A Couple Steps Back

Chapter 47

Third person pov

"So he'll live, but only if we get him to a hospital." Orochimaru realized aloud as Hidan's abdomen began to swell dangerously. Something was punctured, and if they didn't hurry, whatever it was was going to kill him. Orochimaru knew a lot about the anatomy, but he was certainly no doctor. That's why he'd kept Kabuto around as an assistant. The boy was good, almost as good as Tsunade in his later years.

"W... What?" Shikamaru asked breathlessly, his body shaking as the weight of what was happening crashed down onto him. Naruto ran over while Rasa's dust twisted around Zetsu's mangled body, lifting it. The Hokage stared at Orochimaru, still in shock. Kakashi was the same way. The Hatake wasn't sure how to react. His sensei's son was- well, different. They hadn't been raped which left a huge hole in their story of why they were so... Tightly knit and jacked up physically. And now a rogue sannin was here. Wonderful.

"Get him to a hospital!" Naruto barked out the order with authority that jolted the snake-like man into action. The blonde placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "He'll be alright, Shikamaru. Let's go."

"Now, wait a moment!" The Third snapped from his daze of surprise and thought as Orochimaru hoisted Hidan up. The man's head lolled back limply as the sannin trudged towards the door, determined not to have another death hanging over him. The other time travellers seemed to gravitate after him, ready to race behind him and to the hospital. Kakashi slid in front of the already broken door at his Kage's shout, his mask shining.

"Move." Gaara hissed, his sand lashing out before anyone could react and grabbing the silver haired ANBU and tossing him to the side. The Hokage's mouth fell open as Orochimaru raced out the door, Rasa following behind him with the four tots trailing after him. The Third was left standing alone in his bloody, broken office, save Kakashi who was left groaning on the ground from pain.

Orochimaru huffed as he sprinted right out of the Hokage's building. Now he looked like a homeless man with a dead body which was nice. He guessed it didn't matter. His reputation around here already wasn't all that great. He was sure the only reason he hadn't been apprehended was due to the Kazekage and four kids being him, one of which was covered in blood. The body Rasa carried above their heads probably helped to stun whoever might have stood in their way had they been able to process just what they were seeing.

This was their second chance. They weren't supposed to lose anyone this time around. They were supposed to save everyone, including Hidan, who was now one of their dearest friends. He was a sarcastic, vulgar asshole who cared. And they cared back.

"Call Jiraiya!" The Hokage barked as he exited his trashed office. "And Inu, come with me. I'm sure they're still on their way to the hospital. We need to meet them there. We don't know just what we're dealing with. We'll get Shikaku on the way. W...We'll get Fugaku-san as well!"

Orochimaru made it to the hospital in record time, the threat of another death being his fault looming over his conscience. He'd hurt too many people. He'd killed more than he could count. Children, men, women, having no regard for them or their lives. He'd killed people who were good. Who could have changed the world. He'd done unspeakable things, but things were different now. He was different.

"I need a doctor!" He called, his arms aching from the weight of Hidan's limp body. Panic swelled in the sannin's chest.

"Please!" Shikamaru's voice was hoarse, and a nurse raced out of the double doors only to freeze.

"Get us a gurney." Sasuke hissed, his eyes blazing with desperation and an unspoken fear everyone seemed to share. Blood dripped from Orochimaru's clothes, and the pleading in his golden eyes seemed to jolt the terrified woman into action. She spun around and disappeared back into the hospital, leaving the odd group alone in the deserted lobby.

"He'll be okay." Naruto assured, but even his voice shook. "They'll save him."

"Dammit." Gaara hissed angrily, turning away. His hands flew up to grasp his hair, and he grit his teeth. Rasa stared at the ground with clear defeat. His golden dust floated near the door, bobbing slightly in the air like a balloon. They were so worried about Hidan that they'd nearly forgotten a out Zetsu's words. Someone was out there, and all of them had an inkling as to who. There were very few people Zetsu answered to.

"Here!" A shout rang out, and a gurney crashed through the double doors, sending them banging against the wall. The rolling bed was brought right up to Orochimaru, who set Hidan on it with swift carefulness. The two nurses shied away from him considerably, but still took the gurney nonetheless. "We'll give you an update soon." The nurse said in a hesitant tone. And then, just like that, they were gone.

Everything was happening so fast. Life hopped from moment to moment, never slowing to let them catch up. They struggled to follow it all, their minds muddled.

Orochimaru turned back to the other time travellers with somewhat of a hopeless look. They mirrored it, all of them standing in an odd silence that seemed to stifle their ability to breathe and to think. Their minds reeled as they mulled over all that has just gone down. Their chests were heavy with a pressure that wouldn't be easily lifted, and although they all felt like crying, none of them allowed their eyes to fill with tears.

"Thank you." Shikamaru mumbled suddenly, and then he was hugging Orochimaru, who'd quite possibly saved Hidan's life. The man tensed at first, but eventually bent down to hug him back, eventually lifting the small boy. Naruto, eyes and face void of emotion, shuffled over, Sasuke following closely behind. Orochimaru willingly welcomed them into his arms, holding them all up as though they weighed nothing at all. The sannin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping his friends felt some comfort. Although they were younger now, the bonds they'd formed during the war remained, and Orochimaru felt he was okay. It was all going to be fine.

They'd be fine.

Hidan... would be fine.