Amaryllis
Chapter 11: Knock-knock
What if no one ever answers again?
"Sister."
Kurenai held the fan up to hide her mouth. Her eyes darted nervously in the direction of the men on the other side of the room. The corset around her waist felt too tight. The lovely gown mother had had made just for today was white lace and silk that trailed behind her looking like sea foam. She could smell the blood-red roses in her hair, twisted into the curls and pinned in place. All the pins and ties jabbed at her head and her body.
Huffing with frustration, Kurenai turned her head to look at her older sister. Tsunade's back was turned to her. Her long, wheat-colored hair spilled across her back, intertwined with strands of pearls.
She always looked so beautiful.
Kurenai placed her hand on Tsunade's shoulder, feeling the softness of the silk under her fingers. Tsunade was still engrossed in her conversation but she reached up to put her hand over her sisters and squeezed lightly. A little comforted, Kurenai waited. And after a moment, Tsunade politely excused herself and took Kurenai's arm. Turning to her, she smiled, her golden eyes glittering with excitement.
"What is it, my dear?" asked Tsunade in a low voice. She reached out and rubbed her thumb on the bottom corner of Kurenai's mouth where her red lipstick had smeared.
"There's a man over there who's staring at you," Kurenai whispered. Tsunade frowned.
"There are many men staring at me, little sister," Tsunade responded with a hint of a smile. But Kurenai shook her head. She turned her older sister in the direction of the man with piercing grey eyes standing on the other side of the room.
He had the swagger and the build of a mainlander. Despite his youth, he had a proud mane of silver hair. Broad shoulders and perfect posture told Tsunade all she needed to know before she even saw the medals on his uniform.
"That is the Earl of Pearl Port's eldest son, Lord Jiraiya. I hear that he's doing quite well in the army. Lieutenant General by 18 is no easy feat," murmured Tsunade. Kurenai's eyes widened. How she wished she had her sister's perfect memory at times like these. Their mother always had them study the lists and portraits of their guests but only Tsunade ever remembered all of them.
"Will you speak with him?" asked Kurenai, breathless with excitement. This was her first royal ball where she was no longer being treated as a child. Now that she was 14, it was time for her to begin catching the eye of suitors. And though it was too early in the night for anyone to have asked her to dance, the very idea of her sister with such a handsome man was almost enough exhilaration for the night.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'm 18 now. Mother says that it's time I sank my claws into one of these men. He doesn't seem like one that would be easy to control," said Tsunade with a shrug before she pulled her along to speak with the other guests.
Across the room, Jiraiya felt a tug on his elbow.
"Was that-?" Minato breathed.
"Yes, the two princesses. Lovely, are they not? It's rare to see the older one out of her research facility," replied Jiraiya.
"They were looking at us, brother!" Minato said with wonder in his voice. Minato looked down at his kid brother and laughed.
"No, Minato, they were both looking at me. I doubt they even noticed a short little thing like you. Maybe next year," chortled Jiraiya as he rubbed a hand through Minato's golden hair. Minato pretended to scowl at the treatment before he beamed up at the brother who always towered over him.
"Your Grace?"
Minato blinked. Chin propped up by his hand, he looked over to find his advisors staring at him.
"Your Grace, we'd like to begin the meeting now," Danzo said with a pointed look.
"Ah. Yes," he answered. He looked down at the gold ring on his thumb. It had once fit perfectly on his brother's middle finger. The chunky red ruby glinted in the candlelight. Minato rubbed at his face. He hadn't dreamt of his brother in years. But as of late, he saw scenes from their youth every night.
Jiraiya, the King Consort, General of the Armies of the Great Forest Kingdom. All of those titles had been used for him. No one ever seemed to use the one that mattered most.
Brother.
He always felt like a child again as he looked down on that ring. It had only been one of many that his brother had left to him. As a young man, he had once believed that as he grew older, somehow he would grow to fit those rings.
Minato looked over to his right where his son sat sulking. Sakura had left the capital city two days ago and Naruto was still upset. He didn't dare tell the boy that he was grateful that she had refused to take him along. The wilderness was no place for a prince. And though Lord Danzo had insisted, Minato was beginning to wonder if the old counselor's advice was always unquestionably correct.
"Our first order of business concerns taxes, Your Grace."
Naruto let out a huge sigh. Minato almost wanted to agree as he gestured for them to begin.
Weeks of travel were taking their toll on Itachi. Everyone seemed to acknowledge the fact with glances out of the corners of their eyes and sympathetic grimaces. And at each inn they stopped at along the road, the party urged Itachi to stay and recuperate.
"We would only be a few weeks at most, Prince. And it would ease Sakura's worries to know that you were resting safely," Sasori quietly said one night as he took Itachi aside in the corridor. When Itachi politely declined, coughing into his handkerchief as he went, Sasuke peered out from around the corner. Arms crossed over his chest, he glanced over at Sakura. Her stony expression gave away nothing. In fact, she calmly picked at a healing scab on the back of her hand without comment.
"Why don't you force him? You made Prince Naruto stay in Leaves for his own safety," Sasuke asked.
"A man's resolve is nothing to sneer at. Whatever decision he makes, I will respect it," replied Sakura before she pushed off the wall and headed downstairs. The stiffness of her gait stood out to him. And he knew after months with her that she was lying. But about what he wasn't sure.
"Sakura," Sasuke called after her as he began to take a step. A light tug on the back of his vest stopped him. The prince turned to see Haku peering up at him with nervous brown eyes.
"Please… I think some time alone would be good for the General, Your Highness," said the boy. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He had long ago realized that this was one of the servants from his home. Why he (or she) had come to join them was a mystery that he had never quite been able to solve. But now he began to think again.
"What do you know?" questioned Sasuke. But Haku quickly shook his head.
"There are things that this lowly servant knows that are not even for your ears, Prince," Haku replied. Sasuke stared at him for another long moment before his mouth curled up into a smirk.
"Whatever she's paying you, tell Sakura to give you double. You're quite clever," Sasuke said as he walked off too.
Because not even Sasori knew the reason why the older prince was allowed to remain in their party. Only Haku, who brushed Sakura's hair and tidied Sakura's room, could piece together the past that Sakura seemed so determined to leave behind her. And as the past became clear, Haku began to understand what moved this fierce woman.
And Haku hadn't survived for years in a hostile palace by blundering about asking the wrong questions. His queries always came in bits and pieces, harmless fragments that created a whole picture.
One night, he asked, "My Lady?"
"Hm?" responded Sakura in a light hum. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and the droop of her proud shoulders told the story of a long day. He always rubbed the calluses on her hands with special ointments before bed. She laughed that a soldier needn't have soft hands. He gently countered that a princess did. Her smile faded a bit but she didn't protest afterwards.
"Why did you really tell Prince Naruto not to come with us?" he questioned as he finished massaging the white cream into her palms.
There was a slight pause.
Then Sakura lifted her right hand. She pointed until Haku squinted and saw a thin line slanting diagonally from her pinky to the base of her thumb.
"When we were nine, Prince Naruto climbed up a tree trying to catch a squirrel. I was nearly impaled by a branch while I was trying to save him," recounted Sakura. She then pointed to another scar on her forearm.
"Later that same year, he tried to play with one of the hunting hounds. This wound festered. I nearly lost this arm," she said. Haku's eyes widened with horror as he began to notice the tiny scars flecked over parts of her body. Her skin was rather fair and the scars were so light that they were invisible until she pointed them out.
"When I was 12, I came home for the holidays during my first year at the military academy. Someone tried to assassinate him at the winter festival. I grabbed the knife with my bare hand," Sakura said as she opened her palm to show Haku the thin line that almost could have been part of the natural lines on her hand.
That was the year she had stopped calling Leaves her home.
"We'll be your parents from now on."
Those had been Lady Kushina's first words to her. And yet each time her stupid son fell out of a tree or tumbled down a hill, Sakura was the one to break his fall. She had been the one to grab hold of him, shielding him tightly in her arms so that her back would be covered in scrapes and deep bruises that would turn the color of eggplant while Naruto would be a little shaken up but unharmed all the same. She found him when he wandered into the forests and lost his way just before nightfall. Sniffling pitifully, Naruto held onto the back of her shirt as Sakura navigated them back through the darkened woods.
