(A/N: Not much to say here. I've had this idea stuck in my head ever since I wrote chapter five for Forest Meeting. Which was a couple months ago. Might have even been last year. But I finally finished FM, so I could write this down. I think this fic turned out even better than it sounded in my head. Enjoy~!
Warning: Slight OOCness, I think. You could even read some AU into it, if you so desire.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or "Lucy" by Skillet)
Hey Lucy, I remember your name
I left a dozen roses on your grave today
I'm in the grass on my knees, wipe the leaves away
I just came to talk for a while
I got some things I need to say
He walked toward the grave, the grey stone looking back at him. He swore, as his jade green eyes took in the cemetery, that he hadn't meant for it to end this way. Crimson hair flew in the wind as the autumn leaves fell around her burial site. He approached, brushing the leaves off the lifeless stone as he kneeled in the newly browning grass. Bowing his head, he looked at the freshly carved name on the grave stone. His mouth opened, whispering words meant only for the dead.
Now that it's over
I just wanna hold her
I'd give up all the world to see
That little piece of heaven
Looking back at me
Now that it's over
I just wanna hold her
I've gotta live with the choices I made
And I can't live with myself today
Arms held out before him, he dolefully looked at their emptiness. His girlfriend, his love, was gone: ripped away by his own stupidity.
Flashback
He hesitantly accepted her presence when she first entered his village. He passed her on the street many times, but one day, the girl was in the presence of his sister. They had been talking avidly, but the moment he stopped before them, the girl went utterly silent, withdrawing into herself. Jade eyes examined her downcast pearl ones before she allowed her raven hair to fall, hiding her face completely.
Later, he questioned his sister. "How do you know that girl?"
"She is a close friend from the Leaf. She told me that you have allowed her here, yet you do not even know her name. How did this come about?" She inquired in return, her sandy blonde hair pulled away from her forest green eyes.
"She was a close friend of the Kyuubi vessel, my close friend, so I saw no reason for distrust. She is plain, far weaker than I." He watched his sister's face distort in a mixture of consternation and rage.
"You know not what you say, brother. Why do you speak of her in such ignorance? She is far stronger than all our family combined. You speak without regard to her past, or her status in this village." Cold animosity filled her final words, bewildering her brother almost as much as the words themselves.
"What has her past to do with her now? And what status do you speak of in MY village? How could she possibly have more strength than you, our brother, and me? We are three and she is alone."
The chilling anger from his sister's eyes disappeared. They took on an entirely new look: a closed, mournful look. "Exactly. She is alone. No familial ties, no friends to be herself around. She puts up a brave, happy front, but in her eyes there is a certain loneliness. She thinks you hate her." The blonde switched to a different tactic.
"Why should she judge me for actions I have not made?" His jade eyes narrowed to dark slits.
"You ignore her presence, dismissing her as weak. She is far more in tune to people than any other person I know." Her voice softened as she thought of her younger friend.
He knew his sister had never cared enough about another female to stand up to him before. Her only other female friend had never caused a problem between them before. "What is it that makes you care so much about this girl?"
His sister laughed bitterly. "You should talk to her; find out for yourself." She walked away, not letting the emotional conversation continue.
End Flashback
He had never thanked his sister for introducing them. That conversation began it all: the love, the happiness, the most treasured years of his life. The conversation he had with his sister changed his entire outlook on the young woman he had allowed into his village without questions.
Hey Lucy, I remembered your birthday
They said it'd bring some closure to say your name
I know I'd do it all different if I had the chance
But all I got are these roses to give
And they can't help me make amends
The day of his love's birthday: December 27. Once again, he wished that she was there with him, with all of them. She had made such an impact upon him and his people. This day was a day of village-wide mourning. He whispered her name to the wind, only to have it snatched away from him, also. The elders had told him the pain would lessen over time, especially if he spoke her name.
He regretted his decision not to trust her; he regretted it with all his heart. There was nothing he could do to change the past. Nothing he could do at all. He wondered if things would have been different if he hadn't mistrusted her when he had seen her last.
He'd never told her all the emotions within his heart. Now, his regret was far too great for a twenty year old. The weight on his shoulders, already abnormally large, was almost too much to bear.
The only thing he could do in remembrance for her was bring roses, her favorite flower, to her grave. He brought roses once a month, beautiful, bright, just like her. Each month, on the same day, he could be found in the cemetery with a bunch of roses in hand, kneeling before the stone and speaking soft, whispered words.
No matter what he did, though, he never felt as though any of what he did in mourning made up for the way her life ended. She had been in pain: emotionally, physically. He hated himself for what he had done to her. Nothing he did would ever be able to make amends for her.
Flashback
He entered the party with a quiet flourish. Silence descended the moment his foot crossed the threshold. He wondered where she was: his pearl eyed beauty. His sister had given him the information that he needed. He was fully prepared to ask her for her hand in marriage; completely prepared save for his nervousness. They had been dating for the past five years; he knew for a fact that he loved her, and suspected she loved him, too.
He turned from the gathering before him, listening as conversation began to flow once more. Never had the Wind Shadow come to a party of a lower status member of his village; he hated parties. For him to show up at this small party was like rain in the desert; the occasions were few and far in between.
The conversation that flowed around him, yet not including him, was entirely of the same manner. He was used to the way these things occurred. They were talking about how odd it was for him to show up at a party for an underling.
The young man did not let this bother him, however; he was searching for a young woman whom he knew to be attending. Scanning the crowd, he looked for her.
He spotted her fluttering raven hair on the path to the outside. The red haired young man knew that she loved the desert, especially at night. Taking a path that would lead him directly to her, he proceeded to cross the room. He was nervous.
