CHAPTER FIVE

General Kushina watched Sasuke pace the isolation chamber. He was like a caged tiger, walking back and forth, every muscle in his body poised for attack. His eyes were steady on a spot on the pure white wall, as if he could see something the rest of them couldn't. Sometimes she found herself believing he could.

Sighing, she touched the rune on the wall, it glowed faintly as a portal to the isolation chamber opened up. Sasuke made no sign of awareness as she entered, the portal closing behind her, but she was well aware of how sharp his senses had become—how extraordinarily sharp they had always been. He might carry their marks, but Sasuke was more than a mere Unseen.

"You're supposed to be relaxing in meditation with the Lord and the Lady," she said calmly. Now that she was in the chamber with him, she could feel the tension and power coming off of him in troves.

"Who's on guard?" Sasuke asked, his pacing unhalted.

"You never were one to stand still, were you?"

Sasuke turned on his heel and stopped directly in front of her. His unnatural stillness merely intensified his potential.

"Who's guarding Her?"

General Kushina frowned. "I have the situation under control, Sasuke. Calm down."

Sasuke stared down at the older woman. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back in its usual tight bun and her dark gray eyes were as hard as stone. This woman, the leader of all the Unseen and the woman who had raised him, was his only hope. Since the sun had begun to set he could feel something in the forest. It clung low to the mossy ground, slithering along the forest floor searching. At the same time he felt Her heart rate increase and her anxiety intensify. Nothing had happened yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Kushina," he said quietly. "Mother, you have to let me out."

Kushina's dark eyes searched his unusual crimson ones. "Why?"

"She's in danger."

"From what? I have warriors all over the forest. Nothing comes or goes without my knowing. She's perfectly safe."

"Something slipped passed them."

Kushina laughed humourlessly and shook her head. "There's no way you could know that. You've been isolation for days."

Sasuke grabbed her firmly by the arms. "General, you need to trust me."

Kushina frowned, sobering. "I do. You are one of my sons as well as my finest warrior. But you made a mistake. You're not to interfere with Her. You know that. We are the Unseen. We protect and guard, but we are never, never, known."

"I know that, but-"

"But nothing!" Kushina pulled away from Sasuke. "If I let you out it will be my head on the stake, and then who would protect you from the Elders?"

"General-"

"No. You will remain in isolation and have faith in your general and your brethren. Now rest in meditation until you are released for the Awakening."

Before Sasuke could utter another word the portal opened behind General Kushina. She turned sharply and stepped through it. It snapped shut and disappeared leaving nothing but the white walls of the isolation chamber behind.

"Slow down, Sakura!" Hinata called as they entered a small clearing. The sun was on the cusps of setting with only a sliver yet to dip under the horizon. The clearing was on the side of a small grassy hill near a slow, shallow stream. The water glistened in the dying light as it flowed over the smooth rock bed below. Tiny flowers were scattered throughout the thick, grassy hillside, adding specks of white and violet to the otherwise sea of lush green. Had it been earlier in the day, it would have been the perfect picnic spot.

Sakura huffed and plopped down on a fallen log covered in moss and tiny violets. She had run longer than she was used too. Her lungs burned for proper oxygen and her legs ached with the need to never move again, but she had to find him. The more she searched the more desperate her longing anxiety became. She had to keep going.

"Don't even think about getting up," Hinata said as she finally reached her friend. "You're acting stupid."

Sakura frowned. "I need to find him."

"I know." Hinata sat down. "But blindly running about all willy-nilly in the dark isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Well what else am I supposed to do? I know nothing about him!"

"Exactly my point. We need to take the time to think. This forest is huge compared to the two of us."

Sakura sighed. Her anxiety was increasing in the pit of her stomach, tightening in her esophagus, and drying out her mouth. It tasted foul. Taking a deep breath, Sakura tried to calm down. Despite her body's desire to keep going, she knew Hinata was right. She had no idea where to look or even where they had already been. Sakura looked down when she felt Hinata's hand over her own, she hadn't even realized she was fidgeting with her fraying shirtsleeve.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she admitted quietly. "Ever since he disappeared I've felt so off. It's like…" Sakura looked up at the rising moon, trying to find the words to articulate how she felt. The moon's soft light illuminated the clearing. If the circumstances had been different Sakura would have been awed by the majestic nature, but now all she saw was a dark woodland sprinkled with pale flowers that covered the ground like a thin fog. "It's like the colour has been sucked out of everything. It's all dull and blah. I hardly want to get out of bed in the morning, and it gets worse every day."

Hinata frowned. "You sound depressed."

"And I shouldn't be. I'm not going to live my life as some anxious, depressed, lifeless thing. I have to find him. I have to know why I'm like this, but, more importantly, I have to know he's okay."

Hinata gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We will, but not tonight. It's dark, we don't know where we are, and we've no flashlights. Do you have a light on your cell phone?"

Sakura shook her head. "I left it at home."

"Mine's back in your garden. I think we should prioritize finding our way home."

Sakura looked out at the clearing. What she had assumed was a faux fog was thickening as it crept into the clearing, like snakes slithering on the ground. A shiver went up her spine. "I think you're right."

Latching onto Hinata's hand, Sakura stood, pulling her friend with her as she quickly walked in the opposite direction of the fog.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, stumbling to keep up.

"I just think we should hurry."

Hinata looked back at the clearing. A great, thick fog had enveloped it and she could see something dark and tall within the fog. It was moving quickly toward them. She screamed, "Run!"

Sasuke felt Her fear. It burned inside him, choking him. Every cell in his body came alive. He felt his power grow exponentially. He had to get to Her. Sasuke looked down at his hand. He stretched his fingers out, his nails becoming claw-like. He then looked at the wall of the isolation chamber. It was said to be made of a special material that was impenetrable from the inside and protected by several dozen rune barriers that effectively cut of its inmate off from everything. The corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked upwards. Sounded like a challenge to him.