She was good to him.
And yet each time she saved her cousin, the good Lord and Lady Uzumaki only ever ran to Naruto first. It didn't matter that they then turned to her thanking her for being so brave. It didn't matter that they gasped over her wounds so lovingly that the servants gossiped approvingly about it for weeks afterwards.
They ran to their son first. Even if she bled and gritted her teeth against the pain, they never saw her first.
Sakura quickly learned that people were liars. Then as she watched the nobles slowly sink their claws into these oblivious people, Sakura closed her heart to them.
Because their hearts had never been open to her in the first place.
"I didn't bring him because there is no room for mistakes out here, Haku," Sakura declared as she stared at the boy's reflection in the mirror.
Another time, Haku asked about what King Regent and the Queen Regent were like. The bitterness in Sakura's smile began to piece together a story. It didn't take long for Haku to come to understand.
It wasn't hatred that made Sakura so cold to these people.
It was pain.
Sakura felt the change in Haku's hands as he brushed her hair during the weeks of travel as he learned more and more about her. She couldn't stand pity. And sympathy she liked even less.
But their gazes met in the mirror. There was pain in his expression too.
She supposed that it made sense. They were both orphans, though he had certainly suffered in a much different way from her. Their fear was different. Their hurts were different as well. And yet they had both lost the people who would run to them first.
"I've noticed that you call me 'My Lady' now. Any particular reason for the change?" questioned Sakura one night as she rubbed her calloused hands together after she pulled off her leather gloves. Haku took the gloves from her and folded them to put them away. His dark eyes flitted to her briefly before he went to retrieve her nightgown. He set the white garment on the bed and then he folded his hands together across his stomach.
"Well," he began with one nervous look in her direction, "You once told me that being a woman is associated with weakness on the mainland. But for me, My Lady, you're the strongest person I know. So I feel that there is nothing emasculating about this particular form of address."
Haku then bowed.
"I beg your pardon if I've caused offense," he quickly added.
He jolted with surprise when Sakura threw her head back and laughed.
"You just might be smarter than half the nobles running the kingdoms," she chuckled. Giving her a small smile, Haku glowed with pride as he suddenly moved to organize her luggage and vigorously fluff the pillows.
In the tavern downstairs, Sasuke glared at his brother over his drink. Itachi looked into his mead with a look of vague curiosity before he took a sip. The rich, yeasty flavor was apparently to his liking because he lifted the tankard to his mouth again. Only when he had quenched some of his thirst did Itachi meet his young brother's accusing stare.
"You do realize that your health will only continue to decline," Sasuke immediately said as soon as he saw that he had Itachi's attention. Itachi seemed rather at ease as he looked around the dim room. There were a group of men playing some sort of card game in the corner. A pair of burly men with scars and with animal pelts stacked on the empty stools beside them sat at the bar, trading stories with frequent laughter. The bartender was balding and stern-faced with a bristly beard.
Itachi had never seen such people before the start of this long journey. Sasuke had seen similar characters on his visits into Talast and also when he followed their father on his visits to different parts of the kingdom. Itachi, confined to his bed, had rarely even seen the castle grounds outside before Sakura's arrival.
"Sasuke. Look at me. Do I look any worse than when we were home?" challenged Itachi.
Sasuke frowned.
"I suppose not. But you looked much livelier in Plumeria," Sasuke relented after a long moment.
Itachi smiled knowingly as he glanced down at his hands. He had even tanned a little in the warm island sun.
"I thought I was going to die in that castle, stuck in that awful room. I've read thousands of books, Sasuke. I've 'seen' hundreds of places and hundreds of people. But when will I ever have another chance to truly see the world?" he uttered softly.
"Is it so worth seeing if it lands you in an early grave?" growled Sasuke in response. Itachi pursed his lips.
Before Sakura's arrival, he had seldom spoken to his younger brother. Now it amused Itachi to no end to see how determined Sasuke was to protect him. It seemed like just yesterday that Sasuke was a baby with stubby arms and legs that cried to be carried everywhere. Before his illness, he had frequently escaped form his tutors to take his little brother around the castle, showing him the secrets that came with his place as firstborn.
Sasuke was grown up now. He was taller and stronger and living in ways that Itachi never could.
"Yes," he replied in an unwavering voice.
"That's called envy," Sakura pointed out the next day as she leaned over to feed Kaze an apple during a short break. Sasuke was up ahead with Sasori letting their horses drink from the nearby stream. Itachi sat on a boulder, his hands clasped together as he looked up at her with exasperation. She was always too good at coming up with simple answers to his tangled web of concerns. He analyzed and reanalyzed without end, in circles that tangled together. She barged in with a straightedge to connect the two points without fuss.
At every stop, he dismounted and walked around to stretch his legs before nearly collapsing to sit wherever he could. No one had ever told him that riding a horse for such long periods of time could be so painful. After a few weeks, it was much easier to endure. And yet it amazed him that Sakura could travel, eat, and sleep on her stallion's back with no trouble.
Seeing Itachi's expression, Sakura smiled.
"I've been riding Kaze since he was big enough to support my weight. And I've been riding horses since before I could walk. That is also a form of envy, Itachi. And a foolish one at that," she added.
"How so? I thought you, of all people, would admire ambition," he challenged. He grimaced as he rotated his right ankle once before he turned his head away to cough into his fist.
"If we could do anything in this world, we would be gods. Our limitations only serve to highlight our strengths," Sakura responded without difficulty. Her forehead wrinkled as Itachi coughed again. The sound bordered somewhat on a wheeze. But she composed her expression again as Itachi turned back to look at her.
"More grains of wisdom from your father?" Itachi guessed. Smiling, Sakura extended her hand to him.
"My mother," she corrected him.
"Sakura, shall we go?" Sasori called out to them. They both glanced at him and saw him waving from further down the path.
Itachi grasped her hand, letting her pull him up into the saddle. She slid up to make room for him. And though his weary body felt heavy and all he wanted to do was to make it to the next inn to be able to sleep, Sakura tilted her head back to look at him. He stared into her bright eyes, mesmerized for a brief moment by the intensity of the blue-green color. Then he leaned forward to kiss her and she laughed even as her lips parted against his. She nudged his nose with hers, eyes glittering.
Then their moment ended.
Sakura took up the reins in her hands. She barely clicked her tongue before Kaze moved forward to catch up to their companions further down the road.
"This will be the last meal we won't have to make for ourselves for a while," Sasori announced over dinner that night. They were gathered around one table in the corner in the tavern. Exhausted from the long day of travel, they slouched a little as they waited for their food to arrive.
"Why is that?" asked Sasuke.
"Because we will be approaching the southern border soon. And it is to our advantage that characters from Wave Country remain uninformed of our arrival," replied Sakura.
Sasuke glanced over at his brother before he locked gazes with Sasori.
"No inns. No shelter?" Sasuke questioned.
"Too dangerous," Sasori declared. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"If I am not mistaken…and I rarely am about such matters," there was an edge to his voice, "your country currently has neither an alliance nor a quarrel with Wave Country."
"It's difficult to have a quarrel with a country that has no government, yes," retorted Sasori.
"I assume that the Admiral will be more than able to ensure our safety," Itachi cut in with his calm tone. Sakura, who had been watching Sasuke and Sasori snap at each other with her chin on her fist, smiled at Itachi. He smiled back, a tired expression.
As Sasuke and Sasori continued to bicker quietly, Itachi reached across the table to put his hand on top of hers.
"I'll be fine," he assured her.
Sakura shook her head at him but she let him hold onto her hand anyway.
"It's a dreary day."
Bored out of her mind, Ino peered up from her latest novel with a vaguely sympathetic grimace. But then she noticed that it was Naruto approaching her and she grudgingly folded her page over before closing the book. Her lady's maid scrambled out of her seat to curtsey formally to the prince. Ino took her time also rising and curtseying. But her head did not dip nearly as low and her eyes did not fall demurely to the floor. Instead, she stared brazenly into Naruto's face.
