Shikigami Dance: Naruto/BNHA Crossover - Chapter 3

(Akatsuki Hideout: Mountain Graveyard…)

The network of mountain caves echoed softly to the steady footsteps of the present leader of the Akatsuki. A man known by many names and titles in his lifetime. Tobi… Madara Uchiha… Masked Madara… Masked Man… Savior… None of them his true identity.

A squishy pop sounded from the wall behind him as the bicolored figure of Zetsu leaned out from the wall.

“So at long last, you’re finally heading out.”

The masked figure stopped. “There have been many changes to our plans,” his deep voice held a note of suppressed annoyance.

“You say that as if I’m the one to blame for everything,” a soft voice mused behind him.

Madara’s single Sharingan flickered around to look at his newest ally, Kabuto Yakushi, “It was because of you that we had to change our strategy.”

Kabuto smirked, as he let his white snake appendage slither up to wind around his torso, “Thanks to me, your military might and range of attacks increased. You will do well to remember that in the future.”

“Don’t do anything outside of what we agreed upon while I’m away,” Madara warned.

Kabuto’s glasses glinted as he spoke in a condescending tone, “We are comrades. So you really do need to learn to have a little more trust in me.”

There was silence before Madara spoke again, “You are only looking out for your own interests. Don’t pretend otherwise.” He slowly stalked off towards the cave entrance.

Kabuto raised his hand in a ‘what can I do?’ gesture, “Aren’t you even going to bother telling me where exactly you’re heading off to?”

“The Hidden Rain Village…” Madara’s voice held a dismissive tone.

“The Hidden Rain Village?” Kabuto asked in faked confusion, “But they aren’t even directly involved in the Great Ninja War… So why go there?”

The masked leader’s silhouette slowly faded as he entered the sunlight, “It doesn’t concern you.”

***

(The Hidden Rain Village…)

Konan surveyed the rainy landscape of the village she now protected. The village she was born in, had grown up in, had fought for, and had watched her friends die for.

It had been three months since Nagato had exchanged his own life to resurrect the Hidden Leaf forces and civilians he had killed. The peace in his eyes due to his change of heart had been her one comfort at the event of his death. Now he lay buried with Yahiko in a place only known to her.

A Rain Shinobi landed behind her, “Milady, all the preparations you asked for are taken care of.”

Konan didn’t turn around, “Very good. If things go wrong, you know what to do. Do not fail me.”

The man’s breath hissed through the gas mask he wore and he bowed his head, “Your will in this matter is the village’s will. We will follow your orders in letter and spirit.”

Konon nodded, her amber eyes hardening as she looked out into the rain and spoke, “He’s here. Tell everyone to take shelter. Follow the orders I gave you.”

“Right,” the shinobi faded from view in a cloud of mist.

Konan watched the air warp in front of her as Madara appeared with his back to her.

“Are you trying to find something?” she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

“Yes,” Madara glanced over his shoulder, “Just tell me where you have hidden Nagato’s corpse.”

The former ‘Angel’ lowered her eyes dismissively, “You are not going to find him here?”

Her body dissipated into a flurry of paper buŧŧerflies that instantly headed outside the village.

Madara turned around to look after them before warping away as well.

The buŧŧerflies flew out over a nearby lake and merged together over a boulder. As she regained her form, Konon eyed the pile of wreckage a short distance from her as Madara slowly appeared.

“Seems like you’re not going to tell me where you’ve hidden the Rinnegan,” Madara noted, “I mean, Nagato,” he corrected as an afterthought.

Konan’s eyes were cold, “I was sure that you would show up looking for it sooner or later. I’ve been waiting for you. Now that you’re here, I’ll stop you.”

The storm began to intensify as if sensing the battle that about to commence.

“I won’t go easy on you because we were once comrades,” the masked figure warned, “The Akatsuki does not abide traitors. Understood?”

The masked man paused for a moment before continuing, “One question, why would such loyal members such as you and Nagato betray me? You both approve my project Tsukinomi after all. If you lost to Naruto Uzumaki, it would be one thing that could be helped. But Nagato sacrificed himself using the Rinne Rebirth just for Naruto. That Jutsu was to be used for my sake. But even Zetsu wasn’t able to see what made Nagato change his mind so drastically.”

