Anticipation


"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you but there has been some development" A tall, slim man stood just outside the door. He was completely clad in black and had a crow mask on his face. Waiting for the man behind the desk to acknowledge him, he stood completely still.

The man behind the desk finished his sentence on the paper and folded it. He took a small stick of wax and held it above the fire, waiting for the heat to melt the wax. Before it could fall he moved the wax above the paper. A big drop fell, sealing the paper close. He pressed his ring into the hot wax, leaving behind his signature. A crow before a flame.

Looking up the man beckoned the crow masked man to enter to room. "Speak." He said as he handed the letter to the waiting servant. The servant left the room promptly through the open patio doors left to the desk.

The crow-masked man walked to in the middle of the room, straightened up. "Word has reached us that there is a big storm brewing in the northern region," he began. "As of yet we have only one operative there, but it's come to our attention that a certain person is also in that same region and that their paths are to cross soon." He said with emphasis on a certain person.

The man behind the desk narrowed his eyes, leaned back and stared at the wall in deep thought. "I assume the storm would be anything but natural?" He asked though he knew the answer already. A normal storm would be of no problem for her.

"Indeed, sir."

He sighed deeply. There wasn't much he could do about it now, but pray that they never meet, futile as it may be. But to be sure he still asked, "is there any support in the vicinity?" The masked man shook his head. It was little to hope for, but he had hoped that would have been the case. Sending a team over there, with a storm brewing, natural or otherwise, would take significantly more time.

Drumming his fingers on the hard wooden desk he mulled the situation over. She would do fine, he knew that for sure. Being trained by him and a few others, he had all the confidence in her abilities. She could outrun the storm, or if she couldn't, defect most attacks. No, it was the fact that he was there too. Any meeting between the two of them was more than forbidden, it was dangerous, but he had no means to prevent it. "Around what time would their paths cross?" The storm could easily avert their crossing paths and he hoped that it would.

"As it is, before the storm hit them, sir."

Then the whole purpose of the storm was for those two to meet, but why on earth? "Damn." He muttered with a sinking feeling in his stomach.


Sakura jumped off the tree branch and landed softly in the tall grass. The sun hadn't set yet but hung big and low above the horizon. A few clouds dotted the blue sky. Now the colours pinks, blues and yellows. Birds were singing in the trees and hunting bugs and bees zoomed past in their endless pursuit of nectar. A perfect summer evening, or so it seemed. The wind blew through the tall grass and spoke of despair and death. Sakura shivered and pulled her coat closer. She had a long way to go and didn't feel like stopping.

After an hour she had to acknowledge her tiredness and need to rest. It was a small clearing she stepped into with a fast-flowing stream on one side and tall trees around her. The grass was green and lush and very inviting to sit down. Light was all but gone. It was the night of the new moon and only the stars shone. With her flashlight, Sakura gathered enough wood for a small fire and when that was burning she stretched herself down on the grass and looked up at the sky. The wind had died down and even the cool water close-by did nothing to cool the place. A moth landed on her leg and she brushed it softly away, the wings flickering in the light once before the darkness took it away.

Although the evening seemed still and peaceful, Sakura could feel an undercurrent of unrest. Between the trees behind her, small animals were scuttling away in the underwood, a loud shriek cut short pierced the silence and seconds later Sakura saw an owl fly over. She tried to find a comfortable position on the grass and closed her eyes. She had a long day travelling ahead before she would reach the coast.

She woke with a start. It took her a full second the realize where she was. Slowly she sat up. The embers glowed orange in the sudden air movement. Sparks fell up and died immediately. Sakura looked around and tried to figure out what had woken her. When she looked up she saw the stars shining brightly but the scent brought by the wind told her rain was coming. Without further ado, she dosed the embers, swung her rucksack over her shoulder and jumped into the first tree. As she thought, there was a storm coming in, and it was coming fast. Sakura stood high in the tree and looked over the forest. Clouds, dark, low and boiling, pushed forward by the wind sped towards her. Lightning flared up between the clouds, giving it a green colour and she knew enough. Sakura sped down to the forest ground and ran as fast as she could through the darkness, evading trees and jumping over the undergrowth. Progress was slower than she had hoped and the first drops of water hit her head. A loud racked beside her made her press against a tree just in time for a herd of deer to jump past. Sakura, catching a whiff of their panic, sped behind them.

It wasn't long before she exited the forest and a wide plain stretched before her. Sakura took a minute to stop and watch the oncoming storm. The storm came from three directions and closed in on her. It was no wonder that the deer fled the forest in such panic, Sakura thought as she watched lightning tore through the clouds. There were moving shadows in the clouds, but even without that hint, she knew that the storm was very bad news. Sakura turned and ran in the direction where the sky was still clear. A sudden sound made her stop dead in her tracks. She turned towards the clouds once again and again she could hear a sound over the rumble of thunder and the blowing of the wind. A howling of many, many demons.

"Oh damn!" She muttered and turned. This time Sakura ran at full speed.

She'd been running for quite some time with the clouds chasing her closely, when she noticed a movement on her left. While she kept running the movement grew closer and turned out to be another person. "Oh damn!" She cursed. A distraction wasn't what she needed. The person ran, just like her, towards the only place where there were no clouds. They were getting closer and closer until they could see each other. Two eyes stared at her, round and shocked above a mask. "Damn, damn and triple damn" Sakura cursed.

"Sakura? That is impossible! What… Who are you!" He sounded confused and a bit angry and very shocked.

"Later!" She panted. "Just keep running." They won't be able to outrun the clouds for long, but Sakura hoped that when it came to a clash, it came near the coast.


With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the chair. It was late, very late, but sleep had to wait for a bit longer. Opening his eyes he slowly rose on his feet and walked across the room to the low cabinet. It held a selection of different kinds of spirit and he could use a drink now. Selecting a bottle with a golden cap he poured himself a cup full of fine sake and drank it on one swing. There was a movement in the shadows by the veranda. He took the bottle, his cup and another from the cabinet and walked towards the open doors.

With nightfall, the servants had extinguished most lanterns but a few still burned. Their lights reflected on the smooth surface of the pond and he could see an elder woman sitting on one of the benches. A small table stood beside the bench. Upon it, he places the cups and filled them with sake. Handing one cup to the woman he sat down beside her and looked over the water while sipping from his sake.

"You heard?" He asked after a short silence.

"I hear everything. Especially when it concerns one of you two." The woman took a sip from her cup and closed her eyes savouring the taste. "I still remember the day you came here, Itachi. So confused but so willing to fight. And then…." She exhaled slowly and shook her head, "nasty business and it shouldn't have happened."

"Will they meet?"

The woman drained her cup and set it beside her on the bench. Slowly she stood up, her tails swinging softly, and walked towards the house. "Oh yes they will, and nothing we can do about it now. Pandemonium will erupt."