Chapter 38

-Matsuri's POV-

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep my breathing as quiet as possible, praying the men searching for me wouldn't hear it. Our group was ambushed by no less than ten inhabited people, most of them male. We'd been split in two while trying to both outrun them and dodge any bullets they were shooting our way.

Kankuro and I were hiding in the closet of one of the abandoned houses at the edge of the residential area of Oto. We've been on the run for at least two hours now. It was hard to tell exactly how many people were chasing us, but it was at least four men.

I pressed my hand over my mouth when my breath picked up in panic. We have no idea if Kiba and Gaara are okay. They were in a similar state as us when we last saw them, but that was over an hour ago and we had to focus on surviving so we couldn't focus on their whereabouts.

Kankuro and I only had a pocket knife as a weapon and we'd been forced to abandon our backpacks because we couldn't run as fast with them. I glanced over at my hiding partner and could barely make out the outline of his body in the dark closet.

He was in bad shape.

Multiple bullets had grazed him and he was undoubtedly bleeding freely from the wounds because we haven't had a chance to rest. By the time we found this hiding spot, he looked shockingly pale and looked like he was dead on his feet. As annoying as the tall man could be and how much I used to hate him for how he'd abandoned Gaara, I still didn't want him to die.

I, too, had some cuts and grazes, but they were nothing compared to his so it was up to me to take control of the situation. It'd been multiple minutes since I heard any sounds outside the room, so I silently reached over to touch his hand. It was cold and he didn't react in the slightest.

I followed his arm up to his face as I turned my body to face him, heart beating more quickly when he still didn't react. My fingers trembled as I frantically searched for the pulse at his neck. It was slower than it should be, but it was there. If I didn't act quickly, he was surely going to die here.

Terrified but determined, I fished the knife out of his coat pocket and listened for sounds outside the door as I came up with a plan in my head. The backpacks had a decent amount of first aid products in each, so if I could just snag one it'd likely be enough. The problem was that the closest one was down the street. Kankuro'd kept his much longer than me and only dropped it because his injuries were wearing him down.

No sounds came even after I counted to a hundred so I slowly got up into a crouch and opened the door, being extremely cautious not to make any sudden movements. My limbs shook with fear as I crept toward the front door with my eyes peeled for even the slightest distraction. I surprised myself the day I located and confronted Konohamaru when he was inhabited, so I just kept trying to tell myself that I could do it again this time.

It took nearly ten minutes to sneak outside and get down the road far enough that the bag was in sight. I wanted to be even more cautious, but Kankuro didn't have time for that. To my dismay, there was a man hiding nearby with his eyes trained on my target. They likely left him behind in case we came back for it, a smart idea since that's exactly what I was doing. There wasn't any possible way of sneaking into the middle of the road, so I didn't have a choice but to disable him.

My grip tightened around the hilt of the knife and I swallowed nervously as I got closer and closer, coming up behind where he was crouched at the side of a car. It was going to be my very last resort to kill him. My goal is to immediately get him in a choke hold and then hold on for dear life until he passes out, then I'll snatch the bag and hurry back to Kankuro.

It was absolutely possible for me to control my emotions, but I chose to let my adrenaline take over so my nerves wouldn't get a chance to cause me to make a mistake. Swiftly, I had my arms locked tightly around his neck and tried to get my legs around his arms and torso so he couldn't move them, but they weren't long enough and he was able to shoot to his feet and start trying to tear me off of his back.

He didn't make a single sound, despite the fact he was actively being suffocated. My eyes squeezed closed and I screamed internally at myself to just hold on, no matter how much it hurt when his nails dug into my skin as he tried to remove me. Twenty seconds felt like hours until, finally, he stopped moving and fell to his knees before I let him go and he fell down to the ground unconscious.

Both sides of my face, my hands, and my arms were covered in claw marks and bleeding, but I couldn't even feel it as I swung the large backpack onto my shoulders and made a break for cover in case someone else was nearby. I made it all the way back to the house and locked the doors before sitting the backpack on the ground by the closet door.

