The calm night was sent alight as an explosion rocked the foundations of the castle, the entire western tower decimated in an instant. Shrapnel flew in all directions, narrowly missing a shadowy group of people rushing into the building from a back entrance.
"Alright, men!" The leader shouted, pointing ahead, "You know the drill! Grab the girls and go! Avoid all conflict if you can! Ayame-sama doesn't want any casualties tonight!"
"Yes sir!" The soldiers chorused, and rushed off into the halls.
A group of five split off from them and ran up the grand staircase towards the royal chambers, throwing open the first door they came to.
Immediately they were greeted with a smoky, decimated room. The entire far corner was blown away, the only part still standing a four-poster bed with its silk curtains drawn to shield feebly against the licking flames. Their boots crackled as they broke fallen pieces of glass underfoot. The leader of the five threw open the curtains to find a redheaded young woman shielding an unconscious noirette with her body. The back of her shirt was burned away, leaving angry, raw red flesh and pale white burns all down her spine.
She grit her teeth in pain, looking up at them through her lenses. "Get us outta here! She took the drink."
The leader saluted her. "You heard Himawari-sama! Kou, Toza, help her up. Boruda, Mataka, take the lady!"
"Ma'am!" The men exclaimed. Kou and Toza gingerly hooked their hands under Karin's armpits, lifting her from the bed. Borusa and Mataka tucked their arms underneath Hinata's legs and her back, lifting her until Boruta could hide her under his cloak.
Karin cried out when they wrapped a cloak around her body, her back going rigid from the pain.
"Sorry, sorry," the leader shushed, helping her out the door. "Hinoki-sama will have to look over you when we get to the rendezvous point."
The leader spared the room the quickest glance as they left.
The explosion startled the young prince awake with a sharp gasp.
He jumped out of bed just as his blond companion was waking from his own bed. The two nodded and raced out of the prince's chambers to the hallway.
The hall was full of shouting and the sounds of weapons clanging together. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and grabbed Naruto's hand, practically dragging him to the end of the hall where his fiancee was supposed to be resting, only to find the royal soldiers rushing past, chasing someone in black robes.
"Halt!" Sasuke shouted above the noise.
The soldiers didn't falter in their stride until they were out of sight. There was no doubt that they heard his voice, however, and this made the prince's frown deepen in worry.
Naruto squeezed his hand and pointed to Hinata's door, which was loosely ajar. The two boys opened it, only to stumble backwards in horror.
The room was utterly destroyed, glass and rubble littering the tiled floor. Charred ashes of what once was her personal belongings dusted the only furniture still standing: her bed, the silk curtains torn and burned with the rising flames.
"Sasuke, look!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing out the white mess on the ground.
Sasuke rushed to it and knelt beside it, his lips parting in shock when he beheld the clothing.
Nothing was amiss, save for the crest on the back. No trace of the uchiwa fan remained on the fabric surrounded by an angry brown singe that had ripped at it, a chilling sight for the two boys. The rest of the kimono was untouched by the flames, even more curious.
Naruto gave him a grim stare. "We'd better get to Aunt Mikoto about this," he declared.
Sasuke could only nod, allowing his best friend to pull him to his feet and lead him out of the ruins, the kimono still clutched tightly in his fist.
Surely it was a message. It had to be a message.
Sasuke's teeth clenched together painfully.
A young woman with navy hair joined the bunch, waiting in the shadows. Her indigo eyes sharply glanced to and fro, trying to catch a glimpse of someone. Finally, they lightened when a man with deep pine hair in a black cloak arrived. He nodded to her and led the group out of the castle into the early night air.
Aika breathed heavily, a grin coming to her lips. The adrenaline of a successful rescue mission got her heart beating like nothing else did.
She huffed a silent laugh as the man in the black robe grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. She turned to grin at Shinji, and he returned her look. Curiously, his eye (not eyes, as she recalled) seemed to glint green instead of their usual royal-blue in the dim light. The sight of a dark eyepatch over the right one made her stomach churn. What had happened while we were separated?
For a moment, she felt a twinge of regret as she spared a glance back at the smoking tower. From her time in service, she knew that the queen was a gentle soul. Determined, but kind beyond what one would expect. She knew that, of all people, the queen was on the list of people she wished to hurt the least.
I pray she isn't hurt too badly from this, she thought to herself with a flicker of a frown. Forgive me, Mikoto-sama. I did what I had to do.
Somewhere, she figured that the woman would understand wholeheartedly. One's duty to their comrades was something that you shouldn't betray. Mikoto had loved her as her own daughter; she did with all of her ladies-in-waiting. She of all people would sympathize, right?
She shook her head violently, mindful of the dull pain in her throat, to clear the thoughts away. She looked to her companion again, only to see his eye firmly on the road ahead.
She took his example and focused on the darkening path, ignoring the weight increasing in her heart with every stride.
"Mother! Father!" Sasuke exclaimed as he and Naruto entered his parents' quarters.
