Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Tomorrow That Never Comes ❯ Chapter 3: The Old Apartment ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Xander B 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Action / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.22.2007 | Updated On: 07.10.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 651 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Action / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.22.2007 | Updated On: 07.10.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 651 | Status: Completed
Tomorrow That Never Comes
Warning: Angst, swearing...
“Haru, go with Shizune-san please and I will be there soon.” I tell my daughter and she stares up at me seriously for a moment before deciding that it's okay to leave me alone with Tsunade. She walks out of the room, refusing the hand Shizune has offered her. I watch her leave, the door closing with a soft click behind the two of them. I look back to the Hokage solemnly.
“What in the hell are you thinking Sasuke?! Do you think that you can just come back here after six years and settle back into the village you abandoned?! And when the hell did you have a child?! Where is her mother?! And what the fuck was going through your mind when you took a child with you on your parade around the world to kill you god-damned brother?! What is wrong with you?!” Her voice makes the whole office quake and I pray that my daughter cannot hear her through these paper-thin walls. I hope Shizune took her far away from this room. I press a shaky hand to my forehead and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I drop my hand back to my side and meet her eyes, shame evident in my ebony orbs.
“I did not think Hokage-sama. I cannot possibly repent for the treason I have committed, but I was hoping that the sins I have committed would not be placed upon my daughter's shoulders as well. She wants to attend the academy here. I would not have returned, but I can deny her nothing. And just to clarify, I have not been searching for Itachi for the last three years. I have been raising Haru in a diminutive mining village no more than half a day's journey from here. She has no parents; I adopted her when I wandered through a destroyed village after killing Orochimaru. I apologize with all sincerity Hokage-sama even if it is meaningless spilled from the lips of a traitor such as I who is unworthy of any and all forgiveness.” With that, I kneel in front of her feet, and pride be damned, I bow as low as I possibly can, my forehead resting against the dusty floor. Tsunade is completely silent for several moments and I do not move from my position in front of her.
I am startled as I feel a warm hand press onto my shoulder heavily and a sigh escapes the statuesque blond sannin. A pregnant silence drags on before she finally speaks.
“Stand up Sasuke,” She says and waits as I pull myself up from the floor, meeting her eyes respectfully, “Your crime is punishable by death, but I am sure that the news of your return is traveling fast and I don't wish for the citizens and several of my best ANBU to revolt against me by having you executed. Don't think that you are cleared of all charges, for you are most certainly not, however, due to the extenuating circumstances, you will be pardoned on the grounds that you have redeemed yourself in the eyes of myself the Godaime, and the high council of Konoha with the defeat of the sannin, Orochimaru and his accomplice Kabuto. You will, of course be punished. You will be living under probationary terms for the following year under house arrest without the privilege of leaving the village. You will be intermittently assessed by members of my ANBU squads and then evaluated by myself and the council through the ANBU reports. After a year's time, you will complete a test and renew your loyalties to Konoha in a public ceremony, in which your daughter will also be accepted as a citizen. I am granting you both a temporary citizenship under these conditions. Do you agree to these terms?” Her voice is stern as she speaks to me. I swallow reflexively.
“I will agree, but under one more stipulation.” I say softly, refusing to back down as she glares at me.
“You are in no position to make demands Uchiha.” She says, her eyes narrowed with barely contained annoyance. I nod.
“I apologize, but I must insist that my daughter, Uchiha Haru, be allowed to attend the Shinobi Academy in the fall when she will be of age, even though we will be of the temporary citizenship status. As you and I are both aware that under such status, she would be prohibited from doing so otherwise. I will remind you, Hokage-sama, that my crimes are not my daughter's.” I reply courageously, and await her answer with quivering uncertainty. She steeples her long, painted fingers and leans back against her desk as she thinks over my proposal. After several moments, she nods.
“I will allow your daughter to attend the academy on the condition that she pass a standard entrance exam before she begins the new year.” Tsunade says with no room for argument. I nod. Her answer is satisfactory. My daughter will be prepared. I am not an Uchiha for nothing. I feel a slight pull up on the right side of my mouth as I smile lopsidedly, resisting the ridiculously insistent urge to hug the seemingly young woman.
“Thank you Godaime-sama.” I say gratefully, bowing to her once more respectfully. When I look up, she is smiling.
“It will be good to have you back home where you belong. They haven't been the same without you. You may leave.” She dismisses me. I understand who she speaks of. My former team mates must have changed drastically since the time I left. I nod to her and move to take my leave.
I open the door quietly and make my way silently down the empty halls. There are no ninja bustling around in theses halls. They must have been scared away by Tsunade's rage. I smile to myself as I approach the sound of Shizune's voice and the soft chime of my daughter's behind a closed door. I open said door and grin as large, jade eyes focus on me with excitement. Before I can blink, Haru is in my arms. She places a hand on either of my cheeks and looks into my eyes very seriously before she speaks to me.
“Are we staying Otou-san?” She asks, her voice low as if she doesn't want Shizune to hear. I smile at her and hold her tightly.
“Hai, we're staying.” I reply, making sure that my voice carries so that Shizune knows that the verdict has been made. She nods and leaves. I hold Haru as we walk out of the tower and towards the Uchiha compound that was once my home. I hum Haru's favorite tune as we move silently into the lifeless streets of our new home. Haru leans her head on my shoulder and twists her fingers in the hair behind my left ear as she listens to me hum.
I breathe in the cool air deeply, smelling the approach of rain on it. I continue to hum as we enter the main house, the one that had been my childhood abode. A weight feels as though it has been lifted from my chest, one that had been suffocating me slowly and now I feel I can breathe easy once more. I smile as I look down at Haru as she lets her eyes wander curiously about the house. I have a feeling, one I haven't felt for some time.
I feel safe.
I am home.
TBC...
Warning: Angst, swearing...
“As I'm staring through this fireIt's too late to make you mineSo far from where we startedSo far from what we wantedAnd as both our worlds fall downWe have lost and we have foundSo far from where we startedSo far from what we wanted”
- 'Money Honey' by State of Shock
Chapter 3: The Old Apartment- 'Money Honey' by State of Shock
“Haru, go with Shizune-san please and I will be there soon.” I tell my daughter and she stares up at me seriously for a moment before deciding that it's okay to leave me alone with Tsunade. She walks out of the room, refusing the hand Shizune has offered her. I watch her leave, the door closing with a soft click behind the two of them. I look back to the Hokage solemnly.
“What in the hell are you thinking Sasuke?! Do you think that you can just come back here after six years and settle back into the village you abandoned?! And when the hell did you have a child?! Where is her mother?! And what the fuck was going through your mind when you took a child with you on your parade around the world to kill you god-damned brother?! What is wrong with you?!” Her voice makes the whole office quake and I pray that my daughter cannot hear her through these paper-thin walls. I hope Shizune took her far away from this room. I press a shaky hand to my forehead and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I drop my hand back to my side and meet her eyes, shame evident in my ebony orbs.
“I did not think Hokage-sama. I cannot possibly repent for the treason I have committed, but I was hoping that the sins I have committed would not be placed upon my daughter's shoulders as well. She wants to attend the academy here. I would not have returned, but I can deny her nothing. And just to clarify, I have not been searching for Itachi for the last three years. I have been raising Haru in a diminutive mining village no more than half a day's journey from here. She has no parents; I adopted her when I wandered through a destroyed village after killing Orochimaru. I apologize with all sincerity Hokage-sama even if it is meaningless spilled from the lips of a traitor such as I who is unworthy of any and all forgiveness.” With that, I kneel in front of her feet, and pride be damned, I bow as low as I possibly can, my forehead resting against the dusty floor. Tsunade is completely silent for several moments and I do not move from my position in front of her.
