"Sakura!" Ryu cried, watching in horror as the pink haired girl went limp. He struggled more against the invisible bonds that his mind falsely said were around him. "Leave her alone, Shiro. It's me you want, not her."
"On the contrary," Shiro said, stepping away from Sakura. Without any carefulness, Daichi flung Sakura up by the arm, wincing when she slammed against his shoulder. Daichi put his arm around her waist to keep her from falling, Shiro examining every moment with curious eyes, "I'm starting to wonder if I want to take the girl more than you."
"Please. I'm begging you. Just leave Sakura alone," Ryu pleaded.
Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to protect the ones you care about. The memory of the familiar weak voice rang through Ryu's head. He saw black eyes gazing at him, pleading with him to do as he asked.
Shiro chuckled, walking up to Ryu. He grabbed him by the shirt collar, bringing him off the ground by it so they were eye to eye. "Tell me, Sarutobi, have you ever been betrayed?"
Ryu's gut knotted up. Was it possible that.....
"Probably not," Shiro answered himself. "But that betrayal gives birth to the want of revenge. Sometimes the want of revenge can be a lot stronger than the want to prove yourself or get something as common as money." He chuckled. "Enough talk, though. We need to get going before the Anbu track us down again." The escaped prisoner's hand shot forward, grasping Ryu by the forehead. "You chose the wrong time to wonder from the group, little Sarutobi." A cold amusement filled Shiro's eyes as he said, "Mind style! Main pain jutsu!"
Pain exploded within Ryu, a scream torn from his throat. The pain was so strong that Ryu could barely think. Darkness tried to push down on him, attempting to drag him into unconsciousness.
He couldn't faint, though, no matter how tempting it was to end the pain. He had to try and protect..... protect. It took Ryu a moment to remember her name his mind was so clouded from pain. Ryu had to try and protect Sakura.
Shiro pulled his hand away, staring at Ryu in fascination, yet also in confusion. "How are you still conscious? Even Anbu members have fainted from the pain created from the mind pain jutsu," Shiro said.
"Leave..... Sakura...... alo-" Ryu couldn't finish. It had taken all of his energy to just stay conscious during the jutsu. He looked over at Sakura as his eyes began to close, the darkness reaching up to claim him. I won't let them hurt you, Sakura, Ryu thought before he was dragged down into the darkness of unconsciousness.
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
Because of your selfishness, an unfamiliar voice echoed in Ryu's head, the child your wife shall give birth to will be cursed for the rest of his life. Because of what you have done, your cursed child shall be the destruction of the world as you know it.
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
Ryu blinked, the words of his dream echoing in his head. He'd expected to be in his bed at his apartment, so he was confused when he felt hard earth against his back. The air filling the area he was in seemed damp. Moss even grew on a few of the rocks he saw. A couple stalactites hang from the ceiling, stalagmites reaching toward them.
He wince, his head throbbing. Ryu reached up, and as he rubbed it, memories came rushing back to him. Sakura running through the forest. Him following her to make sure she was okay. Shiro and Daichi ambushing them. Being bound by the mind bind jutsu. Sakura running, but Daichi catching her. Watching the mind pain jutsu being used on her. Then the mind pain jutsu being used on him.
"Wait. Sakura!" Ryu whispered under his breath, forcing himself onto his feet.
"Ryu," a familiar voice whispered, fear filling the voice. "Ryu, are you awake? Was that you talking?"
"Sakura!" Ryu exclaimed, recognizing her voice instantly. He searched the dark cave quickly, frowning when he didn't see her right away. Then he spotted her in the very corner, the shadows falling over her so it concealed her hiding place. He got to his feet, pausing when he realized what that meant. So Shiro really had taken him. He also noticed the fact that he could now see metal bars through the corner of his eye. It had been blocked by a small bolder.
"Ryu!" He didn't have to go to her. Instead she was suddenly on her feet, running toward him. She flung her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder. Even if he understood the situation, he blushed.
"It's..... it's going to be okay," he stammered, still a little stunned. When Sakura tensed, he realized his hesitation in his sentence had frightened her. Then, adding as much confidence as he could into his voice, Ryu said, "Even if something bad happens, I'll be here to protect you. Trust me."
