Author's Notes: Wow! It has been a long time since I last updated, hasn't it? Haha…please don't hurt me! I've spent a lot of time on this chapter so I hope you enjoy! I could have sworn that I already posted it, though, so I guess that's why it took so long! I apologize for the long wait. Review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Illusory Reality
Chapter 3
"God damnit!" A shout rang through the darkness of the room. Naruto jolted up and slung his arms over his knees, resting his forehead in the crook of his elbows as his forearms pressed against the sides of his face, fingers threading through his blonde hair. The coolness of his sweat that clung to his skin did nothing to ease away the warmth that the surged on the surface of his skin.
Nightmares. They sucked and Naruto was pretty sure that almost everyone would agree to that statement unless you were a sadistic, melodramatic, psychotic, psychopathic maniac who actually enjoys having visits from a world that existed to bring fear into the very cores of a being and make you suffer by sticking you in a burning hell when you weren't living in the real world, which was, in a way, a less self-involved, scary, dramatic living hell. What got him was that if said people actually enjoyed such night visits, then wouldn't they be called dreams instead of nightmares? After all, one can't have a nightmare if it was enjoyable. So, they didn't count or maybe they did…whatever, this was giving him a headache…
'Argh!' His head was starting to hurt. Bringing up a hand to rub his temples, the blonde hoped that it might lessen the pain; unfortunately, it did nothing to help. Again, Naruto wished that he would be like those who forgot their dreams and it never came up again, but alas life played the unfair card and he was left awake, in pain, and cursing the gods for his misfortune.
Naruto winced at where his thoughts were heading and quickly shut them out. He knew he regrettably wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, and heaving a sigh, he sat in a relaxed position and began meditating. Naruto decided not to disturb the fox for now because it would undoubtedly lead to a headache that he was definitely not looking forward to, much to the enjoyment of a certain king of demons who would most likely give it to him on purpose for amusement.
Early in the dawn, a couple hours later when the sun was just barely rising, Naruto rose slowly from his fixed position without even glancing at his clock, knowing that it was most likely around the godforsaken hours that very few would be awake for. Stretching out across the length of his bed with an astonishingly seductive grace of a feline, Naruto stood to work out the rest of his kinks, satisfied to feel the cracks that responded.
Naruto decided to use this time to explore the house and familiarize himself so as not to catch the suspicion of his "family." He once again sighed and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes in irritation. Naruto wanted to believe all this was true. He wanted to believe it with all his heart because a family is all he ever truly wished he could have. He didn't like the path that his thoughts were leading him but that was actually pretty hard with all the pictures that hung on the walls of the hallway. The blonde couldn't help but feel envious and also jealous that this was everything he could have had, but he didn't believe for a second that all of it was what his family would be like because it wasn't real. It just could be…could it?
'No,' Naruto shook his head in denial. 'No, no, no. It's not real. It can't be. It just can't.' He wouldn't be able to handle it if it was real, but that didn't matter, right? And that was because it was all a fake, a phony, bogus sham that was a lie, and he actually found himself believing it.
Fool…
He continued down the hall and found himself stopping in front of what the chuunin guessed as the most recent picture of his family. It was a typical family photo just like all the others that lined the walls of the hallway, which he took careful time to study and observe. Right now, though, Naruto's cerulean eyes searched the last and most recent picture, happening to land on his own scowling face with his slouched position and crossed arms. Naruto drew a small almost unnoticeable frown. The expression and body language of his other left a sour taste in his mouth and he couldn't help but take in his other with a bit of distaste. The others in the picture were all happy and well with carefree expressions…well, except for him at least. Naruto didn't particularly like the way his eyes held an arrogant front and looked as if this Naruto was about a half a second away from throwing a tantrum to get his way. He had long given up is childish ways and antics but kept them up to amuse his so called friends as it was a beneficial trait to his mask. It would be too noticeable if the others just found out that he suddenly grew up over night, and conflict was so overrated for something like that.
His cerulean eyes passed over his own indifferently and fleeted over to Hana's. He felt the corners of his lips curl upwards as he took in her beautiful, sunny smile. He could almost feel her carefree, pure, and innocent aura that stood out vividly through the picture. She was just so free, the way children were supposed to be; not like the ones that were dragged into war, tainted and scarred and—well, let's just say that they were never the same…that is if they ended up coming back.
