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Jane’s legs were like stones – she stopped feeling them long ago. Her lungs were on fire, and she could feel every wheezing breath in her throat. Her heart was hammering, her vision flickering on and off, and her muscles protested every jump, throbbing with incessant pain, but she only gritted her teeth and kept pushing herself off branches.
All her thoughts converged to a single point.
“Faster! Faster!”
With each leap, suffocating waves of chakra grew that much more powerful, and the rage she felt in them became clearer. Jane bit her lips in desperation.
“Just a little bit more… Just a little… JUST A LITTLE MORE! I’LL MAKE IT!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Part 1. Inside
***
“The hell!” Jane cursed under her breath, stepping right into another puddle. “Screw this day!” Jane clenched her teeth, trying to ignore the happy sounds her drenched sneakers were making. Can you blame her for failing, then, if her feet could feel every single drop of that disgusting murky water inside her shoes?
The day was going to be “perfect” – Jane knew it from the very moment she woke up. Or rather, fell from her bed forty minutes before the alarm. She couldn’t go back to sleep, and things only got worse from there: the fridge, just like the shelves, turned out to be empty (fine, not really, but standing over pearl barley for the next forty minutes was out of question), denying her breakfast.
Jane tried her luck with the cupboards, but, as it went with her family, mom hadn’t had time to visit a grocery store, and dad snatched the last bits on the way out. 'How thoughtful of them', Jane wryly thought, eyeing a raw head of cabbage on a windowsill (some things you just can’t fit into the fridge). It didn’t happen very often, but sometimes it did.
Mom had been staying late at work a lot recently, and dad didn’t have a shortage of overtime, either. Today was supposed to be the day they went grocery shopping, wasn’t it? Jane sighed, resigned, and set out to school, grabbing a bottle of water – she would buy some snacks on the way. Or, she always could snag something from Kevin. Her best friend never minded and was always happy to share.
Jane cleared one puddle after another, fighting a restless, uneasy feeling itching beneath her skin. It hadn’t gone away since the moment she woke up, and she didn’t like it one bit.
Her mood wasn’t at an all-time-high to begin with – hunger and lack of sleep made sure of that – and that feeling of doom on top of it completely did her in, making her simmer with bitter hate towards the world. Jane was staring down her feet, pursing her lips and frowning. She could only hope that some time with Kevin would lift her spirits.
She was almost there, when, after hopping over another puddle, Jane suddenly slipped on melted ice and crashed into something back-first. Thanks, March, for bringing people closer together, she thought sarcastically, realizing she hadn’t crashed into something, but rather someone. Jane turned around, prepared to apologize, but an icy voice interrupted her even before she could open her mouth:
“Watch yourself.”
“Huh?” Jane was taken aback, not expecting this. Then, she took a proper look at the person in front of her and her mind froze completely.
Not that she hadn’t seen her share of weird people, mind you. But damn her if that teenager wasn’t the strangest yet. And it wasn’t because of his overly light clothes for spring (though his jacket was a summer cape at best) – no.
“Watch where you’re going.” He elaborated, his gaze making her feel like an idiot.
The problem here was the grim arrogance almost dripping from black eyes.
“Sorry I don’t have eyes on the back of my head.” Jane gritted out, measuring his features with an annoyed glare. Teenager’s eyebrows twitched slightly, as if assessing the amount of gall the other had. And even though Jane expected some kind of retort, he kept silent. Narrowed eyes, pursed lips, lifted chin, and a slightly raised eyebrow – add a crown on top, and he would be a picture-perfect image of a royalty staring down at rabble. Jane seethed. Where do these jerks even come from? And why does she, of all people, have to deal with this one? “What?” she finally bit out, snapping. The brunette turned to face her fully (before he stood half-turned to her, she crashed into him from his back) and tilted his head to the side, looking her up and down with an inquisitive gaze.
“Why aren’t you suppressing your chakra?” Jane gawked. Come again? What did “Naruto” have to do with anything?
“What?” she took another look at the teenager, but didn’t find any obvious signs of schizophrenia (then again, that white shirt under his “coat”…) and decided to clarify: “Chakra?”
“Also a defector?” he completely ignored her question and inquired, closely studying her eyes.
