A/N: I'm baaack, with another fic for this family! (smirks)

To those who are new around my ficcies, this is once again a addition to my 'The One Thing You Want' –collection. This was a request from a lovely reader. I truly hope ya'll find this and enjoy!

I've always wondered what Naruto and Sasuke's parents were like when they were younger. This is my interpretation. (grins)

WARNINGS: Sadness, death. (snorts) Now what else is new in my fics?

DISCLAIMER: Me, OWN?! (falls down with laughter) Oh please…!

Awkay, because further stalling won't do any good… Let's go! (gulps) I REALLY hope you'll enjoy!

Why is the one thing you want often the only thing you can't have?

The One Thing You Want – Ookawa (1)

When Minato Namikaze was still just a boy, no older than nine, he met something he was almost sure couldn't be nothing but an illusion at first.

There, in Konoha's biggest and iciest river, was bathing a girl at about his age with long, black hair and almost white skin.

He stood all but paralyzed for the longest time, until his pathetically slow brain finally reminded him that he was doing something forbidden. He started to turn to leave – until his foot got tangled to roots, and he fell with an embarrassing thud. And to make things worse the girl heard and looked his way. For several torturous seconds their eyes met.

While he blushed madly with embarrassment that doesn't fit to any human standards, the girl simply smiled, and he was fairly sure she just couldn't be human. "Are you just going to stand there, or could you throw me a towel?" she inquired with faked boredom.

Needless to say, her words did nothing to ease his blush.

During the following hours he learned that her name was Mikoto Tamahachi. (2) When he left the river, he'd received his first kiss.

For the upcoming years they were inseparable.

Years passed, and new ninja-teams were formed. Much to their dismay Minato and Mikoto weren't selected to the same team. That, however, didn't stop them from seeing each other.

At the age of fourteen Minato came home from a mission with some injuries that forced him to spend a night in the hospital. He wasn't as surprised as he should've been when he woke up in the middle of the night to someone sneaking into his room – and opened his eyes to find Mikoto.

A grin appeared to his face. "Hey." He yawned a little, feeling groggy and somewhat confused. "You do know it's way past visiting hours, right?"

There was no verbal response. Instead Mikoto's eyes flashed, and she gave him a punch that made his ears ring for the next five minutes – then pressed a kiss that took his breath away to his lips. When they finally parted she looked at him with stern eyes. "Don't ever scare me like that again. Understood?"

He couldn't respond, because there was only one coherent thought in his head.

He was in love.

-

Unfortunately he wasn't the only one who fell for her charm.

For at around the same time Fugaku Uchiha, her teammate, started to see Mikoto in a whole new light. And there was no stopping an Uchiha.

For a few years Minato and Mikoto got to live in peace. In between missions they spent several long, lazy days together, savoring each other's company. They bickered and kissed – most of the time one following straight after another – and the river by which they'd first met became their precious sanctuary.

One day when they were seventeen and once more spending the day by the river, Mikoto fought with her all to hold back a laugh as she watched how Minato tried to get washed up and patch his newest set of cuts and scrapes. In the end she decided to step in before he'd hurt himself on the slippery rocks. "I think those need a woman's touch", she declared while getting up from her potion on the grass and making her way to him.

Minato all but pouted at her. "I can take care of myself."

She rolled her eyes while taking the sponge he'd been using. "You men and your pride…", she muttered, then focused on him once more. "Now hold still, because this is going to hurt."

Minato opened his mouth, most likely about to give a witty comment – and five seconds later his rather embarrassing scream could be heard through the whole forest.

Some minutes later Minato was sulking while he lay on the grass, his wounds taken care of. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he accused.

She shrugged with a smirk. "Maybe." She then looked towards him, and felt something move in her stomach while she measured up first his rising and falling chest, then observed his peaceful face. Her gaze eventually locked to his eyes, which always reminded her of a calm summery sky. "You're adorable when you mope, you know?"

Minato blinked rapidly when looking at her, obviously not catching the hint. "Huh?"

She responded with enclosing him to a ferocious kiss he didn't even want to get away from.

That day they made love for the first and last time.

-

Because a pair of eyes that should've never seen them caught them as they lay naked on the grass, getting all the warmth they needed from each other and the sun.

Fugaku's eyes flashed as he realized that he'd already waited too long.

Less than an hour later he appeared to Danzou's office. The man gave him a somewhat curious look. "I assume you had something urgent?"

