Ninja Love: Saizo Kirigakure

Chapter 38

Saizo sighed, his gaze lingering on Sasuke's retreating form for a few moments after he disappeared into the temple before sweeping over to me. I shivered in the sudden cool breeze and shrank away from his cold glare a little bit, unsure of what else to do.

We stood, examining each other in the pale moonlight, neither saying anything to the other. Without a word, Saizo pulled off the cloak he was wearing and stepped towards me, draping it over my shoulders. He sighed, suddenly seeming like an old soul, weary of the world.

"I suppose I might as well tell you the rest of it before someone else beats me to it," Saizo's voice was soft and tired. He sat down on the stone bench Sasuke was on only minutes before and beckoned me to sit beside him.

I tugged his cloak tighter around me, thankful to have something more than a thin kimono between me and the cool night, and sat gingerly next to him, waiting for him to continue.

I looked at Saizo's profile in the low light. He was sitting with less rigid posture than usual, borderline slouching even. His hands were folded neatly in his lap, and his face was turned upwards towards the stars. I could hardly see his facial features past the darkness and his rustling hair, but everything about him in that moment seemed to radiate a sort of vague sadness.

No one should have to suffer through sorrow alone.

I silently turned myself towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He seemed surprised by this at first, but he relaxed after a few moments, bringing one arm around me and accepting my hug.

His built body radiated warmth, and I was reminded that, despite his cold façade,he was still human.

"Misaki, I am not one worthy of your affections," he let out a humorless chuckle and looked down at me.

I was a bit taken aback, but regained my senses and instinctively hugged him closer to me, a fire in my heart as I spoke, "Saizo, don't you ever say you aren't worthy of me, or of anything else for that matter. You've given me an entirely new life, and if it wasn't for you, I would have been dead time and time over again."

"You don't understand," he shook his head in what appeared to be an emotion foreign to his public image: shame.

He pulled away from me gently and looked deep into my eyes, "I've done terrible things... I-I killed my own mother."

He did what now?

I made a half-skeptical half-mortified expression and stared back up at him.

"Not with my own hands, but it was bad enough."

I sighed inwardly, I knew there was an explanation.

Saizo continued, carefully monitoring the changes in my facial expressions, "When I was born, the delivery was too rough on my mother and she died."

My heart broke for Saizo and I butted in, "But that wasn't your fault!"

Saizo's sad eyes peered down at me.

"My father thought it was. He abandoned me right after I was born."

I was nearly shaking with a dangerous combination of anger and sadness. All of this struck too close to home for me, and the familiarity with the entire situation had me on edge.

"I don't necessarily blame him, though," Saizo looked back up to the stars with a hollow voice, "He lost the love of his life... I might've been that angry too."

"Hey," I said sharply, taking hold of Saizo's arm and snapping his attention back to me, "Your father," I spat the word like venom, disgusted with whoever this man was, "was wrong. You both suffered! You lost your own mother, and your father had no right to abandon you and take away the only other caregiver you would have."