So I thought to myself, why not give some people a glimpse of what happened to my OC in the Naruto covers and pics I've submitted to DA (Nikoranasha is the pen name if you're interested (; )? I know some of you had to be teeming with questions on how she died and how Sasuke would be like without her (I know for a fact I mentioned they were to be married before she died. And three days after giving birth to twins no less!) so I thought I'd answer them through a two(maybe three or four)-shot. Enjoy!
Warning: Extremely sad but a bit of humor mixed it.
Summary: Her children find out a little more about their mother from her closest companions and their father. Squad Seven starts telling the twins stories of their mother's bravery.
Why They Kept Quiet About Her For So Long
Itachi felt rather than saw his sister's eyes fill with tears and made his way over to her to pull her into a hug. He looked up to meet Sakura's eyes with hazel-gray ones and gave her the coldest look her could. It worked. Sakura flinched away from the Uchiha heir and gave the twins a sad look. She didn't mean to make the overly sensitive girl cry. She kept forgetting that Shiori wore her heart on her sleeve.
"Wh-why did Mama have to die not long after Itachi-nii-san and I were born? I don't understand!" Shiori wailed as she clung to her older twin brother. Naruto put a comforting hand on the six-year old's head and ruffled the hair a bit with a sad smile of his own. He honestly didn't have the correct answer for that question but he'd try and answer it.
"Your mama... She wasn't like the other shinobi," he tried to explain and shot a desperate look to Sasuke who ignored him in favor of trying to think of which thing to explain first. "She was kind, merciful, and could convince anyone that she was right in her way of thinking. She would willingly sacrifice herself for innocent people, even if they weren't from her own village. She followed her own shinobi way."
"Do you recognize this spot, Itachi? Shiori?" their father piped up immediately after Naruto's slightly painful explanation. The twins looked up at Sasuke who was staring at the field surrounding them. Memories, including the one where he proposed to her, swirled within the confines of his mind most of them from this very spot. If she were here right now, she'd have punched Sakura in the face for making their daughter cry while everyone else watched on in shock. Not even Sasuke would have pulled something like that, but his love was fearless. Shiori and Itachi got that from her. Their recklessness in situations where those they cared for were hurt or in trouble knew no bounds. Made his heart hurt but he was always so proud of them for doing what they thought was right. Even if they got a scolding for it later. Sasuke never really did appreciate feeling like his heart exploding if he saw those he cared for in some kind of danger.
"K-kind of," Shiori sniffled as Itachi stared at him without answering. He had a feeling but wanted to be proved right.
Sasuke walked forward and set the flowers down at an odd stone in a crouch. It was filled with many different names on it with their mother's name on the bottom. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura all winced once they realized which stone it was. Only those who died in the act of saving the Village were put on that stone.
"This field," he began his back to his friends and family as he stayed crouched there with his fingers skimming over the name of his beloved, "was were the original Squad Seven got together for their first training session with Kakashi-sensei. Your kaa-san, out of all of us, was the closest in beating him. She was able to break down so many barriers set up, even your Sai-jii's. You two look so much like, are so much like her, that it makes our hearts ache."
He stood up and turned to look at his precious children his eyes filled with tears as the twin's eyes widened. They've never seen so much turmoil, so much pain, in their father's eyes before that it took their breath away. Their father was a stoic man with very few words to say. He was harsh but still kind and loving. So to see him like this was nothing short from shock for the Uchiha twins.
Well, Shiori thought as she met her brother's eyes, if they're gonna start talking about her, the least we can do is listen.
Her brother didn't need to see what his sister was thinking for he was thinking the same thing himself. They both gave each other a nod and sat down on the checkered blanket set out by Kakashi. He ruffled both of their hair and gave them a tender close-eyed smile as he crouched down himself by their side. Naruto, getting what the twins were doing, did the same with Sakura following suit. They all watched Sasuke as he stared at them before he made his way over and sat down beside his children.
"Can you guys tell us about her? Our mama, I mean," Shiori asked no shame in her voice or expression while the adults in the group shared an unreadable look before Naruto opened his mouth to begin.
"Your kaa-san was a very... harsh person to get along with on her best days. Heck, I remember all the torture I had to go through just to even think about being in the same league as her!" He laughed there for a second before becoming serious. "But, she was also a shinobi. One of the best. Her hands, like ours, were not exactly clean. Don't get me wrong! She did what she had to to keep Konoha safe, but her heart, though well guarded, was fragile. It took us all to put the pieces back together each time she had to kill."