Konan’s mind wandered to the life-changing conversation between Nagato and Naruto.

***

“I will become Hokage and I will bring peace to the Hidden Rain. I will! I’m asking you to believe in me.”

“Why should I?” Nagato looked the blonde-haired Jinchuriki in the eye, “How can you stand there and tell me you will never change your mind? Do you really think you will never stray from that ideal? No matter how much pain befalls you? You think you will always believe in yourself?” his voice lowered to a hiss, “Can you guarantee it? How can you possibly have that much faith that life won’t change you?”

. . .

Naruto was silent a moment. “There is pain, buried deep down inside of me… and there’s no telling what kind of pain I may face down the road… but… if I stop believing just because things get difficult if the hero in this book were to change who he is… then… it would become a whole different story. It sure wouldn’t be the story our master left behind. I can’t write like our master so the sequel will have to come from the life I live. That’s why no matter how much pain my life brings, I’ll keep walking because that’s who Naruto is.”

***

The rain continued to fall as Madara spoke again, “Naruto Uzumaki. You truly believe he is worthy of all this?”

“He is the light,” Konon answered raising her arm threateningly, “That’s why we can all carry flowers of hope.”

Madara scoffed, “You bȧrė your fangs at me yet you wear that cloak. You still care for the Akatsuki.”

“Yahiko was the one who founded the Akatsuki, not you,” Konan corrected, her paper beginning to flutter about her, “The red clouds on these cloaks symbolize the unending wars that rained blood down upon the Hidden Rain. You merely jumped on our bandwagon for your own purposes. These cloaks are our legacy, not yours,” her voice hardened, “And the Rinnegan is something awakened by Nagato, a shinobi of the Hidden Rain Village. Again, it doesn’t belong to you. His eyes belong to this nation. They are this village’s treasure!”

As she yelled out the final sentence she swung her left arm, sending out a barrage of paper shuriken towards her opponent.

The weapons simply slipped through the man, causing him to chuckle, “You’re mistaken on two points. Since you are about to die, I will enlighten you. I encouraged and pushed Yakiho to form the Akatsuki, and I was the one who gave Nagato the Rinnegan.”

Konan gasped in shock at the news as Madara continued.

“Perhaps it would be more correct for me to ask for it back, but nevermind. In my opinion, you’re just an ignorant little girl who knows nothing. Except now, you know the location of Nagato’s Rinnegan. Once I capture you, I shall have my answer. Do not underestimate the visual prowess of the Uchiha.”

Konan spun up in the air in a swirl of paper. Unfurling her origami wings, she shot directly at Madara, intent on killing him.

‘I have to end this here. If not, it’s not just the Rinnegan that’s in danger.’

She created a storm of paper blades, shooting them before her to try and overpower Madara with numbers, hoping to catch him when he materialized.

With a swift move, Madara reached out a hand, latching onto her throat, “Got you.”

A vortex began to rotate as he suċkėd all of her origami into his dimension.

Suddenly, a flash of black ink caught his eye. ‘She mixed in paper bombs!’

Konan smirked, “I’ll take you with me to the afterlife.”

***

‘As I expected. It wasn’t enough…’

Konan breathed hard as she surveyed her failed results.

“I didn’t take you seriously enough,” Madara growled, surveying his lost arm and broken mask, “You are a former member of the Akatsuki after all,” he glanced over Konan’s dilapidated figure, “It seems you planned to blow both of us up when I pulled you in, but you failed. I was faster. I pulled the explosion away though I did get hit. You are also saved. You are to thank me.”

Konan glared at him but didn’t answer.

Madara picked himself up from where he knelt, “So is that the last of you secret schemes?”

“Madara? I have a question?”

“What is it?”

“Do you want me to tell you why Nagato and I decided to betray you? And why instead we put out faith in Naruto?”

“Not really… besides that your problem. Naruto is a naive child chasing an immature dream. I can see why Nagato might be swayed by the thought of the peace and hope… but you, Konan?”

“I realized something after meeting Naruto,” a flutter filled the air as she reformed her body once again, “You are darkness! And in a world without light, all that flowers do is wilt!”

A rumble filled the air as the water parted under Madara’s feet sending him plummeting down into a vast canyon of paper.

Madara grunted in surprise as he gripped his mask, intending to warp out of the massive attack.

