(A/N Grab your tissues everyone)
Maki clenched the black seal in her hands and charged at Isshiki, a little slower than usual since she couldn't use chakra to increase her speed. If she could just place a single finger on Isshiki this seal could be firmly placed on him.
Isshiki was distracted by Shisui but seemed to tense as soon as she moved closer to him. It made her eyes widen and body slow down when she realised he could sense her, but it was too late. Because just as Maki had placed the seal on his back, Isshiki turned around with a chakra rod and pierced her.
He sneered at her and spoke, digging the rod deeper into her at the same time while more and more blood fell from her mouth.
"Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice you?" His eyes widened when the seal began to take its effect and the rest of the words he'd planned to say were caught in his throat. All movement ceased, the only exception being Shisui as he began to seal the Otsutsuki away and Maki as she stumbled backwards. She was frozen, too shocked to even process what had just happened. Hand wandering to the blade in her, she grasped it and slowly began to realise.
She'd been stabbed, and she wasn't healing.
"MAKI!"
"Papa...?"
"MAKI!" Tenzo cried out in horror as he ran towards his child, and soon everyone else began to follow. Tenzo fell to his knees and shifted the brunette so that her head was resting on his head but she could still see everybody. Shisui grabbed his hair and gritted his teeth, his medical ninjutsu wasn't working and he didn't know why! It was as if- as if her body had just stopped responding!
Tenzos eyes shifted back and forth from her cyan ones and back to the large rod piercing her. Her chest moved up and down slowly with each ragged breath she took, and it pained him greatly to see how much pain she was in. Still, he wanted to think positively even though the worst-case scenario was the most likely at the moment. He wiped the blood around her mouth and Maki decided that was when she would begin to speak.
"P-Papa," The simple word made tears collect in his eyes, because this was the very first time she'd called him such an endearing term but the tone she used to call him such was sad. She spoke as if what was happening to her was inevitable, like she had known this would happen all along. "I... I'm going to die..."
Tenzos heart dropped and its only sunk further when water began to collect in her eyes but refused to spill. That was so like Maki, refusing to reveal her emotions despite how much pain she was feeling. Just once, just once, Tenzo wishes she would tell him how she felt.
"Sweetie," He cradled her face as the previous hokages all watched, Naruto being helped over by Tobirama while Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi rushed over as fast as they could, the blonde falling to her side first and Tobirama backed away to stand near his student and elder brother, feeling like he held no right to stand next to such a prised youth instead of her loved ones. "You're not going to die, you hear me? You are not going to die."
"I..." Her hands grasped onto his own and her voice cracked, "I don't want to go. Papa, I don't want to go, I- I..."
This time it was Naruto who spoke as he brought his hands to hover over her wound and urged Kuramas chakra to flow through her and attempt to heal her. "You wont, Maki. I wont let you, I-I'll just heal you with Kurama and-"
It wasn't working.
He pulled back in confusion as horror filled him. As soon as Maki saw the expressions of horror on her best-friend and fathers face, she seemed to understand what was happening and closed her eyes.
After a few inhales and exhales she opened her eyes once more and reached her hand to her belly. Sakura rushed over just in time to stop the brunette from ripping the rod out of herself before she attempted to heal her friend, however just like Naruto her chakra refused to heal Maki.
It was as if Maki had zero chakra in her system. Like it all just simply... disappeared.
"Why...?" Voice wobbly, Sakura gritted her teeth, "why wont it work?"
Makis hand that had originally been aiming for the chakra rod instead lifted her hoodie and exposed her seal. A voice spoke up right as she managed to place all five of her fingers on the seal, twist it and begin to suck out something yellow.
Minato who was watching behind his son, raced towards her along with Hashirama as they both recognized what she was doing. How she was able to do so without chakra, they didn't know.
"Maki, that isn't a good idea-"
She cut the brunette off with a small smile.
"It's time Kurama goes back to where he belongs."
Kurama protested greatly.
"Maki!" They all jumped when Kuramas voice was heard, "Don't you dare! I belong with you, you are my home, Maki!"
Maki bit her lip as the tears finally rolled down her face, however she didn't stop what she was doing. A small and quiet yell of pain left her as the yellow colour began to drag out even more, Kuramas voice gradually growing quieter as it stretched further. Soon, he was even begging her.
"Maki, please. Don't do this, you'll die if you do this!"
"And so will you!" She gritted her teeth, coughing painfully as Tenzos face blanked.
'Dying?' His heart clenched, 'He never even considered the idea of Maki dying, at least not before him.'
"Kurama..." Maki could barely keep her eyes open but she forced herself to live on for just a little more, "You've been by my side from the first day I entered this world. Y-You... You were the only reason I could use chakra."
"Maki!"
Omoi grabbed Makis hand as he slowly processed what she'd said.
