Before
Her father's castle is magnificent. Its ceilings are so high that his eyes cannot find where they end. Indra remembers his early years of ninshū training; one must look at the surroundings without moving a single limb, one must take in the environment without a third party noticing it. Even with his Sharingan, Indra must analyze everything. And so, Indra learns every corner of Hime-sama's castle without her need of showing him every room.
Her name is Kono-hana Sakuya-hime, yes, but Indra still feels inclined in calling her princess. It is a reminder of how incredible she is.
The castle differs from the architecture he is used to. In this part of the world, so far away from father and Asura, Indra finds simplicity in the people who live between the mountains and the sea. Located atop the tallest mountain, the castle is the physical display of the power that Hime-sama's family holds in this land. Her father rules as a god, a distant reminder of Indra's own father.
Just like his daughter, the mountain god, Ohoyamatsumi, receives him with open arms.
"You come from distant lands," he comments. His voice carries a booming echo across his sitting room with its high ceilings. He is grand like a mountain, with imposing features.
"Yes."
Indra kneels down in front of the man sitting on the throne. That is how it is done in his country. However, when he sees that Hime-sama bows, her forehead touching the ground, he follows suit. This distant land has different customs, it seems.
"Your clothing is from the West," Hime-sama's father is correct. "What brings you to this land?"
Indra's mind travels back to the last time he saw his younger brother and father. Their saddened expressions remain imprinted in his memory, and he carries them like an additional baggage in his travels. However, they act as a reminder that he is different from them, from the rest of their clan. He must strive for power, and by doing so, Indra must explore the world to find the best way of delivering his way of ninshū.
Not many know about his plan. He has been traveling for a while now, having left Asura when he was merely fourteen. Now, six years later, after traveling great distances, he finds himself at the end of the known world in a place where the mountains meet the sea. His first encounter with the mountain god's daughter may have been a coincidence. However, in Indra's life and beliefs, coincidences do not happen without a reason.
And so, he realizes that Hime-sama is a person who will have great influence in his life.
"I would like to explore every corner of the known world," he decides to answer.
Ohoyamatsumi nods curtly, giving him a full welcome into his castle and land. People are extremely trustful in this part of the world, Indra notes. Nothing like the war-torn soil he is used to living in.
Though he does not share much of his past or the way in which he arrived to her land, Hime-sama welcomes him with open arms and a warm smile. She is not afraid of holding back any truth from him, always talking even when he isn't asking. Indra knows little about etiquette, but he can tell that she abides by her role as the mountain god's daughter in the presence of important delegates as much as she dismisses her responsibilities when she is out of duty.
Her long rose hair sways with every step she takes in spite of how quiet she is when she walks. There is always a fan in her hand, a sign of nobility unknown in his clan. She uses it to cover the bottom half of her face when necessary, and sometimes she plays around with it when no one is watching. Indra reasons that she is still a young princess, not much older than he when he left home.
Yet he finds her intriguing. He wants to know more about her.
"Here is where father and I played when I was younger." She shows him the gardens of the castle filled with pink petals that eternally fall on the ground. "He built this when I was born, and claimed that I was born underneath the older cherry blossom in this garden."
Indra is not familiar with this folklore, having grown up with a father who taught him how to use his chakra and a grandmother who had to be sealed away because she was too powerful. Nonetheless, he exchanges his eyes between the field of ever falling petals and the young maiden who offers him a soft smile, and understands that behind her delicate demeanour lies a blossoming beauty.
He decides to stay in the castle for a lengthened period of time to watch that beauty grow.
They spend a significant amount of time together. She guides him through the gardens with the change of every season, her father watching from afar but without interfering. This is the first time Indra has felt comfortable with his surroundings since childhood; playing games with Asura and his cousins and learning from his grandmother were the only pure memories he held. But now it is all destroyed, too far away to relive those moments.
She teaches him her land's traditional art and dance, investing every ounce of her energy in ensuring that he is well trained. Her perseverance is something he truly admires. Every step that she takes lights up a new corner in the castle, as if she were the personification of spring and brought life wherever she went, her left hand always holding a fan. Indra wonders how all of this beauty is even possible. He's only known destruction and death up until now.
Indra does not even realize how many full moons have passed, and that the weather goes from warm to cold and then back to warm. He's been here, entranced by the embodiment of Hime-sama for about a year, putting a pause in his travels. He may not open up as much to her, but she is still as welcome as their first meeting.
