Earlier
Hinata and Kakashi are on their way home when a surge of very powerful, very old chakra sends them skidding backward. Hinata's hand shoots out to grab Kakashi's arm to keep them together as they and many others are pushed back. A few unlucky civilians fall to the ground and tumble down the street like leaves caught in the wind.
Then the air itself snaps like the sharp crack of a whip, loud enough to make Hinata's ears ring. She hears Kakashi whimper and looks over to find him clutching his ears, blood leaking pasts his fingers. Instinctively she summons healing chakra to her hands and makes her way to him but the ground trembles and splits and she stumbles, the jutsu flickering out.
A piercing cry rips through the night, swallowing up the sounds of buildings crumbling and the terrified screams of her village. Hinata gasps as the air begins vibrating, the cry intensifying. Kakashi cries out and Hinata watches as he falls to his knees.
"Kakashi!"
Hinata summons chakra to reinforce her steps and staggers over to him. She adds her own hands atop his hands, the space between them sticky and warm, and begins to repair his ruptured eardrums.
Hinata looks around desperately for the source of the awful screeching.
A part of her wishes she hadn't.
Hinata's breath catches in her throat. Kakashi cracks his eyes open from where he'd had them tightly shut and looks up too. Distantly, she hears him keen, his hands slipping out from underneath hers as he rises unsteadily to his feet.
The Kyuubi lets loose another roar and demolishes a whole neighborhood with a swipe of its tails. And Hinata can only stare at the destruction, at the gigantic nine-tailed fox, her heart beating frantically in her chest because—
The Kyuubi roars again, thunderous and primal, sending her hair whipping back and making her eyes water.
—she knows him. She knows this chakra like she knows her mother's; like she knows her little sister's. It is different, yes, older and oh so very angry, but she knows it—knows him.
(The question is how. How does she know him?)
Kakashi appears in front of her, blocking her sight of the Kyuubi. His eyes are wide with fear, his pupils thin slits. He grabs her arm tight.
"Hinata, we need to—we need to go." He says. "Now. We need to go now."
Hinata just blinks back at him, her mind still reeling.
Kakashi is right. She needs to go. He needs her because something is wrong and she has an obligation as his sister—
A loud crunch sounds next to her as a building's support column gives out. A shadow falls over the two as the building begins to fall atop them, the people inside screaming in panic.
Hinata grabs Kakashi and shoves him behind her. She lifts her arms, one word resonating inside her: protect.
"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!"
The building smashes against her barrier. A few pieces of debris make it past her guard and scratch her arms and face, but Kakashi remains unharmed behind her. Hinata grits her teeth and quickens her pace, tightening the holes in her defense.
She will not be losing any more of her precious people.
Please, shishou, Namikaze-sensei, Hinata prays, please be safe.
Kakashi doesn't waste any time, working seamlessly alongside Hinata.
"Doton: Kamigami no Hashira!"
Artfully decorated pillars made of earth and stone erupt from the ground, stabilizing the fallen structure. Kakashi checks it over for any weak points. When he finds none he turns to where he last saw his packmate.
"Hinata, we need to get the civilians—Hinata?" Kakashi stares at the empty space where she'd just been moments before. "Hinata?! Hinata, where are you?!"
He sniffs frantically, trying to catch a hint of her scent. Fear fills him when he finds nothing. The stench of fear, blood, and ash is too thick in the air.
"Hey, you, kid!" A shinobi yells at him; the patch on his shoulder designates him as a chuunin captain. "What are you doing standing around? Help us get these civilians out of here before the building collapses again!"
Kakashi is torn between duty and his own instincts when a hand grabs his arm. He whips his head to the side and is met by Hayate, who is flanked by Anko and Kurenai.
"We got this," Kurenai says, her tone grim. She turns to Hayate. "You and Kakashi go find Hinata, okay?"
"Hai. We will." Hayate says. Kakashi nods jerkily beside him.
Anko shoos them away.
"Go on, get!" She spins around and adjusts the twin bangles on her wrist. "We got us some civvies to save and you guys got a damsel in distress to find."
"Hai," Hayate turns to Kakashi, "Ready?"
A pop and cloud of smoke later and they're surrounded by nine tiny, very serious little dogs.
"Ready," Kakashi replies, his ninken barking in agreement behind him.
Present
"Hinata!" Kushina screeches, watching the girl go down. Her vision turns red when the reaper turns to her husband. At the same time the Kyuubi reaches a giant paw towards her fallen student.
Oh hell no, she thinks, gritting her teeth, not on my watch, you bastards!
Kushina throws herself in front of Minato, arm spread wide as golden chains sprout from her back and ensnare the Kyuubi who howls in rage and—and something else.
(Longing. Despair. It is the longing for someone thought dead and the despair of having them right in your midst, but being unable to reach them.)
"Stop!" She yells at the shinigami, bloody teeth bared in warning. "I am Uzumaki Kushina, a Child of the Eddies, and you, you pasty-ass bastard," Minato chokes as she points a shaky, accusing finger at the reaper, "you have sworn a pact to mine and mine alone."
The reaper cocks its head slowly and Kushina makes a face when its neck cracks grotesquely.
"I did, yes…" It agrees slowly.
"Then take me." Kushina elbows Minato harshly when he makes to argue. "Take me in his place."
Kushina's heart drops to the bottom of her belly when the horned specter shakes its head.
"My apologies, descendant of Chinami-hime, but I cannot take your soul for you were not the one who summoned me."
"Please," Kushina begs, tears falling from her eyes. They fall faster when she feels Minato place a hand on her shoulder, urging her to just accept what must be.
(But she won't, she won't—she can't.)
Kushina can't lose him now. Not when she's finally had a taste of family after so many years spent alone. Kushina would have forgotten what it was like if it hadn't been for Hizashi and Mikoto; for Minato and his students that had become theirs.
"You can't," Kushina says, readjusting her stance, tears wetting her neck. "You can't take him—you can't, I won't let you."
"Oh, but I can," The shinigami's eyes narrow, the blade in its mouth glinting ominously in the moonlight. "In fact, I must for the price of summoning me is death." The entity nods at Minato who walks out from behind Kushina. She watches through her tears as her husband summons an altar and places their son atop it. "He has accepted his fate. Now it is your turn, daughter of the maelstrom, for you cannot stop Death."
"No! I can't accept that!" Kushina snaps. Her expression and voice soften into a broken whisper when she turns to look into Minato's wet eyes, "I can't do that—please don't ask me to, Minato."
Minato cups her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears. His gaze is tender, the love and adoration he holds for her clear in his sky-blue eyes.
