Heavy Blood

10. Izuna

Suddenly, both of them were pulled away from me. I whimpered of relief and lay flat on the ground, rolling over on my back and hiding my face in my hands.

"Watch out, kid, or we'll stab you!" the man with the knife lifted it dangerously towards my rescuer, but he wouldn't have it, grabbing the man's arm and forcing it behind his back so that the knife flew out of his hand, pushing his knees into the back of the knee of the former knife-bearer so he was forced to kneel. My rescuer harshly grabbed the man's hair and shoved his head into the church wall so that he fell to the ground, unconscious. The other man lifted his hands and slowly backed away.

"GET OUT OF HERE!!" my rescuer roared, voice still primitive in anger, and the other turned and ran. Then, he came to me, and on pure instinct, I put my arms protectively over my head, as if afraid he would beat me up, too. "Izuna..." he murmured, voice soft and dark. "Izuna, don't worry. Don't worry, it's me. You're safe. You're safe." His voice wobbled in emotion, thick with held-back tears.

Everything caught up to me then; the humiliation, the pain, the fact that I had been raped. It all intermingled with everything else; Madara, being homeless, sleeping out in the middle of the night. The thought of having to go to my school and teach tomorrow was what pushed me over the edge, and I started crying. Even I could hear how heart-felt and crystal-clear my crying was. One strong arm was put on my back, the other under the back of my knees, and I was lifted up. He put his nose to my cheek, his hair tickling the skin on my face. He smelled of a mild soap and a musky cologne and heavy fabric.

"Izuna..." he murmured, nuzzling my cheek. "Izuna, Izuna, Izuna..."

I put my arms around him, hid my face in his hair. "I'm sorry!" I wailed. "I'm so sorry!" And I cried like a madman.

"Shh, you have nothing to apologise for."

He carried me inside the church then, and the dim light immediately comforted me. He carried me along the aisle, never stopping nuzzling me with his nose, whispering words of comfort. I hid my face on his shoulder, breathing the smell of his robe in.

"It's all right. It's going to be all right", he said softly.

He carried me up a set of stairs I hadn't noticed before, then to a cosily lit room with a mattress on the floor and a metal sink in one corner. His pillow and duvet were a mess, as if he's tossed and turned for a while. It was all covered in a lot of blood.

"Why is there so much blood?" I whispered faintly.

"Don't worry about that now", he soothed. He put me down on one corner of the mattress, and I immediately crept up on the bed, my head in the pillow, putting the duvet over me, not caring about the blood in the slightest.

"Oh, Izuna..." Tobirama whispered, sitting down next to me, putting a hand on my head. He kissed the top of my head before standing up. Immediately, I grabbed his wrist.

"Don't go", I whispered. Tobirama looked at me, confusion in his eyes, as if considering what was appropriate to do. "Stay."

He nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'll stay."

He clambered into bed with me, priest robe still on. I clung to him, pulled him close, desperate for the safety he provided. He put his arms around me, put his chin on my head and sighed. He pulled the duvet over us, and finally, for the first time that day, I allowed myself to relax, and soon fell into a deep sleep. 

I woke up well-rested to a beautiful golden light filling the room. A rusty smell filled my nostrils; the blood on the bedsheets. I wondered where they came from. Tobirama had told me he would explain.

Tobirama...

Suddenly, everything about last night came back to me. Madara, my home, the rape. And Tobirama wasn't there. He wasn't in bed next to me, and for some reason, that switched on some primal part of my brain and I panicked. I screamed straight out, hiding my face in my hands, tears pouring down my face.

"Izuna!!" I heard footsteps running up the stairs, and Tobirama came running in. "Izuna, what happened?!" I just kept screaming, and he knelt beside me, took me in his arms. "It's okay. It's okay now, Izuna. Calm down, you're safe. You're with me, you're safe."

He wore a marine blue t-shirt with red and white text and black sweatpants. He had his usual red stripes on his cheeks and his piercings still on. It was the first time I saw him without his robe. It made him feel very non-holy, but I didn't care. I just clung to him with all my might until I calmed down.

"I'm sorry", I said.

"You apologise too much", he said, sitting down on the mattress, pulling me onto his lap, not letting go.

Suddenly, I was wide awake. "What time is it? My class!"

"Don't worry, I phoned the elementary and told them you're ill", Tobirama said. "I told them you will be home today and tomorrow as well. I fixed everything."

Relief grabbed hold of me, and I felt myself relax. Tobirama stood up and went to the cabinet. He pulled out a clean t-shirt and sweatpants, as well as a towel and a new toothbrush. "There's a bathroom next door. Please, take your time. I'll have food ready when you're done."

The thought of being alone filled me with dread, but I didn't want to dismiss his kindness. He truly was polite. So in the end, I just nodded, took the things and we left the little room together.

"Father Senju, thank you", I said, looking up at him.

He looked at me then, as if considering something. Having reached a decision, he took one step so he was standing right next to me, his upper body pressed to my chest, towering over me. He grabbed my chin with his fingers and leaned in dangerously close to me.

"You're welcome", he murmured, lips hardly moving.

I just looked up at him. Without thinking, I lifted my hand and sneaked it underneath his T-shirt, up his waist and to his back. And I felt...

Tobirama sucked his breath in through gritted teeth and jumped away from me, as if I'd burnt him.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't- God, I shouldn't-"

I felt mortified, like an idiot, of course he wouldn't want me to touch him. He was a celibate! Idiot Izuna! But also... What had I felt on his skin?

"Izuna, don't worry, he said, smiling warmly, but he looked more hesitant than before. "Please, go shower." He gave me one final smile, then turned to go to the kitchen.

I went to the shower, but I couldn't get what I had felt out of my mind. It had felt like wounds.

Very, very deep wounds.