Naruto Fic: "Bloodstained Grass"
This was supposed to be a small drabble, but... uhh, it kind of grew on its own. I couldn't stop it XD.
Anyway, it might be a bit confusing, but bear with me, okay? And it's angsty, VERY angsty. Seriously, I'm feeling very angsty right now, so don't expect something happy.
Title: "Bloodstained Grass"
Beta: In need of one =)
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4,845
Characters: Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata, (Sakura), (Sasuke)
Pairings: Naruto/Hinata, Sasuke/Sakura
Theme/Prompt: #30, Eyes. Table's HERE
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 486!! And a huge amount of ANGST.
Disclaimer: I own only the plot.
A/N: Post-Ch. 486, AU. It's a little confusing.
Summary: The path of revenge is lonely and tragic indeed, even more so when third parties get involve-especially innocent third parties.
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“So, how many years since that day, Naruto?” asks one Hatake Kakashi, moving his visible eye to his former subordinate, who seems to be oddly entranced with the sunset.
Well, he would be too, if it weren’t for the dark thoughts clouding his mind; the view from his office was quite beautiful if he says so himself.
“Seven years, and counting,” replies Naruto after a long pause, just as Kakashi expected.
“Seven years,” Kakashi sighs, “Don’t you find it ironic?”
“What?” asks Naruto somewhat harshly, “The fact that you ask the same question every year on this day, or that it’s actually been seven year since Team 7 died for good?”
“Both.”
Silence. Ever since that fateful day, everything there seems to be between them is silence, and not only that, Naruto has been acting strangely cold. Sure, he is nice to be with, but only when he isn’t wallowing in his memories. Hinata says he’s a good husband and a good father, but…
But.
No matter how good of a person he is right now, he’s not the Naruto he used to be. Not anymore. Not since that day.
“Sakura knew what she was doing, Naruto,” Kakashi says after a long pause, “She also knew there was a high chance of getting killed for it.”
“He didn’t have to kill her though,” Naruto replies calmly, too calmly.
“I guess not.”
Silence.
“But we always knew he would, deep down, we always knew.”
Naruto doesn’t reply to his statement, and Kakashi knows he’s probably trying to block it out. Always the loyal friend, that boy. Even thought there was no doubt about it, Naruto’s still looking for a logical explanation.
He still believes in Sasuke’s innocence.
~
~
~
(“You wanted me to heal your eyes, Sasuke, and I did,” she says, “Now let me go, you no longer need me here.”
Sakura waits for some kind of reaction, one that might betray his real intentions, some ulterior motive to keep her at his side, because, and unless he’s lying to her, his eyes are in perfect health now and his vision is as good as ever.
There is, however, no reaction on his part. No tensing of shoulders or shifting in his stand, nothing. He turns to look at her over his shoulder, and she curses the dim light in the room (if, of course, you could call this extension of the cave they were in a room that is) because she can’t pick up the little details of his features as well as she could in broad daylight.
“No,” he answers after a prolonged pause, and turns back to cleaning his sword.
Sakura breathes deeply, attempting to calm her ever-growing frustration, “Why not?”
Sasuke finishes cleaning his sword, places it gently on the bed, and turns to face her fully, pinning her with a steady stare, a very empty stare. He studies her before finally answering. And, strangely enough, she feels no fear at his statement, no desire to run away, only confusion. Real, unadulterated confusion.
“I killed you.”)
~
~
~
“Hyuuga Hinata.”
Hinata jumps lightly, away from the stream, and turns around only to come face to face with none other than Uchiha Sasuke. She yelps in surprise, trying to stand her ground.
“You’re wrong,” she says automatically.
Sasuke doesn’t show any indication of surprise or even confusion at her statement, he only stares at her blankly (his eyes are so empty; no anger, no love, no life-no nothing).
“You are Hyuuga Hinata.”
“Not anymore,” she replies, “I am Uzumaki Hinata now.”
Sasuke doesn’t say anything for a long time then, and Hinata wonders if her teammates will notice her prolonged absence. True, she had told them she would go get water before they resumed their journey back to Konoha (because even though it was nightfall, the village was not far and they could make it before midnight), but that had been a long, long while ago. They ought to start getting worried by now.
Sasuke takes a few steps towards her and then stops, “Good,” he says, “Things will work better that way.”
Before Hinata can think of react, Sasuke throws something in her direction. Her hand reaches out to catch whatever he threw to her, and instead of feeling the sting of a shuriken or a kunai, she finds she’s grasping a letter. A well sealed letter.
“Definitely better.”
His voice is as emotionless as his expression and she doesn’t know what to think, because… for a moment there, she thought he was going to kill her, but-
“Give that to Naruto, please,” he says simply and then-there, an emotion, finally, he’s letting some kind of emotion show in his eyes.
Hesitation, and apprehension, she’s sure, that’s what she sees before Sasuke breaks eye-contact with her and looks down at the little bundle cradled in his arms.
A bundle that she did not see.
A bundle that has a shockingly black mop of hair on the side that’s close to Sasuke’s elbow.
A bundle that is currently moving and beginning to whimper.
A bundle that is only a baby tightly wrapped in blankets to keep the cold away.
A baby.
“Good Lord.”
Sasuke ignores her, and it almost seems as if he doesn’t know she’s there, watching him. He shifts the baby in his arm and raises his free hand to brush some dark strands away; it’s a subtle caress, and it’s not something anyone would believe without seeing it, but it’s real. So is the smile the graces his face briefly before returning to that blank expression of his.
Now Hinata knows why Sakura was so hell-bent in finding him, in bringing him back, in rescuing him. Now she knows why Sakura loved him so much.
Now she sees what the pink-haired kunoichi saw all those years ago.
Sasuke’s a good person.
“Take care of her.”
Hinata snaps out of her musings and finds Sasuke standing right in front of her; she yelps and can’t find time to react, for Sasuke has already handed her the baby. The look on his face is fierce, desperate and… and pleading.
This is probably the most Sasuke’s ever shown of emotions to anyone (but, then again, if her suspicious are correct, then there’s only one person with whom he has been completely honest about his emotions, and that person has been death for years now).
