Welcome to this oneshot set in the HotE universe.
Please keep in mind that this written from the point of view(s) of a non-ninja, so they do not fully understand what is happening at certain points.
Without any more delay, here is the oneshot. HotE: Be Brave
"Come on Daddy!" Aiko skipped forward to tug on her father's shirt, "Let's go to the park. You promised." It used to be a weekly tradition she and her father, Kane, did every Sunday. But...lately Daddy had been too tired from work to play, much less go to the park. "You promised." He should be getting ready to go, but instead kept talking and making kissy faces with Mommy.
"You'd better go." Michiko smiled warmly as she pulled back from Kane's embrace. Ever since three workers had left his job, he'd been forced to work longer and longer each day. It was hard, but recently three new employees had been hired. Today was the first day Kane had off in four months, and he had promised to take Aiko to the park. "She's not going to wait forever, you know."
Sighing, Kane pulled back as well. Kneeling down to Aiko's level, he patted her head, a gesture she loved despite her protests. "I'll be there in a minute. Can you grab Daddy's coat?"
"Yep." Aiko bounced off towards the coat closet in the hallway, only to freeze and then spin around to face the couple. Leveling a finger at them, the five-year-old placed one hand on her hip like Mommy did sometimes when Daddy brought home too much candy. "Don't be making kissy faces when I leave. We have to go to the park."
"She's certainly your daughter." He mumbled before straightening at the look Aiko gave him. "I promise Princess. I'm just going to tell Mommy something quick and I'll meet you at the front door."
"Alright Daddy." Aiko skipped off, a happy spring to her step.
Standing up, Kane couldn't help but notice his wife's amused, half-hidden smile. Leaning forward, he captured her lips with his own, tasting the unique blend of watermelon and strawberries that was unequivocally Michiko. Pulling back, he rested her forehead against hers. "It'll only be a few hours. We'll be home before dinner." He paused before continuing, "Would it spoil her dinner if we stopped for a small bit of candy along the way back?"
Without looking, he knew Michiko was smiling that fond but exasperated smile of hers. "Fine. But only one stick."
"Only one?"
"One for each of you."
"Deal." Stepping back and pecking her lips one last time, Kane headed out towards the front door where Aiko was waiting.
The entrance to the park was always a brief moment of fond nostalgia for Kane. Memories of going to the park with his father edged at his mind. The swings were no longer bright red, the paint having faded and the metal slide no longer shined in the sun like a mirror.
But the swings were still sturdy and the chains free of rust. The slide still was slick as ever, and on a good day, still glistened in the early morning dew. The paint was chipping on the old wooden bench, but it was solid as it was twenty year ago, perfect to share a delicious treat.
Aiko practically bounced her way to the swing. Arriving at it, she planted both hands on the wide, smooth pulled herself upwards with all of her might, her legs kicking off the ground to give the extra oomph. To her immense pride, she made it over halfway onto the seat before she began to fall. It was enough. Clambering, up onto the seat, Aiko grinned proudly at her Daddy.
"I did it! See Daddy? See? I did it."
"You did." Kane grinned back, relaxing as Aiko settled safely in the seat. She was independent like her mother, always wanting to try something by herself before asking for help. He had positioned himself so that he could assist if Aiko failed, but not too close that she would feel stifled.
Stepping behind the swing, he gently pushed the swing. Aiko was not impressed.
"Higher, Daddy, Higher!"
"Whew." Construction work had nothing on Aiko. Wiping the sweat of his brow, Kane knelt down to his happily gesturing daughter and waited for her to finish her story.
"And then Goldfish-san was all like…" Aiko spun around, her arms spread wide, "...Sploosh." She turned to her father, her brown eyes sparkling in delight. "Water went everywhere." She paused, considering an idea she hadn't considered until now.
"Daddy?"
"Yes Princess?"
"Could we get a fish?"
"Let's…" Kane hesitated, "Talk about that later with Mommy." Aiko frowned. "But…" He held up his hand to forestall any protests, "Mommy did say that we can get a piece of candy from the candy shop on the way home."
"Let's go!" Any thoughts of fish or the park were banished by the promise of the sugary treat. Grabbing onto her father's hand, Aiko attempted to drag him away from the park. "Let's go. Let's go."