“Defector?” The more time passed, the less Jane understood in this whole situation. Was he talking about school, maybe? “You mean ‘truant’?” Jane tentatively twitched the corner of her lips. The stranger narrowed his eyes – Jane saw a glint of red and ruefully realized that falling from bed in the morning was a sign.
“Who are you?” he eventually asked, fixing ready-to-flee Jane with an unpleasant stare.
“Whoever I may be, I doubt we’ve ever met.” She exasperatedly answered, trying to ditch the guy who, with each passing moment, seemed more and more like a maniac. “Have a nice…”
“Spy?” Her mind went blank for a moment. With that, it became abundantly clear that this teenager had escaped a mental hospital, and his white shirt was, in fact, a straightjacket. Her eye twitched.
“No, I am not a spy. I am your friend, and all of us here”, spreading her arms, she took a look around the street, only to find it was empty, “are also your friends. Do you… feel unwell?” the teenager gave her a such weighted look that Jane quickly understood – she was the only one “unwell” here. She stopped herself from involuntary twitching and found strength to politely ask: “What’s your name?”
The teenager, keeping the raised eyebrow where it was, slowly answered, intently studying the other’s reaction:
“Uchiha… Sasuke”, with these words, his red eyes bore into her, and Jane recognized the sharingan thanks to those black tadpoles on them. She stared silently at Uchiha’s face for a few seconds, and then brightened up in an instant, putting a hand on her chest and letting out a long, relieved breath. That’s what it was! Now it’s clear why he was dressed so weird!
“Ah, Saasuke! Nice to meet you!” Jane cheerfully slapped the teenager’s shoulder. He was clearly puzzled, not expecting this. “I almost thought that you’re… like… you know,” she meaningfully whistled and twirled her finger at her temple. “Can I take a photo with you?” Looking at a stunned teenager, she decided it was better to leave photos for later. “How long have you been doing this for? Who have you cosplayed before? By the way, you really nailed the role!”
Sasuke, his icy gaze fixed onto her, brushed her hand off his shoulder. When he spoke, Jane felt like she was the one spouting nonsense all along, not this lunatic.
“The what? Role?” Jane let out an uneasy chuckle and started slowly backing away, her panic rising.
“You’ve got some serious acting talent!” laughing as she went, Jane continued to retreat, trying her best to do it without the teenager noticing. But today really wasn’t her day, and Uchiha, watching her nervous movements, caught onto her intentions and quickly dashed at her.
Jane stared wide-eyed at Sasuke, who crossed the distance between them in an instant, and bolted away, terrified. When bony fingers trapped her elbow, she lost last doubts she was cursed by somebody. Cold voice came from behind her:
“Where are you going? A spy, aren’t you?” Jane turned around in panic, and when she met a murderous red glare, she nearly howled:
“I’m not! I’m a student! A normal student in a regular school, and if I waste another minute here, I’m going to be late!”
“Student? Are you a genin?” Sasuke tilted his head skeptically, squinting.
‘Are you a cretin?’
“No! A normal. Student. From a normal. School.”
Uchiha was lost in thought for only a second, but that was enough for Jane to hit him in solar plexus and on the back. She glanced gleefully upon “defeated”, as she thought, teenager. She was about to say something along the lines of “you’re too weak”, when he started moving again, and she bolted down the street, shouting profanities.
After she passed a couple of blocks, it dawned on Jane that the school was in the opposite direction. A couple more, and she realized she shouldn’t have quit judo – she’d completely lost her shape. Glancing to the sides, she darted into yet another alleyway. Leaning against a wall, she started greedily gulping down air, knowing – just a little more, and she would certainly collapse. Jane tried to get herself together, but her vision swam, and black spots danced in front of her eyes. Her body felt leaden and refused to listen to her, and her lungs clumped into one big, itching knot.
