One night like many nights already passed...
The guard fumbled with the flask attached to his belt, hands stiff and aching.
"Fuck, its cold," He grumbled as he took a great swig, gulping down the brandy like it was water.
"Don't plan on sharing a mouthful, d'ya Shu?" His partner said hopefully, red nose peering up from the pile of furs wrapped around his neck.
"Where's yours?" Shu retorted, "This thing's more precious than gold."
"Gulped it all down," His partner said miserably, staring out into the howling blizzard , "Had to didn't I, when I found out I was going to freeze mine ass tonight? This place ain't much like the land of spring in winter."
"'Tis the job, Senwa."
"I like the job better when I'm manning the Daimyo's doors," Senwa murmured, flinching as icy wind slapped him across the face, "Inside the castle where's it all warm and snuggly."
"Yeah well, next time, get yourself birthed in Fire Country," Shu's voice was tinged with annoyance, "Shut up, will ya? Your voice's buzzing in my ear real annoying."
The guards fell silent. Next to their outpost, the silver gates of the Kazahana Castle shone brilliantly in the dark night, the blizzard raging around it in a swirling mass of snow and wind.
The torch on the stonewall flickered.
"Did you hear that?" Senwa said, sitting upright, eyes alert.
"Hear what?" Shu slurred slightly. His ears were buzzing pleasantly.
"That sound," Senwa muttered, getting up and peering out of the outpost into the darkness beyond, "Wasn't the blizzard. Someone…"
"Don't be stupid, Senwa," Shu, a man who was smarter than Senwa on most days said flippantly, "Only a crazy person would be walking around in that deathtrap outside."
"Yeah, but…"
"You must be hearing things. Hear, have some," He held out his moleskin flask to his partner reluctantly, "Only a few sips, mind."
"Oh, alright then," Senwa acquiesced, lured in by the alcohol, turning around to take it away from Shu's fingertips.
He didn't notice the shadow growing larger on the wall behind him, lighted by the fire torch almost like a warning. Shu did. Before he could mutter the words, however, Senwa was slumping to the ground, unconscious or maybe even dead.
"Sorry about that," A rich, warm baritone said casually. Shu looked up, frozen to his chair in shock and disbelief, to see the rough shape of a tall, broad shouldered man jumping inside the guard outpost. He was wrapped head to toe in black and his face and hair too, were covered by black cloth, eyes gazing at Shu from a slit in the middle. Slung over his shoulder was something like a brown sack. The jagged endings of his cloak were dripping icy water on the stone floor and snow was still crusted around his shoulders.
In the half light, he looked like death incarnate.
"I don't usually do this," The man continued conversationally as he stepped over his partner, behaving as if Shu and he were meeting for an outing to the tavern.
"But you see, The Land of Snow is famous for its strong extradition treaties with Konoha, not to mention the blasted identification you have to show everywhere and it really doesn't suit me."
"Unkk," Shu's voice came out strangled, his eyes fixed on his friend lying on the ground, unnaturally still. His own body had become stone.
"Oh, he's not dead," The man replied, following Shu's gaze, "Just unconscious. I'm not really in the mood."
His death was coming and he couldn't move an inch. What would happen to his wife and children?
"W-What do y-you want?" Shu asked fearfully as the man slowly loomed closer. Why couldn't he fucking move?
"Money," The shadow said simply, "I would have gone to another country but I'm too impatient. And the stink's getting to me."
"The s-stink―?"
Shu wasn't able to complete his sentence because something struck him around the head and everything went black.
In the morning, Shu woke to screaming.
"Look at these useless bastards, just look at them! Lying around as you please, while the castle was under attack-"
"Calm down, Gaima," A feminine voice ordered and Shu's eyes snapped open, the happenings of last night falling over him like cold water.
"D-Daimyo," He cried as he scrambled to his feet, "Please forgive me, I couldn't do anything, he appeared out of nowhere, Senwa-"
He looked around wildly for his friend and found him trying to get up on his feet, being assisted by another guard, a befuddled expression on his face. Relief surged through him.