"Heh." Taking a step forward, Kane starting moving towards the gate. "Now what type do you want? Sugary or sweet? Hard or sof-"
With a thunderous BOOOM, the world starting falling apart.
The ground shook and the sky lit up with a hellish glow. A ear shattering roar or utter fury and wrath assaulted their senses. Dread choked Kane. Still, he couldn't help but turn to look at the source of the terrifying cacophony. Inch by inch, he turned towards the flickering light. Had they been attacked by another village?
A monster towered over the village.
It was a massive fox, with nine tails that threatened to blot out the evening sun. The creature's eyes glowed like malevolent, blood-red suns. Roaring again, its eyes flashed and a giant paw raised in the air, plunging the two story apartment building in front of the demon into shadow. The paw slammed down, crushing the building in an explosion of stone and wood. Horror gripped Kane, and he couldn't look away.
"Daddy?" Aiko's terrified voice snapped him back to reality, "What's happening?" While far too young to truly understand what was happening, she instinctively knew that something was wrong.
Hardening his resolve and swallowing his fear, Kane swiftly moved over to her and knelt down. "Aiko, can you be brave for Daddy?"
Aiko stared up at her father. Daddy was brave and strong. She would be brave too. "Okay Daddy." Scooping up his daughter, Kane turned her face against his chest, shielding her the best he could from the horrors around them. Turning, he sprinted towards home.
It was the screams that greeted Kane and Aiko first. Screams of pain and wails of terror as everyone scrambled to avoid what seemed like the end of the world. Entering the civilian housing district, the pair picked their way over broken stone walls and shattered streets. Shards of glass picked at Kane's feet as he hurried towards their house and more importantly, Michiko.
The smell of burning wood, chemicals, and candy gagged Aiko as they ran past, Kane doing his best to shield her from the fumes. Tears leaked out of her clenched eyes, but she refused to cry. Daddy had asked her to be brave, and she wasn't going to cry, no matter how much she wanted. She was a big girl now.
Passing the crushed stoop of the Orenzino's, a snapped broom handle a solitary monument to the destroyed home, Kane sprinted onwards, moving faster and faster as he passed the bodies of those he had known all his life. The occasional ninja's body lay in the road, bodies crushed or torn apart. Aiko squirmed in his arms. Glancing down, Kane pulled her tighter against his chest. She didn't need to see this.
"Almost home."
The familiar blended with the unfamiliar as Kane sprinted down the road that lay parallel to the road his house was on. "Just a little bit farther." His lungs burned from the smoke rolling out of the nearby homes. But...there was no smoke from the corner of Fifth and Seventh. Hope filled him as he charged down the street, rounding the corner, Kane shouted for his wife.
"Michiko!"
The front door flung open, and the young wife took a step forward. A angered snarl echoed in the distance. A tail swung towards a second-story building.
With a thunderous crash, a piece of a house smashed into the corner of Fifth and Seventh, crushing the house in an unholy crunch of stone and wood. Michiko vanished from Kane's sight.
"No." It was a whisper, or perhaps a scream. Within moments he was at the rubble. Taring at the broken wall keeping him from the love of his life, he cared little for the pain sparking from his hands, nor the blood seeping from the cuts inflicted by the jagged stone. Gripping the door frame, he pulled it upwards. Glimpsing a flash of his wife's pale skin under it. Kane planted his feet and roared. The door went tumbling away, crashing into the ground.
His wife's broken body lay sprawled on the broken front step. Blood stained the ground dark, turning the dirt into mud. She looked almost peaceful, some distant part of Kane noted. Hurling himself to her side, he pulled her close. Her head bonelessly lulled to the side. "M-Michiko?"
There was no response.
Sounds muted and warped. There was booms and screams in the distance. Colors dimmed and faded. Sight blurred."Michiko?"
There was no response.
"Daddy, why is Mommy sleeping?"
Everything snapped back into focus. Shoving the internal horror and soul crushing emotional agony deep inside, Kane gently laid his wife on the ground and turned towards Aiko. "Mommy's just s-sleeping." Forcing a smile on his face, he moved closer, blocking her view of Michiko. "Stay strong for Aiko. Don't fall apart." The pain was like razorblades inside his chest. "Don't break down. Be brave for Aiko." The trembling in his hands lessened. "Michiko would want us to survive. We need to remember her. We need to survive in order to do that."
