Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. -.- I do however own this story line and this little material that I have written.
Seal: Prologue
By: animeanne
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Reina Haruno ran as she had never ran before. She skipped from branch to branch flawlessly without any sort of ungraceful stumbling—her training taught her to bear through the pain, to be flawless. Her appearance however, was so far from flawless. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead, tears stained her dirt covered cheeks, clothes were ripped in places where fast kunai and loose branches may have scrapped.
In one trembling arm she grasped a baby closely while the other hand clutched at a large gash in her abdomen where warm blood oozed past her fingers with every pump of her heart. It was a true miracle that she was even standing.
She didn't have much time--the chakra she sensed were quickly descending upon her--which meant 2 things: One: her husband had died under the hands of those two demonic Akatsuki and Two: everything depended solely on her now. It was hard not to grimace at those two rather unpleasant thoughts.
Reina Haruno looked down at the small bundle in her hands--she was sleeping and so oblivious to everything; she was the very face of innocence. Reina took a moment to stroke her daughter's hair, it was a light pink color reminiscent of the cherry blossoms that bloomed about her now. It was ironic that the beautiful cherry blossoms terrified Reina so much; they represented all that she could lose in a few moments. Her tiny, helpless, delicate, beautiful daughter was the one and only thing that placated her--she was the one valued token that Reina was willing to give her life for. Everything else was lost. Reina smiled sadly--she knew that she wouldn't be able to raise or love her the way that they had planned together.
There was no more time for regret--she had to make it there… A few thousand meters and they'd have a chance…
Quickly, Reina performed a scanning jutsu. The last bit of her chakra perforated from her body in a web-like fashion. The gossamer thin web stretched so far and wide--past solid walls and trees but collided with other chakra which allowed her to pinpoint exactly where her enemies were.
Reina felt the thin strands of chakra penetrate through the woods and thick humid air before suddenly hitting--
SHIT
She immediately turned and darted--scrambled, knowing no matter what, they were going to catch her.
Three…two…one--
BAM
She landed sharply on her back, the wind torn from her throat. She managed to cushion the fall for her child. That was all that mattered to her now.
Her two pursuers descended upon her like a sunset upon the earth. There was no escaping the doom.
It was harder for her to breathe--the fall had cost her--broken ribs and a punctured lung, their presence smothered the air around her. She clutched the baby even more tightly. A slithering voice hissed,
"Where is it?"
She was in no position to call the shots, but Reina Haruno was not one of the most revered female Konoha ninja for nothing; no matter the situation, she was always arrogant. A fault? Perhaps. She smirked.
"If you think you can kill my husband and get information from me, you are severely mistaken."
"Now is not the time to be conceited. You give us the Jinchiruuki and we will leave you and your baby unscathed. Isn't that a fair trade, dear kunoichi?"
"Sorry, I don't particularly like doing business with murderers."
"Arrogant as always, Reina-Chan…has the Second taught you nothing all those years? Pride—no Vanity, in all circumstance is considered a sin."
The voice behind the dark cloak was so familiar to her. To think, one so close to her, one whom she grew up with would be the one to betray her. That was the life of the ninja--she had seen the best and the worst in people; nothing was impossible.
She scoffed, "I don't think you, Akatsuki as they now call you, of all people, should lecture to me about my sins."
"You mustn't take offense. Oh no, we mean no offense at all. It is only kind advice from a friend." He answered mockingly. He paused. "Given our past, Reina, I am willing to compromise…"
" Unfortunately, I do take offense, Yamaka-san." Reina spat back with the same amount of mockery as he had shown her and added a few ounces of venom. "Did you compromise when you murdered Takeshi? How could you do it? You were like brothers—"
"HE was no brother of mine!" The Akatsuki hissed. There was a certain edge, tightness in his voice that gave the sensation of guilt.
Reina's voice softened only slightly. Perhaps she was tired. "You can turn back, Yamaka. You don't have to—"
"SILENCE! Do not call me that! I am no longer what I once was, and I don't intend to go back. There is nothing to be done." He paused. "Give us the eight-tail, and we will let you go." The voice was cold—had Reina not known him for so long, she would not have caught the pleading undertone.
Reina answered softly, apologetically,
"Yamaka… you know that I cannot. It is not wise to expect the impossible."
A pregnant silence filled the air.
"Yamaka! What are you waiting for? Kill this filth. You have already been too kind." The first Akatsuki hissed.
The one named Yamaka did not move.
The first Akatsuki narrowed his eyes.
He sneered,
"I'll do it then. You were always too weak." He took out his kunai ready to lunge but was stopped by a sharp hand movement.
"There is no need. I will do it." Yamaka continued coldly, "You leave me with no choice."
"I never realized I had one to begin with."
The two Akatsuki darted towards her, kunai in their hands. Reina closed her eyes. She had failed--failed miserably to save even the most precious thing to her--if only she could have run just a little further—if only she hadn't paused—
"ARGHHH" Reina's eyes snapped open, she heard a scream and a thud, but it was not her own.
"Mikoto…Fugaku…" So many emotions passed through the Kunoichi as she saw her two old friends and teammates. A dam of emotions broke through her arrogant and stoic exterior. For the first time Reina knew it was okay to be weak. She felt limp with relief.