He lowered his head a bit and rubbed his temples and emitted yet another sigh. All of this was seriously bringing up bad memories not that he wouldn't have thought about it anyway, but that wasn't the point. The blonde lifted his right arm, his fingertips gliding across the cool, hard surface and running it over each person. A fond look grew on his face but upon noticing it a small frown replaced it.
...Such a Fool…
'What am I doing?' He thought fiercely, 'This isn't real! They're not real! They are not my family and they never will be!' Naruto inwardly berated himself. 'God, I feel like such an idiot.'
Naruto quickly broke away from those thoughts and turned his attention back to the photo. He held a bitter smile on his face as he took in the picture as a whole. It looked like the typical picture of the perfect family…well almost, at least.
The blonde's eyes roved over from face to face, fixating on the Yondaime's face and then moved as to avoid all the thoughts and questions about the man. A smile quickly grew on his face at the sight of his "mother," who stood by the Fourth's side smiling serenely, but it left just as quickly at the realization that this reality was getting to him. He was growing attached and he needed to stop or it would be the end of him, of that he was sure of. Naruto's cerulean eyes narrowed a bit at the sight of another boy, or man right beside the Fourth's person.
His thumb lightly brushed and traced over the man's face. The man was handsome to say the least. He had curious black hair and the same shining chocolate brown eyes that his mother also held. The raven haired man stood on the other side of the Fourth who had a firm arm wrapped around his shoulders and the other around his wife's waist.
…Such a naïve, simple-minded Fool…
"I see that you're missing Kaito already, huh?"
Naruto spun around surprised that he hadn't noticed the Fourth leaning against the nearby doorway. 'Who's Kaito?' He thought.
"Kaito is your brother, older brother to be exact." The Fourth told him sadly, a depressing glint reflected through cerulean eyes that were so much like his own, and Naruto found himself feeling guilty and wanting to apologize for bringing up bad memories but he made sure to hold his tongue.
Naruto blinked. He must have said that out loud. He opened his mouth to say something but when nothing came out, he snapped his mouth shut. Naruto paused for a bit then spoke in a soft voice. "Why would I miss him?" He looked up, gazing at the man before him evenly. "Did he go somewhere?"
The Fourth sent him a small strained smile that even in itself looked extremely fake. "He just left to go on a mission last week right before you were…" He trailed off.
Naruto just raised an eyebrow in expectation, waiting for him to continue. "Well," Minato broke off, "that's not important right now." Naruto didn't respond to that because he didn't really know how to approach the situation.
'A brother?' The chuunin thought, 'a brother, I have a brother and a sister now.'
"Wow." He whispered.
"What was that?" The blonde asked.
Naruto waved it off. "Nothing, it was nothing."
"You alright, kiddo?"
Whipping his head up, he offered the most articulate answer he could come up with at the moment, which, to be honest wasn't much if anything at all. "Huh?"
"I asked if you were alright."
Naruto presented the Fourth with a shaky, clueless smile. "Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I-I'm fine. Perfectly normal, there's nothing to worry about here, and if you're looking for something wrong then you're obviously mistaken in your current assessment because nothing could possibly be-"
"Uh-huh," Contrary to that, the Yondaime merely looked down at his son in something between sarcasm and agreement, if only to inquire about what he obviously didn't believe.
'Geez, you would think that he would have more faith in his son.' The blonde took a while to process that thought in his mind before smacking himself inwardly…and outwardly. 'That is if he had a son, which he most certainly doesn't! I can't believe I just thought that.'
"Did you just hit yourself?" An unbelieving voice asked.
"Yes, yes I did."
Arashi gently pushed him on. "Mind explaining why?"
"That's the punishment I get for dwelling in the stupidity of my own gullible, clutter-filled mind." Naruto retorted in kind.
He looked up to see the Fourth blink at him blankly before replying. "…I have no response for that."
"Well, that's…good, because I wouldn't know how to respond if you did respond to that." And again, an uncomfortable silence filled the air between the two as they stared at each other awkwardly.
Naruto looked away first, choosing to indulge himself into the picture once again. "So, what were you going to say? Something about him leaving a week before…" The Fourth looked at him sharply for a moment, eyes fixed on his face and once again, but said nothing.
"Umm…yeah…well, by the way you seem to hesitate, looking as if you'll really find something to stall; I find that I don't want to know. Well, I actually do kind of want to sort of not really want to know. I mean I do! I do want to—but I can't."