“Seriously, what is this?..” The day hadn’t even started yet, but the amount of bad luck she’d already had fall on her head this morning was astounding. She was more than a little wary of going to school. Then again, it would be hard to scare or surprise her after all that had happened today…
Jane slowly peeled herself from the wall and trudged on. Immediately, she found a dead end. ‘Just perfect…’ She cast a gloomy glance at a grey brick wall. It was covered with moss and mold, and its corners were hidden in darkness. One of the corners was littered with some boxes, and the second was completely empty, as if it had been specifically raked for something. “They’ve gone through it here too, bastards. Why am I even surprised? Nothing new, am I right?” She snorted and, with a sour face, trudged to find the way back. She was already too late for school, that much was certain – but at least she should go home. Might as well skip at this point: it wouldn’t get any worse, anyway.
Or it would.
Jane blinked, perplexed, when she saw a shadow ahead. Then suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck bristled. It was him. She could only watch as his silhouette grew clearer in the alleyway’s shadows. As he approached, it became painfully clear she had nowhere to run.
“Hello…” she smiled awkwardly, trying to act friendly, even though the atmosphere was anything but. “It would seem like there was a misunderstanding…”
The figure came fully into view, and now Jane could see just how pissed Uchiha was. She began reciting prayers in her head, despite not remembering any of them.
“Was there?” the teenager’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. “As I see it…” he coldly narrowed his eyes, and Jane understood her prayers weren’t heard, “…you understood me just fine.” he spat at Jane’s face, appearing right next to her, and shoved her into the wall’s empty corner. To her surprise, the corner was much further than she anticipated, and instead of pitch darkness, she saw a clear blue sky.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Suffocating.
The air was thick and damp, so much that Jane could feel it in her lungs. It made breathing twice as hard, and even the wind didn’t help. Jane lifted her head and looked around.
The first thing that registered was a massive forest. The towering beech trees made a giant crescent, their highest branches swaying in the wind and reaching towards the sky. Their rich green crowns shone crimson in the sunset, shimmering, as if they were bleeding. Closer to her, the ground was littered with emerald spindle shrubs – thick, low bushes looking like lush brooms. Jane recognized them thanks to her Estonian aunt - she kept a winter garden. Above them, bright pink magnolias bloomed in the undergrowth. Their thin branches didn’t have any leaves this early in the year, and yet they were completely covered in white-raspberry flowers, from trunks to the very tips.
Jane couldn’t make any sense of what just happened. Where did the city go? Where did “Sasuke” go? He was there just a moment ago… Or was he? She took in her surroundings.
Quiet. Calm. Cozy. Could it be that she’d just fallen asleep here?
Jane glanced at the soft grass sticking up between her fingers. It felt like even the grass blades were full of water – the air was just that heavy. Though aside from that, this place seemed rather nice. The insects chirped quietly; the birds trilled around. Jane instantly pictured a picnic, despite herself: forest, silence, a boundless sky above, a modest fire and a blanket to sit and play cards… That left a single issue.
She didn’t recognize this place. It looked nothing like Estonia’s forests.
Jane stood up, feeling her heart thump anxiously.
Everything was silent. Too silent.
She heard a rustle behind her; it sounded like something scraped a stone. Jane whirled around.
There was an ugly, misshapen crevice gaping between two rocks. It looked like a doorway into a dark basement, but with no door on its hinges; it oozed cold, sticky terror into the air. The rustle repeated.
The crevice was wide – Jane’s mind was swarming with theories of what could be inside. Jane squinted into the heart of the “basement”, but saw nothing. Her hands slowly grew cold, but the darkness was strangely inviting – swallowing, Jane took a step, hand outstretched.
A low rumbling came from the depths of the cliff. Jane froze. The sound reminded her of a slow awakening of something gigantic. Jane backed away, glancing at her sides. Not a soul. Her gaze returned to the crevice - the rumble had to have come from there.
Jane cautiously approached the crevice. The noise returned to her ears.
No doubts left: something was in there. Jane frowned, straining to see, then tore off her backpack and started sifting through it. The grinding noise was quickly closing in - a shiver ran down her spine. As soon as she found her phone, she threw her hand forward, illuminating the cave entrance.
The dim light came too late: all it did was reveal giant horizontal jaws, wide open on a flat head. Jane recoiled, and an enormous centipede scurried right past her, claws thundering on the cliffside.
Jane was completely still.