As I reached for the handle to open it and help Kankuro, someone grabbed the back of my head and slammed it against the wall. I managed to turn my neck in time so that it hit the side instead of my forehead and I'd be able to remain conscious.

Searing pain shot through my skull and my vision went black for a few moments, but I moved anyway, wrestling large hands away from my head and body blindly. After the black dots faded away, I realized it was another man. He must've been upstairs when I was locking the doors moments ago.

Blood was dripping heavily down the side of my face, but it didn't stop me from fighting with all my might to put some distance between us. I can win a fight against someone much larger than me if I have room to move around and dodge hits. This man, however, made his initial attack with me already pressed against the wall.

Somehow, we ended up wrestling on the floor, me trying to stab him with my knife and him blocking the hits with his hands and arms while also attempting to pin me down. He didn't even flinch when the weapon would cut his skin and had a blank expression as he stared into my eyes.

"Please stop! I don't want to kill you!"

Even in my terror and panic, I've been careful not to hit any vitals as we fought. Konohamaru was such a sweet boy who'd simply been forced beyond his will and that poor little girl couldn't have possibly done anything to deserve the awful death she'd been given. The last thing I wanted was for another innocent soul to be killed so I could live.

"Stop resisting."

Suddenly, he slammed his forehead against mine and I saw stars. It was enough of a pause for him to gain control of the situation and had me pinned to the floor with one hand around my neck and the other holding my wrists against my stomach so I couldn't swing my knife anymore.

Twenty seconds.

That's all it takes to make someone pass out from choking.

That's all the time I had to do something lest I become inhabited or end up dead.

His grip around my throat was vice-like, much tighter than it needed to be to get the job done. Strangled sounds cut through my throat as I tried to intake a breath. It hurt. My lungs were burning. My vision began to darken and my entire body felt as hot as a fire.

With every single last bit of my energy, I twisted my wrist in such an unnatural way that I could feel something snap as it slid out of his grasp and wrenched the knife deep into his chest. The fingers around my neck loosened up instantly and I gasped loudly for air. The knife slid from my grasp as the pain from breaking my own wrist finally came and I couldn't grip it firmly anymore.

Tears fell heavily from my eyes as I coughed and the man fell, dead, on top of me. I struggled to move him off with just one hand, only crying harder when I started to feel his warm blood falling onto my body from the stab wound.

Somehow, I managed to slide out from under his heavy body and let my injured wrist fall slack at my side as I tore open the closet door to see that Kankuro looked just as dead as the person I just killed. A loud sigh of relief disrupted my gasps for breath when I felt his pulse still fighting to keep pumping.

Sobbing as my broken wrist throbbed with pain, I forced it to move as I fished the first aid kit from the backpack and somehow moved Kankuro's body so he was leaning back against the wall in a sitting position where I could reach his bigger wounds.

My entire body was trembling with effort as I pleaded with my adrenaline not to abandon me because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do this if I could feel the extent of my own injuries. I tried to remember all the tips Sakura and Ino have given me as I treated the wounds on his stomach, chest, and arms. Once I was done, he didn't look any better, but at least his condition wouldn't get worse.

I could tell my body was about to give in to the exhaustion and hurried to gather everything into the backpack and toss it inside the closet before climbing in, myself, and closing the door behind me. The moment the door clicked, I felt my body falling to the side, but was out before I could even land.

When I woke up, the pain from my injuries finally registered and I forced myself to bite down on a cry of shock. To my relief, Kankuro and I were still in the closet and he hadn't died while I was passed out. In fact, his pulse seemed much stronger and his skin didn't feel like ice anymore.

Surprisingly, the small room was almost warm since we were in here emitting body heat and thick clothes were hanging above us. My next thoughts went to Gaara and Kiba, but I had to force myself to think of something else because just imagining either of them injured rendered me unable to focus.

When I cracked the door to take a peek outside, it was light out. It felt like I'd definitely slept for at least eight hours so it had to be the next day. After verifying no one else was in the house, I tried to move the corpse at least away from the vicinity of the closet, but couldn't make it budge since my broken wrist was completely useless at this point.

