The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Private]

[Akechi]

It had only been days since he had last seen his betrothed. The Uchiha proposed to her, swore his life to her, and renounced all of the individual freedom that he had earned for this woman. She was all that he thought about, and all that he lived for. He truly did love her with all of his heart. It was almost more than he could bear when he was away from her, but he understood why it had to be this way. Little by little, she was becoming a very important person in her village. They needed her in a much different way than he, and they were far more demanding of her time than Akechi could stand to be. After all, the man refused to be a burden to her, especially after the tremendous weight that her village seemed to drag her down with. Perhaps that was why it was vital that he dropped the title of vagabond and pick up a formal rank of her village. It was the only way that he could hope to at least shoulder some of her responsibility… any amount of it, even if it were just a fraction.

”I’m home, Haru-chan!” The man yelled out, brimming with joy as he stepped through the front door of their home. The man’s hands were filled with gifts as he gently closed the door with a simple gesture of his hand. The gifts were all for Kei. Mostly ninja toys, like an authentic looking katana, some plastic shuriken, and some assorted candies. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what the child liked so it was all experimentation at this point. It was all about simply making the effort. ”Haruka! Kei-chan! Haruka!” He yelled again, this time slightly worried that something may have happened. Little did he know…

Something terrible actually did happen…

”Well I guess I’ll just find a place to sit this stuff down.” Akechi would comment, finding a nearby table to sit some things on before he began walking up the stairs to her room. Maybe that’s where she was…

[Topic Entered/Private but PM to enter otherwise]

 

[Haruka]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

It had been mind numbing, really. Life had been one big... disastrous blur. Aside from ripping this village apart in search of one of the people that made her life whole, she had been sick. Dizzily dazed in a way that wouldn't be cured for quite some time. The young woman's hands would lift up in such a manner that she would place them over her face, causing a little visor as she sat with her knees sprawled every which way. Her eyes would squeeze shut for a few moments as she drew in a few different breaths as if to calm the awkward thrush of hormones that danced from her brain. Sheesh. Had she experienced this before? No. The end game was horrendous the last time. The light that hung above illuminated just bright enough to bother her poor eyes, but she attempted to tune out that light and keep her wits about her. However... When the sound of someone entering her home would echo off of the walls, she would pop up quite like a prarie dog would in her curiosity, but she recognized the voice. Thank goodness. She hadn't seen the man in quite some time. After all, her attention had been thrust elsewhere and with a different cause rather than her upcoming marriage. After all, how could they have a marriage without, hah, mommy's best man, hm? Wrapping her arms around her body, she would feel a distinct horror and shudder dance through her body. The twisted knots in her stomach were insane. She missed him. More than she could express. The sleepless nights were not good for his little brother or sister that was forming there within her tummy... but she couldn't help it. She was just so distressed that it was making the young woman insane. Instead of a healthy glow like most women, she had an odd pallor to her flesh and her hair would stick up in different directions, but that was mainly due to the fact that she had just rolled out of bed... no matter what time it had been. She slept when she could go no more. Unhealthy, yes, but a woman couldn't be a bright gleaming beacon of health when there was an incredibly large part of her missing.

As he came into her room, she would call out: "I'm sick. And in the bathroom. Sorry I didn't greet you." She would state, "But it's safe to come in here. I'm gonna sit here on the floor for a bit because it's nice and cold." She'd laugh a bit. Her, craving the cold. Yeah, that was always a thing. Lifting her head up from her hands, she would brush her fingers through her hair and untangle any knots that formed there. Well, she needed some kind of order in her life. Turning her body on the floor, she would look up to greet the man if he came into the bathroom. Her hands would remain folded in her lap, legs concealed by her long white sleeping gown.