“You will not escape!” Konan cried.

Several paper bombs attached themselves to the Uchiha’s body forcing him to cease warping and phase through before they exploded around him.

“You can’t transport away to safety this time,” Konan told him as she flew above her cataclysm of paper bombs, “You see, I’ve been paying close attention to you all these years. When you transport yourself elsewhere, you must first materialize, and it takes longer to pull yourself in than another person or object.”

That could have gone bad very quickly. Madura thought as he continued to phase through the paper tags being directed at him.

Konan watched his every move, her knowledge that Madara could only phase through object for no more than five minutes giving her another advantage.

Madara began to feel the strain and looked around, “What?” his eyes widen in shock, “They’re all paper bombs?”

He looked up into Konan’s unforgiving amber orbs as she sent off an intense wave of killing intent.

“I have amassed 600 billion paper bombs, just to make sure that I kill you. And they’ll continue to explode for ten minutes.”

Konan raised her hand and a series of explosions sent earthquake-scale tremors throughout the surrounding area.

Her eyes hardened as she remembers Madara’s words.

***

“I encouraged and pushed Yakiho to form the Akatsuki, and I was the one who gave Nagato the Rinnegan.”

***

She gritted her teeth. Yahiko and Nagato were acting of their own free will. ‘Whatever it looks like to you, they both fought and died for their own beliefs. They will always share that. As I will share with–’

“I won’t let you interfere!” she screamed.

The explosions intensified and continued for several minutes until Konon finally collapsed on her knees, her ċhėst heaving from her loss of chakra.

‘My secret Paper Emissary Jutsu has come undone. I didn’t anticipate needing this much chakra.’ The origami rose in her hair wilted and fell apart as she had no chakra left to put into it. But… at least… Madara…

“Milady, are you victorious?”

Konan looked up to see the shinobi from earlier standing a short distance away.

“I believe so. It seems we no longer need to carry out our plan. Now Madara–”

“Is dead?”

“Behind you, Milady!”

Konan had no time or strength to react as she was impelled by an old pipe in Madara’s hand.

“H-how? How are you not dead?” the female’s eyes were wide with horror.

Her eyes flickered to the nearby shinobi, sending the man a secret pleading message.

Without responding, the shinobi disappeared from sight, luckily being ignored by the no longer dead Uchiha.

Konan tried stalling for time, “I ran the simulations over and over. I was sure this would work! You should be dead.”

Madara whispered a single word in her ear, “Izanagi.”

Konan’s eyes widened at the mention of the forbidden technique that could turn the reality of death into a dream at the cost of the sight of a single Sharingan.

“But that requires the powers of the Senju as well as the Uchiha. That’s the Six Paths power, and I know that’s not a power you possess.”

Madara only gave a sinister chuckle.

Konan coughed up blood, “Just who are you? And what exactly are you?”

“I am the second Sage of Six Paths. I am unique. A few have managed to replicate the power, but it was imperfect. I have mastered the true power of the Six Paths.”

With a grunt of pain, Konan pulled herself off the pipe. She staggered a few steps almost falling from her loss of blood and lack of chakra.

“You’ll be seeing Nagato soon,” Madara taunted, still holding the pipe, “You can discuss how you both foolishly fell for Naruto’s childish dreams. There’s no such thing as peace. There’s no such thing as hope. Nagato only believed in Naruto to find solace in his pathetic existence.”

Konan steadied herself with a gasp of pain. She held up her hand to view her blood.

At that moment, sunlight broke through the clouds illuminating her hand with its swarm rays.

Memories of her entire life to that moment flooded her mind. Her days as an orphan. Her day living with Yahiko and Nagato. Their days of training with Jiraya. The founding of the Akatsuki. The betrayal of Hanzo and the death of Yahiko. The dark years following. Nagato’s redemption and death and most importantly…

“The neverending Hidden Rain downpour is letting up,” Madara sounded surprised, “What’s going on?”

Konan straightened up, “Yahiko… Nagato… Their wills shall not be extinguished,” she turned, “I too believe in Naruto, and that Haruko will carry in their legacy! It is their turn now!”

“Hmmm?” Madara didn’t recognize that last name she mentioned.

