Epilogue
Fourteen years later.
It’s the scent of a distant storm, the promise of rolling thunder, the echo of flashing lightning.
The sky is a pale, bright grey. The blanket of clouds covers the sun, but still the light shines lighting the world in a whimsical hue. There are birds singing, there is the laughter of children, and the scent of home and family. Wind rustles long grasses and ripples the surface of a still pond.
It’s the quiet after the storm, the lightening sky promising calm winds and warm sunshine.
The engawa is breezy, the tea beside him has long since grown cold, but he finds he doesn’t mind at all. Kakashi doesn’t think he’s felt peace like this in his whole life. He didn’t even know something like this existed, until it was here.
He holds his hands open beneath the diffused sunlight, stretches out his fingers, feels the tremor there. Flipping them over displays the Lichtenberg lines, silvery veins a remnant of much less happy times. Even now his muscles still tremble, as if still caught in the aftershocks of Nature itself.
After the war, after the tallying of the countless dead, after the shock had worn off and someone remembered that there were still lives outside of their hellish battlefield a meeting was called. What was the left of the Kage, or whatever power structure was left. The Mizukage was dead by Naruto and Jiraiya’s hands, and Onoki the Tsuchikage was also gone being swallowed by the first wave of black ichor. Their allied kage were all still alive thankfully, though the Kusagake was missing a leg and most of his right arm he was stable for now and had sent his grandson to stand in for him. Similarly Onoki’s granddaughter had assumed power in his absence. The red headed bombshell Terumi Mei had stepped in for Yagura, no one dared to challenge her. Newly resurrected Kakashi was absent from the meeting, needing immediate medical attention along with Mayu. Sasuke had been entrusted with the duty to keep the Hokage and his daughter alive while Tsunade and Sai attended the meeting.
Sai had filled Kakashi in when he’d regained consciousness some three days later.
The meeting had been twenty minutes long, which was more then enough time to change the world. Iwa was crippled, as was Taki, and Mei had quickly shown herself to be perfectly happy to cast off Yagura’s awful regime and offer a hand of friendship. A treatise was drawn up and signed, lethal and oddly foolproof in its hurried simplicity. And just like that the United Nations was born, or UN for short.
Mayu had laughed herself silly at the name, but refused to elaborate.
Of course there would always be some dispute or another, as humans were fickle and the horrors of history forgotten all too soon. But with new policies and new leaders in place, war was becoming a thing of the past.
Also, uprooting the existential horrors of a wannabe goddess and ripping out every last vestige of her influence worked wonders in maintaining foreign and internal relations.
Who woulda thought?
The laughter draws closer, and Kakashi is knocked from thoughts of the past by three, shrieking children colliding with his back. He lets them push him off the engawa, twisting around the snatch them up as he falls. The three girls shriek with laughter, wiggling like worms where they’re trapped against his chest.
Sachiko, the oldest at six, manages to sit herself up enough to look down at him. “Grandpa you have to come play with us!”
He raises a brow at his little attackers, appearing to think deeply for a moment. “Hmm… I don’t know girls, do I have too?”
Sachiko pouts as the second oldest, Miriko who is five, succeeds in freeing her arms and nearly clocks her sister in the face as she flails them excitedly. “Yes!”
The youngest granddaughter, Meiruko who is only two, just squeals happily and bites him right on the arm her milk teeth stinging pinpricks. The girls are as precious as they are feral, as is appropriate for any Hatake child. The girls all sport the signature wild silver hair, and dog teeth of their clan, though the sea foam green eyes are all their father’s contribution. And Meiruko is the only olive skinned Hatake he’s ever seen.
And sure he gave Gaara a massively hard time when he started courting his daughter properly, still does occasionally…most of the time, but he is so thankful for his granddaughters. Somedays they still feel impossible, he never thought he’d have any children, much less be alive long enough to have grandchildren.
He heaves a put upon sigh and stands, wrangling the three girls in his arms and swinging them around, much to their delight, as he makes his way back inside.
It’s almost time for the ceremony after all.
_______
Mayu kneels at her vanity, face tilted as Megumi helps her with her hair and makeup. One armed he may be now, but no less talented in the beauty department.
