Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 65 No one can be strong all the time

“Is this all there is now?
Is it over, have we done?
Is this the famous feeling
When the bloody war is won?”

 -unknown source

 

 

She was running across a meadow, the wind blowing through her hair. She couldn’t have been any older than nine. She knew she was dreaming, but it was a peaceful dream. There were no ninja in this world.
She was wearing a light blue dress and she was laughing while chasing after a boy roughly her age.
He cast glances over his shoulder at her, laughing as well when she caught up with him.
He took a step forward and placed a flower in her hair. Somehow it reminded her of Konan’s flowers.
She stared into Itachi’s eyes as she felt the wind pick up. Faintly she could hear whispers in the wind, like someone was demanding her attention.
It annoyed her.
They would make the flower fall.
She frowned when she heard the voice again. “Taryn…”
She pushed it away and followed after Itachi when he started running again.
She lost sight of him, but she knew where he was and pushed her way through the long grass until she reached a clearing.
He was already waiting for her, but he was older now. When she looked, she noticed she had aged as well.
Itachi looked at her with a serious expression. “You need to wake up Taryn.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
“But you have to.”
“I like it here,” she protested, but he shook his head.

“You can’t stay.”
The wind was picking up again and the flower in her hair was softly fluttering.
Itachi’s hand caressed her cheek. “You need to wake up.”
Taryn’s eyes watered. “And when I do, you won’t be there.”
“I will always be there. I promise.”
Her vision faded slowly and she became aware of other sounds around her.
Her eyes closed and fluttered open again. Someone was stroking her hair.
No. They’d make the flower fall….
Her eyes fluttered again.

Temari was sitting at her bedside, fingers coming through Taryn’s hair. When she noticed her sister was awake, she gave a watery smile. ‘Hey,” she said, “how are you feeling?”
Taryn blinked against the light. There were beeping sounds around her, but she couldn’t locate the source. Her eyes moved to the side.
“You’re in the infirmary,” Temari told her, “you’ve been out for a week.”
“H-how?” Taryn asked, surprised at how raw her voice sounded. She swallowed and licked her lips. Her throat was burning.
“Bee brought you here,” Temari explained, “Naruto went after Sasuke. They returned a few hours ago. Sasuke was taken into custody.”
Taryn’s hand moved to her stomach and she was surprised when she saw the needle of an IV stuck in her skin.
“The baby is fine,” Temari told her, “but you need to rest.” She placed a hand on Taryn’s head.
“Is Taryn-sensei awake?” came a soft voice.
Taryn turned her head to the right. ‘Daro?’
“Yeah. She’s fine,” Temari said over her shoulder, “go back to sleep.”
“Why is Daro here?” Taryn asked worriedly, “is he hurt?”
Temari bit her lip. “He’s fine,” she said hesitantly.
Taryn could tell she was hiding something and she glared at her sister. “It’s Hiro,” Temari said softly.
Taryn gasped and struggled to get in a sitting position.
Temari grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the pillow. “Calm down. He’s fine. He’s not in danger anymore, but he has a few broken bones.”
Taryn struggled against her sister in an attempt to get up.
“Stay down,” Temari said while pushing her back. “I’ll tell you everything, okay?” She sighed. “Sasuke’s been taken into custody. He’s being severely guarded and kept out of sight with chakra draining chains around him. The Kages will discuss how to proceed, but no decision has been made yet. They have to wait for everyone to return. It may take some time. They’re still fighting Madara.” She paused a moment so Taryn could take everything in.
“Kankuro is fine,” Temari continued, “he sat with you while you were out. I took over from him just a few minutes ago. Gaara is okay too. He’s with the council.”
Taryn bit her lip and stared at her hands. “Was he very angry?”
Temari sighed. “You know Gaara.”
“That’s not comforting,” Taryn told her.
“He’ll calm down. Kakashi is with him.”
“Kakashi?” Taryn croaked, “he’s okay?”
Temari smiled at her. “He’s fine. He woke up a few days ago. He’ll be sore for a while, but he won’t hold permanent damage. He’s really concerned about you. He comes to check on you every few minutes.”
A faint smile crossed Taryn’s face and she turned to Temari again. “What about my cousins?”
Temari shook her head. “They’re not back yet, but they’re not on the list of casualties. Hiashi Hyuuga is dead though. We just received the news.”
”Kuro?” Taryn asked, panic sounding in her voice, “where’s Kuro?”
“He’s fine,” Daro answered in Temari’s stead. His voice sounded sleepy, “he went with his sister to get something to eat. He’ll be back later.”
“Anyone else you want to know about?” Temari asked softly.