“Promise me you will take care of her.”
Hugging the baby closer to her chest, she nods hurriedly, “I-I promise!”
Sasuke stares at her some more, then drops his gaze at the baby, some unrecognizable emotion flickering in his eyes. Then, he turns around, facing away from her.
“Goodbye…”
His words are as silently as his departure.
Hinata can only stand there and watch him disappear. Slowly, she lowers herself to the ground, and just sits there, looking at the baby; she forgets the world for a while.
Sasuke’s daughter.
A quiet child, she discover later, as the little girl doesn’t cry or makes any loud noises. She’s quiet, she’s beautiful, she’s the perfect daughter.
She’s also Sasuke’s-
The little girl opens her eyes, and Hinata gasps.
~
~
~
(Sasuke’s glad she stopped asking why he won’t let her go. He himself doesn’t know for sure, but he supposes that after spending a year in her company, letting her get close while she healed his eyes, this want is only to be expected.
She seems content now, too, no longer staring off with that sad look on her face, no longer sighing every minute or so. No longer glancing at him with resentment. She seems content, happy even, to be here, with him. Sure, she’s not content whenever Madara is around, and he’s sure Madara isn’t happy to have her with them either, but he wants her there, and that’s enough.
He wants her there, because after a year of close contact, of gentle touches, he finds himself wanting her touch, her closeness. It’s comforting, and reminds him of old times, good times, when they used to be four instead of two.
But Sakura is enough, she’s all he can have, and she’s all he will take.
He’s selfish, and even if she doesn’t want to stay with him, he’ll make her.)
~
~
~
Kakashi sighs and stands up, stretching his sore muscles. Spending the evening sitting still isn’t such a good idea at his age it seems. He turns to look at Naruto, whom hasn’t moved from his spot next to the window. It is close to midnight, so their ritual is coming to an end, and he’s glad, because that means Naruto will go back to being… well, Naruto.
The young blonde man sighs and finally turns away from the window, giving him a small smile, it’s not much, but it’s something.
“Are you going back to the Hyuuga compound?” Kakashi asks.
“Nah, I’m gonna wait until Hinata-chan comes back,” replies Naruto, “Shouldn’t take long now, should it?”
“No,” he pauses, then smiles, “Well, suit yourself, I’m going home. It’s been a long day. You can wait here, Naruto, it’ll be your office someday after all.”
Naruto grins weakly at him, and nods. Kakashi is about to walk to the door when loud shouts coming from the hallway stop him. The noises get louder by the second and, suddenly, the door slams open, presenting none other than Kiba.
“We have a problem! Hokage-sama!” he says, gasping for air, a clear indication of being running like mad.
Kakashi looks back at him, a bored expression on his face, “Kiba, it’s midnight, and I’m on my way home, can it wait for later?”
“Hinata-chan, you’re back!”
He hears Naruto exclaim excitedly, but before he, or anyone else for that matter, can so much as move a muscle, Shino enters the office and says something that makes everybody freeze.
“Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has been sighted roaming the woods surrounding Konoha.”
There’s a heavy silence filling the room, it’s suffocating but no one seems to want to break it, and then-
“What?” asks Naruto, the disbelieving tone in his voice is unmistakable.
“My bugs detected him-” says Shino, but his sentence gets cut off by his teammates.
“I saw him,” Hinata says, speaking for the first time since Team 8 arrived at the Hokage’s office. “Actually, he appeared right in front of me.”
Kiba jumps at her statement, looking enraged, “Hinata, why didn’t you tell us?! He could’ve hurt you, he-”
“He didn’t do anything to me,” she says, cutting him off, “He didn’t want to hurt me either. He just wanted to talk, to… he asked me to-”
Shifting the baby, that until then has gone unnoticed by all the men in the room, in her arms, she reaches into her pocket and pulls the letter out. The baby whimpers softly, so softly that only she hears it, and Hinata hugs her closer to her chest, trying to give her the comfort the little one is probably seeking.
His gaze snaps to Hinata’s chest the moment she moves her arms, and Naruto, although knowing how stupid his next question is going to sound, can’t help but ask, “What’s that?”
“It’s a baby, moron, she found him, or her, in the woods, I think,” Kiba says, then turns to look at Hinata, a confused expression on his face, “I-she hasn’t let go of him, or her, ever since we found her. Hinata, where did you find that baby?”
“It’s Sasuke’s daughter.”
The silence that follows that statement prolongs too much and Hinata fears the men might react harshly. She fears for the baby, fears that the Hokage might want to get rid of it, even if it’s his student’s daughter, and if not the Hokage, the council when word gets out. She fears for her dreams, because even though she loves her sons dearly, she has always wanted a daughter (the daughter she can no longer have), and if she knows Naruto like she thinks she does, she might get what she wants.
Naruto steps closer to her slowly, and Hinata clings to the little girls tighter. When he stops in front of her, she hands him the letter.
“And he told me to give you this.”
Naruto stares at her a while longer and then takes the letter. He opens it and pulls out the actual letter and another envelop. His expression is completely blank as he reads the letter, his eyes scan the page, going over the sentences, but there's not even a twitch of an eyebrow by the time he finishes. Finally, he looks up at her, and stares. Realization dawns on him, she sees, slowly but surely.
“Naruto…” she begins, but-
“Naruto, give me that letter,” Kakashi says, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen on them.
Naruto grips the letters tighter and shakes his head.
Kakashi frowns, “Naruto-”
“Sasuke wants me to take care of his child,” he pauses, trying to sort out his thoughts, “And I will. He may be a traitor, but the child is not to blame for that, and obviously, she has no one else.”
“The mother?”
“Dead.”
“Naruto, who is the mother,” says Kakashi.
Naruto pauses and turns his head to look at him, a painfully sad expression on his face, and smiles.
A impossibly bitter smile.
“Sakura-chan.”
~
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~
(She laughs, bouncing the baby girl gently on her lap. The baby laughs, too, a beautiful echo of her mother’s laugh.
A beautiful sound accompanying a beautiful picture.
The green, green grass spreads around them, across the clearing , the trees’ leafs bend gently to the wind, and the sky shows its clearest blue. Everything is clear, everything is bright.
