The woods were dark and sent off all sorts of evil alarms in my head. However, it also seemed very inviting. Almost like there was a sweet aroma that lured you in, and then caught you and trapped you. …Or something like that. Again I saw the shadow of a figure, flitting between the trees. Even when there was a flash of light, the figure remained in darkness. Even illuminated and bright on the outside, the figure was dark…. Does that even make sense? The figure began flitting closer, closer, closer, close enough to see its features. To see his face. To see that it's….
My eyes flew open. Damn, I thought. I still don't know who that is…. I blinked. I always thought it was the woods around the village that was where it took place. Could it be the forest we're going to be traveling into today? Or do the woods represent something?
"You up?" Sasuke asked. "Get ready to go."
After that day ended and another began, we followed the river for two days. On the third day of following the river through the undergrowth, something notable finally happened. It began with Sam stopping in her tracks every once in awhile for seemingly no reason, but then catching up to us immediately after. Then, something new. At first, no one minded the random look of pain that flashed across Sam's features for a few moments. Usually, it was just the baby kicking her rib or lung or something. A little bit later, we heard a small intake of breath from her, probably the same, we figured. It happened again, a pained sort of gasp, and a mutter of, "The hell…?" Eventually I asked if we could sit down, thinking all the moving around was making her uncomfortable. Everyone agreed.
"So, how is everyone?" I asked, trying to start a conversation instead of just sitting with the thick silence that seemed to hang around us so often now.
"Good," Sierra and Anna replied. Sasuke shrugged. Sam just… sat there. The conversation died right there. It had such a short life…. Five minutes later, and Sam grimaced, then tried shifting positions, growing suddenly restless.
We all looked at her. "Do you want to keep going?" Sasuke asked.
She nodded.
"One more minute," Anna sighed.
Sam relaxed, seeming at ease. Still depressing, but not restless. Three minutes later, though, and she was squirming again.
"Ready?" Sierra asked, sounding slightly concerned.
Me, Anna, and Sasuke nodded and stood. Sam nodded (hey, at least she's responding) and began to stand, but then plopped right down and shook her head vigorously. Sierra strode over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Sam, of course, shrugged it off. "Are you okay?" Sierra asked her softly.
Sam replied with a curt nod.
"You sure? Are you feeling any pain in your lower back at all?"
Sam glanced at her, then nodded.
"Guys, let's sit here a few minutes more," Sierra suggested, and Sam, as if to prove Sierra's point, doubled over and began to try and shift positions again. She mumbled something incoherent. Something like, "Why does being pregnant have to be so uncomfortable?" Sierra sat beside her and told her, "If the pain spreads to the lower abdomen, please tell me."
Sam blinked, then mumbled an, "Okay."
Silence. The sound of the water. Birds. Our breathing. My heartbeat. Then, "Ow… it's spreading…."
"Alrighty then, Sam, I have some news for you," Sierra announced, walking over to her backpack.
"News?" Sam asked. "I don't like news anymore."
"Well, Sam, you're in labor. Isn't that nice?"
"Just wonderful."
"What's that mean?" Anna asked.
"It means she's about to have her child," I replied, getting to my feet.
"It means the baby's coming?" she gasped.
"Yep," Sasuke responded, also standing. "I should probably… go, then. Come on, Anna."
"I wanna see, though," said niece of mine argued.
"When you're older, and you're the one pregnant, you'll see it," Sierra replied, taking out her medic-nin kit she brought for this very purpose, plus other things like infection and just general injuries.
"Poo," she huffed, then grabbed Sasuke's wrist and began dragging him away from the area.
"Wait right there," Sam said, then grimaced again. "I wanna hold Sasuke's hand."
"You do?" Sierra asked, surprised.
"Well, that's what people do, right?" Sam snapped. "Grab the hand of the nearest guy and squeeze the life out of it to distract the poor woman from the pain!" She emphasized said pain with a wince. "And I know usually the wife grabs the husband's hand, but Itachi obviously isn't here right now!"
Sierra blinked, shocked. "Uh… alright then, whatever you want to make you comfortable."
"At least she spoke her opinion," I mumbled.
"But he can't look," Sam added.
He frowned. "Of course not."
"Okay, good. 'Cause otherwise it's be kinda awkward and we don't want that considering it's been kinda awkward between all of us for a while which is, well, awkward," she babbled. Her way of taking the pain for now, I guessed. She doubled over, and just sat curled up for the next minute, gasping. "Why does pain like me so much?" she cried. "Go away!" She frowned. "And Sasuke, get the hell over here because I sure as hell am not going to crawl. Nope. No way. And I'm just gonna keep talking until I have a grip on something I can squeeze the life out of."
"She said h-e-double-hockey-stick," Anna murmured.
"Toothpick," I corrected. "I like double toothpick."
"Whatever."
It didn't take all that long to get the ball rolling. Sierra got everything prepared. I guess I have to take back my claim on knowing everything, because sometimes, I just don't understand something. And, no matter how many times Sierra tries to explain it to me, I just don't get it. It was all too soon when it was near time for my unrelated-by-blood niece or nephew came. We knew we were getting there when we heard a sickening crack from Sasuke's hand. "…You broke my hand," he said flatly.