To Ryu's surprise, that actually reassured her. He hadn't expected her to trust in his strength too much. Why would she? He never tried in class. Nobody knew how well he could actually fight. Not only that, but they were against rogue ninja who used to be Anbu level.
"I do trust you," Sakura said, finally releasing him from the hug. "I'm sorry. I should have run when you'd told me to." Tears formed in Sakura's eyes, which made Ryu's stomach clench. He hated to see people cry.
"Don't worry," he said. "They're very powerful. They probably would have caught up to you."
Sakura sniffled, reaching up to wipe off the one tear that had managed to escape. "Ryu, who are they? Why did they want you so badly? Why..... why did they take me as well?"
"I'm not sure why they'd take you," he said.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "But you do know why they'd take you." It wasn't a question, but Ryu still avoided it by not saying anything.
If I tell her anything, she might be more afraid than she is now..... Ryu looked away, refusing to say if he did or didn't know them.
Sakura stared at him for a moment before she walked back to the corner and sat down. Without a moment's hesitation, he sat down beside of her. "How long have you been awake?"
"About an hour or two," Sakura whispered, like she couldn't bring herself to make her voice louder.
He felt his heart clench. She'd had to watch him sleep for two hours, fearing someone would come by and kill one of them. He looked out the steel bars, not seeing anything but another rock wall. "I'm sorry, Sakura," Ryu said.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Sorry for what?" she asked.
Once again Ryu held back the answer. Just because he was so close to the Third, Sakura was in danger.
"Well well, you're finally awake," a familiar voice said, making both Sakura and Ryu look in front of them. Standing beyond the gate's bars stood a man that made Ryu's blood boil. Shiro. Ryu watched him with pure loathing as he took out a key and opened the metal door. He walked in, shutting the bar door behind him.
Ryu automatically got to his feet, ready to protect Sakura. "What do you want?" Ryu snapped, taking a step forward so that Sakura was behind him.
Shiro chuckled. "What? Do you seriously think you could stop me if I went for the girl?" Almost to prove his point, he was suddenly right in front of Ryu, his hand reaching around him. He heard a shout behind him, so he knew that his hand was closer to Sakura than he liked.
"Get away from her!" Ryu tackled Shiro without a moment's hesitation, which seemed to be what he'd wanted.
Shiro smiled, grabbing Ryu by the head and slamming him into the wall. Sakura screamed, scrambling out of her corner and away from Shiro. Ryu kicked and punched, but he couldn't get Shiro to let go.
"How 'bout I take a little peek at your mind, huh?" Shiro said, smirking.
"No!" Ryu yelled, struggling harder. He flinched as he felt something strange. It was like something was reaching into his head, tickling his brain. The next second the tickling turned to pure pain, feeling similar to how it had felt when Shiro had used the main pain jutsu on him.
"Show me what you know," Shiro murmured, the pain growing more intense.
"No," Ryu growled between his grounded teeth. "I..... refuse!" Ryu threw up mental shields as Shiro tried to delve into his mind.
"You keep on struggling and I may just end up destroying your mind," Shiro warned, but Ryu knew his threat was false. He knew how Shiro's abilities worked.
Once again the weak voice from his memories asked him to promise to protect the ones he cared about. Well, he cared about all the leave villagers, and if Shiro got what he wanted, all of them would be in danger.
"Stubborn little brat," he muttered, pushing harder into Ryu's mind. "Just give up. There's no way a kid like you can take what even a jonin can't stand."
"Get out of my head," Ryu murmured, the pain weakening him beyond what he could ever have thought. He was on the verge of fainting from the pain the jutsu caused. "Please." He knew he shouldn't have added the last part. It just proofed he was desperate, but he wanted the pain to stop.
Shiro smirked, pushing against his mental shield harder.
Ryu could feel the cracks in his mental wall, so he struggled to fix them. He clenched his fist as he concentrated, which compelled Shiro to shove ten times harder. His back arched of the wall as pain shot through him. Ryu started to wonder just how long he could keep up his shield.
