"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose."

Lyndon B. Johnson

The red hair was the first thing I saw. So crimson in color, I couldn't help but be drawn to the vividness of it, I'd never seen anything like it before. It wasn't until a moment later when the pregnant woman turned around and lit up when she saw my mom, did I realize just who I was looking at, who that tomato red hair belonged to. Well, I suppose habanero red hair. I froze.

"Tsume-san!" Kushina cried out happily, waddling over with her hands on her very pregnant stomach.

"Kushina-san, you look ready to burst!" Mom replied with a grin.

"I could say the same about you!" She laughed.

"Hello, Tsume-san." A friendly male voice greeted and when I turned my gaze to the smiling blonde man, now standing beside Kushina with a basket full of groceries in his hand, it took all my self-control to keep my jaw from dropping. I was awestruck. It was them. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's parents, the Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero.

"This must be Ashi-chan! How precious!" Kushina cooed, smiling down at me.

I didn't know how to play this. I wasn't prepared for this, to meet them. Maybe I had been hoping I wouldn't see them, it was a big village. Seeing them, smiling, happy, alive, only hurt. They would both be dead soon, Kushina was ready to pop, sure she was going to wait a few more months, but it only delayed the inevitable. I knew what was going to happen, knew Obito was going to arrive and release Kuruma, knew they would die and leave their son an orphan. There was nothing I could do, I was too young, too small, too weak, this whole encounter was only going to cause me more pain in the long run.

Fuck it, I was a glutton for punishment. "Your hair," I started slowly and saw all the adults around me tense. "Is so pretty! Like a rose! Or a sunset!"

Everyone was silent for a moment before, despite her large stomach, Kushina reached down and picked me up, hugging me close to her chest. "Minato, can we keep her? I'm sorry Tsume-san, but we'll be taking Ashi-chan home with us." The redhead said seriously and I giggled, wrapping my arms around her neck.

"Sleepover! Sleepover!" I cheered before placing my still pudgy hands on Kushina's face solemnly. "Only if Shiro and Yuki can come."

"Shiro and Yuki?" She asked curiously and Minato laughed.

"I'd assume they are the two large ninken glaring at you dear." He said and I glanced down at them, standing next to Mom and glaring daggers at Kushina, just like Minato said. Oh, my protectors were so precious.

"Be nice!" I chided before nuzzling my face into Kushina's neck. I was being so self-indulgent and I knew it was going to bite me in the ass very soon. There wasn't anything I could do to save them, but I could do this, make Kushina laugh and Minato smile fondly, it had to be enough.

"If you want the runt for the night, she's yours, give the both of you a little practice before the real thing gets here." Mom laughed and my heart ached. As far as I knew, this would be their only chance to spend the night with a child, be a pretend family. They wouldn't get the opportunity for the real thing.

"We'd love to have Ashi-chan over for the night," Kushina said excitedly. "Wouldn't we dear?"

"Of course, we would." Minato sighed with a resigned smile. He seemed used to bending to Kushina's every whim. Smart man.

"How are you liking the Academy, Ashi-chan?" Kushina asked, hands entangled in my unruly brown locks. My hair was pretty similar to what it had been Before, long, thick, and curly. Dad had curly hair, that seemed to be the only thing I inherited from him, everything else was Mom.

"It's really fun! I'm going to be a super strong ninja like Kaa-chan!" I replied excitedly, running my hands along Shiro and Yuki as they lied with their heads in my lap.

"Are you making a lot of friends?"

"Meh, not really. The other kids are scared of Shiro and Yuki, which is ridiculous because they're the nicest, cutest puppies ever. I do have one friend though, Itachi, he's super cool and really strong. His mom's about to have a baby too and he's really excited. Our siblings will be in the same year at the Academy which is awesome! Your baby too!" I rambled happily. "Have you picked out a name yet? Kaa-chan is naming the baby Kiba."

"Naruto," Kushina said fondly, removing her hands from my hair to place them on her stomach. Ouch, that one hurt. Hearing the love, the adoration in her voice for the baby I knew she wouldn't be able to raise, ouch.

"Why Naruto? Mom's naming the baby Kiba, with the kanji for 'fang', she's named us all after parts of a dog's anatomy, I think it's funny."

