Chapter 8

Coffee was the only thing in his mind once he took a step in his office, his secretary would always make sure he would have something before he even asked for it, sometimes before he thought about anything.

That would freak him out just a little if they did not know each other for years... another perk gained after marrying the gorgeous redhead.

Not today though, his desk was obscured by a tall and hunched over figure, one he had to put on a smile just to avoid showing his displeasure in front of a council member. A very old and "ready to kick the bucket" council member.

The older man did not even turn as he approached his office chair across from his guest. Normally he would be prepared for such visits, but errands had to be completed before a meeting that would be takin place very soon.

He guessed the older man wanted to have a little "chat" before such meeting would keep him busy for the rest of the morning and probably the rest of the day...

- "What can I do for you Mr. Shimura?" - the old man waited until he took a seat and placed an envelope on the desk.

- "Mr. Namikaze, we have important matters, as you know." -

He did not need to glance at the envelope to know the reason for the unwanted visit. If he wasn't the current Governor of Konoha, Danzo Shimura would not even enter his office, much less be part of his "Treat nicely" list his dear wife would remind him of.

The older man seemed very adamant about the distribution of power granted by their king, his constant requests for a re-evaluation of positions and distribution of lands have been over flowing his "complaints" bin every month.

Minato was only lucky no one else would read the absolute audacity of words used in those letters. His sheer displeasure for certain religions was just the tip of the iceberg of dislikes and overly controlling opinions Danzo would express into the obviously expensive scented paper of those letters.

If Minato did not know the letters came from him, he would have thought a cute little fan was sending love letters his way.

The thought made him shiver in disgust.

- "Your concerns have been noted and I assure you." - Minato kept his smile as he stared at the wrinkles of displeasure shifting on the old man's face. - "We appreciate your input and suggestions. As you know, every decision goes through our team and the meeting will discuss the next distribution of the old estate up north." -

- "That land was promised to my family." - he almost grumbled.

- "I understand where you come from. But there was no mention of it in the documents and files." - the blond stood and walked towards the door. He was not going to sour his morning with more discussions. - "We must think of the future of Konoha first, that will be decided at the meeting." -

The tan old man straightened his hunched back as he followed the blond with displeasure. His dark and expensive suit could not cover the obvious sings of age and his old battle wounds were more obvious as he stepped towards the door with a limp. His stiff hands covered in bandages did nothing to cover his obvious atrophied fingers as his left hand clutched at his expensive looking cane.

The blond almost pitied the man, almost.

- "I will call your secretary to request an appointment with you."-

Minato locked the door as soon as he closed it. No more unwanted visits from rich older men that tried to press on to his buttons for today.

Danzo had power in regards of old riches his family built with time, some land and connections with other influential families. But he was still old fashioned in a way that was borderline critical towards the rest of the community.

Keeping him at a close distance was necessary, to avoid accusations of favouritism by anyone was his main course of action for now. It would be very unpleasant to have his reputation and title smeared in the eyes of the community, people who had faith in him to build a stronger and prosperous Konoha after the last Governor was forced to retire.

He only hoped the latest mission concerning the Royal Family would have some good news... but he has his doubts. Failed missions were not uncommon, the success was not dependent entirely on the men and woman taking on the tasks, sometimes they were doomed from the start if the information provided was... questionable.

He trusted the Senju and the Uchiha to bring as much input as necessary to deal with the aftermath.

He was angry, he felt ignored, his patience was running thin and to top it all... he was soaking wet.

The men all took their posts as a precaution while the other teams rested, including him. He knew, rest was important, but he felt restless. She was awake and he knew that, her voice was washed away by the roaring thunder and rain that now drenched his boots.

No one told him, even if they didn't have to, the artificial lights from the tents casted shadows he could make out easily. She was small...

Easy to recognise compared to the taller frame with spiky hair, Tobirama seemed agitated.

Agitated?

That was a first.

