Sand and Snow

Chapter 77 - Love

Chapter 77

Love

It was not long after the sands swallowed Koga of the Wastes when the forces from Ishigakure finally arrived.

Detaining every surviving member of Tenbu, the shinobi from the Land of Claws returned to their homeland with the scant amount of mercenaries and missing-nin under custody. The gleaming of their black-plated armor turned dull and their emblems were stripped from the metal with their helms thrown away. A lifetime of imprisonment within the dungeons of Ishi seemed fitting. Judgement would be swift, for their crimes extended into the reach of four countries – Claw, Mountain, Wind, and Fire each sought to see the matter settled as quietly and diplomatically as possible. The lands were left in shambles, the battle of the mines forming a scar upon the blackened earth of twisting wastes and death. It appeared as if one of the tailed-beasts ran amok in times of old.

The heart of Sunagakure was silent that afternoon.

In the shadows of the great manse of the past and present Kazekage, the cracks and exposed beams from the attack were still visible from below as if its face were torn clean off from one side. Still, it stood strong against the heat and merciless desert winds that passed it by – although the winds now howled within its sprawling chambers when night fell. The square was absent with life, not a soul or stray dog dared to wander near.

The funeral service proceeded with a dirge.

Sand Priests weaved their way to the front of the memorial with their chants and incense, the colours of their red and gold garbs the only life within a still sea of black and sorrow. The dead were near twenty in count, their names carved onto the headstones that stood before their clay coffins for burial. From shinobi of genin-rank to shinobi bearing the ranks and titles of the Suna ANBU, the etching of their names stood out for all to see. Sohei and the other slain tracker-nin from the mission had their bodies recovered, but Commander Moro was forever lost amongst the ashes that he painted across the forested lands in his final act as a shinobi of Suna. His grave would be marked by a headstone regardless, his titles etched onto the stone that bore his living name. Further amongst their headstones was the one belonging to Shinto. The kanji of his name was etched into the clay stone, the Sunagakure emblem carved underneath. His name meant "way of the gods" – perhaps he was with them now in the Pure Land.

Rain never graced the desert lands in centuries, but as Nomasaki stood before his closed coffin and headstone her heart prayed for the rains to return. She could hear the faint sobbing of Meiyumi at her back, her choked back sobs striking her heart strings. Kankuro stood still at the medic's side, offering a glance of empathy while the visiting Konohagakure shinobi looked on nearby. It was the second Sunagakure funeral that was graced by the presence of the foreigners, their colored garbs standing out against the black mourning clothes of the villagers. Beside Nomasaki during the service was Gaara, standing as still and as silent as the statue he appeared to be. As Kazekage, it was his duty to give the opening eulogy. As if stone, he wore his stoic expression with eyes marked in emotional fatigue while he spoke in front of the hundreds of shinobi who came to the service. He had to do the same with the funeral for Elder Chiyo after her sacrifice those four years ago, but standing straight-faced that silent day before the shattered husk of the Kazekage's estate was by far the most difficult goodbye he had done in ages.

When he was finished, the Sand Priests returned and said the closing chants.

As he looked to Nomasaki beside him, he saw her blank and drained eyes watching the priests somberly. She appeared as if a ghost, all the life and vibrance gone from her face and mired with a deep and painful loss. Not a word was spoken from her that day, not since returning from the Land of Claws. They spent the night separately due to his injuries, his bed being at the hospital the previous night. Before she could fall asleep at his bedside, she agreed to stay with Meiyumi at her home towards the far east of the village. Taking refuge at their home was a far-off hope. Their home in the great manse was under repair by the village artisans and carpenters until further notice, the bulk of it destroyed by the blast that claimed the lives of many guards – and Shinto, inevitably. Even though Tenbu would never raise as a threat to them or Sunagakure ever again, returning to the normal life they had together would not be an easy path. From the dulled sheen to her purple eyes, he could see the sorrow within them.