Third movement, Part 5

It had been a few weeks since Mayuri had started traveling with the other caravan that would take her to Konoha. She became friends with many of the women, especially with a mother named Miki and her children amongst others. The loved her music and the children would play behind her cart as they traveled.

One day the leaders of the caravan gathered together for a meeting. The roads they had come to a fork in the road, and although they usually took the one that led to Konoha before heading to Kusagakure, the needed to debate about the next step.

"What are they talking about, Miki-san?" Mayuri asked, since she wasn't allowed to be part of the meeting.

"I'm sorry, Mayuri-san, but we're no longer traveling to Konoha," the older woman said. "Apparently the war is brewing very close to there. We don't want to be caught up in it, so we're taking a detour and going straight to Kusagakure."

"I see."

"I suggest that you come with us. I know that you want to travel to your late husband's hometown, but it's just not safe right now, especially since you're with child. Travel with us and we'll be back to Konoha again next year."

"Thank you very much for your offer, Miki-san, but this is my mission. I need to get to Konoha no matter what. I'll take the long route and avoid the battlefield on my own."

Miki sighed. "How brave you are, girl. I'm sorry we can't do more for you. I'll pray for your safe arrival."

"Thank you."

On her own now, the days seemed longer and much quieter. Mayuri had to circle around the village to avoid being caught up in the havoc of the battle which lengthened her travels by at almost a month. She met various travelers on her journey, all in small packs or alone, all avoiding the war, all with their own reasons. Sometimes they stay with her, sometimes they stay behind, and sometimes they went ahead. So Mayuri still traveled alone with only her horse to keep her company. Sometimes to pass the time she would let the horse walk on his own as she played something light.

Her belly grew larger and she grew more weary with the travels.

It was mid June when she finally saw the gates of Konoha. The gates were quiet in the morning of the hot summer days. From what she heard from the last traveling couple, the war was over, won by the Shinobi Allegiance. There were tales of the great shinobi warrior, Uzumaki Naruto, and how he with a couple other comrades from various nations defeated the enemy.

Mayuri was glad that it was over so quickly. It was what Itachi had spent his life trying to prevent from happening.

At the gates she saw the guards and explained to them her plans and reasons for coming into Konoha. She was with child and wanted to live here in her late-husband's hometown. She didn't give his name and was relieved that they didn't ask. Who knows what kind of trouble she would get into? From the way Itachi had explained his situation, it was obvious he was not welcomed with great enthusiasm at his own hometown.

The guards were courteous after they realized she was indeed with child, a widow, and a traveling musician. After they checked the contents of her cart they complemented on her courage for traveling alone in such a state as such a time. She chatted a few more minutes with them and asked the best place to rent an apartment.

"There's an apartment complex that I heard is leasing out rooms from my aunt. She one of the tenants there so it's a good source, although I haven't gone to see for myself. I'll write down the address for you, just hold on," he said before he went to the stands to grab a piece of paper and pen and scribbled the address down. "Here you go."

Mayuri took the paper, it was just barely legible. "Thanks. I'll go see later. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a good deal." She climbed back on to her cart.

"Good luck."

"Thanks, gentlemen, I'll be—"

"What what's wrong?"

Mayuri clutched her stomach as a sudden contraction took its course. It was her first and she didn't expect it to be this painful.

The two ninjas gently brought her down from the cart, afraid that she'll fall off. Their steady hands laid her carefully onto the ground as people gathered to see the commotion.

"Just breathe, Shirakawa-san, and don't panic," the one that gave her the address said as another contraction came.

It's too soon, Mayuri thought in panic.

"Oh, my goodness," the other one cried out. "She's going into labor! Now!"

"No! No!" Mayuri panted between spasms of pain. "It's too early. Two more months! Too early!"

"Sorry, but the baby wants out now. Contact the hospital and have them send an ambulance here, Kotaro!"

"You didn't need to tell me, I'm already on it!"

Soon the ambulance came with roaring sirens and blaring lights the people made way as medics lifted Mayuri onto a gurney and drove away.

"My… my instruments," Mayuri gasped as another contraction erupted in her insides.

"Don't worry, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Those two are taking your horse and cart to the hospital. Everything's going to be okay." But then she turned to her partner and whispered. "Do you think anyone will be able to help her? All doctors are on call."

Mayuri sight was blurred from the pain, but she saw the other medic shoot his partner a warning to watch what she said in front of a patient.

"Don't worry, Shirakawa-san," he said, looking for her name on his clipboard. "You're in good hands. We'll have you leave our hospital with your baby healthy. Just hold on, it'll be a few more minutes before we have you in the ICU."

"O..okay."

Mayuri had never been in a hospital before. She had often been in Heikuro's tent and clinics at various stops, but never a hospital. The walls were white, the floor was white, the ceiling was white, and the clothes the nurses and doctors wore were white, it looked like a winter wonderland, except it smelled like anesthetics and alcohol. She didn't like it.

