The Scarlet Spring
Prologue
Her father often reminds her of a storm.
She can't really explain why. It's not because he is dangerous – although he is; he is Uchiha Sasuke, a dangerously powerful shinobi with a big reputation, she knows. It's not because he frightens her, either – not always, at least; and not in a bad way.
Maybe it's because of his presence. It is like roaring thunder: impossible to ignore or suppress. He is also mysterious and gloomy, like a dark sky full of clouds, and at times comforting, like the rain. But she knows it's not only that. There is something beyond all that, something... overwhelming. Scary, yet beautiful. Unsettling, yet inspiring. Chaotic, yet soothing.
Her father, she thinks, is sublime.
She wonders if she is sublime, too, at least a little. She is, after all, his one and only child, the sole inheritor of his legacy – a legacy drenched in blood and tears, and in raw, natural power. People say she is just like him all the time. They say she has his dark, cold eyes, even despite the fact that the shape of them is definitely her mother's. Also her hair, her nose, her ears, as well as her smirk, her glare, and some other gestures – they are all his. But she wonders – truly and earnestly – if their similarities go beyond the physical appearance, or even a few personality traits.
She wonders, more often than she should, if she is, or can be some day, as sublime like him.
She doesn't want to, though. She doesn't need to. Merely, she wonders not with longing, but... with fear.
Being his daughter is both a blessing and a curse, she thinks. Having his name and his blood in her veins makes her special in the eyes of many, principally because of her abilities, her eyes, her potential. However, he is a man with a stained, though redeemed, soul. He committed many sins, although she doesn't consider them sins, just mistakes. They were dark, dark mistakes, though. He almost got lost because of them. She has heard the stories, though not all of them. Every time she does, she fears. She fears for her father – her dear, dear Papa – even if she knows everything turns out okay. She fears for what could have been; for what would never be. She fears him: his past self, at least.
But mostly, she fears for herself. She fears that curse that is said to run through her veins, just like it did in Papa's and in some of her ancestors'. The Curse of Hate. Papa was saved from it. What if she isn't? What if it kills her? And who will be to blame?
Fear: that is the essence of her mixed feelings towards the man who gave life to her. Fear of the person he once was. Fear of losing him. Fear of making the same mistakes he did. Fear of not being good enough to be called his daughter. Fear of fearing him too much.
She wishes she could speak to him about it. She wishes she could tell him everything, so that he could clear her doubts, give her advise, comfort her, tell her it's all going to be okay. She wishes he would speak to her like that. She often needs him to.
But he... he is he. He is Sasuke Uchiha. He never says enough. He always feels too much. And, in that way, she is just like him indeed.