Sorry for the long wait... There was something wrong with my laptop and half of this chapter was deleted for some reason, so I had to almost start over again because I didn't remember where I had left if pending.
She can't help but feel a tight knot in her stomach as she leans against the leafy bush where a hurried Tobirama has left her; the stress of the occasion, the smell of blood and the poisonous screams of murderous intentions are not recommended for a simple civilian who is not used to so much uproar typical of a fight to the death.
She resisted out of stubbornness; she didn't open her eyes despite the emotions flooding her state. Karen feels fucking proud of her calm attitude even though she is screaming internally… She wipes the corner of her lip, wrinkles her nose at the odor that arrives just when she finishes emptying her stomach.
The bile at least won't be a bother.
She growls… her anxiety is so big that she stands there like a trapped deer, suspiciously watching any movement in nature. She sees how the fire rises in the distance to the point that it can be seen at the center of all this land, now recognizing the area as the lush forest that is located on the edge of the Daimyo's land.
The war is noticeable… and the girl feels sick just when she looks at her hands and tries to clean the blood of the innocent maid… She can't avoid to shed some anxious tears due to so many feelings, very different from that attack on the Senju compound before their move.
She remembers it… and bitterly can't avoid releasing hiccups due to holding back tears.
Karen is scared… she has the terror still in her system that is only surpassed by her helplessness of not being of help. Only a burden for the one who left her there trusting that she would not move with only warnings of not approaching the terrain and having that kunai in her hands that she now remembers annoyingly.
It's not like she knows how to use it, but she supposes the shinobi hoped it would give her the peace of mind that was now breaking.
She stands still and looks expectantly, not wanting to move away a single muscle. There is no noise only the rising of the fire in the distance, along with typical war noises. Fearful, the girl remains hidden among the bushes.
Karen watches and waits… it's all she can do.
They find her on the verge of collapse from exhaustion… throwing the kunai which pathetically falls a long way from one who gives her an unimpressed look. Tobirama doesn't laugh; he looks at her and remains like a silent statue waiting for her to react when she stays on a stressful silence.
"Uh…" is the only thing she says just as the ninja gives her a pitiful look.
"You will not kill anyone if you throw it like that." As always, the apathetic man answers with shinobi logic as he picks up the kunai and puts it away in his things, causing her to come out of her high alert state to make a funny face.
"I wouldn't like to try..."
Tobirama snorts. He approaches to look at the bush in which she vomited and shakes his head tired. He looks dirty and full of blood, bending down to take her cheek and clean it a little. "It is safe for now."
"It is?"
"Yes. The enemy has been eliminated."
"Oh…"
"You are safe." The shinobi says it almost with a gesture full of confidence, taking her arms to bring her closer lightly, which causes her to almost move away on the initiative but the man lets out a strong breath, causing her to look at those red eyes. "You are out of danger. They will not hurt you," he promises, as if it were the only thing she expected to receive.
Karen feels bad. She can't stop her words from getting stuck when everything that happened comes suddenly to her head. Her tears run as if it were the permission she needed to calmly hug him. The man stays still and although uncomfortable, he receives her again.
She should feel ashamed by such an outburst… However, right then, the warm sensation of the shinobi is the only thing that calms her overwhelmed and frightened heart. He huffs to squeeze her in a movement she did not expect from the always cold man.
But she receives it as the balm she expected with so little response.
"I am sorry I left you alone for so long..."
"You had better things to do," she manages to say, still hidden in the chest of the one who snorts indignantly. He says more things that Karen can't hear… to let herself fall from exhaustion… It had been a long night.
She hears the laughter of whom made fun of her condition. "If I kill you, will he come?" echoes in the darkness to end in a pool of blood and the scream of the maid who dies again in front of her eyes when she suddenly gets up with heavy breathing between the gaze of that wide and bright space.
It's not her room… it's not a familiar room. Frightened, she looks around, alarmed and still feeling persecuted and anxious, which does not allow her to recognize the location.
"Karen-san," someone calls just entering and surprised to see her up. Masarato gives her a careful look guessing her stressed state and smiles softly. "Everything is over. It will be okay," he assures, sitting next to her and beginning to stare at her expression, which makes her force herself to relax.
"I-I'm sorry."
"You do not have to apologize. It is normal," the young Senju man who has grown so much in a few months accepts. He looks at her to give a gesture of comfort. "Tobirama-sama asked me to take care of you, so I came to see how you were."
"Uh… did he?"
"Yes… He was worried. You slept all day," the boy states with an amused gesture regarding something he doesn't want to discuss with her.