"You can, Kushina, you have to, please, you have to." He dips his head and catches her lips in a desperate kiss. Minato pulls back slightly, forehead against her and lips brushing hers as he speaks, "If not for me then do it for Naruto. Someone needs to watch over him and who better than his mother?"
Her sealing chains flare gold-bright in her distress. Kushina grabs a hold of Minato's collar, her grip tearing the material.
"What about his father?" She tries to reason, yanking him closer becuase she needs him, Naruto needs him—he just can't leave them, not like this. "Doesn't Naruto need his father too?!"
Minato smiles and it is a tragic, beautiful thing. The kind you see in paintings or hear about in poems; it's the kind of smile you pray you never see on the faces of your loved ones.
Minato cradles her face in his warm, calloused palms. He brushes his thumbs through the dirt, blood, and tears. His touch is so reverent, so adoring, so full of grief because this is the last time he'll see her, the last time he'll be able to touch her like this. Kushina has to bite back a cry because she knows that this is it. This is the end. This is goodbye.
"I love you, Uzumaki Kushina." He rasps, pain and so much love etched into every syllable. He dips his head down, his lips brushing against her trembling ones. "I have always loved you," he whispers fiercely. "From that first day in the academy I have loved you and I will always love you. Death cannot change that—cannot take it away from us."
"M—minato…please, no, stop…" Kushina begs, her soul crying out for his. The Kyuubi chooses then to let loose a snarl, teeth snapping. Kushina flinches. Minato takes advantage of her brief distraction and, as quick as his namesake, he lets go of her, pushing her away. The sound of his robe collar tearing is loud even with the nine-tails cursing above them.
Minato faces the shinigami once more, determination and acceptance radiating from every pore as he nods at the reaper.
Kushina screeches like an animal as the shinigami devours Minato's soul. He falls to his knees and Kushina grabs him and pulls him to her chest. Still screaming, she sends two golden speared chains at the shinigami. They pass harmlessly through the creature as it begins to draw out the yang half of the Kyuubi's chakra, red prayer beads dangling from its arm.
"I am the envoy of Death." The shinigami says, its yellow gaze solemn and absolute. "It does not matter if you are loved or unloved. A ruler or peasant. A farmer or a samurai. Young or old. Death takes all."
Kushina wails. It is a terrible, horrible sound made up of grief and rage. She snarls—wet and angry and frightened—when the shinigami moves a clawed hand towards her.
It speaks gently; quietly, "Death takes, yes, that is true, but it also gives. Accept this gift, Uzumaki Kushina, last princess of the whirlpools."
Kushina's control falters as half of the nine-tail's chakra is sealed back inside her.
"NO!" The bijuu howls, "I refuse to be sealed again!" He reaches a claw for the crying newborn.
"Naruto!" Minato and Kushina both shout in unison. They move as one, throwing themselves forward. The sound of fleshing tearing and organs bursting is obscene in the silence that follows.
The shinigami watches as the mortal couple's blood splashes both the child of the eddies and the fallen star, the liquid dotting her cheeks and sinking into her clothes.
It watches all this and knows that this story is destined to end like all the others before it— bloody and rife with death and sorrow.
The shinigami closes its eyes.
Cruel as it might be, the gods always did prefer a beautiful tragedy. The reaper feels nothing but pity for these mortals—beholden to the whims of indifferent gods.
Yellow eyes open and look back onto the fallen star.
Not even she is exempt. This knowledge brings the shinigami no comfort. He closes his eyes and whispers a short prayer to any god merciful enough to listen.
Kanoe reads the report in his hands a second time. And then a third and fourth for good measure.
He looks to his subordinate, the paper crinkling in his hand "And you… you are certain it was her?"
"Hai, it was her," they confirm. "I spotted the target heading towards the main battle. I returned to report the situation as per your previous orders."
The bird-masked nin swallows hard.
This is bad. Very bad.
Kanoe doesn't know how long he stands there, all sorts of scenarios playing out in his head when the agent cautiously speaks up.
"...your new orders, sir?"
Kanoe blinks rapidly. He numbly sets the report down on his desk.
"Right, um, yes." Kanoe clears his throat. "Disengage. I will send another agent to monitor the situation. Dismissed."
They dip their head in acceptance before flickering away.
Kanoe reaches up and fists a handful of his hair, tugging on it anxiously.
Kinoto had been acting…odd, well, odder than normal, this past year. Kanoe does his best to cover for him. He knows he shouldn't but Kinoto…is different; kind when he has no reason to be. There's not much of that down here.
And it had started after his lord had pulled Kinoto out of the sealing division and handed him a new mission. Curious, Kanoe had sent a couple of his minions to gather information on Kinoto's latest assignment.
The findings they had brought back to him had been…interesting, to say the least.
See, once his lord deemed someone a threat or even just an obstacle, they were dead within days. That's just how he operates.
So what started as just another assassination somehow turned into this—whatever it is: one of the targets MIA despite the village's official paperwork stating her as KIA and the other under long-term observation.
Now, Kanoe is naturally cautious, further intensified by his position as their lord's head of intelligence, but he is also curious.
Very curious.
This makes him both very good and very terrible at his job. Good becuase he gets things done and terrible becuase it's going to get him dead one day.
But Kanoe has never let that stop him and so he delves deeper into this intriguing puzzle his senpai has somehow gotten himself lost in. And he finds that the further he digs the more questions he uncovers.
Any search into the Nohara's current whereabouts prove futile, with no sightings or leads to follow so Kanoe was reluctantly forced to postpone his investigation. His dive into Hyuuga Hinata, however, reveals much more.
Maybe a little too much.
Kanoe didn't understand Kinoto's fixation on the girl, not at first. Yes, she is aesthetically pleasing, the heiress having inherited her clan's innate beauty, but Kinoto had never shown any inclination towards such things. True, any sexual attraction has long since been programmed out of them, but there are still urges—primal; too deeply rooted in their nature as organic beings to be completely dispelled.
Kanoe's known Kinoto for years. He has watched and looked up to him all this time. Not once has his senpai ever shown that type of interest in anybody.
At least not until now…?
Kanoe is still unsure if he's being honest. He needs more data if he wants to achieve a proper conclusion.
Regardless, Kanoe hadn't understood what captivated his senpai so entirely until he'd taken a step back and looked at things from a shinobi perspective and not whatever he'd been doing before.
(Kanoe has tried turning himself in for re-conditioning, scared that he's allowed himself to get so attached that it's impaired his judgment, but Hinoto had simply grabbed his shoulders and spun him around before letting him go with a gentle push. Bewildered, Kanoe had stiffly walked away and retired to his office for a nap.)