It is under one of the sunsets over the beach that she begins asking about him. They are standing side by side, the dancing waves washing their feet, a reminder of their first meeting. Her hair has grown longer and she has grown more beautiful, steadily making her way into womanhood and Indra is blessed to witness it. Nonetheless, Hime-sama remains in a smaller stature compared to him.
She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, her humming stops. "Indra-san, do you know any songs?"
He turns to look at her wide, wide green eyes filled with expectation and curiosity. "Songs?"
"Or lullabies. I would like to hear your voice."
Hime-sama looks at him with her innocent green eyes, her fan playfully covering the bottom half of her face.
Nothing can sound as melodic as her voice, he thinks.
Indra goes to that place in his memory that he has gotten accustomed to not visit. He thinks back on his younger years, on father's challenging yet strong arms, on Asura's laugh when he could barely walk. He settles on one of his most cherished memories, the only one he shares with his grandmother. Indra tries to reenact the scene in his mind, tries to remember the way her silk robes felt when he was small enough to sit on Kaguya's lap and listen to her. He can recall the way her white hair surrounded him as she sang while she rested her chin on his small head as a child.
After all, he's always been her favourite grandson.
And his voice starts singing before he is realizes.
"Round, round, go round, Waterwheel, go round. Go round, and call Mr. Sun. Birds, bugs, beasts, grass, trees, flowers. Bring spring and summer, fall and winter."
Indra can recall his grandmother's voice while Hime-sama sings along. Once he finishes that verse, the sound of the coming and going waves washes over him, sending him to a different time. He feels five again, with tears rolling down his eyes, watching his father and uncle seal Kaguya far away from him. That was the last time he ever saw her.
The only thing to bring him back to reality is the weight of her head on his shoulder.
"That was beautiful," Kono-hana chimes. "Who taught you that lullaby?"
He takes his time answering that question. "My grandmother." It still hurts.
"What was she like?"
"She was," a legend, the source of his chakra, his beloved grandmother, "strong. Dark at times, but compassionate nonetheless."
Kaguya once told Indra her legacy lives on in him. That his father and uncle do not fully understand their purpose in this world, and that due to his natural talents with chakra, he is the only descendant worthy of passing down their teachings through power. However, no one else saw eye to eye with her. And so, Asura took place as the inheritor of their father's ideology when his grandmother was securely sealed in the moon.
It eventually sent him far away from his family. It destroyed every sort of unity he once felt in his life. His beloved grandmother sealed in the moon, guarded by Hamura and some of his cousins. His father attempting to teach ninshū in his unsuccessful manner, still causing deaths in their war-torn land. And Asura, clumsy, stubborn he is, as heir of Hagoromo's will.
Though it was Indra's own decision to defect his clan, he would have still felt disconnected had he stayed with them.
"That is very sad, Indra-san," she comments and he realizes that he had revealed everything that was troubling his mind. "Stay here, with us, for as long as you want. It would make me very happy."
Indra follows her request with a silent agreement.
He stays for more seasons, more cold nights and warm days on the beach. He watches the mountain god rule over his people mercifully, granting them all their wishes as they meticulously prepare offerings for every occasion. He thinks he has finally found peace in his mind.
Hime-sama's interest in finding out more about the customs of his land allow him to discover what he has gained in his previous years as a wandering traveler. They may not understand one another at times, but she is always patient with him and never pressures into a subject that may be too sensitive for Indra to voice.
And after more time passes and more cherry blossom trees shed their petals, Indra grows to realize that his interest and dedication on Hime-sama has grown along with her. It is a strange feeling, really, to want to wake up every morning and have her face as his first thought. Long gone are the days in which his sleep is interrupted by dark memories of his past. She is the first person he looks for at the beginning of the day and the last to see before night falls.
She is a fully grown woman, her hair reaching her knees, when he announces his intent to her father. Ohoyamatsumi is content that his daughter will be in good hands.
It is when they are watching the rising sun that Indra finally says it.
"Hime-sama, you are now of age. Your father has given me his full consent."
She looks at his eyes, green at black, and they shine with the sunlight. She may still be able to display that same innocent expression he's known for the last years, but she looks more beautiful and more mature than ever.
"Indra-san, are you asking for my hand in marriage?" She gently laces their fingers, hiding her blushed cheeks behind her fan. "It is what I have wanted since I first met you."
