A few miles North, Sora was tearing up the ground as Hotaru galloped forwards. The golden coloured mare let out a whinny as her raven mane flew behind her.
Hotaru suddenly skidded to halt. Sora peeked over the mare's head to find a critically injured shinobi...a missing nin. Figuring that befriending a fellow shinobi like herself, she shrugged and jumped from Hotaru's back, inspecting the injured shinobi.
There was something familiar about him. He seemed to have long, blonde hair, and he was covered in burns.
Being an ANBU member, Sora knew a few advanced medical jutsu, along with the basic, and set to work healing him. Looking at his headband, she found he deflected from the Hidden Rock village, and half of a heavy looking ring lay nearby him. Shrugging, Sora healed him, and after around fifteen minutes, had him on Hotaru's back, and was leading Hotaru away, trying to find somewhere to stay for the night.

"Sora-chan, I don't know if this is a good idea." Hotaru whickered, as Sora lit a fire. The kunoichi eyed the horse carefully, sighing.

"I know, Hotaru," she replied, scratching Hotaru behind her ears. The mare snickered in pleasure, enjoying the sensations of a good scratch, before turning serious again "but he could help me...well, us. War is imminent. He's Akatsuki, he'll know of Sasuke, and how Sasuke fights now."

"He's Akatsuki?" a frightened whinny escaped Hotaru "Sora-chan, are you stupid! Akatsuki! He'll kill you!"

"Then I explain to him that I'm Sayuri-san's friend. There."

"Well, if you're sure, Sora-chan..." Hotaru nuzzled against Sora's cheek "I'll fight to the end with you."

"Thank you, Hotaru." Sora laid back against the laying mare, and fell asleep soundly.
The next morning, a groan came from the blonde as he groggily awoke he looked around, and set eyes on, suddenly sitting up, but then grimacing in pain.
Hotrau looked up and whickered, nudging Sora until the kunoichi awoke.

"Who the hell are you, un?" Deidara looked around worriedly as Sora focused on him.

"You're awake." she watched him carefully. He was unarmed, without chakra and in a lot of pain, so she had nothing to fear "I found you nearby. You were almost dead, so I took care of you. No need to thank me, I was simply doing a good deed."

Deidara looked at her puzzled, before looking up at her headband, and bandaged upper right arm "You're a Konoha nin, un...a deflected Konoha nin, at that. Wanna tell me who you are, yeah?"

Sora smiled a little, patting Hotaru's face "My name is Sora. Yes, I'm Konoha...and I know the stories about you and Sayuri-san."

Deidara froze, his heart sinking a little. Sayuri...his beautiful Sayuri.
Where was she now? Alive...or dead? He didn't want to think the worst had happened, but from what he could remember from the attack, it had been bad. He bit his lip, and sighed "How is Sayuri-chan? Not that I care or anything, un."

Sora smiled, and felt a little sad for him, before realizing something. Hotaru had smelt Kakashi's hounds on the wind...and the scent of Sayuri's wolf summon. They were following her "Sayuri-san is fine. In fact, we're meeting soon. How about you come along? I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Deidara's face lit up, before falling "What if she's with another shinobi, who'll have to kill me? I'm fucked, un."

Sora shook her head, before smiling "Hatake Kakashi is my best friend, and the other shinobi with Sayuri-san. You'll be fine."
Deidara slowly stood up shakily; Sora and Hotaru both rising along with him. Sora gave the mare a smirk and a rub behind the ears.

"Told you so."

Shaking her head, Hotaru whinnied softly "You win. This time."

–

Twenty miles behind Sora, Deidara and Sakura, Kakashi, Sayuri and Sakura were resting up in a small meadow. Sayuri laid back and looked up at the clouds, whilst Kakashi read that goddamned Icha-Icha novel. Sakura was the first to speak.

"Do you think she's okay?"

Kakashi put his book down and looked around "She'll be fine. Sora's a hard nut."

Sayuri nodded in agreement, before smiling at the younger kunoichi "Don't worry, Sakura-san."

Sakura felt a little stupid, but Kakashi could understand his former student's fear. Sayuri seemed to have lapsed back into her little dream world- but in fact, she was driving herself insane with worry.
What if Sasuke killed Sora, like he so needlessly slaughtered Deidara?

"Come on, I can't sit anymore." Sayuri stood up "We need to find her before someone else does."

Sakura and Kakashi both stood up, Pakkun on Kakashi's shoulder. He took a long sniff before nodding north, and with that, the three shinobi set off, back through the forest, at what seemed to be an increased pace.
They covered fifteen miles in an hour and a half in a calm silence. They knew they were getting closer; Sora was now within a ten-mile radius.

"We're close!" Sakura smiled, speeding up a little more. Kakashi nodded, a small smile underneath his mask. She was safe now. Then, they stopped very suddenly.

"What's this chakra? I can feel it..."

"Stop! Stay where you are." Kakashi spoke quietly, and calmly. Both Sakura and Sayuri nodded, readying themselves. They could see nothing ahead of them, or around them, and then, the chakra seemed to fade into nothingness.
Cautiously, they moved forward. Whatever had been there had gone, but they had to be careful. What ever was there, could easily come back.

"Where is she? Where's Sora?"

The voice behind them caused them to stop and arm themselves again, before turning around slowly. What they found made Sakura drop her kunai, Kakashi's eyes to widen, and Sayuri's knees to tremble.
They had never imagined to have seen this in a million years.

"Oh, Kami." were the fear-stricken words to fall from Sayuri's lips.