What Kanoe had seen had him instantly shutting down, his mind going blank and his body numb. Kanoto had dropped him off at the infirmary so Mizunoe could sedate him before anyone could see his lack of composure and report him for it.
Kanoe wishes they had reported him. Becuase maybe then he wouldn't have to remember Hyuuga Hinata and her slowly growing empire.
It's not a material empire, no, there are no gold temples or grand territories. No, it is an empire made up of people; of connections, and all the information and favors they bring. It inspires both awe and terror in him to see this self-built wealth.
In her deadly palms, Hinata holds the hearts of Hyuuga's branch members. She is the keeper of their loyalty; them with their all-seeing eyes and who are privy to their clan's secrets because those in power deem them unimportant and thus harmless.
(Oh, how wrong—how arrogant they are to believe the branch house mere sheep when they have always been wolves. Because a wolf is still a wolf even if its claws have been cut and its fangs muzzled.)
Then there is the Uzumaki, the last of a royal bloodline, with all the clan's riches to inherit—all their lands, fortunes, and techniques. All of which Hinata is now entitled to as Uzumaki Kushina's apprentice and ward.
The Nohara clan's loyalty is Hinata's who they know as their deceased daughter's beloved. All their connections as civilian merchants, herb specialists, and medical practitioners are at her disposal. All Hinata needs to do is ask and they are hers to wield. Together they could poison those in power or even the whole village and have it rot from within in a matter of weeks. Or they could have it succumb to an outside foreign plague, its cure just out of reach due to 'unforeseen shipping delays'.
Then there is her friendship with Mitarashi Anko, whose sensei, one of the famed Sannin and one of their lord's own, has taken a subtle yet keen interest in Hinata, anonymously sponsoring her studies at the hospital where she is steadily outperforming all her peers and even some of her instructors.
Higher up the social pyramid is the goodwill of the Sandaime Hokage Hinata has via the man's sons, Asuma and Itsuki—ANBU commander and heir apparent to the Sarutobi clan and all of his father's accumulated knowledge.
But that is not all! That is not even the highest peak of Hinata's influence.
Their current kage does nothing to hide his deep and unreserved affection for the ex-heiress. Kanoe doubts there is very little the Yondaime would deny Hinata, wrapped around her little finger as he is.
Finally, there are the assets. Uchiha Shisui—rumored to be in possession of a never-before-seen evolution of the sharingan—and Hatake Kakashi, a genius among geniuses and heir to the Hatake clan one of the world's oldest clans predating all of Warring Era clans. His research into the clan hints that they might have been around before even the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Kanoe doesn't think his master has even realized the two have been snatched away from him. Becuase they are hers—heart and soul. They are Hinata's to wield and command, having given her everything.
With all these people supporting her, she could go on to win the Hokage's seat. With Ne at her disposal, she could rival the Daimyo himself.
Of course, this is only one possible outcome if she continues to amass power at her current rate.
Its end result is one that Kanoe doesn't think he will mind all that terribly if he's being honest. There are worse fates. Besides, he trusts Kinoto and his judgment, enough to risk his career—his life. He knows Kinoto would do the same for him.
Kanoe inhales deeply. Slowly, he releases the tight grip on his hair.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Kanoe activates the emergency seal on his wrist.
He blinks and suddenly Kinoto is materializing in his office, ink staining his uniform and hands.
"Four-one-eight," he greets, body tense. His eyes flicker around the room for threats and then him, searching for any visible injuries. Kanoe feels warm at the action, before anxiety fills him once again, making his whole body feel cold.
"K—kinoto-senpai." Kanoe squeaks in reply.
"What is it?" Kinoto asks, voice hard. They both flinch as the earth beneath them shakes. Dust falls from the ceiling. Kinoto stalks forward and grabs Kanoe by the shoulder, pulling him near the closed door.
"Safer here." Is all he says. His free hand brushes the frame and Kanoe watches the seals there light up before dimming. He shuffles closer to Kinoto, pulling his cloak tighter around himself, Kinoto's hand on him a familiar comfort.
"Ano, senpai?"
Kinoto grunts, busy inspecting the seals on his door.
"About w—what I called you here for?"
Kinoto stops and looks at him.
"Oh." The hand on his shoulder slides off, thumb brushing his neck. Kanoe finds himself missing its reassuring weight. "I thought you called me here because the attack…unsettled you."
Kanoe squawks; mortified. He knows he's garnered a reputation for being a little jumpy but to think that others believe him so—so fragile is embarrassing.
"I thought the seal was for—you said to use it for emergencies!" He stammers, voice cracking. "Me being scared isn't an emergency!"
"No, that's not what I said." Kinoto tilts his head. "I said to use it when you need me."
Kanoe splutters, hands waving and doing his mask's theme justice.
"I don't—I wasn't scared. Why would you, um, think that?" Kanoe tucks his arms closer to his side, finding comfort in the pressure against his ribs. His voice is quiet when he asks, "Why would…why would I need you if I was scared?"
Kinoto doesn't respond. He just stands there, his red-painted mask staring at him silently. Kanoe's fingers curl into nervous fists as the silence stretches on.
A hushed, "…I don't know…" from Kinoto cuts the quiet off before it can grow any denser; before it can become more. Louder; firmer, the older agent asks, "What did you call me here for four-one-eight?"
The report on Kanoe's desk practically screams at him. He startles. Kanoe sucks in a breath, preparing himself for the conversation to come.
"Senpai," Kanoe starts, licking his lips nervously, "do you know where your hime is?"
(There is a reason they are numbered; ranked from one to ten.)
He draws his cloak tighter around himself when the air goes cold.
"No," Kinoto says, voice completely devoid of emotion.
(Kinoe may be number one with his god-like mokuton, but there is a reason Kinoto is number two.
Kanoe begins to shake at the killing intent seeping out of his senpai and curling around his neck, the skin there burning.
Oh, gods, this is it. I'm going to die, Kanoe thinks, ice-cold fear clawing at his heart, numbing his fingers as it surges through his veins, robbing his body of precious heat, I'm going to die here.
It takes everything he has in him to push back his terror long enough to stutter, "Then, I—I think you should—you should start looking."
And just like that Kinoto is gone. Just as quick as he'd appeared, he is gone.
Kanoe rips off his mask, gasping desperately as his legs give out and send him toppling onto his bottom. He pulls his knees close to his chest and tries to remember how to breathe.
(A very good reason.)
Kanoe shakily reaches for his neck. He pulls his hand back and stares at the ashes staining his fingers, the seal useless now.
