Muffled voices registered in her mind as she gradually came back into consciousness.

Bleary red eyes cracked open as she registered that her cheek was resting against a soft surface. Karin lazily looked around, noting that she was in a tent. A familiar symbol graced one of the papers on a desk near her bed, one that she recognized was the one Mimei had adopted. So she had passed out in medical…

Grunting in pain, she twisted her body so that she could bring her arm up to rest on the bedroll. Her back was aching like a sumbitch, even after the numbing agent Hinoki had used. Its effect was probably wearing off, actually; she was now more aware of the dull throb up and down her sides and the disturbing nothingness all down her spine. She felt wrappings around her abdomen, the binding beginning at her navel and ending just under her breasts. Unfortunately her chest wrapping had been removed, if the dull pain she felt in her chest was anything to go off of. She let out a deep sigh, tugging at the ponytail her hair had been put in before she went under.

"Ow…" she grumbled as she rose herself up, resting all of her weight on her left arm.

She looked around again, this time noting just how late in the morning it was. She frowned when the voices stopped just outside the tent. As she raised her head, the tent flap opened and Hinoki stepped in, holding a tray of food.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" The brunette scolded, rushing to her side and pushing her back down. "You're on strict bed rest today, you hear? Unless we're on the move, you're staying in this bed so that you can heal."

"How long was I out for?" She asked instead, huffing as she lay her head back down on the pillow.

"About five hours," Hinoki replied, pulling the robe back a bit to peek at the wrappings. She nodded in satisfaction and set the tray next to her pillow. "We'll need to get going again around noon, so you have a couple of hours to get some more rest."

Karin hummed in reply, picking up the chopsticks while balancing on her elbows. She began to eat as the older woman continued to speak.

"Oh! And one of the new recruits from your group is to undergo medical training, as he's only fifteen. I know he's almost of age, but Tsunade-sama agrees that he shouldn't become a proper shinobi until he turns twenty." The woman recalled with a smile. "Sato-san proves to have some talent in chakra control, and because Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san are absent, he'll be in your care until he grows adept enough to join Sumire-san."

"Is that so?" The redhead mumbled between bites of meat. She nodded and took another bite. "I suppose I could."

"I know you don't care much for having younger disciples," Hinoki grinned apologetically, "but we've got our hands full at the moment. This would really help us."

She grunted again, finishing off her miso before sliding the tray over to her caretaker. "Thanks," she said with a satisfied sigh. "Are you gonna wake me when it's time to leave?"

"No, I'm gonna let you sleep and have Boruda carry you out," Hinoki snorted, taking the tray and standing again. "Of course I'm going to wake you up. I have the feeling you'd rather walk, anyway."

"You're right," she said, chortling a bit. "I hate being bedridden."

Hinoki gave her another weak smile and made to leave. "I'll be back in a while. Try to get some more sleep, if you can. We've got a long way to travel."

"Mkayyyy," Karin sleepily waved a hand and settled back into her pillow.

Just at that moment, Temari peeked in. "Oh, Hinoki. I was told I'd find you here."

"And you've found me." She replied with a polite smile as she closed the tent flap behind herself. "What do you need?"

"I was told that you needed to give me a name?" The sandy-haired wind mistress wrinkled her nose.

Hinoki frowned at that for a moment before it clicked. "Oh! Yes! Here, we go by codenames unless in private. As you've probably gathered, 'Hinoki' isn't my real name, but I prefer people to call me by it for personal reasons."

"I see, I see." Temari nodded. "Honestly, I don't have a clue as to what I should be called, so you can pick for me."

The brunette hummed in thought. "Let's see…"

The two of them made a detour by the cooking station to drop off the tray, and as they made their way to a small patch of grass to sit in, she thought of it. "How about Botan?"

Temari wrinkled her nose again, frowning at the older woman as she folded her arms across her chest. "Eh… I'll take it, I guess."

The older woman laughed, patting her shoulder. "It's alright. When Sumire first got her name, she cringed for a week, because her hair is the softest baby pink you've ever seen, and not a single bit of her is purple."

"Sumire, eh?" Temari mumbled, racking her memory for the girl's name. She faintly recalled a woman who matched that description pretty well, but as far as she knew, no one other than Karin or Aika had known of her. Either she was a front for someone else, or she was trying to hide. Suspicious indeed. "And that's the girl that's gonna heal up Karin?"

"More or less," Hinoki shrugged. "Ayame will be aiding her, of course, but this will be her first instance treating someone with burns this severe, and of this magnitude. I've no doubt that she's ecstatic for the chance."

