beep beep!eeeeeeeerhgggggggggggggggggggghsugeiagegCRRRRRRRRASSHH! (that's me driving) >evil laugh>>
Yosh!
here's another installation of my story.
Disclaimer: I don't own naruto... however I do own the concept behind Tears of a Wildflower
anyway enough of my blubbering.
enjoy!
sincerey yours,
ayu.
Chapter 9
New life and a fond Farewell
He rushed into the hell of the night, intent on only one goal. And for once in his Shinobi career the blonde kyuubi could not have been more…on task. Indeed, this was a mission of life and death and he will see to it that the Hokage was well informed of the recent developments. Needless to say, he did not expect such an uneventful evening to be so filled with this much drama. He could vaguely remember the agenda list he had written in his mind from this morning… how he methodically went through each task mentally crossing each one that had already been accomplished.
Get breakfast: Ramen time! (DONE)
Meet up with Iruka-sensei (DONE)
Train with Ero-sennin (DONE)
Coax Iruka-sensei into buying him lunch RAMEN TIME! (DONE)
Go see Tsunade-obachaan for any new missions, that or just bother her (DONE)
Train some more (DONE)
Go see Konohamaru and gang (DONE)
Have a mid afternoon snack RAMEN TIME!… 20 bowls should be enough…Oh Iruka-seeenseiiii! (DONE)
Walk it off in the forest (DONE)
This entire list he had accomplished with much satisfaction… however, he never expected to leave out the one important and unexpected number 10 on his list.
Sakura-chan gives birth. (Currently in progress…)
Indeed, the easygoing and ever so exuberant Naruto was now a nervous wreck. Having had his fill with his ramen, he decided to drop by and see how everything was with Sakura. Never did he expect to find the sight in which he had walked into.
Sakura was cradled within the arms of one Hyuuga, Neji… who was trying his best to provide whatever "comfort" he could to the young cherry blossom.
"Neji! What's going on! WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"BAKA! Look closely! What does it look like! —She's about to give BIRTH!" he raised his voice at the ever so dense kyuubi "I would carry her to Hokage-sama, but her condition had rendered her immobile…"
"Eh?"
He sighed at such simplicity, but somehow managed to keep his calm "Naruto, I can't very well move an in-labor woman… I have offered her some medicine to numb the pain, but I must admit… I am clueless as to how to approach this…matter…"
Sakura in her "sleep" let out a painstaking cry that made both men cringe in agony.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto leaped forward and encircled her in his arms. Her body was caving in pain; sweat trickling down every inch of her frame… he didn't want to see her this way… 'Damnit, why does this have to be so hard? Why can't babies come from storks instead!' he indirectly cursed Mother Nature's "incompetence"
"Naruto, you must hurry and inform Tsunade-sama of this at once! I'll stand guard of Sakura-san till then"
"H-h-ai! I will be right back! I swear! TAKE CARE OF HER UNTIL I RETURN! OR ELSE!" with those final words the kyuubi was gone into the distance.
Gathering all the chakra he could muster into his feet, Naruto increased in speed until he reached the Hokage tower. There outside the building's opening stood the ever so infamous perverted hermit.
"Oi! Naruto! What say we go get something to eat?" he waved at oncoming frantic Naruto.
"Aaaah ERO SENNIN! I can't right now… Sakura-chan--- sakura-chan-- she's… GAH! I gotta go find Tsunade-obaachan!" he shouted as he whizzed past the old fool.
"Eh? Sakura?" Jiraiya wondered as he scratched his chin. "Could it be--?" the epiphany left him dumbstruck for a moment before he followed Naruto's lead towards Tsunade's office.
Naruto finally reached her door. This was it. Sakura would be saved! He slowly opened the Hokage's chambers and found her sleeping head buried underneath stacks of unsigned scrolls and mission papers. His eyes twitched at the sight of the old woman in front of him. The woman who had dismissed him (rather forcefully) earlier due to her quote unquote "extremely hectic, and eventful schedule."
He heaved a great gasp of air.