Hinata blinks at the horned man standing in front of her.
"Ano, hello," she greets hesitantly.
He smiles gently at her, "Hello, Hoshi."
Hinata blinks again at the name. No one has ever called her that before...outside of her dreams, that is. It doesn't feel wrong. No, the feeling she gets is akin to wearing a sweater she hasn't worn for a long time because though time has passed, it still fits.
"Am I dreaming?" She looks around and is awed at the trillions of stars twinkling around her.
If she is dreaming it is a beautiful dream.
Hinata stretches a hand and brushes her fingertips against the nearest star. It is both hot and cold at the same time. She stares at her fingers in fascination.
"No," the mysterious man with her clan's eyes responds, "you are not."
"Oh." Hinata finds that she's not disappointed. Whatever this is, it's still beautiful.
"Where are we?" Hinata asks, watching in fascination as a faraway sun explodes in a brilliant show of light, its heat reaching her and warming her to the core.
"You are in the void between time and space itself."
Hinata blinks for the third time; incredulous.
"Ah," is all she can think to reply.
The man huffs a laugh, his stoic expression cracking much like her father's when he is amused. Hinata finds herself smiling at him. He steps closer to her, his long formal robes trailing behind him, ripples spreading out beneath him with each step. Hinata looks down at the reflective surface. Her mouth falls open at the sight that greets her.
It is the doppelganger from her dreams. This Hinata is older, as she always is, with an air of maturity and grace that Hinata hopes she will one day possess too. This is one of the few key differences between the otherwise identical versions of herself. This Hinata has her side bangs tied with white bandages and her eyebrows are cut short like the nobles from Hinata's history books. The other Hinata clothing matches the man in front of her, her jade necklace and the purple obi tied around her waist the only splash of color among the white layers and black magatamas dotting her collar.
She looks—she looks powerful.
Hinata wouldn't have believed this strong, beautiful woman is her if the truth hadn't been deeply seated in her bones.
A hand takes her chin and guides her focus back to its owner. The mysterious man smiles sadly at her.
"I wish…I wish we had more time."
Hinata's chin trembles in his hold and she is overcome by a deep sense of sorrow and longing. She also finds herself wishing for more time.
He steps away from her, his touch trailing off her face like tears. Hinata takes a step forward to follow him but is surprised when she begins sinking into the night sky.
"I'm afraid the gods are not done with you yet." The man says. His pale eyes are incredibly soft; sorrow tempers the harsh lines on his face, "Farewell, my little moonstar."
Hinata struggles but it only makes her sink faster. She opens her mouth to call out to him but chokes as the darkness rushes down her throat.
Kinoto frantically goes where his sealing tracker tells him to. He cannot lose her. Kinoto swore he would guard her. He has vowed to watch over her in the same manner that a great tree shields the flower buds beneath its branches until it is time for them to bloom.
He cannot lose her now, not when he's staked everything on her. There will be nothing left of Rin if Hinata leaves them. The jinchuuriki will surely lose herself and the village cannot withstand another tailed beast attack.
Kinoto doesn't hesitate when he reaches the golden sealing barrier. He just slaps the counter seal given to him by his teacher on the shimmering golden surface. The color dulls to a bleak gray. Kinoto throws his shoulder against it once then twice before it gives in, shattering and allowing him entry. He has to squint his eyes as the barrier regains its power, the sight of pure chakra too much for his fragile eyes. He watches as it repairs itself; the patch of links he'd broken having doubled its strength.
Kinoto doesn't allow himself even one second to admire the Uzumaki's famed adamantine sealing chains, sending as much chakra as his legs can handle when the tracking seal tells him he's close.
Kinoto, upon finally reaching his destination, is met by the sight of the bloodied bodies of both the Yondaime and Uzumaki-sama. In the background, a baby wails. Kinoto pauses when he sees the freshly-inked seal on its tiny body. He shakes his head and bypasses the three. They don't matter right now. All that matters is the crumpled form of his mistress.
Kinoto's pulse increases at all the blood, the contrast startling against her moonlight-pale skin. His pulse rate decreases when he determines that it is not her own, her body only sporting superficial scratches.
The hair on the back of his neck rises and he whips around, positioning himself between whatever pinged his senses and Hinata. He is met by Uzumaki-sama's eyes searing into his own, blood staining her clenched teeth.
"...y—you…" she rasps with destroyed lungs, "...you aren't ANBU…"
Kinoto doesn't react as her eyes narrow, red tainting violet.
"...what do...you w—want with my...Hinata…?" she demands, trying and failing to make her way over; to put herself in between the fallen girl and him.
"I want..." Kinoto swallows at the unfamiliar word, "I want to see her bloom."
He wants to be there to see her petals unfurl, her power washing over the Five Great Shinobi Nations and sending them tumbling over one another as they're overwhelmed. Because where there are flowers in bloom there is also hope. And hope is something Kinoto has wanted for so long; it is what Hinata represents. She who had the strength to be kind and soft in a world that would rather see her bitter and broken.
Uzumaki-sama blinks in surprise before doubling over and coughing out something dark and flesh-like. Kinoto is at her side instantly, gloved hands keeping her upright. Her coughing fit lasts a worryingly long time and leaves her half-conscious.
She sags in his hold, all that abundant energy and power he'd admired fading away as death nears. In a few moments, she will leave this mortal plane and the world will have lost its last true seal master.
(Kinoto does not consider Jiraiya of the Sannin or that other charlatan from Kumo worthy of the title seal master. No, they are all children, playing with powers they will never comprehend. Not like the Uzumaki whose blood ran thick with ink and with characters carved deep into their bones. Only the Uzumaki are worthy of such an honor, for only they have peered into the abyss and came back seeing.)
Uzumaki-sama's death will be a loss. Not just to their village but to Hinata. And she's already lost so much. If Kinoto can spare her further heartache then he'll gladly do it. No price is too great if it keeps her smiling.
(He has plans to retrieve Uchiha Obito's bones. He won't have her mourn over another empty grave.)
Kinoto unseals his seals and brushes. He thinks of Hinata's half-finished seal and hurriedly copies it down. Uzumaki-sama watches him, her chest gurgling with each strained breath. Her eyes widen when she sees what he's working on.
"Is that...no it's impossible…" she looks at him in disbelief; awe. "...h—how did you…why?" Kushina's eyes flutter close when he places the now completed seal on her forehead.
"It would be such a waste for one such as you to die…" Kinoto says. He places each finger on his right hand on the five seal anchors. "...you have your apprentice to thank for this."