"It's wonderful to see you," her voice a bit on the raspy edge as she forced a smile to her features. "Akechi, my life-- our life-- has spiraled into chaos." She would murmur, biting lightly onto her lower lip.<i></i>

 

[Akechi]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Movement. He heard something move as he slowly walked up the stairs of the quiet home. Despite his screams for a response that went ignored, the faintest of all sounds was proof that someone was hiding within the dimly lit home. Small hairs on Akechi’s neck began to stand in caution as he moved through the house. It wasn’t like he expected some attack or something like that. However, he couldn’t sake the ominous feeling that spiraled throughout the Kono residence. Something was amiss...

”Haruka?” Akechi spoke, slowly opening the door to her room, his presence met with the pitiful sound of Haruka’s voice. She claimed to be sick as she forced a laugh, the edge in her voice causing the man to worry as he stepped forward. ”Sick? I couldn’t tell. You still look as beautiful as ever.” Akechi would mention, slowly walking over toward the woman as her eyes shifted to look at him. ”If you are sick then shouldn’t you… O, never mind. You always seemed to like the cold… like you are at peace. At least, you normally do.” She sat on the floor of the bathroom, her face filled with sorrow as she continued to force a smile. It was obvious that she was committed toward remaining strong under her circumstance.

”It’s wonderful to see you as well. But… not like this.” He expected to be met with joy and happiness as he strolled through the door. You know, the fairy tale of a husband that is greeted by his wife and son with open arms, wide smiles across their faces as they embraced him. However, someone had taken that away from him…

Or at least that was what he assumed. After all, Akechi never thought that Haruka would succumb to a simple sickness. She was far too strong for that in his eyes. It had to be something else troubling her. Something different entirely…

The Uchiha knelt at her side, gently grabbing her head and moving it toward the center of his chest. ”Chaos? How? What happened?” He would question, hoping that the problem was small and simple in nature.

But it wasn’t… was it?

 

[Haruka]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

As the man now stood before her, she could feel a heavy lump forming in her throat. Something twisting like barbed wire in her chest... All of it things that she did not wish to feel. Behind that barbed wire was the way her heart beat excitedly every time she saw the man, the adrenaline swirling and twirling through her veins... But it still loomed. It was still there. The pain that she felt that culminated from her depressive state. Why, damnit? Why did Souji continually have to torture her when she had moved on? He found every manner by which he could stab at her chest and cut her open, leaving her bare for everyone to witness. Soon, Akechi would kneel down next to her and she would connect to his chest. He may have felt the burning sensation in her cheeks: Her wrath broiled to the surface and bubbled there, festering only to make the fireworks that much brighter. Listening to his heart, she would squeeze her blue eyes shut. She could feel the tears slipping down her facial features, but she would hide her face away in his chest, nuzzling there. The unmistakable sniffles would still arise. "Souji hurt me. And he took Kei." Her hands would raise and tangle in his shirt now. "He took our son. And he dared cast a spell of amnesia over me so I wouldn't immediately come after him. That bastard... When I find him, I will kill him. I don't recall fully how long it's been, but we have to find him, we have to find out son, Akechi." Her chest would rise and fall angrily, her breathing feeling just a bit harder as her chest tightened up as she spoke. Her words were horrendously hoarse as she attempted to break the bad news to him without breaking into pieces herself, but she couldn't. This was something that she couldn't be calm about. She couldn't find where that bastard had taken her son, and she felt worthless as a mother at this point. She just wanted to grab her hair and rip it free from the roots while screaming. She couldn't take the sorrow that ravaged at her body. She was out of the circuits anyways with how her body danced with the whole new concept brewing within her, though.

