The dawn met the camp all too quickly, and as Hinata was walking back to her tent, she noticed a young woman with shoulder-length petal-pink hair and a gray cloak walking towards her.
Something about this woman felt… familiar. Her eyes were a brilliant green, heart-shaped lips in a small smile. Her tanned face was slender and dotted with almost invisible freckles across the bridge of her nose that picked up a trail down her neck, disappearing into the high collar of her shirt and reappearing along her sculped arms. She walked with her shoulders squared and a confidence in her gait that made the girl relax somewhat. Her aura radiated a friendly comfort, as if they'd been friends for ages.
Discreetly, she activated the Byakugan, and her vision became much sharper - and she could see the girl's chakra. She flinched when she faintly recognized its eerily calming presence flowing lazily through her body. It was so familiar… but who was this girl?
"Ah, you're awake, my lady." She greeted in a deeper, yet still markedly feminine, tone. Her bright eyes were centered on the Hyuuga as her Byakugan faded away, leaving pupiless pearly eyes. "Sorry about the journey… did you at least sleep well?" Her grin was playful, and Hinata could hardly keep from smiling back.
"It was perfectly fine, thank you," she replied, politely bowing at the waist. Her shorter hair fell into her face, and she brushed it away when she straightened her body again.
"... you cut your hair." The woman's eyes widened a fraction, but a second later she nodded empathetically. "I understand. I assume we had similar motives. That cut really suits you."
Hinata's eyes were drawn to the girl's own short tresses, and all of a sudden she felt a little less self-conscious about her hasty haircut.
The rosy-haired young woman laughed gently, holding out a hand. "Whatever you decide to do here, no one will judge you," she explained, shaking Hinata's hesitant hand. "I'm Sumire. It's good to finally meet you while you're awake."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hinata said, her hand falling to her side after the shake. She followed her as they walked back to her tent. "Are you the one I'm supposed to go if I want to help with your cause?"
"Mmm... Not explicitly, but you can come to me for anything you may need." Sumire shrugged her shoulders loosely. "Either find Hinoki, Ayame, or me… or Karin, if she's closer."
"Ah!" Hinata finally remembered the blaze and her brows dipped low into a worried frown. "Is she alright? I can't remember anything after drinking the sleeping elixir…"
"She's fine, just some second and third-degrees." the pinkette comforted her with a hand on her shoulder. "We've got some of the best medic-nin in the world right here in the group. She's going to be up and walking with a healed back in no time at all."
Her words brought some comfort to the girl, but ultimately, she still felt dread for her friend. Karin was her closest confidant in the palace. If she was to be disfigured forever…
Rolling up her sleeves, Sumire entered the tent, to find Karin lying on her side, her shirt folded next to her. She looked up and grinned. "Hey, it took you long enough, Pinky. They already brought me breakfast."
"Whatever, Karin," Sumire snickered, shaking her head as she knelt beside her. "So what've we got today? How far did Hinoki get on you?"
Karin shifted onto her back, resting her cheek on the pillow. The bandages were a bit damp, and splotches were beginning to discolor with pus, a nauseating green-yellow.
Sumire fished a hair tie out of her pocket and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, clipping her bangs to the side, and leaning over her. She paused, before looking up at Hinata with a contemplative expression.
Finally, she asked, "Do you want to be here for this? If you've got a weak stomach, I have to warn you... "
Hinata blinked before realizing and giving a quick nod. "O- oh, of course! I'll go, um, find Ayame-sama. Thank you for the talk, Sumire-san."
She bowed again and headed out of the tent.
Once the flaps were shut, Karin weakly chortled. "'Sumire-san', huh? How long are you gonna go without telling her?"
"As long as it takes," Sumire tersely replied, gently unwrapping the bandages with a level face.
Karin glanced up at her and furrowed her brows. "You know she's going to want to know, right? She'll be devastated if she finds out that you're actually Sa-"
"Okay," Sumire interrupted with a cheery tone, looking over her back. She gave a low whistle. "Damn, Kar, you did a number on your poor skin. How far did Hinoki get with the treatments?"
The redhead sighed quietly. "Only the uppermost part," she replied, closing her eyes. "She didn't start grafting yet, so I assumed…"
"By the looks of things, you may not need a graft." She observed. "I knew it was the right idea to send her along. She's totally reconstructed the dermis and epidermis. Fair warning, you won't be able to feel any sensation on that part anymore. That's totally destroyed."
She nodded. "Ah, I thought so. I couldn't really feel anything after the initial explosion hit."
"Now, as for the top half, I think I can give it a go." Sumire reached into her pocket again, this time pulling out a tiny flask. "First, drink this. I'm gonna need you unconscious for this part, because I'm gonna need to give it my all."
"Figures," she sighed, accepting the flask. She tilted her head back as far as it could go, swallowing its contents quickly. When she'd drank everything in the cool metal flask, she gave it back, wiping her mouth with her knuckles. "How long?"