Their ceremony is held on her eighteenth birthday. Hime-sama meets him at the shrine wearing the softest of red silks, imprinted with soft patterns of pink petals that had fallen from the cherry blossom trees last season. Indra stands with his head high, back straight, waiting to take his bride's hands in his. His wedding is quite different from the ones he has witnessed in his clan. While the Ōtsutsuki weddings tend to go on for days, Indra's takes place in one day with one ceremony. Hime-sama chooses to wear red as a sign of respect to his own culture, as he had once told her that brides in his clan marry wearing the colour of blood.
"May the deities bless and protect this marriage," the mountain god proudly announces.
They watch a dance performance, and seal their vows by drinking three sips from three cups of rice wine. Indra's eyes cannot avert from the beauty that his wife radiates.
He has finally found his peace.
He swears to the gods that he will love and respect his wife forever. That they will work together to never veer from the true significance of matrimony, and to help their community as well.
Indra takes his new wife over to their sleeping chambers, finally knowing that no more nightmares will hunt him at night. Hime-sama's eyes do not separate from the floor, all too aware of what is meant to happen on their first wedding night. He fully embraces her for the first time ever, finding new appreciation in the way that her small body molds with his, in how her small hands wrinkle his attire.
"You musn't be afraid."
Indra plants a small kiss on her soft pink lips. He moves his head back to watch her expression, finding her in a state of anticipation for more. This may be the first time for both of them, and in spite of their legendary backgrounds, they are still human at the core. Their natural instincts manifest when Indra cups her face with his two hands and kisses her deeply.
He takes the fan from her left hand and places it on the edge of their bed. Then, he runs his fingers through her rose hair, relaxing her. He unwraps her from the layers of fabric covering her small frame, until she is left bare in front of him. Indra allows her to do the same with him. Her hands gracefully remove his clothing until he is in the same vulnerable state.
He is gentle with her on their first night. They take their time getting to know one another, finally being able to express their love through more than just words. His wife's rose hair is sprawled all over their bed, as if she was one of the soft cherry blossoms that fell on the ground of the garden. Indra makes love to her with his body and soul, forgetting that once upon a time he could think of something else that was not his wife.
She is shy at first, but gains more confidence with her body as the sessions progress and she learns about Indra through touch and taste.
They stay for one more season in the mountain god's castle. Indra knows that it is due time to introduce his wife to his clan, and to finally return to his home with a new mindset and a new addition to his life. Long gone are the days of seeking power that pulled him away from his family.
A magnificent elephant appears on the shore, its trunk affectionately wrapping around Hime-sama's tiny body. She is impressed with the creature, having never seen one like it before. Indra did not find the need of calling his summon until now, choosing to keep his teachings of ninshū to a minimum out of respect for her people's traditions.
"He's beautiful," his wife comments, fully entranced on the creature's greatness.
"And so are you, my love. His name is Airvata and he is our summon. You may ask for him at any time."
Indra kisses his wife, embracing her with his arms before sitting her down at the head of his summon. Her excitement is great enough to almost cover the trail of tears that dare to escape from her eyes. He knows this is difficult for her, to leave her land and people behind and start anew in a different place. Yet he cannot feel anything but pride for his strong wife.
Strong, beautiful, unbreakable.
"Due to my clan's tradition, you will adopt a new name, Hime-sama. From now on, you will be named Indrani, as my wife for all eternity."
She radiates with her smile, lacing her right fingers with his while her left hand holds her fan. "I will always be with you."
Their journey back to Indra's birth land takes them a while. He wants to be able to enjoy as much as he can with his wife before encountering his family after so many years. Airvata is a loyal companion and perseveres through all the hardships in the changing geographies. Their attire gradually changes from the traditional robes worn in his wife's old home to fabrics that are more familiar with their environment.
It is almost surreal to see his wife, his princess, dressed like the women of his clan. She glows with everything she wears, and even more when everything that keeps them separate is a thin blanket to keep warm during the cold nights.
They make love under the moonlight every chance they get. He cannot get enough of her elixir, finding himself lost in every inch of her body. Yet when he hears her moans and declarations of love, he knows he is where he belongs. Her face is the first thing he sees in the morning and her arms invite him to sleep peacefully.
When they reach the gates that separate Indra from the rest of his clan, she announces the result of their many passionate sessions.
