Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 1: The Sanctity of A Mother's Embrace
"Mama! Mama! I did it! I got to the top of the tree this time without your help, and I got the biggest apples ever!"
Kushina quickly put on a bright smile as the small boy rushed into the room with his arms full of apples. He placed them on the bed beside her and scurried up the side, giggling as he sat before her. He was so small for a four year old. His yukata was large on him, falling off of one shoulder. She even had to stitch up the bottoms so he wouldn't slip on them all the time.
"See? This one is for you. It's shaped like a heart!" He outstretched the red apple to her, his blue eyes peeking over as he waited for her approval.
"That's wonderful, Naruto," she said brightly, causing his eyes to brighten as she accepted the apple from him. He took his own as she lifted her unnaturally pale hand, gently caressing his furry ears as his tail swayed excitedly to mimic his chattering about his adventures out in the woods.
Her son had the blood of a fox demon in him.
She had been completely shocked when she had given birth to the boy with his golden ears and white tipped tail. He looked like his father, yes, but she would have never suspected such a thing to happen. She had believed the tales about the animal demons lurking in the woods were only fables, meant to enchant children with the unknown so that they would no longer fear the forest life that surrounded their homes.
After he had been born she had tried her hardest to hide his ears in hats and tail in his bottoms, but it had been too hard, and when someone nearly got a glimpse of him, she had retreated to the woods in the middle of the night and taken to an abandoned house there. Getting it back into shape by herself had been difficult, but somehow she managed, and Naruto had grown believing that his ears and tail were nothing out of the ordinary.
"Mama? Did chu heawr?" He attempted to speak around the apple in his mouth as his ears twitched curiously and he swallowed heavily. "You look tired, Mama."
Kushina quickly smiled once more. "I'm completely fine. Why don't you tell me about what else happened today?" Naruto frowned, but soon he moved to rest at her side and relay his stories to her until he soon fell asleep.
Only then did Kushina submit to the pain that filled her aching chest.
-A Thousand Years To Come-
He didn't know why, but his Mama never got out of bed anymore.
Naruto as curious as to why as he peeked at his sleeping mother from the side of the bed, his ears drooping as her breathing remained labored and sweat ran down her face. He often woke earlier than she did and found her this way, but he had never had the courage to ask why. He didn't want to upset her and accidentally make her worse.
So he tried his hardest to stay quiet and let her rest. Maybe that would get rid of the dark circles under her eyes.
His eyes widened slightly when she shifted, the boy relaxing again when she remained asleep. Perhaps if she ate something other than apples she wouldn't be so pale. Then her cheeks would turn red when she smiled again.
He grew excited at the thought. Surely, that would make her happy!
Naruto quickly and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind him before he grabbed his mother's gathering basket and headed into the bright forest surrounding their home. He liked going outside in the morning the most, where there was only him, the birds, and the tiny critters that waited for him to find them in their burrows and tree trunks.
His eyes brightened when he found a patch of plants growing in the wild. "Vegetables!" He rushed over and began sniffing at each green growing from the ground. He found a ripe one!
He gripped the plant and pulled with all his might before he fell on his behind, coming away with a sweet onion. He didn't know if his Mama liked them, but he'd take a few and look for more.
His nose was his greatest asset. They led him to berries and fruit trees and vegetables his mother used to pick all the time before she stopped going out. When he reached his limit in weight, Naruto decided that it was time to head back home. He met a few animals along the way: rabbits to share his carrots with and squirrels snooping around his berries. Naruto didn't mind sharing, but sometimes he wondered if they were listening to what he had to say or were just following him for food.
When he made it back he carried the basket into his home and headed straight for his mother's room, where she released a relieved sigh at the sight of him.
"I told you not to leave without telling me. I was worried sick about you." He quickened his step as he sat the basket on the floor.
"But I wanted to get you better food. I thought that it would make you feel better so that your face will turn red again when you smile and the circles will go away And your pretty red hair will be bright again." He gestured to under his eyes for emphasis making Kushina fighting a frown. She should have known that he would notice. Naruto was a smart child.
She began to speak, but her words were caught in her throat when a rough cough erupted form her chest. Naruto watched wide-eyed as her body shook with the force of the movement, her hand covering her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. He gasped when he saw red running through her fingers.
"Mama!"
"Don't worry—" She was cut off once more. "Leave the room, Naruto. I'm alright."
Despite her reassurances through her coughing, Naruto couldn't look away as he watched the dark red substance leave her hands and drip down onto the blankets, increasing by the second. His Mama was sick. That was why she looked so bad.
"Mama, what do I do? What do I do, Mama?" His chest heaved in fear. Was there anything he could do? He had never been placed in a situation like this. It had never crossed his mind that it could happen at all.
"Water. Bring me water, Naruto." Her demand calmed him slightly. Now he knew what to do in the future. The small boy raced out of the room and out to the front of their home where the small water spout resided. He pumped the valve with all the strength he could muster, his vision blurring with tears as he filled the bucket beside him halfway before hefting its weight and racing back inside.
Upon his arrival he found the bedroom door closed. Hadn't he left it open?
"Mama?" He tried to push the door open, but it wouldn't budge. His breathing quickened as his tears came faster and the bucket slipped from his hands. "Mama! The door! Hurry!"
No matter how hard he tried to push the door open it wouldn't budge, as if something had placed itself before it. He hadn't realized that he had wet himself in fear, his thoughts filled with how he had failed his mother.
"Naruto…listen to me." His breath caught in his throat at his mother's hoarse voice from the opposite side of the door.
"Mama…"
"I want you to do something for me. You have to leave." His eyes widened as his sobs broke through, but she didn't stop speaking. "Do you remember the place I told you to stay away from?"
The small boy had to swallow hard to find his voice. "The bad village?"
"Yes, Naruto. I told you that it was bad, but I just wanted to keep you safe. Some people there wouldn't be kind to a child like you. That's why I warned you so many times..., but I want you to go there and ask for a woman named Tsunade. Hide your ears and tail until you find her, and I want you to stay with her. Don't come back here anymore, and everything will be all right. Don't try to come into this room, and don't let anything get you down. You'll grow up to be strong and I'll always be with you, even if you never see me in person."
"But…but why? I thought you wanted me to help you, Mama…"
"Don't cry anymore, Naruto. If you do as I say, you'll help me more than needed."
Despite her words he couldn't move an inch. Leave her here? Forever…?
Despite his silence she knew that he was still there. Through her shuddering breaths she spoke one more time.
"Listen, Naruto. There are some important words I want to tell, only to the men who compliment my hair… Naruto…will you hear them?" He rubbed at his eyes, with the sleeves of his yukata, waiting for her to continue.
"I love you.Thank you for letting me be your mother. Thank you for being my son. Thank you…"
It felt as if his world had crashed down around him, as if he saw everything for as it was for the first time in his life. Why was she saying this now? Was this her way of saying goodbye…?
"…I love you too, Mama…"
There was no response.
With tears born anew, Naruto ran from the house, not once looking back as the woods accepted him into the melancholy darkness that shielded his gaze from the reality surrounding him.