Konan turned around and raised her hands above her head in defiance, “Naruto will be the bridge to peace that Haruko will tread towards, and I vow right now, that I shall be the pillar that supports them!”

Her stance steadied as she faces Madara for what she knew was her last fight.

‘Thank you, Nagato, for giving me hope from beyond the grave.’

“I am expendable. I am only a mere flower,” she formed a paper chakram over her head, “But I’m taking you with me!”

Madara growled and rushed forward as she shot the spinning wheel of origami at him. He jumped to the side, dodging it, and continued to charge as Konan formed another chakram. At first, he did not notice the first chakram circle around to attack from behind. For an instant, he was nearly caught between it and the second chakram Konan swung at him.

Konan raised her arms protectively as the water in front of her exploded from the impact. Her eyes flickered around until she saw Madara had avoided the attack by jumping in the air.

With a swift movement, she created a series of shuriken out of her paper and launched it upward, having realized Madara had exhausted his phasing ability after using Izanagi.

Madara blocked the first barrage of shuriken with the pipe until it broke under the barrage. With a series of skilled movements, he batted away the rest of Konan’s desperate attacks with the broken piece as he fell towards the water. With a splash, he landed directly in front of the purple-haired woman.

With a quick lunge, he gripped her by the throat.

“You called me darkness,” he lifted her up as she feebly struggled to loosen his grip, “Well then, I shall make you wilt, and cause this sparkling rainbow bridge of yours to crumble into the darkness as well.”

His Sharingan blazed and Konan’s eyes widened, “No…”

“When my Genjustu is finished, you will be dead. After I’ve made you tell me where the Rinnegan is.”

Konan’s body slowly went limp as she fell under the power of the Sharingan.

Madara’s processed the information he received searching for this answer.

And he found something unexpected.

“A child? Haruko?” he dropped Konan’s body, ignoring the splash as she hit the water, “I see, you gave birth to Nagato’s child a few months ago. How interesting… and you plan to reverse summon it to the Hidden Leaf if you failed to kill me. Looks like I have a little journey to make before I take back the Rinnegan.”

***

(In a secret chamber in the Hidden Rain…)

The shinobi captain who had carried Konan’s final message looked at the ritual seal in the center of the chamber and the twelve shinobi meditating around it, “Is the ritual complete? We don’t have any time left?”

One of the guards standing next to him responded, “Sir, it is almost ready. It is taking longer than we anticipated, but if we are uninterrupted, it will be complete at any moment.”

The captain looked at the brown-haired kunoichi who was standing in the circle, holding a tiny bundle and a scroll, “As soon as you are teleported, make your way into the Hidden Leaf. Tell the Hokage what happened. Place the child in her and Naruto Uzumaki’s care. Be sure to guard him with your life.”

The woman nodded as tears of sorrow filled her eyes as they did everyone else in the room at the knowledge that their leader was now dead.

An explosion shook the building, signaling an intruder. The shouts and screams of fighting steadily got closer.

“Stop the intruder at all costs,” the captain ordered his squad.

The Hidden Rain’s Anbu unit placed themselves between the doorway and the summoning circle, ready to sell their lives dearly.

With a smash, the door shattered off its hinges.

A series of kunai cut most of the Anbu down as Madara sailed into the room, nonchalantly killing any who approached.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent a series of kunai at the circle, taking out five of the twelve shinobi performing the ritual.

The remaining seven forced themselves to ignore the danger as they struggled to make up for the lost chakra reserves.

The captain leaped forward, swinging a katana at Madara’s head.

The masked man simply caught the weapon on a kunai, his Sharingan glowing as he placed the man under Genjutsu.

As it turned out, the captain was just a clone as the real captain shot out a water whip to encircle the Uchiha’s neck. The attempt was futile, however, as Madara simply dodged, kicking the man into the wall with a sickening thud.

“I heard your God and Angel had a child,” Madara’s voice was chilling, “Quite a find, I must say. A descendant of the Uzumaki clan and the one person who got so close to killing me.”

The kunoichi in the center of the circle weaved a series of hand signs as she protectively cradled the bundle in the sling around her neck, “Go to hell, monster!”

Madara chuckled in amusement at her words slowly walking forward.

The Kunoichi ended with the dragon sign, “Fire Style: Liquid Flame!”

