After over a year and many Naruto fics, I finally pick up to begin the first of this series, and already I have "The Winds of Spring" and "Bamboo Woods". This is the prequel to them both, so it's not recommended to read them before this. Named after yet another YouTube composition piece by one of the Fiechter brothers. Perhaps it's tiring to say this by now, but it's in case someone doesn't know.

This is the story of the beginning of the love between Itachi and Hanaru, and how a long-hidden enemy returns to cause them all mayhem (if anyone did read the two sequels already, then you already know WHO it is).

Disclaimer: Hanaru belongs to me (and my man, the true Naruto nerd), but the rest of the characters and story are property of Masashi Kishimoto himself.

Prologue

Blossoms on a Bloody Night

Wide blue eyes looked up at him, frightened and confused. For a moment, he considered relenting and just taking her with him so they could do this as a family - but Lord Third and his wife insisted that a young child should not be involved in this, and he agreed, being a father and going to be for a second time. When this was over, he would come back and retrieve her so she could see her new baby brother or sister.

When he and Kushina told their little girl she was going to be a big sister, she was all but ecstatic and jumping around the apartment that even Jiraiya-sensei had to guffaw and joke that they had another loudmouth in the family coming - which earned the threat of a punch from Kushina, and it was not just the new pregnancy hormones, mind you. In fact, they planned to also name the kid after the main character in his master and father figure's book. Naruto - the name he randomly imagined while fasting on ramen one day. But what else would it be? The tale told of a ninja with all the guts he could have...

...something he planned to pass on to both his children himself.

Maybe this new one will have red hair like their mother. One version of me already, so why not another of Kushina, just to make her happy? But in the end, genes ruled over your wishes. Minato couldn't care what his children looked like, either way. Hanaru was his pride and joy, and so would her new brother or sister.

He locked eyes with the other, with one eye revealed and the other covered by the mask - the last of his students who was consumed by darkness, but whom he believed could protect this little one with his life. "Kakashi...look after her until I come back," Minato said firmly, and the other man nodded.

"Anything for you and Kushina, Minato-sensei."

Little did the Yellow Flash know that would be the last time he saw his daughter. And Kushina would never have the chance for her final time.

Her family was skilled with sealing jutsu, which he'd learned in his days himself, and the Uzumaki clan had been very close with the Leaf Village, though many of them dispersed over the Five Great Nations. Kushina...the first time he saw her...her fiery red hair and temper which she used as a weapon against bullies who gave her the nickname "Tomato" in their Academy days. He saw it all from a distance.

He had saved her when she was abducted by Cloud ninja. He saved her after standing by for far too long. That was the start of their love, their passion...and their partnership lasting which led him to becoming Hokage.

She was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails. He didn't care about that. He just loved her for her. She wasn't treated as a human being early on, so how could she be so positive, you would ask? Her will was strong to overcome anything. It was love that overcame hate.

However, being a female vessel came with a great risk. She had a powerful chakra force that suppressed the fox demon, but there was one great moment of weakness: in the nine months of pregnancy, the energy for the seal would be transferred to the unborn as it grew. Someone with the potential to keep the seal intact after the stress of childbirth had to be there.

They had a wonderful daughter already, and now this one coming tonight. October tenth...

He could not have little Hana-chan present during this ritual. She was too young to be traumatized like this.

On Sarutobi's orders, Kushina was moved into this cave, protected by a barrier from outsiders and guarded by a handful of ANBU Black Ops. This barrier would keep the Nine-Tailed Fox inside in case it ever did escape the weakened seal. So far, everything was going according to plan, and it was a closely guarded secret between him and his koishii, Hiruzen and his wife who was a trustworthy medical ninja. This had happened three years prior when Hanaru was born, so at the time, they had both been nervous - but not this time.

Although, at the back of their minds, there might be a slim chance that the beast could get out.

It took so many more hours, if less than with Hanaru...but in the end, there was the powerful cry of a newborn.

The tears escaped Minato Namikaze with the joy. "I'm...I'm a father again," he croaked out as the beautiful boy with his hair, cherubic cheeks whiskered faintly, was brought over to be placed beside his exhausted mother.

"Naruto," Kushina breathed out, "we finally meet..."

He remembered the time when his sister first came along, and then she was supposed to have been born earlier this month, so she'd come sooner than expected that the preparations had to be rushed. It was a miracle they got here in time. And then he had no idea that the MOTHER was allowed to see the baby first, which Lady Biwaku scolded him over and nearly struck him for so he would do well to remember. When she took the child away to be cleansed, Kushina had been so exhausted, but the seal had to be reset. The deed was done then, but now...