"It depends, but let's say ten hours." She readied her hands again. "Tsunade, Shizune, and Hinoki know not to disturb us until the meeting tonight at five, so you'll probably wake up around then."
"Mkay," she sleepily muttered, closing her eyes again.
Hinata walked into the center of camp, only to find Hinoki talking with a younger, freckled boy. They both looked up when she approached with a shy smile.
"Whoa, Lady Hinata!" The boy gasped, eyes flying wide as saucers. He hastily bowed where he sat, resulting in his chest touching his knees. "It's an honor, miss. I- I'm Hideki."
"Please, you don't need to bow," she chuckled in embarrassment. "I'm your equal."
"It's good to see you awake." Hinoki smiled kindly to the younger girl. "What do you need?"
"I need to see Ayame-sama," she explained. "I- I want to be an asset to the group. I can do taijutsu and… well, I have my eyes."
Hinoki listened, a contemplative frown appearing on her face. She folded her arms across her chest. "... Your enthusiasm is appreciated, as I know you would be a useful person to have among us. There is, however, a slight probationary period you'll have to go through before you can do anything substantial. Every recruit does it, it's totally precautionary."
"Oh," the noirette breathed, her shoulders slumping a little. "That's not what I was expecting."
"It's only two weeks," the brunette said, smiling sympathetically. "But I'll definitely let Ayame-sama know. We'll have to meet with you later to hash out the intimate details."
"Thank you." Hinata bowed, her heart pounding with excitement. "I won't let you down, I promise. I'll help in any way that I can."
"Well," said Hinoki, patting the empty spot on the log beside herself and the boy, "Perhaps you can get started by helping us with inventory."
Daylight seeped through the curtains, making Sasuke's eyes flutter open. Groggily, he lifted his head, looking about the room.
Naruto was missing, and he began to panic for a moment before he remembered that his parents would want to see him first thing this morning.
Sure enough, a few moments after the prince awoke, Naruto walked into the room, a strained smile on his face.
"Look who's up," he commented, flopping down onto the bed with a groan. "Aunt Mikoto wanted you at breakfast."
"I don't see why she wouldn't," Sasuke commented blandly as he swung his legs over the side of the bed to get up. He stood, brushing down his unruly hair, before walking to the wardrobe.
Naruto made himself comfortable on the bed as the prince dressed, swinging his legs back and forth.
"What did Mother want?" Sasuke's voice was a bit muffled, the boy's head still in the wardrobe as he leafed through his clothes.
"Right, the meeting." Naruto nodded, folding his arms behind his head. "Boy, where to start? Basically, Hiashi didn't take the news well at all yesterday, so now your clans are officially enemies again? I guess?" He laughed mirthlessly. "Hell if I know the finer details, I've always sucked at listening to clan politics."
Sasuke poked his head out, a contemplative frown on his face. Then he nodded his head in understanding, putting his shirt on. "Well, did he have any demands of us?"
"Just that we give them back… y'know," the blond uncomfortably gestured with his hands, folding them across his chest for a moment before they dropped to his sides.
Silence bloomed between them as Sasuke put on his pants.
Once he was in some fresh clothes, he raised his eyebrows. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Well, what about her?" He prodded with an annoyed expression, shutting the wardrobe with a little more force than he meant to. He winced at the loud bang. "Hinata-san's body, right?"
"I mean, I dunno," Naruto sighed heavily, scratching his scalp. "I don't wanna stress you out even more than you already are, but…"
"But what ?" He asked in a huff, turning his head so that he could stare at him over his shoulder. "Get to the point already."
Naruto glared at him for a second before sighing and folding his arms. "There have been rumors going around since late last night. About Hinata, I mean."
He hesitated for a moment, but he continued. "The guards searched through the rubble for hours and hours… they didn't find much other than pieces of the wall. They didn't find a single body."
An uneasy feeling settled into Sasuke's stomach. "Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing." The blond confirmed. "Which is really weird, 'cause even if she… well," he coughed into his fist for a moment, "e- even if that happened, they should at least find traces of her… bones, or something. But they didn't find anything there."
Sasuke sat the brush down, swallowing hard. Something… something was wrong. He could feel it in his blood, coursing through his heart and filling his body. Hinata… that fire would have killed her, right? Then why would…?
He voiced these thoughts quietly, "That fire killed her, did it not?"
"That's what we thought," Naruto replied, and it made his heart sink. "But now… well I dunno what the hell we think now. All we know is that whatever happened two nights ago, well, it's apparently a much deeper issue than it seemed at first glance."
Whatever he wanted to say next died on his tongue, and he turned his whole body to face Naruto's, their eyes locking together. The defeated sorrow reflected in his cerulean irises made the unease grow. Naruto was not the type of person to give up so easily, everyone who knew him could testify. But in this, he seemed almost resigned to Hinata's fate. The bags under his eyes told him everything he needed to know - and the guilt began to eat away at him further.