An image passed through his mind. It was of him, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed Indian-style, laughing hard. Ryu wore a grey shirt with a yin-yang shirt on the shoulders, black pants, and ninja shoes. Two other boys were around him, laughing as well. One was a boy about two years older than Ryu. He had snow white hair, pale eyes like his own, and fair skin. He wore a light blue shirt, black pants, and blue ninja shoes. The other boy was six years older than them, laughing a little more lightly than the others. He had black hair, pale skin, and black eyes. He wore a black vest over a white shirt, blue pants, and black ninja shoes.
"No!" Ryu shouted, his voice so loud he couldn't believe he'd been able to get his voice so loud. Shiro shouted, falling back. Ryu fell to his knees, unable to stay on his feet. He shook, pain coursing through his body from the sudden shock at Shiro's mentally being yanked out of him. Ryu shook his head, his voice a mere whisper as he said, "No. Not those memories."
Shiro remained on the ground a few feet from Ryu for a moment before finally getting back to his feet. The look he gave Ryu was different. There was still curiosity in his gaze, but there was always fear. Without another word, Shiro left the two Academy students.
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
"What was all that about?" Daichi asked as the Yamanaka strolled out of the hostage's cage. "You entered the kids mind, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Shiro replied, walking passed his fellow escapee to one of the small beds they'd set up for themselves. "I only saw an image of him when he was younger and two other boys, though."
Daichi's eyes narrowed. "Was he seriously that strong willed to block you out?" Daichi inquired.
Shiro stared at the ceiling above him, feeling his head shake. "I'm not sure. One second I'm seeing the image of him and those other boys, then I hear him yell no. After that, well...." He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to tell Daichi the rest.
"Well what?" Daichi demanded.
Instead of answering, Shiro glared at the other man. "Do you have the food ready or not?" he snapped. Daichi blinked in surprise. "Well?"
"Not yet. I came to see-"
"Just get it done!" After Daichi left, Shiro sighed and tried to relax in the bed. It was hard, though. Every time he closed his eyes he'd see his face again.
The moment after the Sarutobi child had screamed no, an image had passed through Shiro's mind. It was nothing that could have been a memory. Shiro didn't feel that kind of chakra in a memory.
The boy he'd seen in the image had been the same age as Ryu, but he was nothing like that boy. The boy Shiro had seen had pure white hair, eyes that were momentarily closed, and pale skin. He was wearing a blue, almost black, sleeveless jacket that was cut down the middle, the neck raising around his neck, the jacket stopping a little more than half way down his torso, showing a slightly scarred chest. He also wore black pants with a red sash around his waist. He held a sword behind him with his left hand, his other hand forming half a tiger symbol. The blade was a light blue color, a few patches a shade darker, the area it was on resembling scales. It looked like a broad sword, the handle reminding Shiro of a hook sword. The handle came down, the guard going down and forming half a square before connecting with the bottom. Instead of being straight, the guard formed dragon-like wings.
Right as Shiro finished taking him in, the boy's eyes opened. It was those eyes that had sent Shiro flying out of Ryu's mind. His eyes had been a luminous blue. It seems like the illumination had been caused by a gleam of pure evil, sending a chill down Shiro's spine. It was as the boy smiled that Shiro felt the chakra. The boy had fangs where his canines should have been, making him even more creepy.
The chakra that emitted from him was pure darkness. It was like nothing Shiro had even felt before. It seemed like the boy had become everything he feared the most incarnated.
If there was one thing he knew about Ryu, it was that he was going to have to find a way to make him give him what he wanted. Shiro smiled. The boy seemed close to Hana's niece, possibly having a childish crush on her. What he was going to do would not only satisfy him, but help him in his quest against Konoha.
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
It took several minutes for Ryu to finally sit up, his breathing still a bit hard. He felt exhausted from how Shiro delved into his mind. He wasn't even sure how he kept up his mental shield.
"You okay?" Sakura asked, sounding more scared than Ryu liked.
Ryu forced a smile onto his face. "I'm fine," he replied. Despite what he said, he winced when he sat down against the wall. Hesitantly, the young pink haired girl scooted toward him so that there was only a little more than a yard between the two. Sighing, Ryu forced himself to relax, looking down at his left ring finger as he did.