With that Kinoto sends his chakra into the seal. Uzumaki-sama's chest stills mid-mangled breath and the blood gushing from the hole in her stomach stops running. Everything stops and she appears dead for intents and purposes.
Kinoto stays kneeling in quiet admiration. While he never doubted Hinata, her seal was only a rough draft and meant for preserving flowers. His respect for the young kunoichi swells; veneration flooding through his whole being as he casts his gaze to the side to where she lays.
He cannot wait until she assumes her rightful place in this world's hierarchy; he longs for the day this world is kneeling at her feet, offering their prayers and worship, of which she is long due.
Kinoto is broken out of his reverie by a fast-approaching, massive chakra signature that can only belong to the Sandaime. He quickly turns to the infant on the sealing altar. It is still crying, face red and blotchy, its tears mixing with the blood splattered on it and turning it pink. Kinoto startles as a memory, old and long-repressed, pops into the forefront of his mind.
He remembers the wails of the other infants in the orphanage. The place was severely understaffed. Too many little ones to care for and not enough people willing to do the job. He remembers the cries that rang through the creaky building day and night. How most of them went unanswered.
Kinoto especially remembers the ones who didn't cry. The ones that lay there in their threadbare blankets, blank-faced as they withered away despite their full bellies.
(Oh, but how their little hearts were starved; desperately eating up any attention.)
He remembers those ones most of all.
With gentle hands, one supporting its neck and the other holding most of its weight, Kinoto grabs the squalling babe and places it on the crook of Hinata's elbow. The infant's cries die down now that it has been seen to, its eyes drooping close as it soaks in Hinata's warmth. Kinoto tucks the blanket closer to its chin before finally leaving.
Hinata wakes with a blinding headache. She squints at her surroundings, trying to place the grey walls in her memory but coming up blank.
Oh, Hinata thinks, feeling the familiar thick cotton blankets and the machine beeping at her bedside, I'm in the hospital.
She sits up and frowns when something tugs at her wrists. Hinata looks down and her heart drops to her stomach when she sees the handcuffs chaining her to the bed railing. It sinks further when she sees the chakra suppression seals carved into the chains.
Her chakra surges inside, her skin itching when it has nowhere to go.
"What is..." she whispers into the empty room, "...what is going on?"
"That is what I would like to know." A wizened voice says out of her peripheral vision. Hinata instantly turns and goes to bow but is stopped by the handcuffs. She settles for dipping her head, her bangs brushing her knees.
"Sarutobi-sama, good…" she has no idea what time it is and settles on an awkward, "...good w—wishes to you."
"To you as well, Hinata-chan." She lifts her head at the address and watches him puff idly on his pipe. She is surprised to see him in his battle attire, only having seen him in either his Hokage robes or in his civvies.
Has something happened? she wonders, Is that why I'm here? Hinata tries to remember what could have possibly happened for the Sandaime to don his battle wear. Alas, all she can recall is the soft feel of rolling dough beneath her hands, the smell of her shishou's favorite tea, and the way Kakashi had paled when it became clear that Kushina was going into labor—
The machines next to Hinata shriek as the rest of her memories finally click into place.
Normally Hinata would be mortified to be seen crying in front of her previous kage, but right she can care less. All that matters to her right now is finding out what has become of her teacher's precious child.
"Where is he?" Hinata looks around the room with wide eyes, trying and failing to activate her doujutsu. "Where is Naruto?"
"Do not worry, Hinata-chan, young Naruto is safe." The man replies smoothly; calmly, puffing once again on his smoking pipe.
Hinata is overcome by a fleeting but intense urge to rip the thing out of his hands and throw it at him because he has not answered her question. Where is Naruto? Why is he not with her? Now that Namikaze-sensei and her shishou are gone—
Hinata's breath hitches, the machines spiking shrilly.
—he is her responsibility. As Naruto's mother's apprentice, she is now his sole legal guardian. He should be with her and no one else.
Hinata closes her eyes, willing the agony ripping her apart to sleep, promising later, later I will set you free, and only then can you break me. She takes a deep breath and releases it, letting that familiar mask slide cooly over her features as the torrent inside her settles itself inside her to wait. Hinata places her hands flat on her lap, showing the elder that she has no weapons; that she is not a threat.
"Sarutobi-sama," she starts mildly. "If I may ask a question?"
He looks back at her, his kind eyes hardening. "You may though I cannot promise you an answer."
Hinata dips her head, "Regardless, you have my gratitude. As for my question...I would like to know what I am doing here."
"You are here because you are the only surviving witness to the death of Lord Fourth and his wife."
Hinata blinks.
Oh, she thinks, trying to wrap her mind around the kage's reply.
"That is a...reasonable answer. Thank you."
The Sandaime puts away his pipe and she shivers at the intense expression that carves itself into his face. He looks at her and it's like the weight of a hundred galaxies is bearing down on her all at once; all their combined sins and tragedies working to break her down to her smallest component. It leaves her feeling small and weak, all her flaws and imperfections peeled back for him to see and judge.
"I would very much like to know as to how you came to be at the center of all this."
Hinata swallows, "H—hai, Sandaime-sama. I will tell you."
To refuse him would be to invite death. And Hinata cannot die yet. Not until she has secured Naruto's wellbeing. Only then will she accept it.
Kinoto slips easily into the morgue. Konoha's general forces are spread too thin to spare more than a genin to guard their dead. What more can happen? they think, they're already dead.
(But Kinoto knows better. He's seen the horrors down in the labs—watched as all those wretched souls were forced to teeter between this plane and the next.)
Kinoto reads each body scroll carefully.
Uzumaki Kushina
He tucks the scroll beneath his armor, right beside his beating heart. Kinoto leaves an exact copy in its place, the seal smudged by 'careless hands' so they will not discover his deceit. He makes his way out of the morgue, soundlessly walking past the dozing genin manning the desk and out into Konoha's surrounding forest.
Kinoto makes his way to his secret spot, deactivating the necessary seals to enter the hollow cave beneath the great Hashirama tree he calls home.
He walks past the shelves of knick-knacks, pressed flowers, pretty stones, and other things that make him feel...like more. Like more than just another faceless number; a weapon.
Most people would say what he has here is trash; junk. And they'd be right. However to Kinoto these things—these treasures— he's collected, they are priceless.
In Root, they are not allowed personal effects because they are not persons. They are tools for their master to wield as he sees fit. If a Root agent were to own a book it would mean they are a reader—a person who reads and likes it enough to be identified. They would cease to be nameless puppets and would instead be people. People have their own thoughts and emotions.
And that can never be allowed to happen.
