I am immensely sorry this is late from the regular updating pattern (cough, five days if you didn't notice, cough). Blame it on really good books and research papers.
Anyway, just to warn you of a things:
a) This chapter includes bunches of stuff. If you're really seeking an apology for the late updating, consider this 6000 plus chapter a justification. Or, if you don't really care about the lateness, this chapter is so long because I hate dividing stuff up that's relevant. I've already got the next two chapters mapped out in my head and they are neatly confined currently. I want to keep it that way. Besides, it's more entertaining. :)
b) Secondly, I royally screwed up on the tense of this chapter. Like, I was appalled. But by the time I went back to correct all of it, I was too tired to even try to mess with it. So I just left it. Sorry. If you really want an explanation, blame it (again) on all of these new books I'm reading. I'm so used to past tense that when I get a book with present tense it throws me off big time. My apologies, yada, yada, yada. I'll do better next time.
and finally, c) I'm officially bumping this to Mature. I pretty much knew I would from the start, but I ought to go ahead and do it. My reasons: In later chapters there are some strictly adult situations. No lemons (but hey, no promises), but some borderline stuff and some things I'd just feel more comfortable writing about within a Mature perimeter. So . . . yeah. Just a warning. Read what's appropriate for your eyes, please. Thanks.
And if you got through every word of that, I commend you. Ten points to Gryffindor.
Fake Bliss: Thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. :)
Neguru Sucashi: You wouldn't slap someone if they were hysterical in front of you? I would. Slapping people is flipping hilarious. ;D
neji's goddess: Sure thing, dear. :)
HeavensPheonix561: What's Tsunade talking about? Which part?
Shubhs: :D
Uglyfangirl27: Deathful. ;D Great word. Thanks very much! I hope yours was enjoyable!
CagalliTen: Yeah, well, she kind of defies all rules. ;D Yes. Them with a few others. :) Aw, thanks so much! I had a pretty good Thanksgiving, and I hope yours went well . . . all the way back in October. :)
loves-emo-guys-with-hair: I thought about giving her alcohol for a second, but I wanted her to be sober for that particular moment. Antisocial. . . Mm, not quite. Just you wait. ;)
Chirisaa Tomoko: :D Yes! Muahahahah!
Drea1284: Yes. Yes, he is. :) Thanks!
Disclaimer: I'm behind on my Naruto chapters. Nothing witty this update. Other than the usual 'I don't own' crap.
Siege.
Over the course of the next two weeks, news reached Fort Minato in droves.
The first bit of information came from Queen's City. At the end of the next month, the Wind Country's royal family would come to stay at Fort Minato while on their journey to meet with the queen. Their purpose in the Fire Country was an alliance—with the excess of attacks from Itachi, the reservoir of the country's troops was slowly dwindling. The stores were overdrawn, and situations were quickly growing alarming. The continued existence of the Fire Country relied on their neighbors in the Wind.
The second part of news came from the front. Kakashi was in siege at Fort Kikyo, a two weeks' ride from Fort Minato.(1) Surrender, as the messenger had imparted, was not a foreseeable option.
Neji, fraught with uncertainty, held a meeting with the other four captains one day after lunch.
"As most of you are aware, Kakashi is under siege. His surrender will immure us all. We cannot allow his capture," Neji presented tiredly, grasping the table for support. "The thing plaguing my mind is who will assist him."
Kiba thumped the table.
"Do you even have to ask? We will."
Neji exhaled roughly, fighting to keep his eyes open; he had been losing sleep over this problem for a few days.
"We were not given orders to help Kakashi, and neither did he request it."
Naruto spoke up, his voice booming in the nearly empty mess.
"Does he have to, Neji? He's under siege and his messenger came here instead of Queen's City. He needs us, and we go where we're needed."
Neji looked up and stared at the blonde blankly.
"Who will defend this fort, then? You know how Itachi works, Naruto. He'll do something like this just to draw us out and away from what he really wants. It would provide him with a perfect opportunity to seize Fort Minato, if we leave to help Kakashi."
Naruto crossed his arms, but provided no response.
"It's not a matter of defense, Neji," muttered Shikamaru, his face bored. "It's a matter of numbers. Did the messenger say how many were at Fort Kikyo?"
Neji shook his head.
