Chapter Seven: Set it on Fire

Hitomi was jolted awake. And everyone was looking at her. She felt groggy and confused--mostly because she was wet. They were all wet. The further the boat got the thicker the mist was. Goosebumps arose on her flesh. Because, from the way they were looking at her, she thougt she might have something to do with this. Naruto was the first to speak.

"Are you okay, Hitomi?" He gently placed his hand on her shoulder in what was supposed to be, she guessed, a comforing gesture. She didn't know why she wouldn't have been okay.

"Why are we wet?" They were drenched. And now she knew it hadn't rained. She was sure that would have woken her. Hitomi was almost positive the dream she had had was what had woke her so suddenly, as it must have scared her. But she couldn't quite remember what it had been about. Mana was there. But Mana was there most nights she dreamt. Vaguely, she had rememebered Sakura's face as well. The rest was lost to her. Naruto stared at her. Hard.

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"You screamed and then a wall of water flooded the boat. You did it." Hitomi seached all of their faces. Looking for answers she knew they could not give her, as they were probably seeking the same from her. How the fuck did she do that?

She didnt speak again until they made landfall. And even then she tried to refrain from speaking. She was a mixture of muddled feelings and she was scared. It was pretty obvious now how little she really knew about even herself. She had followed in her parents' footsteps in becoming a shinobi in hopes that it would help her feel close to them. That maybe if she became like them, it would help her understand just exactly who they were as people. It had been a long while since she thought of her parents and how their sudden departure from her life left her feeling more alone and empty than she had ever felt before. Nothing was left behind to give her clues of where they had come from or if she had any other family. They weren't exactly the kind of people that talked about that sort of thing, at least, not with her.

Growing up, her parents were always busy with missions. Both high ranking jounins, they were often away. Even when home they were busy with one thing or another, leaving very little time for Hitomi. They showed up for her in the areas that they could, and from she could remember, they weren't bad parents. But she was so young, she could hardly even remember their faces. Hitomi never got the chance to train with them, even, so whatever jutsu they could have passed on, were lost to her forever.

One of the few things she did manage to know was that her parents were killed in action by one of the Bloody Mist shinobi, Zabuza Momochi, a former member of the Seven Swordsmen, and a rogue shinobi. She had seen his picture in the bingo book. But that was as much as she knew.

Everyone was quiet as they walked the path, with Tazuna in the middle and a member of Team Seven on each side of him. Naruto wasn't as chatty as he usually was, catching sly glances towards Hitomi. She knew what they must be thinking. She caught Sakura giving her uneasy glances as well and it made Hitomi feel like hiding. Sasuke still paid her no mind.

They must think I had something to do with my team dying. She didn't want to assume, but she couldn't help but wonder herself. Strange things happen around her when she sleeps. When she dreams. And she couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault too. Or maybe if she had been around, could she have help prevented Team Thirteen from dying. Should I be dead too?

What did anyone have against genin anyway? They weren't very far from their village at all, assuming they were in a safe place. Why kill Mana and Kin? Kazue, she could understand maybe. She was a long standing jounin and probably made plenty of enemies a long the way. But the other two? What was the reason?

The air around them was stiff and heavy, Hitomi could feel the pressure on her chest, almost making it hard to breathe. She could feel something coming, she just didn't know what that something could be. Her eyes followed Kakashi's movements, even as he walked without a care, she could tell his senses were alert. Hitomi guessed his carefree attitude was just a front, and that he was always alert and aware of his surroundings. A true jounin.

It was quiet. Almost too quiet. Hitomi noticed she no longer heard the chitters of the forest animals, nor the sway of the leaves in the trees. Her heart began to beat faster with anticipation and her palms grew sweaty. A kunai flew past her ear and it's like everything around her slowed down.

Sakura jumped closer to Tazuna, a kunai reaady and in a defensive stance. Naruto immediately jumped to the front, ready to dive into action. Sasuke's eyes fell to the trees, searching for the culprit. Hitomi's breath quickened, as she reached for a kunai, mist beginning to surround them. She was determined not to falter this time. She was determined to protect her teammates at all costs.

She heard his chuckle before she saw his face, what she could see of it that was. He was wrapped in bandages, just his black beady eyes showing. And they were cold. The eyes of a killer, the eyes she had dreamed about for so many nights they were etched into her memory; eyes she would never forget. He stood in a tree not even one hundred meters away from them, yet she heard his chuckle as if he stood right behind her. Almost as if she could feel him breathing on the back of her neck.

Zabuza Momochi.

Hitomi had dreamt of this day for many a moon. But never would she have guessed it would have come so soon. Never when she felt she was still so weak. She dreamt of avenging her parents for as long as she could remember, the man that stole her life from her so close, taunting her with those beady black eyes. She vaguely heard Kakashi yell at them to stay back. But Hitomi's body moved on its own. Before Naruto or Sasuke or even Kakashi could react, she was runninng. Her head was hot and she could feel heat pulsing through her body. Heat, and then ice. Before she knew it, she was weaving signs without even thinking about it. Everything around her moved in slow motion and all she could feel was the cold. And then there was ice, in the shape of needles, aimed at the enemy. Hitomi didn't know what she was doing, but she knew she couldn't stop. And she couldn't afford to die.

She sent over a dozen needles in his direction, as snow gently fell to the ground. He deflected it easlily with his sword, of course. And before she could take another step, he was suddenly standing before her. She could almost tell he was smiling. "A Taki, huh? That sure brings back memories." His chuckle was like a knife in her throat and she lunged, kunai in hand, aiming for his throat. And then there was pain.

He must have hit her in the chest, but he was too fast for Hitomi to see. They was a whisper of her name and she flew back, feeling tree bark bite into her back and the back of her head. And from then, it was chaos as her teammates jumped into action, Kakashi engaging the man, pushing him back to where the lake was. Hitomi's whole body felt heavy, like her blood was lead and she couldn't move anymore.

"Hitomi!"