He ghosted out the threshold, taking great pains to make his presence a surprise. He was not the only person with such a plan, however.
Halfway down the path, he met with the sound of spoken words. At first, it was whisper soft, but escalated in sound until he could clearly hear their words.
"Y-You shouldn't h-have c-come here." It was her voice.
"I had to see if you were safe. Your family told me that you'd left, and I was crushed. The thought of you wandering the country alone was not something I wanted. So I went looking for you. It took me almost six years, but I finally found you." It was a distinctly male voice that replied.
"Y-You shouldn't b-be here. You n-need to l-leave. N-Now."
"I love you, my hime; why would I ever leave you again?"
After those words, the red haired man finally found her. A man with blonde hair sat near her. His eyes, a shade of blue, were just a flash in the dark night as he turned his head and kissed the raven haired girl.
Jade eyes widened, even as pearl ones did also. He caught her eyes, then disappeared in a flash of crimson as he fled.
She caught up to him as he slowed, readying to enter the party as though nothing were wrong. The young woman grabbed his arm, opalesque eyes pleading with his own. A long moment passed between them while no one spoke. "Please, wait!" Her whisper-quiet voice broke their silence. "You don't understand."
"I don't understand?" His voice shook, laced with anger. "It's pretty hard to misinterpret what you did. You should have told me you didn't love me instead of leading me on." His jaded eyes were as cold as their gemstone counterparts.
She flinched at his tone. "P-P-Please, j-just a-allow m-m-me e-explain." Her voice, normally quiet but sure, was now wavering and almost inaudible.
"No. You had your chance to push him away. You could have stopped him; I watched him kiss you, and you made no protest." His icily livid tones made her shrink from contact with him. She let his arm go, and he spun away, indignantly walking into the party. He left her with tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks.
The next day, she had been called away on a mission. It had not been her choice to leave, nor had it been his. Fate had deemed to separate them. Unbeknownst to him, the mission was A ranked, the second most taxing type possible. She was not a high ranking fighter, nor a weapons mistress; why anyone would deign her ready for an A ranked mission was beyond him, especially after he found out that it was his own council who gave her the mission.
The raven haired beauty accepted the mission, but at a large cost: the cost of her life. She never made it back to the village. She never even made it to her destination. Her team was ambushed by the enemy; only one of them made it out alive.
End Flashback
Later on, he found out that the blonde man had trapped the young woman, leaving her no room to protest or push him away. This only served to double the young man's guilt.
The crimson haired young man's face twisted with an ironic scowl. They had parted on an angry note; they had never explained, or spoken after their argument. She had died because he had been too angry to see that she was leaving on a mission that was sure to kill her, when he could have stopped her. She could have still been alive; if only he had acted.
It was his fault, and there was nothing he could do to alleviate his guilt.
Now that it's over
I just wanna hold her
I'd give up all the world to see
That little piece of heaven
Looking back at me
Now that it's over
I just wanna hold her
I've gotta live with the choices I made
And I can't live with myself today
She was his life. There was no denying it to anyone. No matter what he told the village, he was broken, full of hatred of himself. He would never find love again; he was too hurt – shattered! – for that.
He fingered the ring from so many years ago. The only thing he had ever wanted in their five years together was to marry her. She had been the first to care for him. The only true friend of his family.
There was no one left now, not whom he could trust. One day, though, when his life was ended in the line of duty, he would once again be with her.
Here we are
Now you're in my arms
I never wanted anything so bad
Here we are
For a brand new start
Living the life that we could've had
Me and Lucy walking hand in hand
Me and Lucy never wanna end
Future Look
He fought his hardest, doing everything possible to protect his people, his village, but it was all for naught. Nothing he did fazed the enemy.
He thought back to the girl from so long ago, and his promise to her, that he would join her one day after losing his life in battle. A split second break in his concentration cost him every earthly thing he held dear.
As he lay dying, his mind turned to the raven haired beauty whom he loved.
They would start over, become closer, with no one to come between them. They wouldn't have to leave each other ever again.
End Future Look
Just another moment in your eyes
I'll see you in another life
In heaven where we never say goodbye
Here we are, now you're in my arms
Here we are for a brand new start
Got to live with the choices I've made
And I can't live with myself today
Me and Lucy walking hand in hand
Me and Lucy never wanna end
They would meet once more, in another life. There, they wouldn't ever have to leave each other ever again. They could finally be happy –together!– again.
Got to live with the choices I've made
And I can't live with myself today
Hey Lucy, I remember your name
He would never forget her, and his village would never forget the impact she had on the heart of the young Wind Shadow.
(A/N: Hm. Cheesy ending, no? I'm full of cheesy endings, and pretty fair at them. Eh. Use your imagination as to who the blonde guy is. I think the others are pretty self-explanatory, but ask if you're still confused. By review or PM or however you like. I had a ton of fun writing this fic, but it wouldn't flow if I used character names. I was trying to find a way to write in the names without contradicting the song, but it didn't work, so I settled for descriptions. Let me know what you think.
10/24/13 Update: I recently got an anonymous review by a person who titled themselves 'Guest'. Because I have no way to respond to you, I'll do it here. The invitation to use your imagination was not me telling you to tell me who he was, it was so that you could put whomever you wanted the person to be into the story. Funny thing about stories that don't use names: As long as a description fits, it's your choice. I actually pictured Deidara here, but you're welcome to add Naruto if you'd like. As for why I didn't show them in death, Heaven isn't pictured in the song aside from saying that they'd live forever with one another. I simply chose to leave death as their new beginning.)