DARK LIES BEHIND THE WHITE EYES
by Mileharo Kerran
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CHAPTER ONE
Paperwork. There was always paperwork to finish. Loads and loads of it. A lot of times she wondered why they never seemed to disappear even if she spent hours and hours everyday sitting here on her desk trying to put them in order.
Like this file lying open on her desk. She'd been staring at it since she came back from her lunchbreak, and it was now the middle of the afternoon. She could barely make out the letters as white spots danced before her eyes, and she blinked owlishly at them.
What she needed was a little pick-me-up.
She bent forward -- well, more like slumped forward, and rummaged in the darkness beneath her desk, knocking down several empty bottles in the process. She found the very last of her hidden stash, and with a blissful sigh, unscrewed the top and let the fiery brew gurgle down her throat. In her awkward position, some of it trickled from the side of her lips, but she paid it no heed as she continued to drink... and drink... and drink...
Hits the spot, that, she thought. Wonder if they give discounts if I buy by the case? Hm, I should tell Jiraiya about this... we could have us a merry session... maybe he'll help me with all this paperwork afterwards... should've been his job in the first place, damn it all...
Her inebriated ruminations were rudely interrupted by the sound of the door suddenly crashing open.
"Tsunade-sama!"
There was a pained "Ow!" as she hit her head hard against the bottom of her desk, and she emerged from under it rubbing the injury. The scowl she had on her face didn't quite come off effectively, as it was undermined by a hint of guilt and the two bright red splotches on her cheeks.
"Whatizit?" she asked, meeting the hard gaze of her dark-haired secretary head-on. It would have been taken by any ordinary observer as a superior's due over her underling, but the truth of the matter was, it was only further affirmation of her state of drunkenness, this seemingly brave front against that tidal wave of irritation coming from the younger woman. After all, she taught Shizune the look, and any other person would have melted in a bubbly pink puddle that stank of guilt and embarrassment within the first few seconds of receiving it.
"Tsunade-sama." The voice was calmer. And much quieter, yes, that is to be noted. But while it wasn't as loud as the first time, it was scarier in its coldness, like the deceptive quiet before a storm... "What is the meaning of this?"
"Of what?" It was probably a futile attempt at playing innocent, and the older woman tried hard to keep her vision steady.
And then she hiccuped.
For one long moment Shizune only stared hard at her boss -- whose eyes watered as she tried to stare back unblinkingly -- and then the younger woman was striding forward in clipped steps, until she was right in front of Tsunade. "There is work to be done, and this is no time to be drunk."
With a sudden movement she lunged forward and reached for Tsunade's hand, which was still hidden behind the desk, wrapped around a half-empty bottle of sake. My god, the dark-haired woman thought. Now she's chugging it straight from the bottle. What a waste. She tried to pull the bottle from Tsunade with her other hand, but it was a struggle. Tsunade was Hokage, after all, and a very physically strong one, to boot, nevermind that she was a very drunk Hokage right now.
But in the end, she managed to pry off Tsunade's fingers from the bottle, and there was a look of triumph on her face. It was short-lived, however; when she saw the expression on Tsunade's face, which she expected to be one of anger or exasperation, her own lips drooped in dismay, and probably a hint of shame at her high-handedness. The look of utter dejection on the older woman's face was explained by the softly-murmured words, "Dan would have been fifty-eight today."
Shizune gently let go of her boss's wrist, which thumped listlessly against the armrest of the chair. How could she have forgotten? She mentally shook her head at herself, knowing that today was one of those few days that the Hokage had a legitimate reason to have some time for herself.
The older woman spoke again in a slurred voice, "Hopes and dreams are a funny thing, Shizune. I mean... look 't me now, I am Kage to a great country, and I never 'spected to be one... never really thought of being one. But what I truly wanted... what I thought I would be keeping f'rever... it's funny, isn't it?" She chuckled to herself.
Shizune didn't think any of it was amusing in any way. It was truly tragic how Tsunade lost two important people in her life very early, and it was probably the reason why she staked so much in her gambling... she had nothing more to lose. That is, until a few years back, when a certain yellow-haired ninja gave her reason to hope again... but right now, the old woman was stuck on the much distant past. It would probably be for the better if she were to be reminded of the present...
"Hokage-sama," -- there was a slight emphasis on the title -- "I'm sure Uncle Dan would be very proud of what you've accomplished as Hokage... Nawaki, too... their dream was your dream, and now you're living it, even if you never thought you would. Yes, I suppose dreams and hopes are funny that way.
"But they're worth nothing if you don't do anything about them."
Tsunade gasped at this statement, and for a moment her eyes widened, and were completely lucid. She understood the truth of Shizune's words, and even appreciated the gentle rebuke behind them at the way she was behaving right now. Her face softened into a small smile, and she whispered gratefully, "Thank you, Shizune."
Shizune smiled back.
And then Tsunade fainted.
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Her hand stopped mid-air in the act of knocking on the dark wooden door as she heard a frantic voice from inside the room.
"Hokage-sama! Are you okay, Tsunade-sama? Please wake up!"
Before she could put her hand down, the door was wrenched open, and she looked into the panicked face of a dark-haired woman. The sudden surprised expression on the woman's face must have been mirrored on her own, and she said uncertainly, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"
It most certainly is, Shizune thought as she stared at the person before her. The pretty face was unfamiliar, and she didn't dress like anyone from Konoha: over a black shirt with capped sleeves, she wore a simple dark green vest of a thick material that seemed too warm for Konoha's clime. There was a sash around her waist, and her dark pants flowed loosely over her thighs, but were cinched midway down her calves by the top edge of her bulky boots. The pretty girl's black hair hung straight down her back, and her long bangs partially covered her eyes, which were tilted intriguingly upwards at the outer edges, the green depths of them directed towards Shizune in polite inquiry. "Should I come back later?" the young woman asked again.
Shizune glanced over her shoulder, and barely managed to suppress the sudden wild urge to laugh upon seeing Tsunade's cheek burrowed against an open file folder on her desk, saliva slowly trickling from her slightly open mouth. When she noticed that the stranger was also looking into the room, she made to close the door.
"So... how can I help you?" Shizune asked, hoping that the stranger didn't get to see much of the Hokage in her current state.
"I'm here on a mission request. The receptionist on the first floor told me to go straight up."
"Er... could you please wait here one moment?" asked Shizune with a sheepish smile. "I'll be right back."
Before the stranger could do more than nod, Shizune was already sprinting down the hall, and the younger girl could only stare at her in befuddlement. She turned her attention to the closed door, and shook her head in disgust, the image of the person inside the room floating in her head.
That was the famed Hokage of mighty Konoha?
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For about the hundredth time in the last few minutes, Shiyomi glanced down the hallway outside the Hokage's office. She had taken to pacing up and down the floor in front of the closed door, wondering where on earth the dark-haired woman ran off to. A few times she considered knocking, but thought the better of it as she recalled the image of the Hokage inside the room. Surely the woman didn't want to be seen in such a state... well, Shiyomi already had, but for the sake of propriety, she didn't want to do it again.
She turned towards the sound of rushing footsteps, and saw the woman from earlier holding something in her hand, which, as the woman drew closer, Shiyomi observed to be some sort of thick liquid of an indiscernible color in a glass. The woman barely spared her a glance, and went into the room, slamming the door behind her.
Shiyomi sighed.
Clearly the greatness of a nation does not necessarily mirror the degree of its hospitality.
There came from the room muffled choking sounds, and a voice wheezed out hoarsely, "Shizune! Are you trying to kill me?!" There was a hissed reply, and more hushed sounds which made Shiyomi want to put her ear right up against the door to listen. This has been a very interesting day already, and she hasn't even completed the task she came here to do yet. And this Tsunade woman was quite a character. She certainly didn't regret now the tiring four-day walk it took for her to get here, if only to meet these new people.
After a few more moments of waiting, the door swung open again, and the dark-haired woman stepped out of the room and addressed Shiyomi. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. This is about a mission request, you said?"
"Yes. I understand it is to the Hokage that I should relay the details?"
"That would be correct. Er... the Hokage would be ready to see you now." A cheerful smile accompanied the secretary's reply. and she pushed the door open once again, gesturing for the visitor to enter the circular room.
Shiyomi was shocked to see the Hokage, seated behind her desk with her hands clasped loosely over it, with nary a hint of her earlier dishevelment. In fact, the older woman's amber eyes were brightly alert as she watched the visitor approach, and this unwavering appraisal caused a small shiver of hesitation to run up Shiyomi's spine.
"Hokage-sama." Shiyomi's greeting was accompanied by a short bow.
"Shizune said something about a mission request?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes. I am Shiyomi, and I come from the Hidden Village of the Shadow. I have been sent to ask Konoha for aid in searching for a missing person from our village."
Hidden Village of the Shadow... Tsunade vaguely remembered reading something about this small village, but she would have to look it up again later. All she was certain of about the Hidden Village of the Shadow was that it was located far north of Konoha, and that its people kept pretty much to themselves. This fact made it unnecessary for most of the other hidden villages to collect information about the Shadow village, and for the most part, the said village was forgotten in its insignificance.
Tsunade addressed her secretary, "Shizune, please get a chair for our visitor. This might be a long discussion."
Shizune immediately complied, and walked over to the far end of the room, and took one of the straight-backed wooden chairs aligned against the wall. She placed it behind Shiyomi, who smiled a wordless thank-you.
Shiyomi sat on the offered chair gratefully, as she had been standing outside for long minutes, and appreciated getting her weight off her feet. But as she faced the Hokage once more she felt like a student being interrogated by her teacher.
"So... tell me more about this missing person," the Hokage prompted after a few moments of silence.
Shiyomi colored a little after realizing that she had been staring for quite some time at the empty glass and a bottle of sake on one end of the desk before her. There were still traces of the murky liquid which she saw earlier at the sides of the glass, and Shiyomi was absently thinking of how funny the cause and the cure looked together. It must have been a pretty potent concoction, to have erased all trace of drunkenness entirely from the Hokage's system that fast.
Presently, the young woman started guiltily, wondering if the Hokage had read her thoughts. "Uh... yes... her name is Hikari, and she is an herbalist in our village..."
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