None of your scars can make me love you less.-Unknown.
Naruko sat up, holding her head. Other than the headache she was currently trying to rid herself of, she felt god and well rested. She yawned and stretched her arms high above her head.
"You're awake," a voice called softly.
She looked over, briefly noticing that she was in the hospital, and saw Sasuke. She looked at his arm and saw that is was completely healed.
"They used Ninjo's blood," the Uchiha stated, noticing her stare.
Naruko nodded and yawned once more, wiping her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Almost midnight. You've been asleep for two days."
Naruko started. She'd never slept that long before!
She sighed, thinking about what to do. She was only in her top. The hospital had removed her cuirass but left her top on, because it was connected to her mask.
Her mask.
She sighed. She was now bound by honor, and she was going to tell him.
"Sasuke, could you sit on the bed?"
His head tilted to the side, but he did as she asked. With his legs folded, he faced her, face open with no emotions showing.
She sighed. It was now or never.
"You know I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."
He nodded.
"You probably put two and two together, that the reason the village hated me was due to them thinking I was the Kyuubi, right?"
Once again, he nodded.
"Well, they went farther than just hating me. I used to get cornered by villagers, and they would hit me and beat on me all the time. It got so bad, that Jiji gave me a schedule, and I had to be inside by the time it got dark. It was for my safety," she explained.
"I was six when it happened. I had been in the park by myself, wondering why no one liked me and why the parents wouldn't let their kids play with me. I wondered why they gave me those looks and treated me so badly. I was sad, because I didn't have any friends and no one wanted be near me. When I looked up, I noticed that it was already dark out, and I rushed home, because I didn't want Jiji to find out and be angry. I didn't want him to hate me like everyone else, because he was one of the few who treated me like a person."
She was looking out the large window as she recalled the past. She sounded so far away. She was no longer in the hospital. She was running home in the dark, trying to make it before Jiji found out.
"A man stepped in my way, and when I tried to go around him, he blocked me. When I turned around, there were more people, and I had nowhere to go. I was trapped and scared, because I saw the weapons they were holding, and I knew I was going to be beaten again."
Naruko looked down. She hated that day so much!
"I woke up to the smell of kerosene. I knew what it was, because my apartment had mass leaks of it, and I had been warmed that when I smelled it, I shouldn't turn the stove on, or I could get hurt. When I looked around, there were people everywhere, and they all held a different kind of weapon. I was tied down with ropes, and swords were shoved into my shoulders and thighs so I would stay put."
Sasuke's fists clenched at the mental image he got. Those assholes did something like that to a six year old?! He felt like going on a killing spree.
"They used knives and torches over and over. But because I healed fast, they kept repeating the same things. Then, a man with weird eyes was there with a kunai in his hand. According to Kyuubi, there was some type of poison on the blade. I'm a Jinchuuriki, the strongest one. I heal immediately after getting a wound, so I shouldn't scar at all. But this poison was created to negate Biju chakra. Any injury made with this poison wouldn't heal immediately, and I'd have to wait it out like normal people, which would leave scars. The weird eyed man used the poison covered kunai on my face," Naruko told him.
She reached up and pulled her mask down.
Sasuke looked at her face for the first time. There were two jagged markings leading from her mouth and outward. Above them, on either side, were two more jagged markings. All six were of a dark purple color.
"That's why you wear a mask?" he asked.
She nodded, "I woke up two months after the incident. Kyuubi was keeping me unconscious so I wouldn't feel the pain. When I saw them, they were so gross, and I just knew that no one would accept me with them. So I resolved to hide them from the world. I was scared to show you, because I didn't want you to judge me because I'm not attractive."
Sasuke was beside her in an instant, pulling her hands from her face and cradling them. "Naruko, you look fine to me. In fact, if you hadn't told me they were scars, I would've thought they were tattoos."
Naruko looked up into his dark eyes and flushed.
He was giving her a smirk, and it only grew when saw the pink dot across her cheeks. "I finally get to see you blush. It's beautiful. You are beautiful."
"Really?" she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.
Sasuke released her hands and reached out slowly. She nodded and his fingers ghosted across her cheeks. He caressed each mark, taking his times.
She jumped at how weird it felt to have someone rubbing her scars. It tingled and made her stomach flip.
Sasuke smiled at her and leaned forward, kissing her softly.
She squeaked and his tongue entered her mouth, coaxing hers to play.
Sasuke rubbed her scars some more, and she moaned at the tingly sensation in her body.
Sasuke pulled away and laughed, "I think I found an erogenous zone."
Naruko blushed at the horror. Her scars got her turned on!
Sasuke moved back slightly, "I don't think your ugly, Naruko. In fact, I find myself agreeing with Anko. Scars are sexy," he purred the last bit with half lidded eyes, making sure she got the message.
The message was well received, and Naruko looked away as she tried to stop the blush from overtaking her whole face. Sasuke was a pervert. Plain and simple.
"You really thought I wouldn't like you anymore over that?"
Naruko sighed, "Well, at first I had thought you would. But then everything was going well, because you received the news of me being a Jinchuuriki so well, and I had some hope that you wouldn't mind. That hope was dashed the week after we brought Karin to the village."
Sasuke frowned, not liking how hopeless she looked.
"When Ba-chan came back, she took over at the hospital and found out that the doctors and nurses were doing everything half assed. That was when she issued a complete reassessment of all shinobi in the village to see if there was anything missing. Do you remember?"
