The Red Crimson Bride

'I can't defeat him. I just...can't. Whatever I'll do won't help me against him. I don't have enough strength, only hate for him. And hate doesn't help me. Now I'm dead.' o voice echoed in darkness. 'I let you down... everyone. I'm not good enough...' the voice said.

There was for a second silence until something glowing fell on the ground and created a small sound of a drop. 'I'm not worthy for the Hirayama, I'm sorry... Kenji, father. I'm not worthy not even for this world.'

Suddenly, a small patch of light appeared from above and Naruki looked up and saw that the rays were falling right on her. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared at it. She watched all her life through that hole, from the childhood spent in Kazegakure to the killing missions done while being part of Akatsuki and finally to the part of her seeking revenge.

She started to cry again as she saw the last parts when she met Itachi and when he stabbed her through her chest for the second time, killing her.

'Why am I seeing this?' she asked crying hard and falling on her knees. 'Why am I watching my life?' she yelled. 'I don't want to see it, I just want to let it go and feel nothing!' she yelled again. 'I want to get rid of this life!'

'No, you do not!' another voice said and Naruki stopped crying. She turned around but saw nothing. The only thing illuminated was her as the rays were right above her.

'Who's there?' she asked while getting up and looking around.

'You don't remember me, or my voice?' the voice asked again. Naruki thought a little and noticed that it sounded familiar. very familiar. It was one of a woman voice.

'I'm not sure.... but what are you doing here? Are you dead too?' she asked. Suddenly a small chuckle filled the area raising the hair on Naruki's back.

'No, I'm not dead. As well as you're not.' the voice said this time from behind Naruki and she turned around to see who it was.

'I-I'm not dead?" she asked shocked. 'Why am I here? What is this place?' she asked.
'I brought you here.' the voice said simply. 'This is your mind.' the voice added.
'My mind? Why would you bring me into my mind?' she asked.

'Because... it's in chaos.' she said.

Naruki stared around in emptiness but she realized that the darkness was giving her bad feelings, it seemed very very.... dreadful.

'Why is it in chaos?' she asked. The voice started to laugh again.

'Because you put it in chaos.' the voice said this time at her ear, whispering. Naruki startled and turned around but again, there was no one there.

'But who are you?' she asked. 'Show yourself, please.' she pleaded.

'Of course, dear.' the voice said and then Naruki saw in front of her an old woman with grey hair which had small traces of red and brown eyes. Oddly, she seemed very familiar to her.

r0;Your17;re the woman from Kazegakure! What are you doing here?r1; she asked. The woman didnr17;t answer but with each step she made, Naruki saw that her face features were changing into something else.

'Do you remember me, now?' the woman asked smiling. Naruki wide her eyes open at the new sight and gasped, not believing who it was.

'Gra-Grandmother Ky-Kiyone.' she stuttered and started to cry. 'Wha-... How? Is it really you?" she asked and made a few steps towards her. The old woman smiled sadly and made a few steps as well.

'Yes, dear. It's me.' she said and both of them hugged each other. Kiyone patted Naruki on her back while she was sobbing hard at her chest.

r16;Obaa-chan, I-I missed you so much, I-I thought that you d-died.r17; she said between her cries hugging her tighter. 'I thought that I was the only one left.' she said.

'It's alright dear." the woman said and broke the hug. 'I will explain everything. Now, please, come to the light, to the living world.' she said. Naruki stared at her confused but instinctively she rose her head and stared at the hole in the ceiling. The hole which was the door back to the living. Back to the suffering. Back to the painful memories. Naruki shook her head and made a few steps away from her grandmother.

'No. I don't want to come.' she said. Kiyone stared at her surprised. 'I don't want to live, I want to die, I want to be with my family on the other world. I want to feel.... nothing.' she whispered.

'Naruki, what is the meaning of this? Do you understand what you're saying right now? Do you even believe the words which you're saying?' the woman asked. The red head shook her head.

