In the Light of the Dawn, Part 3

[endless_scrolls]

Title: In the Light of the Dawn, Part 3
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Inuzuka Tsume, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Kakashi, OC: Sarutobi Mei; brief mentions of Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Naruto, Jiraiya, Inuzuka Kiba, Inuzuka Hana, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Tenten
Pairing(s): Implied Minato/Kushina, implied Shirou/Mei
Warning(s): Lots. Of. Angst.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Part three 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. ♥

"Mei."

So entranced was she in the memory and the overwhelming want -- the impossible need -- for it to be true that Mei did not think before she reacted. Before she called out. "Kushina?"

But it was not her. Could never be her again. Only a poor substitute -- Tsume walking up with Kakashi trailing behind, a look of concern and regret on her face as she shook her head at the name -- or a phantom spirit sent to haunt her ever waking dreams. And the young kunoichi would have to learn to live with that. Kushina was gone. Minato was gone. And they were not coming back. All that was left of them was the sleeping bundle in her arms. He was their legacy and a symbol of their last valiant act to protect the village.

"What was she doing, anyways?" was Tsume's question, breaking through another field of memories and ghosts.

Turning back to the horizon and the coming dawn, Mei looked out over the village once more -- it seemed so emptier than before, hollow even -- and then looked down to the quiet baby resting in her embrace before replying softly to the other's inquiry. "What she did best: creating a distraction."

"For what?"

A pause. A breath. And then came an answer. "A Death God."

Another moment passed where Mei could practically feel the weight of both their shock at the answer.

"...He didn't..." came Kakashi's voice.

"This is Minato we're talking about here. Of course he did." There was anger in her voice. And perhaps a thousand other different emotions running through the endless course of life in that single moment. Because Mei did not know exactly what to feel. She was glad that the village was safe. That they were saved from the complete and total destruction that was the resulting end of Uzu. But at the same time, this bright new dawn was only possible because of their sacrifice. Naruto's loss. And as much as Mei wanted to believe that everything would be alright for him afterwards, she knew it would not be. Minato had good intentions. He always did.

But he also had a lot more faith in the people of the village. And in human nature itself. Perhaps too much. And that was what concerned Mei the most. Deciding to place the spirit of the Demon Fox into his own son had saved another child from having to bear that burden. And he had believed that the people would revere the child for that. But Mei knew better. She had seen what the human spirit was capable of doing. Especially when fear was involved. "Everyone in the village -- the whole world, even -- owe their lives to this child. And they'll probably hate him for it."

"I had feared as much."

At the voice, all three turned with a start to face the former Hokage. He donned his battle gear with a weariness that was foretelling of the sort of struggle they had all faced the previous night. Understandable and expected, she supposed. After all, it took the summoning of another celestial spirit to finally defeat the Kyuubi. And even then, they had received endless casualties.

"Dad," she started, "It was the only way..."

But at the gentle raise of his hand, she stopped and stilled all attempts to excuse their actions. And then with an equally calm gesture, motioned for Mei to give him the baby. "Let me see the child."

Her first instinct was to hold the bundle closer towards her and protect him from everyone. Even her father. They had all gone through so much and risked -- lost -- countless lives. All for the sake of Konoha and the survival of this child. And Mei had made a promise. But as the lines on his face smoothed out to become the man she had always known and loved, the kunoichi felt the anxiety and hesitance dissipate.

"No one else can ever know this child's lineage. To make that public knowledge would be to place him in danger for the duration of his life. Agreed?"

It took a moment to register the worlds coming out of the aged man's mouth. So much had happened in a day's worth of time. So much information revealed in the last few minutes alone. And Mei was the only one there who knew the entire story. She had been there from the beginning. And a thousand other beginnings before. She knew the lives of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato the best. So it was with that sort of confidence and knowledge that the kunoichi had been the first to acknowledge what the Sandaime -- what her father -- was asking of them and agreed to his request. The others soon followed after.

"Good. It may be too late to keep the knowledge of the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit secret, but we can let him grow up without ridicule from his peers."

