All Worth It
It was all very sad, he supposed.
After his fight with Sasuke had ended, time had seemed to stand still. He had looked down, noting the black hair and a last tear of red, trailing down the side of his face. For the last time, he had assumed. And true to his beliefs, his knees had weakened suddenly, all energy drained. His pain subsided to a warm, dull feeling, and he had only been unconsciously aware when his back touched the ground.
Then he had closed his eyes and thought, it's time.
Naruto died.
He knew, of course, that he was going to die, he had known for months. Ever since that time, the last time Team Seven had been united, he had felt it. But he never worried, that was not his style. He took things head-on, without complaint. The past couple of months he had cried, laughed, fought, and lived and, now, finally, he had died.
But still it was all so very sad. Why did Sasuke betray the village? Why did Itachi take on that burden all by himself? Why had his mom been the Jinchuuriki? Why did he only get one chance to see each of his parents?
Yes, Naruto had also brooded a lot, these past few weeks. He had realized, despite all of these 'why's, that his life had been great. And so it did not pain him as much as it ought too, when a lightning blade cut through his stomach, because he knew. He knew and believed with all of his being, that his life had been wonderful and he would be missed. And that was enough for him.
He sent a last thought to Sakura, now the last of Team Seven. He wished all the best for her, and please, don't be too sad, Sakura-chan. You'll make it, I know you will. Kakashi had died not long before him, really, but Sakura didn't know that, she had been too busy at the tents. Naruto had seen Sasuke kill him with his own eyes. But all he had felt right then, had been sympathy. After all, what kind of horrible things must you get through to the point of not even blinking when killing your former teacher? And so they fought, yelled and screamed in agony. For this was the end.
Now he felt hair brush his face. He didn't know how long he had been out and supposed it didn't really matter when you were dead. He blinked and a flash of light made it through, before he shut his eyes again. He groaned, and then a voice called out for him. It was familiar, and Naruto knew why. He snapped his eyes open, despite the discomfort and almost head-banged his mom.
"Hello Naruto." She said and smiled, and Naruto sent a beaming one back.
"Hi mom." Truthfully it made him feel weird to say it, giddy and fuzzy, but he just couldn't help it. His mom, his mom was right there, next to him, smiling.
"Oh, then I guess you've mastered the Kyuubi? Good then, I won't have to explain." She seemed relieved and relaxed, and Naruto was busy just memorizing her face. She looked young, like she had been when he had been training with Killerbee, and he had forgotten just how red her hair had been. And she looked like him. Or rather, he looked like her.
"Mom. My mom. You're here, with me. We're together." Naruto hadn't realized, but Kushina had and promptly wrapped him in her arms. He could feel tears running.
God, he had missed her. Oh, how he had wanted her with him, by his side. Ever since he had met her, had seen her, he had been flooded with all of these feelings, he had never understood before. The want for a mother. His childhood hadn't exactly been pleasant, and even though he was practically a grown-up when he met her, all those lonely feelings, the wishes for comfort, a hand to hold or to wipe his tears away, they had come back full-force. As mentioned before, he had cried.
However, that was then. Now she was holding him, she was warm and he felt like flying.
"Hey, hey, easy darling. I'm right here, I'm here." She whispered into his hair, and he heard her voice crack. Yes, she was there. His mom was with him, finally. He held onto her tighter.
"I needed you so much." His breath hitched.
"Yes, I know, honey. I'm sorry." She kissed his temple and patted his hair. He finally calmed down and she let go of him. Naruto didn't dare look at her, but instead stared sheepishly at the floor. Which he noticed was made of wood. And only then did he notice that he was currently resting in someone's bedroom. He was sitting upright in a bed, and in a corner stood a desk and a chair. A breeze was drifting through the yellow curtains and his gaze stayed fixed on the blue sky outside.
"Darling, I think you should go to sleep." A light pressure on his chest and when he looked at her, she smiled worriedly. He let himself be pushed down and, yes, he really did feel tired, he thought as his eyes began to droop. I guess it was all that crying.
When he woke next, his mom was nowhere to be seen and he instinctively started to panic. But then he heard humming and the door was pushed open and there she was. She looked surprised for a moment, clearly not expecting him to up so soon, but then proceeded with whatever she was doing. She was carrying a bag and a plant. He instantly recognized the plant. It was the one he had been keeping at his house for years, his only company in an apartment too silent.
"What's all those stuff?" he asked, curious as to why there would be a complete replica of his plant in his mother's arms.
"Well, while you slept I figured you would want a few things, so I went to the Depot." She said, obviously light-hearted and placed the plant on the windowsill next to his head. At this he got quite a noseful, since she had to lean over the bed, and was delighted at the smell of soap and cooking. Then she sat down and pulled out what looked like a picture frame and a small leather pouch. Seeing his confused expression, she smiled and set to explain.
"Naruto, you're dead. And while the dead can't exactly bring their most important stuff with them, we can make pretty good copies. That plant is just like the one you had." She said, patiently and waiting to see if he understood. He nodded and felt a bit excited. Well, wouldn't that mean?
"Yeah, I see. Mom," still that giddy feeling. "Can I see the rest?"
"Of course, sweetheart. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She left the bag with him and as soon as she was gone, he snatched it and eagerly peered inside. He gasped. There was only one item left in the bag, but yes, that was definitely one of his most important things. Iruka-sensei's hitai-ite. Naruto took it and traced the leaf symbol with his thumb, a nostalgic smile on his face. He put it down and picked up the leather pouch. He had his suspicions and he wasn't disappointed. He placed the Godaime's necklace around his neck and finally turned to the picture in the frame. Team Seven. He smiled fondly at the image and thought of better times, simpler times. All of that, ruined. And all too fast for his liking. He was barely seventeen and now he was dead, reminiscing about days far gone. Sure, it had been tough but he could easily admit that it was worth it.
Basking in the afterglow of nostalgia, Naruto sat and watched the sun set. Weird how it all seemed so easy, normal. He eased his way out of bed, dressed himself in some loose pants and a shirt and went to look for his mom.
AN; This little thing popped into my head as I read Sealate Warpein. I thought of how I thought Naruto would react to seeing his mom, and then this happened.
I like it. It kind of has the potential to be a multi-chap fic, but for now I'll set it as complete since I'm not sure if would finish it. I don't even have a plot! But if you want you could adopt, just ask me first and maybe mention my name somewhere along the way.
Review?