| [Jun. 3rd, 2009|10:25 pm] |
Double vision with only one eye was always a unique experience. Kakashi had been getting it on and off for the last fifty miles, whenever he canted the fragile balance of water-rations-chakra pills into an off-kilter place between too much and not enough. It took him a shocked moment to realize that that thrumming pulse of chakra wasn't his. And that the Ginta running next to him, strong and lean and proud, was the real mirror-image copy of the man in his arms, and not some delusion brought on by too much movement and not enough sleep.
He skidded to a halt and almost gave at the knees, stopping dead for the first time since the river. The clone caught him by the elbow.
Kakashi yanked away, panting hard.
"You stupid--" he began. But the jerky movement--both of them--had ripped straight through Ginta. He tensed, stiffening in Kakashi's hold like steel bent to the breaking point, and groaned deep in his throat.
Kakashi felt his grip slip.
The clone got there before he did, catching Ginta's shoulders, sliding a hand beneath Ginta's knees, pulling him away before Kakashi could readjust. He let go; there was no choice, unless he wanted to turn Ginta's wrecked body into a tug-of-war toy. The clone employed a bit of flexibility only seen in ninja circles, somehow getting Ginta up and onto its back without ever quite releasing its grip or yanking on a shattered limb. Kakashi would've been able to do that--a few hours ago.
He dropped his hands to his sides, re-catching his centre of balance. His chest heaved, sweat trickled down overheated skin beneath the double-cover of armour and stolen clothes. He ripped the second shirt off--it was long past doing anything useful to mask his scent--and shoved it into a hip-pouch until he could find somewhere to discard it.
The clone watched him with bright blue eyes, like chips of mountain sky. Over its shoulder, Ginta's bruised, agonized gaze struck like a blade. He looked frail.
Kakashi dragged a shaking hand through his hair, feeling impossibly light and infinitely tired, and shook himself back into movement, picking up the run again. After a beat, the clone followed, loping along by his side with an easy, smooth stride.
It could go faster.
Kakashi snarled, bringing Hoshika and Shouma to his side in an instant. "Take the dogs and go ahead. You'll get to the safehouse before I can." |
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