Therefore it is forbidden for them to own any kind of item. All their clothing is standard-issue, recycled throughout the troops. Their uniforms are all the same color and style. Even masks, each one different from the other, are exchanged regularly enough that no one develops any sort of attachment to them.
The only reason Kinoto hasn't had his switched out yet is that it's easier this way for Danzo to direct him without having to waste his precious time remembering a new mask every week.
He walks past all his treasures into a newly excavated room that resembles a regular hospital room. Kinoto rechecks all his supplies before placing the body scroll on the bed and unsealing it. He grimaces at the sight of Kushina's splintered ribs and the pulp-like remnants of her vital organs.
Kinoto sighs and begins placing every medical seal he knows on her. He regrets not standing out enough to be enrolled in Root's iryou-nin program. He sure could use the skill right about now.
(All he and the general forces receive is basic trauma first aid—how to triage, how to best patch themselves long enough to complete the mission with no thought to what would happen to them afterward. And why would they? They are tools. A dime a dozen. Easily discarded and easily replaced.)
Guess he'll have to make do with what he's learned from his standard training and the little bit he's gleaned from Mizunoe.
Kinoto places the last seals on Kushina. He sets up the IV drip before deactivating the status seal. Immediately the machines monitoring Uzumaki-sama's vitals begin beeping as she crashes. Kinoto watches with bated breath as the seals glow brightly. The glow eventually dims at the same time the machine stops beeping. He exhales slowly in relief as the seals begin to do their job, restoring her white blood cell count and knitting her stomach back together slowly.
It will be some time before the seals can regrow the organs she'd lost and even longer before she doesn't need them to live.
Kinoto breathes harshly through his mask.
But she will live. In the end, that is all that matters.
After rechecking the seals and traps, Kinoto leaves his sanctuary. He plans to check on Rin when his forearm starts to abruptly burn. Kinoto tears off his gloves, letting them fall to the forest ground below him. His forearm protectors follow soon after. Kinoto clutches his arm, nails digging into the scarred flesh there. A strangled moan tears itself from his throat as he watches the tracking seal he has on Hinata collapses in on itself and crumbles to dust.
Nononono! he screams in his mind, his thoughts disjointed. No, she wasn't supposed to—she can't—Hinata!
Kanoe is sorting through the influx of intelligence gathered during the opening the Kyuubi's Attack had provided Root when Kinoto marches into his office.
"Out." He orders, his voice a low growl. Kanoe's assistants are smart to flee the room.
"Ohayo, s—senpai," Kanoe carefully puts down the file in his hands so he doesn't wrinkle them in a death grip. "What can I, uh, do for you today?"
"Where is she?" Kinoto rasps, bare hands carefully fisted at his sides. Kanoe takes note of his missing gloves, of the ash and reddened skin on his forearm.
Slowly, very slowly, he grabs the slip of paper hidden in his sleeve and slides it over. Kinoto takes it after checking it over for traps. Kanoe watches with bated breath as he unfurls it and begins to read.
Kinoto takes the paper and crumbles it into a ball. Kanoe gulps at the smoke that emits from his hand.
"Thank you..." a pause. "...kouhai."
Kanoe stares at him.
In Root, there are no families, no brothers or sisters, no comrades. Just numbers and titles. Terms such as sensei, taichou, kouhai, and senpai are the only ones allowed here. It is the closest thing they have to 'father', 'mother', 'son', 'daughter', 'brother', or 'sister'. Kinoto has never called him 'kouhai'. The older agent isn't one to use such familiar terms. Kinoto has never called them anything but their designated codes or the Names given to them by their master. But he has also never told them—Mizunoto, Kinoe, Tsuchinoe, and himself—not to call him senpai. Kinoto has never deprived them of that small illusion of normalcy—of human connection.
"You're, um, very welcome, senpai." Kanoe stutters.
Kinoto nods. The painted swirls on his flicker and then he's gone in a burst of embers.
Kanoe's squawk of surprise turns into a cough as he waves away the little bits of floating burnt fuuinjutsu paper.
Kakashi prowls outside of the ANBU headquarters, having been banished from the building after successfully infiltrating its most secure level—one reserved for prisoners of war, foreign spies, and traitors because Kakashi knows Hinata is there.
His packmate has been missing since the night of Kyuubi's attack. He's already checked the morgue and list of confirmed dead. She is (thankfully) nowhere to be found there.
He knows she is here. His nose has never failed to find her. He, his ninken, and Hayate had followed her scent trail outside the village. His nose would have led them directly to Hinata but they were stopped by a squad of ANBU who would not let them pass even when Kakashi pulled rank.
("Under whose orders are you barring us entry?" Kakashi demands.
The owl-masked nin doesn't show any outward reaction but Kakashi can smell his curdling fear.
"The Sandaime's." Is all he says.
"The Third does not have that authority...unless…" Hayate trails off, his skin turning a sickly yellow.
"The Yondaime is dead." The ANBU confirms their worst nightmares. "The Sandaime is now acting Hokage."
Kakashi goes as still as death, his whole world crashing down upon him.)
Kakashi doesn't know what is going on. He doesn't know why they've seen fit to cage Hinata like some criminal when she's the most loyal, selfless person he knows. He doesn't know and he doesn't care. Hinata could have spilled village secrets (not that he thinks she ever would) and he would not care. Because to the Hatake, pack is sacred. Its place, treasonous as it is, is above even that of the village.
Not that it's ever been an issue when that pack has always been synonymous with the village.
Until now.
A twig snaps four meters away from his position. Kakashi turns sharply in the direction and inhales, chakra enhancing his sense of smell. He frowns when he scents nothing aside from Konoha's native creatures and fauna.
Though there is a hint of ink, so subtle that not even Kakashi would have been able to notice if it weren't for the fact that his sensei and his wife are were are were are were seal masters. He's become very familiar with the smell of pine soot and deer skin.
Kakashi stalks over the spot but finds nothing. No prints. No disturbed grass. Nothing but the fading scent of ink. Shaking his head, Kakashi walks away, a new plan taking shape in his mind.
If he isn't mistaken, his ninken might be small enough to fit through the air vents. Hopefully, any sensors would believe them to be just very large rats.
In all his years in service, Hayate has never contemplated committing treason. Not during the war—his team, all fresh genin and their sensei's first team, all of them sent straight to the frontlines so soon after their graduation—where he'd seen horrors that will continue to haunt him in this life and the next.
Not even when captured had he thought of betraying his village, choosing to bite down on the cyanide pill hidden in a fake tooth.
(He'd have died without his team's fortunate timing and Hinata's medical skill. But at least he'd have died a loyal shinobi.)