Not that he would know enough to be insulted.
"To what do I owe this high honor?" Ino drawled as she snapped her fan open. The gentle waving motion made locks of her hair blow lazily. The light perspiration that gathered around her hairline and on the back of her neck made the normally smooth strands frizz and curl.
Ladies did not sweat, Ino heard her mother scold in her head.
So Ino fanned herself harder.
It was another lazy summer day in the capital. Trees spread their lush branches proudly up toward the blazing sun. Bright clusters of flowers and berries dotted the forests. Any travelers descending into the valley where Leaves sat could see a vast carpet of dark green blanketing the earth before the stone walls of the city came into view. Despite all this beauty with the birds singing and the wind whistling through branches, summer, in Ino's opinion, was by far the worst season to be in Leaves.
The air was sticky and heavy. Humid would be a gross understatement of the weather.
Ino sucked in grudging breaths between the pinches of her corset and wished merry hells upon her mother for making her even wear the monstrosity. Her skin felt sticky under the layers of her dress. Her arm stuck to the cover of her book and to the arms of her chair. She also wished hell upon the demon who had invented the corset. While she was at it, she wished hell on her father too for dragging her to the capital in the first place.
There wasn't much to do in the capital. Spring Port wasn't much better, admittedly. In fact, Ino rarely even visited the city. She mostly stayed with her mother at the manor located further inland. Admittedly, the capital had all the nice garden parties and social events. And yet Ino found herself longing for her secret adventures out on town in disguise with her lady's maid. It was impossible to get into any sort of mischief in Leaves. Well, impossible without Sakura there, rolling her eyes as she dismissed the guards who had discovered her trying to climb a wall.
Naruto blinked. He clasped his hands behind him. Ino always smiled with too much tooth in front of him. She coated her venomous words in extra honey. It made the other nobles gasp and whisper. But whether he was really that foolishly kind or he honestly believed that she bore him no ill will, the young man was never less than polite to her.
Ino had to give him that. He was always polite.
"I'm not really that much higher than you. Our families were both once stewards to the king. I'm only a prince because my uncle married a queen," he pointed out with a light shrug.
There was dead silence.
It was Ino's turn to be at a loss for words. She only remembered to shut her gaping mouth when her lady's maid delicately cleared her throat.
Ino quickly fixed a scowl on her face.
"Then why allow yourself to be called a prince knowing that?" she demanded, not caring that she would be scolded later for sounding pushy.
The way Naruto shrugged made her upper lip twinge in an expression between a sneer and a grimace before she could compose her expression again.
"Well, that's what they say I am…so I suppose I've never really questioned the real reason behind it," he flippantly responded.
Ino forced herself to take a deep breath. She stole a glance at her lady's maid out of the corner of her eye. And rather than look concerned with propriety as usual, the young woman's normally neutral expression also seemed somewhat brittle, as if she were struggling to hide the irritation. When she met Ino's eye for the briefest moment, she quickly pretended to be checking her needlework.
"Anyway, titles and all that- it doesn't matter so much between old acquaintances. Isn't that right, Lady Ino?" Naruto went on with an easy laugh.
"…Of course, My Lord," she ground out past clenched back teeth. She fanned herself harder, only staring until Naruto awkwardly cleared his throat and excused himself. Her icy scowl followed him until he disappeared down the garden path and back toward the castle. Ino continued fanning herself furiously until her lady's maid gently put her hand on her arm to stop her. Ino blinked a few times as she stiffly set the accessory down.
Blood still boiling, Ino waited for Naruto's steps to fade completely before she turned to her lady's maid. The other woman's eyes were big as she waited.
"Moegi, my stationary, please. I need to tell someone about this," Ino ground out.
As soon as the young woman returned, Ino dipped the quill in ink. She sent a furtive glance around before she instructed Moegi to keep watch for anyone around the area. Ino had always hesitated to write this particular letter. While Sakura was certainly her closest friend, and while her parents were both idiots, she had never actively taken either side. After all, the Yamanaka family's motto, "Fortune chose the faithful", had been drilled into her since always.
Duty trumped all. And duty to the king was always…well…king.
Ino smirked as she began to write.
Perhaps not for this Yamanaka.
Dear Sakura,
Few conversations are truly enough to spur me into action. Most of those in the capitol are boring enough to spur me into a nap. But in light of some mounting frustrations and an overall distaste for certain individuals who might steal seats at a dinner party from others, there is something that you need to know.
Father has been meeting frequently with Lord Danzo and some other officials whose names I do not know. While I realize that this is not an uncommon occurrence, something feels very different to me.
Mother has been throwing a million tea parties with the duchesses and baronesses of certain territories key to the crown. And from the satisfied looks of her guests as they leave, some might return home with rather greasy palms. Or something else.
Something feels strange. They look around as if guilty no matter where they go. Just the other day someone remarked openly that Naruto would make a wonderful king and some fools were brazen enough to agree. The King Regent did not say anything. But Lord Danzo was smiling. It seems no one is being subtle anymore.
There is very little I can do for you at this time, my friend. Mother and Father have been keeping me quite in the dark. I recently visited the High Priestess for some answers but she remains unhelpful as ever.
So to my dearest friend, I urge you, if not to take action, then to take caution. I fear for you. More than for myself.
Ino handed the letter with her seal over to her lady's maid. As the other woman accepted it, Ino clasped both her hands between hers. Staring her directly in the eyes, Ino spoke in soft, measured words.
"I may lose my head if this falls into the wrong hands."
Moegi looked insulted as she pulled away.
"If your head rolls, so does mine. Worry not, M'Lady."
On their fourth day of quiet travel along the Forest Kingdom's southern border, there was a distant noise that made Sasori yank his reins in a sharp motion. His horse whinnied in protest as it jolted to a halt. Sakura and Itachi's heads turned back toward the noise while Sasuke also hastily pulled his reins. The party stopped on the packed dirt road. The only other sounds to greet them were the dry rustles of grass on the plains.
Sasuke cocked his eyebrows. Sakura pressed her pointer finger to her parted lips as she strained to listen over the silence. She locked gazes with Sasori who frowned as he concentrated. After a long minute, he pulled his sword from the scabbard with the grating noise of metal on metal.
Itachi's hands tightened slightly on Sakura's waist as he felt her shift. But her hand only moved to rest carefully on the hilt of her sword.
"Who?" she whispered.
"Rogues. Their horses aren't shoed," hissed Sasori, adjusting the grip on his sword. He tapped his ear. Slowly, the faint rumble of hooves pounding against the ground began to thrum through the ground. Over the distant horizon, a faint cloud of dust rose.
Several riders.
Sasuke stole a glance at him before turning his attention back to the men riding up toward them.
"What are we dealing with?" Sasuke demanded. He squinted toward the dust. The closer they came, the clearer their bared teeth and painted faces became.
"I'm certain you've learned that Wave Country collapsed 20 years ago when the people rose up against the king and beheaded him. Most of the people have broken up into a series of independent villages at this point. Rogue packs of warriors are the ones who rule this land now," the redhead whispered. Then they tensed their shoulders and put on their most fierce expressions as the riders came to a stop before them.
At the first sign of danger, Sakura had automatically backed Kaze closer to her companions shielding Itachi with her own body. Sasuke and Sasori looped around to surround the back, forming a circle around Haku and Itachi. Shoulders back and her head held high, Sakura calmly observed the men before her. Even though the other horses were tossing their heads and stomping at the tension, Kaze remained still under his mistress. Sakura felt him trembling and stroked the side of his neck once to offer some comfort.
Itachi's shaking fingers grazed her stomach. When she grabbed his hand, she turned her head toward him. The color had drained completely from his face. And yet his dark eyes were clear as he stared at her, waiting.
"Rogues aren't a very reasonable people. I will have to shed blood," she warned him in a soft voice. There was no doubt that it was a statement rather than a question. But she held his gaze until Itachi nodded very slightly. When she turned her head back to face the threat, Itachi let out a soft noise almost like a laugh.
"Blood for blood, as all the great philosophers have said," he murmured.
