~~A little warning: this chapter contain description of a panic attack- might be a trigger for some people. Please keep that in mind while reading. ~~

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Scarlet groaned silently. His bed was awfully uncomfortable and weirdly cold. It was feeling like lying on ground, with rocks and twigs digging into skin on his sore back.

Why there is so much noise around...

He tried to open eyes but those didn't seem to listen to his will at all. Whole his body was stiff and incredible heavy. And every part of it was starting to hurt, asthat thick cloud of sleepines was slowly passing away from his mind.

This isn't my bed...

Scarlet tried to move hand to face, to rubb off all the awfull dreams and open eyes but sudden sharp pain in his right arm, made all sleepiness pass at once.

He was lying on a cold ground, barely able to lift head, to see what was going on around him. Blurred vision cleared eventualy and he realized, he was still near the house in the forest.

But now, whole this place was an after-battle scenery- nearest trees and side of the house were on fire, ground was marked with deep rifts, like if some giant animal carved them with deadly claws.

What is all this... what happened...

Familiar voices from behind rung in his ears. He tried to lift himself to sit up, fighting with dull pain in muscles.

Scarlet had rised head and his eyes widened, meeting blade of katana pointed at him.

'Don't... dare to... move.'

Fire-nin tried to focus sight on Midnight's face- being even more pale th*ual, with nasty, bleeding cut on side of forehead. His protector and cape were missing. His voice was shaking, same as the arm holding sword.

'Midnight?... What's going on...'

Blade, still pointed at him, lowered down a little.

"Midnight, it's ok now, look at him.'

Crimson's voice made Scarlet turn and he noticed earth-nin sitting there together with Azure over Breeze lying unconscious on ground. All three of them also had signs of battle they went through on their clothes and bodies.

'Wha... what happened here? Did that guy attacked us? Where is he?' Scarlet noticed Azure was drying off tears from her cheek. 'Is B-breeze ok?... Azure?...'

'Uhhh... she will be fine...I...I just need to calm down... and focus.'

'Why are you-'

'Scarlet...' Midnight's voice, this time less shaken, interrupted his question. 'it was you... who attacked us.'

'What are you saying...' Scarlet's eyes got wider again. Something big and very dark seemed to appear in his chest, suddenly making it harder to breathe.

Midnight hid his katana with slow move of arm. he closed eyes for a moment, looking like if about to faint.

'He told you to attack us.' he spoke again, opening eyes but avoiding Scarlet's face. 'At first it looked like if you were working with him... you were talking and smiling at him like at friend.'

Scarlet's mind was a blurry mess of thoughts. Weight in his chest was getting painful. All he remembered was crystal orb in his hands and darkness.

Distant voice of that man, saying some words he couldn't understand... and his own laughter...

'That's not true! I... I would never... want to hurt... a-anyone of you... I-' his voice broke with choking pain, growing in his chest with every breath. tears started to gather in his eyes, making his vision even more blurry.

It's a bad dream... just that... I would never... not them...

'You are all... this team is... all I have...' he continued, looking at Azure healing still unconscious Breeze.

Midnight got closer to him and reached hand to help him get up.

'I know.' he said quietly when other boy grabbed his hand. 'he somehow managed to control you, I guess... but also... there had to be somehting else too...' he paused for a moment. 'It took all of us and 3 other ANBU members to knock you down. But mostly it was thanks to your chakra running out it seems.'

Scarlet stared at him, not understanding. He was a very good ninja, smart and skilled, and with many tricks up his sleeves- but... all of them having such problems to defeat him?

'That's impossible...'

He looked around at all damages and his friends in such state.

...crystal orb, pulsing with energy in his hands and cracks inside it getting into some shape, filled with blood-red light... scream of pain and his laughter...

'Guys, we will talk later.' Crimson stood next to Midnight, just in time to prop him up, when younger boy swayed on legs, visibly tired by fight and lose of blood.

Scarlet looked up at his best friend. Even his face was marked with pain.

Even him was avoiding looking straight into Scarlet's eyes.

Holded back tears made their way down his face.

I had hurt them all so much...

I always wanted to protect them... for it to... to be family...

Scarlet grabbed shirt on his own chest, like if that could lessen that awful pain inside.

It was so easy to make me do it... I'm weak... failure...