"Indra-san, my love. There is something I must show you before we meet your family." She is sitting in front of him, and reaches out for his left hand, placing it on her lower belly. "Do you feel it? With your chakra?"
There is a small light, almost like a dormant fire, nesting within her. Indra's worries for what his father and brother may react upon his return are suddenly wiped out of his mind.
"Yes, I feel it. This," he feels a single tear rolling down his cheek, because he would have never imagined that he would reach this moment. "This is the best news, Indrani. You have given me light and love, and now you give me a child."
His brother and father have changed over the years. Asura's young features are replaced with the face and body of a fully grown man, with strong leadership and power over his people. Father, on the other hand, now has grey hair and aging lines running along his skin. Nonetheless, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo does not stop being the same imposing man.
Indra feels no anger or remorse towards them. He senses his wife beside him as they stand in front of his father and brother, and feels that there is no need to look to back in anger. Yes, grandmother is gone and they still live in a war-torn nation, but Indra now has the knowledge of years of travelling and a reason to keep his heart beating.
"Nii-sama." The way that his younger brother calls him throws him back to the years before they even knew how to control their chakra.
"Asura. Otou-sama." Indra kneels in front of them. "This is Indrani, my wife. She is from the East, from where the mountains meet the sea."
It is almost surreal to exist in the same room as his clansmen and his wife. He hears whispers and murmurs among the other attendees. His wife bows in front of them like she was taught back at the palace. The murmurs increase, everyone noticing that Indrani is an outsider. She does not seem to mind, keeping up with all of the royal training she received during her childhood.
"Indra, my son," Hagoromo speaks. "I am happy to see that you've returned with company. Please ensure that your wife is well adjusted to our clan, and that she receives proper care."
The woman grows larger and more beautiful everyday, choosing to remain separated from the talks of military strategy.
"Thank you for returning, nii-sama," Asura tells him when he decides to spar for the day. "The clan was different after you left. It felt like we were living a different life. Though it took you a while, you have found your happiness and decided to come here with her. She is quite lovely."
Indra's eyes avert to his wife, who is sitting under a tall tree, rubbing her belly affectionately. "She is more than that."
Strong, beautiful, unbreakable.
The war wages in the outskirts of his clan's settlement. He only sees the injured return, and tries to keep Indrani from witnessing the results of battles. Nonetheless, his wife takes measures of her own and, with difficulty while carrying a belly three times her size, she makes her way to the infirmary and offers her help in curing the wounded.
"Do not stress yourself too much," Indra reprimands his wife one night.
She is lying on their bed with a wet cloth over her forehead. Indrani lets out a melodic laugh, the same one she always does when her husband worries about her. "My love, this is the least I can do for your people. I am no longer under my father's protection and must become useful in your clan."
"You are truly your daughter's father." He kisses her forehead, then her lips, and finally her belly. "And you will be the best mother there can ever be for my child."
Indrani continues assisting in the infirmary, where his clan's healers begin to respect her for her efforts in helping others. They greet her when they are out of duty, give her presents for the unborn child, and send them prayers in hopes that the future generations of the Ōtsutsuki may carry the same compassion she does.
Soon enough, his father even begins to acknowledge Indrani's importance in the clan's day to day life. His younger brother admires his wife as he admires him, offering to watch over her when Indra is occupied with clan matters. Asura is, to say the least, fascinated with his sister-in-law's traditions and past. It only reinforces Indra's wish to remain here and never leave again.
That is, until that fated day comes.
"INDRA-SAMA!" one of his fellow clansmen come running to find him. "There has been an accident at the infirmary. Your wife-"
Indra does not get to hear the end of that sentence. He channels chakra to his feet and darts towards the tents where the injured are being treated. His thundering heartbeat almost deafens the screams from inside.
First, he sees his beloved wife lying on the ground, unconscious. Then, a black, humanoid essence comes out of her mouth and disappears beneath her through the ground. Finally, Indra's eyes settle on the individual closest to Indrani and finds the stunned face of his brother.
Asura tries to call out his brother, but his neck is soon trapped between Indra's hands. For the first time in years, his Sharingan is furiously wheeling at the younger brother. Indra cannot think or feel anything other than rage and fear. Rage at what appears to have happened in front of him, and fear for the woman he's promised to love for all eternity.
"Indra-sama! Stop!"
