Beyond The Stars (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 110~ Trust

Angst time baby! I promise we'll get into the more Naruto plot soon, but I am having fun with Kritanta interacting as a citizen again. Also extra long chapter ;)

"Greetings?" Instinctively I bowed my head to the group, unsure of how I should be presenting myself right now. I felt a slight pain in my chest of uneasiness. A hand collided with my back, pulling me back upwards. "Oh relax, I'll leave you kids be. Don't destroy my office~!" 

"Is that really wise Tsunade?" I heard Shizune call after the blonde lady, I assumed she had led the rookie ten here. The change in her mood was really something. 

"Glad to see you still alive!" The voice was deeper than I previously remembered but it was still familiar in many ways. "Kiba?" 

"You bet! It sure has been a while!" My feet moved subconsciously as I felt their gazes on me. My legs collided with the desk as my hands supported me. "It has..." 

"How have you been?"

"Shizune kind of fill us in." 

"You are so youthful Astara-San!" 

My chest began to move at a quicker pace. My breathing growing. My heart rate peaked as I went to pull at the choker that was restricting my airflow. 

"What happened to your eyes?" 

"Did you cut your hair, I thought it used to be a lot longer?" 

"Was it cool that you got to be like a spy and all?" 

Shit, what's happening to me. I let out a loud breath and suddenly their blabbing stopped. What was happening to me? Why was I acting so irrationally? "S-sorry," My voice hiccuped as my mouth struggled to form words.  

"Are you okay Tanta?" That was Sakura's voice, but her calming tone towards me felt like everybody was starring at me. Why was it so difficult to breathe? 

"I- I can't bre-ath." My hands tugged at the choker with little force. I felt her hands grab mine and hold them at my side. "Are you sure you want that off?" 

Nodding was all I could muster as I felt her unclasp the fabric, but the restricting feeling was still present. My ears seemed to make the silence deafening. "Shikamaru keep her hands away from her throat." 

Her gentle hands were replaced with two semi calloused ones. I felt her hands be placed on my back as I felt a warm glow emitting from them. "Tanta I need you to calm down, you're having a panic attack." 

"W-what do I do?" My voice still came out ragged as I tried to tug my hands out of Shikamaru's grasp. "Do you want me to take off the bandages? Will seeing help you?" 

Not wanting my voice to fail me again, I just nodded. Was I really this weak, breaking down at the mere thought of everyone just looking at me. She worked diligently as she removed the white cloth. My breathing slowed as I concentrated on allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the room. 

Shikamaru was crouched down in front of me. In the short time I had managed to get myself on the ground, my side pressed to the desk. Sakura's hands were now latched onto my shoulders, sending comfort. 

"I think I'm okay now." Shikamaru nodded and stood up, helping me to my feet. It was now I realized the sheer amount of people still inside the office, but it didn't seem as suffocating. Turning on my heels I faced the lingering gazes. 

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that." My words came out regularly but I couldn't seem to tell how they were reacting. My vision was too blurry to make out their faces, but I could make out their figures rather easily.