"Then we will assume it's numerous companies," Shikamaru continued, staring at the chess game he was playing against Shino. "If it's numerous companies, then the Squads you will need to send to Fort Kikyo is Squads Three, Four, and Five. We have the most numbers out of the Five Squads. You and Kiba can stay here and defend Fort Minato if need be."
"And," Shino added as he moved his white knight forward, "Itachi's not an idiot. Even if he thinks we all went to save Kakashi, he's not stupid enough to stroll up to the fort without some reinforcement. It will be small, probably no more than a hundred soldiers, but it will still be a defense if the fort puts up a fight."
Neji kneaded his forehead.
"I will not stay at Fort Minato. My squad is small, but you all know they're specialists in things like this. Kiba can stay here."
Kiba hit the table angrily.
"That's unfair, Neji. My soldiers number to eighty. If Itachi were to attack, we would be hopelessly outnumbered, and then the fort would fall in vain. You must give the task of defending to a larger squad who can equally challenge Itachi if he shows up."
Neji found himself looking over Shino, Shikamaru, and Naruto.
When Neji met Naruto's big blue eyes, the blonde spoke up.
"There is no way in all the earth you're going to keep me from this siege, Neji. I'm going whether you like it or not."
Shikamaru muttered without looking up from his chess game, "You're not keeping me here either, Neji. My squad has a healer, if you'll remember."
Inwardly, Neji cursed himself. It would be entirely irresponsible to not take the two squads that had healers in the ranks.
Helplessly, he looked at Shino.
The younger man blinked behind his dark spectacles, but nodded at Neji.
"I will stay, Commander, seeing as everyone else is unwilling."
"I'm in your debt, Shino. At least you know how to follow orders."
Indignant, the other three sent Shino a glare, who smirked at the chessboard before him.
Neji maintained his stance with a struggle; he was so exhausted.
"We'll leave tomorrow, then. Make sure your soldiers are prepared for anything."
With Neji's dismissal, the four captains strode out of the mess. Neji forced himself to the mess hall's door, walking slowly to the infirmary.
When he stumbled through the door, Sakura appeared in front of him.
"Commander? What's wrong?"
Neji was having trouble focusing, and his throat was dry.
Sakura squinted up at him.
"Commander, have you been sleeping at all? You look like death itself."
Neji was able to shake his head in reply to her question.
Sakura gripped his elbow and led him to one of the infirmary's beds.
Neji tried to control the spinning in his head.
Sakura returned seconds later, and without warning, she forced his mouth open and poured a bitter tasting liquid onto his tongue. Neji swallowed, the bitterness trailing down his throat.
Sakura grasped his shoulder and pushed him down onto the bed. Neji closed his eyes and drifted off.
-
Neji woke up intensely groggy hours later.
His vision had cleared and he felt better, even if he could use a little more sleep.
Sakura looked over her shoulder at him when he sat up.
"You were suffering from extreme exhaustion. That's not healthy, Commander."
Neji waved this away and tested his legs. They stood firm and strong, their previous shakiness gone.
"I'm going to give you more of this medicine. Drink all of it tonight before you go to bed. It'll heal your body while you sleep so you'll wake up rejuvenated."
Neji nodded and accepted the small bottle she handed him.
"Don't be so hard on yourself next time," Sakura called as he left the infirmary. "I won't allow this to become chronic."
Neji did not reply.
It was late afternoon; the sun was setting slowly in the east.
Neji passed by the officer's barracks, finding himself at the front gate.
Even though the light was dim, Neji still noticed the other figure outside the gate.
A few feet from the northern trees, TenTen was holding target practice with her longbow. Arrows centered numerous pine, bark clipped away clean.
When she heard Neji arrive, she glanced at him and smiled sheepishly, leaning on her longbow.
"I was practicing for tomorrow."
Neji frowned, grim.
"It's a good thing you are. It would not be smart to slack."
TenTen's mouth twitched like she wanted to smile, though no grin graced her lips.
"It's going to be awful, isn't it? If the White?? is under siege I'm not sure how we'll be able to help."
Neji stopped himself from shrugging.
"I won't lie to you. It will be incredibly difficult, especially since Kakashi is the one under siege."
TenTen shook her head, dismayed.
"It doesn't help that it's a two weeks' ride, either. Can Kakashi hold out until we get there?"
