Chapter 3
"They are coming for you".
Whispers, darkness, nothingness.
She could see nothing, but a small breeze hit every single cell in her body, as if she was exposed to a gentle caress of stimulated senses.
Something strange but empty.
Her eyes would not open, her body would not move. She did not feel like she even had a body to move.
No voice of her own.
"Please help us".
Every voice was different from another, as if memories of those voices and those words just repeated in her mind.
But they had no face.
Disembodied voices she heard long ago… How long ago was that?
"You are nothing but what you make yourself to be".
That voice, she loved it. It was the only one that actually made her feel happy. It belonged to someone she loved… but she can't remember who.
But there was one voice she feared among the others, one voice filled with rage and hatred. A voice almost louder and deafening that scared her to her core.
While some had ominous sounds and made her feel uncomfortable and scared. That one voice was the nightmare she tried to run away from.
"You will be mine".
Every sense in her body told her to scream and run, but she had no body. If she blocked the voice away in her mind, then the silence was deafening…
But it was better that way. Nothing could reach her if she forces all those voices away from her mind to a place she could no longer feel or hear them.
Until she woke up again… was she even awake?
It was a sense of awareness that felt like being awake, but time and space felt like nothing. She can't even remember her name.
Those voices knew her, but she did not. Hearing those voices to find out her name would bring back the fear and pain she wanted to keep away.
That is why she did nothing instead. Keeping that door close each time the voices slipped out to reach her, forcing it to stay away from her mind.
"You can't run away".
At dawn, the small team of clansmen, Uchiha and Senju, gathered at a point of reunion a few meters away from the border of The Valley of the Lost.
Anxious men and women who did not know what lied ahead, but the strong will of their leaders drove the fire in their souls to stay strong.
Both Madara and Hashirama had informed their warriors the night prior and chose the teams.
Tobirama made a 5-point rotation of teams from each clan, teams of two that will take on a watch and defence of their trail to avoid losing sight of their way in and out.
The eyes of the Uchiha clan and the various skills of the Senju would team up to defend both Madara and Hashirama as they travelled towards their target.
The Valley of the Lost is a place filled with illusions that only the experts in illusions of the Uchiha clan could counterattack, but at the same time it was filled with strange creatures made from nightmares that needed the Senju's sensory expertise to locate and attack.
Tobirama and Hashirama trained the Senju to locate, study and attack creatures and enemies based on the elemental skills they had affinity to. Every Senju had an amazing way to study every living thing from a biological standpoint, making the Senju into the best-known medical experts in the nation.
Madara in the other hand trained with his men in an intellectual standpoint, with the affinity for fire and mind games brought up in their bloodline thanks to their eyes, they could do critical thinking even when death is at their front door and break the illusion that clouded judgement.
A powerful combination needed for to enter and leave The Valley of the Lost - alive.
Each team would be exactly 100 yards away from the next (a football field), a range long enough for each Uchiha member to cover the range with their sight and the Senju to sense each other.
The last point will be at the entrance to the supposed cave that held a treasure they did not even know if it actually existed…
The only good thing about this was the season was low for unusual activity.
It seems even monsters have vacations, and that was in spring.
The first point stayed at the entrance of The Valley of the Lost, Aki and Mei stayed, young but strong members that would alert they clansmen in the camp if anything threatened the lives of the teams entering the cursed land.
Izuna made a detailed rescue plan and even all the alternatives he could possibly think, a proud Madara just stayed back and listened to his brother as he commanded the crowd of Senju and Uchiha with ease.
The second, third and fourth points needed more skilled members with years of experience under their belt for combat, the deeper they entered the more skilled they had to be.
But the fifth point was the more stressful one for Madara. Izuna would cover his back at the entrance to the cave along with Tobirama (who obviously covered for Hashirama).
This meant they had to work together, Izuna promised to be cordial and ignore the Senju's attitude…
Surprisingly the chatterbox of Hashirama was quiet as a leaf, he was a professional after all, Madara supposed.
They only encountered roads that had weird colour grass and even a few insects that seemed to have eaten a horse.
Illusions and threats were eliminated as they continued their path. Avoiding any poison or venom from animals, insects and man-eating plants that Hashirama should learn how to tame with his affinity to plants… but that was a joke Madara would hold for his brother later, when they get out of there.
