After Training

"I hope that changes, Ryuumaru-kun,"
She said in reply, raising an eyebrow.

"It might change but This One will never know for sure" he said.

"I'll keep hoping then, shall i?"
She replied with a smile.

"Yeah" was the only thing he said as he closed his eyes.

She looked at him for a moment.
He's still that same Ryuumaru...Without a shadow of a doubt...
She turned her gaze to one of the trees, remembering how Akira and Ryuumaru had sparred here years ago.

He sighed as he looked down into a puddle of water, his eyes that he got from his father staring back at him. Even though that was his reflection, he scowled in hatred at the reflection of his eyes. It was obvious he detested having anything that makes him look like Orochimaru.

She heard his sigh and looked at him. She looked at him sadly and leaned her head against his shoulder gently.
"You're not your father, Ryuumaru-Kun..."

"This One knows that but This Ryuumaru detests having Orochimaru's eyes and his DNA" he seethed, his face scrunched up in hatred.

"Ryuumaru will you just listen to me?"
She held both of his arms with each of her hands, looking straight up into his eyes.
"This continuous hatred will only lead to you becoming just like him, the person you detest the most in this world. You can't keep concentrating on this! You are nothing like him. If his DNA is part of you or not, you will never be him. You're a wonderful person, Ryuumaru...And you deserve to be treated like one...Not the monster that your father is,"

"It's hard to just let go Cherry Blossom. There's...There's something This One never told you about my mother's illness. She just fine when my father was in the village. She was healthy and it seemed like there was nothing wrong with her but....when my father left, she became worse until she was prone to the bed. She was so weak she couldn't walk and the illness slowly ate away at her" he said with a pained expression on his face.

"Hatred wouldnt make her better..."
She replied quietly. She gave his arms a gentle squeeze, keeping her voice soft to try and ease the pain even the slightest bit.
"She wanted you to be happy...I can tell she loved you very much. Do you not think that it would pain her to see you this way?"

"This One knows it would pain her but This One has been carrying this hatred since This Ryuumaru was only 5. This One just can't let go of the hatred, he just can't" he said with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"I know its hard, and it will never fully go away, but try and start over. Concentrate on the good things you have in life, and the things you want to protect. You'll get more strength from that than what you would get from hatred.."

"This One can't do that. My hatred is needed. This One needs it to kill Orochimaru. He needs to feel what This One felt all those years so he can pay" he hissed.

She unintentionally tightened her grip, shaking her head as she looked down.
"Why does it always end like that..? Hatred, violence then death...Why?"

"You don't understand Cherry Blossom. Orochimaru needs to pay. He needs to feel what This Ryuumaru has felt all my life. He needs to see what he has done and This One intends to make him see it but This One absolutely refuses to let my hatred warp into another version of my father. This One will NOT let my hatred consume me" he said with a serious expression on his face.

"Thats just what i thought about Sasuke...Now look...That damned cursed seal is taking over his body and he's craving more and more power. If you...Ever became something like that--"
She cut herself off again, letting him go.

"This One will NEVER become like that. This One WILL obtain the power to make Orochimaru see just what exactly he has done but he will obtain it the RIGHT way. This One will NEVER become a power craving fool like that Uchiha. This One is better then him in every way and This Ryuumaru REFUSES to end up like him, of that This One can assure you Sakura-Chan" he said.

Her frame relaxed but her shoulders were still hunched. She definitely had her doubts. She wanted to trust him but something seemed to be stopping her. "...I believe you, Ryuumaru-Kun,"

"Then why did you hesitate when you said that?" he asked her with narrowed eyes. His eyes were filled pain that she lied to him and didn't believe him.

"I'm not as strong as you are, Ryuumaru!"
She replied, trembling now.
"Every time i open my heart, i get crushed. With my mother, i was crushed. With Sasuke, i was crushed again. Now Akira, for the THIRD time i was crushed. I'm tired of it! You might be able to trust me openly, but my mind is not that strong...I'm afraid, Ryuumaru, and thats the honest truth,"

"Cherry Blossom, listen to me. This One refuses to let you get crushed again. This One absolutely refuses to do that. You are now the only person keeping me from drowning in my hatred. You are precious to me and This Ryuumaru refuses to let you get hurt again" he said softly.

"I dont want you to think you're not precious to me. You are, very much so. It's just difficult for me after all those times,"
She explained.

"This One understand but you have to believe me. This One knows very well what hatred can do to you and let me tell you that This One absolutely refuses to give in to my hatred and become just like my father. This One is better then him and he refuses to become anything like him" he said, his eyes pleading with her to believe him.

She paused for a moment, pushing back her immediate hesitation. Her shoulders relaxed, her expression cleared.
"I believe you, Ryuumaru-Kun,"