"A friend of ours wrote a book that really stuck with Minato and I, the main character's name is Naruto, we're making our friend the godfather," Kushina replied, putting the finishing touches on my braid.

"Ahh, cool! What's the name of the book?"

"Tales of An Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. I have a copy you can borrow if you want to read it." She offered happily and I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. The book alluded to so many times in the series. To actually be able to read it was a dream come true.

"Yay!"

"What are you girls up to?" Minato asked with a smile, walking in and hanging his Hokage cloak by the front door.

"Girl talk, no boys allowed." Kushina teased and I giggled.

"Strictly confidential stuff," I added and a mischievous grin overtook Minato's face, one that didn't look like it boded well for me.

"Good thing I'm a master at a sacred art for interrogation." He started ominously and chills raced up my spine. "Behold, as I unleash my unbeatable technique. Tickle no Jutsu!"

I squealed, jumping to my feet in an attempt to evade the Yellow Flash. It was a hopeless venture, but like hell was I going to be a sitting duck. Too quick for me to even have a fighting chance, Minato had me pinned to the ground and his hands attacked my torso.

Laughter spilled from my mouth as he ruthlessly tickled me. Kushina and Minato joined in and I desperately wished I could take a snapshot of the moment to treasure forever. The small apartment was so warm, so loving, filled with laughter and happiness.

"Ashi-chan?" Kushina asked quietly, the bedroom cloaked in darkness and just the two of us as Minato was sentenced to the coach.

"Hm?" I replied sleepily, tucked into her side and half asleep.

"Can you promise me something?" I immediately snapped to attention by the change in Kushina's voice. She sounded vulnerable, scared. Of course, she was, she knew the risk her pregnancy brought, knew that despite their precautions, there was a chance everything could go wrong, maybe a part of her even knew that it would go wrong.

"Mhm, I'll even pinky promise." Which was a very sacred thing indeed.

"Will you look out for Naruto? It would make me feel better knowing he had such a strong kunoichi watching over him." Despite the forced teasing at the end, I could still hear the fear in Kushina's voice. She knew. Deep down, she knew that tragedy awaited her, and instead of running and hiding, she was making preparations, doing her best to make sure her child was taken care of. I had a new level of respect for the redhead.

"Of course! You can count on me!" I smiled, forcing the cheerfulness as I interlocked our pinkies. Looking after Naruto wasn't the problem, though it certainly would complicate my already complicated life, it was that I wished the role wasn't necessary. That Minato and Kushina could live and watch over their son themselves.

"Thank you Ashi-chan," Kushina replied with a melancholic smile and I wrapped my little arm around her large stomach and pushed aside the memories of the tragedy that would soon be upon us.

I felt it before anything else. The overwhelmingly evil presence. Shiro and Yuki were growling, one in front of me and one behind me to protect me from the threat. I knew this was coming, every day since the sleepover with Kushina I watched the days tick by, every red 'x' on the calendar bringing us closer. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the chakra, so malicious, so vile, I was frozen.

Until Kiba cried. Kiba, my three-month-old baby brother, he was scared, so was I. I pushed my own paralyzing fear down and jumped to my feet, racing to the nursery, Shiro and Yuki right behind me.

We were home alone, tonight of all nights. Hana was at a sleepover, Dad was on a mission and Mom had been pulled away to the Kennel for some urgent business. My hands were shaky as I picked up Kiba and held him to my chest.

"Shh Kiba, big sis is right here, you'll be okay," I said as confidently as I could even though my voice trembled. Tears formed in my eyes and I did my best to hold them in, Kiba was already crying, there couldn't be two of us.

"Ashi!" A deep voice roared and I let out a shaky breath. Kuromaru.

"In here," I said weakly, not that it was necessary as he came careening into the nursery moments later.

"Get on, I'm taking you to the south-east shelter." I knew better than to argue with the black ninken so I awkwardly climbed on his back, wrapping one arm around his neck and cradling Kiba in the other, keeping him safely pressed between me and Kuromaru.

He was off in the next moment, Shiro and Yuki flanking behind us. It was chaos outside; the screaming was the worst. Some of the fear, some of the grief, some of the agony. I pressed my face into Kuromaru's neck and shut my eyes.

"Where's Kaa-chan?" I asked softly.

"Rescue Team." He replied simply and I nodded, of course. With her tracker abilities, she was ideal for finding people trapped underneath buildings and such.