'No, but I will learn to understand them and believe them. I want to detach myself from everything.' she said. 'And also... there's nothing that connects me to this world. Only... pieces of memories.' she said and turned around.

'And you don't think that those are enough?' the woman asked and made a few steps towards her. 'The granddaughter which I knew I had wouldn't have said recklessly, those selfish things. I knew that my granddaughter was a fighter, an ambitious girl, worthy for a prestigious clan but... you're not anything like her. You just want to let it go, to quit. You don't realize that there are still things which keep you to the world: friends. You have friends and that is enough, they will help you whenever you'll be in distress and they will never let you down. But you will let them down if you turn your back on them and leave this world. You received the second chance to live on this world to fulfill your wishes and desires.

'I don't remember what those are...' Naruki said leaning her head down.

'Then answer me this question.' the old lady said and Naruki felt her warm hand on her cold shoulder.

'Which one?'

'What do you really want? From all things, what do you want to have or what do you want to happen?' she asked. Naruki looked over her shoulder at her grandmother's face and stared at her surprised that she asked something like this. But the question intrigued her a lot. What does she want very much? The grip on her shoulder tightened and she found herself frowning at the question. She let her head down again thinking.

In the past, she just fought because they told her to do that but now, it was different... she wasn't in a mission and she wasn't receiving money, but she was receiving something after all. Pride. Pride that she would avenge everything which turned wrong.

'My greatest wish is... to feel freedom. To be free of the world of Akatsuki.' she said and rose her head. 'I wish to be a normal person with family and share happiness with them. That's what I want." she said. Kiyone smiled widely and made a few steps backwards.

'Then make it happen.' she said and put her hands on Naruki's head. Naruki stared confused at her but right then she felt pain coming from her head and she found herself yelling. She closed her eyes as the pain was unbearable and opened them again to see what was her grandmother doing.

The next thing what she saw, it shocked her. She saw that her grandmother was still holding her hands on her head, but the pain disappeared and when the old lady retreated she saw that she was in a room on a couch, in other words, in the living world. She also saw that she had bandages over her chest and when she let her hands down pain came from the injury. She grimaced but stared at the old lady which was smiling next to her.

She opened her mouth to ask something but a scream filled the room and Naruki turned to her right only to see pink covering her face. The next thing she knew was that the pink haired kunoichi was hugging her.

"Naruki, you're finally awake! I can't believe it!" she said excitedly and Naruki felt more pain coming from her chest.

"Sa-Sakura... it... hurts." she tried to say and the kunoichi backed away embarrassed.

"I'm sorry it's just... that I'm happy that you're awake." she smiled cheerfully. Naruki smiled weakly but her smile faded away and she turned again to the old lady. "Oh yes, she is Kiyone baa-sama. She saved us from the fire and took care of our injuries." Sakura said. "And now she helped you wake up." she smiled.

"Yes... I know." Naruki said. 'She is my grandmother.' she thought. The old lady smiled and turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, I'm sure that Naruki would like some tea, would you please make some?" she asked. Sakura was confused but noticed that the woman probably wanted to talk something in private with the red head so she nodded and left the room.

After Sakura left, the old lady took a deep sigh and turned to Naruki who was looking at her with a frown but with surprise in the same time.

"Grandmother, please tell me everything. I'm sure that there are many to be told." she said serious. Kiyone smiled and rose a white box from the ground and put it in Naruki's lap.

"This will explain everything, dear." she said and took a better sit in her chair.

Naruki sent her a confused look but turned her gaze to the box. She noticed that it was white with red carvings on it. She moved her hands gently or it would have caused discomfort, and opened the box. Her eyes widened as she saw some documents and a letter above them. She took the letter which said 'To Naruki' with red ink. She gasped as she recognized the handwriting.

"Kenji nii-sama...." she whispered and turned the letter to open it.

After she opened it a paper fell from it and Naruki took it shakily. Her eyes fell on the handwriting in red ink. She gulped and started to breathe heavily.