"I don't know," answered Neji truthfully. "The messenger had no other details, except that they were under siege. By the time we get there, he'll have been there a month. I hope his supplies are adequate enough—we can't spare anything."
"If we buy supplies along the way, we can spare a few things. . ." TenTen said, shrugging.
Neji sighed and gestured to her arrows.
"I guess you are a good shot."
TenTen curiously gazed at him.
"Who do you think is responsible for war, Commander? Mankind or situations created?" she asked, voice thoughtful.
Neji frowned a little.
"Fate," he finally answered. "Fate decides everything."
TenTen's face twisted into a confused expression.
"Fate? Fate has nothing to do with it. There is no predetermined path for anything."
"I disagree. For example, I believe that most things are beyond my control," Neji solidified.
TenTen blinked.
"They don't have to be," she slowly began. "There are measures people can take to ensure—!"
"Fate deals the cards, Lieutenant. Mankind is merely a pawn in its game; it carries out the deeds Fate assigns."
TenTen was determined to disprove him.
She raised her eyebrows and prompted, "And what of destiny?"
"Destiny? That is an idealist's dream," Neji murmured sharply.
TenTen defiantly stared at him.
"My father implanted in me that every man has a right to choose his own destiny. He can choose the path to his life."
Neji considered her, pensive.
Finally, he said, "Forgive me for saying so, Lieutenant, but if you and your father believe that, you're both fools."
TenTen shook her head, brown eyes burning.
"I'll prove it to you, Commander. Destiny beats Fate every time."
Neji highly doubted it, but he found himself smiling anyway.
-
They left the next morning, their horses thundering freshly out of the gate. It was decided they would take the eastern road and split off when a crossroads appeared. Since they had traveled the road before, they knew of places to stop, rest, and gather supplies if needed.
While they rode, Neji mapped out strategy tactics.
By the time they arrived at a small town to stay for the night, Neji was nearly done with his extensive plans.
The small town's inn could not house hundreds of soldiers and their horses. Neji, Moegi, the three captains, and the four lieutenants were the ones privileged to stay in a bed for the night. The remaining soldiers camped just outside the town's perimeter.
The eleven counterparts took dinner in the inn's small dining room.
While they were eating, Naruto and Kiba began regaling the table with stories of their time in page training.
"Hey, Kiba, you remember that time we switched around Iruka's horse tack?" Naruto inquired, elbowing him in the ribs.
Kiba snorted.
"Yeah, and he gave us two weeks duty of mucking out stalls. I smelled for months."
The table snickered.
As Naruto launched into another tale of egging on their instructor, TenTen turned to Neji and Lee who occupied the end of the table.
"And you, Commander?" she asked, smiling. "Were you a mischief-maker as a page?"
Lee answered for him.
"Are you kidding? Neji's uncle would have killed him if he acted up. Neji was the perfect pupil."
Neji couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing a little. He sent Lee a small glare. The other man shrugged.
"Well, it's true, isn't it? Your uncle would be severely disappointed if Iruka had sent him a letter of complaint. So you never gave him reason to."
TenTen was frowning.
"Your uncle raised you?"
Neji sighed and flicked his eyes to her face.
"Yes. My parents died when I was young. My uncle raised me, and he is very strict. He raised me to be polite and respectable, not an ingrate who causes trouble," he muttered firmly.
TenTen laughed shortly.
"I'm not talking about your turning savage, Commander. Just—having fun."
Lee looked curiously at this outspoken woman and then to Neji.
"Has she even met you before?" he asked in an undertone.
Neji couldn't help himself—he smirked.
"And you, Lieutenant? Did you ever cause any trouble while you were a page?" Lee questioned, turning back to TenTen.
TenTen smiled slowly; her grin was mischievous and impish.
She twirled her fork around and half-shrugged.
"I've been known to cause a bit of trouble," she finally murmured.
Neji did not ask her what that 'trouble' could be, even though he was curious.
After a few more minutes of tolerating Naruto's boisterous voice, Neji, Lee, and Moegi trudged up to bed.
-
The captains, lieutenants, and Moegi met up with their soldiers in the morning, starting on the road once more.
Neji ate his breakfast on the way, chewing his bread and apple thoughtfully.