A stream of oil shot from her mouth engulfing the space around the Uchiha in black liquid. With a click she gritted her teeth, igniting a spark that wreathed the room in flame.

At that moment, the summoning circle suddenly gave a steady glow as it activated.

“Not so fast.”

A flurry of kunai hit the remaining shinobi fueling the circle, killing them all instantly. The kunoichi watched in horror as Madara appeared in front of her kunai raised. With a swift movent, she pushed the child in her arms away and took the kunai slice across the throat.

She fell, choking on her blood as she bled out.

Feebly she reached for the child, who still hadn’t made a noise in the whole commotion.

“The brat hasn’t even cried despite being dropped,” Madara observed, “He might be of use.”

“Over my dead body…”

A flutter filled the air as Madara found himself encased by paper, “Wha–?”

The kunoichi coughed as she felt herself slip away, a smile on her lips, “M-m’lady,” she gasped before she went limp.

Konan staggered into the room, her paper wings dragging on the floor. She staggered to the circle and collapsed by the body of the dead kunoichi and the squirming bundle that was her child.

“How are you alive? You are supposed to be dead after the Genjustu ended,” Madara was furious as he struggled against his confinement.

Konan’s eye glinted at the irony of how similar the words were to the ones she had asked earlier, “Do not underestimate the protective instincts of a mother,” she watched Madara struggle, “It’s no use. Those are chakra suppressing seals. You cannot move until I release you. You can go free after I send my child to safety.” She placed her hand on the circle.

“In case you didn’t notice, the blood has wiped away parts of the ritual. Your child will not end up where you plan.”

Konan focused her chakra harder, “Then you will not be able to find him. I will just have to stay alive to make sure he’s safe.”

“Why not send the Rinnegan with him? He would be very powerful if he had his father’s eyes.”

Konan’s eyes blazed, “I will not burden him with the power that will make him a target like his father!”

A green light filled the room as the circle activated.

“You let your guard down,” Madara said and he broke free of the sealed encasement.

Konan gritted her teeth as Madara approached the circle once again.

Suddenly the Uchiha grunted as he arched his back in pain.

“Take the child to safety m’lady! Our hopes go with you!” the captain yelled from where had stabbed Madara in the thɨġh with his kunai. His body was broken but he had managed to drag himself behind the enemy without being detected and deliver one last blow.

The green light turned white as Konan gave the man a thankful look, “Thank you, captain. We’ll meet again in the afterlife.”

A clap of thunder filled the room as the Angel and her child disappeared from the world.

With a growl of frustration, Madara pulled the kunai from his leg and stabbed the captain through the heart.

Even though the Rinnegan was now his to take without resistance, the victory was now bitter at the knowledge he had been outsmarted.

***

(Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan…)

A young couple exited the local hospital and slowly made their way in the direction of the train station. The red light of the setting sun caused them to hurry as they did not wish to be caught in the dark. Not that they had anything to fear exactly as they weren’t in one of the larger cityscapes.

“Are you sure you didn’t need the wheelchair?” the husband, a brown-haired softspoken man with glasses, asked his wife in a quiet voice, “You seemed a little unsteady when you got up.”

The wife, an energetic blonde cradling her two-week-old newborn son, gave him reassuring laugh, “What? Wheelchair? I’m not some weak-willed woman who can’t handle pregnancy,” she shifted her crimson eyes toward the sleeping baby, “Though I must say, he was way too active for comfort.”

Her husband smiled and placed an arm over her shoulder as they walked, “He’s going to be just like you, Mitsuki.”

“Hell no! It will be a nightmare trying to raise a little gremlin like that!” she whisper shouted so as not to wake the little one.

A rumble of thunder made them look up at the sky.

The woman face shifted to an expression of confusion, “What the–”

Her husband pulled out an umbrella just before the rain came pelting down, “Where did this weather come from? The forecast said no rain for a week.”

His wife tucked the blanket closer around the baby, “The forecast is always wrong in my opinion. Thank goodness you always carry an umbrella.”

He chuckled, opening the umbrella, “We’d better hurry. We don’t want the baby getting wet and we can’t be late for the train.”

“Are you kidding me? The little brat is tougher than this. A little rain won’t hurt him.”

As if to answer her challenge, the downpour increased, forcing the small family to quicken their pace.