Even attempting to move a finger sent waves of sharp pain up through my tendons. In an attempt to prevent myself from accidently doing so, I made a makeshift sling out of one of the scarves that were hanging in the closet and made sure it was tight so I couldn't try to move it.

A massive pool of blood surrounded the dead man in the hall in front of the closet and it nearly reached the door. I prayed Kankuro would wake up before the body started to decompose because I wasn't strong enough to move either of them.

The plumbing wasn't working and this house was one we'd already ransacked so there wasn't anything I could do to clean the blood off my body or face. There were bottles of water in the backpack, but it'd be a giant mistake to use even a drop of it for anything but hydration.

I did what I could to treat my own wounds without using much of the first aid kit before climbing back into the closet to check Kankuro's bandages and wounds for any issues. The fact that he hadn't woken up yet was scaring me to the core. Sure, he wasn't dead, but what if he's in a coma? I don't have the capability of keeping him alive for more than a week, and even that was pushing it.

Tears rose in my eyes as I rewrapped the gauze around his forearm, which had one of the deeper wounds. Kankuro has always gotten on my nerves and I swore, even to his face, that I couldn't stand him, but I know deep down that I'd come to care about him over the last two weeks. He's my friend even if I won't admit it out loud. My overwhelming concern got the best of me, causing my trembling fingers to stop moving for a moment. I leaned forward slightly to press my forehead against his shoulder as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to loudly sob.

The rest of the day passed and then night fell. Even if the closet was warmer than the rest of the house, it was still cold and I had to stay close to him. I rested my head on his lap and wrapped my legs around one of his, the only way to cuddle him without bothering any of his injuries.

The sound of him groaning loudly woke me from my sleep some time later and my eyes snapped open.

Before I could even move, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Matsu..?" I felt his hand hesitantly feel for me in the dark, landing atop my head.

Tears welled up in my eyes in an instant. The relief of hearing his annoying voice again was too much and I reached up with my one good hand to touch his and he turned his to grab onto it. My body shook slightly as I cried.

"What happened? Where are we?"

I couldn't bring myself to speak and even if I wanted to I couldn't because of how hard that man had squeezed my throat. The pain that came when I tried to speak yesterday was awful and it wasn't any better when I tried earlier today either. So, I had to simply squeeze his hand and hope he understood that we were at least safe for tonight.

When I woke up again in the morning, I was just as sore as the previous day. Kankuro was asleep so I carefully slid out of the closet so I could stretch my limbs. My head was throbbing, especially where it'd hit the wall. It only stopped bleeding mid-day yesterday and my hair felt all gross and crunchy on that side of my head. I didn't dare go look in a mirror. I probably looked like a zombie, covered in wounds and blood.

After relieving my bladder and checking that the doors were still locked, I headed back to the closet. My muscles stung as I squatted down in the doorway to search for the water bottle I'd opened, only to jump slightly in surprise when Kankuro suddenly spoke, "Matsuri…" I looked over at him and the look on his face was drenched in concern and guilt.

There was suddenly the sound of leaves crunching nearby outside and I snatched up the knife before climbing back into the closet and pulling the door shut behind me. The knife was at the ready in my one usable hand as I remained crouched, facing the door in case someone opened it so I could pounce. Kankuro knew better than to make a sound and didn't move a muscle as we waited in silence.

I wanted to groan when I heard the front door of the house open. They'd picked the lock, whoever they were.

Footsteps gradually got closer and closer, my heart rising further in my chest with each step. The handle to the closet door turned and I shot forward for a surprise attack. The person stepped quickly to the side and grabbed my arm before trying to wrench it behind my back, but I swiftly tore it out of their grip and moved back to block the doorway so they couldn't get to Kankuro, only to drop the knife in disbelief when my eyes landed on the stunned faces of Gaara and Kiba.

My legs gave out from under me and I let my knees hit the ground before bending forward slightly to cover my eyes as I dissolved into relieved tears. The salt burnt the claw marks on my face as they fell and no one said anything for a long time.

