The World Was All Before Him
Death was a surreal concept at best unless one was made to stare it in the eye, and for him, life was a never-ending staring contest, designed to eventually render him cross-eyed.
Such was the life of a shinobi; such was the life of a village leader. And he knew it, he had accepted it long before he even donned the cape as the Fourth Hokage of Konohakagure.
But for the goodness of the First, just who said he had to look Death so calmly in the face in the role of a teacher, as a mentor... for the second frigging time?
He refused to allow his heart to clench at the sight of his only female student, now bloodied and limp, breathless lips loosely agape, hollow irises reaching for the sky, for the sightless silhouette of a past companion who had undoubtedly come to escort dear Rin — beautiful Rin, gentle Rin, Rin with bell-like laughter, Rin who believed in his powers unwaveringly — to eternal paradise.
He would not loosen the defensive dams around his emotions when Rin was softly laid down at the entrance to the tunnel by the only one who was left, Kakashi without his mask, Kakashi of the silver hair, Kakashi the boy legend, Kakashi the lost, the just, the stubborn little son of a bitch who would not even grant Rin a kiss in death.
“Sensei,” captivating lips grumbled with a rare scratchiness that made him feel strangely relieved, “I’m going back.”
Kakashi without a mask was hazardous to attention spans.
Yondaime Hokage nodded. The selected Anbu next to him urged him to retreat into the tunnel that led to the mountains. The surviving civilians were all making their way through the escape route, the masked jounin reported, but they were asking for the safety of their leader, their beacon of light, their lightning god.
Kakashi hadn’t moved from his spot. One black eye and one red Sharingan jabbed into the Hokage simultaneously. Kakashi’s mouth hadn’t moved, but Yondaime heard Obito’s voice crying for him to act.
Kakashi — the only one left — was waiting.
With a speed that spoke proof of his nickname, he swept up the waiting Anbu and tossed him into the tunnel’s mouth and sent a Rasengan to collapse the entrance. Panicked voices begged from within, and the Yondaime took one look at the crimson monstrosity that was having the time of its life trampling through the hidden village of the Leaf and knew it was time again to let Death know — he was not afraid!
He breached the distance between he and his last remaining student and ruffled the fourteen-year-old’s bloodstained silver hair that never could stay down.
As he summoned Gamabunta, though it should not have been possible, he thought he had heard the desolate cry of an infant amid the roars of Kyuubi no Youko.
And then there were two.
Mocking silence was all around him, and the sky was all before him. Can one make a dirt angel using the same method of making snow angels?
“Sensei.”
A single Sharingan eye stared down on him. He could have cried in joy. Kakashi still lived. One-third was a poor number, but it was also eternal, never ending, the three behind the decimal was to stretch on forever. The laws of mathematics said so.
“You did it, Sensei.”
Was that awe he heard in Kakashi’s voice? Well, that was a first.
“How, Sensei?”
Always the earnest student, eager to learn something new. But for a boy genius, Kakashi sure was slow on the uptake. Did he not see the thousands of brave souls, protectors of Konoha even after death, rise up in righteous anger to drive Kyuubi’s seemingly endless source of chakra away from its corporeal body? Did he not notice the triumphant spirits as they carried Kyuubi’s struggling soul away to be sealed into the nearest and most vulnerable body?
“Report!” cried a familiar looking jounin who suddenly appeared at their side. “Hokage-sama,” Nara choked out, “you have a son.”
It was the strangest news to hear after his closest brush with Death, so much that he only vaguely heard the second part of the report concerning his wife’s death after labor, so odd that he could only laugh humorlessly at the darkened sky.
“Sensei?”
Now that tone had to be concern. Would wonders ever cease?
“Naruto!” he shouted with tears in his eyes, one hand reaching up towards the approaching storm clouds.
“What?”
“Naruto! My son shall be named Naruto!” There was going to be a swirl-like seal on his son’s belly —the nearest and most vulnerable body.
“Fishcake?”
It was the perfect name for the legendary Konoha’s Yellow Flash’s son. Must Kakashi ask with such incredulity?
Yondaime shrugged. “He’ll need to learn to laugh at himself eventually.”
Thunder shook the earth and rain began to fall. Yondaime shuddered. After all he had been through, he should have earned a less cliché way to end his battles.
- TBC
A/N: Story title comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost", chapter title is from Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". There are already 6 chapters posted on fanfiction.net, adultfanfiction.net, and my personal livejournal, and I'll post those chapters here as soon as I edit them a bit. So this is my way of saying hi to ochiba.net, and here's to hoping I'll make some friends as the site expands. Yoroshiku ne.
The World Was All Before Him
- By SuishouTenshi
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me... at all.