Jiraiya, now standing behind the blonde adolescent warned, "I wouldn't do that if I were---"
Too late.
"TSUUUUUNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAADEEEEEEEOBBAACCCHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
"…You…" Jiraiya finished
The woman in front stood—and stumbled—in surprise. But once she had regained her composure, the devil's malice was written verbatim across her face.
"N-A-R-U-T-O…." she stated, inching closer towards the cowering kyuubi, the intent to kill evident within her eyes.
"I told you it wasn't a good idea" chimed Jiraiya "but noo you never listen do you."
"Nnnnaarruu…tooo"
"eheheh…ano… Hokage-sama… please don't be—gah— " his neck suddenly within Tsunade's impenetrable grip.
"P-p-p-plleeaaseee…"
"This had better be important…otherwise---"
"I-I-it..s Sakura…ch..a..an…she's….abo..u…t …tooo" he managed to sputter, still cowering in fear of Tsunade's menacing glare.
"Sakura!" she proclaimed, dropping the boy onto the floor. She no longer needed any other words to convey the meaning in Naruto's words.
"SHIZUNE!" she called
"Hai! Tsunade-sama" Shizune replied as she stepped into the room
"Gather the medical supplies.. Sakura needs our assistance."
"Hai!" Shizune was gone from sight
Tsunade started to gather her medical supplies and hurriedly sped out the door, Naruto and Jiraiya trailing behind.
All she wanted to know right now was.
Will she be able to make it?
Back in the Haruno household, Neji did all he could to stabilize Sakura's never ceasing pain, but with the rate things are going right now… he wouldn't know how long he'd be able to last just watching her toss and tumble her head in agony. His black yukata was now in disarray due to cradling the kunoichi from earlier, his hair had fallen off of its' clean ponytail. He heaved a sigh as he continued to hold Sakura's hand absorbing the pain in which she applied upon it. Never had he realized in his life that such pain can produce such… power… indeed, his hand no longer hurt… for it lost the ability to feel about an hour into holding onto her. Never the less, he never let go… perhaps it was that he was unable to… or perhaps it frightened him to…
"Naruto… where the hell are you?" he pondered as Sakura produced another gasp of pain squeezing his hand even harder. He didn't cringe at her act but just willingly let the pain absorb through his hand.
He had felt it about an hour since her pain began.
A presence that he was far too familiar with…
Still, he couldn't quite fathom the reason why he was still here watching from afar.
Activating his Byakuugan he had to confirm whether he had moved from his location. Indeed, he was still there, hidden within the branches of the second tree nearest to Sakura's window…he dwelled silently taking note of the situation in front of him. But still, the Hyuuga wondered why he was so interested in Sakura's current state. He had, after all, in more than one occasion, expressed his distaste towards the Cherry blossom.
So why the sudden change of heart…?
His thoughts were cut short when he heard the shuffling of footsteps by Sakura's front door. Slowly prying his hand out of her grasp he stood to greet the figures that were now occupying the front of her house.
The presence of their audience however scurried off from his location and disappeared into the night.
"Uchiha…" he grumbled before deactivating his Byakuugan and approaching Sakura's front door.
It had been an agonizing four hours and still nothing else could be heard through the house other than the echoes of her screams. He couldn't help it… he hated that noise… Indeed, he would have loved to be tormented and tortured by the deadliest techniques and jutsus, have his eyes gouged out, have his head submerged into an acid-filled barrel…or severed by a dull and rusted blade…he would rather have his fingers cut one by one… or have him commit seppuku… he would willingly allow himself to experience these tribulations than to stand there and listen to her screams of agony.
The copy ninja stood in the midst of the tension that engulfed the room he was currently occupying… carefully eyeing each member that it housed. Naruto had been pacing back and forth non-stop since the ordeal began. After informing Tsunade of Sakura's state he was ordered to collect the rest of team seven… and he reluctantly obliged to the request even though he would have preferred to stay close to his comrade. He had successfully complied with the order, however was unable to track down a certain raven-haired genius that refused to be found. He no longer had the patience to go look for Sasuke and so returned to Sakura's shelter… Kakashi silently noted that he will indeed pound the avenger into fine dust. But since then Naruto had been restless, unable to sit still or even breathe in a normal pace. He watched as the blonde teen continued to pace in front of the door hoping above all forms of hope for anything to emerge from inside.
