endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-01-21 10:59 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-01-21 10:59 pm
In the Light of the Dawn, Part 2
Title: In the Light of the Dawn, Part 2
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato, OC: Sarutobi Mei; brief mentions of Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): Implied Minato/Kushina
Warning(s): Lots. Of. Angst.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Part two of what I intend to be a three-shot depicting the last hours of one Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina as seen through the eyes of their close friend, Sarutobi Mei. Set in the same universe as the 'Pieces of the Past' drabble collection, respectively, with Tenten being the Sandaime's granddaughter. Mostly written while listening to 'C. S. Lewis Song' by Brooke Fraser (because really, it helped inspired me to write the fic out).
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
malinear and her Kushina muse. Happy Birthday~! Hime-chan loves you both. ♥
"I promise... I won't let anything happen to him."
But even as Kushina placed the newborn baby in her arms, Mei felt a surge of uncertainty. This was a loaded promise, one that the kunoichi was not exactly sure she would be able to keep. Not with the outcome so clouded in mystery and doubt. The plan relied on precision and timing. Every single one had a part to play. And those roles needed to be executed without fail. Otherwise, there was no hope of Konoha surviving. They were not dealing with the usual enemy. The stakes were much higher.
Still, even if the plan worked and they were able to seal the Kyuubi spirit, there were thousands of other factors that they could not account for. Would the child survive the jutsu? Would their souls be taken as payment as well? The Demon Fox was a powerful entity after all. One soul might not be enough. In which case, all their careful planning was for nothing.
They were relying on Minato's strategy in blind faith alone. Because there was no other way.
"Good. Cuz I'm counting on you, Hime-chan."
But as determined as Kushina seemed to play her part in the plan, Mei knew that the elder was reluctant to leave her newborn baby boy. Even in the arms of her best friend. He had only been born that morning, after all. After long hours of labor all through the night. It was not enough. Not for something like this. The two of them had spent so little time together. And they were all taking a big risk with putting this plan into play. Especially Kushina. Minato had made his decision. Already knew his fate. After all, one could not call upon the Shinigami to do its bidding without there being consequences. Better one of them than the entire village, he had said. But it was by her own conviction and choice that Kushina volunteered to capture the Kyuubi's attention in order to give Minato time to perform the binding jutsu. And if she did not survive...
"Kushina..."
She wanted to say so much. About their friendship. About how proud she was to have been able to fight beside her. About a thousand other things that... simply did not seem to matter. And yet they did. Because they could very well be the last words either one would speak to the other. But the words simply would not come. And the lack of them caused Mei to stop in her tracks, grasping for something to fill in the silence that stood between them all. Time was of the essence, after all. But something just had to be said before they embarked down this unknown pa -
"Hey, Hime-chan."
Mei's head snapped to attention at the familiar nickname, dark eyes immediately focusing on her long-time friend as the former Uzu-nin placed a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder.
"Don't give up until the end... right?"
It only took a split second for her to recognize the familiar saying. Another to respond. "...Right."
Then Kushina's gloved hand slid down to brush aside short wisps of blond hair in a rare moment of tenderness. And it was only then, in a glimmer that streaked across her hazel eyes, that Mei saw the other's hesitation. As a shinobi, the former shinobi of Whirlpool was more than willing to do whatever it took to save the village. It was a quality that many had always envied and one among many that made the red head a great ninja. But even as a mother...
"Tch," Mei scoffed in jest, "So you do have the capacity to be normal."
"...Just take care of him."
"You worry about your part. I'll worry about mine... Princess."
Kushina gave a smirk and reached out a hand to tug sharply at a lock of hair that had escaped from Mei's ponytail. "Hm. You are so gonna get it when this is over."
The younger winced at the initial pull, but bared with the lingering sting that came afterwards. They were shinobi after all, and she -- they -- had endured far worse. And as much as they teased and taunted each other, it was simply who they were. There could be no other way for them. And now there was the threat of it all ending. Forever. Mei could not forget the consequences, no matter how much they pretended that it was otherwise. "...Promise?"
It had sounded innocent enough when she had thought about it in her head. But once the words were out, it was like a ticking time bomb, leaving the moment almost suspended in the air while they all waited for Kushina to react. But a smile was all she gave. And then a wave before jumping off towards the outer wall where the Demon Fox was laying in wait. Lurking for more defenders to devour. It was not a yes. It was not a no. It was not a promise. But it was all that she had.
"Let's go, Mei," she remembered hearing Minato call out.
Wordlessly, the kunoichi stood there and watched until her companion disappeared into the darkness. With bated breath. All the while, she could feel the steady beat of her heart quicken in anticipation for... something she could not quite understand. It was just a feeling. An overwhelming feeling that no heave of breath could alleviate. The last thing she remembered seeing before the night engulfed Kushina into the chaos was the whipping tail of her fiery hair. A fierceness and resolve in the other's eye that even the fires could not compare.
