Although this story has both Naruto and Naruko tags on it, this does not mean both characters are in the story. There is one Naruto and yes, she is female.
Based on a prompt from Highvalour who requested that I write a 'what if Sasuke found out earlier about Ryoku? Specifically before Sasuke looses his sanity?' situation for my story Ghost Flowers on my old FF account (patterns-at-dusk). This was supposed to be like… a page long.
Oops.
Warnings: disturbing implications, young pregnancy, genderswitch, SasuFemNaru Paragraphs in italics – flash backs, lyrics/poems/quotes, dreams, and thoughts
normal – present
Shooting Up Flares
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"Kaa-chan look at all the tea!"
Is the first thing that escapes his little mouth, curluean eyes twinkling in starlight at the magnificent sight before him. Cha no Kuni(1) truly lived up to its name with their annual tea festival, venders scattering the streets and flowers floating through the breeze, bringing with them a certain delight in the mingling of savory and floral fragrance. The magnificent dispay of colourful teas, rich honeys and fresh herbs was truly, more spectacular then she could have ever imagined. More so, she felt blessed to see the young boy's face stretched in unrestrained happiness. Although energetic by nature, it was... unfortunately rare to see him so undilutedly happy, so uncontrollably childlike, so alive.
So often were their lives a test of walking on eggshells, parnoid precaution, and the subject of heated debate amongst Konoha's populace as well as a hot topic of gossip. She loved her home... really she did... but she wouldn't deny that forgetting about it, in the interest of her precious person, was a good feeling.
She didn't really have good feelings anymore.
"Kaa-chan(2), hellooooo, are you looking? Jiichan(3) are you looking?"
"If course I'm looking, brat!" Jiraya grumbled, the infamous Sannin giving a playful smack to the child's head before smiling brilliantly at pouty lips. The jutted bottom lip swirled into a smile again as he latched onto her hand.
"Kaa-chan it's so pretty!" she finally broke her silence, grinning, "it sure is kiddo," before swooping down to hoist the child into her arms and then further upon her shoulders. She felt him settling into her mop of hair, little arms resting around her neck in a gentle hold.
"You should be more cautious," the elder mentioned gruffly, silly smile turning into a cynical stare upon the crowd, casually observing with a penetrative gaze. "The dye isn't in, and although Konoha may be oblivious to his origins, others outside the village are much more observant."
She could feel her mood beginning to simmer into something more dark, red anger bubbling alongside her heavy pounding blood. She wasn't as irresposible as everyone deemed her to be, and she couldn't help but have her ravenous motherly instict become rabid in rage. Her son was just as cursed as she was, his contraversial appearance causing an abnormal childhood.
She hated it.
She hated that her son had to go through the very same thing that she had to go to. Maybe not to the same degree as she had, but nonetheless isolation in its purest form. She, however, refused to let him feel abdandonment.
She's had enough of that in her life time to last the both of them.
"Just like how everyone noticied that I was the daughter of the Yodaime(4) Hokage?" she spat in a feral vehemence that was becoming more and more common with each passing day. "I'm not stupid Jiraya."
As much as she knows she isn't as stupid as everyone else makes her out to be, the old Sannin knows it most. He may tease her about her occasional idiocy, but when the young woman beside him begins to hiss his name in a dangerously demonic tone, he knows she's being serious. More so, he doesn't know just how much longer he can keep her head above the water.
Nonetheless, despite how sorely true her statement was, much to his own stinging guilt over her past, Sasuke was an entirely different matter. Unlike the Yodaime Hokage, and her own sealing of the Kyuubi, the Sharringan was seen as a much more powerful weapon. There wasn't a single ninja alive that didn't at least consider obtaining the pinwheel majesty that unfortunately, currently resided with the last living Uchiha brothers.
A much smaller, vulnerable, and weak target would be ideal.
He was extremely caution over the safety of the young boy. Caution, that the blonde promptly would throw out the window and really, he wants to understand. A mother so young… he admires the closest thing to family he has no matter how flawed her ignorant logic is. She's so young and tries so hard to be a good mother, whilst juggling her own personal demons, her duties as a Shinobi, and keeping the lineage of her son a secret in order to be a completely independent, single mother.
Although hiding his parentage was becoming increasingly more difficult.
The strain on her psyche was beginning to create hardy cracks in what appears to be an almost impenetrable armour. He reckons, that if it weren't for the Kyuubi, she would have succumbed to exhaustion and mental disarray long ago. The brat was astonishingly talented at suppressing negativity.
Although, with such a dark and checkered childhood full of horrifying trauma, her repression is not a shock at all.
The only shocking thing, is that the Sandaime(5) Hokage was able to allow two small children to be brutalized in such a way… and perhaps, its because of their joint agony that the Uchiha and Uzumaki bonded so well. From his own perspective, their union was inevitable.
It was that it happened so fast, so unpredictably, and the fact that he didn't do anything to stop it that made his own hands so filthy with soot from the ashes of repercussion. Even now, watching the pure and simply childish innocence in the child as his eyes bounced from stand to stand, the colours overriding his young senses resulting in what to honest goodness was joy, made his innards coil in pathetic regret.