Everything is alive.
And he watches, from the shadows, and smiles. A real smile, a happy smile. This is his family, the only real joy he’s ever had in years and he’s not about to let it go. Ever.
The wind picks up, ruffling mother and daughter’s hair.
She looks over her shoulder, and spots him leaning against a tree. Smiling, she motions for him to come closer. He complies, and sits next to her once he arrives at her side. He caresses the baby hairs gently, and the little girl grins at him, recognition clear in her green eyes; she knows he’s her father. Turning his attention away from his daughter, he looks at the woman he loves (because he loves her, so much), and although he is incompetent when it comes to express his feelings, she understands, and that’s enough.
She moves forward, and catches his lips with hers. He leans into her, and deepens the kiss, enjoying the contact, and then-
Cough.
Something warm and wet hits his face, jolting him back to reality.
In horror, he watches as mother and daughter (his family; beautiful, beautiful family) fall back into the grass with a soft thud. Blood seeps from the gaping hole that goes through both of them. Bloodstained grass all around him. Consuming him. The sky turns red, the trees turn black, and then there’s silence.
His daughter; innocent, beautiful daughter…
And Sakura; beautiful, innocent Sakura…
SakuraSakuraSakura.
Sasuke screams.)
~
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~
“What… shall we do with her?”
Naruto stares at the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib, thinking of his answer. God, she looks like an almost exact replica of Sasuke, a female version of him, minus his hair-style. Really, if it weren’t for her eyes (green, green eyes, like Sakura’s), and her nose, and her cute wide forehead… She’s definitely her parent’s child.
“Naruto?”
“Sasuke wanted me to take care of her,” he says, as if it explained everything.
It does.
“Will he… come back?”
He knows Hinata only asks this question for fear of heartbreak. She already loves the baby, and it’s alright because he does too. She can’t bear the thought of getting her hopes up only to have them squashed if Sasuke comes back for his daughter. Because she has always wanted a daughter, the one she can no longer have on her own.
“Sakura-chan was killed five months ago,” he begins, “Sasuke was out shopping, with their daughter, and he arrived in time to prevent this guy from delivering the killing blow, but he couldn’t save her. Sakura-chan was too hurt, and the village they were living in didn’t have another medic besides her, and… there was nothing to be done.”
The pain he suddenly feels is too much and is glad when Hinata wraps her arms around his shoulders, trying to give him some sort of comfort.
“He asks, no wait, he demands that I take care of their baby… the bastard, even in times like these he’s cool and collected.”
A bitter laugh, a sigh.
“He’s gone after this guy, because apparently he was after the little one as well and… Sasuke went to ensure the baby’s safety, to-”
“To avenge Sakura,” Hinata says, finishing his sentence for him.
He nods, “Yeah… And, in his letter, he made it quite clear he doesn’t expect to come out of this fight alive…”
It’s not fair, Naruto thinks, that just when Sakura managed to get her happily ever after, some bastard comes along to take everything from her. And it’s sad, too, to know that just when Sasuke’s life seemed to be going down the right path, someone comes to destroy his happiness, and forces him into revenge.
Again.
“He wants me to name her, or so the letter says.”
“Didn’t they…?”
Naruto sighs, and shakes his head, “I don’t know… He also sends me a letter Sakura-chan was planning on sending to me. She supposedly wrote it the day before she died, I…”
He stares at the baby some more, his hands itching to reach over and brush her dark locks out of her face, but he resists. He’s afraid that if he so much as brushes her hair, she’ll disappear like Sasuke did, like Sakura did, and then he’ll really have nothing that links him to them.
“I don’t think I can read Sakura-chan’s letter now, maybe… maybe later,” he says, “Until then, we’ll call her… baby Uchiha.”
Hinata pulls away, and leans forwards to stare at him, “Baby Uchiha?”
Naruto grins weakly, “Yeah, well, she’s an Uchiha. And even though we will raise her and love her as our own, she’ll still be their child. I don’t want to take that from her.”
I don’t think I can…
~
~
~
Dear Naruto:
I know you recognize my handwriting, so yes, this is Sakura.
No, don’t freak out, no one’s trying to trick you. No one would be that cruel. It really is me, and let me explain before you start ranting. Yes, Naruto, I know you’re about to rant.
So, I’m not dead, obviously, very much alive here. How, you ask? Well, Sasuke tricked you all into believing he killed me. Why? I don’t know, honest, he hasn’t told me yet. What about the body? I don’t know about that either, though I like to believe he found it somewhere and arranged it so you would think it’s me, seeing as Tsunade-sama passed away. I’m sorry about that, Naruto, wish I’d been there with you.
Am I with Sasuke now? Yes, actually I am. Well, right now, he went out, so I have a little free time to write this. No, he isn’t taking advantage of me, so don’t worry. But, well, let me explain what happened here, so you won’t get confused.
Remember the mission Kakashi-sensei gave me after we returned from our encounter with Sasuke, around seven years ago? Yeah? Well, I ran into Sasuke there, I didn’t have time to notify you of anything, as he started to attack me right away. Even now, I don’t know why he did it, but apparently, he needed me unconscious and I wasn’t making things easy for him. Anyway, he kidnapped me.
When I woke up later, he told me he wanted me to heal his eyes. Imagine my surprise when he didn’t make an attempt to kill me, or hurt me even though I tried to escape many times. He explained to me, very briefly mind you, that an overuse of his Sharingan was making him lose his sight, and, given I am the best medic-nin after Tsunade-sama, he wanted me to treat him. I did, in the end, he wasn’t going to let me go if I didn’t so I did.
I thought about killing him there many times, but as my last attempt, I couldn’t… But, let’s not go there. So, I healed his eyes, took me nearly a year, but I managed. I thought then he was going to let me go at last, but he didn’t. Why? I don’t know either, Sasuke’s pretty much still a mystery to me. I asked him, though, many times; he wouldn’t answer, until one day I was particularly insistent.
He told me it was because he had killed me. It took me a long time to realize he had faked my death. The little bastard, I can tell you I hit him hard for it, but there was nothing I could do, rumors of my death spread like wildfire, and I was sure you heard them. Of course, I could still try to escape, but… I don’t know. Something made me stay.