"Mei."
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato, OC: Sarutobi Mei; brief mentions of Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): Implied Minato/Kushina
Warning(s): Lots. Of. Angst.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Part two of what I intend to be a three-shot depicting the last hours of one Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina as seen through the eyes of their close friend, Sarutobi Mei. Set in the same universe as the 'Pieces of the Past' drabble collection, respectively, with Tenten being the Sandaime's granddaughter. Mostly written while listening to 'C. S. Lewis Song' by Brooke Fraser (because really, it helped inspired me to write the fic out).
Dedicated to:
malinear and her Kushina muse. Happy Birthday~! Hime-chan loves you both. ♥"I promise... I won't let anything happen to him."
But even as Kushina placed the newborn baby in her arms, Mei felt a surge of uncertainty. This was a loaded promise, one that the kunoichi was not exactly sure she would be able to keep. Not with the outcome so clouded in mystery and doubt. The plan relied on precision and timing. Every single one had a part to play. And those roles needed to be executed without fail. Otherwise, there was no hope of Konoha surviving. They were not dealing with the usual enemy. The stakes were much higher.
Still, even if the plan worked and they were able to seal the Kyuubi spirit, there were thousands of other factors that they could not account for. Would the child survive the jutsu? Would their souls be taken as payment as well? The Demon Fox was a powerful entity after all. One soul might not be enough. In which case, all their careful planning was for nothing.
They were relying on Minato's strategy in blind faith alone. Because there was no other way.
"Good. Cuz I'm counting on you, Hime-chan."
But as determined as Kushina seemed to play her part in the plan, Mei knew that the elder was reluctant to leave her newborn baby boy. Even in the arms of her best friend. He had only been born that morning, after all. After long hours of labor all through the night. It was not enough. Not for something like this. The two of them had spent so little time together. And they were all taking a big risk with putting this plan into play. Especially Kushina. Minato had made his decision. Already knew his fate. After all, one could not call upon the Shinigami to do its bidding without there being consequences. Better one of them than the entire village, he had said. But it was by her own conviction and choice that Kushina volunteered to capture the Kyuubi's attention in order to give Minato time to perform the binding jutsu. And if she did not survive...
"Kushina..."
She wanted to say so much. About their friendship. About how proud she was to have been able to fight beside her. About a thousand other things that... simply did not seem to matter. And yet they did. Because they could very well be the last words either one would speak to the other. But the words simply would not come. And the lack of them caused Mei to stop in her tracks, grasping for something to fill in the silence that stood between them all. Time was of the essence, after all. But something just had to be said before they embarked down this unknown pa -
"Hey, Hime-chan."
Mei's head snapped to attention at the familiar nickname, dark eyes immediately focusing on her long-time friend as the former Uzu-nin placed a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder.
"Don't give up until the end... right?"
It only took a split second for her to recognize the familiar saying. Another to respond. "...Right."
Then Kushina's gloved hand slid down to brush aside short wisps of blond hair in a rare moment of tenderness. And it was only then, in a glimmer that streaked across her hazel eyes, that Mei saw the other's hesitation. As a shinobi, the former shinobi of Whirlpool was more than willing to do whatever it took to save the village. It was a quality that many had always envied and one among many that made the red head a great ninja. But even as a mother...
"Tch," Mei scoffed in jest, "So you do have the capacity to be normal."
"...Just take care of him."
"You worry about your part. I'll worry about mine... Princess."
Kushina gave a smirk and reached out a hand to tug sharply at a lock of hair that had escaped from Mei's ponytail. "Hm. You are so gonna get it when this is over."
The younger winced at the initial pull, but bared with the lingering sting that came afterwards. They were shinobi after all, and she -- they -- had endured far worse. And as much as they teased and taunted each other, it was simply who they were. There could be no other way for them. And now there was the threat of it all ending. Forever. Mei could not forget the consequences, no matter how much they pretended that it was otherwise. "...Promise?"
It had sounded innocent enough when she had thought about it in her head. But once the words were out, it was like a ticking time bomb, leaving the moment almost suspended in the air while they all waited for Kushina to react. But a smile was all she gave. And then a wave before jumping off towards the outer wall where the Demon Fox was laying in wait. Lurking for more defenders to devour. It was not a yes. It was not a no. It was not a promise. But it was all that she had.
"Let's go, Mei," she remembered hearing Minato call out.
Wordlessly, the kunoichi stood there and watched until her companion disappeared into the darkness. With bated breath. All the while, she could feel the steady beat of her heart quicken in anticipation for... something she could not quite understand. It was just a feeling. An overwhelming feeling that no heave of breath could alleviate. The last thing she remembered seeing before the night engulfed Kushina into the chaos was the whipping tail of her fiery hair. A fierceness and resolve in the other's eye that even the fires could not compare.
"Mei."