Chapter Text
December 7, 1989.
Under the moonlit night, inside the walls of the Uzui household were the screams of Yurina, a mother of 7 now. The newest, painful and the loss of blood were almost too much to bear. Through the sweat and tears, and the feeling of being torn open all over again, just as she’s done before, made her vision blurry as she heard a baby cry.
Finally,
She held onto her consciousness, just long enough to pull through. Just enough to hold her new baby, and even when she felt the sweat running down her forehead while she sat up, made sure to wipe away the fresh blood off of her baby’s cheek.
“Aren’t you a beauty?”
Yurina’s voice was soft, just enough for her child to stir while she breastfeed him, gaining some of her energy as she watched him feed off of her. Seeing how his hair was white just like hers, another one of her children just like her. Now she’d just have to wait if he’d have his father's eyes, or hers.
Fuchsia or Brown? Hers or his?
Though, she’d almost forgotten the most important part.
Her newborn baby’s name.
“I suppose you’ll have to have a name, just like your other brothers and sisters. Hm, let’s see..”
Yurina poked his cheek, noticing how chubby he was, how full of life he was right now. Yet a part of her knew that it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to endure the harsh training her husband, Naoji, would force upon him to become a shinobi. For now though, he was just her newborn baby boy.
“..Satoru, yes, that will be your name. How wonderful you are.”
Yurina smiled, watching him as he pulled away from her breast to yawn before his small eyes opened, his white lashes fluttering before his eyes met hers.
Blue bright eyes, yet small specks of Fuchsia, stared back into hers.
This…was unprecedented. Was it a recessive gene? Perhaps but she never recollected any of her family having any blue eyes, perhaps it was Naoji’s side of the family. Even so, they seemed almost..extraordinary, almost heavenly. Before she could ponder further, there was a steady knock at the door, a slight creek in the wooden floor. Presumably Naoji.
“Have you finished?”
“Yes, you can come in now..”
The door slid open, revealing the towering figure of Noji, still dressed in his shinobi uniform, and from what she could tell in the dark was that he’d just come back from another mission. Dirtied clothes, and a few dark spots that she just knew were blood.
It didn’t help much that he didn’t say anything as he stepped closer, right beside her as he observed his new child. Everything seemed fine. Perhaps even normal, that is until Satoru looked at him.
Those bright blue freckled fuchsia eyes.
Abnormal. Not familiar with Noji's own.
“Who is this?”
Disgust.
“What do you mean Noji? It’s your son..” Yurina couldn’t help but hold Satoru closer to her chest, unease creeping up her chest.
“You expect me to believe you? Those aren't my eyes, woman.” Noji attempted to grab Satoru, just barely before Yurina could move away towards the corner of the bed that touched the wall.
Though, it didn’t stop him from simply grabbing Yurina from the ankles and dragging her back forcefully. Causing her to gasp and lose her grip on Satoru, who rolled onto his back as he started to cry. Cries filled the room as Noji tossed Yurina to the ground off the bed, causing her blood to spread across the sheets until she met the ground.
“Noji! Oh god–! please don’t hurt him!” She cried out as she felt a loud ringing in her ear, blood loss from birth and unattended tears from inside her as she tried to sit up from off the ground to reach Satoru. Yurina punched and grabbed him to get him away from her baby, watching helplessly as Satoru was picked up from his ankle and held up in the air by Noji.
“Who have you slept with to create this useless child? Have I not done enough to earn your devotion?” Noji’s face twisted with anger, his grip on Satoru's ankle grew tighter, causing another rush of cries from Satoru to fill the room. “Here I believed that you’d been the most successful in granting me my beloved heirs, better than Yoko or Kana could have ever done…and you betray me?”
“I would never!” Yurina sobs as she manages to get a good grip on the edge of the bed to pull herself up before Noji punches her in the face, landing right back on the ground as she reaches up to Satoru.
“Noji.. I'll do anything! Please don’t kill him! He’s yours!” Her voice trembles, her body feels like it's run out of adrenaline while a bruise starts to form at her left eye, vision getting blurrier. “Please…Please don’t kill my baby..” she whimpers quietly while Noji watches her cry. Noji doesn’t budge, not yet until he looks at Satoru, agonizing to Yurina as she feels the last of her strength whisper away.
