Catching Wind
This is a "New Generation" Naruto fanfic, it's just a one shot about a girl who lost her mother and how she moves on and is finally able to say goodbye to something she had been holding onto. Review please! I don't know it my writing is very good or not, so I need other peoples opinions on this for future writings! Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't leave a mean comment just for the hell of it. Thank you!
Sitting with her back against the wooden wall of the tea house, Hachika stares up at the remaining sunlight of the day. Smiling, she thinks of her younger brothers favorite saying, "Just because something ends doesn't mean it's over, it just means that a new beginning is about to start." He is quite the philosopher for a boy of only ten years. "So that means," she mutters to herself, "that if today is over than so should all the crap that happened today, and tomorrow is the beginning of a new day with new chances."
Picking up her half full tea cup, she nearly gags on the nasty taste of lukewarm green tea. Staring down at the rippling water, she watches as it fades out and gently laps into nothingness against the side of the cup. She frowns. "It may be a new start, but even so...the memories won't go away so easily." Closing her eyes she lays down on the bench. But even behind her eyelids Hachika sees the smiling face that disappeared only weeks ago. "I'll never be able to make tea like she could," she mutters, dragging her arm across her forehead.
A soft chuckle sounds from the doorway next to her head. Hachika sits up so fast that she bumps the cup sitting beside her over. She groans and looks to her father who leans against the doorframe. "Father..." she fumes, returning his soft smile with a glare. He reaches over and picks up the fallen cup and examines the crack in the rim. "You don't have to be able to make tea like she could," he says. Still glaring, Hachika replies, "And why were you listening to my self-conversation?"
"Shouldn't you try to move on now?" her father asks. Dropping her gaze to the ground between her feet, Hachika mumbles, "What if I don't want to?" Sighing, her father sits beside her and pulls her into a tight hug. Running his fingers through his daughters hair, he says, "I don't want to either, but there's nothing we can do now." Fighting back the tears that rise behind her eyes at the thought of her mothers passing, she pulls away and stands...only to come face-to-face with Juujima. Giving a cry of surprise, she stumbles back down next to her father. "How do you do that?" Ignoring his older sisters question, Juujima says, "Father's right. You've been weird since Mother died,"-not taking note of Hachika's visible flinch at his words- "and you're being selfish. Don't you know that it isn't just you that's upset?" Looking into her brothers unexpressive dark eyes, there is a hint of something sad. Then when she looks at her father she finds that he's trying to cover up the sorrow inside of him at the loss of his wife.
He's right, she thinks, the adds with slight spite. Juujima is always right. Standing, she mumbles, "I'm going for a walk." As she stomps off, pretending to be angry instead of sorrowful, she feels her brother and fathers eyes on her back.
As soon as she reaches a place out of sight of them, she slumps against a tree that stands tall next to the pale blue color of the lake. She sits quietly and just watches the surface of the water shift as the wind blows.
The setting sun glitters over the water and makes the leaves being swept through the air seem all the more beautiful. This was like the scene that her mothers clan had a song about, thinking about it, Hachika quietly starts to hum the tune. Then a little louder, and louder, and adds the words.
In the changing seasons
A time between noon and night
When the leaves fall and live their dream
Catching wind isn't easy
But we all want to do it someday
No matter the cost
No matter the danger
Just start catching wind in your hands
Hold it tight
And maybe your dream will come true
Trying to take flight
Only to fall back down
We all have to try again and again
But first we must try Catching Wind
As the last note fades away, the sun sets behind the trees on the far side of the lake. Looking up at the sky she smiles. That song always had calmed her down when she was little, and it works even now. Mother always had a gift for understanding everything around her, Hachika thinks. "There never was a dull day when she was around." Laughing to herself, she adds, "She could even make house work fun."
The silver shine of the moon glows in the sky and seems to give a small flare of light just for her. Stretching her lips into a small smile, Hachika stands and head into the streets where the lights create small pools in places.
Walking at random, Hachika finds herself at Ichiraku Ramen. She steps inside only to find the Hokage. Taking a quiet lunge at his back, she hooks her arms around his neck and says, "Hey, Naruto What's up?" Nearly choking on noodles, Naruto turns his head slightly so he can see his former student and best friends daughter.
"What are you doing out at this time? Weren't you going to help Sasuke and Juujima in the shop?" he asks, eyeing her as she takes a seat and brushes her shoulder length hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, but I threw a fit and went for a walk instead. Ayame Can I have a miso ramen?" Slurping down another mouthful of noodles, Naruto asks the fourteen year old girl, "Has anyone ever told you you get stuck on one thing for too long?" Not bothering to answer, Hachika glares down into her ramen before breaking a pair of chopsticks and starting to eat. But he is right, she thinks. Sighing, the Hokage mumbles to himself, "You're like a girl version of your father when he was a kid."
Puffing out one cheek in annoyance at the last statement, Hachika gulps down the last of the ramen broth and slaps down some money, clearly getting fed up with her old teacher. "Well, I'm done, I guess I'll see you some other time," then adds teasingly, "Oh, Great Lord Hokage Uzumaki Naruto." Laughing, Naruto calls after her, "Hey, I worked long and hard for that title "
I know she's still upset about Hama, we all are. But she'll get over it soon enough, Naruto thinks, eating the last of the ramen in his bowl.
Jumping along the roof tops, Hachika opens her palms to face the air that rushes all around her.
Getting to the top of the Hokage Monument, Hachika whispers to herself, "Naruto's right. I have been hanging on to Mother even though she'll never come back now." Looking over the whole village from her spot high above, she comes to a decision and stands with her arms spread and just lets the high winds whip her hair all around her face, and for the second time starts to sing the song.
In the changing seasons
A time between noon and night
When the leaves fall and live their dream
Catching wind isn't easy
But we all want to do it someday
No matter the cost
No matter the danger
Just start catching wind in your hands
Hold it tight
And maybe your dream will come true
Trying to take flight
Only to fall back down
We all have to try again and again
But first we must try Catching Wind
Then she adds something of her own...
It's alright
It's okay
I'll get through it either way
Letting the door slid shut behind her, she steps into her house and finds her father, Uchiha Sasuke, and her younger brother, Uchiha Juujima, cleaning up their own dinner. Before Sasuke can say anything to her, Hachika says, "I ate when I was out." Then disappears down the hall, but pauses and swings her head back into the doorway and tells them, "Father, Juujima. I know I don't say this often enough, but, I love you."
Staring after Hachika, father and son look at each other, wondering what happened when she was gone.
In her room, Hachika pulls out the box of all the pictures she had shoved away when Hama passed away, and spends the next hour looking through them all one by one and remembering all the good memories connected with each. Sitting back against her bed, she smiles at a picture of herself and Juujima arguing and her mother in the background with a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. Hachika had ended up losing the argument to Juujima like she always does.
"I should have done this when Mother first died," she laughs. "It isn't as sad as I thought it would be. Remembering." Then setting all of the pictures back in the box, she replaces it under her bed again and lets a sad smile cross her face as the feeling of a hand squeezing around her heart pulls at her. This time she lets the tears slide over her cheeks and doesn't bother to brush them away.
"I guess I have to say Goodbye now. I love you, Mother."
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