Sasori laughed through clenched teeth. Sakura almost smiled.
Nine men. Horses painted in swirls of white mud to look like skeletons thundering across the plains. The men themselves were wrapped in furs, necklaces of teeth and bones glittering across their collarbones and up their wrists. Itachi eyed one of the men's axes, an ugly thing crusted black with unspeakable remnants of past battles.
Sakura's chin remained high as she stared into their midst.
"Isn't this a shiny bunch of nobles we've run into?" one of the men leered at her through the black mud covering his face in fierce war stripes. His yellowed teeth were sharp.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to turn the other way for a fair amount of gold," Sakura offered with a smirk.
She could already see their bloodshot eyes roving over their healthy horses and to the bags strapped to the backs of their saddles. They were looking at the shining buttons on their uniforms and at wide-eyed Haku with his snowy fingers clinging to the back of Sasori's uniform.
"How's about you give us your gold, lady, and then you show me your tits?" he leered.
Before a laugh could enough scratch up his throat, Sasori was launching himself off his horse. He pulled a dagger from somewhere up his sleeve, flinging it with a snap of his wrist. The triangular blade soared, burying itself directly into the man's eye socket.
An agonized scream gurgled through the air.
"Dramatic as always," sighed Sakura as the remaining rogues let out a roar. She slid off Kaze's saddle while her sword slid from the sheath.
Sasuke grunted and shouted as he swung his sword through the air. At his back was Sasori, whose hooded gold eyes seemed almost to be sparkling. The Admiral's lips were parted in what was nearly a smile as he sliced neatly. The gold buttons on his uniform sparkled in the sunlight as he turned and spun with his weapon.
A little ways away from them, Itachi sat on Kaze's back, dumbfounded as he watched Sakura's feet glide across the rough terrain. The toes of her black boots were dusted over and speckled with mud but they never stopped moving all the same. Her back straight and her mouth set in a line, Sakura blocked a spear jabbing toward her head before she twisted her wrist and gouged her opponent through the throat. Blood spurted from his mouth and spattered a few flecks on the side of her face.
There was clean elegance in the way she dispensed of each of her enemies. The tip of her sword made perfect cuts- geometric shapes and jabs that left tidy sprays of red across the packed mud and shriveled grass.
He could see now, what had inspired an entire army to move for her.
"How dreadful," Itachi heard Haku whisper in a hoarse voice. He watched Sakura plunge her sword into a man, gouging upward between his ribs. Her leather gloves strained as she twisted. Planting her foot against his leg, she wrenched the blade free and he collapsed in a writhing pile on the ground. Sakura flicked her wrist and oily black blood spattered the grass in an arc.
Between the three of them, the pack of men was quickly eliminated. Even inexperienced Sasuke managed to down two men with a little help from Sasori at the end. Wiping sweat from his brow, he turned to Sakura. She quickly looked him over before she nodded.
"I'm unharmed," she exhaled.
Sakura turned, searching for the horses until she saw Itachi and Haku still sitting atop the steeds. Haku was a faint shade of green but both of them seemed fine. Itachi was holding onto the reins of Sasuke's mount.
Sasori eyed the steeds that the slain men had left behind.
"I say we strip the bodies for valuables, sell the horses, and leave the scum to rot," Sasori spat. Sakura clicked her tongue.
"Sasori, people are still people, even our enemies," she admonished. He didn't meet her eyes but he felt silent.
"Are these just wandering rogues or were they sent after us?" questioned Sasuke as he lightly kicked the nearest corpse lying at his feet. He eyed the ragged strip of cloth tied around the dead man's upper arm. Sakura followed his gaze, lips pursing.
"Well, he called us 'shiny nobles' but anyone could guess that from our clothes. It is a possibility but I wouldn't jump to conclusions. With any luck, these could be the ones causing trouble along the border," Sakura commented. But then, she heard nothing in response. She lifted her head. Seeing Sasuke's eyes widen, she tensed her grip on her sword.
"How disappointing. We've been tracking these idiots for close to a week," a voice commented dryly from far too close to her.
Sakura whirled on the unfamiliar voice, the tip of her bloodied sword unwavering. The pointed edge came to rest just on the throat of an unknown man. His silvery hair obscured one of his eyes but the other sparkled with mirth. He held his hands up but somehow conveyed the sense that he was by no means surrendering.
"Easy there, lass. Wouldn't want to make any big mistakes," he sneered.
"How dare-" Sasori spat from behind but Sakura cut him off.
"Not many people can sneak up on me. Who is your leader?" Sakura demanded, voice and blade unwavering. The heat of battle lingered in her stare as she tried to catch her breath. Only when she stopped focusing on the pounding of her own heart did she hear the sound of hooves pounding the ground. This time, they sounded shoed.
"If you're who we think y'are, then we're about to become your best friends," retorted the silver-haired man with a cheeky grin.
They waited, muscles tensed and weapons raised, for the other riders to reach them. Sakura stared the stranger in his pale eyes. He didn't seem to be an actual threat. But he had the air of a trained killer. And with Itachi and Haku so vulnerable and so far from her protection, there was no way she was relaxing to let this man anywhere near them.
Six other riders, she counted. Seven altogether. The man at the front was a massive creature with blue skin and pointed teeth that almost reminded her of the barracudas that swam the shallows near the island. These men were like the previous rogues in that they were a mixture. Some were shirtless, others wore little more than an open jacket lined with fur over bare torsos. One had on some sort of mask that covered his mouth. But all wielded swords, fierce blades naked without even a leather sheath.
Sakura eyed them as they dismounted and took a few steps toward her. She stared at the silver-haired man with his hands still held up. Slowly, she lowered her sword.
The blue-skinned man, clearly at the head of the group, took an extra step toward her. He towered over her, muscles bulging as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura could hear Sasori's feet shift against the ground as he edged closer to her. She held her hand out, freezing him in place. Instead she turned to this massive man and fixed him with her coldest look.
It wasn't difficult. She was in no mood for slaughtering another group of pigs.
To her surprise, the man in front of her smiled.
"We are the Swordsmen of the Mist," the man announced with a bow. Sasori's lip curled.
"Mercenaries," he scoffed in a low voice. Sakura wasn't surprised by his reaction. For a man like Sasori, his blood moved for blood. It moved for beauty and sacrifice and love. Hired men's blood stirred only for coin. There could be no greater dishonor than that.
But they had not announced that they were mercenaries. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she stored away that information for later.
"General Haruno of the Forest Kingdom. What business do you have with me?" she demanded.
"We've got a deal for you, Princess Sakura," the silver-haired man chimed in.
Sakura clicked her tongue. Her hair had always been a dead giveaway.
"…I beg your pardon?"
"I am not unreasonable. I am prepared to explain my actions to you, Princess," the blue man began. He smiled widely, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. The blue tinge of his skin was admittedly strange but she had seen stranger in her travels. And he was not the worst person she had ever encountered. Of that she was certain.
However…
Sakura thought back to Itachi and Haku still sitting on the horses.
"Speak. Quickly," she finally ordered. There was an audible click as Sasori snapped his mouth shut, teeth clenching.
"Your King-"
"Regent," spat Sasori. There was a tense pause before one of the nearest men slowly raised his sword.
"You'd better watch your tone there, M'Lord," he slowly growled out. Sasori's eyes narrowed. Before he could draw blood, the leader sent a sharp look at the man who had spoken. The blade wavered before it slowly fell back.
"Apologies there, sirs. We are but uneducated brutes. Your King Regent has recently decided to cease sending tribute to the warlords in this area. As you may imagine, there are a few who are somewhat dissatisfied with such an arrangement. Hence, we've been hired to cause general mayhem in the region," the man explained cheerfully. Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"So since the Regent is no longer sending over pigs or goats, some warlords have commissioned you to essentially throw a tantrum for them," Sakura summarized. The tall man stared at her for a moment before he threw his head back and roared with laughter, his gut heaving. He put his fists on his hips as he chortled for a good moment. When he quieted, Sakura studied his expression.
"By causing mayhem, do you mean raiding merchant caravans and harassing travelers?" she interrogated.