"Oi! Dickless… stop and sit down you're giving me a damn headache from just watching you" hissed Sai. The foul-mouthed shinobi was at more unease than he would like to portray. Though the artist denied it with every fiber of his being, deep down he did really care for the pink haired kunoichi. The bickering between them was far beyond the toleration of even the devil himself… but, he supposed that was the way they expressed their "care" for each other. 'to care just like siblings' he inwardly commented as Sai gripped the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself down, but to no avail. Since their arrival he had been, as Naruto… restless… although he had more self-restrain than the kyuubi.
Jiraiya on the other hand was well, Jiraiya… the old man sat near where Naruto was creating a crevice in his path doing all he could to calm the kyuubi down. Doing every possible thing to lighten up the tense situation at hand… but deep down he could sense that the older man was worried as well. The Perverted Sennin did, after all, possess a heart… however… perverted it may be…
Then there was the Hyuuga. He was surprised to have found him there and was even more astounded that he had been there since the ordeal began. He knew that the bond between him and Sakura was most certainly closer than their genin days, but he never imagined for the Hyuuga to take such an interest in the Cherry Blossom. When they had arrived he had half expected Neji to silently step aside and let team seven and Tsunade handle the situation at hand… but that was never the case. When he had set his eyes on the silver-eyed Jounin, he looked as though he was mangled by wolves… his yukata was half way down his shoulder, his hair was tossed in disarray (which he always thought was impossible), his right hand contorted in pain, and he had a look of forlorn written across his face… a look mixed with determination and anxiety that at the time was either hard to decipher… or was an emotion that did not exist on mortal plains… well, whatever it was the Hyuuga never left, but merely stood in place near the wall closest to Sakura's door and has been there ever since. What he thought of how the Hyuuga perceived Sakura was still a big uncertainty. After all, although Neji's stoic demeanor would often times deem him to be cold and uncaring, he was still one of the most respectful and well-mannered young men in Konoha that he ever knew lived. For all he knew, he could have just stayed out of respect… but was that really the case? He looked closely to where he stood, Neji's eyes closed and his figure still against the wall's rigid form… but the corners of his eyes twitched with every scream that echoed through the room. Perhaps… his reasons for staying stemmed from something more…
"DAMNIT! THIS IS TAKING TOO DAMN—" but before Naruto could continue his ranting, the screams suddenly dissipated and silence suddenly surged through the household.
A few seconds passed.
And another set of cries emerged from the room that sheltered Sakura.
However, this new sound was not one of agony…
It wasn't one that screamed to be released from the thresholds of pain.
It wasn't one that caused hearts to cave in misery…
It was a different tone… a different harmonic rhythm..
It was the sound of new life…
It was barely visible for anyone to see… but it was a sound that brought a tear to Kakashi's eye.
Almost instantly as the new cry radiated within the walls of the Haruno household, Shizune had rushed out of the room almost out of breath.
"S-s-a-… Sakura…" she panted.
"What is it Shizune-neechan?" Naruto eagerly questioned.
Shizune stood and straightened herself before continuing.
"It's a boy."
The three Shinobi, with the exception of Neji who had decided to observe from the doorway, stepped into the room where Sakura was resting. She was pale as the first winter's snow, and her body was hunched in exhaustion. However, although her frame held such a frail demeanor… her eyes expressed, rather, illuminated a warm earthy glow that had dominated her youth years ago.
A sparkle in her eyes that had been kept away for so long…
A glimmer that was resurrected by the tiny being she held within her arms…
The tiny piece of life that was now called her son.
Naruto was the first to reluctantly approach the fare maiden as she lifted her head and smiled a weak smile (but a smile non-the-less) towards the three Shinobi.
