Amaya Uzumaki POV
I was running down a long corridor. What was I running from? I didn't know, I just felt this constant, sick feeling inside. My breathing was ragged and I could hear my heart hammering in my chest.
The dim light didn't let me see the end of the place. Metal bars lined each side of the hallway, and desperate hands tried to grab me.
Adults and children were screaming, crying, and begging. They were all calling my name. They were the people whose lives I had taken the children from the lab and Masao's men were all there.
I reached the end of the corridor and realized it was a dead end. A huge wall stood in front of me. Walls of a worn, copper color surrounded me, and the only way out was back the way I came.
— Crimson demon... — I heard Masao's voice rise above the sea of voices calling for me.
I backed up against the wall at the end of the hall, desperately searching for a way out.
— Why didn't you help them? — This time, it was Sukea's voice that reached my ears.
— I tried... — I argued with my weak voice — I tried, but...
— You let them die — And a third voice spoke up, making me freeze — You let them die, just like you did with me...
Even though my mind was begging me not to look, my body moved on its own. I turned towards the familiar voice and saw Takafumi approaching me. His hands were on his stomach, where his blood was slowly trickling out.
— I'm sorry... — I whispered, my voice faltering — Please, forgive me...
— It was your fault! — The Uchiha shouted again, and I closed my eyes, pressing myself against the wall behind me — You did nothing, you just watched as I paid the price for you, like always!
— N-No, I didn't want to... — I tried to speak, but I couldn't.
Anguish and sadness were taking over my body. I couldn't move, I couldn't even argue back at that moment.
— You'll do the same to Shisui and sensei, won't you? — He asked — You'll probably also watch Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, and all the friends you've made agonize until death, right?
The mental image of everyone I knew and cared about came to mind. I didn't want to imagine them dying because of me.
— You don't want that, do you? — The boy asked, and I lifted my eyes to him — But that's what will happen. After all, you attract death to everyone who gets close to you — He stated, and I paralyzed.
I felt something hit my head and drench my body. I looked at my hands, seeing them covered in blood. I had been bathed in blood myself. My breathing sped up and my hands began to tremble slightly.
— S-Stop... — I pleaded, my voice extremely low.
Takafumi smiled sadistically in front of me and removed his hands from his stomach, letting his blood flow freely. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly so I wouldn't have to watch that scene.
— It's your fault! — He insisted.
— Stop! — I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I opened my eyes the next moment, seeing a white ceiling above me. I could hear my own rapid breathing and feel my heart racing in my chest. I also felt sweat dripping down my body.
A nightmare..., I determined, trying to calm down from what I'd seen. It was just a nightmare... I closed my eyes again, but opened them immediately after, sitting up as I remembered Shisui's condition.
A sharp pain hit me full force and I let out a low moan. I looked at myself for a moment, noticing that bandages were wrapped around my body.
I then turned my eyes to my left arm, where a needle was injecting some medication into my veins. My gaze followed the tube up to the bag hanging from an IV stand next to the bed.
Morphine, I deduced, recognizing the color of the medication. And it was only then that it hit me, making me understand where I was: In a room at Konoha's hospital.
Shikaku-sensei found us in the forest, I remembered. He must have managed to bring us back. I looked around and saw no sign of Shisui. There was no one in the room, and I soon understood why: It was the middle of the night.
I knew the hospital didn't allow visitors to stay overnight, which is why no one was there at that moment.
I sat on the edge of the bed and felt my body aching from top to bottom. How long have I been out?, I quickly wondered. How is Shisui? Is he okay?
I pulled the IV stand that held the morphine bag and used it to help me stand up. I felt like my body hadn't moved in a while, given the difficulty I was having staying steady on my own.
I need to find out how my brother is first..., I decided, worried. I concentrated with some effort and soon felt Shisui's familiar chakra, coming from a room at the end of the hallway.
I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand next to the bed. With a bit of difficulty, I left the room I was in and headed to where Shisui would be.
The images from my nightmare and from Masao's hideout kept coming back to my mind incessantly. I shook my head, trying to push them away for now.
I silently opened the door to the room where I sensed Shisui's chakra and felt my body shudder for a moment. My brother was lying down; bruises marked his face and arms. His body, like mine, was wrapped in bandages, partially hidden by the sheets covering him.
My heart tightened. He's like this because of me. It's my fault...
I approached him and stopped by his side, watching him for a moment. I noticed he was asleep, but breathing with a little difficulty. His face was also slightly red.
Carefully, I rested my hand against his forehead, feeling his burning skin. My worry only increased. He's burning up with fever!, I realized.
A very high temperature leads to hyperthermia..., I searched my mind for the little knowledge I had about medicine. What can I do to try to lower his temperature?
I remembered two things and set about doing them. First, I removed the several sheets covering him, leaving only a thinner one over my brother. I left the others at the foot of Shisui's bed.
Then I went to the bathroom in the room and got a face towel, putting it in the sink and soaking it with cold water.
I grabbed a small bowl that was next to the sink, filled it with water, and returned to the room with both the bowl and the towel. I wrung out the face towel and placed it on Shisui's head.
This should help lower his temperature, I thought. I placed the bowl of water next to my brother's bed and quietly pulled the armchair that was there closer to the hospital bed.
I couldn't say how many times I replaced the towel for Shisui and put it back on his head. I only knew time had passed because of the way his skin tone was returning to normal and the tiredness I was starting to feel.
