Tenshi's eyes vision blurred with tears that he could not hold back as they flowed past his closed eyelids, as he experienced the memories and enjoyed them as a wine taster would, the finest bottle of merlot. When he returned to the present, and to the woman who sat a mere inch from him, he had only one question.
"Te-tenkei-chan. Do...you love me?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. A single thought from her answered his call.
Unconditionally. Until time ceases to exist, my Tenshi-koi.
Tenshi smiled, and felt the last of his will to live start to give out. He fought the darkness which threatened to overwhelm him. He was not going to let his final moment with his life partner end, without him expressing his own emotions which he had hidden from her. With the final ounces of strength he forced himself up, grabbing Tenkei's mouth and pulling hers to his. Their lips met, and he moaned at how pleasurable and right it felt. The warm, pine scent of the forest filled his nostrils, her warm tongue slipping into his mouth. His chest hammered away, shortening his lifespan as the poison was further absorbed into the bloodstream. His grasp started to fail, and he trembled to maintain his hold on reality. Realizing he had no time left, he broke the contact slowly. He sent his last two thoughts through the link to her, as he faded from one existence to the next.
I love you, too...more than you know. You were and always will be the happy star that gleams in my night sky. Good bye my lover...and partner.
I follow you obediently even in death, my love.
Akira watched the two shinobi, taking in the kiss with shock. An unexpected turn of events. The two had been unmoving and quiet for the past five minutes, only for Tenshi to ask a single question which she hadn't anticipated. Her eyes took in the sight, and glanced to Naruto, realizing that she wasn't the only one who had hid her love from the person she cared for. She smiled at the couple. After all the heartache the young boy had been in, he deserved-
"Good bye, Tenshi-kun and Tenkei-san. Sleep well. You both de-deserve it."
The wavering in Tsunade's voice alerted her to something she hadn't been paying attention to. Her eyes shot back to Tenshi, the air devoid of the slow thumping which reminded every person in the circle that the Yudashi was alive. Barely...
He's gone. It's unfair!
Her fists clenched up, and she turned away from the two corpses, only to back away as a pack of wolves descended upon the group.
"Don't worry, Akira. They are a pack which follows the Yudashi. They are here to d-dispose of the bodies. For good."
For good?
At the first sound of breaking bones, she understood what the Hokage meant. The wolves intended to eat every piece of flesh that had once been a person. It would have been more humane to just burn the body, but she remembered that the Yudashi were strangely attached to their life partners. She grabbed Naruto and Yuki's hands, pulling them away from the two corpses, her eyes glimmering with tears. As they raced away from the bloody feast behind them, a single howl rose from the pack, which ignited a fury in Kyuubi no Kitsune, that had been rooted since 15 years ago. Madara Uchiha would pay...but not with his life. That would be too kind a fate.
Sorry for the MASSIVE delay. Over the past three weeks, I was busy with my wedding and honeymoon. Thank you for your patience. Since I've had time to consider where I would like to go with it, I am going to upload as much as possible over the next three days. Please remain patient. I will upload asap. An eternal thanks to every fan and subscriber to my story. Your support helps me continue to update and write!