The Yondaime raised a simple brow in amusement, but it soon turned into one of confusion and worry Naruto noted. "I honestly can't say that I actually understood a word you just said."
The blonde scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and Minato was sure that he saw a tinge of red spread across his son's cheeks, but it was gone so fast he thought his eyes were deceiving him. "Yeah, sorry about that. I tend to babble a lot when I'm nervous. Well, actually, I would most likely babble anyway so I don't have to necessarily be nervous to be able to-"
While Naruto was speaking, he began to slowly back up, inching towards the door and laughing nervously when the Yondaime noticed where he was heading and turning his full attention back on him. "Well, I guess I'll see you later?" He asked uneasily, walking past the taller blonde.
As he passed him, though, Minato placed his open palm unto his head, gripping him with a gentle but firm hold. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think your going, little man?" He asked pulling Naruto back a little by his head, which caused the younger stumbling to regain his balance.
"Umm…out." He replied uncomfortably, shifting his weight occasionally from leg to leg.
Minato's eyes narrowed a bit, "Out where?" he questioned suspiciously, drawing closer to his son's face so they were close to eyelevel and at the same time keeping his hold on the blonde's head.
"Out in the village?" Naruto tried to supply, but it seemed like the Fourth wasn't satisfied with that answer which made him even more suspicious than before. 'Great, just wonderful, I really need this.' Naruto thought sarcastically.
"Out in the village where?"
"I'm sorry, but that's classified." Naruto spoke with a straight face and even tone.
"You're sor—classified! What's that supposed to mean?"
The younger blonde just furrowed his eyebrows as if he was actually thinking about it. "Well, whatever you want it to mean, I guess. I thought that you of all people would know what class-"
"I know what it means."
"Okay, then." Naruto spoke flatly, hoping above all else that he wouldn't burst out laughing, quite randomly he might add, looking even more crazy then his supposed father already thought he was, at least.
"Okay."
"Uh-huh."
"Yep."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Alrighty then, bye."
"Bye. Wait, wha-" The Fourth cut himself off and instantly shot forward, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist and holding tightly in his grasp. "On no, you are not to leave my sight today so that means you're spending the day with me."
Naruto creased his brow in confusion. "Don't you have—you know, Hokage things to do today?" A chuckle greeted him and he could feel the vibrations that ran through the others body as well as feel the Fourth's grip tighten around him protectively, and as much as he hated to admit it, he liked it.
Minato bent forward, resting his chin on Naruto's shoulder, "Yeah, I do, so that also means that you will be accompanying me to work today." His warm breath tickled past the blonde's face, and once more that feeling of security and warmth filled him. Minato must have noticed his silence, deciding to tease him accordingly. "Aren't you excited? You used to love coming with me when you were little. I would get nothing done though, and I couldn't leave you to yourself for more than five minutes or else something would happen. I learned that the hard way." Once again, he couldn't help but laugh at the look his son gave him, ruffling his hair playfully before letting him go and stepping back.
Naruto couldn't help the rush of disappointment he felt as the warmth of the Fourth body left him. "It's decided then. You are not leaving my side today, got it?"
"Can't it be tomorrow? Why today?" The blonde questioned.
"Because I said so, and that's that." The Fourth stated as if what he said was actually going to work. Naruto felt a bit awkward, but thankfully he had Iruka-sensei, who was the closest thing to a parent he had, actually say that to him a few times.
"Then why do you bother asking me?"
Minato stared at him perplexed for a few moments before answering. "Well, it's generally rude to order other people around."
"But you're doing it anyway." Naruto pointed out, cocking his head cutely to the side. "And isn't that like your job—to order other people around?" He asked in a deceivingly innocent tone.
Minato looked visually uncomfortable, and shifting his weight from side to side and coughing into his hand as he tried to come up with something acceptable to say. "That's not actually it. My job is to act as leader of the village and—you know, make sure things run smoothly and of course to protect it--"
"By ordering other people around." Naruto interrupted him, feeling smug inside after seeing the look the Fourth wore on his face.
"Just—please, Naruto?" Minato asked pleadingly.
Something in his tone must have changed because could almost see the desperation in his eyes as he heard the Fourth's pleading voice, but at his hesitant nod, Minato looked smugly satisfied. "Good."
'He tricked me!' He mentally shouted, but decided that he would do it vocally, as well.
"You tricked me." Naruto stated flatly, annoyance lacing his voice.
