Chapter 25

"What is this about?" The question was genuine, and it doubled as a convenient pretext for the Hyuuga to analyze his situation. Yugito's voice had come from the front of the house, but there was movement all around it. It was no bluff; he was well and truly surrounded. At a conservative estimate, there were at least a dozen people outside, all trained and coordinated. Whatever the situation was, it was serious.

"You're stalling, Hyuuga, and you have six seconds remaining." It seems confrontation is inevitable. The kunoichi's forces were not interested in holding negotiations. "We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to." An uncharacteristic sentiment. Yugito had hardly been fond of the Hyuuga in the past, and recent events could hardly have endeared him to her. Still, the ultimatum had been delivered twice now, and he was running out of time.

They would know his position from when he last spoke, and would choose that as an entry point. At the same time, they would collapse in on him from the front, leaving very little weakness for him to exploit. Their superior numbers will be less of an advantage if funneled through the hallways. He would have to make his first stand here, though. If he could bear the brunt of the first wave, they would be forced to relocate more of their ranks toward the back exit, giving him an opportunity to cut through the front. That was easier said than done; the Hyuuga was alone, unarmed, and powerless. Handing himself over without knowing the exact circumstances, however, was not an option.

A sudden darkening of Neji's paper windows were his only warning as the first of his would-be captors burst in. He recognized the pronged profile of her polearm instantly. A man catcher. The remainder of her squad would be armed similarly; such weapons were never seen alone. Before she could bring her superior reach to bear, he had already closed the gap, grappling for dominance of the wooden haft. Unfamiliar gray eyes glowered at him from behind her fleur-de-lis-emblazoned mask. He would certainly not be talking his way out of this situation.

Fleur De Lis went for the knife sheathed at her waist and Neji yanked her main weapon free. A sharp jab with the butt of the man catcher knocked the wind out of her and put an abrupt stop to her offense, and a shoulder rush sent her stumbling back. Before he could press his fleeting advantage, though, two more jumped in.

Neji ducked under the piebald mask's wild charge, driving his knee into his gut to momentarily take him out of the fight. The spangled mask's more measured approach was met with even strength as the two locked antlers. A shift in footing gave Neji the leverage he needed to push Spangles aside, just in time to deflect Piebald's two-handed thrust downward. Neji's weapon rasped as it slid up the length of her weapon's shaft, its horned head crunching into her mask.

Fleur De Lis was up again, and the Hyuuga was forced into a defensive block, only just managing to catch both her and Spangles' blitz on the horizontal handle. They bulldozed on forward, and Neji went skidding back. It was to his favor – already, he could hear more inbound – though their combined strength left him little other recourse. His body passed into the hallway, but his stolen weapon caught on the doorjambs, creating a brief impasse.

Neji released his hold the moment the two let up, kicking his man catcher at them. It served as a temporary distraction, enough to let him retreat farther into the bottleneck. Fleur De Lis was quick to abandon her polearm, lunging with knife in hand. The Hyuuga ducked into Sakura's room, grabbing a hold of Fleur De Lis' leading wrist to pull her in with him far enough for him to slam the door into the side of her head. She moaned, and her grip went weak, but before the blade could even hit the floor, Spangles was barging through the entryway.

Neji blocked his lunge with Fleur De Lis' dazed form, spinning past the two as Spangles fumbled to try to get around her. His hands found the dual prongs of Piebald's weapon, her momentum driving the Hyuuga into a rapid backpedal. He went low, letting her impetus throw her off balance. Hooking an arm under her leg, Neji stood, throwing her over his body and slamming her back into the ground.

Reinforcements were already waiting for him in the living room, and Neji hurdled over the breakfast counter to evade the first of them. Without stopping, he cleared the couch, tucking and rolling to avoid a coordinated attack by two more, landing beside the coffee table. The one in the kitchen had already recovered, launching himself over the same couch to deliver a plunging strike. Neji yanked on one leg of the table to shield his head, the sturdy wood's deflection buying him enough time to regain his footing.