"Of course," he immediately replied.
"Murdering the occasional person? Robbing them and tossing them naked into the wild?"
"Absolutely."
There was a pause as Sakura examined his easy smile. Her gaze flickered to his companions and then back in Sasori's direction. Sasori slowly raised his eyebrows, clearly scheming something in case they needed to escape in a rush.
"So, since you're mercenaries, how much would it take to have you break your contract and join me instead?" Sakura queried. She pretended to crack her neck, starting from the shoulder closest to their horses. There was a slight delay and then she heard footsteps slowly begin to move in that direction behind her.
"What?" she heard Sasuke snap.
"We don't break contracts, M'Lady. It's no fun having an angry warlord's hoard chasing you down," the man countered. Sakura felt her expression relax slightly.
"Is that the weight of obligation I hear?" she commented with a hint of a smile. The man countered with a sharp-toothed grin. They stared at each other before the tall man abruptly extended his hand to her.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, handsome marauder and outlaw," he introduced himself. Sakura almost didn't hear Sasori's subtle cough as she laughed to herself. It was impossible to keep a straight face with this ridiculous man. She grasped his cool palm in hers, shaking it firmly.
"General Haruno Sakura. A pleasure."
The tensions seemed to lighten slightly. Sakura folded her arms over her chest again as she eyed these seven men.
"So, before anything else, we should discuss terms," she declared in a clear voice. She saw several pairs of eyes hone in on her, greed shining bright. But Kisame remained pleasantly unreadable as he nodded.
"Gold?" the silver-haired man suggested.
"Only gold? What a simple request," scoffed Sakura. Rather than bristle at the jab, Kisame leveled her with a searching gaze.
"What are you offering here, General?"
"You'll end your contract here at the border, cut ties with the warlords. Enter a more permanent contract with me and you will never need to take another job again. It will largely be security and military work but with all the gold and the lands you could ever want," she said. She could hear the question in Sasori's stare on her back.
What the hell are you doing?
Sakura tilted her head back to see Sasori now standing with the horses, the reins tightly looped in his hands. He raised his eyebrows at her, clearly demanding an answer. But Sakura only smiled and she saw his shoulders sag with defeat. Then her eyes moved up to Itachi and then little Haku. Haku was trembling, fingers clinging to Itachi's sleeve. And Itachi's arm was around his thin shoulders even as he himself looked rather pale. But his gaze locked with Sakura's and she gave him a soft smile. The tension in his shoulders remained but he smiled back.
"We will join you. But only if you do something for us," Kisame slowly said, regaining her attention.
She raised an eyebrow.
"We were sent out by our current employer to eliminate whatever nobleman or authority who came to investigate. Now, while ideally we'd want to bring back a head, something tells me you might be opposed to us severing that pretty little neck of yours. Which brings us to my request," explained Kisame.
Sakura took in this proposition. She heard Sasori's horse snuffle as he most likely jerked the reins angrily at the impudence.
"That is true. I wouldn't wish to employ anyone with divided loyalties," she replied.
After some thought, she lifted her sword again. Without looking, she neatly sliced through her ponytail just above the golden pin holding it in place. Haku let out a loud gasp before falling silent again.
"We will wait here for your return. If you are not back by sundown tomorrow, I will assume that your priorities lie elsewhere," Sakura stated. Some of the mercenaries were staring at her now, clearly reevaluating after such a brash act.
"Worry not, Princess. We'll drop off the proof and be back like hungry puppies after a bitch," chortled Kisame.
"Do as you wish. If you hinder me, you will be disposed of," Sakura said. With a careless flick of her hand, she tossed her severed ponytail in his direction. Kisame grabbed hold of it with ease. He lifted the hair to his nose, inhaling deeply. Sasori spat angrily, accompanying his actions with a string of curse words.
The mercenaries were back precisely at sundown. Sakura sat on a log, one leg crossed over the other as Kisame knelt and set down a boar at her feet. The flesh was still warm as black blood bubbled from the arrow wound in its throat
"A meager offering for you. Long live General Haruno, true heir to the Forest Kingdom," he declared. And with some visible grumbling, his underlings lowered to their knees and bent their heads. Kisame's head jerked up when Sakura let out an audible snort.
"I am not taking you in as knights. I do not expect tribute and manners. I know precisely what I've hired," she said as she leaned forward and lifted Kisame's chin.
"Mercenaries. Rogue, coarse, money-seeking, whore-loving mercenaries," Sakura added. She thought for a moment before she smiled.
"I'll expect you to be bawdy and to ruffle some feathers. But when I require your swords, when I ask you to wag your tails and beg…" she trailed off for a moment as she saw the outrage burning in some of their eyes.
But then one of the men, younger with his rounder face and his grin raised his chin to stare defiantly at her. It was the one with the silver hair who could never seem to keep his mouth shut for long.
"Woof," he simply declared.
Everyone froze. Sasuke held his breath as he looked over at Sakura, who calmly folded her arms across her chest. She regarded him blankly for a moment before her eyebrows rose.
"What is your name?" she finally questioned.
"Suigetsu, M'Lady. An honor," he said with a mocking bow.
Finally Sakura smirked.
"You're cheeky. I've decided that you'll slaughter the pig," she said. Suigetsu blinked before his mouth spread into a grin. He pulled his sword out of the harness on his back.
"With pleasure," he responded.
Haku let out a faint squeal as the blade severed the head of the fallen hog.
Tensions died down quickly after this exchange. Haku busied himself preparing the meat to roast over the fire and one of the swordsmen, surprisingly, offered his assistance. Sakura sat on a flat rock near the fire, unflinching as Sasori peered at the scars on her back before he pulled her shirt up and began buttoning the front shut for her. She felt some stares on her but Sasori's acid glare was more than enough to keep them at a safe distance. She waited for him to finish before she pulled on her jacket and snapped the shining buttons closed.
"They ache a little," she admitted.
"Nothing a little rest and relaxation won't remedy. I will be glad when we're back home. You can ask Yashamaru for a massage," Sasori said as he kneaded her shoulders once.
"I suppose," Sakura said. Then her eyes moved to Sasuke who walked out of his tent with a grim expression.
"Sasuke," she called out. But the prince was already walking toward her.
"How is he?"
"Tired," Sasuke declared as he plopped onto the rock too. Sakura scooted over to one side to make room for him.
"You or your brother?" queried Sasori.
"Both," Sasuke grunted. He put his elbows on his knees to eye the men across the fire.
"Are you sure this is wise? Even I've heard stories of these men like these and their atrocities," he then said in a low voice. Sakura patted his knee.
"For the time being, they'll do more good than harm. But I wouldn't keep my wine unguarded around them," she answered just as quietly before she fixed an easy smile back on her face and got to her feet.
Sakura headed straight for Itachi and Sasuke's tent. The one beside it was hers and Haku's. Sasori slept in the tree above them, keeping watch as he half-dozed through the night. She ducked in past the flap, swatting a bug away in the process. As soon as she was inside, she smelled smoke from the herb Yashamaru had given them for the long journey. The herbal smell that she had never particularly liked was somewhat comforting. A piece of the island from far away, perhaps.
Itachi was sitting on his bed roll, squinting at a book in the flickering candlelight. Sakura sighed deeply.
"I thought you were resting," she half-heartedly admonished as she crossed the floor to sit on the edge of his bedding. Itachi shut his book, folding the edge of the page over to mark his spot.
"I am. It's my body that is tired, not my mind," answered Itachi with a pointed look at her. It was true that his dark eyes were clear. And though he certainly looked pale and a bit worn out, he hardly looked to be on the edge of collapse. He was quiet for a moment. And then scooted over sideways, leaving a space just beside him.
"Why, Prince Itachi, such impropriety," Sakura said in a high-pitched voice even as she moved to sit just beside him. Itachi rolled his eyes at her. The layers of down blankets and treated furs were warm from his body heat.
"You know, my mother said that when she and Father were courting, sometimes he would sneak into her room at night and they would watch the stars from her window. Though…I hardly believe that that was all they did," Itachi stated. Sakura bumped her shoulder against his.
