Moonlight
For the unforgettable pair
This is well, my 4th story on this pair, I have no idea why the plots keep flowing into my brain, so I kind of have to write them out so that I cant wipe them out of my head. For this pairing, it is sucks that it has to be sad, if not it has to be AU, while Minato is not dead.
Anyway, as always, characters belong to Kishimoto sensei and only the plot for me.
Yanvi
9/10/2011
p.s I tried to tidy up the way that I produce the story, therefore '…' is used when the person is thinking in their heads, while "…" is talking physically.
p.s.s. Mission 10 is slowly on the way, don't forget to keep an eye on that.
p.s.s. as my husband always asked about the Japanese words that I have used, so I just realised that I have not included a list for people who didn't know the words, so here we go:
ryuteki - 龍笛 – a type of Japanese bamboo flute
fue - 笛 – flute in Japanese
yagura -櫓 – tower
Fujin -夫人 – wife / Mrs
Shitsurei shimashita -失礼しました – I am very sorry
shibo - 師母（しぼ）- teacher's wife
Moushiwake gozaimasen – 申し訳ございません - I am very sorry about what I have done
tsukimi -月見- moon - viewing
Engawa - 縁側 - the wooden strip of flooring immediately before windows and storm shutters inside traditional Japanese rooms
O o o o O o o o O
'Sensei, are you okay? Why you look so upset?' a yellow coloured hair boy asked the older man, who has silver coloured hair, looking at the camp fire, mind wondered off to the empty space.
'Ma… I am fine, Minato. Don't worry about it,' the latter replied and waffled the boy's soft golden hair.
'You sure? You are trouble by love?' the said boy, Minato kept asking, as he was pretty sure that his sensei was in duress.
'Brat, don't tell me you know much about love…' the older man replied in an amusing tone. 'Love is a very complex matter and it's not simple as 1+1. Sometimes your emotions will hurt other people that you care, and it is so easy to slip yourself in a life of regrets…' He paused as he looked into the fire, 'you will know one day…' he whispered.
O o o o O o o o O
It has already a week since Kushina's funeral. All the sudden, Minato has a son, who is the current jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but also loss his wife. He was pleased that Shiraku and Yoshino kindly looked after Naruto for him, as their son, Shikamaru was also born recently. He quietly walked around the village. After the Kyuubi attack, the village was still making recovery. Even though people have been working really hard and making swift progress, the village was not fully recovered, as the biju was a fierce and strong monster. He heard the sound of ryuteki, inside the bamboo forest near Kikyo Castle, where he was currently leaning his body at the wall by the front gate, looking at the full moon that was brightly hanging in the sky. It meant to be a good autumn night when it was not too cold and only mild breeze. But his heart was not in a good time. He was still deeply in thought as he was troubled by the last words that Kushina spoke. He was a terrible husband. He could not save and protect his wife. He should not make her pregnant when she was the jinchuriki. He failed both as husband and as the Hokage. He could not give his full attention, his heart and his body to his wife, as he was always the shinobi by heart first, the greatest tool of Konoha. But not just that, he knew, as he could not lie to himself. 'I just don't love Kushina as I used to when I was young,' he told himself, 'which is so wrong for me. Kushina shouldn't have die this way, in childbirth, she should deserve a better man than I do.'
He slowly followed the music and approached the musician. Before he could even see the person, he knew whom he was expecting to see. He has heard the same music for numerous times. He was expecting to see his silver haired protégé, as he has seen the young man performed at the nights that when they were heading back home from missions or when they have the countable amount of peaceful nights in the village walls. His other two protégés knew about the existence of the ryuteki, but they have only heard of the music a few times, as the silver haired man did not like to expose his face and it was almost impossible to play the fue with the mask on.
He walked carefully as he didn't want to produce any noise. It was not the easiest thing to do when walked though a bamboo forest, as there was always dried leaves on the ground, which would produce a 'crack' noise when anyone stepped on it. Nonetheless, as the best shinobi in the village, he managed without a drop of sweat. He finally managed to see what he was looking for. His target was sitting on one of the roof of one of the yagura. The silver haired man sat at the edge of the tiled roof, with his crux hanging in the air. The young man was playing his usual bamboo ryuteki, with his mask pulled down to the chin. The moonlight shined on the silver hair gently, as if the beams of light were gently brushing the man's silver locks. The man's black clothing dissolved into the black clay tiles behind him, the only thing that was clearly stood out was the pale skin that he owned.
Minato remembered it was the scene that he found himself into the troubled water, an area which he should not set foot in. It was a similar autumn night few years ago, when he found the boy at the same yagura. He knew that the boy could play a ryuteki as the Hatake family was all good at music and that he has been friends with the boy's father, Sakumo, for years. He looked around to see whether there was anybody else to share this view. He then decided to jump up to the roof and sat by the young man, as he guessed the latter would have sensed his charka since he first set foot in the forest.