They came to an empty intersection lit by a single lamp on the corner where they stopped to gauge their surroundings.

“Do we turn left here?”

“Hell if I know!”

A boom of thunder caused the baby boy to squirm in his mother’s arm, but he did not cry.

She quickly rocked him in her arms, “Damn it! The baby woke up!”

“He’s not crying…”

A shrill wail made her look at him in annoyance, “There. Now you jinxed us.”

Suddenly a rumble filled the air as the clouds swirled overhead.

“Look out!”

The husband pushed his wife out of the way shielding her and his son with his body as a flash of light lit up in front of them.

They stood still for a moment with bated breaths, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

The man cupped his wife’s cheek as he glanced from her to their baby, “You two okay?”

She nodded, “Yeah we…” she trailed off, “Masaru… behind you…”

He spun around to see a horrifying sight.

On the ground lay two women. One with brown hair with her throat slit open and the other with purple hair with a massive stab wound in her stomach. The rain, now having subsided to a drizzle, drenched the pair, causing their blood to spread across the pavement.

The husband dropped the umbrella hurried forward, “Mitsuki, get help!”

She nodded, struggling to pull out her phone. She finally found it and quickly dialed the hospital number.

Meanwhile, the husband checked the two woman’s life signs, quickly finding the brown-haired woman dead.

‘Who could have done this? How did they get here? A teleportation quirk? A million questions flew through his head as he turned to the purple-haired woman.’

Just as he reached for her, the mysterious female’s arm shot up and he found some sort of weapon being held at his throat.

“Who are you?” the woman’s voice was weak.

Masuru calmly shifted back, his hands held up to show he was unarmed, “We’re friends.”

The woman clutched a small bundle that he only just noticed for the first time, “Where are we?”

He cleared his throat, “Shizuoka.”

A look of confusion crossed the woman’s face, “Shizuoka? I’ve never heard of it? How far are we to Konoha?”

Masuru tilted his head, “Konoha? is that a city?”

“What nation is this?”

“Japan.”

“…”

“Just stay calm. My wife is calling for help right now.”

“I DONT CARE ABOUT THE DETAILS! JUST GET YOUR LAZY ASS AMBULANCE DOWN HERE NOW!” the angry Mitsuki snapped her phone shut and hurried over to where her husband was speaking to the injured woman, “Are you okay? Where were you stabbed? Do you remember your name? Oh my, you have a child? Masuru, at least take the baby!”

Masuru quickly plucked his son from his wife’s arms.

“THE WRONG BABY– you know what? Nevermind!” the Mitsuki did a 180 on her yelling and focused on the injured person in front of her.

With quick yet gentle movements she pulled off her jacket and place it under the injured woman’s head. She reached over to take the child but the woman clutched him closer.

“Please…” the purple-haired female sounded desperate, “I don’t have much time left. My wounds are not just physical. Let me at least hold him one last time.”

Mitsuki didn’t argue, realizing the woman knew more than she possibly could on how deadly her wounds were, “Can you tell us what happened?”

The woman looked into the couple’s eyes, showing the pain, sorrow, and suffering they held, “My name is Konon. I was the leader of the Hidden Rain Village. An evil man came for my deceased husband’s eyes because of their power. I tried to stop him because he planned to subjugate humanity in a powerful dreamworld. When I failed, I tried to send my child to safety through a teleportation ritual. The man killed our guards and attendants but I managed to complete the ritual. Unfortunately, the ritual seal was damaged. My guess is that we were thrown outside our reality into this one.”

Most people would have considered the woman having gone crazy with pain or high on some drugs but both Mitsuki and Masuru were both excellent judges of character and they realized that the woman, who they now knew as Konan, was telling the truth.

In a superhuman society, new quirks were being discovered every day with new mutations and combinations appearing with each rising generation. For all they knew, their own child could end up with whatever random quirk that destroyed everything he touched. It wasn’t so strange that other realities existed when they thought of it.

“We believe you Konan,” Masuru said reassuringly

Konan turned her head away and coughed. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Mitsuki leaned forward in concern, pulling out a handkerchief, “Here, allow me.”

She wiped the blood away earning a sod nod of thanks as Konan turned back to look at her child’s face.

“He looks just like his father,” she whispered, “It seems the only thing he got of me was my eyes. If only Nagato could have seen him.”