I am startled as I feel a warm hand press onto my shoulder heavily and a sigh escapes the statuesque blond sannin. A pregnant silence drags on before she finally speaks.
“Stand up Sasuke,” She says and waits as I pull myself up from the floor, meeting her eyes respectfully, “Your crime is punishable by death, but I am sure that the news of your return is traveling fast and I don't wish for the citizens and several of my best ANBU to revolt against me by having you executed. Don't think that you are cleared of all charges, for you are most certainly not, however, due to the extenuating circumstances, you will be pardoned on the grounds that you have redeemed yourself in the eyes of myself the Godaime, and the high council of Konoha with the defeat of the sannin, Orochimaru and his accomplice Kabuto. You will, of course be punished. You will be living under probationary terms for the following year under house arrest without the privilege of leaving the village. You will be intermittently assessed by members of my ANBU squads and then evaluated by myself and the council through the ANBU reports. After a year's time, you will complete a test and renew your loyalties to Konoha in a public ceremony, in which your daughter will also be accepted as a citizen. I am granting you both a temporary citizenship under these conditions. Do you agree to these terms?” Her voice is stern as she speaks to me. I swallow reflexively.
“I will agree, but under one more stipulation.” I say softly, refusing to back down as she glares at me.
“You are in no position to make demands Uchiha.” She says, her eyes narrowed with barely contained annoyance. I nod.
“I apologize, but I must insist that my daughter, Uchiha Haru, be allowed to attend the Shinobi Academy in the fall when she will be of age, even though we will be of the temporary citizenship status. As you and I are both aware that under such status, she would be prohibited from doing so otherwise. I will remind you, Hokage-sama, that my crimes are not my daughter's.” I reply courageously, and await her answer with quivering uncertainty. She steeples her long, painted fingers and leans back against her desk as she thinks over my proposal. After several moments, she nods.
“I will allow your daughter to attend the academy on the condition that she pass a standard entrance exam before she begins the new year.” Tsunade says with no room for argument. I nod. Her answer is satisfactory. My daughter will be prepared. I am not an Uchiha for nothing. I feel a slight pull up on the right side of my mouth as I smile lopsidedly, resisting the ridiculously insistent urge to hug the seemingly young woman.
“Thank you Godaime-sama.” I say gratefully, bowing to her once more respectfully. When I look up, she is smiling.
“It will be good to have you back home where you belong. They haven't been the same without you. You may leave.” She dismisses me. I understand who she speaks of. My former team mates must have changed drastically since the time I left. I nod to her and move to take my leave.
I open the door quietly and make my way silently down the empty halls. There are no ninja bustling around in theses halls. They must have been scared away by Tsunade's rage. I smile to myself as I approach the sound of Shizune's voice and the soft chime of my daughter's behind a closed door. I open said door and grin as large, jade eyes focus on me with excitement. Before I can blink, Haru is in my arms. She places a hand on either of my cheeks and looks into my eyes very seriously before she speaks to me.
“Are we staying Otou-san?” She asks, her voice low as if she doesn't want Shizune to hear. I smile at her and hold her tightly.
“Hai, we're staying.” I reply, making sure that my voice carries so that Shizune knows that the verdict has been made. She nods and leaves. I hold Haru as we walk out of the tower and towards the Uchiha compound that was once my home. I hum Haru's favorite tune as we move silently into the lifeless streets of our new home. Haru leans her head on my shoulder and twists her fingers in the hair behind my left ear as she listens to me hum.
I breathe in the cool air deeply, smelling the approach of rain on it. I continue to hum as we enter the main house, the one that had been my childhood abode. A weight feels as though it has been lifted from my chest, one that had been suffocating me slowly and now I feel I can breathe easy once more. I smile as I look down at Haru as she lets her eyes wander curiously about the house. I have a feeling, one I haven't felt for some time.
I feel safe.
I am home.
TBC...