Around his finger was a silver ring with a yin-yang symbol. Without much thought, Ryu reached down and started twisting it back and forth, the memory of the two boys and himself running through his mind.
"What's with the ring?" Sakura murmured.
Ryu glanced at Sakura through the corner of his eye before looking back down at the ring. "It's one of my few priced possessions. This ring belonged to my brother."
That seemed to spike Sakura's interest. "You had a brother?" she asked.
Ryu tensed, uneasy about the subject. "I actually had two," he said after about five minutes of silence. "They were both really great. Well, one was a bit cold, but he was really nice at times. The other one was always there for me, always smiling, always laughing......" Ryu's voice suddenly stopped working as he remembered his two siblings. It took him two minutes just to find his voice again. "The one who was really there for me gave me this ring."
Sakura had to be able to hear the sadness in his voice, because her voice was light and slightly hesitant as she asked, "What happened to them, Ryu?"
Ryu closed his eyes, clenching the ring on his finger, but didn't take it off. "They're dead." Even he could tell his voice was cold, the memory of the day coming back so strong he had to bite down on his lip to stop from crying. His laughter as his blade came down, fighting his brother. His own brother's blood coating him like a blanket. Then he heard hisvoice.
Join me, Ryu. Help me make this place a better world.
"Shut up," Ryu growled, accidentally saying it out loud as he attempted to get his voice out of his head. He could see Sakura giving him a concerned look, but he refused to look at her. He clenched his fist so tightly his fingernails bit into his palm's skin.
There was a long moment of silence. "Ryu, before I asked you why Shiro wanted you. Please tell me the truth. I want to know why he brought you here and who he is."
Ryu pursed his lips, looking away from Sakura. "I'm not really sure you want to know," he replied. When he turned to see the resolute gaze Sakura was giving him, he sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I'm telling you right now, you're not going to like it."
Sakura continued to stare, but she did hesitate slightly when she said, "Go ahead and tell me."
Ryu sighed, staring at his ring again. "Well, how about I start with Daichi?" Without waiting for Sakura to answer, he continued. "Once Daichi was an Anbu, but he betrayed the village for something as dumb as money. He attempted to kill the Hokage, but he was stopped when then Anbu came for him. At first they couldn't. You see, he's part of the Shigamo clan. They had the power to make the person they're fighting see the person they love the most. Not only that, but it influences the way they feel, making it so no matter how hard they tried to fight the thought, they'd think it was actually them."
"That's a scary technique," she remarked.
Ryu nodded, hating the way Shiro would just make her more scared. "Shiro, like Daichi, was in the Anbu. Prior to the interrogator we have now, he was the interrogator. The Hokage had to remove him from the position, though. He killed the people who tried to drag him out of an interrogation he was doing, and then he escaped. With the help of his girlfriend, the Anbu finally caught him."
"Why'd they have to remove him from the interrogator's position?" Sakura asked.
Ryu sighed. He'd been hoping she wouldn't notice he didn't tell her why. "Well, he was a bit...... ruthless. He's part of the Yamanaka clan, so he could delve into people's mind to get the information he needed. If they'd block him, he'd use mental pain against them until they couldn't help but tell. Sometimes he'd do something else, though. Either that, or he'd push the person to their limits and still continue," Ryu said.
Sakura gulped. Ryu could tell she was imagining how bad mental pain could get. He still did whenever he thought of the monster known as Shiro.
"He would try to delve passed people's mental shields, breaking them with unimaginable pain. Sometimes in doing this, though, he'd......" Ryu closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists, grasping the fabric of his pants. "He'd destroy the mind of the prisoner. The prisoner's body became nothing more than an empty shell. With so much pain, the mind just shuts down, never turning back on. They'd be alive, though. They'd live their life, but they just couldn't do or feel anything. They'd just be there, nothing more."
Sakura stared in horror. "How could someone do that to a human being?" Then she flinched. "Wait, he was doing that to you!" she exclaimed. "He could have destroyed your mind!"
