The Heart Remembers

Hostage

The wood was silent and dark, the moon mercifully absent. They moved together as a unit at first. Then the other members started to fall back slightly, allowing Mitsuki to take the lead. This action was not unusual but it made Mitsuki raise an eyebrow. They must half expect him to go into a rage at a second's notice. Insulting. However, his episodes of rage could prove to be a real danger for the hostage if he couldn't keep it under control. He glanced up again at the inky sky. The absence of the moon would be a big help. As long as he took it slow and didn't get too messy, everything should be fine.

They were getting close. A silent, almost imperceptible signal was given and simultaneously all five masks came down and hoods come up. The ANBU worked in the old fashioned way, no ninja tech. The units were too specialized and the missions too dangerous where silence was an absolute necessity. They never spoke unless absolutely necessary and were even taught to control their breathing so they could be silent as ghosts.

They even still wore the traditional animal masks although Mitsuki was unsure why. It made some sense in identification but he never found them necessary. Stature was more than enough for Mitsuki to tell who was who, not that he had bothered to learn anyone's names. They, however, knew his. He knew it was no accident that the mask he had been given had a carefully painted snake, done in the traditional style. Whether it was reference to the mask or the nickname they had given him, he didn't know but 'Snake' was what they called him. He cared just enough to consider it unimaginative but nothing more.

They were very close now. Mitsuki nodded a signal and his comrades disappeared, gone to search for sentinel. Their targets were heavily guarded, Mitsuki finding and dispatching three himself. They needed to make this fast. If guard was this heavy, it wouldn't be long before absences were noticed. Mitsuki continued on swiftly and it wasn't long before he saw the warm glow of a fire. Mitsuki cautiously moved in and peered into the illuminated clearing.

Five men clothed in black robes busied themselves outside what was left of a building. Dilapidated and barley standing, it looked like it had only just survived a fire at some point in its sad history. It listed dangerously to the left and had gaping holes in its roof but a flickering light from within said there were more targets inside. Outside the large shack, the robed figures looked like they were preparing for some kind of ritual, not that it mattered. They would all be dead long before they got the chance to perform it.

Since the ruin was the only real cover in the clearing, Mitsuki assumed that the hostage would be in there. Since recovering the hostage was his responsibility, Mitsuki decided to leave the men outside to his team. He needed to find a way inside the ruined hut. Silently, he moved around the clearing just in the shelter of the trees until he was behind the partially burned building. There was a large hole in the roof that looked like it would provide both a good view of what was inside and a convenient place to signal his team.

Without a sound, he positioned himself on the roof and carefully peered inside. There were three more hooded figures standing inside and a fire directly below. Two were close by what looked like a makeshift door. The third stood over by the right wall where a fourth person sat with their back resting against the wall. The seated person was wearing a black hood which obscured their face from view and their wrists were resting on their knee, clearly tied together. He had found the hostage.

He didn't need to see his comrades to know they were in position and watching. He signaled that he had found the hostage and then gave the signal to begin the assault. He waited for the targets outside to start to fall one by one before beginning. The commotion succeeded in distracting his own targets enough to cover his entrance. He dropped inside and eliminated the two targets by the door, quick and clean.

"Look out-!" Came a cut-off warning from behind. A kind gesture but it wasn't necessary. Mitsuki was already moving, deflecting the enemy projectile easily as he turned. His final target had struck the hostage for his outburst, who was now slumped against the wall. That wasn't good. Lady Sarada wanted the hostage undamaged. He didn't get to dwell on the problem because his final mark lunged. He proved to be more tenacious than the other two but Mitsuki was able to drop him without too much added effort.

All was still in the ruined building now except for the crackle of the dying fire. The commotion outside was dying down too, signaling that their mission was almost complete. Mitsuki still stayed alert, in case a runner tried to take shelter in the ruins. His attention turned back to the hostage, laying still and bleeding where his attacker had left him. Something needed to be done. It wouldn't due to deliver damaged goods.

He approached him at a brisk walk, preparing to use medical jutsu. He knelled next to the unconscious man, cut his bonds then started to remove the blood-soaked hood, revealing the man's face. Freed from the cloth, rich golden hair flopped sideways and shone in the firelight. Blood trickled down the man's exposed forehead, paralleling an old scar that ran from eyebrow to cheek through the dead center of his right eye. He was quite unconscious but his eyes where only half lidded, exposing flashes of sky blue.

Mitsuki jumped back as if he had been burned and a simultaneous throb ripped through his skull. Red, gold and blue, darkness and pain, screaming; the images from his nightmares flashed in front of his eyes, obscuring his vision. His hands shot up to steady his head and he desperately willed the pain and memories away. He fought to stay in control but the rage and despair was rising dangerously close to the surface.

His eyes stayed fixed on the hostage, staring at the gold drenched in red blood. It was noisy. Someone was screaming but he had no idea who. He heard a bang, just audible under the noise. More yelling joined the din and Mitsuki was only just able to recognize it was coming from his unit. They had broken in and were searching for an unseen threat, staying far way from them as they did. Who the HELL was wailing like that and why wouldn't they stop?! He came back to himself just enough to realize his mouth was open. The screaming was coming from him.

Swift movement caught his attention but he couldn't look away from the unconscious man. Then one of his team dove into his line of sight, seized the man with the golden hair and ran. A madness born from rage Mitsuki had never felt before took him over completely. With a feral cry, he was after his teammate, hot on his heels. He will pay for this! Something in his mind assured him over and over. He will pay for stealing what is mine! A small, still conscious part of himself wondered what this meant but that part was quickly shoved away by his all consuming fury. He almost fell flat on his face as another teammate attempted to tackle him around the shoulders but Mitsuki recovered quickly and shrugged him off as easily as if he were a child.

This one doesn't matter, his mind assured him. He had to catch up to the other. The blue-eyed man belonged to him! He must kill the thief for taking what was his. Mitsuki's vision was tinted red but he could see that he was gaining on the thief. His prize was hanging limply over his shoulder, hair like sunlight gleamed against his prey's black uniform, guiding him onward. All who dared to touch him would die. No one would steal his Sun ever again!

He reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out two shirken. He needed to be cautious. Any further damage to the Sun was unacceptable. He aimed carefully with surprising mental clarity and let the projectiles fly. His aim was true, both shirken embedding themselves deeply in his target's left calf and right shoulder by the neck. The impacts knocked him from the trees and forced him to drop his captive. Mitsuki followed closely, changing directions fluidly. He extended his arms and caught the Sun before he could hit the ground. He pulled him in and cradled him protectively against his chest. His teammate cowered beneath him, holding his leg with his left arm and his right hung uselessly by his side.

Mitsuki had what he wanted but he wasn't satisfied. He needed retribution for this offence and only blood would appease him. His target struggled to his feet as Mitsuki loomed over him. He turned and tried to run but Mitsuki struck his retreating back with a snake lightning, throwing him fifty feet and into a tree where he lay still. Mitsuki followed at a leisurely pace with savage triumph, prize in hand and eager to deliver the finishing blow.

Bright stars erupted behind his eyelids as pain exploded through his head from behind. He felt his body go limp and the last thing he remembered as he fell into darkness was his heart screaming as the Sun was pulled from his arms.