Pulling her tear stained face away from his chest, she would look up at him quietly. "I haven't been able to pursue him correctly because I have a lot going on with me right now. Akechi, I can't risk things with the delicate state I'm in. Do you know why I'm sick? And I look miserable?" She would say quietly, reaching up and grabbing his hands, placing them flush against her stomach, the only thing separating his hands being the nightgown she wore. "Because now I have Kei and his younger sibling to worry about." She would admit softly, squeezing her eyes shut. Her dilemma was a bit much. Seeking out Kei, trying to maintain some kind of balance within her body for the new life growing there? Yeah no. She could admit that she needed help at this point. She needed more help than she could admit.<i></i>

 

[Akechi]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Pain. Deep shooting pains permeated throughout his body as the woman’s head barreled into his chest, her face buried deep within his inner torso. So much pain before she could even speak. The words that followed were an instant realization of Akechi’s worse feelings coming true. He simply hated to see his woman in pain, and the reason behind the pain in her eyes caused him to freeze in anger. Intense, murderous anger. One hand caressed the base of her neck; the other clenched itself in bridled rage. Haruka’s child had been taken away from them… taken away from their family. Not just that, but by Souji of all people. He had “hurt” Haruka, and he had escaped with Kei… he even placed the woman in some type of Genjutsu that dulled her memory. ”Souji. I didn’t think he was capable of…” Akechi would comment, stopping short of finishing the needless statement. What he was capable of was entirely irrelevant because of what he had done. To be honest, Akechi didn’t even want to know what the details of the man’s transgression against Haruka. He simply didn’t want to put her through it again. In fact, the same could be said of the illusion that she had been placed under. Akechi could’ve simply unraveled such a trick, but the pain that Haruka felt would probably be intensified…

The stress would be immeasurable…

He simply couldn’t do that to Haruka. He wouldn’t. Even if it was the more rational decision. ”Younger sibling?” The second tidbit of information shocked him. Part of Akechi wanted to scream in joy, his face filling itself with tears of joy and sorrow. Souji had crossed the line. He had stripped them of all of the happiness that their family was supposed to feel on this day. Instead of joy, their faces were filled in pure agony… agony that Souji would indeed face…

Agony that would transform itself into violence…

Into bloodshed…

Into death…

You don’t cross the Uchiha…

”Then you should leave it to me.” The Uchiha would speak, slightly tilting Haruka’s head toward him. ”I will find him. I will find our son. And I will kill Souji.” He was never more certain than anything in his life. Haruka, Kei, and their new family member were Akechi’s life. He’d track Souji down, and he’d kill him without fail. It was that simple…

”I don’t want you to feel any more pain…”

 

[Haruka]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

A shaking hand would lift up to press against Haruka's forehead and she would dig the heel of her hand in there. Tears would begin to dance down along her porcelain features as she felt her teeth drive together as she attempted to contain her anguish. Even Souji's name made the bile mixed with ire rise within the confines of her throat. He made her want to rip Stone apart with everything that she had, never wishing that she had been attached to this place, to her so called family here. God damnit, if she could take Kei and Akechi and run, far far away she would've taken that opportunity right now, but she had been shouldered with so many responsibilities. "I hate him, Akechi." She would speak in a strained tone of voice. "He doesn't god damn deserve to be in the presence of Kei. Ever." Her head would drop, scattering bits of her hair everywhere as she glared holes into her lap. Tears would soon drip from her eyes and fall down against her hands which were balled up there. Containing the force of the hormones that hit her was hard... She thought that she would indeed explode under the pressure-- but she expertly held back anything that may have remained in the pit of her stomach. Soon, though, her head had been lifted and her blue eyes would look up to the man.

"I'm sorry, I should have sought you out first and foremost, but I went crazy. The moment I remembered, I lost it. Everything that I knew took a back seat to this." Her chest would heave into a forlorn sigh as she watched him in a momentary silence. "I can leave it to you because I trust in your ability far more than my own. See where that's gotten us? Yeah, no where. I feel so damn stupid, put through so much hell just for what? Petty revenge? Because he couldn't stand another person's happiness?" Her voice would hiss towards the end there, her jaw clenching harshly now. "Rid the face of the earth of him, do as you must. I will not stop you because I can't rip him to shreds in my delicate condition as is. Hell, I can hardly lead the country like I'm supposed to right now. It feels like a fog has crashed into my mind and I can't remove it." Her arms would lift up and she would throw them around Akechi's neck, holding him tightly in an embrace. She needed him. So much more than she could admit: Was that the hard part? Admitting that you needed someone more than you needed yourself? No one would judge her, though. It was just the way things were.

