Prologue:
Blood pooling around his mouth, he fell forward, dark eyes losing focus as his life blood fell onto the ground. His body bruised and battered from the previous battle. There was nothing in him more to give, he had had it all…..only to lose it all. Through the blood filling every inch your mouth you turn your head up, and give a genuine smile to the person above you.
"At long last…...it's over."
This boy, no this man in front of him, this man with the pink hair, he truly reminded him of himself when he was younger, before he was cursed. Of truly better days. For a second he remembers, two laughing children hair colored blonde and lavender, whiskered cheeks and bright blue eyes. A women, lavender hair, with a gentle lavender face and eyes. His heart swelled with emotion. She screamed of ethereal beauty, a worthy wife for a man such as himself. Meeting eyes, she nods to you, tears coming to her own eyes.
Then they all appear around you once again; a tall man with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, a medium sized woman, with bright red hair and clear violet eyes tearful smiles on both of their faces. A man and woman, one with hair so white and spiky, and his horned hitaite, there were tears in this man's eyes, the prodigal son was finally coming home, at long last his beloved student had come to join them in eternal rest, a freedom from the burdens that had come to haunt him all throughout his life. At long last, Namikaze Naruto otherwise known as Zeref, had died.
0o0o
You flex your fingers, first your pinkies, then your index finger, and then your thumb. You roll your neck, feel then tension in it crack, then you move your legs too, you slowly stand up.
You don't remember much, but with slowly growing alarm you notice the absence of the voices, for the first time in so long your mind is clear, not being tormented by them. But with the absence of the voices comes the crushing reality of everything you have done. You hear footsteps, you don't know who it is, until you feel her presence, you haven't felt it in how long again? 2500 hundred years.
You turn to face her, and you worry because you remember what love feels like, but you cant feel anything, its almost as if the hole in your chest has stayed that way. You begin to tear up as the realization of whats going to happen.
And she reaches out to touch you, and something inside of your chest blooms once more, the very nature around you reacts in joy at the return of its long lost sage.
Soon two young children run into the room too, and everything is fine. You kiss them both and lifts them up on your shoulder. Soon there is no room anymore, you are surrounded by all of your friends, all of the people who time left behind. It seems that at long last, you are home.
As you step out of the room, to the awaiting adoration of your people you know its true, at long last as you step toward this new future, your form melding into light as the soul of Konohagakure screams in joy, because after 2000 years, their beloved leader had returned to them at last.
The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.
Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars."