15. Name
Rating: K
Verse: Hokage Madara Verse by victoriacapo
Idea/Inspiration: Both AU and OC is a creation of victoriacapo
"My mother asked me about the name... Twice." Sakura raised her eyes from the bundle in her arms to him. "I don't want to rush you, I can wait, I really can. I'm calling him 'Little one' anyhow since I've learned that I was pregnant. And I think it is important that you pick the name that you are fine with. But honestly I'm not sure how long I can fend off my mother..."
Madara could sympathize. He also wasn't sure how long would he handle Haruno Mebuki himself... He made a point out of never checking. Sakura was doing a job fine enough on that front. Navigating the in-laws situation was tricky enough without antagonizing the mother-in-law.
Madara looked at his son. He had assumed that seeing him would help him pick the name, that it would change that strange emptiness and confusion he felt and transform it into a feeling of actually having a child. Well, it partially worked. There was no emptiness. It was so concrete, so palpable. When Sakura had been pregnant, well, he had intellectually accepted the fact he was going to be a father. But it had been a very abstract concept. Now there was nothing abstract in that tiny reddish face, eyes of strange, nondescript color, fingers clutching at everything and in those high-pitched sounds coming out his son. He was expecting the experience to become even more immersive once Sakura comes home with the kid tomorrow.
"We can brainstorm together if you want...? Do you have any prerequisites about the name? Like... do you prefer it short or long? How traditional do you want to go?" Sakura was looking at him gently. He really appreciated that. Somehow he didn't feel very at home with this entire situation while she apparently did. "Because I assume you want traditional...?" Sakura was interrupted by hellish screeching. "Oh! I think he's hungry! Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but I have to concentrate on that now..." she spaced out unbuttoning her chemise. "It is still a bit of a challenge for both of us, you know?" Sakura smiled at the tiny creature in her arms.
He watched her breastfeed. He wondered how did she do all that. How did it come to her so naturally, as if she just was born with the knowledge what to do with that tiny bundle of life. She was fulfilling her role wonderfully even though hers was much bigger. Madara's role had been really negligible until now. Some fun at the very beginning, some adjusting to Sakura's mood swings (which weren't really anything worth mentioning), some taking over the household tasks during the last two months when the pregnancy took a heavier toll on her, and now… now the name. Madara remembered when they first discussed it, how skillfully Sakura guessed that it held much significance to him. It was the clan's revival in the end. He was the clan leader, and his son, with all probability would be his heir.
He had never thought he would have to name anyone. There was something of deepest gravity about giving a person their name. Sakura gave their son a body. He was supposed to create that, what people would say when they would think about his son, call him, imagine him. A definition. It should be good one.
Sakura returned home with the little one the next day. She didn't even manage to unpack her bag when the damn jinchuuriki was already standing on the doorstep. Correction. Not standing and not on the doorstep. He was hanging through the open window.
"Oi, Sakura-chaaan! How could you give birth when I was on the mission, seriously! How could you!"
"Naruto. It is not something you can control! And stop screaming, you will wake him up!" shouted Sakura back in that strange hushed voice. Madara had an impression that this kind of voice will now be in use a lot around the house.
Meanwhile the jinchuuriki crawled in through the window. Madara made a mental note to install mosquito nets. In all the windows.
"So," the blonde halfwit made himself comfortable on their bed. "How is he called?"
Sakura carefully avoided looking at Madara. And even more carefully kept her lips tight.
Jinchuuriki rolled (on their marital bed. He was rolling on their marital bed.) and hung his face over the crib. "What's your name you little fellow?" he tickled the boy on the cheek. "How is uncle Naruto supposed to call you?!"
"He doesn't have a name yet," said Madara and left.
In the evening he couldn't help but to overhear Sakura's other friend asking about the name. The Yamanaka girl had such an annoyingly high pitch that her voice went through several walls.
Madara sighted. He should really decide. But it was so important, so pivotal. It would define this little human being, and somehow he didn't feel up to the task. Maybe he should leave the responsibility to Sakura.
He was sitting, falling deeper into a gloomy mood, when she came. Without the little one. She climbed onto his lap and slowly combed fingers through his hair.
"So," she started. "Is the name bothering you so much? If it does, we can wait however long you want. I don't care about what others say."
Madara shook his head. "No, we need to decide."
"We? I thought you are choosing it?"
"Seems that I cannot."
"Need some help?" She combed his hair again, her fingernails against his scalp. "So, what names have you considered?"
"Well, traditional ones. Like Hayabusa, Takeshi... They all sound well in combination with 'Uchiha'."
"But? There must be a 'but' somewhere there…"
"I am irrationally drawn to the names already used in my family..."
"And what's wrong in that? It sounds like a great idea!" Sakura clasped her hands together.
"They are all very dead."
"Nothing unusual if one is naming a child after someone from a previous generation. Especially with all the wars..."
"I was thinking about my brothers," clarified Madara in clipped tone. "And they all died young. As you know."
Sakura took a moment to answer. He felt her shifting in his lap. "I don't believe in such things," she said in the end. "In such omens. Did you have a particular name on your mind?"
"There was Takayuki and Ayu... and ... Masaru..."
"And this is the name you want for him. Masaru. Am I right?"
"This is what I keep thinking about. Whenever I think about the name, about a name, this one keeps popping up..."
"Then maybe it means something? And you know what? I think there is an omen in it… An omen in which I chose to believe," trailed off Sakura smiling.
"Is there? And do I want to know what it is?"
"I think you do…" Sakura brushed fingers across his cheek. "The first syllable of your name followed by the first syllable of mine... If that's not a sign that it's the correct one, then I don't know what is..."
AN: Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think. And if you're interested about Masaru, Victoria has so much about him on her tumblr!
And, the name 'Masaru' comes actually from my fic "Awakening" where it was the name of Madara's oldest brother.