"Are you saying..." He tried his best to keep his voice even but it still wobbled as he spoke, "Maki, are you saying you never had chakra?"
She nodded the best she could and Tenzo choked on his saliva, wet liquid running down his face as he held her hands. "You never told me..."
"I'm sorry," Not once did her Cyan eyes meet his own Onyx ones, as if she feared the only gaze he could offer her was one of disappointment. "I didn't think I'd ever have-"
She was cut off as a sudden coughing fit began, and it only made her realise her time was limited, time wasn't going to wait for her, it never did before and it sure as hell wont begin to now.
The yellow she had been withdrawing eventually broke away from her, and the sealing mark around her abdomen disappeared. Maki instantly felt an excruciating agony that she couldn't resist reacting to. No one could stand to look at her as she let out a strangled yell of suffering, her eyes locked tight and teeth clenched.
When the brunette had finally stopped yelling she rushed to release her final words.
Maki began to cry because no matter how much she wanted to act like it didn't, the idea of death scared her. She was finally happy, but she wouldn't even be able to live the rest of her life and relish that feeling. "Papa, I just... I just have one wish..."
"Stop it," Tenzo begged, "You're not going to-"
A hand settled on his shoulder and he didn't even have to turn his head to recognize who it was. Kakashi stood behind him, mask cut and eyes lowered with a heavy sadness with a touch of acceptance. The moment Maki closed her eyes, he knew. Kakashi was always better at accepting and understanding death than he was.
"A-Anything..." He changed, "Anything for you, sweetie."
He watched a small smile settle onto her lips as she brought the ball of yellow chakra in her hands before pressing it onto Narutos belly, surprising the crying teen when he absorbed it easily. Maki had just given him Kurama.
She then turned her head to face everyone, the large group of surviving shinobi, her brother, her master, her friends and family, every single person she knew as well.
"I want there to be peace but I couldn't save Neji," She sniffed as her voice crumbled with guilt, "I couldn't save Shikaku. I couldn't save Inoichi. I couldn't save Obito," she laughed bitterly, "I couldn't even save myself but even so..."
Cyan eyes focused on everyone who heard her. "Is it selfish for me to ask to be remembered? I-I'm scared, I dont want to be forgotten one day b-but I..."
She choked on her words, struggling to express her feelings but it didn't seem she needed to. Hashirama strolled forwards until he was in front of her, the shinobi behind him following him with their eyes.
Slowly, the first hokage knelt and bowed his head, a hand on his chest as a mark of respect. Then followed Minato, Tobirama, and Hiruzen, who were not far behind. Kakashi, Itachi, Shisui, and everyone else on the field immediately followed suit, kneeling with their hands on their chests and heads bent in reverence. As he spoke, Hashirama's voice boomed.
"No matter how hard this world could try, not a single soul could forget you, Maki Iburi."
Omoi nodded and shakily smiled for her, "Forgetting you isn't even an option!"
Itachi followed Omoi with a smile of his own. "It's hard to forget someone whos given you so much to remember."
A sob racked through Maki as she blinked slowly. Tenzo met her eyes and struggled to stretch the corner of his lips but in the end he managed to give Maki a smile.
Simultaneously, all of her friends, Naruto, Omoi, Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and everyone she had befriended, yelled as her eyes closed and breathing slowed.
"Maki! We wont forget you!"
Her lips parted but were stuck in a smile as her final breath escaped her. "Please live happily, everyone."
"I love you, sweetheart."
"And as she parted with a final act of kindness, the young girl could no longer speak and yet everyone continued to swim in her sea. However it was finally her time, it was time for her to swim in a sea of peace.
Maki Iburi rests as her legend lives on."
I feel as though Maki dying would be the only fitting ending for her. I made her fight Isshiki so that it would give you the idea that she saved everyone in the future as well.
In other words, Maki saved the future before it ever happened.
This isn't the ending, I promise theres still a couple more chapters left so please dont leave yet, everyone.
I know, I know, and I'm sorry but I refuse to change this ending. I'll be honest, I popped a few tears while writing this because Maki really somehow made me feel happy even if shes my own character.
I'd like to say thank you to everybody who's stayed with this book for so long, I don't think anyone here understands how important your comments are and how much they help my mental state. Im going through a lot right now and I'm sure a lot of you are right now so talk to me if you want to! The saying that 'Talk to your family' is stupid in my own opinion, you're family will look at you differently whether thats in a good or bad way.
Again, thank you so, so, much for reading this. It isn't the end, I just feel like some people might stop reading after this chapter.
When I finish this book, perhaps I'll go back and update it since a lot of these chapters are rushed.
Thank you, I love you all and I'm sorry :D TO BE FAIR Y'ALL ASKED FOR A HASHIRAMA AND MAKI MOMENT I GAVE YOU ONE
HEHEHE BYEEEE
~LamaXebecs