They all ought to be ashamed of themselves.
He's fucking bored are his initial thoughts.
Scratch that. He was hungry and fucking bored. For that matter, he fucking hated tea and all the shitty little flowers clogging up his nostrils. He really, really, really hates the fact that Sasuke won't let him kill anyone cause if he could mangle anyone at this one particular moment, it'd be Karin in her glorified bitchiness.
Fucking hell, if she wasn't so useful he definitely would have ripped her pretty little head off and fucked her senseless. He's not quite sure in what order and in all honesty, it depended on what mood he'd be in. Also, he'd have to make sure Sasuke wouldn't be in a ten km radius cause that freakishly hypersensitive bastard would most definitely sense his thoughts in a heartbeat.
Fuck, if he didn't respect the stuck up ice princess so much, he would have killed him too. But not Juugo. Juugo was monstrously crazy and he'll never admit it… but god fucking dammit he never wanted to fight that lunatic again. Not that he couldn't take him, but because too much hyper mania made his head hurt.
And man, looking at all these little fucking kids running their assess off in ridiculous circles; chasing those disgustingly multi-coloured flowers was like watching cockroaches on crack. Amusing for a while before exhausting your eyes with the high levels of 'retarded' stinkin' up the air.
He really fucking hates Karin for convincing Sasuke to spend a day or two at the festival, claiming that it would help them 'blend in more'. The fuck did that woman know about keeping out of sight? For that matter alone, how the hell did she convince the Uchiha to actually take a three day break?! She couldn't have done it with her body… she was too ugly for that.
Well, Uchiha was fucking crazy anyways, so who knows what made him decide to stay in Cha no Kuni during the stupid tea festival? Yet, as much as he 'adores' his highness, Princess Uchiha, he really wants to live to see tomorrow and should get around to scouting the area before the raven decided to burn his ass.
And speaking of strange things, there was something strange catching his eye.
Amongst the little crowd of children playing and dancing, there was a certain boy that had immediately perked his dulled interest. Sure, there were a lot of dark haired little bitches running around like raving lunatics, but this kid… this kid had a certain aesthetic to him that was oddly familiar. In fact… the very way those thick strips of gently spiking hair and the sharp slope of his nose… no… it wasn't possible.
He slips out undetected, pulling the black hood down over his face in hopes of not drawing an unnecessary amount of attention, despite the fact that his gorgeous eyes and totally awesome white hair are a dead give away from the norm… and shit, if he was drawing attention to himself Sasuke's torture session would be even worse and last time he pissed the Uchiha off.
He had been stuck inside a water bottle for a week…
No fucking way… he must be high off of the fucking flowers because there was no way that… fuck he was probably just jumping to conclusions, yea, just some overly paranoid conclusions. But well… damn the Uchiha wasn't asexual and whipped his dick out every now and then, but he was the most cautious human in the entire fucking world. There was just no logical explanation, but ugh… the albino could start feeling his unexplainable loyalty begin to get the better of him… and… and better safe than sorry…. Right?
Cause sorry would mean being brutally butchered by an angry Uchiha.
Hardened eyes scan for the mentioned target within the vast crowd of dancers and travelers, enjoying the festivities and shielding the object of his most current annoyance. He'll admit, at the sight of whishing hair that is not so much the common dark brown, but an ebony as black as his own, sparks paranoid suspicion and cautious disbelief.
Maybe, Suigetsu wasn't as big an idiot as he seemed… in which case he really does hope the aquatic being was simply being overcautious.
The repercussions of this truth… he doesn't even want to think about it.
Just like he doesn't think to activate his Sharringan. It instinctively takes a pinwheel form and spins furiously, the heavy hood of his cloak obscuring his glowing orbs. It's child's play for him to pick apart the masses of chakra in the crowd, the different colours and auras until his vision settles upon the young boy.
Blue.
Electrifying lightning blue, dancing wildly amongst the little flower girls. This mix… is not unfamiliar to him.
Strong and bolting in zips of voltage yet a darker cerulean, resembling that of…
The unexplainable rush of bile burning up his throat makes him weak to his knees. He wants to deny it, cursing himself for being so analytical and jumping to conclusions. Just because the abomination of a mix was so similar to that of his own and Naruto's did not have to mean anything. In fact, it didn't mean anything.
Until he sees her.
Well, her dark blue chakra, as it mingles in a reaction of motherly instinct over the much younger chakra. He didn't think he'd see her here. In fact, he's shocked that she's not charging after his carefully hidden trail and raving about bonds and friendship that were severed long ago. It's a cruel irony of sorts.
With a sick fascination he watches the scene unravel, eyes suctioned to the scene of his old teammate hoisting the younger up to spin him wildly. It's an alien sight, as Naruto always had a love/hate relationship with children. Her inferiority complex would always get the better of her and she definitely didn't give a shit about their well being. For fuck sake, she taught that other little brat (the Sandaime's grandson?) the meaning of sex and exposed the idiot to pornography at the age of eight.