As he finished, a vaguely familiar dappled grey horse appeared next to him. Neji did not need to look to know who rode astride it.
When Neji did not greet her, TenTen spoke first.
"I'm sorry if I offended you last night. I seemed to have neglected to tell you that I'm incurably nosy."
Neji shook his head, dismissing her apology.
"I don't mind your questions much. And I wasn't offended with the ones about my parents. I was so young when they died. I doubt I have many memories of them anyway."
"No memories of your parents?" TenTen prompted, sounding sad.
Neji shrugged lightly.
"Not much. My mother died a few days after I was born; she had complications with her pregnancy. I knew my father the best—he was an advisor for the queen before he died. He was a good man. . ."
"How did he die?"
Neji thought back to the day his father had died—the messenger that had shown up in front of their house and delivered the depressing news to his uncle.
"A soldier from the Lightning Country shot him while he was on an errand for the queen near their border. I don't even know the name of his killer."
TenTen was silent and Neji snuck a glance at her. When she realized his gaze, she looked up, her brown eyes sympathetic.
"I'm so sorry, Commander. At least you still have your remaining family to go home to."
Neji remembered suddenly that her father had died a few months ago.
"But I'm sure you've experienced loss at a deeper level than I," he muttered lowly. After a second he added, "You never mentioned your mother."
TenTen showed a smile, but Neji could see it was bitter.
"There's not much to tell. My mother carried me for nine months and then she left. Apparently, children were never her idea of a reason to stay with my father. I've never met her, and I doubt I ever will."
She did not sound particularly upset; she was just delivering facts she'd known her entire life.
Neji did not pity her. It occurred to him anything short of respect would move her to anger. Instead, he guided his mare over to her grey horse and briefly grasped her shoulder. Embarrassed, TenTen shook her head at him. She tightened her grip on her reins and nicked her horse forward, wishing to be alone.
Neji let her go, deciding that she was one of the most interesting people he'd ever met.
-
Their arrival into Fort Kikyo twelve days later was a careful one. The sounds of battle could be heard from miles off, and it would definitely not serve them if Itachi's spies spotted the large troop before they even made it to the battlefield.
Neji gave orders to spread out.
With caution they crept from the woods and saw their first sights of the sieged castle.
The fort was surrounded on all four sides, at least five hundred strong on each side.
Neji cursed aloud. Their cumulative number was at least eight hundred. There was no way they stood a chance.
Neji thought quickly and then sent Moegi quietly to each of the three captains. She was sent back with words of agreement.
Neji and his squad moved back into the shadows of the trees.
Archers would move into range and pick off soldiers. It would buy them some time; if Itachi was focused, he wouldn't be noticing his soldiers were dying until it was too late. And then they would storm in and bring hell with them.
Or at least, that was what Neji was hoping.
Shikamaru's gelding stamped up, unceremoniously bumping Neji's mare with his head.
"Are you sure this will work?" came Shikamaru's anxious voice, covered with his usual bored tone.
"No," Neji admitted. "There are too many ways this could go wrong. But it's all we have right now."
Unsettled, Shikamaru shifted in his saddle. His gelding chirruped lowly, offset by his master's disturbed feelings.
"I'm open to suggestions," Neji muttered, a little impatient.
"Mine aren't any good. If we attack from any one side there's no telling the repercussions. Two thousand to our eight hundred? We'll be slaughtered, Neji."
"There's nothing I can do, and if you have a way to send messages to Kakashi, please inform me now."
Shikamaru stayed silent.
Guilt weighed on Neji's shoulders, but he pushed it aside; he would apologize to Shikamaru later when he wasn't so stressed and he actually meant it.
Ahead, the archers were in range. They stayed quiet in the woods, and Neji could hear the whistles of arrows as they sliced the air to reach targets.
Neji waited, his muscles tense and his fingers itching for his sword.
From the archers came a hiss, "We've been seen!"
Neji looked around to the three squads. They stared back, already unsheathing their swords and sliding their shields onto their arms.
Neji swallowed and nodded once, taking his own sword out as he kicked his mare into a trot. When he cleared the trees, the mare accelerated to a gallop. Neji checked behind him; the archers had fallen in with their respective squads as they emerged from the woods. Neji clenched his jaw. He had eight hundred people at his back, all fighting for the same cause as he.