Hinata had been more than his fiancee. She'd been their friend, arguably closer to him, but he knew she never would have wanted to hurt him like this. And now he could see the effects of the past two nights on his best friend. He slumped more than usual, his shoulders dipping with the weight of his anguish.
Sasuke opened his mouth, but closed it a moment later, turning back to the mirror. He stared at his own reflection with a grim countenance.
"I… I'm sorry, Naruto. I fucked it up. What kind of ruler can I be now? I couldn't even keep our closest friend safe."
"Once more," sharp, ringed eyes darted from the terrified young woman to the older one at his side. "Tell us once more. What did you see?"
"I- I-" she stammered, glancing back and forth between them. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her nails digging into her skin painfully. She couldn't stop the trembling in her legs. "I- I just went out to get water, and…!"
"Calm down, dear," the bluenette soothed, taking a flask from the pouch at her waist and holding it out. "Take a drink and calm your nerves first. We have time to spare."
The forest-haired girl nodded frantically and accepted the flask, popping off the top and taking quick gulps. She tipped her head back a little too far and choked, coughing and sputtering as the older woman took back the flask before too much could be spilled. It took her a few moments to catch her breath, pounding on her chest with wide eyes.
Finally, when she could breathe properly again, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then she reopened them and stared grimly into the faces of her superiors.
"I… I was on patrol last night, as I recall…" she started quietly. "I left my post for two minutes to go get some more water, and when I was about to go back, I…"
She paused to take another shuddering breath. "... I heard screams… and when I went back, the entire camp was aflame."
The older woman nodded sympathetically, reaching out to gently take her shoulder.
Pain nodded slowly, his frown deepening. "... I see. So it was an ambush."
"Would the report lie?" The woman's voice held an edge, even as she gave him a grimace.
"Perhaps not, not in this sense." He hummed in thought, looking up at the sky. "But then again, they've been known to do whatever they can to make it seem as if they have the advantage."
"You've done what you can," her attention was back to the shivering girl. "Go and rest. We'll send you to Ayame-san's later tonight."
"T- thank you…" She jerkily bowed, nearly stumbling forward had it not been for the older one's firm hold shifting to her arm. As soon as she let go, the girl staggered off, her pace uneven and wavering. She tipped this way and that as she went, nearly bumping shoulders with Kisame when they passed each other.
Pain shook his head, turning to his partner. "... Konan."
She grimly smiled. "Of course. I'll tell them right away."
Without another glance, her body began to peel away like strips of bark from a tree, fluttering in the breeze before weaving through the air and disappearing in the right angle of sunlight.
Pain turned away and let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes in exhaustion.
"That… damned Copy Nin…" he muttered under his breath. "No doubt this was his doing. Damn it, damn it… running into him will spell more trouble than it's worth."
Wheezing breaths feebly escaped him, even as he lay in agony. He'd long since lost feeling on the right side of his body. His heart was pounding painfully in his ear, his vision flickering. The bodies of his comrades, broken and bloodied, were strewn around the area like ratty old dolls, and the few who were alive were staring down at him with enough despair in their blurry faces to make him wish he'd died already.
"Just- hold on, hold on!" One of them begged, kneeling at his side. They tugged desperately at his free hand. He could feel the broken bones grinding against each other and digging painfully into the meat of his flesh as it was squeezed.
He grunted in pain, and the younger soldier immediately gasped, dropping it like a hot iron.
"Ba… ka… shi…" he wheezed, his lone teary eye locking onto that of his friend.
Kakashi's hands were tightly clenched, his only open eye narrowed while he tried not to let his own tears fall. His whole form was shaking slightly.
"Ba… kashi," he repeated, struggling to lift his hand. He reached out for him. "Prom… ise… me…"
"What…?" He finally croaked for the first time.
"Promise… me," the young man insisted, pausing to take a gulping breath. "Rin…"
Kakashi swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He fell clumsily to his knees before the rubble. Numbly, he reached for the boy's hand and held it gingerly in his.
"There's no saving him…" another one breathed. "What do we do?"
"My eye…" the young man gasped. "Give…Kakashi… my eye!"
"But… but your Sharingan," Kakashi weakly protested, shaking his head. "Your family… they wouldn't want me to-"
"Shut up for once…" the Uchiha grumbled, squeezing with all the strength left in his hand. "... respect my wishes, idiot! You're my- best friend-! Take my eye…"
He paused again. A face flashed across his mind's eye, and the tears bubbling to the surface finally trickled down his pale cheek.
"And… please," he pleaded, looking up at him desperately. "Please look… after Rin, for me."
Kakashi swallowed again, nodding shakily. "I will… I swear, I will."
"If it's your last wish, then I guess we can do a transplant," another soldier awkwardly cut in with a cough, readying a chakra scalpel. "Kakashi, your eye's pretty much ruined too, right? This'll be good practice for my battlefield medical care."
The young man gave a trembling smile. "Keep… her safe… for me…"
"The worst day of my life… I promised you then, and I promise you now, Obito. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."
A/N: Please tell me what you thought!