Something… And now, looking back, Naruto, I’m glad I did.
Things… changed. Sasuke changed. I knew it, I could feel it, Naruto, it was almost as if my presence was having an effect on him, and I was happy for it. Maybe I could get him to change his mind about attacking Konoha and make him come back with me. I just knew that if a left him then, he was going to be lost for good. So I stayed.
It was for the better, you know? Sasuke became more… human… yes, human is the word. He became more human, more gentle in a way, still as cold and stoic, but there was some feeling behind his actions, it was like watching the old Sasuke come back. Our Sasuke.
We became closer, I… I don’t know how to explain it, Naruto, but I felt-I feel as if, Sasuke grew attached to me, somehow. He never let me out of his sight. There are lots of logical explanations for that, but… I know the only explanation is not about logic, it’s about… about feeling. Sasuke wanted me at his side, that I’m certain. Now, it seems he just can’t stand to be away from me. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? After all this is Sasuke we’re talking about, the avenger. He even stopped obsessing over his stupid revenge! Hasn’t mentioned it in years, actually. I think he finally put it behind him. I hope he did.
Oh, Sasuke’s coming so I better finish this or I won’t have time later. And no, he’s not working me to exhaustion, so stop right there.
Now, what I’m trying to say is that somewhere after he kidnapped me and last year, something major happened because one minute we were dancing around each other, denying our feelings (yes, Naruto, feelings, I now it’s hard to believe, trust me, sometimes even I have a hard time doing so), and the next we were all over each other.
Well, maybe not all over each other, but close. After that, one thing led to another and, guess what, Naruto? You’re an uncle now!
Yep, that’s the whole point of this letter.
I wanted you to know I have a daughter. Sasuke and I have a daughter. And she’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen (shut up, I know I’m her mother, but that doesn’t make it any less true). She’s just like Sasuke, though. Well, not exactly, she has my eyes, and my nose, and forehead (don’t laugh, Naruto, I know you want to).
Her name is Mikoto, like Sasuke’s mother, and she’s six months old. I wish you could see her, Naruto, I know you would love her. And before you ask, yes, Sasuke loves her very, very much. She has him wrapped around her little finger. I know you would laugh as much as I do when you see him. Yes, I laugh at him in his face, and he doesn’t even frowns, amazing, uh? I think parenthood did him good.
Okay, that was all, I hope we meet again, Naruto, I miss you. Sasuke misses you too (oops, he read this, and is denying it, but he does, trust me). I hope all this business involving him would settle soon, so we can visit you. I’m dying to see how you guys fixed the village up. Well, send my love to everyone, okay?
Oh! And I really hope you’re as good a husband as people make you out to be, or else! I don’t want you treating Hinata bad. Just kidding, I know you’d never do that.
Bye, Naruto, until we meet again.
Love,
Sakura.
P.S. I’m very happy with my life. So don’t worry about me, okay? I know Sasuke doesn’t seem the type (given his past and all) but he is a good husband too, and a good father. He loves me (although he doesn’t say it out loud, not when I’m awake to hear him), he really does, and he loves our daughter. My life may not be perfect, but it’s more than I could ask for, I love my family, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
~
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~
Naruto can’t believe he let it happen.
He should’ve known, he should’ve known! Sasuke failed to kill him ten years ago, and now he’s come back to finish what he started.
Uchiha Madara.
“You should have told me Madara was the one to kill Sakura, Naruto! I would have send a team to finish him off as soon as we heard of Sasuke’s death back then,” Kakashi says, frustration and anger written in every little movement, “Now he’s come for-”
“DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW!?”
Naruto grits his teeth, trying with all him might to not let the Kyuubi take over.
“I never expected Sasuke to fail, but even then I thought it was unlikely that bastard would risk coming to Konoha for her,” he says, biting his lower lips, “Dammit, Kakashi, she’s my daughter! I won’t let him hurt her!”
Jumping from tree to tree, Kakashi following his lead, he heads to the one place he knows where to find his daughter (Sasuke’s daughter, Sakura’s daughter).
The Valley of the End.
The irony of it all it’s not lost to him. Madara chose that place for a reason.
Once they arrive, he feel an overwhelming wave of relief when he sees his little girl standing next to the river, unharmed, but feels enraged as soon as his eyes land on the person standing over the water.
“UCHIHA MADARA!!!”
He attacks right away, but, just like years ago, he goes right through him. Not waiting for the surprise to settle in, he spins around quickly and pierces him with his Rasengan. Again, nothing happens.
“Ah, Naruto-kun, it’s good to see you, but I’m afraid I can stay and talk now. I’ve done what I came to do, and I must go,” Madara says, and turns to look at his daughter, “But I assure you, we will meet again.”
And just like that, he’s gone.
He rushes over the girl, pushing Kakashi aside, and grabs her shoulders.
“Mikoto, what happened? What did he say?”
He shakes her shoulder lightly, but growing more desperate as the silence prolonged on her side.
“Mikoto, what did he say? What did he say!?”
She moves her gaze, that had been focused on the ground, up to stare at him. Naruto waits impatiently to meet those green, green eyes to make sure everything in okay. Because her eyes were as easy to read as her mother’s and-
“Oh, God…”
Red.
Red, red eyes. And a blank, blank stare.
Emotionless, guarded.
Sasuke’s.
Then, there is a sob, and tears, lots and lots of tears. And pain, and anger. And Naruto knows, he knows that Madara accomplished whatever it was he came to do.
“He… killed them,” Mikoto whispers, “He… killed my parents…”
Naruto hugs her tight, it’s the only thing he can to comfort her.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Miko-chan.”
A shuddering intake of breath, then silence.
“I’ll kill him… I will kill him.”
And it takes all his will power to not break down and cry.
He had hoped, he had foolishly hoped that this day would never come. The day she learned the truth about her parents. The day her eyes would bleed, bleed the purest red, and stain the green.
He had hoped, to no avail. Now, all he can do, is try to prevent her from going down the path that made this day be a reality.
The path of an avenger.
“I’m sorry…”
But somehow he knows he’s going to fail.
