𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [36] «------•}I|

Waking up could be a truly rough action at times, especially when the unconscious state you were woken up from couldn't really be considered sleep to begin with. But one thing was always certain in cases like these.

Asuma stared down at the wooden floor, just listening to the sound of Ruka's breathing as she lay asleep. He remembered seeing her have a breakdown in the middle of the fight.

The moment haunted him. She was desperate, desperate to tell her grandfather and him that she's more than just a weapon. To him, Sarutobi Ruka was irreplaceable.

Her room was filled with silence until her voice broke the ice.

"Wake up to reality," her voice whispered. Asuma snapped his eyes up to her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her lips were moving. She had just spoken out of nowhere.

"Ruka?" Asuma asked softly, scooting closer to the bed and taking her hand. "Sweetheart, can you hear me?" he asked, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

"Nothing ever goes as planned in this world," Ruka continued speaking, her mouth moving. But the voice that came out didn't sound like her. It was as if someone was speaking through her, and her voice was more like a puppet. His eyes widened. Her blue eyes remained closed. "The longer you live, the more you realize."

"Ruka, wake up." Asuma shook her hand, then tapped her shoulder. "Come on, wake up." He didn't know what was happening to her. He had never heard that tone in her voice.

"In this reality, only pain, suffering, and futility exist." Just then, her eyes popped open, staring up at the ceiling in a lifeless gaze. "The ghost of the Uchiha."

"Ruka?" Asuma asked, panicked and confused. "What are you talking about?"

Her blue eyes met his onyx eyes, as if she was seeing him for the first time. The paleness of her eyes went away in a flash, restoring back to their normal blue color. "Huh?"

"You were just telling me something," Asuma said, sitting back down on the bed and holding her hand.

"I was?" She looked away, trying hard to think. "I don't remember." She pressed her lips together, lost in thought. "Why did you keep it a secret from me?" she whispered.

He was silent for a while before sighing. "All I wanted was the best for you, and your grandfather insisted that it was for the best, but he was wrong, and I was wrong."

"Listen," Asuma's voice was laced with vulnerability, and Ruka's intense gaze swept up to meet his. "To me, you're worth more than just a weapon, and I'll always be by your side because you're my weak spot."

"And I'm yours."

"What if there comes a day when you will be gone, and I'm still here?"

"Then that would be the day that you're grown, and you won't need me."

"I think I'll always need you."

Her soulful eyes locked with his, filled with determination. Asuma already knew what was coming. "I'll be fine."

She turned away from her uncle and gazed out at the view of the entire clan grounds from her window. "There's no point in dwelling on it. Not when all that will succeed is crumbling the hope I have. I know it can't be removed, but I'll eventually learn how to live with it looming over my head."