Intertwined
Written by BokchoiBaboy
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto
A/N: Thanks for reviews O:
Precious
Everyone precious to me...
...Is dead.
Obsidian orbs stared at the golden sunset as the bright shine of the Memorial Stone in front of them glittered. Long, calloused hands gently traced the characters of the two names of his best friends, his heart panging with guilt. Tears had long since been vanished from his eyes; he was a ninja, and he was forbidden to cry.
Everyone precious to me...
His fingers seemed to linger there, trying to reach out to their essences, trying to be forgiven.
Am I forgiven?
It hurt not knowing if he truly was forgiven.
He betrayed his best friend...
...And he let his other go without a word.
He was a horrible man, wasn't he?
The aging ninja slowly got up from his place and began to walk away, the steps he took away from his friends' final resting place seeming to grow heavier as the distance between them grew.
He stared from afar as his team, his children, his family, sparred beneath him in the groves of the deep forests. It had been eight years that Sasuke had left the village, but after what seemed like an eternity (because eight years was such a long time), he returned. The man himself was the one that found him, lingering on the verge of life and death, his wounds primitively bandaged, blood still seeping through the dirty fabric.
When he had brought Sasuke to the hospital, his team was summoned. Sakura stared at the boy indifferently, trying to hide her inward struggle. Naruto stared in shock, his eyes not accepting the fact that his rival, his friend, was back and connected through multiple tubes for life support.
"Sakura, can't you do anything?" The blond whispered in desperation.
The girl stared at the blond next to her, a pained expression present on her face. The man, their sensei, all the while watched them, remaining silent, knowing there were no words to be said. Sakura must fight her struggle on her own, and Naruto must learn that such things happen.
"I won't do anything until he wakes up. If he does."
Their sensei let off a soft smile behind his mask, unseen, but certainly there. His little Sakura had finally grown up.
He watched happily as he watched all three of his children blossom into the new Sannin, all feared in enemy territory. He watched as they happily found their love in their lives, married, bore children, and lived their dreams. He watched, as Naruto became Rokudaime, Sasuke his most trusted advisor and all-time ANBU captain, and Sakura his secondary advisor and the medical nin who had surpassed Tsunade.
He let off soft smiles that were still unseen when his "grandchildren" ran up to him with joy, asking him to train them and spar with them. Their lavender, cerulean, emerald, and onyx orbs all stared at him with joy as they called him an old man, a pervert, but most of all, their grandfather.
His life was long-lived, and he was cherished and loved dearly.
There was once a time in his life when he was lost in a silent insanity, the despair of having everyone precious to him dead. He was dreaded when he was in the peak of his ANBU career, his hands forever stained with blood.
But then, he had met his three children, and they had walked an even longer and more dreadful path than he. They all suffered betrayal, heartbreak, and dream-shattering statements, together.
Once, he would say that everyone precious to him was dead.
Now, he would say that everyone precious to him was right before his eyes.
Because, indeed, they always were.
A/N: This was originally going to be a longer one-shot, but I couldn't elaborate it more, or create a more...heart-drenching storyline, so, here it is! XD Let's see, it was also supposed to be inspired by a "Golden Sunset" theme, but...I think that'll come later. Haha.
In the part where he is referring to his grandchildren...
Pairings are NaruxHina and SasuxSaku.
Thus all the colors of eyes. Haahha.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one.
I love Kakashi :)