Scolopendra. There was no mistaking it. An ugly, reddish-orange scolopendra stood before her, its mandibles twitching and venom dripping from its legs. It stood on its hind half – the rest of it was hanging over Jane, casting its large, heavy shadow over her. Light danced on the brown spikes everywhere on the massive body, and sharp yellow claws impatiently upturned the soil beneath it.
‘Oh God, where did this thing even come from?’ Jane couldn’t move a finger, petrified. She knew she had to run, but her feet were glued to the ground. For several moments, Jane just stared at the reared up scolopendra, the giant insect doing the same. Scolopendra was the first to move. In just a heartbeat, its numerous eyes converged on the girl, its jaws opened wide, and its whole body coiled – it was going to lunge. ‘RUN!’ she bolted in the opposite direction, but was knocked off balance and fell.
There was a deafening ‘crack’, followed by loud clanging and high-pitched screeching, but by the time Jane managed to raise her head off the ground, the noises were gone. When she stood up fully, the scolopendra was speedily skittering away, brushing past trees and bushes. She watched as the insect disappeared in the forest, and the thought that this monster will linger around, somewhere out there, made her stomach churn.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jane jumped up at the sight of the schizophrenic from earlier. So it wasn’t a dream?!
Jane backed up, glaring at the pale, arrogant face with hostility. She heard a hint of irritation in the ice of his voice – the girl flared up. How dare he talk to her like this! Jane was about to put him in his place, but clenched her jaw at the last moment. If it really wasn’t a dream, she needed answers.
“Who are you,” she pronounced loud and clear, retreating to a safe distance, “and what is this place?” the teenager arched an eyebrow, observing her movements. It was almost like she thought a few feet were going to save her.
“You don’t know?” he threw coldly.
That did it.
“One might think I wouldn’t ask if I already knew. Or are gods on Olympus having a day off, and they won’t stoop to aid mere mortals?”
Sasuke’s eyebrow visibly twitched(Jane felt vengeful satisfaction), but, aside from that, he remained just as calm as before.
“For mortals like you, gods always have a day off. As does everybody else, for that matter.”, he answered.
What a bastard. Jane’s face contorted with anger, but she refrained from retaliating and growled, biting out every word:
“Who. Are. You. And where. Are. We.”
Uchiha shifted his gaze and lazily gestured with his head towards the crevice.
“You know what it is?”
Jane jerked in surprise. So it wasn’t just her – there was something about this cave!
“Someone’s lair?” the girl drawled, gaze switching from the cave entrance to “Sasuke” and back.
His eyes completely iced over, becoming hopeless. Jane understood that her perceived IQ successfully breached single digits. Her face flushed red with shame.
“Who cares what it is? I asked you ‘where are we’, plain and simple - what does the rock have to do with it?!” Jane barked irritably.
“In the Fire Country,” Uchiha snorted. “Feeling better?”
Jane’s body went rigid, and a fiery “yes” got stuck in her throat. What did he just say? Fire… Country? Ah, it all made sense now. Jane’s expression cleared.
“Ha-ha, very funny”, she grimaced, poison in her voice, “I get it now, even without your ravings, thank you very much. This,” Jane pointed at the crevice, “is a passage to an underground lab, and you pushed me inside when you threw me into the wall corner - that’s the entrance, - and everything around us is CGI. Been there, done that.”
Judging by his face, Sasuke was seriously considering rolling his eyes, but didn’t want to spoil his image. Jane walked past Uchiha, leaving him behind, hopefully for good. This time, she was ready for the rumbling noise from the cave.
“You got a deathwish?” The cold question made her want to leave even more, if anything. Jane ignored the teenager, and bravely stepped into the dark.
…She didn’t really understand what happened – one moment, she was fine, the next she felt sharp pain all over her body, as if she was being skinned. A pained shriek - hers, as it turned out - pierced her ears. Then, everything stopped.
“How did you like it?” Jane blearily opened her eyes, and her gaze
immediately latched onto “Sasuke”, standing nearby.
“It was your doing, wasn’t it?” she growled, lifting herself on her elbows.
“Not letting your body blow up into tiny shreds?” Uchiha grinned, “Yes, that was me.”
Jane gulped.
Shreds?