Mitsuki shared a sad smile with her husband. It was heartbreaking to see how fate had been so cruel to a small family just like their own.

Konan looked up at them again, “Please promise me, you will find a good home where he will be loved. That’s all I ask.”

“There’s no need for that,” Masuru spoke up.

Konan’s eyes widened, “What do you mean?”

Masuru glanced at his wife earning a nod from her before he spoke again, “We will raise him as our own.”

Konan shook her head, “You already have your own child. I cannot ask this of you.”

“Nonsense,” Mitsuki broke in, grabbing the injured woman’s hand. They locked eyes as she spoke, “I always wanted a family of many children, but I was told by the doctor after my son was born that I could never have another. As a mother, I understand how you feel. If you allow us to take care of your son. I promise we will raise him with the same love and care as you would have done,” she punched a fist into her palm, “And if anyone ever tries to hurt my kids, I will pound them into the dust.”

Konan’s eyes welled up with tears, “Thank you… Thank you so much…!”

She broke down crying as she cradled her child.

“Do you have a name for him?” Masuru asked.

Konan looked up, “Haruko. Haruko Uzumaki,” she said, “Please allow him the use of your own name until he is old enough. When that time comes, give him this,” she reached into her robes and pulled out a pair of scrolls, “Keep the first. It holds all his birth records. Keep the second hidden until you think he’s ready. It will explain everything he needs to know.”

The couple nodded as Mitsuki received the scrolls placing the second in her bag.

A wail of a siren nearby made the couple look at each other.

“It’s almost time,” Konan murmured, her voice getting weaker, “Please take him now.”

“What happened here?”

The couple looked up to see a familiar figure approaching, “Best Jeanist!”

Masuru stood up, looking at his wife, “I will tell him what happened. Stay with her.”

Mitsuki didn’t respond as Konan held her child towards her, “Hold him near me so I can watch his face before I die.”

Mitsuki caught her breath, choking back her own tears as she took the small bundle into her arms.

“He isn’t crying, in spite of the rain. So like my own son,” she smiled tearfully as she leaned down allowing Konan a clear view of Haruko’s face.

Konan smiled, “I know they will be good brothers…” she held up her hand, using her origami to create two white roses, “Like flowers, they will grow strong in the light.”

Feebly, she reached her other hand, cupping the baby’s cheek. In a soft voice, she crooned a lullaby.

Somehow recognizing the song, Mitsuki sang with her, both their voices carrying over the patter of rain.

***

(Play: The World Is Still Beautiful – “Beautiful Rain” ENGLISH youtu.be/Hn4wq4EwNF4)

***

The sadness born today

It soars up high above the grey clouds and hides away

The sky opens its eyes

And calls upon a wind on which my heart learns to fly

I’ll keep you safe so don’t you worry

I want to share my destiny with you

Every tear that you cry

When your heart begins to sigh

I will hold you in my arms when you feel blue

It’s a tender rain

May this song reach where you are

And however far

I know I’ll see you again

So trust in me if you believe that these words will heal your soul

So let the love you feel make your heart whole

Singing in the rain

Every drop shines in the sun

Each and every one

They will wash away the pain

And for this time the sky will shine and the world will bloom again

Although apart, love in our heart remains

Please come, the tender rain

Neither woman noticed the ambulance as Konan’s voice slowly faded until she stopped, her hand falling limb, unable to finish the last words.

At that moment, Haruko began to cry.

Mitsuki picked up the origami flowers Konan had dropped and stood up quietly, “It’s going to be alright, Haruko, your mother’s at peace now.”

Masuru joined her as the medical team hovered around Konan and her dead companion, the couple knowing it was already too late.

“This is unfortunate,” Best Jeanist said, as he approached to stand near them, “Your husband told me what happened. Are you sure about your decision? If the government finds out what happened, they may wish to take him themselves.”

Mitsuki straightened up as she bristled defensively, “We made a promise.”

Masuru shifted their first son in his arms, “No matter what they may claim, we are responsible for that child now. Nothing will change that.”

Best Jeanist sighed, shaking his head, “I believe that it would be more trouble than its worth for them to try. I will pull some strings. I will take responsibility and leave the child with you. What’s his name?”

The couple looked at each other and then at the hero, “Haruko Bakugo.”