It was a gloomy day, cloudy and cold. It seemed especially somber, as if a bad omen was hanging right above their clueless heads, mocking their mortality.

Diarmuid stared out the window, looking in the distance, but not taking anything in. He only ever abandoned his vigil outside Sakura's hospital room for a few minutes at a time and only when it was absolutely necessary. Those few minutes that he was away, he always felt terrified that he'd return to find her gone, that Tsunade would be there, looking somber and heartbroken, to tell him that something had gone wrong, that she hadn't pulled through.

They said that her condition was steady, that her body was dealing with the trauma and healing itself. They said that there was nothing wrong with her physically. They said she should have woken up. But she hadn't.

Even Tsunade, in all her headstrong worry, was beginning to lose hope. Diarmuid couldn't blame her. The woman was on the verge of losing a daughter. Naruto, with the bottomless pit that was his energy, couldn't bring himself to pick a fight with him anymore. He'd just share a look with Diarmuid before walking inside Sakura's room, closing the behind him only to walk out a couple of hours later looking even more depressed than before.

'To hell with them all.' he thought. 'They should have more faith in her.' He knew he shouldn't be turning the blame on them. Gods knew how much they were suffering themselves. But even that was better than feeling helpless and useless. Having someone to blame was a coping mechanism. He couldn't find the people responsible for Sakura's condition despite them being the only people to blame.

'How I wish they were before me…..' He had never been particularly bloodthirsty. He was a warrior, but given a choice between war and peace, he'd pick peace any day.

But this was different. There was a beast in his gut, roaring and clawing to get out. It was ferocious and dangerous and it lusted for the blood of those responsible for Sakura's state. 'Is this how Kiritsugu felt? Perhaps Kayneth? Is this feeling what compelled the Berserker?'

He wanted to tear them to pieces, have their blood rain down on him and drench him and drown the fire that burned inside him. He wanted to unleash Gae Dearg's destructive power upon them and not stop until there was nothing left, not even a single memory. It was a kind of bloodlust that darkened his soul, that corroded his very being, but he didn't want it to go away. He needed that feeling. He needed it to keep fueling him. Because should Sakura never wake up, that feeling would be the only thing he had left. That and a taste for revenge. It was bizarre, to say the least. Never before had he wanted to seek vengeance on those that had wronged him and Gods knew that those weren't few.

But this wasn't about him, was it? Or perhaps it was. Perhaps it was all about satiating his own hunger for blood. For their blood. To see their life liquid, in all its garish red glory, coating Gae Dearg's sharp edges and ancient engravings, to have it sliding down his arms and drenching his hair. Perhaps then the image of Sakura fighting for her life on a hospital bed, covered in her very own blood, would leave his mind for a few minutes.

"Excuse me, sir?"

With the dark turn his thoughts had taken, Diarmuid was thankful for the distraction. Turning around, his golden eyes landed on the teenager watching him warily from a couple of feet away. The boy was dressed in shinobi attire. Probably a Chunin, if he remembered their ranks correctly. He nodded at the boy to relay his message.

"The Hokage requests your presence in her office. She bids that you procced there as soon as possible."

Diarmuid nodded curtly, his worry overshadowing every sense of politeness. Turning swiftly, he didn't spare the boy a second glance before he started walking briskly towards the Hokage's office.

Tsunade knew he was there before he even raised his hand to knock and a somber "Enter" reached his ears as soon as he was within two feet of the office. He walked in immediately, though lacking some of his previous rush. She was still Konoha's leader and could quite easily slam his face through a wall. Diarmuid was many things, but disrespectful wasn't one of them. The situation was dire as it was and he was pretty sure Sakura wouldn't enjoy hearing about him disrespecting her mentor when she woke up.

'If….' He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and locked gazes with the blonde Hokage, bowing his head in greeting. There was an empty seat in front of her desk, but he made no move to take it.

Tsunade stared at the younger man before her. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have spared a few moments to admire his extraordinarily handsome looks. Instead, she took in the rigid shoulders, tight muscles and tense jaw. He was trying to appear calm and collected, but she wasn't sitting in that chair for nothing. Aside from healing, reading people was one of the things she excelled at. The man was miserable and it was written all over his person. What she was about to tell him wouldn't help the situation either, of that she was certain.