The Hatake Ancestral grounds have been cleaned and inhabited for the fourth time in fourteen years, all for the Name Day Ceremony, a tradition that had died out not that long ago, her grandfather being the last Hatake child named in such a way. Sai is probably off taking his duties of event planner far too seriously. Initially Mayu had used the Name Day to of course honor her mother and revive a dying clans traditions. But, after her first child, had decided to open the ceremony to a select few allies and friends to deepen relations. It wasn’t an unfounded practice either, past ceremonies being open to the few close allies of the Hatake of old.
Her mother is in attendance today as well of course, as evident in the soft grey blanket of the sky.
One Hatake Miyu, mother to Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, had brought every one of her children to these grounds to be Named. Bringing along her husband, and a small contingent of Senju.
Megumi finishes her makeup with a flourish, just in time for Gaara to step into the room. For all her husbands deep love of kohl, feminine beauty is a beast he will always be confused and terrified by. Gaara nods to Megumi as the other man leaves, shutting the door behind him, and folds himself down beside her at the vanity. Carefully he passes the precocious bundle of their six month old son to her, setting a kiss on her forehead as they lean in close to the other. Their son babbles up at her, gummy smile and tiny fists reaching up to grab at her nose. He is the only one of her children to inherit his grandmothers eyes, that same glittering violet as her own.
“Where are the girls?”
Gaara’s face does a funny half grimace, “With grandpa.” He’s fighting a deadpan, and Mayu stifles her laughter. Even at thirty her husband still can’t quite manage to get along with his father in law.
There’s a squeal from down the hall, followed by a series of barks and the unmistakable sound of Pakkun getting his tail gnawed on by their youngest daughter. There’s a beat of silence where the parents share a look over their sons head, before breaking out into laughter.
“They get that from you, you know.” Gaara teases, it only took him a decade to get the hang of it.
Mayu scowls up at him, feigning offense and the man only laughs kissing the frown from her lips.
There’s a chime from outside, the first signal, and when the two turn to look out over the engawa the sky has darkened significantly. Storm clouds rolling in, but there’s no rain or thunder, not on a day so special.
_______
What is the cost of a soul?
Why, the soul itself of course. After all, you never buy a soul only sell them. A paradox for sure, as the person doing the selling can never find a buyer.
She looks and She sees her granddaughters, watches their births, and is honored to name each of them. She sees the happiness of Her daughter, She sees the progress of the living world, She witnesses the rise of something new, and great raising the Elemental Nations into a new an unthinkable era of peace and progress.
And above all She waits. Waits for the day Her existence might become a bit warmer, more bearable. Waits for the appearance of Her champion.
Kakashi had bargained away his place in the wheel of reincarnation, sold his place in the universe and dooming himself to be lost in the fabrics of reality. For their child, for the daughter they love so much. He bargained away any chance he might have for a new life, for a second chance. But, She knows without a doubt, that given the choice Kakashi would probably prefer the nothing of the empty spaces between the stars. It’s a good thing She’s here to save him from himself.
His soul is untethered now, but it is not lost, nor without a place. That place will be here, with Her, until such a time he decides it’s time to move on.
A chime breaks Her musings, the First Signal.
She rolls down the pile of cushions, and peers through swirl of ocean mist and swaying pines, watching with bated breath as Her first grandson is presented to Her.
Her daughter stands in opulent silks, waist deep in the Moon Pool at the center of the Old Compound. The babe is swaddled in red, and already She has chosen this little one’s Blessing. She snaps Her fingers, and the lanterns hanging around the pool spark to life, filled with eerie blue flame. Around Her the ocean is still as glass, every creature within still and silent awaiting the conclusion of this Ceremony. Below, they await with bated breath, leaning in to listen to the near imperceptible song of the world.
She sighs, effervescent, and wind spirals around them. The song is louder now, it is a physical echo instead of a spiritual one. The wind dances, snatching hold of the flame and scattering it through the air. The flames dance like fairies, caught in the winds.
She reaches down, Her hand piercing the veil for only a moment and brushes her fingers across her grandson’s soft face.
“Welcome, Daiki.”
_______
The End