"What's the matter Naruto?" she questioned rather playfully "don't worry he won't bite" she smiled once more.
Naruto hesitantly inched closer to his best friend and sat near the edge of Sakura's bed.
"S-s-akura-chan." he began, his head lowered as tears slowly dripped from his eyes. "Are you…ok?"
"Naruto?"
"…Gomenasai… I wish it didn't hurt… as much as it…"
Sakura smiled at her friend's care… indeed, although the years have brought immense strength to the Yondaime's legacy… he would always be Naruto…
The boy who was scorned for being…
The boy who became her best friend…
The boy who grew up in animosity, unloved and neglected….
The boy who, despite all the tribulations he faced…never stopped from loving.
"Naruto…hold out your arms…" Sakura stated.
As he stretched out his arms, Sakura delicately placed the new life into his hold. The small child cooed into Naruto's chest making his eyes glimmer in delight.
"Naruto… you have nothing to be sorry about…look" She said brushing a small piece of hair from her son's face "It was all worth it."
She smiled.
And he understood.
They all did.
"Well. Congratulations, ugly" Sai coughed "The kid isn't as horrid looking as you…" Sai stated, desperately trying to hide the hint of relief hidden in his voice.
"For once, I'm letting this one slide you baka! But don't expect me to be so nice after I recover ya hear?"
"Wouldn't want to have it any other way ugly." Sai scoffed
"Well. Well well would you look at that, Konoha's Cherry blossom just bloomed" smiled Jiraiya "Hmm… your son needs a proper tutor! And I am in need of a new apprentice—"
"Forget it… all he's going to learn from you is how to use stealth techniques to sneak into bath houses…" pouted Sakura.
"It would seem as though she never had regained her respect for you after all Jiraiya" chuckled Kakashi
"Aayy, kakashi-sensei you're one to talk…you're practically the president of his fan club!" Naruto pointed out.
"Anyway…" coughed Kakashi "We're all glad that you're ok…Sakura… however, you do indeed need your rest, and if we stay and bother you here all night…I'm sure Tsunade-sama would have our heads severed and served on silver platters before dawn arrives." He stated mater-o-factly causing each Shinobi to sweat drop in fear.
"Ano…Kaka-sensei… we can't leave Sakura-chan here all alone though she—"
"There's no need to worry about that tonight, Naruto" Tsunade replied after she stepped into the room. "Neji has already offered to stay for the night since it is technically his turn to stay with Sakura this week according to the rotation schedule."
"But Tsunade-obaachan… can't we stay too?"
"Naruto, Sakura needs all the rest that she can get tonight, and quite frankly having all of you in the same village is chaotic enough… much less in the same house… you may visit Sakura first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" Tsunade sighed too exhausted to battle this out in a heated debate with the blonde.
"Hokage-sama is right Naruto, Sakura needs her rest… don't you agree?"
"Hai.. Kaka-sensei… I understand… but—"
"I don't mind if Naruto stays Tsunade-sama… one more person wont hurt right?"
"Sakura?"
"Besides… I think the little one is having quite some fun bonding with his uncle."
The child within Naruto's arms was now content snuggling into his chest as he slumbered away into his fantasies.
"So it would seem… Tsunade… I agree, it wouldn't hurt to have at least one more person looking after Sakura for tonight." Jiraiya interjected.
"I suppose…sigh…ok, you can stay… but make ONE NOISE to disturb her and it's D-rank missions till you die! As for the rest of you, you may all visit her early tomorrow morning."
"Yosh! This'll be great!"
"Dickless be careful! The squirt is still in your arms baka!"
"eheheh…. Gomen…"
"Naruto… I think you should give him back now…"
"Gomen…Sakura-chan"
"Sakura-san" Neji who had silently been observing the events before him "In all things that come naturally during birth… what would this child's name be?"
Silence.
"Minoru…"
He didn't understand why he was there.
Perhaps, a force he could not fathom drew him…
Perhaps he was lured into the depths of his unforeseen emotions…
Or perhaps this was all just a fabrication of his curiosity…
But whatever the case was, he found himself in front of her window. Staring into the darkness that it held. Staring onto where her face was illuminated by the moonlight. Next to where she lay sleeping a child was placed cradled in a crib, sleeping soundly as his mother.