"I just want to wake up from the nightmare with every one I hold dear to my heart standing next to me. That means you and Kei."<i></i>

 

[Akechi]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

”And soon he won’t be.” Akechi muttered in response. He continued to caress the back of her neck as his eyes stared into the dimly lit room, his mind running through every conceivable plan that Souji may have had for the child that he had fathered. Why now? Why decide to find Haruka and hurt her when she was at her weakest, after all that she had done for her village, and knowing that she had found peace with someone else? Did she not deserve this peace? Did she not deserve this happiness? Why would someone who claimed to be her friend condemn her to such pain and agony? No, Akechi never had the true story on the two or their relationship before everything went to hell… But now there was nothing that could redeem Souji in his eyes. There would be no understanding, and there would be no opportunity to set things right. The only future that there was for Akechi was blood… and Souji’s death. He’d pay for the pain that he caused Haruka…

Honestly, he wanted to chastise the woman for not seeking him out first, but he knew that the only words that mattered were words of love and support. Beating her while she was down would do nothing more than add to the already unbearable stress of a mother that had her child ripped from her arms. There was no way he could further denigrate the woman that was having his child… the woman that he loved with all of his heart. Words may have been cheap, but they also were stepping stones toward recovery. The man blinked as Haruka wrapped her arms around his neck, snapping out of his trance as he titled his head in her direction. ”His reasons for hurting you… for stealing Kei away from you… No… from us. Those reasons are irrelevant.” Scooping Haruka from the ground, Akechi would slowly walk over toward the bed as he spoke. ”I will kill him and anyone else that tries to stop me from retrieving Kei. Blood is the only thing that will satiate my thirst for revenge.” A true Uchiha scorned, Akechi verbalized the pain that he felt, and the pain that Souji would feel. Souji’s reasons may have been rather innocent or maybe they were as sinister as they seemed, but Akechi simply did not care for either rationale. Kin had been taken from him, and this was how he dealt with the takers…

Gently placing Haruka in her bed, he tucked her into the covers before kneeling beside her so that they could be eye to eye. ”I promise I will end this nightmare, Haruka. I swear it. Were there any leads? His clan house, for instance.” Akechi questioned, hoping for a shortcut and a quicker end to all this. Honestly, he hoped that Souji’s Yukata clansmen weren’t involved. He’d hate to explain wiping another clan from existence, especially considering his “borderline” status within the village.

 

[Haruka]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Misery loved company, and Souji was the most prime example of such. After all, it was he who damned himself and himself alone. He just needed someone to blame along the way. As Akechi soothed her and rubbed at her flesh, she could feel herself relaxing more into him. It was only Akechi who could cause her to feel a step below insane. And him alone that could keep her from losing her cool. She just wanted to hold herself closer and closer to this man, the man that she promised her life, her love, and whatever else she could to. Even when she was wrong-- especially for not attempting to seek him out immediately-- he did not push her around for this and she was absolutely thankful for that. After all, she knew every single wrong doing that she had done in the past however long it had been. As she was picked up by him, she would tangle her hands into the fabric of his clothing and keep herself close to him and his warmth. The cool of the tile may have been nice, but it was nothing compared to the warmth of the one that she loved. Looking up towards him, she would use one of her hands to reach up and wipe the tears away from her red and undeniably puffy eyes. At his words, a miserable little smile would touch at her lips and she could feel her chest tighten in the slightest. No matter how she fucked up, no matter her flaws... He would help her, he would fight for her. It was an eerie feeling to have someone who cared so much when before all she had were fickle people who cared only for the titles that she had held. As she was placed and tucked into the bed, she would peer into his eyes in silence. Leaning forward, she would force her forehead against his. She wanted to be close. "Arcadia. Somewhere below the ground. A befitting place for whatever rats that plague this world, no? I've looked, but not as much as I could have with the passing of the puppet Daimyo. Her being from Arcadia makes me a not so liked target down there if that makes sense. People seem to think that I was the one who brought her untimely demise." She would speak, her voice holding back the anger that she felt towards Souji in lieu for speaking gently towards Akechi. After all, he was her savior, and soon to be Kei's as well.

