The tale of the moon rabbit is a tale of virtue and good will. When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from neighbouring trees and the otter collected fish from a stream that babbled close by. Meanwhile the jackal, forever sneaky in its ways, wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit however, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into the crackling fire the man had built. Yet the rabbit was not burned. Its fur remained snowy and unscathed despite the flames that barked viciously. The old man revealed himself to be Sakra, the ruler of the Trāyastrimśa Heaven, and touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire- the ultimate sacrifice.
In the dark haired deity's eyes Reina was like the white rabbit. She was willing to sacrifice herself for the need of another; but in this situation it was not merely her own life that she was forfeiting. Since that one fateful night that she shared with the killer of the Uchiha clan, Reina's life was not the only one she was protecting. Despite her delicate state of mind and form Reina's body had somehow managed to nurture and nourish new life in spite of the ungodly horrors she had encountered.
And yet here she was in the company of the mood god himself.
"Excuse me?" She found herself repeating her words as she stared wide-eyed at the golden orbed man before her. He merely chuckled to himself, taking another delicate sip of the mystery liquid the white rabbit had so diligently created. Amidst the silence the white rabbit hopped over to Reina another cup present in its tiny paws; Reina stared down at the fluffy animal in curiosity, hesitantly accepting the cup with a quiet 'thank you'. Satisfied that its work was done the rabbit simply hopped off in the direction from whence it came, the soft thuds dispersing into silence once again.
"Wouldn't you like to know why I, Tsukuyomi chose to save you?" The now named moon deity chimed theatrically, his eyes sparkling with untold secrets. Reina felt her stomach bubble as the words left his lips, deity or human he was wasting her time. Itachi and Sasuke were out there somewhere and she couldn't get to them. Reina narrowed her eyes, her jaw taut as the small china teacup quivered between her hands.
"Why didn't you save them? If you've watched me all these years then you would know what they mean to me! Why didn't you save them too? They are my family!" By the time the last of her words had passed her lips tears were freely rolling down her cheeks, they catching the light resembling liquid diamonds. Her voice had cracked. It hoarse and splintered as her heart ached in her chest whilst tears continued to rolls down her skin at thought of losing them…of losing him again. Reina tore her eyes from Tsukuyomi's, they settling on the skin of her wrist that peeked out from under the numerous layers of silk, she able to make out the red twine of fate glowing faintly.
Moments passed and no other words filled the air. The only thing that could be heard was the occasional slosh of water as the koi became rowdy at the thought of their potential feed. Reina kept her eyes fixed on the red thread, her tears having made their way along her jaw until they slid down her neck and beneath the collar of her kimono. She felt defeated. Despite the indenture and her ghostly abilities she still wasn't strong enough to bring him back. And to make things worst she had wrangled Sasuke into her mess. She was selfish.
"I saved that Uchiha boy on one occasion. I didn't have to. I could have left him to die but he had this look on his face…" Tsukuyomi spoke breaking the silence and her train of thought. Hearing his words Reina's ears perked up, her eyes trailing from her wrist to his honey eyes- a signal for him to continue. The fresh faced deity nodded ever so slightly before he settled his head against the foundation post, his dark locks spilling over his shoulders almost touching his waist.
"He was alone. Black flames surrounded him and devoured everything in the vicinity. He was broken- it was obvious in his expression. And he was dying. His body had completely depleted its chakra source and he was moments away from death. But he didn't care about that, it was the fact he had lost someone, a girl in fact, she had slipped from his grasp and disappeared from his sight. And he blamed himself. I knew that should I intervene, seeing that girl again would bring a small amount of joy to his pitiful before it finally ended. So I called in a favour from a family friend-who just so happens to make excellent tea…" As he finished Tsukuyomi took a sip of his brew, slowly slurping to emphasise his final word whilst his eyes shifted from Reina to the teacup that resided in her hands.
Reina stared dazedly as his words hit home for her; she shook herself from her trance like state before gazing at the dainty china cup in her hands, the steamed aroma steeping into her senses and reawakening past events that had momentarily been forgotten. The fragrance transported her back to yomi, the crackling of fire echoed in her ears whilst the warmth of the flames revived her icy body that had taken a severe beating from the Ungaikyo mirror. But it was the faces of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha that burned the brightest in her mind. How they had saved her from death and told her of the horrors their eldest son had had to bear alone all those years.
Yet it was the scent of tea that was so familiar to her. Bringing the tea cup to her face she inhaled the still steaming cup before her breath hitched in the back of her throat. It was the same mystery liquid that Mikoto had given to her on their first encounter. Which meant: it was Tsukuyomi who had given them the tea of the white rabbit. He had saved her…along with Itachi.
"Why? Why did you do it?" Reina whispered, her voice barely audible as she settled the cup beside her, folding her hands in her lap; wave after wave of emotion crashing down on her relentlessly. Tsukuyomi blinked in awe at the spectrum of emotion that humans possessed; one moment they could flare with an uncontrollable anger and the next they could be drowning in a sea of their own sorrow. It baffled him at times. But then at other times it was what drew him to them; they were so capricious with their feelings that he could never fully predict their actions. Yes he had existed for the longest of times and human nature had never fully differed from the natural need for survival. But in the occasional instance they could surprise him and Reina just so happened to be one of them.
"Because that's what family does Reina- we look out for one another and make decisions that may seem heartless or cruel. But at the end of the day we have your best interests at heart- I have your best interests at heart." His words were soft and sincere yet they were somewhat alien and strange to her. Reina stared at him as if he were talking in a dead, foreign tongue; the words simply weren't computing to her- was he insinuating that…?
"Who…who are you?" Reina questioned her eyes wide and her lips parted in anticipation. She could feel her heart beat at such a speed she thought it would explode in her chest there and then. Her pulse pounded away in her head that it resembled a bass drum, the musician playing it relentless in their efforts to maintain a steady beat. Tsukuyomi stand up straight, he somewhat regimental in his actions, carefully, as not to startle the already skittish kunoichi, he moved from the pagoda's platform edge shuffling until he sat directly opposite Reina, crossing his legs and adjusting his own kimono before speaking.
"I'm your Grandfather on your Father's side. Or Godfather if you appreciate the pun." Tsukuyomi smiled lopsidedly obviously proud of his ability to make jokes at inappropriate moments. The smile remained on his lips whilst he eyed Reina, waiting for her reaction; she knitted her brows, they furrowed together in disbelief as his words echoed in her ears. It couldn't be possible- it wasn't. She refused to accept it. It was simply too preposterous to even conceive let alone believe.