Neji's never-ending loneliness was stifled fleetingly.
Itachi seemed not to mind sparing his five hundred troops—they met the four squads in battle only a few yards from the woods where Neji and the unit had come through.
Neji fought fiercely, ignoring the buzz and swift pain his injuries brought him.
His vision was currently one-sided, focused entirely on his enemies; he had no idea how the unit was doing.
After steadily progressing through the five hundred troops from the one wall, more came rushing up. The siege of Fort Kikyo was slowly breaking up. Neji permitted himself a moment to overlook the walls of the old castle.
They lacked any major damage; only a few minor burns where Itachi's soldiers had set fire were visible. Neji caught himself thinking they were lucky. If Itachi had had catapults, Kakashi would have been in more immediate trouble.
Neji winced as a spear pierced his side, cutting through the armor and flesh to scrape shortly against bone. Powerfully, he yanked the deep spearhead from his body and beheaded the person who had injured him. Neji turned back to the fight. He did not have the time presently to think of how Kakashi and his troops had fared.
It was maybe an hour later Neji became aware that they were being assisted from above. Arrows were miraculously finding their way into his assailants, leaving Neji with less to worry about. From where the arrows were catching his opponents, Neji realized they were coming from above, at an angle.
Only Kakashi, Neji found himself thinking.
The battle carried into the night without rest. Neji was wounded frequently, leaving him not only incredibly exhausted but out of breath with seemingly endless exertion.
By the time dawn broke, Itachi and his lieutenant, Kisame Hoshigaki came to Neji under a white flag.
The two men surveyed Neji's worn out state with amusement in their cold eyes.
"Commander," Itachi greeted amiably, as if they were old friends.
Neji grudgingly replied with a short, "Uchiha. Hoshigaki."
Kisame nodded his head once, eyes never leaving Neji's face.
Itachi took a glance around, obviously scoping the unit's numbers. He smirked and looked back at Neji.
"My condolences for your losses," he murmured in that deep, controlled voice he had.
Neji wasn't stupid. He knew he didn't mean it.
"I only wish this unending violence could be avoided. I do get bored rather easily."
Neji clenched his jaw to restrain himself from moving forward and striking Itachi in anger.
"It's no concern to me, Commander, if I don't get Fort Kikyo. There are plenty others that are understaffed and begging my attention."
Neji replied, his voice barely unwavering, "Then I will go to those forts as well and help to defend what is not yours. But I highly doubt you would come here with two thousand troops on the mere hope you would capture this fort and the people within its walls."
Itachi's eyebrows raise as if this is a surprise, even to him.
"Of course not, Commander. My intent is strictly docile."
Kisame barks out a harsh laugh, sharing a knowing smile with his commander.
Neji sighs and impatiently grips his reins.
"If that's all?"
Itachi turned back to the matter at hand.
"Yes. . . Only, give our greetings to the visitors from Sunagakure. We wish to make their acquaintance, but if it's not possible, make sure to extend our firm offer of friendliness."
Neji doesn't even respond to the obvious threat.
Itachi and Kisame ride away, their remaining troops falling behind in formation.
Neji silently curses the man who seems to slip from his grasp every time.
-
Kakashi accepted them into the fort with relief.
Neji and some of the others with more extreme injuries were taken to the infirmary within the fort's walls.
Neji noted the architecture as he was shepherded to the large, almost barn-like hospital. It was a very large place concocted of stone and firm cedar wood. Neji can't help it—he's jealous. Fort Minato was not only smaller, but it lacked things this stronger fort contained.
But then again, Neji reminded himself as Sakura ordered his armor to be taken off, this fort has been the permanent residence of Kakashi and his troops for months. If it was rundown before, they've surely built it up again to suit their needs.
Sakura prodded Neji's injured side, right along the left half of his rib cage. Neji swatted at her hands before he could stop himself, gritting his teeth at the pain the tender spot produced. Sakura stared him down and Neji obediently turned away from the examination, focusing dutifully on something else.
Before Sakura is even done with looking at Neji's other injuries, Naruto storms in with the list of dead. Neji nearly faints, but it wasn't from his blood loss. Shock was the assaulter this time.
Four hundred and fifty-three.