Kiba was the one to break the ice, "Kankuro, are you awake? We can't see from here."

"I'm fine. Help her, will ya? I don't know if she's hurt or not."

I wiped roughly at my eyes with my arm and tried to argue, but couldn't get a sound out without that terrible pain coming through my throat.

"I don't think she can talk," Kankuro came again.

Kiba's voice was dry, "Not with bruises like that, no."

I managed to slow my tears enough to look up and accepted the Inuzuka boy's hand when he offered it. His eyes danced over my appearance with a clear look of worry, lingering near my neck, where I assumed a hand-shaped bruise lay. Before either of us could say anything, my hand was pulled away from his by Gaara.

When I turned to look at him, I was surprised by the terrified look on his face. Our eyes locked and we froze for a few moments before my tears picked back up and he gently pulled me against his chest so he could wrap his arms around me.

I sensed Kiba helping Kankuro and only cried harder when he spoke in disbelief, "Did you kill this guy?"

Once I was able to calm down and quit crying, they made me sit down so they could properly treat my wounds.

"Maybe we should see if the house is safe enough to go back to. Even if everyone left already, we could all use one more bath and a good night's sleep." Kiba made a sound of agreement as he dabbed at the gash on the side of my head with a rubbing alcohol soaked piece of cloth.

Gaara was working on the claw marks on my cheeks and I couldn't do anything except look down at the uninjured hand in my lap. It was very uncomfortable, being tended to. Kankuro was leaning against the wall with a frown as he watched the process.

"What even happened?" Kiba asked, sounding like he might be talking to himself.

"Judging from this, and that dead guy, I'd say she got the hell beat out of her."

We all turned to look at what he was talking about and my brow furrowed when I realized it was a round bloody spot on the wall. It was easy to tell it was from my head being slammed against it and I dropped my eyes back down to my lap as I tried to keep from tearing up again.

"What the hell were you doing?" I looked back up to see Gaara glaring at his older brother. His voice was murderous.

The guilty expression on the man's face deepened and his jaw flexed as he looked away, but he still sounded angry, "I was unconscious. I'd never sit by and let her get hurt like this."

The room went quiet for a moment before the redheaded boy turned back to face me so he could continue cleaning my wounds. Beautiful teal eyes glared into mine and he spoke in a slightly softer voice, "Don't ever do something like this for someone else again."

My eyes narrowed and I opened my mouth to argue, only to wince when it was too painful.

"He's right, Matsu." My eyes darted over to see Kankuro giving me an apologetic look, "You could've died, and for someone like me at that."

Kiba moved to untie my homemade sling, "Will you two stop? You're not helping."

I winced as he unwound the scarf, whining slightly when my arm was free to move and he reached for my hand. "It's broken…" He hadn't even touched it, but by the black bruising and massive swelling, it was obvious.

Kiba looked me in the eye and shook his head with a sad expression, "Is this your dominant hand?" I nodded, averting my gaze back down to my damaged wrist.

Once they were finished, we carefully made our way back to the house and Kiba verified no one was even close to the place before we went inside and found a message from everyone else.

"I figured they went on ahead. I'm glad they didn't wait up." The two brown-haired boys continued to talk about it as I wordlessly went upstairs so I could bathe and then go to bed early. No one said anything or tried to stop me.

The bath filled as I removed my ruined clothes. I hadn't noticed because I hadn't changed in a few days, but my body was littered with bruises. My eyes glazed over as I watched the water level rise.

A flash of that odd feeling came over me for the first time in a couple days and I turned my head toward the door, knowing Gaara was likely outside. In just the second that I could feel his presence in my mind, I could tell he was incredibly worried and wanted to ask if I needed help but wasn't sure how to do it.

The bashful aura of my feelings for him had morphed into something a bit more stoic, at least for now, and I didn't really care anymore about appearances.

When I cracked the door, he was leaning against the wall across the hallway with his eyes closed. They opened when he noticed and I held his hesitant gaze for a moment before opening the door a bit more, wordlessly offering to let him join me if he wanted.