They brought her to a room and rolled her gurney under a bright blinding light as nurses said things she didn't understand. Something about heart rates, cervix, and dilation.

Suddenly the room came to order as a doctor entered with a commanding aura.

"Dr. Haruno, I thought you were on call?" one of the nurses said.

"I'm free now and this patient needs me. What's her situation right now?"

Mayuri watched as the nurses repeated the jumble of words they had just said to the doctor, she seemed to understand which Mayuri took as a good thing. The doctor came over and looked at Mayuri.

"Shirakawa Mayuri-san?" she said with a nice sweet voice.

She was young, very young, perhaps even younger than herself, Mayuri mused. "Yes."

"You're in good hands. You're baby's heart rate is steady. Do you happen to know the baby's gender?"

She was trying to sooth her, Mayuri knew.

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I see. Shirakawa-san—"

"Mayuri."

"Mayuri-san, the nurses are going to inject a little anesthetic to help ease the pain. We're going with a vaginal delivery," she ordered the crew. She turned back to Mayuri. "When I tell you too, I need you squeeze like you're doing an intense sit up, okay?"

"Yes."

The doctor and nurses waited until the contractions steadied to five minute intervals. If the nurse did inject her with painkillers, Mayuri didn't know, since the pain seemed unbearable anyways.

"Okay, here it comes. Push!"

She thought it would take hours, like the mothers from her caravan has described, but the pain lasted only a few minutes until Mayuri heard the cries of a newborn.

The nurses hurried with sheets to dry off the blood and Sakura brought the baby for Mayuri to see.

"Congratulations, Mayuri-san," she said with a smile. "You have a beautiful baby boy."

Mayuri looked on the small face and fell in love again. She reached out as the doctor handed her the baby and Mayuri set him against her chest.

He looks exactly like him, she thought happily.

"You precious one," she muttered to him. "I love you so much."

"Do you have a name for him?"

Although she hadn't decided on one, two characters came spontaneously came to her mind. "Yukimura, because he's so courageous to have been born," Mayuri said.

"I think you're rather brave yourself," Sakura commented. "The nurses will take Yukimura away to do some tests on him since he did come two months prematurely. We'll move you out of the ICU and into your own little room. Rest for now."

Just as they took little Yuki away, Mayuri's eyes grew heavy and she fell into a semi-conscience state between sleep and wakefulness. When she was woken up by another nurse for some simple tests, she saw Dr. Haruno walk in with Yuki in her arms. She set in down in the crib next to Mayuri's bed.

"He indeed is very brave," Dr. Haruno said.

"What do you mean?" Mayuri asked half heartedly as she gazed loving down on her sleeping baby and tickled his nose.

"He loves you very much. He must have felt a strong bond while in the womb and he knew when to come out, even if it meant complicating his delivery."

Mayuri looked up with a quizzical stare.

"You see," Sakura said as he touched Yuki's fuzzy black hair. "If he had grown for two more months in your stomach, he would have been too large for you to birth naturally. It would have been dangerous for his mother. So he came out early and just the right size for you."

"Did you, now?" Mayuri ran her hands gently over his soft head. "Precious."

"He's fine, good in fact, although he's a little small and underweight. He'll grow up to be a fine boy."

"I do hope so. Thank you so much, doctor."

"No problem. I need to go run my rounds now. You and young Yukimura should be discharged in two days if nothing else happens."

"Thank you so much, for everything."

Sakura nodded before she left the room. Mayuri picked Yuki up and cradled him in her arm. She hummed him a song and he stirred in his sleep.

"See how beautiful he is?" she said to no one in particular, but then a crow perched on her opened window sill. It didn't caw, only looked at her and the baby with dark piercing eyes.

"Kuro—" Mayuri started to say and remembered that her old companion was no more before the crow flew away as quickly as it had appeared.

She watched it fly away into the horizon, parallel to the mountain with the faces of the Hokages carved upon its surface.

"Thank you, Itachi."

Alas, we have finally come to an end. Thank you all for sticking around with me these last (can you believe it?) fifteen months. It's really been a pleasure writing about this lovely family. If you're keeping up with the manga, you'll know that Naruto is nearly at its end as well and I just want to say that Kishimoto-sensei's work has seriously impacted me and influenced me greatly. As all endings are, it's just a little sad we won't see our favorite characters in action anymore, but it's all about the lessons learned, friends made, and lives sacrificed that matter the most. Let Itachi's lesson sink in, that martyrdom is also a type of heroism and that true strength is the faith you have in your beliefs and morals. This chapter is closing, but there's always more to come. Please also support my next story that I will be posting shortly titled Identity Ten. Thank you all so much once again.

With great love and devotion,

RueLin