Slayer

She rubbed at her distended stomach absently with the palm of her hand. A few hours ago, while sitting here, she’d hummed, and cooed softly, knowing she could not get up, but also knowing that she did not want her child to be frightened.

The will to sing left her as she found herself dozing softly, back propped up against a tree, cheek falling to her shoulder.

She was so tired. It had been a long day.

Naruto had left early this morning, a twinkle to his eye and a strange spring to his step. He hadn’t exactly been clear on where he’d been going, but Sakura had let him go. She’d actually felt relieved with him gone.

He loved her… she could tell that he did.

But it made her skin crawl to just be around him.

He fawned over her and helped her and cheered her up, but in those silences, she’d glance at him. He was always looking off somewhere else of course, and she wouldn’t see the tanned boy with the golden hair who was sitting there in actuality, but she would see something else. Something sinister, something with shining red eyes and glistening fangs.

She’d shake herself and start a new topic.

The day she’d shown as she was was the worst. It hadn’t been visible that she was with child at the time, but Naruto had known. How in god he’d known was a mystery, but he’d known.

That was the first time she’d seen him angry. Actually angry.

“Who did this to you?!” He’d screamed, face deadly pale, teeth flashing almost ferally. She’d shaken her head, making excuses. Anything but the truth, anything but that.

But he’d known that too. He’d finally fallen to the ground, at her feet, his rage having exhausted him. He carefully wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a cheek to her stomach, as if listening to what was in fact growing there.

“Please Sakura.” The hands tightened. “Tell me who did this. Tell me who hurt you.”

“I can’t.” She’d finally conceded. Admitted that it had happened.

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She flinched, feeling another shimmer of movement. Another kick to her already fragile inner wall. It hurt. But it was the comforting sort of pain that told you that after this, after you go through this, you get something at the end that makes it all worth while.

She’d started out hating this child so much. She hated how it grew independently from her but within her all the same, effecting, changing her outer shape. Her habits and moods suffered, her back had ached.

But then, around her sixth month, she’d changed her mind. She didn’t know why, but she’d suddenly come upon the realization that it wasn’t this child’s fault that it’s conceivement had caused it’s mother such grief. The child shouldn’t be hated.

She liked to think it was a girl. A beautiful little girl with shining hair and sparking eyes. Maybe taking after her father.

But it would be alright if she took after her father, because she would still be her. The fact she looked like him wouldn’t cause her pain, but comfort instead.

She could feel when her daughter was content, when he daughter was upset. They had a bond. One Sakura clung to like a safety net. Her child was so innocent. So peaceful in a world where everything was wrong now, where innocence should not exist.

And now it was almost time.

She felt like a cat running off to bear her kittens, hiding as she was. She continued rubbing her stomach in soft soothing circles, finally relaxing against the tree at her back, letting her legs become lax beneath her and staring up into the canopy.

It was still day. Hard to believe with her contractions that weather went on, wasn’t it? They were getting more painful and frequent now. It meant, to Sakura, that soon she would have her child. Pain wasn’t too bad. She was used to it, living a shinobi lifestyle as she did. And the reward at the end of this particular pain was so gratifying, it made her wonder why she’d never even entertained the thought of children before.

She thought about nothing else now.

Of course she had her worries. A child was cumbersome and loud… if she had one, it would give them away easily. Her and Naruto survived on stealth. It was their only means of protection against Him.

She hadn’t seen Him for years, but she could feel Him… looking for them. Just on the edge of her peripheral vision he crept. Smirking.

She couldn’t keep her. She knew that. God, she knew it so well.

She just wanted to hold her once.

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Naruto’s voice caught in his throat.

Oh God.

He’d never thought… well he HAD thought…. But it had been so long.

Fuck it. Fuck his false sense of security, fuck his idiocy, fuck his selfishness!

Sasuke stood there, on that tree limb, looking down at him. The light of superiority shone in his face. Not like in the old days when there was friendship beneath it, but now there was a cold calculating air behind it.

Good reason for that.

It wasn’t Sasuke! It was some snake who’d stolen his body, stolen his soul and murdered… everyone.

Kakashi and Iruka-Sensei, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru put up a good fight but he fell in the end too. His only hope was that perhaps the Fifth was still alive, but no one had seen her for years.

He was moving. Crawling down the tree trunk with a serpentine sort of grace. Exaggerating every action as if He was trying to prove something, knowing Naruto was watching.

And watching he was. Tense and ready to flee. Wanting to flee but knowing he’d be caught. Hating feeling like a helpless rabbit.

He was close now. In front of him. He leaned forwards, as if to share an intimate secret.

He was so fucking close.

His breath was warm against his ear and Naruto shivered involuntarily. It shouldn’t be warm, it should be ice cold.

“Where is your little Vixen Kitsune?” He all but purred. As if a cat overly satisfied with a meal of mice. “I’ve not seen her around. Perhaps… she’s in trouble?”

Naruto’s eyes widened. He understood now. His breath hissed viciously between his lips, and he snarled at the Uchiha, no. Orochimaru, snapping his head back and away from him, stumbling against a tree behind him.

“You Bastard! What have you done to her?!” He all but screamed.

Another smirk.

“I think…” He started carefully, stroking his own lower lip in obvious contemplation. “… It is less a question of what I did… then what you did. Don’t you agree?”

Confusion now. Naruto was confused. But he could not dwell on it. He wouldn’t.

“Why are you not running to her aid, Kit?” Orochimaru asked in obvious confusion. Sardonic, prodding confusion. “You could be too late already… why waste the time?”

Naruto knew he was right. He couldn’t lead him to her though… could he?

Did it matter?

He had to go.

He nodded, almost as if agreeing and swiveled quickly around, scampering up a nearby tree trunk. Forget about him. It’s not important right now. He won’t kill you Naruto. He can’t. He needs you…

That’s what he told himself as he lifted his nose to catch a scent. Any scent.

And the one he caught, was blood.

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I posted this so soon, because I was so close to finishing it and all. Thankees to Reviewers, I love people who take the time! It means a lot to authors, it really does. I hope this chapter clears up some confusions. It might be a week or two before the next one… we’ll see. ._. I don’t like how short this chapter is, but this story will probably be no more then four chapters. So I need to divide up the ideas nicely. Marked By Jutsu needs to be updated. >_< Not mine, but I love it dangit! That and Division. ._. Am I a shota slut?

-Cynical Marionette