The other blonde gazed down at him and Naruto once again looked up at those eyes, seeing something flash behind them, gone as fast as it come. 'Maybe he didn't.' Naruto reassessed, then rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.
"Whatever." He pouted.
Minato chuckled, placing a hand unto his son's head. "Come, stop pouting."
Naruto looked up, "I'm not pouting," he said pouting even more in response, "I'm sulking." The Fourth just chuckled louder, bending down and facing Naruto at eyelevel. "Of course you are. Then come, stop your sulking." His hand was still on Naruto's head as he ruffled it a bit and was pleased to see a smile spread across his son's face that he knew reflected his own.
The elder's vision strayed down the hall, seeing the light steam through the window and turning back to the attention of his child. "Why don't you go wake your sister and get yourselves ready, your mother will be up soon to make your breakfast, and then we will leave so that you can be reacquainted with the behind the scenes work of this village." He spoke, making a dramatic show of excitement and waving his arms around for emphasis.
Naruto nodded again and left to get ready and then wake up Hana. He had a feeling that today was going to be tiresome and he was going to need all of his energy if he was going to spend the whole day with the Fourth.
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"Just kill me." Naruto whispered to himself. "Never mind that, the paperwork will probably drown me before I can do that. Why, oh why, do the people of other villages have to flood us with their paperwork?" He mumbled. "Probably to make our Hokage sit in a chair all day and become rusty and fat, then attack our village while we are in disrepair."
"Hey!" Naruto lazily looked up in surprise. "Did you just call me rusty and fat?" Minato asked in mock annoyance, trying to hold in his laughter as he eyed the blonde boy who was lounging on the couch looking quite comfortable. Naruto just looked at him for a while before turning back to the scroll that he was reading; resuming his mumbling that could actually be heard quite clearly across the office room.
"Did I say that?" He mumbled again. "I don't remember specifying which Kage I was talking about, talk about paranoid," the blonde spoke to himself.
"I do remember you saying 'our Hokage,' for your information." Minato pointed out indignantly.
"I don't recall saying that. He better get his ears checked. I don't even know what he's talking about." Naruto whispered to himself not even bothering to look up from his scroll.
"Why are you talking to yourself as if I'm not here and can't hear you?" Minato asked. "And why should it matter? You're not the one doing the paperwork, anyway."
Naruto tilted his head up, staring at the ceiling. "I wonder if he'll let me help if I asked."
"You can always ask." The Fourth said with exasperation.
"Nah, he'll probably say no." Naruto shook his head, reasoning with himself.
Minato stared at him. "I never said that."
"I better let him ask me for help." The blonde stated, nodding in approval.
The Yondaime ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Again, I'm right here."
"He probably won't ask me, though." Naruto shook his head sadly again in dissatisfaction.
Minato just sighed and bowed his head in defeat. He knew he wasn't going to get any work done. "Can you help me with this, Naruto?"
Naruto looked up at once, smiling at him before gazing up in thought as if he was really thinking about it. "Well, I suppose." He said slowly. "Since you asked so nicely and all." Minato then became acutely aware that his left eye was twitching when his son sent him a smirk. He could even hear the Anbu that were situated around his office and undoubtedly listened to the conversation snickering at him.
Today was going to be a long day.
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Naruto heaved a loud sigh as he flopped onto the bed. He sighed again as he remembered how Hana wouldn't let go of him before he left this morning and refused to when he came home, as well. He was tired and today was dealt was a crapload of numerous mountains of paperwork, and even then, they didn't get through half of it.
'Thank god I don't need to go back tomorrow!' Naruto thought with a relieved sigh, frowning at the long night that was to come, as well.
He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully tonight, he rarely did anyway not that he really needed it. All the blonde really had to do was make sure that he hit at least a somewhat reasonable amount of hours in a week or he would probably crash and burn with lack of energy and chakra depletion. It was both an advantage and disadvantage that the fox blessed him with but he wasn't one to complain. With another sigh, he turned off the lights and was lost in the darkness. He really wasn't looking forward to this.
"Get away, demon!"
Naruto rolled around in his bed, eyes flickering beneath his closed eyelids, replaying the memories that he sealed so long ago. His breaths soon became short fast pants, with hands gripping the blankets and head thrown from side to side.
"Why don't you just die?!"
Naruto flinched as if he had been struck, recoiling back into his blankets, rolling in them as if to find a source of comfort, but it served no help.
"You want to be Hokage? What a joke."