The healers, witnessing the scene, try to stop the older Ōtsutsuki with their words, for they know that no one can pair their physical strength with that of Hagoromo's sons.
"Nii-sama..." Asura chokes. His hands envelop Indra's wrists but cannot disentangle his fingers from his neck. "L-let me explain..."
Indra feels it all over again. It's that same raw rush of power that first manifested when his Sharingan awakened. His grandmother's words rush through his head, that he is her only worthy descendant, and how his brother, once again, comes around to try and take everything from him. His chakra darkens, he can sense it becoming a cloud of black smoke, talking into his mind that he must wipe away any sort of threat to what he holds dear.
"Indra, let go of your brother," his father's voice echoes in the back of his head but he does not obey.
Asura is doing what he always does: take what is rightfully his. First he took his place as inheritor of their father's will, and now he is targeting his wife and future child. It was a mistake to care for his younger brother. It was a mistake to come back to his clan with Indrani.
He should just wipe Asura out and establish his own clan, an unconscious voice whispers into his ear.
"Indra-san... my love..."
The dark chakra recedes at the sound of those melodic words. Indra snaps back into reality, finally noticing that the strong grip he has on his brother's neck is making him turn purple. He immediately releases his hands, and lets Asura fall on the floor as he gasps for air. Indra looks around, stunned at the number of witnesses to an action he does not even realize he's committed until he sees Indrani being held up by his father.
She looks as pale as a white rose. His love holds on to her large belly with one hand with her opposite arm keeps her support on Hagoromo's body. His father sends him a worried look, all too familiar to those times when Indra was about to kill someone for the sake of their clan.
Asura recomposes himself and calls out for his brother, but Indra is already gone from the tent by the time everyone finds the courage to speak.
He submerges himself in his bedchambers, battling with the inner darkness growing within him. It's never been like this before; he has felt the same raw power many times before, but not with this intensity. He had reacted without thinking, a feat that Asura is known for more than him. He had almost killed his younger brother with his bare hands, in front of Indrani.
Indra had told himself that he had found peace with the world embodied in his wife. However, when he saw her sprawled on the floor, surrounded by that black matter, with Asura not running to her aide, it catalyzed something inside of him.
His hands shake uncontrollably, the mental image of Asura's blood staining them.
Indra screams. He screams while he trashes every artifact in his bedchambers. He swings his sword and stabs the walls with it, the sliding door, and the futon where he and Indrani sleep, and the bamboo floor. He wants to destroy this urge to sink into darkness -he has to, before another living being comes to find him and he may try to stop a beating heart.
When his wife comes into their bedchambers, she finds Indra lying on the floor, surrounded by all of their broken possessions, with a blank look in his red eyes. One hand holds a sword while the other holds her fan. He does not move when she kneels with difficulty, nor when she begins to stroke his long dark hair.
"We will be fine, my love. Do not think about those dark thoughts. You are with family," she soothes him. "I am here with you. Whatever happened at the infirmary was not Asura's doing. I promise you that, like always, we will only have happy days ahead of us."
Liar, a voice says in his head. She's a liar. Haven't you noticed how much time your brother has spent with her lately? He must have infected her with something.
Stop it, he tells that voice.
You tell me to stop, but deep down you know that this is your brother's doing.
"I almost killed my brother today." Indra sits up until he is at the same eye level as his beautiful wife. He runs his fingers through Indrani's long rose hair, touches her forehead with his, and breathes deeply. "There is so much I regret."
"He will forgive you. You are human, driven by your emotions."
He never told her about the times he had to kill when he was younger. Or how he defected from his clan because of Asura. Indrani is pure, and she must remain so. Whatever that black matter was, Indra would ensure that it never touches her or their children ever again.
Yet he cannot ignore the dark aura that covers Indrani's skin like a thin silk sheet. It is invisible to the naked eye, but he can still sense it with his Sharingan.
Now
"You may be familiar with the black matter that came out of Indrani. He is a manifestation of my grandmother, and was used to carry her will throughout the centuries," Asura informs them.
"Black Zetsu," Sasuke says, his eyes narrowing at the realization.
"So you're saying that Black Zetsu manifested himself in Indrani?" Naruto asks his ancestor.
"He had appeared by the time that Indrani lay unconscious at the infirmary. We did not know what it was, and my first suspicion was that it was an attack from one of our enemies. When it disappeared beneath the ground, I ordered to increase our security measures around my sister-in-law. However, Black Zetsu had already implanted a seed in my brother's mind."