We arrived at the shelter and in the chaos, I managed to give Kuromaru one big hug before he was off and we were herded inside by the chunin.

"Ashi-san?" A soft-spoken voice asked and I turned around, locking eyes with Itachi. Tears began to drip down my face and I sank to the ground, keeping Kiba -fast asleep-, close to my chest.

"Tachi, I was so scared." I cried pathetically, my head bowed in shame. Because I was ashamed at my reaction, I needed to be better than this if I was going to be anywhere near his level.

"Hey," He said softly, reaching a hand out to awkwardly rub my back, keeping Sasuke cradled in his other arm. "Being scared isn't a bad thing. You got yourself and Kiba here safely despite being scared, you did a good job Ashi-san. It's okay now."

My tears came to stop and I glanced up, the gentle expression on Itachi's face helping to calm me. It was almost funny, he was so mature and I was the one acting like a child when in reality I was so much older.

"Thanks, Tachi," I replied, taking a deep breath and getting to my feet. "How's Sasuke-kun doing?"

I stepped closer to Itachi to get a look at the infant, only a few weeks younger than my brother.

"Good, he only cried once, when Izumi-san held him." He said and I glanced over his shoulder to see a brunette around our age staring at us. Interesting.

"I'm surprised you let her hold him with how protective you are." I giggled, trying to keep a lighthearted mood despite the atmosphere surrounding us.

Itachi was extremely protective of Sasuke, something which made my heart ache as memories of the potential future swam through my head. It was rare that he let anyone hold his baby brother and I was overjoyed that I was one of the chosen few he entrusted with the child. A testament to our friendship I guess.

My persistence paid off and one way or another, we became best friends though he wasn't likely to admit it. He was socially awkward and way too mature for his age which probably helped us get along. He was okay with the fact that I seemed to love to hear myself talk and I was okay with the fact that he preferred not to speak if necessary. We made a good pair.

"She was persistent." He admitted. Wiping the last remnants of tears from my eyes, we sat and talked, though I did most of the talking, keeping our minds off the horror happening outside.

"Kushina and Minato are dead." Mom said bluntly. She wasn't a subtle woman, there was no beating around the bush with her, it was something I appreciated.

"And the baby?" I asked. Mom was good, not a flicker of anything but melancholy flashed across her face. She gave nothing away.

"Didn't make it." I nodded once, keeping my face blank as my heart broke. I knew this was coming, but it didn't help lessen the pain.

"Oh, okay."

"I'm here if you need to talk, or train, Ashi." Mom said softly, placing a tender hand on my cheek and smiling sadly down at me.

"Thanks, Kaa-chan."

Walking back to my room, I made a beeline for my bookshelf and grabbed the tan book from the middle before going to the training fields. The third one was my favorite, for obvious reasons, and for the large river. I sat down next to it, Yuki and Shiro on either side of me, and stared at the book in my lap.

"Thanks for lending me this book Kushina-san."

"Keep it, consider it a gift."

"You're the best Kushina-san!"

"I know, I know. Don't be a stranger now, I want to know what you think about the book!"

"You are welcome at any time Ashi-chan."

With trembling hands, I opened the book and read the inscription on the cover for the hundredth time.

To Ashi,

I hope you love this book as much as I do. The path of a shinobi is never an easy one, but I know you'll make a wonder kunoichi. Remember, just like Naruto, to never give up. If my child turns out even a fraction as extraordinary as you I'll be thrilled.

Love,

Kushina

I closed the book before my tears ruined the inscription and put my head between my knees, sobs racking my body. I knew I shouldn't have done it, knew it would only hurt me more. It was one thing when they were imaginary characters, yeah it was sad and I cried, but this was so much worse. However, I knew I wouldn't have changed my decision, I knew I made the right one, as self-indulgent as it was.

Soft whines to my right and left caught my attention and I lifted my head, looking back and forth between Shiro and Yuki.

"I'll be alright guys," I said, lying flat on my back so they could rest their heads on my stomach. Tears continued to stream down my face as I held the book tight against my chest. I would be alright, eventually. Not now, maybe not for a while, but eventually, because I had to be. Kushina and Minato's deaths were only the tip of the iceberg of tragedies that occurred, and I'd be damned if I sat around and did nothing.

A/N: Edited by Empress Crowillow