Endless

The story that clears the third roadblock for @kakairu-rocks Maze Challenge: Teleported to Another World AU.

Summary: Iruka didn't know how he got there, but he was standing back to back to back with Kakashi and Sakura. Enemies kept appearing on the other side of the bridges in endless waves.

🐬 🌸 🐺

Iruka didn't know how he got there. One moment, he was sitting at his desk at the academy, the next, he was standing, back to back to back with Kakashi and Sakura, strange weapons in his hands. No matter that he hadn't seen them before, ‘weapon’ was a look he recognized anywhere. They were in… an arena? A flat, open floor. A centre stage accessed only by bridged, narrow pathways. Lights were on the bridges, but not elsewhere. He looked up. There was some kind of buzzing, hovering… things. They looked like a streamlined, flying version of the daimyo’s cameras.

The feeling of an icepick to his brain. If it wasn't for a lifetime of training, he'd have dropped the weapons. Then, in an instant, he knew what the weapons were, how they worked, where they were… what they needed to do.

Just in time for the first wave of foes to appear on the other side of the bridge.

He fired in an instant, just a touch of chakra creating a projectile. And again. And again. And again. His… enemies… exploded, each shot taking out a group. The waves were endless, barely a moment to take a deep breath between them. Iruka caught glimpses of skeletons, and things that were skeletal, but… wrong. Some creatures looked like bear summons, but they stood on two legs and threw bombs.

Iruka didn't understand why he wasn't dead already from the poisons the bombs released when they broke open. Then he was struck by an arrow, and it disappeared. WTF? In his confusion, his shots faltered, and he was hit by two more. He gathered himself to ignore the pain—he didn't want to die—and kept firing.The ache remained… for a moment… and the wound closed.

There was healing energy coming from Sakura in a continuous flow. She was healing them. He did his best to expand his awareness from the foes in front of him, letting his weapons fire automatically, and now he felt the rumble of earth (but there was no ‘earth’ here. Sakura must be creating it with chakra, as he was his own projectiles) and a crackle in the air of Kakashi casting lightning bolt after lightning bolt.

There were more enemies, coming faster and faster. They were harder to kill now, too. He had to fire more than once to kill each creature. He took more hits from their arrows and bombs. Now there were ghouls getting close enough to drain his chakra and energy. He heard grunts from both Kakashi and Sakura taking hits. Sakura’s healing wasn't keeping up anymore.

The first creature reached the centre. It swung a sword at him. Iruka didn't have anything to block it! Not even a kunai! He dodged to the side and shot the skeleton three times in the head. It exploded into ash before it could swing again. Iruka knew that it was only a matter of time before he died. Before Kakashi died. Before Sakura died.

He dodged again, and his foot came in contact with a bottle dropped by the creature. He knew, like he had with the weapons, that it would heal him, if only he had a moment to open it. As if wishing made it so, it opened and released its healing powers. Iruka felt a rush of energy.

“Touch the bottles when you can! They heal!”

Fire.

Fire.

Fire.

He felt Sakura moving more as she sent out blasts of earth. Heard Kakashi inhale sharply. Iruka was practically dancing as he fired, picking up more and more bottles. He drank them as quickly as he was able, and occasionally tossed open bottles Kakashi or Sakura's way.

The extra healing only worked for a time. Hours, maybe. It certainly felt like hours.

Fire, fire, fire.

Faster. He had to be faster.

His energy was draining faster than the potions could replenish it.

A spread of arrows came his way. There was no place to dodge. Three to the chest, he could see them dripping with green poison.

Fire, fire, fire, fire.

A gout of flame came from the back. All three of them took damage from that one.

Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire.

Energy bolts struck and enveloped them.

And everything went black.

🐬 🌸 🐺

Iruka woke up. At his desk. He felt a visceral level of panic like never before in his life. He bolted for Kakashi's office.

He practically ran into Kakashi just outside the open door. Sakura arrived a moment later. Both had the wild look in their eyes that he could feel in his own self. Iruka touched Kakashi all over, making sure he was whole, with no holes. Kakashi's hands were doing the same to him, then to Sakura. Sakura’s hands were on their backs, wreathed in green.

It had all been real.