Any yet…here he is, seated at his missing teammate's favorite café, thinking thoughts that would have him shipped straight to T&I's dark underbelly if they were ever spoken aloud. Because his teammate is gone; imprisoned by his own village that he's given everything for. And it repays him by denying his family housing after their home was destroyed in the attack and by taking away the one person who understands—who knows him and accepts the monster that their village made him into.
Hayate doesn't know why they took Hinata, but he doesn't care about the small details.
(Why should he? He is shinobi. They aren't taught to ask questions. No, they are taught to obey. A good shinobi is one who listens and doesn't question the orders given. Because a curious shinobi is a dead shinobi. Ask too many questions and you might not like the answers you get.)
Someone slides into the seat across from him. Hayate looks up from his cup of coffee and at the person he'd summoned here. Kou meets his gaze, expression cool and calm. However, Hayate is an excellent sensor, able to tell another's emotions by even the smallest ripple in their chakra. And he can sense that Kou is beyond panic, his chakra cold and jittery, like those who came back home after having spent too much time on the frontlines.
Hayate lifts his cup and sips it, using the motion to obscure his lips from any who may be watching.
"What have you found?"
Kou looks away and lifts two fingers to beckon a waitress over.
"You were correct." He says without moving his lips, having mastered the art in a compound where eyes see everywhere. "Hatake-san knows where she is."
"And where is…" Hayate takes another sip, making a face at the taste of cold coffee. "...that?"
A waitress comes by and takes the Hyuuga's order. He waits until she leaves before facing him for the first time since he sat down. Hayate finds it comforting that while all those that possess the byakugan share the same white, blank eyes, Hinata's have always been vastly different. Softer; a hint of lilac coloring her gentle eyes. He doesn't think he could take having Hinata's eyes looking at him right now.
"Where Konoha's shadows dwell."
Hayate sighs and puts down his coffee. "Of course she is."
Kou shrugs, the gesture somehow coming off as regal. "Great light attracts great darkness."
"I guess." Hayate puts his elbow on the table and, ignoring the Hyuuga's look of affront, places his cheek on his palm. He rolls his eyes to look at Kou. "What do you think we should do?" he asks, voice muffled by the odd position.
The waitress comes by again and sets a fresh cup of tea in front of Kou. Hayate eyes the cup jealousy, glaring down at his own. Kou thanks her before taking a nice, long sip. Hayate's glare redirects itself to the Hyuuga.
"I think…" Kou's eyelids lower in pleasure and Hayate huffs. "...we should wait to see what Hatake-san will do."
Hayate raises a brow, "You do know that Kakashi's like one loud sneeze away from completely losing it, right? I don't think we would have to wait very long."
"Hatake-san may not be...at his best, but he will not compromise her safety, feral or not. Besides, he is the only one who knows what lies beyond the shadows; of its protocols and securities."
"And you trust him? You trust him as he is now?"
Hayate and Kou had managed to track down Kakashi only once. He'd been filthy, long sharp nails caked with what they hoped was just dirt, and his mask in tatters allowing them to get a glimpse of sharp, wicked teeth. They'd stared at one another for an undetermined amount of time, Hayate and Kou shocked and Kakashi wary, and then they'd lost him to the woods once again.
"Yes." Kou sets his cup down, holding Hayate's gaze unflinchingly. "If it concerns her, yes, I do."
"Why?" Hayate can't help but ask.
"Because he is a Hatake and he has...claimed her." Kou lowers his gaze, respect and something almost bitter lacing his tone. "There is no one safer than those belonging to the Hatake. Just take a look at the Inuzuka."
Hayate quirks an eyebrow, confused but intrigued at the new topic.
Kou explains, "They are a clan governed by a system very different from any of the other clans. Theirs is old, primitive, and simple; there are no politics or fragile treaties. Just pure instinct and brute strength. Which begs the question: how is it that they have not only survived but flourished in a village that thrives in subterfuge and polite lies?"
Understanding dawns on Hayate and his eyes widen, "The Hatake clan? You're saying they're responsible for why they're such a prominent power even now?"
"Yes. The Hatake clan protects their own even if it means sacrificing themselves to do it."
Hayate whistles. "Okay, yeah, we'll wait."
Kou allows himself to smile around the rim of his cup.
Kinoto is busy mapping all of ANBU's escape routes when he is intercepted by a Ne messenger.
"Danzo-sama is requesting your presence." They tell him.
Kinoto nods and the other agent blurs away to deliver more messages. He takes a moment to settle himself before making his way to Danzo's office.
He wonders if his master knows what he's done. If he is being summoned to have all his misdeeds laid out in front of him before Danzo has him executed somewhere remote enough that the others will never know that such disobedience is possible; that they too can break free of their conditioning.
Kinto rests assured with the knowledge that even if he were to perish the work he has started will not. Kinoe, Mizunoto, and others will continue his work without him; will ensure that Hinata assumes her place as Root's commander so that even they, man-made monsters that they are, might have a chance to bask in the light.
Hinoto and Hinoe, standing sentry on either side of Danzo's office door, nod in greeting. Kinoto returns the gesture and the icy grip on his heart lessens at their presence.
Kinoto enters and kneels before his master.
"I have received your summons, Danzo-sama. How may I be of service?"
Danzo wastes no time. "What is the current status of the Hyuuga's ex-heiress?"
Kinoto bites the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood.
"The target's status is compromised. She is currently being held in Anbu's detention center by direct command of the Sandaime."
"Is retrieval possible?"
Kinto's thoughts race, What does he want with her? Why now? What do I do? Do I lie? No, no, he will know and I will be—
Kinoto draws on his training and doesn't let his anxiety show.
"It is doable, yes, the Anbu has been spread thin after the attack, and what security they have is focused on the Hatake."
Danzo hums, thinking it over. But Kinoto can't allow him to contemplate the matter further. If Hinata is forcibly removed it will only confirm the Sandaime's suspicions of her. Hinata will be labeled a conspirator and a traitor, destroying her ties with Konoha. And while Root will follow her wherever, he knows that being exiled from both her clan and her home will break Hinata's heart and Kinoto will not stand to see such a treasure ruined.
"However, such a route may garner us unwanted attention. Live captives are unpredictable."
Danzo's gaze sharpens, scraping at his nerves. "What would you suggest, then?"
Kinoto does not hesitate, knowing his next words will be damning a whole clan to ruin.
"If the Third's attention can be directed…elsewhere, he may release her to be observed instead."
Danzo steeples his hands together.
"Return to your duties. I will call you if I have need of you."
