Uzumaki

One

I wake up to a woman screaming for help.

"Yuki, why aren't you helping me?" A woman begging tears me from my sleep. I lower my extended hand and lay it over my racing heart.

That was new. Was that a memory or just a nightmare? I ponder as I take long and deep breaths to calm down. I realized I had summoned my chains. I pull them back and untangle myself from my bed sheets.

I get dressed and make my way outside, if I'm not going to sleep I might as well bury the dead.

"You don't have to do this alone," a voice disturbs the only other noise of the night.

I stop tossing dirt and look up, a red-haired Uzumaki appears a few feet before me.

"I didn't choose to be here alone," i look at the pile of bodies. Then the pile of body pieces; I resume digging.

How did things end up like this?

Two nights ago my family was arguing about where to go eat first at the festival.

Everything was perfect. My parents got our family matching kimonos my father had been begging for years.

"I'll help."

"Grab a shovel, this is just the beginning," I work to keep my mind present.

I don't want to think about it, I'm just digging.

"Yuki?" I stop when I realize who it is.

I turn around and my heart drops, "I forgot-" I hiccup as I release a sigh of relief.

I stop after two steps, "Dad is gone grandma," I hiccup and they nod.

"They're all gone," I slip out and once I do I can't stop.

"It was a festival and I really wanted caramel candy," I pause as I recall chasing my brother as he ran away after returning with a half eaten dessert.

'You. - you - you traitor! You didn't even want to go to food stand!' Yuki cries at the horror of her half eaten food.

'Kyro come back here!

"I wanted to see the fireworks and we agreed to meet for the show. Kia and I took a detour to get sweets. I really wanted a candy apple," I speak softly.

Nothing left for me to do, "he ran from me when he left me a half eaten plate. The sound of explosions stopped my chase," I say to them.

"I really wanted to see the show. I told Kai I'd forgive him for eating my food if he got us to the ground. He agreed and we rushed off," I say as the sounds of blasts get louder.

"It was fine at first we held them off across the water, but we'd kill three and four more would appear and they were from different villages each time. They were all here," I lower the shovel and sit down.

"When we had more wounded than fighting - i was called out to pull back as many injured to a safe zone and when i returned we were at the city limits and they were at the waters shore," I speaks softly before losing all emotion.

"Did you know the Uzumaki chakra has healing ablities but if used excessively one can die."

"When our healers could save you were turned to a chakra pod as I call it, and you were drained of your chakra so it could be given to a fighter."

"When they finally breached the front I grabbed Ky and ran out of there. We hand a fighting chance inside the city at that point."

"They came from everywhere, Fire, water. My foot was steaked by an ice shard jutsu. I torched everyone behind me, and healed as I ran," I look at the dead bodies.

How many were killed by the enemy and how many by them?

"If we were betrayed by the other nations does that mean war is coming?" I ask after a while.

"They killed everyone, men, women and child. It didn't matter, grandmother. They're all gone. It's just me now. Kai died yesterday morning. Im sorry you missed him," I speak to the trees.

"A poisoned Kunai," I speak softly.

"It was just a cut on the shoulder."

My grandmother hugs me from behind, "oh Yuki. I'm so sorry you had to deal with this."

"I'm sorry too. I wish I hadn't survived," I mention all my wounds.

"Yet not one was poisonous."