Ryu shook his head. "He wasn't trying very hard," Ryu said. "He's not going to risk it. He needs me."
"Why does he need you, though?"
Ryu gave up, deciding just to tell her. "Because of how close I am to the Hokage. He knows that I've got some information that he can't know. So instead of risking breaking into the files, he just took me."
Silence engulfed them, Sakura clearing needing time to process everything. Right when she was about to speak, someone else did.
"Time to eat." Daichi stood at the bars, two trays in his hand. He set one tray down, taking out a set of keys and unlocking the bars, picking up the other tray and walking in. Ryu was instantly on his feet and in front of Sakura.
"Back off," Ryu said, tensing. "Don't come any closer." He got into a fighting stance, glaring when Daichi laughed.
"You really think you can beat me, kid?" He crouched down, placing the trays on the ground. "You don't know your place here, do you?"
Ryu didn't reply. Instead he gazed at the trays. His eyes widened when he saw soba. The other had syrup covered anko dumplings and umebashi. Also on both trays was a cup of tea. Soba was his favorite food.
Sakura hungrily eyed the second tray with dumplings and umebashi. Was it possible they'd made both of their favorite food? But why?
Daichi straightened, sent them a smile, and then walked out, locking the bars behind him.
"Why'd they make us those?"
"Don't know," Ryu replied, creeping slowly toward to the food. He crouched down, grabbed the chop sticks, and stirred the food. He wondered if he should eat it. He thought about just ignoring it, but with food in his face, his stomach started to hurt with hunger. He looked back at Sakura. He'd told her that Shiro wouldn't kill him, and it was true. Would he be safe? His hunger getting the best of him, he started to eat.
Sakura crawled over, slowly eating her food as well. After he finished eating the food, he downed the tea. It was then that exhaustion swept over him. "Sakura, I think I need to lay down."
Sakura looked at him, finally nodding. "I guess getting some sleep would be nice. What happens if someone comes in, though?"
Ryu smiled. "I'll hear him. Nobody can sneak up on me while I'm asleep," he said. He yawned, wondering where the sudden tiredness came from. He went over to the corner, leaning back against it. Sakura crawled over, laying down beside of him. "Night, Sakura."
"Night, Ryu."
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
Sakura was woken up by the sound of the bars opening. She sat up, first looking at Ryu. He'd said he'd wake up if anyone came in. Her eyes narrowed when she saw he was fast asleep. Had he been lying about waking up to make her feel safer? For some reason, she doubted it. "Hey, Ryu, wake up," Sakura said, shaking Ryu harder than necessary.
"Won't work, kid," a male voice said.
Sakura looked forward to see Daichi standing in front of her. Unlike before, though, he had a linen bandage around his left arm, as if he'd gotten a cut recently. She tensed, pushing against the wall. "Stay away," she said, her voice so low she wondered if Daichi could hear her.
Daichi smiled, strolling toward her as if he had all the time in the world. "Sorry to tell you this, kid, but you're coming with me."
She gulped, pushing so hard against the rock wall behind her it dug into her back. "Ryu," she said, shaking him again.
He laughed, taking another step before leaping forward so he was right in front of her. "How about we hurry this up? Shiro's been patient for numerous years. I really don't want to make him wait too much more for one life time." Before Sakura could do anything, Daichi grasped the pink haired girl's arm and, without any gentleness, yanked her to her feet. Without waiting for her to get completely balanced, he started dragging her out of the cell, leading her into a cavern in the cave.
It was a bare cavern, the only thing in it consisting of a lantern and two beds. Shiro was in the cavern, leaning back against the wall. Sakura flinched when he opened his eyes, his own looking straight into her own.
"There you are, young Haruno," Shiro said, walking toward her. Daichi chuckled beside of Sakura before letting go of her arm and walking away. She wondered why they weren't afraid of her running. Then again, where was there to run.
"You know, I think I remember your name," Shiro suddenly said, making Sakura look forward. "You were supposed to go to Hana's house on that night six years ago. I remember threatening her about it when she wouldn't let me leave her house. I told her I'd kill you when you got there if she didn't let me leave."