Spangles was halfway over the couch as Neji launched himself headlong at it, flipping it over and sending both of them sprawling. The Hyuuga was up first, kicking the upturned furniture hard enough to blockade the second team's pursuit, and made for the door.

A wide-eyed Yugito was just outside. She could have leveled the house and picked through the rubble. But she hadn't. What is she planning? There was no time for further thought, though; he would take her reluctance to attack as a piece of much-needed good fortune. Neji had no doubt that she would give chase, though, and he spared not a second glance at her as he sprinted past her, his captors still in hot pursuit.

o

The ice cubes jingled pleasantly as Sakura rested the cold glass against her burning forehead. Vaguely, she wondered what kind of drink C had just poured her. Had she asked for something strong? It hardly mattered. For the moment, she was content to nurse her aches. It wouldn't hurt to indulge herself. At least C would allow her that much. Unlike some, she fumed. Was that fair to say? What's fair, anyway?

"Are you all right?" C ventured. Sakura made an effort to restrain her responding glare. He doesn't deserve it. Then, I don't deserve this.

"Fine," she said, almost managing a passably neutral tone. Irritation spiked in her as C sat cautiously next to her. It disassembled into indifference, then reshaped into giddiness. What's gotten into you? She set the glass down, suddenly disinterested in its contents and leaned back, wishing the world would stop spinning. The medic had exceeded her limits in her fight against Yugito, and this was the consequence.

Pins and needles swept over every inch of her skin as her body jolted back to life. She didn't know whether to giggle or scream at the pervasive, tingling sensation that left her no refuge from her own senses. Biting down hard on her lip, she felt around for anything to cling to...

Her thoughts went to Neji, as they had again and again. Can he help me? Certainly, the memory of his quietude and pale gaze brought a measure of stillness to the turbulent waters of her spirit. But no. He had pushed her away. Or was it the other way around? She felt something touch her shoulder and she stiffened. C withdrew his hand hastily.

"Sorry." It didn't matter. Her eyes flickered open, searching the ceiling for unwritten answers. What was she supposed to do now?

"Why do you hate Neji?"

"I don't." That was a surprising answer. "He's not an easy person to get along with but... he's not there enough for you to hate. Those eyes of his always seem to look straight through you. How do you hate someone like that?" C shrugged, his eyes fixed on the tinted image of himself in the glass. Sakura couldn't remember seeing the side of his face like that, before. "I'm a little jealous of how much time he gets to spend with you. More than a little, if we're going to be more honest. That's about it. It's childish, really, when I explain it out loud. Guess I lost track of it all somewhere down the line."

"What if I told you..." Sakura took a moment to rally the disarray that was her thought process. "That there's a spy in Kumogakure?" He looked at her, lips expecting a smile, but found no reciprocal expression on hers.

"Firstly, I guess I'd assume it isn't you, unless you're about to kill me." She said nothing, and C visibly redoubled his mental search. He shook his head and took a sip of his drink, then set it down definitively. "I wouldn't be surprised, honestly. Not many people think we can win against Madara. They're probably not wrong. Morale goes first, and loyalty follows right after."

The pieces were beginning to fall into place. They didn't form a complete picture – she doubted that she had enough information to construct that – but the medic felt at least stable enough to begin rebuilding a semblance of her old self. It seemed unlikely that C was the spy, not unless he was an accomplished actor, but it was still too early to rule out that possibility. Though the medic had gained little from the exchange, her mind was whirring more normally. It felt good. The pieces that made up who she was were coming back together, though she found that she had one extra, now.

"Do you hear that?" She did: an approaching commotion outside. The medic stood and tightened the jade ribbon around her hair, her emerald eyes sharp once more.

"I'm going."

Feedback is appreciated.

Um... you got me. I don't really have anything to say. Honestly, I never do. I just feel like I should interact with you guys at some other level than just writing … st...uff.

Hrm.