Chapter one
It was a gloriose day that day, nearly time for the spring time to rain down again in the hidden village of the Haruno's. Yuki swept around the house of her sister, a small smile on her face as she lookd down at her younger sister's face. Yami was laying down, arms wrapped around the small bundle in her hands. Yuki stopped monterialy to talk to her sister. "Have you thought of a name?" Yuki asked the new mother. Yami looked up, brushing softly curling pink hair off the baby's forehead. "not yet,' she admitted," I am hoping that her father will be home by tonight to help me think of a name." "Ah, I see...where did you say he was going again?" Yuki asked. Yami looked up, a slight frown on her face."I'm not sure myself. He just told me that he would be gone for a while and that he should be back in a weed." In a soft whisper she added,' At least, I hope he'll be back tonight. I want him to meet his new born child." Yuki changed the topic."That is a beautiful baby girl." Yami looked down, hugging the baby to her body, as though she needed to be sure the baby was real."Yes, she is very pretty.' Yami said. The baby had snowy pale skin and the pink hair of all Haruno's. Her eys were closed, her lips opened a little in a soft 'o'. There was a sudden thudding outside. "Oh!' Yami struggled to stand up."Oh, I have to- he must be home!" Her face shone with a brillant light. Yuki stood up suddenly, pushing her sister back down."I;ll go greet them. You stay here with your baby and I'll send your husband in here."
Without waiting for an anwer, Yuki left, long hari billowing after her. She rounded the corner of the house, hands trailign on the wood. An odd feelign of unease flickered threw her; something felt wrong. This was after all, Daisuke's house, why didn't he just come home? If he is home, she thought helplessly.
She opened the front door, kunai gripped tightly in her hands. There were five ANBU in the front door. One of them came forward, bowing slightly to show respect for the sister of the Hokage's wife. Yuki wasted no time in asking," Where is Daisuke. His wife just gave birth to a healthy little girl and if he is not here, Hokage or not, I will frey him alive."
The ANBU gave a wry glimac."Ah...about that...I'm afraid that he-he didn't make it.' The ANBU cleared his throat loudly, scratching his hair. Yuki swayed where she stood, eyes widening in disbelief and shock. "Tha-that can't be true because if it is-then-then-"
"Yes, he found an old scroll and was curious and opened-"
"Say no more" Yuki whispered. That sounded about right. Daisuke was always curious. But this...A thought struck her.
"What happened to the scroll?" Yuki asked. Another ANBU came forth and took out a sealed scroll in a gloved hand. She examined it carefully. There was no sign of it having been opened. It looked old and broken.
"Did you reseal this?" She frowned at them. The lead ANBU looked at it, suprised. "No.' He mumbled," None of us would dare touch such thing.""But it doesn't look like it was ever opened. What-"
"We don't know but it was open the last time we checked.""When did you check?" "Two minutes before you came out."
Yuki frowned, a line running across her forehead. With a sigh, she extended a hand, palm up."Give me the scroll." The ANBU looked back at her, dumbfounded. "But- the danger-""Look," Yuki cut then off,' I would like to see what type of scroll it is and bury it so I can go back to my niece and try to explain to my sister her husband is dead. Now..give me the scroll!" Her expression was so terrifying that none of them argued. One of them brought it to her, keeping it a safe distance from his body.
The moment the scroll touched her hand, she withdrew her hand, hissing sharply."What happened?""N-nothing, just a little sting. Now give it to me!" She grabbed it from his grasp sharply. The scroll as blistering hot and stung her palm as soon as it was in contact of her hand. She gritted her teeth and curled her figners around it. The heat suddenly drained out and was replaced by a chilling cold blast of ice.
She gasped invulentary but kept her grasp firm. She breathed heavily threw her mouth twice and closed her eys.
To foreget everything but the object in her hands...
to locate the chakra in it and the area of breach...something in it pulsed.
Her eyes shot open."It's-"she swallowed."It's...open and it's alive. It breathed!" She puffed hair out of her face and stared in shock at the scroll. "It,"she swallowed," There is something in it."
Ymai heard the sharp intake of breath and frowned. What was Yuki keeping from her now. She had to find out. She stood up and snuck up quietly behind Yuki. "Yuki,"she said. Yuki jumped up."Where is Daisuki?"
The hardest part of all was telling her how Daisuke died then about the scroll. All threw out it, Yami remained calm, clutching her baby to her in comfort. One by one the ANBU left for thier own houses, leaving Yuki with the scroll, which she placed on a nightstand.
Yami was sitting down in the living room, holding her baby. For a moment, there appeared to be nothing wrong. But then, Yuki heard a soft sniffling sound, like someone choking back on their own tears. "Sister, are you crying" Yuki saw her stiffen.
"I- i just can't believe that He would leave me here along. To raise a baby on my own. And he didn't even say goodbye."Yami said thickly. Her tears rolled down her cheeks. Yuki placed a comforting hand on her sister and said,' You are not alone, you still have me and I will stay with you until your daughter is old enough to be responible. I'm still here for you, Yami. Don't foreget that.' Yami gave a dry sob."oh, I know you are here but what about the people of the village? Tey all eagerly await to see their Hokage and who is to tell them that he- he's dead." Yami gave a soft whimper.
"I will deal with that later. Your child comes first." Yuki looked down at the newborn, who gazed up at them with baby eyes, a clear green. Yuki's frown softened and she brushed hair out of the baby's forehead."By the way,' She added casually,"What are you gonna call her?" Yami looked down."Sakura,"She whispered,"Sakura Haruno." The baby gave a smile, like she liked her new name. Yuki touched the baby's soft skin."Well, then, welcome to the family...Sakura."
It was midnight when Yami finally fell asleep, drying her tears. Yuki stayed up in the livign room, face pressed against the window. She had to get her preoriies straight. First was her darling sister. She was so fragile and so close to breaking...
Second of all was her niece...Sakura. She would grow up to be a strong kunoichi, just like her mother. And Yuki would be with her threw all of that. She was detirmined.
Third, the one that caused her to feel uneased, the scroll. At first crack of dawn, she would have to look at it again. She was detirmined to learn about what had killed her brother-in-law. Speaking of which, where was the scroll. She turned around to grab it from the nightstand. Her hands clawed at the empty air. Her eyes flickered down to see where she had put it. Strange...she was sure she had placed i on the table.
She suddenly remembered Yami taking it to another room for safekeeping, the room next door. Sakura's room...
Wait, what? No, that was impossible, the table was much too high...but the crib is level with it, she thought helplessly. But Sakura wouldn't..she couldn't...
A loud scream interupted her mid-thought. Yami! Her feet carried her forward and into Sakura's room with almost inhuman speed."What?" She gasped," What's the mat-' She stopped, flabbergasted at the sight. Sakura was sitting upright in her crib, clutching a piece of paper in her hands. Not just any paper, the scroll. Yami mae a move forward when she saw what had made Yami scream. It chilled her on the inside and left her hepless.
A thick column of acid green smoke had spiraled around the infant's body. The scroll was open! Just thinking that made Yami want to crawl in a hole and hide. The light continued to surge upward, on and on until it was as tall as the cieling. Then, all in one, it surged down to the only place it could..Sakura."Sakura!" Yuki's cry made goosebumps appear on Yami's skin but Sakura appeared not to hear.
The infant was sitting rigidly as the light surged threw her body until fianlly, it stopped. Her eyes were closed."S-sakura..?"
She opened red eyes.