Sasuke remembers the Sage of the Six Path's words. "That is when Black Zetsu began to manipulate Indra to follow Kaguya's will."
"Correct. The legend states that my brother was controlled to try and take the inheritance away from me. Though he did not agree with our father's decision at first, he became vulnerable to Black Zetsu for another reason. That reason being his wife's decaying health."
Before
Indra grows more anxious and suspicious of his family as the days pass. He does not know why, but he begins to pay more attention to those thoughts hidden in the back of his mind. They remind him that his clan is filled with untrustworthy men. That, unless he protects what is important, all that he holds dear will be wiped out.
He tells Indrani that they must escape from the clan. He does not trust them, he thinks that being surrounded by them is what causes that dark aura to surround his wife without her knowledge.
"You must remain calm and focused for my sake," she says. "It will all pass once your child is born and you have to be a father. You are where you belong. I took your name, I am never leaving your side."
His fellow clansmen start to fear him too. His father's visits lessen as well, though Asura tries to reconcile their relationship several times to no avail. Indra wants to isolate himself from the rest of the Ōtsutsuki. He knows that they can no longer go back to the peaceful times before Indrani was found unconscious at the infirmary.
However, Indra finds himself back in that same infirmary after he finds his wife standing over a large pool of liquid between her legs.
"Indra-sama, we advise that you leave this to us," one of the midwives orders.
Indra stands beside his wife, who wails in pain, is paler than ever, and is covered in sweat. Indrani is going through labour with a belly larger than herself, and he can sense how that same dark aura increases with every contraction. She opens her eyes briefly, delirious in pain while the midwives prepare to deliver the child, and looks at Indra.
"My love, I am in good hands."
Before Indra can answer, he is taken away by force from the infirmary by Asura. His younger brother grabs him by the shoulders and brings him to the other side of the tent, holding on tightly so that Indra does not interrupt the delivery.
"She will be fine, nii-sama. Stay here!"
Yet Indra wants to break every single one of Asura's bones for keeping him away from his wife. He grunts, pushing and pulling while his younger brother strongly maintains his hold. He wants to scream that this is his family and he knows that something is wrong with his wife. Indrani may not see it -in fact, nobody else but him can see it-, but Indra's mind is filled with the worst of expectations.
His knees hit the ground in defeat, exhausted from trying to free himself from Asura and from hearing Indrani's wails. Indra can only sense his breathing, his paranoia invading every other sense while dark thoughts return to this mind. He feels like an eternity passes until he hears the cry of a newborn.
And the cry of another.
And another.
A midwife comes out of the infirmary. "Indra-sama, congratulations. You are the father of three sons."
Asura freezes his movements. "Three sons?" He is about to let out a cry of victory when he notices the midwife's expression.
"Yes, but the mother is very weak. Delivering three babies has taken a toll on her body."
Indra, still entranced by the cries of three tiny mouths, gets up from the floor and runs into the infirmary. And there he sees her, lying on the futon with blood between her legs. Indrani is delirious, half-conscious, while three babies rest on a small basket beside their mother. Yet Indra does not focus on them, his eyes concentrated on the black aura that surrounds his wife.
It is no longer a thin sheet of darkness that covers her. Now it is as if all of her lines were sharply marked by black ink.
"Indra-san...," his wife's voice is weak, barely audible over the babies' cries. "They are beautiful. Hoderi, Hosuseri, and Hoori. Those are their names."
Indrani closes her eyes and falls into deep slumber.
Three sons? He is father to three? Would that be the cause of the dark aura that surrounds Indrani?
Idiot, a voice in his mind tells him, she is decaying because your brother prevents everything from going your way.
For the following months, Indrani remains bedridden. She spends most of her days asleep, and returns to consciousness for brief moments before closing her eyes. The women of his clan look after the babies, Indra too preoccupied with the state of his wife to adjust to fatherhood. Indrani cannot even breastfeed her children; her body is too weak to produce any sort of milk. When she starts coughing up blood, the healers claim that it is from an infection she caught during childbirth.
However, Indra knows better. He knows that it is the cause of that black aura, which decays every corner of his beloved wife.
Strong, beautiful, unbreakable. He repeats those words like a mantra, a prayer to the mountain god so that his daughter survives through this.