"That's your fucking job!" The same voice screamed and Shu looked around to see Gaima, a small, bespectacled old man in charge of the Daimyo's assets. His cheeks were flushed with anger, naked panic shining in his eyes, "If the castle's defenses can be compromised so easily, think of what the other nations, oh Kami-"
"Control yourself, Gaima-san," The beautiful woman standing next to him said softly and Gaima quieted down at once, "Nothing will be solved by anger. What happened last night?"
"We-we-" Shame coursed through Shu and he looked down at the Daimyo's feet, "We were no match for him. He knocked Senwa unconscious in the blink of an eye and in the next moment, 'was onto me."
"Oh, that's great-"
"What did he look like?" Riku interrupted, eyes intense. A tall, bald man, Riku was head of castle security and his position was also in danger.
Shu shook his head, "I wouldn't know sir, he were masked completely in black. All I could say was that he was a big man, taller than most people I seen. He said something about money and extradition treaties with Konoha before he knocked me out. He-He-," Shu shivered and looked up, hoping to convey his uneasiness, "He wasn't the usual ninja, the likes you see from Yuki or Konoha. He felt different, strange. Dangerous."
"Of course he was dangerous!" Gaima burst out furiously, glasses flashing, "He single handedly broke into the Daimyo's castle and stole enough money to land us in a thick soup while the security force sat back and practically greeted him at the door-"
"Hey now-" Riku began.
The Daimyo raised her hand and looked at Shu, "What else?"
Shu frowned, "He was also carrying something like a sack on his shoulders? It was-" He looked around and spotted it, lying next to Senwa's desk, "Exactly like that!"
All heads turned to look at it. Though it looked innocent, the temperature in the already cold outpost dropped a few degrees.
"Daimyo, I think we should get you out of here," Riku murmured, backing a few steps, his voice urgent, "This could be extremely dangerous."
"What is it? What is it?" Gaima said hysterically, fear plastered on his face, feet retreating towards the exit.
"I don't know but it's-"
"I have a feeling," The Daimyo said calmly, eyes fixed onto the sack, "that my life is not in any imminent danger. My instincts are usually spot on."
"All the same, I insist-"
"There's something," Senwa's feeble voice interrupted, his hand pointing, "Something lying there!"
It was a piece of paper folded in two like a note. For a minute, nobody said anything.
"You there. Get that," Gaima breathed, pointing at Senwa.
Looking extremely apprehensive, Senwa inched closer and picked it up by his thumb and forefinger. Nothing exploded.
"There's something written on it!" Senwa exclaimed excitedly.
"What are you waiting for, idiot? Read it aloud!"
Senwa glanced nervously at the Daimyo, cleared his throat and read in his high, reedy voice, "This should be enough for proof. Had to gift-wrap the rest for Akatsuki."
Shock flashed across Senwa's face and the note fluttered out of his hand, "A-Akatsuki?"
Numbing fear settled into Shu's stomach and he glanced at his superiors uneasily. Gaima's face had gone white with fear and Riku had frozen in shock. The Daimyo was impassive.
"D-Daimyo, daimyo-" Gaima was staring at his mistress, voice barely above a whisper, hands shaking as he held them against his mouth, "W-What d-do w-we-"
"Contact the Hokage immediately," The Daimyo said finally, her expression hard and voice harder, "I need to talk to her. We have a national emergency at our hands. Riku, alert Yukigakure. Tell the Kage to send reinforcements. Things are already out of control as it is. Somebody get that sack."
That said, she turned to go, her senior most officials following behind her, one shaking, the other grim and tense. Shu followed Senwa out of the door, his feelings mirrored on Senwa's face.
The Akatsuki…in the Land of Spring…
He had just stepped out of the room when the guard left behind to collect the sack began screaming.
Shu flipped around just as the rest ran back in.
"What is it? What's happening?" cried Riku.
The guard shook his head in terror, screaming all the while as he scrambled back on his hands and feet away from the sack, away from the bloody, severed head of a blonde man rolling out of it, mouth etched into a scream of horror.
Giggles tore through the air like ripples in a pond and a young voice, high and childish, squealed excitedly, "It's finally happening, isn't it?"
"Yes. The events have been set into motion. It's starting."