'There is no easy way to say this…' She sighed deeply, mentally preparing herself for the storm that what about to hit. "Sakura's condition is steady, but we haven't seen any notable improvement the past month and a half. The Council is pressuring me to pull the plug."

Diarmuid's face lost all color. "What?"

"They've been accusing me of favoritism for a while now. Sakura's lack of any form of improvement just adds more to their arsenal. Had she displayed any sign of consciousness, it would have been different. Right now, she is dead to them and merely taking up space and resources that we could be using on active shinobi."

"But you won't. You'd never do that to her, would you? You can't be seriously considering this….."

Tsunade sighed deeply. "I'm afraid I have to. The Council has sway in the village. And I am the Hokage. I can't chose one of my shinobi over another. Even if it breaks me, I have to look at the bigger picture." she said and Diarmuid believed her. He really did. Sakura was loved by many people and Tsunade was among those that loved her the most.

The man clenched his fists. "Just like that?" he said, his voice coming out almost in a snarl. "They want to end her life….while she is still alive? While there's still hope?" His voice dropped. "After everything she's done for this village….for these people….."

"I don't like this any more than you do, but-"

Diarmuid's dark chuckle interrupted her and a cold feeling settled at the pit of her stomach. It was…a lot unlike him and in no way befitting of the descriptions offered of this man and his character by her apprentice.

"You….You have no idea how I feel about this." he said and though his voice was steady and calm, Tsunade got the impression that she was talking to a raging storm. "None of you do."

Wishing she had a glass of strong sake, the blonde Hokage sighed. "I'm fighting tooth and nail to prevent this, kid. And you can bet your damn life that I'll bring the whole place down if it means keeping Sakura alive." she said, looking at him with amber eyes as hard as steel. "But this isn't entirely up to me to decide. We wouldn't be having this conversation if it were."

"And why did you bring me here? To have me give consent? To ask for my permission?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, clenching her fingers. "Don't forget your place, boy." she warned, feeling her accumulated anger spike dangerously. "I don't need to ask your permission for anything. I'm simply doing you the courtesy of letting you know." She knew that the man was going through hell. A blind man could see that. But she wasn't better off herself and days upon days of dealing with the council were taking their toll on her temper that was already short in the first place.

"How thoughtful of you…." Diarmuid was struggling to contain his emotions. His usually impeccable manners had long since disappeared and he felt his composure falter dangerously. He could sense Gae Dearg pulsating against his back, affected by his upset state. "I'll never accept this."

"It's not up to you to decide."

Diarmuid chuckled. "It might not be, but that won't stop me."

The blonde Hokage raised a delicate eyebrow. "Stop you from what?"

Diarmuid pinned her with his golden eyes and for a moment Tsunade was left breathless at the intensity of his gaze. "Send whoever you want. Send them all if you will." he said calmly, though his insides were anything but calm. "I'll return every single one of them back to you. In pieces if I have to. Anyone that tries to lay a finger on her will face the tip of my spear."

Tsunade shot to her feet, slamming he hand against her desk. "You threaten me and my shinobi?" she growled, glaring heatedly.

Diarmuid chuckled darkly. "I say it as it is; a promise." he answered with finality and turned his back to her, making to leave.

"Watch it, Diarmuid." Her voice stopped him. The use of his name was a testament of how serious she really was. "I respect your dedication to Sakura, I admire it even, but the moment you start posing a threat to anyone within the walls of this village is the moment I give out the order for your head. We have to be clear on that."

The man glanced at her over his shoulder and she was once more taken aback by the fire in his almost unreal eyes of molten gold. "If Sakura dies, there will be nothing left to kill. Not even you can kill a dead man."

TBC

Alright, to all of you who have been following me and my stories for so long, I owe you a huge apology. While the reason for my absence was an utterly devastating personal tragedy, I still consider myself inexcusable. So, please accept my sincerest apology for disappearing like that without a trace.

Moving on, this chapter is not as long as I would have liked, but somewhere along the line I realized that continuing it would have ruined the angst-y vibe and the whole suspenseful atmosphere. So, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.

I'm slowly getting back to writing fanfiction again and I feel pretty damn good about that.

So, my lovelies, until next time!

Lots of love!