“I am so sorry…”
In the end, he always does.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Comments, please?
Anyway, it might be a bit confusing, but bear with me, okay? And it's angsty, VERY angsty. Seriously, I'm feeling very angsty right now, so don't expect something happy.
Title: "Bloodstained Grass"
Beta: In need of one =)
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4,845
Characters: Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata, (Sakura), (Sasuke)
Pairings: Naruto/Hinata, Sasuke/Sakura
Theme/Prompt: #30, Eyes. Table's HERE
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 486!! And a huge amount of ANGST.
Disclaimer: I own only the plot.
A/N: Post-Ch. 486, AU. It's a little confusing.
Summary: The path of revenge is lonely and tragic indeed, even more so when third parties get involve-especially innocent third parties.
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“So, how many years since that day, Naruto?” asks one Hatake Kakashi, moving his visible eye to his former subordinate, who seems to be oddly entranced with the sunset.
Well, he would be too, if it weren’t for the dark thoughts clouding his mind; the view from his office was quite beautiful if he says so himself.
“Seven years, and counting,” replies Naruto after a long pause, just as Kakashi expected.
“Seven years,” Kakashi sighs, “Don’t you find it ironic?”
“What?” asks Naruto somewhat harshly, “The fact that you ask the same question every year on this day, or that it’s actually been seven year since Team 7 died for good?”
“Both.”
Silence. Ever since that fateful day, everything there seems to be between them is silence, and not only that, Naruto has been acting strangely cold. Sure, he is nice to be with, but only when he isn’t wallowing in his memories. Hinata says he’s a good husband and a good father, but…
But.
No matter how good of a person he is right now, he’s not the Naruto he used to be. Not anymore. Not since that day.
“Sakura knew what she was doing, Naruto,” Kakashi says after a long pause, “She also knew there was a high chance of getting killed for it.”
“He didn’t have to kill her though,” Naruto replies calmly, too calmly.
“I guess not.”
Silence.
“But we always knew he would, deep down, we always knew.”
Naruto doesn’t reply to his statement, and Kakashi knows he’s probably trying to block it out. Always the loyal friend, that boy. Even thought there was no doubt about it, Naruto’s still looking for a logical explanation.
He still believes in Sasuke’s innocence.
~
~
~
(“You wanted me to heal your eyes, Sasuke, and I did,” she says, “Now let me go, you no longer need me here.”
Sakura waits for some kind of reaction, one that might betray his real intentions, some ulterior motive to keep her at his side, because, and unless he’s lying to her, his eyes are in perfect health now and his vision is as good as ever.
There is, however, no reaction on his part. No tensing of shoulders or shifting in his stand, nothing. He turns to look at her over his shoulder, and she curses the dim light in the room (if, of course, you could call this extension of the cave they were in a room that is) because she can’t pick up the little details of his features as well as she could in broad daylight.
“No,” he answers after a prolonged pause, and turns back to cleaning his sword.
Sakura breathes deeply, attempting to calm her ever-growing frustration, “Why not?”
Sasuke finishes cleaning his sword, places it gently on the bed, and turns to face her fully, pinning her with a steady stare, a very empty stare. He studies her before finally answering. And, strangely enough, she feels no fear at his statement, no desire to run away, only confusion. Real, unadulterated confusion.
“I killed you.”)
~
~
~
“Hyuuga Hinata.”
Hinata jumps lightly, away from the stream, and turns around only to come face to face with none other than Uchiha Sasuke. She yelps in surprise, trying to stand her ground.
“You’re wrong,” she says automatically.
Sasuke doesn’t show any indication of surprise or even confusion at her statement, he only stares at her blankly (his eyes are so empty; no anger, no love, no life-no nothing).
“You are Hyuuga Hinata.”
“Not anymore,” she replies, “I am Uzumaki Hinata now.”
Sasuke doesn’t say anything for a long time then, and Hinata wonders if her teammates will notice her prolonged absence. True, she had told them she would go get water before they resumed their journey back to Konoha (because even though it was nightfall, the village was not far and they could make it before midnight), but that had been a long, long while ago. They ought to start getting worried by now.
Sasuke takes a few steps towards her and then stops, “Good,” he says, “Things will work better that way.”
Before Hinata can think of react, Sasuke throws something in her direction. Her hand reaches out to catch whatever he threw to her, and instead of feeling the sting of a shuriken or a kunai, she finds she’s grasping a letter. A well sealed letter.
“Definitely better.”
His voice is as emotionless as his expression and she doesn’t know what to think, because… for a moment there, she thought he was going to kill her, but-
“Give that to Naruto, please,” he says simply and then-there, an emotion, finally, he’s letting some kind of emotion show in his eyes.
Hesitation, and apprehension, she’s sure, that’s what she sees before Sasuke breaks eye-contact with her and looks down at the little bundle cradled in his arms.
A bundle that she did not see.
A bundle that has a shockingly black mop of hair on the side that’s close to Sasuke’s elbow.
A bundle that is currently moving and beginning to whimper.
A bundle that is only a baby tightly wrapped in blankets to keep the cold away.
A baby.
“Good Lord.”
Sasuke ignores her, and it almost seems as if he doesn’t know she’s there, watching him. He shifts the baby in his arm and raises his free hand to brush some dark strands away; it’s a subtle caress, and it’s not something anyone would believe without seeing it, but it’s real. So is the smile the graces his face briefly before returning to that blank expression of his.
Now Hinata knows why Sakura was so hell-bent in finding him, in bringing him back, in rescuing him. Now she knows why Sakura loved him so much.
Now she sees what the pink-haired kunoichi saw all those years ago.
Sasuke’s a good person.
“Take care of her.”
Hinata snaps out of her musings and finds Sasuke standing right in front of her; she yelps and can’t find time to react, for Sasuke has already handed her the baby. The look on his face is fierce, desperate and… and pleading.
This is probably the most Sasuke’s ever shown of emotions to anyone (but, then again, if her suspicious are correct, then there’s only one person with whom he has been completely honest about his emotions, and that person has been death for years now).
“Promise me you will take care of her.”
Hugging the baby closer to her chest, she nods hurriedly, “I-I promise!”