"She must be pretty powerful, then." The blonde guessed.

"Taught by Ayame herself," the brunette seemed to glow with pride. "I was her teacher for a time, but most of the credit goes to her. She really took the girl under her wing after she left her family. Everyone calls them mother and daughter, it's really wholesome."

"And… you?"

At this, the medic-nin grew quiet. Her eyes flickered between anger and guilt, and she felt as if she had to change the subject.

"Thank you once again for your help," she nodded to the younger woman. "Without that tip, the invasion probably wouldn't have gone so well."

"It was no problem," she shrugged with a tense smile, noting the mood-shift. "Anything to get the hell out of there. I was going absolutely stir-crazy in the dungeon, and the other inmates weren't helping any."

"I surmised that you must've been captured at some point. For what purpose, though?" The two sat down in the shade of a nearby tree as the rest of their troop moved around.

"I was the ambassador for Wind, falsely accused by the council for an attack on the castle only a little earlier." Her lip curled into a snarl. "A trap for my father and brothers meant to lead to either a war or a massive cash reward for my safe return. Pathetic, even to their credit. They should've known my family wouldn't bite that poor bait."

The woman patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Yes, well, that's all they think we're good for, isn't it? To be held as bargaining chips or as tools."

"Is that... is that why you left?" Temari blinked owlishly at the older woman before her.

"Partially." The healer chuckled wryly. Better now than never. "I was married to a soldier at the time. Newlyweds, actually. His family struck up a match with my parents between us and I fell deep in love with him during the engagement. Three days after the wedding, he was summoned to the front lines, where he was killed in the battle against Oto in that bridge explosion."

"I remember that one." Temari nodded. "My father sent some troops as backup, as I recall."

"They weren't enough, though." The healer's clear, earthy eyes grew hard. "As soon as I received word that my new husband was killed, I was told that I was to be the wife of another soldier - one that I hated. An arrogant young upstart from the Hyuuga clan, from one of the side branches. I was furious and hurt, because how was I supposed to go through the mourning period for my beloved when I was to be married immediately? The news hadn't even sunken in yet. I was still in a state of shock. It was all so insulting to his memory to me… so I snapped."

"And you left," she breathed, leaning back against a tree. "Damn it all."

"Damn it all, indeed." The woman heaved a sigh, brushing a hand through her short cocoa tresses. "That was years ago, of course, but... but I still haven't forgiven them for taking my love away from me so quickly. Not when I finally found requited love with someone else."

"I'm so sorry." Temari shook her head. "What hasn't the Uchiha taken away from us at this point? You, your husband, me, my freedom..."

"The to-be-princess, of course," The brunette added, "and Karin. Both unwilling pawns in this game of theirs. Karin was originally a spy for another before she was recruited to us. As I recall, they treated her terribly enough that she begged to join the group when she first met Aika."

"Many of us have been hurt by the Uchihas," she continued, ticking off names from her fingers. "Ayame-sama's family was betrayed, Karin lost her family to a famine and was forced to become a spy for an enemy, Aika was a servant to the queen before she was attacked and badly beaten, and Sumire, whom you'll meet later, had to fake her own death to escape from poverty."

"Ah, yes, I heard of her from Aika while she was with me. I'd always wanted to meet Hyuuga-san too." Temari wrinkled her nose again. "What does she have that the prince wanted, anyway? Was it only because of her clan status? Because from what I heard, she wasn't even the heiress at that point."

"The usual, of course: wealth, influence," the woman lowered her voice, "cannon fodder."

The sandy-haired girl shot her a disgusted look for a moment.

Brown eyes bore into turquoise for a few seconds before she shrugged.

"They would've done the same to Suna, had your father sent one of your brothers to get you." She patiently reminded. "You shouldn't be so surprised to learn that. The Hyuugas are a powerful family, almost as powerful as the Uchiha. And to top that off, there has been a very interesting rumor between heads at the palace that if an Uchiha and a Hyuuga were to marry, their kekkei genkai would manifest, one each, in their offspring. They both wanted more army men and women, but moreso to test the theory."

"I'm not surprised at that. Really, I'm not." Temari insisted with a shake of her head. "I just can't understand why - why would they be so cruel? Before I was falsely accused, I was treated rather well. I had to be careful of any listening ears, of course, but they had never threatened me with imprisonment before the attack."