Neji sighed and dismissed Naruto without a second glance. Depression and desperation has already seeped into his aching bones, and Neji doesn't shake the feeling. He realized all of this was his responsibility a long time ago.
Sakura released him eventually, and Neji stumbled half-heartedly to the mess hall that was literally teeming with soldiers and officers.
He hadn't spoken to Kakashi yet, and Neji doubted he'd find the strength to until the following day.
Neji accepted food the cooks thrust him, though he wasn't particularly hungry.
He managed to sit by himself in the large building, tuning out the loudness. His mind wandered to people he hadn't seen since the morning. Lee. Moegi. Kiba. Shikamaru. TenTen.
Neji made a feeble wish to see them again, sending it to the gods, who'd probably turned a deaf ear his way a long time ago.
"Commander?"
Neji forced himself to look up and stare one of his wishes in the face.
Her face hadn't yet recovered from battle. A shallow cut runs along the top of her forehead. Her cheek is derelictly swollen with a deep purple bruise. One of her fingers looks previously broken and mended, its exact shape having not yet returned.
Neji nodded once to her, not being able to help the relief that flooded his body the moment he saw her.
Tentatively, TenTen sat down next to him.
"I lied to you before."
Neji's forehead wrinkled in confusion, thinking back over the last few days. He shook his head, coming up short.
"When?"
Briefly she met his eyes.
"While we were on the road here. I told you I'd never met my mother." She shrugged, blinking. "I lied."
Neji's eyebrows drew together, but he said nothing, waiting for an explanation.
"I met her once, at least eight months ago—before I left to help my father. I was on tour with Squad Two; we were patrolling the border. We stopped in a border town one night and I went to the tavern with Kiba and a few others. The barmaid kept staring at me. Before we left she pulled me aside and asked me who my father was. I'd been drinking a little, so I didn't think to question why she asked me that. It only occurred to me later—she was my mother. She never said she was, but I figured it out later. She looked too much like me. She left after I answered her question."
With a measured breath TenTen continued, "I never told anyone. I just continued to say I'd never met her before. It's a lot of disappointment and questions to deal with. And I don't need everyone thinking I'm a prostitute's daughter."
Neji finally murmured loud enough for her to hear, "Thank you for sharing this with me. I'll keep your secret. It's not my wish to expose what you don't want people to know."
TenTen bit her lip and looked at him, brown irises twinkling like the flicker of candlelight.
She leaned forward and pecked his cheek quick before clutching his shoulder as she stood and walked out of the mess hall.
Neji caught himself smiling and tackled it into control, but not before Naruto slid onto the bench and elbowed Neji in the ribs.
Neji cried out and shoved the blonde off the bench where he landed loudly on his backside.
The whole camp seemed to guffaw at Naruto while Neji nursed his injured ribs.
In the remaining few hours before Neji went to bed, the people he wished to see trickled in to report to him. Neji was glad to see all those he had wished for alive and not so terribly injured.
Neji saw Kakashi more than once throughout the evening, but they merely exchanged a glance or two with an understanding—Tomorrow. Tomorrow everything would be discussed and accounted for.
Wearily, Neji assigned burial duties, though he hardly needed to. During battles like these where numbers were incongruous, there were often volunteers. Brothers and sisters of those dead, friends, and teammates were usually the ones to go out and salvage the bodies of the decaying dead.
When Neji was finally shown to officer's barracks, he was ready to drop off the face of the earth, if only for a few hours.
He stripped down to his underclothes and crawled into bed, not bothering to care about washing the sweat and blood that had coated his skin until morning.
His sleep was filled with nightmares.
There were numerous atrocities that his unseeing eyes took part in.
In one dream, Itachi stabbed him personally in the chest, his dark eyes burning pure coals of hatred.
In another, Neji found himself deserted in the midst of battle, a thousand arrows soaring through the sky, him being the only target.
The most disturbing of all was meeting his father's killer—a faceless mask of a man who cackled and operated two swinging swords. Neji relived his father's death as if he'd been there himself. Then the mysterious Lightning archer turned on Neji, those icy metal swords rotating endlessly til they almost grazed Neji's skin. Almost. The archer did not finish him. From nowhere the brown-haired lieutenant who wore buns was there, shielding Neji from his imminent fate. Without pause the archer ran TenTen through with both of his swords, making a sickening x in her chest. She dropped to the ground, bleeding, her eyes already frozen over. The archer had disappeared, and Neji found himself incapable of moving. He strained against these unbreakable, invisible bonds, but nothing he did freed him. He could not help her.
