shack and re bandaged his arm. 

His hazel eyes lost all their focus and looked sad in their depths. I gave him a small smile as I looked at the shacks interior. The furniture was broken and mold grew on the walls. Safe inside one of the cabinets were some cooking utensils. I got straight to work to get this shack back to normal. I didn't know how long I'd be here anyways. Might as well make it as comfortable as possible. 

I saw Takeo had fallen asleep. His head rolled onto his chest and his palms raised up. Why did he save me? He sacrificed himself for the care and protection of me. I didn't know. My mind raced with questions as I gathered supplies. 

A few hours later I had rice balls prepared and a warm fire burning in the rusted stove. A makeshift tarp hung from the ceiling, covering the giant gap in the roof. I had tucked Takeo into a makeshift bed. It was already feeling like home. 

I ate my rice balls with my legs tucked under my body as I ate quietly. The sun had fallen. The only source of light was from the stove. It glowed sending shadows flickering onto the patched floor. My eyes drifted to Takeo. He looked different asleep. I was used to him being a bit strange towards me. I wasn't used to him saving my hide. 

I saw his eyes slowly open. His hand rested by his head. Lightly fingering the fabric. They looked towards me. He smiled as he yawned. 

"Here. I made you some rice balls. I know its not much but its all we have at the moment." I gently placed the rice balls by his head. Before my hand moved an inch, his injured arm grabbed my hand. He grasped my wrist firmly. 

"Kushina....I...."

I put my finger on his lips. They were warm against my thin skin. I handed him a rice ball. He slowly grabbed the food and munched on it. 

I waited a few minutes after he was eating before I set my head down on the floor. I used my pack as a pillow. I didn't want to look at him. So I faced the wall. Embarrassed I closed my eyes and tried to drift to another place. 

The middle of the night. I was freezing. The tarp wasn't doing anything to protect the cold from entering. I had no blanket and Ushio's coat was gone. I huddled closer to my body until I felt warmth spread through my body. Takeo had put a blanket over top of me. The one I had draped over his body. I could feel his back pressed up against mine. I quickly closed my eyes and grabbed the blanket to hide my body. 

What was he doing? I wondered as I drifted off to sleep in a mix of dreams.