She will not, that strange voice says in his mind. Don't you see it? This is your brother's doing. He is jealous of seeing your happiness and wants to take it away. He has already taken your position as heir, and now he is even destroying the love of your life.
No. No, no, no. Asura would never go to that length.
But who did you find when your wife was attacked? Him.
"Indra-san, my love," his wife calls him one night with her weakened voice. It is more of a whisper. "I want to see my sons." Indrani runs her fingers through his cheek while three women bring in her sleeping babies. She sits up in her futon with the help of her husband, too weak to move by herself. Her pink hair has turned white along with her skin, the only sign of colour in her are the bloodstains that have yet to be cleaned from the corners of her mouth.
The women place her sons on her lap, and she looks at them filled with love. Indra almost feels out of this picture, for he is not familiar with his sons. Indrani plants a soft kiss in their foreheads, and runs her hands through their heads of black hair. They look like him, Indra notes. Yet he hopes that their mother's qualities have also been passed down.
"Hoderi, Hosuseri and Hoori. They are your legacy. Protect them with all your strength, for they will bear you a family of strong warriors." His legacy... how can he care about his legacy when the love of his life is dying in front of him? "Pass me my fan, my love."
Indra obeys, handing her over her favourite artifact. She holds on to it with as much strength as she can gather.
"You will survive this," Indra says, more to himself than to his wife.
She turns to him, and gives him that same innocent smile that entranced him all those years ago when they first met. A single tear rolls down her eye, and falls on one of the triplets.
"Remember that song you taught me? Round, round, go round, oh distant time. Come round, call my heart. Birds, bugs, beasts, grass, trees, flowers. Teach me how to feel. If I hear that you pine for me, I will return to you."
Her breathing becomes quieter and more spread apart. Indra holds on to her hand, still warm. "My wife, don't leave me like this. I cannot survive without you."
"We will meet in another life. If I hear that you pine for me, I will return to you."
She lies her head on her pillow, the smile still reaching her tear stained green eyes. Indra can feel her heartbeat growing weaker, until it stops altogether. She has already departed, has already joined other celestial beings.
In that moment, his heart dies too. Her hand, still tightly holding on to the fan, is now cold and lifeless while the three babies sleeping on her lap are unaware that their mother has just died. Indra feels like the world does not have a meaning anymore, now that his beloved wife is gone.
She is gone.
And it's all because of your selfish younger brother.
He feels lost, the best half of him gone from this reality. Indra takes his children into his arms. He exits the room, not without giving his wife's body one last look as his eyes plague with tears. He can feel it again, that same rush of power flowing through his chakra. His heart darkens, his instincts take over and now he is running far, far away from where his heart remains.
Avenge her, teach your children to avenge their mother too.
"ASURA!"
His voice catches everyone's attention, and his fellow clansmen turn to him while his younger brother appears. It must be a pitiful sight, to see a recently widowed Indra holding his three children for the first time ever, his face in a state of despair and his chakra flaring up in different directions. He does not care, for the reason behind the downfall of his family is walking towards him.
And he hates him. He hates Asura.
Yes, hate him. Turn that unconditional love for your wife into deep hatred for your brother.
"You did this," Indra hisses through his teeth.
Asura looks at him with a combination of shock and puzzlement. "Nii-sama, what's happened?"
"Don't act like you don't know! She's dead because of you!" His voice breaks and it hurts more now that he says it aloud.
"Son, calm down," his father appears behind Asura. "You're in-"
"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" he screams and his triplets start crying, sensing their father's condition. "I hate all of you."
"I didn't do anything to Indrani!" Asura tries to argue. "I do not know what killed her. Please, nii-sama, listen to me."
He's lying.
"No." Indra is past the point of return. "I declare war on you, Ōtsutsuki Asura. You will pay for this with your life and that of your family. You and I will eternally be in conflict until I hear the last breath of your last descendant."
Indra, with his eyes activated, forms a seal with one hand while the other holds on to his children. He places it on his mouth and a large flame bursts out of his lips. He burns every building close to him and every clansman who gets in his way. Before he can gain back control, the Ōtsutsuki settlement is covered in inextinguishable black flames and Indra is long gone.
He will soon realize that when Indrani died, his eyes morphed into a new pattern and were the source of the black fire that destroyed his clan's home.
