a/n: I watched Wolf Children the other day, and this came to mind. "Mother's Song" plays during the end credits. You can find it on YouTube.
Mother's Song
Uzumaki Kushina, staring up at the starlit sky, softly stroked her swollen belly. Never in her life had she been as happy as she was now. She had a husband—a best friend—whom she was proud of, the Hokage of Konohagakure. Namikaze Minato was a man she'd known since childhood. While at first they hadn't gotten along, she'd come to love him very much after that incident. Though she hadn't been aloud to speak of it, she'd been targeted by ninja from the Cloud Village because she was a jinchuuriki. As a mother, she often wondered how being the vessel for the kyuubi would affect her child. The council was already keeping a close watch on her these days, especially with the due date fast approaching. Though she wasn't terribly worried about it, she knew that childbirth would leave her vulnerable, and even if she didn't have a very amicable relationship with the demon fox, Kushina had always been able to keep it tightly under her control. After all, she was an Uzumaki. It's why she'd been brought to this village.
This child she had inside her wouldn't grow up an outsider like her. He (she felt it was a boy from the overly restless movements the baby made) would grow up with friends and two parents who adored him. Kushina was proud to be a kunoichi, but at the same time, she'd always longed in her heart to be a wife and a mother. It didn't mean she was no longer a ninja, but after so much death and destruction, this was a chance for her and Minato to put something back into this world. Something beautiful that would grow instead of rot and decay.
"What do you think?" She asked the child inside her. "Will your dad be home late again tonight? Should we wait, or should I try putting you to bed?"
In response, the baby gave her side a swift kick.
"Ow!" She poked the side of her stomach, and in a teasing voice replied to him: "At least we can guess you'll be skilled at taijutsu. Minato will be happy about that."
Taking one last wistful look at the sky, Kushina slid the shoji door shut.
"I'm craving… something salty."
Kushina shuffled into the kitchen, where she opened the refrigerator door and scanned the contents, hoping for something that could allay her cravings.
"I wonder how long it takes a woman to lose all this baby weight after giving birth," she muttered while searching through all of the healthy food for something unhealthy. "Your father insists on me eating well, so he always buys these strange things and won't let me have sweets."
Unable to find anything besides herbs, vegetables, and fruit, Kushina shut the refrigerator door. Minato had cleaned the kitchen before leaving, so everything was spotless. Though she was happy to do the household chores, she was a lot more clumsy at it than Minato. It was embarrassing for her, as a woman, but her husband wasn't like a lot of men. He'd always treated her as an equal, something she loved about him and hoped their son would inherit.
Kushina giggled at the thought.
Was it too soon for her to be thinking about the kind of woman her son might like or even marry one day? She would want such a person to be strong… but kind. A sense of humor would be nice, too. Would he be born with her bright red hair or Minato's light-colored locks? She hadn't liked her red hair as a child, but now she'd grown accustomed to it. She hoped, too, that he would inherit Minato's eyes, which were a lighter, clearer shade of blue than hers—like the waters surrounding her childhood home in the Land of Whirlpools. At least before war had torn her homeland apart. She thought things were very different now from then, and while the world wasn't perfect, was it okay to hope her child might one day see peace? Isn't that what they'd been fighting for all of these years? Sometimes she wasn't sure and, despite the fact her husband was Hokage, she often didn't like to speak at length of politics.
It often angered her, and she already knew she had quite the terrible temper.
"Don't inherit that from your mother," Kushina remarked insistently while switching off the kitchen lights. "Girls won't like a boy with a bad temper." As an afterthought she added: "You should always be kind to women. Kind to children. Kind to people in need. Even people who are mean to you because they could be hurting somewhere you can't see. Ne, Naruto?"
Kushina giggled again, stroking her belly as she ambled down the hall. She stopped in the doorway of the nursery, eyeing the crib Minato had recently put together. It had been so funny that day, watching her husband and his former sensei put it together!
Although Jiraiya-sensei was a funny (and sometimes perverted) older man, Kushina was very fond of him, as was Minato. It was hard to imagine such a man teaching her very modest, mild-mannered husband. When she'd seen them at the training grounds, it always appeared as if Minato was the one lecturing Jiraiya-sensei. Nowadays, the sannin rarely visited the village, and, instead, travelled for long periods of time. She and Minato had already decided that they would like him to be Naruto's godfather. However, they hadn't yet told him they'd chosen a name for the baby; Minato wanted to honor his teacher by naming their child after the hero of Jiraiya-sensei's new book (well, only if it really did turn out they were having a boy).
