Prologue
The river churned, crashing against the shore down below. The night sky had fallen over the village of Konoha and the moon was full and shined bright above the sky. The pitter-pattering of freshly falling rain sounded around him. The night sky was beautiful, even with the gray storm clouds staining the nearly black painting of the sky. The moon shined brilliantly. But there was only one thing he could see. And that was the beautiful violet eyes of the girl in front of him. She grinned a toothless grin and wrapped his stubby hands around his fingers. Despite the falling rain and the storm brewing in and outside of his body, he always felt at peace while she was near. She was like a gorgeous flower that continued to bloom in the disaster of a tornado. She would never comprehend what would happen in the very near future. And he could never imagine letting her comprehend it. He leaned against the tree trunk behind him, lifting her tiny body in his hands and setting her on his lap. He kissed her forehead adoringly, letting her squeeze his fingers as he did so. She was becoming so pretty; it only broke his heart even more, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her precious little face anymore. He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes closed. Shinobi didn't cry.
"Yoshi," he murmured, cradling her in his arms, "I love you."
She blinked hard before her little smile faded. She reached up and gently touched his face, pouting. She traced his frown. The corners of her lips pulled down into a frown to match his and tears welled in her eyes. He kissed her forehead again, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"Pretty girl," he murmured, getting to his feet, "Don't cry. You'll be at peace soon."
The existence of this beautiful child was unknown and he intended to keep it that way. If her existence was discovered, it would only cause problems. Especially knowing what he had to do in a few days. He knew that in this cursed world of his, there was only one possible solution. She had to be plucked from this world and placed in another. He wanted to take her as far from here as possible. He didn't want her to entwine with his world and his troubles and problems at all. He didn't even want her to see the problems hanging over his shoulders. With his lover and Yoshi's mother dying after the birth of this special girl, and the cruel, terrible things he had to do in the near future. He didn't want her to witness so much bloodshed. He didn't want the scent of death to reach her lungs. He didn't want her reality to be tarnished with his doing. As he began to leap from tree branch to tree branch, his gaze fell on Yoshi in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep already. Within the few months since she was born, he'd become attached to her. Considering his situation, that was no good. He needed to be able to let go. He bit his lip.
"Yoshi," he sighed, "If only you were old enough to let me explain to you why I'm doing this, I would. I love you and I always will. No matter how far apart this cruel world will take us, you will always be in my heart."
Yoshi hiccupped in her sleep, curling up in his arms. She slid her thumb into her mouth and nibbled on it. His heart raced in his chest. He didn't want to give her away. He didn't want anybody to be able to hold her and love her except for him. But he knew that wasn't how things would work out. This girl; his most prized possession was being ripped from his life. And it hurt.