His breaths became shallow, hands clawing at the sheets and legs kicking, trying to escape from something that he alone could see. Only he could see it, hear it, feeling it tearing at his mind and soul. He desperately tried to hold on to the last of his sanity before it was ripped away from him.
"You're nothing. You always have been and always will be."
Once again rolling uncontrollably in his bed, left to twist and turn his body as it writhed at the emotional pain and stress that almost felt like it was physical.
"N-no…"
"Why are you worthy of being alive if you killed so many around you?! You're a murderer!"
A small whimper sounded and the blonde's face contorted in pain.
"No…"
"You were doomed from the beginning. You have never experienced true love in its most beautiful and most pure form, and you never will. No one can truly love a demon."
"NO!"
"It's too late to apologize…"
Naruto shot up letting out a choked sob that somehow escaped his throat. His body ached all over and the sweat on his body didn't make things any better. His right hand clutched at his shirt right above his heart while his breathing slowly evened out.
Too late…
Naruto raised his left hand in front of face and saw that it was trembling, and taking his hand away from his chest, he wrapped his arms around himself and brought his knees up, burying his head into them. He unconsciously shivered as he thought about those memories that played continuously through his mind over and over again.
Too late…
He felt something he couldn't quite place rise up from his stomach and travel up his chest. The pressure was unbearable and Naruto soon found sweat forming on his brow and his breaths coming out in short pants. What was it?
He knew what it was, though, even as he tried to deny it.
…Fear…
He leaned over and opened his drawer, his trembling hands looking carefully through the contents slowly at first, but his pace became increasingly faster and more frantic, shuffling through the useless objects, tossing them across the room until he finally found what he was looking for. Naruto drew it out slowly as if it were the most fragile thing. His eyes flickered a bit as if he realized what he was doing but didn't care, fighting an internal battle between what was in his mind and what was really happening. Naruto's eyes suddenly went dull, staring at the object he cradled with intense indifference.
Naruto brought the object to his eye level, the metal shining wonderfully in the moonlight, gleaming and tempting him with its beauty. The kunai that Naruto held was nothing special compared to any other ordinary kunai, but that didn't matter to him. It looked more beautiful to him right then than he ever comprehended it would before. It truly amazed him that something that could be so beautiful was created in the prospect of war and greed and so dangerously deadly.
Monster…
He couldn't shake the voices. They wouldn't stop.
Freak…
'Why wouldn't they stop?!'
Demon…
'Why…'
He knew why. He's always known why but he hoped and believed above all else that things would change, that they would begin to see him and not the Kyuubi, or the hopeless deadlast dobe. He hoped for a better beginning, but it never came.
'Change…it will never change…so why do I still hope it will?' The thought arose. 'A demon, is that what I am?' For some reason, though, he didn't feel shame, he never had on this matter, but if they called him a demon then he should wear the title proudly, shouldn't he?
Monster…
'Not again. Please, not again!'
He felt the cool metal of the kunai on his skin, and watched in morbid fascination as he drew it leisurely across the akin of his inner left forearm. His eyes followed the trails of red liquid that now stained him. Naruto didn't even know what he was doing but he couldn't stop it, and honestly he didn't even know if he wanted to. He watched as the lines curved and formed letters. What was he writing? He didn't know but he was aware it had to be done. With the last stroke, Naruto lifted his right arm, which gripped the kunai in a vice grip turning his knuckles white with the strength of his grasp.
Lifting his head, Naruto's usually sharp and focused eyes were glazed over as if in a trance that refused to be broken. Cerulean eyes darted to his arm to admire his work, but he couldn't see it. His vision blurred as tears cascaded down his face and unto his cheeks, traveling along his neck and sinking into his shirt, almost as if it were sinking into his skin instead. He could feel it, the dull pain that soon intensified that only served to bring more tears to his eyes as the consequences of his actions kicking in.
"What's happening to me?" The whisper floated through the air so softly that it was doubtful it actually left his mouth, but he knew it did.
The next thing he knew, two strong, firm arms wrapped warmly around him. Shock filled his mind as if he just suddenly woke up, causing him to drop the kunai to the floor and staining it red with his blood. His mind blanked and he instinctively gave into his desire, weakness, and fear. He could vaguely hear someone yelling but he couldn't understand.
Why couldn't he understand?