"Should we take a seat in your new rocking chair?" Kushina asked, shuffling into the room.
At first, she'd wanted to paint the room an obscenely bright color, but Minato had convinced her to pick something more neutral. Maybe he was right because the sea green color had a very calming effect. Holding a hand to her lower back, Kushina carefully took a seat in the rocking chair. They lived on the highest floor, so she had a wonderful view of the village.
Kushina leaned forward and slid the curtain aside. From here, she could see the Hokage Tower.
"That way when I'm rocking you at night, we can keep an eye on your father." She smiled. "Don't you think, Naruto? That he might get into trouble if we don't keep an eye on him?"
She began to hum while rocking back and forth, a blanket draped over her lap.
"You're so restless today." Kushina placed her hand on her stomach, able to feel the occasional poke of tiny feet or hands. "I can't wait to see these tiny feet that keep kicking me. You're going to have a lot of energy, aren't you? Will you talk like me, too, I wonder? Sometimes I start speaking way too fast. I just get so excited, and when I think about you being in our lives, I can't help but wonder all kinds of things. What you'll look like, what your personality will be like, what kind of person you'll grow up to be, and—" She stopped rocking for a moment. "See, I'm doing it again !It's okay if you're a little more quiet like your father. Maybe that's more suitable for being a Hokage? Obviously you're going to be one one day. There's no doubt!"
There was another light kick to her side, as if the child were in agreement.
"Heh." Kushina began rocking again until her eyelids became heavy. "I should get up and go to bed, but, ah," the woman yawned, "This is so comfortable. It smells so nice in here, too!"
She rested like that for several minutes, until the baby inside her grew less rambunctious.
"Shall I sing to you?" She whispered. "I'm not very good at it, but I used to love when my mother would sing to me as a child..." Kushina bit her bottom lip, feeling somber. "I wish you could've known her, but you'll have your father and me. There will be other children your age. There's Jiraiya-sensei, though I'll have to keep him from corrupting you, of course!"
She sighed quietly.
"It would've been nice having my mother around to tell me what to expect. Will it hurt? What if you get sick? What if I don't know what to do? What if I… will I be a good mother?"
Kushina let her hand come to rest on top of her tummy.
"How did it go?" She asked herself. "That song?"
She hummed it at first, trying to recall those words her mother sang so many, many years ago.
"'May I meet you soon, my yet unseen child?', I always wished as I stroked my belly," Kushina sang in a low, sweet voice as she recalled the lyrics. "Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. I wonder how your face looks like? Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. I wonder how your voice sounds like?"
She could imagine him, a strong and happy boy with blue eyes like the ocean and bright hair like the sun, just like his father.
"I see myself reflected in your big eyes. As your tears trickled down your cheeks," Kushina sang to the image in her mind of the young boy he would grow to be. "'Mama, mama, come, I'm finished with my food!' 'Ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, come, let's go out for a walk!'"
Kushina opened her eyes, looking out at the village below and then at the grand Hokage Tower.
"You hugged your knees, crying out your eyes. Tell me why, I'll listen to everything." She sang in a soothing voice to Naruto as if she were already holding him in her arms: "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. No matter what happens, I'll be with you."
A tear rolled down her cheek for some reason.
"I love your face when you laugh. Even when you're down, please try to cheer up."
She laughed at herself for being so sentimental, wiping at the wetness falling down her cheeks.
"Ru-ru-ru, ru-ru-ru, come, let's sing a song. U-o-on, u-o-on, come, shout your hearts out," she sang into the dark room, watching the bright lights of the village twinkle. "Ki-ra-ra, ki-ra-ra, may you grow free from care."
Kushina lovingly rubbed her hand in circles over her belly.
"Run through snow, count the clouds, play in the rain," she continued singing while the tears began to flow more freely. "Get blown by the wind. Get buried in flowers. Make your grass flutes sing with your four legs. With your two legs."
Why am I crying?
"A new morning, a new wind, prepared just for you."
Why do I feel so sad?
"A new morning, a new light, a world just for you."
Naruto…
"A new morning, a new rainbow, a world full of wonder."
I can't wait to see you!
"No matter which of the two roads you choose. I would probably no longer be able to gaze at you from afar. Someday, when you set out on your journey."
Keeping a smile in place, Kushina sang through her tears, rubbing her hand over her stomach protectively.
"I'm sure I will see you off with a smile."
