Wild Goose Chase: A Series of Stories

After Caliko did some short stories with her characters, I felt compelled to do some more short stories for Taylor. lol. I am on slight writer's block again, so I'm writing! YAY for writing!

Disclaimers: Taylor belongs to me, Naruto doesn't *cry*


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1. Tell a story, Sakumotsu

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Kakashi carried his tired, little girl up to her room, his father following behind him. With her thumb stuck in her mouth, Taylor laid her head down gently onto her father's shoulder and looked at her grandpa, who had blood dripping from his forehead.

"Why Grandpa hurt?" she asked tiredly.

"Grandpa was fighting to protect you," her father said, smiling softly as they approached her room. Silently, they walked into the little girl's room.

Gently, Kakashi laid the little bundle of energy in her "big girl" bed. Sakumo winced as he sat down beside the 2 1/2 year-old girl with the high fever. With a soft sigh, he wiped the blood off his forehead.

"Daddy, Grandpa, tell me story!" the little girl cried.

Kakashi chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm leaving the story-telling to you tonight, Dad. I'm exhausted," the tired father murmured, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

Sakumo nodded.

"Good idea, son." he said. "Good night, Kakashi."

"Good night Father," he said, then bending down to kiss his daughter's hot forehead. "Good night, sweetie."

Gently, he placed his lips on his daughter's forehead, and then smiled softly.

"I hope you feel better in the morning sweetie," he said.

Standing straight again, he walked out of the room, smiling a bit. Sakumo looked at his granddaughter and sighed as he gathered up a story to tell.

"Alright...," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Lets see what I can come up with..."

Taylor crawled up onto his lap and sat down. He chuckled a bit.

"Uhm lets see..."

"Aa, there once was a young shinobi by the name of Sakumo," he said, making a story out of his own life. "He'd been sent on a dangerous mission. He had to make a decision and it was the toughest decision of his career. His friend's lives were at stake, and he had to choose between their lives and the mission. It was hard, but he chose the better of the choices; to save his comrades. But, in the end they turned on him. And so did the villagers. Fortunately, his only son, Kakashi, didn't turn on him. He still loved him. But, later on Sakumo got depressed, sad, unhappy. His skills dropped and soon was far too along in depression to be saved. Nothing could've saved him."

Taylor listened, slowly falling asleep with a gentle grip on Sakumo's vest. She was still listening, and she did not realize her grandfather was the depressed man in the story. Sakumo let out the longest of sighs and continued.

"Eventually, he killed himself with his own tontō. It was painful. Blood splattered onto the floor, and the coward slowly died."

A soft smile played across his face.

"But years later, three days before his granddaughter was born, he came back to life. He found himself awake in his own bed. It was a huge surprise, but in the end he was thankful to be alive again because he got to meet his beautiful granddaughter, and make amends with his son. No one to this day can explain how he was revived, but some are thankful like his son. To this day, he prays to the Buddha, saying thank you every night. Today, he's the happiest man alive and he loves his son and his granddaughter and will do anything to protect them."

Taylor fell asleep, her left hand gripping her grandfather's vest and her right thumb in her mouth. Sakumo glanced out at the farmland behind the house in the night. He looked back at Taylor and smiled. Silently, he kissed the sleeping child's head.

"Good night sweetie, and I hope you some day will understand this story." he whispered, picking up the child. Carefully, he tucked her into her bed and walked out, turning his head.

"I'm so glad to be alive...," he whispered joyfully, then turned out the lights and went to his room to prepare for bed.