"Fuck yeah I broke your hand! Deal with it!"
Anna, beside me, gasped.
"Language; language…," Sierra tutted. "You're having a kid soon, shouldn't you care about how you raise him or her?"
"I'm in pain!" she replied angrily. "Sasuke, I blame you!"
"What?" he asked. "Why?"
"Because you are the only one I can blame it on!"
"Not really."
"Shut up!"
Anna and I were now hiding behind a tree, so as not to allow Anna to see what was going on… Sierra insisted she couldn't see. Sam at first argued about my not being there, me being her best friend, but she gave up when Anna wouldn't go away without me. So technically, we were only hearing what was going on. There were simply wonderful cries of the pain of labor, until the sound of crying scared me half to death. There was a few sighs of relief. From Sasuke because she let go of his now broken and very bruised hand, from Sierra because no one had died in the process, and from Sam because the pain was finally over.
"Can we come out now?" Anna asked.
There was some rustling. "Yeah," Sierra said, "come on."
I wonder who was right, I thought. Itachi or Sam? Boy or girl? The first thing I noticed was there was a wrapped up, wailing baby held up in Sam's hands. Tears were leaking down Sam's cheeks. And then, with Sierra's thorough preparation I was near positive of one very special thing.
It was a boy.
On his head was a small head of black hair, though I couldn't tell the eye color as he was crying. "Let me show you how to hold him," Sierra whispered, and took the baby in her arms. She made it so his head was resting in the crook of her arm. "There, like this. Here." She handed him back to Sam, and she held him as directed. "Okay, can you make sure the wrapping is tight?" Sam took the edge of the blue blanket that wrapped her son, and made it tighter. It was then that he began to calm down. Sam gave Sierra a curious look. "He's used to the womb. Being wrapped up like that makes him feel safe again."
Sam nodded.
"So, what's his name?" Anna asked, peering into Sam's child's light grey eyes as they fluttered closed into slumber. "He reminds me of Itachi. But as a baby," she giggled.
Sam bit her lip. "Aishuu. His name is Aishuu," she decided.
"Sorrow, Sam? Isn't that a bit… harsh?" Sierra asked.
"She's grieving," I reminded my niece. "Surely that'll be fine with Aishuu. He'll understand. I know it."
There was a pause. "Sasuke?" Sierra asked.
"Hn?" he answered, looking up.
"I need to fix your hand."
"Oh. Right."
"Wouldn't want it healing wrong," Sierra muttered, putting her hands over his broken hand, enveloping it in a warm green glow. "This might hurt…." She used one hand to snap the bones into place. Sasuke barely winced. But he still winced, so that just proves he isn't invincible. So ha, Sasuke. "I think we should stay here for the night," Sierra said after a minute or two. Sam nodded weakly, and Sierra whispered an, "I'm done," to Sasuke. Sasuke replied by flexing his hand, testing it.
"I think I'm gonna go to the top of the tree and see if I can see anyone following us. Okay?"
"Yeah," Sierra and Sasuke replied.
I climbed the tree closest to me without using my hands, earning an "Oooh," of awe from Anna. I looked past the tree line, back into the rocky expanse we came from. At first there was nothing, but then a figure made its way over a rocky hill and into my view. I frowned. At least it was going slowly. The figure wouldn't catch up to us in one night with the pace he or she was going. Heck, I didn't even know if it was following us or not. I scanned the trees, finding there didn't seem to be any ninjas flying through the trees.
I hopped down. "We're good."
It was the next night when we went back to trying to convince Sam to stop being so depressing. Anna and Aishuu were asleep. Sierra had said babies were generally very sleepy the first week, but then they were wide awake from then on… even when you didn't want them to be. Isn't that nice? "Sam…," I whispered. "I forgot to tell you what Sarah wanted me to tell you."
"And what's that?" she asked, sounding… not happy, and not looking up.
"She told me to tell you to keep on going no matter what. That there are highs and lows in life that everyone has to deal with. Take Sasuke for example."
"What?" he asked. "Why me?"
"'Cause your life's depressing," I explained. "Now, Sasuke, when he was little, lived in the shadow of his older brother, and wanted nothing more than his father's approval." Sam let out a small whimper at the mention of his older brother. "Then his entire family was killed off by someone he thought he could trust. He had to make the decision to break away from what friends he had, just to attain the power he needed to reach his goal of revenge. And then, upon learning the truth, he faced another thing: Itachi's illness." Sam bit her lip, trying not to cry (again), but I continued, "And once that problem was fixed, he had to face the fact that you liked his brother and not him." She let another whimper out. "And now, his brother is… missing…" – I stumbled over the word, believing Itachi was surely dead and gone – "…and now Sasuke is just as sad as you, Sam. Maybe even sadder, considering all he's been through."
There was a long pause.
"You know, it's weird having someone tell your own story right in front of you," Sasuke commented.
Another pause. "Sam, a lot of people have gone through worse than you have," Sierra tried. "For the record, though, Sasuke has had a really sucky life."