Neji woke sweating, his mouth open, which makes him wonder if he's been screaming. Neji wrestles himself from the bed sheets and gets dressed quickly, eager to be in an open space and not the confined walls of his room.
It's cold outside. A hint of the bitter winter to come. Neji counts forward from the last month he remembers. He's dismayed to know it is the end of November. Snow will begin falling soon, especially if the grey sky has anything to say about it.
"Depressing, isn't it?" says a soft voice next to him.
Neji nodded, not needing to turn to see who it was.
A hand grasped Neji's shoulder in attempted comfort.
Neji looked at his lieutenant, taking in the bandage around his head that looks completely out of place.
Lee took an arrow to his head after night had fallen. He was rushed immediately to Sakura's care.
Neji sighed and leaned on the rampart wall.
"Kakashi actually sent me to wake you, but then I saw you were out here. He's ready to talk in private when you are."
Neji decided to go ahead and get it over with; Lee accompanies him to Kakashi's study.
Lee closed the door behind him, leaving the two commanders alone.
Kakashi regarded Neji with some interest. He remembered back when this man was still a boy, training diligently to obtain his shield. The page became a squire, who became a knight, who became a commander of the most prestigious specialty squads in the country. If Kakashi were a little more self-righteous, he would have been jealous of the then green knight. Now, not even a seasoned fighter like Kakashi could envy Neji's job. All of the traveling, appearances, visits to the Queen's City, and everything else that came along with it. Kakashi was grateful for the companies of soldiers under his belt, the same people to command, people he could punish and not have consequences to deal with. Hyuga's hands were tied by his fellow captains and the Queen. No, Kakashi did not envy Neji at all.
"We lost four hundred and fifty-three yesterday," Neji began, rubbing his bloodshot eyes.
"It's a good thing you came. We'd have been goners in a few days. Our food was running out, not to mention our arsenal."
Neji shook his head.
"I wish I could've made it sooner, but Fort Minato is not necessarily placed in convenience."
Kakashi shrugged; things like distance could not be helped.
"Has Itachi attacked the fort before?"
Kakashi frowned and shook his head, sterling grey hair swishing slightly.
"No, this is the first time he's confronted us. Usually we just meet in a field and go at it, but we can only do that so long. Our armament storehouse is kept here at Fort Kikyo. Technically it's our base, but we're away from here a lot fighting. We have to come back periodically to restock and relax. This is the first time Itachi's ever followed us back."
"He's been busy with us," Neji jumped in. "He's been savoring attacking Fort Minato for several months now."
Kakashi's frown deepened.
"He's been away from the front a lot. I guess your trouble explains his absence. Usually Kisame's the one leading the troops."
"Have you been successful in the battles?" Neji inquired. "I haven't seen much of the front, to be honest. And news reaches us weeks after things happen."
"The majority of our battles are draws. Itachi has got too good of an assemblage with him. He never seems to lose troops, and their formations are tactful, just like that mind of his."
Neji briefly shared the theories Shikamaru and TenTen had supplied weeks back. Kakashi seemed unfazed by the information, though his mind was clicking behind his passive expression.
He finally sighed and leaned back in his chair, stretching.
"I'll tell you this, Neji, things are going to get an awful lot worse before they become better. Our only hope now seems to be the Wind's royal family. I just hope Tsunade can work something out."
Neji concurred with an almost silent tap to Kakashi's desk.
It was a guarantee, actually, now that Neji thought about it.
There would be more casualties. More burned-to-the-ground towns. More burials.
But maybe things would turn out alright, somehow.
Neji snorted, hoping to settle his worry with a phrase he frequently repeats to himself.
Fate will give as Fate does. It's man's duty to accept it and learn a way to adapt.
Somehow, Neji remains insecure and promptly pushes all things belonging to Fate aside.
(1) I took this name from a place mentioned on some of the Naruto sites. When that guy Dosu was killed by Gaara, they were apparently at a place called Kikyo Castle. I decided to make it a fort for my own plot. :)
Sheesh, that's a lot of words. XD
Please review.