"How.... how'd you know it was my aunt?" she murmured.
Shiro didn't answer. Instead he continued to examine Sakura. "You look so much like her, you know? You're hair color is the biggest difference."
Sakura took a few steps back, trying to put as much distance between her and the Yamanaka. Being anywhere close to him chilled her to the very soul, just proving how cold hearted he must be.
"It was your aunt's fault the Anbu caught me. She kept me stuck at her house so the Anbu had time to catch up."
Then it clicked how he knew her aunt. Her girlfriend had been her aunt! She felt her stomach churn at the thought. How could her amazing aunt date someone like Shiro? He was a monster with his mind jutsus. Her aunt was such a kind and gentle lady, except for when she had to do Anbu stuff. There was no way she'd love someone so evil. She could always tell when there was darkness in a person's heart.
"Even after I've killed her, I still don't feel completely satisfied," he said, shocking her out of her reverie.
"What?!" Sakura blurted, not having time to think over what he said before the words exploded from her mouth.
Shiro smiled. "You heard me. I said I killed your aunt. She ran into me the other morning. Too bad the Anbu decided to send her after me. If they hadn't, she may still be alive right now," he said. Shiro strolled toward her, smiling when Sakura backed up until she hit a wall.
"I really hope she's watching right now."
Sakura was smart, so it only took her a second to comprehend what he meant. The next second he was at her, hand grasping her neck collar. He threw her up, and then he jumped up and did a back flip to kick Sakura in the back. She flew toward the other wall, shouting when she slammed into it.
She fell to the ground, hitting her side hard. The pink haired girl looked up at Shiro, understanding why he'd taken her. Shiro had taken her because he was taking his revenge to her aunt out on her. She looked up just in time for Shiro to kick her in the chin. The force was so great it forced him to his feet.
He grabbed Sakura's throat, slamming her against the wall behind her. He met her eyes, clenching her throat so tightly it almost cut off her lungs. "It must suck being Hana's niece right now," Shiro said, throwing Sakura at the ground. The impact knocked the breath from her.
When she saw Shiro, he was doing multiple hand signs. "Mind style!" he said. "Mind pain jutsu!" He reached forward, slamming his palm against her forehead.
Pain instantly exploded through her body. Sakura screamed, grabbing her head as the pain coursed through her veins. "Please," she begged, unable to stop herself from showing her weakness. Iruka would probably give her an F against putting up with torture for information. Then again, she didn't know if anyone could deal with this pain.
Ryu could. The thought made her jerk. Even though Ryu was pretty close to ranked dead last in their class, she truly believed he could deal with the pain she felt right then. If it meant protecting people, he could take the pain.
Without releasing the jutsu, Shiro brought Sakura up by her forehead, resting her back against the wall. "Hope this hurts," he said, sounding so nonchalant it annoyed Sakura. The annoyance quickly disappeared, clouded by the pain caused by both the mind pain jutsu and Shiro suddenly slamming her head against the wall.
"Stop! Please, sto- AHHHH!" Sakura screamed as Shiro brought his knee up to collide with her chest.
"No way am I stopping now," Shiro said, his voice low and menacing. "Not until I make you feel as much pain as Hana put me through."
° ◊ ° ◊ ° ◊
Hey, Ryu, wake up. Sakura's voice repeated over and over in Ryu's head.
He was trying, truly trying. So why couldn't he wake up. He could hear a muffled sound. Ryu couldn't make out what it was because of the fact he was more unconscious than conscious.
His dreams flashed from Sakura's face to the memory shown by Shiro. The image didn't move, but he heard the voices from then.
Why is it that you can never be serious? a voice asked.
Why is it that you can be nothing but serious? another voice countered.
Cut it out you two. It was Ryu's own voice.
It's not my fault he won't chill out. I just joke around about wanting to fight and he punches me in the arm! the second voice said.
Don't tempt me and I won't do it, the first voice said. No sane person would think it was smart to attack those tigers.
Who ever said I was sane? Even as he spoke, the second person and Ryu were starting to laugh. Finally the other voice sighed and chuckled as well.