The fog was thicker as they approached the mountain that held false hope and dreams, as the Uchiha men would phrase.
Or filled with excitement and challenges, the Senju would cheer.
But today there was no talking, no cheers, only nodding and signals to each other to void attention.
The mountain (if you could call it that) was not very tall and was hollow, almost man-made in the older Uchiha's opinion.
The carvings at the entrance gave it away that it was definitely not natures blessing that brough this monument upon this land.
The various drawing and pillars of carved stone decorated the layers of the mountain, it looked like half a hallway just appeared there, the other half was just the nature surrounding the mountain and divided by those large and thick pillars.
An almost welcoming view that guided them to the equally beautifully carved entrance that had large doors made from stone.
To Madara, this meant there was something inside, whether it was just dust or treasure was just a matter of entering to find out.
The knowing smile coming from the brown-haired man only annoyed the Uchiha's. They had to stay level-headed.
Only dressed in their clan colours and battle uniform, the men tried to push the door open, something they did not expect would be so easy… They were greeted by a strong wind that seemed to be trapped for a very long time, a melody carried by years of solitude.
Ever since they entered the land, it felt like it was calling for Madara and he wondered if the Senju or his younger brother felt the same way.
He could not ignore the markings on the walls and door, his brother took a small camera to document it all with pictures, Madara was grateful for technology.
He would still have to wait until the pictures are developed, any unnatural occurrence can be seen at best with the older cameras that required a film and used flash.
Those digital cameras seemed to stop working when you need them the most or have issued that the older ones would not.
The entrance was lit by the glimmers of light coming from the inside, a corridor took Hashirama and Madara towards a grand room made of more carvings of stone and pillars holding the walls in a circle of light… but it was all dead.
Madara felt something wrong was going on with the inside, every plant that seemed to have grown was dead, dried up and dark flower petals and leaf's covered the grey stone ground.
Compared to the dark green of the surroundings of the mountain, there was a drastic difference in plant life. Even Hashirama seemed to have lost his smile as he crouched down to inspect the fallen and decayed appearance of those plants.
Confusion written in the Senju's face was mirrored by Madara's, a question hanging on the air that had no answer from the tree expert.
As they approached the grand room from the steps leading them to the supposed treasure, they spotted the only entrance of light.
It was a giant opening on the tall roof, smaller than the size of the room, but just enough to always bring light to… a tree.
Both men stopped in their tracks. A huge Sakura tree right smack in the middle of the room was the only thing that looked alive here… and almost ethereal.
Shaking his head slightly, the Uchiha notices the tree was on a small island of dirt that was separated from the stone floor by a man-made river of stone.
It carried water from opposite sides of the walls connecting to some form of water supply or maybe it collected the rain and drained the excess towards the outside of this chamber.
Either way, it was the source of life for this tree, but only the tree and the patch of grass covering the dirt like a bed sheet of silk.
The sun rays fed the beautiful picture, captivating both men. But Madara had to take a picture, this was something he would keep in his private library.
The clicking sound of the camera shook the Senju out of a dream that sank him into silence. - "wow" – was all he could muster out.
- "Focus" – whispered Madara, they still did not know what would happen next. His eyes told him this was no illusion.
But something catches his eye, the small Sakura flowers that the wind carried out of the border where the stone floor started had wittered as fast as it touched the grey ground.
That was not a good sign.
- "Dara, did you… did you see that" - whispered the brown-haired man.
- "Hn" –
To Hashirama, this was the most uncommon sight he has ever seen. Only one time in his entire life he could recall something similar ever happening.
This was caused by a curse.
A curse placed to kill only the life the tree would grow out of the limits the water created. Since both of them felt quite alive and not ill at all, the water carries the petals in delicate waves that circled the tree, it did not go beyond that small area, even the connective lines of water that took some petals out would not keep them alive.
Then… it was not the water.
Something or someone did not want the tree to ever expand or grow out of those limits.
Just the tree was cursed.
Madara was not pleased, the fruits of this Sakura tree, those cherries that hung so tantalizing from those rich branches looked more dangerous by the second.