He didn't know who it was that had their arms around him, and right now he didn't really bother to care. All he could comprehend was that he felt safe, that the world couldn't reach him when he was like this and he basked in the feeling even though it wouldn't last. He shut his eyes tightly and grabbed the front of the other's shirt in desperation as he sobbed against his chest.
Right now…right now he will allow this weakness to show because he felt safe and that's all that mattered for now.
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Minato didn't know what to think. It happened so fast with his mind racing to comprehend what he had just seen but he couldn't focus on any plausible explanation. He didn't understand and right now he didn't know if he really wanted to. It didn't make sense. It didn't make any sense at all. And now, with his arms wrapped securely around his son, he didn't need to understand. Not yet, at least. He would find out, well, eventually, he hoped.
There was something wrong and he felt it the moment they left the hospital but he convinced himself that his son was or would be fine, but he wasn't. Something was wrong with his son and he couldn't do anything.
Minatopulled the smaller form closer to his body, resting him onto his lap and gripping Naruto's body closer to his own sharing his body heat. Naruto had fallen asleep with his coxing, running his fingers through those silky golden strands of hair so much like his own and blowing cool air across the other's forehead to ease his mind. He shifted to reposition himself, sliding across the small bed and scooting against the wall and pulling his son against his chest, tucking Naruto's head beneath his chin.
He tightened his arms around him if only to reassure himself that Naruto was still within his grasp and that he wouldn't be going anywhere. Minato breathed in his scent and basked in the fell of Naruto calm and steady heartbeat and warmth that he could feel through his shirt. Now, all he had to do was calm his own but sleep wouldn't help him in this. The Fourth wasn't sure if anything really would at this point. After all, there's just so many heart attacks that a father could take before heart failure sets in, isn't there?
His attention was somewhat transfixed when he noticed the dried blood flanking Naruto's skin. Taking a few deep breaths to push down his panic, Minato leaned over the blonde and reached across to the drawer that was currently open from the past ordeal. He blindly dug around a bit with one hand until he found what he was looking for before grabbing it. Pulling out a roll of bandages, Minato briefly closed his eyes and once again took a deep breath before gently turning Naruto over with his back against his chest. It took all of his control not to just look over all of his wounds without any precautions but he knew he had to be tender with the situation of not only his wounds but Naruto, as well.
Tugging him closer, Minato hesitated for a moment before gingerly removing Naruto's forearm, careful to not wake the boy by shifting him a little more so that Naruto was partially on his back but also leaning against his form.
He could already see the dried flecks of blood that marred his son's flawless skin, running the pad of his thumb over it with his right arm, which was unrestrained by his son's body and took hold of the bandages. Grabbing a few other items, he hesitantly looked down at the damage and promptly felt all the blood drain from his face, leaving him pale and flushed.
It hurt. For a moment, it felt like he couldn't breath. The air thickened and suddenly it felt like the pressure was too much. It hurt so much, like someone just ripped out his heart and stomped on it a million times over before putting it back in. He felt so many things right now. He felt pain, anguish, shame, regret, and everything negative one can possibly imagine, but what rose above all the rest was guilt and fear. Fear that once Naruto found out, he would hate him and turn away.
These were some of the things that kept him up at night. Endless nights without sleep envisioning and predicting what possibilities could or would happen, and none of them ended with a happy ending at all. It was simply too much to hope for.
Minato could feel the hot sting of tears behind the folds of his eyelids, but he didn't care. He wept with bitterness, holding his son even tighter against his heart as he ran his fingers through Naruto's hair that was matted with sweat, kissing him atop the head as if begging for forgiveness, and crying into his shoulder, feeling the tears roll down his face and unto his son's shirt and skin.
This was a moment that he would never forget. Did Naruto know? He didn't know if his son knew. He had to…it wouldn't make any sense if Naruto didn't know, but here was the evidence, the proof of his sin, printed on his son's skin, the proof of his failure as a father. For on his son's skin, carved in flesh and sealed in blood was the thing that Minato never even wanted to think about in the presence of his son.
…Demon...
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Awesome! I'm done with this chapter! That's a total relief! Sorry, I thought that I posted this chapter already, but I'm glad I didn't because I spent a lot of time organizing my thoughts and ideas, so I got to change much of the material. I might have rushed some points because I kind of got impatient but I hope it is okay.
I know that the wait was long…that was the bad news…the good news is that I'm almost done with the next chapter so it'll come a lot sooner…I hope…=P…Hahaha…until next time then! Please Review!!
Much Love!
xxFrozenSn0wxx