"Now that is improper," she remarked in return. They both laughed softly. His hand found hers, lacing their fingers together. He did that often, she noticed. When she turned her head toward him, he regarded her with equal curiosity.
"Why do you always do that? With my hands, I mean," inquired Sakura. His thumb stroked the back of her hand. He tilted his head to one side, bringing their joined hands up.
"I suppose that I just…enjoy holding your hands? I like the way they feel," he wondered out loud. She scoffed.
Her hands were scarred and rough from years of training and labor. There were calluses on her palm that fit the handle of her sword. There were marks from blades and injuries that made knotted scars on her pale skin. Even the tips of her fingers weren't soft like a lady's hands. And she had never really paid much attention to that sort of thing.
Not until Itachi started to hold her hand all the time.
He watched her expression thoughtfully.
"Do you…not like your hands?" Itachi questioned softy.
She didn't say anything. And to her surprise, he didn't push the subject.
"What do I smell? Is that bacon?" he suddenly demanded. Sakura pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"I'll go find out," she answered as she rose.
Their oddly assorted party traveled back up the borderlands, toward the Forest Kingdom. Kisame's easy banter with Sakura made it impossible for either sides of the group to really keep their weapons held at each other's throats. But at the same time, Sasori seemed to largely be occupying himself giving dirty looks and everyone seemed happy to reciprocate.
The Seven Swordsmen led their caravan, with Sasuke and Sakura's horses bringing up the rear. At night they set up camp. And even Sasori grudgingly admitted that it was much easier hunting, cooking, and splitting up guard duty with so many more people. He still insisted upon sleeping outside of a tent with his sword gripped tightly in his hand. Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes at him planted by the entrance of her tent like an angry guard dog.
As time went on, Sakura slowly began to learn some of the names of her newly hired swords. There was, of course, Kisame, who bore the most peculiar scars on his wrists that Sakura couldn't help but look at whenever he walked past with his sleeves rolled up. Sasori's eyes narrowed whenever he saw them too but he never seemed willing to tell Sakura why. There was hot-headed Suigetsu with his cheeky tongue. But then there was his older brother, Mangetsu. The man with the obscenely large sword strapped to his back was Zabuza, and he was by far one of the most interesting characters in the group.
One night after dinner, Sakura glanced at Zabuza through the flickering flames. His black eyes were fixated on Haku, who in turn was trying his best to look busy sewing up the tear in Sakura's jacket. But she saw the way his white fingers fumbled and she chuckled. It seemed that Zabuza had taken somewhat of an interest in her companion.
"He's intimidating," she said in a low voice.
"Very," agreed Haku with a nervous glance in the muscled man's direction. Though the lower half of his face was covered in linen bandages, Sakura examined what little she could discern. A strong jaw and cropped black hair- he wouldn't be an ugly man. And his muscles weren't lacking. Strong. Healthy. Sakura saw Haku's eyes also lingering on Zabuza's flexed biceps.
"Handsome, perhaps," added Sakura, carefully monitoring Haku's expression. The boy's cheeks exploded bright red as he whipped his head around to stare at her.
"MY LADY!" he squeaked.
"Such relations are not uncommon back on the isle. My kinsman, Yashamaru, kept company to a wonderful soldier for many years," continued Sakura with an expression of feigned disinterest. As Haku continued to grow more and more flushed, Sasori wandered over and crouched down beside them to knock his head into hers.
"May I help you?" Sakura asked, fixing her mussed hair. Sasori then wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her to her feet.
"Take a walk with me, darling. Leave the poor child to his work," he said. There was a muffled sputter from across the fire.
"HIS? As in- a boy?" Suigetsu exclaimed, spilling out most of his drink. Beside him, his brother chortled behind his fist. Sasuke's face contorted with disgust as he glanced over at Haku to make sure hat everything was all right. The boy's face was absolutely crimson as he bent over his work in furious concentration.
As the sounds of laughter grew faint, Sakura glanced over at her cousin. His lazy eyes glanced her way too before they crinkled in a soft smile.
"I saw you tormenting Haku. Have you no shame?" Sasori pretended to scold her as he dropped his arm and instead let it swing freely at his side. Sakura put her hands in her back pockets. They headed into the trees, away from prying eyes. The moon was bright that night. Silver light scattered in through the leaves, turning them odd shades of white and bleached blue. They were back in the Forest Kingdom's territories, back to the familiar cover of thick forests. It was a welcome relief from the endless expanse of the plains.
"That isn't what you dragged me into the dark to talk about. What is it, Sasori?" she questioned in a soft but firm tone. She felt him tense.
"I dreamt about you last week, just before we ran into them."
As Sakura rolled her eyes, Sasori chuckled.
"No. I mean that I actually had a dream about you, darling. No flattery. I promise," he then added.
"Your dream?" she prompted without looking at him. They both ducked to avoid a sagging branch. The moss softened their footfalls, muffling it until the symphony of bugs and nocturnal creatures drowned out the sounds of their movement. They stopped in a clearing dotted with fireflies.
After a long time, Sasori finally spoke again.
"Your hair was short again. You'd cut it… That's quite lovely, you know. Your face looks wonderful no matter what length your hair is," he said. But when he began to sidetrack, Sakura glanced warningly at him.
"And so your hair was scattered all about, as if you'd cut it and then tossed it everywhere. And it was on my hands…covered in blood. I walked and- we were home, by the way. And when I rounded the corner, you were sitting on the throne with a bloodied sword in your hand. That sword hanging in Uncle's office back home."
Sakura immediately knew which sword he was referring to. It was an ugly, curved thing. There was no word for it in the common tongue and Sakura couldn't remember the ancient term for it. But it was a fierce weapon- sharp as anything she had ever seen. In its hilt was a large polished ruby that always gleamed like fresh blood in the light. It had been a gift from the Haruno elders across the sea upon the occasion of the Lord of Finance's marriage into the family. Sakura never understood why the man insisted upon keeping it hanging on the wall above his desk.
"I don't understand, Sasori. You've never invested much in dreams. Didn't you once call them the ramblings of an idle mind? And now you claim to have foreseen me cutting my hair?" she questioned. Sasori mashed his lips together.
"Yes, I did. And I still doubt their utility in this world at all. But you remember how my mother's dreams almost always tell something about the future. Perhaps…" Sasori trailed off, as if unwilling to even utter such a ridiculous idea. Kurenai was by no means prophetic but she had an uncanny knack for dreaming about important things at the best times. And Sasori- anti-mystic, bitterly against all things spiritual, was proposing that perhaps he had a similar gift.
Sakura stared at Sasori for a long time. In the wavering moonlight, his eyes glimmered, almost as if they were filled with tears. Letting out a sigh, she placed her hand over his heart.
"You are very dear to me and I trust you. So I shall keep your words in mind, Cousin," relented Sakura.
A few weeks later, they entered the city of Leaves to strange looks from everyone. Then again, the bawdy group of mercenaries was an unfamiliar sight in Leaves. The people who came and went through these gates were often merchants and traveling entertainers. There weren't enough taverns and brothels to attract that sort of company.
With a weary look around the group, it was Sasuke who suggested that they retire to their rooms to wash up and rest before supper. Sakura sent Haku up to her chambers with her things before she headed off into the city on foot. Kaze she sent off to the stables to be pampered for the first time in several weeks.
Sakura found potted geraniums and several ferns tied with a ribbon on her desk upon her return. She stood in the doorway of her office as she stared at the bright purple flowers. Mud was painted onto the bottoms of her boots and she could feel the grime caked under her nails. But there were flowers waiting for her anyway.
Purple was the color of the Yamanaka family so it was easy to guess who they had come from.
"You there," Sakura called as she heard footsteps in the hall. They abruptly stopped before the soldier ran up to her. She heard the creak of his starched uniform as he saluted, fist over his heart.
"Bring me Colonel Hyuuga at once," she ordered.
Geraniums stood for true friendship.
Ferns stood for sincerity.
If Ino was sending her flowers to affirm her friendship, there had to be a reason.
Sakura moved into her office, her eyes scanning the area for any hidden presences. The windows had been left open to let in fresh air. She moved to close them and flick the locks into place.
