Chapter 13: Morino
The sharp call of a crow alerted Tsunade, and she turned from her dinner to see a black bird flying down at them. Wordlessly, she held out her arm and the bird landed gently on the appendage, presenting the note tied to its leg.
"A message from Itachi?" Sumire asked, popping another piece of fish into her mouth.
"I suppose so… but they should be about halfway to Konoha right now, I don't know why he would send for us." Tsunade untied the note and unfolded it, eyes scanning the page.
Beat.
After a moment of reading, her eyes widened and she blanched in horror. "Wh…?!"
"Auntie?" Sumire asked, leaning closer. "What's wrong? What's the news?"
"M… Morino…" she uttered as the younger girl read over the letter.
The pinkette sharply gasped, her own face warping in shock. "Attacked?! But…"
"We… we were so close to dying with them…" The woman exhaled, running a hand slowly across her face. "Had it not been for Karin's injuries…"
"Hinata was right…" Sumire murmured, still stunned. "We could have died there…"
"We need to warn the camp," Tsunade firmly decided, standing from the log she was sitting on. "We need to be ready to switch course tomorrow morning."
"Destination?" The young woman asked, staring up at her. "The mountain base again?"
"It'll have to be," she grimly replied. "We need a good vantage point in case of action."
With that said, she walked off, her shoulders tense and her eyes determined. The crow followed her, its piercing eyes seeming sad.
Sumire was left on the log, her mostly-eaten tray of food in her hands.
Glancing down at it, she suddenly felt too sick to finish. She set it aside and wrapped her arms around her knees, hunching over.
Morino… Morino was gone.
She clenched her eyes shut, a wave of agony crashing over her. Oh, how the villagers must have suffered before they died… who knows that the guard had decided to do to them.
The men, women, children… who knew how many were left alive. The village was burnt to the ground, and that meant months, maybe even years of rebuilding… that is, if anyone was left alive and wanting to rebuild there.
Tears burned her eyes. As much as she knew the king and queen had darkened since her departure, she hadn't realized that they would go this far. Fugaku had adored that little town, as it was a vacation home for the royal family that she'd visited more than once. She remembered that the charming village was in good relation with the capital… so what had happened?
They had allies there, true, but they had worked hard to keep that knowledge under wraps. How had the king found out? Had he even found out at all? But then why would he just… destroy it?
She sat there in the cool evening air, drowning in her thoughts.
After a few minutes of dwelling on despair, she heard someone running to her. She glanced up, seeing Karin rushing towards her, face concerned.
"I heard… from Ayame-sama," was all she said as she plopped down onto the log next to her. Her scarlet eyes were wide and sad, her hands grasping for Sumire's. "Are you… going to be alright?"
Sumire swallowed hard, her mouth dry. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I feel that I might be, after a while… but right now, it hurts too much."
The redhead nodded, reaching out to wrap her arms around the younger girl in a hug.
The two sat there like that, Sumire's head tucked under Karin's chin, her ear over the woman's chest. Her heart was beating faster than usual, but she knew the entire camp would be hurting over the news. Karin herself had had close friends among the villagers there.
No matter how warm and comforting Karin's presence was, she felt her shame building like the lump clogging her throat.
She clenched her eyes shut, a tear escaping and trickling down her cheek in a hot, wet arc.
Was all of this… because of me?
Did I cause this… by leaving like that?
I'm so sorry, everyone. I let you down again.
Another tear escaped, and she let out a muffled sob.
A/N: Please tell me what you thought! See you on February 28!