"It is suspicious that they've suddenly become so prone to violence," Hinoki agreed with a short hum. "I recall when I was a teenager myself, they were all pacifists. Of course, many a time their council decided that war was a good option, but there really was no need for a rebel faction. Once my husband was gone, however... " at this, her eyes darkened, and she clenched her fists. "I suppose the mass loss of their soldiers finally got to them. They became more cruel with their methods."

"There's really no going back from that, is there?" The blonde heaved a sigh and leaned back on her hands. "Once you resort to killing your own people to preserve order, you've kinda gone from lawful to lawless. You're no better than a full-blown dictatorship."

"For anyone outside of the capital, they have become a dictatorship." Chocolate eyes narrowed at the grass, where a cricket was approaching a bug resting on a flower. In one move, the cricket had the bug in its mouth and it hopped away out of sight. "Those bigwigs in the capital seem to be blissfully unaware of the amount that are dying outside of its walls. Of course, it could be due to the amount of clans inside of Konoha. If a clan gets attacked, all would hear of it before nightfall."

The girl nodded, soaking up the words with a contemplative stare. When she opened her mouth to speak again her stomach let out a loud gurgle, and she clamped her lips shut and looked away, embarrassed.

Hinoki giggled amusedly. "I assume you're still hungry?"

"S- sorry, but yeah," the sand princess laughed nervously, scratching her scalp with one hand as she got to her feet. "The serving was a bit too small to fully satisfy me."

"I understand." The brunette smiled at her, pointing her thumb back towards the pack area. "If you look, I'm certain we still have a bread roll to eat. Just ask Boruda where it is; chances are, he's already snacking on one, the glutton."

"Thank you." Temari replied with a bow at the waist. "Really, thank you."

"It's no trouble," the woman warmly waved her off. "You'll get used to the portions soon enough, but for now we encourage the newer recruits to try and eat what was closest to their previous calorie intake until we get back to the main camp."

She nodded again and turned, walking off. There was a stiffness to her shoulders and back that reminded Hinoki that the girl was still unused to their company. It had taken her weeks to grow comfortable around her new comrades. Everyone eventually had to go through an adjustment period, and it was better now than later.

Hinoki stood, brushing the dirt off of her pants. She looked up at the sky, Temari's earlier words ringing in her head as she gave a wry smile.

"What hasn't the Uchiha taken from us at this point?"

"U- um, hi!" A timid, boyish voice behind her made her turn to see one of their youngest recruits standing there, a blush on his freckled cheeks as he gave her a shy grin. "I'm Hideki, but I guess you already knew that. I'm really looking forward to working with you, Hinoki-san."

As he stuck out his hand, she was awed at how young he seemed. Only fifteen, and yet he looked like he hadn't aged a day over thirteen, with a fullness to his cheeks and an innocent brightness in his gray-blue eyes. He was lanky with developing muscle in his arms, perhaps from a past of manual labor. His clothes fit him loosely, and she made a mental note to look for clothing more his size when they returned to Ayame's group.

She shook his hand firmly, watching as he visibly brightened even more at the affirming action. "It's good to properly meet you, Sato-san. As I'm sure you've been notified, once we return to camp you'll be under the tutelage of Himawari-san. Because of your age, you won't be a fighter - rather, you'll go into the medical corps until you turn twenty, when you can decide for yourself."

"Cool, that sounds exciting." He gushed, pulling his hand away to clasp both of them together in front of his body. "I used to work with my dad in tending our garden and chopping down trees, so I'm thinking that maybe being a medic-nin isn't so different from caring for plants? My mom always said that I had great chakra control. Kinda wish she was here to see me actually follow that career path, but…" he gave a harsh swallow, looking pained for a moment before blushing sheepishly. "I'm really sorry for rambling. It's just that I haven't had a proper person to talk to in ages."

"It's quite alright." Hinoki laughed gently, laying a hand on the boy's shoulders. When Sumire was your age, she was just as inquisitive. You two will get on well."

"Is she in the medical corps too?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "For now, she'll be your superior, but depending on your skillset, you may become one of her assistants."

"Awesome," he breathed in wonder, eyes wide. "I'm super great at helping. Like, really super great. My dad always said that-" at this, he paused, wincing, before chuckling and continuing, "-well, anyways, I'm just so excited to help. I know my family would've wanted me to become a healer. And Himawari-sama looked so cool when we were leaving the capital, like- I hope I can be that cool someday."

He shifted, and a necklace clasped around his neck gleamed in the light. It was a crudely-cut square emerald with a hole drilled into the top, where a leather string was fed through it, a knot securing it in place. It was still a beautiful, vibrant green though the brown string looked worn and stained.

