Chapter 18: The Summit
"A falling moon? That's preposterous! The moon doesn't just fall out of the sky. If it did, we'd have been crushed centuries ago!"
"But it does explain the increase in the meteors; does it not? Both the Sand and Leaf have already been struck. Any of our villages could be next then. It's just a matter of time and chance. Our village has already experienced an influx of tidal waves and storm surges. Even you must know that the moon has significant effect on the waves."
Kakashi listened as the Raikage and Mizukage argued over the possibility that the moon really was coming closer. While ineloquently expressed, he understood the Raikage's point. The moon, like all celestial bodies, followed a predictable cycle and orbit, one that had been traced by their ancestors long before they had unlocked the secrets of chakra and the shinobi arts. If this were indeed something cyclical, surely there would be some historical context to reference. Yet none could be found by any of their archivists and their scientific team could give no explanation, only the fact the moon was indeed very much approaching.
This only furthered Kakashi's speculation that this wasn't a natural occurrence. The timing, the proximity to the village and lack of fatalities. Mother Nature had never made such discretions before. And though he wanted to share his thoughts, he had no evidence to support it and knew it would only raise greater concern—concern over nothing more than a suspicious hunch.
Finally, Gaara interrupted the back-and-forth exchange between the disputing kage. "The evidence is clear. The moon is coming closer. Its historical basis is irrelevant for the moment. We need to understand what to expect and then determine how to stop it or survive it."
Kakashi noted that Gaara was right as usual, and one of the most levelheaded about their reality. While it would help to identify the cause if they were to stop it, if it was truly a natural occurrence, then man hardly stood a chance against nature. However, they could work together to determine the best course for survival.
"Allow me to explain," the Leaf scientist began. "As two celestial bodies approach one another, the gravitational pull between them increases. This intense force, which is only growing stronger as the moon comes closer, is breaking up the moon's surface. I firmly believe that these meteorites we have seen are pieces of the moons cracking surfaces that are being pulled to Earth by our own gravitational pull."
"And what will happen if the moon keeps drawing closer?" asked the aging Tsuchikage.
"The moon will eventually be destroyed, disintegrating under the increased force. Its fragments, which could be of unimaginable size, will rain over the Earth's surface. If the moon keeps drawing its way in—"
"We'll all perish," the Raikage concluded.
"And how certain are we that this is a natural phenomenon?" asked Gaara, watching Kakashi closely as he did.
"We aren't," was all the masked kage could offer.
The tension in the room was more palpable than stone, but it was clear what needed to be done. Emergency shelters deep underground would need to be constructed if not prepared already from the days of the war. There was no saying what damage they would face in the time before the moon's destruction, and in the meantime, should more meteors be detected, the villagers would need somewhere safe to be evacuated. Investigation of the matter would need to be kept quiet so as not to raise alarm. Ful countries in panic would solve absolutely nothing. Still, if there was a chance there was a responsible party, they could only place their bets that shinobi like Sasuke and a handful of other covert shinobi would be able to find something.
Before their departure from the meeting, each kage was presented with a special clock, one that counted down until the moon's destruction, showing its growing proximity to Earth.
"A rather morbid gift for a wedding present, isn't it, Kakashi?" the Mizukage jested as the kage prepared to depart.
Kakashi sighed, the last few days having been nothing more than chaos. "She doesn't know," he stated calmly. "It should go without saying, that this information shouldn't extend too far beyond this group."
All of the kage and their attendants nodded in silent agreement. Even family members would need to be left in the dark for as long as possible.
"A marriage full of secrets then," she lamented. "And this exactly why I haven't gotten married."
'…Right…' was the shared thought among the members.
Having travelled straight through the night before, the ensemble from the Leaf was to be the last to leave, spending a few hours to rest again before the journey back. Kakashi found himself struggling to sleep, the Mizukage's words ringing loud and clear. He had known about the moon before the meteors had struck near the village, having even asked Sasuke to look into it when the scientists in the Leaf Village could find no rationale for its position. Sasuke had found what some of the scientists had, that others were starting to notice it, too, and that there was no historical context to frame it. Still, even when Sasuke had come to visit, he chose not to disclose any of it with his fiancée. Now, as they were facing the possibility of mass destruction, he still couldn't tell her. The secret had become bigger and weighed more heavily on him.
'Starting off with secrets…' He sighed to himself.
Although she never seemed the type, he wondered if she'd be disappointed or angry that he had kept this from her. Truthfully, he found himself thinking about her quite a bit. The way she did everything in earnest—learning his favorite foods, sparring, and even the way she accepted the challenge of attempting a real marriage. He had never thought much of her, aside from realizing the fact that she had been kind to his knucklehead student and entirely uninterested in the Uchiha survivor. She had grown to be quite beautiful, and he had no reservations about consummating their marriage—none aside from her willingness, though she hadn't refused him yet.
Despite his struggle to admit it aloud, Hinata had become increasingly important to him. She seemed to occupy his first and last thought of the day and it was the sound of her voice greeting him that made him feel most at home. Had it not been for her father and her suitors, he never would have considered her in such a way. And though he knew what that had meant for his future—a bachelor's lifestyle with the occasional midnight partner—he wondered what it would have meant for her. He preferred not to think of her in the arms of another man.
There was also the fact that he had left her alone on their wedding night. Most women would have been spurned by the apparent rejection, but she took it all in stride, preparing his stuff for his journey and seeing him off. He knew he'd have to make it up to her, but still wasn't sure how. And the more he thought of it and the more he worried about her well-being and the certain danger he was sure he was placing her in.
Once, he had lied to the daimyo, saying that he was afraid to confront his feelings for Hinata because life as the Hokage's wife was full of strife. It was a lie then, but it was slowly becoming true. He thought of the wife of the First Hokage and the way she became the Leaf's first jinchuriki, sealing the Nine-Tailed Beast entirely within herself for the sake of the village. History was not too clear regarding the event, but it seemed plausible that she took on the role of jinchuriki because her husband entrusted it to her. Times were still unstable, and it was unlikely there were many hosts to chose from.
He even thought of Kushina, the wife of the Fourth and motherly figure to him as a child and teen. She too had become a jinchuriki, though this was far before she was involved with Minato. She would later die with her husband, defending not only her newborn son, but the entire village from the beast that was once inside her. He still felt immense guilt over her death, inadvertently setting off the chain of events that pushed Obito into cooperation with Madara and also being the one to reveal Kushina's pregnancy and vulnerable state.
Whether it was more dangerous to be the wife of the Hokage or the shinobi once known as Friend-Killer Kakashi had hardly mattered bow that he was both. Accepting that he was unlikely to find any rest, Kakashi began to rise from his mattress just as the door to his shared room was sliding open.
"Lord Hokage, you're already awake?" came the surprised reaction of Raidou. "We just received a message from Naruto. He says there was another meteor the night we left and—and well he isn't very clear—but he says there was an attempt on Lady Hinata."
Kakashi could feel his body turn cold as he turned toward his advisor who was starting to rise now too. The look on his face to Shikamaru said it all: "I told you."
It was nearly a three-day journey back, but one they were determined to make in two.
-End Chapter 18-