The picturesque scene before him mesmerized every bone in his body.
He didn't understand then…
Why despite his greatest inner protests…
He was unable to move.
Why his feet decided to move on their own as they stepped closer and closer towards her home.
Yes, indeed… Perhaps it was curiosity
He wanted a closer look to quench his "curious" intentions. But knowing that the Byakuugan wielder was still sheltered within her home, he had to be even more cautious than the norm provided. Silently entering her room through the window he inched closer to where the maiden slept. Her face had changed since the day he last visited her in the depth of the night.
Back then her face held sorrow… grief… all the pains in the world was mixed within the contours of her beauty.
But now, that had changed…
Her face held nothing that would remotely hint any sadness… now it illuminated serenity.
She truly was
Beautiful…
Brushing his calloused hand against her hair, the Uchiha could only wonder what it would be like to be engulfed in its' scent forever.
To be able to hold her close…
Trace the lines of her face…
To be able to share his being with her…
To feel her lips against his…
To touch her in ways that would send her mind into ecstasy…
But alas, he could not…
He would not.
Because he chose not to
'Sakura… why… why did it have to be this way?' he sighed as he retracted his hand from her sleeping form. 'NO…No matter what… I will not love you!' his eyes cringed at the very thought that escaped his mind.
His eyes slowly stared into the crib that housed her sleeping son. He was tiny… so small compared to anything he had seen before in his life. He followed as his chest rose and fell with each breath… his rosy cheeks shined brightly against the moon's glow… his dull raven hair reminded him so much of the night sky just after a tremulous storm. How peaceful it felt to be beneath its heavenly blanket…
'Who is it that you belong to?' he wondered as he again scanned his mother's sleeping frame. 'I will not…loose' he turned to leave.
"Sasuke-kun"
A voice…her voice stopped him from his departure.
"Why?"
"…"
"Why do you no longer come near me…? Is it because…" she looked to where her son was sleeping "Are you.. disgusted of me?"
"…"
"You know, it's funny… this is the second time you have visited me in the night…"
He was shocked to hear her reveal this. Never had he realized that she was aware of his presence the night he visited her in the hospital wards after their devastating mission months prior.
"You came in…almost in the same way… but I stayed still… I was afraid that if I moved, you would…run away… even if you thought I could not feel you… or see you… I was awake… deep down I knew you were right there next to me…" she sighed "And at that time… that was what I had… the only thing that I had that pulled me through… the hope that there was something more to that night… something that would… reawaken me into reality…"
"After all, was it not you who saved me from the burning shrine? The one who had seen me fall after my failed attempt in resurrecting the woman…?"
"So… why? Why is it that you only come to me when I am unable to see your form? Why is it that you reveal yourself only in the darkness of the night?"
Silence.
"… You always have hated me… haven't you? Pitied me…have been and still is annoyed by me… and now… perhaps… disgusted with me…"
Again silence filled the room as Sasuke inched closer to the window.
"Please answer me!"
"Am I… still weak in your eyes? Will I ever be strong enough…?"
Tears began to breach the surface of her eyes… and slowly they had dominated her entire being. She couldn't help it… they fell as her heart faltered into a million pieces… a pain she knew far too well… a pain that she kept within her, hidden from the world for this long.
The tears were just catching up…
"Sakura…" he whispered as he began to make his descent through her window "You are not weak… you never were…"
"However… you make me weak…"
And with those final words he was gone into the night leaving the Cherry Blossom in shock…tears continuing to pour down her face
He had brushed against someone's shoulder in his departure, but had decided to keep walking forth into the depth of the night.
From a distance he could have sworn he heard the Silver-eyed jounin mutter a curse beneath his breath.
But he didn't care.
Because deep down…
He envied him…
SO HOW DO YOU GUYS LIKE IT?
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
and i will try to update as soon as i can.
love,
ayu