"Princess." It was a struggle, even now, to stay brave, "Mommy is sleeping right now. We have to go to the shelter. She'll join us there." He smiled, closing his eyes so she wouldn't see the pain. "Can you be brave just a little bit longer?"
"Okay." Aiko forced a smile, "I'll be brave." There was something wrong, but Daddy needed her. "Let's go and wait for Mommy."
Scooping up his little girl, Kane pushed himself forward, not looking back. If he did, he would never leave. A terrifying growl echoed in the empty, bloodstained streets.
The air burned his lungs and his sides ached, but Kane ran on. The screams and cries of the dead and dying haunted him, but he ran on. The bodies of proud and powerful Leaf ninja, each one a hero and worthy of song, were scattered about the path. But still he ran on. Aiko would survive. She had to. There was no other option. They would remember Michiko. She would not be forgotten.
"I will save Aiko, Michiko. This I swear."
The ground erupted around them. For a single, timeless moment, Kane was weightless, hurled into the air as the road was torn apart beneath him. Gravity took hold.
Something cracked as he slammed back into the road, knocking the breath from his lungs with a painful whoosh. Light flickered in and out. Sounds rolled and echoed. Coughing, Kane sat up with a groan. Everything hurt.
"Daddy?"
Aiko sounded confused, but unhurt. Turning towards her, Kane's heart stopped. Blood pooled around his little girl. She was sitting on the ground, her legs stretched outwards. Her flowered white and green blouse was rapidly staining dark red. A fist sized hole gaped back at her father. "I can't breathe Daddy."
"Aiko!" Kane leapt to his feet and charged towards his little girl, "No!"
Aiko collapsed. Skidding to his knees, Kane pulled her into his arms, frantically trying to stem the bloodflow. Warm, cloying liquid soaked him, and the awful smell of iron assaulted him. "The shelter! They can help her at the shelter." The medic ninjas could perform miracles. "They can save Aiko."
"Daddy." Aiko's voice was faint, so faint. A tiny, bloodstained hand reached up and touched his cheek. "Be brave for Mommy, okay? She's going to need you." A cough racked her frame. Blood splattered the ground. "T-Take care of Mommy." Aiko's eyes closed.
Her hand slipped from his cheek and fell.
Sounds lost their meaning. Life no longer mattered. Time passed, but it didn't matter. Kane did not notice, nor care when the Kyubi's attack on the Hokage mountain was thwarted. It meant nothing when the news finally reached the nearby shelter that the demon had been defeated. The cheers of those who had survived echoed, but did not reach him. Eventually, the blissful darkness of unconsciousness threatened, and he embraced it gladly.
"Give me another." Kane slid his empty glass towards the bartender, "Fill it back up." The last week and a half had been nearly unbearable for the man, his only solstice the whiskey. There were a few bars still standing after the Kyubi's rage, and he hadn't moved from it in two days. Once he would have cared about his appearance, or the opinions of others. Now? Nothing mattered.
"Did ya hear what the Jonin said about the Kyubi?" The conversation between two off-duty ninja behind him sobered Kane quicker than any coffee could.
"Yeah. It's crazy to think that the Fourth was strong enough to seal it into a helpless form. I even heard that it looks kinda like the fourth, if he was a baby."
"Man…" The first ninja took a chug from his glass, "What I wouldn't give to get five minutes alone with that monster."
"I hear that." They lapsed into companionable silence, drinking the horror of the past week away.
For the first time in over a week, Kane felt something stir within him. "Aiko...Michiko...I wasn't able to save you...but I will avenge you." The sound of the glass sliding in his direction broke him from his thoughts. He slid it back to the bartender. He no longer needed it. "That demon will feel the pain that you felt...a hundred times over."
Pain begets pain.
So what did you think? Drop a review and let me know.
I'm sorry. This chapter was rather depressing to write, and I'm sure it was the same to read. I wanted to show that the civilians, while still definitely in the wrong, have a reason why they hate Naruto. Sorry for the feels.
Again, this is a oneshot. While Kane may appear in other works set in the HotE universe, this is a oneshot.