Fading Hope

Aoto ran his fingers through Yagura's hair. It was soft, unreasonably and unexpectedly so for it's gray and spiky nature, but Aoto didn't let it surprise him too much. He recalled the night Yagura was born, his weightlessness in Aoto's arms and his coos and toothless yawns. His beauty to take after his mother, newborn skin so pink it almost matched his eyes.

"Now you're so pale…and I can't see those…haaa. Please, please, Yagura-kun." Aoto took his nephew's unresponsive hand in his, it was burning and yet two inches above his wrists his arm was as cold as the bottomless sea.

Such inconsistencies were spread all across his nephew's body. Aoto didn't understand it and Harusame's explanations only incensed him because of all the medical and sealing jargon, he just wanted to know if his nephew would be alright.

Aoto was scared for Kirigakure, yes, without it's Mizukage to guide it the councillors are off on their own power trip, justifying everything with their Yondaime's unconsciousness. He worried about the Yuki, Funato and even Hozuki were prepared to do their worst in response to the littlest slight from the Kekkei Genkai wielding clan and it was the same with the Kaguya. Already he was getting whispers of abuse even though the Kaguya were purposely isolated from the rest of the village.

And now war was knocking on the door, a war Yagura saw would come long ago. Well, perhaps this wasn't the war he was thinking of but regardless, his favourite nephew threw himself at the opportunity to serve his village, offering his body as a vessel for a destroyer of shinobi armies, a Tailed Beast that now eats at him from the inside.

Aoto shook his head, massaging his temples as he bemoaned his failure to stop Yagura that day and again his failure to even help him as Mizukage, "You must be so tired, of all our stubbornness. I should have just said yes when you asked to shelther them."

The Karatachi clan head sighed as none of his words stirred the Yondaime Mizukage nor his nephew. He looked upon that pale face and wondered if either would wake up, wondered what he would do if he didn't, wondered the fate of Kirigakure should Yagura leave the Mizukage's seat too long. Already the drums of war were demanding their rhythm be met and only a Mizukage could order Kirigakure into war.

Would there be another succession trial? No, Aoto doubted any of his councillors would be so hasty to call for one even if Yagura were to sleep for an entire month. Besides, for the council to call for such they needed his vote and he sure as hell wasn't going to give them a smidge of his approval. Yagura would wake up, he had to.

The door of the underground clinic swung open and Aoto stood, ready to bite any threatening persons head off. His eagerness faded to relief and then desperation as Harusame followed in with Kirigakure's second Jinchuriki, Utakata.

"Harusame-sama! Is it time for…treatment?" His voice nearly cracked at the word but he kept firm.

Harusame was dog tired, his breathing almost as shallow as Yagura's as he stepped into the warded and highly protected room with the aid of young Utakata. He shook his head at Aoto and sat in the seat Utakata pulled out for him, "I keep telling you councillors…there is no treatment."

Aoto groaned and stepped closer as Utakata took off Yagura's duvet, "Just…tell me he'll be alright? What even happened that night? Why did the Three Tails-"

"The Three Tails did nothing." It was Utakata that spoke, his voice loud and confident turned shrimp when Aoto set his focus on him. He muttered and continued to redress Yagura's bandages, "Yagura-sama was attempting to speak to the Tailed Beast, he's been trying for sometime now, I think three months? Or maybe four."

Harusame silenced the boy with a lazy hand, "Yagura-sama had a plan, I don't know what it was but he had decided quite sometime ago to try speaking to the Beast whether by force or not."

Aoto was doubly confused, "Why did he think that? Why did he think he could talk to a…a…monster? Why did you let him even?"

Harusame's fatigued face scrunched in annoyance as he bit back, "I didn't! I warned time and time again that communicating with a chakra beast was insane! Whether they are even capable of communicating is up for debate in the first place but he…oh, he was persistent.

It was the only thing that motivated him to practice Tailed Beast chakra control and even then he wasn't nearly as good at it as Utakata here. Besides, we were supposed to do it together, he asked me for my help and I said I'd be there to give it and then he turns around and does it without me anyway! None of this is my fault so don't you dare!"

Aoto breathed and nodded at the infuriated Fuuinjutsu master, his nephew always had a taste for the spontaneous but this, this was a step too far, "What do we do now?"

Harusame glanced at Utakata behind Aoto, he was wrapping Yagura's arms, legs and even neck in fresh bandages, except these ones were inked with strange and complex Fuuinjutsu.

"We can only continue to reinforce the Three Pillar seal; it's been badly damaged. The amount of chakra that escaped it wasn't meant to be so much and then I had to force it all back in to save Yagura-sama from the maelstrom of the Three-Tails, his body can only take so much at a time and its not like he's used to the chakra's toxicity like Utakata. The bandages will only keep the Three Tails locked, as far as Yagura-sama waking up…I do not know."

Aoto stared at his feet for so long Utakata got done redressing Yagura's bandages and struggled to walk past him. He stirred from his deep thoughts and fell back beside his nephew, the bandages renewed covered up his hand but his unreasonably soft hair was free to run his fingers through.

Harusame sat at the opposite side, his eyes shut as he breathed in deep breaths. He was consistently near chakra exhaustion from all the work needed to look after the Three Pillar seal and rightfully deserved some rest.

"He will wake up and soon, I know it." Aoto said, causing Harusame to peel an eye open but he didn't say anything as Aoto ruffled Yagura's hair one last time as he stood to leave, "Thank you, Harusame, for taking care of him."

Harusame nodded and Utakata bowed as Aoto left the room. The underground clinic was an impromptu set up underneath Turtle Island as Yagura couldn't be moved into Kirigakure or even the Land of Water's mainland for fear of the Three Tails release.

Aoto knew that wouldn't happen now but it wasn't so certain when a beam of chakra stabbed the skies and sent corrosive waves killing sea life across the closest waters. The stationed ANBU straightened at his presence, Ao stood by the doors leftside on constant watch, guilt eating him up for not being able to help any more than retrieving Harusame that day, and yet that might be the very action that saved Yagura.

Aoto was grateful.

"Sir!" an operative came to kneel at his feet, swiftly producing a short scroll as he spoke, "Kiba forwards this mission report to you."

Kiba? Raiga then. Aoto sighed and unfurled the scroll, reading across it quickly and urgently as each line and sentence had his brow furrow deeply. "Ame…go ahead of me, call the other councillors to meeting, quick!"

"Sir!" the operative vanished.

Aoto squeezed the report in hand and leaned against the door, tempted to go back in and ask Yagura, no, the Mizukage what exactly his intentions were and what he should be doing now. Alas…