Sasuke nodded, frowning at the memory. She had personally given him a check up, and that was where she had given him the advice to get Naruko to like him. It wasn't when he was walking home like he had told Kakashi. There was no way he'd admit to his sensei that he got romantic advice when getting a checkup. He was teased enough as it was. There was no need to add to it.
"Karin and I were last to be done, because she wanted to give us personal assessments away from the hospital. She took us to her home where she has all this strange equipment. We were given all these stupid tests. Karin's results were good and came back within a day. Mine, however, took a week, longer than anyone in the village. She got my personal file from Jiji and compared notes, because something wasn't adding up. I was worried, because I have no allergies or diseases, so I didn't know what was wrong. She then called me in a week later and asked me if I had ever been sexually active, and I told her no. I added a few extra words in of course, but you get that I was shocked over what she said," Naruko sighed.
Naruko's jaw was tight.
"She told me that three of the many tests she gave me showed severe internal scarring. And she asked me if I had ever been in a dangerous situation where I was badly injured before, and I told her about the kidnapping. She then told me to ask Kyuubi about it, so I did."
Naruko shook her head as she struggled to keep a steady voice.
"I asked Kyuubi, and she revealed that more had happened that night. While I was unconscious, the torture continued. They didn't just set fire to the room and leave, they kept at it. Kyuubi had held back information from me, because she didn't want me to be so emotionally ruined at such a young age. Kyuubi can see everything, whether I'm awake or not. She told me that the real reason she kept me under for two months wasn't because of my scars. There was more to it."
Sasuke was dreading what was to come. He had a feeling but was praying to Kami that it wasn't the case, even though deep down, he knew it was.
"Another man with weird eyes had decided to make sure that 'the demon can't procreate'. He had some odd object that was several inches long and covered in pieces of metal and glass. Kyuubi said that on it was the same poison that was used on my face. The man raped me with it and tore up everything inside. Kyuubi's chakra couldn't heal me, and it left me scarred. She told me what the man looked like, and my hatred for the Hyuga's grew. There was always two Hyuga's involved every time I was beaten and chased by villagers. And when I learned that they were Hyuga's, I hated them. Then to have Kyuubi tell me that a Main Branch member carved my face and a Side Branch member raped me, I wanted to murder every single one of them."
Naruko had tears running down her face. "They cleaned me up and wiped away visible evidence, because they knew an Anbu would save me, and they couldn't have the Anbu find out. Their doctors at the hospital were in on it and never told Jiji about my internal injuries. When I told Tsunade what Kyuubi said, she explained to me that the scarring was so bad, I'm unable have children. She went to Jiji and explained the whole situation to him. The very doctors who were assigned to me after the ordeal were put on trial and killed, just like everyone who had hurt me that day. They were all killed as well. Jiji doesn't know that two Hyuga's are the reasons for the scars, but he knows that Hyuga's were involved."
Sasuke gaped. They had really done that to her?
"When I told you you shouldn't want me, I meant it Sasuke. I can't give you children. I know that that's something important in your clan. But the one thing you seem to look forward to in life, I can't give you. I have a .03% chance of getting pregnant. That's less than 1%, Sasuke. The duty of the Uzumaki Clan's revival lays on Karin and Kei's shoulders now, because I'm useless in that department."
Naruko was crying even more now. Sasuke sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Naruko, I don't need children to make me happy. I'm in love with you. You are what I want most. We get along better than anyone in the village. We're pretty much married without the contract. I love you, your eyes, your hair, your scars, your mind, your personality, your obvious interest in my ass and so much more. I want you. I'm happy with only you. I don't need anything other than you, Naruko."
By the time he was finished, she had buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. "You mean it?"
Sasuke's right hand rubbed her back, while her pulled the ties of her ponytail, letting her hair fall loose. "Yes, you're important to me, Naruko. When I said I love you, I wasn't joking. I never say something I don't mean, and I mean this with everything in me."
Naruko could feel something warm. It was nice, and she wondered what it was.
Love Kit. His assurance and acceptance has turned your feelings into love. You had liked him before but were worried about giving him your heart, because you didn't know if he'd accept you as you are. Now that you know how he really feels, nothing is holding your true feeling back, and you're letting yourself love him in return.
Naruko took a deep breath, reveling at how she felt so much better. Sasuke had accepted her scars. Allof her scars. He didn't pull away in disgust, and he didn't insult her. He didn't care that she couldn't bare children. He loved her, even with all of her faults and imperfections.
"Sasuke, you've waited such a long time for me to tell you everything. You haven't pushed me. You've been patient this whole time, waiting for me to figure everything out. Not many men are willing to wait as long as you did, nor would they put up with a girl who can't make up her mind. You stayed by me and kept your promise. Thank you, for waiting for me."
Sasuke smiled down at her, "You're worth waiting for, Naruko."
She threw her arms around him. "I love you!"
Sasuke felt lighter all of a sudden. She'd finally said it! He wanted to scream his victory for the world to hear, but instead, he settled for kissing her. An Uchiha never did such unsightly things, no matter how happy they were.
When they had both calmed down, Sasuke uttered the question he'd been longing to ask, "Will you marry me?"
Naruko smiled and nodded, "And will you be able to set it up before my birthday?"
He smirked and ran his fingers through her hair, "I think I can manage."