"Hai. And I will answer." Kinoto responds obediently, the words tasting vile on his already cursed tongue. However, such a show of subservience pleases his master, the man nodding in stoic approval.
Kakashi curses when his summons are dismissed involuntarily. He paces restlessly back and forth, mimicking his wolf who is snarling at him to damn the consequences. she is ours. they have no right!
Sage, how Kakashi yearns to listen to it. To charge in there, fang and claw, and reclaim what's been taken from him, but he can't. There are rules—
rules!? those are human shackles. they cannot muzzle us!
—that he cannot break, not without risking what is left of his dwindling pack. He must secure the pup his sensei left behind him first.
but we cannot! they hide him from us! they dare separate pack! they dare! they dare! THEY DARE! his wolf thunders, making his head ache.
Kakashi growls and shakes his head, stray leaves and twigs falling at the memorial stone's base.
"I'll find him." He says aloud, voice hoarse after more than a week of silence save the commands barked at his ninken. "I'll find them both and—and I'll keep them safe. I will." He swears to his wolf, to his sensei, to Kushina, Rin, and Obito too.
"And how do you plan on accomplishing that?"
Kakashi startles having completely missed the elder standing just a few paces behind him.
"Danzo-sama," He greets, his surprise bleeding into his tone. The elder gives him an unimpressed look that makes Kakashi feel like a wet-behind-the-ears genin all over again. He motions to the stone with his cane.
"What you promised to your loved ones, how do you plan on accomplishing that?"
"I…" Kakashi swallows, his ears beginning to redden. "...I don't know…"
The elder harrumphs, "So you would give the dead empty promises?"
"No!" Kakashi immediately defends. A few crows scatter at the sudden exclamation. Danzo looks calmly back at him. Kakashi's ears burn brighter. His voice is subdued when he speaks next, "I mean, no, I'm not lying. I just don't know how…"
"I do."
"You do?" Kakashi asks, but when he remembers who he is talking to, he narrows his eyes. "What would you ask of me?"
"The same thing every shinobi gives to their kage." Danzo looks at the memorial stone. "Your loyalty, your skills, and your life, if need be."
Kakashi blinks slowly. "You want me to...serve you?"
Danzo turns to him and raises his one good eyebrow. "Who else? Hiruzen? The same man who barred you from aiding your sensei and his wife. Who let the war drag on that took the life of Rin and Obito? The man who now holds your friend prisoner. Is that the kind of man you would rather serve? A man who may or may not have plotted for these very things to happen all for a second chance of glory?"
"I—I," Kakashi stutters, taken aback by the man's casual criticism—bordering on treason—of their acting Hokage.
"If you were to serve me, I could help you retake the power and influence your ancestors once wielded. Those you call yours will be forever safeguarded."
Kakashi opens his mouth but is stopped by Danzo.
"No. Do not answer me now. I will not accept any decisions made in haste." He tucks his arms into his sleeves and begins to walk away. "However, if you do choose to serve then find me. I trust you are capable enough."
With that said, the veteran shinobi disappears in a flurry of leaves.
Kakashi removes his mask, quickly memorizing the man's scent.
Unsettled by the encounter (did Lord Third really plan for sensei to die?) he decides to return to his den for the first time since the Kyuubi Attack as it has been dubbed by shinobi and civilians alike. He's avoided the place because he hadn't wanted Hayate or any of his other peers (especially Gai, the stubborn gnat) bothering him. Not when he can't trust himself not to snap at them, his nerves high-strung with the loss of his pack.
Kakashi ignores the notes stuck to his door with shuriken and pushes it open. He is met by an empty apartment for the first time in a very long time.
W—welcome home! Hinata's voice echoes in his mind. His legs shake and he falls hard on his hands and knees, nails digging into the floorboards. Kakashi pants harshly, trying and failing to get enough air into his lungs. Each time he manages, he gets a whiff of her fading scent and it sends him spiraling once again.
I'm here, Hatake-kun, hush now.
He feels the ghost of her touch on his person and it is the sweetest torture.
"But you're not—you're not!" Kakashi yells at the phantoms "And that's the problem!"
pack gone. pack gone. pack gone. his wolf repeats, its presence clawing at his mind painfully. track. hunt. mine. hunthunt the pup stealer. devour the mate taker.
Kakashi whimpers, hands coming to clutch his head as his wolf thunders louder and louder.
hunt! rip and tear! devour the pack stealers! It roars and slowly its thoughts become Kakashi's own.
(Or maybe its thoughts have always been his own.)
Kakashi rips off his mask, the fabric shredding like wet paper. He crouches low, lifting his head and scenting the air.
He has a shadow to track.
The shinigami eyes the goddess warily.
"What are you doing here?" It takes a careful step back, the black souls of the damned curling around his legs. "Even your light does not touch here."
The goddess slowly steps forward, her robes so white and so bright that the shinigami is forced to squint against her splendor.
Her voice, when she speaks, is like the finest silk—soft and stronger than steel.
"I am the ruler of the heavens and everything underneath." Her gold eyes narrow and the space they find themselves raises several degrees. "Yomi is no different. After all, there can be no darkness without light." The goddess places her hand inside her sleeves and raises her chin, her tone deceptively nonchalant, "I have simply chosen to leave this place be."
"Your lady-mother will not take kindly to your presence here."
"No, I do not believe she will."
"Then why come and risk her ire?" The shinigami asks in a bid for more time. If it keeps her talking maybe someone will notice her arrival and—
"You have something of mine." A thousand fires burn in her eyes, penetrating deep within him. A few of the weaker souls the reaper had devoured screech before dying the final death. "And I want it back."
"He made pact a with me," It defends, taking another few steps back despite the goddess staying where she is. Her pale gold eyes follow it, searing its not-flesh and causing the flaking skin to float up and disintegrate. Desperately it reminds her, "N—nothing leaves Yomi."
"No, it doesn't." The dark-haired goddess says, her voice mournful, and then it is darker, harder, "It is fortunate that which I seek does not reside within Yomi."
The shinigami quakes where it stands when she finally takes a step forward. She lifts her hands, purple-blue flames licking at her fingers.
"Be not afraid," she soothes, expression warm and full of compassion. "This will only hurt for a moment."
But to an entity of death like itself and for her, who exists apart from time, a moment can be anything. It can span seconds or even eons.
The goddess's hands rest on its stomach, her touch scorching, burning through its spiritual body. The shinigami opens its mouth in a scream that shakes the realm and wakes the dead. But it is quickly swallowed by the goddess's roar of fury when she finds nothing within the shinigami's belly. Her anger is so potent, so encompassing it smites the shinigami from existence, its echoing screams the only evidence it had ever been created.