Carry
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The words in bold I got from Firefly.
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"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."-Theodore Roosevelt
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When you can't run, you crawl
His legs were burning, his breath coming in short gasps. He'd been running so long, how long? Was it nighttime? Daytime? Where was the sky, the clouds, the birds flying free? He didn't know anymore. The only thing that let him know that he was alive was the pain, the pain of his legs, his lungs, his heart, his head-everything. It was all a haze, and he was running on pure primal instinct.
And when you can't do that
He collapsed, legs shaking with effort, heart nearly bursting in overtime. Let somebody come, anybody…could they hear his hoarse cries? Was his voice even working anymore?
Then you find someone to carry you
Arms, strong, blessedly cool arms were picking him up gently, like he was fragile. A little porcelain doll. A beaten, tattered doll. His eyes could barely open, but his ears could hear the strong, steady heartbeat, and gods it was familiar. As familiar as his own voice. But he couldn't open his eyes anymore, it hurt too much. He let his mind relax, slipping into sleep.
When he awoke, he was still in those arms. He cracked his eyes open, seeing the worried onyx orbs looking down at him, pale face glowing in the-was that moonlight?
"Naruto?" the smooth voice was quiet, slightly hesitant.
"Mm?"
A small, relieved smile broke on the pale face. "You're okay."
"No more running?"
"No, no more running. I'll carry you from here."