In youth you'd lay,

Awake at night and scheme,

Of all the things that you would change,

But it was just a dream

-Warriors; by Imagine Dragons

"She's so small, so delicate." An airy chuckle escaped her lips. The tears that had formed in her eyes started to spill over. "It's hard to imagine something could be so innocent. So. . .harmless." Looking up, her gaze met that of her servant's. "Don't you think?" she asked.

"M'Lady, we should hurry."

Nodding, she let out a shaky breath. Quickly, she adjusted the bundle in her arms, using one of her now-free hands to wipe the tears from her face. It was hard to believe how fast everything had escalated. Who would've thought? One minute, she was giving birth; next, everything was under attack. It made her body shake, her heart hammer violently in her chest.

"Promise me you'll protect her," she stated, her voice trembling. "Promise me you'll get her there safely."

The servant nodded firmly, setting his jaw. "I promise, M'Lady," he said.

Nodding herself, she leaned forward, her body aching and protesting. The pains of childbirth still lingered on her, just hours after it occurred. The servant hurried over, carefully taking the bundle from her. He could hear the soft noises from underneath the layers of blankets.

"You're her last hope, Haru." Her voice, despite her best efforts, expressed the gravity of her emotions. Tears had returned to her eyes, brimming on the very edge of her lashes. "I'm putting my faith in you," she rasped. "Please, get her there safely."

Looking at her for a long moment, Haru nodded. He'd do what he could to fulfill his promise.

(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

The Land of Heavens, a small, isolated island miles upon miles off the coast of Kumogakure. The inhabitants of the island tend to keep to themselves at the best of times, only going to the mainland — or any neighboring islands — under completely desperate or otherwise troublesome circumstances. Other than that, the Land of Heavens' occupants will stay within the comforts of their homeland. As a result of their isolation, since they rarely speak to anyone outside their homeland unless it's absolutely necessary, they have no political ties to any other nation. And it seems as though the island's inhabitants are comfortable with that.

The other nations, however, were not comfortable with that. The nations of the shinobi world all have some kind of tie to each other, regardless of how civil they may be. And since the Land of Heavens is so isolated, so secretive, it makes the rest of the world a bit anxious. Are the inhabitants hostile? Are they plotting something? Will they try and ambush anyone? Questions like that always seemed to run through those nations' heads. But in truth, the Land of Heavens had no means to attack. They had no hidden village, no shinobi or military force. The people of the island believed in non-violence. They were content not ruining their livelihoods over something as barbaric as a militaristic force. The Land of Heavens had a reasonable explanation for that.

Since the island's formation over a millennia ago, the Land of Heavens was run by a High Priestess, a woman of exceptional power and wisdom. The island's first Priestess foretold an event — a birth — that would happen in later generations. The child would be the world's saving grace. When times of great pain and war would befall the world, the child would rise up and help bring peace back to the lands. So, because of this belief, the Land of Heavens believed they would never need any kind of protection. The prophetic child would be all they needed. And now, low and behold, a millennia later, a child was born to the island's last High Priestess. A baby girl. The very one Haru was chosen to protect.

It was during the child's birth that the Land of Heavens experienced its greatest catastrophe ever. An attack, an act of mass genocide, by Kirigakure shinobi. It had been the Mizukage's decision to bring forth such a slaughter, and the people of the Land of Heavens was doing everything to save themselves from death. But destiny has a role for everyone. For the people of the island, it was their duty to try and preserve themselves. For Haru, it was to protect the High Priestess's baby. For Konohagakure, it was to bring about as much support as possible.

(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

"We don't know much about the Land of Heavens," Lord Third stated, "but we do know they are in dire need of help. We received a messenger bird, carrying a letter asking for help." Holding up the paper, the Third Hokage's gaze carefully scanned over the shinobi standing in front of him. They were the best the Hidden Leaf had to offer, especially in a situation so grim. "The island's High Priestess — the peoples' leader — has asked that we help seek refuge for a young man and an infant," Lord Third went on. "The child is of great importance to the people. So I am sending all of you out to retrieve this man and child. You will meet our civilians at a halfway point. . ."

"Lord Third, may I ask what enemies we might find on the island?"

Taking a drag from his pipe, he folded his hands in front of his mouth. "Kirigakure shinobi," he stated. "The Mizukage sent out their finest shinobi."

The atmosphere quickly changed. There was a tension that hadn't been there before. It was unsettling, making skin crawl and bodies stiffen. The kind of feeling no one enjoyed.

"Lord Third, shouldn't there be more shinobi assigned to a mission like this?"

Letting out a puff of smoke, the Third Hokage let out a thoughtful hum. "You are all the finest shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," he explained, his tone firm. "I will have reinforcements ready, should the situation go awry." Taking another drag from his pipe, the Third Hokage let it out in an almost lazy manner. "I believe in all of you," he said. "I believe you will all get the mission done, and you'll come back safe and sound."

(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Fear wasn't something Haru was familiar with. He'd lived a mostly peaceful life. He was the caregiver of the High Priestess, one of only few people on the island having the honor in having such a task. When news arose of her pregnancy, Haru himself had been assigned to be her personal caretaker. He waited on her, day in and day out, from the beginning of the pregnancy up until the child's birth. He did everything she requested, stayed by her side as frequently as possible. And then the shinobi attacked. His job, as he promised, was to keep the child safe. Haru had to keep that promise.

The High Priestess is counting on you, Haru thought. The life of her daughter is depending on you. Do what's best for your people — no, for the world.

Quickly maneuvering his way out of the Priestess's home, Haru made sure to keep the infant as close to him as possible. The one thing he was grateful for was the silence he got in return for all of his moving.

Glancing down at the infant, Haru let out a shaky breath. The child's eyes were open and very much alert. Swallowing thickly, he carefully moved the blankets over so it partially covered the infant's face.

"Oh Gods," Haru murmured, "I pray this child allows us safe passage."

Reaching the back entrance of the Priestess's home, Haru adjusted his hold on the baby and waited for a moment. He had to make sure there was no one outside.

How easy is it to detect shinobi? Haru thought. His heart was hammering in his chest, his breathing becoming shallow. How safe would it be for me to go out right now?

Those questions were valid in their own right. If he left at that very moment, what were the chances of an ambush happening the second he went out? If he stayed in the Priestess's home, then he'd have to deal with Kirigakure shinobi breaking in and killing anyone inside. But Haru also had to keep in mind that, if he were to go outside, he'd have to be extremely careful. Shinobi were stealthy, tricky. They couldn't be easily detected through basic means.

"Gods above," Haru whispered, "give me the strength to get through this."

(A/N):

I feel like this first chapter is a bit of a mess, but it was honestly the best I could come up with. So, yeah. I might come back and change a few things, but I don't know yet. Other than that, I'll let you guys do your thing. Leave constructive criticism where you think it's due. I'd love to know the kind of feedback you guys would bring.

Do I own anything in the Naruto Universe? No. No I don't. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the exhaustion I'm currently feeling. If you've got ideas for subplots or OCs, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

If you guys want, you can leave a random fact or story in the review section. It's completely up to you guys, though.

Thank you all so, so much!

Susannah Cruz