"Uchiha!" The Akatsuki hissed. They knew it was trouble--not only did they lose the Jinchiruuki, but they also were now confronted by two Uchiha. Two pairs of Sharigan made quite a troublesome team.
"Mikoto, look after Reina. I'll take care of this." The tall man had long onyx colored hair that was tied back with a black ribbon. His two eyes, Sharigan eyes, were the color of blood. His stance and body exhorted a strength and power that could not be defied. For the first time, the Akatsuki could feel a foreign feeling in their throat--an itch that told them that what they felt was fear.
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The young woman, Mikoto ran to the side of her friend,
"Reina!" Mikoto's onyx colored eyes quickly scanned the limp body of her friend and inhaled a sharp breath. "Reina, tell me how to heal you and I'll do it. My Sharigan can copy any technique. If you could just show me…" Her hand grasped her best friend's tightly.
Reina smiled tearfully,
"Mikoto…both of us know it is too late. My chakra is depleted. I only have a few minutes left."
"But…"
"What's important now…" Reina winced. She felt her time shorten. "What is important…is…Sakura. It's sealed within her—"
Mikoto's eyes widened as she glanced at the tiny, harmless, pink-haired baby.
"It can't be…How—"
Reina's hand clasped Mikoto's tightly, the intense look in her sea green eyes looked pleading, desperate.
"They came for it—sealing it took half of both our Chakra. He…he told me to run…I told him I couldn't and wouldn't…but he performed that jutsu…" Tears fell down her cheeks as Kiyoko cradled her head in her arms.
"Mikoto, you must promise me something—"
"anything, Reina."
Reina smiled tenderly, "Promise me you'll take care of Sakura…as you would your own…love her as I would…please. Protect her. She is a cursed child now. But…but…you must….promise me…"
Mikoto's usual calm exterior began to crack, she felt an unusual, and unfamiliar sting behind her eyes as she clasped Reina's bloody hand,
"I promise, my dear friend."
Reina smiled softly, her eyes closing slowly and body becoming cold,
"Thank you…"
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Fugaku watched his eyes dim and threw him aside. Filth. The two Akatsuki lie discarded like two broken beer bottles.
He wiped the blood on his forehead away with an odd sense of satisfaction. The fight was long and hard—it gave him adrenaline, a surge of power from his hands—a sense of accomplishment. They deserved it—it was just. If Fugaku hated one thing, it was injustice.
The forest was eerily quiet.
"Mikoto."
Her slim body was turned away from him, head bowed, so still. She didn't reply.
"They're gone."
Her voice sounded hollow like when an echo bounces through the mountains only to be greeted with silence.
Fugaku glanced briefly at the prone figure that was once his friend and comrade. The body was nothing without the soul, trash. These words seemed to surface within his thoughts. He placed a heavy hand on his wife's shoulder.
"What's done is done. Revenge is taken, their debt is repaid."
Mikoto looked at him sharply.
"Death repays nothing."
Fugaku remained still and silent. He did not agree, but now was not the moment to argue.
Mikoto continued softly,
"The eight-tail is inside her." She scooped up the sleeping baby into her arms, and held her tightly.
"Impossible." Fugaku watched the pink-haired baby. Her eyes closed in innocent sleep, a drip of drool at the corner of her lips. Nothing could ever look so harmless.
Mikoto shifted the baby's position in her arms, and folded over the blanket to reveal an oddly shaped black seal at the center of her upper back. It looked like an ugly blemish on the baby's pale pink skin.
Fugaku's eyes widened only slightly. That explained why they couldn't get away. A jutsu like that would have depleted their chakra.
"We have to kill it—"
"Fugaku" Mikoto's voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "That is not an option we have—"
"We cannot let it live. An eight-tail—do you know the risks of that, Mikoto? When it is released, half of Konoha will be destroyed—"
"It won't be released." Mikoto stated. "We'll keep it sealed forever. Sakura, will be sealed within our household forever. No one will find her, no one will know her, no one will come for her…or it. We will become her protectors."
Fugaku opened his mouth to protest.
"We must raise her as our own. It was her last wish." There was the quality of quiet determination in her voice, the kind in which Fugaku knew nothing could persuade her otherwise.
Fugaku sighed. Women. Their argument had awoken the baby—her face scrunched up in a small frown. She shifted a few times before slowly opening her eyes—sea-foam green. Fugaku leaned in slightly. Her resemblance to Reina was uncanny.
The baby blinked a few times, her sea-foam green eyes rested placidly, mysteriously, blankly—as if reserving judgement on Fugaku.
She raised her arm slightly, and then as if putting all her energy in a spurt of movement, her small fist bumped into Fugaku's forehead, tapping it lightly in an accidental bop. Her lips dissolved into a smile as she gave a gurgle of laughter.
Mikoto gave a soft smile, as the cherry blossoms bloomed widely about them.
End of Prologue
Author's Note: I'm excited to see what you all think:D This is my first fanfic in agessssss...3-5 years? geez. -- give this old geezer some encouragement by reviewing would ya?