"Your necklace is beautiful," she remarked. "Did you make it?"

At this, the boy grew quieter. He fidgeted in his spot, his eyes downcast at the ground. He frowned to himself, and after a moment he reached up to clasp his fingers around the stones.

"... it was my father's," he answered softly. "He gave it to my mother when he proposed to her."

His eyes flickered up to hers, and when he saw the sympathy in her eyes he quickly stammered, "I- I don't really like to talk about it, but I know in my heart that they would've wanted me to join. The necklace - i-it's a comfort thing, really. Whenever I wear it, I feel like I can feel my parents' spirits with me." He looked down, his cheeks flushing a ripe apple-red again. "That's not lame, is it? Please tell me it isn't totally lame…"

Her hand squeezed his shoulder, and she comforted him, "It's a symbol of your bravery to carry around a reminder of those you have lost with your head still held high."

She pulled out her own necklace from inside her navy turtleneck sleeveless shirt, and he noticed the small circular amethyst and citrine stones on either side of a small silver fan. Beautiful moonstones were strung on the chain like pearls, disappearing around her neck. The chain seemed to have long since turned a rusty copper, but it was obvious that she took great pains to keep the ornaments polished and vibrant.

"This was my own wedding present," she explained to the awestruck boy with a solemn smile. "My husband died just three days after we were wed. I was so anguished at the loss that I fled from the capital. I found Ayame-sama on the way and I've been in Mimei ever since. Carrying reminders of lost loved ones will never be lame. If it helps with the grief to visualize their spirits watching over you, then it's far more courageous to keep them than to cast them aside and continue to wallow in misery."

He blinked, and for a moment she saw that his eyes had become watery. He scrubbed at them with his hands, and when they fell away he grinned crookedly at her.

"You're so… amazing , Hinoki-san," he said in a reserved voice. "All of you are. You've been through a lot, and yet… yet it hasn't seemed to break you down." He chuckled for a moment, "To be honest, it makes me feel kinda wimpy in comparison."

"You are strong in your own way," she encouraged, squeezing his shoulder again with a smile. "Don't ever let anyone tell you how much you can allow yourself to grieve. No one here has had it, in a sense, easy. Don't let them tell you how strong or how weak you are. It all comes down to inner strength. Have you suffered? Yes, undoubtedly. Have you gotten through it? Yes."

He wiped his eyes again, and this time his face shone a little brighter. "Thank you very much, Hinoki-san."

"We all have something in common: loss," she gave him a warm smile. "If you want, I can guide you to your temporary mentor while Himawari is healing."

"Yes please!" He nodded in agreement, and they began walking.

When they got to the rest of the group, Hinoki pointed out a young woman who was leaned against a tree, absentmindedly stroking Hinata's long hair with her pale, slender fingers.

"That is Abe Aika," she said, as the woman looked up. "Until Karin's back is fully healed, you will be with her. Be forewarned that she is mute, but she does know sign language."

"Oh, okay." He nodded again. "I think I remember sign language? I had a cousin who was deaf, so my mom made me learn."

"Anything will help." Hinoki agreed. "Sometimes she does write, but it depends on her mood. Anyways, I'm sure she'd love your company until we leave."

Hideki beamed and bowed at the waist. "Thank you again, Hinoki-san!"

He marched over to where Aika was sitting and sat down beside her, introducing himself and holding out his hand to shake. Aika's eyes softened at the boy and she smiled quietly back, shaking his hand.

Hinoki shook her head with a chuckle. As it usually was with the younger recruits, Hideki in particular seemed to have a way with adults, ingratiating himself to them immediately. Perhaps it was the youthful spark in his eye, or his habit of looking at them as if they were the most important person he could think of. Either way, she figured that he would have an enjoyable time under Aika's wing. If Toza, one of their grittiest, brashest men, already had a soft spot for the boy (she'd noticed the two of them interacting earlier), then she had no doubt that he could bring down even the Uzumaki's walls.

Her lips curled up and she looked to the bright blue sky. Only an hour more or so until they left, and already she was sure that today would be better than expected.


Neji stood with his uncle and younger cousin as they received word of Hinata's fate. The stone-faced messenger had reported that, unfortunately, she was the only one counted dead in the attack.

Hanabi had stared blankly at the ground at the news, and after a few moments of silence, she quietly asked Hiashi if she could be excused to her room. When the patriarch allowed her to leave, she whirled around before either of them could see the budding tears in her eyes and ran off to cry.