A small smirk crept to the surface and Madara was glad to sport it, with pride. Any time a Senju was having a hard time, an Uchiha child would smile.

But his curiosity was picket from the first time he laid eyes on that mysterious flower, she represented the failed mission... or the answers they look for. Such a small and unique looking woman in one of the most dangerous and horrid places known by man does not necessarily scream innocence.

It is well known witches and Ghouls would lurk in these areas tainted by the blood of the innocent, they were the cause of many wars and fights according to ancient runes. After many decades of constant turmoil and destruction, those same witches took everything they could and destroyed or hid it.

Proof of the existence of many races, cultures, Ghouls and more were lost, and humanity had to start from scratch. Madara loved a good mystery, but with almost no information and only tales from the eldest to go from, he was mostly hitting dead ends.

Until he found her.

She might know something he desires as much as the very heavily guarded vaults the Royal families keep from the general public. Oh, how he itched to sneak into one of those treasured places with cobwebs older than him.

- "No, take me back!" -

The small scream turned his attention back to the tent, the flower wanted to return? To that horrid place... she would die.

Was she mad?

Maybe she had no idea what he was asking for, the possibility of insanity crept up her back, her thoughts fogged in an almost blinded fear.

But she had to return, to wherever that was.

- "Please, I bed of you." - she whimpered. - "I don't belong here." -

- "Why do you want to return?" - the cold look in his eyes told her he was losing his patience.

When she regained her consciousness, not really knowing how or when she lost it, he first thought was "Why am I here?".

She could feel it, her body told her, this was not her land. Not that she really owned any, that she knew of... however, she did know for certain, wherever and whenever this was... she knew nothing of.

How long has it been?

Haw far was she?

Who was still around that remembered her?

Her mind was silent, no whispers, no images, only questions with her own voice echoing over and over again.

As if... as if she was a new life in a world that she knew nothing of.

Her body screamed to know more than her mind could decipher, she could speak since she was currently pleading with the tall man in front of her, said man asked questions she had no words to answer for.

No names.

No faces.

No memories.

At least not for now.

The first thing she saw was this man staring at her and asking if she was in pain. There was no physical pain greater than her intense sense of awareness that overwhelmed her senses. Her body ached and her mind was a mess.

Her dress felt foreign on her body as she stood and almost tore it out of her body. Those strong hands held her from doing just that. The cream-coloured garment covered her from the chilled air, long and wide sleeves contrasted with the fitted waistband that kept the dress snug against her torso, a decent V-neck collar only showed her neckline and the dress fell to her thighs.

It almost felt like it was supposed to be used with armour since the fabric was thick but light with small details compared to the man in front of her. He wore a similar pattern under that hard and light armour, but he had a pair of trousers. Only his was a light blue fabric.

Dear god, was she wearing one of his shirts?

Her hands shook and her eyes would not stop tearing up.

- "Please." - she continued. - "I am no one, just let me go." -

- "It's raining out there, the woods aren't safe." - he held her wrists with a firm grip, though it wasn't painful as she squirmed from his grasp.

- "Even so, I must go." - she whispered, yelling would only attract attention if there was anyone around. She just wanted to leave without anyone seeing her.

Sakura wasn't dumb, she knew they were not alone, wherever this tent was set. He mentioned a forest... only the stars would guide her at this point.

No matter how much time goes by, how the scenery can change and the ages go by. The stars would always shine brighter in the dark. Her path would be adorned by those far away diamonds in the vast infinity that surrounded the earth.

The rain would eventually end.

The sudden roaring of thunder, way to close for her comfort, startled her as she yelped and thrusted herself to the larger frame seeking comfort.

Her body would not stop trembling.

She was only grateful he didn't push her away. To her surprise, he only froze for a second before caging her.

- "Getting to know each other?" - an unknown man behind her entered the tent, she would turn and look at the man if she wasn't completely caged in by a hard armour over a frame of strong muscle.