She frowns. It's been a long time since she slept that much… since depression stopped being a thing that plagued her. "Did I sleep that long?"
"Yes. He told me it was normal, considering you were in the middle of the chaos, even though you were a civilian."
She feels ashamed that they have so much consideration despite being older than all of them. "When did you get here?"
"We arrived during the attack," Masarato reports after thinking about what things he can tell her. "We served as support."
Karen lowers her face a little. "The Daimyo?"
"He is still in serious condition. Tobirama-sama is treating him personally."
"I see…" she sighs relaxed, thinking that she didn't die and that the coup d'état failed. It would be politically problematic if that wretched Toshiba succeeded in his goal. "What happened?"
"Apart from the coup d'état… nothing that I can mention."
"Really?"
"You may be someone close to the Daimyo-sama, but the political situation is delicate."
"I see."
"However… he wants to talk to you as soon as he feels better."
"He does?"
"Yes… You were in contact with the leader. A report must be given about it."
"Oh, well," the woman accepts, leaning back on the bed. She feels so tired with so little that she simply sighs in relaxation.
"You can sleep a little longer… I shall say you are not ready yet."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, do not worry." The boy is so considerate that he gives her a careful, attentive and calming smile that makes her laugh, amused by such care.
"Thank you, Masarato-kun."
He doesn't say anything but nods in silence, staying by her side until she falls asleep again. She hardly feels safe, but she doesn't complain... Karen just wants to sleep a little longer, postponing the confrontation or whatever she should say next.
As part of the process of rebuilding the Daimyo's court.
When she wakes up again, it is during the night with another nightmare running through her head. She feels someone's hand stopping her from getting up in search of an attacker who never arrives. Those red eyes scare her a little when she notices them… Karen swallows hard, relaxing as she sees Tobirama at her side.
It's comforting… in a way she didn't expect to get from the bitter man.
Nevertheless, she stays still without moving away from the touch, trying to do breathing exercises so as not to further complicate the existence of the person who takes care of her… Ironic… She still feels it should be the other way around.
The shinobi doesn't say anything but remains expectant for a while. Karen sighs but sees the glass of water being delivered just before asking for it.
"T-thank you," she accepts, uncomfortable at seeing him after such embarrassing reactions, but she supposes she shouldn't be so, remembering how annoying she was at the beginning and how she's sure he knows her better than anyone in the world, with the exception of Mrs. Kaori and Mikami.
Maybe Hashirama too… which makes her sigh again.
"You should not get up early," he says when he sees her doing exactly what he's trying to avoid. The man takes her hand so that she doesn't make an extra effort.
"I've slept a lot." The woman feels her bones numb, a headache from sleeping more than enough and a hunger that doesn't stop her stomach from growling annoyingly.
The shinobi doesn't look impressed by such a reaction, which makes him stand up as well.
"You should rest," she finds herself saying just as the man steps into the night light. The girl spots the dark circles under his eyes, his tiredness and paleness from hard days. She noticed it before but she knows it wasn't that important at the moment.
"I will be fine."
"I know you have training," the woman agrees. She gets up, leaving the futon forgotten to touch the chest of the one who arched an eyebrow. "Sleep. I will go look for food."
"You cannot go alone."
"The danger has passed, right?"
"Perhaps, but it is still dangerous." Tobirama stands like an intimidating mountain beside her, despite how tired he might seem.
"Seriously, man… I'll be fine. Plus, the worst part is over, isn't it?"
"I already told you… I will not leave you alone."
Karen presses her lips together, rolling her eyes… because at the end of the day, she does feel a bit insecure in that place. She can't help it as she can still feels blood could be spilled at any moment.
"Do you see?"
"I haven't say anything."
"You do not need to say it," the albino answers casually without losing the rhythm. The girl wants to refute, to comment something in her favor, but she won't deceive those trained eyes due to the anxiety that begins to grow with the idea of leaving.
Karen almost wants to see any man surround her. She covers her mouth with bile threatening to come out… swords threatening her… she is so weak… Just then, Tobirama adjusts her to his side in a firm grip on her shoulder so as not to fall because of how fragile she feels in fear of being attacked.
"Do not get up... I told you so."
"I..."
"What happened is not normal in your world. You are a civilian without a chakra network, weaker than a regular one… in the middle of a battle," he explains as if she were stupid, which makes her snort indignantly at such a statement, not at all bothered by the approach.
"You're… such an idiot..."
"..."
"You're not the best at giving support, you know?"