“What do you mean?” Sasuke looked at her with an unreadable expression, then snatched a passing snake by its tail and threw it into the crevice. Snake hissed, but didn’t react in time to bite the human: in a blink of an eye, its body exploded, showering surroundings in strips of skin and shredded innards. A few drops of blood fell on Jane’s face, and she flinched, tucking her head into her shoulders.
What just… How did he do that?
“Wha… what happened?” the girl barely squeezed out. Her voice trembled from strain, cracking every other word.
“That’s what you avoided just now.”
Jane paled.
“That’s nonsense… Why… did that happen?”
“Because the cave,” Sasuke glanced at the crevice, “is overflowing with dense energy. If you don’t know how to handle it, it will tear apart just about anything that steps inside.” The girl opened her mouth, but no words came out of it. For a few seconds she silently looked into the darkness filling the cave.
“But that centipede… It crawled out of here, I saw it,” Jane muttered, perplexed. “Why didn’t it die, too?”
“Because it went out, not in,” Uchiha sounded bored. He had obviously had enough of being a walking manual, and he didn’t bother to hide it. Jane stoically ignored all the hints.
“But energy?..”
“Energy’s there.”
“What?..”
Uchiha stayed silent, taking off his jacket.
“Sasuke?” Jane called cautiously.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” he replied dispassionately, straightening his shirt.
And yet, what a bastard. Anger bubbled within her. Jane instantly bristled and sprang up from the ground.
“Exactly! You haven’t explained anything! You dragged me here, mumbled about some ‘energy’, killed a snake, and now you just shut your trap and refuse to elaborate!”
“And I don’t have to elaborate. You have any objections, go ahead. This place is full of scavengers, anyway.” Uchiha replied phlegmatically, folding his jacket.
“Are you kidding? I want to go home, you jerk! I need to be at school, there are people waiting for me there! How do I get back? Where’s the way out?”
“Right in front of you.”
“But there’s only the cave in front of me.”
“Astounding observation.” Sasuke snorted.
“Stop making fun of me!” Jane flared up. “What do you want from me?”
“Me? Nothing.”
Sasuke’s eyes oddly glinted, and Jane felt dread squeeze her neck.
“But?..”
“But you’re coming with me.”
Jane’s eyes grew round.
“What?” Sasuke didn’t bother replying. Jane choked on air. “Why would I come with you?! There are people waiting for me in school! My parents don’t know anything!
Sasuke looked at her with a ticked-off expression, his eyes growing colder. Jane’s jaw twitched with anger.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Have it your way.” Sasuke calmly rose and unsheathed his katana. Jane recoiled.
“What are you doing?!”
“You don’t want to come with me. All it means is that I’ll have to drag you.”
Sasuke was so calm, it became clear: he wasn’t bluffing. Jane felt a chill spread inside her.
“Why… You don’t even know me… Why do you need me?” Sasuke remained silent – evidently, he had had enough of this bickering. Jane didn’t like how he looked at her and behaved in general. He never explained who he was, where they were and how they got there – he only demanded.
‘If only I could just ditch him,’ Jane grimly thought, eyes on the sword’s edge. ‘But how? The only cover here is that cave which can kill me, and I won’t outrun him in the forest.’
There was a myriad of thoughts in her head, but the outcome was already decided, it seemed. Sasuke kept his katana out and bare, and the calluses on his hands suggested he knew how to wield it.
“And where are we going?” Jane finally said, glaring through lowered brows.
“Somewhere that is not here. Did it help?” unbelievable, how much poison can fit in a single person…
“No.” Jane coldly answered. Silence stretched, and each passing second made it clearer that there was only one real option from the start.
She had no chances. He had his sword, while she had only a backpack, not even a pepper spray in it. Even if this maniac didn’t know what he was doing, just swinging that thing around would do the trick – it would still be a deadly hazard. And even if she managed to flee, she didn’t have a clue about where she was and how she’d gotten here.
Okay, the choice was obvious. At least she could try to clarify some things.
“Fine,” the girl let out a breath, “I’ll come with you. But first, tell me where we are. I have never heard of Fire Country.”
Sasuke shrugged.
“It’s because you couldn’t. We are not in your world anymore.” He said calmly.