He grit his teeth. "I do. It's about Mikoto."

The following day Danzou appeared to Mikoto's room just as she was about to sneak out to meet Minato. She frowned at the look on his face. "Father? What's going on?"

His eyes flashed hazardously. "Uchiha Fugaku's father and I just made some plans", the man announced as though he'd been talking about the weather. "You'll get married in exactly two months."

Her eyes widened with utter shock. It took several moments before she managed to snarl through tightly grit teeth. "Why?" Then, as rage flowed through, she almost bellowed. "How can you do this to me?!"

Danzou's face gained an expression she didn't recognize. "The Uchiha family offered me something I'm not about to refuse. And I'm more than willing to hand over my only child to a good marriage in an honorable family." With that he turned around without giving her another look, apparently sealing their conversation. (3)

He must've sensed how her mouth opened for loud protests, because just before he would've been out he stopped and spoke once more. "Oh, and Mikoto? I hope you understand that your… friend is nothing but a pathetic orphan with no future – with him you'd have nothing, and I'd never let someone like him marry you. So unless you want to make his life even harder than it already is, I suggest you respect you father like you should." The sound of the door closing reminded her of the boom of doom.

The day of Mikoto and Fugaku's wedding, the bride to be got a visitor.

She couldn't turn towards Minato when the man entered, so they simply looked at each other's images from her huge mirror, neither managing to say a word. How important were words in a situation like this, anyway?

"Why are you doing this?" Minato asked in the end, his tone so filled with hurt that she could actually feel it with her whole being.

She closed her eyes for a moment. When she dared to open them again, she discovered that the man was already stood directly behind her. Her skin tingled with the desire to touch, and she had to grab her wedding-kimono to keep her hands in line. "Because sometimes in life…" She looked at her herself from the mirror, couldn't recognize her own face. "… you have to do certain things although you wouldn't want to. It's a part of growing up, Minato."

Minato's blue eyes had never carried the kind of a look they did then. "You don't even love him." It was a statement, no question.

She gave him a wry, lopsided smile through the mirror, pushing one stubborn strand of hair behind her ear before he'd touch it. "If I'm not allowed to love you, what does it matter?"

During the next two minutes, as they looked at each other through the mirror, they finally understood just what was about to end. That the one thing in their lives that'd been good would now be nothing but a memory.

Without saying a word, not asking for permission, Minato snatched one of her hands into his, squeezed with force that can only be called that of desperation. A million emotions danced on his face as they kept looking at each other.

'Goodbye.'

And then he was gone, his touch was gone. She was all alone in the cold room when her father knocked on its door. "Mikoto, it's time to go."

When she said "I do" that day, there was a pleasant smile on her face. Inside her, however, there was nothing. How was she supposed to feel when there was nothing left of her heart?

She didn't feel anything for a very long time.

That day those vows shattered their relationship into companionship. They became nothing but comrades, and after Fugaku insisted Mikoto to stop going to missions they became even less than that

Six months later Minato ran into a rather wild redhead on his way home from a mission. His heart skipped a couple of beats when she pressed a knife to his throat, not believing that he was from an ally-village. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, and that day started a whole new chapter in his life. Less than a year later she moved to Konoha.

He loved Kushina – he never did anything with only half a heart. He and Mikoto, however, didn't really understand that their tale was over until she found herself pregnant.

That realization didn't stop them from sneaking occasional meaningful glances towards each other and visiting their river from time to time, daydreaming of how life could've possibly been…

Fate, apparently, wasn't through with the two of them or their village just yet. For inevitably, the day of the Kyuubi's dramatic defection dawned. That unnaturally dark, rainy afternoon Minato and Mikoto both found themselves from the edge of their river. And they both knew exactly what was going to happen.

For the longest time they looked at each other, as though memorizing, until Minato spoke in a uncharacteristically weak tone. "Kushina… She's in a labor." If he was crying she'd never know from the rainfall. "They don't think she's going to make it." He looked towards the sky, for a couple of moments looking like the weight of the world had been put to his shoulders. "Too many people have died already."

-

They remained in silence for so long that for just a moment Minato forgot about Mikoto's presence until she spoke. "You're going to do it, aren't you?" Her tone wasn't accusing, only so sad that he was almost sure it'd break his heart.