Sasuke stares at her some more, then drops his gaze at the baby, some unrecognizable emotion flickering in his eyes. Then, he turns around, facing away from her.
“Goodbye…”
His words are as silently as his departure.
Hinata can only stand there and watch him disappear. Slowly, she lowers herself to the ground, and just sits there, looking at the baby; she forgets the world for a while.
Sasuke’s daughter.
A quiet child, she discover later, as the little girl doesn’t cry or makes any loud noises. She’s quiet, she’s beautiful, she’s the perfect daughter.
She’s also Sasuke’s-
The little girl opens her eyes, and Hinata gasps.
~
~
~
(Sasuke’s glad she stopped asking why he won’t let her go. He himself doesn’t know for sure, but he supposes that after spending a year in her company, letting her get close while she healed his eyes, this want is only to be expected.
She seems content now, too, no longer staring off with that sad look on her face, no longer sighing every minute or so. No longer glancing at him with resentment. She seems content, happy even, to be here, with him. Sure, she’s not content whenever Madara is around, and he’s sure Madara isn’t happy to have her with them either, but he wants her there, and that’s enough.
He wants her there, because after a year of close contact, of gentle touches, he finds himself wanting her touch, her closeness. It’s comforting, and reminds him of old times, good times, when they used to be four instead of two.
But Sakura is enough, she’s all he can have, and she’s all he will take.
He’s selfish, and even if she doesn’t want to stay with him, he’ll make her.)
~
~
~
Kakashi sighs and stands up, stretching his sore muscles. Spending the evening sitting still isn’t such a good idea at his age it seems. He turns to look at Naruto, whom hasn’t moved from his spot next to the window. It is close to midnight, so their ritual is coming to an end, and he’s glad, because that means Naruto will go back to being… well, Naruto.
The young blonde man sighs and finally turns away from the window, giving him a small smile, it’s not much, but it’s something.
“Are you going back to the Hyuuga compound?” Kakashi asks.
“Nah, I’m gonna wait until Hinata-chan comes back,” replies Naruto, “Shouldn’t take long now, should it?”
“No,” he pauses, then smiles, “Well, suit yourself, I’m going home. It’s been a long day. You can wait here, Naruto, it’ll be your office someday after all.”
Naruto grins weakly at him, and nods. Kakashi is about to walk to the door when loud shouts coming from the hallway stop him. The noises get louder by the second and, suddenly, the door slams open, presenting none other than Kiba.
“We have a problem! Hokage-sama!” he says, gasping for air, a clear indication of being running like mad.
Kakashi looks back at him, a bored expression on his face, “Kiba, it’s midnight, and I’m on my way home, can it wait for later?”
“Hinata-chan, you’re back!”
He hears Naruto exclaim excitedly, but before he, or anyone else for that matter, can so much as move a muscle, Shino enters the office and says something that makes everybody freeze.
“Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has been sighted roaming the woods surrounding Konoha.”
There’s a heavy silence filling the room, it’s suffocating but no one seems to want to break it, and then-
“What?” asks Naruto, the disbelieving tone in his voice is unmistakable.
“My bugs detected him-” says Shino, but his sentence gets cut off by his teammates.
“I saw him,” Hinata says, speaking for the first time since Team 8 arrived at the Hokage’s office. “Actually, he appeared right in front of me.”
Kiba jumps at her statement, looking enraged, “Hinata, why didn’t you tell us?! He could’ve hurt you, he-”
“He didn’t do anything to me,” she says, cutting him off, “He didn’t want to hurt me either. He just wanted to talk, to… he asked me to-”
Shifting the baby, that until then has gone unnoticed by all the men in the room, in her arms, she reaches into her pocket and pulls the letter out. The baby whimpers softly, so softly that only she hears it, and Hinata hugs her closer to her chest, trying to give her the comfort the little one is probably seeking.
His gaze snaps to Hinata’s chest the moment she moves her arms, and Naruto, although knowing how stupid his next question is going to sound, can’t help but ask, “What’s that?”
“It’s a baby, moron, she found him, or her, in the woods, I think,” Kiba says, then turns to look at Hinata, a confused expression on his face, “I-she hasn’t let go of him, or her, ever since we found her. Hinata, where did you find that baby?”
“It’s Sasuke’s daughter.”
The silence that follows that statement prolongs too much and Hinata fears the men might react harshly. She fears for the baby, fears that the Hokage might want to get rid of it, even if it’s his student’s daughter, and if not the Hokage, the council when word gets out. She fears for her dreams, because even though she loves her sons dearly, she has always wanted a daughter (the daughter she can no longer have), and if she knows Naruto like she thinks she does, she might get what she wants.
Naruto steps closer to her slowly, and Hinata clings to the little girls tighter. When he stops in front of her, she hands him the letter.
“And he told me to give you this.”
Naruto stares at her a while longer and then takes the letter. He opens it and pulls out the actual letter and another envelop. His expression is completely blank as he reads the letter, his eyes scan the page, going over the sentences, but there's not even a twitch of an eyebrow by the time he finishes. Finally, he looks up at her, and stares. Realization dawns on him, she sees, slowly but surely.
“Naruto…” she begins, but-
“Naruto, give me that letter,” Kakashi says, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen on them.
Naruto grips the letters tighter and shakes his head.
Kakashi frowns, “Naruto-”
“Sasuke wants me to take care of his child,” he pauses, trying to sort out his thoughts, “And I will. He may be a traitor, but the child is not to blame for that, and obviously, she has no one else.”
“The mother?”
“Dead.”
“Naruto, who is the mother,” says Kakashi.
Naruto pauses and turns his head to look at him, a painfully sad expression on his face, and smiles.
A impossibly bitter smile.
“Sakura-chan.”
~
~
~
(She laughs, bouncing the baby girl gently on her lap. The baby laughs, too, a beautiful echo of her mother’s laugh.
A beautiful sound accompanying a beautiful picture.
The green, green grass spreads around them, across the clearing , the trees’ leafs bend gently to the wind, and the sky shows its clearest blue. Everything is clear, everything is bright.
Everything is alive.