He didn't get his chance before he heard sharp exclamations, followed by the sounds of bodies falling. Whirling around, Minato was appalled when he saw the source: "LADY BIWAKU!" The woman and her assistant fell dying to the tiled floor - and above them was a man cloaked in black, but his face covered by a swirling mask of orange, the only hole for his right eye showing only depthless, soulless black. "Who are you?!" he demanded.

The mysterious intruder deadpanned. "Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze...step away from the Jinchuuriki, or this child will die after its first minute." Naruto was in his arms, crying.

NARUTO! He seethed with righteous fury. How dare you come here, threaten my son and -! "Hurry up and step away from her...or do you not care about this little brat...and the other who is not present?" Alarm flared within him at the sight of his newborn son being thrown into the air, a kunai from his enemy unsheathed, and his body threw itself forward, paternal instincts kicking in.

"Minato! NARUTO!" Kushina screamed. The markings of the seal appeared on her body. He was running out of time - and she harshly pointed out why. "PAPER BOMBS!"

The Flying Raijin was his best solution. Within moments, he and Naruto were safely away, and the bombs were dispersed in no time. That masked man forced him to do this, to get away with his child...so he could get to Kushina. He wants the Nine-Tails.

Minato found himself cradling Naruto and surrounded by the forest not far away from the cave. Several ANBU lay dead in the distance. Whoever this masked demon was, he was exceedingly discreet.

Momentarily, he was distracted by the sight of the glowing flowers in the distance. The yūgao - or moonflowers - were in bloom, full as the moon above. Opening as soon as the sun set, and closing when it rose for a new day. A few were in pink, but the white was the one to receive attention. The irony, Minato thought as he quickly left the site to bring his boy to safety, knowing there was no time to return for his daughter who was safely in Kakashi Hatake's guidance.

He was going back for his wife.

~o~

It's a full moon tonight. The flowers of the name are in bloom.

He sat on the porch of the compound, cradling the precious bundle that was his baby brother in his arms. The light wind picked up, making his hair flutter. The infant whimpered a little as if sensing something was going to happen. Their parents were away for the night, so it was just the two of them. Cradling this joy gave him a sense of peace and stability.

Itachi had a feeling the time was getting close to put the little one down to sleep. He'd just fed and changed him, and rocked him while singing the lullaby their mother sang to them. Now some fresh air on a peaceful moonlit night would do the final trick. Sitting on the rooftop wouldn't be safe if he accidentally dropped his brother. Smiling, the elder brother looked down at the child who began to cry when the wind picked up. It was too cold now, but he was used to it. "Don't worry, Sasuke," he said softly, pressing his lips to the smooth, round forehead. "No matter what happens, your big brother will always protect you."

Just then, the howl picked up viciously. The red bells were going off in his brain. Lifting his head, Itachi in time saw an impact strike him above, and within moments, he was on his feet with Sasuke in his arms, running through the corridors of their home. What was this, a natural disaster? It was too brutal and abrupt to be an earthquake...and they were not at war...

~o~

"Awww, come on, Kakashi!" Gai whined, making the masked man roll his one eye when his back was turned. "You're my lifelong rival! You're not seriously going to let a babysitting job keep you away from us!"

He exhaled sharply. To be seen walking with the heavy little girl that his mentor had left for the night - it was not a sight that you saw of the Copy Ninja every day. But Minato-sensei insisted; his wife needed him because she was going to give birth to their second child. No one else was to know, and Kakashi Hatake had to keep this information to himself. So, he was left with the sweet little girl who made him a little uncomfortable - but she looked up at him with wide, innocent blue eyes, which she inherited from her father.

There was a small warmth inside of him that made him feel even more unsettled. "Gai," he said, half impatient, "I have to watch Hanaru here. I made a promise to Lord Hokage."

The face of his "eternal rival" fell with dismay, before it was cut off when there was a great roar in the distance. It wasn't long after that a massive gust of wind sent them all off their feet - but Kakashi was on all fours, or rather threes, with little Hanaru whimpering and holding onto him around his neck. She blubbered and buried her face into his neck. "'Kashi," she whispered, "what was that?"

He exhaled, the pressure making his mask flare a little. "I don't know..." And the answer came in time with someone's screams.

"IT'S THE NINE-TAILS!"

Kakashi's harsh breath hitched when he looked beyond with everyone else - fellow Shinobi and civilian alike - at the thing ahead in the distance. It was a great beast, an animal of abnormal size...a fox. And not just any fox. The creature had nine tails wildly flailing about. No, this was the Nine-Tailed Demon. Which meant that...someone must have extracted the monster from Kushina's seal and set it loose upon the village - HIS village. The mother of this child in his arms was in severe danger, possibly dead, if the beast was removed from her body. Minato-sensei, please protect the village. He did not doubt his former mentor, but to go up against the monster crushing homes, stores and tall buildings as well as stomping on any living thing in its path, roaring to the heavens - it would mean he might die tonight.

