Impossible to Foretell

Chapter 26: Rings

As soon as we were inside the hideout, Anzu and I were placed on the ground. My hip nearly gave out on me before it became reaccustomed to having weight on it again. That run did it no favors; I was stiff and sore now.

Kanaye's eyes twinkled as he watched my hesitant movements. "Oreikoku, don't bother rebinding their arms. I would be worried about them making an attempt at escaping, but there's nothing that they could do. We're dealing with a little civilian girl and a crippled ex-shinobi. I'm not worried."

He was trying to play his stupid psychological games with me, but it wasn't working. In fact, he had made his first real mistake by not binding my arms or checking my person for weapons. Did he think that I would have given up my weapons pouch and kunai holster so easily in the apartment, leaving me unarmed around dangerous rogue ninja? After being captured a year ago, I had been prepared for another situation like this. There were several weapons hidden in my grey-green, Shinobi Union flak jacket, my sandals, and even my forehead protector. I was not as harmless as I appeared. Also, with my hands free, I could still use ninjutsu.

With a smile, Kanaye turned to me, "Would you like a tour of the facilities? I have quite the operation going on."

I glared at him. I didn't want to be paraded around this creepy, dark, disgusting hole in the ground, but I also knew that having a good idea of the layout would be very helpful later on when I tried to make my daring escape. "Fine."

"Well, that didn't take a lot of arguing, now did it? Becoming docile already, little Yo-yo?"

My blood turned to fire in my veins, and I almost unintentionally opened the First Gate when he said that. "Never, never, call me that again or I will use every bit of chakra that I have to blow this place halfway to space or so help me god."

"Suicide bombing over a nickname? My, my, you have really grown sentimental in your old age."

Old age? He was almost twice as old as I was.

"Speaking of sentimental," he began to rummage around in his pocket. "I found these in your apartment." In his hand were two gold wedding rings. One was shiny and slightly scratched: mine. The other was dull from being hidden away in a box for two years and slightly charred on one side: Toukuro's.

"How on earth did you get your hands on those?"

"I found dear Toukuro's hidden away in your desk, and then yours where you foolishly tried to plant it in your apartment." He held mine up to light at an angle so he could read the inside, "'Forever in Love.' Hm, are you are a pathological liar because you seem to take a lot of joy in wearing this false statement around."

How on earth did he know that I didn't love Toukuro?! What was going on? Before I even had time to fully process his question, Kanaye lifted up the hand that the rings weren't residing in, forming half of the tiger seal. His right hand began to glow a painful shade of red, and the rings inside of it melted. With a smile on his face, he looked right into my eyes as he rotated his hand slowly, letting the molten gold flow down to the ground where it made a small, misshapen lump.

It was like I was loosing Toukuro a second time. I may not have loved him romantically, but he was still one of the most important people who had been in my life. Tears that I didn't even know that I had shed landed on the small pile of hot metal with a hissing sound.

"You- YOU BASTARD! They were all that I had left of him! They were all I had left."

Toukuro was really gone now. I felt naked without the familiar band on my left ring-finger.

The young Cloud chunin stared at me sadly, "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Nakahara, but I was told to give you this."

He handed me a small envelope with the words "Toukuro Nakahara" written on the outside.

"I'm very sorry to inform you that the Fourth Division was attacked by Madara Uchiha himself, almost the entire company perished. They say that your husband died by Madara's hand. I'm very sorry for your loss."

He walked away with the large bag of identical envelopes swaying from his shoulder.

I pulled open the envelope and a gold ring tumbled into the palm of my hand. There was an inscription inside.

"Forever in Love."

Kanaye smiled.

Anzu looked at the small lump of gold on the ground, my tears, and then Kanaye. She send him the most intense glare that she could muster, "You are truly a horrendous person. I hope that you burn in hell for all of eternity." Then she walked over and gave me a huge hug. She may have been tall for her age, but she only came up to just below my chin as she rubbed her hand up and down my back in a comforting gesture.