Act I: And Then There Was One
- By SuishouTenshi
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me... at all.
Act I: And Then There Was One
Death was a surreal concept at best unless one was made to stare it in the eye, and for him, life was a never-ending staring contest, designed to eventually render him cross-eyed.
Such was the life of a shinobi; such was the life of a village leader. And he knew it, he had accepted it long before he even donned the cape as the Fourth Hokage of Konohakagure.
But for the goodness of the First, just who said he had to look Death so calmly in the face in the role of a teacher, as a mentor... for the second frigging time?
He refused to allow his heart to clench at the sight of his only female student, now bloodied and limp, breathless lips loosely agape, hollow irises reaching for the sky, for the sightless silhouette of a past companion who had undoubtedly come to escort dear Rin — beautiful Rin, gentle Rin, Rin with bell-like laughter, Rin who believed in his powers unwaveringly — to eternal paradise.
He would not loosen the defensive dams around his emotions when Rin was softly laid down at the entrance to the tunnel by the only one who was left, Kakashi without his mask, Kakashi of the silver hair, Kakashi the boy legend, Kakashi the lost, the just, the stubborn little son of a bitch who would not even grant Rin a kiss in death.
“Sensei,” captivating lips grumbled with a rare scratchiness that made him feel strangely relieved, “I’m going back.”
Kakashi without a mask was hazardous to attention spans.
Yondaime Hokage nodded. The selected Anbu next to him urged him to retreat into the tunnel that led to the mountains. The surviving civilians were all making their way through the escape route, the masked jounin reported, but they were asking for the safety of their leader, their beacon of light, their lightning god.
Kakashi hadn’t moved from his spot. One black eye and one red Sharingan jabbed into the Hokage simultaneously. Kakashi’s mouth hadn’t moved, but Yondaime heard Obito’s voice crying for him to act.
Kakashi — the only one left — was waiting.
With a speed that spoke proof of his nickname, he swept up the waiting Anbu and tossed him into the tunnel’s mouth and sent a Rasengan to collapse the entrance. Panicked voices begged from within, and the Yondaime took one look at the crimson monstrosity that was having the time of its life trampling through the hidden village of the Leaf and knew it was time again to let Death know — he was not afraid!
He breached the distance between he and his last remaining student and ruffled the fourteen-year-old’s bloodstained silver hair that never could stay down.
As he summoned Gamabunta, though it should not have been possible, he thought he had heard the desolate cry of an infant amid the roars of Kyuubi no Youko.
And then there were two.
***
Mocking silence was all around him, and the sky was all before him. Can one make a dirt angel using the same method of making snow angels?
“Sensei.”
A single Sharingan eye stared down on him. He could have cried in joy. Kakashi still lived. One-third was a poor number, but it was also eternal, never ending, the three behind the decimal was to stretch on forever. The laws of mathematics said so.
“You did it, Sensei.”
Was that awe he heard in Kakashi’s voice? Well, that was a first.
“How, Sensei?”
Always the earnest student, eager to learn something new. But for a boy genius, Kakashi sure was slow on the uptake. Did he not see the thousands of brave souls, protectors of Konoha even after death, rise up in righteous anger to drive Kyuubi’s seemingly endless source of chakra away from its corporeal body? Did he not notice the triumphant spirits as they carried Kyuubi’s struggling soul away to be sealed into the nearest and most vulnerable body?
“Report!” cried a familiar looking jounin who suddenly appeared at their side. “Hokage-sama,” Nara choked out, “you have a son.”
It was the strangest news to hear after his closest brush with Death, so much that he only vaguely heard the second part of the report concerning his wife’s death after labor, so odd that he could only laugh humorlessly at the darkened sky.
“Sensei?”
Now that tone had to be concern. Would wonders ever cease?
“Naruto!” he shouted with tears in his eyes, one hand reaching up towards the approaching storm clouds.
“What?”
“Naruto! My son shall be named Naruto!” There was going to be a swirl-like seal on his son’s belly —the nearest and most vulnerable body.
“Fishcake?”
It was the perfect name for the legendary Konoha’s Yellow Flash’s son. Must Kakashi ask with such incredulity?
Yondaime shrugged. “He’ll need to learn to laugh at himself eventually.”
Thunder shook the earth and rain began to fall. Yondaime shuddered. After all he had been through, he should have earned a less cliché way to end his battles.
- TBC
A/N: Story title comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost", chapter title is from Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". There are already 6 chapters posted on fanfiction.net, adultfanfiction.net, and my personal livejournal, and I'll post those chapters here as soon as I edit them a bit. So this is my way of saying hi to ochiba.net, and here's to hoping I'll make some friends as the site expands. Yoroshiku ne.