Hiashi himself appeared to be taking the news very poorly. He was stunned, eyes wide and mouth drawn into a line as he took in the messenger's words. Then after a minute, his eyes narrowed and he bowed his head, looking for all the world like he wanted to use Gentle Fist on the boy and declare him a liar. Neji stood unnaturally still as he observed his uncle's transition from horrified surprise to a rolling anger. His fists clenched and began to tremble at his sides, and when he looked up, the veins around his eyes were bulging dangerously with his glare.

"Tell your king that our deal is off, then," his words appeared calm, but Neji could sense the hiss of rage underneath. "If they were so damned careless that they let my oldest daughter die, then they don't deserve our young men and women as added support! Tell them that," he paused to take a shaky breath, "and let them know that they've made a powerful enemy out of Hyuuga Hiashi."

The messenger, thoroughly shaken from the sakki coming from the man, nodded vigorously and began to tremble. "P- permission to leave?"

"Just go," Hiashi barked.

All at once the messenger bowed jerkily at the waist, looking as if he were to topple over at the slightest breeze, before standing straight once more and turning tail, rushing away from the patriarch. Neji didn't blame him; his uncle could be terrifying if he grew angry enough. He still recalled the agonizing pain his father went through when Hiashi activated his twin brother's seal as punishment. The seal on his own forehead throbbed at the memory, and it took all of his strength not to scowl.

"And you go too," Hiashi continued, sparing the young man a glance before turning away. The tremble in his jaw and the suspicious shine to his eyes almost made a twinge of guilt appear, but he forced it down as he bowed and left the main house.

As Neji walked, he found it difficult to swallow the news. Hinata couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. Hanabi idolized her older sister, almost to a fault - when she'd found out that Hinata was to be married, the first thing she did was sulk about 'Uchihas taking my big sis away'. No amount of consoling would comfort her anguish now. This event would scar her, only being a fourteen-year-old heiress that would eventually have to marry and lead the clan herself, alone.

As for him? He couldn't quite comprehend it.

He'd despised Hinata when they were younger - he hated the way she had freedoms he didn't, he hated how she still had her father while all he has was his mother, a woman he rarely saw after his own father's death, and he hated how even still, she didn't despise him back. She was a gentle soul that just couldn't find it in her to hate, no matter how badly he treated her behind her father's back. When at last she was notified that she was to be married, they began to kindle a sense of camaraderie, as he was to be married to his longtime girlfriend, Tenten, with the main house's blessing, just after New Year's. It had taken a long, long time for the ice between them to melt, but when it had, he found it easier to protect her when he actively cared about her wellbeing.

Hinata had always called him 'Neji-niisama', despite being of higher status, and he supposed that that was what bugged him the most about her. It was rather offensive for members to bring up rank between main and side branches, but she had looked up to him for so long that she often called him niisama unconsciously. Once he got past that, though, he really began to see her as a little sister again. She often reminisced of their childhood together, something that both made him feel warm and gave him guilt when he remembered just how cold he'd become to her after his father's passing.

He exhaled slowly, looking up to the sky with watery eyes. She was never meant to die first. He was meant to protect her. She was the only one besides Hanabi who treated him with respect. She was the first to respect him despite their status difference and the first to respect him despite his cold demeanor.

He wiped his eyes and made his way to his little home nearby, where he knew his wife and their good friend Lee would be visiting. Lee often came over when his mentor, Might Guy, had to be away for a mission out of the village. He shook his head, agonizing over the news. What was he to say? He was a man who didn't like showing weakness, not even in front of good friends. Hinata's death would impact Tenten and Lee hard, as they'd been fond of the girl for years.

He walked up the path and opened the door. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, Neji!" Tenten called from the living room. She soon appeared, all smiles, when she caught his eye. Immediately upon seeing his sober countenance, her smile disappeared, and she reached out to grab his hands. "What happened?"

"News from the main house," he replied shakily, glancing over to see Lee behind Tenten, frowning in concern. "Hinata… Hinata-sama has passed."

Tenten's eyes widened, and her hands flew to her mouth in horror.

Lee shook his head sadly. "Oh, poor Hyuuga-sama… was it in the attack yesterday?"

"Yes." The words felt foreign and his lips were numb. It didn't feel at all like he was the one speaking them. "They found out early this morning."

"Oh, Hinata…" Tenten sniffled, wiping her watery eyes. "What are we to do?"

