Once More
As Utakata felt his body float, he remembered smiling down and smiling down at Naruto. It felt good to not be bound by someone you hated anymore. Utakata sighed in release. He was free again. Dimly, as his consciousness began to fade away, he remembered the countless battles he had faced before in his life. The earliest memory he had was fighting over scraps of food with other destitute and orphaned children. That was after his first battle, over course. He didn't remember killing his parents. Utakata had mused why his parents had named him in the first place. The tailed beast was sealed inside him at birth. Did they hope he would survive as long as the bubbles he later he loved as a child and even now? Utakata would never know. The young jinchuukiri felt even lighter as his consciousness faded away even more than it already had. He had thought about his master long before his death, and he was thinking about him again. Shshō…now I will get to meet you again in the afterlife. The thought calmed him. He closed his eyes. Now I understand why you did what you did. I was a fool to discard all the love you had for me since the day you found me. The last words you departed to me were the same, as I said them to my own beloved student.
Hotaru… Utakata had not known how much time had passed since his death. He hoped sincerely that she had moved on, and would not live in the past like he had done. He had tried to move from his past, accept it, but that decision had led him to his death. He remembered the conversation he had with Naruto before the masked man had taken control over him again.
"I was like a bubble floating aimlessly in the wind and Hotaru showed me the way."
Hotaru…how are you? Utakata remembered of how Hotaru had always smiled at him when he was around; it seemed as if she became alive whenever he was there. She had a burden on her shoulders, just like me. And now…we're both truly free. In the last moments with his student, Utakata had truly felt happy. He had not felt happy before. Before, he was always afraid that he would die alone and unwanted on the streets, and even when he was under Harusame's wing, Utakata could never feel completely at ease. There were many people who wanted him dead, including the Akatsuki. It was only when he stood with Hotaru in the fields of flowers that he did truly feel at peace. This…is happiness, he had thought. And then it was taken away from him.
I just…want to see her…one more time. Hotaru… Utakata felt his consciousness fading away quicker now. It was almost time. Hotaru… A moment passed, and Utakata felt a bright light conceal his vision. For a moment, his body was still. Then light started shinning in his eyes. Utakata saw Hotaru. He recognized her by the way she carried herself. Proud and yet humble at the same time. Her golden hair that had reached her shoulders was now cut short, and her purple blouse was gone. Instead, Hotaru was wearing a light violet kimono. Her left hand was stretched in front of her. In her palm was a camellia, resting silently. I used to meditate like this at night when no one was looking…at least, I thought no one was looking. Utakata allowed himself a smile. You did live, Hotaru. Before his consciousness completely faded away and before he could see his beloved master again, Utakata allowed himself think one last thought.
Thank you for allowing me to be your master, Hotaru.