Her hands would soon lift up and she would cup at either sides of his face. "...Akechi." She would speak, blinking a few times as she attempted to gather her words in her head. "You're my hero. The only man to make my cup run over. I love you." She would speak, feeling the tears fall down her face again. Damn them. Why couldn't she keep herself from crying? And why couldn't she keep that hoarse tone from her voice? Leaning forward, she would do what she knew best and act with her body, pressing her lips against his to make a sweet little signature to the words that she spoke. Her heart would dance in her chest. She was happy, but torn up on the inside. It was the most strange feeling to say the least, but... She was happy to feel it here with the one person that she knew she could trust the most.<i></i>

 

[Akechi]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Arcadia.

That was the lead that Haruka was rewarded with for her willful reconnaissance. That was where Souji had ran off to hide, and the place that Akechi would scour in search of a small boy and the man that sought to keep him from his family. Hopefully, Kei would be unharmed when the Uchiha found him. Hopefully, Haruka’s nightmare would end with Kei and Akechi at her side as their wondrous dream of a family began. Was that really too much to ask for a woman that placed herself in harm’s way for her village? Surely, such an amazing woman should’ve been rewarded with at least that much… a man who loved her, a child that needed her protection, and a family being created out of their union. This village owed her at least that much…

It made him wonder why she elected to stay within a village that had stolen so much away from her. A curiosity that was met with a resounding answer as he stared into those determined eyes of hers. This was her home, and she didn’t plan to run from it as he did. She wanted to make her home a better place, and then worry about the rest of the world later. ”Arcadia, hmmm? That makes sense based off of how much influence you have within the village. He wasn’t able to make it too far, which means that his goal wasn’t to whisk Kei-chan off to some far away nation.” Akechi would comment, his thinking aloud attempting to discern some sort of rationale behind Souji’s state of mind. After all, thinking like Souji was one way of catching the bastard before he got too far. Any good detective knew that…

”If he’s looking for support or somewhere he’d feel comfortable laying low, then it is someplace that he knows… somewhere his people are. Underneath of Arcadia, do you know of any place where his clan would congregate? Like a hideout or compound…” Akechi would ask, wondering if there was an option that met his description. If the goal were to take his son and hide him for some unknown purpose, rather than simply run away with him, then he’d hide in a place where he could control most of the variables.

Despite the desperate situation that they were in, Akechi still found a slight giggle and a small blush out of her kind words to him. A hero? A hero isn’t someone that continually failed as he did, but Akechi took her compliment to heart all the same. ”I’m not a hero yet, Haruka-chan. Not until our son is back with us.” Akechi would respond, touching one of the hands that caressed a side of his face, leaning in for a small kiss to return the love she had for him. ”You are the love of my life. I will do whatever I can to protect you and Kei. Whatever I can. Whatever it takes.”

 

[Haruka]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Of course, when it came down to finding out where the hell the Yukata clan had moved on to, she had to go and slam her cousin through a wall and practically berate him into giving her that particular information. Yeah, violence was fun, right? She pushed herself incredibly hard to find that child, and anyone that stood in her way would end up dead--- no matter who they were. Now, she finally had the help that she actually needed, but denied constantly. Thank goodness for a man that knew well and could conduct himself in such a manner. It made her want to stick by him and stay close all the more. Even then, though, they would soon be separated once more as Akechi went out to look for their son. "If he had whisked Kei away to some nation, any nation that found themselves able to accept someone like that into their arms would be crushed." She would state coldly, shaking her head from side to side. "The clan estate apparently moved down there the year that I had made my disappearance. So I'm not sure the exact location..." Lifting her hand up, she would scratch at the side of her head as she attempted to rack her brain for any more information that she could give him. Hard to believe that someone that she had been so close to and she had been such good friends with would sink so low, but humanity never ceased to amaze her. When it came to Souji, it became apparent that positions, teams, friendships... none of that meant anything to him. It made sense after all... He was beyond selfish. A monster really. Shaking her head from side to side to clear her mind of these thoughts... she didn't want to think about that bastard. It was nothing more than a pollutant to her mind that she did not need. Though, as Akechi giggled in his unique way, she would feel her mind instantly cleared of nothing but their family. Reaching forward, she would graze her fingertips lightly against where he had stained red and a grin would become her offering. The first time that she had truly given a slightly happy emotion since the young boys disappearance. It felt almost good, but it would definitely feel better when she could have the small child clasped in her arms tightly once more.