"Thanks," Sasuke frowned.
Sam let out a small laugh.
Sasuke sighed. "When… the massacre had recently taken place… I had no one to lean on. So, I had to take the pain all on my own. I know how hard that is." Sam wiped her eye clear of tears. "Stop shouldering the burden when you have an advantage I didn't have: friends."
"Yeah, that's what friends are for, right?" Sierra asked.
"I guess," she mumbled, "but all of my friends are dying off…."
"Not us," I corrected. "We're right here, and we're breathing." As if on cue, Aishuu let out a little sigh in his sleep. "And you have Aishuu. Don't be sad about things that remind you of what you lost. Embrace them so you can cherish your memories."
"You're right…," she whispered. "I lost. I lost the game of life." She handed me Aishuu. "Here…."
"Oh my god Sam don't go suicidal on me!" I practically shrieked. "That's Sasuke's job!"
Sasuke glared at me. "I'm not suicidal!" he snapped.
"Well, you're emo! Eeemooo!"
"I'm not emo, either!"
"Sure you're not! You're the Emo King!"
Sasuke's counter was cut off by Sam's laughter. "God, Natalie, you know I'm not gonna kill myself! Who do you think I am, the Emo Queen?" She stopped short. "Ew! That would mean I'd be married to Sasuke!"
The three of us glanced at one another. "So… are you back, then, Sam?" I asked cautiously.
"Sure, sure, now give me my child back, thank you very much!"
I blinked. "That worked better than we thought," I mumbled.
"This must be it," I whispered in awe. It was breathtaking. A beautiful oasis, just as we imagined. The river opened into a pool of water, with water cascading down on our left side. In front of us was a barrier of rosebushes, serving as an illusion of protection, and a symbol of beauty. We had traveled three more days before we reached this place, and now, it seemed very worth it. No one could find us here, it seemed. The branches above spread over what would be the opening to the sky, only letting cracks of sunlight in and giving the whole area a soft green glow. It was warm and cozy, the perfect place. Flowers I didn't recognize bloomed, rimming the clearing, along with an abundance of moss – perfect for sleeping on. Filling the clearing from the center was lush, green grass, and there were birds sipping from the pool of water that I had never seen before.
Sam walked slowly over to the rosebushes, plucked a rose, and fell to her knees with a sad smile, still holding her baby very carefully with one arm. I set my backpack on the moss beside me, and Anna, Sierra, and Sasuke followed suit. I heard a sigh from Sam, and I swear I saw a single tear drip to the ground. We walked over to her, surrounding her from behind, looking at the red flower just as she was. "He used to leave me a rose when he left. When he didn't want to wake me to say goodbye. The flower… was his goodbye." She looked up, to see the rosebush. "Is this his goodbye now?" There was a long pause. "He… he really is dead… isn't he?" she asked softly, looking back down to the ground.
Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder. "Most likely… yes."
Sam leaned into him, finding comfort. They'd actually grown even closer during the past three days. Sam found comfort in any connection to Itachi.
"Well this is depressing," I mumbled.
"Wha-? What are you doing here?"
All of our heads turned to look to our left to find none other than Madara gripping tons of firewood. "Maddie!" Sierra and I greeted with matching grins. He was our confirmation: we really were in his paradise.
"What are you doing here?" he repeated.
I sighed. "Sit down, will you? I wanna make this explanation thorough."
He obeyed my suggestion, setting his firewood down and sitting nearby where we were.
"Madara's a bastard," Sam mumbled. "All he gives is grief. If it weren't for him, a lot of pain would be erased."
"Be nice!" I told her. "That's behind him now. Right?"
He gave a curt nod. "Now, explain."
I sat down. "Well, it all began… one and a half, two months after you left, I think. Britt got sick from a disease Kabuto created, and was killed with the illness." A short flash of surprise was shown in Maddie's eyes. "It caused an epidemic of sorts in the Leaf. Once that started dying down, Kabuto appeared, and killed both Haru and Apple…." I closed my eyes for a second, then looked back up at him. "Then Kabuto made another appearance and tried to kill Sam to make sure her child was dead. He… murdered Itachi in the process." This time it was anger that flitted over the Uchiha's features. "We decided to leave for the paradise you mentioned in three and a half weeks time, even if Itachi didn't reappear, because then we didn't know for sure whether he was dead. And… now we're here. So yeah."
Madara sighed. "I suppose you all can stay here until you feel it is safe to leave."
"Thanks!" I grinned. "Oh, and one more thing…."
"What?"
"Kabuto not only thinks you're dead, but he also announced that the Fourth Shinobi World War was going to continue."
Madara nodded. "Well, that's bad news, huh?" He stood. "And when I feel it's time, I'll be going back to make my reappearance, just for Kabuto."
Hey... no one died... Yay! In fact, there was a birth! And thus, Aishuu is born!
Ta-da!
I hope this chapter is a bit more enjoyable than the past few have been... Now, review, or... hmm... you will be nameless, forgotten, and alone!
...That's mean...
Be a nice person and review, please.
Yes, that's better. Have a nice day!