Sakura nodded as did Kakashi and Sasuke. They each remembered her tears as she scrubbed at her hands vigorously to get the blood off. It was never a prety sight to happen upon. She was always fine after all of them stayed close by to ensure that she wouldn't harm herself or those close by. It always made their hearts ache to see someone who was so strong to be reduced to such a state.
"We-we know our kaa-san was a shinobi," Itachi said with a glower at Naruto who didn't seem to notice or not care. "What we don't know is her history. Who she was as a person before becoming a great ninja. How she met our tou-san, you guys, and why she became the way she was before she died."
Sakura blinked at how blunt the six year old was at stating that his mother was dead. He really is a lot like Sasuke... But a woman with light sand-brown hair and violet eyes popped up in her mind and she smiled. But he also has his kaa-san's brashness. She would be so proud of her son and daughter if she could see them right now.
Sasuke winced at the bluntness of his son but otherwise did nothing else. How could he describe the way his beloved would smile when he and Naruto did something that would remind her of the past? How, when angry, her face would go as red as a cherry as steam practically came out of her ears while glaring the person into submission... All of these things couldn't be described to a person unless they saw those things for themselves. His children, her children, were no exception to that rule.
"Well, there are some things we just can't tell you only because of the secrecy needed for the Village, but your tou-san can tell you how he proposed to your kaa-san if that'll make you feel better," Sakura supplied with a smile to the twins before turning to glare warningly at the Uchiha head. Sasuke recognized the danger of not listening to the pinkette and nodded.
"Before I tell you how I proposed to your kaa-san," Sasuke began with a look towards Sakura who happily ignored it. This was a story that only she told her once. She didn't get to hear it again and from Sasuke no less, "we need to tell you why we waited this long to talk about her."
The air darkened considerably with grief and regret as the twins shared another unreadable look. This can't be good.
"We had to wait until we knew you both would understand, but it was ultimately your tou-san's decision on when," Kakashi said with a smile but it was strained and they all knew it.
"She didn't die in a nice way. She gave every last bit of chakra she had to the two of us so we could finally defeat Obito while also leaving some for the rest of the old Squad Seven and you two," Naruto explained a bit more with a grimace not even bothering to try and smile. "She said something about seeing us all when the time was right."
"She was low on chakra to begin with, Naruto," Sakura said with her face hidden by her hair. "She just gave birth to twins three days prior to Obito's arrival. She knew what she was doing would kill her but she was more worried about the Village... and Sasuke not surviving."
"That doesn't exactly matter, Sakura-san," a new voice spoke from behind the twins causing Shiori to jump up and give the newcomer a hug.
"Sai-jii!" she squealed and smiled up at him. Sai only stared down at her though his eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly.
"Her duty was to Konoha. Sasuke was just an added bonus to ensure that her children survived."
"Sake didn't care about the Village," Kakashi spoke up again and gave Sai a slight condescending look. "She was more worried about her two twins growing up without a tou-san."
"No, Sake wasn't like that! She loved her home! And she loved her family. She'd have protected both if she could and she did," Naruto piped in.
Sakura snorted and gave the men before her a dull look. "Sake was more concerned about her children and fiancee surviving than anything else."
"Papa? Why are they arguing? Who are they arguing about?" Shiori mocked whispered to her father who held back a smirk when all of them froze. The group of adults before the Uchiha family gave them sheepish looks when all Shiori and Itachi did was stare at them while their father began to glare.
"Glad to see you guys are the adults her," Itachi mocked with a smirk. "So mature. You are such lovely role models for my sister and I." No one noticed how the world around them was beginning to whiten and change as Itachi continued to tell off the immature adults in front of him.
"-and Lord knows my sister need more reasons to act less than her age! Grow up already! Some of you have children already. So act like adults!"
A feminine giggle caused Itachi to stop mid-rant and look to see who laughed. His brown-gray eyes met dark violet and his eyes widened. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, her ninja headband was holding back some of her light sand-brown hair as the dark red shirt hugged her torso. There were fishnets on her arms and legs while the light red mini-skirt swayed in a light breeze.
"If you were wondering," she said with a bright smile as she looked over at her old Squad when she was alive her smile turning sad quickly, "My name is Kannahime-Himeko Sayuri. But I usually go by Sake." Her eyes met with that of her fiancee's and stayed there. "I happen to be your kaa-san, and your tou-san's betrothed."
Yeah, Sake will explain everything so you guys aren't confused in the next (and final) chapter. It took me forever and a day to write this though! Review to tell me your thoughts?