He was holding her. She wondered if he wanted to keep her in the tent or away from that man behind her... or both?

For now, she only hoped no one else would see the mess of a woman she felt like. That small part of rationality she had left was grateful for this man.

- "Uchiha." - he almost growled.

The small frame he held suddenly stopped sobbing and froze. A small jab of guilt hit him, he did not want to scare her.

She would not stay still on the cot as he tried to dry the beads of sweat from her forehead. Small whimpers and sobs echoed in the tent, and he could not rest. Her voice was raspy and small as she begged and pleaded for him to let her go.

But he couldn't.

His brother trusted him, Hashirama left her in his care, and he would not let his brother down. Tobirama was no monster, even if he wasn't asked, the woman would not be left out in the rain and alone in the dark.

Not if he could do anything about it.

She was still important to the mission, important to his brother in a way he did not yet understand and had picked the interest of Madara. Keeping her close and safe was only natural.

The unknown dangers she held was still lurking in his mind, but she showed absolutely no aggression or defended herself in her distress... her very real and raw distress.

- "I see the flower is awake. May we start asking questions?" - Madara tilted his head towards the woman. That look in his eyes only showed how amused the Uchiha was about Tobirama's current predicament.

First, his brother rages in a protective nature and places the woman in his care. His obvious anger was directed to his supposed best friend.

Second, the small woman starts to show signs of being unwell and in distress. Even after waking up, she stared at him with heaviness, those emeralds sparkled in the dim light, and he could not keep his eyes away from them.

Now he had Uchiha Madara wanting answers he could not even get from her sobbing frame. Every question he had for her was answered by confused emeralds and more tears.

Every warrior is trained and raised with hard steel and would not yield to any enemy. She was no enemy. He knew that, his brother knew that... Madara did not share the same thoughts.

And that made him dangerous.

Hashirama Senju found no warrior trait in her body, quite the opposite. "She shows the same traits of a Keeper" Hashirama said. Keepers have been around for centuries, if not longer, they are not trained to fight but only protect, heal and among other things the Royal family had kept in secret.

These days, they are rare and no longer hold the same influence. Decades ago, they were hunted down and killed by people who feared those same secrets they held from spealing.

To his knowledge, it's a dying trait. No longer a desirable position to hold due to the dangers of holding the wrong information... even the most influential families decided to "dispose" of those who held any kind of information pivotal to the country and the people.

Controlling bastards.

- "This is not a good time Uchiha." - Tobirama kept his voice low as to not scare the woman any more than she already is. - "We can talk in the morning." -

- "I can talk now." - the dark-haired man took a sit on the cot. - "We can start with a name." -

He was about to kick him out until the woman squirmed in his arms.

- "Sakura." - her voice was barely a whisper.

- "Where do you come from, Sakura?" -

- "You don't have to answer, not right now." - the Senju's voice was calming and soothing compared to the harsh Uchiha.

- "I wish I knew." - she sobbed. - "I just want to go back." -

Anger flashed on those dark eyes as the Uchiha stood and closed in on her, but Tobirama stood his ground and held his gaze.

- "Uchiha." - he warned. - "This is not a good time." -

- "You want to go back and have no idea where that is?" - She whimpered from the harshness of his demanding tone.

- "Please, I just want to go back." - her body shook with sobs as she held on tight to Tobirama's sleeves. She did not dare look at them with her chin low and forehead pressed against the hard Senju armour.

- "Stop this." - the Uchiha barked. - "Crying won't get you anywhere." -

- "You stop this." - Tobirama warned back.

- "You really want to go back to being a tree?" - Madara cut him off by raising his voice.

The woman in his arms, Sakura, suddenly pushed against him enough to turn and stare at the tall Uchiha.

- "What?" - her voice shook with her question. - "No-no... this can't be happening." -

The rain hit the tent with force as it almost drowned her voice as it lowered to small whispers directed to herself. The pinket kept stammering incoherently and staring at anything but at the two taller men in the small tent.

- "I wasn't supposed to wake up. Why did this happen?" - that last question was directed to Tobirama. Her tear-filled eyes bore into him, as if he held the answers to the world.

He did not.

He had no idea.

And he wanted to know.

Those teary eyes turned towards the Uchiha, something closed to worry and confusion flashed in those dark eyes before focusing on the Senju. In that moment, the impossible happened, a silent agreement between two warriors who had never understood each other.

They would wait until morning. Wait until the small woman was calm, felt safe and rested.

Mikoto would eat him up if she ever knew how much of an a-hole he had been. Dwelling in his past mistakes and decisions would not help him at all, not now.

But when he saw those eyes, when those tears fell, and her hands shook... his entire resolve to bring down her walls and squeeze any information he wanted had crumbled.

Hashirama told him she was no fighter, he knew those hands had never held a weapon, her voice was barely there after waking up from a restless slumber. He knew she was tired, exhausted even, caused by those blasted shackled that held her down like a prisoner.

She was the victim.

And he was the ugly ogre that frightened her as she was already in distress. As an Uchiha, as a warrior, he could sense those emotions and almost taste them.

Her body, her voice, everything about her screamed innocence and he ignored that, all for his own selfish beliefs.

The small flower had no walls to bring down.

Whoever or whatever chained her down in such a dangerous place, turned her into a tree and left her alone with no protection... was a monster.

After Madara stormed out of the tent, with his image tarnished in those emeralds, Hashirama was already waiting for him in his own tent. Not that it was such a big distance as the Senju had to only take a few steps.

But that is beside the point.

A Keeper. He would have never guessed that in a million years.

- "Keepers are very rare these days." - the Senju sighed heavily. - "They have many enemies and are a target. It is possible she was placed there on purpose. Even if she does not remember anything now. She will... with time." -

- "What if she doesn't?" -

- "I found no seals, no runes on her to keep her memory locked or even erase it. They must have believed she would not survive." -

Madara knew that look, he had seen it before. Hashirama Senju was angry, furious even, but no longer at him. The people behind the death and disappearance of countless innocents had also claimed the life of their own people. Not every single Senju and Uchiha was a warrior.

Field workers, children, mothers, shopkeepers... anyone who knew something or had seen anything that they wanted to keep hidden were potential targets.

Even some warriors had been "Missing in action" during some missions.

- "We keep this a secret." -

- "Agreed." - Hashirama's agreement was no surprise. Both men had many people to protect, not just their own clan.

- "I will make things right. I just need time with her." - that was as close as an apology as Madara would go. They were not alone, many tents belonging to Uchiha and Senju clansmen surrounded them.

- "Apology accepted, Dara." -

Before Madara could snap at the Senju, he remembered that mission statement.

- "Do you think the Royal Family had anything to do with this? Did they know?" -

His friend seemed to ponder on that. - "We can't risk it." - he concluded. - "We need more information, but we must be very careful." - the tall, tanned man stepped closer, and his palm landed firmly on the Uchiha's shoulder.

- "My men will keep her origins a secret as well as your men will, I trust that. But we need to trust in Minato for this." -

A huff erupted from the Uchiha.

Of course, who better than their elected governor?

Madara himself had voted for the man and stood proudly right next to him along with Hashirama and other high ranking clan members. They trusted in his judgement and intelligence.

He's very good at dealing with the annoying council and political parties whenever they try to pry and poke at other clans.

- "You have my word, Senju. My men and I will do what's necessary. The Namikaze is a good man." -

Not to mention his son is his youngest brother's best friend since they started walking, Mikoto adores Kushina.

They would speak with their clansmen when the storm ends, plan their return home, take the flower to Minato and hopefully... she would be protected.

Keepers hold value on their knowledge.

Knowledge they could use to protect their own and stop those who lurk in the shadows, avenge their lost loved ones and bring peace to their souls.