Queen of Air and Darkness

ix. a machine in an insensate universe

Kakashi rode harder than he had ever ridden in his life. He pushed his horse to keep pace with the blot in the sky that was his prey, though with every step it took him further away from Sakura. They seemed to ride an eternity, as the soft yellow sands turned into red clay and the sound of the borrowed horses hooves echoed off the sides of canyon walls. Just when Kakashi began to fear his horse could take no more, the bird landed.

They had reached mountains, a range that he had seen shimmering on the horizon from the capital of Sunagakure. The horse slowed, as though sensing Kakashi's trepidation as they reached a rocky cliff face that marked the end of the canyon. His only exit was the way he had come. Above him, the clay bird had landed at the very edge of the canyon, blocking the sun and casting a shadow that seemed to darken the entire canyon basin.

A tiny figure dismounted from the bird, and then dropped down, down the side of the canyon to land on his feet. It was a further drop than any ordinary human should be able to make without breaking their neck. Kakashi could hear the landing, and his horse skittered backward in surprise. But Kakashi was coming to realize that the Akatsuki were far from ordinary, wielding more power than any mortal had a right to. The blonde man stood in the center of a crater, barely armored, the only sign that he had survived a sixty-foot drop the blonde hairs that had come undone from his ponytail.

"I could just leave you here to die," the man said, his high voice echoing along the stone walls. "These mountains are a labyrinth, you know."

"Any why not do it?" Kakashi challenged, dismounting from the borrowed horse and drawing his sword.

"To show you mercy," the man said with a smile, extending both his arms as though to embrace Kakashi. "And to give you a gift."

Kakashi always hated chatty opponents, all style and no substance. But he had seen this man blow up parts of Sunagakure's castle, had seen him survive a sixty-foot drop. The Akatsuki was a mercenary group, until now known only for lightning strikes on the borders of various nations. But every confrontation he had with the group suggested that they were more than that. If each member of the Akatsuki wielded this kind of power, they were a true danger. It was a mercenary group that could do more than snatch the livelihoods of peasants and destroy farmland.

It could topple kingdoms.

"Spare me your gifts," Kakashi replied, his voice firm. "Release your captive and I'll spare your life."

His enemy's laugh echoed across the canyon walls, reverberating its staccato tempest into Kakashi's very bones.

"I do like a confident enemy. It is always satisfying to change an audience's mind." The man reached a hand into his sleeve, unleashing a handful of clay directly at Kakashi. He ducked, instinctively, letting the objects pass him by. But that did not stop the wicked smile that grew on his opponent's face.

No, as the objects—explosives—hit their mark, Kakashi's stomach sank. The blast that reverberated across the canyon was enough to deafen even his opponent: the blonde Akatsuki member threw both his hands over his ears to ward off the assault of sound. Kakashi mirrored him, dodging gravel and dust that filled the air. It choked in his lungs and burned his eye, shrouding his opponent out of view.

He dropped into a battle-ready stance, waiting for an assault that never came. Slowly, Kakashi's senses returned to him. His vision returned first as the dust settled, revealing the true damage of the blast.

It had triggered a collapse of the side of the canyon walls, sending boulders tumbling down from ancient outposts and into the narrow valley, fully enclosing the space.