Calm Before the Tragedy
Their trip to the Land of Tea had been delayed due to a complication after the birth of her daughter. Her little baby had fallen ill, and she had spent a month and a half in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Konoha hospital. It had been such a hard-emotional time for her and Kisashi. Having to witness her small frail daughter being poked and prodded by too many doctors and nurses. Not being able to hold her newborn and comfort her, because she was too critical, the thought that she might not make it…. devasted her to a level that she never before imagine.
"She's so beautiful Mebuki.", the endearing words snapping her out of the internal struggle as her father cooed to the small pastel yellow bundle in his arms, "it's as if I was holding you for the first time again", and her heart ached painfully even more so. At some point in their previous ordeal she thought that her father might have not even gotten the chance to hold his granddaughter, she smiled a tinge of bitterness on her lips for the Kamis.
"Isn't she just the most precious thing otou-sama?" Kisashi mentioned with an air of a proud father and a glint in his eye. Her heart warmed up at the man who stood by her side through the endless nights in that hospital. His warm embraces that provided comfort when she thought that it would be the last time she would see her small babe with any signs of life. The way that he made sure that she would eat and bathe and how he reassured her that he would be in the room the few minutes she used to go to the showers or the restroom. The sweet little things he would say to her sleeping infant when he thought she was asleep and the warm-hearted lullabies he sang to her at night, the dedication of this man made her glad of their marriage. They would be a family, a happy family, her daughter would have a father and she would be safe.
But then it was as if fate mocked her. All her diligence to keep her child away from her real father and his shinobi life. For what? She asked herself, if her wishes could just be easily torn down by a higher force. Her father once spoke again, "She is one of the most precious in my life my son. I am glad that as an old man I can hold my legacy. She is a strong one, just like her grandmother and mother and one day she will show the world her strength and beauty.", her elderly father seemed to recite the words as if they were long ago written in stone. "All in all, what have you two named my beautiful granddaughter?"
She answered sweetly to her father, "Well, I have let Kisashi have the honor to do so. That way they will have something special to bond over and well I couldn't object to the name after...", she paused, and her father continued, "After?".
She really thought the kamis were laughing at her, "You are going to be surprised father, but I think you will find it quite amusing. Go ahead and remove the blanket from her head.", she withheld the sarcasm from her tone.
The old man gently pulled the blanket, the small baby stirred, a soft tuff of pale pink hair emerged. Surprised eyes looked up at the young woman across the low table and then back down at the child in his arms, "Well, little one aren't we already making a statement to the world?" He chuckled and gently rocked his granddaughter back to sleep.
It wasn't that she was bitter about her daughter being born with pink hair, she thought it was lovely, what she was bitter about was the reason for her to have been in the hospital so long. After long analysis and endless sleepless nights the doctors had come to the conclusion that her daughter was developing chakra pathways more suitable for shinobi. The doctors were amazed as she had two civilian parents and it was only commonly seen in children who had one shinobi parent with an advance kekkei genkai and a civilian parent.
Dam Hikaru, mixed feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach as she internally cursed his name. She had managed to search for more information on these supposed kekkei genkai. Information that she had to obtain illicitly as none could be found in the civilian library. Apparently, to cut it short it was a family trait passed on from parent to child that enabled them to use a special ability that no one else from outside the clan could use. She had seen Hikaru fight multiple times during their trips, but she ran over those memories countless times and did not remember seeing anything special about the way he fought off assailants. Maybe they were too low-level bandits that did not require him to use his special abilities.
The doctors speculated that it was most likely a mutation as she was child of two civilians, and with a low therapeutic dosage of chakra suppressing pills the side effects of such anomaly would subside until the chakra pathways would properly stabilize. However, her daughter would be more prone to some infections. But to her that was a better option than having her child die from chakra exertion, because her pathways could not with stand it.
"Sakura" he looked up to his son-in-law and with a smile agreed. "I'm sure she will make her mark in this world, just like her mother and grandmother, isn't that right little Sakura-hime?" He kept cooing at the baby in his arms a warm smile on his face and a new joy in his heart; one that reminded him of the one that long ago had faded since his wife passed away. They kept up with their conversation, fully engrossed with the new addition to their small happy family.
"Kisashi, do you mind asking the inn keeper at what time supper will be served dear? I am getting very hungry and its taking more of my energy from feeding Saku-chan." Her husband turned towards her and with a smile and a nod left the room. She stood up, walked to the opposite side of the table and sat next elderly man, "Father, I need a favor."
AN: lol…..Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update, I have been really busy! Like super busy. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and are able to understand Mebuki's internal struggle. Thanks for the reviews guys! Laughs wickedly…..ya'll really think ima tell you the juicy secret….keeps laughing lol