It's definitely an illusion, or at least, he wishes for it to be. The last memory he had of her was only months prior, weak and fighting as if nothing had changed. He had seen the darkness inside of her and could only wonder if that had affected anything at all since clearly, Ms. Sunshine was going through a solar eclipse.
He froze in a suspended state of shock, calculations and reasoning scattering through his brain for a possible explanation of events that could have lead to this even happening… was it during his last week in Konoha? Surely they had been too young… she couldn't have been able to be impregnated during the quick tryst they had shared to his mortifying embarrassment.
Two weeks later he had shoved a Chidori through her chest.
He was beginning to draw attention to himself.
He feels it before he sees the old white buffoon pull the blonde to the side, his lips mouthing in a haphazard silence,
Watched… not safe…. Enough for today….
It was his cue to flicker away, beat the shit out of Suigetsu, and get this twisting emotions out of his gut since this… this was too much to process at once.
The chakra was blue. Electrifying like his, dark are pronounced like hers.
There was no doubt that it was theirs.
The twilight began to age when she comes out of the hotel to breath. Jiraya was going to have a hissy fit when she came back, but for now, she needs to teach herself how to breathe again.
Festive light are dimly glowing in the scattered lanterns and some late night partying can be heard from the distance. The distinctive clapping, the vibration of the ground from the dancing, and the sweetened odor of tea lingering from freshly boiled pots. Flowers are gently fluttering down from the heights of the baskets tied to the tops of balconies, buildings, and stands whenever the wind would decided to swoop in quickly and mystify the night.
It's at times like this where her mind lingers to him.
She can't help but imagine what it would be like if Ryoku hadn't been born, if Sasuke was still in Konoha, or if they could all be reunited at one point. She highly doubts that dream will ever become a reality, and she'll be lucky if Ryoku never ever finds out that he is an Uchiha. It was foolish, she knew, but that bridge could stay the hell away from her for at least ten years. Maybe in that time, Sasuke would be finished with his revenge, would come back home, and start life with them again.
If he would even accept their child and the thought makes her squeamish with discomfort. None of her wishes ever did become true. Not without panic, tears, and blood. So much blood…
"I wonder," she whispers to herself, hands shoved deeply within the pockets of her pants. "If you'll ever know, how much I think about you and wonder, just what the hell you'll do next."
"Currently, I'm not so sure myself, but you were always good at fucking everything up."
He's strangling her before she can whip her head around, bulging demon eyes glowing to reveal an ugly sneer. He pulls out his kusangi and she deflects it in a heartbeat, pushing him off of her before throwing a few shuriken in a vain attempt to distance herself away from him. He easily maneuvers between them before charging at her with full force. They begin a deadly dance.
They've never been good at communicating with words and they only ever seem to come to an understanding when physically attempting to destroy each other. It's also the only time she'd be able to read his emotions.
There's an unmistakable panicked rage in his movements, masked by flawless skill before he shockingly stops, pushing her back before taking a few steps back of his own.
The wind slopes again, petals scurrying out of their homes and into the air as the flickering flames within the lamps are blown out. Darkened silence embraces them like an old friend.
"It's mine," he states, her shock filtering through what she could possibly say back to his obvious statement. She's imagined this conversation thousands of times before yet to actually have it, leaves her disturbingly speechless.
"It doesn't have to be," she whispers.
"It's mine."
"Only biologically."
Her swelling pain and attempt of keeping him distanced and collected is all in vain.
Uchiha Sasuke is furious.
"Is this why you cannot cease this tireless hunting?" demanding and enraged, she's at a loss of words to see him so decomposed. "Did you plan for this? A brilliant idea to tie me down to Konoha? To bring me back?!"
She's frozen, mouth hanging by the hinges of her jaw in a tremble as he storms up to her face, hoisting her up by the scuff of her shirt.
"This doesn't change anything," he hisses with scorching dragon breath. "I will not be returning to Konoha, do you understand?"
She doesn't even nod before she's dropped, his celestial form turning around and taking a few steps forward.
"Don't follow me again, Naruto."
She's never felt more weak in her entire life than she did at that moment, crumbling down to the ground as she watches him walk away from her again.
Things would never change.
Suigetsu admits he's a little more than shocked when his deranged leader has him pressed against a tree, hand encompassing his neck in a deadly hold. He doesn't even think to escape at the sight of wildly spinning eyes.
"You don't fucking tell anyone about what you saw today, understand? No one is to know and if you even breath a whisper to anyone, I'll gut you like the fish you are. Understand?"
He can't help but be unnecessarily cheeky in a situation as catastrophically secret and juicy as this.
"So it was true?"
He doesn't receive a reply. Just the sight of chaotically disturbed eyes.
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A/N: Music playlist for this song:
: / / w w w . youtube playlist ? list = PL5k oNmy wK7 amD7 BbpP PtT2o zRk Jmi Eyg-
(just take out the spaces)
Footnotes:
(1) Cha No Kuni – Land of Tea
(2) Kaa – chan – informal; mom
(3) Jiichan – informal; grandfather
(4) Yodaime – fourth
(5) Sandaime – third