The moment their gazes met, they both knew the answer so clearly that it made them shudder. "I have to." He didn't recognize that voice as his. "As a leader, I… I've got no other choice."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know." I know you. Then, in the spur of the moment it seemed although she did nothing without planning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, enclosing him to a kiss that made the rest of the world fade away.

A village leader or not, he didn't bother to wipe away the few tears that slipped to his cheeks as he returned her last, fire-hot kiss.

For those few, far too short seconds he wished – hoped from the bottom of his heart – and even regretted. But as always with him, doubt never lasted long.

"I'm sorry."

And then, in a flash, it was over – after all, Minato had deserved his nickname.

-

Tears ran down Mikoto's cheeks as she stood there with her fists balled and her eyes closed, her back as straight as if there'd been a sparrow supporting it. The icy rain washing over her wasn't what made her shudder.

They both knew exactly what was going to happen – their relationship had always been that of honesty.

When the news of the leader's death arrived that evening, Mikoto didn't manage to cry along with the most of the village.

What did she have to cry about anymore when he was gone?

Several years later Mikoto took her sons along as she visited Minato's grave. While Itachi stayed in the back, most likely wanting to give her some space when seeing how much she was fighting with, Sasuke walked along, watched her place two white lilies to the grave. "Whose grave is this?" Her younger son's voice was filled with childish curiosity. "I know you visit here every year. This person must've been precious to you."

It took a long time before she managed to respond, and when she did she couldn't look at anything else but the stone. Gosh, her eyes – they felt like they'd been filled with sand! "Yes", she murmured, brushing the stone with a gentle hand. "He was… very important to me." What a lousy understatement, but it was the best she could give.

"You loved him a lot", Sasuke concluded, obviously not understanding what kind of love was in question.

She nodded and wiped her cheek, although she was fairly sure tears didn't fall – yet, at least. "I did." She then pushed herself up, although her legs barely carried her. Leaving – abandoning him – was always the most painful part, although she was fairly sure he understood. "Now let's go home." Her voice almost broke, and she could only hope her sons didn't notice. "We better get the dinner done before your father comes home."

-

On their way home she was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the child rushing towards her until they collided. "Sorry!" the boy exclaimed immediately. "I know I should look where I'm going."

She looked at the child, and in an instant the whole world froze for her. Her eyes widened, and she was almost sure she was shaking.

Blond, golden hair… Blue eyes… The boy before her was an exact replica.

Can't be…!

The child seemed confused, perhaps even mildly nervous, understandably not knowing the reason to her state of shock. "I… didn't hurt you, did I?"

She smiled, her eyes stinging badly all of a sudden. "It's alright. You didn't hurt me."

The child grinned, obviously relieved. "That's good." The blond then waved and started to hurry away. "Bye!"

She couldn't keep herself from staring at the child until Itachi spoke. "Mother?" The boy was looking at her with a worried frown. "What's wrong?"

She tried to smile at her older son, but was fairly sure the couple of tears escaping betrayed her. She could've never fooled him, anyway. "I'm… alright." Once more she looked towards the distancing child, although it was almost unbearably painful. "I was just remembering something."

Three short years later Mikoto died by Itachi's hand. On that day two trees started to grow by the river she and Minato had loved. As the trees grew their branches tangled together, making it look like the trees had been embracing. Now earthly power ever managed to tear them apart.

Owari.

1) According to my knowledge, this SHOULD mean 'river' in Japanese. (grins)

2) Mikoto's maiden name. If that surname already exists in the Naruto-world, it's purely coincided!

3) Those who've red the latest manga chapters know what this one refers to – after, we all know what's the Uchiha-family's greatest gift… Ah, and Mikoto as Danzou's daughter! (smirks sheepishly) Couldn't resist it. Plus, it kind of explains why Danzou hates the Uchiha-family so much; after all, he'd never blame himself for what happened to his daughter.

A/N: Awww, those poor things! (sniffles)

So… Was it any good, or trash-stuff? (glances nervously) PLEASE, do leave a note – I'd really want to know what you think!

The poll is still open! Which means that I'm still accepting suggestions as to the future fics in this theme. Any suggestion goes! So far I've been asked to make a KisaIta-fic (hooray!), a NarutoMatsuri-fic (now THERE'S something different!), and a NejiHina-fic (this shall be a juicily different thing to try). (grins)

Awkay, because it's already getting late I've gotta tune out.

I really hope I'll see ya guys later!

Take care!