Remaining rooted quietly beside her father, Mei watched as Tsume looked peered down at the infant, sharp brows crinkled together in thought and curiosity. After a moment, her expression softened to something akin to sadness -- realization of who the child was and what he stood for must have finally dawned on her -- the elder kunoichi reached out her hand and gently caressed the thin head of hair that already covered the boy's head. "The children won't know?"

"They will not be told." Smiling gently, the former Sandaime shifted his gaze towards Hatake Kakshi who had been simply standing there watching as the delegated matters. "The rest of them in any case."

It was true, Mei realized, following his father's eyes to settle on the young boy with the silver hair. Those of his generation would stand on the brink of a defining line between those who would ridicule Naruto for what he carried within him and those who would remain oblivious to the secret until a time came where such classified information was not necessary anymore.

At the sudden scrutiny from the former leader of the village, the young boy's back straightened almost instantly, almost like a child that had been caught in the act of some dastardly crime. And as she watched as the information registered in his young mind, Mei could not help but smile softly in his direction as Kakashi gave a stiff nod in understanding. He was every bit a student of his master. "And what about him?"

"What is his name?"

It took a moment for Mei to realize that the man was speaking to her, a thousand other thoughts and memories flooding through her mind to divert attention from the present moment. But at the light touch of Tsume's hand on the kunoichi's shoulder, she was brought back to reality. And away from the shadows that haunted her subconscious.

"Um... Naruto," Mei replied with a light shake of her head to clear away the fog, "They agreed to call him Naruto, after the boy in Jiraiya's book."

Jiraiya. He would have to be told of Minato's... he would have to be told soon, Mei knew. By her, if it could be helped. She would prefer it that way, in any case. Because although they could share in the man's grief, both Kakashi and Rin were too young to understand how the Legendary Sannin would react. It is one matter to deal with the death of someone who was your mentor and teacher. It is entirely different when faced with the gripping reality of outliving your pupil. One that Jiraiya had watched grow up from childhood into the beginnings of his adult life.

"I realize that they named you as one of the child's godmothers,Tsume," the old man murmured, lifting his head to address the other kunoichi, "But the Inuzuka Elders will most likely forbid you from taking the boy in."

"Not now anyways, no," she confirmed, her voice a great deal softer than Mei had ever heard it before, "Not with Kiba and Hana to consider... in a few years maybe..."

"And by then it may be too late for him," was Mei's response.

"Mei." Her father's voice was firm, yet gentle. Stern, but understanding. It was one of the qualities that she had always admired and feared about him. And one of the reasons why she felt he had been the perfect man to be named Hokage after Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. But this was not the time to dwell on his demeanor. He was speaking and there was something about the way he looked at her that said that she would not like where this was going. "...Mei... you can't."

And despite how gentle his face seemed -- sympathy came in all forms and her father was a master -- the way the man's brows crinkled with sorrow at how this would hurt his cherished and eldest child, she was already voicing a protest at the first sign of a rejection. "But Dad - "

"A link to you -- and by association, me -- would bring unexpected strife within the village as well as with the other nations." A pause. A moment to take in what he was saying as the elder man placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Besides, you have your own child to consider."

He was right of course, as much as she hated to admit defeat on the matter. Any connection with the Sarutobi would only bring more attention to Naruto. And it would not be too long before the connections became apparent. It would be difficult enough to keep Tenten out of the public eye long enough to let her disappear into obscurity. Still, Mei could not help but feel like she was betraying them. Their lives and their friendship. Their trust.

"...I made a promise to her."

"And you will keep it. Naruto will be placed in the orphanage near the Uzu ward of the Village. There, under their watchful eye, he will be kept safe."

It felt wrong. As much logic and sense as her father was making, the whole concept and idea just felt so impossibly wrong. Naruto was a child of greatness. A born hero. The last living legacy of her two closest friends. With them gone and Tsume's hands tied behind clan politics, it should have been up to her to ensure that Naruto grew up in the best of conditions. It was what they had decided. It was what Mei had planned to do.

"It is our only choice."

But in the end, she was simply not enough.

"...I'm sorry, Kushina."