Hashirama started to take small and calm steps towards the tree. – "It's calling for us" –
That only made the Uchiha's senses heighten even more, trying to see the illusion. But there was none, it actually was calling for them. Just to be sure, Madara followed close by and with his guard up he raised the weapon in his hand.
A strong breeze entered the chamber and lifted many petals and leaf's from the tree towards both men, as it showered them with delicate touched and sweet scents, it did not wither unless it touched the stone ground.
The Senju held a small gathering of flowers in his hands to study. - "They are beautiful. But they wither when they touch the ground. Dara, could this be?" -
Eyes that did not believe clashed with those who did, a battle that both had fought for years and never had a winner or a loser.
There was always something good and something bad, Hashirama saw the good and Madara saw the bad.
Both men could not come to an agreement when it was about this being what could cure the uncurable, but they did agree on one thing. This was the "treasure" the King and Queen sent them to collect.
Dropping the petals on the ground, both men held on to their weapons as they took the final steps to reach the small river.
The water was as clear as it could be, not even moss could grow here. The stone bottom was curved in a way that held plenty of water without it spilling. With enough space for a grown man to bathe, something Madara did not want to do.
Now the next question. Who will go first?
They did not have to submerge their feet. With the simple action of walking on the water, something they learn to do before graduating as a warrior, both took a step forward at the same time.
Only to fall and splash into the cold water.
Laughter erupted from the Senju as he sat on his bum and the water level was at his chest, with both shoulders and knees peeking out.
Madara decided to stand as fast as he could, confused and angry towards his companion. – "That was totally unexpected!" – Hashirama shouted in laughter.
- "This isn't funny" – stated the Uchiha as he shook his wild and wet hair, showering the Senju with drops of water.
After a few more seconds, his laughter died down with a big sigh. A small itch came from their hands, the same hands that held their weapons. During their fall, the edges of the blade made small cuts on their palms.
Those cuts were healing, not before small drops of blood mixed with the water that fed the tree, long and strong roots drinking everything that it could get to survive.
Surprise mixed with curiosity mirrored both men's expression, they have never seen anything like it.
Was the water… the blessing?
No, not a blessing, Madara could never see this as something of a divine miracle. The Senju did.
While his brown-haired companion took his flask and collected the water, Madara was captivated by the tree, it was glowing.
It was glowing!
Big wide eyes, air trapped in his longs. He could feel a warm heat that emanated from the tree as it slowly disappeared. Its edges turned into golden rays of sunlight until there was no tree left.
What have they done?
Was this the result of opening the doors, of entering, falling in the water?
How do they explain this to the Royal family… "Sorry, the tree disappeared, and we brought water?"
The only proof they had about the existence of this tree was that one picture he took.
- "Dara" - whispered the Senju, causing the raven-haired man to blink and stare down at what the other man was pointing at.
It was a wite sheet of silk fabric, wrapped around a person.
A small moan echoed in the room, it emanated from the person that now took the place of the majestic tree.
Slowly a pink head rose, long waves of hair cascaded over a slim figure dressed in wite silk, the seams and embroidery were of those he had never seen before, delicate and completely hand made.
Clothing that seemed to only belong to important figures.
The long dressed was off the shoulder with thin staps holding it up. The sides had open slips that started a few fingers above the hips, showing a long pair of legs. Delicate sandals of the same wite adorned the look of this stranger.
A woman, he guessed. Her figure was almost unreal under the sunrays. But she was facing the other way, giving them her back.
The splashing of water caused by Hashirama raising to his feet scared the woman, with a small gasp, she turned her head to face them.
Her long waves of pink adorned her beautiful features, heart shaped face, small and straight nose. Lips that seemed to have been calling for them ever since he stepped foot on this land.
Those eyes. Such a bright and vivid green have never met his onyx eyes.
Even with her expression of pure surprise, she looked like she was trying to… trying to remember them?
Her eyes drifted to his weapon and her head tilted to the side. Did she know what his blades are for?
They were for her.
If she ever decided to show her true evil self as Madara expected. No human looked so innocent, so unreal.
She had to be fake.
But his eyes would not show him anything, the water or maybe the small area they were on was causing them to be as normal as any other human.
They only had their physical strength.
- "Don't be scared" - started the obviously enchanted Senju. – "We are not here to hurt you" –