the storm bringer | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Seven ~ Blood and Bones

~Chapter Twenty-Seven~

Her heart pounded rapidly, her palms sweated and her mouth felt thick. Her movements felts loud and clumsy, her vision seemed blurry and her throat felt like it was closing up. She was experiencing a emotion she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Fear.

The black haired women grins crookedly, the right half of her face burned severely as she grips onto the same gold staff she held all those years ago. "My, my Winter look at you all grown up." The Lady Hakuei licks her lips sadistically, her creep level rivaling that of Orochimaru's. Winter struggled to keep her face calm, "Hello Hakuei." Despite her trying to be nice, she spits out the woman's name bitterly.

Her eyes narrow slightly, "Now now, that's Lady Hakuei to you." Winter's back is pin board straight as she stares defiantly at the woman. "That title presumes that I have respect for that individual, I have no respect for the likes of you."

Her cheek stings as one of the guards strikes her harshly, "You'd do well to remember whose land you are in." Something inside of Winter snapped and she glared at the woman venomously. "This land does not belong to you and it never will!"

Slap!

Winter's head whips to the side, the copper taste of blood rising in her mouth. "Take her." Hakuei snarls, "Make sure the others leave tomorrow." The guards grab Winter's arms, the latter struggling like a wild animal. Her hair hangs in her face, her katana's lay in her bedroom seeing how it was the middle of the night.

Something pricks the side of her neck and the room starts to go blurry, black dots dancing in her vision. The last thing Winter sees is a triumphant smirk on Hakuei's face before everything goes dark.

***

Sakura frowns as she stands next to the rest of Team Seven, minus Winter. She looks at the dazed eyes of the boys, her heart sinking. Last night Winter had been summoned to meet with the leader of the Village and never returned. Then the following morning every single item she had was gone, it was if she'd vanished without a trace.

When she'd brought it up to Kakashi he'd simply brushed it off, as if he didn't care. And now here they were starting to walk back to the Leaf Village, Sakura having a bitter taste in her mouth. Every step she took felt impossibly hard, felt as though her stomach was dropping.

She was always taught the importance of comrades, of teamwork in the academy. She was taught to make sure to complete a mission no matter the cost, but to also never leave a comrade behind. And yet here they were leaving one behind. Anger flared up inside and she paused, her light jade eyes darkening.

Wasn't it always Naruto who would boast about beating Sasuke and Winter in a match one day?

Wasn't it Sasuke who opened up slightly ever since Winter joined their team?

Wasn't it Kakashi who taught them to work as a team, despite their differences?

And despite all odds; wasn't it Winter, grumpy and irritable Winter, who would save them even if she said she never wanted to be on their team?

"I CAN'T BELIEVE ALL OF YOU!"

The sudden outburst makes the three males jump, looking back at the fuming pinkette. "Sakura, is something wrong?" Naruto asks cautiously making her head snap up. "Oh, I'll tell you what's wrong! All of you are complete and utter teme's!"

She takes a deep breath, anger brewing deep inside. "I HATE ALL OF YOU RIGHT NOW! EVER SINCE WE LEFT THE LEAF VILLAGE YOU GUYS STARTED TO CHANGE ONE BY ONE. FIRST IS WAS KAKASHI-BAKA WHO ACTED LIKE A LOVESTRUCK PUPPY, THEN IT WAS NARUTO-TEME WHO WOULD NEVER YELL AT ANY OF HIS FRIENDS AND YET HE DID JUST THAT! AND FINALLY SASUKE-TEME YOU JUST COMPLETELY DROPPED YOUR GUARD AND NONE OF YOU EVEN CARE OR NOTICED THAT WINTER IS GONE!"

She screams at the top of her lungs. "Even if she didn't get along all the time with us, she still always came through saving us when we need us the most! Kakashi!" The Jonin stares at the girl, "You told us that those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash, and here we are abandoning one of our comrades!"

"Sasuke!" The dark haired boy looks at her, a slightly hint of fear in his eyes. "Out of all the Genin you had the most potential to go the farthest, to become something great! And yet here you are wasting your chance to show us that you can be a great ninja, that you are in fact one of the worst ninja's I've ever seen!" She takes a deep breath not carrying she was insulting her Sasuke-kun, "At this rate you'll never reach your goal!"

"NARUTO!" This she screeches making the blonde jump back. "You... out of everyone I'm the most disappointed in you. You want to become Hokage, you want to prove your worth to the village, and right now all I'm seeing is someone who can't even stand up for himself." She snarls, "You said you'd never leave a friend behind, that you'd protect Winter remember? You promised Inazuma that, and here you are breaking your promise. I hope that you are ashamed of yourself, because I can hardly believe that the Naruto I know and was starting to look up to has been reduced to, to... this."

She glares at the shell shocked males, her anger reaching it's peak. "And you know what? See if I care! Because I'm going to do what's right. I may not be a Jonin level ninja, I may not be a prodigy and I may not be able to have the brunt strength or talent that you guys have. But I WILL NOT stand by and let my friend be taken away! I don't care what you think, I know Winter well enough that she would have never left us. And so with or without you I am going to save my comrade"

She turns around, her eyes brimming with tears and sparked with anger. "And to think, I was starting to believe that everyone here had a bright future. I hope you all realize just what you've done today, because I will never forgive you for it."

"Good luck explaining this to Lady Tsunade." She spits bitterly before sprinting away, her pink hair streaming out behind her. Sakura might not of been the strongest ninja in the graduating class, but she was one of the smartest. She didn't miss the signs of distress that Winter set off on their journey and it didn't help that the last conversation they had gave her a horrible feeling that Winter had been hiding something... something big.

I may not be much but I won't let you suffer anymore. Please hold on Winter.

And several miles away locked in a black cage, hair matted and blood drenched a girl's lips pulled upwards into a wicked smile. "London bridge is falling down, falling down. London bridge is falling down my fair lady." Pausing she laughs airily before continuing, "Build it up with blood and bones, blood and bones. Build it up with blood and bones..."

"My fair lady."

So the ending is a little creepy, but I like it *Insert devious smirk here* of course hopefully you guys remember Hakuei (chapter Twenty Five I believe?). I am sorry for the late update, I've been really busy with work. And also Sakura probably seems a little OOC but I have no regrets! 

Check out my new, and original, novel called Extraordinarily Ordinary.

Also side note, who else has watched the K Project? Cause I love it so much! I've watched it three or four times and watched K Missing Kings and am so excited for the new season! By the way, Yata is Bae!

Sorry for the long A/N. Bye!!!

p.s I might've gone to bed around 6 am last night which is why i'm so hyper and this note is so weird...