"I am not a civilian," the man scolds in an irritated huff, but her stomach reminds her again what the point of getting out of her bed was. Karen sighs in embarrassment at the loud reminder which makes her give an ironic laugh.
"I'm hungry," she complains.
"I shall go fetch something."
Karen doesn't say anything against it. She supposes she must work with her own mental state in order to leave, but Tobirama is firm in carrying her to the futon without any extra comment. He is annoyingly kind… strange, coming from the serious shinobi, but she keeps some ironic argument to herself and sits down. "You win."
The Senju almost laughed as he arranged the blanket on her lap. "I will get something light."
She sighs in acceptance. "Tobirama," she says just before the shinobi disappears. "Thank you… and… I'm sorry to be a burden." She is sincere in her words, with a pile of regrets in her chest that she analyzes now that she is calm.
Tobirama weighs his comment a little more. "It is my burden, is it not?" He states before disappearing, making her doubt the true meaning of his bitter words. She sighs and leans back on the few pillows to look at the ceiling a little longer.
Not understanding what had happened to make Tobirama behave in such an odd way. She assumes the battle touched some hidden nerve. Eventually, he reappears with a bowl of hot soup that she takes with ease, ignoring the careful gaze of who is attentive to her movements.
Like a statue next to her.
"I do not look that bad,"Shinji can't help but say just when she shows up yo give her report of what she faced that morning. It's not the typical office where they had been meeting these days. It's different, simple and far from the mayhem she managed to witness while Tobirama led her along with a silent Izuna.
Both of them, as leaders of this mission, present themselves alongside her.
She blinks innocently from paying enough attention to that bandage that crosses the important man's face; she supposes there is a different story behind it… He didn't come out unscathed like her. Ironic, since the mental wounds are worse and she knows days of nightmare and insecurity will follow. "I did not say anything."
"No. Just clarifying." The man laughs to look at her and then change his expression to a serious one. "I know that man… went looking for you," he suddenly says, almost making her blink because of how hard he sounded. "I know it is early, but it is important to clarify the points… Why was he looking for you?"
"He mentioned something about attracting," Karen reminisces harshly, taking part of the hem of her humble yukata at the loss of her elegant clothes in neutral colors. She sighs, looking up and reminding herself that she must be strong under the gaze of her guards.
They both look uneasy… but they don't say anything else.
"He wanted to know if he would kill me… or…" The woman gulps at the mention of her attacker's other intentions, which makes her sigh again. Karen sees how difficult it is to say something so simple… "If any of the shinobi would come…"
"I see." Shinji looks serious, imposing… showing why he is the leader of all this. "Tobirama… Izuna?" Without a suffix with with confidence, he looks at the two shinobi. "Did you discover anything else?"
"No."
"Help from my women?" he decides to ask directly, not caring if she was listening. She sees that he trusts her so she remains silent.
"Concubine Tamako and Kagome are involved," Tobirama reports after a while with seriousness and decidation.
"Are they?" the leader questions with a frown, recognizing the names. "Bring them," he orders one of the samurai fully trusting the shinobi's word. "Dear Saucedo-san, I am sorry that you had to go through this inconvenience in my lands." He looks sad and with a soft face despite the bandage covering it. "I will have a lot of cleansing to deal with, so I hope you can lend me more of your shinobi."
Karen doesn't avoid blinking. "Not a problem, Shinji-sama. I am glad that at least this worked out in the end."
"Yes," the leader agrees with a proud smile. "Now, you can go. I shall talk about some matters with your escorts."
"Alright." She watches restless, sighs and turns elegantly to leave the place. Seeing a couple of women being dragged to the room she had just left made her feel a disturbing regret for such mistreatment, but she continues on her way just when a samurai reminds her that she must leave.
Karen doesn't want to think about what will happen to them… after all, they are traitors with purposes beyond her knowledge. Her anxiety increased due to the solitude of this place. At least, until Masarato found her almost on the verge of hysteria, taking her to her room to rest.
The days that followed were not the best, suffering from sleepless nights because of the horror that haunts her…
The girl was hoping to get over it…
Not so soon though.
Author's notes:
As you can see, the coup d'état ended in favor of the Daimyo, which is good since there will be no complicated political changes to deal with considering the favor they have from him for the shinobi village. One that will increase due to the favor they did for him.
Karen, on the other hand, had a lot of work to do to overcome the issue of trauma… one that will haunt her very differently than depression or the first attack she witnessed.
No one gets over attempted murder so quickly, right? And Tobirama is aware of that.
Thanks for reading.
Author-chan out!