Queen of Air and Darkness

xvi. against all the evil in the world

Kakashi held Sakura until he was sure the blaze would not claim her. Until he was sure that she would not fling herself into Tsunade's funeral pyre and burn herself into ash. She thrashed against him, but Kakashi's muscles locked into place to hold her in position, to keep her safely pressed against him.

Her loss would be too much to bear.

One thought pounded in his skull, over and over again. How had it come to this?

The castle burned. The regent was dead. His former student—his lover— was trapped in his arms, screaming her fury and grief. Somehow, things had spiraled utterly out of control. Even in the darkest days of King Hiruzen's reign, when Naruto had been a spit of a boy and war had lurked around every corner, it had never come to this. The castle had always been safe.

No longer.

When the flames finally quelled, Kakashi released Sakura. She ran from him, to kneel by her mentor's side, to clutch her hand and beg her to get up. The cold air against his chest, where she had been pressed so firmly only moments before, felt like diving into a winter stream.

Tsunade would never rise again. Kakashi knew it as surely as he knew the sun would rise in the morning, oblivious to the tragedy it shined down upon.

The sound of hoofbeats filled the courtyard, echoing on the flagstones. Warring against exhaustion, Kakashi braced himself for yet another complication. Men on horseback filled the courtyard. Each of them wore a dark brown uniform, with the seal of Konoha embroidered in green threat at their breast. It was a uniform for forest battles and camouflage.

Danzo rode at their head, still wearing the finery of the coronation. The soldiers (for they could be nothing else) bristled with weaponry, but they had come too late. Kakashi wanted to order them out of the courtyard, furious at this latest performance. It was a ridiculous sight. Had Danzo imagined he would ride into a battle, ready to save the day and appear the triumphant hero? Kakashi had learned long ago that heroism was nothing but being in the right place at the right time, with blood in your teeth and your comrades dead at your feet. Danzo Shimura did not have the mettle for such a thing.

In his greatest feat of strength that night, Kakashi held his tongue.

"The attacker's escaped." Danzo's statement was an accusation more than a question. The most Kakashi could muster in response was a grunt of disapproval, as he ran one ash streaked hand through his silver hair. How dare this man arrive so late, backed by a fighting force of strangers, to hurl accusations at those that had battled and lost that night?

Because this had been a loss, as surely as any battle he had seen. Certainly, the attackers had been repelled, but it had come at too high a price. The best hope for Konoha's future, it's young warriors, nursed injuries on the sidelines. Several members of the guard laid dead. And in the middle of it all, Tsunade had fallen. Konoha had lost their regent. They had lost the only thing holding the realm together.

No, Kakashi realized, as he took in Danzo's weathered, scowling face. They had lost her days, weeks ago. They had lost her the moment this man had decided to imprison her.

"Perhaps they would not have escaped, had we been fully armed," Kakashi said, gesturing at the fighting force. Root, some distant part of him remembered. They were Danzo's long-rumored secret mercenary troupe. Kakashi had heard whispers of it amongst the other members of the guard. Several of them had even claimed to have turned down offers of recruitment. They said Danzo had demanded personal loyalty, offering gold and titles in exchange.

"I would think the Guard should have been sufficient for such a battle," Danzo replied, his tone haughty and loud enough for the only courtyard to hear. "A proper Knight-Captain would not have allowed his men to be overwhelmed by a mere force of five."