"Most would leave it to another's responsibility. Do you know how fervently I looked and no one stopped to offer assistance?" Shaking her head once again, she would tenderly kiss him back. "Ever since you came into my life, you've been my hero. So please, don't put yourself down. You saved me, and now you're going to save our son. Thank you." Pulling herself closer, she would hug him tight now. There was no doubt in her mind that Kei was still alive and that Akechi would find him. Her mother had always taught her about the fire and the light of life, and if someone close to you passed? You could feel that light snuff out and your world dim just a little bit more. Grim, but it was true. "I'm sorry if I'm keeping you... I just want to be close to you right now."<i></i>

 

[Akechi]

Re: The Sorrow of a Mother [Minamoto-Kono Residence] [Privat

Crushed.

That was the term that Haruka used to describe any nation that stood in unison with Souji and his decision. If there were any of the deadly vices that plagued Haruka then it was most certainly wrath. The woman seemed to “crush” anything that opposed her without fail, though Akechi had seen the incredible weight that was placed on her shoulders by such decisions. He even had to place her under a small “hypnosis” so that she wouldn’t find herself crushed by the weight of these psychological demons. Perhaps, this was what Souji had run away from. Being that they were supposedly “best friends” before all of this, maybe he abandoned his responsibility because of Haruka’s attitude toward him. However, he saw the happiness that Akechi and Haruka had managed to find with a child that his, and Souji desired to become something more than a shadow. It all made sense…

”Well… I hope that clan isn’t protecting him. For their sakes…” Akechi spoke, staring into the eyes of a woman that he lived his life for. After all, the Yukata were brothers and sisters of Iwagakure right? It wouldn’t be right to wipe them off of the face of the planet because of one man. But… if they resisted… if they protected their clan leader…

Akechi was ready to go the distance, and Haruka was ready to give the order. A difficult situation made simple by the desire of a family, the wrath of a mother, and the determination of a father. The woman’s lips tenderly pressed against his as she commented on the lack of support that she had in this whole situation. Was that a surprise to her? It wasn’t to Akechi. Nothing Iwagakure did seemed to surprise him at this point. Not after what they put Haruka through after she damn near died freeing them from Endo’s tyranny. ”Then we’ll do it all on our own. I don’t expect or want help from our fellow villagers.” Akechi would comment, a slight pause in his speech as he forced himself to say “our villagers.” After all, it was hard for him to identify with foreign people that did nothing but cause his fiancé psychological turmoil. They were more of a nuisance than they were peers…

”Fine. Fine. You are making me cry a bit with all this hero talk! I WILL NOT wear a cape or trousers though!” Akechi joked, wiping away a couple of the tears that had trickled down his face as Haruka praised him. She really was the light in his life, and he’d fight like hell to make sure it continued to shine brightly.

By any means necessary…

He’d rise as Haruka attempted to hug him, crawling over body to reach the other side of the bed, eventually finding himself in a spooning position. The man’s arms wrapped themselves around the woman as one hand caressed the stomach that had their child in its oven, while the other found Haruka’s hand to clasp together. ”It’s ok. I don’t want to leave your side right now. I could cuddle with you for an eternity.”