He was fighting for every breath. Couldn't hear anything beside his own loud and fastening heart beat, when scraps of visions and thoughts from the fight, started to flash in his head.

...to kill them...

Distant, echoing laugher was last thing he heard before he fell on knees and into warm and thick darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~

One of wooden houses, hidden in the forest, was their shelter now, for the time of recovery. With a help of ANBU members, who came back to group from unsuccessful chase after mysterious opponent, all of them got transported to this temporary base.

House was larger and it had two rooms- in one of them Azure was taking care of other girl, with help of Crimson.

Scarlet was sitting alone, on a sofa in other room- all currled up, with chin leaned on his knee.

His right arm was hurting badly, even though Azure healed it a bit already- but when he noticed she still has problems with conentrating chakra, he told her to stop and take care of herself first.

He apologized few times and every time he heard that it's not his fault.

That didn't really make the feeling of guilt lessen much. He couldn't get over of how easy he lost to that guy, how much all of his skills and years of training as a ninja, failed.

Seeing so much fear in the eyes of friends, looking at him when he woke up there after battle, was the worst expierence since he became a part of this team.

Door to the room opened and Midnight together with one of ANBU came in, continuing the talk they started outside.

'We don't have much choice but to head back to Konoha and report failed mission.' Midnight sighed, then gazed at Scarlet, who turned head away in reponse. For a moment he was staring at fire-ni in silence, then continued to other man.

'You two can go right away- the faster we get some help with this all, the better. As for others- I don't think we are able to travel today. So, we will stay and maybe we can find some more clues here.'ANBU member nodded shortly and dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

Midnight looked again at currled up ball of misery on sofa. He took a deep breath and walked closer. Grabbed a chair on the way, placed it in front of other boy and sat down, crossing his arms on chest.

'How long are you planning to be like this?' he asked, trying his best to make his voice to not sound harsh and cold. 'It's freaking me out seeing you so quiet and all down.'

No response for a moment, irritated him a tiny bit.

'I'm not feeling well.' Scarlet answered quietly, after a moment of silence.

He didn't look at other boy, so Midnight leaned forward and pulled his leg down, forcing him to do so.

'Listen...' he continued, catching gaze of red eyes. 'Nobody here really blame you for anything that happened, so stop with that self-blaming and get yourself together.'

'I just...'

'That situation caught us all off guard and we went through small hell thanks to your genjutsu- that's why everyone was like that at first but really... it's not your fault but that guy who controled you.' he paused for a moment. 'I know... we all do- how much this team means to you.'

Scarlet sniffled and turned head away again but Midnight could see that small change of light in his eyes.

'And if that was so easy for him...' he spoke out again. '...and you are one of the most skilled ninjas when it comes to things like this, who I know- means heis * dangerous and seems that he might be hostile toward Konoha. Pull yourself together- we need all the information we can get about all this.'

Scarlet looked up at him again.

"Ok... I will try.'

'If you need hugs or something- then go to Azure and Crimson. I'm not good at this...' Midnight added with a stressed look , which brought a small smile on Scarlet's face.

To the relief of Midnight, other boy relaxed a bit after that and started talking about everything he remembered and knew.

'So... you think it's somehow linked to your clan?'

'I'm not 100% sure but I saw those symbols already and that orb... ugggh... I can't describe it but it gave out a familiar vibe.'

Midnight went back to bit blurry memories of a fight.

'It was like if that thing took some of our chakra... Is it some kind of wepon?'

'I don't have idea...' Scarlet tried to focus on scraps of informations floating in his hurting head.

'it took your chakra... and boosted mine...' he slowly started to put all he knew into one, more solid theory.

'That could be it. It would explain why all of you had such problems with me. What if that guy was testing it that way...'

Scarlet started to walk around the room

'I don't know what exactly it is and how it's connected to my clan but orb was sealed in a chest by someone from it. I saw those symbols only in one place beside this- and it was at old house of my family. And if this was done by a certain clan- might be that there was need for someone connected by blood to open it again. This guy knew it and had to bring me here.' he paused for a moment. 'That means he was the one who send mission request to our captain and probably he didn't controlled just me... That's why details of mission got suddenly changed. That's why everything went so easy with those robbers. Not sure what he is planning to do with that thing but better warn Konoha. Maybe someone from there know something more.'

Midnight sighed loudly, closing his eyes.

'I hate when easy money turns out to be a mission to save the world...'

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