"For now, we must wait for Hiashi-sama to make the formal announcement." Neji replied, gathering her in his arms as she began to cry softly into his shoulder. "Once her body has been brought back for the funeral, I… I don't know."

"I can see you need to be alone for this, Neji-san," Lee's voice was reserved, far from his usual exuberance. He patted his rival's shoulder with a grimacing smile. "I shall visit later."

"Thank you." Neji gave him a grateful nod as he exited, shutting the door behind him.

He focused on comforting his wife, moving them both to the couches in the living room. As soon as they sat down, she sniffled loudly, looking up at him with panicked eyes.

"Neji, this is horrible," she cried. "You don't think he'll try to annul the marriage, do you?"

His mouth went dry. "I… don't know."

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "And we just found out that I'm pregnant…"

"No matter what, I won't let you go," he was firm as he tilted her chin up to look into her deep brown eyes. "I won't let them separate us. As long as I hold breath, you are my wife."

A trembling smile spread across her face, and she pressed her face into his chest. "No matter what," she murmured, "you're my husband, Neji. My partner. I love you."

"And I you." He rested his chin atop her head, running a hand along her back. He sighed again. A tear dribbled down his cheek and into her hair as he thought.

No doubt Hiashi would be more strict about the Hyuuga intermingling with outsiders now. He had already been doubtful of letting Hinata marry the prince, but he had been pacified with the fact that his daughter would at least be marrying up. She would have no need of the Hyuuga name anymore, and as an extra treat, her sons and daughters would be born into power. He had even been given permission to marry Tenten, a commoner with no prowess in ninjutsu, because Hiashi had been so pleased with the match made with Sasuke and Hinata. But now, he doubted that the patriarch would be so willing to allow them to stay together now. Certainly he could change his mind with the news that Tenten was expecting, but he knew that his uncle would probably forbid the child from taking the Hyuuga name.

He grit his teeth. After trying for a year, after believing and despairing that Tenten was sterile, they were finally given a child - and now, it seemed like destiny was trying to rip his newfound happiness away from him yet again.

Another tear slipped down his face, and he closed his eyes, focusing on Tenten's shaky breathing. No matter what, he would be damned if he allowed her to be taken away from him now. They'd promised one another that they would be partners until the end, and Neji Hyuuga did not break promises.

Not even to the dead.


"Father?"

A man of forty turned around, his weathered eyes catching sight of his young son. A kind smile spread across his face as he beheld the boy, standing there with the kind of inquisitive nature that reminded him of his beloved wife - they had created this boy, whom they loved with all of their hearts.

"Yes, son?" He asked, setting the axe down on the stump and wiping his sweaty hands on his apron. "What did you need?"

"What are your dreams for the future?" His identical gray-blue eyes were glittering with adoration for his father as he put down the wood in his arms.

Dreams for the future? He almost wanted to laugh with him about such a silly question, but when he looked into his son's face he didn't find any trace of playfulness that would betray a joke. He knew that his dreams had already been achieved - he had married the love of his life and had a small, but close-knit family with her; him, her, their son, and their beloved cat Miso. For him, that was enough to satisfy his ambitions. But what dreams could he possibly have after that?

He wrung his hands together, a habit he often had when deep in thought, narrowing his eyes. What did he want for himself?

"Well," he finally replied, looking down at the boy's speckled countenance again, "I've already achieved my greatest dream. But if I had to choose another, I'd say I want to see you grow up happily. I want to be here with your mother as you pursue a family of your own, however you see fit to achieve that."

The boy looked surprised for a few seconds, as if he hadn't been expecting that answer. But then, a beaming smile spread across his face, his cheeks tinted pink in joy - and he felt the love in his heart pulse again.

"I think… I think that's my dream too, Father," he replied in that adolescent sweetness, grasping the man's arm and squeezing affectionately. "I want to get married and have a family to share with you and Mother."

"Oh, son," he chuckled, leaning in to squeeze the boy tightly to his chest. "I…"

A sudden sharp pain ripping through his chest made him go lightheaded for a moment, making him let go of his son, and he gripped the front of his shirt as he let out a deep, throaty cough into his other hand.

"Father?" His son grew alarmed when he pulled his hand away, and there were a few droplets of blood on his fingers.

"G- go get the doctor, quickly now," he ordered, pointing towards the village. At his son's panicked eyes, he gave a tight-lipped smile. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just go get him!"

"O- okay!" The boy nodded rapidly and turned, sprinting away as fast as he was able.

He fell to his knees, coughing more violently, eyes shutting again as his blood stained the ground.


A/N: Please tell me what you thought!