Author's Note: This is our second stab at a drabble series, since our first was so well recieved. We will try to get a set of three up at least every week. Enjoy. Oh, and we don't own Naruto, in case you didn't know.
X, F, and O
Minato paced the floors of the Hokage office, an anxious expression on his face. The town had just faced another attack by the Nine Tails. The causalities, both civilian and shinobi, were growing every day. The names of the dead lay wrapped in a scroll, one of the many scrolls littering his desk. Even just looking in that direction made him queasy.
The pressure was getting to him. He hadn't slept for days, his hair was standing on end from the countless pulling it had gone through, and his head felt like it was about to split apart from the constant headaches. He'd always considered himself a good, brave man. He cared about his people; he fought for his people; he'd lay down his life for his people. But now they were facing an un-fightable enemy, and he could do nothing. His people were dying in droves and all he could do was watch.
He hurried back to his desk, shoving scrolls off the desk in his search for a single aged scroll, tied with a green ribbon. Sliding the ribbon off the scroll, he opened it up, re-reading it yet again. His mouth formed the words on the page over and over, his brain registering and refusing the horrible concept the scroll brought to life.
A head poked in the doorway, informing him that his lover had gone into labor. He dismissed the medic, stating that he'd be right there. He bowed his head with a sigh, tears welling up in his eyes and dripping down off his nose. There was no other way. It was truly the ultimate sacrifice, the life of his own gone, and that of his unborn child's ruined. He placed the scroll on his desk and wiped the tears away. He knew what had to be done. He would protect his own. All of his own. He was ready.