Which would leave the girl and her newborn brother or sister orphans.

Then the orders of Lord Third Sarutobi came: all ANBU and Shinobi were to go on to the attack against the monster, but handfuls were to stay and protect the civilians. Gai wanted to go out there and aid in the fight with all his "youthful passion", but Kakashi sternly told him they were ordered to stay and protect the citizens...and that included the one who was crying for both her parents. The silver-haired ninja sighed and closed both of his eyes, shaking his head as he continued to carry her as he aided in rounding up the civilians for shelter.

"Mama," Hanaru whimpered, snuggling into him. "Papa...baby brother..."

~o~

There was no other choice. He had to do this if it meant their child had to suffer for this.

He brought himself, Kushina and Naruto back out into the woods, where the moonlight flora was still glowing. He had before left them at home, but summoning Gamabunta to restrain the Kyuubi was limited compared to the massive amount of power the kitsune fiend possessed. He'd assessed there had been enough damage done to their home.

The masked man he fought - the one who manipulated the demon to this mayhem -

The Nine-Tails was not that far away, and soon it would spot them again. He had to hurry. His life would be taken for the sake of his village he loved so much - but it would also be burdened on their children...especially Naruto's. Hanaru was out of the question, not to be cruel, because she was away from this involvement, and her brother was the only one available. He didn't want to do this...

With help from Kushina's chain lock from her back, the demon had been captured and held in place. For now. "Minato," Kushina gasped as she laid their son on the grass. He hadn't cried again despite everything happening around him. Babies were sensory as animals were. "What are you going to do now?"

He sighed sharply. She would hate him for this, and he would gladly take it. "I'm going to need your help, Kushina. We are going to seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto." And as predicted, fury crossed her sweet but strong face.

"He's our son - why would you wish on him such a heavy burden?! If you're doing this for me, and for our daughter, I don't want it! I want nothing to do with it!" she shouted, then flinched and doubled over, coughing up a little more blood. Minato looked down at the ground, but at Naruto specifically. He couldn't answer; he didn't deserve an answer for her, because she already knew it. But if she could survive being a Jinchuuriki, then someone would be there for him and help him love. There was one person they both knew who could do that, if she wasn't here to see all of this.

But Hanaru wouldn't be all there was. Naruto needed more to aid him - the BOTH of them would need all the adoration they could get, if one of them was marked for life.

~o~

Blood from Minato and Kushina spattered on a few of the pure white blossoms, which were still in bloom when reinforcements arrived.

The bodies of the Fourth Hokage and his wife lay there - and the infant boy who looked like his father and had been born on this night lay there squirming and crying, displaying the seal visible to Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. The old man looked on in shocked horror at the sight as he realized what had happened...and even more when he saw she was still alive enough to cough out: "...Sarutobi...watch over him...and Hanaru..."

He remembered her little girl, Hanaru, but if the child was not here, then that meant she had been placed in someone's care as he had asked Minato. He would find her when the mess had been cleaned up.

"Kushina," Sarutobi pleaded as he helped her half-sit up, "what is his name?"

"N-Naruto," she whispered, before the last gasp of air escaped her, and she died in his arms.

The whimpers of the baby couldn't bring him out of his momentary shock until one of the ANBU spoke to him that they had to take the bodies away. But this meant that they had a serious price to pay with this child's life - and that meant his way of living. The young girl would one day learn her baby brother had been "sacrificed" for the sake of this village, and both her parents gave their lives to take down the Nine-Tails. It was a burden they would both have to bear. Hiruzen sighed sharply and shook his head as he let Kushina's corpse and her husband's be taken away, and he did the honor of picking up the baby.

Later, he met up with Kakashi Hatake, who in fact had the young Hanaru with him. She looked up at him, with her father's eyes set within her mother's face. He loathed to do this to her. When he told her that her mother and father weren't coming back for her and her brother, she fell back into Kakashi's arms and wailed in heartbreak and grief.

In terms of what flowers could be in bloom - as a symbolism and metaphor in one for this story - I decided that this could be the actual Moonflower which exists, but I don't know if Japan actually has them. They indeed blossom as soon as it's dark and then close when the sun rises. They come in colors of pink or white. I even found out they grow in summer, so maybe fate wanted them to continue until Naruto's birthday.

Symbolic meanings of the moonflower: besides glowing like the full moon, it represents the mythical move of the sun and moon, and as a symbol of delicate femininity as well as corresponds to chakra. It can also mean dreams of love.

I'm still crying. :'( Do I have to explain why? Minato and Kushina's sacrifices - in the name of love - for their village and their son, with a daughter now in the picture, are self-explanatory. It was an honor to bring it to life again by my hand.

Review please. :')