When Minato settled into a comfortable position, with his arms as a pillow underneath his head, against the cold clay tiles, the music stopped, as the young man turned his attention to the intruder. "Don't you need to work, sensei?"
"Well… Kashi-kun, I need to take a break and that I was attacked by your music, you know." Minato replied causally, making a mental note on how Kakashi's voice changed. Instead of the manly voice that the young man pretend, the voice has already changed into a smooth velvet liked voice and he could not help, but trying to imagine what it would sound like if Kakashi purred or moaned.
Kakashi looked at Minato softly. It has been more than a month since they met up under the moonlight. Since Kushina was pregnant, and with all the administrations that Minato has to execute, they have not seen each other like this peacefully for a long time. Even though he saw the older man almost everyday, it was different. For those times, Kakashi was the ANBU taicho who has to obey the Hokage's order without questions. Kakashi was always in his ANBU gear, while Minato was always almost drown by the documents that he has to read though. After a minute of quiet stare, Kakashi decided that Minato was not in a mood to talk and so he continued his practice.
Minato looked at the tips of Kakashi's hair, which were loosely floating in the air by the autumn breeze. He loved the way that Kakashi has played the ryuteki. It was different from the others. It has a wired, sorrow feeling inside the notes. Minato knew that he has chosen the right ANBU code for Kakashi – wolf; as it suited him well. He was the knight in the dark. He lived in a group, but yet, he was also alone. The way that Kakashi played the ryuteki was like the way that wolfs howled under the moonlight. With all these imagination and memories, he began to drift his conscious into his memories.
O o o o O o o o O
On the other hand, Kakashi was also deep in thoughts, but as Minato was deep in his, he didn't realise that Kakashi has made a few silly mistakes that he normally would not make during his practice. Kakashi was thinking of the words that Kushina has said when he last saw her.
Kakashi couldn't figure out since when he placed so much attention to his sensei. He didn't know why and didn't know how. He always tried to label these strange attentions by blaming his father, Sakumo, who left him in such early stage of his life. Minato has acted like his sensei, his guardian for all these years. He also loved Kushina, who was a kind and loving person. He just felt wrong that if his emotion towards his sensei was more than the simple respect. He tired to keep his glaze away from his sensei. But from the conversation that he has if Kushina, he somehow just felt hope that he really should dare to hope for.
He remembered. As the ANBU taicho, he paid a visit to the house that Minato has planned for Kushina to stay, as the seal that repressed the Kyuubi would be weaken when Kushina was suffering a great amount of pain. Therefore, Minato has assign four of the ANBU member to take guard and look after Kushina.
"Kakashi-kun, can you please come in and take off your mask?" Kushina asked weakly when she saw the mop of silver hair by the window.
Kakashi hesitated. Although he should not take off his mask during duty, since Kushina was the Hokage fujin, he just thought it would be okay, as she definitely knew who he was by the noticeable silver hair that could not hide behind the mask and that his mask was specially drew by her husband. Therefore, he swiftly walked into the room and kneeled by the bed. "Fujin? What can I do for you?"
"Ano…you love Minato, don't you?" Kushina questioned directly, as she was a quick-tempered person and she hated the way that Minato and Kakashi have been behaving. They thought no one would know. They just though of their responsibility towards her, and all other moral reasons. If she was not the jinchuriki, and if she knew that she would not die in childbirth this easily, she definitely not going to let go. But, she was still deeply in love. She has loved Minato since he managed to trace her path when she has been kidnapped. She needed someone to look after her love if she was gone. She needed someone to look after her baby, and not an evil stepmother or baby sitter. She knew that Kakashi would be nice to her baby. Therefore, she knew whom she could place the men that she loved most to perfectly well.
Kakashi didn't speak. He wanted to deny, but when he looked at Kushina's firm glaze. He knew that she knew everything. He thought he has hid them away perfectly well. "Shitsurei shimashita…" he tipped his head down and tried to place his porcelain mask back on.
Kushina quickly stopped him by grabbing his wrist tightly, which Kakashi was shocked by the amount of strength that Kushina still has. "Look, Kakashi-kun. I know… both of you… I know both of you are responsible men and take your duty and moral as what people expect. But, life as a shinobi is short; you never know whether you can come back to Konoha safely. I don't want any regrets at all. So will you take care of my husband and my son, if… if I die in child labour?"
Kakashi's eye widened and looked at Kushina unbelievably. Even though he would like to grab Kushina's hand, as he was wearing his ANBU gloves, he hesitated, as he would not want to scratch her skin. " Fujin, you won't die. Sensei will be really upset and that you need to raise your own son, so that by the time he graduate from the academy, I can be his mentor. Please, don't say something like that…Kushina- san."