I gave a weak smile as I looked at his calm expression, which now seemed to be free of fever. I changed his face towel one last time and placed it on his forehead, just as a precaution.
I was sitting in the armchair next to Shisui, so I took the opportunity to lean back for a moment. I jolted forward, resting my arms on the bed where my brother was sleeping. I laid my head on my arms and closed my eyes for a moment.
He must have caught a cold, I pondered. We were caught in that downpour when we escaped. I rarely get sick, but Shisui... I opened my eyes slightly and looked at my brother, who now seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He's been enduring this alone...
I closed my eyes again and let out my breath slowly. Because I was distracted, I only noticed the hurried footsteps in the hallway the moment the door to Shisui's room was suddenly opened.
Instinctively, I jumped to my feet and positioned myself in front of my brother's bed, facing the door. My body reminded me the next moment that I shouldn't have moved so quickly.
I placed my right hand on my stomach, near the level of my ribs. Only then did I stop to think about the injuries that were still present on my body.
I saw a woman in the doorway, who I soon recognized as a nurse by her clothes. She looked at me for a moment and then at Shisui.
— What are you doing out of your room? — She asked and entered the room, approaching me.
— I needed to see Shisui — I explained without hurry — To know if he was okay.
She stopped near where I was standing, and her eyes moved to my brother next, focusing on the towel on his head.
— He had a fever when I got here — I continued the explanation quickly — I could only think of the wet towel and removing some of the blankets he was using to lower his temperature.
— He still has a fever, but it's very mild now — She said, having gone to check on my brother, and then she stared at me — You did a good job.
I sighed in relief. At least I could help him with this..., I thought.
— He'll be fine — The nurse said after a few moments — But he'll need to rest for a few weeks until he gets better, just like you — She stared at me — Your injuries are more serious than his — I noticed the concern in her voice — You shouldn't be out of bed.
— I'll be fine soon — I said calmly.
And I really would be. I'd already been through a lot before in the lab, so I knew how long it took me to recover from certain types of injuries. My bruises will take longer to heal than my wounds, I pondered briefly.
The nurse looked at me for a few moments but didn't say anything, nor did she argue. She only emphasized that if I wanted to stay in Shisui's room, I should remain seated to rest.
I complied with the request and stayed in the armchair next to my brother's bed. She examined him more calmly and then me, performing basic procedures.
I paid attention to her comments about Shisui's condition and memorized them mentally, just in case, as well as everything she mentioned he should do when discharged from the hospital.
After a while, the nurse, who introduced herself as Lucy, left the room to attend to other patients. I remained silent in the following minutes, thinking about many things at once, especially concerning Yumi.
I felt extremely bad thinking about the young woman and how shaken she was after receiving the news of her son's death. But it was only at that moment that I realized something: No one had explained everything that had happened.
Although I had vaguely told Shikaku-sensei about Takafumi, neither I nor Shisui had told him what happened at the smugglers' hideout. And no one knows what I did, I thought. Not even about...
I reached my hand towards the room's nightstand, opening one of its drawers and taking out the small mirror kept there – I had spent a lot of time at Konoha's hospital after arriving, so I knew all the rooms had one of those stored in the nightstands.
I brought the mirror up to my face, looking at myself for a moment. Without any effort, my eyes took on a reddish color with three tomoe surrounding my pupils.
— You managed to reactivate it, didn't you? — The low male voice almost made me drop the mirror.
I looked at Shisui, who had his face turned in my direction. His expression was impassive, but I noticed the sadness he felt. I deactivated my Sharingan immediately.
— Yes... — I said calmly — How long have you been awake?
— I woke up a little before the nurse left — He told me and turned his gaze to the ceiling — Thanks for taking care of me.
— It was the least I could do — I said, my voice lower — But it doesn't make up for my failure to protect us during the mission...
— It wasn't your fault — Shisui countered quickly, but still without looking at me — What happened wasn't something we could control.
— I suggested we should create a distraction to escape — I told my brother, lowering my eyes — That's the reason Takafumi did what he did, and the consequence was... — The Uchiha didn't let me finish the sentence.
— Don't try to carry the blame alone — He admonished me and finally brought his eyes to me — If you were at fault for any of this, I would be too, since all I could do was pass out.
— You were beaten, Shisui — I retorted — You watched your best friend get killed and then there was that thing with your Sharingan... — I stopped for a moment — You endured more than a normal person could.
— And so did you! — He said, a little more emphatically — You've already been through so much in that lab, and I can't even imagine how much being captured again reminded you of that... — Shisui paused for a moment, visibly trying not to overflow with the clear frustration he felt — I was so scared and I couldn't protect you, even though I'm your brother. I'm sorry...
I saw him clench his hand on the sheet covering him, his expression showing irritation. Irritation at himself. I reached my hand towards him, keeping only my pinky finger raised. He looked at me, confused.
— You were also scared because you knew you'd lose Akemi — I said calmly and made an effort to smile very weakly — But then we met and promised we would never leave each other alone again — I looked at him — We still keep that promise, right?
Shisui's expression softened immediately. Yes, that was the first promise we made to each other: To never let either of us be alone again, no matter the circumstance.
He reached his hand towards me, linking his pinky with mine. The dark-haired boy managed a weak smile that made me feel relieved inside.
— We'll get through everything together — Shisui affirmed — No matter what it is.