It was then the scream pierced through his dream. Ryu somehow knew it was Sakura's, but once again he could wake up. Come on. Come on! COME ON! Ryu mentally yelled at himself. I have to wake up!
There was suddenly an amused laugh. It was a laugh that made a chill run through Ryu's soul.
You wanna wake up?
Ryu jerked off the wall, breathing hard as he was suddenly shocked out of his deep sleep. What the heck? His thoughts wondered to why, but he didn't have time to think. There was two things he knew. One, Sakura was gone, which meant Shiro had her. Two, he'd drugged him through the food. It was why they made what they each specifically liked.
Without thinking, Ryu was on the move, running for the bars that were slightly ajar. He shoved the gate open the rest of the way, Daichi, who stood outside, so surprised he got hit by those very bars. He ran in the only directions he could, taking in the cavern in a millisecond.
Sakura was leaning against a wall, cuts and bruises covering her body, letting him know Shiro had been hurting her for at least thirty minutes, probably more (A/N There's a skip in time of about thirty minutes between when Sakura's PoV ended and Ryu's PoV began). Shiro was a few feet away, holding a ball that struck horror into Ryu's soul. Crap.
He moved once again without thinking. Ryu dashed forward, getting between Sakura and the ball as Shiro threw it. He knew what it was, unlike Sakura. He braced himself as it collided with him, gas exploding from the ball. Ryu's eyes watered, caused by the gas. He knew what to expect, yet he wasn't even close to being prepared.
He saw everyone he cared about being killed before his eyes, his laughter filling the air as he killed them. It was his own nightmare come true. It was what the ball did. It released a type of gas that forced the target to see their greatest fear. Not only that, but it also caused the mind pain jutsu to activate, which was why Ryu was grabbing his head, trying to force himself not to scream. Not in front of Sakura. He wasn't going to scare her more than she already had to be.
"How'd he wake up," Shiro growled, obviously irritated. He sighed, steps filling the air as he walked toward Ryu. He felt Shiro put his hand on his shoulder, sending chakra into him to release the genjutsu. He was glaring down at him, and Ryu had no doubt if it was anyone else Shiro would use a full out mind pain jutsu for stopping him from hurting Sakura.
"I won't let you hurt her," Ryu gasped out. "I'll stop you."
Shiro laughed, amused by Ryu's courage. "How you going to do that, Sarutobi? You know just how powerful I am."
Ryu nodded, getting shakily to his feet. "Which is exactly why I know how to make you destroy my mind with you mind invasion jutsu," Ryu said.
Shiro's amused expression turned into a grim one in a split second. "You're that willing to save the girl?"
Ryu gave him a curt nod.
Shiro continued to meet Ryu's eyes for a few more moments, sighing after what seemed like eternity. "Daichi, take these two back to their cells. Heal the girl while your at it. We wouldn't want our guest to do anything stupid," he said, glaring pointedly at Ryu.
Daichi was suddenly at Ryu's side, jerking him toward the cell. After that he grabbed Sakura, more carrying her than dragging her to the cell. He shoved Ryu in, almost throwing Sakura to the ground. He healed most of her bad injuries, glancing at Ryu every once in a while.
"What that ball do to you, Ryu?" Sakura asked weakly after Daichi left.
Ryu stared at the bars, both him and Sakura sitting in the corner again. "My greatest fear," he replied, his voice low as he remembered watching the villagers of Konoha being slain by him. "All that blood." Ryu hoped his voice was too low for Sakura to hear, which apparently it was since she didn't question him.
"You knew that, but you still jumped in the way?" Sakura seemed as shock as someone as tired as she had to be could get.
"I told you even if something bad happens, I'll be there to protect you. I'm not taking back that promise," Ryu said. He looked over at her when she didn't ask any questions, noticing the way she would force her eyes not to close. "Go to sleep, Sakura. I won't let them get you again. Trust me."
Sakura didn't say anything. Instead she slipped her hand into his, obviously wanting to know that he was there. For some reason, this seem to reassure her because she finally let her eyes close.
"I swear I'll do anything to protect you, Sakura," Ryu whispered to the sleeping girl. "No matter what that is."