Kushina knew that would be the response. She firmly looked in to the mismatch pair of eyes. "Promise me, Kakashi-kun. This is the request from your shibo, your Hokage Fujin. You can do it, right?"
If talking about making people to oblige their request, Kushina was a better person in the field. It was hard to refuse and that, he disgusted by his feeling. From what Kushina was indicating, his love was not single sided and that his sensei was kind of feeling the same way. He was disgusted by the small joy that he has. "If that's what your request, Fujin-sama," he replied with his right hand on his heart. "I will look after Minato and your son well, if I have to. But please, Kushina-san, please don't do that. Please live on."
Kushina smiled weakly, "I will, Kakashi-kun. I can't wait to see Naruto doing all the planks that he learned from me." She released her grip. "Are you staying here tonight?" she asked causally.
"No. Eagle, Hound and Snake are taking the guard tonight and sensei should be here soon, after his paper works are done." Kakashi stood up and placed a good night kiss at Kushina's forehead. " Fujin-sama, Oyasumi-kudasai."
"Oyasumi." Kushina replied and looked at the tall and lean back that Kakashi has. She knew that she needed to talk to Minato on that matter as well, if she was really that on the edge of dying. She rubbed her tummy gently, "Naru-chan, I want to see you grow up too, but I am afraid that I am too weak. But don't worry, mummy has found you a step- mum that will teach you to be as strong as him." She looked at the plain ceiling and blinked her eyes, so that she would not be in tears.
O o o o O o o o O
At the same time, Minato was thinking of the same person, the last words that she spoke. When he used the Fuinjutsu: Shiki Fujin, to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto's body, he meant to seal himself inside the shinigami's body along with Kushina's charka. But, Kushina stopped him and pushed him away and sealed herself inside as the price. He would still able to recall all the words that she said, as they have been floating in his minds for this whole week.
"Anata, what are you doing?" Kushina shouted at Minato, as she still didn't agree to use that jutsu. "Have you thought about our son, Naruto? Have you thought about Kakashi-kun?"
"Kushina, my dear, they would be fine. I think Ji-ji and Sandaime will look after them for us. I can't just let you bear all the pain."
"You baka! After the loss of Sakumo-san and almost losing Obito-kun, do you think he will survive?" Kushina said pathetically as she defeated. That was one of the reason that she fell in love with the man in front of her. She knew he took his responsibilities fully and completely. "Just go," she tried her best to push Minato away from the shinigami, "take care of our son and face your emotions, Minato!"
That was the last thing that Minato could hear before both shinigami and Kushina disappeared in the air. He suddenly felt weak and dropped on his knees. His blue orbs quickly filled with tears, which made his eyes looked more like the sea. He only pulled himself together when Naruto cried loudly, as he was hungry and trying to get attention. " Moushiwake gozaimasen… Kushina…" He then quickly lifted up baby Naruto gently and waited for his ANBU to show up. He wished that Kakashi would not be the first one, as before he could sort out his feeling, he should not see the young man. 'Face your emotion… Kushina, my dear, what a task you have set me…'
O o o o O o o o O
Since that night, either of them has seen each other, apart from the unavoidable meetings. Although as Minato's protégé, Kakashi should have paid more attention to Minato in privates. But since both Obito and Rin were in the village, Kakashi rather to go on more missions than staying in. As if Minato was thinking of the same thing, he has assigned more missions to the ANBU taicho, than he used to.
Although they thought they have hidden their emotion perfectly well, people who were closed to them could definitely see their act. Jiraiya could not stand the way Minato kept assigning Kakashi to complete the S class missions. He approached Minato, expecting to have a good lecture about that. However, when he opened the Hokage office door, he found Minato looking at the team photo, with his mind obviously off to the silver haired man. Jiraiya sighed, "then don't send him off to those mission, Minato-kun. Don't let Kushina-chan's effort die in vein…"
Minato looked up, looked into Jiraiya's black orbs, "but, Ji-ji… sensei… how could I?"
"Do you remember what I have taught you?" Jiraiya spoke softly. He remembered the night by the campfire. "Don't let yourself live in a life of regrets, Minato-kun… Shinobi should be fearless and don't let your own fear blind your eyes…" He gently tapped Minato's shoulder. "I hope you understand, well… Got to go to do some research." He opened the door, "Ja-ne."
"See you later, sensei." Minato replied, but his glaze already backed to the photo. "But Kushina… I really…" Minato was deep in thoughts again. He was fast, decisive, and well planned man. He could fulfil his duty as the Hokage well. He never thought he would be stuck in such ridiculous situation. If it affected no one, he really would like to be an ostrich for once.