There was a set of knocks: three in a row.
"General."
For a moment, as Sakura turned, she thought she saw Neji walking over a mountain of dead bodies. The smell of decay and burnt flesh was thick in the air. But she blinked and he was simply entering her office. Seeing the odd look on her face, he hesitated in the doorway for a brief moment. And then he entered, falling to one knee in front of the desk, his fist over his heart.
"Hyuuga," she acknowledged him. Only then did he get to his feet.
"Before you left for the southern border, the Admiral entrusted a rather sensitive matter to me," the colonel said as he approached and placed a piece of folded cloth on the desk. As Sakura reached out for the parcel, there was a sudden clatter. Both of them turned to look as a knife jiggled in the lock of the window directly behind the desk. After a moment, the lock clicked and two hands pushed the window open before grasping the inside sill. With a grunt and a swing of his skinny legs, Suigetsu pulled himself up into the office on the third story. Neji's hand flew to his sword while Sakura simply let out a tired noise.
"Is a door not good enough for you?" Sakura demanded. Smirking, Suigetsu sat on the windowsill while looking supremely proud of himself. Then again, Suigetsu appeared to have few other expressions besides that one.
"Your security is beyond bad, woman," Suigetsu informed her with glee.
"You will address the General with respect," Neji coldly said as he drew his sword and pointed it at the strange intruder.
"Watch yourself, young lord. They don't call me the Second Coming of the Demon for fun," leered Suigetsu in response. He reached back to pat the large sword on his back. Glowering, Neji looked back to Sakura who seemed unconcerned.
"I may have not informed you, Hyuuga. I've hired some interesting men since the last time we've spoken. You may seem them around the capitol until I leave for Plumeria," Sakura informed Neji. Neji's eyebrow twitched as Suigetsu childishly stuck his tongue out.
"Hyuuga. Your report?" Sakura called back his attention. She slowly unfolded the piece of cloth to reveal several blackened shapes along with a handful of ash.
"Cinders. How helpful," snorted Suigetsu. Sakura stared at the objects for a long moment before she looked up at Neji for an explanation. She was well-versed in many subjects. Not this one.
"They appear to be some sort of scales? And the Admiral mentioned something about snakes in the grass?" the colonel said. Sakura's mouth pulled into a frown.
"That does narrow the pool considerably," she hummed.
All heads turned as there was another clatter at the window. Mangetsu pulled himself through the window in one graceful motion. Neji stared as the intruder landed noiselessly on his feet and strode across the floor to glance over the charred contents of the handkerchief.
"It looks reptilian, not aquatic. I know a man who can get you answers within a few days," Mangetsu said as he pointed at the ashes.
"Have you been eavesdropping?" Sakura questioned with a hint of a smile. Mangetsu only held her gaze unflinchingly before he then turned to his brother. His fist descended on top of Suigetsu's head.
"Who is the Second Coming of the Demon? I've told you to stop stealing my title," he added. Suigetsu rubbed his hair with what sounded like a grumbling apology.
Sakura carefully folded the handkerchief up again before handing it over to Mangetsu.
"Two days. I need my answer by then," she ordered. He clenched his fist around the fabric, eyes locking with hers. Then he nodded his head in one short jerk. He climbed back out the window, dropping quietly to the ground below. After one last wink to her, Suigetsu followed. Neji stared after them, mouth agape.
"General, you can't be serious," he said.
"More serious than you'd know. That was very helpful, Hyuuga. But that was not the reason I summoned you," Sakura then said as she gestured to the potted flowers arranged around the room. Neji blinked.
"A gift from the young Lady Yamanaka. She is a close friend of yours, is she not?" he said with obvious confusion.
"Indeed. But what recent events have taken place in my absence that she must remind me of that fact?" she questioned in return.
He stared at her for a long time before he clicked his heels together.
"I will investigate right away," he stated in a clear voice. Sitting on the edge of her desk, Sakura folded her arms over her chest.
"Then tell Nara, Inuzuka, and Aburame that I want to run the soldiers through a full set of drills. Assemble everyone in the courtyard in the next half hour," Sakura ordered. When Neji grimaced she couldn't hide the smile that tugged up at her mouth.
A sound lightly interrupted the quiet night in the Green Keep. It was a tiny noise, maybe a muffled cry that would have gone completely unnoticed. There was another moment of silence before one of the doors flew open, smashing against the wall. Then, other doors tentatively opened as sleepy expressions peered out. The retreating form of the Admiral running barefoot down the corridor was all that met them. The sound had echoed down the corridor, from around the corner.
Sasori ran, hand gripping his sword fiercely. He pushed through two guards lazily patrolling the halls before he ripped open the door at the very end of the hall and throwing himself inside. Hands gripping his sword, he scanned the place before his eyes darted to Sakura.
The light glinted cruelly off his sword as she turned to him with the calmest expression. But the erratic rise and fall of his chest told another story. The disarray of her bed and the sweat beading down the back of her neck screamed of more nightmares.
Her hands clenched into the sheets as she sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes darted from him to the window and back.
"Darling," he breathed.
"You're a liar, Sasori. There's nothing darling about me. I'm a murderer," she croaked as she rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands.
Giving her a tight smile, Sasori opened the door to call for a servant. She stopped in the hall, her eyes wide with concern.
"Heat some water. The Princess would like to take a bath," he quietly said before closing the door. He turned back to look at Sakura, his hands on his hips.
"I'm certain that you've noticed that my list of what is darling includes you and horseshoe crabs. So perhaps the common standards might not apply to me," Sasori admitted. She didn't even attempt to smile. He let out a loud sigh.
"Come on. Up," he then ordered as he stepped over to her and hauled her to the edge of the bed.
Sasori unbuttoned her nightgown, keeping his eyes trained on her pale face. When the nightgown slipped from her shoulders, he quickly turned to retrieve her robe and tossed it at her. It took a long moment but he heard her shifting to put it on and tie the front shut.
"Honestly, Sakura, must I do everything? Will you ever stop being a child?" he questioned with joking exasperation in his voice.
"Apparently not," replied Sakura. His laughter died in his throat before he turned toward her.
The servant girls arrived a short while later and Sasori sat on the edge of the bed to wait for her.
"I'm not fit for this," Sakura sighed an hour later when she emerged from the bath. The servant girls trailed after her, trying to dry her hair and her feet. Sakura dismissed them with an impatient wave of her hand. She pulled on her robe over her cotton nightgown in tugs and tied the belt. Sasori took one look at the expression on her face and locked the doors behind the retreating servant girls.
Sakura flung herself down in front of the vanity.
"Sweetheart," Sasori sighed in the beginnings of reproach. She turned to him with a glare already prepared.
He pulled a clean towel from the pile that the servants had left and unfolded it. When he began patting her hair dry, Sakura's tense shoulders relaxed. In fact, she outright slumped. Wordlessly, he picked up her brush to begin working the tangles out of her short hair. The rhythm of the bristles through her locks and across her scalp made Sakura's eyelids grow a little heavy. When he was finished, Sasori tousled her hair again with the towel. It was still damp, but not dripping at least.
"What are you not fit for?" he finally asked as he tossed the wet towel in the basket to be collected in the morning.
"This," Sakura repeated with a vague sweeping gesture.
"Explain," he said. It took Sakura a moment to compose her thoughts. And she opened and closed her mouth a few times before she could settle on what to say.
"My mother was always calm and composed. She was never emotional. She never woke screaming from nightmares like a child," Sakura admitted with a grimace. Sasori put his hand on her cheek to tilt her head towards him.
"Your mother did not fight in a war. May she rest in peace, but your mother was a researcher and a noble lady. What great adversity did she ever face that couldn't be warded off with an almanac?" Sasori said. The gentleness in his words pierced softly into her chest. He sounded so much like his own mother.
"What of my father then?" she challenged him.
"The King Consort, may he rest in peace, my uncle, was a great bear of a man. He feared nothing. Bowed to no one but your mother. But in private, who knows? I'm sure you can remember at least one time when your father wasn't perfect," assured Sasori.