And he watches, from the shadows, and smiles. A real smile, a happy smile. This is his family, the only real joy he’s ever had in years and he’s not about to let it go. Ever.
The wind picks up, ruffling mother and daughter’s hair.
She looks over her shoulder, and spots him leaning against a tree. Smiling, she motions for him to come closer. He complies, and sits next to her once he arrives at her side. He caresses the baby hairs gently, and the little girl grins at him, recognition clear in her green eyes; she knows he’s her father. Turning his attention away from his daughter, he looks at the woman he loves (because he loves her, so much), and although he is incompetent when it comes to express his feelings, she understands, and that’s enough.
She moves forward, and catches his lips with hers. He leans into her, and deepens the kiss, enjoying the contact, and then-
Cough.
Something warm and wet hits his face, jolting him back to reality.
In horror, he watches as mother and daughter (his family; beautiful, beautiful family) fall back into the grass with a soft thud. Blood seeps from the gaping hole that goes through both of them. Bloodstained grass all around him. Consuming him. The sky turns red, the trees turn black, and then there’s silence.
His daughter; innocent, beautiful daughter…
And Sakura; beautiful, innocent Sakura…
SakuraSakuraSakura.
Sasuke screams.)
~
~
~
“What… shall we do with her?”
Naruto stares at the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib, thinking of his answer. God, she looks like an almost exact replica of Sasuke, a female version of him, minus his hair-style. Really, if it weren’t for her eyes (green, green eyes, like Sakura’s), and her nose, and her cute wide forehead… She’s definitely her parent’s child.
“Naruto?”
“Sasuke wanted me to take care of her,” he says, as if it explained everything.
It does.
“Will he… come back?”
He knows Hinata only asks this question for fear of heartbreak. She already loves the baby, and it’s alright because he does too. She can’t bear the thought of getting her hopes up only to have them squashed if Sasuke comes back for his daughter. Because she has always wanted a daughter, the one she can no longer have on her own.
“Sakura-chan was killed five months ago,” he begins, “Sasuke was out shopping, with their daughter, and he arrived in time to prevent this guy from delivering the killing blow, but he couldn’t save her. Sakura-chan was too hurt, and the village they were living in didn’t have another medic besides her, and… there was nothing to be done.”
The pain he suddenly feels is too much and is glad when Hinata wraps her arms around his shoulders, trying to give him some sort of comfort.
“He asks, no wait, he demands that I take care of their baby… the bastard, even in times like these he’s cool and collected.”
A bitter laugh, a sigh.
“He’s gone after this guy, because apparently he was after the little one as well and… Sasuke went to ensure the baby’s safety, to-”
“To avenge Sakura,” Hinata says, finishing his sentence for him.
He nods, “Yeah… And, in his letter, he made it quite clear he doesn’t expect to come out of this fight alive…”
It’s not fair, Naruto thinks, that just when Sakura managed to get her happily ever after, some bastard comes along to take everything from her. And it’s sad, too, to know that just when Sasuke’s life seemed to be going down the right path, someone comes to destroy his happiness, and forces him into revenge.
Again.
“He wants me to name her, or so the letter says.”
“Didn’t they…?”
Naruto sighs, and shakes his head, “I don’t know… He also sends me a letter Sakura-chan was planning on sending to me. She supposedly wrote it the day before she died, I…”
He stares at the baby some more, his hands itching to reach over and brush her dark locks out of her face, but he resists. He’s afraid that if he so much as brushes her hair, she’ll disappear like Sasuke did, like Sakura did, and then he’ll really have nothing that links him to them.
“I don’t think I can read Sakura-chan’s letter now, maybe… maybe later,” he says, “Until then, we’ll call her… baby Uchiha.”
Hinata pulls away, and leans forwards to stare at him, “Baby Uchiha?”
Naruto grins weakly, “Yeah, well, she’s an Uchiha. And even though we will raise her and love her as our own, she’ll still be their child. I don’t want to take that from her.”
I don’t think I can…
~
~
~
Dear Naruto:
I know you recognize my handwriting, so yes, this is Sakura.
No, don’t freak out, no one’s trying to trick you. No one would be that cruel. It really is me, and let me explain before you start ranting. Yes, Naruto, I know you’re about to rant.
So, I’m not dead, obviously, very much alive here. How, you ask? Well, Sasuke tricked you all into believing he killed me. Why? I don’t know, honest, he hasn’t told me yet. What about the body? I don’t know about that either, though I like to believe he found it somewhere and arranged it so you would think it’s me, seeing as Tsunade-sama passed away. I’m sorry about that, Naruto, wish I’d been there with you.
Am I with Sasuke now? Yes, actually I am. Well, right now, he went out, so I have a little free time to write this. No, he isn’t taking advantage of me, so don’t worry. But, well, let me explain what happened here, so you won’t get confused.
Remember the mission Kakashi-sensei gave me after we returned from our encounter with Sasuke, around seven years ago? Yeah? Well, I ran into Sasuke there, I didn’t have time to notify you of anything, as he started to attack me right away. Even now, I don’t know why he did it, but apparently, he needed me unconscious and I wasn’t making things easy for him. Anyway, he kidnapped me.
When I woke up later, he told me he wanted me to heal his eyes. Imagine my surprise when he didn’t make an attempt to kill me, or hurt me even though I tried to escape many times. He explained to me, very briefly mind you, that an overuse of his Sharingan was making him lose his sight, and, given I am the best medic-nin after Tsunade-sama, he wanted me to treat him. I did, in the end, he wasn’t going to let me go if I didn’t so I did.
I thought about killing him there many times, but as my last attempt, I couldn’t… But, let’s not go there. So, I healed his eyes, took me nearly a year, but I managed. I thought then he was going to let me go at last, but he didn’t. Why? I don’t know either, Sasuke’s pretty much still a mystery to me. I asked him, though, many times; he wouldn’t answer, until one day I was particularly insistent.
He told me it was because he had killed me. It took me a long time to realize he had faked my death. The little bastard, I can tell you I hit him hard for it, but there was nothing I could do, rumors of my death spread like wildfire, and I was sure you heard them. Of course, I could still try to escape, but… I don’t know. Something made me stay.