Fugaku and Mikoto were already up and clothed, turning from the window to look at him with matching grim expressions.
"So you know," Naruto added.
"Yes, it was brought to our attention not soon before the explosion." Fugaku answered, turning his whole body to face his son as he stepped forward. "Don't worry too much about the attack right now, Sasuke. We'll receive word in the morning about whether or not the lady Hyuuga can be found."
Sasuke nodded stiffly, showing his mother the kimono. "This was found in her room… I fear it's an omen."
Her face soured when she beheld the singed back. She clucked her tongue in distaste. "Dear, dear… and after the ladies spent so long tailoring it. No doubt this is a message from them."
He watched as she shook her head, folding the kimono and placing it gently on one of the chairs in the room. Her frown softened when she turned to him again, bringing him in for a hug.
"It'll be okay, Sasuke," she murmured, running her hand gently across his back. "She'll be okay."
"She's probably dead," he retorted, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. Her comforting aura soothed his worries somewhat, but the fear of what had happened to Hinata couldn't be soothed.
Naruto cracked a tense grin, coming in to join them. "I want in on the hug too, Aunt Mikoto!"
"Bring it in," she implored, holding out her arm so that he could squeeze in.
She hugged them both tight, closing her eyes for a moment. When they pulled away, she looked up at them and chuckled, shaking her head.
"You two have gotten so big," she chided, planting her hands on her hips. "What am I going to do with you?"
"You're not gettin' rid of us," Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I would never." She emphatically agreed, turning to her husband with a teasing grin. "Ne? Fugaku?"
His mouth twitched, as if he would smile. He didn't, instead closing his eyes. "Of course not."
"I know it'll be difficult, but please try to get some rest tonight," she continued, turning back to the teenagers. "We'll call for you as soon as we receive word in the morning, okay?"
"You got it, Aunt Mikoto!" Naruto gave her a thumbs-up and nudged Sasuke. "C'mon, man."
Sasuke remained in his spot, giving his mother a troubled look. "I… I don't know if I can," he admitted quietly after a moment's hesitation.
This was new. Both Naruto and Mikoto's eyebrows rose at his confession, though they quickly sobered. If it was bad enough that Sasuke was admitting weakness...
Her countenance was twisted in concern for her youngest son, and she reached out to hold his face in her hands. He looked up, identical eyes meeting hers for a moment before he looked away.
"Sasuke," she crooned. "Do you need anything? Tea? Hatake?"
"Talking to him won't solve it," he was quick to retort, turning away. "I… I suppose I'll make some tea and try to rest."
"Do whatever you need to," she encouraged. "And Naruto?"
"Yeah?" The blond answered, turning his head expectantly.
Her lips quivered for a moment, but she managed a smile. "Please make sure my stubborn son gets some rest, won't you?"
Naruto's worried frown melted, and he gave a chortle. "Yeah, I can do that."
He reached for Sasuke's hand and gripped it tight. "C'mon, let's go get that tea."
As he pulled the teenager out of the king's chambers, Sasuke shared one last look with his mother before the door closed gently behind them.
Trembling knees fell to the rocky ground, though he ignored the sharp digging into his exposed flesh.
No. No. This wasn't happening.
His vision was blurry through the tears, even as his mouth parted and he screamed a name.
He began to sob, clenching his fists against the fabric of his shorts. He screamed her name again and again, as if it would wake her.
It did not.
The cold bite of metal rested against his throat, and over his anguish he heard a voice.
"You are under arrest, under the authority of the Flower," the rough tones of the woman's voice growled into his ears as his arm was seized. He was pulled back, the sharp edge of the kunai knife still digging into the tender flesh of his throat. "Surrender peacefully, or I will be forced to make you."
He couldn't. He couldn't fight. Not when she was just lying there.
He screamed her name again, his voice cracking.
"Ugh, I need some help here!" His abductor shouted over her shoulder. "Stubborn brat won't budge!"
"Don't hurt him too much," another voice, one stronger and clearer, ordered. "He's too valuable to be treated like a piece of luggage."
"Tch." His captor grumbled under her breath and yanked him back again. "C'mon, kid, I'm not gonna ask again."
He struggled feebly against her grip, pausing when he had to swallow and his Adam's apple bobbled dangerously against the edge of the knife. All he could do was sit there, shuddering breaths escaping his lips. He was beginning to lose focus, and his vision was growing foggier even with the tears.
It was getting hard to breathe the longer he stared at her unmoving body.
"Shit, he's hyperventilating!" The woman barked. "I'm gonna need to knock 'im out! I think his eyes went in the red!"
With a muttered, "No hard feelings, kid," she held his head steady and delivered a swift chop to the back of his head with her free hand.
He felt himself falling forward before he was caught. The tears slipped down his cheeks as he exhaled.
The last thing he saw was her hair, gently moving with the motion of the water. For a moment, he could swear he saw her back muscles tense, but he was unconscious before he could question it.
A/N: Please tell me what you thought!
