Chapter Twelve

Revelation

Kikyo strutted down the side road in her high heeled boots with her ruby lips twisted in a satisfied smirk. Her manicured hands softly rubbed the slight bulge of her stomach and brown eyes twinkled as they admired the sparkle of the engagement ring on the left hand. Could life get any better?

"Hello imouto."

The frosty tone stopped Kikyo in her tracks and her eyes widened before narrowing at the white and red clad figure ahead of her.

"Kaede-neechan. Back from your self-imposed exile?" Kikyo sneered, bristling at the look of disappointment her older sister gave her. How dare Kaede look down on her?! Who was she to judge her actions?!

"I've heard that you've been…. whoring yourself out again Kikyo. But then again I shouldn't be surprised considering you were the whore of our clan so many years ago. I don't know whether to be saddened or amused that it's still true today." Kaede smiled thinly as she gripped her bow tightly.

Nothing would make her happier than to throttle the hell out of Kikyo; she never deserved the sacrifice Kun-Loon had done. She had tried to talk her out of it and persuade her to be with Minato but Kun-Loon had said that family came first. Too bad Kikyo had never cared about family in the first place.

"Did you come all the way here to lecture me Nee-chan," Kikyo spat, "You never gave a shit about me when we were younger so don't try to act like you care about me now."

"I always cared about you Kikyo, both me and Kun-Loon. You just never accepted our love. You did what you wanted, without regards to the consequences. You still carry bitterness from all those years ago but it was your own fault."

That set Kikyo off and her lips curled into a snarl. How dare that bitch bring that up again? But Kaede was determined to make Kikyo see her selfishness.

"Your self-destructive behavior is what brought you to the attention of Naraku. He was sure he could break you and he was the only one of our clansmen who was willing to marry you. But Kun-Loon wouldn't hear of you being married off to that abusive sick bastard. So she took your place; sacrificing her hopes, her dreams and her life for you. And what do you do? Sully her sacrifice!" Kaede yelled.

"I didn't ask her to do anything for me! That was her own choice! The bastard was killed by six months later in an ambush and she was set free so it doesn't even matter!"

Kaede strode over in a fury and slapped her sibling harshly. Kikyo spat blood and glared up at her older sister.

"You don't know the hell that bastard put our sister through." Kaede whispered, her eyes clenched shut as she remembered her sister's silent tears and the bruises that seemed to accumulate every time she saw her.

"She sacrificed everything…..because she loved you. And how do you repay her? Bewitching her first love, sleeping with a married man…and now you carry a bastard in your womb."

Kikyo went to say something but Kaede released her aura and silently commanded her to keep silent. It was suffocating and forced Kikyo to her knees with a whimper as Kaede looked down at her with a stony expression. Kikyo wisely bit her tongue and bowed her head, whatever spiritual power she did have was nothing compared to Kaede's.

Kaede smirked in satisfaction at seeing her sister submitting to her. She turned around and walked away slowly, feeling the sun's rays shine on her face. Kun-Loon would receive her vengeance through her daughter and Kaede couldn't wait until that day. Perhaps then she would finally receive forgiveness from her little sister and be at peace.

"You had better pray to the Kami imouto because unlike Kun-Loon, I will not save you."

"Im indebted to you Hatake-san. Thank you for preventing my son from hurting my husband any more than he already had. I fear for what may have happened if you had not come." Mikoto's tired but harmonious voice was like music to Kakashi's ears. Carrying her to the hospital had been bittersweet.

He had longed and dreamed of holding the breathtaking yet untouchable Uchiha Matriarch in his arms yet it had come at a price. Kakashi's uncovered eye raked over her weary form and saw bruises both old and new on her body. The pale white of the hospital room and bed made her already pale complexion seem even more ghostlike and Kakashi mused that if it wasn't for her hair and eyes she would blend in with the room.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad I was on time for once." Kakashi joked, his eye crinkling. Despite her tiredness Mikoto brought her hand up and giggled softly. Even she had heard of Kakashi's infamous lateness to everything. Kakashi swallowed thickly and subtly moved his chair closer to the bed so he could rest his elbows.

"How's teaching a genin team nowadays? I seem to recall a certain someone saying in our younger days that he would be in ANBU for his whole life and never teach a group of brats." Amused and bored, Mikoto gently took his hand and traced the numerous scars on his palm. Kakashi sighed in relaxation. He must have run into some very good karma somewhere.

"They're definitely a group of brats, but I sense potential in them. With some help and guidance they will go far. But there are days I definitely miss ANBU."

Mikoto closed her eyes and thought of days long gone. Days when she was the top kunoichi for seduction and assassination missions, days when the Black Widow was a feared name.

When she and Kakashi would race through the trees of Konoha forest and spar all day and night, neither one wanting to give in. When they competed to see who would reach the coveted spot of ANBU Captain.

But that had been before her betrothal to Fugaku, the Clan's heir. Before she had been forced to give up ANBU and being a kunoichi in order to learn the necessary duties and traditions. Before she had been forced to stop being Mikoto and become the Uchiha Matriarch.

"I miss those days." Mikoto said sadly, a single tear falling down her cheek. Yes she loved her sons and in a way she still loved her husband, but she had been forced to give up so much…

Kakashi gently wiped the tear away and Mikoto locked eyes with him startled. With her large dark doe eyes staring up at him Kakashi was hard pressed not to pull down his mask and capture her lips with his own but he had to gain control over himself.