Something… And now, looking back, Naruto, I’m glad I did.
Things… changed. Sasuke changed. I knew it, I could feel it, Naruto, it was almost as if my presence was having an effect on him, and I was happy for it. Maybe I could get him to change his mind about attacking Konoha and make him come back with me. I just knew that if a left him then, he was going to be lost for good. So I stayed.
It was for the better, you know? Sasuke became more… human… yes, human is the word. He became more human, more gentle in a way, still as cold and stoic, but there was some feeling behind his actions, it was like watching the old Sasuke come back. Our Sasuke.
We became closer, I… I don’t know how to explain it, Naruto, but I felt-I feel as if, Sasuke grew attached to me, somehow. He never let me out of his sight. There are lots of logical explanations for that, but… I know the only explanation is not about logic, it’s about… about feeling. Sasuke wanted me at his side, that I’m certain. Now, it seems he just can’t stand to be away from me. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? After all this is Sasuke we’re talking about, the avenger. He even stopped obsessing over his stupid revenge! Hasn’t mentioned it in years, actually. I think he finally put it behind him. I hope he did.
Oh, Sasuke’s coming so I better finish this or I won’t have time later. And no, he’s not working me to exhaustion, so stop right there.
Now, what I’m trying to say is that somewhere after he kidnapped me and last year, something major happened because one minute we were dancing around each other, denying our feelings (yes, Naruto, feelings, I now it’s hard to believe, trust me, sometimes even I have a hard time doing so), and the next we were all over each other.
Well, maybe not all over each other, but close. After that, one thing led to another and, guess what, Naruto? You’re an uncle now!
Yep, that’s the whole point of this letter.
I wanted you to know I have a daughter. Sasuke and I have a daughter. And she’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen (shut up, I know I’m her mother, but that doesn’t make it any less true). She’s just like Sasuke, though. Well, not exactly, she has my eyes, and my nose, and forehead (don’t laugh, Naruto, I know you want to).
Her name is Mikoto, like Sasuke’s mother, and she’s six months old. I wish you could see her, Naruto, I know you would love her. And before you ask, yes, Sasuke loves her very, very much. She has him wrapped around her little finger. I know you would laugh as much as I do when you see him. Yes, I laugh at him in his face, and he doesn’t even frowns, amazing, uh? I think parenthood did him good.
Okay, that was all, I hope we meet again, Naruto, I miss you. Sasuke misses you too (oops, he read this, and is denying it, but he does, trust me). I hope all this business involving him would settle soon, so we can visit you. I’m dying to see how you guys fixed the village up. Well, send my love to everyone, okay?
Oh! And I really hope you’re as good a husband as people make you out to be, or else! I don’t want you treating Hinata bad. Just kidding, I know you’d never do that.
Bye, Naruto, until we meet again.
Love,
Sakura.
P.S. I’m very happy with my life. So don’t worry about me, okay? I know Sasuke doesn’t seem the type (given his past and all) but he is a good husband too, and a good father. He loves me (although he doesn’t say it out loud, not when I’m awake to hear him), he really does, and he loves our daughter. My life may not be perfect, but it’s more than I could ask for, I love my family, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
~
~
~
Naruto can’t believe he let it happen.
He should’ve known, he should’ve known! Sasuke failed to kill him ten years ago, and now he’s come back to finish what he started.
Uchiha Madara.
“You should have told me Madara was the one to kill Sakura, Naruto! I would have send a team to finish him off as soon as we heard of Sasuke’s death back then,” Kakashi says, frustration and anger written in every little movement, “Now he’s come for-”
“DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW!?”
Naruto grits his teeth, trying with all him might to not let the Kyuubi take over.
“I never expected Sasuke to fail, but even then I thought it was unlikely that bastard would risk coming to Konoha for her,” he says, biting his lower lips, “Dammit, Kakashi, she’s my daughter! I won’t let him hurt her!”
Jumping from tree to tree, Kakashi following his lead, he heads to the one place he knows where to find his daughter (Sasuke’s daughter, Sakura’s daughter).
The Valley of the End.
The irony of it all it’s not lost to him. Madara chose that place for a reason.
Once they arrive, he feel an overwhelming wave of relief when he sees his little girl standing next to the river, unharmed, but feels enraged as soon as his eyes land on the person standing over the water.
“UCHIHA MADARA!!!”
He attacks right away, but, just like years ago, he goes right through him. Not waiting for the surprise to settle in, he spins around quickly and pierces him with his Rasengan. Again, nothing happens.
“Ah, Naruto-kun, it’s good to see you, but I’m afraid I can stay and talk now. I’ve done what I came to do, and I must go,” Madara says, and turns to look at his daughter, “But I assure you, we will meet again.”
And just like that, he’s gone.
He rushes over the girl, pushing Kakashi aside, and grabs her shoulders.
“Mikoto, what happened? What did he say?”
He shakes her shoulder lightly, but growing more desperate as the silence prolonged on her side.
“Mikoto, what did he say? What did he say!?”
She moves her gaze, that had been focused on the ground, up to stare at him. Naruto waits impatiently to meet those green, green eyes to make sure everything in okay. Because her eyes were as easy to read as her mother’s and-
“Oh, God…”
Red.
Red, red eyes. And a blank, blank stare.
Emotionless, guarded.
Sasuke’s.
Then, there is a sob, and tears, lots and lots of tears. And pain, and anger. And Naruto knows, he knows that Madara accomplished whatever it was he came to do.
“He… killed them,” Mikoto whispers, “He… killed my parents…”
Naruto hugs her tight, it’s the only thing he can to comfort her.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Miko-chan.”
A shuddering intake of breath, then silence.
“I’ll kill him… I will kill him.”
And it takes all his will power to not break down and cry.
He had hoped, he had foolishly hoped that this day would never come. The day she learned the truth about her parents. The day her eyes would bleed, bleed the purest red, and stain the green.
He had hoped, to no avail. Now, all he can do, is try to prevent her from going down the path that made this day be a reality.
The path of an avenger.
“I’m sorry…”
But somehow he knows he’s going to fail.
“I am so sorry…”
In the end, he always does.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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