Sakura immediately thought of the times when Father was too busy to practice sword fighting with her. There were days when he would retire to his chambers, too tired for visitors. And Mother would summon her instead, have her sit in on a day in Court and follow her to her meetings. She had never thought anything of it. And trailing after those golden skirts and tapping high heels, Sakura hadn't had time to worry.
But she knew Sasori had seen the look in her eyes as she thought. Because he gave her a knowing look as he squeezed her shoulder briefly before letting go.
"Tell me. What are you, Sakura?" questioned Sasori.
"What am I? What kind of question is that?" she answered in a question of her own. Sasori didn't smile.
"Just tell me. If you must tell me exactly what you are, what are you?" he insisted.
"I'm a lot of things, Sasori. I…I am a duchess," she replied. But he shook his head. He knelt on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.
She knew why he did that. He lowered himself. The pride of the Haruno's ran hottest in his blood, but he still lowered himself to his younger cousin. It was surrender. And she could never ignore him when he did that.
"Fine. I'm the General. I'm a soldier," she tried again. But he only shook his head more.
"Those are all parts of you, Sakura. But who are you?" he repeated. Sakura pulled her hands from his grasp.
"I don't know what you want to hear, Sasori. That is who I am," she stated. Her jaw was tight.
"What are you if you strip all that away? Those are just titles, Sakura. Who are you?" Sasori asked once more as he gripped her forearms. His palms were hot against her exposed skin.
"Sasori," she huffed, "I'm… nothing… without titles. I'm just titles."
"No. What is under all that?" He sounded like a broken clock tower, chiming out the same sounds endlessly. Sakura glared at him for a long moment.
"Sasori," she said, letting out a hard laugh, "I am all surface."
Sasori let out a frustrated noise as he ran his hands over his face. He thought for a long moment before he reached out toward her and then pulled his hands back. Instead he sat back on his haunches, hands clasping behind his neck as he articulate the words inside his head.
"Alright. Think about those rolls you adore- the ones the fruit on the inside," he then said. Sakura stared at him.
"Please. Humor me," Sasori added when he saw the look on her face.
"Alright. The sweet fruit rolls. The ones Shizune makes for me on my birthday?" she slowly responded as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yes. They're called sweet fruit rolls for what's inside, correct? They're not named for the bread alone or for the honey on the outside," he illustrated for her. Sakura pursed her lips but slowly nodded her assent.
"So tell me. What is your center?" demanded Sasori.
"I don't know, Sasori. I'm several different things. You can't just ask me to define myself with one thing," she scoffed.
"Tell me," he insisted.
"Sasori, just stop," she said in a low voice.
"Sakura, don't deny it like a mute fool, tell me what you are."
"I don't even know what you want to hear, Sasori. Just-"
"You're thinking it. Just say it!"
"I'M A QUEEN! FINE! I AM A QUEEN! A LAME QUEEN WITHOUT A KINGDOM!" she abruptly exploded.
Her hands immediately flew up to cover her mouth. She rose to her feet, turning her back to him. But then Sasori stood too, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders.
"That's it. That's what you were made to do. You were born into this," he whispered.
"Sasori."
"Beneath all the titles and anything else, that is what you are, Sakura. You have always been a queen," Sasori declared. When she didn't say anything, he turned her to look at the mirror.
She had pink hair that curled when it was wet. She looked more and more like her mother with each year. These were all things she knew about herself. But as she watched, Sasori unfastened his aiguillette from his uniform. The lengths of gold braided cord glimmered as he snapped them loose. He then brought them forward, setting them on her head like a diadem.
"This face was made to rule us all," he whispered. The reverence in his voice made it tremble. Their eyes met in the mirror. His glimmered like polished gold.
"Never forget this, my love. Never let your heart waver. You are Queen and I will work until my dying breath to see it so," he swore in a low voice. With a sad smile, Sakura reached up to touch his cheek.
"Sasori, you honor me with your devotion. But subterfuge doesn't suit me well," she sighed.
"No. It doesn't. Your hands must be clean. Which is why I'll stain my hands so that you will not," he answered with lips quirking upward.
"They're already stained. I'm a killer. How many people have I executed with this hand?"
He shook his head.
"You may be a killer but you're not stained yet. Please, my love. Please stay that way."
That made Sakura pause to seriously take in his words.
"Sasori," she began. Then she let out a helpless sort of sigh. She draped her arms over his shoulders, resting her head against his collarbone for a moment.
"What would I do without you jabbering in my ear, Sasori?" she whispered. Sasori chuckled.
"Most likely rampage naked through the city square on horseback," he retorted.
She lounged with her head in his lap, half-mumbling questions for his patient responses until she finally fell asleep. It reminded Sasori of sweeter times- days when they wrestled together in the sand and fell asleep with the sounds of pounding waves outside their windows. She snuck out of her room, climbing into his bed with a secret stash of dried fruits she had stolen from the kitchen.
Sometimes they gossiped. Sometimes they recalled the day's events with a sense of satisfaction. Sometimes Sakura cried because her mother and father were always so busy and she felt selfish if she asked for anything. It didn't matter. Happy or sad, they curled together, whispers tangling into whispers that Sasori always imagined drifting out between the wrinkles in the blanket and drifting out on the sea breeze. And maybe they would carry out all the way to a man sitting in his fishing boat at night with his sunburned head nodding. And those tangled wishes would slip into his ears and he might shed a tear too for the sad girl who loved her parents too much.
Looking down at the grown woman resting so peacefully in his lap now, Sasori almost felt like shedding a tear for her too. He pushed a lock of her hair out of her face.
"Your Majesty," he sighed into the night.
They would have stayed in Leaves for the rest of the season. It was nearly August and the seas were usually rough around this time of year. Even some of the most experienced sailors and merchants were reluctant to go out very far into the waves. Storms were known to brew up suddenly, capsizing ships and dashing them against rocky shores.
But one morning Kushina asked Sakura if she would like to become part of her usual garden parties where noble ladies sat around fanning themselves and gossiping.
Sakura told Itachi, who laughed at her revulsion and then told Sasuke, who told Sasori. They unanimously agreed that it was time to move on again.
They were gone the following morning.
The ragtag assortment of mercenaries was also missing.
The only explanation was a simple red rose from the Queen's garden with the buds still tightly shut and the thorns trimmed. Along with it was a note:
Until the winter.
Even though the crew of Sasori's ship seemed somewhat worried about the weather, they covered any hint of fear with bawdy jokes and laughter. They traded stories with the Seven Swordsmen and immediately seemed to take a liking to one another. Rather than join them after supper for their usual jokes and games, Sakura excused herself, sitting on top of crates with Itachi and wondering if the odd shapes in the distance were dolphins or whales. But when he retired for the night, she slipped under the deck to see if she could find a decent bottle of wine.
The ship was made of wood. And it rocked on the waves, creaking and groaning without cease. But for Sakura, who had grown up on the water, she knew what was to be expected and what was strange.
And Sakura heard a strange thump from inside the cargo hold.
She turned back on her heel, her sword pulling quietly from the scabbard.
Exhaling slowly through her nose, she waited for a few more heartbeats. There was the noise again. She took a few steps toward it, waiting. There was the thump one more time, a little louder.
Standing in front of a barrel, Sakura considered her options. But after deciding that it wasn't worth alerting everyone above, she tapped the barrel with the hilt of her sword. It didn't sound hollow but it didn't sound like it was full of liquid either. She tapped the barrel one more time before she took a deep breath and sliced through the rope holding the lid in place. When she ripped the top off, she saw a pale face with huge violet eyes staring up at her.
"Ino," Sakura sighed. She lowered her sword to her side, glowering at her friend.
"Hi," Ino replied with a silly little wave. The boat rocked on a particularly big set of waves and the barrel tipped over. Ino's barrel rolled across the floor, spinning back and forth until Sakura finally planted her foot on it, stopping it in its tracks.
"I should throw you overboard," Sakura remarked. Ino craned her neck to glare up at her.
"You don't have enough friends to do that. Help me out," Ino retorted with a decent amount of snark. Sakura considered this for a moment before she bent over to off her hand to Ino.