His children grow into strong warriors, all reminded that their mother died and they must avenge her. They were taught to hate Asura and his descendants, that they will never find peace because the younger Ōtsutsuki took everything away from the older. Indra consumes his hatred, morphs it, and launches it in attacks towards Asura in the several times they clash during their lifetimes.
Indra grows old, with more hatred running through his veins, and a stronger desire to kill off his brother. It even gives him an armour, Susano'o, and only the finest of his descendants can produce one like it. His family of three sons turns into one of several descendants, of warrior wives and child soldiers. They all carry the same eyes as his, the red Sharingan that activates when one is encountered with an emotional experience. They are all strong and fearful, and they begin to wear the symbol of a fan on their backs as a reminder of what keeps their fire going.
When Indra is about to die, his goal has not been achieved yet. Asura is in the same condition, both having reached old age while staging battles in which their children and grandchildren perish. Indra knows he cannot leave this lifetime unfinished.
He is about to let out his last breath when he remembers his late wife's words. We will meet in another lifetime. He has to remain in this world to see that happen. Fortune was not on his side when he claimed that he wanted to live with her for all eternity, though he has never stopped loving her with the same intensity.
And so, he splits his chakra in two. One will be passed down for transmigration as it is expected in their religion, while the other will travel up to the moon, which already seals Kaguya, and remain dormant until the right time to reunite comes.
He waits for generations and reincarnations until that time. From up in the moon, half of Indra's chakra builds a dimension in which he and his rightful partner will be able to spend all eternity. From up in the moon, he watches as his other half reincarnates on earth.
He watches as his and Asura's reincarnations sometimes fight and sometimes become allies. Indrani's reincarnation is always present, be it a mere small farm girl or the queen of a castle. They are all beautiful reincarnations, and Indra finds characteristics of his wife in every one of them. Yet her lives always end with tragedy.
That is, until a certain blossom blooms in Konoha. He watches as Sakura, his wife in this lifetime, grows into a strong kunoichi. How her beauty excels everything like Indrani's used to. How she is a carbon copy of the woman he loved more than a thousand years ago. He watches her interact with his reincarnation, almost losing hope of reuniting when Sasuke turns his back on her. Sasuke does not deserve her love anyway; he has hurt her enough times for Sakura to give up on him. However, she does not, for it is ingrained inside of her that she loves Indra's reincarnations in all of her lifetimes.
It does not matter, he reasons. Sasuke will perish once Indra regains all of his chakra, and he will be able to join his rightful place beside Sakura. She thinks she loves the Uchiha boy, but she does not realize that the person she is truly is entranced with is Indra's chakra.
When the moon is about to collide with the Earth, Indra knows that the right timing has come. His personal dimension has been ready for generations, and now is the time to reunite with the love of his life. He gets on one of the meteorites, which collides on Earth, and starts gathering back his chakra bit by bit. Indra wanders the lands he has not set foot on in more than a thousand years, gaining back his strength while that of Uchiha Sasuke weakens, thinking of how he and his Sakura will finally live happily together in the dimension he's created.
After waiting for more than a thousand years, he sets his plan in motion.
Hi lovelies! I know I took longer than usual in uploading this chapter, and I must blame the new Naruto Gaiden for that. The first chapter hurt more than any sort of heartbreak I've experienced, but I am not losing hope!
Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? It pretty much explains Indra's back story. I know it may not receive much feedback because it contains a significant amount of paragraphs. It's how I wanted it to be, with a story-telling kind of feel since this is Asura explaining it to Sasuke and Naruto, and Indra to Sakura. The story will have a lot more action and drama from now on.
Expect to see their reactions to this story next chapter! How will Sakura react? Will she accept Indra's version or still doubt him and try to return to Sasuke? What kind of portal did I refer to in the past chapters?
I hope it all made sense here! I will try to answer more questions as the story progresses if I have forgotten to add something here. The lullaby that Kaguya taught Indra when he was little, and he taught his wife, is from the film Tale of the Princess Kaguya by Studio Ghibli. I thought it flowed really well with the story.
Thank you so much for your support and reviews! I get so happy whenever I see them :D You're an incredible crowd.
I am also working on a NaruHina long-one shot about a road trip. Anyone interested in reading it? I have ideas for other one-shots like Something in Common, and they are mainly SasuSaku. Should I work on them too?
Best wishes and have a great weekend!
MSM