I love you very much! Your father and I…
"Ooh, ooh, ooh. Ooh, ooh, ooh. But perhaps I'll be a bit lonely."
...Will always love you very, very much!
"Ooh, oh, on. Ooh, oh, on. Please… live strong."
Kushina's slim fingers clutched at the fabric of her dress.
Naruto…
Naruto…
Naruto…?
"Naruto?"
"Naruto?"
"Naruto, you idiot!"
A thwack upside his head woke Naruto, who'd dozed off while leaning against the bridge rail.
"Mah, Sakura-chan," he whined. "What'd you do that for?"
Naruto spun around to wave his arms dramatically in the air.
"You were starting to drool, dumbass," Sasuke remarked, smirking at him.
"It's not my fault Kakashi-sensei is always late!" He rubbed the back of his head. Sakura could really cause damage when she wanted to.
"You weren't drooling exactly," said Sakura. "You just… looked sad."
"I did?" Naruto looked from her to Sasuke for confirmation, but Sasuke said nothing. "Tch."
He turned around again and flopped the upper half of his body over the rail, watching the stream below.
"Why would I be sad? I'm excited about today's mission!" Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck, uncertain. "Hmm."
Sakura slid up to him and huffed. "You know, it's important for ninja to get plenty of rest! That's part of training, too! If you can't concentrate during a mission, you're only going to be a nuisance to Sasuke and me—"
"Sakura," Sasuke said, and curtly enough that Sakura turned to look at him questioningly.
"Am I wrong?" She asked tentatively.
Sasuke didn't answer her.
Naruto returned to watching the water. For some reason, being around it always calmed him, but he didn't know why. He'd never seen the sea until their mission to Mist, but even before then, it was just so…
He folded his arms on the rail and rested his head on top of his hands. Eyes falling shut, he began to hum while rocking his head back and forth. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and noticed both of his teammates at his side, staring at him.
"W-what?" He asked, wiping at his cheeks. "Is there somethin' on my face?"
Sakura's cheeks were pink.
Naruto pointed at her and cackled. "Ha, ha, Sakura-chan! Your face is as pink as your hair right now! What's up? Did you ask Sasuke out on a date again!?"
He glanced at Sasuke, expecting him to glare, but instead… he looked sad.
"What? Why does Sasuke look constipated and… um, Sakura-chan?"
"You were… singing," Sakura replied with some hesitation, crossing her arms and appearing worried, which made Naruto anxious somehow.
"I-I was?"
"You were," Sasuke confirmed.
Naruto gulped. "But… I don't sing. I don't even know any songs!"
"It almost sounded like," Sakura tilted her head, a light breeze blowing through her hair. "A lullaby? Ne, didn't it, Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto met Sasuke's gaze again. He rubbed at his stomach, feeling suddenly queasy. Whatever he saw on the other boy's face made him believe it to be true.
"W… what did it sound like?" He asked, his voice quiet.
"Shouldn't you know?" Sakura asked. "You're the one who was singing it!"
"But, I don't…" Naruto looked away, scratching the back of his head. "I… really don't know any songs, Sakura-chan. Definitely not lullabies. 'Cause… I didn't…"
"A new morning, a new wind, prepared just for you. A new morning, a new light, a world just for you. A new morning, a new rainbow, a world full of wonder."
Looking embarrassed, Sasuke cleared his throat and quickly turned his head to the side after he finished singing. Sakura was mirroring Naruto's surprise, the both of them gawking at their teammate. Even if Sasuke had sang that dumb ninja song as the password during the second part of the Chuunin exam. It was… creepy.
While Naruto was trying to wrap his brain around Sasuke, Sakura suddenly cleared her throat and waved a single finger as she sang:
"No matter which of the two roads you choose. I would probably no longer be able to gaze at you from afar. Someday, when you set out on your journey."
Tears began rolling down Naruto's cheek. He didn't know why he was crying, but he opened his mouth to finish where his teammates had left off:
"I'm sure I will see you off with a smile."
Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him.
"How… how did I know that song?" Naruto asked and tried to laugh it off. "It's weird, right? I musta… musta heard it from somewhere…"
"Probably on TV," Sakura suggested.
"I… don't have a TV."
Naruto glanced at Sasuke again; Sasuke stared back.
"Weird," he said. "Huh, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at him a little longer before turning away from him and gazing up at the sky. Naruto looked, too, to find a pair of leaves dancing around in the wind.
"No," Sasuke answered finally. "I don't think it's weird at all."
The End.