It seems like forever before Noji places satoru back on the bed, whose face is red from the crying and blood circulation from being upside down for so long. Still crying, yes, but it seems a lot quieter now. Then, Noji speaks
“Anything I ask of you?”
“..Anything, just let him live..” It’s clear to her now that Noji still doesn’t believe her, and she doesn’t ever think he will.
“...I’ll spare it, and I won’t be raising it. It serves no purpose here…and as for you. I have a solution to your lack of devotion to me.” Noji turns towards a small candle Yurina had lit before he showed up, watching its light flicker a few times before he grabbed it by the base and kneeled down to her. Yurina’s eyes widened, though just before she could protest she felt the hot and sizzling feeling of her left eye's flesh burning.
Noji grabbed onto both of her wrists with one hand as he held the flame onto her skin as he made sure that it didn’t flicker out before he could finish his deal. “My deal is this Yurina..” he sounded distant, “I’ll make sure no one else will want to see you. Not when you’ll be scarred like this for the rest of your life. You'll be too hideous for anyone else to look at, and I’m giving you a place to stay. Doesn’t that sound fair?” Noji lifted the candle up to observe his work, watching her quick breathing while she curls up in on herself as he pulls away and places the candle back on the table where he’d found it.
“The rest is yours, be quick before your son freezes.” he turned to the door and closed it behind him as he left.
The room feels hot, yet Yurina could feel her toes aching from the cold and the feeling of the cooling blood from between her legs creeping upward as she listened to his distant footsteps.
Those eyes…Blue..She thought they’d been a blessing..or maybe just some curse to torment her new child, some cruel joke. Satoru deserved better already..better than any of his siblings, he’d just been born and she’d been discarded and scarred for his safety.
Perhaps, maybe that's what she’d been asking for..
She’d hoped that one of her children didn’t have to live a life like this.
Was the cost of a wish this high?
Before she knew it, she’d managed to get up on her own, falling back a few times before she finally held Satoru’s small body against her chest. It's undeniable that he’s cold, but breathing thankfully as he feeds off of her breast again. Wrapping him inside of her robes to keep him close as she starts to notice that she can’t open her left eye anymore, shut tightly against the bruised and burned flesh surrounding it.
“Very well then..” she mutters to herself, “I suppose just one is enough then..”
What will your siblings think of you..? She finds herself thinking, or rather imagining their reactions.
Most of them would side with their father once they hear him denounce Satoru as their equal, their own kind. Most of them weren’t rebellious enough to decide for themselves, especially this young.
Tengen, though, was the oldest. Six years old. The first of her and Noji’s heirs. Already showing great potential, and even great enough rebellion. That was for the best really. The oldest needed to be smarter than the rest.
Yurina wasn’t very good at listening to anything else but Satoru’s calm breathing while he was feeding, almost missing the small pitter patters of footsteps from outside the room and near the door.
“Mama.” The voice was quiet, accompanied by a small knock at the door.
Speaking of Tengen..
“Tengen sweetheart..?” If she’s being honest, she’d rather not let Tengen see her like this, but..she feels quite lonely, lonely enough to push past her original caution. “..Come in Tengen..Come meet your new baby brother.”
Tengen cautiously steps inside after moving the door open, taking quick notice of the blood stained sheets and floor, and his eyes eventually notice how beaten up she was. “Mama..” stepping carefully over the blood and climbing onto the bed to hug her, pressing his face against her arm.
Both of their voices were quiet, like it would shatter glass.
“Mama’s okay..I’m okay..”
“..Was it Father? Did..Father hurt you Mama?”
“..Your father wasn’t happy with your brother.”
“...But he’s just a baby..”
“I know..It’s because of his eyes, Tengen.” Though that only makes Tengen lift his head away from her arm to look at Satoru who was cradled against her chest, sleeping for now.
“Your father thinks his eyes make him an outsider…but he isn’t.” She finds herself putting her other hand against Tengen’s back, resting it there. “Can you promise me something Tengen..?” she asks, watching him as he nods.
“Keep loving your brother, don’t doubt for a second that he isn’t a part of this family. Okay?” Yurina stares at Tengen, and for a moment it seemed like Tengen was truly taking those words to heart.
“I promise.”
“Good..” Yurina smiles, “Would you like to hold your brother?”
