𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | izuna uchiha

Chapter 32

Once the ashes were buried and final goodbyes had been said, Nanami found herself lingering.

As the crowd dispersed, Izuna called for her attention.

"Nanami? We've got to hit the baths," he chuckled, joining her side as she waited for everyone to leave.

"Yes, I'll be there in a bit," she said absentmindedly, standing at the site of Misaki's burial. It was then that she began walking up the line, looking at every grave she passed. Amongst the ones she passed, she saw the graves of those she loved. Juri, once upon a time, her mother, her father. But they weren't the ones she was looking for.

"Here we go." 

Conveniently, they had all been buried together.

Satomi, Daichi, Ryūsei, Ameko, Taiki, Akira.

With a smile, Nanami knelt in front of their memorial, running her fingers over the stone. More than ten years had passed since almost half of Nanami's generation had been wiped out in battle, and look at who was the last one standing.

"Hello, you little shits," said Nanami with the utmost contempt in her voice. "Did you see? I went out and fought for our clan; may I add, more times than you. And every single time, I came back, just like I'd promised. What happened to you guys, hm?"

With a triumphant glow, Nanami straightened up and patted their memorial stone one more time with a low whistle.

"Did you come just to rub it in their faces?" asked Izuna, amused at Nanami's memory. It had taken him more than a few minutes to figure out what significance this children's grave had to Nanami.

"Of course," said Nanami, turning her back on the grave. "Can we go to the baths now? I'm sure people could smell something was off this whole time."

Izuna chuckled and threw his arm around Nanami's shoulders, letting out a loud sigh.

"Once we're done, let's go get something to eat," he said tenderly, leaning his head against Nanami. "Lord knows that after everything we've been through we could do with a decent meal."

***

Once the dust had settled and Misaki had faded from the people's memory, Nanami and Izuna's main focus turned to their wedding. Originally, neither of them had wanted a lavish ceremony; they just wanted to be wed as soon as possible so that they could move out of Madara's house. However, the more they discussed it, the more they realised that this was their one chance at having the perfect wedding. And, in this day and age of war, it would be a breath of fresh air for everyone in the Uchiha clan.

Months turned into weeks, and then weeks turned into days, all the way until Nanami and Izuna's big day arrived.

Over the course of the last few months it had taken the pair to plan their perfect day, there had been a shift in the dynamic of their relationship. Nanami had become more and more possessive of Izuna; not that he minded, of course. He thrived on every bit of attention she showered him with, and hopefully, she felt the same way about how he treated her too.

In battle, it was no longer a case of Izuna always being the protective one by himself. Several times, Nanami had proven herself just as capable of defending the two of them all on her own, even managing to save Izuna's life once before in a decisive battle with none other than the Senju.

And with her relatives, Nanami no longer tried to be the kind, loving person she had always been. The clan was now just a means for her to have shelter, food, and protection when off the battlefield. She didn't fight for them anymore; rather, she fought for the right to be able to continue living in the compound, alongside Izuna. It had dawned on Nanami that from the moment she had befriended Izuna up until now, that he was truly the only one who had ever cared for her.

Her cousins had ridiculed her. Her clansmen had refused to acknowledge her as a kunoichi, and were still reluctant to do so even after she had defeated Izuna in battle. She had been hurt and wronged by so many members of her clan. Misaki. Arashi. Juri.

"All I need now is you."

Not a pair who cared about keeping to tradition, the night before their wedding Izuna and Nanami lay in bed together, snuggled in each other's warm embraces. It was a strictly chaste night; they would save their excitement for the next eve, when they would officially be one.

"Hm?" Izuna lazily looked up as Nanami took his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly on his forehead, lingering as she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "Where did that come from?"

Nanami beamed and pulled away from Izuna, before burying her face in his chest with a deep sigh of satisfaction.

"It feels so good being here. So many people had to die for us to get here, but that's all their fault for meddling."

Izuna drew back to squint down at Nanami, curious because of her words.

"What are you saying?"

Nanami clutched onto the front of Izuna's yukata and looked up at him with a smirk, the activation of her Mangekyō Sharingan catching him by surprise.

"You're mine, Izuna."

A small smile broke out across Izuna's face as he leaned down to kiss Nanami, relishing in hearing the words from her own lips.

"Oh Nanami," he sighed wistfully, brushing loose strands of hair out of her face before pulling her closer towards him. "That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."

***

The wedding went along, as planned. The years following their marriage were ones of pure bliss for Uchiha Nanami, and Uchiha Izuna. No one else compared to this couple's prowess in battle, and no other love- to some, infatuation- could match to what these two individuals shared.

In a world where only the strong survived, Nanami and Izuna stood above them all.

They had been through hell and back to make their love work, and they had succeeded.

Nothing would break them apart ever again.