She was vulnerable right now and she was still married.

"I miss us Mikoto." Kakashi said softly. Hearing her sharp intake of breath he quickly did damage control. "I miss our friendship." He amended. Mikoto felt tears begin to gather behind her eyes. The fact that she had had to give up Kakashi, her dearest friend, had hurt her the most.

"I miss us too Kashi!" Mikoto choked out and Kakashi's hear t soared at her old nickname for him. She threw her arms around his neck and began to sob uncontrollably. She wasn't in the Uchiha compound or out in public where appearances were everything and showing emotion was frowned upon. She was with her old friend and damn it had she missed him.

"I missed you too Miko." Mikoto sobbed harder at her old nickname and Kakashi awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. This would look really bad if someone walked in and he was sending prayers to the Kamis above that they would extend his good luck for a bit longer.

At the feel of Mikoto's soft curves which had been hidden under her plain and simple kimonos, he almost swooned. Had Mikoto always been this soft?

'Thank you Kami-sama for curves!'

"Kashi can you move your weapon pouch? It's poking me in the stomach."

Sakura bit her lip for the umpteenth time and nervously wrung her hands. She had hid herself in a deserted hallway of the hospital to contemplate what she was about to do. Tears leaked down her eyes and she repeatedly banged her head against the wall. She didn't want to tell, but it was the right thing to do. And she was so tired of doing the wrong thing.

It was what got her involved with this in the first place.

Finally after what seemed like forever, she drag herself up and wiped her eyes as best she could. She knew she looked horrible but it didn't matter. Sakura made her way down the halls and corridors before she finally knocked on Naruto's door.

Inside were her teammates and they obviously weren't happy with her presence and seeing that normally carefree Naruto was glaring at her furiously, she assumed that his twin had told him what all had happened.

"I have something to tell you guys." Sakura said quietly looking down at the floor. Naruto and Kagome almost launched into a tirade but Sasuke held up his hand and gave them looks. He glanced back at Sakura and noticed her puffy eyes and blotchy complexion. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks and was on the verge of collapsing.

"She deserves a chance to speak." Sasuke said and motioned for Sakura to sit by him. She did and seemed to crumple in on herself as she began to speak.

"I didn't... have a great childhood growing up. My dad was a merchant but business had been bad for a few years so he wasn't bringing in a lot of money. Whatever money he did bring in went to drinking." Sakura hiccupped, "My mom was a civilian who dreamed of becoming a shinobi but she knew she didn't have the abilities necessary. So she passed that dream onto me. My father detested shinobis and so he hated me and my mom."

Little Sakura hid in her bedroom closet and hug her knees tightly to her chest. Her father had come home from the dive bar in one of his moods and her mother had quickly told her to go to her room as she tried to deal with him. She winced and cried silently as she heard her mother yelps and the sound of her father repeatedly hitting her. Suddenly the closet door opened and Sakura was pulled out screaming by her hair.

Sakura shuddered at the memories but she continued on. She had to tell them the truth and hopefully, they would forgive her.

"Since my dad wasnt bringing home any money, my mom had to work several jobs to pay the bills and put me through the Academy. I told her I would drop out and go to the regular civilian school in order to take some of the burden off her shoulders. She wouldn't hear of it."

Sakura was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework when the front door slammed shut and Kizashi stumbled into the room. Her eyes widened and she began to shake; Mebuki wouldn't be home for hours. She was all on her own.

"Sakura get me water." Kizashi ordered, plopping down at the table. Sakura quickly got a cup but due to her nervousness she dropped it. Glass shattered all over the floor and Kizashi rose with a murderous look in his eyes. Sakura tried to run but she was grabbed by her throat and slammed against the wall. She choked and coughed and scratched at the meaty hand around her throat but to no avail. Flailing about Sakura felt her hand clench around one of her mother's sharp cake spatulas and with speed she didn't know she had, she sliced his hand. He dropped her and Sakura clambered for traction.

Kizashi cuffed her and she fell headfirst into a lower cabinet. Seeing him coming for her, Sakura panicked and did the first thing that came to mind. Whipping her wrist like she had been taught, the cake spatula was lodged into Kizashi's throat. He spat blood and some other unintelligible words before he fell to the ground dead.

Sakura looked at the dead body and felt her numb. How was she going to explain this to her mother? Despite what Kizashi had done, Mebuki had always told her to respect her father and not to retaliate against anything he did. She had killed her father.

A knock at the window brought her out her thoughts and Sakura turned to see grinning brown eyes staring at her. How long had Kikyo-sensei been standing there? Had she seen what had happened?

"I'll take care of everything Saku-chan" Kikyo cooed through the glass.

"And so I made a deal with the devil." Sakura finished as tears streamed down her eyes. She looked at her teammates but more specifically Kagome and Naruto.

"Please I'm so sorry. I didn't want to go along with what she said, but I was young and I was so scared. Please I'm telling the truth." Sakura pleaded.

"I don't know what to say." Naruto finally said. Tearful green meet conflicted blue.

"Please Kagome. Will you forgive me?"

*Hides from angry fans*

First semester freshman in college. Have mercy please.

Your reviews channel my imagination,

- Verdant